《Crimson Eternal: An Immortal Death Mage LitRPG Apocalypse》 B1 | Glossary Vortel Description: The World of Vortel is a world where one tenth of the population will be born with an ability. These ability users are classified in two different ways. Special Class Ability Holders, or SCAH, who have a unique ability that no one else has ever had before, and Regular Ability Holders, or RAH. The abilities come in various different classifications: Physical: Physical Ability Holders gain an increase to their body in some physical manner such as superstrength or speed. Magical: Magical Ability Holders gain the ability to use one magical element and gain a mana pool to go along with the element. Special: Special Ability Holders are the in between. The abilities that cannot be classified in the other two classifications but are still abilities. These can include a hybrid of Physical and Magical, or neither. Some examples include the ability to use a single powerful attack, the ability to set yourself on fire but feel no pain and take no damage, or the ability to nullify abilities. But these abilities do not give the user any mana to use. There is only one continent on Vortel as all of the others have been destroyed over the years through war, leading to the Great Acclaims being established, banning the use of strategic abilities and strictly enforcing it within both nations to lock down any person with a strategic level ability and restrict the use of their ability. Aran Description: The continent of Aran houses the Albarian and Arterian nations, both of whom have been at war for as long as either side can remember. The Albarians want the gold and metals that the Arterians have, and the Arterians want the fertile land that the Albarians have. And neither are willing to share with their eternal enemy. Albaria Description: The Albarian nation treats its soldiers generally well, but if a soldier has a bad officer in charge of them they will not have a good life. The people flourish with food and water, but are lacking in the technology department as opposed to Artaria. Ruled by a council of governors with a political emperor figurehead who has little power. Ability Holders are required to enlist into the military within four years of graduating from lower education, by the time they turn 22 years old. They are also required to attend special classes to help them learn how to control their ability during their education. Albaria has a smaller population and less land, with fewer Ability Holders. However, their Ability Holders often end up being higher quality than the Arterian Ability Holders. Trade from Arteria is illegal. Military Rankings: Private Corporal ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 3 subordinates. Sergeant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 10 subordinates. Warrant Officer ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 20 subordinates. Second Lieutenant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 50 subordinates. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. First Lieutenant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 100 subordinates. Captain ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 200 subordinates. Major ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 500 subordinates. Lieutenant Colonel ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 1000 subordinates. Colonel ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 5000 subordinates. Major General ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 10000 subordinates. Lieutenant General ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 20000 subordinates. General ¨C 9 Generals in the army Arteria Description: The Arterian nation treats its soldiers poorly unless they are nobles or Ability Holders. The people often are lacking in food and water, albeit still with enough to live off of even if it doesn¡¯t necessarily taste good, but have a higher level of technology than the Albarians have. Ruled by an Emperor with absolute power. Ability Holders are required to enlist into the military right away after graduating from lower education. They are also required to attend special classes to teach them how to control and fight with their ability during their education. Artaria has a larger population and more land, with more Ability Holders. However, their Ability Holders often end up being lower quality than the Albarian Ability Holders. Trade from Albaria is illegal. Military Rankings: Private Corporal Sergeant Warrant Officer Second Lieutenant First Lieutenant Captain Knight Major Colonel General ¨C 4 Generals in the army Emperor and the rest of the Royal Family System Description: The System is an instinctive defense mechanism on every single planet in the universe, and it activates when invaders arrive to attack the planet. Class: A Class is automatically assigned to every user based on their natural ability and talents. Leveling up their Class will give them skills that will benefit them in further accomplishing what their Class requires along with possible physical or magical enhancements to their own body. Ability: An Ability is whatever ability the user was born with. Level: A user¡¯s level is increased by doing the action that their Class centers around. Planets are tiered based on various factors including but not limited to the size of the planet¡¯s population, the number of Ability Holders they have, and the power of the Ability Holders on the planet. And they are rated between Tiers Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, with Alpha being the highest. Abilities are divided into five Classes or Categories, the term varying depending on the culture classifying them. Category 1/Class D Category 2/Class C Category 3/Class B Category 4/Class A Category 5/Class S
Note: If you are reading this on a website that is not Royal Road or on my Patreon, you are reading a pirated version and that website does not have the permission of the author to host the story. Please instead read the story on Royal Road, here, as it is completely free to read on Royal Road. And the only Amazon Author that I will be posting this story as is the one that I posted all of my other stories through, as Shane Purdy. If this story is found published on Amazon by someone other than me, and you see that the story is not from the following Author page, it was stolen and posted without my permission on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Shane-Purdy/author/B09NRTM1J6 B1 | Chapter 1 Within the Dark Forest on the Aran Continent Heavy rain mixed with a small amount of snow falls down around the forest as the sound of gunfire echoes amongst the branches of the Dark Forest. The night is just as Caleb suspected it would be, the young private feeling more uncertain than ever as the screams of the dying soldiers fill the air in between the gunfire. But he continues pushing onwards despite the uncertainty, aiming his bayonet and firing through the darkness of the forest at the Arterian soldiers rushing through the trees, the enemy having broken their way past the fortress guarding the pass during the heavy rain. And the sounds of return fire come not long after, Caleb already ducking behind a tree while panting in both fear and exhaustion. ¡°Keep it together private!¡± Caleb¡¯s direct superior officer, Corporal Verse, shouts as he fires his own rifle directly at an enemy, most likely hitting one judging by the scream that echoes out in tandem with the shot. Caleb tries to take a deep breath, finding the rain running down his face getting in the way before he turns and begins firing again into the opposing soldiers. Then a stray bullet flies straight past his face, making his eyes widen in fear as he instantly hides behind the tree again, his bayonet held close to his chest with the blade sticking out to the side of his face, close enough for him to see his reflection in it. ¡°Private!¡± Corporal Verse shouts after ducking behind a nearby tree, his voice being partially covered by the gunfire. But after finding the private unresponsive, the corporal rounds the tree and fires several shots at the enemies, only to realize that the gunfire has changed direction, the enemies no longer shooting at them. So he stops shooting as well and frowns, quietly calling out, ¡°Private!¡± This time he gets Caleb¡¯s attention as the private¡¯s head jerks to the side to look at him before he looks beyond the tree again at where the corporal is looking. And what he finds is a faint red light shining through the trees, snow, and rain as what looks like a girl only twenty or so years of age runs through the trees, uncaring of the bullets flying past her. Uncaring even when several bullets directly hit her, blasting through her armor and into her body. But the girl continues running despite that. As if the wounds didn¡¯t even hurt her. The girl has stark white hair with crimson eyes matching the color of the light shining from her position, and she¡¯s wearing an officer¡¯s uniform but without some of the protection it would normally give, and without a bayonet or a rifle as well. Nothing more than a couple knives and a pistol. ¡°Who is¡­¡± Caleb mutters, only to pause when he hears the corporal sighing with relief. So he glances at the corporal and asks, ¡°Who is that?¡± Corporal Verse, who Caleb immediately notices is far less tense than he was before, turns to him and answers, ¡°That¡¯s the Crimson Blade.¡± Caleb¡¯s eyes widen at the official title of the warrant officer he¡¯s heard so much about since joining this division but never once seen since he hasn¡¯t been in real combat yet. He then turns his head to watch as the girl pulls out a pistol and begins firing at the enemy soldiers wearing white cloaks, killing one after another before she arrives at the first one, pulling out a knife as well. To Caleb¡¯s horror, the girl takes a bayonet¡¯s blade to the chest, but to the enemy soldier¡¯s horror, she simply ignores it and stabs her knife straight into the soldier¡¯s neck before grabbing the rifle by the bayonet, yanking it out of her own chest, and shouldering it to point at the other soldiers around her. And without any form of fatigue or weakness that one would expect someone who was just stabbed through the chest to feel, she begins to fire the rifle at the soldiers, mowing several of them down before the mag runs out and she charges forwards, skewering another soldier. And it isn¡¯t until now that Caleb realizes the faint crimson light seems to be shining from the girl with every wound she takes. As if it grows brighter when she takes a hit and dims slowly from there only to shine from another point on her body after that. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there!¡± Corporal Verse shouts, making Caleb¡¯s head snap back towards him to find the man raising his own rifle and aiming it at the enemies. ¡°Charge!!!¡± Before Caleb realizes it, he¡¯s up on his feet and running alongside the other soldiers around them, charging right at the distracted enemy soldiers who are all still firing at the girl. A girl Caleb finds still running around as if she weren¡¯t getting shot at. But that¡¯s to be expected from what Caleb¡¯s heard of the Crimson Blade. The person with the greatest regeneration ability in the entire world. One many say borders on immortality itself, if it¡¯s not already immortality. And it doesn¡¯t take long for the soldiers to push all of the enemy forces back out of the forest and into the clutches of their reinforcements who take them from the flank, finishing them off and taking the survivors prisoner. All thanks to the help of the Crimson Blade. After the battle, Caleb looks around through the rain for the Crimson Blade before barely catching sight of one last flash of crimson light located a little over two dozen meters away from him. But the look in the girl¡¯s eye has him pausing in his brief thoughts of trying to talk to her. A mixed look of boredom, apathy, and disdain. As if the girl doesn¡¯t want to be here but has been here for ages and just wants to leave. Not that Caleb can blame her, since he doesn¡¯t want to be here either. He wouldn¡¯t be here if it weren¡¯t for his need for a way to pay for his higher education fees. But the Crimson Blade looks almost¡­ too used to this. In the end, Caleb simply watches the girl walk away, not showing a single wound despite the many attacks she¡¯s suffered through the battle. Even her armor itself appears to have repaired itself, reminding Caleb that while she may not wear the full armor, she is still an officer, and an ability holder to boot. And ability holders are all granted precedent when it comes to enchanted gear. Even if she only seems to use the self-repair enchantments for some reason. Out of nowhere he feels someone swatting the back of his head, making Caleb exclaim, ¡°Ouch!¡± And before he can even turn around he hears his commanding officer say, ¡°You were going to try speaking to the warrant officer, weren¡¯t you?¡± Caleb turns towards his commanding officer and immediately salutes him, saying, ¡°Yes sir! I never got the chance to do so sir!¡± Sergeant Withers narrows his eyes at Caleb before glancing at Corporal Verse and asking, ¡°Did you explain things to him, corporal?¡± And when the corporal shakes his head, Sergeant Withers sighs and turns back to Caleb while nodding his head in the direction of the warrant officer and saying, ¡°Putting aside the fact that she is an ability holder and isn¡¯t someone you should be approaching so lightly, Warrant Officer Aria Crimson is in a special place within the military. She, as a powerful ability holder, doesn¡¯t answer to anyone below the rank of colonel, and therefore has been secluded from the rank and file soldier for reasons we are unaware of. However, we have heard that the soldiers who have tried to broach conversation with her before were politely responded to before she immediately dismissed herself from their conversation.¡± The private¡¯s eyes widen slightly as he turns around to watch the Crimson Blade walk away. ¡°Please respect the warrant officer¡¯s wishes and leave her be,¡± the sergeant finishes. ¡°If she approaches you, it¡¯s fine. But do not bother her. We soldiers of the fifty-sixth division have come to an agreement on that.¡± Caleb immediately turns around and gives his commanding officer a salute in return while exclaiming, ¡°Yes sir!¡± ¡°Now private, return to your duties and stop loafing around,¡± the sergeant says while turning around and walking away. ¡°Yes sir!¡± Caleb repeats, quickly rushing over to his assigned duty for the cleanup. But he can¡¯t help but glance at the Crimson Blade as she walks, wondering just what sort of person she is. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Aria I let out a light yawn as I walk through the trees back towards Delta Fortress at the Northeastern edge of the Dark Forest, wondering why these Arterian soldiers had to attack in the middle of the night. And in the rain to boot. Won¡¯t be surprised if a cold starts making its way around the fortress after tonight. Not that it¡¯ll affect me since I can¡¯t exactly get sick. More importantly, they woke me up in the middle of my break. If I¡¯m meant to be a weapon, at least let me sleep. I frown at that thought, unsure of how I feel about calling myself a weapon. But then again, it¡¯s what I¡¯ve become over the past several years. And there¡¯s not much I can do to get out of it. At least not yet. The sounds of soldiers moving about fill the woods until I finally arrive at the fortress and walk towards the front gate where I show them my identification, making the soldiers stationed there immediately let me inside. Then I move through the base towards my assigned quarters. One of the rooms meant for ability holders. Every time I pass by a soldier in the hallway, I give them a simple nod in return to their salute, following military protocol. But despite that, I can¡¯t help but feel slightly irritated with it. Because that¡¯s just way too much head nodding for my taste. I¡¯m also not a very social person. And the military is quite¡­ social. In a way. A strict, military way. But the main reason I avoid interacting with other people isn¡¯t anything simple like that. It¡¯s because I don¡¯t want to make friends only to watch them die while I live on perfectly fine. Better to not make any at all when they¡¯re just gonna be killed right next to me in battle and cause heartache. Once I reach my room, I close the door, lock it, and collapse onto my bed. At least this battle didn¡¯t have any enemy ability holders. Because it¡¯s always more annoying to deal with them. It takes longer for armor burned by a fireball to repair after all, and I like my modesty. And I swear fire magic ability holders are obsessed with fireballs. Something I¡¯ll never understand. My thoughts pause when a voice comes from the radio on my hip, making me scowl. ¡°Crimson Blade, do you read me?¡± a familiar and very much hated voice echoes from it. I sit up while undoing the holster for my pistol from my waist. Then I grab the radio after putting the holster and pistol on the table next to my bed and press the speak button as I answer, ¡°Crimson Blade here. What is it?¡± Lieutenant General Herman answers rather gruffly, ¡°Seers have foretold dark tidings. Be ready for anything at the base and don¡¯t hesitate to throw yourself into the line of fire should it be necessary.¡± I don¡¯t bother replying, and the Emperor¡¯s little puppy dog doesn¡¯t expect one as the radio signal cuts out after he finishes speaking. As annoying as ever. But¡­ seers, eh? Which means something big is going to go down soon. And he didn¡¯t specify that it would just be here. But everywhere. I wonder what it is¡­ some sort of major assault by the Arterian army? Considering that it¡¯s winter, I kind of doubt they¡¯ll go on a full assault right now. So what could it be? After several seconds of staring at the radio trying to figure it out, I eventually just shrug and get up from my bed before walking towards the bathroom attached to my quarters. I¡¯ll take a shower then head to bed.
The next morning sees me up bright and early, albeit due to no desire of my own. Instead it¡¯s because of the loud rapping on my door along with the shouting man on the other side. ¡°Wake up warrant officer! A meeting has been called about the assault last night!¡± I let out a light groan before proceeding to get out of bed and changing out of my nightgown and back into my gear. And after checking the holster on my pistol along with the several knives I have sheathed around my body, I clip the radio to my pants and walk over to the door. When I open it, I find Warrant Officer Alexander Greaves standing there waiting for me. A rather common sight as he¡¯s pretty much the only person I know from before it went down and I was forced into the military. ¡°Ready to go?¡± he asks, the man¡¯s black hair groomed well enough to tell me that he¡¯s been awake for at least half an hour or so. And his black eyes aren¡¯t hinting at being tired either, which makes me wonder if the guy even fought in last night¡¯s battle. I lock my door behind me and begin walking down the hall with a short, ¡°Yes.¡± We then walk in silence towards the meeting hall, the two of us having been rather awkward when we¡¯re together ever since it happened. Mostly because I¡¯m under contract and can¡¯t tell anyone what happened or that I¡¯m under contract. Although I suspect he knows that I¡¯m under contract. Probably because I usually tend to be rather blunt and wouldn¡¯t hold something as important as the death of my whole family back from him. We walk past lower ranking officers and various rank and file soldiers along our way, and all of them salute the both of us without saying a word. Something I appreciate. The whole not talking thing, not the salutes. Because I¡¯m still tired of nodding my head. Once we reach the meeting hall, Alexander steps in first, followed by myself, and we¡¯re both greeted with a room filled with dozens of ranking officers ranging from warrant officers like myself all the way to the colonel. Which is a bit of a surprise since the base commander doesn¡¯t usually attend meetings with warrant officers like me. Guess this meeting really is important. I take my place next to Alexander at the back of the meeting room before we both silently wait until the meeting starts, one of the two lieutenant colonels serving under the base commander, a woman named Amelia Hargrove, stepping up to the front and turning on the projector. And immediately a map of the surrounding area is displayed at the front of the room. ¡°Last night, nearly four dozen Arterian soldiers made it past our patrols and into the forest before Warrant Officers Crimson and Norbert dealt with them,¡± the lieutenant colonel starts the meeting out with, drawing a couple gazes towards me at the mention of my family name. A rather famous family for having nothing but Special Class Ability Holders born within it, even if the populace doesn¡¯t know the rest of my family is dead. Except me. The one person who can¡¯t die. ¡°Through our interrogations, we have concluded that the Arterians have a new ability holder stationed at the Northern Pass who is capable of illusion magic. Furthermore, we have obtained word from HQ that the Emperor¡¯s seers have foreseen something that will affect the entire Empire¡¯s future. So be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.¡± Not long after the lieutenant colonel finishes speaking, questions begin being asked by the gathered officers. Things like what type of vision was it, how would it affect the empire, and how powerful the new ability holder is. And after everything¡¯s asked and answered for me, I don¡¯t need to ask anything myself. Which is always a plus. In the end it sounds like the seers don¡¯t know anything about the thing they foresaw other than the fact that it¡¯s not good, and that it¡¯ll affect the entire Empire. A rather dark vision if you ask me. And the new ability holder seems to be a Category Three in terms of combat prowess and military potential. A little bit above the average, which is a Two. Nowhere near the top where I am at. A Five. Considering how the Category system isn¡¯t perfect or based off of pure offensive power though, I¡¯ll have to keep an eye out for this illusion magic user. ¡°Last up for this meeting is a word from the base commander,¡± the lieutenant colonel finishes after answering the last of the questions. I redirect my attention forward as the colonel walks up to the front of the room with his hands held behind his back. The man is in his mid-forties if I remember correctly, with black hair and brown eyes wearing a black and gray officer uniform like mine, except with a lot more bands on his shoulder and the entire set of armor instead of just part of it. And if I remember correctly, his name was Raiden Hawk. ¡°Today we will be welcoming a new ability holder to our midst,¡± the colonel says, making me narrow my eyes slightly as another man walks up next to him. One that looks suspiciously like the colonel. ¡°Pay your greetings to Second Lieutenant Carston Hawk. He is a Category Four Special Class Ability Holder with a logistics focused ability.¡± An SC? Don¡¯t see those very often. Then again, considering that I¡¯m a Special Class myself, I guess I can¡¯t talk much on that. But I¡¯ve only seen a few other SC Ability Holders before. Aside from my family that is. The colonel speaks a bit more before sending his son ¨C whose rank is higher than my own ¨C down to mingle with us officers as he ends the meeting. And without a moment¡¯s hesitation, I sneak my way out of the meeting room and head down to the cafeteria. I hope they have some of that well-aged wine. The alcohol doesn¡¯t affect me in the slightest since it¡¯s technically poison, and poisons don¡¯t exactly hurt an immortal, but it tastes extremely good to me regardless. This coming from someone who doesn¡¯t tend to like eating much, especially since my immortality makes it so I don¡¯t actually have to. Not really sure how that works though. Not complaining either. I smile slightly as I walk down the hall of the base, briefly pondering over how that new SC will do at the base. But in the end I decide that I don¡¯t really care. Time to see what the cafeteria has for me.
Note: If you are reading this on a website that is not Royal Road or on my Patreon, you are reading a pirated version and that website does not have the permission of the author to host the story. Please instead read the story on Royal Road, here, as it is completely free to read on Royal Road. And the only Amazon Author that I will be posting this story as is the one that I posted all of my other stories through, as Shane Purdy. If this story is found published on Amazon by someone other than me, and you see that the story is not from the following Author page, it was stolen and posted without my permission on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Shane-Purdy/author/B09NRTM1J6 B1 | Chapter 2 Aria A few hours later sees me in another meeting room as I cross my arms in the back. Except that this meeting room is filled with just six warrant officers, two second lieutenants, and a single captain instead of the entirety of the base¡¯s officers that the last meeting had. ¡°Your mission is to enter the Northern Pass and search for the enemy¡¯s newest ability holder,¡± Captain Striker declares, his terse voice filling the meeting room as he uses a pointer on the wall where the projector is projecting a map of the Northern Pass. ¡°The commanding officer of this mission will be Second Lieutenant Walston, the second in command Second Lieutenant Falter, and the rest of you will be team leaders with a small force of ten men for each team lead.¡± ¡°We have two different locations where we believe the ability holder and his forces may be stationed,¡± the captain says before moving the pointer around an area to the Northeast of us, close to the base of the mountains. ¡°First is a cave located right in this quadrant.¡± He then moves the pointer to the small, abandoned town to the North of us. ¡°Second is the first town.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Warrant Officer Calem exclaims while raising his hand, continuing once the captain nods his head his way. ¡°Do we know how many forces are under the ability user¡¯s command?¡± The captain shakes his head and answers, ¡°Unfortunately not, however we believe it is safe to assume that they do not number very high. That they lost most of their men in their failed mission last night.¡± That explains the smaller teams we¡¯re being given. Not to mention that smaller teams are harder to spot. And the abandoned towns are almost always occupied by one force or another. Whether it¡¯s our own, the enemies, or even rogue bandits who live in the Northern Pass. And since we¡¯re not occupying it right now, it means there¡¯s a high chance bandits might be occupying it even if the enemy isn¡¯t. ¡°Warrant Officer Crimson,¡± the captain declares, making me salute before he continues, ¡°you will be leading Alpha team to the abandoned town. Your particular ability will be useful there regardless of if the target is present or not.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± I exclaim, only for the captain to turn towards the other warrant officers and begin issuing their teams right away. And right after that the second lieutenants start issuing orders to them as well. In the end, I¡¯m in charge of Alpha Team, Warrant Officer Decum is in charge of Beta Team that¡¯s also directed towards the abandoned town, and the other four teams, Delta, Gamma, Omega, and Epsilon, are all sent to the caves. Simply because, while all of the warrant officers are ability holders, I¡¯m the only Category Five amongst us. The others are all Category Threes. Just like the target. After a brief rundown of the terrain to familiarize ourselves with it a bit more along with another rundown of the target¡¯s ability, the captain pops off a salute and declares, ¡°You¡¯re dismissed! Meet up again at eighteen hundred hours!¡± I get up from my chair and begin heading towards the door, not particularly interested in speaking with the other officers. Because I already know the names of every officer in the base, along with their abilities. So there¡¯s no reason to speak to them. The leader of Team Beta has fire magic, Team Delta has water magic, Team Gamma has super strength, Omega has super speed, and Epsilon has some sort of ability enhancing her senses. Which means I was paired up with a mage. A good pairing, since it¡¯s always best to pair up a physical ability user and a magical ability user. Even if I¡¯m technically a special ability user and not a physical one. I don¡¯t have magic though, so I¡¯m closer to physical than magical on that spectrum. Not having any sort of power aside from not being able to die is a pain though. Literally. When it comes to ability holders with things like super strength all I can really do is distract them and shoot at them, hoping I either hit, or my distraction gets them hit by the other soldiers. Or I can get repeatedly stabbed and slow down a superspeed ability holder if I¡¯m fighting one of them. Overall a rather large headache to deal with not having any supernatural strength or speed or any of that. Just the inability to die and the regeneration of any wound I get. Sometimes makes me jealous of those with superstrength. Just seeing them punch through a wall or something. Until I also see them dying by a bullet through the chest that is. My wandering mind catches up to reality when I hear someone shouting, ¡°Crimson Blade!¡± So I turn around from my place halfway through the hallway from the meeting room¡¯s door to find Warrant Officer Calem ¨C the leader of Beta Team, codenamed Beta ¨C jogging through the hall towards me. ¡°Can we speak?¡± I frown for a second before tersely nodding my head without a word. ¡°In that case I¡¯d like to talk about our plans for the mission,¡± he says before adding, ¡°since we were left fully in charge of the abandoned town.¡± That has me grimacing slightly on the inside. Guess the first and second in command decided to just push it all off on me. Something a lot of my team leads end up doing. Probably due to my perfect record and immortality. That and the fact that they technically can¡¯t give me orders since I only answer to colonels and above. One perk of being a weapon. I get all of my missions over with quickly and with little to no casualties amongst my men. Because almost all of the gunfire is always aimed at me as part of the plan. Something I¡¯ve gotten used to over the years, and something I don¡¯t really care much about anymore, even if it wasn¡¯t my choice at the beginning. Now I barely notice pain anymore, so it¡¯s fine. Wish they wouldn¡¯t rely on me so much though. ¡°It looks like they don¡¯t believe the target will be at the abandoned town, but they told me that we should clear out the town of any bandits that might be in it even if the target isn¡¯t there,¡± he continues, making me fully take in the man for the first time. He looks to be about twenty-five or so years old and has brown hair and gray eyes, a rather uncommon color for eyes. And he¡¯s wearing the usual gray and black uniform but with the heavier armor plating around his torso. ¡°Understood,¡± I tell him with a nod of my head. ¡°Anything else?¡± He looks surprised for a second before he scratches the back of his neck and asks, ¡°Would you like to discuss the plans in the cafeteria over lunch?¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I blink at that. After a few seconds I decide I might as well since there isn¡¯t all that much time to talk to him about the mission. I was originally planning on waiting until a couple hours before the mission call time, but now works fine too. So I nod my head and we both begin heading towards the cafeteria. And I quickly grab a soda, glass of wine, and some peanuts to snack on. Since, while I don¡¯t particularly care much for eating, peanuts do taste good. And I like drinks. Also, my ability is rather odd in that nothing that I eat ever actually seems to hit my stomach or, really, do anything. Almost as if it vanishes after I eat or drink it and I never see it again. Meanwhile my body is always in perfect condition. Makes things convenient. Also makes it so that what I eat doesn¡¯t matter. The warrant officer looks confused at my choice of ¡®lunch¡¯ but doesn¡¯t say anything about it as he orders his own and we sit down at a table while waiting. And as if on cue, some whispered conversations start up around us. Likely due to the fact that I rarely ever eat with anyone. But they shut up almost immediately when they hear me start, ¡°For this mission we should bring long range rifles, the usual infantry standard SMGs with bayonets attached, and knives for close range combat within the town. Each soldier should be equipped with them and we should have two soldiers, one from each team, stationed far enough away that they can keep an eye on the town without being seen.¡± Warrant Officer Calem nods his head and says, ¡°Sounds about what I was thinking as well. They¡¯ll be able to tell us if the target is inside of the base or not.¡± I nod my head back while taking a sip of my soda, the drink having been right from the tap. Also, the warrant officer keeps eyeing my wine like he wants it but isn¡¯t saying anything. Although it¡¯s not hard to guess why, considering that it¡¯s not exactly allowed for most soldiers or officers to have wine on the frontlines or in any military bases. I just have special clearance since the wine doesn¡¯t affect me. So I can¡¯t get drunk. ¡°Let¡¯s start planning the assault then,¡± I state after taking another sip of my soda. ¡°Two plans. One for if the town is manned by bandits and the other if it¡¯s the target.¡± He nods his head at the proposal and we both get down to planning.
The planning session stretches on for longer than I would¡¯ve liked, the man being a little too ambitious with his planning already to the point of getting old maps and monotone pictures of the town for the plans. But I go along with him anyway because it is a nice change of pace in the end. Since he¡¯s not relying entirely on me like most of my previous comrades have. By the time the planning session ends though, it¡¯s already nearing call time and we immediately make our way to the meeting room again where we find everyone else. And when call time arrives, we all leave the base, heading North before splitting up into our two groups. Alpha and Beta Teams still heading North while the other four teams begin heading East. It doesn¡¯t take us long to march through the Northern Pass to the abandoned town, and immediately upon reaching it, we find nearly three dozen soldiers manning it. ¡°Looks like the other teams are-¡± I hear Warrant Officer Calem begin only to pause when our radios start playing static following which the second lieutenant in charge of the mission states over the radio, ¡°Thunder here. We found soldiers stationed in the cave. Deal with the bandits at the town and come back us up when you finish. Thunder out.¡± Both Warrant Officer Calem and I share a glance before he goes on the radio and informs them of our situation. Then silence fills the area for a few seconds, following which the second lieutenant comes back on the radio saying, ¡°Thunder here. Understood. Disregard your last order and focus on the soldiers in the town. If you finish before us, head over to reinforce us if possible. Thunder out.¡± I share a glance with the warrant officer again as he says, ¡°Looks like it¡¯s on to plan B then.¡± ¡°Affirmative,¡± I state with a nod. Both our teams spread out in the trees around the town while making sure to keep out of sight. Then my team stays in the trees, each getting into a position where they can fire their rifles on the town over the short two meter tall walls that were originally built strictly to keep animals out. Meanwhile Team Beta moves towards the back of the town, still keeping cover under the trees. After getting the all-good from the warrant officer, I sprint out of the cover of the trees straight towards the front gate of the town ¨C a wooden structure that slides open with two doors to the gate and no roof. And it only takes a couple seconds for the soldiers manning the wall to spot me and begin shouting, firing their own rifles at me. I try to avoid the first few shots before purposefully letting a couple hit me and falling down to the ground, acting as if I¡¯m dead. And after waiting a few seconds, hearing the shouts of the men on the walls as they try to search around the town in the dark for others with me to no avail, I jump to my feet, the wounds already having closed, and begin rushing straight towards them again. It doesn¡¯t take long for them to notice me again considering the short walls, but by that point I¡¯m only a dozen meters from the wall and closing in fast. A small enough distance that lets me pull out my pistol and immediately begin picking off a couple of them, taking advantage of their confusion in the process. The shouts grow panicked and more soldiers begin popping their heads out over the walls, meanwhile some even jump down with a bayonet in hand rushing towards me, apparently assuming I have some sort of barrier ability. Or perhaps an ability to block bullets or something. I of course shoot the runners, getting two of them before having to reload, a process that leaves me open for both return fire and for the men to reach me at our spot about five meters from the wall. And they don¡¯t hold back, stabbing me straight through the heart with their bayonet, making the usual crimson light shine from my chest unlike before when my wound was covered by the snow after falling to the ground. Just like always, my wounds leak that crimson light until they heal. And also just like always, I ignore the wound, grab my knife, and plunge it straight into their neck, finding the neck to almost always be the most vulnerable part of their body considering the way their armor is set up. The people on the walls continue their shouting, and by now I think the majority of the soldiers in their base are there, so I raise my pistol and shoot up into the air four times in a pattern to signal the others. And right on cue, my team starts firing on the soldiers who are on the walls, picking them off one by one. Meanwhile the warrant officer¡¯s team should be rushing to the other side of the town where they¡¯ll climb over the wall and flank those at this wall. So far no ability holder though. I grab the bayonet in my chest and yank it out, having almost forgotten it was in there before I shoot the heads of two of the soldiers who had jumped down along with this one, the both of them seeming overwhelmed by the sudden flood of gunfire from the trees. Then I sprint straight to the gate and climb over the wall with ease, finding the inside of the town to be covered in snow and rather barren. Albeit with the exception of the remaining dozen men, only four of whom manning the walls are still alive. Looks like my team did well. By now the remaining ones on the walls are ducking down for cover though, so my team won¡¯t be much help anymore. My thoughts pause when reality around us seems to begin warping for a brief second. Illusion mage. Several snakes suddenly rush forwards to bite me, but I ignore them since I know they¡¯re just illusions. Even if the pain they cause is real. I¡¯m used to pain now though, not to mention that my ability seems to dull my pain a bit as well. Although not too much. I holster my pistol real quick before pulling out my SMG that was hanging across my back. And at the same time as the enemy soldiers begin firing it in a horizontal spray, taking out three more of the soldiers while taking more than a few bullets all over my body. But those wounds heal quickly enough, along with my armor as well. I begin to reload my SMG, only to find Beta Team arriving. So I decide what the heck and charge at the closest soldier with the bayonet, impaling them through the chest before ripping it back out. Then the area around us begins to grow dark from the illusion mage. After looking through the town from my spot for several seconds, I manage to spot the mage holding a rifle aimed directly at my head. And they fire without hesitation, making my head jerk back before I lean forwards again with a scowl and mutter, ¡°Ouch.¡± I¡¯m not sure if it was me taking a bullet to the head or my comment that rattles the guy so much that he drops his rifle, but either way, I raise my pistol and begin to pull the trigger to shoot his head. Only for everything to freeze around us as if time had stopped. The hell? B1 | Chapter 3 Aria Nothing happens for several seconds, my body completely frozen stiff along with everything else around me. Not moving an inch, with some things just floating in the air. Even the rain. I can¡¯t even frown since I can¡¯t move. Eventually I hear a loud dinging sound. Kind of like the sort of sound one of those new computer things makes when you click a button. But loud. And after that, a screen just like one of those computers¡¯ screens appears. But with far better quality, making the image, or rather, red text on it, a lot easier to see. Text that would have my eyes widening if they could as the words displayed on it are also read aloud by some strange monotone voice.
Initializing, please wait a moment¡­
I once again try to frown at the text on the screen, but nothing happens since I¡¯m frozen. So I end up stuck in place with my pistol pointed at the target and my finger already squeezing the trigger for several seconds in absolute silence. Eventually the screen fades and another one replaces it.
The System has now been Initialized into the world of Vortel.
The¡­ System? What¡¯s that? The screen fades away and is replaced with another once more.
Welcome inhabitants of the world Vortel to the System! The world around you will remain frozen during the duration of this brief tutorial over the System!
I almost instinctively try to reach out for the screen now just to see if I can touch it, only to remember exactly what it just said. That the world is frozen right now. This is¡­ weird. What the hell is going on? Whatever this System is, it clearly doesn¡¯t care about my questions as it continues.
The System is a Universal Defense Mechanism set into place to grant all worlds invaded by inhabitants of other worlds the ability to defend themselves better. It is initialized into every creature of a minimum level of intelligence on the planet and the power granted through it may be used however the user wishes.
In¡­invaders? Wait, there are other worlds inhabited by intelligent life?! Also, are you telling me that we¡¯re going to have to deal with invaders on top of the damned Arterians?! Are you fucking kidding me?!
Initiating Tutorial Process¡­ Process Initiated Welcome to the Tutorial! Here you will receive a brief rundown of the System and its ins and outs! To begin, simply think, ¡®Begin!¡¯
It¡¯s ignoring me. Assuming it can even hear me. Is this thing even intelligent? I wait for several seconds, but the screen never responds. Which makes me think it¡¯s just like those computer things after all. It needs human interaction to run and isn¡¯t smart in and of itself. So I calm down, briefly wishing I could take a deep breath or sigh right now. Then I think the word ¡®Begin.¡¯
The System will begin by assigning every user a Class based on the user¡¯s past actions, potential, ability if they have one, and current skill set. Some Classes will be unique, others may not be. But all Classes have a purpose often unique to each Class. And every user within the System may level up their Class by following through with that purpose. Doing this will increase the overall physical and magical capabilities of the user with each level-up they obtain, with the amount increased varying based on the purpose of the Class in question. Users may also obtain special powers along the way depending on their Class. However, users are under no obligation to go through with the purpose of their Class. How you use your power is your decision alone. To proceed to the personalized next step of the Tutorial where you are assigned your Class, think ¡®Proceed,¡¯ and it will begin.
Oookaay¡­ so if I have this right, the ¡®System¡¯ is just going to assign everyone some sort of ¡®purpose¡¯ and it¡¯ll give us power if we follow along with that purpose? It sounds rather simple, but it also feels kind of¡­ like the System is directing us to do something, but at the same time, it tells us that we don¡¯t have to do anything we don¡¯t want to. Almost like it¡¯s trying to manipulate people into following through with their purposes for power while saying that they don¡¯t have to do it. Which makes it sound like the System doesn¡¯t have any actual power over people but wants us to do whatever our purpose is? Kind of like it wants us to follow through with our fated purpose or something? Assuming this System is even able to do that, since it doesn¡¯t seem intelligent. Whoever made it then? Or whatever? Once again assuming it was even made by something. Eventually I just decide that speculating won¡¯t get me anywhere besides endless circles in my mind, so I think ¡®Proceed¡¯ to move on. And quickly begin to wonder just what the hell is wrong with this System when I see my Class and Purpose.
User Aria Crimson, you have been assigned the following Class: Harbinger of Death You are one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Death. The purpose of this Class is to bring Death unto others.
Seriously? One of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Isn¡¯t that just some old story from the religion on the other continents, before the other continents were all destroyed by the Black Death and the treaty against strategic class magic and weapons was put into place? The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I¡¯m honestly not sure how to take this. The fact that I¡¯ve been fighting endlessly for years is one thing, but being named Death is just pure fucking irony. I mean, who names someone who literally can¡¯t die, Death? My thoughts draw to a brief pause when the black and red screen fades and another replaces it.
Ability has been detected within user Aria Crimson. This ability has never been seen before within the System. Analyzing ability¡­ Unique Ability Analyzed. User Aria Crimson has the following Unique Ability: True Immortality The user will never die or age past their prime and will always regenerate from any sort of damage dealt to them given time regardless of the type of damage. The amount of time it takes to heal from a wound will shorten every time that exact same type of wound is received. This ability is unique to the user Aria Crimson and cannot be seen in any other being.
Okay, interesting to see it put into words I guess, but nothing new to me there. Except the fact that it is completely unique, since there¡¯s normally no way to really tell if an ability is completely unique. Just that people assume it is. Guess it¡¯s both nice to know and not nice, since now any possible chance of someone else being immortal just went out the window. Not that I believed that would happen, but still. I try to sigh at that before remembering the whole frozen time thing. This is getting annoying. Eventually the screen fades and another replaces it.
The System Tutorial will end once the user opens their Status screen. You may open it through simply wishing to or thinking the word ¡®Status¡¯ in your mind.
It wants me to open my Status screen? What¡¯s that? Out of nowhere another screen appears above the current one. But this one is of a different color and setup than the others.
Name: Aria Crimson
Class: Harbinger of Death
Ability: True Immortality
Level: 1
Oh. Guess a Status is just a list of your information? Like an ID card or something. Both my Status and the screen from before vanish and another one appears. The last one by the looks of what it says.
The System Tutorial has now finished. Time will resume once every person on the planet has finished their Tutorial. Welcome to the System.
Seriously? Just how long am I going to be stuck here? No answer comes to me. Damnit. Guess I¡¯m just gonna be frozen here for a while then.
The wait ends up being excruciating and to the point that I can¡¯t really keep track of it considering how time is frozen and all. But eventually time resumes again and I immediately find my finger finishing pulling the trigger, sending a bullet straight at the illusion magician who currently looks dazed about what just happened just like everyone else around us. Until the bullet goes straight through his skull. I don¡¯t pay him any mind though as right after time resumes, a screen with some rather foreboding text appears on it. Text that gives me a very bad feeling.
This is an announcement to all users within the System throughout the universe! A new Horseman of the Apocalypse has entered the System! Fear the Wrath of Death as she, the fourth and final amongst the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, rains Death upon this Universe!
Seriously? Did it have to announce it? Is it trying to- A ding echoes in my head, followed by the sound of that monotone voice. [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 1/100 users killed.] -make things¡­ harder¡­ on me¡­ What? I stare ahead as the screen with that annoying announcement fades, but despite my standing in the middle of a bunch of enemies and Beta Team standing in the street a few dozen meters ahead, silence fills the entire town. Then the clicking of a bullet magazine snaps me out of my stupor and I move my pistol around and fire another shot straight at one of the remaining soldiers. And the battle resumes after that. Or what¡¯s left of it at least. But every time I kill someone¡­ [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 2/100 users have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 3/100 users have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 4/100 users have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 5/100 users have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 6/100 users have been granted Death.] ¡­I get that weird dinging message playing in my head. What¡¯s this about levels anyways? It mentioned that we could progress in levels by fulfilling our purpose, and that we¡¯d grow stronger both physically and magically if we do. But are levels like ranks or something? Just some sort of numerical value it uses to show how far you¡¯ve progressed your Class? I purse my lips at that before shaking my head. Guess I¡¯ll find out when I reach level 2. Because it shouldn¡¯t be too long before that happens considering my ¡®Purpose.¡¯ Right now we need to figure out what the situation is with those ¡®planetary invaders¡¯ the System was talking about.
All Around the Universe Within a high tower topped with a dome on the planet known as Arc, a woman wearing blue robes lined with gold tightens her grip on her staff after seeing the notification about the final amongst the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. And without hesitation, she begins to scry for the Horsewoman¡¯s location, only to find the scrying blocked by the System itself. So she walks to the edge of the tower, waving her staff to make an entry point before declaring to the entirety of the academic nation known as the Arcadian Society of which she rules over as Archmage, ¡°Fellow mages of the Society! Search with all you have in you! Find Death so that we may keep our well-earned peace!¡±
A man with silver hair slowly opens his eyes after hearing the notification. And after narrowing them for a few seconds, he stands up from his throne and sweeps one arm out as he shouts, his own voice echoing throughout the Grand Silvanian Empire of which he rules over and the planet of Silverfall, ¡°Find the threat and eliminate it immediately. We cannot have another of those disgusting Calamities walking amongst us!¡±
Shadows begin to coalesce inside of a dark mansion over a dozen different chairs on an unknown planet following which people cloaked in black appear at each chair. And just seconds later, a man appears floating in the air above the table with his own cloak blowing in the non-existent wind as his voice whispers through all of their minds, ¡°Find her. Bring her to me.¡± Then the cloaked individuals all bow and vanish in another cloud of shadows.
Inside of a grand pyramid, in an equally grand throne room, a man wearing a black kilt made of only the best materials suddenly opens his pitch black eyes and grins before he stands up from his throne. Then, to all of the fervent citizens of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead, the Pharaoh declares, ¡°Our Savior has arrived! We must find them and swear our loyalty, for Death is our way!¡± And in response, all of his citizens fervently respond back, ¡°Death is our way!¡±
Within a grand mansion, a man sitting on a fancy office chair stops playing with the coin in his hand before resuming once again, rolling the coin between his fingers. And after little more than a few seconds, he rings a bell, making a servant enter his room. Then he quietly states, his white hair falling over his shoulder as his white eyes gleam with a dangerous light at his assistant, ¡°The Eternal Dynasty has found a new potential trade partner. Please find and get into contact with them immediately.¡±
Sitting on a grand throne at the core of a massive castle beneath a blood moon, a man with stark white hair slowly opens his crimson eyes and stares at the notification about Death¡¯s entry into the System. And after only a few seconds of staring, he slowly closes his eyes again, the only difference in his appearance being the slight tugging on the corners of his lips, drawing them into the start of a smile as he reaches for the necklace around his neck. Where he grabs a glowing red crystal.
Meanwhile, three individuals spread across the universe each show absolute glee at the news. One of them, a man going by the name of Victor von L¨¹neburg, otherwise known by the universe at large as Pestilence, pauses in one of his experiments as he smirks slightly. But then he returns to his work just as quickly, his laboratory dead silent like always. The next, a man by the name of Lucius Octavio, otherwise known by the universe at large as War, simply grins while cutting down his foes, his soldiers following behind him in battle without hesitation. And instead of stopping, he simply continues to fight even more fervently than before, the glee and rush of battle filling his eyes and sending terror down his enemies¡¯ spines. Lastly, Ignatius Darkheart, the Terror and Emperor of the Dread Empire, otherwise known by the universe at large as Famine, taps his finger once on his grand throne, then twice, and finally a third time. Then he nods his head, surprising the shriveled and starving nobles kneeling around his throne by his visible reaction. And thus, the era of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse begins. B1 | Chapter 4 Aria After we clear up the town of soldiers, capturing a couple of them in the process and finishing off the rest, we get word from base across the radio. ¡°Attention all units, this is Colonel Raiden Hawk. Finish up your missions as soon as possible or abandon them if that is not possible and head straight to Delta Fortress. Any units stationed within a day¡¯s trek from the fortress who are not back within two days¡¯ time, be prepared for strict discipline once you return should you not have a reasonable excuse. Any units stationed further away are to call in with your ETA and arrive whenever possible for a recap. Units who are conducting covert operations are exempt from this order. Stay tuned to your radio for further orders.¡± That was a quick response. I turn to the warrant officer and nod my head, to which he nods back. Then he turns to address the soldiers under us, raising his voice, ¡°Soldiers, back to base!¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± everyone shouts as I begin walking out of the town, the others following after me seconds later with the two captives being pulled along with rope around their wrists. I break the silence by radioing into the leader of our mission, ¡°Crimson here, mission complete and we¡¯re heading back as per the Hawk.¡± And after that I repeat my statement to the contact at base but with our ETA along with it. Then the rest of the trek is done in silence.
Once we make it back to the fortress, we immediately find it incredibly busy as all of the officers in our teams are directed towards the main meeting hall. Meanwhile the rest of the soldiers are sent to their quarters to await further orders. I frown the moment I enter the main meeting hall, finding the place incredibly full. And from the smidgens of conversation I can hear across the room, the first order of business has already been mostly decided from the higher ups. All soldiers and officers are to report their Class and Purpose to the military under a truthseeker. An ability user with the ability to detect lies. That¡¯s annoying, but manageable. They aren¡¯t starting until the end of the two day period, which won¡¯t be until tonight. So we¡¯re gonna be sitting here for a while. Since that¡¯s the case, I focus on the strange icons located in the corner of my screen similar to buttons on a computer. One of which has some sort of fireball on it and the other an image of what looks like a hand and finger pointing at a screen. I try various things in an attempt to figure out what they are including reaching out to touch them physically, which does nothing besides make me look weird to anyone watching, mentally focusing on them, which also does nothing, and lastly thinking about selecting them. Which works. The one with the hand and the screen turns out to be another way to open my status, so I close out of that one after it opens. But the other one¡­ I have no idea what this is.
Skills
Skill Name: Skill Description:
N/A N/A
What on Vortel is a skill? I stare at the strange screen for several seconds before deciding to put off figuring that out till later. After I¡¯ve had the debriefing we¡¯re all about to have with the higher ups. Since there¡¯s a chance they¡¯ll have already figured that out.
The wait lasts for quite a while but once everyone who hasn¡¯t called in already that they can¡¯t make it arrives, the colonel makes his way to the front of the room and shouts, ¡°Attention!¡± Everyone stiffens up. ¡°The Fifth General has something she would like to say to you!¡± Then a projection appears at the front of the room through magic. One depicting the Fifth of the nine Generals of the Military. The highest ranking officers and leaders of our government with power over even the emperor who at this point is little more than a mere figurehead, unlike the Tyrant Emperor of the Arterians. ¡°Attention officers, we at command have come to a decision regarding the strange phenomenon calling itself ¡®The System¡¯ and wish to spread the word to all the soldiers in the military,¡± the General, a woman with long blond hair and golden eyes wearing a very fancy military uniform filled with more bars than I care to count, states, her voice filling the room. ¡°The Council of Generals has decided that the System is here for our benefit after conducting various tests revolving around people and their Purposes, along with poking and prodding at the System itself to see if it will respond to physical action or magic. We have also concluded thus far that the System is most likely unable to make decisions and is similar to the newly developed devices known as computers. Therefore we urge all the soldiers within the military to put in some real thought on your Purpose and fulfilling it as the benefits that we¡¯ve seen from doing what the System refers to as ¡®leveling up¡¯ are a major boon to your combat efficiency. Even if your Purpose and Class have nothing to do with combat.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Yeah, looks like they came to the same conclusions there that I did. Although it also looks like the leveling up thing might be more beneficial than I thought if the government is advocating we do it. ¡°As a precaution we are also requiring all citizens, civilian or otherwise, to disclose their Class and Purpose to authorized personnel who will record it for the use of the government. However, do note that we will not disclose this information to anyone lest you wish for us to,¡± the General continues. ¡°This process is required to find those with talent and useful Classes that may be of help to the Empire in the future and to mark those with evil Classes and flag them for watch.¡± The General then nods her head once and concludes, ¡°Thank you for your cooperation and we are still looking for the ¡®invaders¡¯ mentioned by the System with no luck. For the Empire!¡± ¡°For the Empire!¡± at least half of the officers in the room shout before the General vanishes, the spell projecting her image here ending. Almost immediately after the General finishes, the colonel steps to take her place, his hands behind his back, and says, ¡°We have been searching the Empire ever since the System made its appearance, but as the General implied, we have not been able to find any of the invaders mentioned by the System. Almost as if nothing has changed since the System arrived except for the System itself.¡± He then moves one hand in front of him and raises three fingers. ¡°This can mean one of three things. Either the invaders are not on our side of the continent and are instead across The Great Divide in the Arterian Empire, they are not on our continent at all, or they are within The Great Divide itself.¡± I frown at that last option. An option that would be the worst of the three since it would complicate the war by a significant margin, possibly even delaying it entirely. ¡°As you should be able to guess, the first and second options are the most desired ones,¡± the colonel says while replacing his right hand behind his back again. ¡°If it¡¯s the first option, then we will be able to watch and see what happens as the Arterians come into contact with the invaders. And if it¡¯s the second option, we won¡¯t have to worry about the invaders at all since they will likely perish on those radiation-filled rocks.¡± One of the officers in the room raises his hand, following which the colonel nods at him and says, ¡°First Lieutenant Grayson, you may speak.¡± The first lieutenant quickly asks, ¡°Sir, what if there are no invaders?¡± ¡°If that is the case, then we will advise you to take the decision of following your Purpose into your own hands,¡± the colonel says, his face still as stern as ever. ¡°There isn¡¯t much we can do at that point beyond monitoring everyone¡¯s Classes and Purposes.¡± Silence fills the room for several seconds, indicating that no one has any more questions. Then the colonel clicks his boot on the ground once and brings them together before stating, ¡°Officers, you are now ordered to wait outside your assigned medical rooms for the debriefing on each of your Classes and Purposes. Dismissed!¡± I get up from my seat alongside all of the other officers before heading to my assigned medical room and make my way inside after finding that I¡¯m the sixth one here. This won¡¯t be a problem.
The wait doesn¡¯t take long since they¡¯re only asking for details on your Class and purpose with a truthseeker there, and while a lot of the soldiers have fighting related purposes, some don''t. Some are crafters whose purpose is to craft things, or guides, or hunters, or various other types of Classes and purposes. Various different ways to level up, many of which don''t even involve fighting at all. But surprisingly I''m the only one whose purpose directly states killing others. There are plenty who level from fighting and advancing their training, but not a single one directly states that they have to kill. Most could even end up fighting battles that aren''t to the death and still level up. Although some do have purposes that result in killing even if it''s not directly stated to do so. But they''re limited in scope to just certain types of people or creatures. Which is rather interesting. Especially considering my own Class and purpose. Soon enough I find myself sitting on a chair across from a major with a truthseeker standing to the side of the room. ¡°Warrant Officer Crimson, you know the drill,¡± the major, a woman I¡¯m familiar with since I¡¯ve worked under her multiple times by now, states. Without hesitation, I answer, ¡°I am the Crimson Blade.¡± She raises her eyebrows for a second before glancing at the truthseeker, finding the truthseeker nodding her head. Then the woman turns back to me and asks, ¡°And how do you level up?¡± ¡°I level up when fighting the enemies of the Empire,¡± I answer completely honestly. The corner of her lips quirks slightly at my answer before she glances at the truthseeker again. And when the truthseeker nods her head, she turns back to me and says, ¡°Very well. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± Then begins writing my answers down. I stand up, give a salute, and leave the room without a word. Good thing I got the major. Because I know her rather well by now. Major Curtz by now knows me well, along with the fact that I speak curtly and in short sentences. She also doesn¡¯t like speaking more than she wishes, which was why she didn¡¯t bother explaining the process beforehand and just got down to it. Didn¡¯t say anything about what they would do with my information either. So the best way to handle it was simply to answer truthfully, but not the questions they asked. I don¡¯t show any emotion on my face as I walk through the hall and eventually reach my room, where I lock the door and collapse onto my bed right afterwards. The truthseekers can¡¯t tell what you¡¯re answering. A fact not all that many people are aware of. I¡¯m only aware of it due to Dad and one of his truthseeker subordinates. And if you simply state a random fact that in some way answers what you¡¯re asked, then you aren¡¯t lying. As long as you don¡¯t think you are. Nothing I said was wrong, since I am known by the title people have given me of the Crimson Blade, and I do level up while fighting the enemies of the Empire. So there wasn¡¯t any falsehood to detect. Most people never see truthseekers though, so most don¡¯t know about this. And I doubt they¡¯d think someone like me would try to hide my Class and Purpose. Plus the officers trust me to a certain extent at the very least. It is a little annoying that they didn¡¯t give us any intel on that other menu I saw though. But I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll give it to us when they learn more about it. If I had to guess, if it¡¯s not important right now then it¡¯ll likely become important as I level up. Or something like that. I wait in my room for a while until night arrives without any new orders. So I just go to sleep. B1 | Chapter 5 Aria The next morning sees me waking up to the sound of an alarm. One blaring throughout the entire base. I shoot straight up and change out of my nightgown into my armor as quickly as possible before grabbing my weapons and running out the door without even holstering my pistol or knives yet, instead doing it while running through the hall. Then I hear my radio blaring, ¡°Attention all soldiers! Unknown enemy forces have begun assaulting the fortress! Repeat! Unknown enemy forces have begun assaulting the fortress! Everyone prepare for combat!¡± Soldiers all burst out of their rooms both before and after the radio announcement, each and every one heading towards their battle stations within the fortress. Many heading towards the walls, others to the front gate, like in my case. Everyone is already in their uniform as well, hence why the armor and uniform were both made to be easy to put on. It doesn¡¯t take me long to reach the front gate, where I quickly find several people wearing¡­ bizarre, to say the least, armor. The armor is a lot more medieval in style, but despite that they¡¯re still using guns. Guns that are shooting out magic like fire and water bullets. And the second I meet one of them directly in the eyes, some sort of strange static sound fills my head. Then I find a number appearing above each and every person¡¯s head, both on the enemy side and my own, along with a screen at the center of my vision.
User has encountered a Planetary Invader. Level Detection System Activated. User will now see all user¡¯s levels above their heads. Only Planetary Invaders of the average level of the users of Vortel or lower may enter the planet for the duration of three years¡¯ time.
That explains why everyone has a one floating above their heads. Doesn¡¯t explain what those strange guns are, or these invaders¡¯ odd choice in armor. I know magic can grant protection to people wearing enchanted armor even if it¡¯s not covering the skin everywhere, but having it cover the skin all over is just practical and gives added defense. So I don¡¯t know why people wouldn¡¯t do it. Then again, they come from a different world entirely, so they probably think differently. Their fashion sense aside, I run out ahead of the other soldiers while pulling my gun, having adjusted my holster and knives¡¯ sheaths while running over here in the first place. Then I begin shooting down the invaders with the other soldiers firing along behind me, making that annoying monotone voice ring out in my head with each kill. [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 7/100 users have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 8/100 users have been granted Death.] ¡­ The enemies quickly begin firing at me and the others, and while the other soldiers all dodge, hiding behind things for cover until those things find the effects of their magical weapons, I let the attacks hit me without a care in the world. And I just keep on firing back at them, finding the enemies to quickly be growing confused at the sight of me taking their attacks and shrugging them off with nothing but a slight flinch and a crimson glow coming out of them. Meanwhile the System¡¯s voice just keeps coming with each kill, the number at the end being the only thing changing. [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 14/100 users have been granted Death.] This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 15/100 users have been granted Death.] ¡­ Before the invaders can say or do anything about me though, spells begin firing down upon them from the mage officers we have on base who have reached the upper walls by now, blasting through their ranks. ¡°Ability users!!¡± Several of the enemies shout before one of them continues above the noise of battle, ¡°First unit fall back!¡± My eyes narrow but I just continue firing away while sprinting towards the enemies who are now retreating. But then spells suddenly start firing back at the mages above us, with some being directed straight at me. A few fireballs explode upon impacting me, sending me flying back into the wall and erasing the distance I had made while also badly damaging my weapons. A rather annoying problem, but not an impossible one to solve. I get back to my feet, ignoring the shabby state of my armor as I sprint over to a random fallen enemy soldier and ¡®borrow¡¯ his gun and sword before beginning to close the distance towards the enemies again. By this point the enemies start focusing their attacks on me, making me grimace as I try to avoid them this time just to give me a chance to fire back on them. But their attacks are making that hard due to the various fireballs, icicle spears, and whatever other spells they¡¯re sending flying my way that I¡¯m stuck avoiding. I¡¯m also not really used to this strange pistol that is shooting out tiny fireballs at them instead of actual bullets. What¡¯s worse though is that the more I avoid the attacks, the more they focus on me. Because their officers are shouting that since I¡¯m avoiding these unlike the others, I must be running out of mana to heal myself with. The bright side is that they aren¡¯t focusing on our mages or other soldiers, giving them the chance to pick them off slowly. But at the same time, it¡¯s making it difficult for me to fire back myself since they keep destroying my weapons and sending me flying back towards the wall while they slowly back up. And there¡¯s nothing I can do about that since all I can do is not die. Eventually I run out of weapons to borrow with my armor still working overtime to repair itself, the lack of any protection enchantments being the only reason why it¡¯s even able to repair itself right now. Because having me ending up half naked due to my armor being destroyed mid-combat doesn¡¯t look good for the military, and I personally would be rather upset, so they focused all of the enchantments on self-repair when making my armor. Although the emperor only cares about the former. ¡°Retreat!¡± One of the enemies, who I¡¯ve been trying to pick off for a while now due to their obvious leadership, shouts, following which the enemy soldiers begin moving backwards while having some of their own mages putting up barriers to block our spells. And their retreat gives me the time to run to a nearby friendly soldier and ¡®borrow¡¯ their rifle before sprinting towards the enemies, ignoring the magical bullets they¡¯re filling me with as I aim towards their leader. The leader¡¯s eyes widen in both fear and surprise just moments before I pull the trigger after the barrier shatters due to a lightning strike spell from a powerful mage up on the fortress wall, sending a bullet straight past the other soldiers and in-between the leader¡¯s eyes. But the enemies continue their retreat, simply abandoning the leader¡¯s corpse as they do so. [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 24/100 users have been granted Death.] I lower my rifle at the sight of the rest of the enemy soldiers disappearing past the tree line. Then I look up at the wall where I find Major Curtz standing with her fist clenched to her side and smoke wafting out of her palm. Thought so. She was the one who shot the bolt of lightning. She reaches down and grabs the radio on her hip and brings it to her mouth before I hear her voice coming from my own radio, ¡°All soldiers are to secure the walls and search for survivors. Officers of rank sergeant and below are to lead the soldiers in the process while officers of rank warrant officer and above are to gather at the main meeting hall under orders of the colonel.¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± all of the soldiers around us shout. I on the other hand frown down at my armor, finding it to be in rather poor condition. Even with it slowly repairing itself, far slower than before. And then there¡¯s the wounds I got from the new spells the enemies used that I haven¡¯t experienced much before. Specifically some sort of necrotic spell that seems to cause necrosis on the target, along with something that made my skin bubble up over my right arm. Probably a radiation type of spell. Neither are that bad though, so I ignore them as my body adapts to heal those wounds faster. At least these invaders are giving me new magics to improve my ability with. I quickly hand the rifle back to the soldier I borrowed it from before heading into the base again, proud to have returned everything I borrowed today. Ignoring the melted and occasionally shattered chunks of metal on the ground outside of the front gate. As I walk through the base, I can¡¯t help but notice that the numbers above several peoples¡¯ heads have changed. Instead of showing 1s now, some of them are showing 2s. One random person even has a 3 above his head. Looks like they increased their level. If the higher ups don¡¯t give us more intel on that then I should go ahead and ask them what the effects of raising your level is. I continue walking through the base until I arrive at the main meeting hall again, finding the room half full already. So I quickly take my seat at the back and begin waiting for the others to arrive. B1 | Chapter 6 Aria Soon enough the colonel walks into the room and stands at the front with his hands held behind his back before he declares, ¡°After following the spiritual trail of the attackers, we have learned of the invaders¡¯ whereabouts. It would appear as if a portal has opened up to another world within the Great Divide mountains.¡± A tense atmosphere immediately fills the room as I furrow my brows. ¡°These invaders are not only attacking us, but also attacking the Arterians on the other side of the Divide. However, their presence is now putting the war on hold until we deal with this new problem,¡± the colonel continues, sounding like he has mixed emotions about this. A common sentiment from what I¡¯ve heard the other officers speaking of. Apparently leveling up does improve your physical body and magical power, but at the same time, we are only able to level up because of these invaders who are attacking our world. Invaders who want to take it from us. And no matter how much we hate the Arterians, they are still from our world. Unlike these invaders. Still¡­ ¡°Has a temporary ceasefire been called with the Arterian forces?¡± Second Lieutenant Jamison asks after raising his hand and getting permission to speak. The colonel shakes his head and answers, ¡°No ceasefire will be called as of now. The emperor of the Arterian Empire has directly rejected the ceasefire the Council called for. Therefore all soldiers of the Empire are to be killed or captured on sight as per usual.¡± ¡­yeah. While our generals are reasonable people, the emperors of the two nations aren¡¯t. Especially the Arterian Emperor who still has all of his power, unlike our emperor who is just a figurehead with some power now. I hear the sound of leather beginning to creak very quietly as the colonel answers a few more questions, making me glance down at my fist held in my lap underneath the small desk I¡¯m at. And I immediately find my fist clenched so hard it¡¯s making noise as my stark white hair falls into my face. So I take a deep but quick breath and let it out again before relaxing my fist and looking back up at the colonel again right when the colonel continues speaking, the questions having run out, ¡°Our new orders from the Council are to scout the invaders¡¯ forces and return with news of their numbers.¡± His eyes narrow. ¡°Peace is not an option after they have so brazenly attacked us without provocation, even if they weren¡¯t already invaders. So if you run into them, do not feel hesitant to kill. Do whatever you must to return alive and with the intel we need. Radios will not be active during this as we do not know what sort of technology they may have. You are to report in person after the mission is completed or failed.¡± The man pauses as he looks around the room before saying, ¡°I will be announcing the officers who are assigned to this mission now.¡± His gaze pauses on one officer after another each time he speaks their names, ¡°First Lieutenants Warner, Lawson, and Erickson are to each lead a small force encompassed by soldiers or officers of your choosing through the Northern Pass to scout the invaders forces¡¯ numbers and combat power. Captains Striker and Vargos are to lead forces of your own choosing to scout the invaders forces, political makeup, and leaders. And Major Curtz is to lead a force to counterattack the invaders and act as a diversion for the other teams.¡± Oh? I¡¯m not going this time? That¡¯s¡­ The colonel¡¯s gaze turns towards me, making my thoughts trail off as the man continues, ¡°Furthermore, Warrant Officer Crimson is to conduct her own mission to sabotage the invaders in some way. Alone.¡± ¡­yeah, that¡¯s more along the lines of what I expected. ¡°That will be all for the Invasion Counterforce Teams, the rest of you will all be stationed at the base to defend it from any future attacks and to watch for any attempts to enter the Dark Forest,¡± the colonel continues. ¡°Understood, Sir!¡± I shout along with the rest of the officers in the room. ¡°Next matter at hand,¡± the colonel says before glancing to the top right corner of the room, ¡°I¡¯m sure the majority of you have noticed the new icons in the corner of your vision. One of them you should already understand is your status, but the other we have identified as a sort of list of magical System related skills. Powers that are granted by the System sometimes upon leveling up based on your Classes. So far not many people have gotten them, so they appear to be rare and only given out when you truly accomplish something the System deems worthy of a skill, and only after you level up. Please keep this in mind when you¡¯re deciding on whether you should follow your purpose and level up or not.¡± So they¡¯re just another ability, then? One related to your Class? Interesting. I wonder what sort of Skills I¡¯ll get from a Class like mine? ¡°That is all for now,¡± the colonel says before glancing at me again and adding, ¡°Everyone other than Warrant Officer Crimson is dismissed.¡± I blink in surprise and hold back a frown. Guess he¡¯s having me stay behind to discuss the mission he mentioned.
¡°Aria Crimson reporting, Sir!¡± I declare after all of the others have left the room and I¡¯ve walked up in front of the colonel. The man looks me over once, his eyes briefly pausing on my own faintly glowing crimson eyes before he says, ¡°This mission was directly assigned to you through Lieutenant General Herman. I assume you understand what that means?¡± I hold back a grimace as I answer, ¡°I do, sir.¡± If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. It means it¡¯s a mission from the emperor. ¡°Very well,¡± the colonel says with a nod of his head before I notice the corners of his mouth twitching ever so slightly, ¡°since this isn¡¯t a mission from me or the generals, and the orders weren¡¯t exactly clear, I¡¯d say it is safe to say that so long as you feel satisfied with the sabotage you conduct on the invaders, the mission will be marked as completed. Furthermore, the Fifth General has decided without the lieutenant general¡¯s knowledge that should you complete this mission, your rank will be raised to second lieutenant.¡± I almost lose control over my facial expression and gape at him, but I manage to remain in control in the end. His lips quirk upwards a little and he looks me over once more before patting my shoulder to my surprise and saying, ¡°To be perfectly honest with you, young warrant officer, I don¡¯t like the idea of people being forced to fight against their will. If you need my help, ask.¡± Silence fills the room for several seconds until I eventually nod my head, not sure what to say. This time he lets out a bark of laughter, pats my shoulder once more, and steps back as he says, ¡°Remember that should you be captured by the enemy, you are to deal yourself a blow that would leave no question as to the fatality of the wound and play dead until you¡¯re able to escape.¡± ¡°Understood, Sir,¡± I reply with a salute. The colonel frowns before sighing and walking past me, patting my shoulder once more. Even after he leaves the room, I find moving from my spot to be hard as I stare ahead in silence. What just happened?
The Great Divide Invasion General Lucius Cornelius Caesar taps his finger on the table in front of him as he stares at the hastily made map sprayed out on it, leaving the two officers trembling on the other side of the table while kneeling in the snow within the tent. The map itself only shows a very basic layout of the mountains around them with a slightly less basic layout of the pass North of the mountains, but it is enough for Lucius to do his job. So that isn¡¯t the problem right now. The problem is that the forces of the world he took the job from the emperor to invade are fully prepared for war. Almost as if they were already in the middle of warring against them before they arrived. And to make matters worse, the technology of the new world is of a higher level than their own. Even if it¡¯s not as high as some other worlds Lucius¡¯s father has led him to during his campaigns. ¡°It¡¯s not the technology that matters, but the power of those who use it,¡± his father, the emperor, would always say. Because what can someone with sticks that shoot pieces of metal do when those pieces of metal are incinerated by pure power? No, the problem that Lucius is facing is that technology does matter when it is a newly initiated world. Where all of his own forces are limited to level 1 soldiers, with the rest only able to trickle in through the gate as the average level of the world rises. Lucius was raised by the emperor strictly to be the commanding officer in a new world the emperor had discovered the coordinates to two decades ago. He was trained without allowing his level to increase at all, leaving him stuck at level 1 up till now so that he could cross the gate. He was taught how to lead, taught strategy, and taught everything he would need to know to be the Invasion General for the invasion. But what he wasn¡¯t taught was how to deal with this sort of technology in a brand new world since this is their first invasion of a brand new world. They didn¡¯t expect to find one with higher level technology than them. To hell with Father¡¯s ¡®technology doesn¡¯t matter,¡¯ I need to deal with this somehow. He finally raises his head from the map and looks at the two officers, only to glance at the one on the left when he realizes it¡¯s not the one he put in charge of the attack on the Western side of the pass. So he asks with a frown, ¡°What happened to your commanding officer?¡± The officer lowers their head and says, ¡°He was killed in battle by a monster, Your Highness.¡± ¡°Call me General while we¡¯re here,¡± Lucius says before focusing on what they said. ¡°You speak of monsters. Does that mean this world has necromancers and alchemists advanced enough to create them?¡± He glances at the other official. ¡°And you? Did you find any monsters?¡± ¡°I did not, General,¡± the officer responds. Lucius looks down and cups his chin in thought. Then the monsters are only- His thoughts are interrupted when the first officer speaks up again, drawing his attention, ¡°I misspoke, General. What I meant was an ability user who was far too powerful even at level one.¡± Lucius¡¯s brows furrow in annoyance. ¡°It was almost as if the ability user was immortal. No matter how many spells, spellgun shots, cuts, stabs, or any type of attack we could think of she took, she continued attacking as if nothing was wrong. She just continued moving, recovering from each and every attack without any hesitation.¡± That catches Lucius¡¯s attention. Perhaps a Class S ability? One focused on regeneration? That could help our forces if we can convince them to join us¡­ I¡¯m a little surprised that a world whose coordinates were as cheap as this one has such a high Class ability user though. He thinks about it for a bit, ignoring the two officers, both of whom are shaking from fear as he does so. There were twenty-four other worlds that were discovered during this planetary invasion phase, and it¡¯s a regenerative power, so I doubt she¡¯s the new horseman. I doubt the horseman is even on this planet considering that this is a lower Tier planet. Lucius sighs at that thought. Planets are tiered based on various factors including but not limited to the size of the planet¡¯s population, the number of ability users they have, and the power of the ability users on the planet. And they are rated between Tiers Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, with Alpha being the highest. This world, Vortel if Lucius remembers correctly, should be Gamma Tier. Meaning it should be about average amongst the planets, with a population of around seven or eight billion spread across several continents, and around a single percent of those being ability users. Most with average abilities. Not a planet he would ever expect to find a Class S ability user on. Lucius sighs again and raises his head to look at the two officers and says, ¡°Have the men focus on raising their level for now. We need all the strength we can muster for the battles to come.¡± Both officers give him a salute and run out of the tent as quickly as their feet can carry them. Then Lucius turns his attention back to the map. So two forces on either side of the pass, and unbreachable mountains on most sides of us. A grin stretches across his face. I can work with this.
Note: If you are reading this on a website that is not Royal Road or on my Patreon, you are reading a pirated version and that website does not have the permission of the author to host the story. Please instead read the story on Royal Road, here, as it is completely free to read on Royal Road. And the only Amazon Author that I will be posting this story as is the one that I posted all of my other stories through, as Shane Purdy. If this story is found published on Amazon by someone other than me, and you see that the story is not from the following Author page, it was stolen and posted without my permission on Amazon.https://www.amazon.com/stores/Shane-Purdy/author/B09NRTM1J6 B1 | Chapter 7 Aria I frown as I pull my hood further over my head while walking through the heavy rain. But even as I walk, I can¡¯t help but notice the rain lightening up the further East I get, instead turning to snow, and eventually, hail. This is a pain. At this point in my trek, all of my clothes and armor are soaked to the bone. My hair is soaked despite my hood, and I¡¯m freezing so badly that I occasionally see flashes of crimson light shining from under my gear as my body repairs any initial starts of frostbite or hypothermia. Or any sort of sickness or other types of damage caused by the cold and rain. This is exactly why the war tends to stall during the winter and spring. Because of the weather at the northern and southern passes. It just ends up turning into sneak attacks, ambushes, and stealth missions galore instead of an actual war. I let out a sigh, not pausing in my trek through the northern edge of the Dark Forest. When I tried to think about why the emperor would want to send me on my own to the enemies, it didn¡¯t actually take very long to figure out the reason why. After all, I¡¯m a weapon to him. And I¡¯m unique to our world. So what better way to start a conflict than to send a unique being to the enemies alone, messing up their expectations of the war? Because if they see a category 5 ability user as their first real enemy, then they will have to assume we have more until proven otherwise. Unless they¡¯re just stupid that is. And that assumption will slow them down and close opportunities that may otherwise be open until they realize I¡¯m special even in this world. All of this is assuming that these invaders don¡¯t know anything about our world though. It would be awkward if they did know everything about our world, but we don¡¯t really have much to go on. So it¡¯s best to do what we can. Not that I have any say in this. I grimace at that thought as I continue trudging through the trees until I reach the edge of the mountains and begin trailing along the edge of them into the main part of the Northern Pass, out of the dark Forest. And it doesn¡¯t take too long for the rain to completely turn into heavy snow instead. Or for the hail to start, making me grimace at the rather annoying sensation of ice hitting my head. None of it does any real damage other than bruises that heal immediately though. I¡¯m starting to wonder if this weather was the real reason I¡¯m being sent out first, since the other teams were held back until the weather lightened up. But I can get through it easily, albeit with a lot of discomfort. If that¡¯s the case then it makes sense, considering that no one would expect someone to send forces through this shit. Just the thought of that, no matter how logical it is, has me clenching my fists in anger until I see crimson light shining from under my gloves. That emperor is going to pay for everything he¡¯s done to me and my family. I glance at the corner of my vision where those icons from the System are. Before now I was simply planning on playing the long game of waiting until I climb the ranks to the top of the military simply by letting the old coots above me in rank grow old and age, along with the emperor. Then kill the guy after I have enough power to do so. But now that I have a way to actually get stronger¡­ I purse my lips as I raise my fist closer to my face and clench it again, this time in a faint feeling of excitement instead of anger. That could work. I blink as a thought comes to me. Guess I could also hope that some random invader comes and kills the emperor. Then again, as much as I hate the emperor, I don¡¯t hate Albaria itself. Just the figurehead. I continue trying to think of possible paths to revenge as I make my way through the frozen pass north of the mountains until I eventually have to stop when I see lights in the distance through the snowy trees. And after a brief pause, I quickly climb out of the snow on the ground onto the trees before jumping from tree to tree, making sure the branches I go to are strong enough before each jump. Once I get within several trees of the light, I begin to hear voices over the snow. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°You think those invaders are serious?¡± A rough voice comes from the light source, which I still can¡¯t see yet as it¡¯s covered by the trees. I frown as I jump to another tree, and then another. At which point I finally am able to see where the light is coming from. A strange, makeshift shack? Of sorts. It¡¯s rather crappy, but at least seems to cover the group of bandits I find living under it. The shelter doesn¡¯t even have walls on all sides. Just on two, with a couple planks on the other sides. It doesn¡¯t even fully cover them from the snow, letting some snow and still get around through the sides. I get the feeling they made it mostly for the hail though. ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe?¡± Another bandit says, this one being a lot bigger than most of the other bandits there. ¡°They dress weird so I didn¡¯t pay attention.¡± A much smaller bandit smacks the guy in the back of the head, which looks rather comical as they exclaim, ¡°Idiot! What did I tell you about paying attention to appearances?!¡± That¡¯s an odd group of ruffians. Then again, the Passes are full of these sorts. They can¡¯t find a place for themselves in either nation and end up living in the Passes. Both sides of the war often use them as mercenaries to help in the war and have an unspoken agreement to not just kill them. Unless they try to rob you that is. If they try to rob you that gives you carte blanche to kill them. Or arrest them, if you feel like bringing them all the way back through the treacherous weather with you, sharing your rations with them. Although I kinda traded my rations away for extra ammunition due to not needing to eat or drink. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, boss!¡± the big guy exclaims while covering his head with his hands. Then the little guy who yelled at him sits down and cups his chin. ¡°Their offer is enticing, and it¡¯ll open up more paths for us, so I think we should take it,¡± the man says, making me frown. From the sounds of it, the invaders might be hiring the wandering bandits themselves to fight against us. Which doesn¡¯t bode well for their situation after entering our planet either. Then again, they apparently entered our world through the Great Divide. Which, while it¡¯s better than the Northern and Southern Passes, is still not the most pleasant place to live. Especially during winter. Well, anyways, I listen in on the bandits¡¯ discussion for a little bit longer, ignoring the snow and hail hitting me all the while, until I eventually decide they¡¯re not gonna say anything worthwhile without some extra push. And after a brief count, I find the bandits numbers to be around a dozen or so. I can take on that many. Especially since they only seem to have a couple pistols total out of all of them, along with pretty bad blades spread across the group. So without any hesitation, I jump across a few more trees before jumping straight down to land several meters in front of their little shack, startling them all into standing up. But I just raise my own assault rifle that I grabbed from the storage ring I was given to point at them. ¡°Stop, stop, stop!!! Don¡¯t shoot!¡± The small guy who I¡¯ve learned by now to be the leader of them shouts while raising his hands and motioning for the other bandits to lower their weapons. ¡°We don¡¯t have anything worth taking, and we certainly don¡¯t want to be mowed down. So why don¡¯t we talk this out?¡± I blink, vaguely surprised that the bandits are trying to negotiate with me. Until I feel a light tickle in my side, making me glance down to find a flash of crimson already starting to fade. So I look up at them again to find another one having been hiding right outside of the shack on the other side of it, with a rifle aimed at me. A distraction? Doesn¡¯t matter. As a warning, I go ahead and fire the assault rifle, shooting the one who shot me in the head and killing him. Then I move it to focus on the others who all quickly glance back at the dead man and then to me with terror on their faces. ¡°I surrender!¡± Two of them shout at the same time, followed by the big guy who does so after looking at their leader and finding them gritting their teeth and eventually joining the two. Then the rest all fall in as well. I don¡¯t lower my rifle as I ask, ¡°What offer did the invaders give you?¡± The bandits all show surprise on their faces before they look at each other. Then the leader turns back to me and answers, ¡°They¡¯re goin around to each of us wanderer groups and offerin a job to fight for them, just like you soldiers do.¡± That has me frowning as my suspicions were confirmed. But the next part surprises me a little. ¡°In return for helping them in tha war, they were offerin a home for us to live in,¡± one of the other wanderer bandits answers, making me understand that their leader is smart and not against working alongside those from the planet he or she is invading. ¡°Okay, and where are they now?¡± I ask, finding the snow lightening ever so slightly in the middle of our conversation. The leader answers this one by pointing to the Southeast and saying, ¡°They are at the Intersection.¡± I purse my lips for a second before deciding that these idiots aren¡¯t worth the time it¡¯d take to kill the rest of them. So I lower my weapon and begin sprinting away. If they attack me though, then I¡¯ll kill them. But none of them ever do, so I just keep running through the snow towards the mountains, through the Pass. The Intersection is the intersection point between the Western and Eastern Mountain Passes, which are basically just two very narrow and difficult to traverse paths through the mountains in the Great Divide that end up connecting at one point. Then they continue on for a little bit past the intersection before hitting a dead-end. Any other parts of the Great Divide are damn-near impossible to pass through. Unless you¡¯re immortal like me and don¡¯t care about falling to your death, being frozen to death, struck by lightning, and possibly eaten by a mythical creature that is foretold to be there but has never been seen before. No one has ever really crossed the Great Divide, and after who knows how many missing people trying to do so and never returning, people don¡¯t really try anymore. And it looks like I¡¯m stuck traveling into it now for the first time. That¡¯s not gonna be pleasant. Especially since there is no way I¡¯m going through the Western or Eastern Mountain Passes. Not when they are bound to be guarded by the invaders. So my only choice is to go through the dangerous path of traveling up and through the mountains to sneak past them. I sigh at the thought as I continue running through the snow. B1 | Chapter 8 The Albarian Capital ¡°Introducing, His Imperial Majesty, Lysandre de Pyre Voltaire! Ruler of our beloved nation of Albaria!¡± A man shouts as Lysandre enters the council chambers, finding all nine of the Generals of the Military seated in nine of the ten chairs located circling the middle of the chamber. And he immediately makes his way towards the tenth chair, crossing through the middle of the nine generals and taking his seat with his black cape beneath him. Then the doors to the chamber shut, leaving it in silence for but a moment. The silence is broken by the ringing of a single bell, following which the Eighth General rests his cheek against the palm of his hand, his elbow against his seat¡¯s armrest as he glances at the emperor and says, ¡°I heard you sent out the Crimson Blade to sabotage the invaders on her own. Did I hear that correctly, or was I daydreaming?¡± A tense atmosphere immediately fills the hall, but the emperor isn¡¯t fazed by it in the slightest. Instead he frowns at the Eighth General and states, ¡°A blade should be used.¡± Without saying any more on the subject. The armrest of the Fourth General¡¯s throne shatters when the Fourth General slams her fist into it in anger and shouts, ¡°She is a human being, Lysandre, not a weapon!¡± This time the emperor simply ignores her outburst. Meanwhile the Fifth General glares at the emperor, clearly taking her brother, the Eighth General¡¯s, side. And the Sixth General sends a scowl of his own at the emperor but doesn¡¯t say a word to show his exact feelings on the matter. The rest of the Generals stay silent, not getting involved in the conflict. Eventually, after getting sick of the stare down, the First General uses her ability to hide all of the light from the room at once, leaving it in complete darkness before returning it to normal, bringing everyone¡¯s attention to her. Then she begins to speak, her arms crossed in front of her, ¡°We have more important matters to attend to right now than the old man¡¯s inferiority complex.¡± Her words immediately spark the emperor¡¯s anger, but a simple glance from her silences any complaints he was about to deal out. So the First General moves her gaze across the other generals and says, ¡°The invaders have been confirmed to be at both Intersections, at the Northern and Southern sides of the Great Divide. Which means that they either figured out a way to cross the mountains far enough to reach the intersections from their entrance to our world, or there¡¯s more than one entrance to begin with.¡± None of the generals show any surprise, each having learned of the situation beforehand. But the emperor does show surprise as he sits back in his seat, not saying a word. ¡°They haven¡¯t sent a single envoy to discuss things with us, making it clear that the invaders are here for no other reason than to conquer us,¡± the First General continues while uncrossing her arms and resting them on the arm rests of her seat. ¡°Considering that they¡¯re also attacking the Arterians, this may not be entirely to our detriment,¡± the Fifth General speaks up, taking her glare away from the emperor. ¡°It all depends on the quality of the invaders¡¯ ability holders, since ours are higher quality than the Arterians. If the invaders have high enough quality ability holders, we may just be able to use them to get rid of the Arterians for us.¡± ¡°And if their ability holders turn out to be even better than our own?¡± the Second General asks, glancing at the Fifth General. The Fifth General looks back at him and frowns, ¡°I sincerely doubt that, considering the battle at Delta Base. But if they do turn out to be better than our own, we may have to consider breaking the treaty to eliminate them.¡± The Great Treaty. A treaty set up to protect the last remaining continent still inhabitable on the planet by banning any and all strategic level magic and weaponry, along with any types or magic or weaponry that could damage the environment. Silence fills the council chambers for several seconds. ¡°Let¡¯s leave discussion of strategic class magic till we¡¯re down to our last options,¡± the Ninth General states, making everyone else nod in agreement with the exception of the emperor. ¡°In that case, I suggest we wait for our scouting teams to return before coming to a conclusion on our next actions,¡± the First General declares. Declarations of agreement run through the hall, with the emperor being the only one not agreeing. But none of the generals pay him any mind, instead ending the meeting there.
Aria I let out a light grunt as I cut down one of the dozen bandits camped out near the part of the mountain I want to climb is. Then I take a bullet from another two while sprinting forwards, avoiding the sword of another, and cutting down another, leaving just ten left. This is a pain. And a waste of time. [User has killed one being of Level 2. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 32/100 users have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 2. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 33/100 users have been granted Death.] Okay, maybe not as big of a waste of time. I let out a breath of air when another two gunshots fire off, sending bullets through my armor with one of them not going all the way through and the other hitting a weak point in it and shooting straight into my arm. Only for it to be flung back out with the crimson light as I raise my pistol and take shots at both of them, killing the two. [User has killed one being of Level 3. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 34/100 users have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 35/100 users have been granted Death.] These updates are getting a little annoying though. ¡°You¡¯re a monster!¡± one of the bandits shouts at me, but I ignore them as I dodge that very same guy who runs past me with a bayonet attached to his rifle in his sad attempt to stab me. Then I stab him in the back in return with my sword before raising my gun and shooting another one. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. [User has killed one being of Level 2. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 36/100 users have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 37/100 users have been granted Death.] And that makes six down, six more to go. Is there a way to turn off these notices? I briefly open my status to see if there¡¯s any sort of way to do that, only to blink as I realize a couple other icons appear on the bottom right of my vision when I do that. Interesting. I feel a force pushing me to the side when another bullet hits me, but I ignore it as I check out the icons. And I quickly find one of them to be exactly what I¡¯m looking for. A way to customize the annoying updates and what it calls an interface, which I believe is what those people at the base were referring to how you interact with a computer screen. Or something like that. It fits so I¡¯m going along with it. Anyways, I close out of it for now to find the butt of a rifle quickly approaching my face. And the moment it hits me, I hear a bone crunching as I am sent flying a couple meters back to the ground. Then I get back up, the bone in my face fixing itself, and shoot the guy in the face. ¡°Rude,¡± I comment with a frown while pulling my hood back down, the thing having been knocked back during that. [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 38/100 users have been granted Death.] ¡°Damnit, there has to be a way to kill her!¡± one of the bandits shouts before another takes charge and begins to order them around, making each of the five remaining bandits surround me. I quickly raise my gun to shoot, only to find it out of bullets. Oh, lost count of my clip while distracted by the interface thingy. So I throw my gun at one of the bandits, hitting them in the face as I use both hands for my short sword this time and skewer that same bandit, letting the others all empty rounds into my back, making my armor repair itself further again. Yeah, the enchantments on my armor aren¡¯t going to last forever. I¡¯ll probably run out of mana in the enchantments by the time I get to the invaders, much less get back home. Maybe I should grab some extra clothes from these bandits while I¡¯m here. I yank my sword back out of the gut of the bandit I just stabbed before raising it to parry the bayonet of another bandit, snapping the bayonet off of the rifle it¡¯s attached to in the process. Which goes to show how old their weapons are, and frozen. Then I spin around and slit the throat of another bandit that was rushing up to my side before slicing the hands of the one holding the now-bayonetless rifle, making them drop the rifle. ¡°No you don¡¯t!¡± another one of the bandits shouts as they rush forwards right when I¡¯m about to finish off the bandit in front of me. And they soon impale me through the heart, making me briefly cough out a mouthful of blood on them. They show a relieved expression at my blood landing on their face, but I just mutter, ¡°Yes I do,¡± and impale the bandit behind them through the throat, following which I yank it back out and stab backwards, bringing the blade straight through the flimsy armor of the bandit who is way too close for comfort. The blade goes straight through their body and into my own, leading to two blades in me instead of one. [User has killed one being of Level 2. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 39/100 users have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 2. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 40/100 users have been granted Death.] Until I yank mine out and the bandit in question begins to fall backwards, bringing their blade with them. I frown slightly at the blood soaking the nice jacket that I¡¯m wearing over my armor. Or rather, what was a nice jacket before it got peppered with holes. At least the cloak is still fine. I turn to find the remaining two bandits running for their lives. Can¡¯t let them run. Not when they¡¯ll likely just report to the invaders what I¡¯m doing. So I bend down and grab the rifle from the guy who stabbed me through the heart before raising it and shooting one of them in the head, followed by the other. [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 41/100 users have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 42/100 users have been granted Death.] And that makes twelve. I look down at the corpses around me with a frown before sighing. Idiots decided they were going to take me as a prisoner to the invaders for a reward after seeing my armor. I don¡¯t like killing, but I am absolutely not against it either. There¡¯s no enjoyment in the act, but no loss in my eyes either. That has been beaten out of me over the past years doing nothing but fighting in a war and being blown up, torn apart, cut, shot, burnt, and any other sort of killing method I can think of over and over again throughout that time. I do find war to be a waste of time though. Spend it training, building, researching, or just progressing society forwards. Not killing other people for stupid reasons. A rather ironic opinion considering my status as a weapon for the empire. [User has killed one being of Level 1. Requirements to reach level 2 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 43/100 users have been granted Death.] Huh? I look around before remembering the one I stabbed in the gut. Oh, right. They didn¡¯t die right away. I lean down and wipe my sword on one of the corpses before sinking it a little bit into the snow and stepping on the snow, letting it melt a little under my body heat. Which isn¡¯t very efficient, but works nonetheless as when I raise my sword again it¡¯s been washed of most of the blood. So I sheathe it again and begin walking over to the little shack they made. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m taking clothes from a corpse, so I hope they have clothes in this shack.
They didn¡¯t have extra clothes in the shack. Although they did have some food and water, not that I need any of that. I let out a sigh as I finally move past them to the edge of the cliff that was right behind their camp. The very spot I was wanting to enter the mountains from. Come to think of it, some of those bandits were level 3. They also seemed stronger than normal humans, albeit not by much. And it didn¡¯t matter much either with their crappy weapons, or when faced with a pistol. Which I did retrieve and finally reload. When in doubt, throw your gun in their face. Works every time, even if you take a bullet in return. It¡¯ll just heal anyways. I briefly pause as I¡¯m about to begin climbing the cliff as a thought comes to me. Am I mentally sane? I purse my lips at the thought before shrugging. Probably. At least by my qualifications I am. Not like I was born like other humans anyways. Most people aren''t born with my ability after all, and it kind of numbs your sense of danger when you can¡¯t die after all. Or, rather, no one but me is. Yeah, I¡¯m perfectly sane. I nod my head, glad I determined that before I start climbing the cliff. And wishing I had better gloves as I do so. Because these aren¡¯t the greatest for keeping my grip on a rocky cliff. Although the fact that others are leveling faster than I am¡­ I¡¯ve been working towards my purpose since the System thing awakened and am still level 1, meanwhile I¡¯ve seen quite a few people who are already level 3. Guess that just means it¡¯s easier for some people to level up than others? I wonder how that affects the end results of each level¡­ Out of nowhere, my gloves slip, and I fall down, cracking my skull after making it about halfway up the cliff. Then I sit back up, rubbing the back of my head as it heals. And stand back up to try again. After taking my gloves off this time. B1 | Chapter 9 Somewhere Else within the Northern Pass Major Curtz taps her foot, her arms crossed as she looks over the map in front of her. Meanwhile the various officers under her command stand at attention around the long table within the tent. Since she¡¯s been ordered to counterattack the invaders as a distraction, she chose the most direct path towards doing so. But not until after she gives the other teams some time to move themselves. And after a few days keeping the hill warm, she finally looks up from the map and orders, ¡°We march.¡± All of the officers within the room immediately salute the major before going about seeing to their own jobs. This should¡¯ve been enough time for them all to get to where they need to be. So now it¡¯s our turn. And with that, the major and her forces all begin to move out, marching down the hill and making the last stretch of the trek towards the Western Mountain Pass, where she quickly finds a makeshift fortress having been built. One that she¡¯s been scouting for days now. Then the plan begins. The fortress wall is made out of wood and is only three meters in height. Short enough that the soldiers can scale it without much issue, especially if they use abilities. However, the ice and snow make the wood unlikely to be able to catch on fire. So that plan was shot down rather quickly during the planning session. So instead of using fire, the vanguard of her forces move out as a distraction, catching the attention of the enemy forces manning the poor excuse for a wall. Her forces quickly begin to fire with their rifles from a medium distance, using the trees near the base as cover and making the enemies only able to shoot arrows and spells at them. First part of the plan, lower their guard and whittle their numbers down ever so slightly. She keeps her own Ability Holders and mages in the back so as to not show off their presence just yet. And right when more forces begin to appear on the walls, the soldiers already there begin to lower their guard a bit. Since they now outnumber the major¡¯s forces by a large margin, even with her weapons. The major lets the battle continue like this for a little bit, taking a few strategic casualties and letting the injured fall back to boost the enemies morale a bit. And the moment the enemies¡¯ morale peaks, she raises her hand, making her own forces begin to slowly pull back, baiting the enemy forces out of their own walls. Major Curtz grins ever so slightly at the sight of it. Then she raises two fingers, signaling the second part of the plan as soon as the enemy soldiers make it far enough from their base. Following which the soldiers all quickly speed up their retreat, moving behind the mages who are already beginning to cast their spells. And by now the enemy soldiers realize that they¡¯d been lured into a trap. So they begin to retreat. But it¡¯s too late for them as bombardment spells made of ice, fire, and lightning all rain down on them, wiping out the soldiers who had left the wall. It¡¯s not over yet though as the major knows that only a fraction of their soldiers left the walls. And she can already see more soldiers appearing on the walls, likely from reinforcements located deeper within the pass. The major raises a third finger, making her mages quickly shift to using blizzard spells, enhancing the blizzard around the fortress walls and allowing them to retreat back to their own base while picking off any of the foolish enemy soldiers who try to follow after. So far so good. Now to see what their next move is.
Within the Western Mountain Pass If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Legate Catullus scowls at the map in front of him after hearing the report from his men. ¡°So they want to go about things that way, do they¡­?¡± he mutters, making the soldiers around him tense up. ¡°The enemy¡¯s leader isn¡¯t half bad. But¡­¡± he raises his head to look at the soldiers with a grin growing on his face. ¡°Gather the ice, water, fire, and lightning mages.¡± ¡°Right away, Sir!¡± one of his tribunes exclaims before immediately leaving the tent and running while shouting orders. The legate lowers his gaze back to the map again, looking at the terrain around the pass opening. An opening that leads into a small valley filled to the brim with trees that the enemy soldiers were using to hide themselves and keep cover within. And behind the trees on all sides are hills, one of which the legate suspects the enemy forces are camping at. If they plan to use those trees to hide from our attacks and lure us out, then we just need to get rid of the trees.
Above the Western Mountain Pass Several hours later The major taps her fingers on the long table within her tent, feeling impatient at how quiet the enemy soldiers have been. ¡°Do you think they aren¡¯t planning on retaliating?¡± a first lieutenant under her command asks, but the major just purses her lips. ¡°They haven¡¯t done anything for nearly five hours now.¡± The other officers begin adding in, agreeing with the first lieutenant. But Major Curtz can¡¯t help but get a bad feeling about this. Then a shout echoes across the camp, followed soon after by someone bursting into the tent and exclaiming, ¡°Major! The forest is on fire!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± ¡°How could they set a mass fire in this wet and snowy climate?!¡± Major Curtz rushes out of the tent in front of the other officers before narrowing her eyes in the direction of the smoke directly down the hill. At the burning trees. And it only takes her but a moment to understand what happened. ¡°They used ice and water magic to remove the dampness from the trees and keep the snow and rain away before setting them ablaze,¡± she tells the other soldiers while folding her arms with a frown on her face. Looks like they have a competent leader after all. Now we don¡¯t have any cover to hide behind while attacking. The major doesn¡¯t feel too displeased by this though, since she knows that she isn¡¯t here to win a battle. She¡¯s only here to distract them. So distracting them is just what she¡¯s going to do.
Aria I kneel down on the small outcrop I managed to find as I look out over the blazing forest. Something that shouldn¡¯t normally be possible with this climate, but I guess is now. Probably due to magic. Looks like the major is busy down there. From where I¡¯m standing, I can see soldiers flooding out of a base camp set up on a hill to put out the fires. But by the time they manage to put them out, a vast majority of the trees around the makeshift fortress that the invaders are using are gone. Turned into nothing but ash. If I had to guess, the major was using a hit and run tactic to wear down the invaders and keep their attention on her. Now that¡¯s not possible anymore. I doubt she cares though. Not when she isn¡¯t here to conquer them in the first place. Anyways, I continue climbing around the side of the mountain, located hundreds of meters above the ground where the invaders are. And it doesn¡¯t take long before I make it behind enemy lines. Or, above enemy lines? Either works. I glance down at the enemy base camp located at the end of the pass ¨C the one the major is attacking ¨C and find it filled to the brim with soldiers. Which basically means that there aren¡¯t likely very many soldiers further back. Good. With that thought in mind, I continue climbing from one outcrop to another, and when there aren¡¯t any, simply climbing to the side. All while being extremely careful not to fall. Thankfully my experience falling down about eleven times when trying to get up here in the first place comes in handy with this, and I manage to keep my place up here. Because it would be more than a little awkward if I fell down and had to regenerate in the middle of their camp. Both for me and them. The experience of falling off a cliff wasn¡¯t very pleasant though. And it ruined my armor, so at this point I¡¯m just wearing my cloak with some really badly messed up armor. Even if my armor is still slowly repairing itself. I continue skirting around the mountain, only occasionally looking down below me to find some of those oddly clothed soldiers walking through the snow. And I can¡¯t help but pity them, considering their exposure. Why are they all wearing skirts out in this cold? Seriously. It just doesn¡¯t make sense to me. They seem to have at least some magical protection on their armor though considering how they¡¯re not freezing to death. But I can still tell that they¡¯re cold by how they¡¯re stiff and shivering a little. None of them have spotted me either, which is good and unsurprising. Considering that I¡¯m on the side of a mountain several hundred meters above them. Anyways, their poor choice of outfits aside, I continue my climb. This is a pain. Good thing my muscles are just repairing no matter how tired they get. Schedule, Discord, Patreon Announcement, and Happy New Year! To those of you who are new to my stories in general, hello everyone and welcome! For those of you who come from my other stories, hello again! To start things off, I will be saying my schedule for Crimson Eternal. Which, in all honesty, is just a simple daily chapter every day at 12:04 CST. However, I may upload bonus chapters on some days depending on how many chapters I actually write that day. There will be some art in some scenes through the story, although not much. And due to some complaints I had in my other stories about putting it in the middle of the chapter when it''s shown, I am putting this art at the very end of the chapters so that you don''t have to stop reading to see it. Or you could skip it if you would like. Up next is my Discord server. If you''re interested, click here to go join it! Lasty, my Patreon announcement! Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Now, some of you will be surprised by this, but I have quite a backlog of chapters for this story available on my Patreon right now as of making this post. An entire book of backlog. And while it may decrease in the future, I am going to try avoiding that as much as I can. And to be honest, I wouldn''t be surprised if it grows instead. Since I have a habit of writing out of boredom sometimes. Or if I just get excited about a scene. So if you want to go ahead and read about an entire book ahead of what is on Royal Road for Crimson Eternal, go ahead and check out my Patreon here! My chapters on this story are on average nearly twice as long as the chapters on my other stories, but despite that, there is still about 60 chapters advanced on my Patreon for you to read. Give or take a couple chapters. Which goes all the way to book 2 of Crimson Eternal on my Patreon, which already has six chapters as of posting this announcement. And as an added benefit, you also get to read advanced chapters for my other stories too if you''re interested. And last but not least, Happy New Year! Also, here''s a random image I had earlier while writing the story on my Patreon for Christmas. Although it''s a little late now. Have a lovely New Year, once again, and I hope you enjoy my story! B1 | Chapter 10 Aria After a couple days of climbing, I finally arrive at my destination. The intersection point between the Western and Eastern Mountain Passes. And just as I expected, there¡¯s another fortress there. What I didn¡¯t expect though was to find another little tunnel going through the mountain behind the pass. Or the vast number of soldiers in the fortress. My eyes narrow slightly. Interesting. Guess there really is a new path through the Great Divide. But how far does it go? I tap my chin a little bit as I sit at the edge of an outcrop overlooking the fortress. The fortress is a lot better set up than the one at the end of the Western Mountain Pass. Even if it¡¯s still not that good. Then again, for something built within a few days, it¡¯s really good. It has a five meter tall wall going across both the Western and Eastern Mountain Passes, dozens of wooden and stone buildings spread across the fortress, a gate going to both Passes, and a large building at the back right next to the tunnel entrance. Meanwhile there are tens of thousands of soldiers packed down inside. I¡¯ve seen this many soldiers before, but I have to say, looking down at them from above like this is odd. Especially when they all have a number above their heads. Very odd. The floating numbers aside, the sheer amount of soldiers down there doesn¡¯t do much good for my confidence. Both in my mission and our war. Just how many people at level 1 did they have ready to fight? I know there were already several thousand at the fortress in that faceoff with the major, but there¡¯s also another thirty or so thousand here?! What about the other pass? The Eastern Mountain Pass? Are there soldiers there too? And what about the Southern Pass? This can¡¯t have been a coincidence. They couldn¡¯t have prepared for this invasion in the short term. With this many people at level 1, even someone brand new to the System like me can tell that they¡¯ve been preparing for a long time. Makes me wonder how they found our planet in the first place, not to mention how much it hurt them to keep that many soldiers at level 1. Unless there¡¯s a good reason to stay at level one? I frown at the thought before shaking my head. Unlikely. But now I need to focus. Out of habit, I reach up and begin rubbing the red crystal right below my armor¡¯s collar as I look out at the fortress. The diamond-shaped crystal is just as hard as a diamond, and occasionally lets out a strange red light. One similar to my own crimson light. And it was the last thing I got from Dad before he and the others died. I still have no idea to this day what it does though. The biggest obstacle in this sabotage mission is the large barrier going around the base. From what I¡¯ve heard from those bandits I captured earlier, the barrier doesn¡¯t actually keep things out. It¡¯s mostly just an alarm that blares when someone unregistered with the base¡¯s barrier enters. But I already have a plan to deal with that particular problem. My eyebrows furrow slightly as I find some enemy soldiers carrying around food. But they simply end up bringing it to the largest stone building near the back before leaving again. So I keep an eye on them in an attempt to find where their food storages are located. What¡¯s the best way to cripple an invading force that¡¯s far from home? Cut off their food supply. And maybe their weapons supply too.
It takes me a while, but I manage to find four of their food storage buildings along with three weapons storage buildings. Although to be perfectly honest, they¡¯re more like huts than buildings. And after finding them, I begin to carefully climb down the mountain until I reach a small slope that goes down directly towards the edge of the barrier. Then I kneel down, pull out my rifle, and begin to edge my way over to the barrier. Before crossing it, I make sure to look through my scope to find any invaders that look unique out of the bunch. And after picking my targets, I cross the barrier and immediately begin shooting as an alarm rings out over the base, a bright blue light shining from where I am to show my location to the enemies. A lot of shouting echoes from the fortress as I begin to snipe random people down there that look like officers. And it doesn¡¯t take long for the enemies to begin sending spells back up at me, all of which I avoid since I¡¯ve seen them all before. Something I can only do because they¡¯re so far away and on the ground. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. My plan needs me to get hit by new spells and attacks that I¡¯ve never been hit with before. So that I¡¯ll stay ¡®dead¡¯ for a little bit. Albeit not too long. I continue shooting their officers, picking one off after another until I begin to see new spells and attacks from abilities and their special magical weapons sent my way. So I let those attacks hit me, and immediately find that they are, in fact, new attacks that I haven¡¯t adapted to yet. Despite the pain not really being much to me, I let out a grunt just to fake the enemies out. Then I continue shooting a bit more, avoid some more attacks to put on a good display, and let a few more new attacks hit me. And when I feel my consciousness beginning to grow dark, I go ahead and let myself fall over the side of the cliff. Right before I hit the ground, I can¡¯t help it when the corner of my lip quirks upwards just a little. So far so good. Then everything goes dark.
The Enemy Base Moments ago Legate Sartorius frowns as he looks at the document on his desk while eating his evening meal. But his meal is interrupted when the alarms begin to blare all over the base, making him drop the food as he rushes to his feet, draws his sword, and sprints out of the tent. Then he searches for the source of the intrusion and finds the glowing blue light to be shining, to his surprise, from the cliff. Where a person can be seen with something the legate recognizes as a ¡®rifle¡¯ from other higher technology worlds. He can¡¯t make out many details of the person, but the bullet fire echoing from them, followed by screams from his own men is enough for him to understand what they¡¯re doing. Are they insane?! Forgetting how they got here in the first place, what sane person attacks an army of thirty thousand on their own?! Despite his thoughts, the legate watches as spells and various attacks from his mens¡¯ spell guns and their abilities fly through the air towards the person. But they just duck down behind the cover of a boulder whenever the attacks get near. He frowns before stepping forwards, pulling his sword to the side while making a golden energy begin running through the blade. Then he swipes it straight towards the attacker, making an arc of golden energy fly towards them. And he¡¯s not the only officer beginning their attack as he sees attacks from several of his tribunes flying towards the attacker as well. Each attack strikes the cliff around the intruder, with several of them directly hitting them. But they surprisingly continue attacking as a crimson light begins faintly shining from them. Legate Sartorius¡¯s eyes narrow as he shouts, ¡°Watch out for an ability.¡± Then he sends another two arcs of energy at them, striking them before they can get back behind the rock. And his attack seems to cripple them as they collapse, unable to move as more attacks strike at them. Ridiculous. The enemies haven¡¯t shown themselves to be idiots thus far, so this has to be a suicide attack. To clear out our officers. The legate¡¯s eyes begin burning with rage at the idea of sacrificing an experienced and well-trained soldier like this one just to kill some officers. And he can tell just how skilled they are by how, despite their injuries and semi-crippled state, they¡¯re still shooting down his officers one by one. All the way till they end up falling down from the cliff to crash into a roof down in the base. Legate Sartorius rushes through the base until he stops in front of the corpse, which he finds still emitting some very faint crimson light. But what surprises him is how beautiful the sacrificial intruder is. And that¡¯s not all that surprises him. He can¡¯t see her eyes since they¡¯re closed, but her hair is a pure white, just as white as the snow around them. He lightly shakes his head, feeling this as an unforgivable waste of an experienced soldier. Then a grin stretches across his face. Guess we¡¯ll take them off their hands if they don¡¯t want them. He turns to look at the officers and soldiers who are gathering around him and the girl¡¯s corpse before he shouts, ¡°Bring her, her gear, and her weapons to Tribune Lucilius¡¯s storage. And send a message to the Western Mountain Pass for the tribune to come back as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Understood, Sir!¡± shouts echo out as soldiers immediately begin to carefully bring the corpse with them. The legate can¡¯t help his gaze from briefly pausing on the girl¡¯s many wounds which are still emanating a very faint crimson light. But he had already made sure she was dead, so he doesn¡¯t feel any suspicion. Likely had some sort of mutation ability or skill that made her blood glow or something. He dismisses the oddity as he turns around and begins heading back to his tent to finish his meal. Someone as skilled and dedicated as this may be good enough to become a vampire instead of a zombie. Certainly food for thought.
Aria One hour later I suck in a gasp of breath as my eyes shoot open and I find myself inside of an underground room, staring up at the dirt ceiling. So I shoot to a sitting position while patting myself down and finding that my armor has already repaired itself, my wounds have closed, and the invaders didn¡¯t take anything as expected. I still have everything on me that I had before. I let out a sigh at that before grinning and standing up. Only for my grin to go away when I notice the smell in the room, along with my surroundings. There are several corpses in the room, each of people who look skilled at first glance. Some of whom I actually recognize as important officers from Arteria. After a brief hesitation, I walk over to them while drawing my sword before cutting their heads off. Best not to give them more ammunition. Before I reached the cliff, one group of bandits mentioned to me one of the jobs that they were given, after some motivation, of course. To find and notify the invaders of powerful people from our side, and if possible, kill them and bring their corpses back so that their ¡®grand necromancer¡¯ can bring them back to life as slaves for the invaders. The bandits even mentioned entering their main fortress ¨C although they never said how large it was or how many soldiers there were ¨C and said that they met with this ¡®grand necromancer¡¯ themselves in a room filled to the brim with corpses. Each armored and still with their equipment and whatever they had when they were captured and killed. Because apparently the invaders understand that their new risen dead need their equipment if they¡¯re to be of use to them. But from what the bandits said, this ¡®grand necromancer¡¯ guy wasn¡¯t at the main fortress. And I confirmed that when passing over the Western Mountain Pass fortress. Since I saw the guy they described standing outside of a tent. I also confirmed that he is in fact a necromancer thanks to the undead I saw around him. People identified simply by the fact that they had very pale skin and pitch black eyes, were being treated pretty terribly, and had a high number above their heads. Generally necromancy is a banned ability in Albaria. And while it¡¯s legal in Arteria, they don¡¯t have any necromancers. Since the only two necromancers to show up on the continent showed up in Albaria. And were executed for being necromancers. But that aside, the fact that they were doing this meant it was the best way to get into the base. Since I didn¡¯t really know of any other way to sneak inside and sabotage things. If I tried crossing the barrier and fighting my way through, I¡¯d just do a lot of damage before being captured. This way I didn¡¯t need to do that. The room stinks though. After dealing with the corpses, making sure they can¡¯t be turned into undead, I head to the door and quietly stand at the edge of the wall as I put my ear to it to listen to the other side. Here¡¯s hoping I don¡¯t get caught now. B1 | Chapter 11 Aria I listen at the door for several seconds for any sounds coming from beyond it before quietly tightening my grip on my sword and cracking open the door with my other hand. Then I peek outside to find a staircase leading to another door. So I open the door wider and enter the staircase, eventually stopping in front of the next door to repeat the process. This time I hear some faint voices slowly growing quieter as if soldiers were passing by the door. ¡°-coming back,¡± one voice says. ¡°I wish we didn¡¯t get assigned to the same side of the mountains as him.¡± ¡°You probably shouldn¡¯t say that if you don¡¯t want to become a zombie yourself,¡± another voice says before the voices begin to trail off, having gotten too far away for me to hear. I frown slightly at the voices. Partially because they don¡¯t have any accents, and partially because of what they¡¯re talking about. Come to think of it, I wonder if the System is translating languages for us? It¡¯s hard to believe that another world would speak the same language. Everyone on our continent speaks the same language simply because there are only two nations here, and it¡¯s not really that large of a continent. But for otherworlders to speak our language is stretching things. Much less with them having no accents while speaking it. Even the Albarians and Arterians have a slightly different accent despite speaking the same language. More of a dialect than an accent, to be honest. I purse my lips before shaking my head and cracking the door open slightly to peek outside. And after finding it clear of anyone, I crack it open a little bit more and stick my head out to get a better look. Still clear. Looks like the bandits were right. This place is rather secluded. I glance behind me at the smell before quickly stepping outside of the door, closing it, and sprinting around the building to the back, out of sight. It¡¯s probably secluded due to the smell of corpses that¡¯s clinging to the building despite the room being underground. Actually, I¡¯m rather surprised by just how bad it smells, considering how there are less than a dozen corpses in there, and none are too badly deteriorated. Anyways, the necromancer¡¯s storage seems to be at the very back of the base, along the cliff containing the tunnel. Although a lot closer to the wall than the tunnel itself. So I slowly sneak my way around behind the buildings and tents, trying rather hard to avoid any eyes along the way. And as I do so, I hear one conversation from passing soldiers after another. Most of the soldiers seem to be talking about the invasion, what sorts of benefits they¡¯ll receive from this, them being happy to finally be leveling, and some of them discussing my recent attack. From what I can gather, the soldiers here seem to have been raised entirely for the purpose of this invasion. Something that¡¯s apparently commonly done by worlds integrated into the System. Where they raise and train an army of level 1s so that they can invade another world and annex them. Either that or they reset their levels to participate. Something that¡¯s apparently possible but no one has mentioned how yet. The soldiers who participate are given a large reward and land in the new world, along with any levels they receive during the invasion. Meaning they all see us natives as nothing but a way to gain wealth and power. It¡¯s disgusting. Then again, I go around killing enemy soldiers every day and have been doing so for years now, so I¡¯m not really one to talk about war. After a little bit of traveling, I manage to find the first food hut that I had seen from above on the cliff. Then I sneak inside when no one is looking before reaching into my bag and grabbing the explosives that I was given for this mission. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. I set the tiny bombs infused with magic around the hut in places that won¡¯t be seen, only for someone to enter the hut while I¡¯m inside, making me rush to hide in a corner. Fortunately they leave without finding me or my bombs after grabbing a crate of food. So I manage to sneak out and continue moving through the base. So far so good. Time passes while I am going around the base, setting up bombs in about five different food storage huts ¨C I found an extra one while searching ¨C and the three weapon storage huts I spotted from the cliff. Then I look at the hidden compartment of my military coat to find that I still have about a dozen more of the tiny, bead-sized remote bombs. In that case, how about I cause some more trouble.
It takes a while, but I finally manage to make it to the tunnel leading deeper into the Great Divide. And after arriving, I quickly take in the defenses around it. Which mostly just consist of a small wall with two guards stationed on either side of a single gate. There doesn¡¯t appear to be any magical barriers, and the guards are the only ones here. Probably because this is the inside of the base at its center and barriers aren¡¯t easy to make. I study the wall for a little bit before deciding that I can just scale over it. As long as I make sure I¡¯m at the very back of the wall. A few minutes pass in silence as I wait for an opening before one arrives in the form of some officer arriving and speaking with the guards at the gate, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. So I quickly sprint across the short space between the hut I was hiding behind and the wall. And I don¡¯t stop after reaching the wall, instead quickly climbing up the cliff until I reach the height of the wall. Then I peek over it, find no one there, and jump. Alright. So far so good. I listen for the conversation at the gate before deciding to wait for them to finish. Since the officer is currently there looking at the guards. Meaning he can see inside of the gate. I¡¯m too far off to the side to see though. So I¡¯m fine here. A few minutes pass before the conversation draws to an end and I hear footsteps moving away from the wall. Good. I wait another minute, just in case. Then I quickly move towards the tunnel, which is unguarded on the inside. The tunnel quickly becomes dark after I enter it, but I pay that no mind as I begin digging out tiny holes in the walls with my sword¡¯s tip, into which I stick the remote bombs spread out along the tunnel. And right when I¡¯m about to finish, I hear a shout echoing from further into the tunnel from where I am, bringing my gaze up from the bomb I had just implanted in the wall to find an enemy soldier having spotted me from further into the tunnel. Without hesitation, I grab a knife from a sheath at my thigh and toss it at them before they can say anything. And the knife ends up hitting his throat, but not going in and instead bouncing off thanks to whatever armor he¡¯s wearing. The soldier is clearly an officer of sorts judging by the fancier armor he¡¯s wearing, and the fact that he¡¯s in this tunnel in the first place. But even with that I still manage to clear the distance between us right as the officer raises his weapon, making our two swords clash. I grit my teeth when I find their strength to be a lot more than my own. Then I look up at their level, finding it to be at level 4. And I lower my gaze again when the man ¨C whose long golden hair is flowing over his back, atop his golden armor ¨C exclaims, ¡°It¡¯s you! But you were dead! How are you-¡± I interrupt him by purposefully letting his blade move closer before ¡®accidentally¡¯ slipping my hold on my sword, making it fall as his own blade cuts into me. An act that surprises him quite a bit, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of me ignoring the fact that my arm is almost falling off thanks to his sword cutting through my shoulder as I reach for my sword with my other arm. Then I swing it horizontally to the left, cutting straight into his armor and a few inches into his gut. He falls to his knees, his grip on his sword failing as it stays lodged in my own shoulder. I continue ignoring my wound that is slowly beginning to push the weapon out as it heals with a crimson light when I yank my own blade out of him and step back, raising it into the air. And without any fanfare, I bring it around to cut straight into his neck, the man¡¯s eyes still widened in absolute shock. I quickly turn around to look at the end of the tunnel, but I don¡¯t find any commotion. Meaning we¡¯re too far from the entrance for the guards there to hear. So I turn to look at the end this officer came from, but that end, too, doesn¡¯t show any signs of movement. Good. I sheathe my sword again before grabbing his sword that is still slowly dislodging itself. Then I yank it out, causing a lot of blood to come out with it until the wound seals itself with the usual crimson light. And right when I¡¯m about to toss the sword, I take a closer look at it and realize it¡¯s enchanted with more advanced enchantments than my own officer standard sword. Huh. I think I¡¯ll be borrowing this. After ¡®borrowing¡¯ the sheath for the sword and strapping it around my waist on the other side of my own sword, I quickly begin making my exit to the end of the tunnel. But the moment I exit the tunnel, I find both of the guards turning to stare at me as one of them is holding the gate lever, seemingly about to open the gate to let in some officers outside of it. An awkward silence fills the air for a split second before one of them shouts, ¡°Capture her!¡± Then I pull out the remote control in my pocket along with the one bomb I saved, toss the bomb at them after setting the charge, and mutter, ¡°No thank you.¡± And press the button on my remote, causing dozens of explosions to ring out through the camp and the tunnel behind me. B1 | Chapter 12 The Enemy Legate¡¯s Command Center Not long ago Legate Sartorius calmly continues to listen to the reports of his soldiers about the situation at the Western Mountain Pass. But he can¡¯t get his mind off of the suicidal soldier who had attacked them. Because even as a suicidal attack, he knows someone of that skill could do better. She didn¡¯t even destroy any of the buildings or attempt to sabotage them in any way. Just slaughtered several dozen officers, which while is a feat in and of itself, wasn¡¯t worth the life of that soldier in the legate¡¯s mind. Then there¡¯s the fact that her body was still glowing after her death. If she did have a mutation class or ability, then why would the enemy be willing to sacrifice her so easily? It just doesn¡¯t line up in the legate¡¯s mind. He keeps listening to the reports, stating that the legate in charge of the Western fortress is in a deadlock with the enemy forces. Which confuses him even more, since he knows that the enemy forces outnumber them. And yet, they aren¡¯t attempting to do a frontal assault, instead trying to keep them on their toes. As if they¡¯re acting as a diversion. The legate¡¯s eyes narrow and he opens his mouth to bring it up to his closest officers, only for the sounds of explosions to ring throughout the base, making him shoot to his feet alongside the other officers in the hut. Then they all rush outside to find smoke rising into the air from several locations on the Eastern side of the fortress. From the food and weapons storage units. Fuuck! Before he can rush over to the storages though, he notices another area where smoke is coming from. Right behind the command center he had just left, within the tunnel. A tunnel that he now finds caved in completely. And he questions his own vision when he sees a woman jumping over the wall fencing off the tunnel from the rest of the base. The very woman he remembered checking and finding dead barely over an hour ago. The legate draws his sword and shouts at his men, ¡°Capture the saboteur!¡± while charging in her direction, only to find it difficult to navigate through the chaos that had risen within the base at the explosions. Meanwhile the saboteur in question just runs through the chaos, occasionally striking down his soldiers if they happen to notice her in the bedlam. ¡°Damnit!¡± he shouts as he struggles to get through the chaos chasing after her. She¡¯ll make it out of the walls before we catch up! So he raises his sword and covers it in energy, only for the base alarm to begin blaring again right before an arrow strikes his sword, sending it falling backwards while launching an arc of energy behind him into the air. The legate jerks his head around to look for the source of the shot while coming to a stop, only to find three other enemy soldiers floating high in the air above the cliff with one of them holding a bow and arrow. So she wasn¡¯t a suicidal soldier after all. I¡¯ll need to report to the General about her. He turns his gaze back to the girl running through the base and narrows his eyes. This won¡¯t be the last time we meet. A grimace frames his face as he raises his gaze up to the obviously high-Class Ability Holders attacking them. Ability Holders whose Class defies the lower Tier of the planet. And I¡¯ll have to report them as well. He covers his sword in energy again before having one last thought and attacking. After the tunnel is cleared again.
High Above the Cliff next to the Enemy Base Not long ago Captain Striker finds himself frowning as he and his two first lieutenants watch from above the mountains as the soldiers in the enemy base move about doing their duties. And no matter how long he watches, he still finds himself wondering why Warrant Officer Crimson decided to go about things the way she did. Because it was obvious that she would end up dying if she did. No matter how good her regeneration is, it won¡¯t let her fight against over thirty thousand soldiers at once. Before now the captain was even looking to recommend her for a promotion. But now, even if she was still alive, he¡¯s- His thoughts are interrupted when explosions rise all throughout the base in several of the huts he and his two temporary men ¨C one of whom is using gravity magic to make the three of them as light as a feather and the other is using wind magic to keep them in the air ¨C had designated as weapons and food storage. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The captain¡¯s gaze quickly turns to the one explosion that is the biggest by far. The explosion at the tunnel. And what he finds there both shocks him and makes him burst out into laughter. ¡°She¡¯s insane!¡± he exclaims mid-laughter as he watches the warrant officer running through the base without a single injury to her person. ¡°Her ability is fucking insane!¡± Both of his subordinates wordlessly nod their heads while watching alongside him. Then one of them ¨C the wind magic user ¨C points out to his captain, ¡°Captain, it looks like their leader is targeting the warrant officer.¡± Captain Striker turns his gaze towards where the first lieutenant is pointing before he finds the one referred to by the enemy soldiers as a ¡®legate¡¯ raising a sword into the air with a blue energy coating the blade. So the captain doesn¡¯t waste any time as he pulls his bow from across his shoulder and quickly draws an arrow onto it. Then he infuses pure kinetic energy into the arrow, making the arrow begin vibrating at extremely fast speeds before he releases it, sending it flying down to hit the legate¡¯s sword head on. ¡°Now this is exciting!¡± Captain Striker shouts. ¡°Arm yourselves men, because we¡¯re gonna cover her retreat!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± both of them shout. And at the same time, the other team watching over the base shows themselves as they uncloak on the cliff located on the other side of the base and begin firing at the soldiers in the base as well. The captain laughs once more at the sight of Captain Vargos joining in on the fun. Once we get out of here, that old fart locking her down won¡¯t be able to do shit about her promotion! Not this time! And with that thought amusing him, Captain Striker continues pulling back one arrow after another, sending them flying at the enemies.
Aria One System dinging sound after another echoes out in my head as I run through the base, killing soldiers that notice me along the way. And in addition to those, more soldiers died in the explosions, and even more to the fires that came after. But I just keep running, not paying any mind to the number that I find growing in the corner of my vision. Not until it reaches a hundred, that is. Then I feel a strange warmth spread across my body followed by another dinging sound. But this one is slightly different. It¡¯s higher pitch and sounds more celebratory than the others.
User has leveled-up for the first time. User will now be given their first skill. Assessing user¡¯s accomplishments and actions¡­ assessment complete. User will now be given the following skill: Harvest This skill allows the user to harvest the souls of the dying around them. They can then devour the soul energy within them, sending the souls off to the void. Or they can devour the soul whole, taking in the extra soul energy making up the shells of their souls and persons and erasing the person from reality itself in the process.
I frown at that, unsure about what the heck ¡®soul energy¡¯ even is. Only to decide that it doesn¡¯t matter right now as I continue running through the base. Eventually I arrive at the wall and quickly climb the stairs to find the top of the wall almost empty, most of the soldiers having gone down to deal with the fires or figure out what¡¯s going on. And the ones that remain I simply ignore as I jump down from the wall, landing on the ground below with a crunch to my legs. I ignore my broken legs too, the things repairing in mere moments before I begin running away from the fortress. Mission is a success. Now I just need to get past the Western Mountain Pass fortress, and I¡¯ll be golden. As I¡¯m running across the Western Mountain Pass, I turn my head to glance back at the base, finding both captains¡¯ teams retreating now that I¡¯m out. And I immediately feel gratitude towards them. If it weren¡¯t for them, there¡¯s a decent chance I¡¯d have been captured in there. A faint smile dawns on my face at that before I focus on the walls where I find several soldiers from the base finally raising the gate and beginning to rush out of it. But by now I¡¯ve already built up a pretty large distance. So I continue running, facing forwards again until I reach a good spot where I can climb the cliff without anyone seeing me. After I reach an outcrop several dozen meters above the ground, I stop climbing and stay low to the ground as I look out over the Pass, watching the soldiers charge right past me. And safe. Nice. I wait a little bit before continuing my climb up the side of the cliff, finding it to be a lot easier now that I¡¯ve gotten so used to climbing. Falling off a cliff a lot does that for you apparently. Once I reach a safe enough height, I turn to look at the base, finding all of the buildings I set bombs in having been completely destroyed. Although the fires that spread to the nearby huts and tents were put out by the soldiers. And things are starting to calm down now. Good thing the enemy soldiers didn¡¯t seem to have any flying Ability Holders. Or Ability Holders that could mimic flight like Captain Striker¡¯s first lieutenants. Which kind of surprises me. These soldiers, I haven¡¯t run into any that had any Category 5 abilities so far. At best the leader with the glowing blue blade had a Category 4 ability. It makes me wonder if the quality of abilities the enemy has on their planet is just lower than ours or something. Could be that they just didn¡¯t send their strongest Ability Holders here though. Anyways, I begin navigating my way across the cliffside as I head back, making my way home. And as I do so, I can¡¯t help the smirk that stretches across my face at the thought of the emperor¡¯s face when he hears what I did. Because there¡¯s no way he can cheat me out of a promotion this time. He also won¡¯t be able to cheat me out of any other promotions after this. Because promotions at second lieutenant and higher are handled differently from warrant officer and below. The emperor won¡¯t be able to say or do shit about it, nor will his dog. I should also get some time off to head to officer school. Even if it¡¯ll likely be for a very short duration, all things considered. We are at war after all. Certainly something to look forward to though. B1 | Chapter 13 The Albarian Capital ¡°I understand that none of you wish to accept this, but the Crimson Blade has betrayed us,¡± the emperor declares within the Council of Generals, uncaring of the dismissive glares being sent his way by the others. The Eighth General leans his cheek against his hand, his elbow resting on the seat as he says, ¡°Lysandre, with all due respect ¨C what little respect you deserve at least ¨C it¡¯s only been a week since we sent them out. And Warrant Officer Crimson is not the only one yet to return.¡± Before the emperor can say anything, the Fifth General speaks up, ¡°Just admit it, emperor, you simply want to discard your blade now that she is growing out of your control. Or am I wrong?¡± The generals all know perfectly well that the emperor''s influence and power have been slowly dwindling throughout the last decade. Especially after he killed the Crimson family, not that they could find any proof to arrest him for it. Even his wealth, which boosted a large part of his remaining influence, has decreased. And now that his influence is starting to hit rock bottom, not one of the generals believes he won''t try something to get rid of the girl. ¡°How dare-¡± the emperor begins, only for a hologram to appear at the center of the council chamber showing the Fourth General with a wide smile on her face. ¡°The teams belonging to Captain Striker, Captain Vargos, and Warrant Officer Crimson have all returned with excellent news!¡± she exclaims, a sort of smug excitement on her face as she glances at the emperor. ¡°Warrant Officer Crimson has destroyed five of their food storage huts and three of their weapons storage huts, along with the food and weapons inside of them. She also caved in a tunnel connecting the base at the end of the Mountain Pass too, further in the Great Divide.¡± Her smile turns into a grin. ¡°All while returning safely and without any trouble.¡± All nine of the generals look at the emperor, taking more than a little amusement with the shock, fear, and disgust on the man¡¯s face before the First General stands up from her seat and declares, ¡°For her efforts in the war against the invaders and everything she has done against the Arterians, I hereby promote Warrant Officer Crimson to First Lieutenant, skipping past the rank of second lieutenant! Are there any who oppose this promotion?¡± None of the generals oppose, each voicing their own support. Regardless of whether they care about the Crimson Blade or not. Because every general agrees that she deserves the promotion. On the other hand, the emperor immediately voices his dissatisfaction with her promotion, but his complaints are quickly dismissed, and the promotion passes. ¡°Furthermore, as according to the rules and regulations of the military, I will be bringing the first lieutenant into the First Army, under my direct control,¡± the First General, General Elara Crescent, declares while waving her arm through the room once. Further angering the emperor. But there isn¡¯t anything the man can do. Not without any real power within the council, his own vote counting for less than half of a general¡¯s vote. ¡°Fourth General,¡± Elara asks, making the general nod her head. ¡°Right,¡± she says. ¡°Captains Striker and Vargos both learned a great deal about the enemy¡¯s leadership. First, they¡¯re from an Empire known by their own as the Arbos Empire, and are led by their Emperor. However, they are unable to cross the Gate connecting our world to theirs whenever they please. So the one in charge of the invasion is the Sixth Prince of the Empire, Lucius Cornelius Caesar. Beneath him are the legates, who are each in charge of a force of soldiers known by their armies as a ¡®legion,¡¯ consisting of between twenty to thirty thousand soldiers. Then there are the tribunes, who are the second highest ranking officer after the legates. Followed by the prefect, the centurions, the lower ranking officers, aquifer, optio, and tesserarius, and the rank and file soldiers. Whom they call a munifex, with the new recruits being tyrones.¡± The generals and even the emperor stay quiet as the Fourth General continues, ¡°The enemy has a total of fifty thousand men on the Northern Pass, with an additional fifty thousand on the Southern Pass, as we learned from Captains Lance and Mandez yesterday. Furthermore they have an unknown number of forces in between the two bases.¡± Silence fills the council chambers after hearing of the enemy soldiers¡¯ numbers. ¡°On a side note, the enemy Ability Holders are all weaker on average than our own, averaging at Category two and three Ability Holders,¡± the Fourth General continues, sharing some good news. ¡°We also aren¡¯t the only ones fighting with them.¡± The generals and the emperor all nod at that, understanding that the enemy forces will be split dealing with both them and Arteria¡¯s forces. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ¡°Wait, you said that the enemy cannot activate the Gate whenever they wish?¡± the Second General asks, his eyes narrowing slightly. The Fourth General nods her head in his direction with a grin and says, ¡°Yes. Meaning they won¡¯t be able to replenish the supplies First Lieutenant Crimson destroyed.¡± Rowan Vale, the Second General, rubs his chin slightly in thought before smiling slightly. Proving to the others that the first lieutenant had just likely gained another supporter amongst the generals. ¡°Let¡¯s move onto the next topic at hand,¡± the First General says, bringing everyone¡¯s gaze back towards her. ¡°How we will handle the invader threat.¡±
Aria Ten Years Ago I giggle as Uncle Jake performs another magic trick, making a coin vanish in the palm of his hand. Then he flips his hands over again and makes it reappear. ¡°How do you do that?!¡± I exclaim, holding my hands clenched in front of me out of excitement. He tilts his head for a second before answering, ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± I pout and cross my arms as the car continues moving down the private road, through the trees, with our family¡¯s driver trying to act like he¡¯s not paying attention to us. But I catch him shooting a look at the mirror, so I ask, ¡°Mister Ralk, you want to know how he¡¯s doing it too, right?!¡± The man looks back out the front windshield again as he answers, ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be more fun to figure it out yourself, Young Miss?¡± That has me opening my mouth to complain, only to close it again when I see something over the horizon. ¡°Why¡¯s there smoke?¡± Both my uncle and the driver seem to notice it as well and share a glance. Then the driver speeds up, and we quickly go through the rest of the private road until we arrive at our manor home. A home that is currently burning down to the ground. I burst out of the car despite my uncle¡¯s shouting before running up to the manor. And I quickly find several dozen soldiers standing there holding torches. ¡°Mom! Dad!¡± I shout, my voice cracking from my volume. ¡°Adrian!¡± The soldiers turn to look at me with surprise before the one wearing fancier clothing in the center points at me, making a ball of flames appear in front of his finger. Then the ball shoots towards me, making my eyes widen in fear and shock moments before I hear my own voice screaming and my vision goes dark. I find myself in a pitch black darkness for an unknown period of time before I slowly feel awareness returning to me right as my body is being lifted and put into some sort of vehicle. Only to find the very same soldiers from earlier stopping their conversation to turn towards me. At which point I find dozens of corpses outside of the manor belonging to most of those soldiers, leaving only half a dozen left. ¡°She¡¯s still alive?¡± the leader mutters before raising his hand and sending another fireball at me. And I find my body feeling too sluggish to move out of the way fast enough, making the fireball strike me directly as I scream in pain. Then I black out again. And just like before, I wake up at some point to find the very same soldiers still looking shocked. But this time around not much time seems to have passed compared to the last time. Since all that¡¯s changed is that the doors have just barely shut in the car they¡¯re loading me in. I push myself upwards, feeling more energized than the last time. Then I jump off of the little tray they had me on and stumble over to the door, grabbing onto it and opening it. Only for my eyes to quickly find Uncle Jake and Mister Ralk. Both dead on the ground. I begin screaming again, only for a strong force to impact the back of my head, making my vision go dark again.
I think it takes longer this time, but I gradually open my eyes to find myself in the same car as before. This time we¡¯re driving on the road though, and I¡¯m strapped to the tray, unable to move. A conversation from the front of the vehicle filters into my ears, ¡°Yes, Your Majesty. It would appear that the rumors of the Crimson daughter¡¯s ability are true. She cannot be killed.¡± A short pause. ¡°Yes, I understand, Your Majesty. We will be sure to test the bounds of the ability.¡± My eyes widen in both shock and fear. How?! My ability should¡¯ve been secret, so what rumors are they talking about?! My worries about that slip away again when I look down, out the window of the vehicle and find the smoke rising from my home. A sight that reminds me of what just happened. I feel tears running down the sides of my face at the thought of never being able to see mom and dad again. Or my brother, Adrian. Or anyone else from the estate. Soon enough I begin sobbing hard, unable to control myself. But whoever is at the front of the vehicle simply ignores me and continues driving.
Aria The Present My eyes shoot open, only for me to feel dampness on my face as I sit up from my bed within my room at Delta Base. And when I reach my hand up to touch my face, I feel my hand getting wet from tears. Probably the first tears I¡¯ve shed in years. Why did I have to dream about that now? I grit my teeth as I think of the torture those soldiers put me through after that in their attempts to find a way to kill me. Only for them to eventually give up and decide to use me as a weapon instead. And that was when I was only nine fucking years old. That emperor is going to pay. My thoughts are interrupted when a knock sounds from my door, followed by a voice, ¡°First Lieutenant Crimson, you are to prepare your things to move out to the capital for your one week of academy training before you return to duty. Be ready to leave by noon.¡± Then footsteps echo from the hallway as the officer leaves. I lie back down on my bed again with a sigh, reaching up and putting my arm across my forehead with my eyes closed while my other hand reaches for the crystal that I wear even when sleeping. Right. When I got back, I was immediately told by the Fourth General that I was skipping the rank of second lieutenant and moving straight to a first lieutenant. And that the usual two months training has been shortened to one week. So it looks like I¡¯m heading back to the capital now. Several seconds pass in silence before I open my eyes and glance at the clock, only to shoot up when I notice that I only have a couple hours till call time. Right. I should get ready. I get up and head over to the shower to start the day. It¡¯ll be nice having a shower again after being stuck in the freezing snow and rain for a week. A smile stretches across my face at that thought as I walk. B1 | Chapter 14 Aria I lean up against the side of the jeep while gazing out the window, focusing partly on the passing trees as we drive through the path guarded by the Ninth Army and partially focusing on the screen in my vision.
Skills
Skill Name: Skill Description:
Harvest This skill allows the user to harvest the souls of the dying around them. They can then devour the soul energy within them, sending the souls off to the void. Or they can devour the soul whole, taking in the cores of their souls and erasing them from reality itself in the process.
I get that I can do this now, but¡­ how? The System never gave me any description about how to do it. It just said I can do it. Maybe I have to kill something to activate it? Or maybe the System will explain it after something is dying near me? The skill is rather pointless if I can¡¯t figure out how to use it. On another note, I open my status.
Name: Aria Crimson
Class: Harbinger of Death
Ability: True Immortality
Level: 2
Not much different there. So I go back to look at the latest System Message about leveling progress that I got. One after I had already leveled up to level 2. [User has killed one being of Level 4. Requirements to reach level 3 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 24/250 beings have been granted Death.] I tap my finger on the door for several seconds before narrowing my eyes slightly on a deer as we pass by it. Hmm. The message says, ¡®beings have been granted Death.¡¯ So it doesn¡¯t specify humans. I wonder if I could level up just from killing things like animals and bugs and the like? Probably. At least it¡¯s worth testing later. I glance to the side at the other people in the jeep with me, finding Captains Striker and Vargos sitting in the back of the jeep. Then I look at the one on the other side of the jeep¡¯s rear from them. A man who I recognize as one of the first lieutenants put in charge of the military scouting of the enemies. Or I guess it¡¯s more accurate to call them Major Striker and Major Vargos, and Captain whatever-his-name-was instead. Since I wasn¡¯t the only one promoted. And the guy driving us is someone I don¡¯t recognize. Other than his uniform, that is. Which is that of a warrant officer. ¡°Do any of you know how to use a skill from the ¡®System¡¯?¡± I ask out of curiosity. Major Vargos, Captain what¡¯s-his-name, and the warrant officer all shake their heads in the negative. But Major Striker nods and answers, ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know about other people, but for my skill, you just need to think or say the name of the skill. But I¡¯ve also heard that it varies depending on your Class.¡± I frown at that before glancing at my skills list again. Just need to think or say it? In that case¡­ Harvest. Nothing happens. Well so much for that. I glance at him again, soon finding him to be frowning while tapping his chin. ¡°Safe to say it didn¡¯t work?¡± he asks, only to continue after I nod my head, ¡°I¡¯ve heard some skills might need you to figure out how to use them yourself. At least for some of the stronger and more versatile ones.¡± He tilts his head slightly. ¡°So that could be it.¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Guess I¡¯ll just need to figure out how I use the skill. Although it might need me to kill things to do that. Which means I can¡¯t do anything about it right now. ¡°Thank you,¡± I tell him with another nod before looking out the window again. I¡¯ll have to find time to kill things during my training. Preferably wild animals or bugs. Assuming killing insects and rodents counts towards the skill and my purpose. I sigh at that before leaning my head against my fist, my elbow resting on the door as I gaze at the snow-covered trees flying by outside. Come to think of it, this¡¯ll be my first time at the military academy without that dog breathing over my shoulder. Might be interesting.
This is boring. I frown as I answer another question on the quiz, nearly finishing the thing from my place on the far left center of the classroom. One filled with just almost a dozen people. Most of whom are far older than I am. The exam itself is a sort of entry exam into the training course. One that sets the bar on where the training should begin. Something that normally wouldn¡¯t be done, but is being done most likely due to the fact that the training is only an eighth of what it used to be. Since it used to be two months long but is now only a week long. My thoughts pause when I finish writing down the latest answer before I glance over the next one. This one again? Pretty sure this question is in every single officer exam regardless of the rank. Who is responsible when a soldier is ordered to execute the enemy. The soldier, or the one who gave the order. Or at least questions like this one. The answer is always the origin of the order takes full responsibility. And with that question done, I get up from my seat almost at the same time as two other people on the other side of the room before we all turn in our papers and begin leaving. Right when I¡¯m stepping through the door though, I glance at the other officers still finishing up the exam. Then at those who are walking out of the room in front of me. Okay, I really do stand out here. Of the ten people taking this exam, only four are women, and even amongst those three, they¡¯re clearly in their late thirties to early forties. Just like all of the other men in the room as well. I¡¯m the only one who is only about twenty years old here. And it makes me stand out quite a bit. Although not as much as my first time at the academy, when I became a corporal. Since I was only eleven years old then. Very awkward. And I had more than a few of the older, adult officers at the time asking me why I was in the military at my age. I never could give them an answer though. Simply because of the contract forcing me into silence. So I ended up just shaking my head whenever someone asked. At least now I¡¯m an adult while here. Actually, I think this is the first time I¡¯ve been here as an adult. When I became a warrant officer I was still a teenager after all. The past aside though, we all move to another room and wait there for the rest of the promoted officers to finish. Then we wait some more for our exams to be graded. And as soon as they are graded, the officer in charge of our training ¨C one Colonel Rodrick Lupin ¨C arrives at our room as well, steps up to the front, looks out over us all, and declares, ¡°Every one of you has gotten a passable grade. Therefore training will now begin.¡± I hold myself back from tapping my fingernail on my desk due to my dislike of sitting still as he continues, ¡°Since we only have one week of training, prepare to be worked to the bone from sunup till sundown. We will start with strategy tactics for larger forces of one hundred soldiers, along with delegation tips and tricks, larger scale combat tactics, and a single military exercise for you to work together.¡± His eyes narrow. ¡°And we will begin now.¡± Yep. This is going to be a boring week.
The Enemy Base at the Intersection of the Western and Northern Mountain Passes Tribune Ashton Lucilius feels nothing as he steps through the gate into the base and finds the damage that had occurred during the incident several days ago still visible. Unlike what his legate wished, he hasn¡¯t been able to leave the Western Fortress until now, so all he¡¯s been able to hear has been word from messengers hailing from the secondary base he is now entering. Looks like things might¡¯ve been worse than I had expected from those rumors. He continues looking around the base as he walks closer and closer towards the main command center at the back of the base. Their loss. Means more corpses for my forces. In the end, he disregards the loss of life amongst the officers without any hesitation. Once he makes it to the command center, he ignores all formalities and steps straight inside. And only moments later, a shout echoes out from it at him from the legate, ¡°Tribune Lucilius, do you have any idea how long we¡¯ve been awaiting your arrival?!¡± The tribune indifferently looks around at the gathered tribunes along with the legate, none of whom appear happy with him, before focusing on the legate and answering, ¡°Does it matter?¡± Ashton can tell that the legate is barely holding back his temper, so he presses on to ask, ¡°Are the corpses of the officers in my storage?¡± A loud slamming sound echoes through the hut as the legate slams his fist into the table, making it crack in the process. But Ashton remains unperturbed, certain that the man wouldn¡¯t harm their force¡¯s only necromancer. Especially not in the situation they¡¯re in right now. And he¡¯s right. The legate eventually growls out, ¡°Yes, they are. I expect you to have raised them all by nightfall.¡± Ashton merely turns around and leaves the hut, uncaring of showing any respect to the man. Then he heads straight towards his corpse storage, only to pause right outside of it with the first glimpse of emotion showing on his face since he stepped foot on this planet. What? He rushes inside of the storage, which is full of corpses. But he ignores them as he closes his eyes and senses for the energy within the storage. And after a little bit of searching, he finds it. Pure, unadulterated death energy. Was another necromancer in my storage? But to be able to use death energy of this purity¡­ how? Not even the ancestor of our clan can use death energy this pure. Ashton kneels next to it for a while, quietly watching as the death energy very slowly fades. Something it must¡¯ve been doing for a while now, considering how little of it there is. Only barely enough for him to detect. Then Ashton remembers the reports about the enemy soldier who had come on a ¡®suicide¡¯ mission and been brought here after being ¡®killed¡¯ only for her to get back up and sabotage the base. Could it be¡­ no, I need to look into this further. I need to talk to Father about this. He stands up straight. But first¡­ He turns to look at the corpses. I need to raise them before they decompose too much.
Note: If you are reading this on a website that is not Royal Road or on my Patreon, you are reading a pirated version and that website does not have the permission of the author to host the story. Please instead read the story on Royal Road, here, as it is completely free to read on Royal Road. And the only Amazon Author that I will be posting this story as is the one that I posted all of my other stories through, as Shane Purdy. If this story is found published on Amazon by someone other than me, and you see that the story is not from the following Author page, it was stolen and posted without my permission on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/stores/Shane-Purdy/author/B09NRTM1J6 B1 | Chapter 15 Aria I quiet my breath as I kneel close to the ground, looking through my scope at the deer several dozen meters away. And after double checking everything one last time, I pull the trigger, making the sound of the gunshot echo throughout the forest near the capital. Then the deer falls over onto its side. Dead. [User has killed one being of Level 4. Requirements to reach level 3 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 25/250 beings have been granted Death.] Okay, that¡¯s good at least. When I tried to kill some ants on the roadside this morning, I only got tiny fractions of a ¡®being¡¯ counted to the total. Fractions so small that they don¡¯t even show a difference. Just makes it repeat the same number again. No matter how many of them I kill, even in the thousands. So I¡¯m glad it counts animals as beings at least. It¡¯s not just sapient humans. I sigh at that as I rise to my feet again. It¡¯s a good thing that the instructor decided to give us all a couple hours off at the end of the day before sundown to train with our System related stuff. Like trying to level our Classes and test our skills. I glance back at the bustling city behind me, finding the light snow falling down beautiful despite the smoke rising from chimneys around the city. Meanwhile the train can be seen arriving at the capital right now, roaring its presence in the process. Generally the woods around the capital are protected from hunting, but officers are allowed to hunt here. Especially if they have a reason. And we¡¯ve been given a reason thanks to the System. Although the instructor just thinks I¡¯m training my skills. Speaking of my skills, I glance at the deer again before narrowing my eyes slightly at the sight of a strange mist slowly floating from its body. That¡¯s not normal. The mist is white and black in color, albeit almost entirely white with only a few specs of black. And it¡¯s very slowly leaving its body and making its way into the air. I walk up to the mist, only for it to suddenly halt its path and turn towards me when I get within a couple dozen meters of it. Then, to my surprise, it enters my body. But I don¡¯t really feel any discomfort from it. Just a strange alien sensation that I instantly realize I can reject or accept. Out of curiosity, I accept it. Following which the alien sensation begins to fade and I feel a strange¡­ energy? I think that¡¯s the only way to describe it. A strange energy filling my body. One that I somehow know how to move around and control. I clench and unclench my fist, feeling a strange strength in me as I do so. Not to mention a faint red glow from the energy. After a brief pause, I turn to a tree, place my rifle onto the ground, and deliver a punch straight to the center of it, finding my fist doing more damage than it normally would. Meanwhile the energy that had filled me burns ever so slightly for a second, only to gradually begin to return. Hmm¡­ I feel like I can control the energy as well. So I begin moving the energy around, making the feeling of power shift along with it. Interesting. I move all of the energy to my right arm, into all of the muscles that I would normally use to punch. Then I deliver another punch, dealing a lot more damage this time while also pretty much scraping my fingers raw from the punch. Which proves that while this energy is making me stronger, it isn¡¯t making me more durable. Not that it matters since the damage is healed almost immediately. Okay, so what happens if I reject the mist? The skill mentioned two different choices. Does this mean I fully absorbed the soul of that deer, assuming it was its soul? If that¡¯s the case, rest in peace deer. I quickly open up the skill list again just to check the skill¡¯s description once more.
Skills
Skill Name: Skill Description:
Harvest This skill allows the user to harvest the souls of the dying around them. They can then devour the soul energy within them, sending the souls off to the void. Or they can devour the soul whole, taking in the cores of their souls and erasing them from reality itself in the process.
What does it mean by ¡®taking in the cores of their souls and erasing them from reality itself¡¯? Does it mean I just get more of that energy? Or is it something more than that? Several seconds pass as I try to figure it out, only for me to eventually shrug and decide to try hunting a few more animals to test it out. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
¡°Huh¡­¡± I mutter before pursing my lips as I stare at my open palm. Unexpected. After experimenting a little bit, I¡¯ve learned a few things about the skill. For one, when I ¡®reject¡¯ the soul, I get a bunch of energy ¨C the same amount as when I accept the soul ¨C but the energy doesn¡¯t regenerate after being used. As opposed to when I do accept the soul and the energy regenerates slowly after use. I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s safe to say that the core thing is responsible for that. But I can only seem to hold a certain number of souls in me at once. Because when I tried accepting more than two souls, I realized that one of the other cores would leave just like the rejected souls would. Except that the core would just crack in the form of mist dissipating in front of me instead of going into the sky like the rejected souls. Makes me wonder if the limit correlates to my level, since I¡¯m level 2 right now. As for the whole ¡®erasing the souls from reality¡¯ thing? I don¡¯t really care one way or another. There aren¡¯t any religions in our world, so pretty much everyone is atheist. The only religions that did exist died out on the other continents and never crossed over. At least not with a strong enough following to actually spread before those people themselves died from old age. So the idea of the void is just foreign to me and most other people here. Erasing a soul to the point that they can¡¯t enter the void, whatever that is, in my eyes is no different still from just killing someone like I would before. Still, it would be best to save the slots I have for powerful souls. So accepting every soul is a bad idea and a waste. I glance up at the sky to find that the sun has already set. Hmm, I should get some sleep before training resumes tomorrow. The instructor said we¡¯d be sparring first thing after all. With that thought, I begin jogging back to the city after grabbing my rifle and hanging it over my shoulder by the strap.
The Training Yard The following day First Lieutenant Johnathan Mark Roses stands with his hands held firmly behind his back in a row next to the rest of the officers participating in this training course. And he feels nothing but pride in having gotten this promotion. But every time the man sees the girl participating in the class with them, he feels conflicted. Part of him dislikes her since he¡¯s sure her promotion to this rank must be based solely on nepotism. After all, how else would a nineteen year old girl become a first lieutenant in the military, even with a Category 5 ability? On the other hand, the rational part of him realizes that even if she had nepotism, she was most likely a soldier even as a kid. So he knows she most likely became a soldier as a mid to late teenager. And Johnathan¡¯s own daughter is that age, making him feel guilty for the girl. ¡°Next up are Cadets Crimson and Matthews! March to the training field posthaste!¡± the instructor shouts, his voice echoing across the field. Then the girl in question along with the man who is Johnathan¡¯s age both step onto the large field with a single pistol and a sword on their person. Johnathan feels even more conflicted as he sees the girl and the gruff looking First Lieutenant Matthews facing her. Because he can¡¯t decide if he should worry about the girl or if he thinks she needs this to be taught how things really are in the military. That it¡¯s not her backyard to play in. ¡°You are allowed to use both your pistol and your sword, but rifles are not allowed,¡± the instructor begins as both cadets stand at opposite sides of the field from each other. ¡°Abilities are allowed, and the sparring match will only end when one side admits defeat.¡± Silence fills the training field for several seconds, the only sound being that of the wind blowing through, making the girl¡¯s stark white hair blow in the wind with it. ¡°Begin,¡± the instructor declares, making the two immediately sprint towards each other. But to Johnathan¡¯s surprise, Matthews doesn¡¯t hold back and draws his pistol, shooting at the girl and making direct contact with her arm holding her sword. Is he trying- Johnathan¡¯s thoughts cut off instantly when the wounds on the girl regenerate in less than half a second, before her grip on her weapon could even be affected. And as if she wasn¡¯t affected by the gunshots in the slightest, she sprints across the gap between them, moving faster than most humans should be able to with a crimson energy coating her body. Cadet Matthews doesn¡¯t just let her do what she pleases though as he quickly drops his gun, raises a fist into the air, and slams it into the ground, making a large pitfall form right in front of the girl. She then falls down inside, proving unable to slow herself enough to stop before it and not fast enough to change her trajectory to go around it. Johnathan feels a sense of relief knowing that the girl shouldn¡¯t be too hurt and should be able to surrender the battle. Just seconds later though, a strange sound begins coming from the pitfall, without a single sign of a surrender being called. Wait, is she¡­ Seconds pass and soon enough the girl can be seen making it up the last stretches of the pitfall by stabbing her sword into the dirt wall over and over again to make foot and handholds. Then she jumps back up onto the surface and continues sprinting towards Cadet Matthews before jumping high into the air right when he tries to make another pitfall, the girl likely having expected it this time. And soon after she hits the ground again, Johnathan finds her with her blade to Cadet Matthew¡¯s throat, the cadet himself raising his hands and admitting surrender. A wave of clapping echoes through the field as Johnathan stands stunned. But the clapping doesn¡¯t last for long before everyone returns their hands behind their backs again. ¡°Well done, both of you,¡± the instructor states with a nod of his head as the field itself returns to normal, clearly having an enchantment on it. He then turns his head towards Cadet Matthews. ¡°Cadet Matthews, you let your guard down after Cadet Crimson fell into your pitfall. Make sure you always keep your guard up until you¡¯re absolutely certain that the enemy is indisposed.¡± After which he turns to look at Cadet Crimson. ¡°And Cadet Crimson, your fighting style is as rough as ever. You aren¡¯t under the control of the lieutenant general anymore, so please try to think of your wellbeing more often now. I understand that you will regenerate no matter what, but as a father myself, it hurts to watch. Aside from that, make sure you are always wary of your opponent¡¯s potential ability, seeing as you disregarded Cadet Matthew¡¯s ability entirely until after you learned about it.¡± Johnathan feels stunned after seeing the battle and hearing the instructor¡¯s criticism of the two, only to find his eyes widening in absolute shock at the next words spoken by the instructor. ¡°And remember, this is your tenth year in the military,¡± the instructor says to Cadet Crimson, making her frown slightly. But he doesn¡¯t say any more, leaving the rest unsaid. Now Johnathan feels himself almost breaking formation to gawk at the girl. She¡¯s been in the military for ten years?! That means she¡¯s already spent the minimum time in the military for an exit fund! And as an upper class officer, that fund is as good as a retirement fund, even at her age! But never mind that, isn¡¯t she only nineteen years old?! Does that mean she was in the military at only nine years old?! Any resentment towards the girl Johnathan had before now vanishes in an instant, being replaced entirely with guilt and sadness at the thought of how the girl¡¯s life must¡¯ve been till now. ¡°Return to formation, Cadets,¡± the instructor declares, making both Cadets Crimson and Matthews salute before returning to the line. ¡°Up next are Cadets Roses and Harold. Step up to the field.¡± Johnathan finds himself sending a look full of sadness towards First Lieutenant Crimson once more as he steps out of the formation, only to fully focus his gaze on his sparring partner. No. I can¡¯t be distracted now. Despite his thoughts, he can¡¯t help but imagine how he¡¯d feel if his own daughter, back when she was nine years old, were to have joined the military. And that thought alone has anger and sadness filling him. After he and Cadet Harold step up to the training field, the instructor looks between the two before declaring, ¡°Begin.¡± And Johnathan and his sparring partner immediately rush towards each other. B1 | Chapter 16 Aria Later that evening ¡°If there¡¯s one thing you should remember above all else, it¡¯s this,¡± the instructor says with a serious look on his face. ¡°Mercy may save your humanity, but it could also kill a comrade. Keep that in mind when giving orders. That¡¯ll be all for today. You may leave for your private training.¡± All of us get up from our seats and begin gathering our things. Then we all leave for the door, as if we were in sync or something. In reality though, the others, just like me, are trying to use the little time we have for System stuff as efficiently as possible. Right when I¡¯m about to step out of the classroom though, I¡¯m stopped when the instructor calls out, ¡°Cadet Crimson.¡± I turn back to find the man approaching me with a stack of documents in his hand. But he doesn¡¯t do anything with them and simply says, ¡°Remember, if there¡¯s anything I can do, I¡¯m always open for coffee.¡± Then he walks past me without another word. He said the same thing yesterday, and said something similar during sparring this morning. It¡¯s kind of ironic considering some of the lessons he¡¯s given us. From what I can tell, the man seems to be utterly against child soldiers and is trying to get me to retire after I finish training here. And if I don¡¯t, he¡¯s trying to get me to rely on him for help. What¡¯s more is that he¡¯s not even the only one doing this. Ever since the other cadets here, all people in their forties and fifties ¨C mostly forties ¨C learned that I was a child soldier until I reached adulthood last year, they¡¯ve all been overly friendly towards me. Most of them have even been treating me like I was their daughter or something. It¡¯s getting awkward. I let out a sigh as I continue my way out of the building and head straight to the nearest streets, where I hitch a ride on a taxi to the border. Then I simply walk through the military outpost there, the soldiers all letting me pass thanks to my outfit and the magical device there meant to identify officers. And soon enough I¡¯m back in the same forest I was in yesterday. Alright, so when I tried using the soul energy in the spar earlier, I realized that I can enhance more than just my strength. I can enhance any aspect of my body, but the more aspects that I enhance, the less I can enhance it by. Like spreading out the power to get a broader but weaker boost. And there¡¯s still the part where I have to spread the energy around certain areas to enhance, so I can¡¯t enhance everything without having enough energy to do that. So if I want to use this skill efficiently, I¡¯ll need to gather some soul energy. Which means hunting while I¡¯m out here for my two hours every day. Something that will also help gradually raise my level. I drop my bag on the ground before opening it and beginning to assemble my rifle. Time to start the hunt.
The Great Divide Invasion General Lucius Cornelius Caesar kneels with his head pointed down as his father¡¯s voice echoes from the cross-planet communication device in front of him, ¡°Explain yourself, General. Why has the invasion been delayed by an entire month?¡± The Invasion General calmly raises his head to look at the portal ¨C one that only allows sounds through it ¨C and says, ¡°This isn¡¯t fully confirmed yet, however, it would appear the enemy has a Class S Ability Holder.¡± His father¡¯s eyes narrow slightly at that, but Lucius continues speaking. ¡°They have regeneration so powerful that they survived a barrage of attacks from every officer in the fifty-first legion, somehow played dead afterwards to be brought into the camp for processing, and managed to sabotage the camp before destroying the tunnel connecting us to the camp.¡± His father frowns and stays quiet for several seconds. Then he slowly begins to speak, ¡°The next shipment of supplies and reinforcements will have an ability analyzer amongst them. If they prove the ability of this so-called Class S to not be as you say, then you will be relieved of your position as the Invasion General.¡± Lucius feels his fist clenching slightly at that, but since it¡¯s held behind his back, his father doesn¡¯t notice any change. ¡°But should your words be proven true, then we will have to shift our priorities from subjugating the world to opening communications and learning more about these natives. And preferably recruiting this potential Class S to our side.¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Understood, Royal Father,¡± Lucius declares, bowing his head again. ¡°Give me a report on the other side of the war,¡± the emperor declares, moving on from the topic of the saboteur. Lucius raises his head again and begins, ¡°We are having more success on the Southern front than the Northern front. From what we¡¯ve gathered, the Eastern nation has a stronger presence in the South than the Western nation, and the Eastern nation has lower quality Ability Holders in general. However, they make up for it with their more numerous Ability Holders as opposed to the quality over quantity that the Western nation has. We¡¯ve also been able to discover that the two nations were at war even before we arrived, so I have been working on a plan to use the nations against each other.¡± The emperor remains silent for a few seconds before eventually nodding his head and stating, ¡°I will be awaiting news of your success. Do not disappoint me this time.¡± Then the portal vanishes, leaving the hut in silence as Lucius rises to his feet with a frown on his face. And after just a brief pause, the Invasion General turns around and begins to walk out of his hut. The officers of the fifty-first legion may not be very pleased by the idea of recruiting someone who has already slaughtered their own officers, so I may have to play up this possible Class S some before we can attempt it. Or I could attempt to brute force the matter, but that would merely decrease the legion¡¯s morale more than the saboteur¡¯s actions have already done. And I can¡¯t have that damaging the war effort even further¡­ If he remembers correctly, his own soldiers have taken to calling her the ¡®Crimson Eternal¡¯ simply due to her regeneration and her supposed ¡®coming back from the dead,¡¯ so he could always promote her with that title to improve her reputation. He walks through the main headquarters of the invasion force, ignoring the salutes his soldiers are all sending his way as he passes. We also haven¡¯t seen her since then¡­ is she on military leave? Maybe it¡¯s a strategy to put us off guard? She could potentially be receiving a reward for what she managed to do, but I can¡¯t see someone that powerful leaving the war effort for long. The general glances towards the North as he stops walking. Then there¡¯s what the necromancer mentioned about death energy¡­ He stares towards the north for several seconds before shaking his head and continuing his walk through the base. I need to see this ¡®Crimson Eternal¡¯ with my own eyes.
Aria Three Days Later I narrow my eyes as soon as I leave the outpost on the fifth day of my training. Seriously? I was wondering when he¡¯d show his disgusting face. Despite knowing that I¡¯m being followed, I continue marching into the woods. And my stalker only shows themselves after I¡¯ve dropped my bag and begun assembling my rifle. But I don¡¯t bother looking at the lieutenant general as he says, ¡°Warrant Officer Crimson, you are hereby ordered to cause a commotion within academy grounds to cause your promotion to be canceled. His Majesty will be expecting you to do so by the end of tomorrow.¡± I continue assembling my rifle, acting as if no one said anything. Silence fills the clearing with the only sound being the clinking of metal from my rifle. ¡°Warrant Officer Crimson, you will respond now,¡± the lieutenant general says. But I ignore him again. Once I finish assembling my rifle, I stand up and pull my bag over my shoulder again before stretching slightly and beginning my hunt. And just seconds later I feel a tickling pain of a knife being lodged into my shoulder. Without pausing in my step, I pull the knife out of my shoulder and begin to toss it to the side while muttering, ¡°Pesky bug.¡± But then I take a look at the knife. Oh, this knife isn¡¯t half bad. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this,¡± I mutter while placing the knife in my bag, to the apparent anger of the lieutenant general who reaches for my arm. Only to miss when I enhance the agility of my legs and quickly sprint away from him, to his apparent surprise. I can¡¯t really harm them yet, legality and all, but I can ignore them. After all, I¡¯ve been moved to the First Army now. So he can¡¯t do shit to me anymore. Not that he could do all that much to harm me other than order me around even before that. The emperor is on his last legs and is pretty desperate. Then again, he was pretty desperate back when he killed my family. His own¡­ issues¡­ and all. He probably wouldn¡¯t have done something so stupid if he weren¡¯t. And if I were to go missing, the first place the army would look is him. Which is the same reason he never tried to imprison me forever or anything like that. Since the other generals were looking at him and searching his properties for any signs of his having killed my family. And he doesn¡¯t exactly have the funds anymore to hide or smuggle me somewhere they wouldn¡¯t find. As for the ones who didn¡¯t realize it was him, it¡¯s not exactly hard for them to realize what¡¯s going on after a decade of my service in the military, starting when I was only nine years old. Even if they couldn¡¯t do anything since the leader of the Ninth Army doesn¡¯t give a shit about me. But the leader of the First Army is a lot kinder. Towards allies, at least. She¡¯s also the most powerful General of the Military. I just go on with my hunt with the lieutenant general following me practically screaming like one of those horror story banshees for a while. Then he eventually gives up and leaves after giving me a couple pointless threats. But with me being transferred to a different army, the contract doesn''t force me to obey him anymore. And it really does feel nice to ignore him. But I still need to fight for the sake of growing stronger. And one day slitting his and his master¡¯s damned throats without having to give a shit about consequences. I also don¡¯t know how the First General views me still. So I can¡¯t get content. Not yet. B1 | Chapter 17 Aria The Last Day of Training ¡°Attention! You all have passed every test required of you and are now graduating from cadet status to full first lieutenant status!¡± the instructor declares as he stands on a podium at the front of the training field with us now-former cadets lined up in front of him. ¡°Be proud and serve your Empire with honor and respect!¡± We all shout with a salute. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± The instructor nods his head in approval and glances at me as he says, ¡°Furthermore, you are all ordered to take tomorrow and the day after off. You will not train more than two hours each day, and you will not study. You will take the time off before you return to the frontlines. This is an order from the PR branch of the military.¡± Then he gives us all a salute and finishes, ¡°It¡¯s been a pleasure being your instructor. You are all dismissed!¡± I salute him once more before heading to grab my things. This is rather annoying. Forced time off is always awkward for me, since I don¡¯t exactly know what to do during it. But even with my old position working under the emperor, I still couldn¡¯t get around it. So I¡¯ve grown used to just going to a bar or a caf¨¦ and drinking. That or sleeping the day away. Stupid PR. After gathering my things, I quickly take my leave from the academy, giving passing greetings to the other former cadets who greet me on my way out. Then I go ahead and head to the barracks, where I put most of my gear in my room. No need to bring most of my weapons. I change into something more comfortable, just the usual casual clothes of a white top with a red, white, and black coat over it, my crystal hanging from its necklace over the coat, and a black, white, and red skirt that reaches my knees. Then I grab a random hair band that was given to me by one of the older officers at the academy ¨C one that has a rose on one side and is otherwise a dark red in color ¨C strap a knife to my thigh under the skirt with a pistol strapped to my other thigh, and head out. Now then. I haven¡¯t been there in a long time. Might as well stop by.
The bell rings as soon as I open the door to the caf¨¦, following which I hear a brief ¡°Be right there! Just sit wherever!¡± from somewhere in the caf¨¦. So I walk over to my favorite spot ¨C a one seat table right next to the window looking out at the trees behind the caf¨¦. I¡¯ve always loved this place because it¡¯s right on the edge of the city, near a small portion of it that didn¡¯t have the trees from the forest cut down. A park of sorts that has hunting and tree logging banned. Even if it¡¯s technically within the walls of the city. And with the snow falling down outside, along with some small amount of snow on the railing inside beneath the window likely showing that whoever sat here last had the window open, I lean forwards on the white cloth-covered table with my head in my hands and sigh. It¡¯s always so peaceful here. I close my eyes while listening to the peaceful music playing in the caf¨¦ until I hear someone approaching and open my eyes. ¡°Aria! It¡¯s good to see you again!¡± the caf¨¦ manager ¨C Lucas Argent ¨C says with a smile as he approaches with a small notepad in his hands. ¡°Did you get some time off?¡± I nod my head and sit back in my seat again, ¡°Yeah. Two days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good!¡± the old man says before he pushes his long and slightly graying hair behind his shoulder as he leans down and writes something ¨C most likely my usual ¨C on the notepad. Then he stands up straight again with a smile, ¡°Order will be right out. I¡¯ll leave you be now.¡± Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. A faint smile crests my face at that as I nod again, and the manager walks away. My policy is to not make any attachments or anyone that I can call a friend. But since the old man here isn¡¯t a soldier, it¡¯s fine. I need someone to talk to, after all. And he¡¯s not going to die any time soon, since he¡¯s just a caf¨¦ owner. Not in the military. The next few minutes pass by peacefully with the music playing and the quiet chatter of a few other patrons filling the caf¨¦. Then the old man returns with a tray before placing three drinks in front of me. Two of which are in glasses whereas the third is in a teacup. My usual here, even if the man was rather confused by it when I first arrived. Since I never order anything to eat. Just drinks. Lots of them too. Which made him worry at first, but he eventually gave up trying to get me to order food with my drinks. ¡°Thanks,¡± I tell him, to which he nods and pulls up a seat before sitting on it backwards with his arms crossed over the back of it. ¡°So?¡± he asks, making me smile as I look out the window. ¡°I got promoted to first lieutenant and have been moved to the First Army,¡± I start with the big news. Out of the corner of my eye, I find the man sitting up straight right away with glee in his eyes as he exclaims, ¡°Congratulations! Did that old bastard finally give up, or did you do something that he couldn¡¯t withhold a reward for?¡± The casual calling the emperor a bastard almost makes me snort when I¡¯m trying to take a sip from the wine in one of the glasses, but I manage to answer, ¡°The latter. He¡¯s still trying.¡± Lucas is the only person who knows a lot about what is happening between me and the emperor, purely due to his own conjecture and the time I¡¯ve spent here. Seeing as I¡¯m physically unable to talk about it. This time the old man snorts, ¡°Yeah, he can try all he wants. Isn¡¯t the First Army out of his reach?¡± I nod my head, my smile widening as I turn to look at the old man again while sipping my wine. ¡°He¡¯s not gonna get a single peep out of you ever again!¡± Lucas says with a chuckle, seemingly purposefully lowering his volume due to the other patrons. ¡°Other than that, I just finished training for my new officer rank,¡± I add before taking another sip of my wine and glancing at the soda next to it. Then at the tea. ¡°Is it safe to say that you¡¯ll be leaving again after your time off?¡± Lucas asks, a worried look cresting his face. But before I can even answer, he adds, ¡°You can always quit ya know, now that you aren¡¯t under his thumb anymore.¡± I shake my head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s not possible.¡± Lucas leans forwards slightly and asks, ¡°Is this about¡­ that?¡± ¡°Not entirely,¡± I answer, admitting that revenge is a part of why. ¡°If I did quit, then I¡¯d lose the First Army¡¯s protection.¡± He grimaces at that and slumps over the back of the chair for a second. Then he stands up from the chair and says, ¡°Well alright, but please, you need to treat yourself better.¡± I nod my head without saying anything. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave you to your peace now,¡± he says with a sad smile. ¡°Just call if you need anything.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± I tell him with a smile before turning to look out the window again. I reach down and grab the teacup, taking a sip of that after the wine. Not bad. Not bad at all. A small smile stretches across my face as I look out the window. My life does seem to be improving thanks to this System initiation thing. As long as I can keep my distance from others, especially other soldiers, things should be fine. I don¡¯t want a repeat of the past. I just can¡¯t.
Aria Late the next Day My legs practically drop out from under me as I land on the floor, staring at the letter in my hand. One containing my orders for tomorrow and onwards. ¡°No¡­¡± I mutter, feeling pain in my chest as I try to suppress memories from surfacing. First Lieutenant Aria Crimson, you are hereby ordered to report to Omega Fortress, where you will join Major Striker¡¯s strike team under the major¡¯s direct command. You will be expected within one week and further orders will be relayed to you by the major. ¡°Fuck!¡± I shout as I toss the letter across the room and fall backwards, landing on my back to stare up at the ceilings of my dorm in the barracks. I desperately try to keep the memories away from me as I close my eyes. But no matter what I do, they always try to come back. So I shoot to my feet, change into my officer uniform, grab my weapons, and rush out the door while locking it behind me. Then I rush across the city straight to the outskirts before passing through the outpost and entering the forest to hunt. And I don¡¯t return for at least four hours, breaking the rule given to me by the instructor. But I don¡¯t give a shit about that. I just keep hunting until the kill count on my System Message thing says one hundred and fifty kills. At which point I¡¯m finally able to calm down again, the memories no longer trying to resurface. Fortunately for me, this killing spree helped me with more than just my emotions. It¡¯s also helped with getting me more soul energy to use. And more soul energy is always beneficial. I slowly put away my rifle and clean up my sword before heading back to the outpost, and then further into the city until I make it back to my room where I find the letter still on the floor. So I just put away the letter, move to the bathroom to take a shower, and then head straight to bed after that, my hair still dripping wet. B1 | Story Art 1 Art of Aria sitting in class: Art of Aria sitting at the cafe in the last chapter: Christmas Aria from back during the holidays that I don''t remember posting here since the story released after Christmas: Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. And a bunch of chibi art: Find more chibi art in the next story art post! Or go to my discord server linked below now to see them as stickers in the server! B1 | Chapter 18 Aria Nearly a decade ago ¡°Sergeant Daniels, this is your latest recruit,¡± Warrant Officer Danvers says as she waves at me. ¡°Treat her well.¡± The sergeant stares wide-eyed at me, but I just nod my head in greeting, not saying much. ¡°Really? Is this a joke?¡± he asks while turning to look at the warrant officer, making me flinch slightly in the process. ¡°A nine year old child is the Category 5 Ability Holder? The one we¡¯ve been looking forward to for over a week now?! Are you fucking-¡± ¡°Sergeant, I would watch your words if I were you,¡± the warrant officer says, her eyes narrowing slightly as she briefly glances at me. But I don¡¯t care much about the swearing. The emperor doesn¡¯t hold back when he does it, nor did those back at the lab. So why should my superior officer? For some reason the sergeant looks startled for a moment before turning regretful eyes onto me. Then he turns back to the warrant officer and says, ¡°You¡¯re right, I apologize, ma¡¯am.¡± She nods her head and says, ¡°Keep it in mind for the future, and make sure your other soldiers know to treat Private Crimson well.¡± After that, she turns around and walks down the hall, leaving me behind with the sergeant right outside of the barracks. And neither of us say anything for several seconds. I just continue standing still, waiting for orders like I was told by those at the lab. Even though there isn¡¯t any pain involved now doesn¡¯t mean there won¡¯t be any later if I screw up, so I need to do as they said. Eventually the sergeant sighs, making me flinch slightly. ¡°Just¡­ come inside, alright?¡± he says, making me blink for a second before stepping inside of the bunker, where I find ten beds lining the room. Five on each side of the room. And we¡¯re not the only ones here as nine others are scattered throughout the room doing their own things, only stopping when they notice us coming in. ¡°Woooah woah woah, who¡¯s this, boss?!¡± one of them exclaims as soon as he sees me, jumping down from his bunker. Meanwhile another shouts, ¡°The boss is into- HMMMM!¡± I frown as one of the other soldiers covers their mouth ¨C a girl who looks to be in her twenties and is scowling at him. Meanwhile the others all rush over to me and kneel down as the sergeant says, ¡°Soldiers, this is your new comrade. She is a Category 5 Ability Holder and will be joining us on missions from here on out.¡± Silence fills the room as everyone slowly turns to stare at their commanding officer. I look back and forth between the sergeant and the others, my stark white hair bouncing back and forth along with my head. ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?¡± ¡°Are you serious?!¡± ¡°Boss, don¡¯t joke like that!¡± ¡°Sergeant! You can¡¯t be serious!¡± I almost take a step back in surprise at all of the shouts that ring out through the room, but the sergeant just places his hand on my head, making me look up at him to find the man warmly looking down at me as he raises his other hand, stopping them all from speaking. ¡°Little Ari, please make yourself at home,¡± he says while motioning towards a bed one away from the door on the right side of the room, away from the windows. One of the safest beds in the room. ¡°The rest of us have something to speak about outside, alright?¡± I blink and tilt my head slightly, only to remember my orders and immediately salute, ¡°Yes, sir!¡± A sad smile crests his face as he pats my head. Then I feel him patting my back, giving me a gentle push towards the bed. So I walk over and begin placing my stuff around it. Not that I have much to place. Meanwhile the others all leave the room, closing the door quietly behind them. And only seconds later, I hear shouting coming from the other side of the door. I can¡¯t hear what they¡¯re saying though. Probably soundproof enchantments on the wall. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. So I move about finishing setting everything up before standing at attention next to my bed and waiting. And waiting. And waiting some more. Eventually the door quietly opens, and all of the soldiers come back inside, only to look sad when they see me. Then they rush over to me, making me almost flinch, expecting to be hit. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°No one did anything to you, right?¡± ¡°Please call me Jenny, okay?¡± ¡°Here, go ahead and sit down, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired!¡± ¡°Can I call you Ari too?¡± I blink in surprise, unsure of how to take the wave of kindness I can pretty much feel flooding over me by them. They¡¯re¡­ not going to hit me? ¡°Little Ari, know that you¡¯re with family here, okay?¡± the sergeant says after pushing the others out of the way and kneeling down in front of me. Family? I feel my control over my face slacking as a sad look covers it at the thought of my family. Then he pulls me in for a hug, which snaps me out of it as I stiffen up, expecting pain. So he lets go just as quickly, saying, ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t¡­ Sorry.¡± I shake my head before asking, ¡°Do you have any orders for me?¡± He blinks in surprise and frowns at the others, only for them all to shake their heads. Then he turns back to me and pats me on the head, saying, ¡°Just be you.¡± Just be¡­ me? What does that mean?
Aria The Present I wake up with a start while shooting forwards in my bed, only to realize that I¡¯m lying here in a bath towel with my bed soaked. So I quickly get dressed and put on my weapons and other gear, including one of the other hair bands the older officers gave me, before grabbing the letter from my drawer, putting it in my pocket, and grabbing the bags I packed yesterday. Then I head out, deciding not even to think about the dream resurfacing for the first time in years. Not this time. While passing through the streets, I occasionally nod my head at a passerby who greets me with a simple, ¡°Morning officer,¡± until I make it to the train station. Then I show my pass to the receptionist, grab my tickets, and board the train. Once I reach my booth, I go ahead and place my bags above the seat and sit down before unbuttoning my armored jacket, revealing my white shirt beneath it. Why they require us to wear armored and enchanted formal attire when arriving at a base for the first time is beyond me. Other than it being tradition. But it¡¯s annoying. I reach to grab my crystal before smiling slightly at the warmth it¡¯s radiating. At the comfort it gives me. Then I frown as I feel the thing¡­ pulsing? Odd. Doesn¡¯t seem to be doing anything other than that though, and I personally don¡¯t care even if it¡¯s trying to do something to me. It¡¯s the last thing my parents gave me, so I will always keep it with me no matter what. I still don¡¯t think it¡¯s doing anything though. Mom and Dad wouldn¡¯t have given it to me if it was bad. A little while passes as I wait for the train to start moving, and after over an hour of waiting, the conductor arrives at our train car and begins giving their usual spiel. So I just turn to look out the window at the passing people in the train station. Eventually they finish speaking and move on to the next car, only coming back again a few minutes later after no doubt giving that same spiel to the other cars. And not long after they leave our car again, I feel the train beginning to move. I look out the window for a while as the train moves, but I gradually begin to feel both tired and bored. So I lay my head down on the counter of the booth I¡¯m in and close my eyes, beginning to go to sleep.
Aria Nine Years Ago ¡°Happy Birthday Little Ari!¡± all of the soldiers of our corps shout as soon as I wake up, making me blink in surprise before I find a cake on a tray in front of my bed. And I immediately smile and jump out of bed with a squeal of joy. The soldiers chuckle at my act, but I don¡¯t bother with them, instead rushing to the cake. ¡°Nuh-uh-uh,¡± Jenny says while pulling the cake back and wagging her finger. ¡°Wash your face and hands first!¡± I pout at her, but she stays firm. So I quickly sprint out of the barracks, wash both my hands and face, and run back as fast as I can, still with some water dripping from my hair. Then I dig into the cake to the apparent amusement of the others. ¡°You¡¯re likely to end up fat if you eat like that, Aria,¡± Corporal Tennison jokes, but I, as always, ignore the meanie. ¡°No she won¡¯t,¡± Corporal Ruthers says, a smile on her face while she watches me dig into my chocolate cake. ¡°You just eat and ignore the idiot.¡± No problems here! The others all begin making jokes about how little I spoke just a year ago, when I first arrived here. But by now we¡¯ve all opened up and the events of the lab are mostly behind me. So I don¡¯t really think about those times much anymore. We also haven¡¯t been sent on very many missions up till now. Mostly just training, training, and more training. With only about three real missions. It¡¯s been a lot nicer than I thought it would be. I hope things stay this way.
Aria The Present I wake up to the sound of screeching, screaming, and a crashing window, making me shoot to my feet just to find someone having crashed into the train through the window. And when I look out said window, I find more of what I quickly realize are mercenaries driving a car beside the train. A scowl covers my face at the sight of them. Seriously? I¡¯m not sure if I should be grateful that they snapped me out of that dream, or grateful that they gave me something to vent on. Either way, I draw my pistol and quickly shoot the one that¡¯s already in the train in the damned head, making them fall down to the ground as more screams echo from the train car. [User has killed one being of Level 6. Requirements to reach level 3 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 151/250 beings have been granted Death.] ¡°Everyone, stay down!¡± I shout at the civilians, and they all do so as soon as they see my officer uniform. Then I quickly make a call to Omega Fortress, reporting the attack. Guess I¡¯ll be blowing off some steam now. B1 | Chapter 19 Aria More of the mercenaries attempt to jump into the train, but I shoot them down before they manage to do so. Only to find myself being shot in the head by an arrow that moves too fast for me to dodge. But I quickly reach up and yank the thing out with a grunt. Then I quickly yank my bag down from the top compartment, move over to shoot another jumping mercenary, and begin to unpack my rifle. Only to pause a few more times to shoot more mercenaries. I get shot in the side of my head again by another arrow ¨C this one glowing with a black energy ¨C until I yank it out again and quickly find my flesh rotting just from touching it. So I toss it to the side and continue working on assembling my rifle while the wound slowly heals, proving to be a new adaptation. The rot pain hurts, but I still manage to ignore it as I finally finish assembling my rifle. Only to find that the car driving alongside the train has backed up. I move over to the shattered windows before sticking my head out and finding four more cars lined up alongside other train cars, each having mercenaries on them jumping into the train. Damnit, that¡¯s a pain. I raise my rifle, get shot in the head again, and pull the scope to my eye after which I shoot out the tire of the closest car. Then I reload and shoot out the tire of the next car. And then the next. And the next. All the way till all of the cars are spinning out of control alongside the train. The mercenaries that had jumped into the train and are still near the windows stick their heads out the window to look at what¡¯s going on, only for me to shoot them in the head just like their cars¡¯ wheels. [User has killed one being of Level 6. Requirements to reach level 3 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 152/250 beings have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 6. Requirements to reach level 3 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 153/250 beings have been granted Death.] Unfortunately most of them are smart enough not to stick their heads out when there¡¯s obviously a sniper around. My rifle suddenly goes flying when an arrow strikes it, cutting the thing in half. And there goes my rifle. Right when I was gonna use it to look for the archer too. I grit my teeth before deciding that the archer isn¡¯t a priority right now. The civilians are. So I call out to the civilians, ¡°Stay down and don¡¯t move!¡± Then I move towards the next car down. I didn¡¯t see any cars driving ahead of ours, so there shouldn¡¯t be any mercenaries in them. So the civilians in this car should be safe. With that thought in mind, I open the door and step between the cars before opening the door to the next car, making sure that my hand is gripping tightly to the side rail. And just as I expected, a gunshot echoes out as a bullet takes me directly in the chest. But I ignore it and proceed to push myself into the car while shutting the door behind me. ¡°What?! How is she still-¡± the one who shot me starts but I shoot them in the head with my pistol before they can finish. [User has killed one being of Level 7. Requirements to reach level 3 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 154/250 beings have been granted Death.] Hmm. These mercenaries are all pretty high level. The mercenaries in question begin shooting at me over and over again, but I ignore the bullets to fire back at one of the four remaining mercs, killing them as well. [User has killed one being of Level 7. Requirements to reach level 3 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 155/250 beings have been granted Death.] Okay, I¡¯m turning that back off again. It¡¯s annoying. ¡°What is she?!¡± ¡°How¡¯s she doing that?!¡± Two of the mercs shout at the same time, but I ignore them again to throw a knife. Only for the knife to suddenly be caught in the hand of one of the mercs, making my eyes widen in surprise. Huh. Superspeed maybe? They throw the knife back, but with lightning coating the knife. Not superspeed. Guess it¡¯s just a boost from their level. The knife strikes me in the chest, sending volts of electricity running through my body as I drop to my knees. ¡°That did it! Now bring her-FUCK!¡± I shut the guy shouting up by raising my pistol and shooting him in the leg. Would¡¯ve shot him in the head instead, but I¡¯m currently unable to bring my arm any higher thanks to the electricity. Fortunately the electricity doesn¡¯t last much longer, and I¡¯m able to climb to my feet again soon enough. While taking a couple more bullets in the process. I¡¯m a little surprised that the archer isn¡¯t firing anymore though. ¡°What the fuck is she?!¡± one of the mercs shouts, only for another to shout back, ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I quickly use some of the soul energy in my body to enhance my legs, letting me jump further than I normally would be able to. Then I knee one of the mercs in the face, bringing him down with my bodyweight before I pull the knife out of my own chest and slit his throat with it while the man¡¯s still stunned. One of the other mercs takes advantage of my position to kick me in the head, sending me flying into the wall with strength that is beyond normal. Something I¡¯m starting to get used to dealing with thanks to the system. Particularly due to the sparring matches during training, where I was fighting people higher leveled than myself. I end up landing on my side against the wall, but I maintain my grip on my gun, allowing me to quickly aim and shoot at the same merc who sent me flying. Who also happens to be the one that I shot in the leg earlier. And immediately after that I proceed to shoot the last remaining merc in the car as well. Then silence fills the car as I quickly climb to my feet while reloading my pistol. ¡°What a pain¡­¡± I mutter at the sight of the corpse before turning my gaze to the civilians who are hiding behind the booths and chairs. ¡°Stay here while I deal with the rest.¡± I begin walking through the car without waiting for any response. And as I do so, I slide the magazine out of my pistol to check my rounds before putting it back in and checking the ammo tied to my waist. Yeah, at this rate I won¡¯t have enough to go through all of the enemies. And I doubt I¡¯ll be able to take them down with a blade. Not all of them. ¡°First Lieutenant Crimson, backup is on the way,¡± my radio suddenly blurts out. ¡°ETA is two minutes.¡± I nod my head despite no one being here to see, other than the cowering civilians that is. The short ETA must mean that there¡¯s an Ability Holder amongst the backup. That or we¡¯re just closer to the base than I thought. Could be that I slept longer than expected.
On the Path to the Train Major Striker runs across the snow, using Captain Rogers¡¯ ability to enhance himself along with the rest of the squad. Unlike most majors in the military who command a force of five hundred, Major Striker was put in charge of a special team. One filled with nothing but Category 5 Ability Holders. The major himself doesn¡¯t particularly care about the secrecy of the position one way or another, but he finds the excitement of commanding such a powerful force to be more than he¡¯s felt before. ¡°So is it true, major?¡± Captain Harvey asks, the only woman on the team until now. ¡°Is the newbie a woman!?¡± ¡°That she is,¡± Major Striker calls back to her as the five charge through the trees. ¡°I heard she was a beaut,¡± First Lieutenant Snow says, the man grinning slightly as his long white hair flows behind him in his run. ¡°You guys think she¡¯s single?¡± ¡°Cut it, Lady Killer!¡± Captain Harvey shouts at him. ¡°I won¡¯t let you touch her! I¡¯m finally gonna have another girl here instead of being stuck with you all on my own, and I¡¯m not gonna have you ruin that!¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, Snow, try not to get on her bad side,¡± Second Lieutenant Vargas says. ¡°I¡¯ve heard she¡¯s merciless. Cuts down her foes without blinking an eye.¡± ¡°Ooo, all the better!¡± the first lieutenant says with a laugh. ¡°An ice princess!¡± Major Striker shakes his head with a faint smile as he hears a certain first lieutenant shouting, ¡°Ouch!¡± from behind him as they run. But once they leave the tree line, he shouts, ¡°Target in sight! Get ready!¡± All of the members of the team immediately turn serious, not making a single joke any longer. ¡°Captain Rogers, keep us moving. Captain Harvey, watch for snipers and keep us shielded.¡± Major Striker says right as Captain Rogers increases everyone¡¯s speed now that they¡¯re no longer within the trees. ¡°Lieutenant Snow, let loose. Lieutenant Vargas and I will watch your back and provide backup fire.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± all of the officers shout. The team moves extremely fast through the snow-covered planes just north of the Southern Pass¡¯s entrance until they make it to the side of the train and begin running alongside it. And at this point they all fall silent, listening for sounds. It doesn¡¯t take long for them to hear what they¡¯re listening for as screams quickly sound from a car further along the train. So the major motions for them to move and they all progress further along the side of the train, repeatedly passing by shattered windows of cars filled with dead targets and terrified civilians. Just as the reports said. Not the best at comforting civilians. The major senses the others¡¯ surprise at the sight of the carnage left behind by the newly promoted first lieutenant¡¯s wake, but none of them say a word. Instead they just continue to move alongside the train until they finally arrive at the car where they see a beautiful young woman of approximately 19 or 20 years old with snow white hair and glowing red eyes matching punch for punch with a mercenary and slowly getting her bones fractured with each hit. But what surprises everyone in the major¡¯s team except for the major is the sight of her simply ignoring the wounds with them healing in seconds every time she receives them. And after several seconds of this, the major sees her purposefully letting him get a hit in on her gut, making her cough out a mouthful of blood on him as the man grins. Then she raises her knee and strikes him directly between the legs before quickly covering her legs in some sort of red energy and jumping over the man to land on his back after performing a backflip. The major purses his lips as she strangles the man, only to drop his arm when the car door opens and more mercenaries from the next car over enter through it. And without hesitation, Snow¡¯s eyes begin to glow with a blue light and blades of ice appear all around them before flying straight into the car and impaling the various mercenaries. She¡¯s clearly noticed us but isn¡¯t stopping. Major Striker makes note of this after seeing her eyes glance over at them before she finishes strangling the man, almost takes a few shots to the back if it weren¡¯t for a glowing purple barrier that appears behind her thanks to Harvey and quickly turns around to face the new mercenaries. Only to realize that they¡¯re already all dead from Snow¡¯s attack. The major quickly motions for his team to move, and they along with himself all jump into the same car the newbie is in. But they don¡¯t say anything just yet as the major sees Harvey raising her hand and forming a barrier right in front of them mere moments before an arrow coated with some sort of black energy strikes it and bounces off. So the major steps forwards while drawing his bow from his shoulder and nocking an arrow at the same time, a faint blue light shines from his eyes and he injects pure kinetic energy into his arrow. Then he releases, sending the arrow flying straight towards its target ¨C a man wearing all black stationed on the mountains. Right when the arrow is about to strike, though, the man suddenly falls apart, proving to be a skeleton. ¡°Damn,¡± Major Striker mutters. ¡°Necromancer.¡± He looks in the direction of the mountain for a few seconds longer before shaking his head and turning to face the newbie as the others continue checking the area. ¡°We meet again, First Lieutenant Crimson,¡± he says with a nod while reaching his hand that¡¯s not holding his bow out to her. ¡°Welcome to our team.¡± The woman narrows her eyes slightly and looks between the members of the team, a couple of whom are beginning to go through the civilians, comforting them. Then she looks at his offered hand, glances down at her own, and then takes it, saying a simple, ¡°First Lieutenant Crimson, reporting, sir.¡± All of the team members look towards her in surprise, finding her greeting to be a little too formal. Almost as if she¡¯s trying to cut any possibility of their relationship growing beyond military work. This is going to be tougher than I thought. B1 | Chapter 20 Aria The major ¨C a man in his mid-thirties and probably the youngest of the team, many of whom look to be in their forties ¨C looks like he wants to say something about my greeting, but ends up deciding against it. But the look on his face does seem to imply that he won¡¯t let it go. Instead of talking about that, he gets right down to business and asks, ¡°What happened here?¡± ¡°While I was riding the train, a force of twenty-five mercenaries attacked the train alongside one potential necromancer,¡± I begin, still holding my salute firm. ¡°After calling in the attack to base, I set out to eliminate all of the targets with the plan to capture the last one for intel as I didn¡¯t believe I¡¯d have the chance to capture the potential necromancer.¡± Major Striker nods his head while glancing out the window, ¡°There is indeed a necromancer, but they aren¡¯t nearby. The one I just shot at was a skeleton summoned by a necromancer.¡± He turns back to me. ¡°The skeleton was already dealt with, but the necromancer likely got away.¡± ¡°Understood, sir,¡± I answer, still holding my salute. The man finally sighs and says, ¡°At ease.¡± So I lower my hand and ask, ¡°With your permission, sir, I would like to go after the mercenaries in the last car. I do not believe that all of them entered this one.¡± ¡°No need,¡± the major says while nodding his head towards the entrance, bringing my gaze to find a man with white hair and blue eyes seemingly in his mid-thirties dragging an unconscious mercenary through the entrance into the car. Then the man just tosses him into a wall, uncaring about the man¡¯s health. Guess we¡¯re done here. ¡°We can leave full introductions for when we arrive at the base,¡± the major says as I turn to look at him again. The man has black hair with violet eyes and appears to be in his mid-thirties, just like most of the officers in this group of soldiers. ¡°Understood,¡± I state with a brief nod. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you at the base when the train arrives.¡± The major blinks in surprise, and it¡¯s not just him. The other officers in the car all pause what they¡¯re doing to look at me as well, briefly reminding me that I am by far the youngest one on this team. A team made up of people I vaguely recognize from records I¡¯ve read. Only an idiot wouldn¡¯t recognize them, after all. It¡¯s a team full of almost every Category 5 in the nation. The only exceptions being the First and Second Generals. ¡°Very well,¡± the major eventually says, although I can tell he doesn¡¯t like it. ¡°Everyone, back to base!¡± Then the team leaps out the window with an odd green light coating them. Likely from Captain Frank Rogers¡¯ enhancement and healing ability. From what I¡¯ve researched on him and the other Category 5s who may become my enemies in the distant future after I get my revenge on the emperor, his ability lets him do quite a bit. He can flood energy into other people¡¯s bodies, healing them, enhancing their physical body, replenishing their mana and stamina, and overall just improving everything while rejuvenating them. Hence why it¡¯s a Category 5 ability. I watch them go for a bit, only to notice one of them in particular ¨C First Lieutenant Adrian Snow ¨C sending me an odd look. From what I¡¯ve heard about the man, he¡­ tends to sleep around a lot. Which is why the look he¡¯s sending me is both surprising and not at the same time. Surprising because he looks conflicted and close to disappointed, likely due to my age being too young for him. A good thing, considering that it would be a pain to deal with him if it wasn¡¯t. But he also looks¡­ disapproving. Sort of like the older officers at the academy, but in a different way. Like he doesn¡¯t approve of me being in the military and at least partially blames me, unlike those old men and women who only pitied me and treated me like their daughters. And despite the fact that it¡¯s clear he doesn¡¯t exactly approve of me being here, I prefer the way he¡¯s looking rather than those officers. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Because I hate being pitied. Also, at this point I¡¯m in the military by choice. I can leave if I wanted to, the emperor doesn¡¯t have any real power over me anymore, nor does he even have enough influence to try to kidnap me, much less order me to do something. But I need the power ¨C both in levels and politically ¨C that I can gain from being in the military. So I can¡¯t retire yet. If I remember correctly, the rest of the team consists of Captain Hannah Harvey and Second Lieutenant Jason Vargas. And unlike Snow, whose ability is to create incredibly powerful blades of ice that grow progressively stronger with each consecutive attack, these two are Ability Holders with more varied abilities. The captain¡¯s ability is to be able to sense within ten kilometers around herself and to create a barrier within a single kilometer around herself. Meanwhile the second lieutenant¡¯s is a mental one. He can read the minds of those he touches, and can dig into their mind for memories. So someone I¡¯m gonna avoid in the case of the latter. The former is okay though. Soon enough the team vanishes into the tree line, so I begin walking over to the control car of the train. Time to get everything back in order and on route. I glance at the corpses along the way. And to clean that up.
Back at the Base A few hours later No one in the team says a word all throughout their trip back to the base. Not even after they finish turning the mercenary over and giving their report. It isn¡¯t until after they arrive in their own private wing of the fortress barracks that Adrian shouts, ¡°What the fuck was up with that?! She¡¯s just a fucking kid!¡± ¡°Watch your language,¡± his friend and commanding officer, Leonardo Striker, says, making Adrian round on him. But the major continues before he can say anything, ¡°She¡¯s been in the military since she was only nine years old. I was more or less already expecting a difficult time getting her to open up, so please don¡¯t make it even harder when she gets here.¡± Adrian¡¯s mouth opens wide in shock as Hannah mutters, ¡°Nine years¡­ old¡­?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Frank asks, the big guy actually speaking. Something that isn¡¯t common with him. Especially outside of missions. ¡°She¡¯s just like me, then?¡± Jason says, half asking, half stating as he scratches the stubble on his chin. And his tone alone makes Adrian feel disgusted. Adrian holds that emotion back though, since he knows it¡¯s not the man¡¯s fault the way he was raised. Most people raised as human weapons aren¡¯t normal in how they think. But¡­ nine years old?! ¡°Yes, but also not,¡± Leonardo says while rubbing the back of his head. ¡°Look, I¡¯m not really supposed to tell you about her private affairs. Just know that she¡¯s been through a lot, and her ability makes it hard for her to allow herself to get close to others.¡± That gives Adrian pause as he looks at his commander and asks, ¡°Ability?¡± ¡°Right! What¡¯s her ability?¡± Jason asks, sounding a little too excited. ¡°Well¡­¡± Leonardo begins, now scratching the back of his neck as he looks up at the ceiling. Then he looks down at them again, ¡°You all know that she¡¯s a Crimson, right?¡± Everyone nods. ¡°Well, the Crimsons aren¡¯t known for giving out the specifics of their abilities.¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± Jason mutters, disappointed. Adrian ignores him this time as he prods, ¡°But you know something about it, at least. She wouldn¡¯t be a Category 5 if the military didn¡¯t know what she could do.¡± His commander nods his head, still looking rather awkward. But eventually he just sighs and answers, ¡°Yes, and it¡¯s not much of a secret. Her ability is regeneration.¡± Everyone pauses at that before both Adrian and Jason ask, ¡°Regeneration?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Leonardo says with a nod. ¡°Regeneration.¡± ¡°How is a regeneration ability Category 5?¡± Adrian asks with a frown. And he sees the other three officers in the team aside from the commander nodding as well. ¡°Let me rephrase it this way,¡± Leonardo says. ¡°Her ability is a regeneration ability strong enough that even if the military wanted to kill her for some reason, they wouldn¡¯t know how.¡± ¡°Wait, really?¡± Adrian asks, feeling both surprised and confused. ¡°And cutting her head off wouldn¡¯t work?¡± Leonardo shakes his head. ¡°It¡¯d just reattach or grow back without any damage to her.¡± ¡°Damn¡­¡± Adrian mutters, sitting down on a seat in the middle room of their barracks. The room meant to split the men and women. Although Hannah has had the womens¡¯ room all to herself until now. Adrian and the others don¡¯t ask about why she¡¯s in the military, nor do they ask about what her circumstances are. Because each and every one of the Category 5 ability users in the room understand how little freedom even their own nation can have for those incredibly useful and incredibly unlucky. They¡¯ve all had their own demons to deal with at one point in their life or another. They know better to dig into someone else¡¯s demons. But Adrian still can¡¯t bring himself to let go of his anger. ¡°I still don¡¯t like it,¡± he says, bluntly stating his mind as always. ¡°She should quit the military. If she¡¯s been in the military for a decade now then she doesn¡¯t have to stay. She can just retire and live a cozy life from here on out.¡± He feels his fist clenching, but he doesn¡¯t say any more beyond what¡¯s already been said. None of the others comment on his words either. ¡°Just treat her well when she arrives,¡± the major eventually breaks the silence. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy, but she needs friends.¡± Then he looks down, a sad look flashing across his eyes and mutters, ¡°Everyone does¡­ being alone isn¡¯t¡­¡± He trails off without finishing, but everyone in the room understands. ¡°I¡¯ll try,¡± Adrian says, making his commanding officer look up at him with a sad smile. ¡°Thank you,¡± the man says. Then he begins to regain some of his enthusiasm as he continues, ¡°Now we just need to become friends with her and welcome her into our little family!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Hannah shouts while punching a single fist into the air. And Frank wordlessly joins her. Jason just chuckles and shakes his head, leaving Adrian to roll his eyes. Then they begin planning around how to get her to open up. B1 | Chapter 21 Aria As soon as I arrive at Omega Fortress, I feel like something¡¯s off. Very off. ¡°Welcome, First Lieutenant Crimson, we have been expecting your arrival,¡± the warrant officer standing at the gate says with a salute. ¡°Please follow me and I¡¯ll take you directly to your team¡¯s barracks.¡± Incredibly off. ¡°Very well,¡± I respond, feeling slightly awkward about being a higher rank than the man in front of me, who is clearly almost twice my age. I follow the man through the base, ignoring the gazes sent my way by quite a few of the soldiers and officers. Something I¡¯m rather used to by now. Especially when I move bases. Red eyes and white hair aren¡¯t exactly common appearances after all. In fact, my family, the Crimsons, were the only ones with these traits. No one really ever understood why that is though. And it¡¯s even worse this time around. Because now I¡¯m a first lieutenant instead of a warrant officer. Which makes me even more of an anomaly since I¡¯m only nineteen years old still. The age that most people join up with the forces, much less are already a mid-ranking officer. Eventually we arrive at the barracks. And while I call it a barracks, and the warrant officer calls it a barracks, it¡¯s more of a suite. One with multiple rooms, and very comfortable bedding and a common room in between the two bedrooms. Getting even weirder. We may be officers, but we¡¯re not part of the official staff of this fortress. So we shouldn¡¯t be getting any more than a single bed in a barracks. It¡¯s not like in my last fortress where I was an officer stationed at the fortress, allowing me a room of my own. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed,¡± I tell the warrant officer after noticing him just standing there saluting, waiting for me to dismiss him. As he walks away, I look around the common room in contemplation. Then I go to the room on the left, only to hear a voice from the entrance to the ¡®barracks,¡¯ ¡°That would be the men¡¯s side. Your side is through the other door.¡± I stop and turn around to find the major standing at the door with a slight smirk on his face. And alarm bells immediately begin ringing in my head for some reason. ¡°We don¡¯t have any missions just yet, so make yourself comfortable and try to get used to the fortress,¡± he says as I salute. ¡°And don¡¯t bother with military code when we¡¯re not on a mission. It just makes things feel stuffy, ya know?¡± Great. An overly friendly type of commanding officer. Can I go back to Delta Fortress now? It¡¯s gonna be hard to avoid getting any attachments to them at this rate. The door next to me opens, making me quickly back away from it by using soul energy to empower my legs¡¯ reaction speed. Then two people walk out of it. First Lieutenant Snow and Second Lieutenant Vargas. Both of whom look surprised to see me. ¡°Yo!¡± the first lieutenant says with a smile, surprising me with his shift in attitude from the first time he saw me. ¡°Ya finally arrived! How¡¯s the fortress so far?¡± I blink, only to glance at the second lieutenant, who just smiles and says, ¡°Hello newbie. We won¡¯t bite.¡± That phrase alone has me narrowing my eyes slightly and turning to the major as I salute again and state, ¡°I¡¯ll be checking out my quarters now.¡± Then I glance at the first and second lieutenants and tell them, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure meeting you all and I look forward to our time together.¡± And with that, I walk over to the other door and open it, feeling confident with my cold responses. Only to almost walk into Captain Harvey, who seemed to have been rushing to the door for some reason. ¡°Ari! Can I call you that?¡± she immediately exclaims, trying to call me by one of the nicknames my family called me by. Which immediately makes me scowl at her. ¡°No? Then what about-¡± ¡°Aria is fine,¡± I tell her, cutting her off. ¡°That or First Lieutenant Crimson.¡± Then I walk around her to look at the room, which¡­ can¡¯t be called a barracks. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Because who calls a room with multiple separate rooms and an area in between them a single room in a barracks? Not to mention the personal bathroom and shower each attached to the bedrooms. I just don¡¯t understand this¡­ My thoughts come to a halt when I remember that it¡¯s a team full of Category 5s. Damn it, why didn¡¯t I think of that before?! I turn back around to find the others gathered right outside the door with Captain Harvey right inside of it. ¡°This team¡­¡± I begin, briefly forgetting my act. ¡°What were we put together for?¡± They all grow awkward at that. A brief moment of silence passes before the major lets out a sigh and straightens up, making me almost instinctively do the same. ¡°First Lieutenant Aria Crimson, Category 5 Titled Ability Holder known as the Crimson Blade, welcome to the Predator Division of the First Army,¡± the major declares, his voice seemingly echoing in the ¡®barracks.¡¯ ¡°The Predator Division is a division made strictly of Category 5 Ability Holders who can take on the special missions assigned to us involving the Great Divide and the invaders. We answer only to the First General herself and do not take orders from any other officers within the military.¡± His eyes narrow slightly, albeit with a slightly amused tint to them, ¡°Welcome to the spearhead team that will pierce the invasion forces. Be ready for a wild ride.¡± Ugh. Sometimes I hate it when I¡¯m right.
The Barracks A few hours later ¡°So, I don¡¯t think that went all that well,¡± Adrian says with a firm nod of his head soon after Aria had left to tour the base, making Hannah roll her eyes. ¡°Of course it didn¡¯t go over well, you dunce!¡± Hannah exclaims while throwing an eraser at the man. One he easily catches. ¡°You two appeared out of nowhere and the first thing you thought to say was ¡®yo¡¯?!¡± The first lieutenant scoffs and retorts, ¡°And you think you did any better miss ¡®Oh I¡¯m gonna give you a nickname!¡¯?¡± Hannah opens her mouth to respond, only to close it again when she realizes he¡¯s right. ¡°Now, now, children,¡± Jason says while waving his hands as if dealing with actual children, ¡°must we fight?¡± ¡°You were worse than either of us!¡± ¡°Why the hell did you think saying ¡®we don¡¯t bite¡¯ would go over well?!¡± Both Hannah and Adrian shout at the same time at the very moment Frank walks into the barracks. And without so much as stopping or letting them see him other than the major, Frank calmly steps back out of the barracks again, pretending like he didn¡¯t see anything as he heads for the cafeteria. The major sighs as he rubs his temples, deciding not to say anything about the captain¡¯s mostly undiscovered entry and exit. ¡°I¡¯ll be the first to admit that none of that went as planned,¡± the major says while raising his head to look at the other three. ¡°But fighting like this isn¡¯t gonna get us anywhere.¡± All three of the officers turn to glare at each other before each deflating. ¡°Right,¡± Hannah mutters. ¡°We need to approach this calmly.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s have a truce until after we get her to open up,¡± Adrian suggests, making the other two nod their heads. ¡°Yep,¡± Jason says with a satisfied nod of his head at the same time as Hannah says, ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Now that that¡¯s handled,¡± Leonardo begins before glancing at the door. ¡°Does anyone know where the first lieutenant even went?¡± ¡°Well, she went to tour the base,¡± Adrian says, only to frown. ¡°Why¡¯re you asking?¡± ¡°Who is giving her a tour?¡± Leonardo asks, only to begin rubbing his temples again when he sees the blank faces appear on the three. ¡°You let her go off on her own in a fortress that she has never been in before¡­¡± The three awkwardly find places in the room to stare at as if nothing was happening. The major sighs again and mutters, ¡°And this is why they put a Category 5 in charge of Category 5s¡­¡± Many people on the continent of Arran believe in the saying that power corrupts. But in reality, not all power corrupts. It¡¯s the society that power grows up in that corrupts them. However, all Category 5s, even in Albaria, end up being special. In their own ways. ¡°We need to find her to make sure she¡¯s not lost in the fortress,¡± the major says, making all three of the others shout, ¡°Yes, sir!¡±
Meanwhile within the Cafeteria Frank gives a brief, polite nod to the cafeteria lady when he is handed his food, then he turns around and begins walking through the cafeteria to find a table. Only for him to end up spotting their latest team member sitting in the corner of the room drinking¡­ alcohol? The man blinks in surprise, briefly ponders over something, then walks back to the cafeteria lady and points at Aria, then back further into the cafeteria. Finally he tilts his head slightly, as if asking something. It takes a second, but the cafeteria lady nods her head and says, ¡°Sure, dear. Give me a second.¡± Then she vanishes into the kitchen for a short while before returning with a finely aged bottle of wine that she hands Frank under the envious gazes of the others. Frank gives her another polite nod and walks over to Aria¡¯s table, catching her attention when he gets within a few meters of it. She opens her mouth with a frown to say something, only to pause slightly when she sees the bottle he¡¯s holding in his left hand, ignoring the tray in his right. And after a brief hesitation, she just nods her head, and he sets the bottle down in front of her before sitting down opposite her at the table. Then the two begin eating in silence. Or rather, he eats, and she drinks. A peaceful silence fills the table with only the sounds of quiet chatter from the other nearby tables filling the room. But after a few minutes, the radio on Frank¡¯s side beeps. So he unhooks it from his belt under Aria¡¯s curious gaze and brings it to his ear, turning it on. ¡°Captain, please be on the lookout for First Lieutenant Crimson. She may be lost within the fortress somewhere,¡± the major quickly says over the radio. Frank moves the radio from his ear to look at it, then he looks at Aria, who couldn¡¯t hear what was said on it, then back at the radio again. Eventually he moves it back to his ear and briefly says, ¡°No need.¡± And turns the radio back off, hooking it to his belt again as he continues eating.
In a random hallway within the fortress Leonardo glances at the radio with a strange look on his face as he mutters, ¡°What did he mean by no need?¡± He stares at it for several seconds before shaking his head, deciding that he shouldn¡¯t be wasting time like this when the new member of his team may be lost within the fortress. Not bothering to consider that the new member might just ask someone for directions since she¡¯s been so cold to his team thus far. ¡°Have you seen a first lieutenant with red eyes and white hair?¡± he asks the first officer he sees walking down the hallway. B1 | Chapter 22 Aria After having my usual ¡®meal¡¯ at the cafeteria, something I was surprised I could do so quickly since it usually takes a few days for the word to reach the new cafeteria that I¡¯m allowed to drink on the clock, I head back to our ¡®barracks¡¯ and enter my room. Or rather, my side of the room, which has two sides and looks kind of like a double room with a split down the middle in the form of a wall. And my side is a mixture of red and gray in color, with a nice bed at the back, a couple wardrobes and a closet that I can only guess are already filled with my stuff from my last fortress, and a mirror. Meanwhile there¡¯s a door at the back left side of the room, that I quickly find leads to a bathroom and a shower. Well, at least being used by the military has its perks. And I¡¯m not alone this time, even if I¡¯m still alone in the whole ¡®not dying¡¯ thing. Although that also makes it harder on me since the others in my team are even more likely to die now since we¡¯re being used as a spearhead team against the invaders. Which gives me more reason to avoid interacting with them. That one bribe doesn¡¯t count though. It tasted really good. I¡¯m still confused why the others eventually arrived only to look really confused when they found me and Captain Rogers just sitting there enjoying our meals. Maybe they weren¡¯t expecting me to be eating with the captain? Or, drinking, I guess. Speaking of, the captain doesn¡¯t talk much. Not that I¡¯m complaining. Anyways, I quickly head to the bathroom to take a shower, since I still have some blood on me from the battle in the train. Then I head to bed in my nightgown.
Aria Nine Years Ago ¡°Attention!¡± Second Lieutenant Arlan shouts, making all of the members of our team stand at attention. ¡°Your mission is simple. Make your way through the Southern Pass and scout out the Al Mountain Pass as we have reason to believe that the Arterians may be plotting something out there.¡± I continue standing at attention in the back as Sergeant Daniels asks questions about the mission. Then, once he¡¯s done, the second lieutenant dismisses us and we all head back to the barracks. None of the others look very happy about the mission, so I can only assume it¡¯s not a very safe one. So with that in mind, I nod my head, clenching my fists as I step up to the second lieutenant and say, ¡°I¡¯ll protect you!¡± A wry smile stretches across his face as he pats my head and says, ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that, little Ari. We¡¯ll be protecting you, alright?¡± I pout at that and try to push his hand away and tell him that I don¡¯t need protection. That I can¡¯t die. But we¡¯re interrupted by another officer calling the sergeant over. ¡°Sorry little one, I¡¯ve gotta go!¡± he says, patting my head once more and once again messing up my hair. I open my mouth to call out to him, only to close it again instead. He¡¯s busy right now. I¡¯ll tell him later.
¡°Well, this is turning out a lot easier than I thought it would be,¡± the sergeant says with a smile on his face as we all march into the mountain pass without a single enemy soldier in sight. ¡°At this rate we¡¯ll be in the clear, ready to head home soon!¡± Corporal Tennison exclaims, sounding excited. And his excitement makes me feel excited too. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It even takes my mind off of the biting chill of winter as we march through the snow. We fall silent on the march with the corporals occasionally trying to lighten the mood, likely for my benefit. I don¡¯t tell them that I know what they¡¯re doing though. Because that would make them sad. Oh, right. I never told the sergeant about my ability. Right when I¡¯m about to do it though, I¡¯m stopped once again by an interruption. This time from the sergeant himself as he says, ¡°Night¡¯s falling, so we should find a place to camp out soon.¡± I close my mouth again, which he seems to notice when he asks, ¡°Was there something you wanted to say, little Ari?¡± Despite wanting to say it, I for some reason shake my head, unable to bring myself to say anything now that I was interrupted again. ¡°Hmm, if you¡¯re sure,¡± he says with a nod before we begin searching for a place to camp out. I hold myself back from pouting. Because everything will be fine. There¡¯s nothing that I need to protect them from. I¡¯m sure.
Aria The Present I wake up reaching upwards with tears falling down my face while muttering, ¡°No¡­¡± But I quickly realize it was a dream. Another dream. Fuck. These are starting to happen every time I fall asleep. I grit my teeth as I sit up while wiping my eyes. At this point¡­ I should just avoid going to sleep. It¡¯s not like I really need it after all. My body is always in perfect condition, so I don¡¯t actually need to sleep. The only reason I do is for a little escapism. To leave my depressing reality behind for a little bit. Part of it is just that I don¡¯t want to be left awake the entire time everyone else is asleep though. Because that¡¯d be boring. That¡¯s probably the main reason. I put my face in my hands for a few seconds before pushing my feet over the side of the bed and getting up. To hell with sleep. I don¡¯t need it. Especially because I know what the next dream will be. Or rather, nightmare. I know exactly what it¡¯ll be. My fist clenches involuntarily at my side at the thought of it. Despite also not needing to shower, since I don¡¯t exactly sweat or need anything to wake me up, I go ahead and take one anyways. Just because they¡¯re comforting. Then I get dressed, put on my armor and weapons, and leave the room, briefly pausing to give Captain Rogers a nod at the sight of him sitting on the sofa in the common area ¨C again, something that shouldn¡¯t be in a barracks ¨C while watching the television. Something I never really had before since they¡¯re rather expensive. I turn from him to find the major cooking for some reason at the small kitchen in the common room ¨C something that, I repeat, should not be in a barracks ¨C while First Lieutenant Snow and Second Lieutenant Rogers are playing a game of chess. After a brief pause, I begin walking over to the entrance of the barracks. Only to pause when I hear the television. ¡°As of today, the fifteenth day of the twelfth month of year 401 since the signing of the treaty, the Albarian Council and the Arterian Emperor have both declared a temporary ceasefire to handle the invading forces,¡± an officer declares on the black and white television. ¡°From now on, we will be focusing our military efforts on pushing the invaders out of our world, proving to these otherworlders the power of our great Empire! The power of Vortel!¡± I purse my lips, meanwhile Second Lieutenant Snow just scoffs and says from his place, not looking up from his chess game, ¡°Yeah right. Neither that bastard emperor of the Arterians nor our Generals are going to stop thinking about the war, even when we¡¯re fighting these invaders.¡± The others nod their heads in agreement, and I honestly can¡¯t deny what he said either. In fact, he¡¯s probably correct. Unfortunately, we have too much history between the nations to go to peace. And it doesn¡¯t help that we both want what the other has. Our two nations have been at war since before the treaty on strategic magic and weapons, and since we¡¯re stuck on either sides of the Great Divide, with one side having an abundance of minerals and other luxury goods with better technology and the other having an abundance of food and water, it¡¯s hard for the nations to go to peace. The emperors and generals simply believe it to not be possible. Especially after all of the warring we¡¯ve done. Even a truce doesn¡¯t seem possible. Not with the bad blood between the nations. But invaders would absolutely take advantage of our conflict if we were to continue openly being aggressive towards the empire. So this is most likely a way to make it seem like we¡¯re unified against the invaders. And in all honesty, at least in the open, Arteria and Albaria at least won¡¯t be doing any large operations against each other. That would break the illusion after all. Well, I¡¯m pretty sure our team was set up for the invaders anyways, so this won¡¯t affect me that much right now. Other than not having to worry about the Arterians attacking. Which I guess is a pretty big effect. Anyways, I leave the ¡®barracks¡¯ and begin heading towards the cafeteria to go grab my usual breakfast. B1 | Chapter 23 Aria The next couple days pass by peacefully with the soldiers and officers of the fortress constantly coming and going on missions of their own. All while my team relaxes. But on the third day, as I¡¯m sitting on top of the wall looking out over the snow-covered wasteland that is the Southern Pass, my radio buzzes, making me unhook it and bring it to my face while turning it on. ¡°First Lieutenant Crimson here,¡± I speak clearly into it. Seconds later, the major¡¯s voice echoes into the night around me, ¡°First Lieutenant, we have been given our mission. Arrive at the meeting room within one hour.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± I tell him before turning the radio off, hooking it back onto my belt, and jumping down from the wall back into the fortress proper, ignoring that my legs fracture in the process. Then I proceed to walk through the base, ignoring the startled people around me who had just seen me doing that. I walk through the fortress until I eventually arrive at the large meeting room that¡¯s meant just for our team, where I find the major standing at the front looking at a map with a frown on his face. But he quickly looks up after I enter the room, showing surprise on his face. Then resignation. ¡°So it¡¯s true then?¡± he asks, making me frown in return. ¡°You¡¯re not sleeping?¡± Hmm. Probably heard that from Captain Harvey. She was rather worried about me yesterday, but I just told her it was fine and that I didn¡¯t need to sleep before walking away. ¡°I don¡¯t need to sleep,¡± I tell him while saluting. ¡°Sir!¡± He stares at me before looking me over, seemingly searching for any signs of exhaustion. And when he doesn¡¯t find any, he just sighs and turns back to the map as he says, ¡°Very well.¡± Something I very much like about the First Army so far over the Ninth Army is that they¡¯re less strict. Less into enforcing things that don¡¯t really matter. That¡¯s probably because the First General is very single minded in her goals. As long as you can get your work done, she doesn¡¯t care about what you do. Unlike the Ninth General who is a little power happy. And their armies all represent them in some rather large ways. ¡°Feel free to sit down while we wait for the others,¡± he says without looking up from the map. ¡°I gave you all an hour to let you wake up.¡± He pauses for a second before muttering, ¡°Or to let them wake up¡­¡± I act like I didn¡¯t hear that last part as I take my seat. Then we both wait in silence with the others slowly trickling in. A minute after everyone has arrived, the major raises his head from the map and says, ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± And we all stiffen up right away, sitting straight in our seats. ¡°We have been assigned to assault the fortress stationed at the edge of the Al Mountain Pass tomorrow from the back or sides while the First General leads a direct assault at the front. Our mission is to sabotage their supplies, have First Lieutenant Vargas mind-read a high ranking leader of the enemies, and kill as many officers as we can while we¡¯re at it.¡± I hide a grimace at the mission that is very similar to my previous mission. But more importantly, is not exactly the safest mission we could¡¯ve had. Here¡¯s hoping I don¡¯t lose yet another team. ¡°We are to call into our allies the moment we begin our attack as it has been proven thus far that the invaders do not have the technology to intercept radio waves,¡± the major continues. Then he crosses his arms and asks, ¡°Any questions?¡± Right away, Captain Vargas raises his hand and asks, ¡°Will it just be the six of us? Or will we have reinforcements?¡± If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Just the six of us,¡± the major answers, seemingly making a resigned look cross the captain¡¯s face. Oh, right. I almost forgot about his ability¡¯s¡­ use to the military. He¡¯s the only mental ability user who can delve into other people¡¯s minds. So I¡¯m sure he hasn¡¯t had a good time. The next one to ask a question is First Lieutenant Snow, ¡°Do we know the number of invaders within the fortress, and are we restricted to attacking at a certain time or place?¡± A slight smile forms on the major¡¯s face when he answers, ¡°Yes, as a matter of fact, we do know their numbers. The invaders number about fifteen thousand in this fortress, and we do not have to attack at any particular time or place, so long as we attack from a different direction as the First General.¡± Which means we can theoretically attack from the cliffs, assuming the others can climb the cliffs. A few other questions are asked and answered before the major stands up straight and says, ¡°We move out in an hour. Be prepared and make sure you bring climbing equipment.¡± Definitely climbing the cliff.
¡°Lieutenant Crimson, do you¡­ by any chance have experience mountain climbing?¡± First Lieutenant Snow asks between hampered breaths as we climb up the side of the mountains. And when I glance back down at him, finding the man struggling several meters beneath me, I find myself thinking back on my ¡®experience¡¯ climbing. ¡°In a way,¡± I tell him while turning my attention forwards to where I¡¯m putting my hand. It¡¯s not just him who¡¯s struggling though. Pretty much all of the others are struggling as well, even with the physical boost that Captain Rogers is giving us. Meanwhile I find this rather easy thanks to my own soul energy combined with the captain¡¯s support ability and my previous experience climbing. Very easy. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, would you tell me how you learned?¡± the lieutenant continues between breaths. ¡°There aren¡¯t any mountains to climb in Albaria¡­¡± I glance back at him again before continuing to climb while calling back down to him, ¡°Let¡¯s just say the rocks at the bottom of the Northern Pass cliffs are a good teacher.¡± ¡°Teacher? Huh?¡± the lieutenant mutters, not sure what I mean. Then he seems to decide that he doesn¡¯t care as he asks, ¡°Would you help me learn in the same way?¡± ¡°Second lieutenant, I wouldn¡¯t recommend¡­ doing things her way,¡± the major says, interrupting us from his place a few meters below me. ¡°Why? You think I can¡¯t handle it?¡± the lieutenant asks, but I just continue climbing without paying them any mind. Although I do almost snort in amusement when the major says, ¡°Yes. You¡¯d probably die.¡± Rather blunt, but true. The lieutenant tries to argue that point, but I tune them out at this point as we keep climbing. Such a peaceful climb compared to the climb I did a couple weeks ago. I feel a smile hinting at my lips with that thought.
¡°It sure took you long enough,¡± Captain Harvey says with her hands on her hips the moment I reach the top of the cliff ¨C far higher than I climbed on the Northern Pass. ¡°I almost took a lunch break while you were-!¡± ¡°Oh shut up!¡± I hear First Lieutenant Snow shout from a few meters beneath the top, bringing my and the captain¡¯s gazes downwards right as the major crests the last of the cliff and joins us. ¡°And why couldn¡¯t you just use your barriers to bring us up here too?!¡± Captain Harvey shrugs her shoulders and says, ¡°I already told you. I can¡¯t use my ability to that level yet!¡± The two begin arguing a bit until the major clears his throat and says, ¡°I know I said you could relax a bit since we aren¡¯t near them, but this is a bit much.¡± Both of the officers shut up, meanwhile Captain Rogers and Second Lieutenant Vargas both make it over the cliff¡¯s edge, joining us. ¡°Let¡¯s take a short rest before marching around towards the fortress. But be wary of any traps or guards posted to watch the cliffs,¡± the major says, after which we all take a short ten minute break with Captain Harvey keeping watch. Then we begin moving across the clifftop towards the point overseeing the enemy fortress. It doesn¡¯t take long for the fortress to come into sight, proving to be of higher quality than the fortress on the Northern Pass. Probably because they¡¯ve had more time since, so it¡¯s built better. The walls span about five meters in height and are made of a mixture of metal and stone instead of the wood that the other fortress was made of. There are about the same number of soldiers in the base though, and they¡¯re all still wearing that same style of armor that has me questioning their sanity. And modesty. ¡°Sir,¡± Captain Harvey suddenly says, breaking the silence and bringing all of our attention to her. ¡°There¡¯s an alarm enchantment on the cliff a dozen meters ahead of us.¡± An alarm enchantment? Those are expensive. Basically an enchantment made by an enchanter ¨C a rather rare ability ¨C that will set off a blaring alarm whenever a living being that isn¡¯t carrying a specific item attached to the enchantment crosses it. So we can¡¯t sneak up on them. ¡°An alarm¡­¡± the major mutters before a grin stretches across his face. ¡°Well, we weren¡¯t planning to be silent about this anyways, so...¡± He pulls his radio out and turns it on before raising it to his face and saying, ¡°Major Striker here. We¡¯re attacking from the West in five.¡± A second passes following which a response comes, ¡°Roger that.¡± The radio goes silent as he hooks it to his belt again and turns around to us while putting his hands on his waist. ¡°Now then. Let¡¯s see how we work together for our first real mission, shall we?¡± B1 | Chapter 24 The Fortress Wall at the Al Mountain Pass Aquifer Petros looks out over the men on the wall he¡¯s been assigned to, feeling both proud and regretful about being here in the new world. Proud that he managed to make it. To receive an excellent opportunity for personal growth and the chance at promotion and receiving a family name for himself. And regretful as he feels the biting cold of the climate here, finding his current attire to be inhospitable for this climate even with the enchantments on it to increase the cold resistance of the wearer. But the largest thing he regrets is choosing to join in this world¡¯s invasion, since he wasn¡¯t expecting the world they were invading to already be prepared for war, or for the natives to have such high levels of technology. And he¡¯s not the only one as the Invasion General has apparently been struggling a little to deal with the situation as well. At least he¡¯s heard from rumors that the Invasion General has a plan in mind. One specifically targeting the Crimson Eternal that he had heard about from the northern side of the mountain. The aquifer lets out a sigh. This isn¡¯t what I envisioned it would be like going to another world¡­ What he had envisioned was excitement, a rapid growth in his power and authority, and honor and respect! What he didn¡¯t envision was freezing his butt off while watching a boring wall. As if War himself was listening to his thoughts, the alarm suddenly begins blaring, after which swords of ice begin raining down on the walls, piercing through more of the soldiers around him than he can count in his panic-addled mind. But he still manages to rush through them, using his own ability of superspeed to get away from the falling swords. Then he sticks his head out from his cover to look up, only to end up squinting his eyes at what he believes to be someone falling down from the top of the cliff. His eyes have to be playing tricks on him though. Because no one would be stupid enough to jump off of the cliff- His thoughts are interrupted when another sword strikes right next to him, making him quickly rush back into cover. And as if the current situation wasn¡¯t already bad, shouts rise from further down the wall, but the shouts don¡¯t appear to be getting any closer. Are reinforcements not coming?! Why not?! The Aquifer peeks his head out again, but this time looks over the wall, just to find an army having suddenly appeared several kilometers away, having apparently hidden with magic. Fuck. He quickly gets up to rally the soldiers on his wall, only for a shadow to quickly approach from above before a flash of pain strikes him, sending him dropping down to the ground with the sounds of snapping bones as he screams out in pain. And right before his vision goes dark, his last thought rattles around his head. Someone did jump down from the cliff¡­
Aria Ow. That hurt. I look down at the dead soldier who unwisely decided to break my fall. [User has killed one being of Level 7. Requirements to reach level 3 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 156/250 beings have been granted Death.] Poor guy. Probably should¡¯ve stood somewhere else. I get off the guy after my broken bones regenerate and look around, just to find enemy soldiers being a little preoccupied right now with the first lieutenant¡¯s ice blades to focus on me. Which gives me plenty of time to begin shooting them all down, making the number tick up quickly on my leveling requirements. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Soon enough the enemy soldiers turn their attention to me, making me tap a few times on my radio, signaling the others that they¡¯re free to come down. And I quickly hear something that sounds kind of like someone¡¯s punching the wall over and over again, along with some warping sounds. I try to not look up out of curiosity. Since while they explained how they were going to come down, I can¡¯t exactly say that I¡¯m confident in their methods. First Lieutenant Snow and Vargas especially, since the first lieutenant is supposedly flying them down on swords, the swords apparently weighing too much to fly up the cliff on but not to fly down on. The major¡¯s staying up there though, considering his ability and his use of a bow and arrow. I do find myself feeling rather impressed by the first lieutenant¡¯s ability to continue sending blades of ice down while floating down here though. Probably takes a lot of concentration to do that. Anyways, I continue ignoring the spells hitting my body as I shoot back. And eventually the number of enemies on this part of the wall significantly decreases. I glance over the wall where I find the majority of the enemy soldiers rushing over to deal with the army that was hidden several dozen meters away by the First General¡¯s Category 5 ability. Meanwhile the others are all rushing onto the walls near where the army is approaching, with very few soldiers arriving here. Oh? That¡¯s a pleasant turnout. Looks like most of them believe that the ones that tripped the alarm is the army. I quickly finish off the remaining soldiers on this part of the wall before looking up to find the lieutenants flying down on the first lieutenant¡¯s swords, with Vargas not exactly having a very pleasant time. Meanwhile Captain Harvey just hops down on her barriers just like how she got up there in the first place. Captain Rogers surprises me though as he is quite literally just jumping down from one point on the cliff to another, digging his hands into the cliff with his enhancement going the entire way until he lands on the wall near me. I give him a brief nod before watching the lieutenants land on the wall as well, with Vargas dropping to his knees with a look on his face that makes me think he¡¯s never going to do this again. And lastly, Captain Harvey lands on the wall with all of the other officers looking at the dozens of dead enemy soldiers around me. Then they look at me with shock in their eyes. ¡°This section of wall is cleared,¡± I state into the radio without paying their gazes any mind. The major doesn¡¯t seem surprised though as he quickly responds, ¡°Roger that. Enter the fortress and wreak havoc. But make sure to keep one officer of tribune rank or above alive until Vargas gets to them. I¡¯ll keep watch over you from above.¡± ¡°Roger that,¡± I state into the radio, meanwhile the others finally snap out of their stupor, reentering mission mode as we all begin stepping off of the wall and entering the fortress beyond it.
It takes us a little bit, and a lot of enemies slaughtered, but we finally find a tribune. Fortunately it¡¯s not very hard to miss him thanks to his outfit being more extravagant than any I¡¯ve seen thus far. Except that one officer at the intersection base up north who I believe was a legate. The man has a ten above his head though, which does give me some worry at first. Until I shoot him in the leg as he¡¯s running by a lovely hiding spot between buildings, sending him face planting and reminding me that levels or not, they¡¯re still human. And guns are perfectly dangerous towards humans. Except me. But they do hurt. Wonder if I¡¯m even considered human? My body is different¡­ Actually, now¡¯s not the time. I quickly shoot the other soldiers that all rush for their little spellguns, taking the attacks on my own as Captain Harvey focuses on defending the others from a few stray shots and First Lieutenant Snow sends blades of ice down on the soldiers. And it doesn¡¯t take long to finish them off, the last one giving me a pleasant surprise in the process. [User has met the requirements to reach level 3. User¡¯s level has been updated to level 3. New requirements to reach level 4 are as follows: 0/500 beings have been granted Death.] Hmm. No skill this time. Pity, but not my priority at the moment. Although the soul energy of all of the people dying around here is very filling. I also can¡¯t help but look at the tribune in front of me. Or rather, at his soul energy. Something I seem to be able to see a little now even without them dying. Makes me wonder if it¡¯s because I already have so much soul energy inside of me. Too bad I don¡¯t know what to do with it other than enhancing my body. And I¡¯m still not used to that. ¡°Tag and bag him,¡± First Lieutenant Snow says while motioning towards the rather angry looking and very much shouting tribune. And Vargas just rolls his eyes before approaching the man and putting his hand on his head. Guess I¡¯ll be seeing a mental ability for the first time. This¡¯ll be interesting. Probably. However, right as he¡¯s about to start, the major¡¯s voice sounds from the radio at our waists, ¡°Shit! Where¡¯d he- Aria, incoming!¡± I turn to the right, only for a sword to pass straight through my face, cutting my head in half and making me black out. B1 | Chapter 25 The Enemy Fortress ¡°No! Aria!¡± ¡°Shit!¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± The other three intruders shout at once while preparing to attack Legate Aresius Lesius as the legate swipes his blade down, swinging the blood off of it with a frown on his face directed at the corpse he just made. So much for her regeneration. Looks like the Crimson Eternal wasn¡¯t Class S after all. He shakes his head before turning away from the nearly bisected corpse and focusing on the girl¡¯s angry teammates. ¡°I have been trying to decide if your little team of playthings was here as a distraction or as the main assault since I heard a team of five-¡± he pauses to glance at the cliffs when an arrow flies by towards him. An arrow he quickly bisects with his sword coated in a silver energy, sending the two halves flying past him. ¡°-six was tearing their way through the base.¡± He turns his gaze back to where one of the intruders has their hand on the tribune¡¯s head, making him frown slightly while tilting his head. ¡°Mental power? Could be useful¡­¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± The other intruder with white hair shouts as quite a few blades of ice appear all around them and begin flying down towards the legate. The legate just shakes his head, feeling that the intruder is too emotionally invested to be a competent officer as he counters each and every blade with his own sword. But he does feel some surprise each time his blade strikes the ice blades. Because every single hit makes the next hit seem stronger. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± he mutters before turning his gaze to the white haired intruder. ¡°An ability that grows stronger with each unsuccessful hit on the target? Or is it every consecutive attack in general?¡± His guess is proven correct when the white haired man¡¯s eyes widen in shock. So the legate just swings his sword all around him, sending a pulse of silver energy that shoots out, knocking away every ice blade remaining before he thrusts it towards the white haired intruder, sending a narrow pulse straight at him. One that shouldn¡¯t kill, only cripple the man. The legate¡¯s main objective is to determine the class of the enemy Ability Holders and if he determines them to be Class S, capture them alive. And he feels that this white haired intruder may be Class S, unlike the so-called Crimson Eternal who couldn¡¯t even regenerate from being cut in half. He pauses in surprise when a strange purple barrier appears right in between his attack and the enemy soldier, blocking the attack entirely and bringing his gaze to a woman with a purple light shining from her eyes. Powerful barrier¡­ His gaze moves across each Ability Holder, including the one that is still firing arrows at him from the cliff. An impressive team. Maybe I should capture them all- Pain suddenly flares from Aresius¡¯s knees after two metal gunshots echo from behind him as he unceremoniously lets out a shout of pain and drops down to the ground, barely holding himself back from disgracing himself with a scream. Then he, along with all of the other intruders, turn back in shock to find the woman he had cut in two sitting on the ground with one foot placed directly on the ground, her knee held to her chest as her other lies half crossed on the snow. Meanwhile she is pointing one of the native¡¯s guns at him with a scowl on her face. One that holds extreme hatred within it. ¡°Fuck, that was unpleasant¡­¡± she mutters, making the legate¡¯s mind blank slightly. ¡°You¡¯re going to pay for making me relive that again, you invader bastard.¡± What?
Aria Nine Years Ago I¡¯m woken up by the sound of a shout, followed by a muttered swear from a voice I don¡¯t recognize. Then the shout cuts off as I quickly rise to my feet in my tent, grabbing my gun in the process. Only to hear more shouts, followed by gunfire, screams, and the screams cutting off. My heart beats a million miles per hour as I quickly move out of the tent, just to find my worst nightmare going on outside. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The sergeant, along with Corporals Tennisson, Ruthers, and Jameson, all dead on the ground. Jenny with a gun held to her head as the others all scramble out of their own tents with the exception of Privates North and Night, whose tents are eerily silent while someone who I don¡¯t recognize walks through the openings. ¡°We¡¯re here for the Category 5,¡± someone says, bringing my panicked attention to the man with his gun to Jenny¡¯s head. He seems to be in his mid-forties with gray hair, gray eyes, and is wearing the armor of the Arterian Empire¡¯s officers. With the gray and orange colors displayed proudly on the military uniform and armor mix. ¡°Tell me where they are and we might consider letting you go.¡± My eyes widen in both fear and shock at his words. Because they imply that the Arterians knew exactly where I¡¯d be. This was a trap. Set for me. And the others are paying for it in blood. The last string in my mind snaps when Jenny spits on his shoe and says, ¡°We¡¯d never sell out our own, unlike you Arterian basta-¡± only to be shot in the head before she can finish. I let out a scream that quickly turns hoarse as I raise my pistol and fire at the Arterian officer, getting him in the shoulder as he grunts and drops to his knees, his eyes immediately locking onto me. Then he spits out, ¡°A fucking child?!¡± But his anger and training quickly catches up to him as he shouts, ¡°Get rid of the damned kid!¡± Two of the enemy soldiers begin rushing towards me while the rest of them ¨C I don¡¯t know how many as I can¡¯t focus on them in my rage ¨C keep their guns trained on the others of my team. I continue screaming while firing at the approaching soldiers, but my aim and current mindset makes me miss most of the shots, only finally shooting one of them in the head as they¡¯re raising their own weapons to fire at me. And right before the other one, who looks incredibly angry right now, fires, I hear the leader of the Arterians shout, ¡°There is no fucking Category 5 here. Just kill them all.¡± Then a wave of gunshots echo through the area, followed by a warm feeling from my chest as my arms go limp. I feel myself dropping to the ground while looking down at my chest to find blood coming out. But I manage to push myself to my feet despite that, feeling the wound slowly beginning to close itself as I cough out blood. ¡°An Ability Holder? Now I can see why they brought a child with them,¡± the leader¡¯s voice echoes in my head, but my gaze is fuzzy so it¡¯s hard to lock onto him. Then I hear a slicing sound before my gaze somehow goes flying. I grow more and more confused, but also terrified when my gaze continues spinning to see the others dead. Only to find that I can¡¯t scream for some reason. Then I see my own body falling to the ground. Without my head attached. And everything goes dark.
The moment I begin to hear things again, my eyes shoot open, and I find myself staring at some sort of lid. I panic while shouting and slamming on the lid, almost immediately shoving it off of what I quickly find to be a coffin as I shoot up to a sitting position, silencing the voices I was hearing. ¡°Where are-¡± my words cut off when the realization that I¡¯m in a coffin near a cemetery sets in. And my coffin isn¡¯t the only one. Ignoring my state of dress being some sort of gown, ignoring the silence of the shocked people attending what I can only guess is a funeral, I run over to the other coffins and push the top off of the closest one. What I find inside has me breaking down into tears as everything around me fades into the background. The sergeant, his eyes closed, never to awaken again. I begin crying and sobbing nonstop, not paying any attention to what¡¯s going on around me as everyone rushes around, their silence stopping with my crying. But I don¡¯t care. Everyone¡¯s dead. Again. I continue crying for a very long while until I feel completely cried out and end up staring blankly ahead, finding myself to have been moved at some point to some sort of office. But I don¡¯t react to any of the questions asked of me, even though I can understand them as they ask about what happened. Nothing matters. They¡¯re dead.
Aria The Present My eyes shoot open as I feel tears crawling down my cheeks. But instead of sadness, I feel nothing but absolute rage towards whoever the fucking bastard was who killed me and put me through that nightmare. I sit up to find a man wearing fancy invader armor using his sword to block the increasingly powerful ice blades belonging to Snow while also knocking away the arrows from the major. And without even so much as thinking about it, I sit straight, using my right leg to support me since I¡¯m still a little dizzy from being cut in fucking half before I grab my gun sitting next to me and shoot the bastard in both of his kneecaps one after another. He drops to the ground with a shout of pain before everyone turns to stare at me in shock including the invader. ¡°Fuck, that was unpleasant,¡± I mutter under everyone¡¯s stares. ¡°You¡¯re going to pay for making me relive that again, you invader bastard.¡± The silence stretches on with the only sounds being that of the gunfire and shouts from the main battle outside of the fortress, with the vast majority of the enemy soldiers already having left this area. That or gotten killed by us. I turn my glare from the invader to Vargas as I order him, ¡°Do your thing, and don¡¯t worry about making any mistakes.¡± After a brief pause, he regains his calm and nods, walking over to the invader who is trying to raise his sword again. So I shoot his elbows next, not giving a single shit about his shouts of pain. That¡¯s for making me relive those memories again. B1 | Chapter 26 The Nearby Cliffs Outside of the Fortress Analyzer Cesius Vlarious feels a thrill rush through him as he looks at the five Class S Ability Holders down within the fortress, not caring at all about the capture of a legate. Something the man hiring him would probably be extremely irritated by. The analyzer doesn¡¯t care though. He became an analyzer in the first place because it¡¯s his calling. To find and analyze new powerful abilities. And while he is too far away to analyze their Classes, he can easily see their Class S abilities from here. Six Class S Ability Holders on this pitiful Gamma Tier planet! And there¡¯s even a new unique ability! True Immortality! Something believed to be impossible! How is this still Gamma Tier? Is it because these Class S users aren¡¯t from this planet? Or maybe the planet has an incredibly low population or low yield on resources? The emperor probably won¡¯t be happy if that¡¯s the case, but how could anyone find the idea of six Class S Ability Holders undesirable?! Maybe I can even get permission to personally analyze them when these Class S Ability Holders abandon this waste of space they call a planet! The analyzer almost loses himself in his thoughts before he manages to snap himself out of it the moment the Class S on the cliff opposite the one he¡¯s on turns his attention to him. Oops. Time to make my lovely little exit. And as soon as that thought runs through his mind, an arrow comes flying his way. But he vanishes right when it¡¯s about to hit him, leaving just a faint cackling echoing through the cliffs.
The Other Cliff Leonardo swears when he sees the strange man vanishing without a trace mere moments before his arrow strikes the cliff, sending rubble falling down to land on and crush some of the soldiers within the fortress. Damn. Got away. A frown stretches his face before he shakes his head. The major had noticed the strange man simply watching them from the cliff without doing anything. And while he first thought that the man was most likely reinforcements for the soldiers, he quickly realized that he wasn¡¯t wearing the same clothing. Instead of armor, the man was wearing what looked like a toga. He also looked more like a scholar than a soldier, which confused him further. Soldier or not, he¡¯s most likely reporting back to their leaders. So we need to hurry this up. He looks down towards his team, feeling conflicted at the sight of Aria standing there. Because, even with his knowledge of her ability, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his heart nearly jump straight out of his chest when she was cut vertically in half. His gaze turns towards the others, each of whom are guarding Vargas and killing any soldiers that stumble onto the team. Meanwhile Vargas himself is kneeling at the center with his hand on the legate¡¯s head, his fingers spread out and slightly sticking into the man¡¯s scalp, and his closed eyes glowing with a white light. ¡°Second Lieutenant Vargas, finish things up quickly,¡± he states into the radio he pulls up to his mouth. ¡°We had a spectator who teleported away the moment we saw them. Reinforcements may be en route.¡± Silence answers him, which is to be expected since Vargas can¡¯t speak while searching the minds of others. Seconds tick by before the second lieutenant¡¯s eyes stop glowing and he opens them, making the legate suck in a deep breath. Then Vargas says something, their radio not on to let the major hear it, and another blade of ice runs straight through the legate¡¯s neck, cutting his head off and killing him. The team quickly begins to move, heading back to the cliff wall without much issue now that they¡¯ve killed the man who was most likely the leader of the fortress. And after only a couple short skirmishes along the way, they reach and climb the cliff wall before reaching the major himself. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Did you get everything the legate knows?¡± Leonardo asks, a serious expression on his face as he watches Vargas, who looks slightly dizzy. And when the second lieutenant nods his head, muttering, ¡°Too much¡­¡± Leonardo nods back and says, ¡°Our mission objective is now complete. Let¡¯s return to Omega Fortress.¡± ¡°Sir!¡± all of the officers exclaim, staying a little quieter than they normally would since they¡¯re still near the fortress, even if they¡¯re high above it. Then the team begins moving across the cliff¡¯s edge back to where they came.
Aria I swear, if the others keep glancing at me, I will lose it. Probably. Maybe. Okay, probably not. Still wish they¡¯d stop glancing at me and my fortunately repaired armor. Gotta love enchantments. Even when cut in half it still self-repairs. These mid-officer uniforms are so much better than the low-officer uniforms. Armor. Whatever. My mind feels a little scrambled after having my brain damaged. A rather annoying side effect of my brain repairing itself. Then again, rather have that than die or lose memories. And it doesn¡¯t last long, so¡­ My eye twitches when I see First Lieutenant Snow sneak a glance at me again before looking away. They¡¯re like a bunch of kids who want to ask a question but keep chickening out, so they just end up looking and then looking away repeatedly. Aaaand Captain Harvey does it again. That¡¯s it. I¡¯m done. I stop walking and ask, ¡°Will you please stop that?!¡± They all stop walking before averting their gazes rather awkwardly. When none of them say anything I just throw my hands up into the air with a groan before continuing forwards, deciding to give up on getting them to stop. To just ignore them. I was doing a good enough job of that before after all, no reason to stop now.
The others don¡¯t start talking again until we make it back to the base. And even then it¡¯s only quiet chatter that quickly dies out when we reach the office we¡¯re meant to report in. Because the person we find waiting there is none other than the First General herself. We all salute and exclaim, ¡°First General, ma¡¯am! Predator Division reporting in!¡± She looks at each one of us from her place standing in front of the desk belonging to the lieutenant general in charge of this fortress. The woman is wearing the regular general uniform consisting of a black and gold jacket over kevlar with black and gold slightly armored and heavily enchanted pants, with a pinkish-purple star on her shoulder, and a 1 inside of the star. The star and number representing her position on the Council of Generals. Unsurprisingly, her gaze pauses on me for a moment as she looks me up and down with her violet eyes. Then she focuses on the major, followed by Second Lieutenant Vargas and states, ¡°Report.¡± The lieutenant quickly salutes, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± And before I can feel surprised about her directly addressing him instead of the commanding officer, he starts, ¡°After First Lieutenant Crimson captured a legate, I dug into his mind and directly took all of the necessary details about their world, political situation, the other worlds they¡¯re connected to, their purpose for the invasion, and their military situation that the legate had in his mind.¡± The general looks slightly surprised as she glances at me before nodding my way with a short, ¡°Good work, lieutenant,¡± and turning towards the second lieutenant again. ¡°Start with the basics of their world, the other worlds, and the System. Then you can move on to the political and military situations with the scribes after this meeting.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± he exclaims, still saluting. ¡°The world these invaders come from is known as Roan, and they have the level of technology that we supposedly had a little over one thousand years ago. The entire world is ruled by a single empire, with a single emperor ruling over everything. However, they also have Gates to three other worlds on their own, and one of these connected worlds is known as a much larger and more powerful world. One with technology far more advanced than our own.¡± ¡°And who rules the universe beyond those planets?¡± the First General says while crossing her arms. ¡°There must be universal powers if these worlds are all connected through these ¡®Gates.¡¯¡± ¡°There are nine powers at the top of the universe,¡± Vargas states, answering her question and surprising us all. ¡°There are the five Rulers and their organizations behind each one, the Crimson Empire who is led by an unknown figure with no discovered base of operations, and there are the three Horsemen.¡± I try very hard to not show any reaction to the word ¡®Horsemen¡¯ so as to not give anything away. That aside though, I do find them interesting. Just who are they? ¡°To elaborate further, the five Rulers consist of five of the most powerful people in the universe and their organizations, most of which are nations. There¡¯s Isabella de la Vega, the ruler of the Arcadian Society, which is a society of mages with a powerful school of magic that rules over the world of Arc. Leopold da Silva, the Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire ruling over the world of Silverfall. Raja Singh Amunet, the Pharaoh of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead on a world called Rex.¡± He pauses here with a frown. ¡°I believe a pharaoh is considered the same as an emperor or king in their world.¡± ¡°Continue,¡± the First General says. ¡°The Rex Dynasty of the Dead worships death and views death as the absolute power. Something that should be praised. That should only be given out to the worthy, with those who aren¡¯t worthy being raised as undead and not allowed the ¡®grace of death.¡¯¡± He shudders slightly, making me wonder just how odd they are. I blink as a thought comes to mind. Wonder how they¡¯d treat me, considering that I¡¯m technically called Death by the System? B1 | Chapter 27 Aria ¡°After the pharaoh is Hassan al-Malik, the leader of an organization known as the Council of Darkness. A group of assassins that control the underworld across the universe.¡± Second Lieutenant Vargas continues after regathering himself. ¡°And last but not least, Shirou Amatsuraki, the emperor of a neutral and mercantile nation known as the Eternal Dynasty. The nation and its leader are pretty big on searching for immortality and ways to stay alive for eternity, but they¡¯re also major fans of commerce and trade, willing to trade with pretty much anyone under the pretext of their neutrality.¡± ¡°And the Horsemen?¡± the First General asks with a dark look on her face. I guess I don¡¯t blame her. The way the System announced my initiation didn¡¯t exactly make me out to sound like a good person. Which was rude. ¡°To start off, The White Horseman of the Apocalypse, Pestilence. Otherwise known by his name, Victor von L¨¹neburg. He is known as a recluse who lives mostly alone on a world called Vest, but also as a mad man who often tests out new plagues and diseases he creates on entire worlds, wiping the worlds out and turning them into blacklisted planets no one is allowed to enter in the process,¡± Vargas says, almost making me shiver at how my fellow Horseman is known. ¡°Then there¡¯s the Red Horseman of the Apocalypse, War. Otherwise known by the name, Lucius Octavio. He is the absolute ruler of a military nation called the Crimson Flag and is always on the battlefield.¡± We stare at him for a few seconds, waiting for more about War. But he doesn¡¯t say any more. ¡°Is that all about him?¡± the First General asks, sharing our confusion. Vargas nods his head and says, ¡°The legate wasn¡¯t entirely sure, but it is believed that War has a power that, so long as he¡¯s at war, he will never tire. So he is always at war. Always on the battlefield. And always fighting, growing stronger at the same time.¡± Hmm. That doesn¡¯t sound good for his mental health. ¡°Then there¡¯s the worst of the three,¡± he says, surprising us as a grimace appears on his face. ¡°The Black Horseman of the Apocalypse, Famine. Otherwise known as Ignatius Darkheart, or the Dread Emperor. He rules over the Dread Empire with an iron fist and grows stronger from the famine around him. So he starves his own citizens just to the point that they don¡¯t die so that he can constantly feed off of their hunger, growing stronger in the process.¡± Oh. Shit. Yeah, that is bad. ¡°And what about this Crimson Empire you spoke of earlier?¡± the First General asks, leading to the last answer from Vargas. ¡°Very little is known about them other than their power,¡± Vargas says with a shake of his head. ¡°They have the largest number of the most powerful beings in the universe, with no one knowing anything about where they are based. Not even the name of their leader.¡± Silence fills the office for a bit after that before the First General nods her head, looking across all of us as she says, ¡°You all did well. Take the next two days off.¡± She glances at Vargas. ¡°Second Lieutenant Vargas is to report in the morning to deliver more of the intel you recovered.¡± Her gaze turns back to the major. ¡°And Major Striker, I¡¯ll want a report on my desk ASAP. Then you can join the short vacation. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± we all exclaim before leaving the office. I let out an inaudible breath of relief after leaving the office. Then I immediately make a beeline for the cafeteria. Time to get something to drink.
The Main Headquarters of the Invasion Forces Analyzer Cesius Vlarious paces back and forth in the Invasion General¡¯s hut, uncaring of the General glaring at him or the hologram of the emperor at the front of the room. ¡°So you mean to tell me, Analyzer Vlarious, that not only is this ¡®Crimson Eternal¡¯ the Invasion General reported a Class S, but they are a unique Ability Holder?¡± the emperor asks with a dark look on his face. ¡°Yes, yes, yes,¡± the analyzer says, waving the emperor¡¯s words aside. ¡°And her team is also consistent of nothing but Class S Ability Holders. She¡¯s the only unique one though.¡± Hmmm¡­ I do wonder what the exact description of True Immortal is? And the possible limits on an ability like that¡­ are there even any limits? So much to research, so little time, and no subject currently here to research¡­ The analyzer stops pacing and turns to look at the magical holographic device given to the empire by the analyzer¡¯s home nation. Because a pitiful nation as small as the empire could never create something like this. He quickly finds a rather dark expression on the emperor¡¯s face. But he couldn¡¯t care less about the emperor. ¡°If this intel really is true, then we must rethink our plan of attack,¡± the emperor mutters while turning back to the Invasion General. ¡°Establish communications with the power those Class S¡¯s belong to. I don¡¯t care how you do it.¡± ¡°Yes, Royal Father!¡± the Invasion General declares, still kneeling with his head bowed for some reason. ¡°Hey, Little Caesar, how about we make a deal,¡± the analyzer says, referring to the emperor in a way that has the Invasion General beginning to draw his sword. But the analyzer just raises a brow at him, then the emperor. The emperor raises a hand towards his son across the hologram and says, ¡°Sheathe your blade, Invasion General.¡± Then he focuses on the analyzer and states, ¡°Analyzer Vlarious, we have an agreement in place for-¡± ¡°I know, I know,¡± Cesius says, waving away the emperor¡¯s words without a care in the world. ¡°My people sent me here to be an invasion analyzer in exchange for a thousand royal silver. But now I¡¯m thinking that we can cut out that payment if I manage to bring back these Class S Ability Holders to the Arcadian Society.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Both royals go silent at the mention of one of the Ruler Organizations. Cesius¡¯s eyes narrow, ¡°Especially the unique Ability Holder.¡± Then a smirk stretches across his face. ¡°You may want to reconcile with that unique Ability Holder. I¡¯ve heard long lived races can hold a grudge for a long time, so I¡¯m sure a true immortal would hold one for even longer.¡± The emperor flinches at the mention of the Class S Ability Holder¡¯s unique ability. ¡°I¡¯m also quite certain that little lady will end up being truly welcomed into the Arcadian Society if I bring her there,¡± Cesius says, flashing his pearly whites at the royals. Of course, I¡¯d be accepted into their number as well for bringing such a unique being. But I¡¯ll omit that part if anyone asks. No one says anything for several seconds, so the analyzer decides that now is as good a time as any to take his leave. But as he turns around and begins to walk out, he drops a little piece of magical spyware from his nation by putting a tiny bit of mana into his boot, making it drop from a hidden container underneath his boot before immediately camouflaging into the ground. Then he waves back at the royals and says, ¡°I¡¯d think about this carefully if I were you!¡± And the instant he leaves their hut, he uses his teleportation ability to arrive back in his own temporary hut, where he activates the spyware to listen in on the royals. Just in time too, if what he hears is accurate. ¡°We can¡¯t risk having a potential enemy with six Class S Ability Holders,¡± the emperor states, his rage clear in his words. ¡°Delay the war effort if you have to, but do everything you can to capture those six Ability Holders. Even if that means sending them to our world through an unstable portal.¡± The analyzer raises an amused eyebrow. An unstable portal, eh? One whose end location is undefined. He moves to his bed and sits down. Sending them to Roan where they hope to capture them isn¡¯t a bad plan per se, but he seems to be forgetting that they¡¯re all newly initialized. And newly initialized Class S Ability Holders tend to all grow into powerhouses. The man swings his legs off of his bed a few times before grinning. This¡¯ll be fun.
The Council of Generals within Albaria After the major¡¯s report ¡°We have now captured the fortress at the Al Mountain Pass with the assistance of the Predator Division,¡± the First General says while resting her chin on her fist, her elbow on the armrest of her seat. A wave of short applause fills the room from the other seated generals, meanwhile the emperor just glares at the First General without a word. She on the other hand ignores him and says, ¡°We have also obtained intel from a legate of the enemy forces.¡± Her eyes narrow. ¡°Everything he knows.¡± This time even the emperor shows surprise, only for the surprise to turn grim when he no doubt realizes just what it means for the Crimson Blade. And right when the First General is about to continue, a hologram appears in the center of the council, likely from the lieutenant general serving under the Fourth General. The one with the ability to project people¡¯s images far away. The hologram this time first shows the lieutenant general who quickly says, ¡°I apologize for the interruption, but we have gotten¡­ visitors¡­ who wish to speak with the council.¡± Elara narrows her eyes slightly, surprised that the man would bring this up in the middle of a council meeting. But then the First General¡¯s gaze turns towards the Fourth General, who she finds smiling as the woman says, ¡°Bring them.¡± And Elara isn¡¯t the only general confused by the current circumstances, even ignoring the emperor who appears spitting mad. But all of the confusion goes away when a man wearing the invader¡¯s armor steps up into the hologram with his arms folded behind his back. All of the generals go silent as the Fourth General takes the lead, saying, ¡°Speak. What is it you want?¡± ¡°We of the Grand Roan Empire wish to establish diplomatic relations with your Albarian Empire,¡± the officer who is no doubt a tribune judging by his armor declares. ¡°Please bring forth your emperor and we will begin talks.¡± The generals all share a glance while ignoring the emperor before looking back at the hologram again. ¡°I think we¡¯re all in agreement here,¡± Elara states, and after everyone nods their heads, she narrows her eyes on the hologram who is now turning their attention towards her. ¡°With the power invested in me as the First General and therefore First Seat Holder of the Council of Generals ruling over the Republic of Albaria, formerly known as the Albarian Empire,¡± the tribune¡¯s eyes widen with more than a little shock and worry in them, no doubt realizing that he screwed up, ¡°I hereby declare that diplomatic ties with the Grand Roan Empire will be impossible. You have tread on our soil, killed our soldiers, and are invading our world as we speak.¡± She stands up from her seat. An action repeated by all of the other generals, along with an irritated emperor. ¡°As of today, the Grand Roan Empire and the Republic of Albaria are at war. Take this message to your leader. You¡¯re dismissed.¡± Absolute rage fills the tribune¡¯s eyes at her words before he shouts, ¡°You barbarians think you can dismiss our Grand Empire¡¯s goodwill?! You¡¯re only from a lowly Gamma Tier planet! How dare-¡± The hologram cuts off as the lieutenant general no doubt stops it, hearing the declaration of the council. Along with the declaration of the nation of Albaria officially becoming a republic instead of an empire. Then the generals and the emperor all reclaim their seats amidst the silence. ¡°To think they¡¯d try to make diplomatic ties now,¡± the Fourth General mutters. ¡°Why now? Why not at the start? They ought to know that it¡¯s too late for peace.¡± ¡°Especially when we already have one of their fortresses under our control and have killed one of their legion commanders,¡± the Fifth General declares with a scowl on her face. ¡°The utter arrogance of that mere tribune was so thick I could practically smell it.¡± ¡°They view us as a low Tier planet, and a newly initiated one at that,¡± Elara states, her chin resting on her fist again with a frown on her face. ¡°And from the intel we¡¯ve collected, the world of Roan is a Beta Tier world. One Tier higher than ours, which is considered an average world.¡± ¡°Could this change in attitude be related to their discovery of the Predator Division?¡± the Eighth General asks while leaning forwards slightly in his seat. ¡°Most likely,¡± the Second General answers. ¡°My guess is that they didn¡¯t expect any powerful Ability Holders to be on our planet, their view of us tainted by the planet Tier they somehow assigned us.¡± ¡°Something to note about our Gamma Tier rating,¡± the First General states, bringing everyone¡¯s attention to her. ¡°Their rating system takes into account all facets of the world, including resources, quantity and quality of Ability Holders, and population.¡± Her eyes narrow slightly. ¡°So you know what that means.¡± Silence fills the chamber for several seconds before laughter fills the air from the Seventh General, who has barely spoken at all within the last few council meetings. And as soon as the other generals hear her, they let out a sigh. ¡°This is starting to get fuun!¡± she exclaims, a grin across her face. ¡°So they think we¡¯re weak when we really just have an incredibly small population, do they? The idea of us kicking their asses back to their world is sounding more and more delightful to me!¡± The First General rubs her temples, feeling like a headache is about to come on. Unlike the other generals, the Seventh General doesn¡¯t care about decorum in the slightest. She acts perfectly normal, without speaking a word most of the time. But when something actually piques her interest, she loses it. She pushes as hard as possible fighting for whatever goal she¡¯s set in mind. If she wasn¡¯t such a skilled combat expert and general, they¡¯d have voted her out of her position by now. Why can¡¯t she just stay quiet¡­ although I guess it would be beneficial to have her full support in this war. ¡°With this new knowledge available to us, I¡¯ll be spreading it around to the entire military,¡± the First General says, deciding to ignore the quietly muttering Seventh General. ¡°Does anyone have any objections to that?¡± No one says anything. ¡°Very well then,¡± Elara states with a nod. ¡°Then let¡¯s end this meeting here. Everyone knows what we must do to prepare.¡± Everyone nods their heads, with the former emperor silently fuming in rage, having lost any remaining power he had left. ¡°Council adjourned,¡± Elara declares. Update and Story Art 2 Hello again! My last semester as a college student starts on Tuesday! Although I''ll only be a part-time student this semester. So if I ever have to cancel a chapter, this is why. Then again, I don''t actually have any classes on Tuesdays this semester. So for me the semester basically starts on Wednesday instead. But regardless, it''s starting this week. Also, my busiest day of the week this semester are always Fridays now. Just keep that in mind. There will be a bonus chapter in a few hours. And next up, more story art! Aria on the train: This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Young Aria(nine years old) in the past(yes, there''s snow still as the windows were opened soon prior to this and she was at the Northern Pass in one of the fortresses there): Some of the ads used for the story: And more chibi art: B1 | Chapter 28 Aria I rest my cheek on my knuckles as I lean over the table at the cafeteria reading through the information given out to every officer in the army. Information we¡¯re supposed to spread to our subordinates, but since I don¡¯t exactly have those, I don¡¯t need to do anything with it but read it. The information is rather interesting, and it makes me a little curious about the outside worlds. Otherworlder Key Intel Otherworlder Greater Powers include the following: Rex Dynasty of the Dead: Nation worshiping death. Ruled by an emperor equivalent called a pharaoh. Eternal Dynasty: Nation of merchants with an interest in pursuing immortality. Ruled by an emperor. Council of Darkness: Universal scale organization of assassins led by a council with a single leader. Arcadian Society: Nation of mages led by an archmage. Grand Silvian Empire: A relatively peaceful but powerful nation led by an empire. Dread Empire: Empire led by a tyrant, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Famine. Leader grows stronger through the starvation around him. Crimson Flag: Warmongering nation led by one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, War. Leader never grows tired while fighting. And he grows stronger the more he fights, whether he wins or loses. Vest: A planet where a single person lives. Another of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Pestilence, who is known for spreading plagues to nearby worlds, slaughtering everyone just to test out his new creations. Grows stronger from spreading pestilence to others. This doesn¡¯t include anything that I didn¡¯t already hear from the second lieutenant himself. Although the fact that these are just the top powers in the universe, yet they include all three of the other Horsemen certainly puts things into perspective how powerful we Horsemen can grow. Makes me understand a bit better why the System decided to go and announce my presence to everyone. I continue reading past the section about the Powers. Commonsensical Facts and Differences in Culture: Revival is possible if a strong enough void mage is present. They are capable of pulling a soul from the void and placing it back in the body at a significant cost of levels from the one revived. However, conditions have to be fulfilled for the revival to work. Such as the being who is getting revived needing to be at least level 10 for a void priest to revive them. However, a Void Spirit may revive them regardless of their level so long as they fit the other unspecified requirements. Every world has a World Core where the users of the System are allowed to reset or lower their levels. However, these changes are permanent and cannot be revoked. Furthermore, people are not capable of forcing others to reset their levels as the System will detect attempts to do so. Invasions of new worlds are considered an honor for those who participate, and entire forces are created just to prepare for invasions, filled with people who have either stopped themselves from leveling or have had their levels purposefully reset to 1 at a World Core. Coordinates of new worlds are found by spatial magic users, and the worlds are classified by a division of seers from the Arcadian Society into five different Tiers. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, with Alpha being the highest Tier. These Tiers are decided based on planet size, population, quantity and quality of Ability Holders, and resources. And our planet has been designated as Gamma. The base average planet Tier. Level of the user plays an important role in society outside of Vortel. However, it isn¡¯t an absolute tell of strength since a level one could theoretically kill a level 300 should the level 300 let their guard down and the level 1 have a weapon of sufficient strength. Most adults are already at least level thirty. Raising the level of someone¡¯s class has various effects on the user in question. Some of them include but aren¡¯t limited to raising their physical strength, their mental capacity, their magical power, their mana capacity, and their lifespan. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Every user in the System tends to live for around 100 years on average, with every 100 levels doubling the user¡¯s lifespan. Worlds across the universe vary in their levels of technology and magical understanding, with Vortel¡¯s level of technology being just a small amount above the average level of technology in the universe, and our understanding of magic a little above that. That¡¯s a lot of information to take in. I already heard about the planet Tiers thing, but who knew people¡¯s lifespans could increase through the System? Not that it affects me, considering that I¡¯ll never age or die. Or at least I won¡¯t age after I hit my prime, which shouldn¡¯t be too long from now. As for levels playing an important role, that¡¯s kind of to be expected when everyone has a number floating over their heads. Even Albaria has some instances of privilege from having high Class abilities. The way they tend to treat invasions is a little disgusting though, and that World Core thing is¡­ interesting. Kind of surprised people would be willing to let go of power to invade another world. But putting everything else on that list aside for the moment, I can¡¯t help but focus on the revival part. And, more importantly, the void part. Then I open up my skill description for Harvest again.
Skills
Skill Name: Skill Description:
Harvest This skill allows the user to harvest the souls of the dying around them. They can then devour the soul energy within them, sending the souls off to the void. Or they can devour the soul whole, taking in the cores of their souls and erasing them from reality itself in the process.
Does that mean if I devour a soul whole¡­ the one it belongs to can¡¯t be revived? Because that would be convenient if true. I wonder¡­ I devoured that legate¡¯s soul entirely since for one I was pissed off and for two I knew a legate of all people would have quite a bit of soul energy for me to use. So does that mean they won¡¯t be able to revive him? That would be rather amusing to see. If they just tried to revive him only to realize that it didn¡¯t work. Then again, who knows how long this revival process takes. Or what all they lose from undertaking the process. It¡¯s revival after all. Defying death has a price, whether metaphorical or literal. I should know. ¡°First Lieutenant,¡± I hear First Lieutenant Snow¡¯s voice, making me raise my head to find the others of my team approaching my table. So I put away the intel sheet, leaving the rest to read later. Not that there¡¯s much left on it. Then I silently watch the others take their seats. It¡¯s been a few days since the battle, and we¡¯ve been stationed at the Omega fortress since then without any new orders. Just been told that we¡¯re on standby until the main army finishes stabilizing our foothold on the Al Mountain Pass. On their own fortress that is now ours. Then we¡¯re to escort the supplies to the fortress afterwards so that we can fully establish our position there, pushing the frontlines back into the mountain pass. The others begin chatting, starting with the first lieutenant, ¡°Do we know when the main forces will be finished? It¡¯s getting boring around here.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll most likely be moving out tomorrow,¡± the major answers while beginning to eat some spaghetti. Then, after a short pause to chew and swallow the food, he adds, ¡°The invaders sent another delegation this morning.¡± ¡°Another?¡± Vargas asks, a frown on his face as he too begins eating some sort of meat dish in front of him. ¡°They should just get the message by now,¡± Snow says while chewing his food. Which gets him a glare from Harvey. ¡°Don¡¯t talk and chew at the same time Adrian,¡± she says, sounding like an elder sister scolding her younger brother. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you?¡± The others continue bickering and gossiping about the current status of everything, but I just sit by watching while sipping my wine. It took them the entire first day of our little vaca to approach me again, after which point they had begun treating me the same as they were before. Almost like nothing had happened. Which makes me feel a little conflicted. I¡¯m kind of happy I¡¯m not being treated as an anomaly or anything. But at the same time, I don¡¯t want to be happy with them. I can¡¯t get close to them after all. After that they started joining me for meals as well. And despite my feelings on the matter, hearing some of this gossip does actually help me figure out what¡¯s going on. Plus it¡¯s just boring nowadays, with nothing to do. Since the battle, the invaders have been sending one delegate after another, each slightly nicer than the one before, but each also still arrogant to a fault. Which is rather sad. It doesn¡¯t matter how many delegates they send though. The Council can¡¯t risk accepting the delegation without the people of the Republic growing rather angry. After all, civilians don¡¯t like it when we make peace with invaders of our world who slaughtered their soldiers and family members. Especially when we seem to have the upper hand in the war. And since they went and changed our nation to a Republic, the civilians¡¯ opinions really do matter. They can¡¯t just ignore them. Personal power isn¡¯t the end all be all in Albaria like it is in Arteria after all. The republic doesn¡¯t appreciate tyrants doing whatever they want. And the nation¡¯s past is a good example of that. I let out an inner sigh ¨C not doing it out loud due to the people in front of me ¨C before finishing my wine and getting up to bring my glasses over to the counter. It¡¯s a rather dark thought, but¡­ will our Republic ever know peace? It¡¯s like war is all anyone in this world can really think about¡­ Now that I¡¯m far enough away from the table, I let out an actual sigh before dropping my glasses off at the counter and heading to go clear my head outside. And I miss sleep. B1 | Chapter 29 A Few Days Later ¡°They¡¯re still rejecting our delegations¡­¡± the emperor mutters, his voice growing just as dark as his face looks. ¡°Do they not realize we are offering them leniency?¡± ¡°I fear they do not, Royal Father,¡± Lucius states from his place kneeling near the projection. ¡°Otherwise they would jump at this chance.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± one of the Invasion General¡¯s legates states from his own place kneeling next to the General. ¡°We assume that they are overestimating themselves or underestimating us.¡± ¡°That¡¯s likely,¡± the emperor says while scratching his chin a little. ¡°And either one of those could lead to our making a real enemy of the Class S Ability Holders under their command.¡± Silence fills the small building as the three legates and one Invasion General kneel towards the projection. Eventually the emperor focuses on his son and says, ¡°Invasion General, you are to capture the Class S Ability Holders at all costs. Send them into an unstable portal and station guards at the Gate to make sure they are captured when they try returning to their world.¡± ¡°Understood, Royal Father,¡± the Invasion General states with his head still down. Then, after a brief second, he raises his head and asks, ¡°If I may, Royal Father¡­¡± and after seeing his father nod, he continues, ¡°Do you have word from the Void Priest¡¯s Temple when preparations for Legate Lesius¡¯s revival will be complete?¡± His Imperial Father¡¯s eyes narrow as the man slowly speaks, ¡°You understand as well as I do that the preparations take months. I hope you aren¡¯t insinuating that we rush the priests.¡± ¡°Of course not, Royal Father!¡± the Invasion General rushes to correct himself. ¡°I simply wished to know if they were taking their time or proceeding at the usual pace.¡± The emperor frowns at that before sighing. ¡°Unfortunately, they don¡¯t appear to be giving it any priority. But we can¡¯t risk complaining to them.¡± This has the Invasion General gritting his teeth. Right. Because if we complain, then they may leave the world entirely. Then we wouldn¡¯t be able to revive any longer. A brief commotion comes from the entrance of the building, bringing the gazes of everyone within towards it and making the soldier there shiver in fear. But he remains firm anyways as he slams his fist across his chest and kneels down, declaring, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, Invasion General, we have gotten word that the Class S team has been seen on the walls of the Western Fortress.¡± The Invasion General narrows his eyes slightly. ¡°Understood,¡± Lucius states. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed.¡± Then, as the soldier salutes again and rushes out of the building, Lucius turns towards his Royal Father and says, ¡°I will handle the Class S natives.¡± ¡°You better,¡± the emperor indifferently states with only a small hint of threat in his voice. And just as quickly as he does, the projection vanishes. Lucius turns to his legates after climbing to his feet before ordering, ¡°Bring Tribune Lucilius here. Tell him to prepare a spirit summoning.¡± All of the legates around him gasp in surprise, and Lucius isn¡¯t surprised. Spirits are the closest things in the universe to the fabled divine. And death spirits are even more terrifying than spirits of other elements. If the unstable portal doesn¡¯t work, we may very well have to rely on a spirit. The Invasion General clenches his fist at the thought before walking out of the building, leaving the terrified legates behind.
Aria One Month after the Battle Over the course of the next month after our claiming of what we now designate as the Mountain Fortress, the invaders repeatedly send forces to attack the fortress. And we repeatedly have to defend against them. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. But what I can¡¯t understand as I look out over the wall of the fortress at the next incoming wave of invaders is why they¡¯re doing this. Because all they¡¯re doing is sacrificing their soldiers. They¡¯re not sending enough to even break past the wall, much less take the fortress back. So why are they attacking? It just doesn¡¯t make sense to me. Wait a second¡­ My eyes narrow on the approaching enemy forces before I raise my radio to my mouth and turn it on, ¡°Sir, Crimson here. Are you seeing this as well?¡± ¡°Affirmative,¡± he responds as I focus on the enemy soldiers. The levels of these forces are quite a bit higher than the levels of the previous attackers. Which means they might have something special planned this time. I raise my rifle and point it at the enemies before looking through the scope. They look more experienced as well. Out of nowhere, amongst the two or so hundred approaching enemy soldiers, two dozen stop running with the rest still continuing forwards. And after the main force gets within a few dozen meters of the wall, the two dozen who had stopped suddenly raise their hands. ¡°Alpha Predator here, enemies appear to be preparing a powerful bombardment spell,¡± the commander¡¯s voice echoes out of my radio along with the radio of every soldier around the wall. ¡°Their target is the gate. Non-mage soldiers retreat. Mages prepare barriers as needed.¡± I quickly begin to retreat away from the gate as more soldiers move to replace me, filling the wall above the gate with a bunch of mages. And right as the light from the enemy mages begin to form spell circles above their heads ¨C large ones ¨C more spell circles appear in front of the wall around the gate. Then a large barrier covers the gate, following which a ball filled with various different elements including lightning, fire, and darkness emerges from the enemy¡¯s spell circle, heading straight for our barrier. Unfortunately for them, their attack doesn¡¯t manage to break past our barrier. Although it does manage to crack it. ¡°Fire!¡± the lieutenant general stationed at this fortress shouts, his voice echoing out across the walls right before our soldiers open fire on the still-approaching enemies. Out of nowhere, right as I¡¯m preparing to fire as well, the wall beneath me begins to shift and groan. And it¡¯s not just beneath me, but I notice a few other spots across the wall doing the same thing. Each spot being where one of our Predator Division team members are. Then the fortress walls all collapse around where each one of us is standing, following which I see some sort of portal beneath the walls. But I quickly narrow my eyes and grab onto a piece of rubble that¡¯s heading straight down towards the portal while enhancing myself with my soul energy. And without hesitation, I pull out a grenade from the clip on my waist, activate it, and toss it directly under me, letting it explode and send me flying away from the portal where I land in a burning and partially exploded heap on the side of the fortress wall. Ugh. My body quickly begins to repair itself, and my armor slowly repairs itself afterwards, proving to take a bit longer since the pants and part of my back on the armor was pretty much burnt to a crisp. Along with my flesh beneath. Through the slowly fading ringing in my ears, I hear a voice coming from my radio. But the ringing is still loud enough to make that difficult to parse. So I just turn to look at the enemy forces, only to find them having halted in shock. I grin at them as the last of my hearing returns. Guess they weren¡¯t expecting this.
I stretch a little once I¡¯m back on the wall. Meanwhile I find the other members of Predator Division doing perfectly fine as well. Apparently everyone managed to avoid the portals in their own ways. Snow just used one of his ice blades to glide down away from the portal, meanwhile Harvey created a barrier before she even began falling. Just casually walked off the barrier and onto the still standing portion of the wall like nothing had happened. The major shot an arrow at the portal, destabilized it, and made it blow up before he could reach it. Although he got some injuries from that. And Vargas was actually saved by Harvey, who was keeping an eye on us all as the team¡¯s defensive expert and scout. Particularly him since he has no direct combat capability without touching someone and using his mental ability. Then the enemies all retreated right afterwards, proving exactly what these attacks have been angling towards. They want to deal with us. Or send us away at least. ¡°I¡¯m no expert in portals, but I¡¯m pretty sure those portals weren¡¯t stable,¡± the major says with a grunt as a medic uses healing magic to heal the man¡¯s injuries, the glowing green spell circles around him proof of that. Harvey, Vargas, and I all nod our heads in agreement at that. Meanwhile the lieutenant general under the First General ¨C Lieutenant General Silvers ¨C speaks as he climbs the last of the stairs and joins us, ¡°Our spatial mage agrees with that assumption.¡± I quickly salute the man, and I¡¯m not alone in that. But he just casually waves us in dismissal, apparently not in the mood for formalities. ¡°Would you say it¡¯s safe to assume the enemy was targeting Predator Division?¡± the lieutenant general asks our division commander. The major frowns for a second while glancing at the fallen enemy soldiers who had failed at retreating without casualties before saying, ¡°I believe so.¡± Then he turns to look at the lieutenant general. ¡°It would appear as if they¡¯re trying to send us somewhere.¡± A few seconds pass as the lieutenant general looks out over the walls while rubbing his chin. Only for a rather terrifying smirk to stretch across his face as he mutters, ¡°Is that so?¡± He has something in mind for this. The man glances over each one of us from the division, and just his glance alone sends a shiver running down my spine. And why do I feel like I was just signed up to be bait? B1 | Chapter 30 The Main Headquarters of the Invaders A loud slap echoes throughout the command center of the invaders main headquarters as the legate in charge of the plan to send the Class S Ability Holders to Roan is sent sprawling on the floor. ¡°You not only completely failed your mission, but you lost the majority of our invasion force¡¯s spatial mages in the process,¡± Lucius declares, the Invasion General feeling incredibly angry at the legate in question. ¡°Your Highness, please, give me another-¡± the legate begins begging from his place on the ground, only for the other legates to turn judgmental stares on him, shutting him up. The Invasion General simply turns a disgusted look on the man as he says, ¡°There are no second chances. You are to be executed at dawn.¡± Then he glances at the soldiers in the room and says, ¡°Take him away.¡± Despite the fear Lucius is sure they¡¯re feeling, the guards all drag away the legate, who simply stays silent as he lets them drag him. Most likely because he understands any complaints would only lead to a fate even worse than death. Lucius turns to the other legates, his scowl still projecting his terrible mood all throughout the room as he slowly steps up to the front of the command center and sits down on his chair. The mission was supposed to take the enemy Class S Ability Holders out of the war for Father to capture and trick back on Roan. But now we¡¯ve lost most of our spatial mages along with several of our Class B and A Ability Holders without anything to show for it¡­ The man lowers his face into his hands, feeling a headache coming on from this. Only for him to sit up again when the sound of footsteps enter the room, bringing his gaze to a tribune rushing into the command center. ¡°Invasion General, we have received news from the front!¡± the tribune shouts while saluting. ¡°Speak,¡± Lucius declares as he and the other two remaining legates watch the tribune. ¡°Sir, the enemy Class S forces have left their fortress and are heading towards the Eastern Mountain Fortress on the Southern side of the mountains!¡± the man exclaims, immediately stoking the Invasion General¡¯s interest. Lucius stands up as he asks, ¡°Their numbers?¡± The tribune answers right away, ¡°Just the Class S forces.¡± Just them? But don¡¯t they realize we¡¯re after them now? The Invasion General ponders over that for a few seconds. It¡¯s possible but highly unlikely that they didn¡¯t realize what the legate was targeting, but I think it¡¯s more likely they¡¯re planning something. Some sort of trap for us. He looks down at his hand, then at the device in the corner of the room used to contact his father. Even so¡­ if we fail to capture the Class S Ability Holders, we will all be punished by Father. And the war will take a harsh turn as well. Lucius continues staring at the device for several seconds before eventually turning back to the tribune and swiping his arm to the side while ordering, ¡°Prepare Class B and A Ability Holders from each fortress and send them to surround the Class S Ability Holders from this world. I will be taking command this time!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± the tribune shouts, running out of the room immediately after. Class S Ability Holders are never to be underestimated. We have to use everything we can to take all of them to Roan. Or if it comes down to it, to kill all of them but the true immortal. Then Lucius looks at his legates with a dark expression on his face and says, ¡°If this mission fails, tell the necromancer to summon the Death Spirit.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Both legates shiver, their eyes going wide with terror at that statement. But they nod their heads all the same. Lucius turns around to look at the device again without another word as the legates leave the building to prepare for the mission. If this mission fails, we can only wipe the slate clean. He grits his teeth. Even if it means exterminating this world.
Aria I knew I was gonna end up as bait. It always ends up like this. Except normally it¡¯s the Arterian Empire that¡¯s targeting me due to my being a Category 5 Ability Holder. Out of the corner of my eye, I find Captain Harvey signaling with her hands, using a sign language specific to our military to say that we¡¯re being watched as we continue walking through the barren wasteland filled with snow towards the ambush point. The plan is to bait them to attack us when we stop for a rest. Because apparently these invaders are incredibly wary of Category 5s, which makes sense in a way. Although our world isn¡¯t entirely based on pure power, and we never had any System leveling before. So Category 5s, while terrifying in their specified areas, are not omnipotent in any way. Well, except me. Since I can¡¯t die. But until the System, I couldn¡¯t really fight much either. Only with martial arts and weapons. Which doesn¡¯t do all that well against people with superstrength or superspeed. Or magic. ¡°So First Lieutenant Crimson,¡± Captain Harvey suddenly says, bringing my attention to her. ¡°Why do you like wine so much?¡± I stare blankly at her for several seconds before muttering, ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re always drinking it,¡± First Lieutenant Snow points out as the others all nod their heads in agreement. Even the major sends me a curious look. After deciding that this information isn¡¯t important and can¡¯t help the people spying on us at all, I tell them, ¡°Because I don¡¯t like eating food, and wine tastes good.¡± They all look slightly confused at my answer. But I just shrug, not really caring. ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never seen you eat anything before,¡± Snow says, turning to me with a confused look on his face. ¡°When do you eat anyways?¡± I just give him a look and answer, ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Then face forwards again, not paying his surprise any mind. Silence fills the wasteland as we continue walking, the only sound being that of our shoes scuffing the snow beneath us.
It takes us a few hours of walking, but we finally arrive at the small house meant for those traveling through the barren wastelands down here. And after arriving, we set up inside before setting up a few defenses outside of the house. Something that would be completely normal for anyone staying for the night. After we do that, the others all begin going about the house dealing with dinner as I keep watch. Although in reality, Captain Harvey is still keeping her attention on the enemies. I can¡¯t see them at all, much less know where they are. Which goes to show just how powerful a Category 5 sensory ability is. The others finish their meal before acting like they¡¯re going to sleep. But in reality, the major has most certainly sent the message to the First General by now. Another hour passes after the preliminary message, and finally, the enemy makes it close enough that I can see some small signs of their presence. A footprint appearing in the snow with no other signs of a person nearby. Just a random light footprint. So I tap on the radio at my waist, pressing the talk button repeatedly in a specific pattern to notify the First Army and the other officers of my division of their assault. Immediately after doing so, hundreds of soldiers appear in a large ring several dozen meters away from the house before charging forwards, startling more than a few of the enemies into breaking out of whatever illusion or cloaking they were under. Meanwhile our own team members all jump out of their bedrolls while drawing their weapons from their persons, not having taken them off when going to ¡®bed¡¯. I rush to the front door of the building alongside Snow, meanwhile Vargas finds a window to smash before carefully aiming his weapon outside. The major finds his way to the roof with his bow drawn, the man having kept the large weapon in his storage ring, with Captain Harvey closing her eyes with barriers surrounding her body. The woman most likely focusing on all of us and making sure we¡¯re protected. Or rather, all of them. I don¡¯t need protection. Although I think she tries anyways for some reason. Regardless, I rush out of the building while opening fire on the enemy soldiers as our allies do the same. And almost immediately I find my progress to the next level climbing. At this rate I¡¯ll be level five soon enough. I glance at Snow who is sending quite a few blades of ice at the enemies. Only to look down when I feel something piercing my chest. And after finding it to be a spear of all things, I pull the thing out and raise my head to find the one who threw it. Then I coat my body in soul energy and throw it right back at them, impaling the invader through the shoulder and into the ground. That legate¡¯s soul energy is very nice. Certainly made my previous inability to really do anything in combat against other ability users a moot point. And I can tell there are a lot of ability users amongst the enemies. Not weak ones either. They¡¯re really trying to take us. I smirk at that thought and continue firing at the enemies. Let¡¯s see them try. B1 | Chapter 31 The Ambush Site Invasion General Lucius Cornelius Caesar, Sixth Prince of the Grand Roan Empire, slowly stalks through the barren wasteland, the snow falling down all around him as he and his men all surround the Class S Ability Holders. Each one of them has a cloaking spell of sorts attached to them that should cover up their heat signature, soul, and mana. And each one of them is one of the elite Ability Holders of the Invasion Force. Unlike with the previous attempts at the Class S Ability Holders, the Invasion General decided to put in everything for this attempt. Because at this point it¡¯s all or nothing. Victory or defeat. And while some may ridicule him, believing the man to have thrown away critical parts of his army just for the removal of a few enemies, he knows otherwise. He still remembers his elder brother, the Fourth Prince, who participated in their ally¡¯s invasion of a new world. An invasion of a world that turned out to be home to a single Class S Ability Holder. Class S Ability Holders are a rare breed. Almost never seen, but with near infinite potential should they be able to level up their class. Before the System initializes, they¡¯re nothing more than a person with an incredibly powerful ability. One that is unmatched in their area. But after the System initializes and they¡¯re allowed to grow, all Class S Ability Holders become incredibly powerful players within the universe at large. The Fourth Prince made the mistake of letting the Class S Ability Holder grow and it cost him the entire war. Just a single Class S. The Sixth Prince will not make the same mistake. But at the same time, his choosing to head down this route is already dooming the invasion. It¡¯s not too late to turn things around. So long as this mission is successful. The man grits his teeth at that thought as he and the other soldiers and officers continue spreading out around the Class S enemies within the building. Then he turns to look at the sole surviving space mage of his force and begins to nod his head, only for thousands of enemy soldiers to suddenly surround their entire force, shocking both him and his soldiers. And if that weren¡¯t bad enough, he feels a wave of spatial mana pass over the group, no doubt locking the area of teleportation. ¡°It¡¯s a trap!¡± Lucius shouts, feeling his heart pounding damn near out of his chest as he draws his sword, his cloaking falling apart immediately. Meanwhile all of his soldiers do the same, using their abilities at the same time to send all sorts of attacks at both sides. Those within the building who are beginning their own assault, and those surrounding them. Lucius quickly finds that the enemy firepower is overwhelming them though, so he changes his orders, directing his forces to enter close combat to nullify the native¡¯s technological advantage. But even then, the sheer numbers of the enemies proves too daunting a challenge to overcome. We¡¯ve lost¡­ The Invasion General feels his heart growing numb at the realization. Then anger fills him. Anger directed at the leaders of the enemies who refused to work with them. Anger at his father for ordering him to capture the Class S Ability Holders or send them to Roan. And lastly¡­ He strikes down the officer he was fighting and turns around, his eyes blazing with a black flame as they lock onto the true immortal girl who had started this all. ¡­rage at the instigator of it all.
Aria If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I feel a slight shiver run down my spine for some reason as I fire bullet after bullet, shattering the flimsy barriers made by the invaders. Guns proving too much for them once again. The only ones that turn out to be major issues being those with incredibly powerful offensive abilities. But those just serve as new adaptations for me as I soak up the attacks meant for the others. Or just useless attacks that are blocked by Harvey¡¯s barrier. Her barriers really are powerful as hell. Then again, she¡¯s Category 5 for a reason. Messages from that System continue playing out in my head over and over again as I kill one soldier after another. [User has killed one being of Level 11. Requirements to reach level 5 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 109/1000 beings have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 13. Requirements to reach level 5 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 110/1000 beings have been granted Death.] ¡­ I kind of hope that I get another skill at level 5. It just kinda sounds right for it. Maybe. I¡¯m also getting a little sick of being so weak. The only reason I can keep up with these enemy soldiers physically is thanks to the physical enhancement from both my soul energy and from Captain Rogers. Literally everyone is outleveling me. And it¡¯s getting annoying. I perfectly understand that I have eternity to level up, so it¡¯s nothing more than a slow game for me. But still. It¡¯s a pain seeing everyone easily outleveling me and leaving me behind in terms of physical strength. Guess that¡¯s what it costs to be a true immortal. Then there¡¯s the fact that it¡¯s taking more and more beings with every single level. Meaning when I reach the higher levels, just how many beings will I have to kill to level up? Millions for a single level up after I¡¯ve reached several hundred levels? What would that make me if I went through with it? Unless I just killed animals or critters? I continue endlessly pondering these thoughts as I shoot through the enemy soldiers, our side¡¯s technological firepower proving too much for the enemies and quickly reducing their numbers. Until I feel a sudden wave of pain from my leg, bringing my gaze down to find¡­ no leg. What happened to my leg? I know I¡¯ve been racking up wounds all across this battlefield even while keeping my distance, but I¡¯m pretty sure I should¡¯ve noticed losing a leg. Wait, what¡¯s with those black flames? I frown at the strange black flames burning on the edge of my pants-leg from my upper thigh down. Also burning at my leg itself, but I try to pat it down to extinguish it. Which doesn¡¯t do anything. So I instead drop down, letting the burning flesh of my leg hit the snow on the ground. And that manages to put it out. Mostly. To my surprise, it ends up taking a while for my leg to heal, leaving me to look up while on the ground to find a man wearing incredibly fancy armor walking over towards me with a look of absolute hatred on his face. Huh. He doesn¡¯t seem to like me. Wonder why? Also, his level is pretty high. At level 17. Actually, he looks even angrier when he sees that I¡¯m not really in pain. Sorry bud, pain just really isn¡¯t my thing anymore. After you feel your head being cut off, heart being pierced, and legs and arms cut off once, twice, maybe a few dozen times, you tend to not care much anymore. Especially since my ability seems to suppress it a little as well. I hear someone scream my name from the building, following which the others begin turning their attacks on the newcomer. And he quickly starts blocking the attacks with his black flames. But that doesn¡¯t last long, for Snow¡¯s ice blades grow stronger with each consecutive attack. So before he can make it halfway across the distance to me, he ends up being stuck full of ice blades across his body. All while still glaring at me as if I killed his puppy. ¡°Do¡­ it¡­¡± the man suddenly shouts with a very scratchy and blood-filled voice. ¡°End¡­ it all!¡± I watch for a while as my leg heals before pointing my pistol at him and shooting him directly in the head, right between the eyes. Not really caring much about what he was just saying. Because that angry glare was starting to get annoying. Right after that, I devour his soul. Because he is the strongest invader I¡¯ve seen thus far. [User has killed one being of Level 17. Requirements to reach level 5 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 141/1000 beings have been granted Death.] I continue waiting for my leg to heal, but then I notice a bright flash of black and purple light shining from the direction of the Art Mountain Pass. The other Mountain Pass down here in the South. The light is so bright it fills the entire sky and makes everyone in the battle pause at once. And along with the light is an incredible surge of power. A power I somehow feel familiar to me. Interesting. For some reason the enemy officers look terrified of the light though. Not sure why. After a few seconds, both the light and the power vanishes in the blink of an eye. Leaving us in silence once more. And now the enemy officers just look confused. I tilt my head, wondering just what¡¯s with their little cycle of emotions. Then I shrug it off and look back down at my leg, which is getting close to halfway healed. Healed enough that I have a knee again at least. Sure is taking a while to heal for a mere leg wound. I raise my head to look at the other officers, only to find our own soldiers rushing in and taking them all down, capturing quite a few of them in the process since we can. And just like that, the battle draws to a close not too long after beginning. All because of us Category 5s and the power of guns. B1 | Chapter 32 The Invader Fortress at the Art Mountain Pass Moments Before the Invasion General¡¯s death For the first time in a long while, Ashton feels almost giddy. But he holds it in due to the device sitting at the front of the table projecting His Imperial Majesty next to it. He ignores the legate though. Unlike the other officers and His Majesty in the room, Tribune Lucilius desperately hopes that the Imperial Prince fails his mission. Better yet he dies in the process so that His Imperial Majesty will go through with his son¡¯s plan and order the extermination of the planet¡¯s population so that they can simply come back afterwards to collect the planet¡¯s resources. Because Ashton really wants to summon a Death Spirit. It¡¯s every necromancer¡¯s dream to summon a Death Spirit. To summon one of the most powerful beings in existence. A being that controls death itself. Who can kill someone simply by reaching and yanking out your soul. A being that can even drain the power from a soul before it¡¯s sent off into the void. Something many consider to be a fate worse than death. Because it means that even if they are revived, they¡¯ll have lost far more than they would¡¯ve otherwise in the process. But unlike other spirits, who are simply arrogant, death spirits are known for their disgust of the living. All death spirits care for are their own, other spirits to a small degree, and growing stronger. So if any necromancer summons a death spirit without a worthy sacrifice, the death spirit will include the summoner in the price for summoning it. And they won¡¯t be kind either. They will devour enough of their soul¡¯s energy that they¡¯re left as nothing but a husk. One only barely capable of reviving still. Then they will take the souls of every being within the vicinity. If the payment is the souls of an entire planet¡­ then the payment will be fulfilled with absolute certainty. Ashton feels borderline giddy at this thought as he waits and waits and waits for the good news of the prince¡¯s failure. He¡¯s already fully set up everything needed for the summoning ceremony in the other room. The others in the room clearly don¡¯t share his enthusiasm though, but so long as he doesn¡¯t show His Majesty, he¡¯s safe. Even the legate wouldn¡¯t threaten a pseudo Class S. One on the border between Class S and Class A in their ability. On the other hand, the emperor, Class A Ability Holder he may be, is still over level three hundred. And he is almost two hundred and fifty years old as well. So the emperor would easily have him killed. Silence fills the command center of the fortress for an unknown length of time before a crystal on the long table suddenly shatters, sending unease throughout the command center. And just seconds later, words flutter through the building from the Invasion General. ¡°Do¡­ it¡­¡± the voice says, sounding very scratchy and almost as if they¡¯re coughing out blood as they speak. ¡°End¡­ it all!¡± An incredibly dark expression covers the emperor¡¯s face before he looks directly at Ashton and says, ¡°Do it.¡± Then the link to the device vanishes, leaving Ashton grinning in delight as he begins hurrying over to the summoning chamber while completely ignoring the running officers. Officers who are all trying to escape as quickly as possible out of the fortress and towards the Gate, not wanting to end up part of the massacre. Ashton doesn¡¯t give a shit about those soldiers, and he knows the emperor doesn¡¯t care about them either. Since they had just lost the vast majority of the Class A and B Ability Holders in the failed mission, the rest are expendable in the emperor¡¯s eyes. So once Ashton reaches the summoning chamber, he immediately finishes the summoning, making a bright black and purple miasma fill the entire chamber in an instant before exploding out through the walls, destroying the chamber entirely as it shoots up into the sky. And just as quickly as it spread out, it condenses again to form a massive pillar where a veil of darkness radiating the feeling of death slowly descends from above to hover just meters above the ground. The death spirit in question is wearing a thick cloak, making it so that the only thing that can be seen from its actual body are the glowing red eyes barely visible within its hood. Meanwhile the pure miasma wafting off of the spirit begins to kill everything nearby, likely without the spirit even doing it on purpose. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Ashton immediately bows low to the ground with his head pointed downwards as he says with more than a little reverence, ¡°Greater Death Spirit! I beseech you! Please slaughter every last living being on this planet other than myself! In return, you may have every last soul you can claim from them!¡± Several seconds pass in silence as Ashton dares not raise his head to look at the Greater Death Spirit. But after nearly an entire minute passes without a response, he can¡¯t help but peek upwards at the creature, only to find its attention not on him in the slightest. Instead it¡¯s staring in the direction of the failed mission. Ashton can¡¯t tell what it¡¯s thinking though, since its face is completely covered. He still remains silent, not wishing to irritate the Greater Death Spirit no matter what. Even if he is forced to sit here for days. Eventually, after another minute of silence, the Greater Death Spirit turns its gaze back onto Ashton. And the necromancer immediately senses something wrong. The spirit is practically emanating with anger for some reason. ¡°A lowly mortal dares to make such a request?¡± a deep and inherently terrifying voice echoes throughout the area, killing everyone who hears it except for the necromancer. However, Ashton quickly comes to realize through his senses that it¡¯s only killing its own forces. It¡¯s leaving the natives alone, not even letting them hear what¡¯s going on. ¡°I will take the souls of every being in this fortress as payment for your sin of summoning me, and I will take yours for the further sin of making such a reprehensible request.¡± Ashton opens his mouth to do something, anything that could save him. But he fails to do so. Instead he looks down and finds his skin, his clothes, and even his internal organs simply decomposing faster than the eye can see until they¡¯re naught but mere dust. Once he¡¯s left with just his soul, he finds himself slowly floating towards the Death Spirit¡¯s hand, which he quickly finds to be made out of bones with no flesh or skin. Then, right when the Death Spirit is about to fly back up in the air towards the Plane of Death open high above them, it stops to look out towards the failed mission area. ¡°Be well, our beloved Lady Death, for your arrival has long since been awaited by our kind,¡± the Death Spirit speaks quietly. So quietly that Ashton only barely hears it. And the words alone send shock through the necromancer¡¯s soul. The very last thought Ashton has before the Death Spirit raises his soul towards its open hood is one filled with fear and the onset of numbness. The Class S regenerative¡­ is the Pale Rider. Then everything goes dark for the man, his soul devoured by a pitch black and crimson light shining from underneath the Death Spirit¡¯s hood before the spirit itself vanishes back into the Plane of Death, leaving the area behind in silence.
Aria To my surprise, apparently most people straight up forgot about the light in the sky right after it faded. Which led me wondering just what it was. But what was even more surprising was that when our forces pushed onwards towards the Art Mountain Pass, we found it empty of soldiers. All we found was what looked like completely decomposed corpses all across the fortress. After that, we took over the fortress, with our other armies all making their moves on the two Northern Mountain Pass fortresses, capturing them as well. Which proved that the lieutenant general¡¯s insight was indeed correct. The enemy did send most of their strongest Ability Holders to assist in capturing us. But as it turns out, their chain of command is completely messed up, and more than a few of their number had quite literally abandoned the fortresses at the intersections of the Mountain Passes both North and South of the Great Divide. And when our forces charged past them, we found their headquarters abandoned as well. Almost like everyone and everything was running for their lives from something. I let out a sigh as I lean up against the cushion in the rather nice jeep I¡¯m riding in. From what the general told us afterwards, when we were being given our next orders after capturing the invader headquarters, the general of the invasion forces happened to be leading the ones who tried to capture us. Ironically, the very person with the black flames I killed myself. Poor guy won¡¯t be coming back considering that I ate his soul core. Now I can¡¯t help but wonder what will happen next. The general already said that we can¡¯t exactly march through the Gate ourselves to attack them since there¡¯s the whole level thing. What with the enemies not being limited in level there unlike here. So we¡¯d be wiped out rather quickly if we tried. But can we really just sit here on our planet waiting for the level restriction on invaders to go away before being invaded again and likely killed? Not really an option. Then there¡¯s the Arterian Empire, which is growing antsy since it didn¡¯t really help much in the victory. Or at all. Which kinda proves how much of a pretense that ¡®truce¡¯ between us was. Our nations didn¡¯t even coordinate our actions. I do find it rather ironic how the general of the enemies was so worried about us Category 5s ¨C or I guess they call us Class S? ¨C that he used almost all of his most powerful fighters to attempt to capture us. But his naivety showed through that, and he fell into the lieutenant general¡¯s trap. Leading to a much shorter end to this part of the war than anyone really expected. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions, and those questions are bothering me. What happened at the Art Mountain Pass Fortress? What were the enemy soldiers running from? What happened to that necromancer guy that I heard about in the North Mountain Pass Intersection? Apparently our collapsing of the tunnel ended up making the retreat extremely slowed down in the North, letting us kill and capture all of the invaders there, but none of them were in the know about what happened. All being lower ranking officers. So none of our questions were ever answered. I let out another sigh before glancing at the driver of the jeep when he says, ¡°You keep sighing like that and you¡¯ll grow old faster than you can blink, little lady.¡± That has me raising a brow. The driver is a few decades older than me and is actually a first lieutenant as well. Although my promotion will be making me a higher rank soon enough. But they kinda give off a grandpa vibe despite only being in his forties to fifties. I simply hum in response before looking out the window again. Come to think of it, I¡¯ll be hitting my prime any year now. Then I won¡¯t ever age again. I stare out the window for several seconds at that thought before sighing once more. B1 | Chapter 33 Aria ¡°We welcome to our Grand Court, the Predator Division of the First Army!! The heroes of the War of the Great Divide!!¡± a loud voice calls out the moment me and the others of the division enter the grand throne room within the Imperial Palace. And mere seconds later, cheers of joy begin echoing out through the throne room from the people allowed to stand on the sides of the room, behind the dividers that form small little bleachers of sorts, along with the people in the balconies above. The team and I all walk down the throne room until we reach the raised dais at the end of it, where we all then kneel down with both the emperor seated on a large throne at the back of the dais, and the nine generals standing in an arc in front of him, practically blocking the guy from view. ¡°To celebrate the magnificent achievements of these individuals, they will all be granted the Wings of the Azure!¡± that same voice echoes out from before. Not sure from where. It¡¯s hard to focus when I¡¯m trying as hard as I am not to give the emperor a death glare. Because this thing is recorded, and who knows how many people are watching. Best not to be seen giving the emperor a look that could kill during this. ¡°As the supervising General over these six officers, the First General will be the one to hand out the medals,¡± the voice continues right when the First General ¨C the one standing front and center amongst the generals ¨C begins slowly stepping down from the dais. Meanwhile a soldier walks around the dais holding a fancy looking pillow with six even fancier ¨C albeit rather small ¨C medals on it. Unlike the last time I saw her, the First General is currently wearing a long and flowing black and gold dress. The colors of the first general position. Her long black hair is currently in a braid going over her shoulder while her face is completely neutral without showing any signs of any kind. But despite the dress, I can still clearly tell that every single one of her movements is precise, and that she can still battle incredibly well even with that dress on. The other generals are also wearing formal attire rather than their uniforms, with the emperor himself wearing the formal attire meant for his position. Not that he matters. Considering how the generals are all ignoring his existence and literally blocking him out of sight, mostly at least. The First General starts by taking one of the medals ¨C a medal that¡¯s more like a pin with two azure dragon wings and a dragon¡¯s head surrounded by azure flames ¨C and bringing it over to the major before pinning it on his uniform¡¯s shoulder, alongside his other pins. Then she stands up and declares, ¡°Major Leonardo Striker, for your excellent leadership of the Predator Team through the snows of the Southern Pass and bringing the Invasion General into our trap with your own lives on the line, you will hereby be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, given the Wings of the Azure designation, and granted the Ability Holder title of ¡®Twilight Huntsman.¡¯¡± All of the applause within the throne room instantly shoots up as cheering echoes for all to hear. Then the First General moves on to Captain Harvey, pinning a medal on her shoulder as well as she says, ¡°Captain Hannah Harvey, for your bravery in watching over and defending your allies, the fortress, and all of the soldiers during the General¡¯s Assault, as well as blocking off the enemy soldiers¡¯ escape with your barriers, you will hereby be promoted to Major, given the Wings of the Azure designation, and granted the Ability Holder title of ¡®Mystic Warden.¡¯¡± And after her, she moves on to Captain Rogers, ¡°Captain Frank Rogers, for your exemplary support of your team members and the rest of the soldiers at the fortress and the assault, you will hereby be promoted to Major, given the Wings of the Azure designation, and granted the Ability Holder title of ¡®Overdrive.¡¯¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The applause just continues coming, filling the throne room to the brim. Meanwhile the First General moves on, stopping in front of the first lieutenant before pinning his medal next and declaring, ¡°First Lieutenant Adrian Snow, for your extraordinary combat skills and the defeat of numerous enemies during the Capture and Decoy operation, along with the General¡¯s Assault and the defense of the fortress, you will hereby be promoted to Captain, given the Wings of the Azure designation, and granted the Ability Holder title of the ¡®Arctic Edge.¡¯¡± Wait a second, I already have an Ability Holder title. What is she going to be giving me then? I refrain from frowning as I think, keeping my head held parallel with the ground. The First General continues on, passing right by me to my surprise to stop in front of the second lieutenant who she quickly pins the medal on and says, ¡°Second Lieutenant Jason Vargas, for your crucial work pulling the intel from the mind of an invader legate, giving the Republic all of the intel we needed on the enemy, you will hereby be promoted to First Lieutenant, given the Wings of the Azure designation, and granted the Ability Holder title of ¡®Psionic Inquisitor.¡¯¡± Then she moves over to me, stopping in front of me and actually cracking a smile. One that sends a slight shiver down my spine. ¡°And last but certainly not least,¡± she starts while grabbing the medal and pinning it to my shoulder as the cheering quiets down ever so slightly in order for the people to hear her, ¡°First Lieutenant Aria Crimson. As you already have an Ability Holder title as the Crimson Blade, you will instead be given a slightly different reward from the others.¡± The woman¡¯s grin grows slightly wider. ¡°First Lieutenant Aria Crimson, for successfully sabotaging the Northern Fortress of the Invaders, personally capturing the legate at the Al Fortress, and killing the enemy General, you will hereby be promoted to Major, given the Wings of the Azure designation, and will have your Ability Holder title updated to,¡± she pauses for a second, her grin growing even wider, ¡°Crimson Eternal.¡± The applause immediately breaks out at the stating of the little nickname the invaders gave me. This time I can¡¯t help but raise a brow at the general. She¡¯s a sly one. To my surprise, she leans in closer and whispers into my ear, without anyone else being able to hear, ¡°If you keep this up, after the war, we generals may just overlook it if your blade happened to slip near a certain person.¡± My eyes widen in shock, but the woman just stands up straight again, still grinning, only for that grin to vanish in an instant as she ascends the dais again. An incredibly sly one. I glance at the emperor, feeling a wave of anger fill me the moment my eyes meet his. But that anger fades a little when I find him looking rather pissed off himself. Probably because of my promotion. Since I skipped a rank again, and he has absolutely no authority over a major. I¡¯m completely out of his control. Once the First General returns to her spot in the lineup of generals, the announcer guy who I still haven¡¯t bothered to look for raises his voice again, ¡°As with tradition, the holders of the Wings of the Azure are given special privileges within the Republic. These privileges include an immunity to all taxes, the ability to take emergency command from any officer below major general rank should the situation absolutely necessitate it, and the right to claim or have built a single manor by the state!¡± Oh, right. I almost forgot about that ¡®Wings of the Azure¡¯ thing. That¡¯ll be nice. Doubt I¡¯ll ever use the emergency command thing, but not having to pay taxes and getting a nice home out of this will always be nice. ¡°Today we celebrate the end of the First Invasion War,¡± the First General suddenly declares while stepping forwards once more. ¡°However, we are not finished yet, for the otherworlders who dared invade our world are still out there. And we must remain diligent as our System protection will not last forever. Once it runs out, the Grand Roan Empire will be able to enter our world with their full force, and we will not be able to defend ourselves against them at our level.¡± She clenches her fist in front of her. ¡°We must grow stronger! Every last one of us! And to do that, we must learn more about the System, about the invaders, and about our own classes! Raise your levels! Grow stronger! And we will live through this! We will survive!¡± The whispers and discussion among the spectators slowly grows to a loud cheer as she raises her voice louder and louder. And the moment she shoots her fist up into the air above her, the audience¡¯s cheers rise to a literal roar, the First General¡¯s voice only barely standing above the rest as she shouts, ¡°For the Empire!¡± Everyone else immediately repeats her, filling the throne room with that rather ironic iconic line, considering that we¡¯re not an empire anymore. But tradition¡¯s tradition. Now that everyone¡¯s attention is on the First General, I can¡¯t help but shoot the emperor a sharp grin. Because the First General¡¯s words are still fresh in my mind. Revenge may not be so far off after all. B1 | Chapter 34 Aria After the formal ceremony comes an even more formal ball. One where even we of the Predator Division are required to wear formal attire. I let out a sigh as I walk out of the building onto the balcony overlooking the outdoor part of the ball. It¡¯s a pain. I¡¯ve never been a fan of formal attire. Now, I don¡¯t have anything necessarily against it, but it just feels too exposing sometimes, while at the same time too inefficient for combat. Then again, at least it looks nice. And my disinterest in romance aside, everyone wants to look nice. Too bad that, even if I was interested in romance, I¡¯d just outlive everyone. So I¡¯d end up watching them die. Still¡­ I glance at my reflection in a window as I near the balcony looking out over the party going on outside, along with the spiral staircase going downwards. ¡­it really does look nice. I smile while looking over the hard work those maids put in. The dress I¡¯m wearing leaves my shoulders exposed with a necklace containing both my parents¡¯ crimson jewel along with another random round one that the maids put in to match it. Meanwhile the dress itself ends in some small black ruffles at the top above my chest, with two small pieces of what feels like silk covering thin portions of my upper arms with a red ribbon attached to each, and a red and black color scheme for the dress itself. The dress reaches down to about my ankles in terms of length, and is mostly red and black ruffles going down the front with black and silver smoothly down the sides and back. And last but not least, a bracelet and set of silver and red earrings with more red jewels in them. Rubies to be specific. Along with a rose in the right side of my hair with ribbons coming down from it. Overall, the red from the jewels, my lips, eyes, and the dress fit rather well with my relatively pale skin and the black and silver combination. After looking myself over briefly, I step all the way to the balcony¡¯s edge where I look out over the gathered people. Most of whom are either military officers, nobles, or wealthy upper class merchants. And the moment a lot of them see me, they all raise their glasses in a wordless toast for one of the heroes of the war. I reach out and grab a wine glass from a passing server who quickly bows her head when she sees me before moving away. Then I raise the glass in response and take a sip. Parties like this are a pain. It¡¯s not even just the formal clothing. Having to move around these parties in the first place is annoying. I¡¯d rather be out hunting in the woods, or maybe at my favorite caf¨¦. Walking around a party in uncomfortable ¨C albeit nice looking ¨C clothing while saying a bunch of things I don¡¯t mean to people I don¡¯t know but am expected to be nice to is not my idea of a good time. And all Titled Ability Holders are required to attend official parties like this. Lucky me. I lean up against the railing while taking another sip, then swirling around the glass a little as I look out at the partygoers. At least I¡¯m not labeled a blade anymore by the state, even if I¡¯m basically still being treated that way. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s the First General doing it now instead of the emperor. And the First General is getting me to help through the carrot rather than the stick. Giving me stuff in exchange for my help, unlike the emperor who tried to kill me and then realized he couldn¡¯t after trying dozens of ways. Even trying to leave me at the bottom of the ocean. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. All in all, I like the Republic, but I don¡¯t like its leaders. Even if it¡¯s only the emperor who is a strictly bad person, with the other generals being anywhere from good people to just corrupted nobles but not necessarily bad people, I¡¯m still not staying in this nation after I finish my end goal mission. To kill the emperor. Another reason I don¡¯t want to make any close ties. They may be used by the Republic to draw me back after I leave if I did. I turn to look in the direction of the Great Divide, my eyes narrowing slightly. But the invasion has given me a perfect method of getting far away from the Republic. ¡°Introducing His Majesty, the Eighth and final Emperor of the Albarian Empire prior to its becoming a Republic, Emperor Lysandre de Pyre Voltaire!¡± one of the guards at the entrance to the ball within the building shouts, his voice enhanced by magic to cover the entire party. And I immediately turn around while leaning my elbows against the railing, my eyes narrowing in on the emperor as the man enters the ballroom inside of the building while wearing a fancy formal black and gray suit. And the emperor himself locks his gaze onto mine just as quickly before ignoring everyone in the ball ¨C most of whom are ignoring him in return ¨C to head directly towards me. After seeing that, I take a step closer to the railing until I¡¯m leaning on it with my back before crossing my arms and frowning. Once he reaches me, he pretty much does the same and we just glare at each other for a few seconds. ¡°Crimson, I heard that you-¡± the emperor begins, only to be cut off when another voice suddenly rises from a little further down the balcony. ¡°Aria! You look absolutely gorgeous in that dress!¡± Major Harvey exclaims, sounding rather jubilant but also with an undertone that makes me think that she cut the emperor off on purpose as she quickly walks over. And the woman is wearing a dress that¡¯s just as gorgeous as my own. One filled with earthly greens and warm browns that fit her long brown hair and eyes perfectly. The emperor glares at her when she arrives, but she¡¯s not alone. Because walking next to her are the rest of the team, with the now-lieutenant colonel still wearing his military uniform for some reason. The others are wearing formal attire though. Lots of suits. Also, Snow is gawking at me before the man awkwardly looks away, likely not wanting to be seen ogling a girl who is a decade and a half to two decades his junior. I actually heard that the man is a lady¡¯s man who is constantly trying to get with beautiful girls. Which was a surprise to hear about considering that he acts normally around me. Then again, it¡¯s a good thing that he isn¡¯t a creep to go hitting on young women almost half his age like that. And it¡¯s not my problem if he goes around hitting on any woman over thirty years old. Although I will judge him a little bit. ¡°Yes, you look wonderful, Aria,¡± the lieutenant colonel says, a smile touching his lips as he looks at me in the eyes while briefly glancing at the emperor. Guess they figured something about me out in the end. Which is annoying considering that I was trying to hide it. Then again, they have Harvey. So snooping is probably very easy for her. ¡°Lieutenant Colonel Striker, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet-¡± the emperor begins, only for Striker to interrupt him again by offering his hand to me and saying, ¡°How about we go down to the tables? I¡¯m sure there¡¯s at least something here that might interest you. We¡¯ve still yet to see you eat after all.¡± I can¡¯t help but feel rather amused by the situation. It makes sense though. The emperor just lost the vast majority of his remaining power when the generals declared the empire to no longer be an empire at all. Meaning that there will be no more emperors after him. It¡¯s also why no one is going up to speak with him. He¡¯s nothing more than a rich person with a fancy sounding title now. And I can¡¯t help but smile at that thought as I take Striker¡¯s arm and say, ¡°Of course. I¡¯m sure the emperor has other matters he must attend to.¡± Then we all simply walk away from the man as he fumes. But the man can¡¯t say anything. Because he has even less authority than Striker now. Once we reach the bottom of the stairs, I slip my arm out of the lieutenant colonel¡¯s and bow slightly, saying, ¡°You have my gratitude.¡± ¡°No problem, little Aria!¡± Snow says with a grin on his face, only for Harvey to roll her eyes. I glance at the balcony again as Harvey says to Snow, ¡°You didn¡¯t even do anything, so don¡¯t act like you¡¯re the one she¡¯s thanking.¡± The emperor is still glaring at me, meaning he clearly doesn¡¯t have any other matters to attend to. And that fact has my smile growing slightly. Which, in return, has his glare growing harsher as well. I can¡¯t hold myself back from chuckling at that, making everyone on our team immediately grow quiet as they turn to look at me. But I just don¡¯t care as I take a step back and quietly chuckle to myself, covering my mouth in the process to not draw attention. ¡°I think¡­¡± Harvey begins, ¡°¡­that may be the first time I¡¯ve heard you laugh.¡± ¡°It is,¡± Vargas comments from the edge of our little group, and Rogers nods his head as well. Then my smile vanishes when Snow pats me on the shoulder rather harshly with a bark of his own laughter as he says, ¡°I knew you¡¯d open up eventually!¡± I elbow him in the gut and begin walking away to grab another glass of wine amidst the others¡¯ laughter. B1 | Chapter 35 Aria I let out a relaxed sigh as I sip some wine at my favorite caf¨¦. ¡°Give you more forced leave, did they?¡± Lucas asks from his spot seated across from me, facing the wrong direction in the seat as his arms rest on the back of the chair. ¡°Yeah,¡± I answer without much energy behind my words. ¡°An entire month this time.¡± Turns out sending us on one ¡®life-threatening and dangerous mission¡¯ after another over and over again doesn¡¯t look good to PR. Nor is it actually legal in the Republic. So they gave us a month of forced leave while they wrap up the cleaning of the invasion. Not like we¡¯re needed all that much during this time anyways. The Grand Roan Empire can¡¯t do much of anything to us until the System restrictions are gone in a few years, since they already retreated past the Gate with all of their survivors. Leaving us mostly safe from invaders. Or at least safe from them. Other invaders could always find our planet and attack during this time as well. And the Arterian Empire is surprisingly quiet for some reason. There¡¯s a decent chance that¡¯s because we won the war without their help though. ¡°You have any plans during this month?¡± Lucas asks as I set my glass back down on the table and look out the window at the melting snow, the winter beginning to inch towards an end. Not that it¡¯ll affect the Northern or Southern Passes much. Hmm. Plans¡­ Well, for one, I know I¡¯ll be going hunting on a regular basis. All of us from the Predator Division have been given clearance to do that so that we can keep training and getting used to our skills and abilities. And in some of our cases, leveling our classes. In fact, they basically gave us carte blanche to do anything we need during this month so long as it furthers our purpose to level our classes. So hunting wild animals in the forests around the capital is one part of my plan. Too bad I can¡¯t really do more without letting the military in on how I actually level up. As for the next, maybe getting more used to fighting using soul energy. Especially considering the massive leap in my soul energy that I got from devouring the Invasion General¡¯s soul core. I blink at that thought. Come to think of it, wasn¡¯t that general supposed to be a prince? I stare at the glass in front of me for a few moments. Meh. Guess the emperor of the Grand Roan Empire is going to have a rather nasty surprise when he tries to revive his son. The rest of my plans¡­ definitely gonna be visiting this caf¨¦ on a regular basis. And maybe I¡¯ll actually buy some new clothes, since I don¡¯t exactly have much of a wardrobe. Before now I didn¡¯t actually have a home, so I didn¡¯t have anywhere to store my stuff other than what I had on me. But now I have that new manor that¡¯s being processed right now. So I can store my stuff there. I¡¯m not really all that interested in clothes as a whole, but it would be nice to have more than just a couple outfits that aren¡¯t my military uniform to wear. ¡°Aria?¡± Lucas asks, snapping me out of my thoughts as I look at him again to find the older man tilting his head. ¡°Got lost in your thoughts again, did ya?¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry about that,¡± I apologize before answering his question, ¡°And yeah, I do have some plans for the month.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he says with a smile, only to glance behind him when the bell on the door rings and finally get up from his seat. ¡°Well, got other customers to go see to now. Stay well, Aria!¡± ¡°You too,¡± I tell him before focusing on my wine glass again. Okay, so first I need to go stop by the new manor to check it out. Then I¡¯ll hunt for a bit, and maybe I might go find one of the other officers of the division and ask for a sparring match to get used to the soul energy improvement. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Right now I am level 4, so I have four soul cores devoured. Those being the legate from before, the Invasion General, and two random yet stronger officers of the invaders forces. All of whom give me a nice amount of replenishable soul energy to work with. At the same time, I¡¯m chock full of temporary soul energy from being on battlefields and naturally draining away the soul energy of the dead around me. But that energy is best saved for an emergency. I take another sip of my wine before putting it back down on the table and looking out the window again. Things have certainly moved in an interesting direction ever since this System Initialization thing began. I can¡¯t help but wonder where things will go next.
The Grand Roan Empire Nearly a month later ¡°What do you mean their souls can¡¯t be found?!¡± Emperor Vorelius Cornelius Caesar shouts, his voice echoing throughout the entire Void Temple, shaking all of the priests with instinctive fear. Fear that fades away again just as quickly. ¡°I mean what I said, Your Majesty,¡± the Void Priest says with a light nod of his head, not showing any reaction whatsoever to the emperor¡¯s shout of anger. ¡°The souls of both your Legate Aresius Lesius and Sixth Prince Lucius Cornelius Caesar do not exist anymore.¡± ¡°You filthy priest, do not lie to me!¡± Vorelius shouts again while rushing forwards to grab the priest by the collar, only for the void priest to narrow his eyes as a flash of black light shines throughout the temple. And mere seconds later, a figure appears. Nothing more than a silhouette in all black. But all of the void acolytes and the void priest within the Void Temple immediately bow down to the silhouette despite the emperor¡¯s continued fury. The emperor, on the other hand, finds himself unable to move. Which snaps him out of his initial fury as he realizes exactly what he¡¯s just done. He attempted to assault a Void Priest of the Void Temple. Within their own temple no less. No¡­ ¡°Emperor of the Grand Roan Empire, thou hast violated the pact,¡± the void spirit floating at the center of the temple declares, his voice echoing throughout the building and beyond. ¡°How does thou plea?¡± The emperor quickly kneels down, unwilling to get on the bad side of any greater spirit, even if it¡¯s not a death spirit. And he quickly exclaims, ¡°Esteemed Spirit, a misunderstanding must have occurred. I was told that the souls of my underlings do not exist anymore.¡± He raises his head with a pleading look on his gruff face. ¡°This must be false, Esteemed One. A soul cannot be erased.¡± A few seconds pass in silence as the void spirit continues floating there, his empty gaze locked onto his priest before he looks at the emperor once more and says, ¡°Word has reached me. A pact has been broken. The souls devoured. Recompense must be paid in suit.¡± The Greater Spirit¡¯s words send a wave of both fear and shock through the emperor. Because the emperor knows that spirits are unable to lie. Meaning something or someone in the new world is capable of completely erasing souls. Is it one of the Class S Ability Holders? It can¡¯t be the true immortal, not with an ability that powerful already. So it has to be one of the others¡­ but which? He is quickly reminded that he has far more important matters at hand when the Greater Spirit continues, ¡°The Void Temple shall leave Roan. A ban hast also been placed upon all residents of the world.¡± The Greater Spirit then pauses as the emperor¡¯s face fills with absolute horror. ¡°Should more sins be committed upon the Void Temple, retribution will be swift.¡± Then the Greater Spirit waves his hand, making a wave of void energy flood over the temple before the emperor is teleported outside. And immediately after that, the temple itself vanishes from the planet, having been moved through the void by the Greater Spirit. Leaving the emperor to fall onto his knees in despair. ¡°No¡­¡± he mutters, unsure of what he should even be despairing about anymore. The loss of the ability to revive his forces, or the loss of his son. The permanent, irreversible loss of his son. A true death. And yet, he still feels some slight relief. Relief that the Greater Spirit didn¡¯t deem it necessary to eliminate his entire nation for the slight he committed out of parental rage. Silence fills the empty hill where the Void Temple used to be located for several minutes until, finally, the emperor begins to shed tears for his son. Because despite how harshly he treated him, he still cares for all of his children. In his own way. But now he¡¯s lost one for the first time in his life. One that cannot be brought back to life. The emperor of the Grand Roan Empire lets out a howl of grief and anger merged into one as he slams his fists against the ground, sending waves of black flame out all around him to torch everything within a kilometer¡¯s radius. Then, after going silent once more, he finally stands up and turns to look in the direction of the Gate. I should at least go bring his corpse back¡­ He takes in a deep breath and begins to head back to the capital, preparing to send a preliminary force through the Gate to the world. A world that should be void of all life now that a Greater Death Spirit was let loose on it. But then days pass by in utter silence after the preliminary force enters the Gate without a single word coming back from the other side. The emperor and his upper nobility all grow worried about this, only for most to eventually pass it off as the planet not being safe to enter yet. As them assuming that the planet was covered in far more miasma during the Greater Death Spirits¡¯ assault than they expected. That impression is shattered when they send the next preliminary force through wearing death element resistant armor. Armor that should allow them to survive a miasma filled planet. And the second preliminary force fails to return as well. Leaving everyone to realize one thing. There is still someone alive on the other end of the Gate. And that someone is not an ally. B1 | Chapter 36 Aria The morning of Aria¡¯s first day back I let out a yawn as I walk out of my bathroom, a towel going around my neck over the comfortable black cotton shirt I¡¯m wearing. And after heading to the little cafeteria in my manor to grab a bottle of wine, I go back to my room and change out of my shirt and shorts into my uniform. Then I go ahead and equip all of my weapons and everything else I need, such as my radio and medals, before heading out of my room again while still yawning. ¡°Lady Crimson, will you be needing a ride to the train, or will you be walking?¡± my butler asks while bowing once I reach the front welcoming room of the manor, having clearly been waiting here for me. The man has gray hair and is wearing a rather clean suit, is quite a bit taller than me, and has been a big help with managing this place since I found that he basically came with the manor. I wasn¡¯t gonna complain about free help with my manor, considering that the state is paying for him. And I knew I didn¡¯t really want to deal with managing this place myself. Plus the guy is very nice. Treats me like a granddaughter. Also kind of reminds me of Lucas from the caf¨¦. A caf¨¦ I¡¯ve visited damn near every day during my vacation. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and walk,¡± I tell him with a nod of my head, not really showing anything on my expression. ¡°Stay safe while I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°Of course, Lady Crimson,¡± the man says with a bow as I step out of the manor and into the rather large courtyard in front of it. Then I just walk around the fountain towards the gate and just jump right over it without bothering to have it opened. Over the course of the last month, I managed to put most of my matters in order. I got used to the power of my new life energy, which is strong enough to punch a hole through a tree. I raised my level once to level five through hunting, which isn¡¯t really much considering that the others of the division raised their levels by at least four or five in this time. One even raised their level by seven. That being the lieutenant colonel. And they, at their higher levels, are still about the same strength as me physically when I use my soul energy. Maybe a little stronger in the lieutenant colonel¡¯s case. Although I don¡¯t actually know what they need to do to level up. At this point it¡¯s become a rather private thing that no one tells others about. Their Class and purpose. Unlike the very start where a lot of the soldiers would gossip about it even if the government was trying to give them privacy. Mostly due to the continued research the government has been doing and releasing about the System making it sound like our purpose is a more private affair than most thought. I also got a new wardrobe, mostly just comfortable clothes, both Winter and Summer garb, but also a couple dresses in case another ball happens anytime soon. Aside from that, I mostly just relaxed during the month, taking the time off and sleeping in a lot. Particularly now that my nightmares have mostly gone away. Still not sure why they went away though. Not complaining either. I glance down as I walk, looking at my new uniform. Unlike the previous one that I had, which was all black with a black and red jacket over it, this one is white and red ¨C mostly white ¨C with a black and red jacket. And the jacket itself is fancier than my old one. With the medal pinned to the left shoulder of it and my major bars on the right. It still feels weird to know that I¡¯m a major now though. Considering that I was previously just a warrant officer a few months ago. I continue walking through the streets, occasionally nodding my head at a civilian when they wave at me or say hi. Because at this point I¡¯ve become something of a celebrity, considering the number of my pictures that I¡¯ve seen in newspapers. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. And my name and unique appearance certainly helps as well, considering my red eyes and snow-white hair. Neither of which are common, if almost ever seen. I¡¯ve personally never seen someone else with hair like mine outside of my family. I¡¯m also sure the emperor is absolutely loving this. The corners of my lips quirk upwards at that sarcastic thought. He hasn¡¯t sent anyone to capture me yet, likely because he knows the First General and the Republic as a whole would immediately go out to search for me. And the First General and other generals know about our past to a degree, so he¡¯d be the first person they¡¯d check. Combining that with the fact that he obviously can¡¯t kill me, the emperor is literally just a sitting duck for me right now. And I absolutely love it. At this rate all I need to do is make a few more great achievements for the Republic and then the First General may very well let me get away with killing him in his own damned house. I smile at the thought of finally getting my revenge after a long ten years of fighting. But the remembrance that I¡¯m currently heading back to war right now¡­ kind of dumbs down that excitement a bit. Because, despite my aversion towards them, the other officers of the division are starting to grow on me. No matter my attempts to avoid the hell out of them. Harvey kept trying to get me to go shopping, and against my better judgment, I went with her at least once. Just because I¡¯m not very good at fashion. Snow brought me to a bar where he bribed me with good wine. The scoundrel. Rogers just kinda visited a couple times without saying much, but he was already growing on me before this. And the lieutenant colonel has been my sparring partner. Something I needed to get used to my soul energy and newfound strength from leveling, not to mention fighting someone stronger than me, but also something that led to him growing on me a bit too. Although I barely spent any time with Vargas. He seems to not exactly be the most pleasant guy to work with. Kind of reminds me of someone who¡¯s putting on a face. Like he doesn¡¯t really care about most of the people around him and only cares about himself and nothing more than that. I guess I¡¯m not much different in that regard, other than the fact that I do try to avoid causing others trouble if I can, and I don¡¯t exactly put on a face. Whereas he doesn¡¯t care about causing other people trouble. So my mission to avoid getting close to the other officers of the division is a major failure other than Vargas. At this point I already know I¡¯ll be upset if they die as well. And we¡¯re already heading back to battle. Where that could very well happen. I grit my teeth at that thought, but continue walking, nonetheless. Because forward is the only way to go.
¡°Officers of the Predator Division, your next mission is to infiltrate the Arterian Empire to find out why they have undergone complete radio silence on us,¡± the First General declares from the front of the room, having taken on the point of directing the briefing herself this time. ¡°But before that, a debriefing on the situation with the invaders and the Gate.¡± She waves her hand, making the illusion she has at the front of the room change to show a miniature version of a cave with a large arc in the back filled with a purplish blue energy. ¡°This is the Gate, and as you can see, seeing the other side of it is not possible without passing through,¡± she continues as the six of us study the Gate. ¡°During the past week, the invaders have sent two squads of soldiers through the Gate. However, both of the squads were incredibly surprised when they saw us standing there. And as it turns out, the Gate can only be used a limited number of times every week, and people can only pass through once every day. So we quickly rounded them up and took them prisoner.¡± She snaps her fingers, her hands held behind her back while the illusion changes again to show two sets of prisoners. ¡°From what we¡¯ve been able to gather,¡± she pauses while nodding her head towards Vargas, implying that she had him work briefly during our vacation, ¡°the invaders employed a being known as a Greater Death Spirit to eliminate everyone on this planet, so they were expecting us all to be dead.¡± The First General pauses with a raised brow. ¡°As you can tell, that didn¡¯t happen. But no one knows why we are alive, with no apparent events that would imply a world-ending being having been summoned to our world. Neither they, nor us.¡± Wait¡­ that purple flash of light that no one else remembered¡­ I keep my face fully neutral as the link comes to mind. ¡°Furthermore, it would appear that the Invasion General that Major Crimson killed is unable to be revived, leading to their emperor growing incredibly harsh on his own people as of late,¡± the general continues, glancing at me briefly in the process. And so do the others. ¡°They do not know how this is possible, but the soldiers themselves personally believe that the Greater Death Spirit must be behind it somehow.¡± No, it was me. But thank you to that death spirit for giving me an excuse. ¡°Lastly, the Emperor of the Grand Roan Empire committed an offense towards their planet¡¯s Void Temple, causing the Greater Void Spirit in charge of the temple to abandon their world, meaning they can no longer revive themselves,¡± the general says with a hint of smugness on her face. ¡°Therefore we no-¡± A loud alarm suddenly begins to blare through the fortress that used to be the invaders¡¯, making us all jump to our feet and rush out of the room to figure out what¡¯s going on. And within minutes we¡¯re all out on the walls, only to find ourselves looking at¡­ a temple? A temple just sitting in between some cliffs not far from the fortress. Huh? B1 | Chapter 37 Aria The temple appears to be somehow embedded halfway into the cliff wall itself, just barely to the north of the fortress. And there are dozens of people in robes outside of it. Black and gray robes. All level 10 as well. Meanwhile the temple itself is also black and gray, and it has two narrow towers in front of it, with a large triangular building placed halfway into the cliff, some fountains that are flowing perfectly well despite the ice cold temperatures of the Great Divide, and some sort of magical bubble around it. One that¡¯s blocking the snow from entering. ¡°Looks like we found their temple,¡± the First General says after a brief period of silence. Another brief window of silence passes before she begins barking out orders to everyone, gathering up the other two nearby generals while also finding everyone lieutenant colonel rank and above. Then she moves out to the temple, having us from the Predator Division follow after just in case. We silently walk through the snow towards the robed individuals outside of the temple who I can only guess are either acolytes or priests. And when we get close enough, each one of them bows their heads, their hands in their robes held together almost as if the seams of their sleeves were connected while they bow. ¡°We greet the natives of this world and welcome you to the Temple of the Void,¡± they all declare simultaneously, sending a slight chill down my spine at just how creepy it sounds. It¡¯s like a horror novel brought to life. After a second, they all raise their heads again, each with blank looks on their faces. Then one slightly differently dressed man steps out of the temple, the doors not actually opening as he does it, leading him to just casually walk through the doors. The man is also wearing robes, but his look more pristine. Which I suppose probably marks him as a higher up to these people. Also, I can¡¯t help but notice that these people all have purple numbers above their heads instead of the usual light gray. But that isn¡¯t important right now. ¡°Welcome to the Temple of the Void, I am Vel¡¯Torian de Val, Priest of the Void and head of this temple,¡± the man says with a light nod of his head, showing far less deference than the others. ¡°Please, follow me.¡± The First General quickly replies, ¡°Of course, lead the way.¡± Which is to be expected, considering what we stand to gain from the Temple of the Void. Revival. And if we manage to get that before the Arterians? Then the war is pretty much ours. Once it continues, that is. And I¡¯m sure it will soon enough, now that the invaders have been taken care of for now. Especially since the Arterians are the best source of levels for us growing stronger and preparing for the invaders again. Sort of like two bugs devouring each other for the other¡¯s power so that they can survive a more powerful bug. Not sure why I used bugs in that metaphor though. We follow the Void Priest into the temple, also passing straight through the black stone doors without them opening. Which is so bizarre. And right after we enter the temple, I find myself¡­ appearing in an overhang above a large room. One that looks akin to a worshiping room that I saw in older pictures from before religions died out. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. But my thoughts come to a halt when I see myself standing down in the worshiping room amongst the others as we all walk towards the statue where the Void Priest comes to a stop and turns around to speak with them. What¡¯s going on¡­? ¡°Pale One, Horseman of the Apocalypse, and beloved of the Spirits of Death,¡± a powerful voice echoes in my head, making me turn around to find some sort of black silhouette standing behind me. ¡°This one greets Death. Should the Lady needeth the Spirits of Void, a bargain may be struck.¡± I blink in surprise and an awkward feeling of having no idea how I¡¯m supposed to respond. Then I tense up slightly, only to relax again when their last words register in my mind. So¡­ they know I¡¯m Death, and that¡¯s probably why they moved to our world. And they¡¯re willing to bargain with us only because I¡¯m here. Not entirely sure how I understood all of that considering their odd way of speaking, but whatever. No idea what it means by beloved of the Spirits of Death though. I¡¯ve heard of the spirits from Vargas¡¯s mind reading of the invaders, but most of what the invaders knew was that spirits are incredibly powerful beings that are comparable to gods in some ways. In fact, some of the spirits are quite literally worshiped as gods. Like this one apparently. Also heard that death spirits are terrifying creatures that are even stronger than the other spirits and very much hate the living. Well, whatever. That¡¯s not important right now. ¡°You have my greetings as well, Spirit of the Void,¡± I tell the faceless creature in front of me with a light nod of my head, reacting based on what feels right from their own words. The faceless spirit nods its head and vanishes in an instant. Then a copy of the Void Priest from down in the worshiping area appears next to me and bows, saying, ¡°Lady Death, I am here to answer any questions you may have.¡± I stare at the priest for a second before glancing down at the worshiping area again where this very same guy is talking politely to the First General and the other two generals. Then I look back at the man again up here. He glances down at the lower area for a second before looking at me again and answering my unasked question, ¡°The Greater Void Spirit is casting a projection of our physical forms down to keep up appearances for the others. We assumed you didn¡¯t wish for your identity to be exposed, so they decided to go about our first meeting this way.¡± Huh. Surprisingly considerate. ¡°Thank you,¡± I tell him with a nod of my head. ¡°Of course, as the Horseman of Death yourself, your position within our halls is on par with the Nine Grands of the Universe,¡± the Void Priest continues with another bow of his head. ¡°Therefore you are due all the respect of your station.¡± Interesting. Treating me as if I were one of the most powerful beings in the universe despite being rather weak in comparison to him. And I know he¡¯s strong, just from a glance. I¡¯m pretty sure he could tear me apart with ease, and I¡¯m not even sure how I know this. Which is all the more terrifying, if I¡¯m being honest. He¡¯s far stronger than the generals down below, and I for some reason get the feeling that he¡¯s also got a Category 5 ability. Hmm, well, if they¡¯re letting me ask questions, there¡¯s been something I¡¯ve wanted to ask for a while now. ¡°Do you know if it¡¯s possible to revive my family?¡± I ask, barely making it through saying the words without tripping over them. ¡°They died ten years ago.¡± The Void Priest looks surprised at that, but he quickly shakes his head and answers, ¡°No, that would be impossible.¡± I immediately feel my heart crashing down again, even as I ask, ¡°Would you mind explaining why?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he replies without hesitation. ¡°Beings who are not within the System yet do not have a strong enough soul to be revived.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± I mutter. I take in a deep breath and close my eyes, quenching down the gut wrenching pain that I feel in my heart at the hope I had begun building up ever since hearing about revival being possible getting crushed so quickly. And after letting out the deep breath again, I open my eyes again and move on to the next question I want to ask. So I reach up and grab the red jewel necklace before pulling it out of my collar and resting it atop my clothes as I ask, ¡°Do you know what this jewel is?¡± The Void Priest, who hasn¡¯t shown any emotion on his face whatsoever since I first saw him, blinks seemingly in surprise. Then he takes a single step forward, looks at it closer, and proceeds to step back again while answering, ¡°I may know what it is, however, if I may ask for some time before I tell you.¡± That has me frowning before I ask, ¡°Why?¡± He bows his head politely and explains, ¡°I would like to use this time to confirm my current theory on the jewel and discuss with a few others before sharing it.¡± I stare at the priest for a few seconds before I eventually nod my head and quietly mutter, ¡°Okay.¡± Silence fills the little balcony as the discussions below negotiating the Republic¡¯s relationship with the Void Temple continue. I¡­ didn¡¯t expect an otherworlder to know about it. Just¡­ who are my parents anyways? B1 | Chapter 38 Aria The Crimson family is famous across the entire continent for everyone in it having Category 5 abilities, no matter what. My parents, my uncle, myself, and even my older brother. Everyone had Category 5 abilities. We were the most powerful family in what was left of the world. But no one really knew where we came from, and my parents never told me where we came from either. Just said that they¡¯d tell me about it when I got old enough. Something that never happened before their deaths. They couldn¡¯t have been otherworlders, because the System would¡¯ve initialized if they were¡­ unless there¡¯s some special clause that made it not initialize? Maybe because they weren¡¯t trying to conquer the world? Or maybe¡­ no, if they were a part of the System, then the emperor¡¯s men would never have been able to kill them. I¡¯m not even sure how he managed to kill them, since I wasn¡¯t home when it happened. And Uncle Jake¡¯s ability is mostly for healing. Doesn¡¯t help that I was taken out the moment we arrived, so I didn¡¯t even see Uncle Jake fight. ¡°Please, just tell me everything you can about the jewel when you¡¯ve confirmed it,¡± I tell the Void Priest, making the man nod his head. And the silence returns again as we both just listen to the discussions down below. An act that is made a little awkward with the man leading the discussions technically standing right next to me staring directly at me like he¡¯s waiting for another question. I purse my lips as I try to think before eventually coming up with something and asking, ¡°Do you know anything about what my class could give me?¡± The Void Priest shakes his head and answers evenly, ¡°I apologize, but all I can offer you is some of the public details about what the other Horsemen can do. Would that be alright?¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I tell him with a nod. Because I¡¯m sure we probably have a lot of similarities. At least, in some ways. ¡°Very well then,¡± he continues with one last nod. ¡°The Black Horseman of the Apocalypse, Famine, is able to grow stronger the more he starves others. The more famine and hunger that¡¯s around him. Not only is he able to pull on the energy of pure Gluttony from those around him to enhance his body and perform magic, but his purpose is to bring famine unto others.¡± So basically the same as me, but with hunger instead of death. Although I am curious about this mention of performing magic with the energy, since I only know how to enhance my body with it. ¡°The majority of the Black Horseman¡¯s skills are unknown to the public, however, there is one that is very well known,¡± the Void Priest pauses for a second as he looks down at the group below who are starting to finish up. ¡°He is able to directly sap twenty percent of the magical energy within every single being around him, enhancing his own power with it and thereby making forcing him down with numbers an impossible feat.¡± Oh, wow. That¡¯s¡­ kinda terrifying. ¡°My apologies, Lady Death, but we are out of time,¡± the Void Priest suddenly says with another bow. ¡°Unless you care not for your identity being exposed to those down below, the esteemed Greater Void Spirit will return us to the others now.¡± Already? Guess they were in a rush to negotiate. ¡°Alright,¡± I state with a nod, and immediately after, I find myself back down below as we and the rest of the officers and generals make our way out of the Void Temple. Fortunately I was able to hear everything going on from where I was standing. And from what I heard, it sounds like we got a good deal going. The ability to revive anyone capable of revival within one year of their deaths at the price of a mansion¡¯s worth of gold. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Looks like the Void Spirit really is keeping silent about how I¡¯m the only reason they¡¯re even willing to work with our world in the first place. Although considering that the Greater Void Spirit didn¡¯t even show itself to the generals¡­ I get the feeling it really doesn¡¯t view them as anything more than ants or something. The type of thing that you just instinctively ignore without even realizing it¡¯s there. No arrogance, no pride, no none of that. Just a blatant ¡®you¡¯re so small that I didn¡¯t know you existed¡¯ sort of thing. Honestly a little frightening. And the void spirits aren¡¯t even the strongest of spirits. The death spirits apparently have them beat by quite a large margin. Terrifying. Oh, shit, I forgot to ask about that ¡®beloved of the Spirits of Death¡¯ thing¡­ I purse my lips as we step through the doors ¨C once again without them opening ¨C and outside of the temple. Then I just give a mental shrug, deciding that I can ask about it the next time I visit. For now I just need to figure out how to visit them, since it¡¯d probably look weird if I just visited them for no reason out of the blue. Especially since I¡¯m sure the temple will be highly monitored by the generals to make sure none of our soldiers mess with them and piss them off. And an officer, regardless of my rank or ability, constantly visiting for no reason would definitely set off warnings in their minds. I spend our trip to the meeting room mentally debating on any sort of excuse I can think of. But nothing really comes to mind, all the way till the post-negotiation meeting begins. Then again, I end up spending the meeting continuing my inner brainstorming since the meeting actually doesn¡¯t affect me at all. I do still pay attention though. Eventually the meeting comes to a close, with me still not having found a good excuse to visit. Immediately after the meeting, the First General pulls us from the Predator Division back into the previous meeting room we were using before continuing the briefing she was giving us. ¡°To start where we left off, since the Grand Roan Empire is no longer able to revive themselves, we likely don¡¯t have to worry about them sending any forces through the Gate until after the three year System restriction period,¡± she begins while standing at the front of the room. ¡°However, just in case that assumption turns out false, we will always have forces assigned to watch over the Gate.¡± The lieutenant colonel raises his hand, and after getting a nod from the First General, he asks, ¡°Ma¡¯am, is there a reason why we can¡¯t simply destroy the Gate entirely?¡± She frowns at that and purses her lips as she answers, ¡°Yes. We have already tried, but nothing we¡¯ve come up with so much as scratches the Gate.¡± Which leaves war as the only alternative. ¡°Now, as you all should know, the best method of growing our military might in this new reality of ours is through war, as most of our soldiers have a combat related class and purpose,¡± the First General continues while looking at each of our faces. ¡°And we had assumed that the war would resume soon after we pushed the invaders back out of our world.¡± Her eyes narrow. ¡°But it didn¡¯t. We haven¡¯t heard so much as a single word from the empire, nor any of our remaining spies amongst their ranks.¡± That¡¯s¡­ ominous. Also, I knew we still had spies in their Empire. Even though the orders at the start of this System Initialization thing said for even the spies to return. Must¡¯ve been a ploy for the Empire¡¯s own spies, since I¡¯m sure they have some too. ¡°After some attempts to figure out what was going on, each of which failed without any hint of intel, we decided to send in the only team we were certain could infiltrate the Empire and return safely,¡± she finishes while meeting my eyes with a look that says pretty much exactly what I¡¯m thinking. While the Republic would never want to sacrifice the six of us, they know at the very least that I cannot die. So all they would have to do is figure out where I am and rescue me if I were to be captured. Then I could tell them everything they want to know. The fact that they¡¯re resorting to this means there must be something bigger going on here that we don¡¯t know about. Something so threatening that it would make them risk their biggest weapons on. After a few seconds of consideration, my eyes widen in shock as a possibility comes to mind. I raise my hand, and the First General immediately nods at me with the others turning to look in my way as well. ¡°Do you suspect another Gate opened up within the Empire?¡± I ask, my voice echoing out into the room, making it go completely silent in a single instant. No one says anything for several seconds, instead just staring at the First General. And when she finally nods her head and answers, ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± everyone sucks in a breath, feeling shocked by this information. ¡°We need you six to go find out what is going on,¡± she repeats. ¡°Your orders are to enter the Arterian Empire and to discover whether or not another Gate has opened up, and if one has, find the location of the Gate and the identity of the organization behind it. If one hasn¡¯t opened up, discover what has caused the change in the Empire¡¯s behavior. You¡¯re to leave in the morning.¡± She clicks her boots together and finishes, ¡°Dismissed.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡± we all declare before leaving the meeting room. This¡­ is going to be an interesting mission. Guess I better get used to having sand in my clothes. B1 | Chapter 39 Aria On our little trek through the frigid wastelands of the Southern Pass, we wear officer uniforms stolen from Arterian officers. But after we climb up the side of the cliff nearest the dunes, we take a moment to change out of the uniforms to more normal clothing that would be seen in Arteria. The clothes we change into consist of much lighter clothes than what we wear in Albaria, with thinner and slicker material of a much brighter shade. Mostly to deal with the heat of the deserts. My outfit in particular is that of a white shirt lined with a few crimson lines along with a pair of basic black pants. Meanwhile I have my officer uniform and some other outfits stored in a storage ring on my right index finger. Something the Republic only gives out to officers of major rank and above. Which makes me really glad that I reached major rank. Storage items can only be made by several Ability Holders working together. With the Ability Holders including enchanters, alchemists, spatial mages, and forgers. Enchanters being those Ability Holders who can infuse magic into items through some sort of ancient runes. Alchemists being those who can mix together strange ingredients to create powerful items and other objects while fusing mana into the creation and mixing process. Forgers are those who can enhance special metals and craft them into unique metallic objects and weapons. And spatial mages being spatial mages. Just a single storage ring requires all four to work together to forge it. An alchemist to create the materials for it, a forger to forge it into a powerful ring, an enchanter to place holding enchantments on it that are meant to hold certain spells, and a spatial mage to place a spatial storage spell within the enchantments. So they cost an arm and a leg. I stretch a little while looking at the others who are still changing, each behind a tent for privacy. Then I look out over the edge of the cliff. Honestly, it¡¯s rather surprising that they don¡¯t have anyone watching the cliffs near the edge of the Pass. I know we do on our end. Probably another result of this strange circumstance that they¡¯re in. Possibly the doing of the invaders from that potential Gate. We still need to be on guard, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen Harvey¡¯s ability fail us thus far, considering it¡¯s incredible sensitivity and range. So I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have a problem. Actually, that ability is probably another reason why we were sent here. I kneel down close to the edge of the cliff as I look out in the direction of the fortress, but I only barely make it out from here. And that¡¯s solely because this is a barren and rather flat wasteland. On the other hand, I can see the dunes on the horizon beyond said fortress. After a second, I go ahead and pull my rifle out of my storage ring and look through the scope at the fortress. But I find the Arterian soldiers just sitting there as if nothing¡¯s wrong. ¡°Weird¡­¡± I mutter while lowering my scope again and frowning in the direction of the fortress. ¡°Weird indeed,¡± the commander says, bringing my gaze to find him approaching me wearing a pair of white pants and a white shirt, with black lines going down either side of the pants and shirt that match rather well. Didn¡¯t realize he had a good sense of fashion. I turn back towards the fortress again and continue looking through the scope of my rifle as he continues, ¡°Major Harvey hasn¡¯t sensed anything unusual about their fortress either.¡± ¡°Then we need to be even more careful than normal, right?¡± Captain Snow adds, but I don¡¯t bother looking back at him. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Better careful than dead,¡± First Lieutenant Vargas says, as happy-go-lucky as always. ¡°Let¡¯s continue moving along the cliff,¡± the commander orders, making me climb back to my feet after putting my rifle into my storage ring again. ¡°Major Harvey can keep an eye out as we march.¡± ¡°Understood, sir,¡± everyone declares, Majors Harvey and Rogers both having arrived at some point as well. Then we begin moving across the cliff tops without another word. The silence stretches on for a while as we march, and after half an hour, Major Harvey raises a hand to stop us. So we draw to a halt. A few seconds pass before she whispers, ¡°There¡¯s something¡­ strange. Just a few meters ahead of us.¡± I frown before narrowing my eyes in front of us, but I don¡¯t see anything. None of the others seem to either, so after a brief discussion, we end up deciding to send me through with Harvey¡¯s barriers covering me. Since we don¡¯t know what it is. And Harvey can tell that it¡¯s spanning across the entire cliff and past the fortresses through the wastelands as a massive wall. The only thing we can do is hope her barriers block it and make it not activate when I pass through. After she covers me with her barriers, the others all step back to avoid any dangerous traps, and I walk straight past the invisible barrier. Only for a loud alarm to begin blaring out across the cliffs with a bright beacon shining from where we are. ¡°Well fuck,¡± the commander mutters, and I can¡¯t help but agree. ¡°Run for it!¡± Without any hesitation, we all immediately begin to run straight across the cliff while Rogers enhances each of us. Meanwhile I use a small part of my soul energy reserves to enhance myself further and keep up with the higher level officers. Arterian soldiers begin rushing out of the fortress, but they¡¯re too far away to even see us thanks to our position high atop the cliffs. Unless they have an ability user specializing in farsight that is. But even then, all they¡¯d see are the purple barriers Harvey is putting up along the edge of the cliff to block us from view. That way the Arterians wouldn¡¯t be able to know exactly who we are, what we are, our levels, or our numbers. We continue running for a while, eventually losing sight of the chasers entirely. Then we continue running for a bit longer after that, just to make sure. And as soon as we¡¯re certain it¡¯s safe, we all collapse into naught more than piles of sweat and exhaustion on the cliff. Or, rather, they do. I just stand watch while looking out off the cliff, having already recovered. ¡°What¡­ was¡­ that¡­¡± Snow asks in between pants of exhaustion. ¡°No¡­¡± Vargas pants, ¡°¡­idea¡­¡± A few seconds pass as they all try to catch their breath before Harvey stands up again, her hands on her knees and says, still slightly out of breath, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ it wasn¡¯t something I¡¯ve ever seen on Vortel before¡­¡± I glance at the commander to find him having risen to his full height, still heaving a little in exhaustion himself while seemingly deep in thought. Meanwhile Rogers looks like he¡¯s perfectly fine. Likely because it¡¯s his own enhancement magic that he was using on us. Probably helps him more than us. I turn to look out from the cliff again at the dunes of sand we¡¯re now above as the others discuss amongst themselves ¨C while still panting ¨C about what just happened. But after a few seconds, I find my eyes narrowing at the sight of some people beginning to crest over the dunes. People who aren¡¯t dressed as Arterian soldiers. They look more like¡­ merchants? ¡°Guys, we¡¯ve got company,¡± I warn them, interrupting whatever it is they were saying. And each one of them quickly begins moving over towards me to look out over the cliff as well. ¡°But they don¡¯t appear to be Arterians.¡± Not only are they not wearing the garb of Arterian soldiers, but they¡¯re not even wearing clothes from here either. They seem to be wearing some sort of white and purple, high class merchant garb. Garb that is very alien to anything we¡¯ve ever seen, and quite a bit higher quality as well. We watch them for a few seconds, but to our surprise, none of them appear to be very harmful. They¡¯re all around level ten, yes, but they aren¡¯t armed. Not a single one has a weapon on their person. ¡°You think¡­¡± I mutter, a frown on my face. ¡°Yeah,¡± the commander responds with a nod of his head from his spot standing next to me, ¡°looks like we found the invaders from this new Gate.¡± And the fact that they¡¯re casually roaming around the dunes of Arteria isn¡¯t a good sign for what¡¯s going on, especially considering that the Arterians are still manning the fortresses. Although they¡¯re also not with any Arterians right now, nor are they armed¡­ Are these invaders¡­ really merchants? One of the Nine Grands comes to mind as I think of otherworlder merchants, but it¡¯s highly unlikely that it would be one of those. From what we¡¯ve heard after all, the Nine Grands don¡¯t bother themselves with brand new worlds very much. If ever. The maybe-merchants continue approaching at rather fast speeds across the dunes riding atop some sort of odd machines that I¡¯ve never seen before. Narrow ones that appear to hover above the sands and have a single seat, with a glowing blue energy coming out of the back of them. Meanwhile the merchants themselves, after looking through my scope, appear to be staring straight at us. Then multiple things click in my mind at once. For one, these invaders really do appear to be working alongside the Arterians in some form if they¡¯re able to freely travel across the dunes with transportation like that without being caught by one of the cities. Then for two, that alarm from before must¡¯ve been set up by these guys if even Harvey, who I heard worked at the Enchanter Association in the Albarian capital in the past, has never heard of it. And lastly, the symbol on their shoulders. It looks exactly like one of the symbols in the set that was on that intel sheet a while back. The symbol of the Eternal Dynasty. The neutral merchants of the Grand Nine. B1 | Chapter 40 On the Ocean World of Eternus Not long ago ¡°So then,¡± Shirou Amatsuraki says while looking at the coin he¡¯s repeatedly twirling through his fingers, rocking it from one finger onto the next. A habit he¡¯s had for longer than he can remember. ¡°We found them?¡± ¡°Yes, Excellency,¡± the man¡¯s assistant standing on the other end of the room with a clipboard in his hand says with a light nod of his head and a grin on his face. ¡°News has arrived that the Void Temple on the Beta Tier world known as Roan has left the world and moved to settle on the Gamma Tier newly initiated world. And along with that news, we¡¯ve received a few interesting tidbits of intel about that new world.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± the Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty utters, still playing with his coin. ¡°It would appear that the world has at least six Class S Ability Holders,¡± the assistant says, making the Emperor finally send a brief glance over at him, only for the man to return his gaze to the coin again a second later. ¡°And one of those Ability Holders has the ability ¡®True Immortal¡¯.¡± That makes the Emperor finally stop twirling his coin for several seconds to focus on the assistant, the man finally having most of his attention. However, after a few seconds, the Emperor turns to focus on his coin again as he raises it to the light with one eye closed and says, ¡°The world must either have a low population or terrible resources for its Tier to be so low. And a true immortal will be the perfect business partner, but I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Excellency, we also received word that one of these six, possibly the true immortal herself, may possess the power to erase a soul permanently,¡± the assistant interrupts the Emperor, making the man¡¯s eyes instantly move back to the assistant again while narrowing. ¡°Furthermore, the Grand Roan Empire supposedly summoned a Greater Death Spirit to Vortel, and the world is still alive with no signs of miasma.¡± A few seconds pass in silence. ¡°Do we know the name of this true immortal?¡± he asks, making the assistant frown for a second before nodding. The assistant quickly answers, ¡°Their name is Aria Crimson.¡± As soon as the Emperor hears her last name, a very brief flash of surprise crosses his face, only to vanish again right after. Lasting just barely long enough for his assistant to see. It can¡¯t be. But even if she doesn¡¯t turn out to be Death, it may be worth getting into contact with this true immortal regardless. And so, the Emperor finally returns to playing with his coin once more, putting his feet up on his desk as his shoulder-length white hair falls over his stark white eyes and he says, ¡°Purchase the coordinates of this new world, send some lower ranked merchants there, and hide a few analyzers amongst them to scour the world for Death.¡± ¡°And if she¡¯s found to truly be the Pale Horseman?¡± his assistant asks while writing down the instructions on a note on his clipboard. The Emperor raises the coin as he spins his chair to look out his window at the endless oceans with large cities built upon pillars and towers stretching from beneath the waters beyond. And the very instant lightning strikes the ocean, sending the clap of thunder all across the capital, he sends electricity of his own through the coin and says, ¡°Then we¡¯ll send higher ranking merchants and create business ties with her and whatever power she¡¯s a part of.¡±
Aria After seeing the five approaching merchants stop their approach and realizing what faction they¡¯re with, I relax ever so slightly. But not fully, because there¡¯s no telling if these people are who their outfits say they are. ¡°Commander-¡± Harvey begins, only to pause when the merchant at the front of the group pulls out some sort of radio-like device and speaks into it. Then a voice echoes out from their position. ¡°We swear we have no harmful intentions towards you. If possible, we would like to speak. If not, shake your heads and we will leave.¡± I blink in surprise before glancing at the commander. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°I don¡¯t believe they mean us any harm,¡± Major Harvey says, attracting all of our attention towards her. ¡°I searched their persons with my senses, and they don¡¯t seem to be preparing for combat. Their bodies don¡¯t have the usual tension, they aren¡¯t armed with any easy to reach weapons, and I see a storage ring that they are directly letting me see the inside of. And it¡¯s filled with strange merchandise.¡± ¡°Any weapons in that merchandise?¡± the commander asks while turning to look at the invading merchants again. ¡°Negative,¡± she answers, ¡°it¡¯s all food and building supplies, mixed with some strange technology. But while I can¡¯t figure out the exact purpose of the tech, I can tell it¡¯s not meant for combat.¡± She can tell all that from here? Damn her ability is powerful. Even stronger than I thought. ¡°In that case¡­¡± the commander frowns for a second before turning to the cliff and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s head down there.¡± ¡°Roger that,¡± I respond before jumping down from the cliff without a hint of hesitation to eventually land on the sand down below, leading to a loud crunching sound coming from my legs as they completely snap. Then they repair within a second and I begin walking away from the cliff while the others make their own ways down. Which mostly involves taking advantage of either Harvey¡¯s barriers or Snow¡¯s ice blades. I make my way over to the merchants while the others come down, gliding high above my head as I walk until we all arrive nearly at the same time in front of the mercenaries. But I make sure to keep a pistol in my hand just in case. Snow also keeps a few blades of ice above his head, but to my surprise, the merchants seem completely unfazed. In fact, they appear to be attempting to accommodate us as well as they possibly can to assuage any fears we may have. Which seems¡­ a little generous. The Eternal Dynasty is known as the largest neutral power in the entire universe. They do not enter any conflicts and are a purely mercantile nation. And it¡¯s led by someone who only really cares about entertainment and getting more money. No one really knows which one he cares about more though. I furrow my brows slightly as I remember that intel given out to the officers. Intel that was¡­ rather deep. Took me days to read through it, albeit with my time limited by work. ¡°Greetings,¡± the man at the front of the merchants says before surprising us all, ¡°Twilight Huntsman, Overdrive, Mystic Warden, Arctic Edge, Psionic Inquisitor, and,¡± he pauses as his gaze eventually lands on me, having alternated from each one of us as he says our titles, ¡°Crimson Eternal.¡± Then he looks at the commander again with a polite smile on his face despite the wariness all six of us are showing him. ¡°I am the new representative for the world of Vortel, Yusuke Yoshida, at your service.¡± The man gives a light and polite bow before seemingly waiting for a response. We all hesitate for a moment before the commander takes charge and asks, ¡°How do you know who we are? And what is your relationship with the Arterian Empire?¡± Mr. Yoshida answers right away without any irritation in his voice, ¡°We have technology that lets us spy on nearly every city in this world. And as for the Empire, we have made a few trades with them, but we haven¡¯t formally entered into any form of agreement.¡± His smile grows slightly. ¡°We were actually waiting on you to decide whether we would do that or not. But from what we¡¯ve been able to gather, it¡¯s not likely that we¡¯ll enter any sort of agreement with the Arterians.¡± He tilts his head. ¡°That¡¯s what you want, correct?¡± I blink in surprise, and I¡¯m not the only one as the others look just as surprised. Meanwhile the other merchants with Mr. Yoshida just begin taking a bunch of stuff out of their storage rings when Mr. Yoshida raises a hand and gestures at them, making us tense up a little. But everything they take out just makes it looks like they¡¯re setting up a stall or something. ¡°Yes, it is,¡± the commander says, sounding rather wary. ¡°Why are you so willing to please us, Mr. Yoshida?¡± ¡°My apologies, but my nation orders our names with the family names spoken first,¡± the man says, surprising me a little but not much. Then he answers the question, ¡°It is precisely because your nation has eight Class S Ability Holders as opposed to the one that the Arterian Empire has.¡± The man briefly glances at me before looking away again, making me furrow my brows. ¡°Your nation has also entered a pact with a Temple of the Void, thereby granting you the ability to revive should you die.¡± What was that look about? The commander continues asking question after question of the merchants, but they answer each and every one with patience. As if trying to sell themselves to a person of higher authority with everything they can muster, regardless of if anything could be considered rude from said authority. Why do I get a strange feeling from these people? It really does feel that they¡¯re genuine in wanting to work with us, and I feel like I can vaguely remember what he mentioned about the name thing from the intel, albeit only briefly mentioned in it. But it feels like they¡¯re not telling us one of the reasons why they¡¯re working with us to this degree. Lieutenant Colonel Striker seems to be trying to figure it out himself considering his questions, but every last one is answered perfectly by Mister¡­ Yusuke? By Mr. Yusuke. So he eventually just gives up, likely deciding to leave that to his own higher ups to figure out. Then we begin heading back to the cliff again in preparation to leave Arteria. And, of course, we don¡¯t make it even five steps before finding a large armed force of soldiers heading our way from the Southern Pass. So the commander immediately begins to head North instead, with us and the merchants following him. ¡°Let¡¯s just go to the Northern Pass instead,¡± he says, acting like we didn¡¯t see that large force of soldiers as the merchants bring out more of those modes of transportation they were riding and let us borrow them to make a hasty¡­ advance? I guess? Since we¡¯re heading further into Arteria technically. Anyways, Northward we go. B1 | Chapter 41 Aria So Aran isn¡¯t a very large continent compared to the other continents on Vortel, most of which were completely destroyed, the rest of which are just uninhabitable. But even Aran spans between six hundred to seven hundred kilometers in length from the edge of Albaria to the edge of Arteria. And probably about two thirds to three fourths of that in height, from the top of the Northern Pass to the bottom of the Southern Pass. Then there¡¯s these vehicles. Over the course of one day, we crossed what would normally take five to seven days on these strange vehicles the merchants call hoverbikes. With none of our pursuers being anywhere near close to able to keep up, and the cities we pass by unable to chase after. In fact, they probably don¡¯t even know what passed by in the first place. By the time we make it to the Northern Pass and are passing through, I¡¯m pretty sure the commander is absolutely sold on us working with them regardless of the risks. If for no other reason than the technological advancement we¡¯d gain from it. Although if I¡¯m being honest with myself, I can¡¯t help but agree. Especially if the alternative is them working with the Arterians, even if that¡¯s just an assumption of what they¡¯d do. Arterians who have already traded with them, hence that alarm. Over the course of our trip, the merchant¡¯s leader was oddly chatty with me. Pretty much explained to me the details of several different items that they had for sale, then implied that it may or may not have been what the Arterians purchased. But wouldn¡¯t say more. Which goes to show just how ¡®neutral¡¯ their neutrality is. They just don¡¯t directly work with one group to hurt another. They¡¯re perfectly fine with indirectly working with them. Honestly, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that they showed me each item they sold while telling me about them, then I¡¯d suspect if they gave false intel or not. It is entirely possible that they¡¯re lying about what items they sold, but we can figure all of that out when we reach the base and bring them to the First General. After entering the Northern Pass, climbing the cliffs again to avoid the fortresses and soldiers at Arteria¡¯s end of the Pass, we change into our military uniforms and put on all of our equipment. Then we just make our way to the former invaders¡¯ headquarters, passing through the Eastern Mountain Pass to get there. And the moment we arrive at the fortress, the commander takes the merchants to the First General, giving us time to rest now that we¡¯re back. I don¡¯t really care about them much after seeing them off, other than the technology they can bring us. Because it¡¯s not my job to deal with the otherworlder merchants. Even if I¡¯m pretty sure that Mr. Yusuke was trying to sell their virtues to me or something like that. Making them look like a good group to work with. Instead of giving the commander a good impression, they chose to try to impress me. Which makes me even more suspicious of them. But, once again, not really my problem right now. I head straight to my room to unpack before taking a quick shower and heading to the cafeteria for some wine. And while I¡¯m sitting down at my table, the others arrive as well. But I just ignore them as they discuss amongst themselves while sitting down at my table with food. Right when I¡¯m about to take my first sip of the wine, the alarm over the fortress rings out, making me almost spill my wine as I look up with a glare at the edge of the cafeteria hut where our alarm enchantment is etched. Seriously? I let out a sigh before downing a few large gulps of the wine and rushing off, glad that I have my storage ring to keep my ammunition and equipment now instead of having to leave the extra ammo in my room. It doesn¡¯t take me long to reach the command center. A building that has already been rebuilt with our own technology over the hut that it used to be when the invaders controlled this place. And when I do, I, along with the others of Predator Division who followed me, find everyone rushing around with the First General shouting out orders. The others of the division and I don¡¯t take long to figure out what¡¯s going on. Just hearing the orders the First General is shouting is enough. My eyes narrow. Looks like the Arterians are finally ending the truce and attacking all at once. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Time to go back to war again.
As soon as we meet back up with the commander, our Division quickly makes our way to the Eastern Mountain Fortress, at the edge of the Northern Pass. And what we find are the Arterians conducting a full-on assault of the fortress with some of the technology that Mr. Yusuke described to me. Including the more advanced weaponry. Specifically, more advanced guns, along with guns that are able to be supercharged with mana so that the gunpowder inside of them explodes with a more powerful force, with the guns themselves enhanced to handle it through enchantment and mana, and an additional enchantment made to the barrels for improved accuracy and power. Lastly, metals from off world used as the base, each enhanced by high level people. To the point that these bullets all blow straight through our armor as if the armor were mere paper. And that¡¯s not all. They blow straight through the people under the armor all the way through to the other side as well. ¡°Crimson, Snow, run wild,¡± the commander orders from our place on the wall looking out over the moonlit battlefield in front of the fortress walls. ¡°Rogers, support them. Harvey, protection and keep watch.¡± He glances at Vargas as I run over to the edge of the wall, and I barely hear him order, ¡°Vargas, you¡¯re to stay in the base and prepare to give a warm welcome to any soldiers we capture during this,¡± as I jump off of the wall towards the ground. I land with a crunch of my legs, only for them to repair themselves instantly along with my armor. Then my radio turns on and Striker¡¯s voice comes through, saying, ¡°Crimson, try to avoid killing the highest ranking officer you can find. Everyone else is fair game.¡± ¡°Roger that,¡± I respond before rushing forwards, ignoring the bullets beginning to make mincemeat of my armor and clothes even faster than they can repair themselves. And once I¡¯m close enough to shoot ¨C their weapons clearly having a longer range than ours ¨C I open fire on them, specifically shooting at the joints and their heads. The places that the merchants said their special armor was weakest at. Fortunately, it looks like he wasn¡¯t lying, as when my shots hit, they break through. And I quickly begin tearing through the enemies. [User has killed one being of Level 14. Requirements to reach level 6 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 401/3000 beings have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 13. Requirements to reach level 6 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 402/3000 beings have been granted Death.] ... The System updates come in one after another, just ticking up the counter with each soldier I kill. And judging by what I saw while on the wall, there are a lot of soldiers here. At least a force of twenty thousand men. Maybe even more. So that number¡¯s just going to continue climbing throughout the night as I fight in my first large scale battle in a while. Considering how the operations I¡¯ve been fighting on in the recent months have all been more covert ones. Or traps. They haven¡¯t been with large armies like this. I don¡¯t show any emotion on my face as I kill one soldier after another, my armor barely holding itself together from their shots and my own recklessness thanks to the large focus the creators put on the self-repair part of the enchantment. Meanwhile I manage to avoid some of the shots thanks to my soul energy. One soldier after another falls under my guns. And when I eventually run out of bullets, having already killed a few hundred of the soldiers on my own after running deep into enemy lines, I switch to using my sword. A weapon I was actually initially taught by my father when I was only five. Even if he didn¡¯t get very far and was rather gentle when he was teaching it. Apparently my family is big on swords. But just like whenever I use my sword on the battlefield before this whole System thing, I still feel numbed to all of the deaths I¡¯m causing. Which only makes me feel bad and a little dark. I feel like I should care, but after fighting for ten whole years without a say in the matter, I¡¯ve started to lose that care. And I still wonder. Am I really a monster like some of the Arterians so love to call me? These thoughts rattle through my head as I cut the soldiers apart with my sword, occasionally taking their own weapons and firing them at the enemies myself until they run out of bullets. Sometimes taking their own bayonets and running them through with them after they did so to me. And sometimes being blasted by spells or other abilities, gaining some new adaptations, and taking a short break while I recover ¨C still being shot at of course ¨C and then going back to the slaughter. Every time the enemy soldiers almost capture me and pin me down, I manage to snake away thanks to the support of my own allies. Every time ability users try to blast me with abilities to keep me dead, a barrier appears to block them when they begin to become too much to deal with. And the process continues on and on. So long that even those dark thoughts in my head fade away into the blood coating me from head to toe. I only barely notice the blades of ice flying through the enemies and tearing them to shreds from the wall where Snow is standing. Only barely notice the barriers protecting him and Rogers, who is using his support magic. And only barely notice the green glow emanating around the crimson glow on me, marking his enhancement ability boosting me as well. Time continues moving by at a crawl during the senseless slaughter until I finally hear a loud horn blowing from the fortress, snapping me out of my trance in but a single instant. And after that, I, along with every other soldier here both enemy and ally, turn to look at the wall, where we find the First General with a gun pointed at the back of a man¡¯s head. A man wearing what I recognize as a colonel¡¯s uniform. The second highest military officer rank in the Arterian military. Below only the four generals and the royal family themselves. Also most likely the man in charge of this army. ¡°Surrender now or die to the last!¡± The First General¡¯s voice echoes out across the entire battlefield, the woman clearly using her illusion ability to enhance it. ¡°This battle is over either way!¡± And just like that, swords, guns, and weapons of all kinds begin to clatter as the enemy soldiers drop them, making the weapons hit the ground. But it¡¯s not without losses on our own side, as I can clearly see from the dead Albarians all around us. I finally slow my breathing before looking down at myself and finding my body completely soaked in blood from head to toe. Then I raise my head again to look at the moon high above us, radiating out over the night. Well that¡­ was unpleasant. B1 | Story Art 3 Here''s the first story art for this bunch. It''s Aria during the formal party while she''s wearing a dress: Next up is a scene that hasn''t happened yet but will be happening soon enough: Here''s an old banner I was considering using before instead going with the current one: Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. And art of Shirou, the Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty in his office on the planet Eternus, capital world of the Dynasty: Next up is the full image of one of the book 1 cover options uncropped and without typography: And lastly, I''m sure some of you have seen the book 2 cover I''ve occasionally swapped in to the story on Royal Road. But here is the full image uncropped for it. I''m putting it in a spoiler in case you don''t want to see this one. What with it showing new skills she gets in book 2. B1 | Chapter 42 The Cliff Overlooking the Battle Not Long after the Predator Division joined the Fray Yusuke Yoshida, Two Star Merchant from the Eternal Dynasty, finds himself speechless as he watches the woman he had immediately suspected of being Death the moment he saw her and felt the death energy emitted from her body. Even without having his analyzers here on the continent yet, he knew that no being could unknowingly let out so much death energy. It just wasn¡¯t natural. Yusuke, who is a proud soul sword ¨C an ability user with the ability to use death energy to enhance a bladed weapon ¨C couldn¡¯t imagine what it would take to have so much death energy emitted by one¡¯s own body. Much less the soul energy he feels radiating out of her like a damned lighthouse. There wasn¡¯t any other possibility. But now that he sees her tearing across the battlefield without a single care for her own safety, simply taking one shot after another, one bladed strike, one cut off limb, even losing her head or having entire parts of her body completely blown to ash multiple times. As she just recovers from every single wound and kills the one who dealt the blow to her in return, sometimes with their own weapons that may or may not be left stuck inside of her in the case of blades. All while even more death energy is created and emanated from her with each and every wound. Now he can¡¯t see her as anything less than Death incarnate. She truly is Lady Death. Yusuke looks at the seer beside him, a young man the same age as Lady Crimson who is a part of his merchant group and has the ability to project himself and others to another location, only to find said seer staring dumbfoundedly at the woman. A woman who is both beautiful, cold, and terrifying all in one. And a woman that Yusuke remembered spotting the seer sending quick glances at. Like a boy in love. The Two Star Merchant understands how he feels. To some degree, at least. When he first saw her, he immediately understood the phrase ¡®there is beauty in death¡¯ even if that¡¯s probably not what the phrase was referring to. Now the boy¡¯s interest has most likely faded to fear instead. Yusuke shakes his head at the thought and focuses on the battle, simply watching it as a spectator. The merchant had two reasons to sell the technology to the Arterians before making contact with the Albarians. The first being that he wished to see the Crimson Eternal in action, believing that it would be a good way to judge whether or not she really is Death while they wait for the analyzer to arrive on the continent. And the second being that he knew it would spark the conflict up once more between the two nations sooner than it would¡¯ve otherwise sparked. A conflict that is needed in order for the Albarians to survive when the System restrictions lift. What he wasn¡¯t expecting was to immediately become convinced of who she was the moment he laid eyes on Death. Yusuke lets out a sigh as he crosses his arms and continues watching the girl¡¯s reckless charge. Then he furrows his brows slightly. Is it technically considered reckless¡­ if she can¡¯t actually die? He thinks about that for a moment before shaking his head, deciding that it doesn¡¯t matter. What matters to them is building their relationship up with the Albarians, and more importantly, with the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death. ¡°Now¡­¡± Yusuke mutters while tapping his arm, ¡°¡­to notify headquarters about this.¡± Then the Four or Five Star Merchant they send can make contact with Death and begin building stronger ties with her. After that thought, both he and the seer ¨C who is still stunned by the gruesome sight ¨C vanish from the cliff. But not before someone down on the fortress walls turns their head to look at where they were, having heard his words. Following which that someone narrows their own eyes.
Aria The others don¡¯t say anything after we get back from the battle. Leaving us to all return to the Central Fortress ¨C the name they dubbed the former headquarters of the invaders ¨C in complete silence. At least, until Harvey and I both arrive at our building, which is a separate building made for the two of us. Not all that big, but basically like a military-like house with two bedrooms. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Once we enter, she for some reason sets up barriers around the building and turns to me, saying, ¡°Aria, there¡¯s something you should know about those merchants.¡± I blink in surprise before asking, ¡°Did you overhear something?¡± She nods her head and says, ¡°I did. Their main reason for working for us seems to be related to you in some way.¡± Her brows furrow. ¡°Most of their conversations are telepathic, so I can¡¯t hear what they¡¯re saying, but the times they did speak out loud made this obvious.¡± I frown at that. Do they know that I¡¯m Death, just like the Greater Void Spirit? But how would they know? There shouldn¡¯t be anything¡­ unless there¡¯s something about me that makes it obvious? I look down while crossing my arms, trying hard to figure out what could¡¯ve clued them in. Could it¡¯ve been the permanent deaths of that prince and the legate? Or, well, anyone else I kinda devoured the soul cores of? Maybe it was the death spirit? Or could the Void Temple have told the Eternal Dynasty? I just don¡¯t know. ¡°Don¡¯t stress about it too much,¡± Harvey suddenly says, bringing my gaze up to her right when she pats my head as if I were a kid. ¡°We can help you. Just let us.¡± I stare at her for a few seconds, feeling more than a few conflicting thoughts running through my head. Then I eventually shake my head and step back, away from her hand. ¡°No, it¡¯s alright,¡± I tell her, putting my indifferent face back on again. ¡°You¡¯ve already helped me out a lot.¡± Then I begin to walk towards my room, only to pause at the door and briefly flash her a smile, ¡°Thank you.¡± And with that, I enter my room and close the door, ignoring the look of shock on her face at my smile. After entering my room, I head straight to the shower in it to wash away the blood coating me, not even bothering to take off my gear in the process. Which is probably for the best considering that it needed a major wash anyways. Considering that the blood was soaking it just as much as it soaked me. Then I go back to my room, not bothering with drying off before collapsing face first into my bed with a groan. I can¡¯t catch a cold anyways. And I don¡¯t feel like drying off. Silence fills my room as I lie face down on the bed for several minutes. Eventually I turn over and look up at the ceiling, feeling my wet hair getting the bed equally wet. But since I¡¯m still in full armor right now, I don¡¯t really notice. After a while, I slowly raise my hand up above me before looking at it, turning it one way, and then the other. Then I drop it back down across my front and stare up at the ceiling. The silence returns for a bit as I open up my status.
Name: Aria Crimson
Class: Harbinger of Death
Ability: True Immortality
Level: 5
It¡¯s hard to remember, but I think I was halfway to level six. I purse my lips at that thought before wondering why I was perfectly fine killing the invaders despite feeling somewhat saddened after killing the people from Arteria. Maybe because one group is invading our world while the other isn¡¯t? They¡¯re like us in a way? A large part of it is likely the number of them that I killed. The most distressing part is the fact that I feel perfectly fine having done it. As if it¡¯s perfectly normal to go slaughtering people. That¡¯s what makes me feel bad. Not the having done it, but the not feeling bad about it. I let out a sigh before finally just putting the thoughts out of my mind. I¡¯m good at that. I¡¯ll just keep doing that. A few seconds pass in silence before I get up from my bed and begin walking out of my room, where I find Harvey sitting on the couch writing in her diary. And when she looks up, her eyes widen and she jumps out of the couch half asking, half shouting, ¡°You¡¯re soaked?! Did you take a shower with your armor on or something?!¡± She rushes over to me and begins pulling me to sit down. Then she rushes out of the room and comes back with a towel and a hair dryer. I just kinda let her go about drying my hair before, after a brief hesitation, asking about my current mental conundrum. She just stays silent as she listens to me and dries my hair. And once I¡¯m finished, she places the towel on my head and rests her chin on my head above it as she says, ¡°Aria, don¡¯t beat yourself up over things like this. All you¡¯re doing is making yourself sad, and we don¡¯t want that.¡± She raises her head again, making me glance up at her to find her looking down. ¡°Sweetie, just do you. When we¡¯re ordered to fight on the frontlines, the ones giving those orders are the ones responsible for the deaths caused by them. Not you.¡± Harvey pats my head as I look down at my hands, fiddling with them a little. ¡°Just remember that, alright?¡± she says, patting my head once and walking away while shouting back, ¡°And get out of that soaked armor! I don¡¯t care if you can¡¯t get sick! A sweet girl like you shouldn¡¯t be walking around in water and blood soaked armor at home! It¡¯s just disturbing!¡± I crack a smile at that before leaning back and looking up at the ceiling. Right. They did always tell us that the responsibility lies with the higher ups calling the shots. Maybe it¡¯s not a bad thing that I don¡¯t feel anything after all. Might be what¡¯s saving my sanity, really. It¡¯s¡­ kind of sad that I needed someone else to point this all out to me. And that no one ever did it in the last ten years. Then again, I never spoke to anyone about any of this during that time. This is the first time I¡¯ve gotten close enough to anyone since¡­ them¡­ And for the year I was with them, they made absolutely certain that I never had to kill anyone. Seeing as I was only nine at the time. But now¡­ will I end up losing Harvey and the others too? I stare up at the ceiling for a while before shaking my head and getting up, heading to my room to change out of my armor. Best thing I can do is to protect them while still keeping my distance. And eventually achieving my goal. B1 | Chapter 43 Aria I wake up with a start, jumping straight out of bed and summoning my pistol from my storage ring when I feel a sensation of something else in my room that shouldn''t be there, only to surprisingly find what appears to be an illusion on the other side of my room. One of the First General tilting her head at me after looking around my room with curiosity. ¡°First General, ma¡¯am!¡± I exclaim while rushing to stand up straight and in a salute. ¡°What brings you here?¡± My eyes flicker to the clock then back at her. ¡°And at such a late hour?¡± She taps her arm with her finger, her arms folded under her chest. But she doesn¡¯t say anything for a few seconds, instead just looking around my room. Why is the First General in my room? I know this is her, because the specific rooms within the base should all be enchanted against infiltration like this. With the only people allowed to bypass those protections without setting off an alarm being the nine generals. But why is she here? Did I do something illegal or something? Did she realize who I am? Or¡­ maybe¡­ Her gaze finally locks onto mine as she starts speaking, ¡°Major Aria Crimson, last surviving member of the Crimson family and true immortal known by the name of Crimson Eternal, I have an offer for you.¡± A smirk stretches across the older woman¡¯s face. ¡°A tantalizing one, if I know you well enough.¡± I frown on instinct, only to straighten my face again. ¡°Do as you please here,¡± she says while waving her hand. ¡°This is your room after all, and I¡¯m the uninvited guest.¡± That¡­ surprises me. But I remain stiff anyways, because trust is hard to earn. ¡°What sort of offer do you have?¡± I ask, trying to keep my voice as polite as possible. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± she hums while tilting her head again, letting her black hair move over her shoulder. ¡°What would you say if I decided to give you the emperor, bound and gagged, for you to do whatever you want with him? If you do a little favor for me, of course.¡± My eyes go wide with shock as I lose my composure and blurt out, ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I have covered us with an illusion so no one can hear, record, or see us,¡± she says while gesturing around my room. ¡°All they¡¯ll see is you sleeping in your bed like you were when I arrived. So don¡¯t worry about any attempts to trap you or me.¡± I frown at her, pursing my lips for a bit. Trusting the First General with a topic like this¡­ doesn¡¯t feel like a smart idea. Not when she could use it to trap me as well. ¡°If you want, we can sign a soul pact,¡± she says with a smile, shocking me again. A soul pact. Something created by an ability user with a very specific ability called soul bond. They can create a bond between two people or even a written contract where the two parties must obey by the terms lest their souls be removed from their body. Which, from what we¡¯ve heard from the other worlds, basically just means they die, and their soul is sent to the void. Although it¡¯s different from the body pact I was forced to sign with the former emperor. A pact that has to have a lot of clauses to make the ¡®pact¡¯ even with both sides, but absolutely forces the two parts of the pact to obey no matter what. With one of the terms of our pact being that I had to listen and obey his every word while I¡¯m a subordinate of his. A term that was voided after I was moved out of his chain of command. Even if the part about me not being able to tell others about the contract is still there. But most people believe a soul pact to be a lot harsher since it can be completely one sided and is usually used for vows. Just that it doesn¡¯t really work on me thanks to my immortality so I¡¯m immune to any negative effects. Hence why the emperor used a body pact instead. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. So if she¡¯s willing to do a soul pact for this, she must truly be serious. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer now,¡± she says while raising a soul pact contract that she has already signed, but with the secondary party not having been signed yet. ¡°I have already signed this contract. Look it over if you wish.¡± I look between the real contract in her illusion¡¯s hand before looking at the illusion, then the contract again. And completely ignoring the fact that her illusion is capable of physically manipulating objects like a contract, I reach over and grab the thing before reading it over. The contract is a rather simple one. Neither party will speak of this contract to a third party. The First General, Elara Crescent, will give the Former Emperor of the Republic of Albaria, known as Lysandre de Pyre Voltaire, over to me should I succeed in either assassinating the Emperor of Arteria or being a part of the team that assassinates the Emperor of Arteria. I will then be able to do whatever I wish to him for three hours, including killing him if I so please. And if Elara Crescent breaks this agreement by not handing Lysandre de Pyre Voltaire over to me, not letting me kill him, or attempts to skirt the rules of this contract in any way, her soul will be forfeit. Meanwhile any attempts at all to bend the rules of the contract through word manipulation that are not understood by both parties upon the moment of the last person signing the contract will result in the soul of the offender being forfeited. The contract is ironclad. She seems to have done that strictly to reassure me. It directly blocks any attempts she could possibly make to save the emperor if I succeed, and the contract has no requirements of me whatsoever. I could sign it and then ignore it if I so pleased. There aren¡¯t any demerits to signing it. Not that I¡¯d have any requirements in the first place regardless. So I quickly move to my desk to grab a pen before signing the contract, making it burn in crimson and black flames. Afterwards, I turn back to the First General to see her smiling while nodding her head. And having already lost my composure, I decide to just discard formalities and ask, ¡°You realize this mission is incredibly dangerous, don¡¯t you? I can¡¯t see the other members of the team going along with it.¡± I pause for a second and tilt my head. ¡°Unless you expect me to do it alone?¡± The Emperor of Arteria is different from the former Emperor of our Republic. The Arterian Emperor, Ashur Kaelar Valan, is a Category 5 Ability Holder. Class S according to the other worlds. And he is quite difficult to kill. Assassination attempts have taken place numerous times over the years, but they¡¯ve never succeeded. Because the man¡¯s ability is called Shadowborne. An ability that lets him enter and travel through shadows. It makes pinning him down almost impossible. The only way to kill him is through surprise attacks. And he¡¯s always nervous of that happening so he has his closest nobles always near him with a permanent barrier set up over his body. So even if someone ambushes him with an attack, the attack will be blocked by the layers of barriers, letting him turn into shadows and escape before it hits him. He¡¯s the very definition of a cockroach in Albaria, which is amusing. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the others will join the mission,¡± she says with a smile, clearly implying that she¡¯s going to be making a deal with the others as well. Which leaves me briefly wondering just what she¡¯s offering them that they¡¯d accept such a mission. I frown, but her illusion vanishes, leaving behind her voice echoing in my room for a few seconds, ¡°The briefing for the mission will be at noon tomorrow. If you wish to join the mission, merely show up and I¡¯ll take that as your agreement.¡± Then I¡¯m left all alone again in my shirt and shorts, not having bothered changing into a nightgown tonight. I stare at where she had left from before eventually sighing and walking back to my bed, pausing only briefly when I get to the alarm to make sure I wake up before noon. And without any hesitation, I flop back down onto my bed and go back to sleep.
The next morning, I arrive at the meeting room fifteen minutes before noon. And lo and behold, every one of our team members is in the room, none of whom look surprised in the least to see me. Although they are a little surprised to see each other. Except Vargas. We all know Vargas wants something. He¡¯s similar to me after all. We¡¯re both being used by the military, so I can easily see the First General offering him something. But for the others? I don¡¯t have a clue what they could be offering Snow, Rogers, or Harvey to risk their lives like this. As for the commander, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they just told him that the rest of us were likely to go, so he decided to go as well just to lead us. Since there wouldn¡¯t be much of a team without our leader. The six of us wait for the First General to arrive, and she does so immediately upon the clock striking noon. She looks between each one of us with a smile, then clicks her boots together and salutes, stating, ¡°Attention!¡± We all follow suit. ¡°Starting from here on out, everything you hear in this room is top secret intel,¡± she declares, her eyes passing over each one of us. ¡°Any word of this getting out, and you will all be severely punished. And depending on the severity of the leak, we may even be forced to extreme measures.¡± Then a slight grin cracks that seriousness as she adds, ¡°But I doubt we¡¯ll have to worry about any of that.¡± We¡¯re all being bribed here, so I would be shocked if someone did leak it. ¡°Now, let¡¯s begin the briefing,¡± she states, her face growing serious once more. ¡°On the mission to assassinate the Emperor of Arteria.¡± B1 | Chapter 44 Aria ¡°To start, the emperor, as you all know, is always surrounded by a minimum of five noble barrier-type Ability Holders of at least Category 3 or above,¡± the First General begins while making an illusion of the man and five faceless people surrounding him on all sides. ¡°These Ability Holders each work to insert their barrier into the clothing that the emperor is wearing at all times, constantly giving him a full barrier that covers him from head to toe, with only a single opening.¡± She pauses as the illusion begins glowing around his mouth and nose. ¡°At his mouth, to allow him to breathe.¡± She focuses on us again as she continues, ¡°But even that has an extra barrier layered off of the first barrier with such a small gap that a bullet won¡¯t fit through in any way that would prove lethal. The emperor will then be able to escape using his Shadowborne ability in the instant the bullet enters his head in that non-lethal sense, and he will rush away to get healing from a healing-type Ability Holder he stations nearby.¡± The First General gets a slightly disgusted look on her face as she adds, ¡°He¡¯s the cockroach of Ability Holders.¡± ¡°Now, in just ten days, the man is planning on hosting a noble ball, meant to reassure the nobles of their ¡®position in the war,¡¯ as the emperor likes to phrase it,¡± she continues, sounding slightly smug when she mentions the phrase. Likely because the Arterian Empire is very much on the losing side of the war right now. And this plan is most likely just to expedite that and bring a full end to the conflict, while also making sure to get rid of the cockroach of an emperor without him fleeing. ¡°He will be at his castle¡¯s public regions throughout the entire event, all through the night. Which will make for a perfect opportunity to assassinate him.¡± She focuses her gaze on the commander. ¡°This will be your job. Take advantage of this opening and assassinate him in whatever means you see fit.¡± We all share a look amongst ourselves before nodding. Then the commander turns back to the First General and asks, ¡°Do you care about extra noble casualties?¡± The first General directly meets his eyes and repeats, ¡°Whatever means you see fit.¡± Okay then. She basically said we could kill off their entire nobility so long as the emperor dies. ¡°Understood,¡± the lieutenant colonel says with a brief nod. Then he asks a couple other simple questions, and we quickly begin to head out, none of us saying so much as a word about why we¡¯re going on this mission. Which, if I¡¯m being honest with myself, makes sense. Each one of us packs up all of the supplies we think we will need and more for the mission, following which we leave the fortress and head for the north. Because the Southern Pass is probably still more guarded than the Northern Pass, considering that they caught us passing through that alarm. Thankfully the merchants ¨C whose titles I found to be Two Star Merchants, an interesting ranking system to say the least but not important right now ¨C told Harvey how to disarm the enchantment temporarily. So we don¡¯t have to worry about tripping it this time around. Which is for the best, since we didn¡¯t bother disarming it when we reentered the Northern Pass. An order the First General gave us along the way back after we contacted her, actually. One that I can now see the reason for. After all, now the Arterians believe that the alarm is fool proof even with the merchants with us. So they won¡¯t expect us to be able to disarm it now. And secrecy is more important now than ever, because if the emperor knew we were in the empire, he¡¯d probably hide like a coward. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. We quickly make our ways up the cliff like before, with only a single slipup happening where Snow loses his grip on the cliff and falls only to be caught by a barrier before he resumes his climb. Then we just continue along the cliff towards the barren wasteland that is the Eastern edge of the Northern Pass. Nothing but ice, not even snow. Shouldn¡¯t take long to return to Arteria. And after that? After we kill the emperor? I have my own emperor to deal with.
The Central Fortress Not long after the Predator Division departed Elara Crescent stands at the edge of the fortress wall, simply looking out at the Void Temple where dozens of Void Priests are roaming around the grounds outside within their little weather-blocking dome. And as she stands there, her arms folded under her chest, one finger tapping repeatedly, she feels¡­ a little dirty. The First General knows all too well that the emperor of the former Republic already has contact with and the ability to revive from the Void Temple, having paid a massive fortune for the right to do so. So she knows that even if the young Major Crimson kills him, the man will just come back to life again at the temple. And she feels bad for tricking the young woman, but she also believes that the Predator Division is most likely the only group they could rely on for killing the Emperor of Arteria. ¡°Elara,¡± Rowan Vale, the Second General, states as he walks up to the First General. ¡°I see you decided to go with that plan after all.¡± Elara nods her head without a word. ¡°She¡¯s going to be infuriated when he returns to life,¡± Rowan continues, pressing forwards despite Elara knowing full well what the man is like. ¡°If you have any plans of using her after this, you¡¯re going to have to give her something in addition to his death.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Elara states before turning to narrow her eyes at the gruff general. A man in his early sixties with a Category 4 ability who respects intelligence over everything else. ¡°And it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if I did or not, would it have? You¡¯d have done the exact same thing if I didn¡¯t.¡± He stays silent, indirectly admitting to that by not refuting it. Elara turns to look at the Void Temple again as she says, ¡°The Crimson Eternal will return after completing her mission, assuming they succeed, and I will keep my word and allow her to do whatever she wants with the emperor, including killing him. He has already been captured and drugged to be unable to remember anything ever since a few days after the ball, so he won¡¯t remember what happened. Then he¡¯ll come back to life, and I will offer the Crimson Eternal a promotion to lieutenant general directly under my command, placing her above the emperor in every way to protect her from any schemes he may try to pull.¡± ¡°While also binding her to you,¡± Rowan states, his gruff tone holding some respect in his words despite the sharp way they¡¯re pointed at her. This time the First General remains silent. ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised you got the others in on this mission,¡± Rowan prods, clearly curious about how Elara managed to do that. The corner of Elara¡¯s lips quirk upwards ever so slightly as she answers, ¡°Let¡¯s just say, they all have their problems that need solving.¡± Then she purses her lips slightly. ¡°Except their commander. But he was perfectly happy joining the mission when he heard that the others would be doing the same.¡± Amongst the others, First Lieutenant Vargas was even easier to convince to join the mission than the Crimson Eternal was. With Captain Rogers being the hardest one to convince. Considering how little he spoke during the entire discussion. Nothing against mute people, but they¡¯re hard to have a discussion with. The First General shakes her head at that thought and continues looking out over the Void Temple. Then she glances over at the merchants who had arrived with the Predator Division. They had mentioned that more of them would be arriving within the week, so Elara¡¯s looking forward to that. And apparently these newly arriving merchants are higher ranked than the ones currently here. So they will have better wares to sell to the Republic. Something all nine of the generals are eagerly looking forward to. But who wouldn¡¯t be excited after seeing and hearing about all of the things that the Eternal Dynasty has? Not just weapons and armor, but even the day to day tools. Things like security cameras, far more advanced computers than the ones most recently developed, and so on. Although Elara also knows not to forcefully introduce everything at once, lest they damage their own economy. A slow process. Her lips quirk up again. But a nice one. Her smirk vanishes as she turns around and begins to walk back into the Central Fortress again, uncaring of the Second General who is still standing there staring out at the merchants himself. Let¡¯s hope this plan works and the Arterian Empire crumbles due to it. B1 | Chapter 45 Aria The next few days pass by quietly as we make our way into and through Arteria, taking a ride on a jeep through the sands of the Arterian Desert on the way to the capital. And no one has really said much of anything during this entire trip. If I had to guess, everyone¡¯s too busy thinking about whatever the general bribed them with to talk. Then again, I¡¯m not much different. If I had to guess, the First General probably assumes the emperor is going to be revived after she gives him to me to kill. Which isn¡¯t going to happen. A fact that¡¯s gonna raise more than a few problems for me in the Republic afterwards. Since she¡¯s going to realize that I was the one behind the permanent death of the prince when she learns of the emperor¡¯s permanent death. So I¡¯m going to be leaving the Republic after the emperor is dead. The only reason I¡¯ve been staying up till now anyways has been to get my revenge, and maybe to help the Republic out a little bit as well since I know some people I care about in it. But after I get my revenge, and after we kill the Arterian emperor, there won¡¯t be much reason for me to stay. I can leave the Republic without any regrets. It might even be for the best, if I¡¯m being honest with myself. After all, the news will eventually get out, and the emperor of the Grand Roan Empire will learn about how I was the one behind permanently killing his son. Meaning that my staying in the Republic will only make things harder on them after the restrictions are lifted. I can fully see the generals planning to trade with the Eternal Dynasty for technology that may help them against the sheer levels that the Grand Roan Empire will be attacking with. Which is the most likely reason that the generals are rushing to end the war as soon as possible. They¡¯ll get just as much progress for our soldiers¡¯ purposes since we¡¯re still defeating the Empire¡¯s army, but if we also capture their Empire entirely, we¡¯ll get more resources to trade with the Eternal Dynasty. And more resources for that means for a better chance to survive after the restrictions vanish. And after I kill the emperor himself, more of the problems that the Republic has will fade. Since he won¡¯t be there to muck up the process anymore. A conclusion that has nothing to do with my absolute hatred of the man. My thoughts come to a halt when the driver at the front of the jeep says in his light Arterian accent, ¡°We¡¯re almost there. Comin¡¯ up right ahead of us.¡± I look through the window between the front and back of the jeep to look past the windshield and the driver at the sight of a city coming up on the horizon. One with sandstone and metal walls, quite a few carts, jeeps, and vehicles held up at the front gate on the same road we¡¯re driving down. Meanwhile several guards check each and every vehicle coming in and out of the city. And just a glance at these guards and what they¡¯re doing to some of the people shows off one of the biggest reasons we¡¯re at war. The guards are very clearly using their power to abuse some of the people going into the city, taking a bigger tax from some than from others, and even stealing from some of the people entering the city without even trying to hide it. Then there is one of the guards who is getting handsy with pretty much any good looking girl who passes by his station. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Thankfully his station isn¡¯t the one we¡¯re going through, otherwise I¡¯m not too sure if I¡¯d be able to stop myself from cutting his hand off if he tried it with me. And these are just the guards. They¡¯re not even nobles. I¡¯m pretty sure some parts of Arteria practice slavery as well. They even capture some of their own citizens on the accusation of them being Albarians before selling them off for profit. The First General prepared everything for us though, so we should be good to pass through. Fake identities and everything we need. And we¡¯re traveling with a longtime partner of the Republic, someone we quickly got back into touch with through that pesky barrier after the Two Star Merchant told us how. We see just how influential this partner is when the guards simply let us all through without so much as asking a single question. As we pass though, I can¡¯t help but notice a tiny purple barrier appearing near that perverted guard¡¯s leg, quickly knocking it out from under him when he¡¯s about to reach for another girl. So he ends up falling flat on his face, letting the girl pass by without an issue as he had already okayed her to go. I glance at Harvey, just to see her shrug when she notices me. Not bad. Our group continues on into the city while leaving the guard, who is currently a laughingstock for the other guards, behind. And the city itself is enormous. Much larger than the cities in Albaria, with larger walls, a lot more people, and a lot more sand and metal. One of the biggest differences between Albaria and Arteria is the level of technology, amount of metals and ore, and the number of people. Arteria beats Albaria in every single one of those aspects, losing out only in the quality of their Ability Holders. Since Albaria has far higher quality Ability Holders on average than Arteria has. Which, at the end of the day, is more important than the quantity they have. Just looking at our eight Category 5s compared to their one makes it clear as day. And what makes it clear as day how much more metal is located in Arteria than Albaria is the sight of the city buildings and walls. Just the sheer number of buildings made at least partially out of metal, at the metal walls, the numerous vehicles, and the weaponry the soldiers are armed with. Everything is pretty much showing it all off. We drive through the main street, in between metal and sandstone buildings, past stalls, and all the way through to the heart of the city where we eventually park in a large, three or so story building¡¯s parking area. Then we head inside before Harvey sets up barriers around the room we eventually end up in. For soundproofing. ¡°The ball is in a week from now,¡± the partner we¡¯re working with says as he brings out a map and places it on the table. ¡°This is a map of the area, so please make use of it as you will.¡± Lieutenant Colonel Striker walks up to the map and begins to study it. Then the rest of us do the same. From the looks of it, we¡¯re in a city that¡¯s near the capital but not quite there. It¡¯s about a day¡¯s drive from the capital, with a single road leading straight there. And the capital itself seems to be centered around a massive castle made of metal and sandstone. With obsidian mixed in by the looks of it. ¡°Will we have any issues getting into the city?¡± the commander asks without raising his head from the map. I glance at the merchant we¡¯re working with as he shakes his head and answers, ¡°No, they won¡¯t question my entry.¡± Convenient. ¡°And the bodyguards scheduled to protect the emperor during the ball?¡± the commander continues while raising his head this time. ¡°Do you know who they are and where they live?¡± The merchant quickly moves up to the map and points out five locations, stating a name with each one. ¡°And what about the healer?¡± the commander asks, looking down at the map again. With the speed of a professional, the merchant moves his finger to another mansion closer to the castle and says, ¡°Here. And they¡¯re a Category 4 healer who focuses on empowering the regeneration of their target.¡± Good to know. At that, the commander hums while still looking down at the map with both of his hands on the table as he leans his weight against it. I focus on the map as well before asking, ¡°Where in the castle is the ball going to be held?¡± The merchant circles a portion of the castle on a higher floor with his finger and says, ¡°Throughout the third through fifth floors, on the East wing of the castle.¡± ¡°And how long is the emperor going to be attending the party?¡± Rogers asks, to my surprise. He rarely ever talks after all. Which is why we always know whatever he¡¯s saying is important when he does, so we all look at the merchant as the man answers, ¡°For the entire party. He will also be there for a few hours before the party begins, and a few hours after it ends to close out the night.¡± All of us turn to look at the commander, just waiting for him to tell us what he¡¯s come up with. The commander asks a few more questions about the security for the castle and the event, along with how the bodyguards are arrayed around the emperor, where the healer will be stationed, and various other details like that. Then, after a brief period of silence while staring at the map, he raises his head again and says, ¡°Here¡¯s what we¡¯re gonna do¡­¡± B1 | Chapter 46 The Manor belonging to one of the Bodyguards Four hours before the party Amir Saif Al-Saad, Count of the great Empire of Arteria, quickly begins moving through his manor after having gotten everything ready and sets the charge stone on the device at his collar. The device meant to sync with the Emperor¡¯s armored suit once it¡¯s close enough. And as he walks, he shouts at the maids and servants, ¡°Hurry the fuck up! I mustn¡¯t be late!¡± The maids and servants quickly scamper about under his gaze, making the final preparations to depart. Once they¡¯re finished, he steps out of the door, scoffing at how poor his staff must be for them to be ten seconds later than he had planned. Damned peasants. I should just burn them and send them back to their families for sending such horrendous servants to serve my household. He nods to himself at that decision, putting it at the back of his mind as he walks down the courtyard, the door to his manor shutting behind him softly. Just as the man likes it. Amir continues walking until he reaches the jeep, where he finds the soldier waiting for him at the driver¡¯s seat, along with five other soldiers around the jeep. None of whom he remembers. But considering that soldiers assigned to guard a noble of his position are always filthy half breeds calling themselves nobles, he doesn¡¯t consider this important as he steps into the jeep¡¯s passenger seat and states in an arrogant tone of voice, ¡°Go.¡± To his surprise, though, the soldier doesn¡¯t start the car. Instead, he suddenly feels something covering his mouth, making him raise his hand only to find some strange sort of barrier in the way of his hands. And before his eyes can grow any wider from panic, he feels a pain from the back of his head, following which everything goes dark.
Aria We proceed to drag the unconscious noble into a secondhand warehouse eventually owned by the merchant. Then we just kinda dump him there and let Vargas search through his mind for all of the intel we need. Intel including how the emperor¡¯s suit armor works, what the array of soldiers are at the castle, where each of the bodyguards and the healer is stationed, and so on. But when Vargas opens his eyes, he mutters with some surprise, ¡°Looks like they aren¡¯t really bodyguards after all.¡± He turns his gaze towards the commander. ¡°More like batteries.¡± I frown at that, and the commander asks, ¡°How so?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t actually protect the Emperor, instead acting as batteries for his armor while attending the party themselves,¡± Vargas explains, making me blink in surprise. ¡°Only one of the so-called bodyguards actually stays near the Emperor at all times. And even he is told to stay on the other side of the room.¡± That¡¯s¡­ surprising. Then again, also a little understandable. After all, I wouldn¡¯t want to be followed by a bunch of people everywhere I go. ¡°The device on his chest is the thing meant to send his ability over to the emperor¡¯s suit, powering it, and keeping it activated,¡± Vargas explains. ¡°If one of the ¡®bodyguards¡¯ are taken out of the picture, the device loses a fifth of its defensive capabilities.¡± The commander purses his lips and begins rubbing his chin in thought. Then he glances at the merchant and asks, ¡°Do you have any paper?¡± Said merchant looks confused but answers in the positive. So the commander turns back to Vargas and asks, ¡°Do you know how this noble sends correspondence to the emperor? And are you able to mimic his handwriting and find his seal?¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. My eyes widen in understanding, and I¡¯m not the only one as the others do too. Vargas grins and responds, ¡°Of course I can. Who do you take me for?¡± Wait, he can really do that?
One hour later He really did it. I can¡¯t help but stare stupidly at the sight of the letter being carried off by a courier. One with handwriting apparently perfectly matching the Count¡¯s along with the Count¡¯s seal. As it turns out, Vargas can quite literally copy your muscle memory into his body temporarily. So he can copy someone¡¯s handwriting. Scary. ¡°With this we won¡¯t have to worry about our numbers,¡± the commander says, referring to how there was seven targets including the emperor, his bodyguards, and the healer. And only six of us. Then he turns to us as we stand in front of the Count¡¯s gate and says, ¡°Now then, how about we move onto the next part of this mission?¡± I can¡¯t help but grimace at that. This part is going to be significantly less pleasant.
One more hour later All six of us find ourselves standing in the middle of a warehouse right next to the castle, completely ignoring the six unconscious people who we drugged to not wake up for twenty-four hours. Unconscious people who happen to be in nothing but their underclothes, since we¡¯re now wearing their outfits. Amongst the outfits, Harvey is wearing a castle chef¡¯s outfit. Or rather, the helping hand of the kitchens. Not a chef herself. Then there¡¯s Rogers and Vargas, both who are wearing soldier uniforms, since neither of them have storage rings. And Vargas doesn¡¯t have an ability that¡¯s offensively capable, so he absolutely needs a weapon. And a servant can¡¯t go around carrying a weapon. Next up is the commander, who is dressed as a servant, wearing a downplayed butler¡¯s uniform. I would like to snicker at Snow¡¯s outfit taken from the gardener, but the sight of my own maid uniform has me too distraught to do that. ¡°Does everyone remember the layout and the positions of the targets?¡± Vargas asks, having already gone through and explained the layout of this wing of the castle to us all, along with the exact locations of each of the ¡®bodyguards¡¯ and the healer and emperor. And when no one raises their voice in the negative, he nods his head. The man had taken the knowledge from these various servants¡¯ minds on their duties, where the servants entrances are, and the layout of the castle wing itself before sharing it to us through his ability. Yet again another thing I didn¡¯t realize it could do. Overall, I didn¡¯t realize just how useful his ability would be for this mission. He may actually be the most crucial part of the mission thus far. Although his combat abilities are rather subpar compared to the rest of us. ¡°Now,¡± the commander says, bringing everyone¡¯s gaze towards him. ¡°Each one of us needs to take out one of the targets at the exact same time, with the exception of the emperor, who you need to take out right after everyone else takes their target. Understood?¡± Everyone nods. He adjusts the cuffs of his outfit as he continues, ¡°Of the six of us, Vargas is to take the healer, Rogers will take the noble out on the balcony itself, Snow is to take out the noble in the outer courtyard, Harvey the noble in the kitchen, myself the noble in the upper deck of the ballroom the emperor is in, and,¡± he pauses as he glances at me, finished with his cuffs, ¡°Aria will take out the emperor himself.¡± He turns his gaze to sweep over the others. ¡°Is that understood?¡± ¡°Roger that,¡± I reply as the others answer with their own affirmatives. A pretty good plan. Vargas is the weakest of us all with his mental ability, but he can at least use it to get through to the healer, since he has the best knowledge of the layout of the castle out of all of us. Then Rogers can escape from the balcony after the assassination simply by enhancing himself and jumping straight off. Snow can jump off of the outer courtyard, which is on the second floor of the castle, and ride his ice blade down to the ground. Harvey can go out the servants entrance of the kitchen since there shouldn¡¯t be many guards near there. The commander can escape since most of the focus in that area will be on me, as the emperor and that bodyguard are in the same room. And I can figure out how to escape on my own as I¡¯m not exactly in danger of dying. And the castle staff won¡¯t question anything since they¡¯re all abused and often depressed anyways. They, from what Vargas got from these servants and soldiers, hate the nobles and the emperor. Not a single one likes them, and none of these people would be working for the castle if they had any other choice. And none of them pay any attention to the other servants or recognize what they look like. As for the two soldiers, Rogers and Vargas will be wearing helmets anyways. Doesn¡¯t matter if the other soldiers recognize the real soldiers or not. That said, this isn¡¯t going to be a pleasant mission, and I feel like I might be wanting to punch more than a few people in the face by the end of tonight, before even finding the emperor. Fun. ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± Lieutenant Colonel Striker says while turning around and beginning to walk towards the entrance of the warehouse. We all follow after him without any hesitation. B1 | Chapter 47 The Castle¡¯s Third Servant¡¯s Entrance Two hours before the party The head maid of the Imperial Castle nervously taps her foot as she goes from one room to another, eventually ending up at the servant¡¯s entrance, constantly watching the maids and other staff of the castle as they go about their work. And throughout the entire process, she can¡¯t help but feel nervous. Every time she sees a noble, she tries to politely and without their notice make her way around them so as to not provoke them in any way. Something that is extremely common amongst the castle staff. At the same time, she double and triple checks every important job in the castle, occasionally scolding a maid or other worker for even the slightest of errors that could get the maid or servant killed should a noble take notice. And right when she¡¯s about to leave the servant¡¯s entrance, she sees the door to the outside opening, following which a beautiful maid walks in. The maid has the type of body the male nobles would love, with a full figure, snow-white hair, pale skin and beautiful red eyes that seem to glow in the darkness of the entrance. An albino? The head maid quickly walks over to the maid, glances at the symbol on the uniform which shows the job she currently has, and warns her, ¡°Be careful when you¡¯re on the upper deck. I don¡¯t care if you take a break down here, but make sure you¡¯re absolutely perfect in everything you do up there if you want a chance at returning home unscathed after this party, do you hear me?¡± The maid looks surprised for a second before nodding her head and saying rather meekly, ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Then she scurries off to go do her job. Head Maid Jesselle watches her for a moment, making sure she¡¯s doing everything as neatly and perfectly as possible, but she grows surprised when she sees just how put together the maid is. This one might survive the night unscathed after all. She glances towards the other end of the servant¡¯s entrance before frowning. But¡­ if only such a splendid maid didn¡¯t have to go to the upper deck¡­ Every servant working in the castle knows just what sort of temperament the Emperor has. Crude, vicious, rude, vile, manipulative, and a drunkard. None of which are good qualities for a ruler to have. And many of the nobles share a lot of those temperaments, some even attempting to mimic them just to gain the man¡¯s favor. Jesselle shivers as she remembers the poor fate of the last maid who so much as tripped in the Emperor¡¯s presence. Even though she caught herself without spilling anything or making a mess, or even falling. She still can¡¯t get the sight of the woman¡¯s corpse lying outside of the servant¡¯s entrance out of her mind. Or what was left of it at least. The head maid looks around once more at the workers in the area before quickly moving on to go check up on another area of the castle wing.
Aria One and a half hours before the party I feel slightly surprised as I carefully make my way through the hallways of the castle. Because I was at least expecting someone to question me in some way. Instead I got what looked like a higher authority maid, possibly even the head maid, fussing over me and worrying. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Which goes to show just how terrible working at this castle must be. For her to specifically warn me like that. And after just five minutes of walking through the castle, which is still hastily in preparation for the ball, with many of the higher nobles already having arrived just to impress the Emperor with their early attendance, I can tell just how harsh it is. Some servants are even having their hands cut off if they so much as step too close to the wrong noble. And no one even bats an eye. Some of the maids end up dragged away and never seen again if they make even the slightest of mistakes, which leaves me feeling¡­ slightly nervous. Because if someone tries to do that to me, I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re gonna end up dead. And that might cause a problem with our plan. Scratch that. They will end up dead. Fortunately for me, I¡¯m skilled enough to navigate towards the upper deck without a word. And I use other servants as cover whenever I can, making sure to look natural while doing it. Military training certainly has its unexpected benefits, after all. Once I arrive at the upper deck, I find it shaped like a large rectangle, with another smaller rectangle taken out of the side of said rectangle closest to the windows with no floor within that smaller rectangle, allowing the upper deck to look down at the lower floor of the ball. Meanwhile there¡¯s a railing going around that smaller rectangle, with an area for the upper class nobles to dine and talk on the other side of the large rectangle. Of the people here, it already looks like most of the party is here. Dozens of nobles, all of whom are important, along with the Emperor himself, and even the commander, who is standing off to the side acting meek. The Emperor has pitch black hair and is wearing some sort of dignified robe with what appears to be black and silver metal peeking out from underneath while glowing with a faint blue shimmer. Which is clearly the barrier from the five, now four batteries. The man also appears to be in his early to mid-forties, which is what I came here expecting. He has pitch black eyes that actually emit some faint wisps of shadows from them, and has one of the new guns the Empire received from the Eternal Dynasty at his waist. And, unsurprisingly from what I¡¯ve heard of him, he seems to have already had some alcohol to drink as his face has a hint of red to it. Nowhere near enough to classify him as drunk, but still plenty. Despite the ball not even having started yet. There¡¯s still more than an hour before it begins in fact. I let out a mental sigh at that before proceeding with my part of the plan. After studying the upper deck a little, making sure to stay out of any noble¡¯s attention, I begin to understand the area a bit better. Then I go about gathering the wine glasses across the tables, covertly sneaking small little purple balls into them containing a more concentrated alcohol. Something that isn¡¯t recognized as poison by the enchantments on the glasses or the building itself. I move to hand the glasses off to noble ladies in particular, since they¡¯re far less likely to take an interest in me. And after doing so, I move to grab some empty glasses before taking them back to the large bowls of wine within the room meant for people to dip their empty glasses in before I do just that. While, of course, sneaking several of the purple balls into the alcohol. Then I just repeat this process a few more times and stick to the edges of the room, simply waiting for the upper nobles and the emperor to get more and more drunk. The other servants and maids in the upper deck proceed to hand drinks to the upper nobles, the nobles in question oblivious to the significant increase in alcohol within the drinks. In fact, most actually seem to be marveling at how delicious the alcohol is. Which makes sense. After all, those purple alcohol balls were purchased from the Eternal Dynasty. They¡¯re meant to be extremely delicious alcohol that you¡¯re supposed to dilute into a drink to both increase the flavor and make it alcoholic. What you¡¯re not supposed to do is dump dozens of them into a drink that is already alcoholic. That¡¯s how you get people passing out drunk. And that¡¯s exactly what I did. Now, I understand that these people have high tolerances. It¡¯s kind of a must have here. After all, Arterian nobles love their alcohol. And the levels from the System apparently help with alcohol tolerance as well. But to have this sheer amount of it? Yeah, they¡¯re all gonna be having a splitting headache in the morning. If they make it to the morning. I proceed to go about my business as a maid, only being accosted once by an upper noble who fortunately is so drunk that I manage to get away with the help of another servant. Which goes to show just how supportive these servants are of each other. To the point that each time one ends up in trouble, they do what they can to help them out. Gradually the remaining time until the start of the party passes, and by now, all of the upper nobles are flushed red in the face, especially the emperor. Some are even tripping over their own feet. Meanwhile a few smart ones are starting to realize that something may be wrong. The Emperor doesn¡¯t care though. He walks up to the front and center portion of the upper deck looking out over the lower deck. And begins his speech. I hide a smirk. Almost time. B1 | Chapter 48 All around the castle The start of the party ¡°Welcome to muh-grand pahty!¡± the emperor¡¯s slurred and clearly drunk voice echoes across the entire wing of the castle used for the party. ¡°We come in celebebration fo-army winning!¡± Whispers go all throughout the castle in confusion at the man¡¯s obvious drunkenness. Especially since this party was planned by him to reassure people. Which it clearly isn¡¯t doing. Meanwhile, in various corners of the castle, different ¡®workers¡¯ of the castle staff prepare. In one corner, on a balcony of the lower deck, a man seemingly in his forties with black hair, green eyes, and a large build wearing a soldier¡¯s uniform can be seen standing guard near a group of nobles while looking out for any would-be intruders. The man looks a little out of place as he doesn¡¯t appear to be of Eastern Arterian origin, but none of the nobles question his presence since he¡¯s here, wearing a soldier¡¯s uniform, and appears to be doing his job. And the Emperor¡¯s voice distracts them too much to care one way or another. After the soldier, another man makes his way through the gardens, casually clipping the leaves very gently without making much of any difference in the bushes on the second floor outer courtyard. He is currently within the hedges, only barely visible by the group of nobles standing on the other edge of the hedge, none of whom are looking his way and are instead focused solely on the sight of the Emperor as he stands on the upper deck. ¡°The war¡­ yesh, the war is coming to a truly wondrful climax!¡± the Emperor continues to drone on, occasionally getting lost in his own words due to the alcohol filling his system to the brim. Another soldier can be seen patrolling the upper floors above the party, only briefly glancing out the window at the sound of the Emperor¡¯s speech. But he pauses near another noble, who also happens to be looking out the window from a few meters away from the soldier. And despite the soldier¡¯s relatively distinctive appearance, the noble doesn¡¯t question the soldier as he knows patrols are supposed to be going through the hallway he¡¯s in. Instead he focuses on what his Emperor is doing, wondering why he allowed himself to get so drunk in the first place. ¡°-our beloveved trading partnersh, the Eternal Dynashty have been grateful enough toooo¡­ to provide us with their shtuff in trade-¡± the Emperor¡¯s words keep coming as an assistant chef moves around the kitchen, bringing ingredients one way and another, seemingly oblivious to the noble in the corner of the room who is laughing at a joke the head chef, another noble, had made. And when one servant stops to grab a few dishes in front of a certain noble, who of which is not taking his confused eyes off of the drunken Emperor, the servant presses a button on a radio hidden within his pocket. Then a single quiet beep plays out from five other radios within the castle, following which four of the owners of the radios press a button on their radio as well. Finally, the very moment the last owner of a radio presses their button, a maid with long white hair and seemingly glowing red eyes walking up towards the emperor in the process with a tray in one hand, chaos breaks out across the party. ¡°Noww, to the everlashting Empire, and our victowry against-¡± the Emperor begins, only to cut off as a wave of gunshots echo across the castle. All in a single instant, the servant, the two soldiers, the chef¡¯s assistant, the gardener, and the maid all either summon a pistol from nowhere or draw the pistol holstered at their waist, with each one of them except the maid quickly raising it and shooting straight at the heads of one of the nearby nobles to them. And an instant after that, the maid fires her own, having previously only raised it to point at the emperor without firing. Waiting to time it so that the shimmering barrier around him vanishes right before the bullet makes contact with his head. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Then all six nobles, including the Emperor himself, fall dead to the ground with a bullet hole going straight through their head. And the screaming begins in earnest.
Aria As soon as I shoot the Emperor in the head, he falls to the ground, and I get the System Message I¡¯m looking for. [User has killed one being of Level 11. Requirements to reach level 6 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 1702/3000 beings have been granted Death.] Meanwhile screams fill the castle from more than just this ballroom. And moments later, I feel more than a few bullets going straight through my maid uniform and into my body from quite a few directions, making me look around to find more than a few of the nobles having pulled weapons out of storage rings. But I just shrug off the bullets as I grab the Emperor¡¯s corpse and toss it into my own storage ring, not forgetting to devour the man¡¯s soul core while I¡¯m at it. Because this is one man I don¡¯t want coming back to life. Fortunately for the others, I draw pretty much almost all of the attention from the nobles and guards at the ball, making them all shoot at me with only a few firing at them. Mostly because I killed their Emperor right in front of them while he was kind of giving an important seeming speech. Rather amusing timing, that. I didn¡¯t even mean to kill him right at the climax of his¡­ drunkenly given speech. The castle staff all around us look absolutely shocked about what happened, and some of the nobles do as well. But most are just shooting at me, with several trying to throw things like fireballs or bolts of lightning. Some using abilities, others spells from their affinity ability as a mage. I, on the other hand, run straight across the upper deck instead of just standing there as a target. Which shocks the nobles for all of two seconds before I hear quite a few shouts. ¡°The Crimson Eternal!¡± ¡°The damned Crimson Eternal assassinated the Emperor!!!!¡± ¡°Capture her! She can¡¯t be killed by any known means!¡± More and more shouts rise up, making me feel more than a little proud of my own reputation preceding me here. Or rather, I would be proud if they weren¡¯t using that information to try capturing me now instead of just peppering me with bullets that don¡¯t do shit. Then again, at least this way they aren¡¯t ruining my maid uniform anymore. I was beginning to worry that if they kept peppering it with holes then I¡¯d end up running around half naked in their castle. Which would¡¯ve been more than a little awkward. Now they¡¯re just trying to cast nets, barriers, and other types of spells, abilities, and skills to trap me in a corner as I run. And it¡¯s getting annoying. They keep blocking me from getting anywhere near the balcony. Thankfully both Rogers and the commander are already out of the building, having used their focus on me to escape. So I continue running around, avoiding their traps one after another, occasionally ending up on the other side of the room from the balcony just because of this. The only reason I¡¯m even able to do this though is because of the soul energy reserves I¡¯m using up right now along with the boost from Rogers that is still present. A boost he seems to be focusing mostly on me. Out of the corner of my eye, as I run around the room dodging one attack after another and being hit by more than I can count, I notice Vargas jumping down from a higher floor onto the balcony, then just saluting me and jumping off of said balcony too. That makes three of them gone. And Snow should have it very easy to get away. Now that just leaves me and Harvey. Oh, right. And the nobles are all shouting at me. Wonder why? I can¡¯t help but smirk at that, only to glance at the castle staff as I run, finding each and every one of them running as far away as possible. Many of whom actually appear to be leaving the castle entirely now that the Emperor is dead. Probably for the best. I¡¯m pretty sure a lot of these nobles would probably take their anger out on the staff for this. After a lot of dodging, I finally grow sick and tired of it. So, instead of trying to make my way to the balcony, I fire back. Literally. I begin to shoot back at the nobles, especially targeting the ones I personally saw abusing the staff, killing them all in the process. And as I keep doing that, the nobles attacking me slowly decrease in number and I begin to see an opening to the balcony growing. Only for everything to come grinding to a halt when I hear a loud shout coming from the direction of the room leading to the kitchen. ¡°Stop now or she dies!¡± My head jerks to look in the direction of the shout, only to find some sort of higher ranked noble judging by his clothes holding Major Hannah Harvey by the throat with a gun held directly to her skull. B1 | Chapter 49 Aria An emotion sparks in me that I haven¡¯t felt in a very long time. Rage. Pure, unadulterated rage. I completely ignore some of the attacks hitting me regardless of the state of my uniform as I raise my voice, ¡°Let go of her or else.¡± The man seems to grow cocky by the fact that I clearly care about her, his posture growing a little bit more relaxed. And with a rather carefree attitude, he shouts back, ¡°Lay down your arms and surrender yourself and I¡¯ll think about it!¡± I clench my fist at my side, feeling extremely conflicted about what to do here. Since I¡¯ve never been in a hostage situation before, and Harvey is the first person I¡¯ve grown close to in who knows how long. And what¡¯s worse is that ¨C now that I look closer ¨C I recognize this noble. He¡¯s someone with the ability to nullify exterior abilities so long as he¡¯s touching them. Abilities used outside of someone¡¯s body. Meaning the major can¡¯t use her barriers right now. How she got caught by him is beyond me, but that doesn¡¯t matter right now. Fucking damnit! I knew I should¡¯ve kept my damned distance from them! My fist clenches tighter and tighter until my nails dig into my palms, making blood drip down as the many attacks sent my way finally drip to a halt, the guards and nobles all focusing on the hostage situation and growing more reassured. Since they were all growing more and more nervous and panicked by the sight of me taking and ignoring their attacks while sending my own back. Attacks they couldn¡¯t ignore. Possible actions run through my mind one after another. I could try to take him out before he can hurt her, but he was clearly in the kitchen since he isn¡¯t drunk like the others. The chance of me killing him before he can kill her isn¡¯t something I¡¯m willing to risk her life on. I could try acting like I¡¯m giving up, but that likely wouldn¡¯t work either. But¡­ being captured most likely means being tortured for years until either they all die of old age or Albaria rescues me. My fist clenches even harder, digging my nails even deeper into my palms. My capture¡­ am I willing to be captured for her? I¡­ I won¡¯t die, but she will¡­ ¡°Come on bitch, I don¡¯t have all day,¡± the noble says while tightening his grip on the gun and pulling Harvey closer to him. ¡°I¡¯ll give you three seconds to decide.¡± I grit my teeth, feeling panic growing in my mind. ¡°Twooooo¡­¡± Damnit, fuck it all! I begin to release my grip on my gun. ¡°On- FUCKING OUUCHH!¡± The man screams, surprising me and making me stop dropping my weapon, only to find Harvey¡¯s foot having crashed into the guy¡¯s crotch, the woman having taken advantage of his focus on me. Hope blooms in my chest, but that hope shatters just as quickly when someone else raises their gun to shoot at Harvey, who the noble still hasn¡¯t let go of yet. ¡°Hannah!¡± I shout, my voice cracking from the sheer emotion in it. Something I¡¯m not used to. I almost close my eyes when I hear the gunshot. But, to my surprise, a shout comes along with the gunshot, keeping my eyes open to witness the sight of a blade made of ice passing straight through the gun and part of the hand holding it up. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. My mind kind of blanks for a moment, only for me to be snapped back into action when I hear Snow shout from the balcony, ¡°C¡¯mon ladies, we don¡¯t have all day!¡± Then both Hannah and I run through the room, taking advantage of the nobles¡¯ and guards¡¯ surprise to get away. And Snow doesn¡¯t take captives as he sends dozens upon dozens of ice blades into the room. Slaughtering every last guard and noble within. Right. His ability is far stronger in direct combat than any ability Arterians have. It¡¯s the strongest direct combat ability on the planet other than the commanders. Except that his is more for multiple targets and the commander¡¯s for a single target. He didn¡¯t want to risk warning the Emperor of our assassination plan by attacking with it though, so we went with this plan. And¡­ it almost ended badly. Hannah, Snow, and I all jump down from the balcony and quickly rush to the warehouse where the others are at along with the still-unconscious castle staff we had replaced. There we go to two rooms, change back into our previous clothing, and leave to go straight towards the Eastern Gate of the capital. While we move, everything seems to be in chaos. Soldiers are running around inspecting everything and everyone, nobles are all rushing back to their territories without a hint of hesitation, and the people are running around trying to stay out of both of their ways. We don¡¯t bother stopping for their little inspections though. We just continue running far too fast for them to catch us until we reach the wall, after which we simply climb right over it, ignoring the alarm we set off as we do so. Mostly because the alarm just adds to the chaos even more. There¡¯s just no one who can react to it right now. Their chain of command is shattered with their Emperor dead and no one to replace him. Because, ironically enough, despite all of the women the Emperor slept with, he never once had a child. To the point that a lot of people assumed he was unable to sire a child. So the Royal Line dies with him. Especially since I devoured his soul core. After jumping over the wall, we enter a car the merchant partner has waiting for us and drive on away from the capital. And it isn¡¯t until I¡¯m inside the vehicle looking behind us as we drive that I finally remember something rather important that I¡¯d forgotten earlier. Oh. Right. Revival is a thing. I stare blankly out the window, then at Hannah, then out the window again. Huh. I should keep that in mind next time something like that happens. About an hour into our drive towards the neighboring city, we find a rather large force of jeeps and some tanks chasing after us. To a certain driver¡¯s dismay. Fortunately for us, Hannah blocks all of their tank¡¯s shots with her barriers. So we manage to continue moving until some of their Ability Holders rush out of the vehicles and begin chasing us on foot. Then Snow sends his ice blades at them, not dealing all that much damage at first since they¡¯re in the advanced Eternal Dynasty armor, but after he gains a lot of deflected hits, he begins to cut them apart. I, on the other hand, begin shooting back at them with my pistol, but my bullets simply ping off of their armor, making me grit my teeth. ¡°Aria, try your aura,¡± Rogers suddenly speaks up, startling both me and the others. But after staring at him for a second, I think I understand what he means. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll work though. After all, I should only be able to enhance¡­ myself¡­ Wait, why did I think that? I blink at that thought before looking at my gun and pushing my soul energy into the weapon. And it works. So I move halfway out the window and fire at the enemies again, but it doesn¡¯t do anything. Just pings off again. ¡°Bullet,¡± Rogers says, giving me another nudge. And that¡¯s all it takes as the next time I fire, I coat the bullet in soul energy, making the bullet pass straight into their armor, knocking the guy running after us on his ass, likely dead. Oooh, I can use this! A grin splits my face, only to fade when I realize I¡¯m starting to run a little low on my soul energy reserves. So I focus on using my replenishable soul energy right now as I continue draining more soul energy from the dearly departed Ability Holder soldiers chasing us and being cut to pieces by a certain captain on our team. I keep firing back at us, taking out the enemies who get too close while Snow deals with the majority of the Arterian soldiers. And after this continues for several minutes, the enemy forces finally stop chasing. Most likely having realized that there isn¡¯t a point. They¡¯re just sacrificing their own at this point. Which means they¡¯re most likely going to assemble their forces at the border, blocking the Northern Pass that we¡¯re heading to. An act that won¡¯t work out very well if I know the First General. And I believe I understand her at this point. We continue making a hasty retreat all the way past the next cities, spending the next few days returning back to the Northern Pass. Where we find exactly what I was expecting to find. Just like I predicted, there¡¯s an army of Arterian forces at the border. But they¡¯re not all that¡¯s there. Along with the army of Arterians¡­ is an even bigger army. One of Albarians, with the First General standing at the head of it. I take in a deep breath and let it out again. Now the true war has begun. B1 | Chapter 50 The Central Fortress Not Long Ago ¡°Ma¡¯am, we have reports of an army forming on the Northern Pass border wastelands,¡± Elara¡¯s highest ranking lieutenant general declares while rushing into the room, making all of the Nine Generals within turn to look. ¡°They¡¯re preparing for a conflict there!¡± ¡°Do we know when they¡¯re going to march into the Pass?¡± the Fourth General asks without looking up from the map at the center of the room. The lieutenant general shakes his head and answers, ¡°They don¡¯t appear to be preparing to enter the Pass at all!¡± This catches the attention of all of the generals. Meanwhile the few generals amongst them who know of the First General¡¯s plot all turn to look at her, finding her grinning. As if on cue, an alarm begins to sound from the fortress walls. Then the alarm immediately cuts off again, signaling that the new arrivals are friendly. And it only takes a few seconds for said arrivals to end up at the very meeting room the generals are in, somehow passing straight through all of the fortress in mere seconds. The man is wearing a similar outfit to the Two Star Merchants. But instead of two stars showing on his shoulder, a single large star surrounded by four other smaller stars is there. Meanwhile his outfit itself is red and purple instead of white and purple. ¡°You must be the Five Star Merchant that we¡¯ve been expecting,¡± Elara speaks up before any of the other generals can say anything as she steps forwards, away from the table. ¡°Welcome to our world!¡± The merchant gives her a polite smile while seemingly looking around the room for someone, only to appear slightly disappointed when he doesn¡¯t find them. Then he glances to the side where a Four Star Merchant appears in a flash of purple light, clearly using some sort of spatial magic or ability to teleport. The Four Star Merchant whispers into the man¡¯s ear, seemingly surprising the man for a moment before the Five Star Merchant nods his head, making the Four Star Merchant teleport away again. Then the Five Star Merchant focuses on the First General and says, ¡°It would appear as if the Emperor of the Arterian Empire has been assassinated. Therefore we need not have any discussions over how trade between the Dynasty and their Empire shall occur.¡± Shock radiates from six of the nine generals¡¯ faces within the room. Meanwhile the Second and Third Generals both have knowing looks on their faces as the First General¡¯s face lights up like a lamp. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful news! Am I to assume the army stationed on the border is there for the Predator Division?¡± Elara asks, tilting her head slightly in the process. The Five Star Merchant nods his head, answering, ¡°That would appear to be so. Please bring the Predator Division to meet me when possible. I will delay our negotiations until after your war has ended.¡± He looks at each one of the generals before focusing on the First General once more and closing out with a brief, ¡°Good day.¡± All without so much as telling the generals his name, clearly showing the difference in his treatment of the Albarians and the Two Star Merchant¡¯s treatment of them. But none of them are bothered by that. Much. Instead, the six generals who had no idea about the plan turn to the First General, with a few of them speaking at once. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°The Predator Division again? Aren¡¯t you just abusing them!?¡± Of the three who did speak, the Fourth General feels the most upset about the development even if it significantly helps them in winning the war. The First General raises her hand and clenches her fist, making the other generals narrow their eyes at her as she says, ¡°I never ordered them to go on this mission. They all chose to go on their own.¡± Silence spreads amongst the generals. ¡°Is this why the former emperor has been missing for nearly a month now?¡± the Fifth General asks while frowning at the First General. And when the First General doesn¡¯t say anything, she sighs and mutters, ¡°You better have a good explanation for that.¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± the Ninth General says with a laugh, the woman getting a kick out of all this. ¡°It¡¯s clear as day what happened.¡± ¡°The brute¡¯s right,¡± the Eighth General comments, verbally attacking the Ninth General to her complete indifference. ¡°The Crimson Eternal wants one thing more than anything else.¡± ¡°Revenge,¡± the Third General declares before anyone else. Then he goes silent again, the reserved general in charge of the intelligence division of the Republic as quiet as ever. ¡°You¡­ captured that piece of trash to hand off to the Crimson Eternal as payment?¡± the Fourth General half asks half states, feeling bewildered for a moment. Then she just feels conflicted on how to respond to that. Because that means the First General did indeed give them all a choice. ¡°How did you get the others on board? I¡¯m sure they¡¯re not all doing it just to help the Crimson Eternal,¡± the Fifth General asks, clearly not as well versed with the other Category 5s of their nation as she and the other generals are with the Crimson Eternal. ¡°They may be growing closer, but they¡¯re not that close yet. And I¡¯ve even heard that the Crimson Eternal is still distancing herself from everyone.¡± The First General just grins and says, ¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s not my secret to tell.¡± That has the other generals all frowning at her, but she keeps silent regardless. ¡°Now, onto the next topic at hand,¡± the First General says, beginning to drive the conversation away from the subject. ¡°How about we finish off the Empire for good?¡± Unlike before, all nine of the Generals join in agreement on this. The final war was beginning. And this one would be fought while the Empire was leaderless.
The Northern Pass The Present So far everything that has occurred has happened within Elara¡¯s expectations. Within her predictions. Ever since the invaders arrived, Elara has kept her eye on the Category 5s, simply waiting for them to get enough achievements that she could promote them. So that she could put them under her own command and use them to bring this war to its final closure. And it all began with the former emperor¡¯s overconfidence in his control over the girl. In his sending the girl off to the invaders believing her to most likely end up captured, only to find her returning with more merits than he can hold back. Which only sparked the man¡¯s downfall. He had already been losing power for years, his lack of talent in leading and his lack of power constantly pushing that loss further and further. And his corrupted personality didn¡¯t help either, his killing of the Crimsons enough to seclude him from most of the generals since it led to a major loss in the nation¡¯s combat prowess. But the First General couldn¡¯t do anything to him until the time was right. When she and the others finally agreed and even held a miniature election. To turn the nation from an Empire into a Republic. It was all an elaborate way to get rid of that figurehead on the throne and replace it with the council to the fullest extent of the meaning. And after the last ball, he had no power left remaining and had instead become a pawn for the First General to use. One meant to be sold off to another of her pawns. Then it all came falling into place after that. And the First General can¡¯t help but laugh out loud as she stands atop a cliff looking out over the enemy army with her own forces behind her. She laughs, and laughs, and laughs, seemingly never ending as her highest ranking officers look at her with concern. Since she never laughs. Now all she needs before she will finally have her plan coming to full fruition is for the war to end, the child to kill the former emperor, the man¡¯s subordinates to revive Lysandre, and then things will play out on their own. Elara will protect the Crimson Eternal, placing her in a position directly below Elara for all Elara¡¯s life, making her the perfect pawn while fully claiming control of the planet for the Republic. She will also have gotten favor from the other Category 5s along with the Crimson Eternal, cementing her place in terms of power within the Republic. And while she does feel some remorse for using the girl, she also knows that the girl will be happy to have at least been able to kill Lysandre. Which isn¡¯t even considering that the girl will be in a higher ranking position than him as well. The First General laughs for a few more seconds before finally stopping and looking down at the Arterian army before them. Her army is thirty thousand strong, whereas the Arterian army is only fifteen thousand strong. And that¡¯s not considering the higher quality Category 5 Ability Holders on their side, the fact that their Emperor is now dead, so they no longer have a leader or a Category 5 of their own, and the Eternal Dynasty has already supplied them with the same weapons they supplied the Empire. Evening their technology at least in terms of offensive power. Since some of the guns they gave the Arterians were capable of killing a person in their level two hundreds so long as they don¡¯t have any magical defenses up or try to block it with an ability. So, with a wide and terrifying grin on the First General¡¯s face, she raises a fist into the air and projects her voice for all to hear. ¡°Men, we march! To the final battle of this war! And to our victoryyyyy!!!!¡± Every last soldier behind her, man or woman, elderly or middle-aged, Ability Holder or not, charges forwards to meet with the Arterian army, who all appear incredibly low on morale. Even the other three Generals of the Military who joined her on this campaign charge ahead to join the fray. ¡°And now, the last pieces will fall into place,¡± Elara says with one last chuckle before rushing forwards to join the battle herself. B1 | Chapter 51 Aria The Arterian army was obviously waiting for us to arrive at the Northern Pass, only for the First General and ¨C by the looks of the other generals I see with her ¨C the Third, Fourth, and Sixth Generals to strike them from the Pass while they¡¯re waiting. And now there¡¯s an all out war going on between the two sides, with the Arterian army still in shambles from their lack of a leader. I¡¯m sure the nobles are currently squabbling over power while the four generals scrounged together this army. But most of the soldiers are all both worn out and uncertain of what to do. I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if some of the soldiers went ahead and deserted. After all, their emperor is dead. And everyone hated the emperor. They really did have a tyrant after all. So now that he¡¯s gone, they¡¯re going to want to take advantage of the chaos to leave. Most probably would¡¯ve already left if not for how fast the generals seem to have ordered them to march. The Albarians can diss the nobility and emperor of the Arterian Empire all we want, but their generals do at least know what they¡¯re doing. And none of them are nobles either. So they don¡¯t have that crude arrogance the nobles have. Of course, it also led to mistreatment by the nobles and the emperor. But even they couldn¡¯t take it too far with their own generals. Our driver just keeps on going, and soon enough, we near the two fighting armies, and all of our team except for Vargas jump out of the vehicle to join the fray. Then the five of us tear through the army to make a path for the vehicle to enter into the Northern Pass from. After we succeed in doing that, we turn our attacks onto the enemy army itself. And just like with the last time we were fighting in a large scale conflict, I find myself quickly growing numbed to the number of enemy soldiers that fall to my blade and guns. But unlike before, this time I am using their own soul energy that I take harvesting the souls of the fallen on this very battlefield to empower my gun and blade. Because it apparently works with my blade too. A lot of the enemy soldiers purposefully try to avoid me. Until the enemy noble soldiers amongst them in officer positions order them to attack me specifically when they notice me. Shouting out things about me having been their emperor¡¯s killer and stuff like that. Which hurts their morale even more since they know they can¡¯t really do much against me, and I¡¯m pretty sure a lot of these soldiers are thankful towards me as well. I try to avoid killing the unwilling soldiers as much as I can at least. To my surprise though, out of nowhere, a bright golden light shines down and I feel a flash of pain. Then nothing. Just utter darkness for who knows how long. Eventually feeling returns to me again and I find myself lying face-first on the ground covered in blood and snow with a massive chunk taken out of my clothes, leaving me pretty much bare in far more places than I would care for. Thankfully I have my armor in my storage ring and a fast equip function, so I put it on right away without anyone seeing thanks to me being lying down on my front and covered in blood and snow. Then I climb to my feet in my officer uniform once more to find a man who I very much recognize standing several meters away from me. And he¡¯s not alone. Alongside the former emperor¡¯s dog are several of the former emperor¡¯s other lackeys. Each of whom are Category 4 Ability Holders. And next to them are several of the Category 4 nobles from Arteria, showing that they¡¯re working together to deal with little ol¡¯ me. I raise a brow before looking around to find that we¡¯re in some sort of sealed off space through space magic. So none of my team members can get inside. ¡°Well this is interesting,¡± I call out to the enemies while crossing my arms. ¡°You gonna throw a party or something? A last farewell?¡± The former emperor¡¯s dog ¨C a lieutenant general under the Ninth General¡¯s command, likely implying that he either deserted her army or is working with her ¨C snarls at me and says, ¡°You¡¯re going to regret ever crossing the grace given to you by His-¡± ¡°Blah, blah, blah, grace, former majesty, blah blah,¡± I mutter before shaking my head and asking, ¡°Is there a point to all this? You know you can¡¯t kill me.¡± I glance around at the few thousand soldiers surrounding us all, both from Arteria and Albaria. And all of whom are focused on me, clearly siding with these idiots. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. We certainly do have a lot of traitors in our midst. Not sure how the emperor managed to scrounge up so much last second support, especially while he¡¯s most likely not even free. Considering the First General¡¯s words. Although it¡¯s also possible that this is entirely the lieutenant general¡¯s doing without the emperor having done anything. I look to the edge of the spatial barrier to find that the people outside seem to know what¡¯s going on as they¡¯re trying their hardest to break it. Even one of the Generals is doing so. But somehow they¡¯re failing. ¡°Even immortals grow tired,¡± the emperor¡¯s dog barks, sounding incredibly pissed off. Most likely by the term I called Lysandre. ¡°And we¡¯re here to capture you after you do. Then you¡¯ll know what pai-¡± ¡°Can you stop it with the monologuing?¡± I call back, while tilting my head, my arms still crossed. ¡°Just attack already, please. Spare us both the time.¡± His eyes narrow, meanwhile a couple of his underlings actually try to hide a laugh at that without much success. ¡°You¡¯ll regret that,¡± the dog finishes before motioning with his hand. ¡°Take her.¡± Then thousands of enemies all dogpile on me at once, some even killing their own in friendly fire. But I manage to take it all. Although my armor ends up being torn to shreds over and over again. Thankfully this armor is high class armor enchanted with just repair enchantments, so it repairs itself before any of my modesty is leaked. I go around slaughtering the ones attacking me while taking far more hits than I¡¯m giving. And as I do this, I can¡¯t help but wonder if I¡¯m right in the head, thinking about my modesty while being attacked by thousands of Ability Holders at once. Actually, no. Modesty is important. My head gets blown off at that thought before it¡¯s restored again a few seconds later. Right. Important. I continue trying to fight back, but their sheer numbers is more than a little overwhelming. Meanwhile the people outside of the spatial barrier are struggling to so much as scratch it. Something about the barrier being set up to launch everyone into a random location in space should it be physically broken without the caster canceling it or dying themself. So if they try to force their way in I¡¯d probably be floating in space unable to breathe for a while. Which would suck. The fight continues on and on, and apparently I can¡¯t absorb the soul energy of those outside of this barrier. So my soul energy rapidly depletes. I kill one, end up slaughtered a dozen times before killing another. Rinse and repeat. For hours upon end. Over time I manage to kill quite a lot of them, and I begin to near my next level. But another major issue is that they¡¯re all around a dozen or so levels above me. And Rogers isn¡¯t here to support me with his ability. So not only do they have me massively outnumbered, but I have to stretch the usage of my soul energy just to not be captured by them. And when I am captured, I make sure to break one of my own limbs or do something rather self-destructive just to get out of their hold. Good thing I brought a lot of grenades with me in my storage ring. For me at least. Not for the person who is grappling onto me. Gradually, as my soul energy runs out, and I run out of things in my storage ring to break me out of their holds, the fight turns more and more in their favor. Meanwhile the people outside of the spatial barrier all grow more and more panicked about trying to figure out how to disable the barrier without launching me into space. But my attention isn¡¯t on them. What my attention is locked onto are the System Messages appearing with each kill I make. [User has killed one being of Level 16. Requirements to reach level 6 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 2989/3000 beings have been granted Death.] Pleeeeeeaaaase give me a skill with this level! I honestly can¡¯t see a way for me to get out of this without one! I use my last grenade, blowing both myself and ten others around me up at once. [User has killed one being of Level 16. Requirements to reach level 6 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 2999/3000 beings have been granted Death.] Then, after several blades of wind, fire, ice, and even lightning cut off my limbs, someone moves behind me and puts his arms under where my limbs are regrowing, putting me into a lock by my arms. And at this point I¡¯m out of things to free me in my storage ring. Someone even takes my ring off and throws it away this time, making sure it isn¡¯t restored along with my body. A particularly difficult and hella expensive enchantment that the Two Star Merchant had put on it for me during our trip. Finally, the lieutenant general walks through the remaining thousand or so panting and exhausted soldiers to stop right in front of me with a smirk on his face. I scowl up at him, but he ignores me as he kneels down and strokes my cheek, making me try to move my face away without any success. Since someone is holding my head in place. ¡°You¡¯re finally done struggling like a mutt?¡± he says with a very satisfied voice. ¡°That is what you call me, right? A dog?¡± He puts his hand on my cheek, holding my face, only to suddenly jab his fist into my eye socket and rip out my eye. Then my eye grows right back again with me not showing a single ounce of reaction to it. I just keep glaring at him, feeling like his touch is worse than having my eye ripped out. ¡°It¡¯s so dissatisfying to torture you when you¡¯re like this¡­¡± he mutters, still with his hand on my face. ¡°Although, you do seem to hate my touch. Maybe-¡± I don¡¯t let him finish as I finally activate the hidden blade in the back of my shoe and purposefully use the last of my soul energy reserves to struggle free just a little bit, letting me stumble slightly from my kneeling position. This frees my leg a little and I manage to dig the blade straight into the gut of the person standing behind me. But I don¡¯t succeed in freeing myself, as while the person does fall back, bleeding out from the gut wound and a couple other wounds he already had before that weren¡¯t fatal until now, another takes his place right away without giving me a chance to get loose. ¡°Tisk, tisk, tisk,¡± the man clicks his tongue at me while patting my face. ¡°Such a naughty blade. You should¡¯ve learned to respect your wielder more, otherwise this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± The man stands up straight, finally removing his hand from my face to my satisfaction. Then he begins to monologue. Because what villain doesn¡¯t monologue? B1 | Chapter 52 Aria ¡°You just had to have been born, didn¡¯t you? Just had to be a true immortal we couldn¡¯t kill. Did you know just how much that messed with His Majesty¡¯s plans?¡± the man says, starting what I¡¯m sure will be a really long monologue. ¡°It was supposed to be a quick and simple mission. Just go in and kill the Crimson family while they¡¯re all weakened by the poison and curses. Then leave just as quickly as we arrived. But you just had to be a true immortal, didn¡¯t you? We tried burning you, cutting you apart, burying you, and even dropping you into the fucking ocean and nothing worked!¡± The man goes about waving his arms as the thousand soldiers around us just quietly listen to the dog. ¡°Because of you, the generals found out about our mission and even found links to us that, while weren¡¯t enough to incriminate us, still decreased our authority significantly! Then you had to go and prove yourself in the military instead of just being lost to the enemy when your fucking team was killed the first time!¡± the man shouts, making my eyes widen with rage. ¡°That was you!¡± I shout, my voice almost going hoarse as I try to push forwards to strangle him, but more soldiers leap onto me, holding me down. I fucking knew it but there wasn¡¯t any absolute confirmations until now! He¡¯s the one behind their deaths! My first team! The emperor really was behind it!!! He fucking sold us out to the Arterians! He laughs at my actions but doesn¡¯t stop his monologue, ¡°You were supposed to be captured by them when they realized they couldn¡¯t kill you. Then turned into a slave, never to be able to learn any combat skills or anything. The perfect servant for a household.¡± His excitement vanishes in an instant to be replaced with anger. ¡°But they had to let you escape. Then you managed to make a name for yourself over the years and even climbed the ranks.¡± The man reaches over in his anger and grabs me by the collar, pulling my face close to his as he practically spits out, ¡°You ruined all of His Majesty¡¯s plans! You ruined everything for him!¡± And after a moment, his anger clouds over with a sick enjoyment. ¡°Now we¡¯re going to make the rest of your life a living hell no matter what it takes.¡± As if on cue, the soldier I stabbed in the gut with my hidden blade finally dies, giving me the last kill I needed and leveling me up. And, to my immense relief, I get the System screen I¡¯m looking for.
User has leveled up to level 6. User will now be given their second skill. Assessing user¡¯s accomplishments and actions¡­ assessment complete. User will now be given the following skill: Servants of the Pale Horseman This skill allows the user to summon Lesser Minor Spirits of Death, the lowest of the hierarchy of Death Spirits. These spirits will then obey all of the orders given to them by their beloved Lady Death. Set these Spirits on the fools who would try to harm Death herself. For they do not know of whom they harbor animosity towards.
The dog seems to notice the change in my level, and he frowns, only to glance back at the guy who died. A man he clearly realizes is not Arterian. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it He was an Albarian. And everyone in the Republic believes that my purpose is to kill the enemies of Albaria. Which shouldn¡¯t include a soldier of the Republic amongst its numbers. He brings my face even closer to his as he shouts, ¡°What just-¡± I don¡¯t let him finish. Because unlike Harvest, this skill does let me activate it with but a thought. So I do. And several rifts appear around me seemingly leading to some sort of plane filled with nothing but miasma and death, following which creatures pass through the rifts. Each one being a strange, cloaked creature with nothing but ragged brown or black cloaks on their bodies. Meanwhile the creatures themselves are skeletons and zombies, but with glowing red eyes. And I mean glowing. To the point that it¡¯s just an eerie crimson, round light in their eye sockets. No real eyes to be seen. All of the soldiers around us immediately back away in fear, including the ones that were holding me down. I grin as I reach forwards and punch the dog in the chest using my newfound freedom, sending him stumbling backwards while letting go of my face. Then I stand up straight as the creatures, the Lesser Minor Death Spirits, lower themselves to the ground around me. None of them seem intelligent. In fact, they kinda look like curious animals studying prey around them. But none of them move. They just watch, occasionally tilting their heads at those around us. The skill drained all of the remaining soul energy I had left, and even ate up one of the soul cores I had devoured in my body at the time. The weakest one in my possession being the one belonging to the Arterian Emperor. So I can¡¯t get that soul core back. Probably happened because I didn¡¯t have enough soul energy to summon them myself. ¡°W-what are these things?!¡± the dog shouts. And he¡¯s not the only one. All of the soldiers quickly begin running close to the edge of the closed off space as they turn around to look at the Lesser Minor Death Spirits. There appear to be around two dozen of the creatures, which doesn¡¯t seem like much. But considering that these are Death Spirits, the strongest of the spirits¡­ they¡¯re probably pretty powerful. Even if they aren¡¯t intelligent. Occasionally the Lesser Minor Death Spirits ¨C a rather mouthful of a name ¨C let out weird screeches and odd roars from their mouths. ¡°These¡­ aren¡¯t undead,¡± the dog says, having finally regained a bit of his composure. ¡°There¡¯s no miasma around them, so what are they?! Tell me!¡± Huh. Didn¡¯t think about that, but he¡¯s right. While they may look like undead, these are not undead. Undead naturally emit miasma that kills and poisons everything around them. It¡¯s one of the reasons why necromancy is banned in Albaria. But these things aren¡¯t emitting that. Although they are emitting death energy, which only seems to be noticeable by me and likely any other death magic user. Guess that at least means I won¡¯t be arrested for necromancy. I almost snort at that thought. Then I focus on the Death Spirits and tilt my head, tapping my chin. And to my surprise, some of them actually mimic me. So I test a few things out like raising a hand and lowering it again, and they mimic that too. ¡°Cute¡­¡± I mutter out loud almost unconsciously, making a look of confusion and horror spread across some of the soldier¡¯s faces, not to mention the dog. ¡°Fuck this, just kill those things and capture her again! She has to be low on mana by now!¡± the dog shouts at the soldiers. And I can¡¯t blame him for assuming that I¡¯m using mana. Not really. It takes another couple shouts, but the soldiers finally begin attacking my Death Spirits. Which doesn¡¯t actually do anything. After all, you can¡¯t kill a Death Spirit. They¡¯re already dead in a way. They¡¯ll also just regenerate using the soul energy I feed them. Although you can dissipate them¡­ if you¡­ hit them hard enough that they don¡¯t have any¡­ more¡­ Why do I know this? I frown, only to shake my head and mutter out loud, ¡°Kill the soldiers who want to be here and aren¡¯t being forced. And kill the dog as well.¡± As if a string was cut, the Death Spirits all move so fast that it¡¯s just a blur to me. Although it¡¯s probably easier for the higher leveled soldiers they¡¯re tearing apart to see. The Death Spirits all coat themselves with soul energy of their own, making strange blades of red energy appear covering their arms. Almost like their arms turned into pure blades of crimson energy. And the massacre begins. At this point, most of the soldiers and Ability Holders are tired out from battling and capturing me in the first place. Since even for the ones I didn¡¯t kill, I at least exhausted them of mana and energy. And bullets. So the Death Spirits manage to slaughter their way through them without any hesitation. Meanwhile one of them in particular walks up to the dog, who tries to fight it one on one with his lightning magic. But black and red lightning strikes back at the man¡¯s yellow lightning with each bolt from the soul energy fed into the Death Spirit, leading to him slowly being backed into a corner. I feel more than a little satisfaction when the Death Spirit finally corners him at the barrier of his own making before grabbing him by the throat and draining the vitality from his body. To the point that he literally ages before our eyes. Then, to my surprise, another one of my soul cores that I had devoured shatters, leaving me to realize that it wasn¡¯t just a one time payment. They¡¯re still taking soul energy from me. And I don¡¯t have an infinite amount of that. Plus if they continue then I¡¯ll lose the good soul cores I have devoured. So I quickly order them to find and kill the spatial mage, and they do it almost instantly, making the barrier shatter. Then I tell them, ¡°Thank you for your service. You may now return to the Plane of Death.¡± Somehow knowing exactly what I need to do to dismiss them. All of the Death Spirits turn to bow to me as another rift opens up and they each pass through. But before the last rift closes, I spot several things on the other side looking through with what I instinctively feel is a sort of¡­ genuine happiness. Almost as if they¡¯re watching their daughter grow up or something. All of the Death Spirits on the other side of the swiftly closing rift. Death Spirits I can tell are a lot higher ranking than the ones I had summoned. Then, without any fanfare, the rifts finally close. Next thing I know, the soldiers and generals around us quickly begin to round up the soldiers who had attacked me. Meanwhile the battle itself had apparently concluded during the rather long time I spent in this trap. Guess the war ended without me. B1 | Update and Story Art Next week starts the fifth sprint of my project for my capstone course, so I might end up having to decrease the number of chapters I''m writing soon. And next up is the story art. There''s a little spoiler picture at the end of a character who has been talked about but not shown in the story yet. I''m kind of curious if anyone can guess who it is :) It''s in a spoiler if you don''t want to see him. This is art of Aria on a train: The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Here is some chibi art of Aria that I''ll be making into ads soon: And this piece of art is of a character who has been spoken about in the story but hasn''t been in the story yet. (A short passage showing a reaction doesn''t count since his appearance wasn''t described) As I said before, I''m just curious if anyone is able to guess who he is :) B1 | Chapter 53 A Cliff Nearby the War Before the battle with the former emperor¡¯s subordinates ended Mori Ryo watches without showing a hint of emotion on his face as the one assumed to be Death is captured and held in place by the denizens of this world. Meanwhile the armies outside of the spatial barrier continue going at each other until the Albarian Republic comes out on top. Then they rush over to figure out how to break past the spatial barrier. Ryo doesn¡¯t pay them any mind though. He just focuses on the one presumed to be Death. He hasn¡¯t been able to identify her from this far out, so the Five Star Merchant is merely left waiting. Waiting to see what happens next. But when she summons Lesser Minor Death Spirits directly out of the Plane of Death, and even some of the Grand Death Spirits show up right at the rifts¡¯ closing just to see her, he knows right away who she is. A grin finally stretches across the man¡¯s face. ¡°The birthplace of a new Horseman of the Apocalypse,¡± he mutters while looking around the world near him. At the war. At the other continents he knows have all been wiped out. And at the death brought about by none other than Death herself. ¡°A fitting place for one with such a name.¡± Ryo has always respected the emperor of the Dynasty and his assistant, the only Ten Star Merchant in the Eternal Dynasty. But to believe that the great Right Hand of the White Emperor managed to find Death with no more than a few details from a no-name planet like Roan. His respect only grows for the man¡¯s talent to find new and extraordinary trading partners for the Dynasty. And who better to develop a partnership with than Death herself? If they play their cards right, the Dynasty may even develop a relationship with the untouchable and terrifying Death Spirits through her. ¡°Ren,¡± Ryo states, making the Four Star Merchant appear right next to him. ¡°Tell the authorities with control of this ¡®Albaria¡¯ nation to notify Lady Death of our arrival and desire to speak with her as soon as possible. But do not let on that she is in any way important to us.¡± Ryo¡¯s eyes narrow slightly as he uses a magical item to enhance his vision all the way to the battlefield where he watches Death and the other officers and some Generals of the Albarian Republic discuss amongst each other. ¡°There appears to be some tension between her and their leadership. We can¡¯t let it be known that we are interested in her in particular.¡± He pauses for a second. ¡°And notify the Two Star Merchant¡­ Yoshida, was it?¡± Ren nods his head without a word. ¡°Notify the Two Star Merchant known as Yoshida that we have confirmed his theory and he will be rewarded for his service.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Ren says before teleporting away with his spatial magic. Ryo stops using the magical coin in the palm of his hand to enhance his sight before he puts the coin in his storage ring. Then he simply crosses his arms and looks at the army as a whole. If it was found that the Two Star Merchant was wrong or lying, then severe punishment would¡¯ve followed. But the Eternal Dynasty prides itself on trusting its Star Merchants. And the bare minimum merchant with the authority to conduct trade with a partner as beneficial as Death is a Five Star Merchant. Even a Five Star is normally considered too low to conduct trade with her. Generally it would only be the Emperor himself or a Ten Star Merchant who would do business with her. But they couldn¡¯t come personally due to the System restrictions on the planet. Of course, the best possible outcome would be to bring Death off of the world and to the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s capital, but he isn¡¯t sure how he¡¯ll pull that off. Ryo eventually sighs before snapping his fingers, activating another coin, and sending him back to the Void Temple, where his people are staying.
Aria I let out a sigh as I slump in the jeep, feeling more than a little exhausted despite that not being physically possible. Because over the last three hours I had to spend time convincing people that I wasn¡¯t a fucking necromancer. Which was a massive pain. Even if it succeeded in the end. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Although part of that was likely because of the First General pushing for my story to be believed regardless. A story that, I¡¯ll admit, is full of holes. Because I don¡¯t exactly want to admit that I¡¯m Death, and that those were Death Spirits I summoned. That would probably have me captured faster than me being a necromancer would. Which, in all honesty, is another reason I have to leave the planet. Because when I¡¯m found out ¨C and I know I won¡¯t be able to hide it forever ¨C I won¡¯t be in a good spot here. Might as well go out with a bang though. A slight grin stretches across my face at what will be coming soon enough. But, before that, there are some discussions I need to go through. Both with these newly arrived merchants from the Eternal Dynasty who apparently wish to speak with our team, and with the Void Temple Priest. Because apparently Hannah¡¯s favor from the First General involves the Republic paying to have her sister brought back to life. A sister who died right after the initialization of the System. An opportunity that gives me the perfect chance to continue my discussion with the Void Priest. Then after I do both of those discussions, I¡¯ll need to say my goodbyes to the team without making them realize I¡¯m saying goodbye. Or at least make them not realize right away what I¡¯m saying. I can leave a letter for the full explanation. And after that? It¡¯ll be time for me to go out with a bang. Until we arrive at the fortress though, I¡¯m just gonna take a nap. Because not only do I want to, but right now I¡¯m the only one awake in this jeep. Since everyone else on the team already fell asleep. So I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
I¡¯m woken up again when the jeep comes to a halt. And after quickly looking out the window, I spot the First General standing before us, with our vehicle having parked near the Void Temple. That was a nice long nap. I look around the vehicle to find the others already exiting. So I swiftly join them, and we all head inside of the Void Temple with the First General. And just like with the last time we entered, we walk straight through the door, following which I find myself on the second floor of the prayer room standing next to a copy of the priest with a copy of myself down in the prayer room with the others. ¡°Would you like the intel you asked for last time first, or would you like to continue our question and answer session from where we left off?¡± the Void Priest asks, making my eyes widen. I quickly ask, ¡°You got word about the jewel?!¡± He nods his head and says, ¡°That is correct, Lady Death. From our sources, we have learned that the red jewel has some affiliation with the Crimson Empire. However, we could not uncover what exact affiliation it has.¡± My eyes widen at the mention of the Crimson Empire. One of the most powerful of the Nine Grands, and the most secretive as well. No one knows a thing about where they are stationed, where any sort of capital is for the nation. No one even knows who leads it. What their name is. Although people assume that the leaders of the other Nine Grands know the name of their leader, but even that is just an assumption. ¡°Thank you for the information,¡± I tell the Void Priest with a nod of my head. The priest nods back and says, ¡°We will continue looking for information on them if you would like.¡± And after I give a brief nod, he continues, ¡°Now, I will continue the line of questions from the last time you were here.¡± That means the questions about the other three Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Or other two, since he already explained what he could about Famine. The Black Horseman. ¡°As we have already discussed the Black Horseman, we shall move on to the Red Horseman,¡± the Void Priest declares, pausing for a second until I nod as the discussion down below seems to draw closer to a close, the revival coming closer and closer, ¡°The Red Horseman, known as War, is known largely for his Endless War skill. A skill that grants him an infinite amount of energy and stamina so long as he is always on the battlefield, at war with one nation or power or another. He is also known to grow stronger with each and every nation he goes to war with, regardless of if he wins or loses. However, if he wins, he gets a larger boost than if he loses.¡± Most of that is stuff I already knew about War from what Vargas got from the invaders. ¡°Lastly, the Red Horseman cannot deny any duel that is thrown his way, regardless of how powerful the challenger is,¡± the Void Priest continues, finally getting to the good bits. ¡°The winner of the duel will take a single skill from the loser. However, the Red Horseman himself cannot challenge anyone. Other people must challenge him, and they cannot be coerced into doing it.¡± My mouth parts open for a second at that only to close again. Huh. Unexpected. That¡¯s a double-edged sword type of skill. ¡°The final horseman, the White Horseman,¡± the Void Priest states, pausing for a second as a black light shines from below, making me glance down to see the Greater Void Spirit appearing through a rift and speaking with the copy of the Void Priest for a second. Then it goes back through the rift, leaving it open as it no doubt searches for Hannah¡¯s sister¡¯s soul. The Void Priest continues again after the spirit leaves, ¡°Otherwise known as Pestilence, he is immune to all types of poisons, diseases, and curses in existence, and instead is able to grow stronger through ingesting poisons. He is also known to spread newly created viruses and plagues throughout entire worlds, killing off everyone within those worlds while growing stronger with each planet he infects. But nothing else is known about him due to his decision to live in solitude on his planet beyond his testing phases.¡± So they¡¯re all worthy of their names. Brutal. I hope I don¡¯t end up like them. B1 | Chapter 54 Aria Our discussion doesn¡¯t last for much longer before I¡¯m sent back down with the others just moments before the Grand Void Spirit arrives again while carrying what I can immediately tell is a soul just from my experience harvesting them. And while I feel like I can harvest the soul if I wanted to, I obviously don¡¯t. Not to mention that I¡¯m pretty sure the Grand Void Spirit would stop me even if I tried. The Void Priest ¨C to all our surprise ¨C walks up to the soul and places his hand on it, closing his eyes for a few seconds afterwards. Then he raises his other hand, and a white light begins to shine from it, creating a glowing white silhouette standing on the floor in front of us. And when he seems to grow weary, the Greater Void Spirit lowers its hand on top of his head, appearing to grant him some of its power. Seconds pass, then minutes. And before long, the Void Priest opens his eyes and guides the soul into the white silhouette, merging the two. Then, without any fanfare, the silhouette turns into a real person. It turns into Hannah¡¯s sister. Who happens to be naked while standing up right in front of us, so I quickly reach up and cover Snow¡¯s eyes. Feeling slightly annoyed by the fact that I actually have to reach up to do this. Only for the First General to create an illusion barrier around the girl as Hannah walks up and hands her sister a coat. ¡°You can let go now,¡± Snow says, but I don¡¯t bother. ¡°Too risky,¡± I tell him. Who knows? He could somehow sneak a peek. Possibly. The illusion goes down again when her sister is sufficiently covered, and I finally move my hand from his eyes, stepping back again in the process as I take in her sister fully. Hannah¡¯s sister ¨C whose name I don¡¯t know ¨C has the same brown hair and brown eyes as Hannah, although she is shorter than her. More around my height, at about five feet, five inches tall. Give or take. Although her figure is more modest than mine, being more like her sister¡¯s. Her sister also looks tired and confused, so we begin to move out of the Void Temple, leaving Hannah and her sister to walk behind us so as to give them some space. The sheer happiness on Hannah¡¯s face warms my heart a little. To be reunited with her lost family. Then the happiness fades a little when I think about how I won¡¯t ever feel that happiness myself. I take in a shaky breath at that thought and continue making my way out of the Void Temple. Next up will be my discussion with the merchants from the Eternal Dynasty. And I really do have something I need to ask them for help with. I just hope they give me the help I need.
Unsurprisingly, the merchants ask for us each to go into separate rooms when we arrive so that we can ¡®each begin our partnerships alone and in private¡¯. And the room I end up with, also unsurprisingly, has the Five Star Merchant in it. Judging by the stars on his shoulder. The man himself has a red and purple outfit with one big star and four smaller stars on his shoulder, and has a sharp looking angular face with short red hair. And he is actually smiling at me. Which is the complete opposite of his supposed treatment of the generals, if the First General¡¯s account of him is anything to go by. The woman went ahead to warn us about the man and everything they¡¯ve seen of him thus far just so that we don¡¯t ruin the Republic¡¯s image before them. An ironic decision on her part considering the entire reason this man is here. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. A reason that I am pretty sure involves me. Absolutely certain that it involves me now that I see the way he¡¯s looking at me. ¡°Hello, Lady Death, it is a pleasure to finally meet you,¡± the man says with a wide smile on his face while reaching his hand over the table for a handshake. And after a second, I go ahead and take it, shaking his hand. Then he motions towards the comfortable looking chair across from him at the table and says, ¡°Please! Sit!¡± So I do so. Guess they really are just like the Void Temple. Found out about who I am and immediately jumped to make ties with me. Which makes some sense, in hindsight. I¡¯m a true immortal after all. So I¡¯ll never age or die. I¡¯ll outlive any and all of my enemies and just continue growing stronger. Even if it takes thousands, or even tens or hundreds of thousands of years. Even if right now I¡¯m a weak, newly initialized user to them. ¡°My name is Mori Ryo, and I am here to act as your designated Star Merchant from the Eternal Dynasty for the period of time you are on this planet before the restrictions lift,¡± he says with a light bow before he takes his own seat as well. Just for my time before the restrictions lift? ¡°What happens after the System restrictions lift, or if I leave this planet?¡± I ask while folding my arms under my chest and tilting my head slightly. ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked!¡± he says with a smile, active ever the merchant with me. A complete one eighty still from how he treated the generals. ¡°Once you are no longer under the System¡¯s restrictions, whether that is due to waiting out the three years or leaving the world, a new, higher ranked Star Merchant will take my place as befitting your station.¡± Higher ranked than Five Star? Wow. They really put a lot of trust in the future benefits I could bring them. From my understanding, the stars go from One Star all the way to Ten Star. And just becoming a One Star Merchant alone requires decades of experience working for the Dynasty along with making one major contribution to their Dynasty as a whole. So to become a Five Star Merchant like this man, he likely needs to be at least a few centuries old. Meaning the only reason he¡¯s level one right now is because he must¡¯ve reset his level to come here. For a Five Star Merchant to do that¡­ I purse my lips for a few seconds before eventually coming to a decision. If I can¡¯t leave through the Gate to Roan, I¡¯ll have to leave to go somewhere else. And the only connection I have now with another planet, other than the jewel my family gave me, is with the Dynasty. So, with my decision finally made, I let out a breath and ask the man ¨C Ryo I believe should be his given name from what the other Star Merchant said about how they order their names ¨C in an even tone of voice, ¡°Do you have any way to bring me to the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s capital world?¡± My question seems to finally break through the guy¡¯s masked exterior as a flash of surprise crosses his face. Then the surprise turns into joy as he excitedly says, ¡°That we do! We¡¯ll even offer you the trip for free since having you come would benefit us as well!¡± Well that was easy. Almost makes me wonder if they have anything harmful or otherwise planned- ¡°I¡¯ll even sign a soul pact stating that we have no plans to harm you lest you attack us first!¡± the man says, likely seeing the brief flash of hesitation on my face. And that clenches it. You can¡¯t break a soul pact. Even the Nine Grands can¡¯t break them, according to what I¡¯ve heard. That said¡­ ¡°I apologize if this comes off as rude,¡± I start, making the joy on his face fade ever so slightly, ¡°but would it be alright to have your leader sign a soul pact as well before I arrive?¡± The joy returns right away, surprising me as he says, ¡°Of course! We¡¯ll have it done immediately!¡± And without missing a beat, he pulls out a soul pact and lets me create the rules of the contract before signing it after only a brief glance. Then he pulls out a device, takes a deep breath, and activates it, following which a hologram appears in the room of a man. One whose soul I can clearly feel. And then another projection appears in the room of the Greater Void Spirit, surprising me once more. ¡°A pact will now be made between the White Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty, Shirou Amatsuraki,¡± the spirit begins while looking at the hologram of the man who I can only assume is Shirou. Because the spirits apparently can¡¯t lie according to our intel. Then it turns to look my way. ¡°And Death, Horseman of the Apocalypse, the one Beloved by the Spirits of Death, Pale Rider, and Timeless One. So shall it be.¡± I feel a string of my soul energy move towards the void spirit while a string of Shirou¡¯s own soul does the same. And when they connect, a brief flash of light occurs before the spirit vanishes. Meanwhile the Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty simply nods his head and says, ¡°I look forward to meeting you, Lady Death.¡± Then his projection vanishes. Honestly, I can¡¯t help but feel that this whole ordeal is a little one-sided, but I¡¯m not going to complain. Since apparently, according to the Void Priest, all I¡¯ll lose if I break a soul pact is some levels. Unlike other people who, well, die. After all, I can¡¯t die. ¡°Now, onto the details of your arrival on Eternus, the capital of the Eternal Dynasty,¡± Ryo continues, only for me to raise a hand to stop him. ¡°There¡¯s something I need to do before I head there,¡± I tell him with a shake of my head. And he immediately seems to understand judging by the look on his face. ¡°Can you give me something that¡¯ll teleport me right away when I need it to?¡± He nods his head, a smile growing on his face as he says, ¡°I think we can work something out.¡± B1 | Chapter 55 Aria The last order of business for me after finishing up my conversation with the Five Star Merchant is to meet with my team for our daily debriefing in the guy¡¯s dormitory building. The one made just for the commander, Snow, Vargas, and Rogers. A meeting¡­ I¡¯m not looking forward to. We meet as always when we¡¯re at this base in their common living room, with some snacks laid out on the table as we all sit on various couches. And before we begin, I raise my hand and state, ¡°I have something I want to tell you all before we proceed.¡± My eyes directly meet the commander¡¯s as I add, ¡°It¡¯s important.¡± Not only is he surprised, but the others appear so as well. But he still nods his head and says, ¡°Go ahead,¡± anyways. I take in a deep, shaky breath, before beginning. ¡°As you all know, I¡¯ve been in the military ever since I was nine years old. And while I can¡¯t go into the specifics, I can at least tell you it wasn¡¯t my choice to enter the military.¡± They all nod their heads, clearly having already guessed that. Although they seem surprised I¡¯m talking about it. ¡°Immediately after joining the military, I was put on a team of very kind people who treated me like I was their own daughter. We spent about a year together, and throughout that time, I grew to care about them as if they were my family. There were still dark times where I cried myself to sleep at night, but I was starting to move past things, even just a little bit.¡± The atmosphere in the room plummets as I talk, everyone growing tense. Likely knowing what happens next. ¡°It was a little over a year after I first joined the team,¡± I continue, feeling a slight wetness in my eyes as I look down at my hands from my seat on the couch. ¡°We were sent on a mission to the Southern Pass where we were meant to scout the Al Mountain Pass for signs of the Arterians setting up camp there.¡± I almost choke up. ¡°But in the end, I was the only one to make it back¡­¡± I see tears building up in Hannah¡¯s eyes, meanwhile the others all grimace. ¡°I can¡¯t say anymore about the details other than it was a trap,¡± I tell them while wiping my eyes, briefly thinking about the contract I was forced to sign a while back. ¡°The Arterians were given information that we¡¯d be there with a Category 5. But since they didn¡¯t realize the Category 5 would be a child, they just assumed I was there as an Ability Holder, and that they were lied to. So they killed everyone and left.¡± I suck in a breath of air, finding it increasingly hard to speak. ¡°I later woke up in a coffin at a ceremony.¡± I lift my eyes to look at the others, finding the horror in their own. ¡°My own memorial ceremony, along with that of the people I had grown to cherish.¡± Hannah bursts out of her seat and pulls me into a hug. But I don¡¯t stop talking even as my cheek is pressed into her chest, her arms around my head. An awkward position. ¡°After that, I spent the next nine years avoiding everyone. If someone tried to treat me kindly, as they would a child, I avoided them. If someone tried to become friends with me, I would send them away as coldly as I could,¡± I tell them, feeling tears running down my face. But by now, I can speak clearly. As if I¡¯m growing numbed to the pain despite the tears. ¡°This didn¡¯t always work, since it was hard to act like I had no interest in talking with anyone around me. And I ended up being caught in two more traps meant to send me off to Arteria. Traps in which my teammates ended up dead again. But eventually the traps stopped. Their purpose already having been voided. Long since deemed impossible.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I feel wetness on my head as Hannah no doubt cries. And to my surprise, the commander joins the hug, and so does Rogers. But I keep talking, ¡°By that point I truly began to grow cold towards others. Apathetic in a lot of ways. I just stopped caring as much about others or even myself. All I knew about by then was pain and killing. I had become a weapon myself. A blade.¡± Now Vargas joins in, which is rather shocking. ¡°Eventually my ranking grew more and more, and the people behind this couldn¡¯t effectively force me into doing much anymore,¡± I tell them, not even able to move anymore because of the people squeezing me. ¡°Then I met you all, and something in me just felt¡­ wrong¡­ to push you away. But I tried, nonetheless.¡± I try to raise my head to look at Hannah, but the tears keep coming more and more as I once again have difficulty speaking, ¡°But Hannah¡­ she just kept pushing. And I couldn¡¯t turn her away. Not when I thought about my own loneliness. Not when I saw how hard she was¡­¡± my throat closes up a little as my crying makes it hard to continue. I feel Hannah stroking my hair and I begin to truly cry. At this point Snow joins the hug. After a few minutes of crying, everyone finally separates, and I finish what I was trying to say, ¡°Despite my attempts otherwise, I grew to care about you idiots.¡± They all laugh a little at that. Except Vargas, of course. Because he¡¯s Vargas. ¡°So I wanted to tell you how thankful I am for you, even if I don¡¯t show it much.¡± I look down a little. ¡°I think my past has kind of killed my expression of emotion at this point.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Hannah says in a gentle tone of voice while reaching over and grabbing my hand from its place on my knee and squeezing it. ¡°Things¡¯ll get better over time. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± She glances at the others and says, ¡°Right? Guys?¡± They all agree with her. And when they mention how things will get better as we spend more time together, working as a team, I can¡¯t help the bitter smile that spreads across my face. One none of the others can see. Right. I¡¯m going to have to leave them soon. If the generals find out I¡¯m Death, then there¡¯s no telling what they¡¯ll do. From the stories of the other Horsemen, not a single one of them didn¡¯t end up being an apocalyptic force their world had to face. So most likely, the Republic will turn against me and try to lock me away. Meanwhile the others here will end up facing harsh scrutiny, and will have to live out their lives knowing I¡¯m locked away. And while I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll hate me for what I am, I don¡¯t know that for sure either. At least, if I leave now, even if the truth is revealed ¨C which it will be when they try to revive the former emperor ¨C they won¡¯t publicize it. After all, it¡¯d be bad publicity to know that Death herself was in their nation being reveled as a hero. Just what would the other worlds in the System think? They wouldn¡¯t be happy. I feel more tears fall down my face, which the others do notice, and Hannah squeezes my hand slightly. For now, though, I¡¯m just glad to be able to spend some time with them. Even if it is only for now. On that note, one last thing I have to say. I raise my head again and begin speaking once more, ¡°I¡¯ve cherished our time together. All of it.¡± Mostly. ¡°And I always will, long after we eventually part ways.¡± I give them a full smile despite my tears as I finish, ¡°Thank you, for bringing some light back into my life.¡± They all go through their lines of saying things like, ¡°We¡¯ll be a team until we croak of old age,¡± or ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about having to remember us since we¡¯ll be making more memories together,¡± and more. But I just keep smiling at them. And, if I¡¯m being honest, the part about them croaking from old age¡­ hits me hard despite my visible reaction. Because it also reminds me of the other reason I avoid people. Since I will never age, but they will. Even with the System, they will still age unless they never stop leveling. So I will eventually be left alone again, just after I spend decades with them caring even more about them instead of the amount I care now. Another reason for me to leave. Before I grow to care about them any more. I take in a shaky breath before forcing myself to relax and taking a deep breath to calm myself. We all talk for a little bit more, with us talking a little bit about Hannah¡¯s sister and her time spent with her since her sister¡¯s revival, then the commander brings us back on track again to the point of the meeting. Finally, after the meeting is over, I turn around at the door and tell them, ¡°Goodbye.¡± They all wave a brief farewell, expecting to see me again. But they won¡¯t. B1 | Chapter 56 Aria After I leave the guy¡¯s building, I go straight to mine and Hannah¡¯s building before making for my room. Then I quickly begin to write the letter I¡¯ll be leaving for them, putting in all of the information I believe they need to know. Including information that I would normally be blocked from saying by the contract, since they won¡¯t be reading this until after Lysandre is dead and the contract is void. At this point I¡¯m all cried out though, so even as I¡¯m writing, I don¡¯t feel much other than a sad acceptance of my circumstances. Once I finish, I label it ¡°For my team¡± and then leave the letter under my pillow. And without hesitation, begin packing things into my storage ring. I had a lot of my personal belongings ¨C particularly the stuff I went shopping for with Hannah ¨C delivered to the base during the last mission. So I go ahead and put that stuff in the storage ring too. Of course, I also went ahead and paid my butler for quite a few years of work despite not needing to. Because he¡¯s a cool guy. After I finish packing everything, I go ahead and leave the building, not saying anything to the others before I meet up with the First General in nothing more than my officer uniform with my storage ring on. Nothing suspicious at all. She looks me over for a second before asking, ¡°Are you ready?¡± I nod my head and we immediately begin heading over to where the former emperor is being held. Which, as it turns out, is a random fortress within the Republic. In the dungeons of the fortress. Or at least, that¡¯s where she takes me. We end up walking through the fortress dungeons for longer than I¡¯m pretty sure the dungeons should be. Probably some sort of effect of her ability. Masking how large the dungeons are with her illusions. And after walking for nearly half an hour, we finally end up at a large cell, where a familiar mana signature lies within. ¡°Open the cell,¡± the First General tells the guard stationed at the cell door. And they quickly rush to open it, letting me inside. The general then closes the cell door, leaving me in silence inside of the dark cell. She had told me that all I have to do is ring the bell after, giving me an impression of privacy. But if I¡¯m being honest with myself, I know she¡¯s spying on everything that happens in this dungeon. But I also don¡¯t give a shit. Whatever is said and done here doesn¡¯t matter. Not when they¡¯ll find out my secrets anyways after they fail to revive the emperor. Up until now, everyone believes the failed summoning of a Greater Death Spirit caused the prince of the Grand Roan Empire to not be able to be revived. Both the Roan people and our own. But after this? And after other successful revivals have already taken place? It won¡¯t take but a few minutes to put two and two together. So I let a grin stretch all the way across my face as I step forwards, deeper into the pitch black cell. And after using a tiny amount of the soul energy reserves I had built back up after the battle by absorbing the souls of the dead post-war, the crimson light fills the room. Illuminating the man behind all of my traumas sitting at the back of the cell in rags. I won¡¯t be holding back anymore.
The Cell Not Long Ago Lysandre de Pyre Voltaire, former emperor of the former Albarian Empire, had always wondered why. Whether it was to the question of why his parents half-abandoned him in their attempts to produce another heir. One who could actually continue the bloodline. Whether it was to the question of why the people¡¯s support was gradually leaving his family. Why he ended up with such a useless ability for an emperor or his power. Or whether it was to the question of if his choice to get rid of the Crimsons was a good idea or not. The word always rolls around in his head for one regret or another. For one ¡®what-if¡¯ and for another question of the universe¡¯s fairness. Would he have still killed the Crimson family if he¡¯d known one of them was a true immortal? Or rather, if he¡¯d believed the rumors that one of them was? It¡¯s possible. Lysandre himself knows that he isn¡¯t always the first to act beyond his rashness. And he has always hated the Crimson family. That family of outsiders who''ve taken a lot of the power within the nation and made it their own. Could he have planned better, at the very least, if he had known before killing them? This, the former emperor is absolutely certain of. In his mind, it¡¯s all about having the right information. Knowing every piece on the chessboard and how they¡¯re used most effectively. Predicting the other players¡¯ moves, because in reality, you will always be faced with an infinite number of players. But now, as he sits in the corner wearing naught but rags in a jail cell of the First General¡¯s dungeons? Now he wonders where it all went wrong. And how to bring it back around in the right direction. His planning is entirely disrupted when the door to his wide-open cell finally opens, spilling some light into the pitch black room. But right when he¡¯s about to begin throwing abuse at the First General, he pauses. Because he sees who is entering his cell. And it¡¯s not the First General. The cell quickly closes and locks again, leaving the two in the pitch black darkness alone with naught but the girl¡¯s glowing crimson eyes to light the cell. A glow that sends a shiver down his spine as she slowly steps closer and closer to him. Lysandre knows he¡¯s fucked. He may be an Ability Holder, but the only thing his ability can do is sense things. And he has already been completely drained of mana since before being locked in the cell, so his enhanced sensory ability isn¡¯t even as enhanced now as it normally would be. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Meanwhile the brat he¡¯s been trying to get rid of for over a decade now seems to be bursting full of it. Or¡­ Lysandre frowns. ¡­something like mana? Wait, why does she even have energy like that? The former emperor senses something¡­ different¡­ about the girl since the last time he had seen her. And it isn¡¯t her appearance. But he doesn¡¯t get long to contemplate it as the brat finally stops a few meters in front of where he¡¯s sitting with his arms bound by chains. And the first thing that comes out of her mouth sets Lysandre¡¯s anger free. ¡°That outfit suits you,¡± she says with a vicious smile on her face. ¡°You bitch!¡± Lysandre shouts at her, spitting all the while in his anger as he climbs to his feet, only for the chains to yank him back down to the floor. ¡°Get over here and we¡¯ll see who¡¯s laughing!¡± The former emperor doesn¡¯t see any weapons on her person, and despite the odd crimson energy, he knows that her ability is True Immortality. So despite his situation, he still feels like she¡¯s no match for him. Like she¡¯s still the nine year old child his soldiers had found at the Crimson Manor. She¡¯s even a lower level than him. The girl laughs in his face as she steps forward, the crimson energy covering her entire body now in a thicker veil, to his surprise. And without any apparent struggle, she reaches for his neck, grabs him, and raises him up into the air while scraping his back against the wall as he struggles in pain and cries out. Then she tilts her head a foot away from his face and asks, ¡°I¡¯m here. What now?¡± He struggles against her hand, but fails to get her to weaken her grip, the girl somehow supernaturally strong. Stronger than him. Which shouldn¡¯t be possible since he knows he¡¯s a higher level than her by a few levels. What is happening?! ¡°I still don¡¯t hear any laughter,¡± she says in a slightly sing-song voice as she begins to slowly walk parallel to the wall while dragging him against the wall, tearing the rags he¡¯s wearing and scraping his back in the process as he grits his teeth in pain. Then she stops again and reaches down to his arm, breaking his wrist and making him shout in pain. ¡°Still no laughter. Hmm. A pity.¡± She drops him, making him land on the ground with a cry of pain as he cradles his broken wrist. ¡°Just how?!¡± he shouts at her through the searing pain of his wrist. Pain he isn¡¯t used to as an emperor. Or former emperor. ¡°How are you doing this?!¡± The bitch turns to look down at him while crossing her arms and saying, ¡°What, you don¡¯t know already? The System really is a lovely thing, don¡¯t you think?¡± He looks confused for a second before his eyes widen and he finally remembers the System skills. Then he narrows his eyes and says, ¡°So you got a skill that boosts your physical strength. So what? How will that-FUCK!¡± The former emperor cuts off his words and shouts when the bitch kicks him in the crotch without any emotion on her face. ¡°You talk too much,¡± she says afterwards before tapping her finger a few times on her arm as Lysandre covers his crotch, unable to speak a word. ¡°I know monologuing is normally not something someone should do at a moment like this, but I think I¡¯ll try it.¡± And thus, the former emperor is forced to listen as she talks, only understanding three quarters of what she¡¯s saying through the pain, ¡°You probably know by now that I¡¯ve wanted to kill you ever since I was nine years old. Both you and that little dog of yours, who, by the way, is dead already. But him aside, I was rather surprised when the First General decided to give you to me to kill like this. Of course, I¡¯m not stupid enough to not realize that she¡¯s most likely going to let your little followers revive you after this, and she¡¯s probably listening even right now.¡± The former emperor finally manages to raise his head to look at her, right as she leans down a little, her hands on her knees and an emotionless look in her eyes. ¡°But you know what?¡± Lysandre barely manages to cough out a, ¡°What?¡± despite wanting to curse at her right now. But he knows that she holds all of the cards. And even after his subordinates revive him, it would be best not to have to revive. Because that will cost all of their remaining resources to do. Resources that, while they can be rebuilt, shouldn¡¯t be wasted like that. ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± she says, surprising Lysandre into numbly staring at her. ¡°I don¡¯t. Not anymore. Not about your little plan to revive. Not about the First General¡¯s attempts to use me. Not even about the Arterians or the Grand Roan Empire.¡± She stands up straight again and looks at him with those glowing red eyes and says one last time, ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Care.¡± Then she begins to pace back and forth in front of him while still talking, ¡°You know how I killed your dog? He had three thousand soldiers of both the Arterian and Albarian armies working with him to pin me down. And he did. Pin me down, I mean.¡± Lysandre continues to listen through the pain. Pain that is slowly beginning to fade, if only a little bit thanks to adrenaline. ¡°I lasted it out through about two thousand of those soldiers until they finally captured me, and the man started going on and on about me ruining your plans and blah blah blah, some long ass monologue,¡± she pauses and glances at the former emperor, ¡°kind of like what I¡¯m doing right now,¡± then keeps pacing again while looking at where she¡¯s walking instead of Lysandre. ¡°But I managed to use one last hidden blade ¨C quite literally ¨C to kill one of his soldiers holding me down. An Albarian soldier, to be specific.¡± She stops pacing and focuses on Lysandre. ¡°Of course, your dog didn¡¯t care at first.¡± Her eyes narrow. ¡°Until he saw my level go up.¡± The former emperor blinks in confusion at that. What? She continues pacing again, uncaring of the clear confusion on his face, ¡°Many people don¡¯t really know this, but if you tell a truthseeker something you know is true to a question you asked yourself in your own head, they won¡¯t detect a lie. Because you aren¡¯t actually lying.¡± The bitch turns to glance at him again. ¡°Did you know that?¡± Lysandre¡¯s eyes widen as he realizes that she had lied about either her class or her purpose. Or perhaps even both. ¡°Finally realizing it now?¡± she asks with a laugh before finally stopping her pacing right in front of him while spreading her arms out to both sides of her. ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can understand after you see this.¡± The brat¡¯s eyes begin to glow a brighter and brighter shade of crimson with every passing second, following which her hands take on that glow as well. Then five rifts appear all around her, each leading to a place filled to the brim with death for as far as the eye can see. And a single creature steps out of each rift before walking over to the former emperor, with two of them lifting him up after grabbing his arm pits with their bony hands. Just the sensation of those ice cold bones touching his bare skin has Lysandre¡¯s skin crawling. But it doesn¡¯t end there as the brat looks down at him with a wide grin on her face and speaks, her voice resonating throughout the room with sheer power in them. ¡°How about I reintroduce myself to you,¡± she says right as one of the creatures of bone stabs some sort of energy blade into his right leg, making Lysandre scream in pain. ¡°My name is Aria Crimson, but some people know me by a different name now.¡± Another creature does the same to his other leg, making his blood flow nonstop. ¡°It¡¯s not really one you would know of, but it¡¯s one nonetheless.¡± A third creature does it to his right arm, his screams of pain rising another octave. ¡°And while I¡¯ve tried to stray away from it until now, I think I¡¯ll finally take this name as a part of me.¡± Lysandre screams out through the pain, ¡°You know I¡¯ll just come back after this! You will regret this! Mark my words, you will fucking sufferrr!!!¡± The brat tilts her head slightly before shrugging, making the creature who had let go of his other arm after it was nailed to the wall do the same to his remaining limb as she finishes, ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so.¡± Then, out of pure irony, she pulls out a gun and aims it at his head. One that Lysandre remembers as the very gun his lieutenant general had used to kill her uncle. ¡°I¡¯m not normally one for theatrics,¡± she says, only to tilt her head slightly with a smirk and finish, ¡°But maybe I should be.¡± Lysandre can only barely make out her words through the pain as she finishes. ¡°My name is Aria Crimson, but some people now know me as Death, the Harbinger of Death, and the Horseman or Horsewoman, whichever you prefer, of the Apocalypse,¡± she says, shocking Lysandre to the very core. ¡°And you won¡¯t be coming back.¡± The last thing the former emperor hears is the sound of a gunshot, with only the faintest flash of light from what looks to be someone appearing in the room. Then everything goes dark. Forever. B1 | Chapter 57 Aria I let out a relieved sigh after killing the former emperor. And without any hesitation, I devour his core in its entirety. Torture is very unpleasant. It¡¯s best to just kill someone as quickly as possible. Even when it was someone who really deserved it, I just don¡¯t like that sort of thing. But I just couldn¡¯t stop myself. Anyways, I turn back around to find the First General looking shocked between me and the five Lesser Minor Death Spirits who are currently reentering their rifts. The woman looks rather alarmed, to say the least. ¡°Is what you said true?!¡± she practically shouts. ¡°Are you Death?!¡± I tilt my head and nod towards the dead guy as I comment, ¡°Pretty sure I just said that I was to this guy.¡± She shakes her head and takes a deep breath. Then she snaps her fingers, making the cell door open, following which dozens of soldiers enter the room with guns aimed at me. ¡°Damnit, Aria¡­¡± the First General mutters. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just not have been a Horsewoman of the Apocalypse? I can¡¯t protect you from this¡­¡± I snort at that, finding the irony rather amusing considering the situation. ¡°Nah, no need for protection,¡± I tell her while putting my hand into my pocket and summoning the silver coin the merchant gave to me into my hand within. ¡°I already knew you were just using me to get to your own goal of having the most power in the Republic. Same with the others in the team. The only reason I never said anything or stopped you was because you were giving me exactly what I wanted.¡± The First General looks surprised for a moment before asking, ¡°How long have you known?¡± ¡°For a while now,¡± I tell her with a shrug. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter much anymore. I at least know you won¡¯t use this against my team. So it¡¯s all good.¡± That seems to confuse her for a moment, but then her face grows darker and more serious as she raises her voice, ordering, ¡°Major Aria Crimson, for the crime of having a blacklisted class, you are hereby demoted and stripped of rank. You will be placed in prison until a sentence-¡± ¡°Yeah, no,¡± I tell her, surprising her so much that her face just blanks. ¡°Sorry, not sorry.¡± Her face grows dark as she asks, ¡°Do you really intend to fight your way out of here?¡± I raise a brow at that and pull out the coin from my pocket while raising it up to the light that is shining through the open door of the cell while saying, ¡°Who ever said anything about fighting?¡± She seems to realize what I mean just a single second before I activate the coin by inserting some of my soul energy into it, because the last thing I hear before a loud warping sound envelops me is her shouting, ¡°Get that coi-!!!¡± Then I find myself standing on some sort of bridge while being soaked by the rain in the dark of night. The bridge itself seems to lead to some sort of dock, meanwhile all I can see around me is ocean. Just endless ocean for as far as the eye can see, with some cities on smooth white pillars sticking out of the waters. The bridge I¡¯m standing on in particular is very low, closer to the ocean¡¯s surface. Meanwhile the pillars for the cities above are quite a bit higher off of the water¡¯s surface. As for the cities themselves¡­ they look¡­ like a lot of bright lights in glass buildings. Not sure how else to describe them. Quite a bit further ahead than the technology on Vortel, that¡¯s for sure. I look around for a bit, finding several ships on the dock connected to the bridge, but no people. Eventually I turn to the other side of the bridge, where I find it connected to some sort of building. One that looks kind of like it¡¯s cloaked or under an illusion. But I¡¯m still able to see it. Maybe because I¡¯m on the bridge already? The rest of the bridge further away from the docks looks the same as the building after all. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I slowly walk across the bridge, not bothered by the fact that it¡¯s nighttime here whereas it was daytime on Vortel. Since it¡¯s a different planet and all, something like that¡¯s just to be expected. As I walk, the bridge solidifies, making it clear that to see it, you have to be on it. And when I reach the building itself, I find a rather nice looking building. Also made with a lot of glass and lights, but this time, it just feels¡­ I don¡¯t know, more fancy than the above cities. I find a door on the bridge, and after a brief hesitation, I knock on it. Just a moment later, the door speaks to me. [Lifeform detected. Running analysis¡­ analysis complete. Lifeform contains the estimated amount of death energy. Lifeform now identified as Lady Death. Touch the door again to enter, then follow the arrows.] I stare at the door for a few seconds, wondering what just happened. And if there are living doors here or something. But then I remember some of the things the advanced worlds in the universe could apparently do. Probably just one of those things. Best not to get too surprised by everything I find. I tap the door again, and the thing opens on its own, startling me for a second. Then, after a brief hesitation, I walk through the door and down a hallway. Then another hallway. And another hallway. And I begin to wonder how a house this small could have so many long hallways. The hallways at least look nice though. A lot less high tech looking than the exterior of the building. More wood, stone, and like a lake house instead. With occasional windows that show me the beautiful waters outside reflecting the light of the full moon high in the sky. I have to say though, despite these long hallways, the technology I¡¯m passing by as I walk¡­ things like little machines moving around and cleaning, automatic doors that open as I walk, these arrow things, and even the lights that turn on when I pass under them¡­ they¡¯re rather convenient. Honestly didn¡¯t plan to spend any time in this world, but maybe it wouldn¡¯t hurt to spend a few years here. I¡¯m immortal after all. What¡¯s a few years to my endless life? Originally I¡¯d just planned to be a bit of a wanderer. Going around traveling the universe, from one world to the next. Seeing what everything is like. What all of the planets have to offer. Nothing else to do in my boring eternal life after all. Might as well see everything. But that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t stay for a few years or so at each place. I continue going down the endless hallways until finally I arrive at a door. One that opens the moment I stop in front of it. And on the other side of the door is the man I recognize from the projection. The Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty is¡­ not what I expected him to be. He¡¯s just casually sitting on a chair by the window looking out of it with his legs put up on a table nearby and a silver coin in his hand, going from between one pair of fingers to the next. Not really what I picture when I think of an emperor. He¡¯s wearing a red and white suit that fits a merchant rather well, and has red and white curtains pulled high up next to the windows with some random silver vase and a teacup on the table next to his boots. After I step into the room, the door behind me closes and he takes his boots off of the table before turning around and leaning back in the chair while crossing his legs, revealing the black vest and white tie he¡¯s wearing. Or some sort of tie. One with a lot of ruffles. He looks me up and down for a moment, showing what I think is a very brief flash of recognition in his pure white eyes before saying, ¡°Looks like you finished your business. Did you accomplish everything you wanted to do?¡± I nod my head while frowning slightly as I realize he doesn¡¯t have a number above his head. The emperor seems to notice what I¡¯m looking for as he waves his hand and says, ¡°You can¡¯t see the level of someone who is over one hundred levels above you.¡± Then he leans forward slightly and asks, ¡°So what is it you want, Death?¡± I feel taken aback for a moment at that question, since I don¡¯t think anyone¡¯s asked me it for as long as I can remember. So I walk over to the window and look out it at the waters, contemplating the question for a little while. And after I think I finally have the answer, I turn to him and state, ¡°I want a break.¡± He looks surprised for a second before a smile covers his face and he says, ¡°I think we can give you that.¡± The man turns in his chair again to look out the window as well. ¡°You may have three years. Spend your time on Eternus however you please during this time. But once the System restrictions are gone on Vortel, I don¡¯t want you here where the Grand Roan Empire might pick a fuss.¡± I look at him, more than a little surprised by the generosity he¡¯s showing. Only for him to wave his hand at me and then raise the coin towards the light of the moon as he says, ¡°I¡¯m just picking up a future business prospect.¡± He clenches his fist around the coin, making a wave of white electricity run through the unknown metal. ¡°And who better as a business partner than Death herself?¡± That has me raising a brow for a second before I look out the window again, finding myself staring at the beautiful full moon high in the sky. Fighting almost nonstop for ten years with only a few short forced-vacation periods within¡­ The thing I want most right now really is just some time to relax. And to not be fighting and at war. Then I can move on again to the next world. Of course, I¡¯ll make sure to find some sort of job or hobby that has me killing things to make sure my level rises. Like fishing or something. But I want to be able to relax for the first time in who knows how long. I smile slightly as I look up at the full moon, remembering the faces of the comrades I finally made before leaving that world. Out of nowhere, I feel myself blinking in surprise as a realization comes to me. Huh. I started calling Hannah by her first name in the end, didn¡¯t I? That has me staring for a few seconds before my smile returns again. Yeah. A real friend for the first time in years. Silence fills the Emperor¡¯s¡­ wherever we are as we both stare out the window. I feel my smile grow as I feel more relaxed than ever before. My stresses and worries, mostly gone. No more Lysandre, no more war, and no more combat. At least for now. Those searching for Death won¡¯t just give up since I¡¯m here after all. There will come a time when I will have to fight again. But for now, I think I¡¯ll enjoy my peace. I worked hard for it after all. B1 | Epilogue The Dungeon Cell right before Aria¡¯s Disappearance ¡°Get that coi-!!!¡± Elara begins to shout, only for the coin to flare with a bright white light before Aria Crimson vanishes from the cell. Then the First General shouts, ¡°Damnit!¡± The soldiers around her all look confused, but she quickly dismisses them and begins rushing through the dungeon to the surface, hoping against hope that the girl didn¡¯t go far. She even orders the soldiers all around the upper floors of the fortress to search the surrounding areas for her. But no one ever finds her. The girl vanished completely. At first Elara is furious about this, but then she manages to calm herself down. Because, while her plans involving the Crimson Eternal, who apparently turned out to be Death, have fallen through, she still has more plans. So she and the others all wait for around two weeks while the Void Temple prepares for the revival of the former emperor. Which Elara is pretty sure is just them wasting the Republic¡¯s time without actually doing anything. But they finally call for her when the two week mark arrives, so she decides not to say anything. Especially since there isn¡¯t much she could say. When she arrives, though, she is immediately told the worst news she could¡¯ve been told. ¡°I apologize, but the soul of a being known as Lysandre de Pyre Voltaire does not exist,¡± the Void Priest declares before bowing his head. ¡°You have our condolences.¡± Elara stares at the priest with her mouth wide open as the other generals around her shout, both at her and at the priest, asking how that¡¯s possible. The Void Priest opens his mouth to speak, only for the Greater Void Spirit to appear and state, ¡°If you soil the pact any further, favor will be lost. Waste not the gift Death has left with you.¡± Then the spirit vanishes again, leaving the Void Priest to finally speak, saying, ¡°You heard the Esteemed One. Please leave.¡± All of the generals leave the Void Temple without a word. They keep walking in silence all the way until they arrive at a private meeting room. Then all of them immediately glare at the First General, shouting all at once. Because while the former emperor was useless and had no power, he was still the emperor of the nation, and his death will rattle the nation greatly. ¡°What happened?!¡± ¡°How did the Emperor die?!¡± ¡°Who is Death?!¡± ¡°Why did the spirit mention Death?¡± ¡°How did his soul get erased entirely!?¡± Elara feels a headache coming on, but not before she slowly answers their questions with a single answer. ¡°Death, as it turns out, was the Crimson Eternal,¡± she says while rubbing her temples from her seat. ¡°She had lied about her Class and purpose using the self-induction trick.¡± The First General pauses for a moment before opening her mouth to continue, only to freeze as pieces to the puzzle begin to click in her mind. Death¡¯s last words to the former emperor. ¡°And you won¡¯t be coming back,¡± Elara mutters, confusing the other generals. Then she raises her head to look at them as she says, ¡°Those were the last words Aria Crimson told Lysandre before she killed him.¡± It doesn¡¯t take long for the other generals to link what happened with the truth. ¡°So what you¡¯re telling me is that the Crimson Eternal, Death, can permanently erase someone¡¯s soul so that they cannot be revived?¡± the Fifth General asks, making the First General grit her teeth. ¡°Meaning the prince and the other higher ups of the Grand Roan Empire can¡¯t be revived not because of the Death Spirit, but because of Miss Crimson?¡± Silence fills the meeting room for longer than the generals would like to admit. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Because how does one handle a being who can permanently kill them but not be killed herself? ¡°Do we at least know where the Crimson Eternal went?¡± the Second General asks, to which the First General looks up and nods her head. ¡°If my assumptions are correct, we can blame the Five Star Merchant for her possession of that strange coin she used,¡± Elara answers. ¡°And she had left a letter in her room for her teammates that mentioned how she was resigning from the military. So I can¡¯t see her returning.¡± Then they all go silent again. Albaria cannot compete with the Eternal Dynasty after all. Which leaves the Albarian Republic high and dry in this situation, with the only winner being Death. ¡°Well, remember that she still helped us win the war,¡± the Fourth General speaks up, breaking the silence. And the others nod in agreement at that. ¡°She could¡¯ve just killed Lysandre and left without helping us. But instead she helped.¡± A few seconds pass in silence before the Eighth General raises his hand and states, ¡°I call for a vote. All those who support placing the information that Aria Crimson is Death, the Horseman of the Apocalypse, under top secret intelligence of the military, raise your hands.¡± Every last general raises their hand. ¡°The vote passes,¡± the Eighth General states. Then the First General raises her hand and states, ¡°I call for another vote. All those who support telling the Grand Roan Empire about who truly killed their prince should they arrive and we do not believe we can handle them, however, without disclosing her connection to Albaria or her true appearance, raise your hands.¡± Every general, once again, raises their hands. ¡°The vote passes,¡± the First General declares. ¡°And so, I call this meeting to a close.¡±
Aria¡¯s Room at the Central Fortress The day after Aria¡¯s disappearance Hannah feels her hands trembling as she and the others of the Predator Division all sit around a table reading a letter. Dear my friends, I¡¯m sorry to be leaving you all without notice. But I had no choice. I wanted to be the one to tell you this myself, so I decided to leave a letter. I am Death. Harbinger of Death, Horseman or Horsewoman of the Apocalypse, Pale Horseman, Ageless One, whatever you want to call it. I lied during my questioning about what my Class and purpose were. My purpose is to bring death unto others. Now, I¡¯m sure you can realize how that would make the nation react when they found out. And they would find out. Because I am not letting that former emperor bastard revive. That¡¯s another thing I wanted to tell you all. I can devour what is called a soul core of any individual who dies near me, and my doing that makes it impossible for them to be revived. It erases the soul¡¯s individuality and everything about them that made them who they were so that even if I release the soul core, they wouldn¡¯t be able to be revived. Because they simply won¡¯t exist anymore, soul core or not. Feel disgusted by me if you want, even fear me. But know that I truly did grow to care for all of you in the end. Yes, even Snow. The captain in question snorts at that as tears run down his eyes. And he¡¯s not the only one, as the others show similar if not the same reactions. If you ever do see me, it¡¯ll be in another world. I plan to travel the worlds! To see the sights and learn new things! And preferably to avoid war, but considering my little title, I can¡¯t really see that happening. To be honest, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I ended up involved in a lot of wars over the years. I probably will be. But for now, know that I will be happy, away from the ties that bound me to Vortel. And that I will always cherish the time I spent with you all. Sincerely, Aria Crimson PS: Please tell Warrant Officer Alexander Greaves what¡¯s in this letter as well. All of the team members let loose, crying like they¡¯ve never cried before. Even Vargas sheds a couple tears despite not being too close to Aria. A feeling that he believes to be mutual. But they were still comrades. And that¡¯s all that matters in the end to him. All of the members of the team continue crying for a while before they begin simply talking about Aria. About times they spent with her. Times they wished they could¡¯ve spent with her. Moments where she said something sarcastic to Snow, to his displeasure. Or the few times where Snow tried to ask a fourth girl out during an outing he, Aria, and Hannah went on, only for Aria to drag him by the collar to continue walking with them, having gotten sick of watching him get rejected over and over again. The quiet times when Aria and Rogers would spend a nice breakfast together without saying a word, with her just drinking her wine. And times in combat about how many ridiculous stunts she would always pull. They continue on into the night before eventually ending with an agreement toasted on with the girl¡¯s favorite wine. That if they ever saw her again, they¡¯d give her a warm welcome back into their team. B2 | Glossary 1 Vortel Description: The World of Vortel is a world where one tenth of the population will be born with a special ability. These ability users are classified in two different ways. Special Class Ability Holders, or SCAH, who have a unique ability that no one else has ever had before, and Regular Ability Holders, or RAH. The abilities come in various different classifications: Physical: Physical Ability Holders gain an increase to their body in some physical manner such as superstrength or speed. Magical: Magical Ability Holders gain the ability to use one magical element and gain a mana pool to go along with the element. Special: Special Ability Holders are the in between. The abilities that cannot be classified in the other two classifications but are still abilities. These can include a hybrid of Physical and Magical, or neither. Some examples include the ability to use a single powerful attack, the ability to set yourself on fire but feel no pain and take no damage, or the ability to nullify abilities. But these abilities do not give the user any mana to use. There is only one continent on Vortel as all of the others have been destroyed over the years through war, leading to the Great Acclaims being established, banning the use of strategic abilities and strictly enforcing it within both nations to lock down any person with a strategic level ability and restrict the use of their ability. Aran Description: The continent of Aran houses the Albarian and Arterian nations, both of whom have been at war for as long as either side can remember. The Albarians want the gold and metals that the Arterians have, and the Arterians want the fertile land that the Albarians have. And neither are willing to share with their eternal enemy. Albaria Description: The Albarian nation treats its soldiers generally well, but if a soldier has a bad officer in charge of them they will not have a good life. The people flourish with food and water, but are lacking in the technology department as opposed to Artaria. Ruled by a council of governors with a political emperor figurehead who has little power. Ability Holders are required to enlist into the military within four years of graduating from lower education, by the time they turn 22 years old. They are also required to attend special classes to help them learn how to control their ability during their education. Albaria has a smaller population and less land, with fewer Ability Holders. However, their Ability Holders often end up being higher quality than the Arterian Ability Holders. Trade from Arteria is illegal. Military Rankings: Private Corporal ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 3 subordinates. Sergeant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 10 subordinates. Warrant Officer ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 20 subordinates. Second Lieutenant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 50 subordinates. First Lieutenant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 100 subordinates. Captain ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 200 subordinates. Major ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 500 subordinates. Lieutenant Colonel ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 1000 subordinates. Colonel ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 5000 subordinates. Major General ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 10000 subordinates. Lieutenant General ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 20000 subordinates. General ¨C 9 Generals in the army Arteria Description: The Arterian nation treats its soldiers poorly unless they are nobles or Ability Holders. The people often are lacking in food and water, albeit still with enough to live off of even if it doesn¡¯t necessarily taste good, but have a higher level of technology than the Albarians have. Ruled by an Emperor with absolute power. Ability Holders are required to enlist into the military right away after graduating from lower education. They are also required to attend special classes to teach them how to control and fight with their ability during their education. Artaria has a larger population and more land, with more Ability Holders. However, their Ability Holders often end up being lower quality than the Albarian Ability Holders. Trade from Albaria is illegal. Military Rankings: Private Corporal Sergeant Warrant Officer Second Lieutenant First Lieutenant Captain Knight Major Colonel General ¨C 4 Generals in the army Emperor and the rest of the Royal Family Eternal Dynasty Description: The largest commerce network and empire in the entire universe. It is a completely neutral force that does not directly interfere with other powers no matter what. The Dynasty is ruled by a single Emperor who has absolute power, however, he rarely interferes with his subjects, merely directing trade and managing the largest business deals the Dynasty holds. While taking a large chunk of profit from all the merchants working under the Dynasty¡¯s name and his protection. The Dynasty spans over dozens of planets across the universe, with connections to nearly every single important nation. Military Rankings/Social Structure: Zero Star Merchant ¨C Initial position for all new merchants to the Dynasty. It is also the grunt position that is used in the military as the base soldier. One Star Merchant ¨C The One Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Two Star Merchant ¨C The Two Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Three Star Merchant ¨C The Three Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Four Star Merchant ¨C The Four Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Five Star Merchant ¨C The Five Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Six Star Merchant ¨C The Six Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Seven Star Merchant ¨C The Seven Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as top commanding officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Eight Star Merchant ¨C The Eight Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as top commanding officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. Nine Star Merchant ¨C The Nine Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as members of the war council within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. Ten Star Merchant ¨C The Ten Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as the top generals within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Emperor ¨C He has absolute power over the entire nation and its citizens. Unlike many other nations, the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s military is stylized based entirely off of the ranking of the merchant in question, with one of the requirements of each Star Rank being combat capability and strategic thinking. Universe Revival is possible if a strong enough void mage or a Void Spirit is present. They are capable of pulling a soul from the void and placing it back in the body at a significant cost levels from the one revived. However, conditions have to be fulfilled for the revival to work. Such as the being who is getting revived needing to be at least level 10 if it is a void mage doing the resurrection. However, a Void Spirit can revive most people with only a few restrictions. Every world has a World Core where the users of the System are allowed to reset or lower their levels. However, these changes are permanent and cannot be revoked. Furthermore, people are not capable of forcing others to reset their levels as the System will detect attempts to do so. Invasions of new worlds are considered an honor for those who participate, and entire forces are created just to prepare for invasions, filled with people who have either stopped themselves from leveling or have had their levels purposefully reset to 1 at a World Core. Coordinates of new worlds are found by spatial magic users, and the worlds are classified by a division of seers from the Arcadian Society into five different Tiers. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, with Alpha being the highest Tier. These Tiers are decided based on planet size, population, quantity and quality of Ability Holders, and resources. Level of the user plays an important role in society outside of Vortel. Meanwhile most adults are already at least level ten, with the higher level average adults being around level 20. Raising the level of someone¡¯s class has various effects on the user in question. Some of them include but aren¡¯t limited to raising their physical strength, their mental capacity, their magical power, their mana capacity, and their lifespan. Every user in the System tends to live for around 100 years on average, with every 100 levels doubling the user¡¯s total lifespan. Worlds across the universe vary in their levels of technology and magical understanding, with Vortel¡¯s level of technology being just a small amount above the average level of technology in the universe, and their understanding of magic a little above that. System Description: The System is an instinctive defense mechanism on every single planet in the universe, and it activates when invaders arrive to attack the planet. Class: A Class is automatically assigned to every user based on their natural ability and talents. Leveling up their Class will give them skills that will benefit them in further accomplishing what their Class requires along with possible physical or magical enhancements to their own body. Ability: An Ability is whatever special ability the user was born with. Level: A user¡¯s level is increased by doing the action that their Class centers around. Planets are tiered based on various factors including but not limited to the size of the planet¡¯s population, the number of Ability Holders they have, and the power of the Ability Holders on the planet. And they are rated between Tiers Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, with Alpha being the highest. Abilities are divided into five Classes or Categories, the term varying depending on the culture classifying them. Category 1/Class D Category 2/Class C Category 3/Class B Category 4/Class A Category 5/Class S Aria Crimson Description: The main protagonist of the story and a true immortal. She was a soldier fighting on the side of Albaria and was on the frontlines when the gates open and the System Initializes. And she is the only surviving member of the Crimson Noble Household ¨C a family made up of Category 5/Class S Special Ability Users, each with their own unique ability. However, all of the money of the household was taken away by those who killed her family off, and she is the only one left because it is impossible to kill her. So as the only way the Emperor could think of to get rid of her, he sent her to the frontlines where she is expected to fight for eternity for the Empire. But he lost his political and military power, and was eventually killed by Aria with his soul core devoured so that he could never revive again. Aria then left Vortel and arrived on Eternus, the Capital world of the Eternal Dynasty. Aria personally likes the Albarian Empire despite its emperor. She is beloved by the Death Spirits. Ability: True Immortality ¨C The user will never die and will always regenerate from any sort of damage done to them given time. Furthermore, the amount of time it takes to heal from a wound will shorten every time that exact same type of wound is received. Class: Harbinger of Death ¨C One of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the harbinger must bring death unto others to grow stronger. Current Skills:
Skills
Skill Name: Skill Description:
Harvest This skill allows the user to harvest the souls of the dying around them. They can then devour the soul energy within them, sending the souls off to the void. Or they can devour the soul whole, taking in the cores of their souls and erasing them from reality itself in the process.
Servants of the Pale Horseman This skill allows the user to summon Lesser Minor Spirits of Death, the lowest of the hierarchy of Death Spirits. These spirits will then obey all of the orders given to them by their beloved Lady Death. Set these Spirits on the fools who would try to harm Death herself. For they do not know of whom they harbor animosity towards.
Characters Pestilence: Pestilence, otherwise known by the name of Victor von L¨¹neburg, is a mad man who is obsessed with science with a specific focus on poisons and diseases. Victor is always in his lab on the planet of Vest and rarely sets foot out of it. He lives on a secluded planet, only ever leaving in order to test out a new virus, plague, or disease he has made, wiping out the populations of entire planets in the process. War: War, otherwise known by the name of Lucius Octavio, is a war fanatic who brings war wherever he goes. He is the absolute ruler of a military nation called the Crimson Flag and is always on the battlefield, his class giving him the ability to fight forever without rest. Famine: Famine, otherwise known by the name of Ignatius Darkheart, is a brutal tyrant who starves his people for obedience within his ever-growing Dread Empire. He is also a warmonger who travels from planet to planet, spreading his rule along with the eternal famine that comes with it. Ignatius also grows stronger by the number of starved near him, so the further he spreads his rule the stronger he becomes. Isabella de la Vega: The ruler of the Arcadian Society that has dominance over the world of Arc. She is a mage with the ability to keep three spells ongoing indefinitely as long as she pays the mana price to activate them initially, with no more price required to upkeep them. And her Arcadian Society is a society of mages with a powerful school of magic. Leopold da Silva: The Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire ruling over the world of Silverfall. He is a kind ruler who loves his people but is ruthless towards his enemies and goes the extra mile to remove threats to his Empire before they become a problem. Raja Singh Amunet: The Pharaoh of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. He is a brutal tyrant who worships death and the Spirits of Death and views death as a reward for those who have fulfilled their purpose. And his people believe it as well. Hassan al-Malik: The Leader of the Council of Darkness, an Assassination group that is spread out across most of the powerful worlds initialized into the System. He is a psychopath without the capacity for emotions and cares only for coin, same as his assassin underlings. Shirou Amatsuraki: The Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty, a neutral empire that wishes only to stay afloat forever without entering conflict with other nations. Shirou himself is a lover of commerce and runs the empire as a merchant would. He has white eyes and shoulder-length white hair, and enjoys fiddling with a coin in his hands. Ashur Kaelar Valan: The emperor of Arteria. DEAD Lysandre de Pyre Voltaire: The former emperor of Albaria. He is power hungry and cares only about himself without any care for the nation. To the point that he eliminated the Crimson family simply due to their power and influence threatening the little power he has remaining over the people and politics. DEAD Elara Crescent: The First General of Albaria. Serious, intelligent, leader, and cares about skill more than anything. Rowan Vale: The Second General of Albaria. Analytical and ruthless. Meanwhile he appreciates tactical maneuvers and intelligence. Calyx Star: The Third General of Albaria. Quiet, reserved, and in charge of the Third Army, which is in charge of gathering the nation¡¯s intelligence. Seraphina de Aragon: The Fourth General of Albaria. She has the most powerful Superstrength Ability in the world and can crush a skull with her bare hands with ease. Supports Aria. And she does not like how powerful ability holders are treated. Selene Morn: The Fifth General of Albaria. She has long blond hair and golden eyes and is blunt and to the point. Supports Aria because her brother, the Eighth General, supports her. While she is very much a nationalist who loves her nation and will do whatever she can to benefit it, she will assist her brother over her nation any time. Alaric Ashfall: The Sixth General of Albaria. He is an old man who doesn¡¯t participate in any of the political squabbles surrounding the generals and therefore has the least power amongst them. Valerie Sylver: The Seventh General of Albaria. She has a screw loose and does what she wants, when she wants, and when she becomes interested in something. Victor Morn: The Eighth General of Albaria. Supports Aria. He is passive aggressive and sometimes is hard to figure out. Aeliana Fang: The Ninth General of Albaria. She is power happy and enjoys having as much power as she can get her hands on. Frank Rogers: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 Enhancement ability that lets him flood energy into other people¡¯s bodies, replenishing their mana, stamina, and healing them while also increasing their strength and speed. He doesn¡¯t speak much but when he does, everyone listens. Meanwhile he sees himself in Aria and takes a liking to her. He has a large frame with black hair and green eyes and is in his early forties in age. Overdrive. Leonardo Striker: Leader of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him control kinetic energy to a degree. He wishes for his team to get along well and be more informal, so he¡¯s constantly making attempts to get them closer together. And he especially likes Category 5 abilities, finding them all to be interesting as he tries to learn more about them. He has black hair and purple eyes with an average height. He is in his mid-thirties. Twilight Huntsman. Hannah Harvey: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 Perception and Protection ability that allows her to sense everything with mana in a ten kilometer radius around them and use her own mana to create an incredibly tough barrier within a single kilometer radius around her. She is very excited to have another girl joining Team Predator but is saddened by how Aria treats them. She is taller than Aria and has brown hair with equally brown eyes and is in her mid-thirties in age. Mystic Warden. Adrian Snow: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him create blades of ice that are nearly indestructible and grow stronger with each unsuccessful blow against the target. He is a lady-killer who often goes to mixers when given time off. So he is very interested in Aria when she joins Team Predator since she¡¯s a beautiful girl. However, he believes she is too young for him and to be an officer in general and believes that she should retire. He is tall and has white hair and blue eyes and is in his mid-thirties in age. Arctic Edge. Jason Vargas: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him read the minds of whoever he touches and dig into their memories. He acts kind and jokes with everyone but when it comes to his job, he is ruthless and follows Striker¡¯s orders to a T. He sees Aria as a weapon to be used, just like himself. So he has nothing against her joining the team and welcomes her. He has gray hair and eyes and is in his late thirties in age. Psionic Inquisitor. Vorelius Cornelius Caesar: Emperor of the Grand Roan Empire. B2 | Chapter 1 The Hunter¡¯s Bay on Planet Eternus Two and a half years later Akihiko Nakajima, a brand new hunter to join the Hunter¡¯s Bay ¨C the association on Eternus meant for combat specialists to hunt down the stronger sea creatures dwelling in the endless oceans of Eternus ¨C finds himself more than a little excited as he rides a hover car down the streets of the Capital City towards the bay. It¡¯s his first day on the job and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t get to sleep last night. Whether it was out of his excitement, or the nerves he¡¯s been feeling over this, he¡¯s not sure. The Hunter¡¯s Bay, while being one of the most lucrative places in the capital to earn a buck, is not the safest of places. But Nakajima is certain that his own fighting prowess is up to snuff. That he won¡¯t have any issue surviving the harsh waters down below. Just like many of the other Alpha Tier worlds in the universe, Eternus¡¯s Hunter¡¯s Bay settles as one of the many Hunter Spots in the world. Locations where stronger creatures tend to live, and where rare materials often desired by crafters of all kinds can be found. Lucrative goldmines for the hunters who go there. None of the creatures living in these Hunter Spots ever generally go anywhere else on the planet because of the large amounts of mana concentrated in the Hunter Spots. So hunters are generally considered rare anywhere that doesn¡¯t have a Hunter Spot. But they¡¯re all one of two things. Either a hunter is rich, or a hunter is dead. A famous saying amongst the hunter trainees. Nakajima continues tapping his foot restlessly as the hover car drives through the streets until it makes it out of the tall buildings and into the docks sector of the capital. At which point the vehicle begins to speed up, the speed limit rising with the lack of tall buildings to potentially hit. The new trainee hunter feels his excitement growing stronger and stronger as he gets closer to the Hunter¡¯s Bay, and the moment it enters his vision, stars immediately fill his gaze. Stars of awe and wonder. On Eternus, the Hunter Spots are deep trenches in the ocean floor, leading deep down into the planet. And they¡¯re recognizable by a part of the ocean whose color is far deeper than the ocean around it. Meanwhile some mana creatures can be seen swimming around the deeper colored water. Creatures whose nests are close to the surface of the Hunter¡¯s Spot. The hover car floats down lower and lower to the ground until the driver parks in the designated parking area, letting Nakajima off of the vehicle before the driver drives away again. Nakajima looks around at the many hunters walking through the parking area, which has one large parking lot along with the drop-off zone he had just left, and one large building in front of it blocking the docks themselves. A building where the hunters are meant to show their ID and sign in so that non-hunters don¡¯t go near the Hunter¡¯s Spot. Meanwhile hover cars and other vehicles aren¡¯t allowed to pass by over the spot itself. Since there have been more than a few accidents over the Hunter Spot¡¯s where a tentacle or some other part of a creature reached out and attacked the vehicle, pulling it down into the waters below. Nakajima quickly enters the building before waiting in the line for a little bit, keeping his entertainment occupied as he waits by looking at the exiting hunters. Each of whom pull out creature corpses and various other resources like minerals and crystals and even mana gems from their trek into the deep. From what Nakajima has learned in his time at the hunter academy, the creatures and resources down in the Hunter Spots are each assigned a ranking. And these ranks vary all the way from Tier 1 through Tier 10, with Tier 1 being the lowest amongst the creatures and resources. Most of the creatures and resources grow more powerful and valuable the deeper down in the Hunter¡¯s Spot a hunter goes, with the Tier 10 creatures and resources being all the way at the bottom of the trench. But the only two people known to have been down that deep are the Emperor himself and his right hand man, the Ten Star Merchant. And when even just a single Tier seven mana creature carcass can net someone enough to live comfortably for their entire lifetime, Nakajima has to wonder just how difficult it is to get down that deep in the trench. Or how difficult it is to kill a Tier 10 rated creature. Most of the resources Nakajima sees the other hunters bringing in are all Tier 1, with some Tier 2s and a few Tier 3s. Likely because no one currently here is above level one hundred yet. Other than the security guards for the building itself. But amongst the resources, Nakajima spots various creature parts such as tentacles, crab shells, hearts of what are most likely lesser krakens, and various different types of minerals and some mana gems. And just the sight of it makes his hunter spirit soar. Once he reaches the gate where the staff are checking IDs, Nakajima quickly fishes his own out of his pocket and hands it to the clerk. ¡°New Hunter, twenty years old, level thirty-five, clearance for Tier 1 and Tier 2 sectors of the Hunter¡¯s Bay,¡± the clerk says, following which the gate in front of him ¨C an empty doorway with a forcefield of energy within it ¨C suddenly deactivates while a light turns green and the clerk hands his ID back. ¡°Welcome to Hunter¡¯s Bay. Stop at the store to your left outside of the building for water-breathing potions if you need them. Please come back alive.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Nakajima bows his head to her in appreciation before crossing through the gate, pausing for a second to take a deep breath, and continuing on out of the building and onto the dock. Then he continues walking towards the docks, ignoring the store as he already has plenty of water-breathing potions. From what he learned in the academy, the Hunter¡¯s Bay works in a simple manner. Find a tether that is unoccupied and activate the barrier around it meant to block anyone from interfering with the tether. Put on the harness there. Clip the tether to your harness. And jump into the water. Preferably after drinking a water-breathing potion unless you have a skill or ability that lets you breathe underwater. Of course, some people simply ignore the tether and jump into the water, but those are generally only the more skilled and experienced hunters. Hunters who already know their way through the Hunter¡¯s Spot by heart. The tether itself is a spiritual one and will teleport the one tethered to it back to the surface, and it won¡¯t be an actual obstacle or physical object attached to the hunter. So it won¡¯t get in the way of the hunt. Nakajima slowly crosses the bridge while searching for an unused tether, but time passes, and it ends up taking him longer than he expected. Along the way he repeatedly stops to look at hunters more experienced and higher level than him who rise from the surface of the water, some with a tether and some without. But the ones with a tether already tend to have someone waiting at their tether for them to surface. So they¡¯re taken immediately. The rookie hunter begins to feel nervous that he won¡¯t find a tether, but then his attention is taken away by something¡­ unusual. A beautiful woman casually sunbathing in a two-piece swimsuit on a faraway portion of the dock. The woman has long silky white hair with sunglasses on over her eyes. Eyes that appear to let out an ethereal and eerie red glow even when shut and covered by the sunglasses. And Nakajima can¡¯t help but stare at her for a few seconds even though her swimsuit isn¡¯t all that revealing before shaking his head and continuing his search for a tether, mildly feeling rather confused about why a hunter would choose to sunbathe at Hunter¡¯s Bay. It¡¯s not exactly the safest place for that sort of thing after all. Nakajima continues searching for a tether, but no matter what, he can¡¯t seem to find one. Until he looks up at the sunbathing woman again and realizes there¡¯s an open tether right next to her. So he quickly makes his way over there, only stopping when he gets close to the woman. Then the woman finally sits up and takes off her sunglasses, following which her clothes suddenly change out of nowhere from the two-piece swimsuit to a set of red and black military-style armor from the Eternal Dynasty. Except with a unique design to it with a long flowing skirt, made specifically so that it doesn¡¯t get in the way of combat, pants beneath the skirt, a long red cloak, some crimson fabric going down from the belt, a buttoned top with just a couple buttons and a smooth looking fabric. Lastly, the woman has a rose in her hair on one side and some sort of amulet on her chest with a red diamond-shaped jewel inside. And now that her eyes are open, Nakajima finds himself staring into crimson jewels calling themselves eyes. Eyes that for some reason send a shiver down his spine. He quickly glances up above her head to where her level appears, only to freeze stiffly in place. The woman glances at him before choosing to ignore him as ripples begin rising from the water around their spot on the dock. And under Nakajima¡¯s terrified gaze, a few dozen skeletons wearing black and brown cloaks surface from the water before floating into the air and onto the dock, each carrying resources ranging from mana creature corpses to crystals to minerals. Skeletons who have nothing but glowing red light filling their eye sockets. Just circular spheres of pure crimson. But that¡¯s not what frightens Nakajima¡¯s the most. Not even the sight of their cloaks not even being wet despite having just been underwater. What frightens Nakajima the most is the sight of the black number ten above the woman¡¯s ¨C who he¡¯s pretty sure is younger than he is ¨C head. After a person reaches level ten, they can see the general danger of a person just by looking at the color of their number. Except for during the three year restriction planets, where the number isn¡¯t visible during the restriction time. A green number means they are not a threat to you, while a yellow number means they would be a challenge. A red number means danger and to run away. But a black number means to drop everything and run as fast as you can. That you stand no chance to kill them. And for a level ten to have a black number¡­ Nakajima watches the woman collect all of the corpses and resources into her storage ring before she glances at him for a second and walks away without another word. Leaving him staring in frightened silence as the skeletons all vanish into rifts that lead to who knows where. And to make matters worse? He sees the woman casually stretching her arms as she walks, blissfully unaware of the man she just terrified. ¡°First time seeing her?¡± a voice suddenly asks, startling Nakajima so badly he jumps as he turns around to find a large-built man standing behind him. ¡°Yeah, a lot of people have similar reactions to that lass. Hard not to though.¡± ¡°W-who is she?!¡± Nakajima finds himself asking without even meaning to. The gruff man looks up at the woman as he answers, ¡°No one¡¯s really sure. She doesn¡¯t talk much, and she neva¡¯ actually goes into tha water. All we know is that she has black numbers above ¡®er head no matter who¡¯s lookin¡¯, she has special permission to be here from tha Emperor himself, and she summons those strange skeletons from some sort of rift every time she arrives.¡± He shrugs. ¡°Tha lass never bothers anyone, and she responds politely when someone talks to her, so everyone¡¯s just been ignorin¡¯ ¡®er. Other than the few people who try to sneak a peek.¡± The man glances at Nakajima, ¡°Name¡¯s O¡¯Riley, by the way. But just call me Riley.¡± Nakajima finally calms down again after taking a deep breath. Then he responds with, ¡°I¡¯m Akihiko Nakajima. Pleasure to meet you.¡± And after taking a second to look Riley over, Nakajima asks, ¡°From Luk¡¯tar?¡± Riley nods his head. Nakajima hasn¡¯t met many foreigners. Most of the foreigners who come to Eternus either don¡¯t live in the capital or all live near the Hunter¡¯s Bay so that they can be close to the Hunter¡¯s Spot. He puts that aside as he turns back around to look at the woman as she continues to walk away with her hands in her skirt pockets. Then Nakajima turns around to go grab the tether he originally came over here for. Only to find Riley already tethering himself to it as the man waves and says, ¡°Nice meetin¡¯ ya, Akihiko. Maybe we can meet again soon!¡± Then the man jumps into the water, the barrier activating after he leaves Nakajima¡¯s sight. But that was supposed to be my tether¡­ B2 | Chapter 2 Aria I let out a very quiet groan as I stretch while walking across the docks towards the entrance. And as I walk, I occasionally wave to some of the regulars I see while passing by. After spending two and a half years here, I¡¯ve grown to know a lot of the regulars. Although I still keep my distance so as to not grow close to anyone. Which is working out a lot better this time when I don¡¯t actually have anything forcing me to interact with others, like I had when working with a team. Now my daily activities have largely become wake up, work out, then spend a few hours just relaxing while watching the lovely TV here ¨C a TV that I might add is centuries ahead of what they had back on Vortel ¨C then I head over to the Hunter¡¯s Bay. A lovely place that makes for great farming of levels. Because each of the mana creatures ¨C as the locals call them ¨C is worth one being per kill. And their soul energy can apparently be absorbed by my death spirits and brought back to me along with the loot they drop and the resources the death spirits find. Also, the death spirits killing them counts as me killing them too. So I¡¯ve taken to the nice and relaxing process of lazing around at the dock while my death spirits do all the work. A very nice way to spend my days. Some days I lie there sunbathing ¨C something my mother used to talk about all the time ¨C just to see what it¡¯s like. And while I¡¯m not opposed to it, I don¡¯t really see why she was so big on it. Especially considering the people staring at me while I do so, some with rather obvious thoughts in their head. Good thing I wear a rather conservative swimsuit that covers most of me and isn¡¯t too revealing. Others just stare at the black number above my head. Which is apparently a thing. Just that we didn¡¯t see them until we reached level ten, and they were blocked by the System restrictions even when the others were level ten back on Vortel. According to Shirou though, the numbers don¡¯t actually tell how powerful someone is. Their color just states how difficult it would be for you to kill them. And considering my true immortality, that¡¯s not possible. So black numbers all around. Even for the emperor, whose level is far higher than anyone else I¡¯ve ever seen. I also tend to spend a lot of time just reading about the universe at large while lazing around up here. A pastime that gives me quite a bit of useful knowledge about the universe. Just these Hunter Spots for example. Useful things that are what make Alpha Tier worlds so sought after. They¡¯re apparently places where the mana built up by the world itself intersects, creating a massive structure filled with treasures and dangerous creatures of all sorts. Places that are vastly different in every single Alpha Tier world. Although I just see them as my source of income. One that should give me enough coin to survive for a while in the next world I visit. Also nice places to lie down and relax in. The other hunters might think otherwise though. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I enter the main building and begin heading to the left side of it as seen from the bay, where the exit and trade-in are at. The place you can go ahead and trade in your loot for coin. After entering the building and then the line shortly after, I reach the front and empty my storage ring of corpses and minerals onto the counter. And apparently my lovely death spirits managed to snag a couple mana gems this time around as well. Lucky me. Or lucky them? Either way, doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°I see you¡¯re here with another haul,¡± the receptionist says, a wry smile on the man¡¯s face. He is a native judging by his facial structure, with black hair, black eyes, and a level too high for me to see. But he¡¯s been here, at this particular line every single day. The line closest to the entrance. ¡°Let¡¯s count it all up, shall we?¡± I nod my head, not saying anything in response. The man does all the talking for me after all. ¡°You¡¯ve been here for, what, two and a half years now? Have you taken a liking to our lovely city and chosen to stay?¡± he asks while running the scanner over every single item one by one. I shrug at that, ¡°It¡¯s a great city and all, but I can¡¯t stay.¡± The emperor wants me gone before the System restrictions on Vortel go away after all. The man looks slightly disappointed at that, but he doesn¡¯t say more about the topic, instead switching over to some news he had heard. ¡°Did you hear about the new Eight Star Merchant that was just promoted?¡± he asks before continuing without giving me any chance to say anything. ¡°I heard it was the Silver Merchant. Ya¡¯ know, the one who¡¯s known rather well for his penny pinching.¡± He pauses as he starts typing something into the terminal ¨C something along with the rest of the high tech items in this city that I¡¯ve just grown a little used to over the years ¨C before saying, ¡°Your total is two gold coins, fifteen silvers, and fifty-six coppers.¡± The man glances at me. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you want those now, like always?¡± I nod my head and he quickly gathers up the items on the counter into his workspace storage ring, then pulls out a bag with coins in it, counts the coins in front of me, and hands it to me. Following which I put the coins into my own storage ring and give him a nod. ¡°As always, you¡¯re exempt from the Dynasty¡¯s tax on goods,¡± he says before, as I begin to walk through the now-open gate, adding, ¡°Oh, and apparently that Silver Merchant guy will be passing through the city today. If you meet him, please tell me what he¡¯s like!¡± I just wave my hand behind me without saying yes or no. The guy¡¯s a chatterbox, but he¡¯s nice enough. And he does his job rather quickly despite the chatter. Which is impressive. All of the other lines I tried going through at the start of my stay here had clerks that would either take forever to count it all up, would try to get me into investing into their business, to purchase something from them, or would simply freeze up from the black number above my head, too terrified to do their jobs properly. So Takashi Sato is the only clerk I find tolerable at the station. And he is a cool guy still. Despite his talkative mouth. He also doesn¡¯t really expect much of a response back from me, so it¡¯s fine. I look around after leaving the building before beginning to walk towards the parking area. When the emperor asked me how I wanted to live the next few years, my simple answer was to just live it in relaxation. To be able to actually rest for the first real time in my life. And since I wouldn¡¯t be staying here forever, I also wanted to keep earning money and leveling up so that I wouldn¡¯t be left stranded somewhere when I leave this planet. So that I¡¯d have plenty of earnings to use in the other worlds, because apparently the currency here is accepted in literally almost every single world. Including all of the Alpha Tier worlds. Which makes sense, considering that this is the commerce center of the universe. The emperor went ahead and gave me a tax exemption at and a free pass to traverse the Hunter¡¯s Spot whenever and however long I please after hearing that, telling me that it¡¯s the best way for someone like me to earn a quick buck. He also knew exactly how it is I level up and said I could do that there too. All in all, his idea worked wonders. I¡¯ve earned quite a bit of coin over the years, and I¡¯ve leveled up all the way to level ten. Although at this point leveling up has become a massive fucking chore. To reach level seven it took me seven thousand five hundred kills. To reach level eight it took me ten thousand kills. Level nine took thirteen thousand, and level ten another fifteen thousand. Overall, it¡¯s taking way too long to level up even the slightest amount. I haven¡¯t even gotten another skill since level six either. Which I guess must be the universe¡¯s way to balance out my class a little bit. Considering that I¡¯m a true immortal. I sigh as I make my way across the parking lot to the hover car that the Emperor loaned me. And after unlocking the car and getting inside, I begin driving the thing back to the lovely little summer getaway that he gave me for my time on this planet. Well, whatever. I¡¯m not in a rush. I have forever, after all. B2 | Chapter 3 Aria ¡°You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me,¡± I mutter to myself when I reach the intersection between a bunch of massive buildings to find a detour sign floating in the air talking about a poisonous gas leak. ¡°Who even has poisonous gas near a busy street like¡­¡± My voice trails off as I find a sign talking about a company specifically meant to manufacture war supplies. Okay, guess that would make some sense. For a military based manufacturer to have something poisonous. I let out a sigh before going through the detour. Since there¡¯s not just poison, but the entire street is completely blocked off so that I can¡¯t pass through the street. Which, unfortunately, means I¡¯ll be taking the long way home. But I guess it¡¯s probably about time I stopped by the mall anyways. The Universal Feed is there after all, and I haven¡¯t seen this week¡¯s news from the other worlds yet. And I¡¯d like to know what¡¯s going on around Vortel and Roan. From what I understand, there¡¯s still about three or so more months left until the System restrictions on Vortel go away. And I need to leave a little bit before that happens. Maybe a month or so. I¡¯m not entirely sure what I want to do, but I do know I¡¯ll be going traveling. Probably gonna visit one of the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s allies since the emperor can get a word in for my travel permissions. A lot of worlds have requirements for travelers, and even more for immigrants. And if I¡¯m going to stay for longer than a year, I¡¯ll be counted as an immigrant. From what I¡¯ve learned so far, the best neighboring ally of the Dynasty to go to would be Luk¡¯tar. Because that place doesn¡¯t have a single governing entity in the world. It has about half a dozen governing clans instead. So immigration is different depending on what clan¡¯s territory the Gate is in. And the Emperor is close with the leader of one of the clans and already promised me immigration rights. Meaning I¡¯m good to visit the first world. But every other world after that is my job to figure out. My line of thought comes to a halt when I finally arrive at the mall and proceed to park my hover car. Then I get out and leave the parking lot to enter the mall proper. The moment anyone looks at my number, I find a suspicious lack of people near me. But I don¡¯t pay it any mind. It¡¯s honestly making it easier to avoid getting close to others. Plus they don¡¯t bother me this way. I head into the rather high-tech looking mall. One with flashing lights all around the building and several floors to its name, with most of the floors having a large open space with no floor in the center of the main area of the mall. Meanwhile there¡¯s a hover rink at the center, where people can run around on hover boots, and an arcade on the other side of the rink. Ignoring the hover rink and the arcade, I walk straight into the store next to the entrance and head over to the line. Time ticks by as everyone goes in and out, finishing up their business until I arrive at the front of the line. The person at the front is the same person from the last time I was here, and just like that last time, they look both confused and frightened at the sight of my number. ¡°Same reason as last time,¡± I tell them, not wanting to deal with this person any longer than I have to. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Because the last time I was here, despite only coming here to get the latest news, it took me half an hour to get past their initial fear of me. A very annoying process. And not one I want to repeat. This time the clerk seems more amenable as she quickly moves through the process of checking my ID and everything before letting me through to go into the room connected to the Universal Feed. A universal scale type of ¡®internet¡¯ ¨C a term that¡¯s used in this world for a rather convenient thingy on computers that lets you research things and do other stuff like read and watch TV shows ¨C that is only accessible through these little terminals. Strictly due to how intensive the thing is. Which makes sense considering that it¡¯s connected all throughout the entire universe. Anyways, I quickly hop onto the thing and search for the Grand Roan Empire. Only to find my eyes narrowing. Shit. I lean closer to the device while frowning at the screen. Seriously? Looks like the Grand Roan Empire sent some delegates earlier than expected through the Gate. Delegates that actually returned alive. With information about the ¡®terrifying Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death, who can erase people¡¯s souls¡¯. But when I see the next bit of information I find myself blinking in confusion, the anger fading away in an instant. Huh? The next intel¡­ is about Death being a woman in her late thirties with black hair and eyes. How¡­ did they convince the emperor that was my appearance? Unless they just made some random person a guinea pig¡­ Wait a second¡­ My thoughts go back to the First General¡¯s illusion ability. Could she have done something with that? But why would she help me when I ruined her plans? Unless she just feels regretful for using me. But that just sounds too softhearted for her. It has to be something else¡­ or maybe a mixture of the two? A real reason for it along with her wanting to pay me back for the help I did give them¡­ I guess one possibility comes to mind. If the Grand Roan Empire decided to leave Vortel alone while they went to search for me and then found me after that, only to realize that I worked with Vortel, they¡¯d just go back and wipe them out completely. But if they don¡¯t know what I look like and are looking for the wrong person¡­ they¡¯d end up on a wild goose chase that¡¯d last pretty much until they realized they were tricked. So the general would be buying the both of us time in this way. Not a bad plan if that was what she¡¯s doing. I do worry a little bit about the others on the team, not to mention Warrant Officer Alexander Greaves, who I haven¡¯t talked to in quite a long time, simply leaving in that letter to the others to mention the stuff in it to him. But at the same time, what the hell can I do? There¡¯s not really much if anything that I can do. The Emperor of the Grand Roan Empire is supposedly in the level three hundreds. He could probably cut my head off with his pinky. Of course, it¡¯d grow right back. But that¡¯s beside the point. Then again, there isn¡¯t as much to worry about since I know the Eternal Dynasty is working with Albaria. So Albaria is already getting enhanced weaponry. And the best mass manufactured guns they have here on Eternus I know can shoot and kill a level two hundred and fifty through their armor. Although a level three hundred something would be harder to deal with. They¡¯re hella expensive though. As for the best guns just in the Dynasty itself? Not really sure how high those can kill. Generally depends on who made the weapon. But I think a gun can kill pretty much anyone so long as the crafter was a high enough level. There are some worlds that are still exclusive to swords though. Which is rather stupid, considering that guns are just better in war than swords. Even if I personally was trained in the sword. It¡¯s just a fact of life. So long as the material is strong enough in the gun, and the crafter a high enough level with good enough skills, the gun will win. Unless they¡¯re at close range. Then it becomes trickier. Anyways, I¡¯m not sure how high tech the guns the Dynasty sold them are, but they¡¯re definitely good enough to take on the forces of the Grand Roan Empire. Whether they¡¯re good enough to take down their Emperor or not is another question entirely. Considering that they let those delegates through at all, likely to give information back to buy time, I doubt they can take the Emperor himself. Or his closest aides and generals, who are all in the level two hundreds, with a few even at the low three hundreds. I let out a sigh before closing out of the terminal and leaving the terminal room. Then I ignore the terrified clerk and leave the building, letting them bill my card for the expense. Since they already swiped my ID. Convenient method of payment, and one that I wish we had back on Vortel. Not that I¡¯ll likely ever be going there again. Or at least not anytime while the Emperor of the Grand Roan Empire is alive. Whether he dies by old age or is killed. I begin to leave the mall, only to find a group of what looks like reporters at the entrance, blocking my view. Annoying. What¡¯s going on now? B2 | Chapter 4 Aria I look around the group, trying to see if I can find a way to get past them. But they¡¯re blocking the entire path. So I can¡¯t get past them. Guess I¡¯ll either have to wait for them to leave or just find a different route. Because I¡¯d rather not shove my way through a bunch of reporters. After waiting for a few seconds, I decide to go with the latter option, even though I don¡¯t know my way around the mall. Which, of course, leads me to end up getting lost. I frown as I look around, trying to find an exit. Only to somehow end up finding a place labeled as an exit, but with this place being blocked by reporters as well. Although not as many. ¡°The hell is going on here?¡± I mutter with a frown on my face. Then I feel someone bump into me, almost sending me face first to hit the floor. I grunt slightly as I catch myself and quickly turn around to look at the responsible party, only to blink at the sight of a man with silver hair wearing a black coat over a silver shirt and black pants, with a ballcap on blocking part of his face. And I can clearly tell he wasn¡¯t looking where he was going, despite the fact that I can¡¯t see a number above his head. Which, in and of itself, sets off more than a few flags. Not as many as him muttering ¡°Shit,¡± when the reporters appear to notice us, following which he grabs my hand and takes off while dragging me with him. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I tell him as I try to break away, only to find some sort of silver liquid covering my mouth as he says, ¡°Shhh, I can¡¯t let them find me!¡± and keeps dragging me until we stop at a corner, having lost the reporters. I scowl at him, not sure if I¡¯m more pissed about his dragging me around or at the fact that I lost the exit that I¡¯d just found. He lets go of my hand and peeks around the corner, only to duck back into the corner again with me as he sighs with relief. Then he looks up at me, making me realize that he has silver eyes as well. Silver hair, silver shirt, silver eyes, and reporters running around everywhere¡­ My thoughts go back to what the clerk at the Hunter¡¯s Bay was talking about. ¡­it can¡¯t be¡­ ¡°Sorry bout that,¡± the man finally says, seemingly trying to keep his voice quiet. ¡°Had to lose them and didn¡¯t really think. Just grabbed your hand and ran.¡± Then his gaze flickers to the black number above my head and he gives me a wry smile as he adds, ¡°But that might¡¯ve been for the best. Looks like you wouldn¡¯t want them catching you either.¡± I feel confused at that statement for a moment before realizing that the reporters would most likely target me if they saw a level ten with a black number. Who wouldn¡¯t be curious about that? Assuming they weren¡¯t frightened off that is. ¡°Putting that aside,¡± I tell him with a frown, ¡°why exactly are you running from the reporters?¡± I can tell he¡¯s a really high level, and he¡¯s certainly dressed fancy. And if I had to guess, there¡¯s a chance he might be that Silver Merchant guy Takashi was talking about. But what are the chances of that? ¡°Really?¡± he asks, sounding surprised. ¡°You don¡¯t recognize me?¡± I tap my foot a few times, waiting for an answer to my question without bothering to give a response to that. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Huh,¡± he mutters, realizing I¡¯m not gonna reply to that pointless question. ¡°Well I¡¯m Ryohei Shirogane, and,¡± he seems to swell up with pride here, ¡°I¡¯m known as the Silver Merchant! A brand new Eight Star Merchant!¡± Guess the chances are pretty high. Also, I point at him as I comment, ¡°You¡¯re pretty proud while saying that as you¡¯re wearing a cheap disguise and hiding your identity.¡± That has him blanking out for a second before he gives me a more than a little embarrassed look, briefly glancing around to see if anyone else heard his proud declaration. Even if the declaration was still spoken relatively quietly. Fortunately for him, there aren¡¯t any people in this little corner he dragged me in to have heard it. Yeah, this guy doesn¡¯t seem to be the brightest at times. Also, I¡¯ve come to realize over my time here that every world does indeed have its own language, but all languages are still automatically translated when used in direct conversation. Despite that though, I spent a little time learning some of the language here just out of curiosity for their names. And if I remember correctly, this guy¡¯s name literally has silver in it. As in his given name is just silver in their language. Rather fitting for the Silver Merchant with silver hair and eyes. Then again, he was probably given his name and that title based off of those physical traits. Just that whoever gave him the names lacked imagination. Not that I¡¯m much better at naming things. I still remember the dog I got when I was five and decided to name blackie because it had black fur. The most original name ever. Or at least, that¡¯s what I thought at the time. ¡°Well, if that¡¯s all,¡± I state, realizing that he seems to be a little too awkward to ever talk now after that last interaction. And I begin to walk out of the corner we¡¯re in, only for him to call out, ¡°Wait!¡± So I turn around with a brow raised. He fidgets a little before asking, ¡°I introduced myself, so¡­ would you mind telling me your name?¡± I blink in surprise, only to give a mental shrug, deciding that it doesn¡¯t really matter. ¡°Aria Crimson,¡± I tell him with a nod. But right when I¡¯m about to walk away, I notice a slight flash of surprise on his face. I ignore it and continue walking, trying to find my way around the mall again. A process that takes longer than I¡¯d like. Eventually I arrive at the parking area once more and leave the mall, heading straight for my little vacation home. That guy certainly was an odd one.
The Mall Right as Aria Leaves Shirogane scratches the back of his head as he watches the girl who has the same name as his soon-to-be contractor walk away. Only for him to notice reporters recording them from the other side of the second floor main area. ¡°Shit,¡± he mutters when he glances back at the girl, then at the reporters. That can¡¯t be good. Looks like they caught her talking to me on camera. Shirogane grits his teeth before focusing on the fact that the reporters are now rushing towards him while ignoring the girl. Well, it looks like they aren¡¯t focusing on her at least. I just hope she doesn¡¯t mind getting a bit of attention after this. On that note, Shirogane quickly runs off, pulling his cap down further to hide his face. But as he runs, his mind can¡¯t help but go back to that girl. She was incredibly unique in a lot of ways. Stark white hair, glowing crimson eyes, and a black number ten above her head. Not a single thing about her seemed normal. Even her very odd outfit, which, while looked incredibly good on her, was also extremely specialized. He could tell just with a glance. The outfit was made with only a single enchantment on it. Ethereal Screen. A specialized enchantment that is the complete opposite of defensive enchantments in most ways. It¡¯ll make it so that any damage that would be done to the outfit is done to the wearer instead. It¡¯s mostly just for eccentric people who care so much about their clothing and gear that they don¡¯t want it damaged. Or people with regenerative capabilities powerful enough that they lose more outfits than they own and don¡¯t want to keep paying for more and are incredibly reckless. And Shirogane can tell she¡¯s not the reckless type. Probably. Maybe. Okay, Shirogane admits that he might not be the best judge of that. But the coincidence of the girl having the same name as the person the Emperor is assigning him to contract with¡­ it can¡¯t be a coincidence. Then there¡¯s the fact that her traits ¨C the white hair, red eyes, and black number ten that he just saw ¨C all match the girl who is known to go to the Hunter¡¯s Bay and sit around to relax as her skeletons do the work for her. A rather amusing story that most people ¨C including him ¨C don¡¯t believe until they¡¯ve seen it. All the way till he leaves the building and begins to head towards the Emperor¡¯s manor, finally evading the reporters in the process, he can¡¯t get the girl out of his mind. But once he arrives at the Emperor¡¯s manor, his mind instantly switches gear, and he turns into what he calls ¡®merchant mode¡¯. ¡°Silver Merchant, His Majesty has been expecting you,¡± the Ten Star Merchant declares after greeting him at the door. Shirogane nods his head without much expression on his face as he walks into the building. Ready to take on his first personalized contract as an Eight Star Merchant. B2 | Chapter 5 Aria ¡°Well I¡¯m Ryohei Shirogane, and I¡¯m known as the Silver Merchant! A brand new Eight Star Merchant!¡± a certain idiot¡¯s voice echoes out of my TV of the main living room of the vacation home I¡¯m living in as I blankly stare at it. On the screen is a camera point of view show from across the entire mall in some hiding spot with the camera zoomed in and the audio somehow locked onto our conversation. Fortunately it cuts out after that, so it doesn¡¯t show the sarcastic comment I made afterwards. But I was definitely in it. And the reporter going over this video confirms my presence as they exclaim, ¡°And here we have it! The new Eight Star Merchant in his natural habitat! But who is the girl he¡¯s talking to?! I¡¯m sure a lot of you viewers at home are wondering this very question!¡± The reporter is speaking as the feed of the TV moves out to show him standing in front of the video that was played and is now frozen before. He has short black hair, is a native, and is wearing a fancy black suit as he points to me on the screen, focusing on my hair, ¡°Now, I¡¯d be surprised if those of you in the know about the Hunter¡¯s Bay here in the capital haven¡¯t heard about the white haired, crimson eyed girl who spends her time relaxing at the bay while her summons go about hunting. So that¡¯s our best guess about who this beauty is.¡± He pulls his hand back and narrows his eyes with a mischievous glint in them. ¡°But what¡¯s the Eight Star Merchant¡¯s relationship with her? Are they perhaps going out? Or maybe-¡± I turn the TV off, deciding that listening to the idiot talk about the other idiot and me being a thing is a waste of my time. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll cause more than a few problems for me in the future though. And I¡¯m not looking forward to that. But how much could one single channel¡¯s broadcast affect? It¡¯s just a single channel after all. Shouldn¡¯t be too big of an effect. With that hopefully-not-delusional thought in mind, I proceed to go about the rest of my day.
The Next Day I can¡¯t help but feel uncomfortable as I sit at the edge of the dock reading a book. Because the looks I¡¯m getting from everyone are¡­ very different from what they¡¯re normally like. A lot of people are whispering too, and I can¡¯t help but overhear some of them. And apparently there are a couple people who actually believe that I¡¯m in some sort of relationship with the idiot. Most don¡¯t though. Simply because it was obvious that we¡¯d just met when the reporter was stalking us. But seriously¡­ I didn¡¯t expect this many people to be up to date with the news channels. It¡¯s annoying. I glance down at the dark water beneath my feet ¨C feet that are just dangling over the edge of the dock ¨C when I feel more soul energy entering me through my summoned Death Spirits. Then I focus on my book again. This whole situation is getting very annoying. My inner griping over the situation is interrupted by the buzzing of the device people in this world call a ¡®cell phone¡¯ that I have in my pocket. A rather convenient thing when it comes to looking things up on that internet thing and for calling others. But I don¡¯t have much interest in the mobile games other people like playing so much. So I put the bookmark in my book, place it down next to me, and grab my cell phone to check who is calling. Only to surprisingly find it being the emperor¡¯s assistant. And when I answer the phone, the first thing I hear is the guy saying, ¡°Please come by the emperor¡¯s manor as soon as possible.¡± Then he hangs up. Without another word. Typical of the guy. If I had to guess, the Emperor must want to talk about the news. That¡¯s the only new thing that¡¯s come up since the last time we spoke a month or so ago after all. Not to mention the timing. Well, anyways, it¡¯s getting a little uncomfortable being here under these stares anyways. And I thought the stares I got when I wore that swimsuit were bad. At least now I¡¯m in my armor. Which in all honesty doesn¡¯t really count much as armor when it just makes attacks hurt me instead of the armor, but whatever. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I order my Death Spirits to return early before waiting a little bit for them to surface. And after they do and I gather everything they collected up, I quickly head for the entrance. ¡°Aria! How was the Silver Merchant?!¡± Takashi asks the moment I reach his station to turn in my loot. But I just give him a dead-eyed look. ¡°Oh, come on! I¡¯ve gotta know!¡± He begins checking through my loot as he talks, ¡°Was he cool? Was he just like he is on TV? Or as the articles say?¡± I just stare without saying anything while the man goes through everything. Eventually he finishes, giving me less today than yesterday since I¡¯m ending early. He doesn¡¯t even mention it. Just hands me the coins while still blabbering on. Even as I walk away he keeps talking until he finally finishes with a brief, ¡°Please tell me about it the next time you come!¡± I let out a sigh while walking towards my vehicle. This chat with the emperor is gonna be annoying, isn¡¯t it?
A few hours later I pull into the dock at the emperor¡¯s manor ¨C the same place I arrived in the world at ¨C before parking and entering his manor. The place doesn¡¯t really have security guards because the emperor himself is the strongest person on the planet. But also because he has plenty of security measures around the place without the need for guards. So I just walk right on in, not bothering with them since I know they¡¯ll be set to let me through. And just like always, I follow the arrows until I arrive outside of the emperor¡¯s office. But unlike the last times, someone else is standing outside of the office as well. Someone I very much recognize. He looks awkward as he stands there fidgeting, clearly having noticed me. After a few seconds, he eventually says, ¡°Sorry about yesterday.¡± I stare at him before sighing and saying, ¡°It¡¯s fine. Wasn¡¯t your fault. Mostly.¡± The door between us opens on its own, revealing the emperor¡¯s assistant who bows to me, nods his head to Shirogane, and walks away without a word. Then the emperor¡¯s voice comes from inside of the room as I find him sitting on that same chair he was in the first time I arrived, ¡°Come in.¡± We both enter the room with the Silver Merchant immediately kneeling down below in front of his emperor. I just stand there watching though. A few seconds pass in silence, following which the emperor finally turns around and simply raises a brow at me as he asks, ¡°Why did you have to appear on the news?¡± ¡°This idiot,¡± I tell him while pointing at the idiot kneeling down next to us, making the guy flinch. ¡°Yes, I understand that the idiot,¡± the man says with a slightly befuddled look on his face ignoring the Silver Merchant whose head jerks up with a ¡°What?!¡± as the emperor looks at me, ¡°decided to drag you into a corner and announce his identity to the world. But you do realize that this could get back to the Emperor of the Grand Roan Empire, correct?¡± My eyes widen in realization at that before I glare at the Silver Merchant and mutter, ¡°Now that I didn¡¯t think about.¡± The Silver Merchant ¨C as if forgetting he¡¯s in the presence of his emperor ¨C stands up straight and opens his mouth, only for the emperor to continue, ¡°Because of this event, you¡¯ll have to leave two months earlier than planned.¡± I turn to look at him. ¡°It will likely take about two weeks for any news to reach the Grand Roan Empire, and an extra week or so for the emperor to notice it. So you can stay for one more month. But any more and it¡¯ll threaten the Dynasty¡¯s trade agreement with the Empire.¡± I let out a sigh at that. ¡°Understandable,¡± I tell him with a nod. He¡¯s already helped me out quite a bit, so this is fine. ¡°You¡¯ll need a contracted merchant to keep communications open with us, so we decided on promoting this idiot and giving him that position,¡± the emperor says while pointing at the Silver Merchant who shouts, ¡°Hey!¡± at that. But we ignore him as the emperor continues, ¡°He¡¯ll act as your connection to both the Dynasty and to our wares. So try not to let him get into too much trouble.¡± I nod my head and answer, ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll keep the idiot in check.¡± ¡°Can either of you hear me?¡± the idiot asks, following which we both turn to look at him, only for the man to grow meek and seemingly shrink a little as he mutters, ¡°Nevermind. Please continue.¡± The emperor and I focus on each other again as I ask, ¡°You sure he¡¯s up for the job?¡± The man sighs and glances at Shirogane, who, almost as if he had a split personality or something, suddenly turns stiff and cold, standing up straight again. Then the emperor says, ¡°One thing you¡¯ll realize about this idiot is that he has more than one side to himself.¡± Oh. So he really does have a split personality. ¡°We think,¡± the emperor adds, making me blink in surprise before glancing between the two. ¡°Sometimes I get the feeling he¡¯s just playing with everyone by acting like he has a split personality.¡± He turns to me, reaches for a cup of tea to take a sip, and says, ¡°Please keep an eye on him for me. He may not look it, but he¡¯s one of the best upcoming talents we have in the Dynasty.¡± I stare at him for a few seconds before muttering, ¡°You¡¯re just dumping your problem on me, aren¡¯t you?¡± He turns around to look at the window as he says, ¡°On to the next matter at hand.¡± He totally is just dumping his problem on me. ¡°The amount you¡¯ve earned thus far is enough to live off of for a few years on the world you¡¯ll be going to,¡± he pauses as he glances back at me commenting, ¡°You are planning to go to Luk¡¯tar, correct?¡± When he sees me nod my head, he faces the ocean again and continues, ¡°But if you want a weapon that¡¯ll be of even the slightest bit of use to you there, you¡¯re going to have to go deeper into the Hunter¡¯s Spot and hunt stronger mana creatures there to earn the coin for them.¡± Oh, right. I got my new outfit, but I didn¡¯t really think about getting any weapons myself. I was planning on just getting some decent weapons and moving on not long before leaving. But if I want weapons strong enough to actually be useful against level fifties and above¡­ or even level one or two hundreds and above¡­ ¡°Please discuss with Shirogane any plans you may have for hunting deeper in the Hunting Spot,¡± the emperor says with a note of finality. ¡°He¡¯ll be able to help you.¡± Then the door ¨C which had shut after we walked through ¨C opens again, as if beckoning us out. I share a glance with the serious Shirogane before leaving the emperor¡¯s office. Guess I¡¯ll be going hunting after all. Looks like my vacation is at an end. B2 | Chapter 6 Aria I have to admit, serious Shirogane knows what he¡¯s doing. After he becomes my contracted partner within the Dynasty and learns of my current short term goals, he leads me straight to a hidden store with good intel on Tier 3 of the Hunter¡¯s Spot. He points out a map of the Tier 3 part of the Hunter¡¯s Spot, the list of mana creatures within it, how much they¡¯re worth, what magic they have if any, what resources are where, and more. And he even gets me a twenty-percent discount on it all. Then he leads me to a store that sells weapons that can be used underwater. Since guns aren¡¯t as effective underwater. So he proceeds to get me a fifteen-percent discount on some things like harpoons, underwater guns ¨C weapons made specifically to ignore the resistance of the water ¨C and some pickaxes for the minerals. Also some other collection tools for the other resources. And I can¡¯t help but notice as we move through the markets of the city near the Hunter¡¯s Bay that every store clerk we pass by sends him a frightened look the moment they spot him and realize he¡¯s walking with purpose. As if they¡¯re afraid of dealing with his serious persona. Meaning that, at the end of the day, his serious persona is incredibly helpful. Unlike his idiot persona. By the time we finish our little shopping spree ¨C which doesn¡¯t take too long since we don¡¯t need to deal with food, water, or preservatives for the two of them ¨C we both head down to the Hunter¡¯s Bay. And the clerks there look surprised to see me for a second time on the same day. Although not as surprised as they look when they see the Silver Merchant looming over my shoulder. The bright side is that it surprisingly seems to clear up that misunderstanding rather quickly. Because he¡¯s apparently well known for having that split personality, and people know he only enters the other one when he¡¯s in business mode. And seeing him in this business mode while walking with me makes them all believe that he¡¯s working with me in a platonic way. Not entirely sure how all of this just worked out for me, but I¡¯m not gonna complain. We both pass through the station without issue before moving to find a tether. And the other hunters that we pass by look both shocked and for some reason, in a few of their cases, relieved to see the Silver Merchant in business mode walking alongside me. Not sure what that¡¯s about. Eventually we find a tether. Which surprises the other hunters even more since I never go down myself. I quickly figure out how to work the tether before downing a water-breathing potion, pressing the button to activate the shield, and preparing to jump down into the water. Only for the Silver Merchant to toss me a slip of paper that I catch almost instinctively. When I unroll the paper, I realize it¡¯s a phone number. ¡°To contact me once you¡¯re finished,¡± he says with an emotionless voice. The same one he¡¯s had since entering this ¡®business mode¡¯ of his. ¡°I still need to show you a few more stores and then we can go over the terms of our contract in further detail.¡± I nod my head in agreement with that before jumping off of the tether-post and diving into the water. Good thing my outfit is completely waterproof. The view underneath the docks is certainly an intimidating one. Just pure darkness with the occasional fin or person swimming by. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. I can¡¯t even see the other parts of the dock from here. Although amusingly enough, my glowing eyes make for a little bit of light down here. So I can see a little bit. I swim forwards, down and down and down some more. For quite a while. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure how deep the trench is. I¡¯m not even sure if I¡¯m in the trench yet or not. It¡¯s a good thing I learned to swim while I was getting military training. Been mostly avoiding going down here because of one particular reason. I know there are giant creatures down here that can eat you whole. And I would rather not end up spending years in the stomach of some creature constantly being digested until it dies. Unless I could somehow manage to rip my way out of its body from the inside. But I¡¯d rather not bet on that. Would be even worse if I was swallowed whole by something that got swallowed whole by something else. I shiver at that thought as I continue swimming. Soon enough though, I feel a wave of power wash over my body. Meanwhile it becomes a little easier to see in the water, letting me see the trench wall near me. Guess that probably happens when you fully enter the Hunter¡¯s Spot. Probably. I¡¯m not an expert. The trench itself is so large that even with this slight increase in my vision, I still can¡¯t see the other side. I doubt I can even see halfway to the other side. Although I can see some other hunters going down into the depths, along with some fish that either swim after them or swim away depending on how strong the hunter in question is. Doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anything too- My thoughts come to an abrupt halt when a giant tentacle shoots out of the abyss beneath us to reach up and grab several fish before going back down and out of sight again. I stare for several seconds before deciding that the wall of the trench is a nice and friendly place. Very comfortable and I should stay near it. Then I continue swimming down while hugging said wall. Because I do not want to end up spending my time inside of a giant squid. And I can¡¯t see the owner of that tentacle as being anything other than a giant squid. I try to put the giant tentacle out of my mind as I focus on the very much waterproof map the Silver Merchant had me buy. A necessity for going around down here without dying. Or ending up in something¡¯s stomach in my case. But the sight of the endless depths and the darkness around me makes it a tiny bit hard to concentrate. I really hate not knowing everything around me at all times¡­ it¡¯s just unsettling. Even though I can¡¯t die. I take a deep breath ¨C which is also slightly unsettling but in a different way since I¡¯m deep underwater ¨C before focusing all of my attention on the map. And from what it says, it looks like the first tier of the trench is mostly made up of little tunnels that connect to the main trench. Just tunnels and caverns stretching all over just a little below ground. Also, judging by the lower tiers of the trench on the map, this trench itself lasts all the way down to the fifth tier. Then it basically just becomes a bunch of large and small caverns and tunnels. Meaning that the squid tentacle that passed by was likely from a deeper tier of the trench. As for what I¡¯m hunting for, it¡¯s not in the first tier of the Hunter¡¯s Spot. I need to go deeper to the third Tier. So after another deep breath, I continue on my trek downwards. I know I¡¯ve heard the hunters giving advice to new hunters before, not to mention the guides that I read while going here. And in each of them, they said to hug the wall. Which is what I¡¯m gonna do. Not hugging the wall tends to lead to- My thoughts are interrupted again when another tentacle flies upwards from the deep. But this time it doesn¡¯t grab fish as I hear a gurgled scream. Then I see the tentacle going back down with a hunter who was swimming deeper into the trench, not near the wall. Yeah. Leads to that. I move closer to the wall as I continue swimming downwards, occasionally finding the tentacle returning. And after I reach the first tunnel, I begin to count in my head as I swim down. Because that¡¯s what the guide thing said to do. Count to five minutes while constantly swimming. Then you¡¯ll find the second tier tunnels of the trench. After that, the third tier will be easy to find. Just look for the glowing tunnels. Although I guess I don¡¯t actually have to count since I¡¯m just going straight for the third tier tunnels. So I keep on swimming. Even when the tentacle returns, and even when more than one shoots up for their food. I just keep swimming. After a while I finally find myself in front of the first glowing tunnel. And I immediately make a beeline for the entrance, deciding that I hate this trench and want out of it as soon as possible. Ugh. Fighting underwater is going to be even more annoying than just this swimming. I am not looking forward to it. Looking forward to it or not though, I proceed to make my way into the first glowing tunnel. Entering the third tier of the Hunter¡¯s Spot. B2 | Chapter 7 The emperor¡¯s Office Shirou stays silent while toying with his coin as usual, just listening to the Clan Leader of the Byrne Clan on planet Luk¡¯tar explain the situation on Luk¡¯tar while pacing back and forth behind him. The Clan Leader has a short but stocky frame with long hair, a horned helmet, and gray and orange armor on as he paces. ¡°Tha bastards finally decided to declare all out bloody war, can ya believe it? They finally got the damned balls ta do it! I never expected them to go through with it this early!¡± Sean Byrne complains, the short man¡¯s voice sounding rough and with an accent. But Shirou ignores him to continue fiddling with his coin. ¡°They have a force o¡¯ a hundred thou strong! We only have half that!¡± The emperor of the Eternal Dynasty continues toying with his coin, letting his long-time friend rant on and on, venting about the terrible situation he¡¯s in. ¡°We may have more land an weaponry than they got, but they got more manpower! An¡¯ how¡¯re we gonna measure up? How?! We don¡¯ have soldiers in our clan! If they get past our walls, we¡¯re dead as a doornail!¡± Sean continues, not stopping despite the emperor¡¯s lack of attention. Shirou and the lukian Clan Leader have known each other for over a thousand years by now, and both of them understand just how the other works. Sean complains endlessly in an attempt to annoy someone into complying, whereas Shirou ignores them until they comply. A rather odd mix that often leads Shirou and his erstwhile friend wasting more time than he¡¯d like. At the end of the day, Shirou understands that Sean never vents about something he doesn¡¯t truly believe is important. So Shirou does listen to his rants, picking out the important details. That along with the emperor¡¯s prior knowledge of Luk¡¯tar makes him perfectly understand the situation. The Six Clans of the world have always been at odds with each other, each attempting to take the entire world for themselves. And that begins with taking one of the Gates off world to themselves. Since, while the Clans of Luk¡¯tar have always been gifted at crafting, especially with metals and weapons in particular, they have precious few mages. And no spatial mages who could ever potentially create a Gate. Leading them to fight over the Gates other worlds made into theirs before the Clans managed to fight them off. But until now, all of the Clans have kept their fights to a minimum so as to not show the other worlds any weakness. Now, however, they¡¯ve established themselves well enough in the weapons market that none of the other worlds connected to theirs would dare attack. So they¡¯re finally going all out against each other. And the Byrne Clan is known for having the best gunsmiths in the world, with very little interest in claiming the other Gates. Shirou sighs after a while, making Sean peek at him out of the corner of his eye without turning his head. Something Shirou clearly sees through the window¡¯s reflection. ¡°Sean,¡± Shirou says, instantly making the man stop ranting and turn towards him with a quick, ¡°Ya?¡± and a look Shirou believes to be a little too eager on his face. But the emperor ignores the look as he raises his coin towards the sun outside the window and says, ¡°I¡¯m not giving you a discount.¡± The look on Sean¡¯s face says it all as the man stares at him with the look of someone whose puppy was just stepped on. ¡°I won¡¯t be giving you a discount,¡± Shirou repeats while finally putting the coin down and looking in the direction of Hunter¡¯s Bay. ¡°But I do have something else to give you. And a¡­ mercenary, of sorts, that you might be interested in hiring for your problem.¡± ¡°A merc, eh?¡± Sean mutters while rubbing his beard. ¡°If yer the one recommendin¡¯ them, they must be good. But I¡¯ll still have to hear bout¡¯ em. So talk.¡± ¡°Class S ability user,¡± Shirou starts off with, making Sean¡¯s eyes immediately narrow, ¡°black number to even me,¡± he continues, shocking Sean at this point, before finishing it with a brief, ¡°and is a Horsewoman of the Apocalypse.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. That has Sean freezing in his tracks before he shouts, ¡°Are ya bloody insane?! Why the hell would I work with one of those three crazy bastards?!¡± ¡°Sean,¡± Shirou says with a warning tone without saying anything else. The lukian pauses before likely going back over what Shirou says. Something he does often when Shirou uses that tone. Then Sean mutters with a frown, ¡°Horsewoman¡­¡± Shirou nods his head without a word. Then the Clan Leader just stares at Shirou blank faced. ¡°Do note that Death is only level ten right now,¡± Shirou points out, taking some amusement in his friend¡¯s shock. ¡°But she¡¯s more than ready to take on an army so long as you provide her the weapons, the right pay, and immigration rights.¡± It takes a few minutes as the lukian no doubt ponders over the matter, weighing the ups and downs repeatedly. But eventually, the man lets out a sigh and reaches his hand out as he says, ¡°The lass better be worth it.¡± Shirou finally stands up, flipping the coin into the air as he turns to take the lukian¡¯s hand before casually catching the coin with his other hand and revealing it to have landed on heads. ¡°She will be,¡± the emperor says with a satisfied smirk on his face.
Aria I. Hate. Jellyfish. This is the only thought I cling to as I wade through a cavern filled to the brim with the damned critters, getting myself shocked over and over again during my little trip. And all for a damned mana gem located down at the bottom of the cavern. Yes, I could¡¯ve avoided this. Yes, this is my fault. Yes, jellyfish apparently smell bad. Which is weird since we¡¯re underwater. But that doesn¡¯t make this any less painful and unpleasant. As soon as I grab the stupid mana gem ¨C one of the things down here that¡¯s worth the most in pretty much any Tier but is also very rare ¨C I quickly make my way out of the horde of jelly zappers. My own personal name for these things. Actually, fuck it. I pull out my gun and begin shooting the things despite the warning not to shoot them in the guide. The reason I didn¡¯t do it in the first place. What the fuck can these things even do to me? They¡¯re not big enough to swallow me. The moment one of the jellyfish pops like a balloon, purple electricity fills the entire area, further popping the other jellyfish and bathing me in electricity as I black out. Later on I wake up again while floating aimlessly in the water staring up at jellyfish carcasses. That hurt. Totally worth it though. I stuff the carcasses in my storage ring before moving out of the cavern, briefly wishing I could whistle down here. But despite being able to sorta talk, I can¡¯t whistle. It¡¯s like some sort of bubble is over me that if you blow too much air it¡¯ll pop. But only air will pop it. Very bizarre thing. On that note, I realize that the water breathing potion seems to be running low. In all honesty, I don¡¯t really need these potions. My body just doesn¡¯t need oxygen for whatever reason, just like food. But it¡¯s a habit to breathe. And it feels weird not doing so. Especially since reflex still makes me want to breathe. So I down another potion. Which is odd since I have to drink it through some special straw since I¡¯m underwater. After drinking it, I store the empty vial in my storage ring and continue making my way into the tunnel connected to the cavern of jellyfish. A cavern that is now empty of the creatures. Then I continue through the tunnel, looking around and occasionally nabbing shells and pearls, along with briefly stopping to mine a piece of ore. Which is an odd process considering that I¡¯m underwater. Tougher than most would think. Well, without soul energy it would be. With soul energy it¡¯s a lot easier. Still weird though. I continue through the tunnels until a large crab suddenly rounds the corner before briefly pausing when it sees me. The crab stares at me. I stare at the crab. A brief pause ensues before the thing rushes at me while making warbling noises. And I quickly raise my gun as fast as the water resistance will let me before firing the underwater gun at the crab. Only for the bullet to do nothing but leave a dent in its shell before the crab reaches me and closes its pincers around my legs, cutting them off from the knee and making me let out a light grunt before I fire the gun three more times at the same dent. The dent grows larger and larger with each one before beginning to crack on the third shot. I finish it off by drawing my sword and stabbing it down on the thing as my legs finish regrowing, my armor still there over my legs without any actual damage to them. The crab¡¯s shell finally shatters when my soul energy enhanced blade pierces through the cracks and goes straight into its insides. Then I just rotate the blade around inside, making the creature let out a high pitch noise as if in pain. Only for it to go silent again before collapsing, bringing me down with it until I manage to pull my sword out. Since I¡¯m underwater, I don¡¯t have anything to clean off of my blade. So I just sheathe it and dump the crab¡¯s corpse into my storage ring. I glance at my legs, still wondering at the magic that somehow made my severed legs just float out through the ¡®armor¡¯ before my new legs regrew to take their place. Such an odd thing to see. Anyways. Ignoring my floating legs that are currently being burned by a red energy ¨C one similar to the red light I let out when hurt ¨C until the legs are gone completely, I proceed on my merry way through the tunnel. I wonder how much that crab is worth? B2 | Chapter 8 Aria I spend a few hours just roaming around the tunnels of the third tier, gathering resources and killing the occasional mana creature before deciding that I¡¯m used to being down here enough to try out the next tier. So I go ahead and spend an hour trying to find my way out of the tunnels back to the trench. Then I head downwards to the next tier, which should be a large cavern connected to the trench. Basically just the walls expanding outwards for a long ways. The closer I get to the fourth tier, the brighter it looks until I can finally almost see the other end of the trench. And by this point, I can see the start of the fourth tier. It has a lot of underwater fauna in it, with minerals galore and quite a few mana creatures. Some that are rather dangerous looking. Like a couple really large crabs, some eels, and what look like some sea serpents. Nothing big enough to eat me, but certainly big still. I slowly swim down towards the bottom while being extra careful not to get anywhere near the large creatures. Something I find interesting down here is that none of these creatures have levels. So none of them are considered users. That said, considering that just the crabs in the third tier were strong enough to literally cut off my legs with a single clamp of their claws and withstood multiple bullets to the shell without much of a reaction other than dents¡­ I kind of doubt I could take anything in this tier. Not without risking something unexpected. Like being dragged down deeper or eaten. Mostly the being eaten part. After a single close call where some sort of massive fish swims by seemingly without noticing me, I make it to the ground level of the fourth tier. Then I immediately get to work gathering what I can. While, of course, avoiding the mana creatures. At least until I finish gathering what is around me. I gather for nearly an hour before running into another hunter. One who looks rather shocked to see me. If I remember correctly, I think I¡¯ve seen this girl before. One of the regular hunters I pass by on the way to my lazy pier. She is wearing a set of purple diving gear with some armor over the top, has long black hair and beautiful purple eyes, and actually looks a little worried about me. Which is sweet. But I just give her a nod and continue on my merry way. Only for a large eel to swim out of a narrow hole in the ground and shoot upwards at me, making the girl pull her gun up to shoot at the thing. And unlike my gun¡¯s bullets, her bullet pierces straight through its thick skin and sends it flying past me instead. The electricity the thing is putting off still locks onto me in its passing though. I ignore that while turning to the girl, still with electricity running through my body. And she looks like she wants to scold me for some reason, but doesn¡¯t say anything in the end. Even as I start to swim away without a word of exchange. She seemed nice. The girl looks around my age, but considering the lack of a number over her head, that¡¯s not all that likely. She could¡¯ve just run away. Or, rather, swim away. But she didn¡¯t.
The Fourth Tier of the Hunter¡¯s Bay Rory stares in silence as the girl she¡¯d just seen getting shocked by a gruark eel simply nods her head at Rory and swims away. While electricity is still crackling on her body and around her. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. What the¡­ The hunter has seen the girl lounging around nearly every day while having her skeletons go down in the trench for her for over two years now, and throughout that time, she¡¯s never spoken to her once. But now Rory wonders just what¡¯s up with that girl. Just like all of the other hunters at the Hunter¡¯s Bay dock, Rory sees a black number above the girl¡¯s head. A black number ten. And now she finds the girl roaming around the fourth tier of the trench? At level ten. Rory just floats in the water, pondering whether or not she should scold the girl for coming down here as the girl swims away. Then Rory sees a large serpent rushing straight towards the girl with its mouth open, making Rory open her own mouth to shout for her to watch out. But it¡¯s too late. The serpent swallows the girl whole and then turns to face Rory. ¡°Shit¡­¡± Rory mutters, feeling bad about not being able to warn the girl soon enough. It¡¯s not the time for her to worry about that right now though. The girl won¡¯t survive the razor sharp teeth in the trench serpent¡¯s throat. Especially not at level 10, black number or no black number. So Rory quickly uses her ability to spread a purple poison all around her, filling the water before firing one bullet after another at the trench serpent. The creature takes them to the face with little more than cuts, but that doesn¡¯t deter Rory as she continues to fire at it, opening up dozens of cuts until the serpent reaches her and the poisonous area around her. And as soon as the poison enters the cuts spread across its body, the creature quickly slows down, giving Rory time to jettison herself out of the way using the propulsion jets on her boots. After she¡¯s out of the way of its direct charge, the creature having rushed into the poisonous water, Rory begins peppering it with more and more tiny scratches, the bullets barely cracking its scales and dealing minor cuts with each one. Proving why the trench serpent is the strongest mana creature of the fourth tier trench. The trench serpent tries to turn around, but Rory finds it growing more and more sluggish in the process. So she grabs a bomb she¡¯d prepared beforehand before tossing it at the creature and setting it off, releasing a large amount of poison straight at the creature¡¯s face, letting quite a bit of it into its mouth. Almost immediately, the trench serpent slows to a crawl, then stops entirely and rolls over. Dead. Rory lets out a sigh while turning the safety on her gun and holstering it. Then she begins to clean up the poison around the area by controlling it again and drawing it into the reusable bomb she¡¯d tossed at the trench serpent. One meant to condense the poison inside and release it all at once. After doing that, she sends a sad look towards the trench serpent before sighing. She looked like such a nice girl too. Rory begins to regret not having approached her to talk the many times she saw her above water. But it¡¯s too late for that now. Now the only thing she can do is bring her corpse back to the surface. She raises her hand to the trench serpent and activates the greater storage ring on her finger to pull it inside. And waits. And waits. And waits some more. Rory begins to frown. Why isn¡¯t the corpse going into the storage ring? That normally only happens if something¡¯s too big or¡­ Rory¡¯s thoughts come to a halt when she hears weird sounds coming from the inside of the trench serpent, and she immediately mutters, ¡°No way¡­¡± The sounds continue coming from the trench serpent¡¯s body before they become more distinct. Clearer. And obviously squelching sounds of something moving around inside of the corpse. Then, after watching for a few minutes, Rory sees the girl pushing open the thing¡¯s mouth with a very displeased expression on her face. But other than that, and the crackling red energy burning the creature¡¯s insides, she looks perfectly fine. Looks¡­ perfectly¡­ unharmed¡­ Rory feels herself staring in shock at the girl who doesn¡¯t even have a single scratch on her or her clothes. Not even any damage to her hair. The girl ¨C who¡¯s probably an adult but Rory and many others at the Hunter¡¯s Spot still consider a child due to her level ¨C simply looks back at the corpse and mutters, ¡°I knew I¡¯d end up in a stomach if I came down here¡­¡± Then she turns to look at Rory and says with a short wave, ¡°Thanks!¡± Rory just keeps staring at her, feeling more than a little shocked. How¡­ what? But¡­ huh? How did¡­ huh? She continues staring without saying anything. Eventually the girl swims over to her and says, ¡°Sorry, guess you couldn¡¯t hear me. Thanks for the help.¡± Rory still stays frozen in shock. All the way till the girl snaps her fingers in the water. ¡°U-uh, yeah, sure,¡± Rory mutters, not questioning how strange it is for someone to snap their fingers under water. Then she finally brings herself to say, ¡°My name¡¯s Rory Violet.¡± She reaches her hand out. ¡°What¡¯s yours?¡± The girl looks surprised for a second before she reaches her own hand out to take Rory¡¯s and answers, ¡°Aria Crimson.¡± Then silence returns after they unclasp hands and turn to stare at the trench serpent¡¯s corpse. After a few seconds, Aria turns and says, ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be heading out. Bye.¡± And leaves without another word. Rory stares at the corpse, then at the girl who had just left. Then back to the corpse. That is the same girl who was just electrified and then swallowed¡­ She tilts her head in confusion. ¡­right? B2 | Chapter 9 Aria I manage to make it through the rest of my dive alright merely by summoning Lesser Minor Death Spirits and having them go to the places with larger mana creatures for me. Meanwhile I stick to the sides where the mana creatures are too small to swallow me. Like that snake. I knew something would eat me the moment I got down here. Was just a matter of time. Good thing that woman was here to get me out. Although her poison wasn¡¯t pleasant for the brief amount of time it affected me. Technically poison does sorta affect me, it¡¯s just that my body recovers from it instantly, meaning the effect can¡¯t build up at all. So the only ones that actually hurt or feel uncomfortable are fast acting ones. And those still don¡¯t do much and heal right away. Hers on the other hand made me feel a raw, burning pain across my entire body. Wasn¡¯t exactly the most comfortable thing, but I¡¯ve been poisoned before. And the thing only left me unconscious for a short period of time before I adapted to it, and it barely affected me afterwards. I let out a yawn ¨C which feels weird underwater ¨C before looking around at my Death Spirits and sending them back to the Plane of Death. Then I go ahead and activate the tether, sending me straight to the surface in an instant. Surprisingly, it¡¯s already dark out. The sun is gone entirely, and the full moon is high in the sky. Or, rather, moons. Sometimes there are two of them on this planet. Just that they rotate around the planets at different speeds. I look down again to find the dock still just as full of people as ever. Then I go ahead and undo my tether and the barrier along with it before stepping onto the dock and heading to the main building to trade everything in. Of course, Takashi is there waiting. And the moment he sees me he begins to jabber away. Until he sees the loot I drop on the counter, piling rather high in the process. At that point he just shuts up, looking more than a little shocked. Huh. I think this might be the very first time he¡¯s been this quiet on me. Despite being shocked, he still gets to work. So I go ahead and give a call to the Silver Merchant. He answers right away. ¡°Hello? This Aria?¡± he asks, sounding like he¡¯s back in his normal personality again. I answer, ¡°Yeah. Just finished up here.¡± His voice changes immediately upon speaking again to his business mode, ¡°Then I¡¯ll come by now. His Majesty has made a change of plans, so after we discuss our contract, we¡¯ll be heading straight for his office.¡± My eyes narrow slightly at that. ¡°A change of plans?¡± I repeat his words with a frown, briefly glancing at a certain clerk who seems more than a little curious about who I¡¯m speaking with. ¡°What would those plans be?¡± ¡°He wishes for you to meet the Clan Leader of the Clan who has control over the Gate on their world connected to ours,¡± Shirogane answers, surprising me with how quick the emperor was to get that set up. I relax again while shifting my weight to my other side and saying, ¡°Sounds good then. Meet up soon.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± he answers before hanging up. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Almost immediately, the clerk exclaims, ¡°Was that the Silver Merchant?!¡± Of course he manages to recover right away when Shirogane is involved. ¡°Nevermind that,¡± I tell him while nodding my head towards the loot. ¡°Please don¡¯t lose count.¡± He blinks at that before frowning down at my loot as he mutters, ¡°I¡¯d heard you went down today, but there¡¯s stuff from the fourth tier here.¡± He raises his head. ¡°You sure you¡¯re okay?¡± I blink at that, a little surprised the guy is worried about me. ¡°I also heard from Miss Violet that you were attacked by both a gruark eel and a trench serpent down there,¡± he continues while looking me over with a frown. ¡°Are you absolutely certain you¡¯re fine, Miss Crimson?¡± Huh. That¡¯s actually kinda sweet that he cares. Wait, Miss Violet? Rory? Guess she came up earlier than I did. She was nicer than I thought if she was worried about me even after we split up. But I still can¡¯t let myself grow attached to anyone. Especially a hunter who goes down there on a regular basis. Anyways, I answer the clerk with a light smile and a brief, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯m fine.¡± He pauses for a second, likely surprised by my smile before he quickly gets back to work. Although I think I see a little bit of a blush. But whatever. Doesn¡¯t matter. I turn to look out past the red colored energy field filling the gate as he works. And once he finishes, he puts a large bag of coins on the counter and says, ¡°Your total comes out to two royal silver coins, thirty-two gold coins, ten silvers, and two coppers.¡± Then he raises his head from the bag and asks, ¡°Would you like me to count them for you?¡± I shake my head at that and store the coins in my storage ring. In a hurry. The energy field turns green, and I pass through it. Following which the clerk waves at me saying, ¡°Please stay safe if you¡¯re going to be traversing the fourth tier from now on, okay!?¡± I wave back without looking behind me. He¡¯s a nice guy, if a bit of a blabber mouth. Wouldn¡¯t make for a bad friend. But I probably won¡¯t ever see him again in my life after I leave this world. So sticking to my usual way of doing things. I head over to the drop-offs and pick-up area before just standing there and waiting. The wait doesn¡¯t take long though as Shirogane arrives within a minute of me getting here. Then we make our way to the emperor¡¯s manor again while hashing out our contract on the way. Which isn¡¯t much to do since the process is very simple.
I find myself faced with a rather large surprise when I make it to the emperor¡¯s office. Because, standing in the doorway staring at me with just as much shock as I am staring at her, is Rory Violet. The woman who saved me from being stuck in a stomach for a while in the trench. In a rather uncomfortable way. ¡°Aria? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Violet?¡± We both speak at the same time, following which everyone else in the room looks surprised. And it¡¯s at that point that I notice the short but stout man standing further within the room, along with the emperor, who is at his desk like always. With his coin like always. Flipping it like always. I swear, does he just have an obsession with that coin or is it some sort of skill of his? Something to do with the coin? ¡°So you two have already met,¡± Shirou says with a smirk on his face as he faces the four of us ¨C me, Shirogane, Rory, and the other dude. ¡°Still, a proper introduction is in order.¡± Then he stands up from his seat and motions towards the stranger as he says, ¡°This is Sean Byrne, the Clan Leader of the Byrne Clan on Luk¡¯tar. He will be granting you immigration rights and a job with generous payment should you take the job.¡± He motions to Rory. ¡°And this is Rory Violet. Just think of her as Sean¡¯s mercenary bodyguard right now.¡± Mercenary? I glance at her, finding her nodding to me with a stern look on her face. A different look from the kind yet easily startled persona she had when we met before. Oh, and she looked like she wanted to scold me at first. So maybe motherly too? Kind of reminds me a little of Hannah if I¡¯m being honest. ¡°And this,¡± Shirou says while motioning towards the Silver Merchant, likely introducing the two of us now that the other two were introduced, ¡°is the new Eight Star Merchant, Ryohei Shirogane, otherwise known as the Silver Merchant.¡± A smirk stretches across Shirou¡¯s face, making me understand that he¡¯s going to be dramatic. Something he does sometimes just for the sheer fun of it. ¡°And last, but certainly not least,¡± he says while slowly pointing a finger out at me, ¡°we have Aria Crimson. Otherwise known as Death, the Harbinger of Death, Horsewoman or Horseman of the apocalypse, and the beloved of the Spirits of Death.¡± Silence fills the room. ¡°Take your pick.¡± I mentally roll my eyes at his theatrics. Then I notice the surprise on Rory¡¯s face. Although the lukian doesn¡¯t look too surprised. Likely already knew before I walked in. On that note¡­ I glance at Shirogane, only to find that he isn¡¯t surprised either. Meaning Shirou likely already told him before I even contracted with him. Probably for the best. The only one here who didn¡¯t know was Rory. Which was probably the entire purpose behind that grand reveal of his. To see the shock on her face. He likes seeing that sort of stuff. ¡°Now,¡± he says with a clap of his hands before spinning around and taking his seat again, crossing his legs, ¡°Let¡¯s get down to business, shall we?¡± Right. He mentioned a job. B2 | Chapter 10 Aria The emperor looks to the Clan Leader and nods, but the Clan Leader just keeps narrowing his eyes at me for several seconds. Then he eventually asks, ¡°How could this wee lass help our clan in tha war?¡± I blink at that. War? His words snap Rory out of her stupor as she turns to the man, briefly glancing at me in the process while saying, ¡°She survived being eaten by a trench serpent without so much as a scratch on her clothes.¡± That surprises the man, making him narrow his eyes at me and rub his beard. He begins to walk out of the room to where I¡¯m standing before circling me and looking me over a little. An act that is rather uncomfortable, if I¡¯m being honest. Then he eventually stops in front of me with his arms crossed, standing even shorter than I am. And with more than a little pointedness in his tone, asks, ¡°What¡¯s your ability? Some sort of extreme resistance? Immunity?¡± I narrow my eyes, tempted to just ignore his question. But I¡¯m curious. And this is likely my only way off the planet legally. So I answer, ¡°True immortality.¡± The emperor would probably tell him anyways. My answer genuinely surprises the old guy ¨C who I can tell looks older despite not being able to see his level. Which generally means he¡¯s starting to reach the end of his current life span and needs to reach another factor of a hundred to double it again. That or he dies by old age. If I had to take a guess, he looks like he¡¯s around sixty or so years old. Which, in terms of the extended lifespans of people, likely means he¡¯s about sixty to seventy percent of the way through his lifespan. ¡°Very well,¡± the Clan Leader says rather slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll bring the lass with me.¡± He turns to look at the emperor as he adds, ¡°Lass better be worth it.¡± The emperor grins and says, ¡°She will be.¡± I frown, looking between the two of them before finally asking, ¡°What¡¯s this job you¡¯re talking about?¡± The Clan Leader and the emperor share a look with the Clan Leader showing a confused expression as he asks, ¡°Ya didn¡¯t explain it to her?¡± And when the emperor casually just smiles without answering, the Clan Leader shakes his head, muttering, ¡°Daft merchant.¡± Then he turns to look at me as he frowns and explains, ¡°As ya likely already know, we lukian Clans¡¯re all at each other¡¯s throats. Yet we¡¯ve never declared war. Until now.¡± ¡°The Byrne Clan specializes in forging and weaponry and has the smallest military force,¡± Rory suddenly interjects, adding herself to this conversation. ¡°So the Sullivan Clan, one of their two neighbors who is the largest military power amongst the clans, decided to attack them first. To bring the Byrne Clan crafters into the Sullivan Clan to use against the other Clans.¡± I glance between Rory ¨C who seems to have gotten over her shock now ¨C and the Clan Leader, before I state, ¡°So you asked Shirou for help, and the opportunist decided to use this to get my immigration rights.¡± ¡°And a job,¡± the emperor in question adds with a perfectly straight face as everyone glances back at him. Then we all ignore him again as I continue, ¡°I severely doubt that I¡¯d be of much help in a war without System restrictions.¡± And with a frown on my face, I point at the number they see above my head, ¡°I mean, you¡¯ve seen my level, right? Black color or not, I¡¯m no match against¡­¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I trail off as I remember my Death Spirits. Death Spirits who would be absolutely perfect for a war like this. They¡¯d be an infinite resource that doesn¡¯t cost them anything, isn¡¯t at risk of being lost since I can¡¯t die and the enemies pay for the Death Spirit¡¯s usage just from their souls¡¯ energy, and the enemies would have no idea what¡¯s going on. ¡°Looks like she figured it out,¡± Shirou says, sounding smugly satisfied with himself. To both Rory and the Clan Leader¡¯s confusion. Shirogane finally speaks, explaining one of my skills to them in a rather inaccurate way, considering that no one in this room other than the emperor actually knows what I do. And even he doesn¡¯t know everything. He just knows that I summon Death Spirits, and that I use some sort of energy I get from people dying around me. Shirogane seems to think the same. Or at least, it¡¯s what he explains to the other two. The moment they hear about it, they immediately grow more interested in having me joining them. A perfectly understandable sentiment in their war. I can¡¯t help but frown though. Going back to war again¡­ Over the past two years, I¡¯ve come to terms with the fact that I don¡¯t have any empathy towards those I kill. But I do at least have respect for the dead. I¡¯m Death after all. It¡¯s expected that I¡¯d respect the dead. So my lack of any emotional response towards killing in war doesn¡¯t bother me like it used to. Partially thanks to Hannah pointing me in the right direction. But that doesn¡¯t mean I want to go back to fighting. ¡°Aria,¡± the emperor¡¯s voice travels to me through telepathy in a way that the others in the room, Rory and the Clan Leader of whom are beginning to discuss amongst themselves possible ways to use my powers in their war. ¡°Know that this is your easiest way off of Eternus. And keep in mind that you will need to be strong to take on the Grand Roan Empire.¡± His smile grows slightly. ¡°And what better way for Death to grow than act as a mercenary?¡± I stare at him for several seconds before sighing. Then I mouth, ¡®Just this once.¡¯ If the mercenary job turns out okay for me, then I¡¯ll try it out. If not, then I¡¯ll find another way to go about things. After the Clan Leader and Rory discuss amongst themselves for several minutes, the Clan Leader finally walks up to me and says, ¡°Yer alright fer a two year contract? After ye can wander tha world for as long as ya want.¡± Hmm. So another war, then another period of rest. I¡¯m sensing a pattern. But not just yet. Two is a coincidence after all. Three would be a pattern. Regardless, this really is my best option. It¡¯ll give me the chance to level up and give me more years of rest afterwards. Not to mention the other little detail they¡¯ve all left unsaid. If I work with these lukians, I¡¯ll have a direct connection to one of the best clans of forgers in the universe. Which means I should be able to purchase some nice weapons from them. ¡°Give me access to the Hunting Spots on Luk¡¯tar and we¡¯ve got a deal,¡± I tell him with my brows furrowed ever so slightly in challenge. Despite not having the greatest military strength, Luk¡¯tar is indeed an Alpha Tier world. Just like Eternus. So it has its own Hunter Spots scattered across the planet. And if I can have a well-paying job there, the Death I bring during the war, and the Death I spread to the mana creatures in the Hunter Spots¡­ that should be a good bit of levels for me. He stares for a moment before bursting out into laughter and slapping me on the back, sending me sprawling to the ground as he bellows, ¡°I think I like this lass! A lot more spunk than I expected from someone wee little like her!¡± I climb back to my feet with a glare on my face. You¡¯re one to talk. You¡¯re shorter than I am. Of course, I don¡¯t say that out loud. Because that slap broke a bone in my back. Even if the bone regenerated right afterwards. Once he finishes laughing, he stretches his hand out while asking, ¡°One royal silver fer every month ya work under us, immigration rights, rights to tha Hunter Spots on Luk¡¯tar, and a single time payment of five royal silver. How does that sound?¡± That¡¯s¡­ a lot more than I expected. One royal silver is worth a hundred gold coins, with one gold coin being a hundred silvers, and one silver a hundred coppers. So one royal silver is more than enough to live comfortably for years. And to get one every month, not to mention the five up front¡­ I get the feeling he¡¯s just buying my absolute loyalty right here and now. And potentially trying to make ties with me for the future. But most importantly, the rights to the Hunter Spots, where I can make far more. I glance at Rory to find her rather surprised by how much he¡¯s offering as well. Not to mention the Silver Merchant. The emperor doesn¡¯t appear surprised in the slightest though. Almost like everything that¡¯s happening has been going according to his will. Something I really find irritating about the guy. My eyes narrow ever so slightly before I grin and clasp his hand with my own, the both of us holding the others¡¯ forearms as I state, ¡°It¡¯s a deal.¡± Well, this is going to be an interesting trip. That¡¯s for sure. B2 | Chapter 11 Aria Over the course of the next few weeks, I make daily trips to the fourth tier of the trench. Just gathering all of the resources I can find. And from time to time, I stop by the first tier to just slaughter fish. Since the bigger mana creature fish in the first tier count for one whole being to my leveling progress. I manage to make a lot more progress on leveling up now than when I was just sending my Death Spirits down here. Especially since I¡¯m having my Death Spirits kill stuff on the first tier still while I¡¯m on the fourth tier. So during my last month on Eternus, I manage to bring my level all the way up from level ten to level twelve. Killing a total of twenty-seven thousand things down in the trench. A much larger amount than what I¡¯d normally do in a single month. Something rather¡­ coincidental¡­ is that the very moment the others and I are about to leave through the Gate to Luk¡¯tar, the emperor pauses as he gets a call. So he takes the call, talks for a little bit, and hangs up. Then he smiles at the four of us, each of whom are standing in our gear right next to the Gate to Luk¡¯tar with a bunch of other guards all around us as the emperor states, ¡°Yeah, the Grand Roan Empire just called. So how about you all head out?¡± He waves, still with that polite smile on his face. ¡°Remember to ask Shirogane should you need anything from us.¡± And without missing a beat, the emperor casually turns around and walks away, leaving me feeling stumped. I fucking swear, that guy has some sort of foresight power. He has to. The number of predictions he makes in business, his constantly messing with that coin, the fact that the Grand Roan Empire is calling the moment we¡¯re leaving¡­ There¡¯s no way he doesn¡¯t have some sort of foresight power. Then there¡¯s the fact that Luk¡¯tar¡¯s war and my plans to leave happen to coincide as well. I watch the man walking away, feeling more than a little fear at this turn of events. Just how far does that man see? And how much is he manipulating everything? The man in question just walks out of the large, armed facility we¡¯re in meant to process immigrants. A facility closed down to immigrants right now due to the Clan Leader¡¯s presence. I glance at Shirogane to see his reaction, but he doesn¡¯t show anything on his face. Nothing at all. Just his usual stoic and silent stare. The same one he always has in his business mode. Which is the mode I see him in almost all the time now. Actually have only seen him out of it a few times since that first time. Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was unhappy with his first impression with me, considering that he¡¯s my contracted partner with the Dynasty. And first impressions are important. After the emperor leaves, the four of us share a glance before walking through the large Gate. The first thing I notice after crossing through the Gate is the smell. Not even the large metal walls surrounding us, but the smell. I can clearly tell that the air on this planet is a lot less polluted than it is on Eternus. It just smells really fresh and like nature in general. Then I focus on the giant metal walls surrounding us. Like a miniature fortress made just to hold the Gate. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Meanwhile a large gate slowly opens up within said fortress¡¯s walls, revealing the outside. And the guards who travel through the Gate after us quickly move around to make a path through the wilderness I see outside. Unlike Eternus, Luk¡¯tar is a world made up largely of mountains and forests. Oftentimes both in the same location. Other things I¡¯ve heard about the planet is that, well, it¡¯s full of mostly crafters. But they do have armies, and while their rank and file soldiers aren¡¯t combat specialists, they¡¯re using the extraordinary weapons they themselves made. And I believe the Byrne clan in particular makes guns. Which would be nice for me, since I use pistols and swords most of the time as my weapons. The Clan Leader also mentioned that he¡¯d be providing me with weapons for the job so that I can assist more efficiently. And that I¡¯ll be able to keep them after the term is up. So I have no complaints. The four of us move through the escort out of the fortress and into the mountainous forest beyond. Then we simply continue traveling until we reach the top of the mountain, at which point I see a rather beautiful sight. That of a rather large tree looking out over a coastal city. The tree has a large structure built through its trunk, with some more in the branches and a couple outstretching parts where people can walk around on the outside of the tree. Meanwhile the city below is filled with people. The vast majority of whom are rather short. Shorter than me. For some reason I feel a very faint amount of smugness from that thought. But I¡¯m just gonna ignore that. Anyways, the soldiers I see across the city are wearing heavier metal armor, with some sort of odd weapons on them. They look like swords and guns fused into one. Or short swords at least. The weapons seem to have some sort of switch on the cross guard, with some of the guards pressing it to magically transform the blade into a gun. A transformation that also alters the hilt as well. And it¡¯s rather interesting to say the least. Also, the armor seems to be made out of a metal I¡¯ve never seen before. One most likely found in the Hunter Spots on this planet. Which, if I remember correctly, are giant trees. Kind of like the tree at the center of the city, but without the giant tree house in it. And I think the trees are supposed to have a lot of birdlike mana creatures and just other sorts of forest and mountain dwelling creatures. Like large hawks, monkeys, deer, more snakes like the trench, and wyverns. Yeah. Wyverns. No idea what a wyvern is, but people sounded frightened of them. We proceed through the city towards the large tree, which I¡¯m now noticing actually doesn¡¯t have any other foreigners in it. Just natives of Luk¡¯tar. And when we arrive at the tree, we immediately head up it, going through various different tunnels in the tree, some ornate rooms, and then coming out on the exterior part to end up at a grand set of double doors leading into the tree again. The few guards who followed us all this way proceed to open the door for us before we walk in, revealing a massive chamber with water fountains on the side leading deeper into the tree, a large round table at the center of the room, and some sort of green crystal above the table high in the air. Sean walks into the room as a conversation that was going on before we opened the doors comes to a halt, following which the lukians involved in it go almost immediately slam their fists into their breastplates and shout, ¡°Welcome back Clan Leader!¡± The Clan Leader waves them down as he proceeds through the hall alongside Rory, and I quickly join them with Shirogane. And as we walk, I can¡¯t help but notice the stares the people around the table are giving me. A group that is half men and half women on the dot, with the women being just as short as the men. Sean walks straight up to the table before stopping and declaring, ¡°I have returned with aid.¡± He turns to look at me as he declares, ¡°Welcome tha Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death!¡± Silence immediately fills the chamber as the doors behind us slowly grind shut. It takes all of one entire minute before the council members start shouting. ¡°Why¡¯d tha hell did ya bring er¡¯ here!?¡± ¡°Are ya daft?!¡± ¡°Ye¡¯ve doomed us all!¡± ¡°Why is she only level twelve?!¡± ¡°Silence!¡± Sean shouts, his voice echoing throughout the room as the other lukians around the table go silent. ¡°This lass is different from tha other harbingers! I¡¯ve also already established a soul contract with er¡¯. So shut yer yaps or I¡¯ll be seeing yer asses out tha door!¡± They shut up right away. Well then. He¡¯s certainly¡­ assertive. Also, it¡¯s kinda sad just how bad a reputation the other three horsemen get. All things considered. The Clan Leader proceeds to walk around the table until he reaches the largest seat at the opposite end. Then he sits down and motions for me to take a seat on the chair opposite of that. While completely ignoring the Silver Merchant, who walks over to stand at the edge of the room. At the same time, Rory walks to stand slightly to the right, behind Sean. ¡°Now,¡± Sean states while leaning over the table. ¡°Let¡¯s begin. The first war council meeting.¡± B2 | Chapter 12 Large Tree within the Sullivan Clan Aisling Sullivan ¨C Clan Leader of the Sullivan Clan ¨C narrows her eyes as she leans over the council table, listening to the report the high ranking officer, Merkismathr Ryan, near the entrance of the large chamber had barged in to give. ¡°Tha Byrne Clan Leader is back onworld, an¡¯ he¡¯s come with supplies and two new faces,¡± the young merkismathr personally appointed to the rank by Aisling herself declares, his voice filling the silence of the grand hall located within their own grand tree. ¡°One o¡¯ them was a young girl only at level twelve with a black colored number above er¡¯ head, and tha other a merchant garbed in silver from tha Dynasty!¡± His words bring whispers through the chamber, but Aisling just narrows her eyes even further upon hearing his declaration. ¡°A level twelve black number?! Preposterous!¡± Aisling¡¯s younger brother, Darragh Sullivan, declares while slamming his large fist down on the table. A sentiment that many of the other council members appear to agree with. But Aisling herself trusts the young merkismathr, so she asks, ¡°Show the evidence, boy.¡± He quickly brings up a large cube before moving over to place it in front of the Clan Leader. Then he backs away and bows again, staying like that as he states, ¡°Here ya are, Clan Leader.¡± A second later the cube begins displaying a hologram of the woman as she walks through the Grand City marking the home of the Byrne Clan. She has stark white hair that contrasts broadly with the greens of nature all around her, along with glowing crimson eyes that make her seem even more out of place. The lass has a beautiful appearance and is a little taller than the average adult male lukian. What catches Aisling¡¯s attention the most, however, is the sight of the black number twelve above the lass¡¯s head. And she¡¯s not the only one who sees it as all of the other councilmembers, split half and half between men and women as is tradition with lukian councils, immediately begin discussing it. ¡°Tha lass truly does have a black number¡­¡± ¡°How does a wee level twelve have a black number?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°But how?!¡± Aisling slowly raises a hand, making all of the council members immediately go silent. Then she lowers it again and states, ¡°Looks like tha Byrnes found themselves a merc from the Dynasty. No doubt with tha¡¯ crooked merchant¡¯s help no less.¡± All of the council members¡¯ faces grow dark at the mention of the emperor of the Eternal Dynasty. A man who has constantly foiled any attempts the other clans have made to get at the weakest clan amongst them. Even now he is getting in the way. Aisling taps her finger against the table several times, briefly looking up at Ryan in the process, and at the number above the boy¡¯s head. A number stating 306. The lad¡¯s far higher leveled than any other his age, which was precisely why Aisling raised him to his rank in the first place. And she¡¯s certain he¡¯ll climb even higher. But for a lad of his level to see a black number even from a level twelve¡­ It¡¯s just unheard of. And the Clan Leader of the Sullivan Clan hates unknowns. She slams her fist on the round table and declares, ¡°Send a party of thrall raiders their way led by a huskarl an¡¯ see how powerful that lass really is. Make sure they¡¯re disguised and unrecognizable, an¡¯ attack only when tha lass is near the border.¡± All of the council members immediately stand up from their seats and slam their fists into their chests as they shout, ¡°Yes, Clan Leader! Your bidding is our law!¡± Aisling leans back in her seat again as one of the council members runs off to go see about the order. And as she sits there thinking about the lass, she can¡¯t help but wonder just what sort of ability would lead to a level twelve having a black number shown to a level 306. She knows just from that information alone that it can¡¯t be any less than a Class S ability, but what sort of ability would make her that dangerous? And the Clan Leader is willing to lose at least a few raiding parties to find that very information out. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Aria I let out a sigh as I look through the window of my newly assigned room in the massive tree house the lukians apparently refer to as a grand tree. Something all of the Clans of this world have. They¡¯re apparently just Hunter Spots that were abandoned by the world¡¯s mana. Which is apparently something that can happen on this world in particular, where the mana will shift around so that the Hunter Spots occasionally move once every several centuries. And every time they do move, and a household claims it, a new Clan is born. A rather interesting albeit also kinda useless bit of lukian trivia. I will admit though. The view from this room is absolutely beautiful and was worth the trip here all on its own. The room I was given is really high up in the tree, so I can see incredibly far from here. I can see the ocean, the vast forest reaching all the way up to the ocean, and the large city beneath me. And it all looks gorgeous. First there were the oceans of Eternus and the beautiful cities above them, and now the forests and grand trees of Luk¡¯tar. This traveling gig absolutely has its ups. I look out the window for a few more minutes before finally turning around and looking around the room itself. The room has a much more woodsy feeling to it than my rooms back in Eternus, with wood used in most of the things here. Including appliances that don¡¯t look like they¡¯d be in a setting like this. Like TVs. And even a computer. Not stuff you¡¯d expect to see in a place so clearly medieval in its design choices. Then again, it¡¯d probably be weird if they didn¡¯t have higher level technology here. Considering that they have a Gate directly to Eternus and all. I glance towards the bathroom. They even have a shower. Although, I do wonder how they deal with termites in a place like this. After pondering over that for a few seconds, I shrug and head to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Then after doing that, I walk over and flop down on the bed. One that¡¯s actually quite comfy. I stare up at the ceiling while lying flat on my back with my hair still a little damp and a towel around my neck while wearing a simple T-shirt and shorts. Having already changed out of my outfit for the evening, since my first mission isn¡¯t till tomorrow. The first war council meeting of theirs didn¡¯t really go all that well, if I¡¯m being honest. From what I heard, the Sullivan Clan ¨C the clan we¡¯re at war with ¨C has over a hundred thousand soldiers, each armed with equipment far better than what we had on Vortel. Not as good as what¡¯s on Eternus though by a long shot. They apparently don¡¯t have the sword gun things that the Byrne Clan uses ¨C and I¡¯ll be using soon too since they¡¯re gonna give me one for free ¨C so they¡¯re behind in terms of equipment. But the Byrne Clan has a total of twenty thousand five hundred in its forces. Some of whom aren¡¯t even trained in combat. Goes to show just how crafting reliant this Clan really is. Also why they¡¯re partnered up with the Dynasty in the first place. Because I can¡¯t see that stingy Emperor letting go of a golden goose like the Byrne Clan and their weapons crafting skills. Fortunately though, the Byrne Clan also has more fortifications than they can even fully man. And plenty of defensive weaponry stationed on them. So defense isn¡¯t as big of an issue as it could¡¯ve been. I¡¯ve also been given the authority of a merkismathr in their army. The highest ranking officer in their forces below the stallari. Otherwise known as their general. Luckily their military structures are shared across every Clan. So it¡¯s easy to compare the structures across different Clans. The lowest ranking soldiers are called thralls, followed by the lower ranking officers known as huskarls, then mid-ranking officers known as vanir, followed by the rank I got assigned, and then the stallari at the top. And, of course, the council, and the Clan Leader himself. As for the merkismathr? They can be appointed by any member of the council. Meanwhile the stallari can only be appointed by the Clan Leader. A rather simple military structure, to say the least. But I like it. It¡¯d probably take me days to remember the rankings if they had a much more complicated system after all. I roll over onto my side before blowing my hair out of my face with little luck due to its length. Then I reach up to grab it before muttering, ¡°Need a haircut¡­¡± Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve gotten it cut for at least a few months. Might want to deal with that before heading out on my mission tomorrow. My hair is rather weird when it comes to being cut. It¡¯s like, if I want it to be cut, then it¡¯ll stay cut. If I don¡¯t, then it won¡¯t. It¡¯ll just regrow back. A rather confusing gimmick to my ability, but not one I¡¯m gonna question. At least my ability takes into consideration that I don¡¯t want to walk around permanently unable to cut my hair. Then again, I don¡¯t get it cut often. Mostly because it¡¯s annoying to have to trust a hair stylist not to mess it up. I continue lying down, not moving myself from the bed. Maybe I¡¯ll get up in an hour. I roll over onto my back again, my arms spread out on both sides of me as I stare up at the ceiling. My first mission in another war¡­ and to think¡­ so ironic. The first mission I¡¯m being sent on is a solo mission where I¡¯m supposed to head to an outpost several dozen kilometers away from Byrne territory, between Byrne and Sullivan territory. Specifically to scout if the outpost was taken over or not, and if it was taken over, then to take it back or destroy it. By any means necessary. Just like the mission I was on right when the System initiated on Vortel. Sorta. But this one is a sort of test for me to see how useful I¡¯ll really be in this war. Of course, a guide will be following me to watch the results, and, well, bring me to the outpost in the first place. So I won¡¯t be totally alone. Although a certain merchant is just gonna be entertaining himself in this city while I¡¯m gone. Said something about making connections with the crafters here. And something about how that¡¯ll help me too in the future. Which I guess is probably true. Anyways, I let out a sigh before grunting as I sit up. And without prolonging it any further, change out of my clothes into my gear with a simple flick of the storage ring ¨C a very convenient feature I might add ¨C and leave my room. Time to go find a hair stylist to cut my hair. B2 | Chapter 13 Aria While we head along the coast on a boat, I lie in the back of the ship ¨C one made out of wood, which is making me wonder if the people here just like wood or something ¨C practicing infusing my soul energy into weapons and the like. A process that is actually rather easy and hard at the same time. It¡¯s easy to infuse soul energy into something, but it¡¯s hard to make it stay in said something after it¡¯s no longer making contact with my body. Although it doesn¡¯t have to be bare skin that it¡¯s making contact with. Whatever object I infused the soul energy into just wants to dissipate or return to me after it¡¯s no longer touching me. A rather annoying trait that I¡¯ve been trying to get rid of or find a work around with very little success. The soul energy just doesn¡¯t want to do it. It¡¯s not an immediate process though, so bullets still work perfectly fine to infuse. Seeing as the bullets are fired so quickly out of the gun to strike their target that it doesn¡¯t have the time to dissipate. But if my current plan for taking down the outpost is going to succeed, I was really hoping to have this down before making it there. Then again, I still have a few days before we arrive. So I guess it¡¯s fine. For now at least. Something I find rather interesting about the outside universe is that necromancy is actually allowed pretty much anywhere. The only place I¡¯ve ever seen it banned was on Vortel, in Albaria. So I haven¡¯t gotten a single look in regard to my Death Spirits. Well, other than the confused look people would give me for apparently ¡®not expecting someone like me to be a necromancer¡¯ because they apparently tend to look dark, evil, and crooked. Even if they aren¡¯t all dark, evil, and crooked. Guess some classes just kinda look the part. Come to think of it, I wonder if my white hair has some relation to my class? I know my parents also had white hair and crimson eyes, and so did my brother, but they were able to dye their hair. I can¡¯t. Whenever I tried, the white would just return right away, making the dye vanish with the usual crimson energy. Which is the reason I haven¡¯t dyed my hair to help disguise myself. Maybe it¡¯s something to do with my class? Then again, I know my body is just odd compared to most people. There are definitely things going on with it that others don¡¯t have. Or rather, things others have that I don¡¯t. The need to eat, sleep, or breathe for example. Cycles, muscle soreness, growth pains, sickness, negative effects on my body by stress or anxiety, and so on. I don¡¯t have any of it. Never really bothered me though. Not a single one of those. Actually prefer it this way. Although I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s because I¡¯ve always been like this so nothing seems wrong to me or what. I let out a sigh as I continue trying to figure out how to work with this soul energy more efficiently through infusing it into a rubber ball that I bounce into the air. But after several minutes of doing so, I pause, noticing something strange. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Or, rather, one of my little skeleton friends at the bottom of the water near the coast noticed something odd. I can sense it through my bond. Not sure what exactly is wrong though. Just that something is. Most likely that means some sort of attack. Either that of the enemy or just bandits. So I let out another sigh and grab the rubber ball glowing with crimson energy before reabsorbing the energy and putting it in my storage ring. Then I get up while stretching a little. It¡¯s too bad the Lesser Minor Death Spirits aren¡¯t all that good at scouting. The only thing I ever get from them is a vague sensation through the bond. It¡¯s like all they can do is poke at our bond to warn me of something. But nothing more. I do wonder if the next skill I¡¯ll get might let me summon stronger Death Spirits. But that¡¯s something to think about later. After stretching ¨C something I really didn¡¯t need to do but felt like doing anyways ¨C I leave the little room at the back of the small ship before walking around the central building of the ship. Then I tap on the window of the building where the guide is. The guide is a short man ¨C same height as most of the other men on this planet ¨C with a shorter beard than average amongst the lukians and brown hair. He is also supposedly twice my age, and his level is level forty-six. ¡°What is it, lass?¡± he asks, using that same ¡®lass¡¯ term a lot of people on this planet seem to use. I open my mouth to respond, only for a gunshot to echo out, followed by a slightly warm sensation in the back of my head leading me to lean forwards until it heals again moments later, and I catch myself with a stomp on the deck. Then I look at him again and answer, ¡°Bandits.¡± He stares in shock. I ignore his stare as I pull out the lovely sniper rifle that I was given by the equally lovely weaponsmiths before turning around and aiming where I saw the bullet fired from through the reflection of the window. And within seconds, I find a man aiming a more outdated rifle at me with his jaw dropped open, his finger not even on the trigger. When he sees me aiming at him though, he quickly begins to move his hand back on the trigger. But it¡¯s too late as I shoot him through the brain. These things are so much easier to aim than the old rifles we had back on Vortel. Anyways, I look around the surroundings for more bandits, only to end up finding one right as a fireball is flying straight at me. And in order to save my precious new rifle, I store it in my storage ring the instant before the fireball hits me. The only thing I can really think as it¡¯s hitting me though is a rather simple thought. Guess fireballs are a universal thing after all. Just every world has to have them. Once the fireball is done doing its burning thing, I take my rifle out again and look back through the scope at the guy who sent the fireball in the first place. Just to find them sending more. Excuse me, could you please not try to destroy my rifle? I didn¡¯t exactly pay for it, but I¡¯m sure it was expensive. Probably. Actually, if it gets damaged, will they give me a new one? Probably. They better. I quickly shoot the fire mage in the head before sending my rifle back into my storage ring again as the fireballs are about to strike me. Because priorities. The fireballs do their thing, blowing up some of the deck along with me until the flames die out and I summon my rifle again to look out for more bandits. And I do actually find a few more, but they¡¯re all running away. Fast. And terrified. It¡¯s also only at this point that I realize these bandits are all around level fifty. Mostly because I let the System updates pass through now that the others are running out of my sight. [User has killed one being of Level 51. Requirements to reach level 13 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 103/30000 beings have been granted Death.] [User has killed one being of Level 50. Requirements to reach level 13 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 104/30000 beings have been granted Death.] Their actual numbers above their heads were too far for me to read, but this works. Anyways, they¡¯ve run too far for me to catch up. So I turn to look at my guide, only to find the man holding his chest while breathing heavily. As if he were trying to calm himself down. When I walk into the cabin of the ship though, he just raises his head and gives me that same shocked look as before. I nod my head and state, ¡°Well, killed two bandits. But three more got away. Should I chase them or is it fine to leave them be?¡± He just keeps staring, his gaze occasionally shifting to my head where I was shot, then at the rest of my body where the fireballs lands. An entire minute passes by like this before I snap my fingers and repeat, ¡°Hello?¡± I think I broke him. Or I guess the bandits did. Yeah, I¡¯ll blame the bandits. B2 | Chapter 14 Several Kilometers Away from the Coast Conor Gallagher pants in exhaustion as soon as he and the other two surviving thralls of the raiding party stop running to look behind them. And after realizing that the creature on that ship isn¡¯t chasing them, they let out sighs of relief. Then they collapse onto the ground. ¡°What the fuck was that?! Ya saw that too, right?¡± Thrall Doyle exclaims while still panting in exhaustion. ¡°That lass ain¡¯t human! She can¡¯t be!¡± ¡°Humans can¡¯t take a bloody bullet to tha brain an¡¯ stand up again immediately,¡± Thrall Dunne, the usually softspoken one amongst them, agrees with Doyle while nodding her head. Conor doesn¡¯t say anything out loud, but he absolutely agrees to the two. He knew that he was being sent on a possible suicide mission. Just the fact that he was being sent after a spirits¡¯ damned black number was enough of a clue for that. Even if they were told that they didn¡¯t have to kill her. Merely scout out the power of the target. But the fact that a level twelve killed multiple level fifties without even breaking a sweat, unless you count the bullets she took to the head without a care a sweat. Just that fact alone sends chills down Conor¡¯s spine. ¡°We need ta hire an Analyzer,¡± Conor suggests right away, bringing the other two¡¯s gazes towards him. ¡°No other way round it.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Doyle shouts, the tall ¨C for a lukian ¨C man shouts, glaring at Conor for so much as even suggesting that. ¡°No way in all the Luk¡¯tar Hells am I ever headin¡¯ anywhere near that monster of a lass ever again! An¡¯ you can bet yer beard on that one!¡± Conor frowns at him and opens his mouth, only to close it again when Dunne shakes her head without a word. Then he grits his teeth and says, ¡°They may not send us with em.¡± ¡°Ya willin¡¯ to bet on that? Cause I ain¡¯t!¡± Doyle shouts back while standing up again and beginning to walk away. ¡°We ain¡¯t sayin¡¯ nothing tha¡¯ might require them ta send us back.¡± Dunne gets up after him and follows the man, leaving Conor feeling rather speechless on the ground. But he just grits his teeth and follows after the two anyways. I¡¯m still going to make the suggestion at the debrief. Conor may feel just as terrified of the monster in girl¡¯s form that they just crossed paths with, but he isn¡¯t willing to jeopardize their clan just because of his own fear. But still, he knows that the Clan Leader will have to take care of this outsider somehow. Because despite their overwhelming numbers advantage over the Byrne Clan, even a thrall like Conor understands that the Byrne Clan is no pushover. Not when it comes to defensive warfare. And with this new addition to their ranks¡­ one of unknown power despite being a lowly level twelve¡­ Conor frowns as he walks, ignoring the other two surviving thralls while pondering just why that lass is still only level twelve when she¡¯s clearly an adult based on physical appearance. If she doesn¡¯t level up faster now, she¡¯ll never make it to level one hundred by the end of her lifespan. And if she¡¯s that powerful in the first place, how has she only reached level twelve by now? It just doesn¡¯t make any sense to Conor. Someone that powerful at such a low level should already be skyrocketing up the levels. He halts midstep. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Unless her class isn¡¯t combat related? That could be it, but what non-combat class or purpose could give so much power? One way or another, Conor knows with absolute certainty that the lass has a Class S ability. There¡¯s no doubt in his mind about that as he follows the other two. Eventually he just sighs and decides to give his report once they return and leave these questions for the council members to debate over. It¡¯s not his job after all.
Aria It ends up taking several minutes for the lukian to calm down before he decides to act like nothing had happened. As if he didn¡¯t just spend several minutes having a pseudo panic attack. Or at least, I think that¡¯s what it was. Probably. Although he does go ahead and call in the bandit attack to the base. And apparently the Clan Leader suspects that it was planned by our enemies. He can¡¯t be absolutely certain of that though. So we just continue on with our little trip through the waters until we reach a mountain range and finally get off the ship, leaving it parked there. Which I feel is probably a bad idea if they don¡¯t want it stolen, but it¡¯s not really my problem. And I wouldn¡¯t be too surprised if they have some sort of failsafe for that. Too bad they didn¡¯t have a failsafe for the damages to the ship. Oh, and the guide guy takes the dead ¡®bandits¡¯ into his storage ring to investigate later. Probably while I¡¯m doing my mission. Anyways, we travel through the mountains rather peacefully. And while the guide goes on telling me that he¡¯ll be patient for me and go at my pace and all that, I end up having to wait for him after he grows too exhausted to keep up with me. His own fault. He really shouldn¡¯t have tried to keep up with someone who doesn¡¯t grow tired. I have to admit though, it was amusing to see him try. We take an hour or so to rest for him before continuing on. Then that process repeats itself a couple times before he grows a lot more tense, likely meaning we¡¯re getting close to the outpost. Something I¡¯ve realized about this world so far though is that there are a lot of mines. Up until recently, we¡¯ve been traveling through the Byrne Clan¡¯s territory. And repeatedly we keep passing by small towns and cities centered around mines. But it does make sense. After all, they had to have become a crafting focused nation for a reason. Having lots of minerals everywhere would be as good a reason as any. We also passed by one of the Hunter Spots on the way here. And it really is just a massive freaking tree. One that I couldn¡¯t see the top of when we passed. Unfortunately I couldn¡¯t go inside to check it out, considering that we¡¯re in a hurry. And after just a few more minutes following his growing tense, he calls for a halt and crouches down near some of the heavier foliage. I join him and he quickly begins whispering, ¡°Ye¡¯ll go on yer own from here on out, lass. Continue heading North for just a few klicks and you¡¯ll find the outpost.¡± That has me nodding my head. Then I frown before asking, ¡°One question.¡± He nods, so I proceed, ¡°Which way is North? The suns make that hard to tell.¡± I glance up at the two suns in different positions in the sky. Then I look back down at the surprised guide. ¡°Right, outsider¡­¡± he mutters before clearing his throat and pointing in one direction. ¡°This way¡¯s North, lass. Any other questions?¡± I shake my head. ¡°Then spirits be with ya,¡± he finishes with a nod before quickly scurrying away through the foliage, leaving me on my own. I watch him go for a moment before turning to face North and beginning to progress slowly towards where the outpost should be. Something I find interesting about the lukians here is that there are some of them who actually worship spirits. Like the Void Priest for example. There are some of those in the capital of the Byrne Clan. Although there were some Void Temples in the Dynasty on Eternus too, but there weren¡¯t any other spirit temples. Probably only had Void Temples due to the whole revival thing. The other temples don¡¯t really offer much beyond maybe a spirit companion to contract with or possibly a small blessing to their magical affinity if they have the affinity and are a mage for that element. Even a lot of people who don¡¯t worship spirits still use spirits in their swear words though. And their blessings like that. Wishing someone good fortune. I¡¯m not really used to it considering the lack of any religions on Vortel, and the lack of religious behavior on Eternus. Seeing as it¡¯s a place of commerce. Not worship. Especially the capital. My thoughts come to a halt as I begin to see the makings of an outpost after almost making it to the peak of this mountain. Here it is. And judging by the voices I hear in the distance, they were right about it being occupied. Which means I have my first mission beginning now. And I¡¯m all alone for it. I pause on that thought for a second. Never mind. A grin stretches across my face as I kneel down low and begin opening some rifts around me. Quietly, of course. Not entirely alone. B2 | Full Story Art Thus Far And we have art for days lmao. Sooooo much art. Yes, I love art. I have aphantasia so I can''t visualize things myself. So having art of my protagonist and scenes is really nice to me. Most of this art you have seen before. Some you haven''t. Some you''ve forgotten since it''s been so long. Lots of chibi at the bottom btw. War''s art isn''t in the post because he''s not been in the story yet. And the official art post for him is later on. Along with some of the other Grands. And some more scene art later on too. But none of those are in this post. Also, the book 1 cover art death spirits are different from the book 2 ones for a reason. They''re different types of death spirits. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Shirou Chibi (All stickers on my Discord server here) I might get a maid outfit Aria chibi sticker at some point tbh. B2 | Chapter 15 Aria The first thing I do is scout out the enemies numbers. Which doesn¡¯t prove too difficult as I just climb up a really tall tree and look out over them. During the day, of course. Because my glowing red eyes don¡¯t make for good stealth prowess at night. And what I find is a total of a little over one thousand soldiers manning the outpost. All of whom are wearing the Clan Symbol of the Sullivan Clan on their breastplates. That of a silver raven. The outpost is pretty large. Not as large as a fortress, but large enough. And the walls are all made out of wood, with bits of metal in the mix. But I can tell that it¡¯s all enchanted. So I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the walls are actually tougher by a large margin than the walls from back on Vortel. Not to mention that I also wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the wood used in this outpost is from one of the Grand Trees. Trees whose wood is filled with mana, making it incredibly durable. One of the reasons a lot of people want to trade for the wood from this world. Which also makes my initial plan of blowing everything up a little harder. Still possible, since the explosives I have on me are a lot better than those from Vortel as well, but harder, nonetheless. I continue looking through the scope of my rifle at the outpost for a little bit, focusing on the various buildings inside of it, the place that looks to be the main command center of the outpost, all of the soldiers of officer ranks amongst their numbers ¨C the highest being a single vanir ¨C and lastly, their levels. All of which are at the very least level thirty, with the average being between level forty and level sixty. Then the few dozen huskarl scattered about the base are about level 100. Somewhere around there at least. And the single vanir is too high a level for me to see. They¡¯re probably about level 150 though. Judging by what I was told at least. As for abilities, I see several soldiers using some abilities for manual labor and other chores. Like fire mages using fire magic to light oven and forge fires. Or light mages using light magic to illuminate the insides of buildings and fortress walls. And even some telekinetics carrying around boxes and the like with their minds. The majority of them aren¡¯t showing their abilities though. Which isn¡¯t surprising since from what I remember, Luk¡¯tar has a lot of enchanters, alchemists, and the like. Crafting focused Ability Holders. Although, there are also more Ability Holders in general in this world than in Vortel. Not by much, but still more. I continue looking over the outpost for a bit. The walls are about three meters in height. Not too high, but still high. Which is normal for an outpost. Meanwhile the outpost seems to have two entrances. One to the right side of the outpost, one to the left. And the gate on the right is always open by the looks of things. It¡¯ll probably close at night though. I sit back on the high branch I¡¯m on, pulling my rifle away from my eyes and narrowing them at the outpost. Hmm¡­ what to do¡­ I purse my lips before giving a mental command to the Death Spirits I have summoned down below. Each of whom are holding charges. After a few seconds, I nod my head with a smile on my face. Yeah, that should work.
The Outpost Huskarl Eoin Kennedy lets out a yawn as she stands at the Southern wall of the outpost they¡¯d recently taken from the Byrne Clan. And after a few minutes pass, she lets out another yawn and glances at her watch, pulling back the armor over her wrist to do so. But after finding that she still has another hour left before her and her mens¡¯ watch is over, she grimaces and looks out into the trees again. Only to spot something strange. ¡°Thralls Gallager an¡¯ Ryan, do y¡¯all see this as well?¡± she asks while pointing her staff towards the trees. ¡°A red light in tha-¡± Her words are interrupted when a loud explosion rings out from a little further down the wall from them, making them scramble to the edge of the wall to look down in the direction of the explosion. And what they find is the wall collapsing at the source of the explosion. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Everyone! Ta arms!¡± she shouts while waving her staff in a circle, making the wind around her speed up as she uses the vibrant green crystal atop it to enhance her wind magic affinity. But just seconds later, a second explosion rings out from the opposite direction, making her and her men stop in their tracks to look back. Only to find another point on the outpost wall having collapsed. ¡°Split inta¡¯ two forces ta deal-¡± Her orders are interrupted again when another explosion rings out. This time from a different wall. Then another explosion. And another. And another. The explosions just repeatedly ring out across the walls, following which a few screams begin to echo through the night. ¡°Undead!¡± ¡°Skeletons!¡± ¡°Get tha fire ability users up ¡®ere!¡± ¡°We need tha torchers!¡± Eoin quickly shouts orders at her fire ability users at the sight of the skeletons wearing cloaks with glowing red eyes walking out of the trees, along with some walking through the holes in the walls, clearly having been the ones to destroy them, ¡°Thralls Murphy an¡¯ Walsh, step front!¡± Both of the fire mages step in front of the others and begin to send waves of flames down at the undead while the huskarl shouts at the other four dozen men under her watch, ¡°Everyone else, grab tha torchers!¡± All of her forces run down to grab the flameguns known locally as torchers. Magical weapons specifically made so as to not spread flames very well. Mostly to save the forests on the planets while still giving the lukians the ability to use flames. ¡°Huskarl!¡± one of the two fire mages shouts, making her quickly turn around to look at them, only to find surprise clear on their faces. So she looks back down at the undead as they continues, ¡°Fire¡¯s not workin¡¯!¡± The mage¡¯s words along with the sight of the skeletons just continuing their march into the outpost shock Eoin into a silent stupor for all of three seconds. Then the further sight of the skeletons coating their bony hands with a crimson energy has her shouting, ¡°Watch out! These aren¡¯t normal undead!¡± But her voice is covered by the sounds of more explosions. This time coming from inside of the outpost, making the huskarl realize that the skeletons might just be the sources of the explosions. Are tha skeletons using magic? Or mayhaps¡­ Her thoughts cut off when she sees what looks suspiciously like a Byrne explosive flying straight at her and the mages next to her. But she quickly sends a wave of wind straight at it, sending it off course and over towards the buildings instead, where it explodes and destroys a large portion of the building. She grimaces at the sight of the aftermath of her instinctive reaction, but shakes her head and begins attacking the skeletons with her wind magic while shouting, ¡°Ignore tha torchers! Just open fire!¡± And immediately after her command, all of the soldiers begin open firing on the skeletons. Only for the skeletons to show strange reactions to the attacks. Instead of the skeletons being pulverized by the shots, the bones making up the skeletons immediately repair themselves through the red energy seemingly coursing through these skeletons. With the red energy slowly diminishing a little bit with each attack. Only to pulse as if being fed energy from somewhere. ¡°The skeletons are bein¡¯ powered by somethin nearby! Find tha Ability Holder doin this!¡± she shouts, and she hears several of the other huskarl doing the same thing. Meanwhile she keeps sending arcs of wind to cut apart the skeletons before they restore themselves once more. The skeletons themselves appear to be ignoring anything attacking them and simply throwing around the explosives at where the forces are centered. Eoin feels relieved that they¡¯re only using the medium strength explosives. Because she has seen how powerful the high power explosives are, and if this many were being thrown around, there would be a lot more casualties amongst the outpost forces. She continues tearing apart the skeletons while sending the explosives launched towards her and her men away as the skeletons slowly show less and less red energy in their bodies. And over the course of at least fifteen minutes, some of the skeletons finally begin to crumble, no longer having the red energy in them to recover anymore. ¡°We¡¯re gettin close!¡± Eoin shouts to raise morale, and all of her soldiers shout back in response while a grin stretches across her face. Then she sees it. A cloaked figure running amongst the skeletons and going from one building to another, one fortress wall to another. And more importantly, she sees their hands, which are gloved and holding high power Byrne explosives. None of the other skeletons wore gloves. The sight of both the explosives and the gloves leads her to watch the cloaked figure a little bit longer before soon finding a flash of stark white hair coming from under the deep cowl of their cloak. And immediately after seeing it, she shouts, ¡°Enemy spotted! Runnin¡¯ between tha food storage sector and the weapons supply sector! Fire now!¡± The cloaked figure stops for a second and glances back, making Eoin see a flash of red from underneath the hood. Just like the skeletons. Then they seem to think for a moment while bullets pepper them from all over, Eoin not being the only officer in the outpost to spot the enemy. Only for the enemy to then just shrug off the bullets while placing a few more explosives despite being peppered with bullets and even spells. And without any hesitation or even signs of pain, the enemy turns around to look at the commanding officer of the outpost that Eoin sees glaring at the enemy while rushing towards them with their blade drawn and covered in ice. The enemy doesn¡¯t seem shaken at all by the sight of the level 153 vanir rushing at her. Instead they simply give a salute, knocking their cowl back to reveal the face of a beautiful girl with stark white hair and glowing red eyes in the dark of what is now dusk. The girl has a wide smirk on her face, and, to both Eoin and the commander¡¯s horror, brings out a remote from her pocket and presses the button on it without any hesitation. A brief moment passes before dozens of explosions ring out across the outpost, all far stronger than the previous explosions. Wiping the outpost off the face of the planet bringing all of the soldiers along with it. And after the smoke finally clears, the one spectator watching the whole battle finds a single girl standing at the center of the crater of what used to be the outpost, completely unharmed and without any damage to her clothes. B2 | Chapter 16 Aria I let out a breath of air, trying not to breathe in the disgusting smoke as I wave my hand in front of my face, trying to blow it away like a fan. But my focus is on the rather loud sound of System Messages ringing in my head. [User has killed one being of Level 56. Requirements to reach level 13 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 105/30000 beings have been granted Death.] ¡­ [User has killed one being of Level 50. Requirements to reach level 13 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 1119/30000 beings have been granted Death.] After the annoying ringing session ends, I look around at the crater that is all that remains of the outpost. Then I nod my head to myself before lowering it again and closing my eyes. And after a brief pause, I mutter, ¡°May those lost here be always remembered.¡± Then I stand there for a couple moments of silence before raising my head again and proceeding to walk towards the edge of the crater where a certain guide is frozen stiff. Something else I realized over the past couple years. I may not have any empathy or sorrow for the enemies I kill in battle ¨C they are trying to kill me and are just plain my enemies after all ¨C but that doesn¡¯t mean they don¡¯t deserve respect. So respect is what I¡¯ll give them. As I walk, I make sure to devour a few of the officers¡¯ soul cores to replace the weaker soul cores that I currently have in me. Because from what I understand, most people here aren¡¯t going to be revived anyways. Revival is generally only something that can be done by an official government, or possibly a very rich individual. Not regular soldiers or even officers of a military. Although the highest ranking ones would be revivable since their superior officers would probably pay to have them revived. Then again, probably best to devour the highest ranking officers too. Otherwise they¡¯d just come back and get their revenge. And I still don¡¯t have any ¡®faith¡¯ so the idea of erasing a soul to me is still the same thing as just plain killing them. On that note, the Sullivan Clan¡¯s forces were all much higher level than me. So they were pretty much all strong enough to snap my neck without much trouble. Much less defeat me in direct physical combat. Which makes fighting these people a lot harder. Even if I¡¯m able to significantly enhance my body¡¯s physical capabilities, it¡¯s only enough to enhance everything by around two or three dozen levels¡¯ worth of power. It¡¯s not enough to compete head to head in physical strength against even a single level 50 soldier. But my Lesser Minor Death Spirits do at least make up for this weakness a little bit. Their real forms are more like spiritual forms powered by soul energy, with their physical forms being those skeletons that are basically just being possessed by them. Making them really and truly spirits both physically and metaphorically. So their physical forms can be repaired as much as they¡¯d like so long as they have the soul energy to do it. And if they run out of soul energy, they¡¯ll just be banished back into the Plane of Death again. Since Death Spirits can¡¯t die. Same as me. It¡¯s too bad they¡¯re not actually very strong. Basically all the same strength if not weaker than I am. Simply because they can¡¯t use soul energy to enhance their body. It¡¯s kind of their vitality after all. They are useful for fighting with weapons though. And they feel no pain. Anyways, I finally step out of the crater after a rather long walk before stopping in front of the guide. A guide who ¨C by the way ¨C is still staring at me with his mouth gaping open. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°You okay?¡± I ask while tilting my head slightly. And my words finally seem to snap them out of it. ¡°Y-yeah,¡± he mutters while hurriedly glancing back and forth between the crater and me. ¡°L-let¡¯s go back.¡± I nod my head and answer with a short, ¡°Yep.¡± Then we begin to head back towards the Grand Tree of the Byrne Clan. With the guide still occasionally throwing glances backwards. Uh, sorry fella, but that crater isn¡¯t gonna just reappear if that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about. At least, I think that¡¯s the problem.
¡°Welcome back, lass!¡± the Clan Leader exclaims the moment I walk through the double doors into the council chamber alongside the guide, who looks tense for some reason. ¡°I take it yer mission went well, then?¡± I nod my head and stand perfectly straight after coming to a stop a few meters in front of the table before stating, ¡°Mission complete. The Sullivan Clan forces occupying the outpost have been annihilated.¡± Along with the outpost itself. ¡°Excellent!¡± he shouts, joy clear in his voice as he focuses on the other council members and says, ¡°Now ya see why I contracted the lass?¡± The other council members all nod their heads, some muttering agreements, others even shouting them. Not a single one of them seemingly having any issues with my working with them anymore. Which is amusing considering how against it they originally were. After letting the council members speak for a few minutes, the Clan Leader holds his hand up for silence before looking at one of the council members in particular and saying, ¡°Councilmember Ronan, take a party down to resecure tha outpost. Make sure it¡¯s ready for an assault at any moment.¡± ¡°Understood, Leader!¡± the councilmember in question exclaims while saluting. Then the Clan Leader glances towards us and asks, ¡°On that matter, were there damages to tha outpost in yer battle?¡± I blink once. Then twice. And finally, I turn to the guide while motioning for him to speak. Yeah, let¡¯s let him tell them. Sounds like a good plan. The guide in question sends me a horrified look in response. But when I just casually begin to examine the suddenly very beautiful ceiling, he lets out a sigh and begins to speak, ¡°Our apologies, Clan Leader, but there is no longer an outpost anymore.¡± Silence fills the chamber before I feel some gazes turning to me without even looking down from the ceiling. ¡°Lady Death, would ya mind explaining how ya eliminated tha enemies?¡± the Clan Leader calmly asks, making me lower my gaze again to ¨C yep ¨C find everyone staring at me. He wants to know my exact plan? I give a mental shrug at that before answering, ¡°I had my Death Spirits attack the walls, blowing holes into them to let the spirits inside. Then I slipped in amongst them while the spirits were causing havoc and set the higher explosives you supplied me with all around the outpost.¡± Their faces all grow slightly pale. ¡°And after I felt I had put enough of the charges through the outpost, I activated them all.¡± The council members all stare at me like I¡¯m crazy. Some of them stare like I¡¯m suicidal. Which is ironic. ¡°To be clear, Clan Leader, the merkismathr did not wait til she was clear of the outpost ta activate the charges,¡± my guide says, pointing out something I don¡¯t really feel is important. ¡°She stayed inside of tha outpost an¡¯ activated it right as tha vanir commander was rushin¡¯ her.¡± More silence fills the council chamber. I look between each of the stunned councilmembers, genuinely wondering why they¡¯re acting like this. They gave me permission to do as much damage to the outpost as I¡¯d like, so why are they so surprised? They even gave me quite literally hundreds of charges for the job. ¡°How many of tha charges did ya use, lass?¡± the Clan Leader quietly asks. I blink before answering, ¡°I used up half of the charges given to me.¡± Silence again. ¡°Lass¡­¡± the Clan Leader begins, only to shake his head as if at a loss for words. I frown at that, only to glance at Shirogane ¨C who I find standing in the corner behind us ¨C before he mouths, ¡®Those were meant to be supplies for an entire three months.¡¯ Oh. That¡¯s¡­ awkward. Hmm¡­ I turn to look at the council members, all of whom have lost pretty much all of the gusto they previously had. Guess they were expecting to get that outpost back after all. It might be best to avoid blowing up entire outposts next time. Probably better to use poison or fire. Eventually the Clan Leader clears his throat and says, ¡°Well, lass, next time please try to leave a base behind for us to take. Is that understood?¡± I salute him and declare, ¡°Yes, Clan Leader!¡± ¡°Good,¡± he says with a nod before continuing, ¡°Now that we have tha outpost taken out of tha picture, our next targets are tha weapons production facilities within tha Sullivan Clan¡¯s Grand Tree.¡± All of the council members nod their heads. ¡°Yer job is to destroy tha production facilities while tha Sullivan forces begin their march.¡± Interesting. Rid them of their weapons supply and leave them even further behind in the military technology area. ¡°Understood,¡± I tell him with a salute, making him nod his head. ¡°Yer dismi-¡± he begins, but I interrupt him, ¡°Clan Leader, could I make a request?¡± He frowns for a second before nodding his head and saying, ¡°Go ahead, lass.¡± ¡°In that case,¡± I continue, the faintest of smirks stretching across my lips, ¡°would it be alright if you refilled my explosives stock?¡± The man stares at me. What? I need explosives if I¡¯m gonna blow up this weapons production facility. Besides. He only said to leave behind a base for us to take. He never said anything about not using explosives. And explosives are a woman¡¯s best friend. Eventually he sighs and waves his hand, ¡°Very well, lass.¡± Then his eyes go stern. ¡°But ¨C an¡¯ I can¡¯t believe I have ta say this ¨C do not destroy tha Grand Tree.¡± I give him another salute and quickly make my way out of the chamber, broadly smiling the moment the doors close behind me. I¡¯d say that turned out pretty well. B2 | Updated Glossary Vortel Description: The World of Vortel is a world where one tenth of the population will be born with a special ability. These ability users are classified in two different ways. Special Class Ability Holders, or SCAH, who have a unique ability that no one else has ever had before, and Regular Ability Holders, or RAH. The abilities come in various different classifications: Physical: Physical Ability Holders gain an increase to their body in some physical manner such as superstrength or speed. Magical: Magical Ability Holders gain the ability to use one magical element and gain a mana pool to go along with the element. Special: Special Ability Holders are the in between. The abilities that cannot be classified in the other two classifications but are still abilities. These can include a hybrid of Physical and Magical, or neither. Some examples include the ability to use a single powerful attack, the ability to set yourself on fire but feel no pain and take no damage, or the ability to nullify abilities. But these abilities do not give the user any mana to use. There is only one continent on Vortel as all of the others have been destroyed over the years through war, leading to the Great Acclaims being established, banning the use of strategic abilities and strictly enforcing it within both nations to lock down any person with a strategic level ability and restrict the use of their ability. Aran Description: The continent of Aran houses the Albarian and Arterian nations, both of whom have been at war for as long as either side can remember. The Albarians want the gold and metals that the Arterians have, and the Arterians want the fertile land that the Albarians have. And neither are willing to share with their eternal enemy. Albaria Description: The Albarian nation treats its soldiers generally well, but if a soldier has a bad officer in charge of them they will not have a good life. The people flourish with food and water, but are lacking in the technology department as opposed to Artaria. Ruled by a council of governors with a political emperor figurehead who has little power. Ability Holders are required to enlist into the military within four years of graduating from lower education, by the time they turn 22 years old. They are also required to attend special classes to help them learn how to control their ability during their education. Albaria has a smaller population and less land, with fewer Ability Holders. However, their Ability Holders often end up being higher quality than the Arterian Ability Holders. Trade from Arteria is illegal. Military Rankings: Private Corporal ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 3 subordinates. Sergeant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 10 subordinates. Warrant Officer ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 20 subordinates. Second Lieutenant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 50 subordinates. First Lieutenant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 100 subordinates. Captain ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 200 subordinates. Major ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 500 subordinates. Lieutenant Colonel ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 1000 subordinates. Colonel ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 5000 subordinates. Major General ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 10000 subordinates. Lieutenant General ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 20000 subordinates. General ¨C 9 Generals in the army Arteria Description: The Arterian nation treats its soldiers poorly unless they are nobles or Ability Holders. The people often are lacking in food and water, albeit still with enough to live off of even if it doesn¡¯t necessarily taste good, but have a higher level of technology than the Albarians have. Ruled by an Emperor with absolute power. Ability Holders are required to enlist into the military right away after graduating from lower education. They are also required to attend special classes to teach them how to control and fight with their ability during their education. Artaria has a larger population and more land, with more Ability Holders. However, their Ability Holders often end up being lower quality than the Albarian Ability Holders. Trade from Albaria is illegal. Military Rankings: Private Corporal Sergeant Warrant Officer Second Lieutenant First Lieutenant Captain Knight Major Colonel General ¨C 4 Generals in the army Emperor and the rest of the Royal Family Eternal Dynasty Description: The largest commerce network and empire in the entire universe. It is a completely neutral force that does not directly interfere with other powers no matter what. The Dynasty is ruled by a single Emperor who has absolute power, however, he rarely interferes with his subjects, merely directing trade and managing the largest business deals the Dynasty holds. While taking a large chunk of profit from all the merchants working under the Dynasty¡¯s name and his protection. The Dynasty spans over dozens of planets across the universe, with connections to nearly every single important nation. Military Rankings/Social Structure: Zero Star Merchant ¨C Initial position for all new merchants to the Dynasty. It is also the grunt position that is used in the military as the base soldier. One Star Merchant ¨C The One Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Two Star Merchant ¨C The Two Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Three Star Merchant ¨C The Three Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Four Star Merchant ¨C The Four Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Five Star Merchant ¨C The Five Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Six Star Merchant ¨C The Six Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Seven Star Merchant ¨C The Seven Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as top commanding officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Eight Star Merchant ¨C The Eight Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as top commanding officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. Nine Star Merchant ¨C The Nine Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as members of the war council within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. Ten Star Merchant ¨C The Ten Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as the top generals within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. Emperor ¨C He has absolute power over the entire nation and its citizens. Unlike many other nations, the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s military is stylized based entirely off of the ranking of the merchant in question, with one of the requirements of each Star Rank being combat capability and strategic thinking. Luk¡¯tar Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Description: A largely crafter dominated world ruled by six clans who are often at a cold war with each other until recently when it finally broke out into a full war. The world is covered mostly in forests on the surface, a high amount of humidity with vast oceans and lakes, Grand Trees that stretch higher into the sky than people can see, and six different Gates to other worlds. Military Rankings: Thrall: New to everything and has a lot to learn. Huskarl: Lowest ranked officer. Vanir: Middle ranked officer. Merkismathr: High ranking officer chosen by the members of the Council. Stallari: Leading general of the military chosen by the Clan Leader. Council Members Clan Leader Clans: Byrne: The clan focused on military development with very little manpower in terms of their own military. Their Gate is connected to the Eternal Dynasty on the Alpha Tier world Eternus. Sullivan: The clan focused on artifact development with a strong focus in their military¡¯s manpower. Their Gate is connected to the neutral Beta Tier world called Atlantis. Gallagher: The clan focused on industrial structures with the most powerful defenses of the clans in terms of building strength with a manpower greater that is the second weakest of the clans. Their Gate is connected to the Crimson Flag, with ties to War, the Horseman of the Apocalypse, on the Alpha Tier planet Conquere. (pronounced con-q-where) Nolan: The clan focused on enchantment with a strong focus on mages within their military. Their Gate is connected to the Arcadian Society on the Alpha Tier world Arc. Keane: The clan focused on potion development and alchemy also with a strong focus on mages within their military. Their Gate is connected to the Arcadian Society on the Beta Tier world Raja. Sorrel: The clan focused on bladesmithing with a smaller military filled with more powerful officers. Their Gate is connected to the Grand Silvanian Empire on the Alpha Tier world Silverfall. Universe Revival is possible if a strong enough void mage or a Void Spirit is present. They are capable of pulling a soul from the void and placing it back in the body at a significant cost levels from the one revived. However, conditions have to be fulfilled for the revival to work. Such as the being who is getting revived needing to be at least level 10 if it is a void mage doing the resurrection. However, a Void Spirit can revive most people with only a few restrictions. Every world has a World Core where the users of the System are allowed to reset or lower their levels. However, these changes are permanent and cannot be revoked. Furthermore, people are not capable of forcing others to reset their levels as the System will detect attempts to do so. Invasions of new worlds are considered an honor for those who participate, and entire forces are created just to prepare for invasions, filled with people who have either stopped themselves from leveling or have had their levels purposefully reset to 1 at a World Core. Coordinates of new worlds are found by spatial magic users, and the worlds are classified by a division of seers from the Arcadian Society into five different Tiers. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, with Alpha being the highest Tier. These Tiers are decided based on planet size, population, quantity and quality of Ability Holders, and resources. Level of the user plays an important role in society outside of Vortel. Meanwhile most adults are already at least level ten, with the higher level average adults being around level 20. Raising the level of someone¡¯s class has various effects on the user in question. Some of them include but aren¡¯t limited to raising their physical strength, their mental capacity, their magical power, their mana capacity, and their lifespan. Every user in the System tends to live for around 100 years on average, with every 100 levels doubling the user¡¯s total lifespan. Worlds across the universe vary in their levels of technology and magical understanding, with Vortel¡¯s level of technology being just a small amount above the average level of technology in the universe, and their understanding of magic a little above that. System Description: The System is an instinctive defense mechanism on every single planet in the universe, and it activates when invaders arrive to attack the planet. Class: A Class is automatically assigned to every user based on their natural ability and talents. Leveling up their Class will give them skills that will benefit them in further accomplishing what their Class requires along with possible physical or magical enhancements to their own body. Ability: An Ability is whatever special ability the user was born with. Level: A user¡¯s level is increased by doing the action that their Class centers around. Planets are tiered based on various factors including but not limited to the size of the planet¡¯s population, the number of Ability Holders they have, and the power of the Ability Holders on the planet. And they are rated between Tiers Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, with Alpha being the highest. Abilities are divided into five Classes or Categories, the term varying depending on the culture classifying them. Category 1/Class D Category 2/Class C Category 3/Class B Category 4/Class A Category 5/Class S Aria Crimson Description: The main protagonist of the story and a true immortal. She was a soldier fighting on the side of Albaria and was on the frontlines when the gates open and the System Initializes. And she is the only surviving member of the Crimson Noble Household ¨C a family made up of Category 5/Class S Special Ability Users, each with their own unique ability. However, all of the money of the household was taken away by those who killed her family off, and she is the only one left because it is impossible to kill her. So as the only way the Emperor could think of to get rid of her, he sent her to the frontlines where she is expected to fight for eternity for the Empire. But he lost his political and military power, and was eventually killed by Aria with his soul core devoured so that he could never revive again. Aria then left Vortel and arrived on Eternus, the Capital world of the Eternal Dynasty. Aria personally likes the Albarian Empire despite its emperor. She is beloved by the Death Spirits. Ability: True Immortality ¨C The user will never die and will always regenerate from any sort of damage done to them given time. Furthermore, the amount of time it takes to heal from a wound will shorten every time that exact same type of wound is received. Class: Harbinger of Death ¨C One of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the harbinger must bring death unto others to grow stronger. Characters Pestilence: Pestilence, otherwise known by the name of Victor von L¨¹neburg, is a mad man who is obsessed with science with a specific focus on poisons and diseases. Victor is always in his lab on the planet of Vest and rarely sets foot out of it. He lives on a secluded planet, only ever leaving in order to test out a new virus, plague, or disease he has made, wiping out the populations of entire planets in the process. War: War, otherwise known by the name of Lucius Octavio, is a war fanatic who brings war wherever he goes. He is the absolute ruler of a military nation called the Crimson Flag and is always on the battlefield, his class giving him the ability to fight forever without rest. Famine: Famine, otherwise known by the name of Ignatius Darkheart, is a brutal tyrant who starves his people for obedience within his ever-growing Dread Empire. He is also a warmonger who travels from planet to planet, spreading his rule along with the eternal famine that comes with it. Ignatius also grows stronger by the number of starved near him, so the further he spreads his rule the stronger he becomes. Isabella de la Vega: The ruler of the Arcadian Society that has dominance over the world of Arc. She is a mage with the ability to keep three spells ongoing indefinitely as long as she pays the mana price to activate them initially, with no more price required to upkeep them. And her Arcadian Society is a society of mages with a powerful school of magic. Leopold da Silva: The Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire ruling over the world of Silverfall. He is a kind ruler who loves his people but is ruthless towards his enemies and goes the extra mile to remove threats to his Empire before they become a problem. Raja Singh Amunet: The Pharaoh of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. He is a brutal tyrant who worships death and the Spirits of Death and views death as a reward for those who have fulfilled their purpose. And his people believe it as well. Hassan al-Malik: The Leader of the Council of Darkness, an Assassination group that is spread out across most of the powerful worlds initialized into the System. He is a psychopath without the capacity for emotions and cares only for coin, same as his assassin underlings. Shirou Amatsuraki: The Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty, a neutral empire that wishes only to stay afloat forever without entering conflict with other nations. Shirou himself is a lover of commerce and runs the empire as a merchant would. He has white eyes and shoulder-length white hair, and enjoys fiddling with a coin in his hands. Ashur Kaelar Valan: The emperor of Arteria. DEAD Lysandre de Pyre Voltaire: The former emperor of Albaria. He is power hungry and cares only about himself without any care for the nation. To the point that he eliminated the Crimson family simply due to their power and influence threatening the little power he has remaining over the people and politics. DEAD Elara Crescent: The First General of Albaria. Serious, intelligent, leader, and cares about skill more than anything. Rowan Vale: The Second General of Albaria. Analytical and ruthless. Meanwhile he appreciates tactical maneuvers and intelligence. Calyx Star: The Third General of Albaria. Quiet, reserved, and in charge of the Third Army, which is in charge of gathering the nation¡¯s intelligence. Seraphina de Aragon: The Fourth General of Albaria. She has the most powerful Superstrength Ability in the world and can crush a skull with her bare hands with ease. Supports Aria. And she does not like how powerful ability holders are treated. Selene Morn: The Fifth General of Albaria. She has long blond hair and golden eyes and is blunt and to the point. Supports Aria because her brother, the Eighth General, supports her. While she is very much a nationalist who loves her nation and will do whatever she can to benefit it, she will assist her brother over her nation any time. Alaric Ashfall: The Sixth General of Albaria. He is an old man who doesn¡¯t participate in any of the political squabbles surrounding the generals and therefore has the least power amongst them. Valerie Sylver: The Seventh General of Albaria. She has a screw loose and does what she wants, when she wants, and when she becomes interested in something. Victor Morn: The Eighth General of Albaria. Supports Aria. He is passive aggressive and sometimes is hard to figure out. Aeliana Fang: The Ninth General of Albaria. She is power happy and enjoys having as much power as she can get her hands on. Frank Rogers: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 Enhancement ability that lets him flood energy into other people¡¯s bodies, replenishing their mana, stamina, and healing them while also increasing their strength and speed. He doesn¡¯t speak much but when he does, everyone listens. Meanwhile he sees himself in Aria and takes a liking to her. He has a large frame with black hair and green eyes and is in his early forties in age. Overdrive. Leonardo Striker: Leader of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him control kinetic energy to a degree. He wishes for his team to get along well and be more informal, so he¡¯s constantly making attempts to get them closer together. And he especially likes Category 5 abilities, finding them all to be interesting as he tries to learn more about them. He has black hair and purple eyes with an average height. He is in his mid-thirties. Twilight Huntsman. Hannah Harvey: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 Perception and Protection ability that allows her to sense everything with mana in a ten kilometer radius around them and use her own mana to create an incredibly tough barrier within a single kilometer radius around her. She is very excited to have another girl joining Team Predator but is saddened by how Aria treats them. She is taller than Aria and has brown hair with equally brown eyes and is in her mid-thirties in age. Mystic Warden. Adrian Snow: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him create blades of ice that are nearly indestructible and grow stronger with each unsuccessful blow against the target. He is a lady-killer who often goes to mixers when given time off. So he is very interested in Aria when she joins Team Predator since she¡¯s a beautiful girl. However, he believes she is too young for him and to be an officer in general and believes that she should retire. He is tall and has white hair and blue eyes and is in his mid-thirties in age. Arctic Edge. Jason Vargas: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him read the minds of whoever he touches and dig into their memories. He acts kind and jokes with everyone but when it comes to his job, he is ruthless and follows Striker¡¯s orders to a T. He sees Aria as a weapon to be used, just like himself. So he has nothing against her joining the team and welcomes her. He has gray hair and eyes and is in his late thirties in age. Psionic Inquisitor. Vorelius Cornelius Caesar: Emperor of the Grand Roan Empire. B2 | Chapter 17 Aria I end up being given the explosives the next day along with a very carefully worded request about how to not use them. Then they send me on my way to the Sullivan Clan¡¯s Grand Tree. Which I quickly realize is a very far journey away. Surprisingly, Shirogane actually joins me this time around. And as we sit on the boat just going down the coast again just like the last time, I can¡¯t help but glance at him a couple times in confusion. Specifically because of what he¡¯s doing. ¡°Why are you¡­¡± I begin, only to shake my head, deciding not to ask in the end. For some reason the man is just sitting there at the corner of the ship while creating random objects and animals out of that silver liquid of his. A liquid I have learned since meeting him is made from his Category 5 ¨C or Class S according to their classification system ¨C ability. One that lets him create molten metal and regular metal in liquid form and control it absolutely. All he has to do is pump mana into it and he can flood a place with molten metal. Not a pleasant way to go. And I should know, since I had him test it on me once to get the adaptation. ¡°Just like your ability adapts to heal you faster, mine can grow stronger as well,¡± he answers my unfinished question without looking away from the silver liquid floating in front of him. ¡°The more I use it, the more control over it I have and the less mana it takes to keep it in use.¡± Oh. Wow. That¡¯s actually pretty good. No wonder it¡¯s Category- err, Class S. I need to get used to calling it Class S if I¡¯m gonna be in the broad universe for the rest of, well, eternity. Although I have heard there are still some worlds that cling to their previous name for categorizing the Ability Holders that they had before their System initiated. That aside, it is interesting to hear that some other abilities also improve with use. Other than mage abilities, of course. Since they could increase their mana supply by using their magic more. A very slow increase, but an increase nonetheless. I lean onto the side of the boat from my spot sitting on a small set of three stairs, looking out into the ocean. Something that¡¯s become a rather nice pastime over the past couple days of this trip. Honestly, I probably underestimated how large each Clan¡¯s territory is. But in hindsight, I probably should¡¯ve realized they¡¯d be as big as a damned empire for each territory. Considering that it¡¯s just six clans that control an entire Alpha Tier planet. We¡¯ve been following the coast for two entire days now on this ship ¨C a larger one than last time but still not too large ¨C and have been attacked by bandits twice during the trip. Although Shirogane is convinced they¡¯re not just bandits. And my guide agrees. Meaning they¡¯re most likely enemy soldiers disguised as raiding bandits. I continue looking out over the edge of the ship for a while in silence before eventually sighing again. This trip is boring. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Eternus Emperor Vorelius Cornelius Caesar fumes as he walks through the streets of the capital city of Eternus. Of the Eternal Dynasty. And no matter where he looks, no matter where his soldiers look, he can¡¯t find the damned Class S Ability Holder who erased his son¡¯s soul. That council on Vortel, in exchange for a truce with Roan until they finally capture the Crimson Eternal, gave him the intel about the Crimson Eternal leaving with Star Merchants along with the description of her real appearance. Rather than the false appearance she had when attacking them. And where else would Star Merchants be able to teleport someone other than Eternus itself? So he came to Eternus himself, passing through dozens of worlds to get here. He was given permission by the emperor of the Eternal Dynasty to search through his cities with devices specifically attuned to death energy in order to find the woman. But all they¡¯ve managed to find are a few innocent necromancers living on the planet. Some soul magic users. And some undead in a Hunter¡¯s Spot. Not a single sign of the woman. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he knows a backwater world like that Gamma Tier world would never be able to fool one of his truthseekers, he would¡¯ve questioned whether they were telling the truth. But no backwater level fifteen could fool them. Especially not under his direct watch. The man ¨C Jason Vargas if he remembers correctly ¨C answered plainly and without a single lie. A fact that was checked under multiple truthseekers and even verified through asking him multiple different questions and making absolutely certain he couldn¡¯t use the self-delusion trick to trick the truthseeker. Which means that either Emperor Shirou was telling the truth when he told Vorelius that the woman was not on Eternus, or he sent the woman away before Vorelius arrived with his soldiers. Something he can very much see that crafty emperor doing. But at the same time, there¡¯s nothing Vorelius can do about it. The Eternal Dynasty has not clearly broken any of their agreements, nor does he have any proof they¡¯re assisting his enemy. And that¡¯s not even considering that the Eternal Dynasty is by no means a nation he can even take on if he wanted to. At best he would be able to complain about the broken contract and they would have to reimburse him a little to save face and keep their neutrality. They would never truly be threatened by a lowly Beta Tier solitary world like Roan and his empire. Vorelius ignores any of the looks that are being sent his way by bystanders. Not because they recognize him, because who would recognize the emperor of a lower planet? Of an empire governing just a single planet? Not even an Alpha Tier planet at that. What they¡¯re staring at are the knights marching alongside him, along with the armor he knows they¡¯re thinking is backwater armor amidst this high tech city. But what can he do other than grow more and more angry at it? If he were to so much as lay a finger on a citizen from this planet, he would be killed in an instant. So he continues ignoring it as he enters a car and drives off towards the Gate, finally abandoning the search on this planet. However, he has some idea as to where the Crimson Eternal might have gone. Since there are only a limited number of Gates on Eternus, assuming she was ever here. So he just has to search each world that he can legally search for her in. Unfortunately that also means that he¡¯ll be missing quite a few worlds, since his reach isn¡¯t strong enough to make it to most of the worlds. And the other Nine Grands aside from the Eternal Dynasty have no interest in speaking with someone of a Beta Tier world¡¯s empire. Especially the Horsemen. But Vorelius is pretty certain that the Crimson Eternal must¡¯ve fled to a lower Tier planet. There¡¯s just no way an Alpha Tier world would accept someone from a Gamma Tier world, even if she has a Class S ability and the power to possibly erase a soul. Especially since the information given to them by that same person from the Gamma Tier world stated that she leveled far slower than others around her. Most likely some form of balance for her ability to erase souls. Once again, assuming she even has that. The emperor sighs as the vehicle he¡¯s in finally pulls in next to one of the immigration buildings, interrupting the endless loop of regret and hatred that his mind has been in since learning of his son¡¯s permanent death. He steps out of the vehicle and begins walking towards the entrance of the building. And after briefly pausing outside it, the guards there let him through, and he walks into the building. Then he proceeds through the Gate to enter the Beta Tier world under the control of the Black Guard. A war-torn planet that he believes would be a prime choice for someone in her position to flee to. The moment he steps through the Gate, he¡¯s stopped by soldiers on the other side. Then he¡¯s put through the usual security processes, only to be brought to a higher up once they discover his level. His eyes narrow during the walk, his guards still walking behind him. I will find you, Crimson Eternal. One way, or another. B2 | Chapter 18 Aria The trip ends up taking another two days on the waters to complete. And when we finally arrive, we don¡¯t even stop at their capital itself. For obvious reasons as these bandit attacks kept continuing, so the Sullivans likely know we¡¯re coming. Instead we stop several klicks ¨C their term for kilometers ¨C away from the capital, just barely in sight of it yet hidden behind trees. Then the ship activates some sort of cloaking method and moves off to a different location nearby after me and Shirogane got off. But not before we both get a rather large surprise in the form of Rory jumping out from below the ship using a hatch I didn¡¯t even know was there. Apparently having been hiding so that the ¡®bandits¡¯ didn¡¯t see her during our trip. I stare at her for a second from our spot on the coast, briefly pondering over just how uncomfortable it had to have been to spend four days below deck. Only to decide that I don¡¯t really care and turn around to look at the capital in the distance. And at the Grand Tree located in the center of the capital. ¡°According to my sources, the weapons production facility should be located in the fifth wing of the Grand Tree, on the tenth floor,¡± Shirogane says while narrowing his eyes at the large tree. ¡°And it¡¯ll take more than simply dressing up as a maid to get in there. Their security is pretty tough to get into the tree.¡± I can¡¯t help but shoot him a glance at that, my eyes narrowed. How does he know about that? He doesn¡¯t so much as acknowledge my look, so I eventually turn to look at the tree again while pursing my lips. Stupid emperor must¡¯ve gotten the intel from the Star Merchants on Vortel and given it to Shirogane for some reason. ¡°And since Aria can¡¯t use disguising technology, we¡¯re left with even fewer options,¡± Rory adds her two cents. Right. This may be a pain of a mission to deal with. The three of us stare at the Grand Tree for several seconds before eventually Shirogane turns to me with a frown on his face and says, ¡°Getting in shouldn¡¯t be too difficult at least.¡± I blink at that before asking, ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Rory looks curious as well. But Shirogane just asks, ¡°You said before that you barely feel any pain anymore, am I correct?¡± And when I slowly nod my head, he continues, ¡°And your body returns to its original form without any damage no matter what happens or what objects may be interfering with the process?¡± I nod even more slowly this time, a worried look beginning to crest my face. ¡°Then this plan should work.¡± ¡°Just what sort of plan involves¡­¡± I begin only to trail off when he pulls several empty and not empty crates out of his storage ring along with an entire vehicle he no doubt got from the Byrne Clan. A vehicle made largely out of wood and metal with several wheels kind of like the hover cars on Eternus but with a much different frame and a large section in the back, designating it as a vehicle meant to move cargo. Then he creates several blades using his liquid metal as he says, ¡°Miss Violet, please coat these blades in a poison you have never used on Miss Crimson.¡± My eyes widen slightly as they shift between the blades, a confused yet complying Rory, and the crates. And after a single second, I finally understand what he¡¯s planning. He¡¯s insane.
The Gate Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Rory still feels like retching every time she looks at one of the many crates soaked in blood on the back of the large, metal and wooden vehicle they¡¯re driving up to the gate. Because the image of what Shirogane resurfaces every time she sees them. She and Shirogane are using disguise enchantment rings to make them look like two completely different people, and Rory brought with her falsified documentation that should be able to bring them into the capital. However, if their assumption that those bandits were truly Sullivan raiders is correct, then their faces should all be known to the soldiers at the gate. Hence the disguises. And while she knew that Aria would have to use a different method to enter the capital, since the disguise enchantments don¡¯t work on her and all ¨C something Rory can¡¯t help but feel a little curious about herself ¨C she didn¡¯t expect the method the Eight Star Merchant would use to do that. Nor did she expect the acceptance from Aria. Albeit with some minor reluctance. If only we could¡¯ve made it into the capital in some other way¡­ Unfortunately for the three, the Sullivan capital is one of the most secured cities on the planet thanks to the Sullivan Clan¡¯s specialization in artifact creation. Only lagging behind the Nolan Clan in security, which specializes in enchantments. Rory¡¯s thoughts are interrupted when they arrive at the gate where the thrall there stop their vehicle. ¡°Documents, lad,¡± the man asks after walking up to the vehicle¡¯s window. And after Shirogane hands him the documents, the man nods his head and says, ¡°Looks clear.¡± Then he raises his head to look at the other soldiers and shouts, ¡°Check tha back. Should be one passenger an¡¯ some cargo.¡± The thrall move up to the back before Rory opens the door for them, getting a nod of appreciation from the thrall whose level is around a hundred. Only for the thrall in question along with the ones behind him to grimace when they see the bloody crates that are beginning to rattle very slowly. One of the thrall shouts back at the one standing by the window and asks, ¡°What type of cargo?¡± That has the thrall flipping pages through the documentation before he grimaces and answers, ¡°Chimera fodder for tha livin¡¯ artifact division. Also some artifact creation tools.¡± Right. That¡¯s what we filled it out as after coming up with this¡­ plan. His answer seems to satisfy the thrall as he checks the crates that aren¡¯t leaking blood and shaking, clearly wanting to stay away from them. And after finding nothing but the artifact tools in question, he gives a nod to Rory, stating, ¡°Have a good day, ma¡¯am,¡± and walks back out of the vehicle while closing the door behind him and the other thrall. Rory looks back towards the front of the vehicle and out the window there through the mid-section to find the high level guard at level two hundred handing the papers back to the Silver Merchant. Then he says, ¡°Everythin¡¯ looks good. Ya can pass.¡± He raises his hand with his fingers in an O, making the large metal gate creak open. And the Silver Merchant doesn¡¯t waste any time as the crates in the back are beginning to rattle more and more. A clear sign that they need to hurry. Fortunately the thrall don¡¯t hear the crates since they¡¯d already left the vehicle. So the Silver Merchant merely drives the vehicle slowly through the gate. And immediately after the gate closes again behind them, the crates explode, making Rory back away from them as splinters rain through the back of the vehicle. Rory¡¯s eyes widen and she has to fight to not retch at the sight of all the many body parts of Death herself rushing straight to each other while shining the entire vehicle with a bright crimson light before reforming into one body. One still somehow wearing her outfit. And she doesn¡¯t appear very happy. Although she doesn¡¯t look like she was in much pain either. The look Rory sees on her face is one more of discomfort than anything else. After a few seconds of the twenty-three-year-old woman kneeling on the floor of the still-moving vehicle, she finally looks up at Rory and mutters, ¡°That was¡­ uncomfortable.¡± I can imagine that. Rory blinks at that thought before shaking her head. Actually, I¡¯d rather not imagine that. While Rory tries very hard to get the image of over a dozen cut apart body parts reforming together while still somehow wearing clothes over each part¡¯s exposed skin portions out of her head, the young woman in question walks up to the middle part of the vehicle to look out past the Silver Merchant and at the road. Clearly interested in the structure of the capital city and somehow just blowing off the way she got into the city in the first place. After taking some deep breaths, Rory finally manages to say, ¡°We ought to find a place out of sight to store the vehicle and cargo back into your storage ring without drawing attention.¡± The Silver Merchant grunts without saying anything in acknowledgement. Which Rory has come to realize just means an agreement when he¡¯s talking to anyone who isn¡¯t his contracted partner. Rory leans back against the wall of the vehicle, feeling drained for some reason. Despite her not having put in almost any work for this operation. She briefly glances at the ruined crates and takes note of how any of the blood that was there is now completely gone. Then she glances at the Horseman of the Apocalypse looking between the chairs with a largely expressionless albeit innocent look on her face. I wonder¡­ just what would happen if her body parts were stored on entirely different planets? She stares for a few seconds before shivering at the memory of the crates shattering. Maybe I don¡¯t want to know. B2 | Chapter 19 Aria I wasn¡¯t particularly conscious while my body was¡­ diced¡­ but I have to admit, I don¡¯t want to ever do that again if I don¡¯t have to. Of course, if it helps a mission, I¡¯ll do it. But if I don¡¯t have to, I¡¯d much rather avoid it. Because it gave a very¡­ weird feeling. Since I did start regaining consciousness at some point. While my head was still separate from the rest of my body. And it felt¡­ kind of disturbing. Not painful, per se. But a kind of phantom pain. Not a very bad one, but still extremely uncomfortable. Just being a head in a crate. I shiver at that as the Silver Merchant finally parks the vehicle and turns off the magical engine inside of it before suddenly putting everything into his storage ring, leading to me and Rory falling onto our rears on the cement in the alleyway he parked in. Which has us both sending a brief glare his way. He ignores the glare as he motions us to follow him deeper into the alley. So I quickly do that while pulling the hood of the cloak I grabbed from my storage ring over my face as I do so. Once we reach a spot far from any traffic, I finally look around. And just like in the Byrne Clan¡¯s capital, the buildings here are all mostly made out of wood and metal. A combination of this planet¡¯s two most numerous resources. Meanwhile the ground is cement, and the alleyway is lit up through the green lights hanging from the Grand Tree high above us. Shining brightly despite the sun beginning to go down. Shirogane quickly pulls out another device that makes a thin blue barrier appear around us before he says, ¡°That¡¯ll block people from eavesdropping.¡± Then he turns to look at me and adds, ¡°Good work with our entrance.¡± My eyebrow twitches at that but I don¡¯t say anything. I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s being genuine or not. ¡°I think it would be best to search for information now that we¡¯re in the capital,¡± I state while folding my arms under my chest and glancing back at the opening of the alley every now and then. ¡°Remember that you¡¯re the only one who will be entering the Grand Tree, Aria,¡± Rory says, making me nod my head. ¡°And I agree with the plan to collect intel. We should split up and meet back here soon.¡± Shirogane nods his head without voicing any complaints, and after sharing some brief information that Rory does know about the capital with us, we head off on our own. I make sure to keep to the alleyways away from any guards, and I¡¯m pretty sure Rory mentioned that she was going to be looking at the bars. Shirogane didn¡¯t say where he was heading, but I would wager it¡¯s probably the business sector of the city. Unfortunately, Shirogane is not to participate directly in the mission. His neutrality and all. So the only thing he can do to help is information gathering and making plans. As for Rory, she¡¯s here to help with the escape. Nothing more. Which leaves me on my own for actually conducting whatever plan we make up. I¡¯m not really bothered by that though. So I just go around the alleys, gathering intel from random poverty-stricken people and criminals. The poverty-stricken people through bribing them and the criminals through beating them up. And maybe breaking a few touchy hands. Okay, more than a few. Wish I could¡¯ve used my gun, but that would¡¯ve drawn attention. Even if I used a silencer. In the end I gather a decent chunk of intel before meeting back up with the others. Only to find Shirogane smirking slightly. I narrow my eyes at him for a second before he starts speaking, ¡°The Grand Tree is the most secure place in the entire capital as you probably surmised, but there is one way we can get you in without any issues.¡± He glances at Rory as he asks, ¡°You remember the living artifacts sector of the Grand Tree that we wrote on the documentation?¡± She nods her head, making him glance at me before I nod as well. ¡°Well, it would appear that that sector allows people to trade corpses and body parts for coin. And those corpses and body parts are immediately brought inside of the Grand Tree to take advantage of the storage units deeper inside, on the seventh floor of the tree.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. I let out a sigh, able to figure out what sort of plan he has come up with without the man even finishing. ¡°You want me to kill myself with something I haven¡¯t used before so that I¡¯ll stay dead long enough to transport me to the seventh floor,¡± I state, immediately making him nod his head in agreement. Meanwhile Rory just sends him a slightly disturbed look. Which I don¡¯t really understand. But that¡¯s not what¡¯s important right now. ¡°In that case, please fill me in on the structure of the Grand Tree,¡± I tell him, already resigned to this plan. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll need to know all I can about the place to make my way up the floors.¡± I¡¯ve already done plenty of plans that involved killing myself to get into places before, so there¡¯s no reason to stop now. I just hope no one goes around calling me a masochist or something in the future. Because I do not enjoy this. ¡°Very well,¡± Shirogane says with a nod. Then he immediately begins to describe all of the intel he managed to gather about the structure of the Grand Tree. And as I expected, he got it from wealthier merchants who have been in the Grand Tree themselves for their business. He really is a good businessman. Sounds like he got that intel without even asking them directly. It does make me wonder how he got into contact with merchants that influential though. Without unveiling his identity as an Eight Star Merchant, seeing as the Eternal Dynasty isn¡¯t looked upon too highly here. What with them being in trade with the Byrne Clan and all. The Grand Tree itself has the same number of floors as the Grand Tree back at the Byrne Clan, but with a different floor layout from that tree. There is a single grand spiral stairwell in this Grand Tree, unlike the multiple stairwells across each floor unconnected with any other floor besides the two they¡¯re on that were in the Byrne Clan¡¯s tree. One that was clearly constructed more for defense than efficiency. There are five wings of each floor, all containing one stairwell to the next floor. Meanwhile there are twenty-five total floors. With the weapon¡¯s manufacturer being on the tenth floor in the fifth wing. Spreading across most of the fifth wing, actually. The entire Grand Tree has cleaning enchantments on it, so they don¡¯t have almost any servants roaming around. Instead having a few assistants per Clan member, along with said Clan members who live in the tree. Those who are of direct descent to the original founder of the Clan. At first he tries to explain to me the entire layout ¨C something he somehow got just from merchants, which is ridiculous ¨C but then he gives up and just puts it all in a map he scribbles down for me. One I go ahead and put in my storage ring immediately after. From the sound of things, what I¡¯ll need to look out for most are the guards and soldiers who roam around the tree. Because they can apparently be pretty touchy about unfamiliar faces. But right now that¡¯s not as big of an issue since a lot of their soldiers are gone, seeing as their army had just moved out days before we arrived. The entire reason we were given this mission in the first place. Apparently most of the other staff will be too busy to care about unknown faces. Nor are they even expected to learn the faces of everyone in the Grand Tree ¨C a very large place, making it hard for them to even try to do that in the first place. So I don¡¯t have to worry about them, other than not standing out. Although I¡¯ll probably have to snag a uniform to blend in better. And from the sounds of it, I can place plenty of charges. Because, while the tree is definitely flammable, it isn¡¯t going to topple just from a single wing of a single floor being blown up. So I can use my high explosive charges all I want. Within reason. As for the actual plan to get into the Grand Tree? Shirogane apparently bought some sort of spellgun artifact made by this clan themselves. And not only will it work to kill me since I¡¯ve never been hit by one before, but using it to kill me will adapt my body to their main weapons. A two in one use there. Meanwhile the two will stuff me ¨C or rather, Rory will stuff me into a body bag after I kill myself with the weapon. Since I¡¯m gonna have to go in almost naked and all. The staff don¡¯t actually expose the bag far enough to see past the face though, since they only open the bag to check the life signs. Their general process for, well, processing the corpses is to send them up to wait at the storage for the lab to open at a certain time. Then they will go through and check the quality of the corpse or body parts and usability for the living artifacts ¨C which are basically just artifacts that use biological parts in them ¨C at certain times every day. Times we will try to avoid by waiting till their break on the dot. The person who sold the corpse or body part will then be given a special ticket stating which corpse or part they came in with, and they¡¯ll also give their contact information so that the Grand Tree can contact them when the stuff is processed. Of course, the tree also uses divination magic to make sure the corpse wasn¡¯t killed by the person turning it in. And if it was, to make sure it was legal. So that people don¡¯t go around killing people just to sell their corpses. Surprisingly the divination even works if someone else has someone kill them and tries to turn the corpse in themselves. So the plan is for me to use the spellgun right after storing most of my outfit in the storage ring to kill my body in a place that isn¡¯t near the head so that they don¡¯t see the crimson energy, following which Rory stuffs me in the body bag and brings me to the Grand Tree to ¡®sell my corpse¡¯ to them. They bring me up to the seventh floor and leave me in the storage, and I¡¯ll come back to life again. Since we¡¯re doing this right after their last shift for processing them, meaning I would be left there all night. Plenty of time to come back to and leave the storage, taking everything back out of my storage ring again so that I¡¯m not walking around in my underwear. I let out a sigh after we finish the plan before taking the spellgun from Shirogane. Twice in one day¡­ B2 | Chapter 20 A Building Near the Grand Tree Shirogane stares in silence from a tinted window out at the Grand Tree entrance where the corpses and body parts are processed. Anything biological, in fact. Not just humans but animals and mana creatures as well. And his eyes narrow the moment Miss Violet enters the building with Miss Crimson in a body bag on a stretcher. The Eight Star Merchant has always had difficulty working with others. It¡¯s why he puts up a false persona every time. Why he uses a skill strictly to turn off his emotions. Of course, the only people who know about his skill are him, the emperor, and the only Ten Star Merchant in the Dynasty. And he has no intentions of telling his contracted partner. Not yet at least. He can tell that she has no intentions of getting close to others, even if she may have interest in doing so. A sentiment Shirogane can understand perfectly well. Since the woman will never die. Never grow old. And will have to watch everyone she¡¯s ever met do both without her. Because no matter how talented someone is, no matter how powerful someone becomes, they will always succumb to death eventually. Whether it¡¯s in a battle, or old age. Even the Nine Grands will eventually succumb to old age, with the exception of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Who level so fast at their current power that they will never have to worry about their life span cutting off, even if Horsemen are known to level extremely slowly at the start. Just like Aria. But even the other three Horsemen can succumb to being killed by someone. Not that Shirogane believes they¡¯d be good friends to make in the first place. He lightly shakes his head and focuses out the window again while pulling a device in the form of nothing more than a scope to his eye, looking through it at the Grand Tree. A device that lets him see through the walls to view what¡¯s happening inside. And what he finds is the clerk at the front desk unzipping the very front of the body bag and reaching in to touch Miss Crimson¡¯s throat, feeling for a pulse. Then when they don¡¯t find one, they zip the bag back up and begin talking with Miss Violet. The discussion lasts for no more than a few minutes with a golden light shining around them to mark the divination magic being used before Miss Violet waves at them and begins to leave while they kart Miss Crimson away, bringing her deeper into the Grand Tree. Shirogane watches them move for a little bit before lowering the scope and sighing. Part one of the plan is a success. Now the rest of it relies solely on her. He glances up at the top of the Grand Tree before looking over towards the outstretching part hanging on the side of the tree, partially out over the coast. Then he turns his gaze back down towards Miss Violet, who is casually walking towards the building he¡¯s in. The Eight Star Merchant feels his skill beginning to slip a little as he breathes in a shaky breath, feeling worried about his contracted partner. But he just doubles down on the skill, crushing the emotions again while beginning to leave the building, meeting up with Miss Violet at the entrance. ¡°No issues,¡± she says, making him nod. And without another word, both of them begin walking down the street, heading towards the entrance of the capital. Because neither of them are involved with the Crimson Eternal¡¯s escape plan.
Aria This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Consciousness returns to me all at once, but I hold back from breathing despite the instinct to do so. Instead I make sure to keep my eyes closed without making a sound as I listen for anyone nearby. The only sounds I hear are that of what is most likely an Air Conditioning unit or two running. Or ten. There sounds like a lot. No footsteps, no door knobs turning, no knocks, and no voices. So I open my eyes to find myself still in the body bag as expected before I use soul energy to force my arm around towards the zipper. Then I unzip the thing and step out, stretching a little as I take in my surroundings. While, of course, putting my clothes ¨C a uniform that the delegates from the world connected to the Sullivan Clan¡¯s Gate known as Atlantis wear ¨C back on from my storage ring. Because ¨C while I don¡¯t want to be caught ¨C being caught almost naked would be even more embarrassing. Just as I expected, there¡¯s no one in the room I¡¯m in. Just a cold room with frosty air filling it and what looks to be a lot of enchantments. I quickly turn back to the body bag that is currently lying on a counter alongside a bunch of other body bags before grabbing a dummy from my storage ring and putting it inside the bag, zipping it up afterwards. Then I adjust the bag so that it looks the exact same as the others, making sure it doesn¡¯t draw any attention. Part one of the plan was a success it seems. Now I just have to worry about how to get out of this room, how long I¡¯ve been out, and how to climb the next three floors. The first problem isn¡¯t a hard one to solve as when I reach the door I realize it¡¯s not locked from the inside. Most likely only locked from the outside. I glance around the ceiling after reaching the door, just double checking for security cameras. Because while Rory said that the Sullivan Clan doesn¡¯t have that technology, it doesn¡¯t hurt to make sure. And after not finding any, I go ahead and kneel down next to the door while putting my ear next to the crack in it between the door and the wall. Unfortunately it¡¯s a cold storage room with preservations cast on it. Which also makes it rather soundproof. So I don¡¯t really hear much. But after several seconds, I do manage to hear what I think are footsteps. The footsteps slowly approach, not quite reaching the door, before leaving again. I wait for about a minute after that before slowly cracking the door open to look through. Then, when I don¡¯t see anyone, I open the door fully and step out, quickly shutting it behind me and beginning to act like I¡¯m supposed to be here as I walk in the direction of the closest stairwell. Although I can¡¯t help but feel a touch awkward in this uniform as it¡¯s not something I¡¯m used to. The uniform itself is slender with a thin and sleek blue and gray jacket on over a blue top and light gray pants. But the top itself isn¡¯t visible to anyone as it¡¯s completely covered by the jacket which reaches down to my mid-thighs, with the pants using the same sleek material that the jacket uses. Well, completely covered with the exception of the sleeves. And the jacket also has a red band going around one sleeve, with two blue jewels. One on the right sleeve and one on the left. Shirogane himself described the material as being as smooth as a dolphin¡¯s skin. That it¡¯s made out of some sort of sea creature deep down in the oceans of Atlantis. Which is basically all of Atlantis. Seeing as it¡¯s an ocean world just like Eternus. Just that it doesn¡¯t have cities above the ocean but instead has them under the water. Anyways, the uniform feels a little stiff but also very thin at the same time. And it wasn¡¯t really made for someone with a chest as big as mine, since apparently the average woman on Atlantis has a thinner and more modest figure. Just like the average person on Luk¡¯tar is very short, both for men and women. With the women being a bit more voluptuous around the chest area than on Vortel. According to Shirogane and Rory though, I look perfectly fine in the uniform. That even though it¡¯s very tight and uncomfortable, it at least looks good on me. I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s the enchantment on the uniform making it look like it fits perfectly. Even when it doesn¡¯t. Like some sort of illusion is put over the area to make it go with a set default appearance rather than what it actually looks like on my body. They¡¯re delegate uniforms after all. They need to look their best. I continue walking through the wooden tunnels of the giant tree, occasionally passing by rooms with some people working in them. But no one so much as even looks up as I pass by. And I haven¡¯t run into anyone in the tunnels yet either. So I haven¡¯t even run into a situation where I¡¯ve needed to act yet. Guess they were right when they said there were fewer soldiers patrolling and roaming the tunnels now. I briefly pull out the map to look at it before quickly putting it into my storage ring again. This wing of the seventh floor is focused on processing the corpses and body parts. Taking what they can use from the dead flesh and then disposing of what they can¡¯t use. The majority of the stuff here that I can see them working on are mana creature corpses and parts, with very, very few human corpses and parts here. Which in hindsight makes perfect sense. Considering that mana creatures are born from mana in the first place. So they¡¯d be better for use in a living artifact. I continue casually walking through the tunnel for a while until I finally reach the stairwell. And find the first guards of the place. B2 | Chapter 21 Aria Two guards both standing on either side of the stairwell. And the moment I begin to approach the stairwell, one of them raises his hand and stops me. ¡°Stop, lass,¡± he says, his eyes briefly going to the number above my head and then bulging at the sight of its color. But he quickly calms down again when he no doubt sees my number. Then his eyes narrow with his hand patting the spellgun at his waist, only to shake his head at the sight of my uniform. ¡°What¡¯s yer reason for goin¡¯ to tha eighth floor?¡± I quickly use one of the go-to reasons Rory and Shirogane gave me, ¡°I¡¯m going to the aquatic artifact development sector to deliver minerals from the Grand Ocean.¡± The man¡¯s eyes narrow for a second, briefly moving to my number and then back to my face. Meanwhile the other guard just kinda stares at me without the woman speaking a single word. Eventually the first guard asks, ¡°Show me.¡± I quickly bring out a handful of metals Shirogane sold to me ¨C yes, sold, since he didn¡¯t want to give it to me for free ¨C for use in the mission. Metals that are actually from the Grand Ocean. After the man studies them for a few seconds, he relaxes again and waves into the tunnel, saying, ¡°Yer clear. Head on through.¡± I nod my head while putting the metals back into my storage ring. So they weren¡¯t a waste of coin after all. I quickly begin to move past the guards, the other guard still staring at me. And for a moment I worry that they¡¯re going to stop me. But they never do. I just continue climbing the stairs until I reach the eighth floor. So far so good. After reaching the eighth floor, I quickly find myself face to face with four guards this time. And it looks like they¡¯ve either heard my conversation with the two below or were told about it. Either way, it looks like I can¡¯t just skip past them to the ninth floor above. So I go ahead and enter the eighth floor before moving deeper inside of it. I really need to stay far away from the grand staircase at the center of the Grand Tree, and while these smaller staircases connecting each wing to the corresponding wing on the next floor are still usable, the guards ¨C according to Shirogane ¨C check with each other about what floor everyone enters and exits on. But only for those guards on the same stairwell. Meaning I need to go leave this wing and enter another wing before going to their stairwell and finding a different excuse to enter the ninth floor. The others gave me a few excuses to get to the ninth floor, but I¡¯m not really sure which one will work. And they¡¯re a lot less likely to work than the ones to get onto the eighth floor. Since every floor beyond the seventh floor has more and more security on the stairwells. Whether that¡¯s in the form of more guards or stronger guards. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if those two guards called me into the head of security or something due to the black number above my head and my appearance. Seeing as I haven¡¯t been able to change it. The fact that they didn¡¯t attack me right away just means that they either didn¡¯t recognize me or the guards in the Grand Tree weren¡¯t shown my appearance. Or at least the ones on the stairwells. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. All things considered, why would they be shown it? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re expecting me to attack their home base. While I¡¯m at level 12. Even if they knew I was immortal and didn¡¯t just have a powerful regeneration ability like they most likely believe, they still wouldn¡¯t suspect that. Especially when the war is about to start. They likely expect me to try attacking from behind or something, once again assuming those bandits were with them. I continue walking through the tunnels of the eighth floor until I eventually leave the aquatic artifacts wing and enter what I believe is the mana core processing wing. The wing they process the cores to do something to them in order to do whatever it is they do with their artifacts. Okay, I don¡¯t know what they do with them. Just that it¡¯s called the mana core processing wing. Unfortunately for me, I quickly run into a problem after entering the wing. One with outdated information no doubt. Because what I find in the wing are not people processing mana cores. No. What I find are a bunch of other delegates from Atlantis walking around along with a bunch of offices and meetings between delegates and lukians. Shit. Did I seriously just fucking walk into the Atlantis Embassy or something?! I sneakily check the map only to find that, yeah, this is supposed to be the mana core wing. Which means that it¡¯s as I suspected. The map intel is outdated. Fuck. I quickly put my map back while trying to act as casual as I can. But I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m screwed, since while the other areas¡¯ workers don¡¯t recognize each other, a damned embassy has to be small enough for them to recognize each other in. In fact, I hear muttered whispers from some of the delegates I pass after they notice me. Although most don¡¯t jump to the conclusion that I snuck in or something. They¡¯re all talking about how they didn¡¯t think someone with a black number was amongst them, or that they didn¡¯t realize someone that low level was even allowed to be a delegate, and so on. A couple comments about my appearance, but I ignore those as my eyes finally narrow in on the stairwell. I slowly and casually make my way over there before entering the stairwell. Which is a much easier process to do than the last stairwell, probably because this is their own embassy and I¡¯m wearing an Atlantis delegate¡¯s uniform. Which I can¡¯t help but wonder where Shirogane got now that I think about it. That¡¯s not important right now though. Because the moment I try to go upstairs instead of downstairs like the other people entering the stairwell, one of the four guards literally blurs from their position on the side of the stairs and reappears in front of me. ¡°No entry beyond this point,¡± she states, a cold look gazing up into my eyes from the much shorter lukian woman. ¡°Explain yer purpose for attempting ta enter tha ninth floor.¡± I can¡¯t see her level, so I¡¯m not sure just how dangerous she is. But I do know that she can crush me like a fly. My inability to see her level alone is enough to prove that. So I ¨C as calmly as I can ¨C answer, ¡°I came to apply for the beta.¡± My answer seems to surprise her, but she just looks me over once, glances at my number, and shakes her head, stating, ¡°No. Yer too weak. Come back again when yer level is over a hundred.¡± Right when I¡¯m about to say something back in response though, I feel an arm going over my shoulder, making my eyes widen in surprise as a voice sounds from right next to me, ¡°What if I vouch for the lady?¡± I turn my head to look, only for my jaw to almost drop open at the sight of a man I recognize from Eternus. What the fuckity fuck? Why is Azura here?! The man with his arm hanging around my neck is someone I met in the caf¨¦ I visited on a regular basis back on Eternus during my years there. He was a rather friendly guy who loved playing video games and was too high a level for me to see, and was apparently the owner of the caf¨¦. And I occasionally chatted with him there, because despite his youthful appearance ¨C not to mention aqua blue hair ¨C he reminded me of old Luke from the caf¨¦ in Albaria. ¡°Lord Althea, if ye are tha one vouching for her, then please notify us ahead o¡¯ time,¡± the guard says with a slightly annoyed look on her face before stepping aside and moving back to the other guards. Meanwhile the crowd that was beginning to build up of delegates starts to clear out. Azura, on the other hand, simply keeps his arm around my shoulders and walks me up the stairs to the ninth floor while whispering to me, ¡°Let¡¯s go have a chat, aight, Aria?¡± I push his arm off of my shoulders with a frown on my face, but I don¡¯t say anything to refute him. So we walk side by side into the ninth floor, following which he takes me to what looks like a private meeting room. Then, after closing the door, he turns around with his arms crossed and a brow raised as he asks, ¡°So, mind tellin me what my caf¨¦¡¯s dedicated customer who out of nowhere vanished one day is doing here?¡± Well, this might not end well. B2 | Chapter 22 Aria Hmm, from what I¡¯ve learned in my vast experience of an entire twenty-three years that is probably shorter than a fifth of this guy¡¯s life, when someone backs you into a corner like this, you reverse it on them. ¡°How about you?¡± I ask while folding my arms under my chest and raising a brow at him. ¡°Why is the owner of my favorite caf¨¦ on Eternus here?¡± That gives him pause before he frowns and asks, ¡°Just on Eternus? Not your favorite caf¨¦?¡± I nod my head, ¡°Just on Eternus. My favorite caf¨¦ is still on Vortel.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± he mutters, lowering his head and scratching his chin. ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to up my game¡­¡± A few seconds pass as he asks for suggestions for the caf¨¦, only to suddenly widen his eyes and then narrow them, stating, ¡°You almost changed the subject.¡± Not almost. I did change the subject. Although not for long enough it seems. One thing I¡¯ve learned from my time dealing with Azura is that the man is honestly a touch similar to me in terms of his mind getting distracted from the current matter at hand rather easily. Judging from the rather frequent conversations we used to have at the caf¨¦. ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± I state with a perfectly innocent look on my face. ¡°Now, I think you can improve your caf¨¦ if you were to add some trees nearby. Maybe some snow as well. It¡¯s all about the ambiance, okay?¡± He frowns at that and mutters, ¡°The ambi- wait, no, we¡¯re not doing that again.¡± His eyes narrow. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll answer your question.¡± Damn. Almost got him again. ¡°I happen to be the seventh in line for the Atlantean throne,¡± he says before seemingly standing ever so slightly taller. As if prideful of what he just said. I just stare at him. Silence fills the room. Eventually he frowns and relaxes a little again as he asks, ¡°Uh, little Riri? Anyone home?¡± ¡°No, seriously,¡± I ask, ignoring his use of that little nickname he gave me at his caf¨¦. ¡°Why are you here wearing an Atlantean Delegate uniform?¡± His frown grows as he mutters, ¡°You don¡¯t believe me¡­¡± I give him a blank stare as I state as plainly as possible, ¡°You are a man who would always spend his time at an arcade in your own caf¨¦ drinking and playing arcade games while talking to a twenty-two year old woman and pulling her into playing games with you since no one else in the caf¨¦ had any interest in playing the arcade games.¡± He opens his mouth to retort, then closes it again. Then opens it, and closes it. Yep. After one more repeat of that, he lets out a sigh and says, ¡°Not my fault none of my other regulars had any interest in arcade games¡­¡± Then he mutters something about stupid modern video games before growing serious again as he pulls out some sort of medal. ¡°I am being serious. My name is Azura Atlantus Althea, the seventh in line for the Atlantean throne and the fourth prince.¡± I look between his face and the medal several times before eventually settling on his face and muttering, ¡°You¡¯re being serious, aren¡¯t you?¡± He nods his head and lowers the medal back into his uniform¡¯s collar as he asks, ¡°Now what about you? Why are you here?¡± Uh. If he¡¯s really an Atlantean prince¡­ this might be even more awkward than I thought. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I can¡¯t exactly go telling him that I came here to blow up the weapons production facility of his ally¡­ ¡°Look, I understand that you¡¯re on the run from the Grand Roan Empire,¡± he says, shocking me at his knowledge and likely proving his identity in that alone, ¡°but I can¡¯t understand why you would be in this world unless¡­¡± he frowns. ¡°Unless you¡¯re working for the Dynasty¡¯s ally.¡± The man just stares at me, making me feel like his eyes are daggers looking straight into my soul. After a few seconds he asks, ¡°You¡¯re here to sabotage the Sullivan Clan, aren¡¯t you?¡± Well, shit. ¡°Well, Imma head out now,¡± I tell him with a wave before quickly turning around and grabbing the door before walking out, not giving him time to react. And right as I¡¯m expecting him to set off some sort of alarm or to capture me himself ¨C his level is high enough to easily do that since I can¡¯t see it ¨C all I end up being is surprised when I find the man casually walking right next to me towards the stairwell. ¡°Guess I have my answer then,¡± he whispers as we walk, but he still doesn¡¯t blow my cover. Which confuses me. In fact, when I try to go back to the stairwell, he helps me go upstairs. Okay, is he really a prince? He¡¯s not just some sort of guy faking it and trying to sabotage them himself, is he? We continue on up to the tenth floor where he gives some sort of excuse to the guards there and then he nudges my shoulder and nods his head to a random storage room. So, feeling more curious at this point than nervous, I follow him into the room. Then he says something ridiculous, ¡°Well, I brought you up here. So do what you want to do. Just make sure you visit Atlantis within the next decade.¡± I stare at him blankly. ¡°What?¡± he says with a frown on his face. ¡°Would you rather I turn you into the authorities here? I¡¯ve already told Father about you and he cares more about a relationship with you than with a Clan that¡¯s likely going to end up losing this war anyways.¡± Oh. That¡­ wait, what? ¡°Why do you think they¡¯re going to lose the war?¡± I whisper back to him, the two of us keeping our voices down just to make sure no one walks by and hears us. He blinks at that and says, ¡°Because the Gallagher Clan is working with War.¡± I stare at him again for several seconds before muttering, ¡°Oh.¡± Then he just pats me on the head and says, ¡°Make sure to visit my caf¨¦ in Atlantis when you stop by, little Riri.¡± And without another word, he opens the door and leaves the room. I continue staring after him for several seconds before snapping out of it. Right. I¡¯ve got explosives to set. Although¡­ why does he have so many caf¨¦¡¯s when he¡¯s a prince?
The Atlantean Embassy A few hours later Azura rests his face in his hand, his elbow resting on the railing of the embassy¡¯s outdoor portion. Meanwhile the second princess, the fourth in line for the Atlantean throne, discusses their current business matter with the Sullivan Clan delegates. Not that whatever they discuss will matter soon enough. He gives little Riri ¨C his nickname for the Horseman of Death ¨C only another few minutes before the explosives go off. Because it should only take a couple hours tops to put them up. Actually, he¡¯s become a little worried that nothing has happened yet. It¡¯s possible she¡¯s trying to avoid some civilian casualties, but that would be too soft in war. Then again, she may be ruthless towards her enemies, but she¡¯s still¡­ if not kind, then indifferent towards those not directly her enemy. At least from what I¡¯ve heard. He¡¯s not entirely sure about that since all he knows about her in terms of a combat setting is from the intel he¡¯s gathered from the Atlantean Royal Spies. And that was only possible due to Atlantis¡¯s relationship with the Eternal Dynasty. Another reason his father is so willing to abandon the Sullivan Clan. Azura almost lets out a sigh, only stopping himself so as to not hurt Atlantis¡¯s reputation. On a political scale, the Kingdom and Beta Tier world of Atlantis are on an equal terms with the Sullivan Clan, which is only one of six ruling clans of an Alpha Tier world. Especially since, unlike most Beta Tier worlds, Atlantis does have a single Hunter¡¯s Spot, making it on the upper end of Beta Tier worlds. Still, Azura sure was surprised to find Little Riri here. He mostly remembers her as the only regular at his Dynasty vacation and work caf¨¦ that enjoyed arcade games. So he would often drag her into joining him. Of course, if he saw that she didn¡¯t like it, he wouldn¡¯t have dragged her in to join him more than once. But he could tell she enjoyed it even if she tries to avoid people. So he kept doing it. Eventually it just became normal for them to play some arcade games when she visited. If it weren¡¯t for the age gap he would probably have fallen for her romantically. But he can¡¯t. Not when he knows that she¡¯s only a tenth of his age. Maybe in a few decades. Now though he just sees her as that cute Horseman of the Apocalypse that visits his caf¨¦. And he sure does love a regular customer. Who wouldn¡¯t enjoy it when someone came in and enjoyed your coffee? Although he does still feel a little bitter that his caf¨¦ isn¡¯t her favorite. A loud set of explosions ring out from above him, pretty much destroying the weapons production facilities in the Grand Tree. Meanwhile a certain woman wearing a red and black set of armor similar to what one would find in the Dynasty falls right past him heading straight towards the coast down below. Azura briefly glances down as she falls before continuing to look forwards with a sigh. What can I do to improve my caf¨¦? I should ask again when I see her next time. B2 | Chapter 23 Aria Alarms quickly begin to blare throughout the Grand Tree as I fall with my hair flying straight up down towards the coast below. And when my feet land, a loud crunching sound echoes off the water in the middle of the night, following which my legs ¨C which had just quite literally snapped with the bones sticking out of my legs ¨C repair themselves without pause. Then I begin to sink down to the bottom of the ocean floor where I proceed to jog as fast as I can away from the city. While feeling the discomfort of not breathing. But that¡¯s fine. I would¡¯ve chosen this route into the capital in the first place, but there weren¡¯t exactly any places I could enter through from the water without drawing attention. Nor could I have gotten past the enchantments. Fortunately for me, those enchantments don¡¯t mean a damned thing when I¡¯m leaving the place. All they¡¯ll do is sound an alarm signaling a random spot seemingly over the water to them that an intruder passed through. They¡¯ll most likely just assume that the one behind the explosion was escaping on a ship or something. Well, unless they link our ship with this attack. Not sure how it¡¯ll go then. But they shouldn¡¯t know where the ship is. Rory assured me that it was the entire reason she came along with us. To help us hide the ship. Now, how a poison user will do that, I¡¯m not really sure. But I trust her enough to do her job. I think. Anyways, it takes me several minutes of jogging through the water ¨C what with water not being the easiest thing to jog through and me not being able to use soul energy lest I be shining a bright beacon telling people I¡¯m down here ¨C before I reach the alarm. And just as I was told by Shirogane, who really seems to know everything, it shoots a bright red light from where I cross and plays out a loud alarm. But no one can actually tell at what elevation I cross it. Which is good, since I highly doubt anyone¡¯s gonna suspect that I¡¯ll be jogging along the ocean floor. For quite a ways, actually. Since the spot Rory said she¡¯d move the ship is very far away. So I just keep on jogging. And jogging. And jogging some more for who knows how long. Time is rather hard to tell when you¡¯re just jogging along the ocean floor without much light and without breathing. Then again, so is its location. But I can at least see the location of the coast from here, so it¡¯s fine. Just have to follow that until I find a cove. And eventually I do, so I begin walking up towards the coast again. The moment I reach the surface of the water, I just kinda peek my head out of it before looking around just to make sure no one is nearby. Well, other than the large ship, of course. And when I don¡¯t see anyone other than the ship, I finally surface the rest of the way and step onto the shore, feeling utterly soaked. Thankfully my outfit is waterproof. I look up at the ship which has its gangplank out before finding Shirogane waving at me once as Rory gives a thumbs up and then a thumbs down with a questioning look on her face. So I return it with a thumbs up, making her smile at my answer to her unasked question. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Without any hesitation, I quickly climb the plank onto the ship before Shirogane pulls it in and we begin sailing off back towards Byrne Clan territory.
Sullivan Clan¡¯s Grand Tree Council Chambers Aisling glares at every single council member as she coldly raises her voice just shy of shouting, ¡°How did this happen?! Someone snuck into our weapons production facility and nary a single person caught on ta them? And they got away as well?!¡± She slams her fist into the table, making all of the council members flinch. ¡°Explain!¡± ¡°Clan Leader, after tha soldiers spotted tha merc lass fleein¡¯ by jumpin¡¯ down from the tree, we ordered all tha guards on the coast to search for ¡®er,¡± Cathal Sullivan, Aisling¡¯s cousin, answers, the woman clenching her own fist in anger as she leans over the table, her dirty-brown hair hanging over her shoulder. ¡°But none ever spotted a vessel. Not a single glimpse of tha lass comin¡¯ ashore. Not even any bubbles comin¡¯ from the water.¡± ¡°We believe she teleported away somehow after hittin¡¯ the shore and settin¡¯ off the alarm,¡± her other cousin, Eamon Sullivan, continues, making Aisling¡¯s glare turn between him and Cathal. The Clan Leader feels rage filling every ounce of her body as she holds herself back from smashing the table to bits. ¡°An¡¯ tha weapons production facility? What remains of it?¡± she eventually asks, a chill radiating from her causing frost to begin building up on the table around her fist. The others notice the signs that she is close to losing control, but her older brother answers just as calmly as he always does, unlike her younger brother, ¡°Nothing remains. Tha lass got every piece of equipment we had and killed over half of tha higher leveled workers.¡± ¡°Bloody spirits of the damned!¡± Aisling shouts, finally slamming her fist into the table with enough strength to crack the entire thing and shatter a part off of it right next to her while also freezing over the rest of the table with her ability. ¡°All this happened right under our noses, and no one bloody caught on ta it?! I want that spirits damned Class S merc captured and imprisoned in Sulli¡¯s Hell for all eternity!¡± All of the Sullivan Clan members flinch at the mention of the torture chamber hidden deep under the Grand Tree. One filled with monsters who are known to almost never kill their prey. Only play with them. Monsters made that way specifically by the mage who created them to act as the Clan¡¯s torture chamber. Even if the Clan has almost never used it since its creation. Because the chamber is too inhumane. But by now the Clan has already had analyzers look over her ability, although they couldn¡¯t see her Class for some reason. So they know she cannot be killed. Some aren¡¯t even sure if she would be all that troubled by the torture chamber because of her regeneration and lack of an ability to die. Aisling doesn¡¯t give a shit about that though. She just sees red as she climbs to her feet and begins walking around the table, making each Clan Council Member stiffen up slightly whenever she passes. The Clan Leader is usually relatively passive and kind to her underlings. But she can¡¯t bring herself to be kind now. Not when their route to victory in the war has just been smudged so badly. They won¡¯t be able to replace any of their weapons on the battlefield. And they were already far behind in terms of weaponry and military technology, making this an even bigger blow to them. And there¡¯s still the immortal to deal with. At this point, Aisling is beginning to consider teaming up with another Clan just to take down the Byrne Clan. But she knows how fruitless that would be. Because then that Clan would just turn around and swallow them up as well. One of their main purposes behind going after the Byrne Clan was because they were the weakest link amongst the Clans, and the Sullivan Clan needed a boost in strength if it wanted to match the Gallagher Clan. Because the Gallagher Clan has a Gate directly to War¡¯s home world, and they¡¯re already the strongest Clan in terms of defense despite that. And more importantly, she knows what the Clan will do if their Clan Leader sees themselves losing the war for the world. Better War have it than another Clan is what they¡¯d say. That mere thought alone makes Aisling clench her fists in rage once more. Then she takes a deep breath, trying to calm down. Because she remembers that there¡¯s still one chance for aid outside of the other Clans. So she stops at the very front of the table and asks, ¡°What about our request ta tha Atlanteans? Did they accept yet?¡± Silence fills the council chamber after that. A silence that has Aisling slowly narrowing her eyes. Eventually her calm older brother answers once again, stating, ¡°Tha Atlanteans have chosen ta withdraw their delegates from Luk¡¯tar, stating tha¡¯ they ¡®will return once it¡¯s safe once more.¡¯¡± Aisling¡¯s mind blanks completely at that response. Then the woman lets out a loud shout as a wave of frost flows free from her, coating everything in the council chamber and freezing the ground directly around her. ¡°They said WHAT?!¡± B2 | Chapter 24 Aria I smile as I stand in front of the large station right in front of the Hunter Spot within the Byrne Clan¡¯s territory. A Grand Tree just as big as the one in their capital. But unlike the one in their capital, this Grand Tree is without any sort of tree house structures. It¡¯s just a plain enormous tree with tunnels and the like running through it. Even entire caverns inside of the tree somehow from what I¡¯ve heard. There are also some mana creatures flying high above the ground, right beneath the branches and leaves. Along with some flying near nests on the exterior of the tree. Most of those mana creatures are various different types of birds. Some giant crows, others giant hawks, some giant eagles, giant bats, and, well, more giant avians. Then there are some moving vines that I¡¯m not sure if are alive or are just, well, being moved by something else. After taking in the place, I step into the station itself, quickly finding it to be similar to the station at Hunter¡¯s Bay on Eternus. At least in systematic structure anyways. There are two sides of the building, one to enter and one to leave. Each with gates that block entry unless the barrier is lowered, with the entry checking your identity and the exit the resources you acquired inside before giving you your pay or letting you leave with it. After taking their tax. But I¡¯m exempt from the taxes here, so I don¡¯t have to bother with that. After returning from the last mission, the council was rather ecstatic. Without the whole being upset about a blown up outpost part this time. Since I managed to blow up just the weapon¡¯s facility this time. Amusing how they were upset about me blowing something up last time but are happy this time around. Then again, it makes sense. After their initial excitement, they started giving out a bunch of orders to the soldiers and readying some plans. Meanwhile the Clan Leader gave me free and tax exempt access to the Hunter¡¯s Spot while I wait for my next mission. Which will likely be after the enemy army reaches our borders. Since that¡¯ll take a little while. At least a few days. Probably a week or two. It takes a while to move an army that big after all. One way or another though, I¡¯m very fine with this arrangement. I quickly go through the station, showing them my ID, being verified, terrifying random people there with the black number floating harmlessly above my head. The usual. Then I pass on through and enter the vast tree. And this time, unlike with the trench, I see an awful lot of people as I pass through the tunnel. Both people going in and out. Guess this is what happens when there is only a single entrance, unlike the trench that had more entrances than I care to count. I continue passing through the tunnel until I end up at the spot I was told to expect. A large ¡®cavern¡¯ in the tree ¨C one whose walls are made of bark ¨C with hundreds of portals of varying colors just blinking in and out of existence all over the place. From what I¡¯ve been told, these portals lead to random locations across the Hunter¡¯s Spot. The green portals mean that it¡¯s a portal to a random spot in the first through third tiers of the Grand Tree, yellow portals lead to a random location in the fourth through sixth tiers, blue portals go to somewhere in the seventh through ninth tiers, and the red portals lead to the tenth tier of the Grand Tree. Which does make this one of the more difficult Hunter Spots across the universe. Since people can¡¯t choose the exact tier they end up in. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I purse my lips while tapping my chin, briefly pondering over if I should give the yellow portals a try. But then I just shake my head and enter a green portal, leading to me appearing on a random outcrop on the outside of the Grand Tree. And almost immediately I find myself grabbing onto the vines to stabilize myself. Okay, this can¡¯t be safe for normal people¡­ I glance down over the edge of the tree to find that I¡¯m several hundred meters in the sky. Which means I¡¯m probably in either the second or the third tier. Not entirely sure which. I would¡¯ve tried going for a yellow portal, but while I know I should be fine at the fourth tier, the fifth and sixth tiers might have something that tries to eat me or trap me. And immortal or not, I¡¯d rather not spend years stuck there. Especially when I¡¯m probably gonna have to be somewhere in like a week. Well, anyways, I look around at the same level of me to find that there are some random branches connecting to this part, with more scattered about making a very broken up pathway. One that someone would have to jump through to get past. Some spots don¡¯t even have a place to stand. Instead you have to catch onto the vines on a hanging stalactite, or you have to grab onto dangling vines and swing across an expanse. Oh, and more importantly, the giant oversized mosquitoes buzzing their way all across the tree around here. Right. Those things. I purse my lips as they begin buzzing their way towards me, but instead of fleeing ¨C not that that¡¯s all that possible ¨C I summon several Lesser Minor Death Spirits, making them appear in front of me, between me and the mosquito. And the mosquito instantly pierces through the skull of the first one, literally shattering it before it moves onto the second. Then the third. And the fourth. Eventually it loses its momentum on the fifth and tries to drain its blood. Just to most likely realize it doesn¡¯t have any as the other remaining spirits begin jumping onto the branch from the other branches I summoned them on before pelting the thing until it dies. Because powerful or not, it¡¯s still a mosquito. Not exactly the most durable of creatures. My thoughts come to a halt when I feel something stabbing me in the neck, making me instantly grow numb as I try and struggle to turn my head. Only to see another mosquito draining my blood while the first one¡¯s soul is being devoured automatically. Well, shit. I try to raise my gun to shoot it, but I quickly lose feeling from my neck downwards, making me fall face-first towards the ground. A ground that doesn¡¯t exactly exist, so I end up falling right off the branch while bringing the mosquito with me in my free dive. Hmm. I just kinda look on at the nice view as I¡¯m falling down towards the ground beneath the tree. Well then. This was not how I expected my first trek through a portal to end up. I continue staring downwards while my body is numbed from the mosquito that is actually starting to be torn apart by the wind flying past us alone. Rather weak little insect, isn¡¯t it? Which is ironic since it¡¯s¡­ oh, now the wind is starting to actually cut into me too. A snapping sound echoes out as my arms are pulled so far back from the speed of our fall mixed with the wind that they quite literally snap. Yep. This is really not how I expected my hunt to begin. The wind continues whistling as I fall, with the mosquito now long since dead and my body¡¯s feeling returning again. And after several more seconds of this, I hit the ground, and everything goes dark.
Right Outside the Grand Tree Odhran Br¨ªgh steps out of the station and begins to walk towards the Grand Tree¡¯s entrance, feeling pretty good about today¡¯s hunt going well. Because it¡¯s just a lucky day for him. He knows it. And as he¡¯s about halfway through the small clearing between the station and the tree¡¯s entrance, a loud whistling sound enters his ears, making him pause for a second before looking up. Seconds later a woman drops straight down and crashes into a paste right in front of him, making him quickly try backing up, only to scowl down at his outfit. But his irritation at the outfit quickly fades as a brief wave of sadness fills him at the sight of the dead hunter. Right as he¡¯s about to step forward to kneel down and give her a salute in honor of her work as a hunter, the blood that splattered on him suddenly starts burning up in some sort of crimson electrical energy, making him panic. But it doesn¡¯t do anything other than tickle him for some reason. Huh. Odd. His gaze returns to the paste in front of him, only for him to do a double take when he finds the flesh all reforming into a person who is currently sitting on the ground while rubbing her temples. Then the woman casually stands up, glances at him and nods, before walking back towards the tree. Leaving him standing there staring at her in shock. What¡­ just happened? Update I have an important quiz I have to take tomorrow and to study for tonight and tomorrow, along with a meeting with a sponsor for my senior design project tomorrow after that. So there will only be one Crimson Eternal chapter tomorrow, and the second Crimson Eternal chapter today was canceled as well. Most of the chapters for my other stories are canceled as well, but that doesn''t affect most of you. Unless you read my other stories that is. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. WBM and Reaper still get a chapter tomorrow though. Gonna be an unpleasant day for me :/ The chapter I do post tomorrow will probably be the night chapter, skipping the noon one. By the way, I''m talking CST tomorrow. It''s 12:36AM here. Anyways, have a good night everyone! I have a quiz to study for. For my Secure Programming class. B2 | Chapter 25 Aria Alright. Time for take two. Still not sure how my clothes somehow manage to remain perfectly in one piece despite my body becoming a literal paste on the ground, but I¡¯m not gonna complain. I¡¯ll just leave it as magic and move on. I nod my head at that thought and walk through another green portal after having reentered the tree. And this time I actually find myself inside of the tree instead of on the outside. So yay for that. Although¡­ how is this inside of a damned tree? The place I find myself in, while it does still have large bark walls and ceilings, the floor is all grass and there are a bunch of trees growing all across the area. Like a forest inside of a tree. The heck? This is not normal. I blink at that before deciding that most trees that are so tall you can¡¯t see the top from the ground are probably not gonna be normal on the inside. Especially when they have random portals at the bottom. Well, anyways, I quickly begin to look around my vicinity, only to realize something. Something that I¡¯ve missed for a long while now. I wonder¡­ do trees and plants count as beings? That¡¯s¡­ not really something I considered before. Huh. So, without hesitation, I infuse a bunch of soul energy into my fist and punch through a random, relatively thin tree. And the tree quickly snaps and begins to fall. [User has killed one being of Level XX. Requirements to reach level 13 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 1190/30000 beings have been granted Death.] I pull my fist back before glancing at it, then at the tree, then at my fist again. Then I look down at the grass and yank out a random blade of grass. Nothing happens. So I grab a fist full and yank it out. Nothing happens again. Hmm. Guess it¡¯s on the same line as bugs in that regard? But these trees don¡¯t have any intelligence¡­ does that mean intelligence isn¡¯t the marker for what counts as a being killed like I thought it was? I repeatedly go through all the things that make a tree, an ant, a blade of grass, a random wild animal, and a human being different. And after thinking about it for a little while, I finally come up with something. Lifespan. Their biggest difference is in their lifespan. An ant only lives like a year or two at most I think. A tree can live for centuries depending on the tree. A human lives for one hundred years on average in the universe after System Initialization, and without reaching level 100. And a lot of wild animals live from several years to a few dozen years. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. I¡¯m not sure how long a blade of grass lives, but I don¡¯t think it was more than a couple months. Which means that lifespan may very well be the determining factor of whether or not I get progress towards my purpose from something. I purse my lips for a second before nodding. Yeah, guess that makes sense. If my purpose is to bring death unto others, it would be perfectly logical that the more potential life I end, the better for the purpose. Or at least that there¡¯s just a cutoff of how much a single life gives. Anyways, I turn to look at the trees around me. Then an idea comes to mind. Hmm. Hope this place doesn¡¯t mind some deforestation.
I nod my head with a smile on my face as I stand with my arms crossed, merely watching as my many spirits go around with axes, chopping down trees. Meanwhile other spirits focus on killing the mana creatures that come out of said trees. It ended up taking me a couple hours to get the axes from a very confused Shirogane before taking another ten minutes to find a second place like this within the Hunter¡¯s Spot. Because I kept being put in other random places where I had to make my way back to the entrance of the tree in a rather unique method. The same method I used the first time after being so kindly pushed towards it by a certain mosquito. Although I feel I may have traumatized a few people down there. And for that, I gave them a silent apology in the form of a head nod. Should be enough. I furrow my brows slightly while reaching back to scratch my head as the ¡®being killed¡¯ notices continue rolling in while muted. The looks they were sending me after the seventh fall though¡­ makes me wonder if my common sense has gotten skewed over the years. It¡¯s entirely possible, but¡­ Nah, probably just my imagination. And my immortality. Anyways, I¡¯m glad I ended up in a tier one part of the tree. Because there are a lot of things my Death Spirits can kill here. Makes for a good farm of progress in my purpose. And so, I end up spending the next ten hours just lazing around on a large tree while my Death Spirits work away at the large tree cavern. During this process, I actually manage to get even more beings killed than I had gotten during my last treks into the trench. Which is a pleasant benefit of chopping down these trees. What¡¯s even better is that the trees grow back somehow and still count! Although it takes them hours to grow back. Probably a result of the mana here. After I finish up for the day and gather everything up from my spirits, I find quite a haul. One that has the attendant at the station¡¯s eyes bulging in shock as they sputter once I arrive. ¡°Y-y-you got all of this?! In one day?!¡± she exclaims, not keeping her voice down and thereby drawing attention over here from others. Leading to me getting even more attention. But I just nod at her question, following which she calms down and says, ¡°My apologies, I¡¯ll begin counting now.¡± Cool. I wait for her to count up everything ¨C which takes a while ¨C before collecting my coin and heading out back in the direction of the city established near the Grand Tree. The city is rather impressive in its own right. But what makes it impressive isn¡¯t the size of the city. It¡¯s the massive barrier going over it, protecting it from anything that might attack or fall from the tree above us. Something that generally happens rather often from what I hear. My own case as an example. I find myself smiling as I walk through the little outcrop of plains surrounding the Grand Tree, just feeling rather peaceful now that I¡¯m not actively fighting someone. It¡¯s nice to be on break again. Especially since I can focus on making more coin and leveling up at the Grand Tree. Because I really need to put in effort to level up if I want to get anywhere in the next century. A rather depressing thought. As I walk, my mind begins to drift off towards the war. From what I was told about it, there are four total war fronts. Each fought at different strategic locations. One of the locations is in a mountain range filled with trees, where a large fortress is stationed, blocking the path towards that part of the Byrne Clan¡¯s territory. Another location near the coast where a coastal fortress is located on a cliff. A place I passed by on my trip over to the Sullivan Clan¡¯s Grand Tree in fact. Then there¡¯s a major fortress that powers the barrier blocking people from entering the Byrne Clan¡¯s territory, stationed at the very edge of the territory and right inside of said barrier so that it can defend it. And lastly, an aircraft carrier in the ocean. One that is manned by quite the number of weapons, with a fully automated system meant to deal with the ocean forces brought by the Sullivan Clan. Overall, a good defense. And now that the Sullivan Clan is unable to make more weapons, they¡¯re gonna be in a pinch. I glance up at the tall tree in the sky as I near the city before looking down again. The only question at this point is where I¡¯ll be stationed. Or if I¡¯ll even be stationed at just one place, since it¡¯s entirely possible they could have me moving between locations. Either way though, this war is finally truly beginning. Just as soon as the armies make it where they¡¯re going. B2 | Luktar War Maps Here is the map of the portions of the Byrne and Sullivan Clans related to the war: And here is the map of the war: This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The crossed swords are the four armies from the Sullivan Clan, each numbering 25k strong. And the red arrows mark where they''re going. My patrons seemed to like this map more than the previous one, so I hope you do too. If you''re curious, I make my maps through Inkarnate.com. Since I almost always have people asking how I make them, thought I''d just say it here instead of waiting to answer it in the comments. B2 | Chapter 26 Aria Even with the addition of tree murder to my hunt ¨C which gets me way too much wood ¨C I don¡¯t manage to level up to level thirteen before I¡¯m called back to meet the council again. Which leads me to being in a relatively poor mood as I walk through the door into the council chambers. Especially since I¡¯m just barely not there yet. Just a few hundred beings granted death away from level thirteen. I better get a damned skill from this level-up. The last time I got a skill was at level six after all. And from what I can tell, I have a class that barely gives skills at all. Although at least it makes up for it with the relative power of the skills I do get. Since my skills are very powerful and versatile. A lot more so than the average skill. ¡°Lady Death, welcome back,¡± Sean Byrne says with a grin on his face from the head of the table. ¡°Heard ya had a good time at tha Grand Tree.¡± I nod my head without saying a word in response. Because I¡¯m really not in the mood for small talk right now. He seems to quickly read my mood before focusing at the topic at hand, saying, ¡°Now that tha harbinger is back, let¡¯s go over our current situation.¡± A map appears floating above the table of parts of both the Byrne and Sullivan Clan. Not particularly large parts of the clans¡¯ territories, but the parts that are near each other. The Sullivan Clan is directly north of the Byrne Clan, and while they do have a stretch of land connecting the two, the majority of the space between the two Clans is ocean. Meanwhile directly East of both Clans is the Sorrel Clan, which I¡¯ve been told has ties to the Grand Silvanian Empire. An empire that¡¯s actually a rather nice place to live. Well, probably not for me though. Considering their emperor¡¯s rather significant hatred of the Horsemen. Come to think of it, the reason these council members were so wary of me makes a lot more sense after I learned about the Gallagher Clan. The Clan with ties and a Gate to War¡¯s main world. So the Clans on Luk¡¯tar have a rather bad experience with the Horsemen. ¡°Tha enemy forces are split up into four armies, each headin to a different location,¡± one of the council members states as four points on the map are marked by crossed swords. Then an arrow appears going from one of those swords to the boat marked on the map in the ocean. ¡°Tha first hearth has been seen by our scouts ta be heading through tha ocean towards us an¡¯ will be clashin with our carrier in tha water.¡± Another arrow appears from the coastal fortress within the Sullivan Clan¡¯s territory into the water and to the coastal fortress in the Byrne Clan¡¯s territory. ¡°Tha second hearth was sighted crossin inta tha waters ta attack our own coastal fortress.¡± I frown at the map. Those two¡­ I¡¯m not sure how much help I¡¯ll be. It would be difficult to make it to the ships from underwater without them just blasting me away. And even if I could do that, there¡¯s the other issue of I¡¯d likely only be able to attack a single ship before the others start focusing on me. All of their ships are bound to be able to detect things underwater, and they¡¯ll have underwater defenses as well. Meanwhile I¡¯d be stuck trying to swim upwards toward them while being fired at. I wouldn¡¯t be able to die, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll actually be able to reach the ships. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! A third arrow appears from the fortress closest to the border leading towards the border fortress for the Byrne Clan. The one I believe is supposed to be the one controlling the barrier. And right after that a fourth one goes from the fortress East of their third forces right beyond the border towards the mountain fortress to the East of the barrier controlling fortress. Another council member states, ¡°Tha third hearth is already attackin¡¯ tha barrier fortress while that fourth is targetin the mountain fortress, currently climbin through tha mountains.¡± Those two forces I should be able to take on pretty easily. Either one would work. ¡°All four of tha hearths have twenty-five thou forces, an¡¯ we have twelve and a half thou in each of our fortresses and the carrier,¡± the first council member states with a dark look on their face. Which is perfectly understandable seeing as they have twice our forces. The Clan Leader speaks up this time, making me glance across the table at him, away from the map, ¡°We believe our advantage in weaponry an¡¯ your work at their Grand Tree should help balance out the war front, but we¡¯re hopin to have you join in the defense of tha mountain fortress.¡± Thought so. Or at least, I knew it would be either the barrier or the mountain fortress. I¡¯m honestly a little surprised it¡¯s the mountain fortress instead of the barrier fortress. From what I understand, the barrier is a lot weaker over the mountains due to the height, but the barrier is still there. And the barrier works on a spread out basis, where the barrier can be broken in certain locations while still being up in other locations. Although the barrier should regenerate after broken. With it regenerating faster the closer it is to the barrier¡¯s source, at the barrier fortress. Unless¡­ is there a reason they¡¯re wanting to deal with the army attacking that fortress first? A reason that fortress would matter more¡­ My eyes widen as a possible plan comes to mind. And right as I realize it, the Clan Leader speaks it out loud, ¡°Our current plan is ta defeat tha fourth hearth in tha mountains before goin around an¡¯ flankin their third hearth with our forces from tha mountain fortress, leaving a skeleton force at tha fortress during tha assault.¡± Thought so. ¡°This¡¯ll be a risk, but we have no other choice,¡± Sean continues with a frown. ¡°We simply don¡¯t have tha forces ta defend each fortress from the Sullivan Clan.¡± Understandable. They have no choice but to take a risk to win. ¡°An¡¯ with tha Atlanteans pullin¡¯ out, they have no other allies or forces ta pull from,¡± the man continues, making the other council members nod in agreement, clear relief on their faces. ¡°Unless they¡¯re willin ta sell their own independence to another Clan.¡± They all tense up a little bit at that part, but from what I can tell, there¡¯s not much they can do about it. The Byrne Clan really isn¡¯t in much of a position to not take risks in this war. And if I¡¯m being honest, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the Sullivan Clan does sell their own independence in the end just to win. If they¡¯re close to losing. At least then they¡¯ll be able to say they won even if they¡¯re fully absorbed by whatever clan they sell their independence to. Giving them a choice in the end at how things turn out. ¡°I¡¯ll be leadin¡¯ the defense of tha mountain fortress,¡± one of the council members says with a nod, making me look at the man. ¡°This time ye¡¯ll be workin alongside me during tha campaign.¡± Just like all the other lukians, he¡¯s shorter than me with brown eyes. Meanwhile he has a long beard and long hair and is wearing a full set of plate metal armor. ¡°Understood,¡± I tell him with a nod. My first time on this planet working under someone else¡¯s orders. Actually, it¡¯ll be my first time in years working under someone else¡¯s direct orders. Being told to go take out an outpost or destroy a weapons production facility not counting as direct orders since they didn¡¯t tell me how to do it. Just told me to do it. ¡°Ye will move out with Council Member Conor Byrne, the Magma Titan, in the morn¡¯,¡± the Clan Leader says with a stern look on his face. Then he turns to address the other council members as he continues, ¡°Tha rest of ya will be movin¡¯ out tonight to your assigned positions.¡± ¡°Yes, Clan Leader!¡± everyone in the room shouts while doing their salute. Meanwhile I just nod my head in agreement with his orders. All of the council members quickly begin moving as I turn around to leave the council chamber, briefly glancing at Shirogane, only to find him shaking his head. Guess he¡¯s not coming with me this time around. Then again, if he did then he¡¯d probably be considered a combatant. And the Eternal Dynasty is neutral. I should go ahead and get resupplied tonight. And maybe buy some stuff from Shirogane before I leave. A couple of the council members quickly make their way past me, proving to be quite a bit faster than me despite their shorter height. Simply because of their levels all being at the very least four to five hundred. And each one nods their head as they pass. This war is going to be a lot different from the war at Vortel¡­ I¡¯m going to have to avoid getting into any direct physical combat. I stop at the edge of the platform looking out over the city. Well, at least I should be able to reach level 13 soon. B2 | Chapter 27 Aria The next morning sees me, the council member going with us, and Rory all gathered on the same platform I was looking out from yesterday. Meanwhile another person that I don¡¯t recognize is with us off to the side. Someone who seems to be wearing robes instead of armor. But for some reason, everyone is looking rather grim. I¡¯m not really sure if I should ask or not, but they¡¯ve looked rather grim ever since I first saw them this morning. Which can only mean that something happened on the warfront. ¡°Are ya all ready?¡± the guy wearing robes asks, making me frown. But I nod my head anyways as the others answer in the affirmative. ¡°Then good luck.¡± Then he spreads his arms out to his sides and closes his eyes, following which a large purple and blue spell circle with various different runes and other circles and lines running through it and even spinning in some cases appears. Oh, he¡¯s a spatial mage. Guess we¡¯re teleporting to the fortress instead of walking this time around. The circles and runes continue spinning and doing their thing for a little bit before a bright purple flash shines out from it and we all appear in the mountains. Snow. Covered. Mountains. Huh? I frown as I look around from my place right outside of the fortress at the bottom of the mountains that are covered in a lot of trees and snow. ¡°Why¡¯s it snowing?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask. The mountains aren¡¯t supposed to be snowing. There shouldn¡¯t be snow. It¡¯s supposed to be green for all the eye can see and actually a little humid from what I¡¯ve heard. The others all sigh, their faces growing even grimmer as the fortress doors begin to open, leading inside of the mountains themselves. ¡°Lass, this snow is the omen we¡¯ve been frettin about all morn,¡± Conor says, the council member sounding just as grim as he looks, not turning to so much as look at the grinding doors. ¡°Tis a sign of the Sullivan Clan Leader¡¯s presence in the incomin¡¯ hearth.¡± Wait a fucking second, does that mean their Clan Leader is personally leading the hearth attacking the mountains? Not the barrier fortress like Sean had thought she would attack? Well, that¡¯s¡­ not good. ¡°But why is it snowing?¡± I can¡¯t help but repeat. I can tell it has something to do with her ability or maybe magic, but why would it be snowing all over the mountains just from her presence here? ¡°Rory, bring the lass up to speed,¡± Conor says before finally turning around and entering the fortress, quickly shouting orders at the thrall and officers inside. I watch him go for a few seconds, only to turn to Rory when she begins to speak, ¡°All of the Clan Leaders of the six Clans on Luk¡¯tar have one additional requirement to be recognized as Clan Leader other than birthright, skill, and being chosen as successor by the previous leader.¡± She narrows her eyes at me. ¡°To be a Class S Ability Holder.¡± Oh. Rory turns to look at the large valley in between two sets of mountains. Kind of like the pass back on Vortel but only a single pass, and with a bunch of trees spread throughout it and on the cliffs. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°Aisling Sullivan¡¯s ability is called Absolute Zero, and it¡¯s both a combat and crafting ability,¡± Rory continues. ¡°It lets her directly infuse her ice mana into anything with a simple intent. And she¡¯s also known for infusing her ice mana into the very air itself, significantly decreasing the temperature of the area for anyone other than her allies.¡± Oh, wow. That¡¯s powerful. It¡¯d be like the Byrne Clan soldiers are fighting in the middle of the winter against the Sullivan Clan soldiers who are fighting in the summer. ¡°The only bright side about this is that she doesn¡¯t bother with stealth or ambushes,¡± Rory says while turning back to me with a frown on her face. ¡°She instead goes to wear down her opponent through this method. Whiiich doesn¡¯t exactly leave much to the imagination as to her location.¡± Yeah, makes sense. And the fact that she can infuse her ice mana into anything means she can infuse it into people too, freezing them alive as if it were just ice magic. Not to mention that her infusing the air all the way over here with ice mana means she doesn¡¯t have to be directly touching it to do so. It¡¯s a good thing I¡¯ve already adapted to freezing alive through ice mana. That bastard emperor is to thank for that when he tried to freeze me alive and leave me in a lake somewhere. Which didn¡¯t work out how he expected. Hmm. Well, our plan should work either way. We ended up deciding on the best way to utilize my particular powers last night, during another meeting. And it¡¯s rather simple. Although I¡¯m kind of surprised that they decided to have Rory join us at the last minute. Then again, it¡¯s probably because they thought we would need more help with the Clan Leader of the Sullivan Clan¡¯s presence here. Not sure how much help Rory will be since I still don¡¯t know her level. I purse my lips, considering asking her for a second before eventually just shrugging and deciding that I¡¯ll see first hand what she can do. Since all I¡¯ve seen her do is kill some mana creatures in a Hunter¡¯s Bay thus far using poison. Both Rory and I head into the fortress to get ourselves settled in. And after we finish that, the two of us climb up to opposite sides of the mountains and head on over towards the mouth of the valley, where the enemy forces are currently camped. And what a sight it is, just looking down at the twenty-five thousand enemies all camped out there. Although it¡¯s also a very strange looking sight compared to Vortel. There are artillery cannons, some sort of metal golems, and quite a few buildings spread out across the camp. Which isn¡¯t really what I¡¯m used to seeing in a war camp. But then again, artillery was banned on Vortel unless it was used in arid places that weren¡¯t expecting to be able to grow anything anyways. Part of the Great Treaty. So we never really saw much of that in our wars with Arteria. Which I¡¯ve heard has now been fully integrated into Albaria, making one nation ruled over by the council of generals. Also, it¡¯s really cold here. But despite that, the enemy forces are just walking around without a care, clearly not feeling the cold temperature themselves. That really is a powerful ability. And the cold and snow seems to be the most powerful around the biggest building in the camp, with it slowly growing weaker the further out from that building it is. To the point of flurries of snow and a small blizzard centered in the air above the building. Overall, a very odd sight to behold. And one that is pretty obvious about where their Clan Leader is. Rory was right. Subtlety is not her specialty. My phone ¨C which still works despite having bought it on Eternus while using it here ¨C buzzes, making me bring it out to find a text message from Rory. One that shouldn¡¯t be interceptable by the enemies purely because it¡¯s Dynasty tech. Which is leagues above their technology. The message basically states that she¡¯s in position and that we should begin our assault once the enemy forces start pushing in. Right now I can tell that they¡¯re currently just setting everything up and entering formation. Moving their golems to the front, their artillery to the back, putting their mages closer to the back and their vanguard at the front. Even putting up a bunch of support spells and using support abilities on their forces to empower them. During the very short briefing Rory gave me, I learned that the enemy council most likely split up their council by leaving three council members in each of the first three hearths with the last of the ten council members being placed in their capital to defend and manage things back there. So there shouldn¡¯t be any others in this hearth on par with their Clan Leader. Although, I do wonder how we¡¯re gonna go up against her without someone on her level with us. Unless Sean himself is here. I don¡¯t actually know what his ability is either, but if what Rory said is true, then he has to have a Class S ability too. I glance over at the other cliff from my own, where I know Rory is waiting. Then I glance back at the enemy forces right as they¡¯re beginning to make their move, pushing into the mountains. With the golems moving first, then the vanguard, the mages, and the artillery falling in behind them all. Meanwhile a single woman can be seen leading the march at the very front and center of it. One wearing a set of pale and deep blue armor that is actually a lot less covering than most of the armor I¡¯ve seen lukians wear. And her number is nowhere in sight as expected. She is also very clearly the eye of that winter storm. The Clan Leader. I look over their forces once, simply waiting for them to get into the mountains themselves before smirking. Alright. Looks like it¡¯s about time to get things started with the plan. B2 | Chapter 28 Aria Without hesitation, I snap my fingers, opening up dozens upon dozens of rifts to the Plane of Death. All across the cliffs. And out through them all pass Lesser Minor Death Spirits for days. Down below us, the enemy soldiers look up at the cliffs, clearly noticing the sudden influx of creatures up here. But they¡¯re too late as the spirits quickly grab the bombs the thrall of the mountain fortress had stashed up here for me before jumping down from the cliff towards the enemy soldiers. And no matter how many times the soldiers blast the incoming spirits, they simply reform while curling in on the bomb without letting it get damaged. Until they¡¯re almost at the ground and they set off the fuse, making the Death Spirits turn into suicide bombers that simply reform to attack the survivors afterwards. Of course, most of the enemy soldiers don¡¯t survive the attacks, and the ones who do quite literally shrug off the attacks of the Lesser Minor Death Spirits, but it¡¯s something at least. And it still causes more chaos. I occasionally withdraw all of the soul energy I put into some of the Death Spirits down there to force them into returning to the Plane of Death before I resummon more up here on the cliffs. Leading to these extra Death Spirits to grab more bombs and jump on down themselves. A rather good strategy that I actually didn¡¯t come up with this time. Not to mention one that doesn¡¯t involve me killing myself. Which is a first for a while. My eyes narrow as the more powerful ability holders of the forces down below begin to attack the cliffs, sending entire waves of spells and powers. But a barrier flashes when the attacks reach a certain point, blocking most of them. The barrier surrounding the Clan¡¯s territory that was altered for the mountain range just to defend these mountains. I crack a grin. Meanwhile I am spammed with System Messages all the way till the one I¡¯ve been waiting for.
User has leveled-up to level 13. User¡¯s skill ¡®Servants of the Pale Horseman¡¯ will now be upgraded. Assessing user¡¯s accomplishments and actions¡­ assessment complete. User¡¯s new upgraded skill is as follows: Servants of the Pale Horseman This skill allows the user to summon up to Lesser Spirits of Death, including the two lowest of the hierarchy of Death Spirits. These spirits will then obey all of the orders given to them by their beloved Lady Death. Set these Spirits on the fools who would try to harm Death herself. For they do not know of whom they harbor animosity towards. User will now be given their third skill. Assessing user¡¯s accomplishments and actions¡­ assessment complete. User will now be given the following skill: This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Soul Fire This skill allows the user to burn the soul energy they control outside of their body, allowing Lady Death to pass judgment on souls, marking them for all eternity. For they shall soon learn that Lady Death never forgets.
I blink in surprise. Holy shit, did I just¡­ huh? That¡¯s¡­ wow. A new skill and a skill upgrade, which I¡¯ve only ever heard of from the emperor. Apparently it¡¯s something that can happen if you use a skill a lot, albeit only with certain skills. And only during a level up. And only if your accomplishments and actions merit the upgrade. Guess using my Lesser Minor Death Spirits so often is coming with some nice benefits. As for Soul Fire¡­ I have no idea what that is. So I raise my hand in front of me and enhance it with soul energy. Then I instinctively get the feeling that I can set the soul energy on fire. Which makes for a much easier to figure out skill than Harvest was. I set it on fire without hesitation, and what was previously a crimson energy kind of on the border between electricity and fire now is just a plain crimson flame. With a creepy face in it. Why¡¯s there a creepy face in it? No idea. But there is. Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s a burning part of a soul? That might be it. Although it doesn¡¯t appear to be in pain. More sadistic and creepy than anything else. I dismiss the soul fire before using the newly upgraded skill to summon a Lesser Death Spirit. And I quickly find a rift opening just like with the Lesser Minor Death Spirits, only for something else to step through. Instead of the skeletons with glowing red eyes wearing a hood that the Lesser Minor Death Spirits were, this Lesser Death Spirit seems to be wearing some sort of coat with all of the exposed skin on its body being nothing but some sort of pitch black substance. Meanwhile its face is¡­ kinda terrifying. The spirit has a wide grin on its face with razor sharp crimson teeth, with nothing but a crimson light making up its eyes, nose, and mouth. Kind of like something straight out of a horror film. And just like with the Lesser Minor Death Spirits, I feel a sort of bond appearing between us. But unlike them, this bond is a bit more solid, and I can tell it¡¯s able to understand more complex instructions. Great! It¡¯s likely also stronger. Although I¡¯m not sure how much stronger. I glance down at the army below, about to begin testing the new spirit. Only to pause when I notice the faint purple mist creeping up on the army that¡¯s still moving despite my assault. Oh, right. Rory. Out of curiosity, I watch the purple mist creep across the ground while the army is distracted by my suicide bombers. But the mist doesn¡¯t seem to do anything. What¡¯s she doing? I frown, but my confusion doesn¡¯t last long as once the mist has reached a good chunk of their forces, it suddenly turns pitch black and rushes upwards, leading to screams beginning to echo out through the night. Screams that weren¡¯t even present during my bombings. Well then. What was her ability¡¯s Class again? I never learned before what it was. The Clan Leader finally stops, meanwhile the winter storm above her head grows more and more turbulent before she glances straight at me while making eye contact. Oh shit. Then she pushes both her arms out ¨C one towards me and the other towards the cliff Rory should be on ¨C sending waves of the winter storm out towards us. And the instant it reaches the barrier, it clashes with it on both sides, sending a funnel upwards for a few seconds before shattering the barrier and freezing the entire mountainside solid. Myself included. But despite my being frozen, I can see the other cliffside and am rather shocked to find Rory¡¯s black mist shooting up from the cliff, no longer creeping as it directly combats the winter storm. She¡¯s strong enough to fight off the Clan Leader¡¯s ability¡­ I guess Rory is a Class S Ability Holder as well. Unexpected, but in hindsight, probably not all that much of a surprise. Considering that Sean went and hired her in the first place. Aisling Sullivan looks surprised by the fact that Rory is fighting against her on equal footing and turns her attention towards her, having determined that I¡¯m unable to move right now. She no doubt knows that I¡¯m immortal by now since she should have analyzers of her own, but I doubt she believes I can get out of this when frozen alive. I just patiently watch as the two clash with each other, wiping out a small portion of her own army in the process thanks to Rory no doubt directing her to do that. Which leads the Clan Leader to shouting something out loud, following which the enemy army has a large teleport circle appear below them. Then they reappear deeper into the mountains, closer towards the fortress but still a ways away. Far enough to be safe from the battle. Probably cost them a lot of mana to do that and exhausted their spatial mages. Hmm. Well then. The Clan Leader seems to have just started ignoring me now, so¡­ I glance down with my eyes, unable to move. And the sight of crimson energy beginning to build up all across my skin from the sheer cold damaging my body has me wanting to grin. The energy slowly begins to build up more and more, and after several minutes with the army continuing its march, it finally begins to grow powerful enough to wear away at the ice. Despite the massive level gap between me and Aisling and the Class S ability she has. A little bit more time passes before the ice is worn away enough that I¡¯m no longer stuck in place. And at this point, I just begin to work my way through melting a path through the ice with the new soul flame I got. Which seems to work on the ice. Although it¡¯s rather slow. Thankfully I built up a lot of that crimson energy, and it¡¯s still helping as it hasn¡¯t really been able to spend itself on anything. I continue clearing a path all the way until I manage to get out of the ice. Then I begin running across the cliff while sparkling with the crimson energy covering my entire body without missing a single spot. All while the Clan Leader is too busy fighting with Rory to notice. Now then. Time to deal with that pesky little hearth. B2 | Chapter 29 Within the Valley Aisling Sullivan feels both shock and a little fear as she fights against the outsider woman. The one currently using her poisonous mist to fight against Aisling. Because nowhere in the reports did it ever state that the woman was a Class S Ability Holder. She grits her teeth as she continues combatting the level 401 woman¡¯s poisonous mist with her own ice mana. But no matter how hard she pushes, the result ends up the same every time. With an even draw between the two and no real progress done. At least I dealt with tha immortal. Tha ice should keep her there until I¡¯m ready to pick her up after tha battle. Aisling doesn¡¯t even pay attention to the cliff where the immortal is frozen as she focuses all of her attention on the Class S Ability Holder. She knew that the Byrne Clan wouldn¡¯t just hire any normal person, but for them to hire two Class S Ability Holders is just ridiculous. Even if one of them is just a new child in terms of her level. Fucking Dynasty. Fucking bastard of an emperor. Her increasing rage fuels her ability as she fights, destroying the mountains nearby through freezing them as her enemy¡¯s poison kills off all of the living things on it. But her battle is eventually interrupted when she gets a call over her communication ring, the buzzing sound echoing in her head as the telepathic link attempts to establish itself. And for a second she thinks about rejecting it due to not wanting to take any of her focus off of her current battle. In the end though she does accept it and begins to coldly state, ¡®This better be-¡¯ only to be interrupted by the merkismathr on the other side as they practically shout into her mind, ¡®Clan Leader, we¡¯re being attacked by the suicide skeletons again!!¡¯ That causes the Clan Leader¡¯s eyes to widen in shock as she instinctively turns to look in the direction of the frozen cliff, only to find the immortal no longer being within the ice. Fuck! She turns to look back at the army that¡¯s too far away now for her to assist them from here, only to find them in even more chaos than before, with new¡­ creatures¡­ attacking them that she doesn¡¯t recognize. What in tha bloody Plane of Ice?! I thought she was a necromancer! What are those things?! The creatures that are currently attacking her forces appear to be a lot stronger than the ones the immortal was controlling before. Each being on par with a level fifty, unlike the skeletons that were as strong as their summoner. And each one of them is suicide bombing her forces before beginning to kill them without even pausing to wait for the smoke to clear. As if the creatures can see through the smoke without any problems. Right as Aisling is about to go to help them, a wall of purple and black mist rises up to block her view of her forces, making it clear that the poison Ability Holder won¡¯t just let her go do as she pleases. Fuck, everything¡¯s going ta tha plane of death! Aisling fights back against the purple mist, trying to push her way through, but this mist appears to be stronger than what she¡¯s been attacking thus far. Which makes her realize that the outsider has been purposefully trying to keep her here and away from the main forces. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡®Leader! Tha Byrne Clan is here!!! We need suppo-¡¯ her officer¡¯s telepathic voice is cut off as a loud explosion rings out from the other side of the mist wall, leaving Aisling to grit her teeth in rage. And after a brief hesitation, she reaches out to one of the merkismathr in charge of the spatial mages before giving the order, ¡®Retreat! We¡¯re pullin out!¡¯ The winter storm above Aisling¡¯s head grows harsher and harsher as her anger reaches a fever pitch. But Aisling doesn¡¯t pay it any mind as she turns her hateful gaze towards the poison mist user. If we¡¯re gonna lose here, best make sure we come out with somethin¡¯ to show for it.
Aria My progress to level fourteen continues rising and rising faster and faster with every single kill my spirits make. All without me even doing so much as a single thing personally. And after a bit of my skeletons practically torturing the enemy soldiers, a certain Clan Leader finally joins the fray. I grin as Sean crashes into the enemy forces from the sky like a meteor. Quite literally, in fact. Makes a large crater where he lands along with an even bigger explosion than my spirits are making. It¡¯s not just him either. Dozens of other officers jump down and begin attacking, leaving their forces still manning the walls. To the point that I¡¯m pretty sure at least two dozen merkismathr are attacking the enemy forces alongside my spirits and the Clan Leader. All while Aisling is being held off by Rory. The winter storm over Aisling grows progressively worse with every moment, meanwhile I see the enemy mages beginning to shift. Clearly trying to escape with another teleportation. Only for the Clan Leader to shout, ¡°Oh no ya don¡¯t! Activate it!¡± And to my surprise, a strange red and black beacon shoots out into the sky from the mountain fortress before the red light moves outwards in a form of barrier, enveloping all of the enemy forces and the fortress itself. The moment the red and black barrier touches the purple spell circle that was beginning to form under the enemy forces, the spell circle shatters, making the mages casting it all drop to their knees while coughing out blood. Oh, wow. Didn¡¯t realize he purchased one of those from the Dynasty. One of the things the Dynasty is known for the most. Their anti-magic field. They cost an arm and a leg and are supposedly only creatable by the Ten Star Merchant serving as Shirou¡¯s right hand man. And the devices themselves need someone with a Class A or above enchanting ability to activate them. Although the magic part of the anti-magic field doesn¡¯t refer to abilities. It only refers to spells in general. From what I heard the thing works by making it so that spell circles are not able to exist within the contents of the barrier. And the Sullivan Clan Leader is very clearly not happy. She actually looks rather livid, if I¡¯m being honest. And the winter storm above her head is just growing worse every passing second. Actually, it¡¯s growing bad enough that it¡¯s beginning to push back against Rory¡¯s poison. So Sean finally moves forwards to fight with Aisling himself, leaving the remainder of the army to us to deal with. Only for Aisling to finally run away after seeing his arrival, sending a flare of a rather dark colored ice all out around her in the process for some reason. Guess she isn¡¯t stupid, even if she¡¯s overconfident and rather easily angered. The sight of their leader abandoning them crushes what little morale remained of the army before they finally surrender, leading us to end our attacks. And just like that, the first battle of the war comes to a close. All because Aisling didn¡¯t know about nearly half a dozen trump cards Sean kept hidden from her. Not just her though. From me as well. I had no clue Rory was that powerful. Makes sense why she kept mentioning that they were hiding her capabilities during our trip. And the anti-magic field¡­ I¡¯m honestly more than a little curious about how the Byrne Clan managed to afford one. Because one of those things is worth about as much as a Beta Tier world. Then again, their financial situation isn¡¯t really a matter of my concern. So I don¡¯t really care much in the end. Although I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they only got it on loan. That would make it a lot cheaper. Anyways, I begin to dismiss my Death Spirits now that the fighting is coming to a close. The enemies currently still number around ten or so thousand strong despite having surrendered. Which likely will put a large strain on the Byrne Clan. But I¡¯m sure they have foolproof prisons to store them in, considering their advanced weaponry and all. Not likely as secure as the Gallagher or Nolan Clans, but still powerful. I watch the process of Sean rounding them all up for a few minutes before looking out over the horizon as the winter storm finally begins to subside and the snow starts to melt a little. The first step in the war is complete, but with Aisling¡¯s escape, the other armies no doubt know of our victory here. I wonder how that¡¯ll affect the board? B2 | Chapter 30 The Cliff Sean Byrne looks out from his place on the cliff as the spatial mages under his stallari¡¯s command teleport the prisoners of war to a fortress on the other side of the Byrne Clan territory. One sealed away with space magic so that they can¡¯t escape even if they were left there to their own devices without any guards. But despite the clear victory they managed here, Sean still feels regretful about how the battle went. He didn¡¯t realize that Aisling would be attacking the mountain fortress, even if he prepared countermeasures for it. The situation was still the worst-case scenario. His preferred outcome was for them to capture every last soldier and officer within the fourth hearth so that the other hearths would be caught unawares when they flank them. But with Aisling¡¯s escape, that isn¡¯t possible anymore. The enemy soldiers will know of their victory here. Although, one positive ta come outta this¡­ His gaze turns towards both the Horseman of the Apocalypse assisting them and the other lass. Both of whom are in positions that their identities can¡¯t really be exposed. This battle at least proved that Lady Violet could take on Aisling, at least temporarily. And it gained their resident Horseman some new powers from what he can see. He still finds it surprising to know that the beings she¡¯s summoning are Death Spirits. Since no one has ever summoned such weak Death Spirits before. The only Death Spirits that are ever summoned are at the very least Greater Death Spirits or above. Since no other Death Spirit should be capable of manifesting themselves in the mortal realm outside of the Plane of Death. Suppose tha lass isn¡¯t exactly normal ¡®erself¡­ When he first heard that the girl was the new Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death even, he instantly felt wary of her. Especially when he heard that she couldn¡¯t die. Because a Horseman who couldn¡¯t die? At all? It sounded like a nightmare placed directly in the universe. But when he actually saw the girl and realized how weak she was at this point in life, that wariness decreased. And it decreased even more when he started getting to know her better. By now he knows just how different she is from the other Horsemen. Sean has only met a single Horseman of the Apocalypse himself on a personal level, but he has still seen the other two in universal broadcasts and even through calls with Shirou. So he knows just how those three are. War ¨C the Horseman he has met personally ¨C cares about nothing more than battle. Fighting with others. Testing his strength. Dueling those he believes to be powerful. And stomping on all those who get in the way of this insane passion of his. As if they were ants beneath his feet that he didn¡¯t even believe were worth fighting against. The only reason War never declared war on Luk¡¯tar as a whole was because there were other worlds and powers that he could declare war on that were more interesting to him. Not to mention the man¡¯s own second in command convincing him that working with Luk¡¯tar would be more beneficial than taking them over. So after merely meeting with all six Clan Leaders of Luk¡¯tar without any battles occurring, he left again. But Sean will never forget his meeting with War that day. Not in his lifetime. Sean turns to look at the lass in question, just watching her as she sits at the edge of the other cliff opposite the one he¡¯s on with her legs swinging out over the edge. Meanwhile a largely indifferent look is plastered across her face while she watches the soldiers down below. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. But not a look of apathy. He can tell that she still cares about people¡¯s lives and respects them. It¡¯s more like she has just largely detached herself from it all. From killing. From war and battle. From pain, if what he¡¯s heard about the plans she has seen through so far on Luk¡¯tar is true. The only similarity she shares with the other Horsemen. That detachment from reality. Something he believes is a part of their status as Horsemen. Just something that comes with it so that they can deal with whatever ability or purpose they¡¯ve been given without going insane. It still surprises Sean that she isn¡¯t fully apathetic. He¡¯s seen the small prayer to the Plane of Death that she says to respect the dead that she¡¯s killed. And every time he sees it, he can¡¯t help but stop to watch. He just doesn¡¯t understand her very well while also does understand her. And it bothers him every time. Especially since the girl is so carefree more often than not, and has a rather large eccentric side to herself. A mixture of carefreeness and eccentricities that make him unable to see her as anything but a terrifying young child, not yet even a thirtieth of his own age. One who will outlive every single being in the universe. Who will never know the eternal peace that comes with death. Will never be able to end her own bloodshed until she¡¯s grown powerful enough to do so. An¡¯ that might take her tens of thousands of years ta accomplish¡­ At the end of the day, Sean feels a mixture of pity and sadness towards the girl. Eventually he lets out a sigh and turns his attention away from the girl to look at the horizon. The only path forward now is tha one I already laid out. We don¡¯t have very many options left. He lets out another sigh after this thought before just watching the full moon rising up into the sky, patiently waiting for his men to finish escorting the prisoners of war to their prison.
Aria I feel like the Clan Leader¡¯s been staring at me a lot while we¡¯ve been waiting for the soldiers to finish up down there and I don¡¯t know why. He finally turns away after a while though and doesn¡¯t look again, so I eventually just push the thought off as an oddity and nothing more as I continue swinging my legs below me. The mountain actually looks quite beautiful from up here. Especially with all of the snow melting under the moonlight of the full moon. I watch the melting snow for a while, still swinging my legs as I do so before eventually glancing down at my outfit. And frowning. Hmm. Maybe I should get more than one outfit. Because it¡¯s kind of weird to go around wearing the same thing everywhere I go. The Ethereal Screen enchantment on my current outfit isn¡¯t too expensive now that I have a lot of funds built up. And if I¡¯m being honest with myself, this isn¡¯t really my style of clothing. I tend to prefer simpler and more fitting clothes. Like pants and a shirt and jacket. Not an outfit like this one that has a lot of extra cloth and a long skirt and stuff. Even the uniform that I wore while sneaking into the Grand Tree was¡­ well¡­ ignoring the small chest area, it was a lot nicer of a style of clothing than this one in my taste. Actually, even a shorter skirt would be fine, so long as it¡¯s not dress length. Anything that would be easier to fight in. Honestly, the Dynasty¡¯s style of clothing is the complete opposite of the Grand Roan Empire¡¯s. The Dynasty has long, flowing, and very¡­ I don¡¯t know, not combat oriented. Meanwhile the Grand Roan Empire¡¯s got people walking around with way too little on. It also has guys wearing skirts for some reason. Although I have to admit, seeing the reactions of some of the guys in the military back on Vortel to that was rather amusing. As for the outfits on Luk¡¯tar? Well, they wouldn¡¯t fit me. Too small. But the outfits themselves are actually mostly armor. Because these lukians really love their armor. They¡¯re heavy outfits, often with padding and armor spread out through the outfits even if they¡¯re not meant to be used as armor. So not my style either. Too pointlessly heavy. And I don¡¯t need any extra defense. I continue watching the soldiers go about transporting the prisoners of war for a little bit before falling onto my back and staring up at the sky, uncaring that I¡¯m getting soaked by the melting snow. One way or another, this war won¡¯t last much longer. Whether it¡¯s our victory or theirs though is another matter. But in the end it doesn¡¯t matter too much for me. I just have to flee. Not like I can die. Although there are a few people I¡¯ve met during my time here that I would rather not die. Like the owner of the caf¨¦ in the capital. That lady was very kind to me. At this point I¡¯m just making it a goal to visit at least one caf¨¦ in every world I go to. Which makes me wonder how Luke is doing back on Vortel? I ponder over that for a few seconds before shaking my head and sitting up again. Maybe I should visit Vortel again after a couple decades. Before the old man dies at least. By then no one would likely expect me to come by, so it should be fine. My thoughts come to a halt when I feel a buzz from my phone, following which I take it out to find a message. Guess it¡¯s time to move out. B2 | Chapter 31 The Carrier Eamon Byrne lets out a sigh of relief as a message comes in from the stallari of the Byrne Clan¡¯s military. A sigh that has the other two council members standing on the bridge of the carrier with him sending him looks. He quickly answers their unasked questions with a simple, ¡°Tha plan in tha mountain fortress was mostly successful.¡± Both of the council members let out sighs as well, only to pause, with one of them asking, ¡°Mostly?¡± Eamon frowns at this but answers anyways, ¡°Aisling was leadin tha charge.¡± That crashes their previously brought up hopes as they begin to ponder over what sort of effects it could have on the war as a whole. But the blaring of a fog horn snaps them out of it, making them look out the window of the bridge, through the heavy rain and at the horizon. Where they soon spot enemy ships approaching. ¡°We need ta let tha Clan Leader worry ¡®bout them,¡± Eamon says, a frown on his face. ¡°Our priority is tha approachin forces.¡± Both of the other council members nod their head in agreement. Then all three of them rush out of the bridge, going into the rain outside as they each prepare their spells to support the carrier and the small fleet of ships surrounding them. The marine forces of the Byrne Clan have the greatest advantage of the four forces in this war belonging to the Clan. Simply due to a marine battle being largely focused on weaponry over personal levels and abilities. However, Eamon and the other council members make sure not to grow overconfident due to this. Since just because that¡¯s true, it doesn¡¯t mean Ability Holders can¡¯t turn the battle around on them. Especially if they¡¯re powerful enough. ¡°Begin tha defense!¡± Eamon shouts into the mic on his armor¡¯s collar, his words echoing into every radio and phone belonging to the forces on their side of the encroaching battle. We must win, otherwise the capital will be lost.
The Coastal Fortress Flachra Byrne smirks after hearing the message before immediately forwarding it to the other two council members serving at the coastal fortress, not taking her eyes off of the attacking ships. Meanwhile the cannons arming the fortress ¨C each enhanced with special magic to make them nigh impossible to destroy from the sea while arming them with shots that never miss ¨C fire endlessly at the ships. Each shot blows a hole in one of the opposing ships, and each one costs dozens upon dozens of lives. But the enemy ships aren¡¯t just taking the blows. They¡¯re all pushing to land on the shore, striking at the barrier with their ships while ignoring the fortress. All the way till they finally blow a hole through the barrier, letting them reach the surface. The other council members grow slightly tense at the part of the news about the Clan Leader of the Sullivan Clan being at the mountain fortress, but at the end of the day, it¡¯s good news, since the mountain fortress defeated their army. And because Flachra doesn¡¯t want to be overshadowed by the mountain fortress, especially since she¡¯s one of three Class S Ability Holders in the Byrne Clan, she covers herself and all of her forces in pure vital energy and jumps straight off of the fortress wall. She crosses clear above the waters before landing on one of the ships and slamming her fist into the deck, sending shockwaves through the ship and tearing it apart. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The council member then does this to four more ships before a loud thunderclap echoes through the ships, making her jump backwards right as a bolt of lightning strikes right where she was just standing. She turns to look at the source of the lightning bolt, only to find one of the Sullivan Clan¡¯s other Class S Ability Holders standing on the flagship of this fleet with an indifferent look on the man¡¯s face and a staff in his hand. Flachra¡¯s grin grows even wider at the sight of him. Let¡¯s get this raid started.
The Barrier Fortress Seadhna Byrne ¨C Sean Byrne¡¯s wife ¨C stands at the edge of the barrier fortress with her arms crossed and a pensive look on her face. She had gotten the message about the victory at the mountain fortress a day ago, at the same time as the other fortresses, but ever since then she hasn¡¯t been able to relax. And especially not after the third hearth retreated after having attacked the barrier fortress. Retreated not long after she got news of their victory at the mountain fortress. Currently the forces from the mountain fortress are stalled at the mountain fortress, and she¡¯s heard that her husband sent a scout into the Sullivan Clan¡¯s territory. One that also has a secondary job of sabotaging the enemy forces if possible. From what Seadhna has seen of the Horseman of the Apocalypse, she believes that sabotaging them shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem. But at the same time, she still finds it difficult to trust a Horseman. Regardless of how much help the Horseman has given them. Just from her and her husband¡¯s previous experience dealing with War. Even if she realizes that this Horseman is very different from him. Seadhna lets out a sigh, only for something in the corner of her vision to catch her eye. So she narrows her gaze at it for a few seconds, following which her eyes widen in both shock and fear. Then she pulls a remote from her pocket and presses a button on it, sending the alarm blaring through the fortress. Fuckin¡¯ hell! So that¡¯s their plan?! ¡®Attention all officers, enemy scout spotted near tha cliffs north of tha barrier!¡¯ she shouts into the communication ring on her finger through telepathy. After that she sends word to the other fortresses about the attack. I hope Sean gets here soon enough. The mountain fortress forces couldn¡¯t leave the mountain fortress without knowing exactly where the third hearth was located and what Aisling was planning. Because for all they knew, she could¡¯ve been planning to trick them into heading to the barrier fortress so that she could then assault the mountain fortress again. But it also left the mountain fortress forces stranded without being able to do much of anything. While also leaving the barrier forces tensely awaiting an assault. And if Seadhna¡¯s hypothesis is correct, then they¡¯re most likely going to pull repeated attacks, pulling out soon after each attack before reattacking again soon after. All to keep the mountain fortress¡¯s forces away and on guard for an attack at the mountains. Because even if they can guess that¡¯s what they¡¯re doing, they can¡¯t take the risk that they¡¯re planning a second attack on the fortress. ¡°Damnit,¡± she mutters while narrowing her eyes on the scout. ¡°All this shit cause o¡¯ that Clan Leader.¡±
Aria I¡¯m starting to wonder if I should just add sabotage to my nonexistent resume. Because at this point, I¡¯ve gone on more sabotage missions than I can remember. Or, at least, more than I can count on one hand. Which is not more than I can remember, but the saying sounds better, so¡­ This time Rory is joining me for the sabotage at least. So there¡¯s that. I kind of wonder what Shirogane is doing back in the capital right now though. My brows furrow as I imagine the guy just lying back, relaxing while we¡¯re out here fighting a war. Which I know is probably not true, but still. In all honesty, the man¡¯s probably out doing business right now. What with him being an Eight Star Merchant and all. While Rory and I march in silence to follow the trail of snow and ice marking a certain Clan Leader¡¯s escape, I play around with my soul fire. Just practicing it and seeing what it can do. I even try it on myself at one point during our trip. Then immediately decide never to do that again. Because it hurt. Bad. For some reason I get the feeling the soul fire burns the souls of anyone it burns. Not just their physical body. But I don¡¯t really have much to back that up. Other than the whole soul fire name, of course. I might ask the Clan Leader about burning souls after the war is over. Or at least after this campaign is over. Because I don¡¯t exactly know what it entails, or if it¡¯s even healable. I don¡¯t know if people are able to do it, what would happen if I burn someone¡¯s soul to a figurative crisp, or whether what I¡¯m even doing really is burning their soul. All I know is an instinctive feeling and the pain that I got when I burnt myself. Which was probably the worst pain I¡¯ve ever felt in my life. And that¡¯s sayin something considering the many different types of pain I¡¯ve experienced. My thoughts come to a halt when Rory raises her hand and whispers, ¡°They¡¯re near.¡± I immediately stop messing with my soul fire and tense up a little. Time to start the mission. B2 | Chapter 32 Aria What we end up finding after arriving at a cliff located several massive trees away from the hearth is pretty much what I was expecting. A force made up of about fifteen thousand. The survivors from their first attack on the barrier fortress with several thousand missing. Sean mentioned that he suspects the third hearth to have been split up into two forces. One stationed somewhere inside of their territory, ready to attack the mountain fortress should we go all in, and the other made up of most of their forces so that they can attack the barrier fortress with hit and run tactics. Something I realized about fortress sieges in this world is that they¡¯ve quite different from how they were before the System. Probably because some people are powerful enough to punch through a fortress wall that doesn¡¯t have enough defenses put up on it. So the main purpose of a siege defense now is to just plain keep the sieging force away from the wall for as long as possible. Mostly just pelting them with attacks from the wall. Which, overall, makes fortresses a lot less of a superior position than it was back on Vortel. After we scope out their numbers and situation a little bit more, Rory and I kneel down, hiding behind a bush as she whispers, ¡°Aria, go attack the soldiers waiting in the camp. I¡¯ll deal with the main forces.¡± I nod my head and quickly begin to carefully make my way around these main forces towards the direction I saw some of them coming from. And eventually I find what I¡¯m looking for. A largely barren basecamp with walls that were clearly built through earth magic. Temporary walls, movable tents, very little defenses, except for around the food storage and weapon¡¯s storage tents. Especially the weapon¡¯s storage tents. Probably because of the fact that they can¡¯t make more weapons. I purse my lips for a second before deciding that I don¡¯t have to die for this operation. A loud commotion rises from where I came from, along with the sight of purple and black mist rising into the sky and screams. Okay, definitely don¡¯t have to die for this operation. The soldiers in this basecamp all immediately rise to action, with many of them looking out over the walls at the mist. So I take advantage of this to make my way around to the other side of their camp before summoning around fifty or so Lesser Death Spirits and arming each with some explosives and a rifle. Because these fellas are actually smart enough to fire one unlike the Lesser Minor Death Spirits. Of course, I make the explosives grenades this time. Which aren¡¯t as powerful as the full on lukian explosive charges that they suicide bombed with before, but they¡¯re still quite strong. I don¡¯t want to waste their guns after all. Instead I summon a bunch of Lesser Minor Death Spirits along with them ¨C one hundred to be exact ¨C and I send them in with the charges. Because boom. Thankfully I have a lot of spare soul energy right now. All due to the first battle of the war, where around fifteen or so thousand enemy soldiers died, giving me a massive surplus of soul energy. Along with some devoured soul cores of the higher ups of the enemy officers who died. Soul cores I wasn¡¯t just gonna let get away since they were worth more than the ones I previously had. Right as all of the enemy forces are watching the Southwestern wall, I order all of the spirits to charge while hiding in a tree myself and just watching the show. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. None of the enemy forces are watching. At least until explosions begin to ring out, with screams along with them after my Lesser Death Spirits lob dozens of grenades over the walls, blowing up large portions of the soldiers within. Meanwhile some of the Lesser Minor Death Spirits directly run up to the walls and blow themselves up with the charges before regenerating and running straight into the walls. I merely watch from the tree as the soldiers all try to figure out what the hell they¡¯re supposed to do. Because from what I can see, my spirits actually managed to take out the leading officer amongst them in their first attacks. Probably because the leading officer of this hearth isn¡¯t at the basecamp and is instead with the main forces. One rather interesting thing about my powers, albeit sad from a certain perspective, is that I can pretty much fight infinitely in a war like this. Where my soul energy tank is just constantly being refilled by the dead and dying soldiers. It¡¯s interesting because it¡¯s very beneficial for me, but sad because I¡¯m not really sure how I feel about being made into a weapon again. One meant to spread death to all. But at the end of the day, I guess things are as they will be. I¡¯m me, and I do what I need to. And if I ever want a moment of peace, war is the way to go for now. Unless I just want to be captured while still weak and tortured for thousands of years. Until whoever is torturing me dies of old age. Which isn¡¯t what I¡¯d call a peaceful life. At the very least, explosions make for a quick death. So there¡¯s that. One of the reasons I like them so much. Little to no pain in dying to an explosion. Especially when you don¡¯t often realize you¡¯re gonna be blown up before exploding. I should know. Although I did feel the aftermath when regenerating from being blown up. Meanwhile I try to get all of my Lesser Death Spirits to fire on vital points. Mostly the brain, but the heart too. Kill them as quickly, painlessly, and efficiently as possible. All while I may or may not be listening to the System ring out in my head about the progress towards the next level rising. The numbers continue to rise as I watch from the tree with one leg hanging over the branch and the other held to my chest, with my chin sitting atop my knee and my hair just blowing in the wind. But eventually I¡¯m interrupted from my little break when some of the enemy soldiers, who had been running around like crazy trying to figure out how the hell to kill my Death Spirits, finally spot me and point me out to the other soldiers. Even then though, I just kinda continue ignoring them as they shoot me full of holes. Because they can¡¯t really hurt me, and they can¡¯t damage my outfit anymore. So why bother? That is, until some of their officers finally have a go at it, flying straight past my Death Spirits and punching me in the face. Literally, in one of their cases. A case that sends me flying out of my poor tree ¨C which ends up a sacrifice to the punch as well ¨C and into multiple other trees. I let out a sigh after landing and having everything finish regenerate. Then I climb back to my feet and pull out my lovely sword gun. Something I actually haven¡¯t had much opportunity to use since coming here. What with my increasingly frequent use of bombs. My nonchalant thought process begins to tighten up again when the enemy officers all begin to surround me though. Because I can¡¯t see a single one of their levels. Which isn¡¯t a good thing. ¡°You must be tha immortal,¡± one of the officers says, his gaze filled with hatred. And I don¡¯t really blame him for it. I¡¯d be upset back on Vortel if someone went around massacring my forces too. None of the others look particularly happy either, but only the first officer speaks. ¡°Tie her down and capture her,¡± the officer continues, the man having long black hair and surprisingly no beard while wearing a set of gray full plate armor. ¡°Destroy her head after that. And keep destroying her head every time it regenerates.¡± Interesting method to keep me contained. Probably¡¯ll work too, so long as they don¡¯t let the crimson energy build up. It¡¯s really the only way to stop those Death Spirits from rampaging amongst their forces. Oh, and speaking of Death Spirits, I summon several dozen more Lesser Death Spirits surrounding them, startling them with the sudden rifts in space opening. And frightening more than a few of them at the sight of what lies beyond the rifts. I tried before poking my hand into one of the rifts before the thing vanished, but found that nothing but the Death Spirit I¡¯m summoning can get inside. Which is unfortunate, since I kind of wanted to use it as an escape route if I could. Anyways, the officers all tense up around me. Meanwhile I take the safety off of my sword gun while shifting it to gun mode and grin. Time for the real battle to start. All while black and purple mist are still rising into the air from where Rory is, mixed with more than a few screams. B2 | Chapter 33 Aria The enemy officers quickly split up with three focusing on me and five on my Death Spirits. But since these officers are all far stronger than me physically, the ones attacking my Death Spirits quickly turn it into a game of repeatedly killing the spirits while avoiding soul energy enhanced attacks made by them. A couple of the enemy officers attempt to use their abilities, but one of them has a poison ability that both the Death Spirits and I all ignore. So they give up on that one rather quickly. Meanwhile another one uses some sort of gravity ability that makes it harder to move. Once again though, the Death Spirits kind of just ignore it. I focus on the three officers in front of me while trying specifically to stay out of their clutches for as long as I possibly can. Simply buying myself as much time as possible. Both for Rory to finish dealing with the main forces and to arrive as backup for me, and for my own Death Spirits to wipe out as many of the enemy forces as they can. But it¡¯s proving rather difficult when these officers are powerful enough to quite literally slap my head off of my neck. Which likely means they¡¯re probably a lot higher level than just their level 100s. From what I heard, merkismathr are generally in their level three hundreds to low four hundreds. And these officers all give me the same feeling the merkismathr from the Byrne Clan give off. Doesn¡¯t exactly bode well when I¡¯m being slapped around so fast that I¡¯m only just barely able to avoid being locked down. Simply through sheer overloading myself with soul energy to increase my physical capabilities as much as possible. Well, that and using some of my own explosive charges in suicide bombings just like my Death Spirits are doing every time they¡¯re about to lock me down. Because high level or not, no one wants to be in the middle of an explosion. Especially one caused by lukian explosives made by the Byrne Clan. And so the battle continues going round and round in circles. A seemingly never ending cycle of I struggle to avoid them, they finally begin to corner me, then I blow myself up to make them back away while damaging them a little bit before they heal up again. Rinse and repeat. I try to focus on their healer at some points during the battle, but no matter what I do, the others defend her. So I eventually just give up on that, deciding to play a waiting game. Since they¡¯re using up all of their mana while I have a nearly infinite resource of soul energy in the form of both the dying here and in the main battlefield where Rory is killing off the rest of the forces. Even if I only manage to devour the soul energy of a portion of those dying there, the distance between us proving to slow down the process enough that I don¡¯t manage to get everyone before they leave to the void. But over the course of half an hour, I find myself slowly running out of explosives. Which isn¡¯t good. The officers seem to realize that I don¡¯t have an infinite amount of explosives, which should be obvious, and continue keeping up their onslaught without any hints of stopping. Meanwhile the other officers continue to attack my Death Spirits around us. But even that doesn¡¯t last for much longer, since the Death Spirits I sent to attack the basecamp itself are finally out of explosives. And at this point they¡¯re doing nothing but irritating the remaining quarter or so of the enemy forces. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I grit my teeth as I find myself being slammed by a spike of earth, sending me flying through the air to slam into a mountain. Only to find that I¡¯m out of explosives now when I try to reach for one. The enemy officers pause for a second, seemingly waiting for me to blow myself up, before they move in closer with satisfied looks on their faces. ¡°Ya out of yer charges, merc?¡± the same officer who first spoke says, more as a statement than a question despite the wording. ¡°Then let¡¯s get down ta it.¡± I open my mouth to speak, only for everything to go dark. Once consciousness returns to me, I find that I¡¯m still pinned to the mountain without the enemies having really moved much. Which seems to surprise them. One thing they didn¡¯t really think much about most likely is that this long battle has given me adaptations to all of their attacks. They all look confused about it before trying again, making my vision go dark again. Before it returns and they repeat the process several times. Eventually they stop doing it and begin speaking amongst themselves, trying to figure out what¡¯s going on as I finally get a chance to actually think. Since even I can¡¯t exactly think without a head. I scowl at them but don¡¯t say anything. Their only chance to actually make this plan of theirs work is to have some of the other officers who haven¡¯t attacked me yet with their abilities destroy my head. And it would only work for a limited amount of time. Meanwhile crimson energy is starting to build up around my impaled chest, slowly whittling away at the stake of earth impaling me. All of the officers keep trying to come up with ideas on what to do as the energy continues building up. Until one of the other officers walks over after having finally dealt with my Death Spirits. An officer who quickly coats his fist with magma and slams it down on my face, crushing my head and making things go dark again. When my vision returns once more, I find them having started setting up some sort of stretcher in front of the long spike of stone. One with a bunch of different restraints on it. Then an idea comes to mind. Up till now in the battle, I haven¡¯t had the chance to use my soul fire against them. Because every time I tried using it, they¡¯d avoid it like the plague after the first hit led to the man being touched by it letting out a scream, even if the attack didn¡¯t really look like it did all that much damage. So right when I see that magma-coated fist approaching my head again, I cover my head in so much soul fire that it gets uncomfortable for even me. And when the man¡¯s fist slams into my head, the last thing I hear before everything goes dark again is someone screaming rather loudly. After consciousness returns to me again, I find that same guy lying on the ground with strange crimson lines stretching across his fist as he kneels on the ground gritting his teeth in pain and anger. Lines that look kind of like cracks. Interesting. The enemies all look a little surprised at my recovery, probably because I recovered faster this time no doubt. I glance down at the crimson energy building up around my chest ¨C something they¡¯re finally starting to notice now as well ¨C before closing my eyes and focusing on summoning a Lesser Death Spirit far enough away that it manages to escape and run towards Rory. Only way I can tell her how things are going. At this point the officers all look wary of attacking me directly as the guy from before just raises his other fist and sends a large bolt of magma straight at my head, once again making me lose consciousness. And also once again, I regain consciousness before long. Surprising them again. They all begin muttering amongst themselves, some of them even speculating correctly about what my ability is. In terms of the adaptation part of it. But before they can come to any sorts of conclusions, I finally break free of the spike of stone, twisting my body to snap the last of it left behind by the growing crimson energy. And without hesitation, I grab ahold of all of the crimson energy and send it out in a flare of light around me meant to blind them all. Then I run, summoning a dozen more Death Spirits around me as a distraction while enhancing my body as much as possible. I manage to make it over a dozen meters before I feel something hitting the back of my head, making my consciousness go dark again. But before that, I make sure to send a request for reinforcements from the base through my communication ring they gave me for the mission. When consciousness returns, I find myself feeling some pain along with a very familiar uncomfortable sensation, so I look to find that my body has been cut into over a dozen pieces. Huh. Well, this is annoying. B2 | Chapter 34 The Main Battlefield Rory swears to herself as she continues slaughtering the masses of enemy soldiers, wondering why the hell these idiots won¡¯t just give up. Since they¡¯ve already lost over eighty percent of their forces by now. She¡¯s tempted to just turn around and leave, but she¡¯s not even sure if she¡¯ll manage to do that. At this point, she¡¯s used up a large majority of her mana. Even after drinking a single mana potion. A precious item that ¨C unless someone wants mana poisoning ¨C can only be drunk once a day. But there¡¯s still almost four thousand soldiers remaining. Poisoned and sluggish soldiers, but soldiers nonetheless. Rory quickly backs away as the attacks of several of the soldiers land right in front of her. Each one using either an ability or a stronger weapon that would harm her. Despite her significant level advantage over each of them. And it¡¯s only now, after her centuries of life, that she finally truly understands what her father is always trying to drill into her. That a high level person¡¯s greatest threat isn¡¯t another high level person. It¡¯s the numbers game. Every last bullet by the time she¡¯s largely running low on mana is a threat to her life now that she can¡¯t defend herself well. Every grenade. Every wave of flame from the flamethrowers. And if she hadn¡¯t focused on taking out the artillery right away, then those would be an even bigger issue. But she took care of them, so they¡¯re not a problem anymore. Rory pants in exhaustion while trying to look for a way out, having already sent a request for reinforcement. Only to block another round of fire with a solidified wall of poison before spotting one of those strange creatures Aria summons waving at her from beyond the enemies. And not long after that she spots a request for aid from her sent to the Clan Leader. Guess she¡¯s not having a good time either. Her thoughts grind to a halt when she spots a wave of shadows suddenly appearing out of the corner of her eye. And she almost gets hit due to the distraction, only barely managing to avoid another wave of rockets fired off by a rocket launcher. But she doesn¡¯t take her attention away from the direction of the shadows that are currently manifesting into a person nearly a kilometer away from the battlefield. A person she recognizes as the second Class S of the Sullivan Clan. The man can be seen wearing a full black outfit seemingly made out of leather. An outfit similar to clothing she¡¯s seen on some people in the Rex Dynasty, clearly marking out the man¡¯s origins before he was expelled from the Dynasty and hired by the Sullivan Clan all those centuries ago. With the leather being a sleek black, a little tight fitting, and with a jacket on over a black shirt and black pants. One with a hood. Arlan Annul raises a single eyebrow at Rory as he stands with his hands in his jacket pockets and a laid back posture without seemingly preparing to move. But despite that, he vanishes from place as the shadows beneath him swallow him up before he reappears several meters in front of Rory, making all of the soldiers quickly back away. Almost as if his very presence made them feel relaxed and no longer worried about her. Most of the soldiers even move far enough away that they begin to relax a little while taking care of their wounded. Which number most of them. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Rory quickly uses her communication ring to warn the Clan Leader about this development. Because if he¡¯s here, then Aisling isn¡¯t. Meaning she¡¯s most likely planning on attacking one of the fortresses. ¡°Hah, little Lady Violet, I really was not expecting to find you here,¡± Arlan says while tilting his head a little, not even taking his hands out of his pockets. ¡°What¡¯re you doing here? You know the Empire¡¯s lookin for you everywhere, right?¡± Rory grits her teeth at the man¡¯s clear knowledge of her background. But she can¡¯t return home. Not just yet. After seeing that she isn¡¯t responding, Arlan lets out a sigh and lowers his head to his shoulder before he mutters into a microphone that Rory hadn¡¯t noticed before pinned to his collar, ¡°Go ahead and activate it.¡± Rory grows tense at that, only to find her body suddenly growing hot starting from her chest. Then the heat grows into a burning sensation that¡¯s so powerful it forces her to her knees. ¡°We won¡¯t kill you,¡± he says while taking slow and lethargic steps towards her. ¡°We don¡¯t want another war after all. But we will be taking you in and giving you back to the Empire.¡± He stops walking a few feet in front of her. ¡°Can¡¯t let you interfere with the war after all.¡± Shit¡­ Rory slowly feels the edges of her vision going dark, but then, out of nowhere, a warm sensation flows through her body, wiping out the flames and all of her pain. And the sudden shift is so bizarre that she stumbles before frowning and looking backwards to find someone wearing a red cloak standing with their hand on her back. But then the figure ¨C whose face is covered by a black mask so that she can¡¯t see anything about them ¨C stands up straight and vanishes in a purple flash of light. She turns to look, only to find them standing in front of Arlan, startling the man. Then a staring contest ensues between the two for several seconds, both of them obviously having a telepathic conversation judging by Arlan¡¯s shifting facial expressions. And after a few minutes pass in silence, Arlan lets out a sigh and mutters, ¡°Fine.¡± Without saying a word to Rory, he turns around and vanishes in shadows again. Following which the red figure turns around, finally giving Rory a clear sight of the cloak they¡¯re wearing. A cloak she very clearly recognizes as one belonging to the Crimson Empire. The cloak covers their entire form and obscures their figure with magic, making it impossible to even tell if they¡¯re male or female. ¡°Who are you?¡± Rory asks with a frown. ¡°Why did you help me?¡± My family doesn¡¯t have any ties to the Crimson Empire¡­ so why would they help? Her thoughts come to a halt when the Crimson Empire denizen simply raises an arm and points in the direction of the basecamp that Aria is attacking. Then words written out of crimson lightning appear in the air right in front of the Crimson Empire denizen. Save Death and we¡¯re even. Don¡¯t say a word about our intervention. Rory blinks at that. Our? Then she finally notices that the entire remaining forces of the army around them have all just dropped dead, with each one occasionally twitching with red electricity running through their body. Rory stares in silence before suddenly snapping out of it and nodding her head at the Crimson Empire denizen. And without any further hesitation, she rushes straight towards the base camp to go save Aria. But when she arrives, she finds a sight that makes her feel rather conflicted. Part of her wants to laugh at the sight of the officers struggling rather hard to figure out how to contain Aria, who according to them keeps breaking out of any sort of containment they try. Whether it¡¯s through burning through whatever constraints with fire, blowing up containment areas after biting off her own tongue over and over again to build up that energy of hers, or blowing up entire vehicles when they try to separate her body into dozens of segments. And another part of Rory feels instant rage at the sight of the girl she¡¯s come to view of like a younger sister despite their limited interactions being treated like this. So she quickly spreads her poisonous mist around, surprisingly finding that her mana was restored by the Crimson Empire denizen, and kills off the surviving soldiers while intoxicating the officers. Since their mission requires them to capture some of the officers leading the forces. Of course, she accidentally kills half of them. Particularly the ones she saw cutting Aria apart. But what hurts her almost as much as the sight of what they were doing to her is how Aria looks at her afterwards. As if nothing had happened. Like she was completely used to all of that. Rory grits her teeth while freeing Aria from the last of the constraints she was previously trying to break out of. Then Rory moves in to hug the much younger girl, startling her in the process. I know I shouldn¡¯t think of her like this, but she¡­ really does remind me of little Aurora¡­ The Class S Ability Holder feels some tears leaking out of her eyes at the thought of her sister. All while Aria looks around with more than a little bewilderment on her face, clearly not understanding what¡¯s happening. B2 | Story Art Sorry about the canceled post yesterday. And the only one post today. Starting to get more busy in terms of my college semester. Specifically my project for Senior Design. Anyways, now for the story art: First up, a piece of art you''ve all seen already if you looked at a previous chapter, when Aria is wearing an Atlantis uniform: Then there is art from two scenes that haven''t been shown in the story yet although some have been shown in story art posts: Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. And you saw Aria thinking about getting new outfits, so here are two of the outfits she ends up getting amongst several: B2 | Chapter 35 Aria Okay, I¡¯m stumped. What¡¯s happening? I just kinda stand here as Rory hugs me, squeezing me so hard that my bones are popping and actually making some unnatural sounding creaking noises. Which I¡¯ve gotta say, isn¡¯t that comfortable. Doesn¡¯t help that she¡¯s taller than me too, so it¡¯s rather smothering. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll grow taller one of these days though. Probably. Maybe. At least, in my dreams I will. Then again, at least I¡¯m taller than the lukians. I pat Rory on the shoulder in an attempt to get her to let go, only for her to squeeze me even tighter. ¡°Um, Rory,¡± I barely manage to force out into her chest, ¡°lemme go please?¡± That finally snaps her out of it as she lets go of me and takes a step back rather quickly before awkwardly apologizing, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! It¡¯s just¡­¡± I raise a hand, stopping her. Then I say, ¡°No need. We need to report back to the Clan Leader.¡± No idea what that was about, but it¡¯s probably for the best that I don¡¯t get in the middle of it. Wouldn¡¯t want to grow attached to her or anything after all. She looks surprised for a second before returning to her usual composed self and saying, ¡°Right.¡± And immediately activating her communication ring to talk with Sean. Her face takes a dark turn right after that though, and she quickly turns to me to say, ¡°Sean and Aisling are fighting right now. Right outside the mountain fortress.¡± Oh. Shit. After a brief pause, Rory tells me, ¡°Go to the barrier fortress and tell them about our success here. Get them to teleport you to the coastal fortress so you can help them. I¡¯ll go take these captives with me and back up the Clan Leader.¡± I quickly nod my head and begin to run off in the direction of the barrier fortress. A place that isn¡¯t too difficult to spot considering the bright beacon shining high above it even from this far away. ¡°Good luck!¡± I shout back at her while still running. And while I¡¯m at the barrier fortress, I should go ahead and stock up on more explosives. Because boom.
The Mountains in front of the Mountain Fortress Aisling grits her teeth as she covers her face, blocking it from the onslaught of dust, ice, and debris flying around after her and the Byrne Clan Leader¡¯s attacks both collide midair between them. His being a massive boulder filled to the brim with the pure concept of explosions, hers being a wave of ice. One of the reasons she¡¯s always hated Sean Byrne was that his particular ability was too similar to her own. And now, during her fight with him, she¡¯s feeling that more than ever. Every explosion he creates counters her ice. Every attack. And the mountains around them show the clear result of this, having been torn apart and frozen. At one point Aisling attempted to drive them both closer to the mountain fortress, but that plan failed when the barrier was altered again to block them. Making it hard for her to press further without focusing her attention on breaking the barrier. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The two continue to clash, destroying more and more of the mountains. But each and every time, the Byrne Clan leader comes out on top, even with her small level advantage over him. Eventually she realizes that she¡¯s fighting a losing battle, so she uses her communication ring to reach out to the merkismathr in charge of the forces she placed within her own territory to act as bait for the Class S poison Ability Holder and the immortal. Only for her to feel shocked when she gets absolutely no reception. Meaning that the wearer of the ring sharing the frequency is no longer amongst the living. Shit. She quickly reaches out to another higher ranking officer amongst those positioned there, only to get the same reaction. And after trying three more and getting the same reaction from them, she begins to panic. So she finally tries to contact the outsider of their Clan. Someone she always tries to avoid talking to out of sheer distrust. Aisling quickly feels relief when the connection establishes as she defends against several more exploding boulders using large walls of ice. But all the man on the other side of the connection says before cutting the connection again is a simple, ¡®Sorry lady, but I¡¯m resigning from the Sullivan Clan. I wish you luck in your war.¡¯ A wave of ice bursts out all around her as she lets out a scream of anger, reacting instantly to the bastard¡¯s words. Meanwhile Sean Byrne backs away, surprised by the sudden outburst, only for the man to grin, clearly understanding something she doesn¡¯t. ¡°Why is everything endin¡¯ up like this?!¡± Aisling screams into the air while spreading her arms out on both sides of her and sending the winter storm further and further into the mountains, freezing absolutely everything around her as she continues to scream. ¡°Why?! Just why?!¡± The traitor never told her what happened with the ambush. All of her officers appear to be dead. And Sean¡¯s ability is proving to be too strong for her to handle, even though she brought items to help and managed to pass him in levels and grab another skill. Sean protects himself through a series of explosions repeatedly firing off in an arc in front of him, blocking back the ice. Which only further sets off Aisling¡¯s anger. But this time, she just starts laughing before pulling out a potion that she was given through a bargain with the Keane Clan long ago. One that she has always saved as a last resort. ¡°I will fuckin¡¯ TAKE THIS FORTRESS!!¡± she shouts, her voice almost growing hoarse with her words¡¯ volume before she downs the glowing blue potion. And immediately after that, she feels her mana pool filling up and then stretching further and further, past what her mana pool¡¯s current maximum capacity would be. At the same time, her ability begins to grow stronger and stronger. Snow and ice runs rampant, tearing apart the mountains all around her. Meanwhile she sees Sean finally beginning to strain in the process of holding her attacks at bay. Then she slowly begins to push forwards, forcing him back, closer and closer to the barrier. And soon enough, the barrier itself begins to freeze and shatter as well, letting the edges of the storm finally close in on the fortress walls. Right when victory is within her grasp though, a wave of poisonous mist shoots out of nowhere, blocking her ice entirely. Both Aisling and Sean turn to find the poison Ability Holder grinning as she floats up in the sky above a cloud of black poison. And Aisling immediately understands that she¡¯s lost this round. Even with her Supercharge Potion, she doesn¡¯t stand a chance against both of them in a two on one fight. Not to mention that if the poison Ability Holder is here, and her officers aren¡¯t responding, it likely means that her forces on standby ambushing them were all defeated somehow. Which largely rules out the entire purpose of this attack in the first place. Everything that Aisling had been planning quickly begins to fall apart as she grits her teeth and uses the temporary boost from the Supercharge Potion to retreat. The one thing she actually manages to do today. Even after exiting the mountains, she doesn¡¯t stop until she arrives at the basecamp where the soldiers are. And when she does, she finds every last soldier currently there dead, with quite a few missing as well. No doubt taken away by the poison Ability Holder before the woman joined her battle with Sean. The majority of the soldiers at the basecamp look to her to have been killed through explosives or gunfire, but a good few were killed by poison as well. After checking the basecamp, she moves on to the majority of the forces, of which she finds just as dead just a couple klicks away from the basecamp. Most of which were killed by poison, but she finds something curious with the rest of them. Because they were killed by some sort of crimson electricity. What tha¡­ is there someone with an ability like that on Sean¡¯s side? I don¡¯t remember one¡­ She continues searching the battlefield, but no matter how hard she searches, there¡¯s nothing there telling her what happened. Nor are there even any signs that the traitor even so much as entered the battle. After realizing that, Aisling quickly gets into contact with the council members leading the first and second hearths and gives them an order she never expected to give during this war. ¡®Retreat,¡¯ she tells them, a grimace fully covering her face. And despite their complaints, she closes the connection right afterwards. Then she lets out a hoarse scream and drops to her knees, slamming her fists onto the ground and freezing everything around her. Unable to hold it in any longer. B2 | Chapter 36 Aria Unfortunately, by the time I make it to the coastal fortress, the enemies have already withdrawn. Which leaves me feeling rather awkward as I stand amongst the council members as they give out orders. From what I hear, it sounds like the Byrne Clan forces were actually losing here. Meanwhile the forces on the waters were about even. In a deadlock. Of course, the third hearth had pulled back from the barrier fortress, and the barrier fortress had the barrier set up. So they ended up just barely winning against the barrier fortress forces, even if they didn¡¯t manage to break the barrier¡¯s core. Which was probably the goal of their assault in the first place there. And the fourth hearth is currently spending a nice vacation inside of a jail cell. All in all, it sounds like the war has brought things down to a much more even level. In terms of forces. So the war isn¡¯t over just yet. Flachra Byrne ¨C a rather large albeit short woman who happens to be the commander at this fortress and seems to have taken a shine to me for some reason ¨C told me that she estimates the enemies to have around thirty-nine or so thousand soldiers left. Meanwhile our own forces are estimated to be a total of thirty-eight thousand remaining. Of course, that¡¯s thirty-nine thousand of their soldiers that they still have under their control, since we captured quite the number of enemy soldiers before they were made prisoners of war. Meanwhile on our side, the enemies didn¡¯t manage to capture a single soldier. Not even a single thrall. Which is good on the political side of things, since it means they don¡¯t have anything to hold over the Clan Leader¡¯s head. Although I¡¯m sure the Clan Leader must be grieving over his lost men. He certainly looked like he was in a bad mood. Despite the fact that we did come out of this on top, even if they still have just a small amount more forces than we have. Simply because we¡¯re the defenders. We have better weaponry. And they used up quite a bit of their weapons during the assaults, which doesn¡¯t leave them with all that much afterwards. So while they may have a small amount more forces than we do, they¡¯re by no means in the high ground in this war. I let out a sigh before leaving the meeting room where the council members are. Then I head out to the walls of the fortress, where I sit down on the edge of the wall overlooking the ocean with my legs hanging out over the side. Right now, if it weren¡¯t for the Class S Ability Holder situation, the war would be looking pretty even. But since our Class S Ability Holders outnumber theirs, things are different. Although right now all of the Class S Ability Holders are pretty much out of commission. Sean taxed himself defending the base from Aisling¡¯s rampage. He also says Aisling will be out of commission for a while due to using some sort of supercharge potion that grants enormous benefits at a cost. Rory herself collapsed soon after helping Sean send Aisling running, her arms freezing in some sort of black ice that the healers mentioned was probably some sort of delayed skill used by Aisling in their previous battle. Very delayed considering that she had undergone an entire battle after that. Despite Flachra¡¯s participation in the meeting down there, she¡¯s sitting there with two broken arms and a broken leg in a wheelchair, having gone all out against the Class S mage that the Sullivan Clan has. Even if she managed to beat him and actually capture the guy. And apparently, according to Rory who won¡¯t say how this happened, the third Class S of the Sullivan Clan decided to simply leave their Clan and the war behind. Although she had some weird shivering problem when she was talking about it. Like she was gonna say something else but changed at the last minute. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Which was rather weird. I let out a sigh while lying down on my back, my legs still dangling over the edge of the wall. All of this leaves the last Class S on the Byrne Clan¡¯s side, not including myself. A Class S who won¡¯t be fighting since he¡¯s a healer. And it¡¯ll take months for everyone to return to their full health and be ready to fight again. Especially Rory, who is still in critical condition because of that black ice. So at the end of the day, I can see this war lasting for at least a year or two longer despite the results of this battle. Both sides are bound to take things slow now after so many critical losses. And the Byrne Clan really isn¡¯t in the position to go on the offensive. Not until our Class S Ability Holders are put back onto the board again. Well, one way or another, I¡¯m contracted for two years. So I¡¯ll just see how things go as they go. My thoughts come to a halt when I feel a connection establishing through my communication ring ¨C the one they gave me after the battle. ¡®Aria, ya will have another week off ta recover or hunt before yer next mission will begin,¡¯ Sean immediately says, not even so much as saying hello. Oh. Nice. More hunting time. ¡®Understood,¡¯ I respond, short and simple. Then the connection fades again, leaving me staring up at the sky ¨C one that still has some smoke from the battle ¨C before I sigh again. I have to wonder¡­ why all the bloodshed? They do realize that the most likely result of all of these battles is going to be the same no matter what? That it all really just depends on the whims of the Gallagher Clan? After all, if they call War here, everything is over. None of the Clans stand a chance against War. The only thing stopping them from doing that right now is the fact that War would no doubt subordinate them just like the other Clans, giving all of the Clans the same treatment. Treating them as nothing but pawns to create weapons for him to further expand his eternal conquest. At least, that¡¯s what the internet makes him sound like he would do. I¡¯ve never met him, so I don¡¯t know what he¡¯d do exactly. Although, now that I think about it¡­ would Shirou stand up for the Byrne Clan against War? I guess I could see him taking in the Byrne Clan if War is called. I can¡¯t see him helping them in a war though. He just doesn¡¯t do that sort of thing. But helping take them in would be a massive benefit to him. Actually, yeah, I can easily see him doing that. Sean would never capitulate to falling under his control just due to another Clan¡¯s attack though, which is why he¡¯s helping indirectly with this attack. But for War¡­ My eyes widen as I think I finally understand what Shirou is trying to do. Damn, that guy has to have some sort of premonition power¡­ He makes a deal with the Byrne Clan setting me up with them, getting in both our favors. I help them win the war. Then War comes and they¡¯re forced into a corner before they finally decide to join the Dynasty, entering Eternus and abandoning Luk¡¯tar. All because they think of Shirou a bit more favorably because he helped them with the last war. Of course, I could be wrong about all of that, but I doubt it. Even if Shirou¡¯s helping his friend to help his friend, I know he¡¯s thinking about the benefits too. It¡¯s just who he is as I¡¯ve come to understand him. I let out a sigh at that thought before sitting up and then climbing to my feet. Well, whatever. None of that is really my problem. What is my problem right now though is finding a spatial mage to send me back to the Grand Tree for some more hunting. Because I¡¯m not traveling that far and back during a single week. It would waste most of the hunting time I was just given.
The Byrne Clan Capital Arlan appears in a wave of shadows inside of the Gate immigration building, uncaring about the alarms he sets off as the guards spill into the room. Then the shadows cover him again and he reappears in front of the Gate itself. He glances at the guards with a laid back expression on his face before waving at them with a single hand, his other hand still in his pocket, and walking through the Gate, entering the Eternal Dynasty. And just as quickly as he appears, he is covered by another wave of shadows and teleports out of the immigration building, using his pass with the Eternal Dynasty allowing him access to every Gate on the planet to bypass any alarms. Then he proceeds to teleport through the Gate district until he arrives at one Gate in particular. The Gate leading to the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. Which is also the least busy Gate out of all of the Gates in the district, with the only people passing through being merchants dealing with the Dynasty. Arlan pauses in front of the immigration building as he thinks of the words the Crimson Empire¡¯s denizen told him. And after only a brief hesitation, he lets out a sigh and passes normally through the immigration building, and then through the Gate. Entering the capital world of the Dynasty, Rex. Guess I¡¯m going home sooner than I thought. B2 | Chapter 37 Aria One year later Okay, so, I have to wonder. Just why does this bird have full eggs in here? I just can¡¯t figure it out. Do birds swallow eggs whole? Or is it somehow incubating eggs in its own stomach? I ponder over this pointlessly random detail as I float in the bird¡¯s stomach acid, ignoring the fact that it¡¯s kind of melting my skin without damaging my outfit at all. An outfit that I managed to purchase during the last year. One of many. This one being my favorite. The outfit itself is kind of similar to the Atlantean uniform that I wore a while back in style. White and blue. With a bit of an aquatic feel to it. It also has pants with a jacket over a shirt for the exact outfit. And of course, with my red jewel in the collar. Overall, a lot more comfortable than my original outfit. And it feels more me. Also actually fits me unlike the Atlantean uniform. But putting aside my favorite outfit, I do wonder just how long it¡¯ll take to build up enough death energy ¨C which is what I later on found out was the crimson energy I let off when hurt ¨C to blast my way out of this stomach. From what I have learned over the past year, I seem to make more and more death energy with every time I get hurt. Every time something dies around me. And every time I burn soul energy. Although I have absolutely no use for the death energy other than the death energy I emit when hurt. I almost let out a yawn as I continue just floating in the stomach acid, letting the death energy grow more and more turbulent. But that would be disgusting. Because I¡¯m in a stomach right now. And stomachs aren¡¯t exactly filled with tasty treats. Unless the stomach belongs to someone who just had tasty treats, but that¡¯s beside the point. It just wouldn¡¯t be pleasant for some of the stuff or even the smell in here to get in my mouth. Out of boredom, I open up my status. Possibly for the first time in months.
Name: Aria Crimson
Class: Harbinger of Death
Ability: True Immortality
Level: 15
I feel very conflicted about seeing that level fifteen there. Because I asked Shirou about checking in on my old team from Vortel and he said that they were already around level thirty-six on average. But I¡¯m not even half their level. But at the same time, considering that getting to level fifteen from level fourteen required me to kill fifty thousand beings¡­ it certainly was a¡­ well¡­ yeah. A thing. Lots of trees sacrificed. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. And I may or may not have flooded the wood market to a depressingly large degree on this planet, judging from how cheap the wood has become here. Or at least, in the Byrne Clan. I let out a sigh. Without opening my mouth, of course. At least the war is finally starting to move forwards a little. What with Rory finally recovering fully from that black ice incident. And it¡¯s not just her, but Sean is fully recovered as well, and so is the enemy Clan Leader. The war itself didn¡¯t really change much in the past year though. Mostly just random skirmishes here and there in the Sullivan Clan¡¯s attempt to bait the Byrne Clan¡¯s forces out. The Byrne Clan couldn¡¯t exactly go on the assault considering that our greatest position is in our Class S Ability Holders and the Clan¡¯s defensive capabilities. And the Sullivan Clan wouldn¡¯t risk attacking either. So I¡¯ve spent a lot of time in the Grand Tree. My thoughts pause for a moment as the death energy around me finally begins to grow turbulent enough that it¡¯s zapping part of the walls of the stomach I¡¯m in, clearly making the birdie uncomfortable in the process. Then I continue to ponder over what my life has become. At this point I kind of just want to ditch this war and move on. But I¡¯m stuck here for another several months or so. Until the two year contract ends. Even if the war ends before that. I think I¡¯ll actually make Atlantis my next stop. It seems like a nice place to go to. After I spend a while leveling in the Grand Trees here, of course. When I¡¯m not busy with war. Plus a certain caf¨¦ owner prince has invited me more than once to go visit his caf¨¦ on Atlantis. Because the guy apparently wants to have a caf¨¦ in every world he visits. And who would I be to turn down his request? The stomach acid and stomach walls around me finally begin to convulse a little with the stomach acid and whatever other contents it has in the stomach swish back and forth. Then it begins the process of throwing up, shooting me back through its body and out its throat and mouth to land in a splash on a large pond within the fifth tier of the tree. And right after landing, I let out a grunt and stand back up while awkwardly flicking the stomach juices off of my hands. Gross. I turn to look at the birdie ¨C a creature the size of a house with eagle wings, black feathers with a few streaks of yellow, and rather frightened eyes right now ¨C only for it to fly away in terror. Meanwhile the death energy covering my body finally begins to calm down. Albeit not without destroying my immediate surroundings. Stupid bird. I would¡¯ve used a grenade in you if I still had one left. Too bad the Byrne Clan is currently in a shortage of grenades and explosives. A mysterious one whose responsibility is unknown. Yep. No idea whose fault it is. Either way, they decided to only give me explosives for my battles fighting for them. Not my treks into the Grand Tree. A pity. Well, whatever. I should probably head to the first tier now. I¡¯ve already gotten plenty of resources from the fifth tier for coin, so there¡¯s no reason to stay here any longer. The first tier is better since it has a lot of mana creatures and trees for me to kill for my purpose. Higher tiers are harder to level through even if the stuff in them is worth a hell of a lot more coin. I finally let out a yawn, only to instantly regret it as I realize that I still have quite a bit of that stomach juices on me, making me gag at the grossness of it entering my mouth. Yuck. The worst torture. Torturing my taste buds. I make my way through the rather large nest I find myself in ¨C belonging to the birdie after it swallowed me and brought me here no doubt ¨C before stopping at the edge of the nest. Which I quickly find to be located on a random branch of the Grand Tree. Then I look down to find the city and the station a long fucking way down. Right as I¡¯m about to jump though, I get a connection through my communication ring from the Clan Leader, ¡®Lady Death, please return to the barrier fortress as a meeting will soon occur to decide the future of this war.¡¯ Oh. Well, that¡¯s happening sooner than I expected. Not an unwelcome surprise though. On that note, I take a step forwards and begin falling straight through the sky. And the only alteration in my fall I make sure to make is to be certain that I don¡¯t land on someone¡¯s head. Because the time I did that before was¡­ awkward. Even if they were one of the council members and were strong enough to just kinda shake it off. Although they¡¯ve suspiciously avoided me ever since I pretty much turned into a paste on them. I wonder why? Well, their odd avoidance of me aside, I also adjust my trajectory to land within the space between the station and the tree. Because that¡¯s the only way I can trade in my loot. The bright side is that this cleans me up whenever I end up in a stomach like that birdie. And with that lovely thought, I turn into a paste on the ground again before nigh instantly reforming again, my body having fully adapted to this by now. Without a single speck of that bird¡¯s stomach juices on me anymore. It¡¯s turned into a pretty good method for cleaning myself, even if it makes people look at me weirdly. I quickly begin to walk towards the station before trading my loot in for coin and continuing on past it towards the city. Well, time to see what the Clan Leader has up his sleeve. B2 | Chapter 38 Aria ¡°We¡¯re goin¡¯ all out an¡¯ endin tha war in one week,¡± Sean says the moment the meeting starts, making silence fill the meeting hall. A silence he quickly breaks as he continues, ¡°We¡¯ve been fightin a faulty war with tha bastards for over a year now, an¡¯ I¡¯m getting sick o¡¯ it. So let¡¯s finish this in one more assault.¡± Huh. Very interesting. Everyone in the room ¨C which includes each one of the council members along with the stallari, Rory, myself, and Shirogane, with the council member who is still avoiding me sitting on the opposite side of the room ¨C looks contemplative about his words. But none of them say anything, simply giving the Clan Leader time to continue. ¡°Tha plan this time will be a simple one,¡± he says while standing at the front of the table. One with a large map on it. ¡°I will go assault tha enemy capital. Lady Violet will assault one of their fortresses. Council Member Flachra will assault the second enemy fortress. An¡¯ Lady Death will assault their third fortress.¡± He raises his head from the map. ¡°All at once.¡± All of the council members in the room and the stallari begin to discuss amongst each other for a little bit, but eventually the Clan Leader raises his hand for silence. Then he continues, ¡°All of ye will defend our Clan¡¯s territory from any counter attack attempts, so make sure ya don¡¯t let yer guards down.¡± And after he sees them all giving salutes, he looks between me, Rory, and Flachra, and says, ¡°Tha assaults will begin in this order. Flachra an Rory will assault their fortresses first, then I¡¯ll move between those fortresses ta assault their capital. Lastly, Lady Death will attack tha third fortress ta make sure tha Sullivans don¡¯t send a Class S ta hers.¡± Hmm. That sounds like a reasonable plan. A little risky, but reasonable. ¡°An¡¯ Lady Death,¡± he says, making eye contact with me before the corners of his lips quirk upwards a bit. ¡°Ye¡¯re allowed ta obliterate tha fortress at your leisure this time.¡± Okay. I take that back. This is a great plan. ¡°Understood,¡± I tell him with a smile. And the others follow suit. The others quickly begin to discuss methods to defend the Byrne Clan during our absence, but I personally focus on trying to figure out how to infiltrate this fortress. Because by now I¡¯m rather infamous amongst the Sullivan Clan. Especially thanks to the rather strong grudge that Aisling woman has against me. It¡¯s not just me though as she also has a large grudge against Sean and Rory. Actually, speaking of Rory, I¡¯ve spent a decent chunk of time with her over the last year. Mostly because I know she¡¯s already a very high level in her level four hundreds or so. Or thereabouts. I don¡¯t know her exact level. But that means her lifespan is already in the several hundreds. Probably either eight hundred years or one thousand six hundred years to live. Depends on if she¡¯s in her level three hundreds or four hundreds. Which certainly makes it a bit easier to let her get closer to me. And that¡¯s exactly what she was doing, spending some of her time recovering at my home ¨C a nice little manor in the city next to the Grand Tree ¨C whenever I¡¯m just reading. She also helped me pick out my outfits. All of which have the same enchant on them. Almost reminded me of the time I spent getting clothes with Hannah back in Vortel. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Eventually the discussions amongst the council members and other people comes to a close, following which Rory and Flachra immediately head out to begin their attack. With the Clan Leader following soon after. Then I¡¯m left waiting for the spatial mages to finish a teleportation circle meant to take me right outside of the third fortress. Unfortunately a lot of the plan ideas I had come up with are thrown out the window since they¡¯ll be able to detect my teleportation right away. Hence why they¡¯re waiting until after the others begin their assaults to send me. So that attention isn¡¯t drawn to this fortress first. So we wait for around an hour or so before finally getting word that the others have begun their assaults. After which they activate the magic circle and I quickly find myself appearing right outside of a large wall. And without any hesitation, I set and blow up a high explosive charge right on the wall, completely collapsing the wall before I begin waltzing right on inside. In the end, I decide to go with a strategy similar to my first strategy upon arriving in this world. So I grab a cloak from my storage ring and summon hundreds of Lesser Minor Death Spirits right on me before dumping a bunch of explosives on them and sending them loose. Then I summon a bunch of Lesser Death Spirits and send them as well, using up a bunch of the stored up soul energy I¡¯ve gotten over the past year from the skirmishes and a lot of time in the Grand Tree. While the soldiers are all distracted by my Death Spirits, I quickly make my way through the base, planting one charge after another. Occasionally being caught by soldiers before tossing a grenade at them and hiding before they can see my face. The same thing a lot of my Death Spirits would do. Except without the hiding part. And so I continue going around the fortress until every charge I have on me is set ¨C which actually proves a lot easier than the first time I arrived here simply because this fortress is far bigger and with only around seven thousand soldiers in it, not enough to fully man the place. Then I proceed to blow everything up without bothering to interact with the soldiers inside this time around. Which leaves me blacking out again before coming to and finding, or rather, not finding the fortress anymore. I¡¯m left standing in a large crater. One of the reasons I quickly realized why I was sent to this fortress in particular is that it doesn¡¯t have any death magic users. Which can sense me pretty easily. It also doesn¡¯t have anyone with especially powerful senses that¡¯d be able to sniff me out in an instant. What with this being one of the fortresses a bit further away from the border, not right next to it. Meaning they probably saw it as less important. Doesn¡¯t really help the enemy¡¯s case in the fact that they¡¯re rather short on weapons. Even if they did manage to rebuild their weapons production facility, albeit with far lower level and worse people manning it. Along with worse technology making the weapons. I look at the aftermath of the destruction I¡¯ve wrought on my enemies before kneeling down and muttering, ¡°Your fight is over. Rest well.¡± Then I stand up straight and walk away again while sending a telepathic message to the spatial mage to teleport me back. Which only takes a few seconds, the mages probably already having the spell ready to cast. After returning from the enemy fortress, err, former enemy fortress, I stretch a little before noticing the shock on the faces of the mages and even council members who don¡¯t seem to have even left the barrier fortress left. Oh. Right. That entire mission took me like fifteen minutes to pull off. They¡¯re probably a little surprised. And frightened. But they probably shouldn¡¯t be. I was only able to do that because they were sorely lacking in personnel, sensory Ability Holders, technology, and weaponry. Not to mention powerful Ability Holders and higher level officers to fight off my Death Spirits quickly. If I were to have done that at the beginning of the war, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do much of anything. Would¡¯ve just been caught right away. Also wouldn¡¯t have amounted to anything if I didn¡¯t have the Byrne Clan supplying me with literally hundreds of explosive charges. On that note, the mission did give me a large jump in progress towards level sixteen. A nice little benefit, that. I decide to ignore the looks being sent my way by the others as I proceed to move through them and out of the building the meeting was held in. Then I continue on until I arrive at the wall of the fortress, where I just sit at the edge and dangle my legs over the side, waiting for the rest of them to finish their parts of the mission. Time passes slowly as I wait, but eventually, something happens. Something rather¡­ surprising. A massive pillar of black and purple light shoots up into the sky from all the way across the Sullivan Clan¡¯s territory, in the direction of the capital and Grand Tree. Neither of which can be seen from here. Well, except some very vague branches of the tree, simply because the tree is just that big. Guess no one really thought of them doing that. Interesting. Kind of wish I could go say hi to the Death Spirit, but whatever. I lie down onto my back, looking up at the sky. Probably a lot more exciting over there. B2 | Chapter 39 The Sullivan Clan¡¯s Capital Right before the consecutive attacks Arnold Vaugn stands at the corner of the Grand Tree¡¯s council chambers, simply watching as Aisling and the other council members discuss their next moves. But their discussion doesn¡¯t get very far before word arrives about attacks on the Western and Central fortresses closest to the border. And Aisling immediately grows cold in her fury at that. Arnold can feel it from here. The sheer coldness emanating from her and freezing her surroundings. Man, she really does have a temper problem, doesn¡¯t she? He heard about it from Arlan, who was the original bringer of the special news about this war and who was participating in it, but he had assumed that he was exaggerating. Although he can at least tell that the woman seems to be holding her anger in right now. Most of it, at least. And she¡¯s still clear headed enough to give out orders to the other council members, directing four of them to head to one of the fortresses and four to head to the other. Then Arnold senses an approaching soul with one of his skills. One called Life Sense. And he quickly realizes that another one is about to attack the capital. So he makes for a swift retreat, turning into pure miasma and flowing out of the council chamber, through the air, before stopping atop one of the Grand Tree¡¯s branches to watch. His only job here is to summon a Death Spirit if it comes down to it after all. Meaning there¡¯s no reason for him to stick around for the actual war. And he genuinely can¡¯t help but wish the Byrne Clan luck in their endeavors. Because he¡¯s finally been given permission to summon a Death Spirit. Finally. An act that is considered one of the highest honors by the nobility of the Rex Dynasty yet is also highly restricted. Of course, he has zero expectations of getting out of this alive. Because while he doesn¡¯t believe the Death Spirit will kill him, since he¡¯s not planning on having it attack her. Just summoning it. And Death Spirits do tend to have more leniency towards those from the Rex Dynasty. He knows that even if he does survive the summoning, it may attract attention. And that attention won¡¯t be pleasant attention for him. He watches as the Clan Leader of the Sullivan Clan finally loses it and rushes out to attack the man who is currently attacking her city. Then they begin to clash for a while, proving the two of them to be relatively evenly matched, with him just being a bit stronger until some of her council members join in the attack. Only for news to arrive of another fortress being attacked, and then completely destroyed soon after. And it¡¯s at this point that he finally sees her snap. Aisling rushes away, closer to the tree while building distance between herself and Sean. Then she begins to quietly laugh amidst the silence that quickly begins to stretch across the capital amongst even her own council members. A slow and quiet laugh that then begins to pick up in volume and speed. Eventually she begins full-on cackling, only to go completely silent in a single instant. Arnold feels excitement building within him as he turns into miasma and moves towards the summoning circle he had set up after arriving. Something Aisling has kept from even her own people. Clearly proving how insane the woman has become over the period of this war. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Not that Arnold particularly cares. If what Arlan said is true ¨C and it¡¯ll be proven whether it¡¯s true or not in mere moments ¨C she¡¯ll be punished severely soon anyways. The silence stretches for a few seconds before Aisling¡¯s muttering voice echoes across the capital, enhanced by magic while her face is pointed downwards with her hair covering it, ¡°I tried¡­ I really did¡­ I tried ta win this war. Ta take tha planet like ye all wanted o¡¯ me¡­¡± Arnold raises a brow at that, briefly wondering if there was more going on that he isn¡¯t aware of. ¡°But it looks like that¡¯s not possible anymore,¡± she continues, sending a wave of fear and despair across her own people. One that grows even worse when she finally raises her head, her hair going clear of her face to reveal a look of insanity as she finishes, ¡°So I¡¯d rather have this world dead than let another Clan control it!¡± And the moment Arnold gets the all-clear, he activates the summoning ritual, making miasma immediately flood parts of the Grand Tree and sacrificing thousands of people. Arnold also gives the summoning ritual a bunch of his own miasma as well before a black and purple pillar of light shoots up into the sky. Then the veil of darkness spreads across the sky, covering it in a shade of black and crimson. After which the Death Spirit is visible slowly floating downwards towards the ritual¡¯s center. The Greater Death Spirit is currently cloaked in a pitch black cloak with naught but two glowing red eyes shining from beneath its cowl. Eyes that slowly look around its surroundings, only to lock onto something in the distance and grow pleasantly surprised. Which is all the proof Arnold needs to know just who this ¡®Aria Crimson¡¯ person is. Arnold quickly kneels down in front of the Greater Death Spirit under the gazes of everyone in the capital, including the maniacally laughing Aisling, the terrified Sean, and the equally terrified citizens and council members. Many of whom are starting to succumb to the miasma naturally let off by the Greater Death Spirit. ¡°Esteemed Greater Death Spirit, I have summoned you here to give you whatever you wish to do on this planet,¡± Arnold speaks, keeping his head low as he kneels, feeling more than a little reverence towards the Death Spirit in front of him. And towards Lady Death herself who is indeed on this planet. ¡°And I wish to inform the Death Spirits that the Rex Dynasty of the Dead will perform whatever tasks required of them by Death, no matter the cost.¡± The Death Spirit remains silent for a long while, briefly surprising Arnold. But he keeps his head lowered regardless. Eventually though, an answer comes. But not the answer he was expecting. ¡°Count Arnold Vaugn of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead, you have summoned me, disturbed my slumber, and given a mere pitiful sacrifice to do it,¡± the Greater Death Spirit states. ¡°However, you have shown me our beloved Lady, and asked for naught. For that I shall spare your life. I shall not leave you in eternal solitude, forever being devoured in soul form within the Plane of Death as the last one who foolishly tried to direct one of our own to attack our Lady has been left.¡± Arnold feels absolute rage. Not at the Greater Death Spirit¡¯s countenance towards him or his treatment, but at the mere fact that a lowly human being would ever dare to direct a Death Spirit to attack Death herself. It¡¯s blasphemy. ¡°Count Arnold Vaugn, deliver a message to your Pharaoh from the Death Spirits,¡± the Spirit continues, his voice slowly growing more and more distant, eventually making Arnold finally lift his head to see the spirit flying higher into the air. ¡°You are not to bother our Lady. She is still young. And all children require time to themselves.¡± Arnold immediately bows his head again as he states, ¡°Of course, Esteemed Spirit. Your will be done.¡± Then he feels the Greater Death Spirit¡¯s attention shifting towards the Clan Leader of the Byrne Clan, then the Clan Leader of the Sullivan Clan. Both of whom have gone dead silent at the exchange they had just witnessed. And out of the corner of Arnold¡¯s eye, he sees terror covering Aisling¡¯s face. As if she had finally put two and two together about just who the immortal she had been facing was. ¡°Clan Leader of the Sullivan Clan, for your reprehensible attempts at repeating the actions of the prior mentioned necromancer, you will experience his same fate,¡± the Death Spirit concludes, uncaring about the terror on her face as the Spirit reaches one arm out towards her, the cloak pulling back to reveal a skeletal hand in the process. And right when the hand stops moving, all the light in Aisling¡¯s eyes goes dark, and her soul can be seen leaving her body and going towards the Death Spirit¡¯s hand. ¡°Decompose for eternity for the atrocities you have committed upon our Lady.¡± Then the Death Spirit ascends into the sky, following which all of the light vanishes, and everything returns to normal once again. Without hesitation, after everything returns to normal, Arnold climbs back to his feet, still feeling awed at what had just occurred. He then turns towards the direction Lady Death is in, bows once with a look of reverence on his face, and turns into miasma, heading straight towards the nearest Gate with a connection to the Dynasty. I must deliver the Esteemed One¡¯s message as soon as possible. B2 | Chapter 40 The Planet known as Conquere Moments before the Death Spirit was summoned A man appears in a flash of scarlet energy that tears apart everything around him as he falls towards the ground with a mad look in his eyes and his wild black hair tinted in scarlet flying around him. He is wearing a set of mostly black armor with bits of scarlet here and there and a scarlet cape going over one shoulder that is blowing in the wind and energy around him. On the man¡¯s forehead is a black and scarlet metal band, meanwhile glowing crystals can be found all across his armor, each with the same shade of scarlet as the energy coming off of him. When the man lands, a crater forms while a blast of that same scarlet energy is sent all around him. A sinister energy that sends shivers down the spines of all those who follow him, each appearing in various blips of purple light, teleporting onto the planet. ¡°Now that was riveting!¡± the man declares, laughing as he quickly begins walking towards the large fortress nearby, uncaring of the sand and dust floating in the air and being erased by the scarlet energy around him. Then he tosses over his shoulder, ¡°So what¡¯s next, mister second in command?¡± Another man ¨C this one being a man known widely across the universe as being the only one who can keep some level of control over the man in front of him ¨C quickly answers with a short, ¡°A Beta Tier world known as Aranfeld. We recently found it through the new initialization, and the world has registered as having a powerful enough mana signature to host a single Hunter¡¯s Spot.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s-¡± the man coated in scarlet energy begins, only to suddenly jerk his head in a seemingly random direction. Then he glances at his second in command ¨C who also seems to have noticed what he¡¯s noticed ¨C and raises a finger while saying, ¡°Hold that thought!¡± And without a single moment of hesitation, his scarlet energy begins to build up all around him before turning into a horse. One made of both flesh and the scarlet energy. So much of it that just a mere touch from the horse would drive a man mad with bloodlust. But the man simply jumps onto the horse without a care before it immediately breaks the sound barrier the moment it starts running. And soon enough, the man finds himself charging straight through a Gate he believes he vaguely remembers as the Gate to Luk¡¯tar. He doesn¡¯t stop after crossing the Gate. Not even as the scarlet energy being emanated from him and his horse begin driving the lukians near the Gate into a state of bloodlust, making them attack their own. Instead, he simply raises his head to see the black and purple light shining like a beacon in the sky what must be thousands of klicks away. And just like with when he left his second in command, he gives his horse a mental order to start galloping again, making the creature break the sound barrier once more. Along with every wall of the city belonging to what he believes was the Gallagher Clan that¡¯s in his way. During his trip though, the black and purple beacon fades away completely, leaving him feeling slightly disappointed as he arrives in a burst of scarlet energy that destroys dozens of houses around the point where he stops. A place he recognizes by the symbol hanging on the Grand Tree as the capital of the Sullivan Clan. All he finds are boring people though. People with that same gaze of fear that he always finds other people having when looking at him. Boring. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. He hears mutters of his title, but he ignores them as he leads his horse to climb into the air, walking on steps made of crimson energy until he arrives at where the summoning circle was. Only for something to catch his attention in the distance. So he orders his horse to charge in that direction, soon leading him to end up tearing through large trees before he stops his horse right in front of a large wall. One that he sees two legs just dangling over the edge of at the top of it. Then the owner of the legs sits up and looks down at him, making his eyes narrow ever so slightly. Because the woman¡¯s level is a mere level fifteen. But she has a black number. The corner of War¡¯s lips quirks upwards ever so slightly with the tiniest bit of interest. An interest that only grows when he looks at the unbelievably disinterested look on the woman¡¯s face as her stark white hair blows in the wind behind her, her glowing crimson eyes lighting up the night. A look he hasn¡¯t seen directed at him by anyone other than his second in command in millennia. And the death energy emitted by her body¡­ All of the sudden, his scarlet energy ¨C energy of War and Conflict ¨C reaches out towards the girl as her energy of Death reaches back. Then they connect midway between the two, making both of them instantly understand who the other is. And just as quickly as they¡¯d reached out, the two energies return to their natural owners. Silence fills the wall for a few seconds before War¡¯s grin grows even wider and he says, ¡°Hello there, little Death.¡±
Aria I stare at the man sitting atop a scarlet horse that¡¯s radiating that scarlet energy of his for several seconds before he speaks. ¡°Hello there, little Death.¡± The man is War. The Horseman of the Apocalypse, Red Horseman, and Harbinger of War and Conflict. Somehow I instantly understood that the moment our energies touched. But what I don¡¯t understand is why he¡¯s here right now. Oh, and he has no number. But that¡¯s to be expected. Also¡­ I glance at the trail of destruction the man left in his wake. Which amounts to a lot of trees destroyed. Meanwhile I hear footsteps and shouts coming from the stairs as a bunch of people rush up to the top of the fortress wall. But I just continue sitting here at the edge of the wall with my legs dangling over it as I watch the man in front of me. ¡°Hello,¡± I finally answer, my voice carrying past the loud commotion of those climbing the stairs, and even those gasping in fear at the sight of the man. If I¡¯m being honest, the first thing I thought when seeing this man was that he¡¯s unhinged. He seems to be looking at everything as if he¡¯s judging it. Trying to see whether it¡¯d make for a good fight or not. And now that I¡¯ve seen him glancing at the other soldiers who come up to the wall, I can see the pure apathy in his gaze towards them. Almost as if they were ants that didn¡¯t even so much as exist in his world. Instead of paying them an ounce of attention, he focuses on me again with that wide, insane grin, and says, ¡°Little Death, mind tellin me your name?¡± I stare for several seconds before eventually answering, ¡°Aria Crimson. You?¡± He looks even more surprised, and pleasantly so by the looks of it, before he answers, ¡°Lucius Octavio.¡± An answer that literally makes some of the soldiers faint around us. But both he and I ignore them as we stare at each other, our eyes meeting. And after several seconds of this, his horse suddenly neighs and raises its front legs as he begins to turn it. Not without turning his head back and saying, ¡°Come find me again when you¡¯re older, Little Crimson Rose. Bloom a bit more until you¡¯re more than just a dainty little bud and we can have ourselves a splendid duel!¡± And just as quickly as he appeared, the man vanishes in a flash of scarlet energy the moment the horse begins to charge. Leaving everyone here in silence, other than the soldiers seemingly having panic attacks behind me. I pull one of my legs up from the ledge towards my chest before resting my arm on it, and my cheek on my arm, simply looking out at the damage the Horseman of the Apocalypse caused. Guess I¡¯m gonna be exposed to the universe at large after this. Unless someone does something to cover this up, that is. On that note, I glance at the soldiers still having panic attacks behind me. And I find quite a few of them sending me fearful looks. Which I guess makes some sense. Mostly it was just officers who knew that I was Death. The rest of the soldiers just thought of me as an anomaly with a Class S immortality ability. I turn to look out over the edge of the fortress wall again before sighing. Well, that was unexpected. B2 | Chapter 41 All Across the Universe One planet after another, one leader after another, and one of the Nine Grands after another. Every single person worth knowing. And everyone not worth knowing as well. They all learn of the events on Luk¡¯tar. Of the war between the Byrne Clan and the Sullivan Clan. The Byrne Clan¡¯s victory. And of Death¡¯s first entry into the universe. However, Death¡¯s exact appearance and name is kept secret from the public. Not even the Nine Grands learn of her exact name, other than Lucius, who the others all know met with her on the planet. No one knows or has any proof on how the appearance and name of Death were censored, but everyone with any knowledge of the Nine Grands immediately points their fingers at the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. The dynasty known for three things. Their worship of Death. Their mastery of death magic. And their technological advancement which is far greater than any other planet or power in the universe. Them being one of a very small number who are capable of intergalactic travel without the use of Gates. But even without knowing the exact appearance of Death, Beloved of the Death Spirits, Harbinger of Death, and Horseman of the Apocalypse, everyone across the universe has different reactions. The commonfolk all feel both fear and respect. Fear at the idea of another Horseman roaming the universe. One supposedly unkillable. But respect because they realize that she isn¡¯t simply going around killing indiscriminately. The upper class of each world, the nobles, wealthy, and lower Tier world rulers all feel shock and terror as bounties are placed across the universe for Death¡¯s head. Bounties that don¡¯t amount to much when all they call for is a female immortal. And the Nine Grands, each of which show various different reactions. Isabella de la Vega, Archmage of the Arcadian Society, immediately puts out a bounty of her own. One offering a position within the Arcadian Society for whomever manages to capture and bring in Death. Leopold da Silva, the emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire, stays unusually silent despite his previous zeal towards capturing Death when the notification was first sent out across the universe of her initiation. Raja Singh Amunet, Pharaoh of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead, immediately begins sending out his own bounties to bring in the head of any bounty hunter who takes the bounties of others looking for Death. Hassan al-Malik, Leader of the Council of Shadows, stays silent without showing a single sign of movement. As if waiting for the events to play out on their own. Victor von L¨¹neburg, otherwise known as the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Pestilence, along with the Dread Emperor, Ignatius Darkheart, otherwise known as the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Famine, both meet with War. Only to return to their own plans without any signs of changing them. Shirou Amatsuraki, Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty, merely continues his business as usual. Meanwhile, without anyone realizing, the Crimson Empire begins to make its own moves. But everyone in the universe understands one thing. The era of Death, the Horseman of the Apocalypse, first woman amongst the Horsemen, true immortal, and beloved of the Spirits of Death, has officially begun in full force. And it will send waves throughout the universe.
Aria Five years after the end of the war between the Byrne and Sullivan Clans I feel like this is becoming a habit. Just how many times am I going to get stuck in a stomach? It¡¯s really annoying. And gross. And the stupid stomach acid of these Tier 6 mana creatures is stronger than my damned soul fire and keeps putting it out. At least no one else ever sees me stuck in the stomachs. It would be a pain otherwise. I once again lie in the stomach acid, just floating on it without a care in the world. Other than my current cares in the world. Like getting out of the stomach. Anyways, I open up my status again for the umpteenth time in the last week. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Name: Aria Crimson
Class: Harbinger of Death
Ability: True Immortality
Level: 19
I¡¯ve been able to level up a hell of a lot over the past five years simply from spending most of my time in the Grand Tree, chopping down trees and killing monsters in the first through third Tiers. Until something like this happens, of course. When a large bird from a higher Tier decides to come down to a lower tier on the outside of the tree and make me its snack. A major pain when this happens. But since I¡¯ve been able to focus solely on leveling up without any war or contract obligations, I¡¯ve been able to level a lot faster. Especially after getting some rather nice soul cores from the high tier mana creatures here along with the high ranking officers of the Sullivan Clan back then. Makes for a very nice supply of soul energy. I¡¯m still waiting for another skill though. And to reach level twenty. Honestly, the world is getting boring at this point. And I¡¯m pretty sure Sean is wanting me to skedaddle. Because while the Rex Dynasty and Eternal Dynasty are both blockading the Gates to Luk¡¯tar from bounty hunters, some do slip through. And it ends up being on Sean to deal with the aftermath. What with them not actually knowing what the hell I look like. A rather amusing conundrum that I don¡¯t even understand myself. Although Shirogane suspects that it¡¯s the Rex Dynasty¡¯s doing. Since they apparently have the best hacking in the universe and are actually behind the creation of the Universal Feed and are very skilled hackers and information manipulators. Not sure why they¡¯re going out of their way to protect me and give me space though. I would¡¯ve expected them to jump in and bother me considering what I¡¯ve heard about them worshipping Death. My thoughts come to a halt when I notice a suspiciously familiar purple mist entering the stomach of this bird. Only for the bird to start blistering from the inside, making me grimace. Well that looks disgusting. It doesn¡¯t take long for the mist to kill the birdie, so I begin crawling my way out of the creature¡¯s stomach, ignoring that the death energy that was building up before is now attacking its other inner organs as I move through it. This is just disgusting. Eventually I make it to the thing¡¯s mouth and push open its beak before stepping outside and glancing at Rory, who I find standing a couple meters away from the bird with a slightly disgusted look on her face. ¡°Eww, Aria, you need a shower,¡± she says while plugging her nose and taking a step back. Rude. For her remark, I give her a gift by flinging my hands towards her, sending the stomach juices and her own poison mixed together straight at Rory. But as expected, the woman manages to dodge it before it can hit her. Damned level gap. ¡°No, no, Aria, you need a shower,¡± she says with a nod from her new spot a couple meters away from the previous spot. ¡°Not me. You. Okay?¡± ¡°I hate you,¡± I tell the woman before beginning to walk towards the edge of the nest. And without hesitation, I step right off, hearing a shout coming from the nest in the process. ¡°Damnit Aria, that¡¯s not a shower!¡± It is for me. My consciousness goes dark for a split second before I find myself reformed while lying on the ground. Then I get up, still wearing my favorite blue and white outfit, and head on over to the station. By now, after seeing me fall from the Grand Tree for several years, the people have all grown used to it. Mostly. Except the occasional person I may or may not land on. And the newbies. But they¡¯re fine. I¡¯m sure. Yeah. After turning in my loot ¨C a lot of which including wood ¨C I head on out of the station before glancing at the sky, where the moon is high in the sky in the form of a crescent. Then I spot Rory landing near me after using her poisonous mist to fly. ¡°Aria, please! I¡¯m begging you! Stop falling from the tree!¡± Rory exclaims as she hurries to walk next to me. ¡°Just bring something to clean off up there, or maybe something to fly down! Just don¡¯t jump down anymore!¡± I glance at her before continuing to walk, not bothering to respond to her. Since this is a rather common lecture from her. ¡°You¡¯re not even listening to me, are you?!¡± she exclaims. ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± I tell her. Sorta. She snorts at that, having learned enough about me in the past several years to know what I mean. Honestly, it¡¯s been rather nice to have a friend again. Since I haven¡¯t had one in a very long time. And Rory makes a good friend, nagging aside. Eventually though, as we¡¯re passing through the gates into the city, she asks me, ¡°So are you still planning on leaving soon?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I answer while nodding my head. ¡°As soon as I hit level twenty. Which should be any day now.¡± Only have a few hundred more deaths to deal out. Which means a few hundred more trees. Then I can finally make my way towards the Gate in the former Sullivan Clan capital ¨C now known as Sulli ¨C and check out Atlantis. Since a certain caf¨¦ owner prince gave me a free immigration pass there. ¡°You¡¯re planning on heading back to the Eternal Dynasty, right?¡± I ask while glancing at Rory as we walk. She quickly nods her head, saying, ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ll make sure to visit you on Atlantis.¡± I nod my head back with a light hum of acknowledgement. From what I¡¯ve heard, the Grand Roan Empire is still searching for me. And since they signed a soul pact with the First General, they can¡¯t exactly go against it to attack Vortel. Meaning that so long as they never find me, Vortel will be safe. And I don¡¯t plan on ever being found by them. So hopefully that¡¯ll be forever. I glance at Rory, feeling a little sad that I won¡¯t likely see her for a while. But then I focus on where I¡¯m going again. Yeah, I¡¯ll see her again eventually. Plus we can talk through the Universal Feed. So it¡¯s fine. I stretch my arms up and over my head as I walk, feeling freer now than I¡¯ve ever been before. Other than my time on Eternus. Which was also nice and relaxing. But another adventure sounds nice too. B2 | Chapter 42 Aria I end up having dinner with Rory and Shirogane at a certain caf¨¦ belonging to a certain prince within the Byrne Clan territory. One that I started visiting on the regular, even if the prince himself isn¡¯t actually here. Something about having to deal with his royal duties on Atlantis. He stopped by the Clan to set up his caf¨¦ here not long after the war came to an end. And this one has a very different feel to it than his caf¨¦ on Eternus had. Especially during the winter like right now, when there¡¯s snow covering the trees. Which makes for a similar yet still different scenery towards what Luke¡¯s caf¨¦ had. I¡¯m still planning on visiting his caf¨¦ again, of course. Luke¡¯s. Back on Vortel. But not for a while. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Vortel has a bunch of people watching its entrances and the world itself for me. So I can¡¯t really go there. Which is rather unfortunate. ¡°You heading to Atlantis with Little Ari?¡± Rory asks Shirogane after we get our drinks at our usual table next to a window, and the guy ¨C who finally began to open up to us a bit and return to his original personality that I saw when first meeting him ¨C quickly nods his head. ¡°Yep, planning on going there with her,¡± he says before taking a sip of his coffee. ¡°I¡¯m her contracted merchant after all.¡± He still goes into that ¡®business mode¡¯ whenever we¡¯re doing, well, business though. But that might be for the best. The man can be a bit of a klutz sometimes when he isn¡¯t in his business mode. ¡°You three enjoyin yer evenin¡¯?¡± the shift manager of the caf¨¦ ¨C a lukian woman named R¨ªona D¨¢ire ¨C asks as she walks up to us with a tray balanced on one hand. She has long brown hair with a rather large figure and is actually quite tall for a lukian. And Azura introduced her to me when I came here the first time, back when he was actually here instead of doing royal stuff. ¡°Yep, thanks ma¡¯am!¡± Shirogane says with a smile at the same time as Rory answers, ¡°Yeah.¡± I just nod my head at her with a smile on my face. ¡°Good ta see it,¡± she says before continuing on past us to another table. Rory begins to look over the newspaper sitting on the table in front of her meanwhile Shirogane just gets on his phone, seemingly looking at something he calls a ¡®stock market¡¯ that he¡¯s been looking into recently. Which I have no idea what is. So I slowly begin sipping my wine while looking out the window at the passersby who are all going about in the snow amidst the wood and metal buildings, with the occasional vehicle driving by the street. Generally cars aren¡¯t all that common on Luk¡¯tar because of the significant number of trees and small number of roads, but they are definitely still a thing. Particularly in the cities like this one. And as I watch, I can¡¯t help but wonder what the next world I visit will be like. From what I¡¯ve heard, the entire world of Atlantis is covered in water. Just like Eternus. But Atlantean cities are all underwater unlike Eternus. Which¡¯ll be interesting for me. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The Gate itself apparently leads to an underwater city. Albeit not the capital of Atlantis. It does lead to a city close to the capital though. So there¡¯s that. And their capital is the closest city to their Hunter¡¯s Spot. Unfortunately I¡¯ll likely end up taxed if I use their Hunter¡¯s Spot, but it is what it is. And I don¡¯t really need much more coin right now, considering how overflowing my metaphorical coin pouch is already. So I don¡¯t really care much about that part. I¡¯m more interested in what types of mana creatures and resources are in their Hunter¡¯s Spots. And the scenery. Always gotta love the scenery. The Hunter¡¯s Bays on Eternus were beautiful when underwater, albeit terrifying at the same time. Meanwhile the Grand Trees on Luk¡¯tar are all very beautiful as well. But without the terrifying aspect for me. Other than those nasty birds that like to sneak up on me and gobble me up. A pain. Even if they made for good coin after I got out. Eventually. But for the Atlantis Hunter¡¯s Spot? It¡¯s a certain region of their ocean. A massive region. And it¡¯s separated by ¡®ring¡¯. Where each ring of the ocean is a tier just like the other Hunter¡¯s Spots. And the closer you get to the center of the Hunter¡¯s Spot, known as the Grand Ocean, the higher the Tier. One way or another, my next little adventure will be an interesting one.
The next day I finally let out a short laugh at the System Message I get for hitting level twenty the moment I finish killing the deer through shooting it in the head. Even if I feel a little disappointed that I¡¯m not getting any new skills for the level-up. [User has met the requirements to reach level 20. User¡¯s level has been updated to level 20. New requirements to reach level 21 are as follows: 0/120000 beings have been granted Death.] Well, that¡¯s a lot of kills I need to make. The only reason I was even able to get this high a level so soon was because I realized that I can use fire in the form of my soul fire. In a Grand Tree. Against trees. Burning a forest always works out well after all, even if said forest is inside of a giant tree. Certainly sped up the process of dealing with the trees. Even if I got less profit from doing it. But how am I going to get to 120000 kills on Atlantis¡­ maybe those fish schools count? I think I read somewhere that there were a lot of schools of fish packed together in the lower Tiers. And the middle Tiers. And the high Tiers. Okay, in the Grand Ocean in general. I glance to the side as I begin ordering all of my Death Spirits to return to me. Then I just kind of wait until they all arrive before gathering everything I need up and sending the fellas back to the Plane of Death. And without hesitation, I march on through the third Tier of the Grand Tree, heading towards the exterior before stopping at the edge of the tree and looking down. Then, for what will be the last time, I step off of the side of the tree and begin plummeting down below. Also for the last time, I turn into a paste on the ground before recovering to find a man standing right in front of me, looking more than a little terrified and disturbed. But I act like I wasn¡¯t there and quickly make my way towards the station. They¡¯ll be fine. I stop at the station to trade everything in before immediately beginning to head towards my little manor home, where I gather everything up real quick while sending a message to both Rory and Shirogane about my reaching level 20. And once I have everything together, I begin making my way towards the teleportation hub. The place that lets people teleport between the cities of the Byrne Clan. A rather new and nice setup that I¡¯ve grown to like. Even if I don¡¯t use it much. After arriving at the teleportation hub, I wait for Rory and Shirogane to arrive. And once they do arrive, both Shirogane and I say our goodbyes to Rory. A process that has some tears in Shirogane¡¯s case ¨C his not being in business mode right now ¨C and more tears in Rory¡¯s case. But none in mine. Because I don¡¯t plan on this being the last time I see her. I don¡¯t say final goodbyes after all. I just say farewells until the next time I see them. Same with Hannah and the others on Vortel. And Luke. And that random dude working at the station in the Hunter¡¯s Bay whose name I forgot. I¡¯ll never forget any of them. A smile stretches across my lips at that thought before both me and Shirogane head through the portal to the former capital of the Sullivan Clan. Time to head to Atlantis. B2 | Updated Glossary with Atlantis and Luktar Vortel Description: The World of Vortel is a world where one tenth of the population will be born with a special ability. These ability users are classified in two different ways. Special Class Ability Holders, or SCAH, who have a unique ability that no one else has ever had before, and Regular Ability Holders, or RAH. The abilities come in various different classifications: Physical: Physical Ability Holders gain an increase to their body in some physical manner such as superstrength or speed. Magical: Magical Ability Holders gain the ability to use one magical element and gain a mana pool to go along with the element. Special: Special Ability Holders are the in between. The abilities that cannot be classified in the other two classifications but are still abilities. These can include a hybrid of Physical and Magical, or neither. Some examples include the ability to use a single powerful attack, the ability to set yourself on fire but feel no pain and take no damage, or the ability to nullify abilities. But these abilities do not give the user any mana to use. There is only one continent on Vortel as all of the others have been destroyed over the years through war, leading to the Great Acclaims being established, banning the use of strategic abilities and strictly enforcing it within both nations to lock down any person with a strategic level ability and restrict the use of their ability. Aran Description: The continent of Aran houses the Albarian and Arterian nations, both of whom have been at war for as long as either side can remember. The Albarians want the gold and metals that the Arterians have, and the Arterians want the fertile land that the Albarians have. And neither are willing to share with their eternal enemy. Albaria Description: The Albarian nation treats its soldiers generally well, but if a soldier has a bad officer in charge of them they will not have a good life. The people flourish with food and water, but are lacking in the technology department as opposed to Artaria. Ruled by a council of governors with a political emperor figurehead who has little power. Ability Holders are required to enlist into the military within four years of graduating from lower education, by the time they turn 22 years old. They are also required to attend special classes to help them learn how to control their ability during their education. Albaria has a smaller population and less land, with fewer Ability Holders. However, their Ability Holders often end up being higher quality than the Arterian Ability Holders. Trade from Arteria is illegal. Military Rankings: Private Corporal ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 3 subordinates. Sergeant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 10 subordinates. Warrant Officer ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 20 subordinates. Second Lieutenant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 50 subordinates. First Lieutenant ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 100 subordinates. Captain ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 200 subordinates. Major ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 500 subordinates. Lieutenant Colonel ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 1000 subordinates. Colonel ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 5000 subordinates. Major General ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 10000 subordinates. Lieutenant General ¨C Can directly command during battle up to 20000 subordinates. General ¨C 9 Generals in the army Arteria Description: The Arterian nation treats its soldiers poorly unless they are nobles or Ability Holders. The people often are lacking in food and water, albeit still with enough to live off of even if it doesn¡¯t necessarily taste good, but have a higher level of technology than the Albarians have. Ruled by an Emperor with absolute power. Ability Holders are required to enlist into the military right away after graduating from lower education. They are also required to attend special classes to teach them how to control and fight with their ability during their education. Artaria has a larger population and more land, with more Ability Holders. However, their Ability Holders often end up being lower quality than the Albarian Ability Holders. Trade from Albaria is illegal. Military Rankings: Private Corporal Sergeant Warrant Officer Second Lieutenant First Lieutenant Captain Knight Major Colonel General ¨C 4 Generals in the army Emperor and the rest of the Royal Family Eternal Dynasty Description: The largest commerce network and empire in the entire universe. It is a completely neutral force that does not directly interfere with other powers no matter what. The Dynasty is ruled by a single Emperor who has absolute power, however, he rarely interferes with his subjects, merely directing trade and managing the largest business deals the Dynasty holds. While taking a large chunk of profit from all the merchants working under the Dynasty¡¯s name and his protection. The Dynasty spans over dozens of planets across the universe, with connections to nearly every single important nation. Military Rankings/Social Structure: Zero Star Merchant ¨C Initial position for all new merchants to the Dynasty. It is also the grunt position that is used in the military as the base soldier. One Star Merchant ¨C The One Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Two Star Merchant ¨C The Two Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Three Star Merchant ¨C The Three Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Four Star Merchant ¨C The Four Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Five Star Merchant ¨C The Five Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Six Star Merchant ¨C The Six Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Seven Star Merchant ¨C The Seven Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as top commanding officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Eight Star Merchant ¨C The Eight Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as top commanding officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. Nine Star Merchant ¨C The Nine Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as members of the war council within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. Ten Star Merchant ¨C The Ten Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as the top generals within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. Emperor ¨C He has absolute power over the entire nation and its citizens. Unlike many other nations, the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s military is stylized based entirely off of the ranking of the merchant in question, with one of the requirements of each Star Rank being combat capability and strategic thinking. Luk¡¯tar Description: A largely crafter dominated world ruled by six clans who are often at a cold war with each other until recently when it finally broke out into a full war. The world is covered mostly in forests on the surface, a high amount of humidity with vast oceans and lakes, Grand Trees that stretch higher into the sky than people can see, and six different Gates to other worlds. Military Rankings: Thrall: New to everything and has a lot to learn. Huskarl: Lowest ranked officer. Vanir: Middle ranked officer. Merkismathr: High ranking officer chosen by the members of the Council. Stallari: Leading general of the military chosen by the Clan Leader. Council Members Clan Leader Clans: Byrne: The clan focused on military development with very little manpower in terms of their own military. Their Gate is connected to the Eternal Dynasty on the Alpha Tier world Eternus. Sullivan: The clan focused on artifact development with a strong focus in their military¡¯s manpower. Their Gate is connected to the neutral Beta Tier world called Atlantis. Gallagher: The clan focused on industrial structures with the most powerful defenses of the clans in terms of building strength with a manpower greater that is the second weakest of the clans. Their Gate is connected to the Crimson Flag, with ties to War, the Horseman of the Apocalypse, on the Alpha Tier planet Conquere. (pronounced con-q-where) Nolan: The clan focused on enchantment with a strong focus on mages within their military. Their Gate is connected to the Arcadian Society on the Alpha Tier world Arc. Keane: The clan focused on potion development and alchemy also with a strong focus on mages within their military. Their Gate is connected to the Arcadian Society on the Beta Tier world Raja. Sorrel: The clan focused on bladesmithing with a smaller military filled with more powerful officers. Their Gate is connected to the Grand Silvanian Empire on the Alpha Tier world Silverfall. Atlantis Description: A world ruled by a single absolute monarchy, with a King or Queen ruling over it. The monarchs have absolute power, however, unlike many other nations, the rulers of Atlantis are known to treat their people fairly. Atlantis is largely known as one of the greater but not greatest aquatic powers of the universe. However, it is still overshadowed by the Eternal Dynasty. The other nation of which¡¯s capital planet is an ocean world. They make their money through sending out mercenaries to other nations and acting as a tourist planet, where tourists may come in from other worlds and enjoy the underwater cities known around the universe for their beauty. Meanwhile some hunters often come to the world simply for the Grand Ocean, whether to enter it or to see it. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Their middle name is their family name. And each prince and princess inherits one mercenary company based on their surname. Military Rankings: Marine and Sailor: The bottom two ranks of the Atlantis military. The marines are the baseline grunts of the military meant for direct combat, whereas the sailors are the baseline grunts of the military meant for ship combat, whether submarine or above water. Petty Sailor/Marine Officer: Officers who hold various specialized roles on a ship and amongst a crew of marines, such as gunnery or navigation. Chief Petty Sailor/Marine Officer: The highest-ranking enlisted member on a ship or in a crew of marines, responsible for the crew''s discipline and morale. Ensign: A middle-ranking officer that can be stationed either as a sailor or a marine. Lieutenant: A middle-ranking officer higher than Ensign that can be stationed either as a sailor or a marine. Commander: Second-in-command on a ship or in a squadron of marines, responsible for assisting the captain and managing ship and squadron operations. Captain: The commanding officer of a single ship in the Atlantean navy or of a single league of marines. They are responsible for the ship or league''s crew and their mission. Commodore: A senior officer in charge of a fleet of ships or a legion of marines. They are responsible for planning and executing naval missions. Admiral: Second highest rank of the entire navy of Atlantis, responsible for leading naval operations. High Admiral: The highest-ranking navy officer in Atlantis, responsible for overseeing the entire navy and making strategic decisions in times of war. Princes and Princesses: They have control over the navy on par with an Admiral unless they are the First Princess or First Prince, at which point they have authority directly between an Admiral and a High Admiral. King and Queen: They have absolute control over the entirety of Atlantis and the military. Royal Mercenary Companies: Azurion Company: The company currently belonging to Nerissa Atlantus Azurion, Ninth in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Fifth Princess. She is eight years old and therefore doesn¡¯t manage the company herself. The Azurion Company focuses largely on mercenaries sent out for use by other companies on Atlanta itself. Caelum Company: The company currently belonging to Selenia Atlantus Caelum, Eighth in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Fourth Princess. She is fifteen years old and only just started managing her company herself with some help. The Caelum Company focuses largely on mercenaries sent out for use by other companies on other planets. Althea Company: The company currently belonging to Azura Atlantus Althea, Seventh in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Fourth Prince. He is one hundred and fifty years old. The Althea Company focuses on mercenaries sent out to support other mercenaries and companies in combat but not directly in the combat themselves and are largely made up of support and healer Ability Holders. Aquarius Company: The company currently belonging to Koralis Altantus Aquarius, Sixth in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Third Princess. She is one hundred and sixty years old. The Aquarius Company focuses on mercenaries sent out to cities on Atlantis. Neptune Company: The company currently belonging to Typhon Atlantus Neptune, Fifth in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Third Prince. He is one hundred and seventy-five years old. The Neptune Company focuses on mercenaries meant to defend the Gates and keep spies from entering Atlantis. Sirenna Company: The company currently belonging to Marisandra Atlantus Sirenna, Fourth in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Second Princess. She is one hundred and eighty years old. The Sirenna Company focuses on mercenaries sent out to directly support combat and warfare of loosely allied nations. Aquarion Company: The company currently belonging to Nauticus Atlantus Aquarion, Third in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Second Prince. He is twins with the Second Prince, and they are both two hundred years old. The Aquarion Company focuses on sending out specialized mercenary teams meant for covert operations. Aegir Company: The company currently belonging to Azarus Atlantus Aegir, Second in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and First Prince. He is twins with the Third Prince, and they are both two hundred years old. The Aegir Company focuses on sending out mercenary leagues and ships to close allies in times of their war with others. Nauticus Company: The company currently belonging to Azurona Atlantus Nauticus, First in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and First Princess. She is two hundred and twenty years old. The Nauticus Company focuses on sending out entire legions of mercenaries to be used in warfare with other nations and by other nations. It is also the main Company of Atlantis. All of the Companies can be used as mercenaries sent to others or to work for Atlantis itself. Not all mercenaries are specifically for combat as some are used for recreational and construction jobs, and various other jobs of the like. Universe Revival is possible if a strong enough void mage or a Void Spirit is present. They are capable of pulling a soul from the void and placing it back in the body at a significant cost levels from the one revived. However, conditions have to be fulfilled for the revival to work. Such as the being who is getting revived needing to be at least level 10 if it is a void mage doing the resurrection. However, a Void Spirit can revive most people with only a few restrictions. Every world has a World Core where the users of the System are allowed to reset or lower their levels. However, these changes are permanent and cannot be revoked. Furthermore, people are not capable of forcing others to reset their levels as the System will detect attempts to do so. Invasions of new worlds are considered an honor for those who participate, and entire forces are created just to prepare for invasions, filled with people who have either stopped themselves from leveling or have had their levels purposefully reset to 1 at a World Core. Coordinates of new worlds are found by spatial magic users, and the worlds are classified by a division of seers from the Arcadian Society into five different Tiers. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, with Alpha being the highest Tier. These Tiers are decided based on planet size, population, quantity and quality of Ability Holders, and resources. Level of the user plays an important role in society outside of Vortel. Meanwhile most adults are already at least level ten, with the higher level average adults being around level 20. Raising the level of someone¡¯s class has various effects on the user in question. Some of them include but aren¡¯t limited to raising their physical strength, their mental capacity, their magical power, their mana capacity, and their lifespan. Every user in the System tends to live for around 100 years on average, with every 100 levels doubling the user¡¯s total lifespan. Worlds across the universe vary in their levels of technology and magical understanding, with Vortel¡¯s level of technology being just a small amount above the average level of technology in the universe, and their understanding of magic a little above that. System Description: The System is an instinctive defense mechanism on every single planet in the universe, and it activates when invaders arrive to attack the planet. Class: A Class is automatically assigned to every user based on their natural ability and talents. Leveling up their Class will give them skills that will benefit them in further accomplishing what their Class requires along with possible physical or magical enhancements to their own body. Ability: An Ability is whatever special ability the user was born with. Level: A user¡¯s level is increased by doing the action that their Class centers around. Planets are tiered based on various factors including but not limited to the size of the planet¡¯s population, the number of Ability Holders they have, and the power of the Ability Holders on the planet. And they are rated between Tiers Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, with Alpha being the highest. Abilities are divided into five Classes or Categories, the term varying depending on the culture classifying them. Category 1/Class D Category 2/Class C Category 3/Class B Category 4/Class A Category 5/Class S Aria Crimson Description: The main protagonist of the story and a true immortal. She was a soldier fighting on the side of Albaria and was on the frontlines when the gates open and the System Initializes. And she is the only surviving member of the Crimson Noble Household ¨C a family made up of Category 5/Class S Special Ability Users, each with their own unique ability. However, all of the money of the household was taken away by those who killed her family off, and she is the only one left because it is impossible to kill her. So as the only way the Emperor could think of to get rid of her, he sent her to the frontlines where she is expected to fight for eternity for the Empire. But he lost his political and military power, and was eventually killed by Aria with his soul core devoured so that he could never revive again. Aria then left Vortel and arrived on Eternus, the Capital world of the Eternal Dynasty. Aria personally likes the Albarian Empire despite its emperor. She is beloved by the Death Spirits. Ability: True Immortality ¨C The user will never die and will always regenerate from any sort of damage done to them given time. Furthermore, the amount of time it takes to heal from a wound will shorten every time that exact same type of wound is received. Class: Harbinger of Death ¨C One of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the harbinger must bring death unto others to grow stronger. Current Skills: Harvest: This skill allows the user to harvest the souls of the dying around them. They can then devour the soul energy within them, sending the souls off to the void. Or they can devour the soul whole, taking in the cores of their souls and erasing them from reality itself in the process. Servants of the Pale Horseman: This skill allows the user to summon Lesser Minor Spirits of Death, the lowest of the hierarchy of Death Spirits. These spirits will then obey all of the orders given to them by their beloved Lady Death. Set these Spirits on the fools who would try to harm Death herself. For they do not know of whom they harbor animosity towards. Characters Pestilence: Pestilence, otherwise known by the name of Victor von L¨¹neburg, is a mad man who is obsessed with science with a specific focus on poisons and diseases. Victor is always in his lab on the planet of Vest and rarely sets foot out of it. He lives on a secluded planet, only ever leaving in order to test out a new virus, plague, or disease he has made, wiping out the populations of entire planets in the process. War: War, otherwise known by the name of Lucius Octavio, is a war fanatic who brings war wherever he goes. He is the absolute ruler of a military nation called the Crimson Flag and is always on the battlefield, his class giving him the ability to fight forever without rest. Famine: Famine, otherwise known by the name of Ignatius Darkheart, is a brutal tyrant who starves his people for obedience within his ever-growing Dread Empire. He is also a warmonger who travels from planet to planet, spreading his rule along with the eternal famine that comes with it. Ignatius also grows stronger by the number of starved near him, so the further he spreads his rule the stronger he becomes. Isabella de la Vega: The ruler of the Arcadian Society that has dominance over the world of Arc. She is a mage with the ability to keep three spells ongoing indefinitely as long as she pays the mana price to activate them initially, with no more price required to upkeep them. And her Arcadian Society is a society of mages with a powerful school of magic. Leopold da Silva: The Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire ruling over the world of Silverfall. He is a kind ruler who loves his people but is ruthless towards his enemies and goes the extra mile to remove threats to his Empire before they become a problem. Raja Singh Amunet: The Pharaoh of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. He is a brutal tyrant who worships death and the Spirits of Death and views death as a reward for those who have fulfilled their purpose. And his people believe it as well. Hassan al-Malik: The Leader of the Council of Darkness, an Assassination group that is spread out across most of the powerful worlds initialized into the System. He is a psychopath without the capacity for emotions and cares only for coin, same as his assassin underlings. Shirou Amatsuraki: The Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty, a neutral empire that wishes only to stay afloat forever without entering conflict with other nations. Shirou himself is a lover of commerce and runs the empire as a merchant would. He has white eyes and shoulder-length white hair, and enjoys fiddling with a coin in his hands. Ashur Kaelar Valan: The emperor of Arteria. DEAD Lysandre de Pyre Voltaire: The former emperor of Albaria. He is power hungry and cares only about himself without any care for the nation. To the point that he eliminated the Crimson family simply due to their power and influence threatening the little power he has remaining over the people and politics. DEAD Elara Crescent: The First General of Albaria. Serious, intelligent, leader, and cares about skill more than anything. Rowan Vale: The Second General of Albaria. Analytical and ruthless. Meanwhile he appreciates tactical maneuvers and intelligence. Calyx Star: The Third General of Albaria. Quiet, reserved, and in charge of the Third Army, which is in charge of gathering the nation¡¯s intelligence. Seraphina de Aragon: The Fourth General of Albaria. She has the most powerful Superstrength Ability in the world and can crush a skull with her bare hands with ease. Supports Aria. And she does not like how powerful ability holders are treated. Selene Morn: The Fifth General of Albaria. She has long blond hair and golden eyes and is blunt and to the point. Supports Aria because her brother, the Eighth General, supports her. While she is very much a nationalist who loves her nation and will do whatever she can to benefit it, she will assist her brother over her nation any time. Alaric Ashfall: The Sixth General of Albaria. He is an old man who doesn¡¯t participate in any of the political squabbles surrounding the generals and therefore has the least power amongst them. Valerie Sylver: The Seventh General of Albaria. She has a screw loose and does what she wants, when she wants, and when she becomes interested in something. Victor Morn: The Eighth General of Albaria. Supports Aria. He is passive aggressive and sometimes is hard to figure out. Aeliana Fang: The Ninth General of Albaria. She is power happy and enjoys having as much power as she can get her hands on. Major Frank Rogers: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 Enhancement ability that lets him flood energy into other people¡¯s bodies, replenishing their mana, stamina, and healing them while also increasing their strength and speed. He doesn¡¯t speak much but when he does, everyone listens. Meanwhile he sees himself in Aria and takes a liking to her. He has a large frame with black hair and green eyes and is in his early forties in age. Overdrive. Lieutenant Colonel Leonardo Striker: Leader of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him control kinetic energy to a degree. He wishes for his team to get along well and be more informal, so he¡¯s constantly making attempts to get them closer together. And he especially likes Category 5 abilities, finding them all to be interesting as he tries to learn more about them. He has black hair and purple eyes with an average height. He is in his mid-thirties. Twilight Huntsman. Major Hannah Harvey: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 Perception and Protection ability that allows her to sense everything with mana in a ten kilometer radius around them and use her own mana to create an incredibly tough barrier within a single kilometer radius around her. She is very excited to have another girl joining Team Predator but is saddened by how Aria treats them. She is taller than Aria and has brown hair with equally brown eyes and is in her mid-thirties in age. Mystic Warden. Captain Adrian Snow: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him create blades of ice that are nearly indestructible and grow stronger with each unsuccessful blow against the target. He is a lady-killer who often goes to mixers when given time off. So he is very interested in Aria when she joins Team Predator since she¡¯s a beautiful girl. However, he believes she is too young for him and to be an officer in general and believes that she should retire. He is tall and has white hair and blue eyes and is in his mid-thirties in age. Arctic Edge. First Lieutenant Jason Vargas: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him read the minds of whoever he touches and dig into their memories. He acts kind and jokes with everyone but when it comes to his job, he is ruthless and follows Striker¡¯s orders to a T. He sees Aria as a weapon to be used, just like himself. So he has nothing against her joining the team and welcomes her. He has gray hair and eyes and is in his late thirties in age. Psionic Inquisitor. Vorelius Cornelius Caesar: Emperor of the Grand Roan Empire. Aisling Sullivan: Clan Leader of the Sullivan Clan on Luk¡¯tar. Darragh Sullivan: On the Sullivan Clan¡¯s council and brother of Aisling. Sean Byrne: Clan Leader of the Byrne Clan on Luk¡¯tar. Azura Atlantus Althea: Seventh in line for the Atlantean throne and friend of Aria¡¯s. He likes setting up cafes. B2 | Chapter 43 Aria It doesn¡¯t take long for us to arrive at the immigration and tourism Gate to Atlantis. And when we do, we pass through the immigration side. Since one of Atlantis¡¯s drives to fame and money is their planet and cities¡¯ beauty attracting tourists from all over the universe. Not to mention the Grand Ocean, which is also beautiful despite the danger it poses to people. To my surprise, the medallion that the prince gave me lets me pass through in an instant without even being checked for anything. When I ask why that is, they simply tell me that no one can fake the amulet I have. And that it would turn my hand to ice if I wasn¡¯t the one it was meant for. So I make a mental note never to let someone else touch the thing. Anyways, after passing through the station, we pause right in front of the Gate before I glance up at the Grand Tree high in the sky, past the barrier over the ceiling. Something that¡¯s in place because a lot of tourists like to get one last look at the Grand Tree before leaving. And after a few seconds pass, I turn to glance at Shirogane before we both nod and pass through the Gate. Immediately appearing again in some sort of underwater structure. One that¡¯s mostly spherical other than one large glass tube leading to it from an even larger dome containing a massive city. This isn¡¯t the only extension from the city like this though as I see like half a dozen others from all around the dome sticking outwards to more Gates. I step forwards alongside Shirogane while looking around in awe. Because outside of the glass, I can see a bunch of marine life. Fish, sharks, manta rays, and so on. All creatures I had seen in the trench in much larger versions, but never had seen at their regular sizes. Of course, we¡¯re not the only ones passing through the Gate. There are quite a few others actually. But everyone is having a very similar reaction. Which makes sense considering just how drastically different Luk¡¯tar and Atlantis are. After looking a bit more, Shirogane and I end up at the large bridge leading over towards the main city itself, where a station just like the one we crossed through on Luk¡¯tar is. And when we arrive at the station, I get a look at the people in the station as they look at my medallion and let us pass. The people here all seem to be taller than me, with the men and women actually being about the same height as each other. All of them. Which is odd. Guess they just have tall women. It also makes me feel even shorter than I already am. Everyone also seems to be very physically fit with a swimmer¡¯s body. Not a professional lifter¡¯s amount of muscle, but an athlete¡¯s for sure. Also, I swear the only colors they have down here are white, blue, and some small amounts of black. Because most of them are wearing blue or white. Then again, the outfit I¡¯m wearing right now ¨C my favorite one ¨C is also white and blue. Actually, my outfit looks like it could be Atlantean in make. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. As we step out of the station, I can¡¯t help but notice that long hair seems to be normal here too. Both for men and women. Although there¡¯s no one with aqua blue hair like Azura, so I guess that¡¯s just an Azura thing. The most common hair color down here is actually white hair. Although a different white from mine. More of a silvery white, unlike my stark white. They also have pale blue eyes as the most common eye color here that I can see. Actually, if you ignored my height and eyes, I could probably be mistaken for an Atlantean. Assuming people didn¡¯t pay too much attention to the shade of white of my hair. Other than the people, the buildings all have that same white and blue color set that the people¡¯s outfits have. And they¡¯re made out of some sort of material that I don¡¯t actually recognize along with metal and marble. There¡¯s also just plain a lot of the buildings around. Meanwhile there¡¯s a large path of water just kind of floating in between the buildings, where the Atlanteans are just swimming straight through the water. On the other hand, the foreigners ¨C which stand out here ¨C are all using some sort of underwater vehicle with two jets of air shooting out of the backs of the vehicles and a large window covering the front. ¡°Atlanteans have evolved a little differently from humans on other worlds,¡± Shirogane whispers to me as we get close to the water. ¡°They can breathe underwater.¡± Interesting. I know I¡¯ve heard about some humans on some planets evolving a little differently, but so far the only differences I¡¯ve seen are in appearance. Exterior differences like height, hair, and eye color. Or even their Abilities. So this is the first planet I¡¯ve seen where they had an actual beneficial evolution different from other worlds. Which makes sense, I guess. Considering that the entire planet is just ocean. They wouldn¡¯t really survive if they weren¡¯t able to breathe underwater. ¡°Any idea where we should stop first?¡± I ask Shirogane, since he¡¯s the one with more knowledge about this place. But he doesn¡¯t get the chance to answer as our attention is quickly drawn to the rather fancy looking carriage being pulled through the water by large crocodiles straight towards us through the stream of water that makes the street. With guards wearing full blue armor with fancy helmets on their heads covering their faces and spears swimming on both sides of the carriage. And everyone nearby quickly begins to kneel when it comes close to them. Meanwhile, sitting at the front and center of the carriage is a certain prince who looks rather happy when he sees me. Considering the wide grin on his face. Soon enough the carriage comes to a stop right at the edge of the street near us, not leaving the water. Then Azura ¨C who is wearing a very fancy outfit fit for a prince of this nation, with, of course, the usual white and blue colors ¨C floats out of the carriage and jumps from the street to land in front of us. Everyone nearby continues kneeling, leaving me and Shirogane as the only ones not kneeling while the prince¡¯s guards surface from the water and land on the ground as well. ¡°Little Riri! You finally came!¡± Azura exclaims while stepping forwards and pulling me into a hug, proving that the man is still as touchy as ever. But I hug him back all the same before stepping backwards again. ¡°I was beginning to wonder if you¡¯d ever stop by.¡± ¡°C¡¯mon Azura, I was only there for a few years,¡± I tell him with a shrug, bringing me a couple odd looking glances from Shirogane and Azura. The prince glances at Shirogane, only for the man to shrug before Azura turns back towards me and says, ¡°You do realize you were there for about six or seven years on Luk¡¯tar, right?¡± I blink at that and tilt my head, ¡°Was it that long?¡± He nods. Huh. Interesting. Didn¡¯t really pay much attention to how long I was spending there in total. Just the time from one goal to another. ¡°Aria,¡± Shirogane says, bringing my attention towards him. ¡°You do realize that it was over an entire fifth of your lifetime, right?¡± I stare at him before opening my mouth to speak, only to close it again. Okaaayyy¡­ is my sense of time going out of whack? That¡¯s¡­ probably not a bad thing? Maybe? I¡­ at least I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad. Not when I won¡¯t ever die. Probably. ¡°Guess it is,¡± I tell them with a shrug. Then I focus on Azura as I ask, ¡°Anyways, what¡¯s with the grand appearance?¡± He blinks for a moment, only to glance at the soldiers who are standing a couple meters behind him at attention, then at the carriage behind him. Then he finally turns back to me and answers, ¡°Well, I¡¯m a prince. It¡¯s to be expected of me while I¡¯m here.¡± Ah. Meaning he has no choice. At least, from my understanding of him that¡¯s what it means. Guess he really does have to act like a prince here. ¡°Let¡¯s go to a place more private for our discussion,¡± he says, reminding me that we¡¯re kind of just chatting in front of the Gate station out right next to the street. ¡°Aight,¡± I tell him with a nod. Then we begin moving towards his carriage. B2 | Chapter 44 Aria So, as it turns out, the ¡®private place¡¯ he decided to take us turns out to be his caf¨¦. ¡°So, you want anything?¡± he asks while stepping around the counter and putting an apron on that has his bodyguards stiffening up, making me pity them. The person who was working here just kind of glances between all of us before bowing and leaving the room towards the back, clearly trying to avoid interrupting us. And the caf¨¦ itself is set up in an L shape with a bar at the center, windows on the exterior of the L, and the entrance at the corner of it. I ignore the guards who are standing on different ends of the room as I step up to the counter and sit down at the booth, answering, ¡°What sorts of wine do you have?¡± He grins at that and answers, ¡°What don¡¯t we have?¡± That has me raising a brow before I decide to go ahead and ask, ¡°Let¡¯s start with something I haven¡¯t had before. If you can find something like that within two attempts, I¡¯ll even set aside some time to play arcade games with you afterwards.¡± Once again, the bodyguards stiffen up. And they full-on twitch when the prince retorts, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re on!¡± And immediately sets out to grab a bunch of bottle as Shirogane sits down next to me on the counter, having pretty much been ignored that whole time. ¡°So what¡¯ve you been up to on Luk¡¯tar since I left?¡± Azura asks as he goes about grabbing multiple drinks and pouring them out. ¡°Also, I¡¯ll give you a new one you haven¡¯t had yet before mixing a cocktail for you. That fine?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I answer before answering his first question, ¡°And I basically spent the entire time just hunting.¡± ¡°And cutting down trees,¡± Shirogane mutters, making me send a glare his way that has him raising his hands. Azura lets out a wry smile as he pushes a drink towards me and Shirogane each and says, ¡°Well, there aren¡¯t exactly many trees on this planet. You can try cutting down the flora on the bottom of the sea, but I doubt it¡¯ll-¡± ¡°Azura,¡± I state, my eyes narrowing slightly. ¡°Yes, little Riri?¡± he asks, sounding innocent. Too innocent. ¡°Shut up,¡± I tell him before grabbing the drink and downing it. ¡°Shit.¡± He bursts out into laughter. ¡°That, my pale friend, is an Atlantean blend known as Aqua Nectar,¡± he says after he finishes his laughing fit. Damnit, I should¡¯ve thought about there being local blends¡­ Well, whatever. I was probably gonna end up playing some arcade games with him one way or another. ¡°Want me to mix it?¡± he asks while leaning over the counter with his arms, the guards at the opposite ends of the room still having a silent fit with all their twitching. ¡°It¡¯ll taste a lot better that way. I guarantee it.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I tell him while pushing the actually pretty good stuff over towards him again. ¡°Also, you have any carbonated drinks?¡± ¡°Comin¡¯ right up, little lady!¡± he says in a jovial tone of voice while beginning to prepare the drink. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. I watch him for a bit before looking out the window on the left side of the entrance at the street, and the dome above the street. ¡°How strong is the dome surrounding the city anyways? Since it¡¯s made of glass,¡± I ask out of curiosity. ¡°That¡¯s hardened glass made when lava from volcanoes mixes with the sand at the ocean floor in the Grand Ocean,¡± he answers without pausing in fixing the cocktail. ¡°Makes glass that¡¯s harder than steel and perfectly made to endure the pressure of the water this deep under the surface. Especially since it¡¯s mixed with mana.¡± Right. Anything in a Hunter¡¯s Spot is far superior than anything outside of one in terms of, well, anything. Living beings or otherwise. While Azura is fixing the cocktail though, the door to the caf¨¦ opens, bringing everyone¡¯s attention towards it. But to my surprise, instead of finding another customer entering, I actually see a little girl wearing fancy clothes walking in with a smile on her face. The girl has the same aqua blue hair as Azura, with the same blue eyes, and judging by the bodyguards walking in behind her that quickly move to join the other guards in the room, she is most likely royalty as well. Also, her eyes lock onto me the moment she enters before she glances back at the door, waits for it to fully close, and then charges towards me with a quiet squeal, ¡°It¡¯s yoouuu!!!! Riri!¡± Uh¡­ huh? The child tackles my legs in a hug, to the twitching irritation of her guards. Which makes me realize that Azura¡¯s behavior may not just be specific to him. On that note though, I ask the child, ¡°Hello, little Blue. How do you know me?¡± She raises her head up to look at me before pointing at Azura, the girl just barely standing taller than the counter. Then she says, ¡°Azu told me! You¡¯re the Horseman of the Apocalypse who¡¯s terrible at arcade games!¡± I stare at her for a second before turning a look towards ¡®Azu¡¯. ¡°Please don¡¯t give me a death glare like that,¡± ¡®Azu¡¯ says while seemingly trying hard to ignore me and focus on the cocktail that he¡¯s just now finishing up. ¡°Even with your low level, it¡¯s rather frightening.¡± Eventually I leave it at a simple, ¡°We¡¯ll see who¡¯s ¡®terrible at arcade games¡¯ later.¡± Then I turn towards the child who is looking up at me with pure eyes. Waaaaay too pure eyes. I don¡¯t do well with kids. I really don¡¯t. Then again, might as well give it a try. ¡°And what¡¯s your name?¡± I ask her while she continues to hug my legs. And immediately after I ask that, she seems to remember something and steps back, letting go of my hands. Then she gives me a formal bow by moving her arm across her chest, resting her hand on her opposite shoulder as she bows her head, stating, ¡°Greeting, Lady Death, my name is Nerissa Atlantus Azurion. The ninth in line for the throne and Fifth Princess.¡± Guess a princess will be a princess. I glance to the side as Azura places my cocktail in front of me along with a red drink that¡¯s fizzing before moving back and grabbing something to give Shirogane while saying, ¡°Little Neri often asks me about my travels and seems to have taken a shine to you, so please treat her well.¡± After getting Shirogane his drink, he turns back to me while leaning over the counter. ¡°She¡¯s my youngest sibling and only eight years old as of two months ago. And she¡¯s been looking forward to your visit probably even more than I have.¡± That¡­ confuses me. ¡°Just what did you tell her to make her so interested in me?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask. And it¡¯s not Azura who answers this time. ¡°He told me about how you blew up the weapons production facility on Luk¡¯tar!!! And how you blew up their fortresses with yourself along with them! How you¡¯re eccentric and don¡¯t bother to walk out of the Grand Trees the normal way and instead-HMMHMMHMMMM¡± the princess starts gushing until the prince in question rushes to cover her mouth. I stare at Azura. Shirogane stares at Azura. I¡¯m pretty sure even the guards stare at Azura. The man in question shamelessly kneels next to his sister and whispers not-so-quietly into her ear, ¡°I thought we agreed you wouldn¡¯t share that with anyone?¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± she says while clapping her fist into her palm as if having some grand memory coming back to her. Which I¡¯ll admit is adorable. ¡°Sorry Azu. I¡¯ll keep it in mind next time.¡± My eye twitches at that last part. ¡°There better not be a next time,¡± I mutter while glaring at a certain prince, who merely looks to the side and coughs awkwardly. I continue glaring at him even as I grab my cocktail and take a sip. Although the sheer tastiness of the drink almost makes me stop. But I manage to continue. He really can prepare a mean cocktail. Even if the alcohol doesn¡¯t do shit to me. Now if only he didn¡¯t go around telling his sister about explosions and stuff like that. He¡¯s gonna make her weirdly obsessed with explosions when she grows up if he keeps it up. ¡°Riri?¡± the child says while raising her arms towards me. ¡°Up!¡± I frown before glancing at Azura, who just mouths ¡®pick her up¡¯. So I turn back to her with a mental shrug and pick the girl up before putting her on my lap. Then she goes and steals my carbonated drink, drinking it for herself. I frown at her, only to glare at Azura. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly blame that on me!¡± he exclaims. B2 | Chapter 45 Aria After the little scamp steals my drink, Azura brings me another one. ¡°Why are you two here anyways?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask both the brother across the bar and his sister who is still sitting on my lap simply sipping at the soda she swiped from me. Little Blue ¨C the nickname I decided to give her just because it fits ¨C raises her head to look straight up at me as she says, ¡°I¡¯m in charge of this region!¡± That has me blinking down at her for a second before I glance at Azura, who nods his head and answers, ¡°It¡¯s normal for royals of our family to be given control of a city region along with our usual Mercenary Company once we¡¯re five years old. But it¡¯s mostly just a formality to teach us how to manage it while putting someone else actually in charge.¡± Oh. That makes more sense. Although I can¡¯t help but feel that five years old is a little young to start teaching them how to manage a company¡­ ¡°I¡¯m here because it happened to be my turn to babysit,¡± he says while glancing at the child on my lap. A child who frowns at him at the mention of the word babysit. ¡°I don¡¯t need a babysitter,¡± she says while clenching her little hands on the glass in her hands and shrinking inwards a little bit with an adorable pout that makes me pat her on the head. An act she seems to enjoy a little, considering that I feel her relaxing slightly. ¡°Yes you do,¡± Azura passively comments before focusing on me again and speaking to me again, ¡°On another note, would you like to head to the capital with us?¡± The little one on my lap gets upset with his first comment only to suddenly grow excited at the second as she turns around towards me, surprisingly being careful with her drink despite her excitement, and says, ¡°Oo! Yes! Please come Riri!¡± I raise a brow at her before asking, ¡°By the way, is there any particular reason you¡¯re calling me that?¡± She frowns for a second and tilts her head before removing her right hand from her glass and pointing at Azura as she says, ¡°Azu calls you little Riri, so I thought that was your name?¡± I almost facepalm. Would¡¯ve done it too, if it weren¡¯t for needing to keep an arm around the child to make sure she doesn¡¯t fall off or anything. ¡°Hey little Neri, what do you think about calling her Aunty Riri instead?¡± Azura asks, making me instantly turn a scowl on him. But the child in my lap doesn¡¯t notice as she starts smiling and says, ¡°Okay!¡± I open my mouth to speak out against it, only for her to turn back to me with a wide and innocent smile on her face as she says, ¡°Aunty Riri!¡± The sheer innocence in her sparkling blue eyes makes me pause for a second before I pat her on the head and tell her, ¡°How about we stick with Riri, okay?¡± She tilts her head, only to shrug and answer, ¡°Okay!¡± At least I got rid of the aunty part. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Also, I can¡¯t help but notice a certain merchant snickering to our right. Until he notices my death glare and shuts up that is. He¡¯s gonna regret that later. I turn to Azura, who is trying to hold back a snicker. Him too. ¡°You never answered,¡± Azura points out, seemingly trying to change the subject from my death glare. Oh. Right. ¡°Is the capital the closest place to the Grand Ocean?¡± I ask as the little ball of energy in my lap turns around, facing her brother again while resting her head on my chest and still sipping what was originally my soda. And by now I think the guards in the room have just resigned themselves to their very un-princely and un-princessly behavior. Since they¡¯ve stopped twitching and flinching and all. ¡°Yep,¡± Azura says while sitting down on the other side of the bar on a seat I didn¡¯t see before now. ¡°There¡¯s a ferry heading there every morning and back every night.¡± Then he raises a brow. ¡°Or you could just swim the distance if you want. You¡¯re not exactly in danger considering who you are.¡± True. But I¡¯d rather not have to deal with swimming so much every day. ¡°I¡¯ll come to the capital with you then,¡± I tell him, only to remember that Little Blue sounded excited. So I tilt my head a little and ask, ¡°Wait, is Little Blue coming along?¡± He raises a brow slightly at my nickname for her, but the princess herself just lets out a short giggle. Proving that she seems to like it as she continues sipping at that soda. ¡°We were both summoned to the capital not long before you arrived for the annual Winter Ball,¡± he says before glancing at Shirogane and asking, ¡°You planning on coming as well, Silver Merchant?¡± Shirogane finally looks up from his phone for the first time during this conversation as he glances at everyone staring at him ¨C except Little Blue who is just looking down at her drink ¨C and says, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m her contracted merchant, so I go where she goes.¡± That gives me pause as I remember the whole thing about me having spent seven years on Luk¡¯tar. Come to think of it, has he even been leveling in this time? I still can¡¯t see his level, so I can¡¯t tell. And he never fights, so¡­ ¡°You know, Shirogane, you can always take some time off if you want to go level,¡± I tell him with a slightly worried frown on my face, only briefly glancing at the princess as she pulls out a white and blue cell phone. Something with holograms on the screen that actually pop out when she pinches her fingers on it. That¡¯s kinda cool. He looks at me with more than a little surprise on his face before he smiles, surprising me by the fact that he apparently isn¡¯t in business mode right now. Despite the prince and princess being here. Then he says, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already leveled up several times during our time on Luk¡¯tar, so I¡¯m not lagging behind.¡± I blink at that in surprise. ¡°I¡¯m a merchant, Aria,¡± he says, the emotions on his face fading again. ¡°I don¡¯t level from fighting. I level from doing business.¡± Oh, right. I forgot about that. Well, that¡¯s interesting. Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think I noticed this before, but does Shirogane look a little older than when I first met him almost a decade or so ago? Because I swear he looks a little older. Not much, but a little. I didn¡¯t really consider the fact that others are still aging, even if their every one hundred levels doubles their lifespans and makes them revert back to their prime. With them still aging after that based on a percentage of their full lifespan. With fifty percent of their lifespan being about the same as a fifty year old person before the System. Using one hundred years as a basis since that¡¯s the average lifespan for someone in the System. And if about eight or so years means only a little change for him¡­ I¡¯d rather not do that math in my head. But that¡¯s still a high enough level for it to not matter. Of course, I could probably ask him his level and he wouldn¡¯t bother hiding it. But where¡¯s the fun in that? Plus he is neutral in battle so knowing his level won¡¯t matter to me. On that note, I was in Luk¡¯tar for about seven or so years ish. And it¡¯d been about six and a half years since I saw Azura back in the Grand Tree during that mission. I glance down at the child on my lap. So if she¡¯s just eight years old, doesn¡¯t that mean she was born not long before I even arrived on Luk¡¯tar? That¡¯s odd to think about. That she¡¯s only about as old as what I genuinely thought of as a short adventure. Guess my sense of time really is going out the window. The girl in question raises her head to look up at me while tilting it a little and still sipping from the straw in her drink. I pat her on the head before turning to Azura and asking, ¡°So when are we going to leave?¡± He stands up from whatever seat he was on as he answers, ¡°Right now work for you?¡± I feel a little surprised before nodding. ¡°Sure.¡± Looks like I¡¯m going to the capital now then. I wonder what it looks like? B2 | Chapter 46 Vortel Inside of a large temple on the planet known as Vortel, the emperor of the Grand Roan Empire kneels down in front of the Void Priest. A man who simply stares at him without a single emotion on his face. ¡°Please, great Void Priest, servant of the Esteemed Greater Void Spirit residing within this Temple, I beseech you,¡± the emperor declares while raising his head. ¡°Please grant us one more chance to form a new pact. I swear on my line that we will never break it again.¡± Several seconds pass before the Void Priest lets out a sigh and the Greater Void Spirit of the Temple itself appears in its same silhouette form and speaks, ¡°Once broken, a pact may never be reforged. Trust lost, respect shattered. Leave here now lest you gain my wrath.¡± Then the spirit vanishes just as quickly as it appeared, following which the emperor is kicked out of the temple, making him fall on his knees in front of the entrance. And without any hesitation, he slams both of his fists on the ground, cracking it in the process with his level 351 strength. Throughout the process only barely stopping himself from shouting in anger. He turns his glare towards the fortress situated near the Gate and the Temple, but any thought of taking his anger out on the fortress is erased when he sees red light beginning to cover the edges of his vision thanks to the soul pact he forged. A soul pact that has bound his actions for nearly a decade now thanks to his inability to find the Crimson Eternal. One made even worse since he believes the Crimson Eternal may just be the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death, that people are speaking about all over the universe now. And if the Grand Nine can¡¯t locate her, how is he going to manage it? Especially since it looks as if she¡¯s traveling to Alpha Tier planets as well, and the only Alpha Tier world he has any access to is Eternus. And that¡¯s only because of his trade agreement with a Six Star Merchant who had visited their world. After glaring at the fortress with a look that could kill for several seconds, he finally stands up, ignoring that the ground in front of the Temple is already magically repaired by the time he reaches his feet. Then he proceeds to make his way towards the Gate, feeling like he needs to vent his anger on something. Anything, really. At the rate he¡¯s going, he¡¯ll never find her. And since she will never die as a true immortal, the contract will never be voided. Not unless the First General is killed outside of his own meddling, since having her killed would count as a violation of his pact. The only way he can possibly consider capturing her at this point is to camp out at the Gates to Vortel and hope she decides to return. Or to put out a bounty on her himself. But with the bounties posted by the Grand Nine, he isn¡¯t even sure if anyone would bother giving his bounty the time of day. Then he pauses right when he¡¯s about to pass through the Gate as a realization comes to him. As he remembers the interrogation he did with that Vortel native known as Vargas. Where he got Death¡¯s appearance. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The intel was hidden over the years with no one believing it to be true, simply because no one ever managed to find her. And with him being such a minor power, he wasn¡¯t given much credit when he said that Death was from a Gamma Tier world of all places. Especially when all of the other Horsemen are publicly known to have all originated on Alpha Tier worlds. Much more powerful and dangerous places than Vortel. But there is one person he can get to prove his words. That analyzer who he had hired a while back. Someone he believes was from the Sage Core. A Beta Tier world nation similar to the Arcadian Society but far weaker and on a smaller scale. Where they both focus on magic and the study of magic, with everyone amongst them being mages or analyzers. If I can just get into contact with that analyzer again, I¡¯ll be able to prove that my intel about her appearance is correct. And that should at least let me convince the Grand Nine to let me see her at least once to clear this soul pact. The start of a smile begins stretching across his face at that thought. A very refreshing thought, since just the mere image of the Crimson Eternal¡¯s face as the man known as Vargas had described it ¨C a woman in her mid-thirties with black hair and eyes ¨C has been enough to piss him off every single time. But now? Imagining the woman being captured and held indefinitely? Now he feels glee. Before that though, he has to find the analyzer. So he crosses through the Gate and immediately gets to work trying to find him.
Aria I feel rather excited as we just speed through the ocean, passing by a bunch of underwater flora along with fish and other sea creatures of all types along the way. Straight towards the capital of Atlantis. Which, coincidentally, is also called Atlantis. ¡°This your first time seeing so clearly underwater?¡± Azura says from a seat next to mine, with Little Blue once again sitting on my lap and Shirogane on my other side. I nod my head, not taking my gaze away from the window as the bodyguards all stand around us, with quite a few more soldiers spread around the little ship we¡¯re in. Then I answer, ¡°Yep. The only other time was in the trench at Hunter¡¯s Bay. Which wasn¡¯t exactly very clear nor safe.¡± He chuckles at that and says, ¡°Yeah, the waters here are a lot clearer than in Hunter¡¯s Bay. We¡¯re also not as deep here.¡± Makes sense. I continue looking out the windows of the vehicle while thinking about his offer from earlier. When we first entered this vehicle and began the trip. His offer to let us stay in his caf¨¦ in the capital. Which is something he has. A caf¨¦ in the capital. Actually, he apparently has a caf¨¦ in every city on the planet. And while I think that might be a bit excessive, it probably makes a lot of money. At first I wondered if his caf¨¦ was just kinda dead. Since there wasn¡¯t anyone in it when we arrived other than that employee. But as it turns out, he¡¯d called ahead and told them to close the caf¨¦ before we arrived. His caf¨¦s are actually rather popular on Atlantis from what his guards said. And I guess it makes sense, considering that his cocktail was pretty good. And according to Shirogane, so was his tea and coffee. Then there¡¯s the fact that he¡¯s a prince. Which brings with it visibility to the caf¨¦s. I kind of wonder how much coin so many caf¨¦s bring in for him though. Putting aside his caf¨¦ obsession though, they also explained what that Winter Ball thing was about. Apparently some sort of fancy dance party meant for the nobility of Atlantis to celebrate the achievements of the mercenaries from the various Companies. Oh, and I¡¯m apparently invited to it. Not sure if I¡¯ll be going though. I don¡¯t generally like formal outfits or parties. Although it might be a little interesting to see what sort of mercenaries they have under their employ. Even if I don¡¯t really plan on ever hiring them. I¡¯ll probably spend most of my time in the Grand Ocean here. At least for the first few years. There aren¡¯t any wars going on in Atlantis, so I won¡¯t have to fight any people. Which will be nice. As for where I¡¯ll go after my time in Atlantis? There are quite a few planets to choose from. So I can decide on that later. The corner of my lips quirk upwards slightly at the thought of another Hunter¡¯s Spot to explore. My thoughts pause as I feel the princess on my lap shifting slightly so that her head is resting ear first on my chest as she sleeps. Also gonna have some new people to get to know here. B2 | Chapter 47 Aria After a few more hours, we begin to get close enough for the capital to enter our sights. And the thing is absolutely massive. To the point that it may just be the biggest city I¡¯ve ever seen. The city is a massive dome floating in the water with multiple other domes all stretching off of it, and a single massive castle standing all the way down from the sea floor to above the domes. One that doesn¡¯t actually have any air in it. Interesting. Guess it¡¯s like saying that the castle is meant for atlanteans. Since most people can¡¯t breathe underwater like atlanteans can. Instead of heading towards the castle, the ship we¡¯re in heads straight to the largest city dome and parks right inside of one of the little hangars. A hangar that empties itself of water after we enter and park inside. Then we all begin to leave the ship with the bodyguards all following the prince and princess behind us, with the princess being carried in my arms until we reach the entrance to the hangar we¡¯re in. A hangar I believe is a private one. I wonder why she¡¯s grown so attached to me? Not really sure. Although she does seem to be a rather quiet child unless she finds something interesting. Most of the time she¡¯s just playing with my hair, twirling it around. Before we leave the hangar though, she pats me on the shoulder, seemingly asking to be let down. So I set her back on the ground, and she pats off her clothes, straightening them out. Then she and her brother both step towards the hangar doors and place their hands on it, making some green lines run across the door where their hands are as if scanning them. And mere seconds later, the door opens, and we all step out into a fancy street ¨C once again made of water ¨C where a large carriage is waiting. Yep. Royalty to their core. This street in particular seems to be some sort of nobility-only street, since everyone crossing through it is in some sort of fancy looking vehicle with bodyguards swimming incredibly fast alongside them. And not a single regular looking vehicle in it, or regular person in regular clothes. Only fancy looking clothes. ¡®It¡¯s as you probably already guessed, a noble district street,¡¯ I hear someone¡¯s voice before quickly realizing that it¡¯s one of the guards following us. ¡®Don¡¯t worry, ma¡¯am, I¡¯m using my telepathy skill to assist you.¡¯ Interesting. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen one of the guards talk yet. Actually haven¡¯t even seen them so much as take off their helmets. Also, am I able to respond to them? I try a few things like imagining pushing my thoughts out to them, but nothing works, and soon enough, we¡¯re on the carriage and moving through the street ourselves. ¡°We should be fine talking in here,¡± Azura says after the little overhead of the carriage covers us, and the vehicle begins moving, being pulled along by crocodiles. ¡°Nobles are always full of gossip. So it¡¯s best not to feed them with more by talking in public.¡± ¡°Yeah, guess that makes sense,¡± I respond with a nod, briefly glancing at the princess who took her own seat this time. Probably because people can still vaguely see inside of the carriage. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Guess she really is keeping up her appearance as a princess so long as we¡¯re in a public place. Even if she¡¯s absolutely not doing that in private. Certainly explains why the guards never said anything. Unless they¡¯re just not allowed to say anything? Not sure. I don¡¯t know how the military structure here works. I do know that they have an absolute monarchy though, where the king and queen both have absolute power over the nation. Power that no one can go against. But as for how the soldiers in their navy are able to interact with their royalty? No idea. All I know is that the royal family treats the nation and citizens rather well despite having absolute power over them. One of the few examples of a benevolent absolute monarchy. Anyways, we continue riding through the street for a little while until we take a turn, passing through a fancy blue and gold gate into another street. One that I can only assume is not a noble district street like the other one, considering the people who are dressed like commoners passing through it. Some without even having a vehicle. ¡°Our first destination is the caf¨¦ in the capital,¡± Azura says while folding his arms and looking directly outside of the carriage, seemingly uncaring of the people who are quickly parting in the street to let us through. Or of the people kneeling on the sides of the street. A motion that looks rather odd when they¡¯re floating in water. It¡¯s rather interesting how none of them ever say anything. Everyone we pass just kneels in silence. My attention is attracted to some sort of panel at the front of the carriage by Azura where a woman¡¯s face appears. And the moment Azura sees her, he frowns and asks, ¡°What do you need, Mari?¡± The woman on the screen looks similar to Azura and Little Blue, what with her aqua blue hair and pale blue eyes, and she¡¯s wearing fancy looking clothing as well. So if I had to guess, she¡¯s probably a princess too. Although she surprisingly has short hair unlike most of the people I¡¯ve seen on this planet. ¡°Father has decided that he would like to meet Lady Death,¡± she says while glancing at me and nodding her head in respect. Then she faces her brother again and continues, ¡°Assuming it¡¯s fine with her, Father wants you to bring her to the palace. And to give her a water breathing potion if she needs one.¡± Azura doesn¡¯t look too surprised about this as he nods his head and says, ¡°Okay. Is there anything else, Sis?¡± She just looks at me and says, ¡°I look forward to meeting you in person, Horseman of the Apocalypse.¡± Then the connection seems to cut off and the screen vanishes with a blipping noise. Azura turns to look at me and asks, ¡°You want to head to the castle with us?¡± And I immediately see Little Blue¡¯s eyes lighting up at that, practically beaming with excitement even if she stays still and composed everywhere else. I glance up past the tops of the buildings in the city, past the massive manor-sized buildings deeper into the city, and at the castle itself. At the far edge of the city, in the direction that the noble district was taking us to before. It does look like an interesting place to go visit. Might as well check it out. ¡°Sure,¡± I tell them with a nod of my head. Then I glance at Shirogane, only to find him shaking his head. ¡°Very well then,¡± Azura says with a smile before glancing at the driver and saying, ¡°We¡¯ll continue our trip to the caf¨¦ where we¡¯ll leave Shirogane behind and head towards the castle.¡± The driver nods his head at that and continues our trip through the street, past the kneeling citizens and soldiers. I don¡¯t really need to ask why the king would be interested in seeing me. Considering that I¡¯m one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse and at this point getting a bit of a reputation throughout the universe. Even if no one really knows what I look like. Except the people from Vortel that is. Although I¡¯m kind of curious how they¡¯re doing right now? And how they reacted when they heard about me being Death, or heard the current news? I hope they¡¯re all doing well. It¡¯s too bad there¡¯s no efficient way to have a conversation with someone on a different planet outside of the Universal Feed. And even the Universal Feed isn¡¯t perfect, since it can take a moment to update. Plus it¡¯s expensive to use for extended periods of time and isn¡¯t mobile. One thing I do find interesting about the ruling power structure of Atlantis though. The fact that both the king and the queen have equal power. Most monarchies tend to be focused more towards one side having greater power or more specialized power in certain areas than the other. But in Atlantis, they have the exact same power. Power over the entire nation and planet. It¡¯s surprising that they¡¯d be able to work together so well. Although, if what I¡¯ve heard of the king and queen is true, then it¡¯s not too surprising. Considering how doting they are of each other. From what I¡¯ve heard, at least. Not a common thing amongst aristocracy. We soon leave the street and head through some side streets until we stop at a caf¨¦ and let Shirogane off, with the prince telling him something outside of the carriage. Probably giving him what he needs to know while staying there. Then we quickly move on out again. Towards the castle. B2 | Chapter 48 Vortel Major General Leonardo Striker lets out a sigh after crossing back through the Gate into Vortel from the Eternal Dynasty, having once again been the officer sent to check on the state of affairs of the universe. To check the Universal Feed. And just like the previous times he¡¯s done this job, he feels a little sad as he walks across the desert of the land that used to be Arteria, heading towards the nearest fortress. Sad that he never saw Aria during the trip. Ever since he and the others heard the news about Death being out in the universe, making a name for herself, they were all beside themselves with joy. All incredibly happy that their old comrade was still alright and living well. Even if they were surprised by how low her level is. Considering that Leonardo¡¯s level right now is over level forty. At the same time though, Leonardo feels rushed to level. Like he has little to no choice but to do it as quickly as possible. After all, he¡¯s only level forty-six, so he needs another fifty-six levels until his lifespan doubles. And until then, he¡¯ll only have five or six more decades to live. What with him being in his mid to late forties now. But putting his own age aside, he¡¯s more worried about Rogers, who is in his early fifties at a level forty-five. Leonardo¡¯s Class is known as the Kinetic Hunter, having clearly taken after his most common use of his ability. How he often uses his ability to directly put kinetic energy into his arrows to fire them. And his purpose is to use his ability to fire arrows like that while hunting. The amount of people he fights, kills, or captures doesn¡¯t matter, nor does any attacks he makes that don¡¯t involve using his ability. And whether or not he actually kills the enemy doesn¡¯t matter either. All that matters is his use of his ability against enemies in that particular way. But the issue with his ability is that it¡¯s a ranged one. And up until the System, he¡¯d always used it for sniping from far distances. So he¡¯s been forced to adjust his use of his ability, putting in less kinetic energy in each shot so that he can speed up his attacks, making attacking from closer distances more viable. He¡¯s not the only one forced to do things like this though as plenty of the people he knows have had to alter the way they¡¯ve done things to keep leveling in mind. Especially the older people who have less time to reach level one hundred. Some of the older officers in the military likely won¡¯t even reach level one hundred. A couple of the generals for example, Leonardo knows are still only in their level thirties despite being over sixty or seventy years old. Alaric Ashfall, the Sixth General, for example, is already in his early seventies and will not have the lifespan left to reach level 100. It¡¯s made the elderly rather upset, with many of them growing obsessive about raising their level. Especially the ones getting closer and closer to the end of their lives as they attempt to extend what they previously believed to be the end. Leonardo frowns as he glances to the side and finds a jeep heading his way, only for the frown to vanish when he sees his team members in the vehicles. The members of the Predator Division. And once the jeep arrives, each of them gets out of the vehicle, all looking older than the last time they saw Aria by a large margin. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Did you hear anything?¡± Lieutenant Colonel Adrian Snow asks with a frown of his own on his face. One that¡¯s been ever present since their youngest left the team to head to a new world. Leonardo silently shakes his head. ¡°Damnit¡­¡± Snow mutters, sounding just as upset as before. The team has been trying to track down Aria for years now, but all they¡¯ve managed to do is lock down that she¡¯s most likely been on Luk¡¯tar somewhere. Which isn¡¯t much more than what the rest of the universe knows. And even then, the last confirmed and official sighting of Death was several years ago. Back when the war she had participated in came to a close. When she met War. Leonardo has to admit, he was shocked when he first heard she was the Horseman of the Apocalypse. But since their world wasn¡¯t very familiar with what that meant at the time, it didn¡¯t change anything at all. They didn¡¯t know what the Horsemen really were yet after all. Now that he¡¯s heard some of the horror stories about the three Horsemen other than Aria though? Now he just has trouble seeing that young woman being anything like them. ¡°I hope she¡¯s okay¡­¡± Colonel Hannah Harvey mutters, making Colonel Frank Rogers nod in agreement, still just as mute as he was a decade ago. ¡°She¡¯s immortal,¡± Lieutenant Colonel Jason Vargas says with his arms crossed and little to no expression on his face. ¡°I¡¯d be more worried about whoever tries to harm her than her herself.¡± That makes the corner of Leonardo¡¯s lips quirt upwards slightly as he looks at the current youngest officer of their division. He was surprised when Vargas offered a way to help her even from Vortel. Surprised that he would be proactive in trying to help her. Leonardo knows very well that Vargas, even if he did seem to get along with her at the end, never particularly grew attached with any of them. So the fact that he¡¯s helping was a big surprise to everyone. Especially when they learned of how he planned to help. None of them realized Vargas¡¯s ability could even alter memories, even if it¡¯s apparently incredibly difficult for him to do. To the point that he can only really alter his own memories. Which is just what he did. He altered his own memories so that nothing he said would be a lie. Both in the eyes of the truthseekers and the eyes of the soul pact. Although it helps that no one else knew about this power of his either, including spies. Leonardo sighs once again ¨C which is becoming a habit nowadays ¨C before he calls out to the group, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head out. No use idling here.¡± He has a report to turn in after all, even if they didn¡¯t get any news on Aria. Not that he was planning on telling them if he did. News that the Grand Roan Empire is on the move again, making contact with an analyzer. Just what is that emperor up to now¡­
Somewhere in the Universe Inside of a dark chamber filled with nothing but black mist, two people appear in bright lights, briefly shining through the mist before the black and purple lights fade again. Revealing a man and a woman, both cloaked in different elements. One with a cloak of purple light, the other a cloak of black flames. Then a wave of shadows envelops the center of the room, and another figure appears. A man wearing a cloak made purely of shadows that are billowing in the non-existent wind around them. With a level so high that even the two in the room currently cannot see what it is. However, both of them are certain that it would be a black number if they could see it. ¡°Council Leader, preparations are being made across the ten Beta Tier planets now,¡± the woman whose face is covered in black flames states, her words reverberating softly through the chamber. ¡°They will be complete in five years¡¯ time.¡± The other man in the room begins to speak as well, his face equally covered by purple light, ¡°We have a small problem on the planet known as Vesta.¡± Both the woman and the man cloaked in shadows focus on him. ¡°Problem?¡± the man cloaked in shadows asks, his voice barely distinguishable as it fills the room. A voice most people would find themselves forgetting within moments after hearing, unable to remember it again if they tried. ¡°Pestilence, Council Leader,¡± the man radiating purple light answers as simply as possible. ¡°Pestilence has shown himself once again, and his target this time is the Beta Tier world known as Vesta.¡± A brief pause fills the room before the man in shadows asks, ¡°Time?¡± ¡°We estimate the world will die in two years,¡± the man with purple light responds while lowering his head a little. Then, without a hint of hesitation, the man cloaked in shadows states in his usual short speech, ¡°Leave it. Pick another.¡± And mere moments later, he vanishes in a wave of shadows. Both of the council members turn to look at each other. ¡°Will things proceed smoothly?¡± the woman asks, her voice more confident now that their leader is gone. The man answers with a nod, ¡°I already have another world in mind.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± she says before vanishing in a plume of black flames. And after a brief glance at where their leader was standing, the man leaves as well in a flash of purple light. Leaving the chamber empty once more. B2 | Chapter 49 Aria After we arrive at the castle, Azura offers me a breathing potion. But this time around I decide to not take it. Mostly because I kind of want to get used to not breathing when I can¡¯t do it. It¡¯s probably for the best that was after all. Because then I can trick people into thinking I still need to breathe and then just not breathe instead when they try to use a special poison on me or suffocate me. And still be perfectly comfortable and at peak performance even when not breathing. It does get me a couple odd looks though when I step out of the ship without the usual bubble thing around me denoting a water breathing potion. Especially since I¡¯m not breathing at all. But the prince and princess just nod their heads and begin leading the group into the castle. Even if the other soldiers and guards continue staring at me. Partially most likely due to my black number and partially the fact that they can clearly tell I¡¯m not breathing at all. Rather amusing to watch but a little annoying as well. I proceed to ignore them after a few minutes of us passing through the halls. And soon enough we begin to pass by nobles as well. What bothers me the most about this place though is that I can¡¯t see anyone¡¯s numbers. Meaning pretty much everyone here can crush my head in the palm of their hand. And while that won¡¯t actually matter in the end since my head would restore itself, it¡¯s not pleasant to think about being weak amongst so many powerful people. We continue moving through the castle until we arrive at a rather grand hallway leading towards an enormous set of double doors. Ones that look rather fancy and are plaited in some sort of sleek silver and blue metal. Meanwhile the sides of the hall are filled with soldiers wearing the same armor as the prince and princess¡¯s bodyguards. A full blue and white armor that covers their entire body without exposing any skin. I watch the soldiers as we pass between them unimpeded until we reach the end of the hall and two of the soldiers walk up and grab the door¡¯s handles before opening them. Revealing a massive throne room behind it. Albeit a mostly empty one with no one in it other than the two people on the largest thrones at the end along with seven people on nine other thrones in an arc behind them to the sides, leaving two thrones empty. Both Little Blue and Azura step up to the two empty thrones before taking their seats, meanwhile the bodyguards follow them and move around to stand guard right behind their thrones. Just like the guards standing behind the other princes and princesses. But I put the princes and princesses out of my mind for now. Because the king and queen are staring at me. The two rulers are both wearing matching outfits, albeit one in a dress and one a suit, and between them, only the queen has the aqua blue hair that all of the princes and princesses have. Which most likely means that she¡¯s the daughter of the previous rulers and he married into the family. Assuming the aqua blue hair is a sign of atlantean royalty. What surprises me about the two of them though is that they¡¯re both rather kind looking. Which isn¡¯t normal for royalty. Especially absolute monarchs. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I can tell that they are still a little wary of me, but they mostly seem to trust me. Something that¡¯s rather obvious from how they brought me here despite knowing my penchant for suicide bombing. Assuming using a bomb would even work on them, considering that they¡¯re royalty. I¡¯m not sure if the explosives would¡¯ve killed the Clan Leaders on Luk¡¯tar or not, and they should be about the same level. ¡°Introducing Lady Aria Crimson, Horseman of the Apocalypse, Pale Horseman, Ageless One, and Death herself,¡± one of the guards who stayed behind me after we entered declares. The two being the ones who were in the carriage while we were at the caf¨¦. A few seconds pass before the king raises the rather fancy looking trident in his hand and taps it on the ground, making a wave of water shoot out to make a large rippling wall of water running all around us. Around me, the king and queen, and princes and princesses. Then he raises his voice, ¡°We welcome you to Atlantis, Lady Crimson. We merely ask that you obey a few rules during your stay here.¡± That almost has me raising a brow. But I hold myself back. ¡°The first rule,¡± his wife, the queen continues for him. ¡°Follow the laws of Atlantis.¡± ¡°The second rule,¡± the king says, making me wonder if they¡¯re just gonna alternate with every answer. ¡°Do not appear on any news or media within our nation that could attract the Grand Nine here.¡± ¡°The third rule,¡± the queen continues, confirming my theory that they¡¯re just alternating. ¡°If you¡¯re in the same room as our two youngest, you must act to protect them.¡± I blink at that, feeling a little surprised that they¡¯re trusting me with protection of their children. Although, what does she mean by¡­ two¡­ My gaze turns towards the princess sitting on the throne to the right of Little Blue¡¯s. A princess who only looks around fifteen or so years old. Guess they have two children amongst their kids, not just one. The rest all look like adults though. Two even look like identical twins. ¡°And lastly,¡± both the king and queen state at the same time, making my gaze return to them only to find them both smiling. ¡°Please take care of Neri and Selenia.¡± Wait, what? I glance at Little Blue to find her smiling. But who the heck is this Selenia person? I glance at the teenage princess next to her, only to find her also staring at me with a rather intense look. Although it¡¯s a different look from the one her younger sister is giving me. While the one Little Blue is giving me is of adoration and like she¡¯s looking at an elder sister figure, the teenage princess is looking at me like she wants to try fighting me. And she looks excited for it. A battle junkie teenage princess. I hope that¡¯s not Selenia. Out of nowhere, I get a telepathic communication from one of the guards behind me telling me that the teenage princess is, in fact, Selenia. Well, that¡¯s annoying. Why do I get the feeling I just got a nuisance? ¡°As for the matter of taxes,¡± the king suddenly says, once again returning my attention to him. ¡°So long as you follow these rules, you don¡¯t have to worry about taxes. You will be exempt.¡± Oh. Nevermind. I love princesses. It¡¯s always best to build up my savings as much as possible. Considering that I¡¯ll be living forever, so retirement isn¡¯t really a thing for me. ¡°For clarification, do you have anything in mind when you say to take care of them?¡± I ask while tilting my head a little. Just to be sure. The queen answers this time with a smile, ¡°Selenia will be making her first trip to the Grand Ocean soon enough, and we would like her to go with you and her older brother.¡± Oh. That could be annoying. Another telepathic message comes in from a guard specifying how the Grand Ocean is set up. The difference between it and the Grand Trees on Luk¡¯tar and the Hunter¡¯s Bay on Eternus. Specifically how it¡¯s easy to get lost and probably for the best to have a guide during your first trips. ¡°Very well,¡± I respond with a nod of my head. ¡°And what about Little Bl- err, Princess Nerissa?¡± ¡°Simply come and visit her from time to time,¡± the king answers this time, starting to disorient me a little with their little alternating dialogue. ¡°And you may call her your nickname so long as it¡¯s not in front of other nobles and in an official setting.¡± Hmm. ¡°Okay, I agree with all of the terms,¡± I tell them with a nod and a smile. This time both the king and the queen smile rather brightly at me and speak simultaneously, ¡°Then we welcome you to Atlantis, Death, Horseman of the Apocalypse. And we hope your stay is enjoyable and makes a mark in your endless life.¡± B2 | Chapter 50 Aria After our little negotiation session finishes, the wall of water is taken down and all of the princes and princesses begin to introduce themselves to me. Starting with Little Blue, who is no doubt making an official introduction instead of her rather informal one before. ¡°Hello, Lady Crimson, my name is Nerissa Atlantus Azurion, and I am the ninth in the line for the Atlantean Throne, and the Fifth Princess,¡± she says with a little bow before raising her head again with a bright smile on her face. ¡°I look forward to spending time with you!¡± Then her older sister, the teenage princess, goes next. She stands up from her throne and makes a slightly deeper bow than her younger sister as she says, ¡°Hello, Death, my name is Selenia Atlantus Caelum. The eighth in line for the Atlantean Throne and Fourth Princess.¡± She raises her head again with that same passionate, excited look on her face. ¡°If time allows, I would like to spar with you soon.¡± I glance at the king and queen before nodding my head to the princess after they give a subtle tilt of their heads, acting as permission granted. Don¡¯t want to hurt their princess or anything after all. Although, the princess is actually a higher level than me. Little Blue¡¯s level is about level fourteen, and her older sister¡¯s level is about level thirty-four. Which kind of puts my own level to shame. The princess in question looks even more excited after getting my agreement. Then Azura goes next despite us having known each other for years. ¡°Hello Aria, my name is Azura Atlantus Althea, and I am the seventh in line for the Atlantean Throne and Fourth Prince,¡± he says with a grin on his face. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll continue coming to my caf¨¦s for as long as you live.¡± That has me smirking in amusement before he steps back again. Next up is a princess who is actually dressed in what looks like military attire. And she looks the most serious of the bunch as she stands up and gives a different kind of salute than the others. This one simply being her putting her fist against her chest and her other behind her back as she bows her head a little and says, ¡°Hello, Lady Crimson, my name is Koralis Altantus Aquarius, and it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯m the sixth in line for the throne and the Third Princess.¡± She raises her head again. ¡°I hope you will come to spar one day with my mercenaries.¡± She seems nice. As for her request, I go ahead and nod my head, giving her an agreement on that. During our trip here, Azura explained how the royal family works. With each prince and princess begin given a mercenary company to work with, with the nation itself being a mercenary and neutral nation. Where they sell out mercenaries to other nations and even amongst themselves. Both for combat and any other sorts of jobs beyond just combat. And the main companies are the ones owned by the royal family. Which is generally eleven companies. Enough for nine princes and princesses along with the king and queen each to be in charge of one. Actually, according to Azura and Little Blue, the entire reason their parents went ahead in the past couple decades and tried for more kids was to have owners to give the last two companies to. Since they didn¡¯t want to keep looking after them themselves. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Of course, they still love all of their kids even if that was why they had them. But it¡¯s rather odd to think about the age gap between these siblings. May not be odd for them though, considering that their parents are thousands of years old. Anyways, the next one had stood up and begun bowing during my thoughts. This one is a prince who is wearing darker colors than the rest, with some hints of black on his military-ish uniform that aren¡¯t on the others. And he also gives a very military style salute as he says, ¡°Typhon Atlantus Neptune, at your service, my lady. Fifth in line for the throne and the Third Prince.¡± Then he raises his head with a rather playful look on his face that seems to irritate his siblings. Especially his sisters. ¡°I hope we can meet again soon.¡± Why do I feel like I¡¯m being hit on? I¡­ I¡¯m just gonna ignore him. And with that, the next one steps up. This one actually being the princess who called in the carriage. I think Azura called her Mari or something. She¡¯s also on the other side of the king and queen than the others before her. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you in person this time, Horseman of the Apocalypse,¡± she says with a light but respectful smile. ¡°My name is Marisandra Atlantus Sirenna and I¡¯m the fourth in line for the throne and the Second Princess. You may call me Mari if you wish.¡± I nod my head before turning to the next one. To my surprise, both of the next two royals stand up from their thrones simultaneously and introduce themselves in sync. ¡°Hello, Beloved Lady of the Spirits of Death, I am Nauticus Atlantus Aquarion, and I am the third in line for the throne and the Second Prince,¡± the first one says at the exact same second the second one says, ¡°Hello, Beloved Lady of the Spirits of Death, I am Azarus Atlantus Aegir, and I am the second in line for the throne and the First Prince.¡± Then they both bow at a ninety degree angle and state in sync, ¡°I hope you enjoy your stay on our world.¡± I smile at the two, both of whom look absolutely identical, all the way down to their outfits. Except the soul energy I can sense coming off of their bodies. That¡¯s the only difference. Something most people wouldn¡¯t be able to tell. Azarus¡¯s soul energy is stronger than his younger twin¡¯s. Both of them are wearing formal suits of that same blue and white color, with shoulder length aqua blue hair parted in the exact same way flowing in the water behind him. Also, I can¡¯t help but realize something now. How am I speaking underwater? The last royal steps off of her throne before I can figure out any sort of answer though. And immediately, I feel something slightly different about this one. More soul energy for one, but also some death energy. Meaning she¡¯s probably a death magic user of some sort. She¡¯s also the most elegant one when it comes to her outfit and even her smallest of movements, with her long aqua blue hair flowing over her bare shoulders as she looks at me with a somehow elegantly tired expression on her face. Albeit still with a small smile. ¡°Hello, Aria,¡± she says, surprising me with her lack of any titles or anything. Just my name. Nothing more. ¡°My name is Azurona Atlantus Nauticus, and I¡¯m the successor to the Atlantean Throne and the First Princess.¡± Then her smile grows a little and she adds, ¡°Please look after my sisters for me.¡± Huh. She seems nice. ¡°Sure,¡± I tell her with a nod, making her smile widen a little and a small amount of the exhaustion leave. Then she sits back down and the king and queen both stand up, reminding me that I never actually got their introductions. ¡°My name is Atlanta Atlantus Borealis, the Ruling Queen of Atlantis,¡± the queen says with a smile. ¡°And my name is Arthur Nereides Atlantus, the Ruling King of Atlantis,¡± the king says, also with a smile. ¡°Welcome, once again, to Atlantis, Ageless child,¡± both rulers state simultaneously. ¡°It would please us greatly if you would attend the Winter Ball.¡± I blink at that before opening my mouth to speak, only to pause. Eh, might as well. It might give me a look into Atlantean nobility, not to mention their mercs. And that can¡¯t hurt, right? At least I don¡¯t think it will. ¡°Of course,¡± I tell them with a smile. The ruler¡¯s smiles grow wider, meanwhile Azura gets a slightly amused look on his face for some reason. Then the queen snaps her fingers, making some sort of blue barrier I didn¡¯t notice before around the room shatter ¨C most likely some sort of sound proofing ¨C following which servants begin entering the room. ¡°Please prepare our honored guest for the ball,¡± the queen declares, making the servants ¨C all maids ¨C bow to her before beginning to herd me out of the room, the door closing behind us. Uh¡­ what did I agree to, exactly? B2 | Chapter 51 Aria After two grueling hours of being dressed up by the maids with them thankfully deciding I don¡¯t need makeup with my natural beauty, along with a few more hours of waiting, I now find myself sighing as I stand at the edge of a balcony looking out into the ocean within the castle. With the sounds of light and slightly romantic music playing out through the ball as the nobles and mercenaries all dance inside. And now I¡¯m wondering why I came here. I¡¯ve realized the real reason behind the ball within just a few minutes of the ball starting. It¡¯s mostly a way for the nobles to find, select, and then sponsor the top mercenaries here. Or, in a lot of their cases, marry them into their households. Something that I¡¯m apparently not exempt from in their eyes just because I¡¯m not a mercenary working for one of their companies. So this night has been a pain. I glance down at my dress ¨C a mostly white and pale blue one that leaves my arms and shoulders bare, with a choker using my red jewel to clash with the other pale colors ¨C before looking up at the waters outside of the castle again. Then I reach up and adjust the red flowers in my hair again. When I asked the maids to put the red flowers in my hair as usual, they didn¡¯t even question it. In fact, they were apparently planning on doing it themselves. Guess Dad was right when he said before that it looks really nice in my snow white hair. Although the flower is a different one from the special roses I usually put in. Instead it¡¯s a flower more native to the waters on this planet. It looks good all the same, so I don¡¯t mind. I glance at the prince, or rather, my shield from those nobles standing next to me to find Azura simply gazing out at the ocean. The man is wearing a full suit this time around. One that actually doesn¡¯t have any white in it. Mostly. It does have white underneath the vest and jacket, but most of what¡¯s visible is aqua colored. He also has those royal looking gold thingies on his shoulders that I have no idea what are but look cool, a fancy looking most likely magic belt, and some sort of symbol on his jacket collar. Probably the symbol of Atlantis. Ever since he joined me, the nobles all gave up right away. Probably assuming I¡¯ll be either marrying him or joining his company or some ridiculousness like that. What I find rather amusing is that none of the nobles know I¡¯m Death. The only people that are privy to that information are the royalty and the Royal Guard. Everyone else here just thinks I¡¯m some friend of the royals who happens to have a black number at a mere level 20. Wouldn¡¯t exactly be a good idea to go around spreading news that Death is in Atlantis after all. Yet they¡¯re still chasing after me without even knowing who I am. Certainly goes to show how power affects people. Also, unlike the Grand Tree, which is only enormous going upwards, the Grand Ocean is just plain enormous. To the point that it¡¯s rather easy to go around without meeting people in it. And apparently black numbers at such a low level are more common than I thought they were. Sorta. It¡¯s basically a guarantee that the person has a Class S ability, so they¡¯re about as common as low level Class S Ability Holders. Which is to say, not common. But not unseen before. Meaning not a sign to know who I am. So I don¡¯t have to worry about anyone seeing my ability on a regular basis and linking it to me being Death. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. A rather nice fact that I had been worried about at one point. ¡°Sorry, I should¡¯ve told you before, but we Atlanteans tend to take promises very seriously,¡± Azura suddenly says, breaking me out of my thoughts as I turn to look at him again. ¡°If you go back on your word, you will lose all the respect any Atlantean had for you. At least, if your word was about something involving someone else.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I tell him with a nod. I¡¯d originally wanted to back out after they started trying to dress me up. Since I was rather¡­ uncomfortable having maids change me. But they insisted that it was only normal here. That it was how things went. And I get the feeling they were thinking of me as a young child in a way as well. Probably because of my level. But when I mentioned possibly not going after all, they acted like I¡¯d stepped on their favorite cat and killed it. So I immediately took it back and they returned to how they were acting before. Which is¡­ an odd thing. Certainly a clash of cultures. I need to watch what I say here though. Otherwise I might end up being hated for something I don¡¯t even remember. A very much not ideal situation. This ball hasn¡¯t been all bad though. I have gotten to meet quite a few powerful mercenaries who are apparently over level four hundred. A few even over level five hundred and six hundred. Oh, and apparently the king and queen are a little over level seven hundred themselves. Much higher level than the Clan Leaders on Luk¡¯tar, to my rather large surprise. But I guess I shouldn¡¯t judge a nation by the Tier of their world. Even if a large part of it is just because it¡¯s harder for crafters to level up than fighters. Since crafters have a limited amount of materials compared to the number of people fighters have to fight. I turn to look back inside of the castle before raising my drink to my lips and taking a sip. An act that I still can¡¯t figure out how works underwater but works nonetheless. Then again, they¡¯re a nation that is underwater. They must have enchantments or something to deal with issues like these. As for the whole talking underwater thing? I learned that it was some sort of enchantment on the buildings in Atlantis that allows anyone in the buildings, Atlantean or not, to speak out loud when they attempt to speak. Regardless of if they have any oxygen in them or not. A rather convenient enchantment that I¡¯m planning on trying to buy from Shirogane when I can. Since he¡¯s the expert in shopping and all. Speaking of Shirogane, he¡¯s probably going around the stores in Atlantis right about now, happily not at a ball like me. I look around the ballroom to find a bunch of the princes and princesses either dancing with nobles or surrounded by nobles. Either or most of the time. Meanwhile servants and maids are quite literally swimming around through the ballroom going about their duties. And the king and queen are both seated on thrones at the very back of the ballroom, speaking between themselves. And even from all the way back here, it¡¯s pretty obvious how close those two are. Perhaps a little too close considering that they are known to do public displays of affection rather often. It¡¯s like they¡¯re tied to the hip. I could never understand something like that myself to be honest. ¡°Are you planning on heading to the Grand Ocean tomorrow?¡± Azura asks, making my attention return to him for a moment before I look out past the balcony again. I swirl around the liquid in my glass for a few seconds ¨C once again, not sure how it works ¨C before answering, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll probably head out on that ferry you mentioned before.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be accompanying you along with Sel,¡± he says with a nod, using a nickname for his much younger teenage sister. I glance at him for a moment before silently nodding and turning to look at the princess in question. Who is currently surrounded by the teenage nobles in attendance. Or rather, the teenage children of the nobles. Meanwhile Little Blue is surrounded by the children. Almost like magnets. Although¡­ I turn to look at Azura, only for him to ask, ¡°Wonderin why I¡¯m the only royal without a band of nobles following me like lost puppies?¡± That has me nodding, although I do ask, ¡°Does Atlantis even have puppies?¡± He blinks before answering, ¡°Yes, we do.¡± Oh. Wow. ¡°Sorta,¡± he adds, confusing me. But he doesn¡¯t expand further as he answers the other question, ¡°It¡¯s partially because I tend to reject anyone who tries to get close to me here.¡± He narrows his eyes slightly. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want false ties to people.¡± Interesting. ¡°You said partially?¡± I ask, curious about what the other part is. He smirks and raises a brow at me, giving me a bad feeling before he answers, ¡°The other part is that they probably assume I¡¯m already trying to woo you or something. Possibly the other way around.¡± Yeah, thought so. ¡°They¡¯re delusional,¡± I state rather indifferently as I turn to look out into the water again. ¡°Sure you wouldn¡¯t even consider-¡± he begins what¡¯s most likely gonna be a joke, but I cut him off with a short, ¡°Nope.¡± The man puts his hand to his chest with a hurt expression and says, ¡°You wound me, ma lady!¡± ¡°Too bad,¡± I tell him, the corner of my lips quirking ever so slightly upwards. On another note, I can¡¯t wait to see the Grand Ocean. It¡¯s supposed to be one of the most beautiful Hunter¡¯s Spots in the universe. Albeit not the most beautiful. And I¡¯m very curious as to what makes it so beautiful. B2 | Story Art with a Link in case the images break As many of you no doubt know, the images hosted from Discord have broken across all of Royal Road. So I''m hosting them from Patreon now. Which isn''t as good but it''ll have to do. I''ll also be making the Patreon post public that has these images in case the images here do break. So click here to check out the Patreon post if these images ever break! First art is of Aria in her dress during the Winter Ball: Next up is Aria in her favorite outfit later on in Atlantis: Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Then there''s Azura during the Winter Ball: And a random picture of Sean Byrne, the Clan Leader of the Byrne Clan: Yes, he has pointed ears. That''s normal for lukians. B2 | Chapter 52 Aria The next day sees me up bright and early to gather everything I need from a certain very enthusiastic merchant before I head out towards the ferry with Azura and Selenia. And a bunch of royal guards. But I ignore them. And when we arrive at the ferry, we immediately find the ferry completely void of people. Probably due to the royal entourage. Actually wouldn¡¯t be surprised if these royals just used their own ship to get there instead of using the ferry. They¡¯re probably only using the ferry because I¡¯m gonna be using the ferry whenever I go over there, and one of the purposes of this trip is to show me how to get there. Not much point in that if I won¡¯t be using the same mode of transportation during their little tour trip as when I head there myself. I can¡¯t help but feel a tad sorry for the owner of the ferry though. Unless he was paid off, of course. Which is possible. The ferry owner aside though, we quickly begin the journey over towards the Grand Ocean. A journey that only takes about an hour or so, with the ship moving quite a bit faster than I was expecting. And the actual Grand Ocean itself¡­ is beautiful. I¡¯m not really sure what else to call it. Just beautiful. The ocean water itself is actually incredibly clear. So clear that I can see incredibly deep down into it. Obviously not to the bottom, but at least several hundred meters deep. And within the part that is visible, beautiful mana creatures can be seen just swimming about. Many of whom glow with an equally beautiful light that shines like a beacon down there, especially below the visible points in the water where the lights are all I can see. Meanwhile above the water, high in the sky, is a seemingly endless aurora. Just cutting all the way towards the center of the Grand Ocean. With the sun in the sky shining down on the water, making it look even nicer in the process. Of course, any of the mana creatures close by begin to attack us. Beautiful or not. So the ferry itself just stops at the edge of the Grand Ocean, likely to let us off. Since I don¡¯t think I can see a ship like this heading deeper in, even if it has some defenses down below to deal with these weaker mana creatures. I glance at Azura as he steps up to the rim of the ship and says, ¡°You¡¯ll have to remember this spot to return to the ship. Just use the aurora as a guide mark to get here.¡± That makes me nod before he continues while pointing down at the water, ¡°This part of the Grand Ocean is the Tier 1 section. And each Tier of the Grand Ocean grows progressively harder to see through the water. So when you see the water shift in lighting, that¡¯s when you¡¯ll know that you¡¯ve entered the next Tier.¡± Interesting. Makes me wonder if it¡¯s any less beautiful deeper in. ¡°The mana creatures in the Grand Ocean¡¯s first Tier, or first ring as you might hear it called, are all generally fish of some sort,¡± Azura says as he turns back to look at me again. ¡°Large fish. And the second ring are more fish mixed with larger types of fish like sharks and the like. With the third ring starting to have some more monstrous looking mana creatures. It isn¡¯t until the fifth ring that you have to start worrying about krakens though.¡± The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Right. Krakens. The giant squids I remember from the Hunter¡¯s Bay that would reach up and grab people and fish from the higher Tiers. ¡°Most of the resources in the Grand Ocean are closer to the ocean¡¯s surface or within little caverns down on the surface, and the mana creatures of each ring are stronger the deeper you go down,¡± Azura continues before pausing, seemingly like he¡¯s trying to remember if there¡¯s anything he¡¯s forgetting. Then he looks like he¡¯s remembered something as he claps his fist against the palm of his hand and says, ¡°Oh, right. And if you enter into the sixth through tenth Tiers, make sure you watch out for the leviathan. Because that¡¯s the ruling king of the Grand Ocean and it likes to wander around the central five rings without a care.¡± Well that¡¯s not foreboding at all. ¡°What¡¯s it look like?¡± I ask out of curiosity. He gives me a flat look and says, ¡°You¡¯ll know what it is when you see the sea dragon that¡¯s larger than the capital and castle put together.¡± I stare at him blankly at that before muttering, ¡°Oh. Right.¡± So it¡¯s a big fish. A very big fish. ¡°And please try not to be swallowed by it,¡± he says with a raised brow. ¡°I know you make a habit of being swallowed by large mana creatures,¡± some of the royal guards send me odd looks at that, ¡°but please don¡¯t get swallowed by this thing. You¡¯ll never get out until the thing eventually dies of old age. If that¡¯s even possible.¡± Please stop ruining my reputation. I do not have a habit of being swallowed by mana creatures. ¡°Just in case that didn¡¯t drill it into your head deep enough, the thing is too strong for Mother or Father to kill, even working together,¡± he adds after seeing my nonchalant if slightly annoyed expression. That has my eyes widening at last. A mana creature a pair of level seven hundred somethings can¡¯t kill¡­ must be tough. Very tough. I wonder¡­ is it bad that my first thought isn¡¯t to run away from it? Because I kinda wanna see how strong its soul energy would be. Since I¡¯ve learned that soul energy is mostly from how long someone¡¯s lifespan is, not how powerful they are, or how strong their ability is. So just how powerful of a soul core would something that strong and likely long lived give me? Maybe something to ponder over a few millennia down the road. Because he¡¯s right. I¡¯d rather not end up spending years in its stomach. ¡°Why do I get the feeling your thoughts aren¡¯t where they should be right now¡­¡± Azura mutters, making me focus on his face as I tilt my head a little in confusion. But he just shakes his head and turns to look out at the waters while saying, ¡°Let¡¯s head into the waters now.¡± I nod my head at that and both he and I jump into the ocean waters. Then his teenage sister does the same before the ship itself begins to move away with the guards still on it. Guess they¡¯re only here to escort the prince and princess to the Grand Ocean and not through it. Putting that aside, It¡¯s just so bizarre to be able to see so clearly in the water. Almost as if I¡¯m not even in water. Almost. Also, a bunch of the fishies start heading towards us. Large creatures at about half a meter to a meter in length. With lots of what look like oversized piranhas. So without hesitation, I begin summoning some Lesser Death Spirits. Only for them to prove rather pointless when a certain prince goes and swipes his arm, literally killing the creatures with a wave of his hand that sends a powerful ripple through the water in the direction he swiped it. I stare for a few seconds, then turn to look at the bisected fish. Then I stare some more. ¡®Please don¡¯t do that,¡¯ I tell him telepathically through our communication ring. He glances at me before shrugging. The next time we¡¯re attacked after just a few seconds of moving forwards, into the waters, I find my Lesser Death Spirits no longer pointless. Although the princess is also helping by freezing a bunch of them with her ice magic, proving the girl to be an ice mage. After dealing with this next wave, Azura says, ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and take you to the best spots in the Grand Ocean. Both the spots for resource gathering and the spots for mana creature hunting.¡± ¡®Much appreciated,¡¯ I tell him with a nod despite him being in front of me. Then we proceed to travel deeper down into the waters till we¡¯re a few hundred meters deep. At which point he levels out and we go straight. ¡°Traveling through this portion is generally the best since it¡¯s far enough underwater that you can catch the more expensive mana creatures yet still not deep enough for visibility to be an issue,¡± Azura continues as if giving a lecture. Speaking out loud just like all atlanteans seem to do while underwater. Still not sure how that works. And like that, we continue swimming through the waters, occasionally dealing with mana creatures and storing them in our storage rings along the way. B2 | Chapter 53 Aria Azura ends up taking me to one spot after another within the first Tier of the ocean. Each of which are rather odd. Some look like odd pockets of air that actually have strange floating creatures in them that are apparently really good for cooking. Others are caverns at the bottom of the ocean with special minerals only found on Atlantis. Then there¡¯s the little ¡®nests¡¯ of sorts for the fish, where they all return. Even after more spawn. Simply because it¡¯s the best place for them to make a nest, and the previous schools of fish all made their own there as well, expanding on it. And plenty of other spots. We spend the entire day just going from one place to another. And it doesn¡¯t take me long to realize that I would¡¯ve been left high and dry if I¡¯d tried to go here on my own without a guide. The place is just too damned big for that. It¡¯s faaaar larger than the Hunter¡¯s Spots on Eternus and Luk¡¯tar. Makes me wonder if that¡¯s because there¡¯s only one Hunter¡¯s Spot on Atlantis? Some sort of making up for it with size or something? Since even if there¡¯s less mana here, there¡¯s still more mana on the planet than is in a single Hunter¡¯s Spot on the Alpha Tier worlds I¡¯ve visited. So I guess the mana all focuses on a single point. Also explains that leviathan thing that I sincerely hope to avoid at all costs. After the first day is complete, we reboard the ship and head back to the capital. Then I quickly realize how taxes work for the Grand Ocean. Since it turns out they have some sort of massive enchantment covering the entire Grand Ocean marking anyone who has been inside and out of it so that the nation will know that they owe taxes. It also marks what they came out of there with but didn¡¯t come in with. Of course, none of that matters to me since I¡¯m tax exempt. So I spend the night in the caf¨¦¡¯s upstairs area just like the previous night, and we head back out there in the morning. This time going to even more Tier 1 locations. And still not moving on to Tier 2 locations. And the same goes for day three and day four. It isn¡¯t until day five that we finally head to Tier 2 locations. And all through days five, six, and seven, we just explore Tier 2 locations, with Azura pointing out more and more to me. The locations including much of the same things as the Tier 1 locations had except with more and more powerful mana creatures in general. Of course, I¡¯m not going to remember all of them. Which is why I started using something to write them all down. An aqua pen and aqua paper. Pen and paper that can be used underwater. Even with that though I might struggle for a bit to find the locations. Makes me wonder just how often Azura is down here to have it all memorized. Also, doesn¡¯t he have work he has to do as a prince? Or did he get time off for this? I eventually ask him about that on the eighth day, and as it turns out, he did actually get time off for this. And we¡¯re starting in the Tier 3 ring today too. The last ring he¡¯s planning on showing me around, since apparently the Tier 3 ring is mostly for people at or below level one hundred. With the Tier 1 ring for level twenty-five and below, the Tier 2 ring for level fifties and below. So Sel ¨C the name I started calling the teenage princess after spending quite a few days with her ¨C isn¡¯t strong enough to really spend much time in the third Tier ring. Or any time. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. But he¡¯s showing her anyways since it¡¯ll be the next ring she¡¯ll need to go to. Plus it benefits me. ¡°I¡¯ll be showing you the third Tier ring for the next two days,¡± Azura says as we speed through the second ring towards the third on some sort of underwater speeder vehicle. Kind of like a motorcycle but underwater. ¡°After that, you¡¯ll be on your own, and Sel will begin traveling here on her own royal ship instead of the ferry.¡± ¡®Got it,¡¯ I tell him with a nod through the communication ring. ¡®And thanks for showing me around.¡¯ ¡°No problem,¡± Azura answers without turning to look at me as we speed straight through the second ring. I look around at the slightly darker water around me. Water that lets me see about a hundred or so meters fewer away from me than the first Tier. Which makes me wonder how far I¡¯ll be able to see in the third Tier ring. Eventually we reach the third ring, and I quickly find it to be even harder to see through the water. A rather jarring shift, if I¡¯m being honest. And it¡¯s in this Tier that we begin seeing new creatures. Ones that aren¡¯t just fish. ¡°Sel, stay behind us,¡± Azura says, making the girl nod. Something I¡¯ve noticed about Sel over my time spent with her is that the girl is actually rather quiet. And a battle junkie. But still quiet. Not that I didn¡¯t already realize that latter part from her original introduction to me. Anyways, the fishmen swimming towards us arrive with spears and loud shrieks. But I just summon a few dozen Lesser Death Spirits to immediately surround them. Then Azura sends over a dozen little jets of water out of his body, around my spirits, and straight at several of the fishmen. Clearly taking it easy on them so as to let me get some kills in. As it turns out, the entire royal family has some sort of water related ability. Every last member. Which goes to show that while mutations do occur, and there are different branches of the same power, abilities do often tend to be hereditary. In a way. Kind of like my family and how we all have Special Class S abilities. And all with a crimson color to it, even if I¡¯m the only immortal amongst us. But Dad¡¯s ability was¡­ I blink and stop firing my gun at the fishmen as I realize something. What was Dad¡¯s ability? A frown crests my face as I realize I don¡¯t remember it for some reason. Almost as if some sort of fog is covering my memory. Why¡­ can¡¯t I remember? And it¡¯s not just his ability, but my older brother Adrian or Mom either. I can¡¯t remember any of their abilities. But¡­ why? I begin to feel almost like I¡¯m near crying, but it¡¯s hard to tell since I¡¯m underwater. All I know is that I stopped attacking completely, leaving Azura to finish the others off before he quickly heads over to me alongside Sel. ¡°Aria?! Are you okay?!¡± Sel exclaims as Azura asks, ¡°Aria?¡± And for some reason, I actually tell them what I just realized. Something I never do. Talk about my family I mean. Then Azura asks something that¡­ kinda leaves me stunned. ¡°Did you ever ask just what your parents¡¯ abilities were?¡± I stare at him for several seconds before looking down. That¡­ I must¡¯ve¡­ but¡­ did I? Mom¡¯s ability¡­ it was a combat ability, I think. But¡­ what was it? ¡°I remember bright crimson lights and the sound of thunder, but that¡¯s all I remember about my mother¡¯s ability,¡± I tell the two without looking up. ¡°And my uncle was a healer. That¡¯s about all I remember.¡± My fist clenches a little. ¡°Adrian, my older brother, I don¡¯t actually know anything about his ability,¡± I tell them honestly while raising my head. ¡°All I remember is him occasionally walking up to the others and placing his hand on their shoulders, sending some sort of crimson energy into them. But it didn¡¯t look like it healed them or anything.¡± ¡°An energy?¡± Azura mutters as the three of us float in the third ring, ignoring the many fishmen corpses around us. I nod my head before continuing, ¡°And Dad¡­ I don¡¯t remember¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Sel mutters, pausing as she seems to be unable to find the next words to say. Then Azura finishes, ¡°It¡¯s sad.¡± He pats me on the head, making me finally look up to see him smiling at me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We can find you some mind mages or mental ability users to figure out what¡¯s going on. If you can¡¯t remember, there may be something blocking you. Whether it¡¯s a natural barrier or maybe a psychological one you yourself put up. Either way, they should be able to help clear it.¡± I smile at that before straightening a little in the water again, briefly glancing at Sel to find the girl looking worried. So I look back at Azura again and tell him, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t be able to do it for a long time though,¡± Azura continues while scratching the back of his neck. ¡°Mind mages are rare. I might be able to get a Class A mind mage to take a look in a few months, but a Class S is out of the question for a Beta Tier world like ours.¡± Oh. ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± I tell him, still smiling. ¡°Let¡¯s continue our tour, tour guide.¡± That has him raising a brow at me and asking, ¡°Tour guide huh?¡± I smirk, but he just rolls his eyes and turns around, beginning to continue through the water again. Of course, not until after we gather the fishmen corpses. But still¡­ I can¡¯t help but wonder¡­ when did this strange mental fog first appear? The answer doesn¡¯t come to me no matter how hard I think about it. B2 | Chapter 54 Aria We continue on into the third ring over the next few days, coming back and forth from the capital as he shows us more and more resource locations in the ring. And unlike in the previous two rings, the third Tier is largely focused on more monstrous mana creatures, with much larger fish, the fishmen creatures which are just short humanoid fish with blue skin and razor sharp teeth, sharks, some large manta rays, and even a bunch of massive jellyfish. Meanwhile the resource gathering locations include places like jellyfish fields where there are just jellyfish for all the eye can see around a bunch of expensive resources, or more caverns, and even a couple of odd temples. Temples where the fishmen nest. But after he finishes giving us the tour, Azura leaves both me and Sel at the dock to go deal with some business. Then the two of us just kinda stand here for a few minutes before she asks, ¡°Hey, you wanna go grab something to eat at Azu¡¯s caf¨¦?¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I tell her with a nod. And we both quickly head over to the caf¨¦ using her carriage and guards. Only to find Shirogane surprisingly seated at the bar drinking. Huh. He¡¯s not here often. Nor does he drink often either. Either something good happened or something bad. One or the other. Only times he ever drinks. I walk up to the counter and sit down next to him, with Sel curiously sitting down on the other side of me while leaning over and trying hard to look like she¡¯s not watching while she¡¯s watching. But failing pretty badly since being subtle really isn¡¯t her thing. ¡°So was it good or bad?¡± I ask while leaning over the counter and waving at the person behind it. One of the employees hired by Azura. A close friend of his at this particular caf¨¦ since it¡¯s his main branch. The employee quickly nods and goes about making my favorite cocktail as Shirogane turns to me and grins, answering my question. ¡°What happened?¡± I ask, cupping my fists with my elbows leaning on the counter as I rest my left cheek on my hands, my head turned to look at him. He takes another swig of his drink and answers, ¡°I set up ties between the Nauticus Company and the Eternal Dynasty and received a heck of a lot of contribution points for it!¡± That has my eyes widening slightly as I lift my head to glance at Sel, only to find the princess surprised as well as the girl asks, ¡°Wait, Rona decided to work with the Dynasty after all? I thought she hated the Dynasty¡­¡± I glance at Shirogane. ¡°¡¯Hated¡¯ being the key word,¡± he says with a wide grin, clearly not being in business mode. ¡°I managed to win her over.¡± Sel leans forwards, her stool scooting a little in the process and screeching slightly on the floor as she exclaims, ¡°But how! She¡¯s always hated the Dynasty for their deceptiveness! For calling what they do neutrality when it¡¯s all just lies!¡± That has Shirogane raising a brow at her, but the teenage girl just keeps staring at him intensely without taking back what she just said. And I guess she has a point. They do call what they do neutrality even if they¡¯re only directly neutral and not indirectly neutral. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. What with them getting involved all the time, just without directly helping anyone. Like in my case with the lukians, where they basically sent me there to help them out. Shirogane purses his lips and taps them for a few seconds before a wide grin stretches across his face and he says, ¡°I¡¯m sorry little one, but you¡¯re too young for me to talk about it. Maybe when you¡¯re older you can find out from your sister herself.¡± My mind blanks, and I see Sel freezing for a moment as well. Then I just send an incredulous look at Shirogane as Sel blushes as red as an apple. ¡°S-s-sh-she wouldn¡¯t do something like that! You¡¯re not- no- you¡¯re-¡± Sel stumbles over her words while still blushing beet red. And after a couple of attempts while Shirogane laughs, she manages to say, ¡°E-even if you¡¯re not lying about doing that, she wouldn¡¯t alter her business just for you!¡± His laughter just gets even louder. Meanwhile I can¡¯t help but wonder about the Nauticus Company and the First Princess after all if that¡¯s enough for her- ¡°I¡¯m joking,¡± Shirogane finally says after calming down again, making my thoughts halt in an instant. ¡°I discussed with her the benefits of trade between our two nations and the Hunter¡¯s Bays on Eternus and the Grand Ocean on Atlantis. Along with the possibility of setting up a Gate between our worlds.¡± Sel begins to point at him while constantly stuttering out, trying to start speaking but failing miserably. Then she just pouts and crosses her arms under her chest, turning to look away from him. Hmm. Never mind. Guess the heir to the throne really is as I thought she- ¡°I wasn¡¯t joking about what we did though,¡± Shirogane adds while scratching his chin with a faraway look in his eye. I stare at him for a second as Sel sputters out next to me again. Then I just pat him on the shoulder and focus on my cocktail as it arrives in front of me. Good for him. Was beginning to wonder about him after seeing him always out doing business and even studying during the nights. It¡¯s not a bad thing to have no interest in that sort of thing. I don¡¯t have any after all. But it¡¯s good to know he¡¯s not just all work. Almost got worried about him at one point. Of course, I forgot my worries a lot since he tends to vanish for entire days during his business trips sometimes, and I vanished for days in the Grand Trees over the past few years. But still. The point remains. Although¡­ the princess? That¡¯s a surprise. That woman struck me as the type that overworks herself and doesn¡¯t give herself any time to, well, herself. Oh, and Sel is still swearing like the elegant princess she is. But I ignore her as I sip my cocktail. And Shirogane can¡¯t seem to get that grin off of his face. After a few minutes pass though, Sel finally calms down again and begins chugging away at her soda with that pouty expression still ever present on her face. ¡°Say,¡± Shirogane suddenly asks while leaning forwards and holding his drink a little tighter as he finally wipes that grin off his face and glances at me, ¡°you have any idea how long we¡¯re gonna be staying on this planet?¡± That makes Sel stiffen slightly. The corner of my mouth quirks up slightly at that. Aww, she doesn¡¯t want us to go, doesn¡¯t she? ¡°I¡¯ll probably stay for a decade or two,¡± I tell him without much care, remembering just how many fish are in that Grand Ocean. Particularly those nests. And if I can send my Death Spirits out through the ocean they can cover a massive amount of ground¡­ of water. Which will make for a very efficient killing spree. Sel relaxes again with a smile on her face. So cute. She really can¡¯t hold back her emotions yet. At least, not when her guard¡¯s down like this. I¡¯ve realized that all of the royals have two versions of themselves. One where their guards are up. And one when they¡¯re down. Like how Little Blue left my arms whenever we were in the public and acted like the royal she is. Even at her age. Anyways, the princess aside, I lean back a little while stretching my legs to one side of my stool and saying, ¡°Either way, we¡¯ll be here for a while. So do enjoy yourself while you¡¯re here. Don¡¯t hold yourself back from anything on my account.¡± Mostly talking about him developing a relationship with that princess if he wants to do so. Since it would suck for him to avoid doing it because he knows he¡¯ll be leaving with me to my next world. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not that sort of relationship,¡± he says with a wave of his hand. Making Sel sputter again. ¡°Can you please not talk about my sister like this in front of me?!¡± she finally exclaims, apparently giving up on trying to deny it and moving on to getting him to stop talking around her. ¡°I really do not want to know about that side of her life.¡± I pat her on the head before hopping off the stool, finishing up the last of my cocktail before setting it on the counter along with a few copper coins and heading back towards the stairs to go to my room. And, of course, Shirogane continues talking about it even as I leave. All the way till he frightens the princess out of the caf¨¦. Sel has now realized how immature the non-business mode Shirogane is. May she rest in peace. B2 | Chapter 55 Aria A few years pass by without much going on. Just with me heading to the Grand Ocean every day Monday through Saturday while taking Sundays off to just read or play one of the video games Little Blue started getting into when she turned ten years old. And I have to admit, she¡¯s growing quickly. Very quickly. She¡¯s only about thirteen years old now after almost five years have passed since the two of us met, and she¡¯s already about five foot two inches tall. Just a few inches shorter than me now. Meanwhile Sel has grown into an adult of twenty years old. But both Little Blue and Sel still spend a lot of time with me. Particularly on Sundays, since Little Blue always wants to play those video games. And Sel always wants to spar. Although I prefer regular board games myself. Maybe some arcade games too. Like Azura, who often snags my time to drag me into playing some with him. Not that I mind. Over the years I¡¯ve grown rather comfortable in Atlantis. Even if things have gotten relatively boring again. What¡¯s most shocking though is that I haven¡¯t ended up in a mana creature¡¯s stomach even once throughout my entire time here. I grin at that, reaching my hand up towards the ceiling as I lie on my bed, feeling more than a little accomplished by that fact. Because who wants to be stuck in a fish¡¯s stomach? It¡¯s not pleasant. I know that from my time on Eternus. Or, at least, I know how it feels to be in an eel¡¯s stomach. Eel snake? Eel snake serpent thingy. And poisoned too. Speaking of Rory, she¡¯s actually come by to visit a few times over the years. Which was pleasantly surprising when she first showed up. Even more surprising when I learned she was the daughter of the Archduke of the Grand Silvanian Empire. A fact that explains perfectly well why the Empire decided to change its stance towards me. Apparently she went and spoke with their emperor convincing him that I¡¯m not a threat to his people. ¡°Riri! Are you coming?¡± I hear Little Blue shouting from downstairs, so I roll over off the bed before landing on my feet and beginning to walk out of my room in the caf¨¦ and then down the stairs to find her sitting on a stool talking with Shirogane and Azura. Both of whom are currently making cocktails, since Azura started teaching Shirogane how over the years. Little Blue turns her head to frown at me as she says, ¡°Took you long enough Riri.¡± Ah, I miss the younger Little Blue. Before she became a teenager. ¡°Leave that,¡± Little Blue says while pointing at Azura and Shirogane. ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to be making drinks! We¡¯re gonna be late if you keep wasting time!¡± ¡°Neri, the party isn¡¯t for another two hours,¡± Azura says rather calmly and without putting down the drink mixer in his hands. ¡°And I highly doubt Father cares about us arriving hours early for his birthday party.¡± ¡°Damnit-¡± Little Blue begins, only for Azura to say, ¡°Language, young lady,¡± before she ignores him and continues, ¡°-we have to go now! Sel¡¯s waiting for us! And so is Rona!¡± A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. I notice Shirogane¡¯s eyes flicker over to her for a second before returning to his drink mixer at the heir to the throne¡¯s name. Probably because they¡¯ve been having a relationship akin to detached lovers for a while now. From what I understand, both of them are using the other as stress relief. And it works, and they¡¯re being careful, so neither the king nor the queen say anything about it. I do wonder if anything¡¯s ever gonna develop romantically between them though. Anyways, I walk over towards the door as the two guys finish up behind the bar, quickly down their drinks, and begin walking around it so that we can all leave. As we walk out of the building and the door locks behind us, I open up my status.
Name: Aria Crimson
Class: Harbinger of Death
Ability: True Immortality
Level: 23
I managed to level up three more times since arriving in Atlantis, but my leveling speed is certainly taking a hit. Even with the massive amounts of fish to kill in the Grand Ocean. Because at this point it takes me killing one hundred and seventy thousand beings to reach level 24. I might actually start diving deeper into the Grand Ocean to find more condensed areas of mana creatures. Since one of the issues with the Grand Ocean is that the mana creatures tend to be more spread out thanks to the much larger space. Which means less are dying around me at all times. Meaning less soul energy for me to refill my tank. So heading deeper in where there are more mana creatures and less space might be for the best. Especially since I know the twin princes tend to love heading all the way down to the seventh ring all the time. With them having the most powerful abilities of the royal princes and princesses. Other than the heir to the throne, that is. Those three all have Class S abilities. Just like the king and queen. Meanwhile the other princes and princesses have Class A or pseudo Class S abilities. Abilities that are stronger than Class A but weaker than S. I let out a sigh as we all sit in the carriage and begin heading towards the castle, finding it a little disappointing to always see everyone else¡¯s levels going up so quickly around me while mine stay stagnant. Sel for example has already reached level ninety-one the last time I saw her just yesterday. So in the time I gained three levels, she gained dozens of levels. Even if I know I¡¯ll outlive them and eventually surpass everyone in levels, it¡¯s still depressing to see everyone passing me. Then there¡¯s Little Blue, who also passed me in level despite not going to the Grand Ocean yet herself. What with the royal family only allowing it after they turn fifteen. Like Sel when I arrived. ¡°Riri?¡± Little Blue suddenly says, catching my attention from where she¡¯s seated to my left in the fancy carriage. ¡°Thank you again for deciding to come.¡± I nod my head without saying a word. Instead patting her on the head and looking out the window again while she tries to push my hand off, talking about how she¡¯s not a kid anymore and all. After how much begging she did¡­ how could I not come? Not sure why Little Blue wants me to attend her father¡¯s birthday party so badly though. On another note though, I turn towards Shirogane and Azura to find them still talking about the rumors recently. ¡°So do you think it¡¯ll start soon?¡± Shirogane asks with a serious look on his face, the man clearly in business mode right now. ¡°Probably,¡± Azura answers with his arms crossed as he looks out at the passing people and vehicles. ¡°The duke has been growing braver and braver by the day.¡± I grimace at that, still getting a bad feeling about this. Just like when I first heard about the unrest between the royal family and the duke. The only other person with a Class S ability in the nation. ¡°We¡¯ve heard that someone might try something tonight,¡± Little Blue suddenly says, entering the conversation and making me narrow my eyes slightly on her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Riri, but I heard the capital may fall into chaos during this time and wanted you to be near us and out of the trouble.¡± Hmm. So they really did draw me to the castle to keep me out of whatever is coming up soon. Why do I get the feeling that things won¡¯t work out as well as they hope? Things never do after all. Not on Vortel. Nor on Luk¡¯tar. And not when we got that mind mage to help me a few years back. B2 | Chapter 56 Aria Unlike what we were hoping for, when the Class A mind magic user arrived, the only thing they were able to do was clear the fog in my head around my brother¡¯s ability. Because when they tried to clear the fog around my other family members¡¯ abilities, they ended up being drained of life force somehow. Life force that went straight into my red jewel, making it shine. Pissing off the mind mage quite a bit in the process, considering their reduced life span. Azura managed to bribe them in the end to keep silent though. I look down at the jewel I¡¯m still wearing around my neck. After that, Azura began looking deeper into this jewel to see what it did. Even getting in touch with some of the old artisans from the former Sullivan Clan to see if they could figure anything out about it. And they did. Figure something out at least. But I¡¯m still not sure how to feel about it. The jewel is apparently built to hold memories. Memories of multiple different people. And it currently is filled with memories. Most of which aren¡¯t mine, but some of which apparently are. Which the artisans believe to be a malfunction of the artifact¡¯s original purpose. What was most shocking about it all though is that they said for someone to take memories out of it, they¡¯d need to feed it life force. Whether their own or someone else¡¯s. Hence that poor mind mage. I play with the jewel in my hand for a bit. We tried using my own life force, but that apparently didn¡¯t work. Because as it turns out, I don¡¯t have life force. At all. None. The life mage who tested me was shocked. And was very much wondering how I¡¯m alive. Probably something to do with the fact that I¡¯m Death. Still. I did get more information about my jewel from this whole thing, and I remembered my brother¡¯s ability. His ability to clone anything. Except me that is. Probably because I have no life force or something. He can make perfect albeit weaker clones of anything, whether people or objects. Although the clones wouldn¡¯t send any memories back to the originals. And¡­ that ability for some reason has me feeling something¡¯s off¡­ but I can¡¯t quite put my finger on what. Like something¡¯s blocking that too. ¡°Riri? You okay?¡± Little Blue suddenly asks, making me glance at her before she adds, ¡°Still thinking about it?¡± I nod my head and look out the window of the carriage again. ¡°Yeah. I can¡¯t help it.¡± Because according to Azura, to make an artifact do something, the creator needs someone who can do that something most of the time. So for an artifact to drain life force, someone involved in the creation of the artifact has to have been able to drain the life force out of people. A terrifying ability or skill for anyone other than me. But the only organization that has anyone capable of doing that¡­ is rumored to be the Crimson Empire. My eyes narrow as I stare outside, unmoving. I need to find the Crimson Empire. After a second, I turn towards Azura and ask, ¡°Has there been anything new about the Empire?¡± He glances at me and stares for a second before sighing, probably used to this question by now, and answering, ¡°Their last known whereabouts were one week ago in the Arcadian Society, where they ¡®vanished¡¯ a branch of the society controlling the public contracts. Specifically the head hunting contracts.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! I blink at that and ask, ¡°Wait, is that why the contracts on my head suddenly decreased a significant amount?¡± The prince nods his head with the hint of a smile stretching across his face, ¡°Yep. If you ask me, finding the Crimson Empire may just be tantamount to finding the answers you¡¯re looking for. Just hang in there.¡± I nod while looking down at my lap in thought. The Crimson Empire is the most elusive nation in the universe. No one knows where they¡¯re based. No one knows what powers make up the Empire. No one even knows who rules it. Not their name, their appearances, nor their abilities or skills. All that¡¯s known about them is their uniforms, the fact that pretty much everyone in the Empire uses some sort of crimson colored power of various types ranging from support all the way to combat and has a Class S ability. At least of the people who have shown themselves to be from the Empire. And they aren¡¯t in negotiations with any of the other nations. They also are suspected of having the most Class S Ability Holders out of all the powers across the entire universe working under them. They¡¯re even more elusive than the damned Council of Darkness which is a freaking assassination group. I¡¯ve also heard that War has been looking to pick a fight with them for a long time now. Something about him wanting to duel powerful people for their skills. I didn¡¯t realize that he was like that back when I met him. Apparently it¡¯s normal for him to try to force anyone he meets and considers strong to challenge him once to take one of their skills. And he can only take one skill. Can only duel people once. But he never bothered doing that to me, apparently because my skills would be useless for him. Something about no living being with life force being able to use soul energy. That soul energy and life force are a set of repellant forces that push each other away. Which links in with my lack of life force. So War wouldn¡¯t be able to use any of my skills even if he fought me to take them. I¡¯m just a complete dud when it comes to that dueling skill of his. Anyways, my thoughts come to a halt when we begin to cross into the water heading towards the castle, with the carriage still full of air for Shirogane¡¯s sake. Until we arrive at the castle entrance, of course, and he takes a water breathing potion. Then we all go inside and head towards one of the upper floor ballrooms, where the party will be held in around an hour or so.
All Across Atlantis and other planets in the Universe One black robed individual after another appears out of nowhere, each spread out across ten different planets. And none of them are alone as each is quickly joined by dozens of other black robed individuals. All of whom quickly spread out across the planet to their designated locations. Meanwhile one man can be seen cloaked in nothing but shadows without any of his features visible as he floats high above a single Alpha Tier world known as Arc. Even to those who manage to determine his form, they all forget it within seconds. As if nothing about the man can be remembered other than the shadows. He simply floats there without saying a word. Just watching. And waiting. Eventually the person he¡¯s waiting for appears in a thunderclap, the woman is wearing blue robes lined with gold and is holding a majestic, golden blue staff in her right hand as she floats in the air. And the man cloaked in black doesn¡¯t so much as flinch at the sight of the look of hatred and righteousness on the woman¡¯s face. On the Archmage of the Arcadian Society. The most powerful mage in the universe. ¡°Hassan, you can¡¯t run forever,¡± Isabella declares, her long golden hair flowing in the wind behind her. ¡°One day retribution will come to the Council of Darkness. And it will be as swift as a bolt of lightning.¡± Hassan al-Malik simply stares at her, staying absolutely silent as all of his forces begin to get into position across the worlds, entering mansions, castles, and various other locations housing local authorities. ¡°What are you plotting, psychopath?¡± Isabella asks after understanding that he doesn¡¯t plan on speaking. Not yet. Not if she doesn¡¯t make him. ¡°You came here out of nowhere and blocked my scrying. And you¡¯re not even saying a single word.¡± Her blue eyes narrow even further. ¡°It¡¯s clear you¡¯re about to do something. Something to do with those rebellions you¡¯ve been sparking across those worlds no doubt.¡± The Leader of the Council of Darkness simply continues staring at her, his visage still not visible, even to the archmage. And still not saying a word. So Isabella finally raises her staff, making a massive spell circle spanning over a hundred meters from behind her. One with blue and gold lightning crackling along its surface. ¡°Fine then,¡± she states, her face turning as still as stone. ¡°I will make you talk.¡± And it¡¯s only then that Hassan finally speaks, his whispery voice echoing in the surrounding area despite him not speaking very loudly. ¡°Begin.¡± Right away, assassins all across the ten worlds get to work, fulfilling their contracts at the exact same moment. Each killing upper class society members of every last planet by the dozens. Then they quickly beat a hasty retreat, not caring if they¡¯re spotted before they vanish. And it only takes moments for the archmage to realize what had happened. But it¡¯s too late for her to stop it. Because even if she could¡¯ve created a spell to target all of the assassins across the worlds from her mage tower, she can¡¯t reverse time. So what¡¯s happened has happened. And there¡¯s no changing it. Rebellion has begun. ¡°You worm!!!¡± she shouts, finishing up her attack spell and striking where the man is floating. But his form fades into shadows without showing any signs of having been hurt. Isabella glares at his location for a moment before quickly turning around and teleporting back to her tower before roaring in anger. Because she is not allowed to interfere in their rebellions outside of dealing with the assassins. Leaving her unable to stop the bloodshed without breaking diplomatic ties with over seven worlds. ¡°Haaaassssaaaaaannnn!!!!!¡± She screams into the air of her tower. But the man himself is already far away from the world, showing no signs of his travel. B2 | Chapter 57 Aria It all happens in an instant. Figures of all sorts appear across the ballroom, some coated in shadows, others with their own abilities and skills, but all cloaked in a way that makes their face difficult to distinguish. And they all rush in and kill a random noble within the room, leaving the higher leveled ones alone. Then they all retreat quickly after that, leaving chaos in their wake. And just like that, I watch from my spot on the balcony as shouts and accusations begin to be thrown around by the nobles on both sides about who is behind the assassinations. Quite a few people even draw their swords and guns. Although mostly swords. Because guns were never as prevalent on this planet, what with it mostly being underwater. So they focused on swordplay. Since they don¡¯t have the technology from the Eternal Dynasty to make underwater guns, nor do they have the greatest of enchanters or smiths working for them. The guards all join in on the sword drawing as well, and it doesn¡¯t take long for the guards and nobles to begin attacking each other. I just kinda sit here in the corner sipping wine as I watch, not really sure what to do. Meanwhile I spot Shirogane doing the same thing. Which is to be expected, since the Dynasty is directly neutral and would never participate in a rebellion on either side. Although I do see him using his ability to cover his body in a liquid metal as a sort of armor. Probably just for his safety in case a stray bullet from one of the few guns here does hit him. Then the king and queen finally get involved. The queen sends a powerful wave of vibrating water throughout the entire ballroom, quite literally ripping the attacking nobles to shreds while completely ignoring anyone who isn¡¯t amongst the duke¡¯s forces. That isn¡¯t one of the rebels. Meanwhile the king ¨C to my surprise ¨C sends a wave of darkness through the hall, swallowing up the rebels without leaving a trace behind. I continue to sip my wine while watching this as the rebel nobles are quickly taken care of. Only for something to flash straight past me, making my mind go blank for a second before consciousness returns and I find myself staring at a man¡¯s back. Someone who is now standing in front of me on the balcony, with little green tentacles extended from his body, fighting back against the king and queen¡¯s attacks. Did that guy just blast half my body off? He did, didn¡¯t he? I glare at him, but fortunately for me, I didn¡¯t wear a dress this time around. I just came wearing my favorite outfit instead. Which didn¡¯t even so much as get a scratch thanks to the enchantment. I love that enchantment. ¡°Duke Sirenaeus Thalassar Oceanicus, I was wondering when you¡¯d show up,¡± the queen declares without a hint of emotion on her face. That¡¯s a long and complex name. I don¡¯t like him. He vaporized half my body up when he arrived and doesn¡¯t even seem to care. I¡¯m not even sure if he realizes I¡¯m still here. ¡°For committing the act of treason, you are hereby sentenced to death, Sirenaeus,¡± the king declares, the pair once again doing their little alternating speech thingy. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The duke snorts at that and begins to attack both of them, surprising them with his sheer ability to even do that. Since they¡¯re both almost a hundred levels above him. But despite that, they actually struggle to push his attack back even with both of them fighting at once. And this gives the remaining noble rebels a chance to retreat as more powerful noble rebels emerge and begin attacking. I scowl at the duke. Honestly couldn¡¯t care less about those other rebels, but this ass literally vaporized me just from landing and didn¡¯t even bother apologizing. That¡¯s just plain rude.
The Ballroom Azura grimaces as his sword clashes with the sword of a marquis, the two just barely being even. Until his elder sister helps him out by sending a spear of ice straight through the man¡¯s brain from further away, making Azura nod his head in appreciation. To which she nods back. Then he turns his attention towards their parents, who are both fighting the duke. And towards the girl who is currently scowling at the duke from behind the man, with the duke not even seeming to notice her presence. Probably thinks she¡¯s dead. He did vaporize half her body from the hips up. He sees her scowl growing harsher when she seemingly notices the shattered glass on the ground near her and the spilled wine just floating in the water. Yeah, she doesn¡¯t look very happy. Azura¡¯s attention is briefly taken away when two of the rebel nobles decide to team up on him and he has to fight off their attacks. And periodically he returns his attention to the duke, finding him somehow fighting evenly with both his parents. Something that shouldn¡¯t be possible without an enhancement potion. It doesn¡¯t even take Azura long to figure out how he must¡¯ve gotten the potion. Considering the assassins that had attacked during the ball. Assassins obviously hired from the Council of Darkness. Although Azura also notices that the duke doesn¡¯t look very happy. Almost like he¡¯s disappointed that he¡¯s not able to quickly kill both the queen and the king with his boost despite what it must¡¯ve cost him. Azura continues fighting the two rebel nobles for a bit before finishing both of them off with his own ability, tearing them apart. Then he turns back to the battle with the duke, only for his eyes to widen when he sees the man pulling out another potion, pushing the green tentacles defending his back to support the front as well due to his distraction. But right as he¡¯s about to down the potion, Azura¡¯s eyes widen in shock at the sight of Aria summoning her swordgun to her hand and raising it to point at the duke. And he¡¯s not the only one as all of his siblings and the other nobles watching, both rebel and otherwise, do the same. Then a loud gunshot inherent to guns not fired underwater echoes out through the area and blood begins to stain the duke¡¯s chest right where his heart would be. And he immediately, seemingly on instinct, lets go of the potion he was about to ingest as his eyes blink in surprise. Silence instantly fills the ballroom, only shattered by the sound of two more gunshots. As if the young woman is just mocking the guy now. Everyone stares in shock at the young woman and the duke, whether they¡¯re rebels or not. Azura wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if most of the people had forgotten she was there. With her being a foreign guest and all. One at level 23, even if she has a black number. The duke slowly lowers his head to look at his chest before the strength in his legs gives out and he slowly drops to his knees in the water. Then he tries to turn his head to look at Aria, only for the light to go out in his eyes when another gunshot echoes through the ball, with the bullet passing through his head. And silence fills the ballroom once more as the woman who¡¯d just killed the duke puts the gun away and walks over to the table closest to the balcony before grabbing a full glass of wine and walking back towards her spot at the balcony. Everyone just stares at the woman while she takes a sip of her drink, still scowling at the duke¡¯s corpse, clearly holding a grudge for his entrance. Azura understands that the only reason she was able to kill him is the fact that he was fully focusing his defenses on Azura¡¯s parents. To the degree that the duke didn¡¯t have a single defense from behind. And while all of the other nobles and rebels are no doubt still shocked about what happened, Azura can¡¯t help but admire the gun she used to be able to kill someone that high a level. Now that¡¯s good worksmanship. Maybe I can ask where she got it from. He blinks before shaking his head. No, she most likely got it from the Byrne Clan. And I doubt they¡¯ll sell something that good to an outsider other than her. The prince shakes his head, feeling like that¡¯s a pity. While everyone else in the room is still getting over their shock about what just happened. ¡°Well that rebellion didn¡¯t last long,¡± Azura can¡¯t help but mutter aloud despite everyone¡¯s shock. And his words finally snap everyone out of it as shouts and cheers alike raise throughout the hall from rebels and non-rebels alike. B2 | Chapter 58 Aria Glad I got that out of my system. The guy totally deserved that after he vaporized half my body with just his entrance and without so much as looking back at me. Not to mention destroyed my wine glass and spilled my wine. Rude as hell. Although the stares coming from everyone around the ballroom are getting awkward. I just kinda continue sipping the new glass of wine I got while glancing out over the balcony. Such a lovely view. Then I notice the fires coming up in the dome city, covering the top of the dome in smoke that is expelled through magic out of the dome. Huh. Guess the rebellion is happening more than just at this castle. ¡°Well that rebellion didn¡¯t last long,¡± I hear Azura mutter, making me glance back, only for chaos to once again rise up in the ballroom. Then the king and queen suddenly begin subduing every one of the rebels without much trouble now that the powered-up duke is dealt with. And after they finish that, the king shouts, ¡°Half of you bring the rebels to the dungeons! The other half come with me to the city!¡± After his shout, the king rushes over to me, pats me on the shoulder with a slight smile, and then rushes past without a word. Then the queen does the exact same, making me question, just like always, why they do everything in pairs. I just turn around and watch them go while leaning against the railing, still sipping at my wine. What was the point of this rebellion anyways? Certainly didn¡¯t last long. Maybe the duke was just trying to kill himself or something? Or it could¡¯ve been a plot by the Council of Darkness. Yeah, probably the latter. Then again, that second potion he was using probably would¡¯ve given him the power to kill the king and queen. Not that I really thought about that when I shot him. I was mostly just pissed at him vaporizing me and my drink without so much as an ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ from the guy. Oh, and I, of course, devour his soul core. Because it¡¯s worth a hell of a lot of soul energy and I want something back in return for the wine he made me lose. Anyways, I kinda just keep sitting here at the balcony for a while sipping my wine without a care for the slowly calming chaos around me. And most of the nobles and guards kind of just ignore me. Some thank me, others look afraid of me. Although the captured rebels look pissed at me. Probably because I ended their little rebellion before it really even started. Not my fault though. It¡¯s their duke¡¯s fault for what he did. After a while, Sel and Little Blue join me, having finished whatever duties they were given. ¡°So¡­¡± Sel begins, looking rather awkward. But she just ends up snorting in amusement before chuckling when she sees me glancing at her with my head tilted. ¡°You really don¡¯t care about what you just did, don¡¯t you?¡± I shrug at that before looking out over the balcony again, leaning over the railing in my boredom. Since I can¡¯t exactly leave without someone to take me through the enchantment around the castle. So I have to wait for someone to bring me back to the city. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Not that the city is much better than here considering that they¡¯re currently quashing the rebellion there. I rest my head on my arms and let out a low groan of boredom. ¡°Thank you for your help,¡± I suddenly hear Azura¡¯s voice speaking, meaning he approached as well. But I don¡¯t lift my head, instead just waving my hand. ¡°You probably just saved us all.¡± Maybe. ¡°He deserved it for what he did,¡± I mutter. Then, after the three royals break out into laughter, I stand up straight again and glance at them, asking, ¡°Any chance you could take me to the Grand Ocean so that I can do something productive with this time instead of sitting around doing nothing?¡± For some reason my question makes them laugh even louder. But Azura okays it and even gets an officer to escort me to the royal vessel. Which, I have to say, is a much nicer ship than that ferry. No offense to the ferryman, of course. Then they take me over to the Grand Ocean in a flash, even going into the Hunter¡¯s Spot with me instead of just leaving like the ferry. I try to tell the ferryman and the several guards aboard the ship that they can leave, but none of them do. They just tell me something about the nation owing me or something. And that they don¡¯t want to leave me alone when I could be kidnapped or something for what I just did. So a lot of bothersome stuff. But it¡¯s fine. I jump down into the water after we reach the fourth ring. And I quickly notice that the ship itself is following me from above water. At least they¡¯re not going down with me. Well, time to hunt for the rest of the evening. And hopefully by the time I¡¯m back, everything will be normal again.
Somewhere in the Universe Inside of a chamber covered in black mist, nine different individuals appear out of nowhere in the mist. Each using their own methods. Then the Leader of the Council of Darkness appears at the very center of the nine. But all ten of the individuals in the chamber quickly grow confused when their remaining member is not anywhere in sight. Hassan stares at the spot for a few seconds before eventually turning to look at one of the nine, prompting them to speak. ¡°The Republic of Aeloria has been sparked into civil war after the opposing party¡¯s head delegate hired us to assassinate over a dozen of their opposition,¡± a sharp, female voice fills the chamber. Then the Leader¡¯s head nods once and he turns to look at the next individual. This one answers in a deep masculine voice, ¡°The Solaris Nexus was turned inside out when two members of each party representing their Solar Council were killed under each other party¡¯s orders.¡± And the process continues, with each one of the individuals in the room speaking about one nation entering some form of civil war after another. All the way until the Leader¡¯s gaze once again lands on the empty space belonging to where the last individual should be. Meanwhile all of the others tense up, waiting for their leader to make a move. But then a flash of purple light shines through the room, following which a man cloaked in that same purple light appears and immediately kneels, declaring, ¡°I apologize, Council Leader, but the plan has failed on Atlantis.¡± Silence so deep that one could hear a pin drop fills the chamber. Then two flames made of shadow appear where the Council Leader¡¯s eyes would be under his hood, following which shadows begin to snake across the ground until they grab onto the man cloaked in purple light. And the man doesn¡¯t even fight against it, simply letting his leader pull him up into the air, his arms outstretched. ¡°Explain,¡± the leader declares without showing any emotion in the single word. And he does. Without a single word of complaint, the purple clad member of the Council of Darkness answers, ¡°Everything started off well, but the duke I had been manipulating to lead the rebellion on Atlantis¡­ was shot in the back by an outsider minutes after the rebellion began. While he was fighting with their king and queen, about to sacrifice himself to kill them.¡± A second passes in silence before the leader asks, ¡°Who?¡± The member clad in purple light answers right away again, instantly understanding what his leader means, ¡°The outsider was someone who had been staying for five years going to the Grand Ocean. But she was only level twenty three, even if she has a black number. And all I could find on her was that she was a friend to the royal family. The other nobles didn¡¯t even know who she was.¡± And under the surprised gazes of the other council members, he finishes, ¡°The duke killed the outsider the moment he arrived, vaporizing half her entire body. But she recovered in seconds and killed him while he left his back open to drink another Supercharge Potion.¡± The silence returns for a while. Eventually the Council Leader lowers the member a little and asks, ¡°Name.¡± ¡°The outsider¡¯s name was Aria Crimson,¡± he answers instantly. And for the first time in decades, the Council Leader stiffens slightly before returning to normal. But no matter how short the reaction was, all ten members of the council notice. And they all feel shocked just from that one instant. ¡°Watch her,¡± the Council Leader declares, making the purple clad man nod his head before the Council Leader drops the man again. ¡°Report. Don¡¯t interfere.¡± That surprises the man clad in purple for a moment, but he quickly kneels and declares, ¡°As you wish, Council Leader. I will keep an eye over here without interfering or letting her spot me.¡± Then the Council Leader turns his head around to gaze at each one of the Council Members. And after just a brief pause, he declares, ¡°Next phase.¡± Only to vanish again seconds later. With the council members vanishing soon after that. B2 | Chapter 59 Aria The next few days pass by rather boringly without much going on. Although I do learn more about the Void Temple in this time. At first I had begun to wonder why they even bothered with a rebellion when they could just revive the rebels or the king or queen. But nope. That¡¯s not possible. There are only around four or so dozen to a hundred Void Temples in the universe at any particular time. And almost every single one is on an Alpha Tier world. Half of which are run by the Grand Nine. And the Void Temples have rules for people, varying based on their position. The Horsemen of the Apocalypse can only revive once. A requirement the other six Grand Nines managed to purchase with so much gold it would fill an entire ocean planet if melted down. If someone is coming from another world to be revived, the price is ten times the original, and the wait is over ten times as long. Generally whenever the Void Spirit gets around to it. Which could take decades to revive them for the price of an entire kingdom. Like how much it would cost Atlantis. So if the king or queen were killed, they would probably only be able to revive one of them, and it would take decades and pretty much bankrupt the nation. Also, the cost rises the higher the level of the person being revived. Both the Temple¡¯s price in gold and the price in levels to revive them. Meaning the king or queen would lose a hundred or so levels after being revived as well. Not to mention the price of half of Atlantis just to revive one of them. Which would explain the rebellion, seeing as by the time one of them would be revived, the duke would¡¯ve taken over the entire planet. Including the nation¡¯s money. Meaning they wouldn¡¯t be able to be revived in the first place since the ones who would be doing it wouldn¡¯t have the money. And since the duke was a hundred levels below them ish, he¡¯d still be very expensive to revive, and take decades to be revived as well. I never really paid much attention to any of this because the Void Temple had little to nothing to do with me. We have a respectful relationship where they answer my questions and I leave them alone. Mostly just a source of information for me. Although, I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re also looking to work with me simply because they know I¡¯ll eventually be rich. And I¡¯d still have to go to them if I want someone else revived. After all, just because I can¡¯t die doesn¡¯t mean someone I know can¡¯t. And even then, I only visited them twice on Eternus. And twice on Vortel. Overall though, according to Azura at least, Void Temples tend to set up shop on two different types of worlds. Worlds ruled over by someone very rich and powerful, with it always being Alpha Tier. Or worlds where a void mage or void priest was born. Because void magic users are apparently rare. Oh, and also, one last rule. No reviving people for dying of old age. Since they¡¯d just come back to life at the age they died before dying again. Which is just cruel. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I lean over the counter while sipping my most recent beverage at the bar, wondering if the duke even has the funds to revive himself. Meaning my devouring his soul core might even go unnoticed. Amusingly enough. Not that I care one way or another. Because people already know I can kill people without them being able to revive anymore. I never really tried to hide that. Not really something I can hide if I want their soul cores. And I do want powerful soul cores. Like the one I got from the duke. A very nice soul core indeed. I glance at Azura who is behind the counter, only to continue sipping my drink. He¡¯s been very busy over the past few days due to that rebellion that was quickly squashed. Him and the other royals alike. Which makes sense, considering the whole rebellion thing. I was mostly just annoyed that it delayed the ferry. At least, until the royal vessel started picking me up instead. Because apparently the royal guard feels they all owe me a favor. Not to mention the royal family. I just killed a rude idiot who vaporized me in an instant, so I don¡¯t really think they owe me anything. Would¡¯ve done it regardless. But I¡¯m not gonna complain. Although I might complain about the other thing. That thought has me grimacing as I finish my drink and get up from my seat, making Azura glance over and give me a brief wave, saying, ¡°Have a good hunt today.¡± I nod back before heading out the front door to find the two carriages waiting outside. One of which opens at the sight of me. Right. The other thing. I send an exasperated look towards the royal guards that are now escorting me to the open carriage. It¡¯s not just the royal vessel, but the royal guards have been treating me like a princess of the nation ever since then. Just following me around to protect me from any rebels who may try to kidnap me, giving me free transportation places, and literally giving me open access to any place I want to go to. I let out a sigh as I sit down in the carriage, with the vehicle closing over me and the driver asking where I¡¯m heading. Then, after I tell them the Grand Ocean, they quickly take off. What makes this worse is that I¡¯m pretty sure that I¡¯ve heard whispers about an honorary princess or something. Which I¡¯m just gonna ignore and act like isn¡¯t happening. Best way to go about life. Although I will admit that the free transportation is nice. Saves a lot of my time not having to return to the ferry location in the Grand Ocean. And it lets me come and go when I please instead of only being able to come and go at certain times. Not to mention the other people on the ferry. ¡°Lady Death, did you hear the news?¡± the carriage driver suddenly asks, making me glance over at the royal guard in full body armor. ¡°The Council of Darkness has made their move. They¡¯ve finally directly struck Arc.¡± I frown at that. ¡°Arc?¡± I ask, not really sure what he means. ¡°Oh, right,¡± the guard says, ¡°Arc is the home world of the Arcadian Society.¡± That makes my frown grow deeper. ¡°Word is that the Council of Darkness was most likely behind the ten rebellions ¨C including the one you stopped ¨C that struck all across ten Beta Tier worlds at the same time,¡± the guard continues, surprising me with a bit of news I hadn¡¯t heard about. The whole ¡®nine other rebellions happening at the same time¡¯ thing. ¡°And that they¡¯re using those rebellions as a coverup for their surprise attack. They struck the enforcer division of the Arcadian Society and tore the place down before the Archmage arrived to clear the assassins out.¡± I hum in response while folding my arms. Well that¡¯s interesting. They started ten entire rebellions just to get a good surprise attack in on the Arcadian Society. Or¡­ maybe that¡¯s not all? I know assassins tend to thrive during war. So maybe they started those rebellions to give them more work along with that surprise attack? Could also be for levels for all I know. ¡°Why¡¯s the Council attacking the Society anyways?¡± I ask after a few moments of silence. The guard laughs and answers, ¡°They¡¯ve been in a bit of a cold war for several millennia now. Think about it. The Arcadian Society is well known for trying to police the universe, and the Council of Darkness is the biggest underground organization in the universe. Only makes sense that they¡¯d be at odds.¡± True. ¡°Thank you,¡± I tell him with a nod, making the man give me a thumbs up without taking his eyes off of the street. Guess royal guards like gossip. If I had to guess based on the name of the division they attacked, it¡¯s probably the division that tries to do that policing he mentioned. Since they¡¯re enforcers and all. Which would explain their attack. Come to think of it, this is the second time in just a few years that the Society was targeted. First for their contracts, and now for their policing. I get the feeling people don¡¯t like them. The only things I¡¯d heard about them until now was that it¡¯s an association of scholar mages. That the Society is very arrogant and looks down on others. And that one of their divisions is behind deciding the Tiers for worlds through divination. Not much else. Oh. And they hate the Horsemen. So I better avoid the Society. B2 | Chapter 60 Aria Five years later I feel like I end up in places like this a lot. Just floating in some creature¡¯s stomach. It¡¯s a rather bad habit and I wish I would break it, but alas. These giant fish and giant serpents and giant whatever else is down here don¡¯t agree. Then again, it could be my own fault for coming down to the sixth ring. On a side note, I really wish I could summon my spirits inside of here, but that doesn¡¯t work either. Leaving me kind of just stuck in here. And I was just one kill away from level twenty-five as well. A pity. My thoughts come to a halt when more water suddenly floods the stomach I¡¯m in, sending me up and then down. Only for my eyes to suddenly lock onto a still-living fish in here, instantly waking me up as I rush to go kill the thing with my gun ¨C a gun that actually doesn¡¯t work in the thing¡¯s stomach for some reason. And after killing the fish, ignoring any of the other large fish mana creatures that were swept inside without the giant whale chewing for obvious reasons, I get a long awaited notification.
User has leveled-up to level 25. User will now be given their fourth skill. Assessing user¡¯s accomplishments and actions¡­ assessment complete. User will now be given the following skill: Soul Drain This skill allows the user to drain the life force of others and convert it to soul energy. Punish those who try to harm the Lady, for their aging speaks volumes to all.
Oh, wow. That¡¯s unexpected. What¡¯s even more unexpected is that I somehow instinctively begin draining the life force of everything around me. Considering that trickle of soul energy that I suddenly begin gaining, along with the strange red lines of energy trailing into me from all over. Uh, okay, so how do I stop this? I narrow my eyes before trying to think of using the skill. Which does nothing. Then I try to play around with my soul energy. Which also does nothing. So I proceed to do anything I can think of to stop the life force from being drained. Damnit, I can¡¯t go into a city like this¡­ Please just stop¡­ To my surprise, the trickle of life force comes to a halt. I blink before looking around, no longer finding any of that red energy entering me and converting to soul energy. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Wait, was saying for it to stop all I needed to stop it? With that thought in mind, I tell it to start again. And it does. Then I tell it to stop. And it does. Interesting. It¡¯s rather annoying how all these skills are used and activated in different ways. Now then. How to focus it on one thing at a time. I think about draining the life force of the large whale I¡¯m inside, and it immediately happens. So easy to figure out after I, well, figure it out. Okay, so easy to figure the rest of it out after finding how to start it. Also, I get the feeling I¡¯m draining more from this whale than anything else I was draining. Is it because I¡¯m closer to it? Or maybe because I¡¯m touching it? Might be. Proximity or physical contact might speed it up. Maybe both. On that note though, I don¡¯t really notice much change if any to the whale despite me sitting here draining its life force. So am I just draining such an insignificant amount that the thing plain doesn¡¯t care? Or will I only notice a difference after I drain enough that it begins visibly aging? Or both. Sure would be nice to have some bombs right about now. Too bad explosives don¡¯t work as well underwater. And I ran out of the few explosives I got from Luk¡¯tar that were meant to work well underwater. Guess I¡¯ll be sitting here draining this thing¡¯s life force for a while. Maybe I can test out the new skill a bit more while I wait.
After a few hours of testing, I figure out at least a few things about the new skill. For one, the power of whatever it is I¡¯m draining the life force of does matter. Hence why this whale hasn¡¯t so much has changed at all since I started draining its life force three hours ago. For two, I can target specific species of creatures with my skill and it¡¯ll drain the life force from all those species that are nearby for me. Just kinda locking onto that life force somehow. Not sure how. Don¡¯t really care either. And proximity does matter, and so does physical contact. They both boost it a lot. The closer I am and whether or not I¡¯m making physical contact. And all it took to figure all this out was a bunch of shriveled up weak fish mana creatures filling this thing¡¯s stomach. Fish who I drained dry of life force. Rest in peace fishies. You will ¨C probably ¨C be missed. I let out a sigh. Then regret it when I remember the bad smell in here before returning to not breathing again. At least I have my nose plugs. Can¡¯t do anything about my mouth though aside from stopping breathing. It was amusing one day when Little Blue ¨C who is now taller than me at eighteen years old ¨C questioned why I always bring nose plugs with me when I go hunting in the Grand Ocean. Mostly because of the look on her face when I told her it was for when I get stuck in some mana creature¡¯s stomach. Anyways, I can¡¯t help but wonder how long I¡¯m gonna be stuck in this whale¡¯s stomach. Because while the death energy is definitely building up, it¡¯s still not strong enough to leave any more than a very minor burn on the creature¡¯s stomach walls. Proving just how strong this thing is. Probably somewhere around the level five hundreds or six hundreds if converted to a human¡¯s level. My thoughts come to an odd halt when I notice purple mist and liquid slowly filtering into the whale¡¯s stomach, making me rather confused. What¡¯s that? And why does it look so familiar? Then the whale suddenly starts moving rather rapidly. As if the thing was just hit by something. Oh? Is someone hunting the whale? That¡¯ll speed up my escape by a large margin. And right as I have that thought, a large rod of silver metal suddenly pierces straight through the massive whale right past my face, leaving me staring blankly at the metal rod. One that¡¯s long enough to go straight through the stomach, in one end and out the other. Then the whale stops moving, and the rod is pulled out, making the stomach fluids rush out the holes it made, carrying me with it. Well, this was unexpected. Also, as I just kinda float over the stomach acid and through the creature¡¯s body towards the source of the hole, I can¡¯t help but feel something familiar about that silver colored metal. And when I get outside of the whale, I immediately realize why that is. At the sight of Shirogane floating outside of the whale alongside Rory and¡­ My eyes widen in shock, and I immediately shout, gargling water in the process, ¡°Hannah?!¡± Then I let out a grunt when she tackles me into a hug. She doesn¡¯t say anything immediately. Just puts a ring on my index finger first. Only then do I hear her excited voice in my head, ¡®Aria, dear! It¡¯s so great to see you!!!¡± I feel pure shock as I hug the now much older woman ¨C she looks to be in her mid to late fifties now unlike the mid to late thirties back when I last saw her ¨C in my arms. Meanwhile Rory ¨C who I¡¯m also a little surprised to see ¨C and Shirogane ¨C who is far more powerful than I thought he was judging by the metal pole ¨C both look on with smiles on their faces. Then again, guess I¡¯ve never seen Shirogane in combat. Not in the entire almost two decades I¡¯ve known him now. Which is odd now that I think about it. Even if he¡¯s part of a neutral nation. All that aside, what the hell is going on? Why¡¯s Hannah here? Why¡¯s Rory here? Actually, why are all three of them here? Shirogane would normally never go to the Grand Ocean. He¡¯s never gone to any of the Hunter¡¯s Spots I¡¯ve been to on these worlds. And also, he better stop laughing at my reaction. Rory too. Eventually they both calm down as Hannah continues clinging onto me with her hug. Then Shirogane says, ¡°We needed to tell you about some unexpected guests to Atlantis that you might want to avoid. And the only way to tell you before you returned was to grab someone with a Class S scouting ability.¡± I turn my head in an attempt to look at Hannah¡¯s face, but she just hugs me tighter. Like Hannah¡¯s ability. Not sure how they got her here though without drawing attention, but I trust they did. But¡­ ¡°What guests?¡± I ask with a frown. He directly meets my gaze and answers, ¡°There are two sets of guests. One is from the Arcadian Society, and the other is from the Rex Dynasty of the Dead.¡± Oh. Yeah, I should find a Gate to leave this world now. B2 | More Story Art + link if the art breaks There isn''t that much art this time around, but they are important pieces of art at the very least. Both members of the Nine Grands. That aside, I''ve been rather busy over the last couple weeks. Way too many book releases over the course of a single month. Hasn''t really affected Crimson Eternal all that much though. As always, click here for the post on Patreon if the art breaks. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Anyways, first up is story art of Hassan, the Council Leader of the Council of Darkness: Then there''s Isabella, the Archmage of the Arcadian Society: B2 | Chapter 61 Aria They fill me in on what¡¯s going down right now as we swim to the surface where the royal vessel is currently at. Which was a long swim considering how deep that whale took me. As it turns out, news about how the rebellion was quashed reached the Arcadian Society in the end. And they decided to check it out, since it¡¯s not every day that someone has an ability that lets them regenerate so much. So they¡¯ve been checking out every reported instance of a powerful regeneration ability, giving priority to those that share the appearance that the Emperor of the Grand Roan Empire leaked before those who don¡¯t share the appearance. A rather nice boon granted to me by the idiot who was fooled by Vargas. Which turns out to actually be what happened, according to Hannah. But the problem here is that they¡¯re bringing a death mage everywhere they go. Since there are apparently death mages that aren¡¯t necromancers. Necromancy being a relatively taboo but not banned practice in the Arcadian Society. Leading to them having none. And death magic users can sense me. Rather easily in fact. Because I apparently look like a bottomless pit of death energy nowadays to them. I¡¯ve seen a couple death mages passing out at the sight of me, with them later on waking up while acting like they¡¯d never seen me. Which was rude. A couple others started kowtowing to me and trying to make me their god though. Which was worse. Apparently a couple people from the Rex Dynasty. Another reason why I want to avoid showing myself there. Although they did at least stay silent without telling anyone. One bright side about someone trying to make you their god is that it¡¯s easy to get them to do what you tell them to do. Even if it comes with the downside of them kissing your feet in return. Well, other than¡­ certain groups amongst them. That is. The fanatics. They¡¯re¡­ not easy to get to do what I want. I shiver at a particular memory as I look out over the side of the royal vessel. ¡°You have any idea where you¡¯re going to go?¡± Shirogane asks from his spot next to me while Hannah continues clinging onto my arm, not letting go. ¡°Not really,¡± I answer before glancing towards him and asking, ¡°do you know any Gates far away from the two groups?¡± He purses his lips while pulling out his phone. Then, after he messes around on it for a minute, he raises his head and answers, ¡°There are two options.¡± My brows furrow as I ask, ¡°Only two?¡± ¡°Only two,¡± he repeats with a nod. ¡°The other Gates on the world are all centered in the range of those death mages. So we¡¯re stuck with these.¡± Well that sucks. ¡°Where do they lead?¡± I ask while tapping my fingers on the railing of the ship. ¡°The first one,¡± Shirogane begins before frowning, ¡°leads to a branch Beta Tier world belonging to the Rex Dynasty of the Dead.¡± He raises his head to look at me. ¡°The ones who arrived on Atlantis now arrived through a Gate to their capital world Rex.¡± This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°I¡¯d rather not end up becoming a figure for worship, thank you very much,¡± I tell him while waving my hand in dismissal. My right hand, because my left is preoccupied with someone hugging onto it like their life depended on it. ¡°Then the second one,¡± Shirogane says while looking at his phone again. ¡°This one leads to a sky world known as Arian. Its people are led by an elected council with a round table of knights leading their military.¡± He raises his head again. ¡°And it¡¯s currently at war with another world known as Jotunheim. A world covered in endless blizzards with people who¡¯ve adapted to the terrain living there.¡± Another war? ¡°Do you think I can get immigration rights to Arian? And does the world have a Hunter¡¯s Spot?¡± I ask while glancing at Hannah, who has somehow managed to fall asleep while hugging my arm. So I gently move her to the ground before focusing on Shirogane. ¡°It does not have a Hunter¡¯s Spot,¡± Shirogane answers with a shake of his head. ¡°But immigration rights should be easy to obtain so long as I assist you and you¡¯re willing to help in their war.¡± That gives me pause, but after a few seconds of thought, I go ahead and shrug, answering, ¡°Yeah, that¡¯ll be fine.¡± At first I wasn¡¯t happy about being dragged into other wars. But now I don¡¯t really care much. Not after spending years fighting in the Luk¡¯tar Clan war. A war that is actually starting up again recently with another Clan. With the Gallagher Clan apparently also looking to call War over there as a possibility. Which means rest in peace Luk¡¯tar. At this point I¡¯m pretty much numbed to war. It happens. People fight. People die. I respect them for fighting and everything they¡¯re doing and fighting for, but if I kill someone, it¡¯s because they¡¯re on the other side of the conflict from me. Or they attacked me in general. On another note, I go ahead and ask Shirogane, ¡°What¡¯s a sky world?¡± He glances at me before blinking and answering, ¡°A sky world is a world made entirely of clouds held together by magic, gravity, and a core, with various floating islands moving amongst and above the clouds.¡± That¡­ actually sounds rather interesting. While there not being a Hunter¡¯s Spot on the planet is annoying, there are actually far more planets in the universe without Hunter¡¯s Spots than there are with them. So it might be for the best that I visit one without one now after visiting three with them in a row. And besides. I¡¯m pretty sure the war will make up for the fewer kills I¡¯ll be dealing out during my time there. ¡°On a side note, how long would I have to work for them just for passage to another world?¡± I ask after a moment of silence. ¡°Since there¡¯s no Hunter¡¯s Spot there, there¡¯s not much reason for me to stay after my time helping them.¡± Shirogane looks surprised for a moment before muttering, ¡°True¡­¡± then he nods his head, ¡°we could probably get a reduced amount of work if it¡¯s just for permission to travel through the planet without staying for an extended period.¡± That¡¯s good. ¡°Probably about half a year of fighting?¡± he says half as a statement, half as a question, making me frown. ¡°I¡¯ll have to get into contact with them. Give me a moment.¡± I nod before watching him walk away. Then I begin to walk towards the bridge of the ship before telling the royal guard captain behind the wheel about our plans to head to the Gate to Arian. And the man quickly gives me a salute and begins directing the ship in that direction. Then I return to where Hannah is currently sleeping before moving her to a more comfortable spot and crouching next to her. Now then. With our immediate plans out of the way, I can¡¯t help but wonder what is going to happen to her from here. Unless Rory plans to take her to a Gate? Rory already left us to keep tabs on the guests. And I¡¯m not sure when she¡¯ll return. Then again, nothing stopping us from just leaving Hannah with the royal guard here. They can bring her back to Eternus and then Vortel. Putting that aside for now though, her number¡­ she¡¯s already level eighty. Not sure how that happened so quickly. Although her number is green to me despite the level gap. Considering my penchant for killing people a few hundred levels above me though, that¡¯s not too big of a surprise. Not to mention that she¡¯s a barrier and scout. Not a fighter. Judging by her level compared to her appearance, she¡¯ll probably be fine with reaching level one hundred before dying of old age. Which makes me feel very relieved. I smile at that before walking over to the edge of the ship again right before Shirogane gets off the call and walks over to me. ¡°We have ourselves a deal with Arian,¡± he says, surprising me with how quick he was at setting it up. ¡°You will have to aid them for seven months in their war against Jotunheim, then you will be able to pass through the Gate into any world theirs is connected to. Keep in mind though that getting immigration rights for those worlds is up to you and not them.¡± ¡°How¡¯d you set this up so quickly?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask while tilting my head. He just blinks at that and answers as if it were obvious, ¡°Because I¡¯m the Silver Merchant.¡± That has me raising a brow, but I don¡¯t ask further. Guess I¡¯m going to go see a sky world. B2 | Chapter 62 Aria The trip doesn¡¯t take very long on the ferry, but I manage to say goodbye to Azura, Sel, and Little Blue ¨C who isn¡¯t so little anymore seeing as she¡¯s an adult now who¡¯s taller than I am ¨C through the phone while we wait for Hannah to wake up. And when she does, I remember just how hard it was to wake her. ¡°C¡¯mon sleepyhead,¡± I tell her while shaking her awake. And it takes her over a minute to remember where she is and then look up at me with a smile on her face. A tired one, but a smile, nonetheless. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, Little Aria,¡± she says rather groggily. ¡°I also see you haven¡¯t aged at all.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I tell her. But you have. I don¡¯t say that part out loud though. ¡°How¡¯re the others doing?¡± I ask as she sluggishly rises to a standing position. ¡°They faring well?¡± She nods her head before creating a barrier next to her and sitting on it as if it were a chair while saying, ¡°They¡¯re fine. What about you, dear? We¡¯ve all heard the news about Death. But how have you been doing?¡± I tilt my head for a moment, tapping my chin a few times. Then I focus on her with a smile and say, ¡°I¡¯ve been doing rather well, I think.¡± Ever since leaving Vortel, I¡¯ve felt a lot freer. Like I can do whatever I want. Whenever I want. After all, I have forever to do it. So why hurry? Why waste time worrying about things that I don¡¯t have to worry about? Hannah looks me over a few times before her smile grows wider and she says, ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± We both meet each other¡¯s eyes for several seconds until I break the silence by bringing up the metaphorical poisoned apple in the equally metaphorical room, ¡°Do you know how you¡¯re going to get back to Vortel?¡± That has her frowning for a moment before she says something rather shocking to me. ¡°I¡¯m not planning on going back to Vortel right now.¡± Silence fills the deck, the others having taken to the bridge during our chat to give us privacy. And after the silence stretches on for a little too long, I ask, ¡°What do you mean?¡± She stands up while brushing off her skirt, which finally makes me realize that she¡¯s wearing some sort of dress for some reason. Then she answers, ¡°I plan on traveling with you for a few years.¡± My mouth parts open for me to speak, but no words come out. So I close it again. Which apparently is funny to her as she starts to chuckle, hiding it behind her hand. She calms down quickly though and explains herself, ¡°I want to spend some time with you again after so long. Just in case I don¡¯t make it to level 100 before I pass.¡± ¡°You will,¡± I state, not giving any room for doubt even as she raises a brow. But she just kinda ignores my interruption when she continues, ¡°The others felt the same way, but the Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty only agreed to let one of us come. Myself. And that¡¯s only because I was needed to find you in the Grand Ocean.¡± Wait¡­ I can¡¯t help but ask, ¡°The others wanted to come too?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she says like it should be obvious. ¡°It¡¯s been two decades since we last saw you, and we didn¡¯t even get a proper farewell. We¡¯re all getting ahead in the years too unless we reach level one hundred soon.¡± She frowns. ¡°Well, everyone but Vargas. I¡¯m pretty sure he just wants to see the outside world and leave Vortel to a place that won¡¯t use him.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Ignoring the rest of it, that last part I can totally see happening. Sounds very much like Vargas. ¡°Besides,¡± she adds with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. ¡°Most of us agree with him in wanting to see other worlds. And the First General has been running us a little ragged lately with the new worlds creating Gates to Vortel and all.¡± Right. I forgot about that. The Grand Roan Empire is not the only world with a Gate to Vortel anymore. And the only reason no one has taken over the planet yet is a mixture of the Void Temple, the obvious lack of resources on Vortel making conquering it not worth the trouble, and Vortel¡¯s connection to the Eternal Dynasty. Which is supplying them with plenty of weapons and higher end technology. But that doesn¡¯t mean they haven¡¯t had to deal with some criminals coming from the other worlds trying to cause a fuss. So I¡¯ve heard that they¡¯ve been focusing on upping their security to deal with that issue. ¡°But it¡¯ll be dangerous,¡± I finally speak my mind with a frown. ¡°And you may not be back for a long time!¡± She raises a brow again as she says, ¡°You think I didn¡¯t know that when coming here? And it doesn¡¯t matter because the emperor of the Dynasty doesn¡¯t plan on sending me back for at least five years. So save your breath dear.¡± My jaw drops open before I swear at the emperor in my mind. Damnit. ¡°Aria, we need to get going,¡± Shirogane¡¯s voice suddenly calls from the bridge, making me turn to find him sticking his head out. ¡°The clients are waiting on the other side of the Gate.¡± Right. Almost forgot. I turn to Hannah before pointing at her and saying, ¡°You¡¯re staying behind whenever I¡¯m going to fight, got it?¡± She gives me a playful salute despite her age that has me raising an eyebrow. Eventually she gives in and says, ¡°Okay, but I want to help.¡± ¡°Then help away from the danger,¡± I tell her flatly as I walk over towards the bridge. Now. Let¡¯s see this sky world thing.
A few hours later After we pass through the Gate in the nearby city, we end up inside of some sort of valley. A bowl-shaped valley with walls on each side, and four exits. But standing in front of the Gate are a bunch of people wearing outfits that are pretty much the opposite of Atlantis. With a lot of skin exposed. Basically short sleeved shirts, shorts, and with their stomach¡¯s exposed for girls and often no shirts at all for guys. Oh, and they all have pistol holsters around their waist, each with two pistols. Which kinda breaks the whole vacation vibe I was beginning to get from them. ¡°Welcome to our lovely home!¡± The person at the center of the group ¨C a woman with long red hair, a full figure with her belly exposed and red and gray garments covering her entire upper torso with shorts, and a wide smile on her face ¨C exclaims while spreading her arms to either side of her. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll help us out during your stay, lovely Aria!¡± Talk about a culture shift. Then again, I¡¯m starting to get used to the constant culture shifts of changing worlds by now. Also, why are they bringing little necklaces made of flowers? ¡°Follow us and we can show ya the place you¡¯ll be stayin!¡± The woman continues while waving at us to follow her past the other people here, through one of the stations, and into the forest full of palm trees outside. And I have to say, this really wasn¡¯t what I was expecting when I heard of a sky world based on Shirogane¡¯s description. ¡°We don¡¯t really like formalities here, so please be as open as you can be!¡± The leader woman continues. ¡°We also don¡¯t like keeping secrets, so I¡¯ll tell you now, if you break our deal or harm our people, we¡¯ll be telling the Arcadian Society lickety split!¡± Well, at least she¡¯s honest. ¡°Your pals will be stayin in the capital during your time here, and you¡¯ll be heading to the frontlines,¡± she keeps on talking, still without introducing herself as we walk through the trees. ¡°But to think that Death was playin at being a mercenary! Such a shocker there.¡± The woman shrugs, all of the people around her who have moved out to surround us as we walk still not saying a word. ¡°Still, it¡¯s for the best.¡± With that, we reach the edge of the forest overlooking a large city from a cliff. And the city itself is¡­ not at all what I was expecting. The city has a lot of wood and metal buildings, similar to Luk¡¯tar, but different in that it¡¯s a different type of both, and they¡¯re in a much freer style. One more befitting these people¡¯s culture. Meanwhile there are what look like odd ships with large balloons on top of them all docked at a port with nothing beneath the port. Just open sky. And I can even see some floating islands around us, with more flying ships with balloons as well. The woman stops at the edge of the cliff and turns around with a spin on one foot before putting her hands on her hips and saying, ¡°Well, here we are! The capital of Arian and the place I call home! Oh, and my name is Akela Nalohia, but just call me Ake! Alright Ari?¡± I blink. Ari already? This woman is way too straightforward. But¡­ the world looks nice at least. Another interesting place to add to my list. B2 | Chapter 63 Atlantis Ahmed Gamal, the Eighth Finger of Rex, ninth in command of the entire Rex Dynasty of the Dead, finds himself feeling disappointed as he spreads his senses across the nearest hundreds of thousands of kilometers and fails to find Her Eminence. But he doesn¡¯t feel upset at all, for Lady Death should easily be able to get out of a situation such as this one. The Third Finger was wrong believing that Lady Death would need their assistance to escape the evil society. Now, however, he¡¯s left glaring down at the miserable creatures that call themselves humans from his place on a balcony of the Atlantis Royal Castle. The bastard mages from the Arcadian Society known widely for hunting down anyone from the Rex Dynasty across the universe and capturing them without killing them. Because they all know that death is a goal for all rexians to seek with the sole exception of the taboo of suicide. One punishable by resurrection as an undead, forever to serve the nation with no rest. And as a rexian, Ahmed has no need to breathe. Unlike the pitiful creatures using water breathing potions down below him. Creatures who are glaring at him just as vehemently as he and his forces are at them. ¡°Eighth Finger, we meet again,¡± the leader of the bunch of Society members, a Seventh Tier Mage, declares while the woman holds a staff in her hands. She has long brown hair with blue eyes and a long robe covering the woman¡¯s full figure. ¡°Care to explain what you¡¯re doing here? Shouldn¡¯t a figure of your power be on the frontlines or in Rex?¡± ¡°What purpose would there be to explain myself to a lowly dog sent on a chase by its master?¡± Ahmed answers as he stands on the balcony, the bottom of his deep black trench coat waving in the water even as he crosses his arms, an indifferent look on his face. ¡°Leave this planet now or be annihilated by our own. We¡¯re giving you this opportunity with respect to our hosts.¡± The woman and all of her subordinates practically growl at his words, but they all finally begin to leave. After all, none of them are anywhere near the Finger¡¯s level of power, both in ability or System Level. But Ahmed isn¡¯t stupid enough to believe they¡¯re really leaving. Most likely they¡¯ll act like they¡¯re walking through the Gate before teleporting away and continuing their fruitless search. And while Ahmed could leave them to their wild goose chase, they may find remnants of the Greatest Horseman could¡¯ve left on the planet. So he snaps his fingers, ordering his own subordinates to spread around the neighboring cities within range of a Seventh Tier Mage¡¯s teleportation, each of them being a higher level than the king and queen of this nation themselves. And therefore also a higher level than some random Seventh Tier Mage. Then, with his eyes still closed, Ahmed senses the mages reaching the Gate and then using an instant teleportation spell the moment they ¡®pass through¡¯ it, ending with them separated in the nearby cities. And without hesitation, he snaps his fingers again, making the Hounds of the Pharaoh with him slaughter the weaker and unsuspecting mages in an instant. Meanwhile he himself turns his entire body into pure miasma before instantly moving out of the castle, past the enchantment without it even registering him, and into the city before appearing next to the Seventh Tier Mage herself. And before she can so much as blink at his presence, he floods her with miasma from all sides, turning the woman into a shriveled husk in moments. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. All of the citizens and guards nearby either scream or go on alert, moving to or from the location as chaos arises. But Ahmed merely ignores them all, puts the body in his storage ring, and leaves once more. Not without sending one last prayer for the peace of his Lady, though.
Arc Isabella folds her arms under her chest with her staff floating upright next to her and her attention completely focused on the vast spell circle in front of her. But after watching the various scripts moving through it for several hours, she merely scowls and swipes her hand across it. Not happy at all with the result of the news she¡¯d just heard. About the full extinction of any and all contract dealers in the Alpha and Beta Tier worlds under her jurisdiction within the universe. About the slaughter of one bounty hunter party, whether full of outsiders or not, after another. And about the complete lack of any results for their search. First the Crimson Empire, then the Rex Dynasty. And now even Leopold and his damned Silvanian Empire are ignoring our contracts? She grits her teeth, her rage growing stronger by the moment. At the rate this is going, the only members of the Grand Nine who won¡¯t directly interfere with her actions against Death are the villainous ones that also need purging just like Death. The Horsemen of the Apocalypse are staying completely silent in regard to their fourth member. The Council of Darkness seems to have made no moves at all besides taking advantage of the situation to strike and save their own from the contracts. And the Eternal Dynasty has a contracted merchant assigned to Death. None of this is going as she originally foresaw it. Not a single detail. And Death being a true immortal was one of the worst things that she could¡¯ve possibly imagined. When Isabella had previously sworn to the mana itself all those millennia ago that she would kill the fourth horseman herself after they appear but before they become a problem, she never would¡¯ve expected that the horseman in question wouldn¡¯t be capable of dying. And while the Rex Dynasty and the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s actions are to be expected of the fanatic and money obsessed leaders of those two nations, the Crimson Empire¡¯s actions are beyond anything she would¡¯ve expected. Isabella still manages to retain her composure, scowl aside, as she turns around and begins walking back into her tower. She knows the Horsemen all have slow growth periods, so she isn¡¯t stuck yet. There¡¯s still more than enough opportunity to capture the errant Horseman. Even if she has to annihilate a few planets to do it. Nothing will stop her from ridding the universe of the Horsemen.
Aria So this world is very relaxing. Beautiful, a relaxing atmosphere, lots of floating islands, and despite there not being any ocean, there¡¯s plenty of water in the form of rivers and lakes. The people are all very friendly, if a little blunt and without a filter, and they all are quite happy to help whenever Shirogane gets lost. Which happens more than I would prefer since he has very little map to rely on here. Unfortunately, this world has no Universal Feed. And the level of technology in the world is just a little bit worse than on Vortel. Or what used to be Vortel, since Vortel¡¯s technology has vastly improved since I was last there. I let out a sigh as I lean partially out the window of my hotel room at the edge of the island, looking out over the endless clouds below. The city and skies are really quite beautiful. Although I wish there were Hunter Spots. At most there are apparently a couple of islands filled with undead. But I¡¯m not even sure if undead will count as me killing something. I¡¯ve never killed an undead before. Not even sure if that¡¯s the correct phrase for it. Also, as it turns out, ¡®Ake¡¯ ¨C as she so enjoys telling me to call her ¨C is the leader of the entire nation of Arian. Which is named after their world and is the only nation on it. Other than the invaders, of course. Never would¡¯ve expected that fiery and filterless woman to be the leader of their nation. That has me sighing again before I stand up straight and close the window again, only briefly glancing at the two suns in the sky as I do so. My only problem with this world is that it¡¯s hot. Probably a result of the two suns. And also the most likely reason for the wardrobe these people wear. What with the very little clothing. The invaders are apparently the opposite too, with them being bundled up since they come from an ice-covered planet. Part of why they¡¯re invading. Anyways, I begin heading towards the door to leave my room. Because there is some shopping I need to do before I proceed to the frontlines tomorrow. B2 | Chapter 64 Aria The Kahuna of the arians ¨C the official title of their leader, Ake ¨C gives me an odd look as she sees me arriving at the portal hub. A place that has portals connecting the islands. Albeit very expensive portals to run, making them for military use only. With everyone else being required to travel themselves between islands. Most of the time through airships, which are what those ships with the balloons are called. ¡°Sounds like you had fun Ari,¡± she says with her hands on her hips. ¡°You bought how much explosives? Several tons?¡± ¡°Enough to influence the market for explosives at least,¡± her second in command, a man named Kekoa Onaona, says with a wry tone. The man having long gray hair and an elderly appearance. Probably in the sixtieth or seventieth percentile of his lifespan. ¡°That much?!¡± Ake exclaims, somehow not sounding surprised despite her feigned surprise. ¡°What¡¯re you planning on doing?! Blowing up an island?¡± I avoid her gaze, making her stiffen up slightly as she realizes I may very well end up doing that. She takes a deep breath before muttering, ¡°I didn¡¯t say this, but if you find yourself needing to, go ahead and blow up an island. But make sure it doesn¡¯t have any civilians on it.¡± I turn back to her with surprise on my face before smiling and nodding. The woman looks surprised herself as she almost takes a step back, her hands still on her hips, and exclaims, ¡°Woah, you can actually smile?!¡± I frown again. ¡°Aaaaand that didn¡¯t last long,¡± she says, rebalancing herself again. Then she claps her hands and says, ¡°Well, let¡¯s be on our way!¡± And just like that, I move through the portal, leaving both Hannah and Shirogane behind in the capital. Only for that thought to instantly shatter when I appear on the other side to find Hannah waving at me from inside of the fortress we end up in. Hannah has taken to wearing an outfit more along the lines of what¡¯s normal here, but with less skin exposed. With a shirt and shorts, but no stomach exposed. And she has various accessories like a couple rings and a necklace that are creating a barrier around her body that¡¯s only barely visible. Another normal custom here for soldiers. I blankly stare at her for several seconds before asking perhaps a little too calmly, ¡°Why are you here?¡± She frowns at that and answers, ¡°To help you, of course.¡± I continue staring. ¡°And to level up,¡± she adds, almost as if she hopes it¡¯ll convince me to let her. Not that she really needs my permission. And if I¡¯m being honest, it¡¯s a really good reason for her to be here. She mentioned before that her purpose was to protect others from harm with her barriers. And the best way to do that is to enter a war and defend those on one side of the war. Doesn¡¯t mean I have to like it. I let out a sigh and begin following after the Kahuna without saying another word. And Hannah seems to take that as silent acknowledgement as she follows after me and the soldiers moving along with us. ¡°The Frost Clan entered our world through their Gate in Southeastern Arian,¡± Ake says while walking towards a large building within the fortress. ¡°Of the one hundred and eight islands in that quarter of the world, about forty-one have been taken over by them. They have more battle-hardened soldiers than we have, better weaponry, and more forces overall.¡± She glances back with a tilt of her head. ¡°So things haven¡¯t been lookin very good.¡± She faces forwards again. ¡°We¡¯ve only been hanging on thanks to the mercenaries hired from Atlantis.¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Why do I always get hired to fight on the underdogs side? Couldn¡¯t I have an easy job where I¡¯m hired to fight for the people with the more overwhelming force for once? Or is that too much to ask? ¡°You¡¯re thinking something rude right now, aren¡¯t ya Ari?¡± Ake asks without even looking back at me. ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± I answer in my usual tone, not even so much as batting an eye. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re going to be sending me to one of the islands that was captured?¡± ¡°Good guess,¡± she says while moving her hands to clasp behind her back as we all enter the large building to find a table with a map on it. At which point she moves to the head of the table and places both of her hands on it. ¡°Go where you want so long as you wipe out one twenty thousand enemy forces within the next half a year. I¡¯ll give you a display counter to keep track and to serve as proof, and you¡¯ll be given a bonus for every extra enemy soldier you kill.¡± She raises her head to me again with a bright smile on her face despite the subject. ¡°Got it, Ari?¡± I blink at her in surprise and if I¡¯m being honest, maybe a little intimidation. Because this woman might be more¡­ darker¡­ than I was expecting. ¡°You don¡¯t have any plans that you want me helping with?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask, feeling more than a little curious about that. She shakes her head and answers with a shrug, ¡°Our people don¡¯t care much for the formal military structure a lot of other worlds like. We fight as individuals most of the time. Using our higher than average quality Ability Holders to our advantage.¡± Oh. Right. Did a little research on Arian earlier, and I almost forgot Arian has a very high average number of Ability Holders on the planet. So many that it has more than some Alpha Tier worlds. Only reasons it¡¯s not an Alpha Tier world are its low population and resources, considering that it¡¯s a world with just a bunch of floating islands. That and its lack of a Hunter¡¯s Spot. Also, most of the Ability Holders on the planet are all Class B or higher for the most part. They only have around five Class S Ability Holders though, despite all that. The woman in front of me being one of them. ¡°So let me get this straight,¡± I tell Ake while folding my arms under my chest. ¡°You want me to act as I please so long as it deals out casualties to the enemy. I get paid depending on how many I kill. And it¡¯s fine to blow up islands. Have I got it all right?¡± Her eye twitches at the ¡®fine to blow up islands¡¯ part, but other than that she nods her head with that smile and answers, ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°And just to be clear, kills I make while blowing up an island will be counted on the counter thing you¡¯re giving me?¡± I ask, just to make sure. Her eye twitches again, but she still answers once more, ¡°Yep.¡± Albeit with a little less enthusiasm. That¡¯s good. ¡°Any chance you¡¯ll refill my supplies every month?¡± I ask with a tilt of my head. ¡°Specifically my explosives.¡± ¡°Yes, if we can,¡± she answers, growing ever so slightly terse as her other eye twitches this time. I think I have everything I need. No need to push for more any longer. On that note, I go ahead and ask, ¡°By the way, what happens when someone falls off an island?¡± She relaxes a little again at that and answers, ¡°There isn¡¯t much beneath the clouds other than more clouds. And the gravitational field around the core within the clouds is a little wonky. So at best they¡¯ll either find themselves plastered to the core for a while or shot out the other end of the planet into the sky before falling back down again.¡± A slight grimace covers her face. ¡°We¡¯ve¡­ sometimes found splattered people who ended up falling off and landing on another island on the other side of the planet.¡± She shakes her head. ¡°Not a pleasant sight.¡± I¡¯ll bet. But it does mean I should be fine when it comes to falling off islands. And if not and I end up stuck on the core then it doesn¡¯t really matter. Shirogane will get a spatial mage to teleport me back. I¡¯m actually rather curious about what it¡¯s like down there. So blowing up an island while I¡¯m on it is definitely still in the cards. I wonder how big the explosion would be? ¡°Why do I get the feeling you¡¯re thinking about something unpleasant¡­¡± Ake mutters while furrowing her brows at me, the woman growing less happy-go-lucky the longer this discussion trails on. ¡°No idea,¡± I tell her without showing anything on my face. ¡°Well, on that note, mind filling me in on the locations of the enemy forces on this map?¡± That seems to brighten her spirits a bit and she begins to answer, only for me to add, ¡°Oh, and the islands you don¡¯t mind me blowing up.¡± Then she grows despondent again. B2 | Chapter 65 Aria One month later I place my hands on my hips with a grin as I stand on a cliff near the fortress controlled by the Frost Clan. One filled with a bunch of blue haired people armed with guns as they fire one bullet after another at my lovely little Lesser Death Spirits that are currently swarming the fortress from all sides. The Frost Clan vanguard ¨C which is what they call their rank and file soldiers ¨C are all armed in some rather hot outfits despite the two suns hanging high above us. Which I still question to this day. It¡¯s all pale blue and white with fur lining parts of it, full pants, long sleeved shirts, jackets, and fur armor beneath it all. Honestly makes me wonder if they¡¯re entirely sane. But their sanity isn¡¯t my problem, so it¡¯s fine. Probably. I mean, sure, I don¡¯t particularly get overheated or anything from these suns, but even I know it¡¯s hot. Despite the fact that the heat doesn¡¯t build up in my body or anything. A very handy feature that Hannah¡¯s been insanely jealous of over the past month. Shirogane¡¯s just been wearing some cooling outfit without a care though. Anyways, I¡¯ve found a neat little trick over the past month. I can just kinda sit here far away while draining the life force from the vanguard in the fortress I¡¯m assaulting to refill the soul energy I expend on my lovely little Death Spirits. Kind of makes for an infinite resource so long as I have a lot of these vanguard here. And since there are about ten thousand in this fortress, I have quite the supply. Although rumors have gone around the planet about the sudden aging of anyone who fights with me and surviving. Something about them growing visibly older and a couple really bad ones even dying a few weeks later from old age. I completely plead innocent on that whenever asked though. Because I am totally innocent. Nothing happening here. Besides. That¡¯s only happened to the ones who kept me fighting them for too long before they retreated. Not my fault they wanted to drag out the battle instead of retreat. I continue watching from my lovely cliff as my Lesser Death Spirits fight against the vanguard, not caring even an ounce for the gunfire pelting them. Mostly just focusing on blowing up the walls to get inside. The only issue I¡¯ve been unable to clean up is the one where I can only give each Lesser Death Spirit a single explosive. Because if they blow that up in a suicide bomb run it tends to blow up any others on their perso- spirit. On their spirit. For obvious reasons. Ake was rather surprised when I met her quota within the first few weeks of arriving on the planet. And at first she was quite happy. Until she realized just how many of them I was killing and no doubt started to wonder about how much she¡¯d owe me. Unfortunately I haven¡¯t figured out how to blow up an island yet though. But I¡¯m getting close to figuring it out after making a rather nice purchase ¨C using Ake¡¯s money, of course ¨C just recently. A nuke. Except this one is without any radioactivity. I don¡¯t know how expensive it was though, and she just kinda threw the money at me without asking what it was. Something about her growing so used to me asking for money for explosives that she¡¯s grown numb to it. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. So much for the once a month resupply. My thoughts blank out when my consciousness darkens for a moment, only to return who knows how long later to find myself lying on my back. And after a brief glance downwards, I notice that the cliff I was standing on is kinda missing. And in its place is just a crater of ice. Huh. I raise my head to look at the man who is currently glaring at me while floating in the sky with bits of ice attached to his outfit. And just from a glance I can recognize him as one of the Clan Chiefs of the Frost Clan. The strongest people in their Clan other than their Clan Leader. ¡°Sorry, no luck today,¡± I tell him with a nod while rising to a sitting position. ¡°Better luck next time?¡± His eye twitches, making me wonder what¡¯s up with that on this planet. Although I guess he¡¯s from another planet, not this one. The people on this planet are very friendly and blunt, but when something irritates them and they feel they can¡¯t say it, I¡¯ve noticed that their eyes twitch a lot. Especially Ake. It¡¯s a regular thing for her. ¡°Immortal of Crimson, vhy muhst yuw constantly cause us trouble?¡± Clan Chief Nikolai Ivanovich Karpov. ¡°All yuw muhst do is ahsk and yuw¡¯ll have pahssage through our vorld. So vhy?¡± This whole spiel again? These Frost Clan people really want me to leave their war alone and have been asking me nonstop. My answer doesn¡¯t change though as I climb to my feet while telling him, ¡°Sorry pal, but I have a contract that I can¡¯t break.¡± Then I give him a little salute and add, ¡°I¡¯ll be getting out of your hair in another six months. Just hang on till then, kay?¡± He opens his mouth to speak, but I don¡¯t give him the chance as I pull out the remote from my pocket and activate the explosives I set across the fortress. And while he¡¯s turning to look at the fortress that has now turned into a large plume of flames and smoke, I beat a hasty retreat. Because the last time I was faced with this particular Clan Chief, I was stuck frozen in an icicle for about two days while his soldiers all just kinda stayed around me using their own varying types of ice magic to keep me in place. And I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll figure out something else this time to keep me stuck for longer now that I adapted to them. So I¡¯d rather avoid that happening again. It¡¯s not a pleasant experience not being able to move while inside a block of ice for days. Then again, at least he¡¯s not as strong as Aisling was back then. She probably could¡¯ve kept me frozen for even longer if she had her own subordinates with ice magic and was actually trying to keep me frozen and didn¡¯t just use one single attack against me. ¡°Immortal!¡± I quickly hear mister Freeze Man ¨C my lovely nickname for him ¨C shout as I run, my Lesser Death Spirits appearing around me to blow themselves up and make a smokescreen. ¡°Cahpture her!¡± Amidst the smoke though, I find someone who is rather sparkly reaching for me while shouting, ¡°No yuw don¡¯t!¡± ¡°Yes I do?¡± I answer, half in question, half in statement as I pull a pin on a grenade I¡¯m carrying, blowing it up and sending me flying far away from sparkly man. And when another tries to grab me then, I pull the same trick. Over. And over. Again. Makes for good transportation. All it costs is a very brief flash of unawareness when I¡¯m blown up. Maybe a twinge of pain. Anyways, through this perfectly safe strategy, I manage to make it to the edge of the island where I just kinda jump off before landing on the airship I left down there. An airship I immediately have flying under the island and away. Ah, that was another fruitful trip. And another fail on their part to capture me. Maybe I should take a short break while here. Spend like a month just sightseeing or something. I was never ordered to fight all the time, and I¡¯ve long since passed my quota. Plus those vanguard are starting to look rather pitiful. Especially since the level of tech in this world and theirs is below even Vortel. Which doesn¡¯t really match up well with the tech I¡¯m using or the stuff I¡¯m buying from Shirogane to supply. Or I guess having Ake buy from him since I¡¯m not paying a single coin for this. Then there¡¯s the fact that their levels are a lot lower than the Clans in Luk¡¯tar¡¯s average level. It almost feels like I¡¯m bullying them sometimes. And I don¡¯t like that feeling. I slide down the side of the balloon above the ship before dropping down and landing on a barrier that appears beneath me. Then I jump onto the ship while stretching my arms. ¡°Welcome back,¡± Hannah says as I turn to find her stepping out of the airship¡¯s bridge. Meanwhile the ship itself quickly begins speeding away so that the Clan Chief and his subordinates can¡¯t catch up to us. ¡°I think,¡± I tell her while lowering my arms and putting them on my hips. ¡°I think I might take a short little vaca for the next month.¡± She looks surprised for a second before smiling and saying, ¡°Sounds good.¡± Then I can test that radiation-free nuke when I come back. B2 | Chapter 66 The Tribal Chambers Akela Nalohia taps her fingers on the table at the center of the Tribal Chambers ¨C the place meant for the entirety of Arian to gather for war council meetings. Not that it¡¯s used very often. Mostly since their people are so scattered. ¡°Kahuna, should we let her?¡± one of the tribal chieftains reigning over an island Akela can¡¯t be bothered to remember which is right now says. But she just waves him away. ¡°She¡¯s already far exceeded her quota,¡± Ake says without raising her head from the map of crossed out islands. ¡°Possibly even a little too much.¡± She raises her head with a wry smile on her face. ¡°Honestly, if she were to ask me right now to just let her do what she wants for the rest of her contract I¡¯d let her.¡± The girl has already cleared out over twice as many enemies as the quota she was given. In a little over a seventh of the time given. Ake knows that the young woman is a Horseman of the Apocalypse, but she couldn¡¯t believe that a level twenty-five was strong enough to help them in the war to this extent. She even felt a little bad for how large a quota she gave her at first, only quashing that feeling when remembering that Aria is a Horseman of the Apocalypse. A boogieman for the entire universe. Someone on the same level as the three people used to scare kids into behaving by their parents. And yet¡­ Ake¡¯s thoughts come to a halt when her phone rings, making her reach into her pocket to grab the newer model of phone in her pocket before raising it to her ear to speak. Totally not feeling jealous at all about the highly advanced phones the Horseman and her group have. Although their trade starting soon with the Eternal Dynasty should help in that. ¡°We have trouble Ake,¡± Kekoa¡¯s voice comes in over the device right away. ¡°The Clan Leader of the Frost Clan has just crossed into Arian.¡± Ake feels herself tensing up immediately at that. And so do all of the other people in the room whose hearing has been enhanced with their levels over the years. ¡°And did he¡­¡± Ake begins, almost feeling too scared to ask. ¡°He did,¡± her second in command grimly answers. ¡°The Clan Leader has begun summoning the undead all over, from all of the fallen vanguard and our own Ability Holders.¡± ¡°I thought he was still recovering!¡± one of the tribe chieftains exclaims, and Ake can¡¯t blame him. Since she thought the same. After the strongest warrior amongst them, Ake¡¯s father, fought with their Clan Leader, they believed both of them to be out of commission for the remainder of the war. But now the Clan Leader has apparently returned well enough to resume his operations. Ake thinks back to the dozens of islands currently overrun with undead. The result of any attack led by the Clan Leader. She raises her head to look at the others, a grim look on it, only to look back down at the map again. At this rate, we¡¯ll begin losing the progress we¡¯ve retaken. We simply don¡¯t have anyone to fight against the Clan Leader. Not after the other fighter was injured as well fighting against one of their Clan Chiefs. Their strongest Chief. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Ake grits her teeth, finally beginning to lose her composure. She knows exactly what she has to do, but she doesn¡¯t want to do it. ¡°Ake, think of the tribe,¡± another tribe chieftain says, making Ake grit her teeth harder. But she eventually just nods her head and says, ¡°Very well.¡± Then she looks up, a determined expression on her face. ¡°Tell the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death, that if she is able to kill the Clan Leader of the Frost Clan, she will forever have immigration rights to our world and may stay here and go whenever she wants. Tell her it¡¯s directly from me.¡± All of the chieftains quickly nod at that in agreement, only for Ake to pause and add, ¡°And tell her she can have as many explosives as she wants too.¡± That gives the chieftains pause as some of them remember the rather extensive damage the young woman has caused with those explosives already. But even they eventually give in and agree that it would be best. Ake looks down at the map again with a grimace. I hope she¡¯s ready for this. And I hope she won¡¯t be captured in the process.
Aria I stretch as I make it to my lovely abode and stand in front of the window looking out over the edge of the island. The flight here didn¡¯t take too long. Just a day or so. But now my vacation will finally be- My phone starts buzzing, making me glance at the door, which is where the alarm is set. And only seconds later, a soldier of the tribe knocks on my door. ¡°Come in,¡± I tell them while turning to look out the window again. Such a nice day for a vacat- ¡°Lady Death, we have come to give you new terms for your contract should you be agreeable to them,¡± the soldier says, halting my thoughts in an instant as I turn to look at him with a brow raised. ¡°If you can kill the Clan Leader of the Frost Clan for us, the Kahuna has declared that you¡¯ll have fulfilled your contract and will be given immigration rights along with what was previously promised. You may stay here for as long as you like and leave whenever you please.¡± I blink at that. ¡°The Clan Leader?¡± I ask with a frown. The man nods his head and repeats, ¡°The Clan Leader.¡± ¡°The guy who is supposedly level six hundred and one with a Class S necromancy ability?¡± I continue, my frown growing a little deeper. Once again, the man nods his head and repeats, ¡°The level six hundred and one necromancer.¡± Silence fills my room for several seconds. ¡°Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be out of commission?¡± I ask while finally turning around fully. ¡°That he was,¡± the soldier answers without saying more. I feel like this conversation isn¡¯t really going anywhere. ¡°So¡­¡± I trail off before tilting my head, ¡°¡­why isn¡¯t he out of commission anymore?¡± The soldier ¨C who¡¯s wearing the same outfit as all these arians ¨C says with absolute confidence and what feels like too much assurance in his voice, ¡°We have no clue.¡± The silence returns again. ¡°Oookaaay then¡­¡± I mutter, feeling a little like rubbing my temples despite not being capable of getting a headache. ¡°Tell her I¡¯ll look into it.¡± He nods his head and leaves my room without another word, closing my door behind him. I stare at the door for several seconds before turning back to my window again. Then I just stare out the window for a bit. Eventually my phone rings, making me pull it out to find that it¡¯s from Hannah. So I answer it. ¡°Hey, Aria! Since you¡¯re going on vacation for a bit, do you want to go check out the-¡± she starts, but I interrupt her before she can finish. ¡°I just got an update and am going back to the frontlines again,¡± I tell her rather blankly. ¡°The Clan Leader is back.¡± Silence. Once more. Lots of silence filling my room today. ¡°Oh,¡± she mutters, sounding disappointed. ¡°On the bright side,¡± I add with a slight quirk of my lips, ¡°I was promised immigration rights and the end to my contract if I succeed in killing or dealing with the guy.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she mutters again, sounding a little happy about that this time. Despite saying the same thing. ¡°But I probably won¡¯t be able to hang out with you for a bit, and I¡¯d rather you not follow me for this,¡± I tell her the bad news. ¡°He¡¯s too strong and it¡¯d be too much of a risk.¡± Silence. ¡°Oh,¡± she mutters, once again disappointed. I pull my phone away from my face to stare at it for a second, only to put it next to my ear again and tell her, ¡°Well, take care. I¡¯m gonna be staying here for the night then heading out in the morning.¡± She doesn¡¯t say anything, so I just hang up after several seconds. Then I close my window and head to the shower. So much for vacation. B2 | Chapter 67 Aria The next day sees me heading to the main island for the war. A rather large one covered with a lot of fortresses with a single settlement at the center where the tribal leaders tend to meet for the war. And when I arrive, I quickly undergo a debriefing on the Clan Leader. Then I quickly hop on an airship and make my way towards one of the undead-infested islands while considering the intel I was given. The man is a necromancer who has death magic. He¡¯s a Fifth Tier mage, which means that he can use strategic level spells of the Fifth Tier and can have five active spells going on at once. A tier-based system created by the Arcadian Society. This necromancer in particular specializes in raising the dead. Unlike others who may specialize in raising the dead, may specialize in using their parts to benefit himself or attack, or could even turn the living into undead. As for the difference between an undead and someone simply revived by a Void Spirit or void mage? The revived ones are just as they were before they died, whereas undead are no longer among the living. Nor can they ever be revived. Not unless they¡¯re cleansed with holy magic, fire magic, or lightning magic. It¡¯ll be interesting to see the undead summoned by the necromancer to say the least. The intel says he can summon hundreds of thousands of undead so long as he has the corpses. It¡¯s the entire reason why some of the islands on this ¡®planet¡¯ are covered in undead. His handywork from before his little battle with what¡¯s-his-face. He¡¯s able to summon, as shown by his Tier, up to Fifth Tier undead. Which are about as strong as a mana creature from the Fifth Tier of a Hunter¡¯s Spot. I¡¯ve never actually killed an undead before. So I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯ll count as granting death to something. Or is it unkilled? Is that a word? I think on that for a moment while leaning on the railing of the ship, only to shake my head. Whatever. I¡¯ll just continue saying killing. It¡¯s less confusing that way. Anyways, apparently First Tier undead are just basic skeletons and zombies. Second Tier undead can have more specialized undead of the same type. Ones capable of using weapons like clubs, swords, bows, and whatever. Third Tier undead start to include nonhumanoid ones like hounds and abominations and the like. Because for some reason it¡¯s apparently harder for necromancers to raise nonhumans. Wonder if it¡¯s the same reason why the System only activates for humans? Anyways, Fourth Tier undead tend to be magic casters. Death magic casters. And the first and lowest Tier intelligent undead. Ironic if they use death magic on me, but I am a little curious how that would work out for them. And Fifth Tier undead are just large. Very large. Larger than a house large. They also take a lot of bones. Or flesh. Or whatever is needed for that particular undead. As for this necromancer, he seems to specialize in zombies. Which will be killer on my nose during this little foray. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Good thing I have nose plugs. I drape my arms over the side of the ship in my boredom. Honestly, not all that worried about this job. So long as I can get close enough to the guy, or I can set a trap for him, I should be golden. After all, no matter how high a level he is, he¡¯s still just a necromancer. So a nuke is enough to do him in. Necromancers aren¡¯t the greatest in terms of defense, so I highly doubt he has many defensive spells up his arsenal of spells. And they most likely won¡¯t draw their other Clan Chieftains away from their positions just to go after little ol¡¯ me. Not when their Clan Leader is already likely gonna be after me. I just have to make sure I don¡¯t let him somehow capture me, because I don¡¯t exactly have any adaptations to death magic yet. So he might be able to keep me down for a bit with death magic. Assuming I¡¯m not just automatically immune due to being, well, Death. Which would be cool, but not something I should assume. Come to think of it, I wonder if I can drain the life force from undead? Do they even have life force? Or would I just drain either nothing or possibly whatever power is making them move? I drum my fingers on the side of the ship for a few minutes before muttering out loud, ¡°Never know till I try¡­¡±
A few hours later ¡°Huh¡­¡± I mutter while standing in the middle of a bunch of undead. Undead who are all ignoring me. ¡°Hello? Anyone home?¡± They don¡¯t respond. I cross my arms in contemplation. It¡¯s kind of hard to practice against these undead when they¡¯re ignoring my existence. I tilt my head a little while pursing my lips in thought, only for something to come to mind. So without hesitation, I pull out my phone and call Shirogane. And the merchant answers almost immediately with a blunt, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°These undead are ignoring me,¡± I tell him, getting straight to the point. And he answers just as simply, ¡°That¡¯s because undead attack anything with life force in them. You don¡¯t have life force. Problem solved. They¡¯ll probably attack you if a necromancer directly orders them to though. Is that all?¡± I pull the phone away from my face for a second before returning it to my ear and answering, ¡°Yeah, thanks.¡± Then I hang up and put my hands on my hips as I focus on the undead around me. Guess that¡¯s convenient. Not really all that surprised about his knowledge of me not having life force. Probably any soul magic, life magic, or death magic user can tell, and they probably had me inspected while I was on Eternus with plenty of mages. Without my knowing. I don¡¯t care about that though. They can do what they want so long as they stay out of my business and don¡¯t bother or touch me. Well, no use standing around here staring at these gross smelling zombies with nose plugs on my face. Time to get to work. I quickly begin testing things out, first with draining the life force from the zombies. And to my surprise, I actually get a response. The zombies basically feed me a bunch of soul energy without any life force involved at all. Then when I deplete a zombie, it just kinda collapses and turns to dust and ash. Guess these things are being powered by soul energy, then? Interesting. What¡¯s odd is that the more I try to drain at once, the harder it becomes to drain them. To the point that if I try to drain a dozen at once, I barely notice a difference in the zombies. They just keep lumbering around like normal. But if I drain a single zombie, it turns to dust in less than half a minute. Moving on, I try to use my soul fire next. Simply by walking up to a zombie and putting my hand ¨C gloved, of course, because who wants to touch bare zombie flesh? ¨C on its head and pulling soul energy to the surface of my hand before burning it. And it quickly gets a very intense reaction. Boom intense. The zombie explodes, plastering me with its black blood and guts and making me instantly close my eyes and mouth with a rather¡­ dark¡­ expression on my face. Then, after stepping back, I spit out the blood and guts and quickly search for a water bottle to rinse my mouth out. I¡¯m gonna kill that necromancer. Which isn¡¯t saying much when that was already my goal, but still. I never wanted to know what zombie guts tasted like. Don¡¯t even care that it wasn¡¯t technically his doing. He¡¯s gonna pay for that. After realizing how filthy I am, taste aside, I head to a lake on the island to clean myself up. And since no one is ever going to be using this lake again with these undead ¨C probably ¨C I jump in to wash myself up. Now no one¡¯s gonna be using it again regardless. No matter how much I scrub though, I can¡¯t seem to get the taste out of my mouth. Even after I clean up the rest of me. Which requires me to strip to do so thanks to my outfit being in the way. Once I finish who knows how long later though, I put my clothes back on and head to the shore of the lake, a scowl on my face. And only two things on my mind. For one, that necromancer has a date with a nuke. For two, I am totally bringing a mask with the same enchantment as my outfit to my fight with him. Maybe a cleaning enchantment item too. B2 | Chapter 68 The Command Center of the Frost Clan Territories on Arian The Clan Leader of the Frost Clan ¨C a man wearing a heavy winter coat with black hair and white eyes stands with a completely blank look on his face as the various Clan Chieftains stand around the circular table in front of him. And silence completely fills the room so thick that a knife could cut through it like butter. Or he likes to think so at least. ¡°Explain,¡± he says, his voice as emotionless as always. Not a single hint of even a slight annoyance or care. Just monotone. Completely monotone. ¡°Clan Leader, ze Areeans managed to heere a powerfuhll immortal who has deceemated several of our fortresses,¡± one of the Clan Chieftains answers right away, knowing that any hesitation would merely result in punishment later on. ¡°Ze lady ees suspected to be za Horseman of ze Apocalypse, Death.¡± The Clan Leader stands in silence for a few seconds, just staring at the map along with the point marked on it. ¡°Zees ees vhere she ees cuhrrently attacking,¡± another Clan Chieftain explains without being asked. Silence fills the chamber once more, making the Clan Chieftains grow tenser and tenser with each second. Then, after an entire three minutes pass, the Clan Leader raises his head and says, ¡°Two Chieftains who have seen and fought za lady accompany me to fight er¡¯. Za rest retuhrn to your duhties.¡± ¡°Uhnderstood!¡± the Clan Chieftains all exclaim at once before leaving, with the exception of three Clan Chieftains. Including Karpov, Gorbacheva, and Petrov. The Chieftains that, if the Clan Leader remembers correctly, have ice, electricity, and barrier abilities. The Clan Leader emotionlessly looks at each of them and says, ¡°We leave in za mornin.¡± All three nod their heads in understanding.
The Island where Aria is at The Clan Leader¡¯s eyes narrow the moment he arrives on the island and steps off of his airship, the three Clan Chieftains following behind him. Because the very first sight he sees is that of a fortress rendered to naught but rubble, and a beautiful woman simply sunbathing amidst the Clan Leader¡¯s forces of undead. All of whom are ignoring her. No life force, perhaps? Now that he¡¯s arrived, the Clan Leader takes direct control over the undead and directs them to attack the girl. But to his surprise and the surprise of the Chieftains behind him, the girl simply ignores them as they bite and claw at her, their attacks not even damaging her clothes. Or, rather, their attacks hurting her through the clothes instead. Ethereal Screen enchantment? Gutsy. Karpov stands to the side and begins freezing a massive dome around the entire island to make absolutely sure the woman can¡¯t escape. Meanwhile Petrov adds to the ice by creating a barrier around the island as well. Shouldn¡¯t be able to escape now. The Clan Leader ¨C whose name is forsaken the moment he becomes Clan Leader ¨C continues blankly staring ahead as he summons dozens upon dozens of Tier Four and Five undead out of his undead storage skill and ring. Then he moves on to summoning thousands of regular undead to fill the entire dome. ¡°Capture her,¡± the Clan Leader declares, making all of his undead rush towards the woman who is finally sitting up from her lawn chair with a frown on her face. Almost immediately, he¡¯s faced with another surprise as the undead closest to her begin to turn to dust or get burnt right away, making his eyes narrow ever so slightly. An expression that frightens his Chieftains. ¡°Join zem,¡± he tells the Chieftains, making the two combat specialists rush closer so that they can begin using their abilities to fight against the Horseman. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Then the Horseman does something baffling to the Clan Leader once more. She begins to push closer towards him instead of attempting to retreat. His eyes narrow further as several different possibilities come to mind. Either she¡¯s stupid, which the reports haven¡¯t led him to believe. She¡¯s arrogant, which the reports have led him to believe a little. Simply because she can¡¯t die. Or she has a trap set up and wants to be closer to him to pull it off without a hitch. The Clan Leader believes the third option to be the most likely, so he summons an undead abomination and has it quickly begin carrying him back towards the ship next to the wall of ice with his arms crossed. And just as he expected, the moment she sees him moving further away from the battlefield so that he may attack with his undead from a distance, she stops moving, a grimace on her face. Then does something he wasn¡¯t entirely expecting. She pulls out a remote and presses the button mere moments before she¡¯s frozen solid by Karpov and dogpiled by dozens of zombies while being electrified by Gorbacheva with a barrier placed around her. Too late. A sound akin to a gunshot echoes all across the island as everything flashes white. Then the Clan Leader¡¯s eyes begin to adjust, only to find a massive explosion rising from the center of the island outwards, making him rush his abomination to get further away from it. All while summoning dozens upon dozens of undead to dogpile on him as a protection. At the same time, a barrier of both magic from Petrov and ice from Karpov cover him despite the distance. But the roaring noise from the explosion soon comes, tearing up the island from what he can see through his zombies and the barriers. Fortunately for him though, the explosion ¨C while massive ¨C does not prove to be large enough to destroy the entire island. The ground is torn up, obliterated, and drilled deep down till he can see through the entire island, but even through the plume of smoke, ash, and dust that rises into the air, he can still tell. A small sliver of the island in a large ring has survived. But his subordinates have not, nor did his army. Meanwhile the Horseman is nowhere to be seen. The corner of the Clan Leader¡¯s eyes twitch in a very brief flash of irritation. Something he hasn¡¯t felt for a long time. Something he didn¡¯t realize he could even feel anymore. He waits at the outer ring remaining of the island for the smoke to leave, only to narrow his eyes as he realizes that the smoke isn¡¯t leaving the island through the top but instead the bottom. Simply because of the dome of ice that still remains around the island. A dome that¡¯s also blocking him from his airship. She has my respect. Setting up a nuke and blowing herself up with it. The man waits for a while, just watching the smoke, ash, and whatever else is in the cloud fade away. But all he sees after that is nothing but a massive hole going through the entire island for as far as he can see. And not a single sign of the Horseman of the Apocalypse. Likely fell down into the clouds below. He looks down, but doesn¡¯t manage to find her. So he begins to turn around, no longer dogpiled by his undead as he walks slowly in the direction of his ship. Then he hears a strange ticking sound. And this time his eyes widen mere moments before a second round of explosions ring out. This time from the sliver of island left remaining all around him, crumbling the rest of it so that he is left falling down into the clouds below. But it¡¯s still fine as he summons a flying zombie bird to carry him. Only for the zombie bird to be blown up when a familiar figure falls down after them from a different sliver of the island as that sliver breaks and blows herself up along with the bird. Then she jumps off of its smoking remains that she had clung to mid explosion onto the Clan Leader, her arms wrapped around him from behind as he tries to look back at her. ¡°Good try, but sorry, I¡¯m not gonna let you get away like that,¡± she says, a smile on her face despite her voice telling him that she doesn¡¯t particularly care all that much for her current actions. Like she¡¯s been numbed to fighting and war by now. And for some reason, the Clan Leader has a brief flash of memory from his past at that realization. Back to when he first started to feel like that himself. The slightest tug at the corner of his lips surprises him, but he doesn¡¯t get to think about it for long. As the girl soon detonates another explosive, making everything go dark. The last thought in his mind is how much he sees himself in the girl and, despite the result of their bout, wishes her the best.
Aria I let go of the Clan Leader after blowing the guy up, leaving him as a rather unrecognizable husk before focusing on my fall through the clouds. A fall that never seems to end. Well, at the very least I completed my mission. So I have immigration rights to this nation now and my job is complete. Although, I can¡¯t help but wonder why that emotionless Clan Leader seemed to actually show the slightest hint of¡­ what was that? Not really sure what to call it. Almost like he was looking at a kinsmen in a way. It was odd. Either way, I devour his soul core. That was a close call, to be honest. If they hadn¡¯t set up that barrier of ice to block my escape, thereby blocking their Clan Leader¡¯s own escape, he probably would¡¯ve gotten away. Didn¡¯t expect him to sniff out my trap right away. Definitely a good thing that I decided to make a backup plan just in case the nuke didn¡¯t get him. I glance down at the rocket boots on my feet. Boots I used to shoot myself back up onto the remaining parts of the island after being kinda blown up by the nuke and recovering in the same spot I was blown up in. Too bad the boots are kinda useless now. I only had one pair, and I¡¯m pretty sure they were damaged by whatever was in the air from that nuclear explosion. Because they¡¯re not working anymore. Well, guess I¡¯ll be falling for a while. B2 | Chapter 69 Aria ¡°So you¡¯ve been using your barriers to defend the Ability Holder tribesmen in the Mid Eastern part of the world? Sounds like a good plan to get your level up,¡± I tell Hannah over the phone while falling through the clouds with my legs and arm ¨C not the one holding the phone ¨C sprayed out in my boredom. ¡°How¡¯s it gone so far? You get any levels?¡± She answers, sounding rather laid back as explosions ring out around her, ¡°I¡¯ve gained a few actually. It¡¯s been pretty good on this planet for my leveling. There isn¡¯t much to protect on Vortel anymore, so my leveling had stalled a bit there.¡± I continue falling with the wind whistling as I go, clouds passing me by every now and then. After a while, I let out a relaxed sigh and close my eyes. Wonder how long this fall will last? ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve been wondering this for a little while now,¡± Hannah suddenly says, making me open my eyes to glance at my phone despite not being able to see her. ¡°What¡¯s that whistling sound?¡± ¡°Oh, nothing much,¡± I tell her while closing my eyes again rather lethargically. ¡°Just falling through the sky into the clouds below.¡± Silence fills the call. ¡°You¡¯re joking, right?¡± she asks, sounding more than a little unsure. ¡°Nah,¡± I mutter, wondering if I should take a nap while I fall. It might pass the time a bit better. Actually, that¡¯s a good idea. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m gonna head out,¡± I tell her with a lethargic smile on my face, my eyes still closed. ¡°See ya later!¡± ¡°Wai-¡± she begins, but I hang up the call with a yawn. Not sure why I¡¯m so sleepy right now. Although the sleepiness seems to be fading a bit. Wonder if it has something to do with these clouds I¡¯m passing through? My drowsiness grows stronger and stronger before I finally fall asleep. By the time I wake up again, I find that I¡¯m still fall- err, no, going up? Huh? I blink before looking down, then back up again. And yep, I¡¯m definitely going up towards the islands. The heck? Also, how long was I asleep? Hmm. Well then. I continue rising. And rising. And rising some more. Eventually though I notice that I¡¯m slowing down right around the point when I just barely make it above some islands. But even when I try to move in the direction of the islands, I don¡¯t really get far and pass straight back down below them again. And into the clouds below once more. Well then. That wasn¡¯t very productive. Wonder how long I¡¯m gonna be like this? When I get back into the clouds I begin to feel that drowsiness again. But it¡¯s a very light sensation this time. Probably due to me building up an adaptation to it. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Must¡¯ve been a really strong poison for it to knock me out entirely for however long I was out. Probably not long though. Doesn¡¯t help that I didn¡¯t exactly fight against the poison. It was a nice nap after all. Anyways, I do still fall asleep again while falling down. But this time around I make it a lot deeper before doing so. And I wake up a lot sooner as well. Before missing the islands again on my way down and continuing back through the clouds. Without falling asleep though. So when I manage to pass through the clouds entirely, I find¡­ a surprise. Huh. Now that I think about it, they never actually said what the core was like. Almost like no one had ever really seen it. Not sure how they knew there was a core down here like that, but still. It would definitely explain them not knowing about¡­ this¡­ What I find awaiting me at the center of the planet looks to be¡­ a large Hunter¡¯s Spot. Okay¡­ maybe I will stay on this planet for a while after all. The Hunter¡¯s Spot is very obviously a Hunter¡¯s Spot because of the mana creatures flying around the massive sphere. A sphere that is in the form of some sort of bug¡¯s nest. Like a wasp nest of sorts. With a lot of large wasps and other bugs flying around and into and out of it. Also, I feel myself being slowly pushed away from the thing when I get near. Which is probably the result of that gravity oddity they mentioned. But it¡¯s not a normal push. More like I¡¯m going up against some sort of barrier and the barrier is just kinda sliding me along until I get to the other side, not altering my direction in any way. Interesting. Very, very interesting. What¡¯s more is that I¡¯m pretty sure I can push through the bubble-like barrier if I tried. So I enhance my body with soul energy and begin pushing harder against the barrier until I hear a whoop sound and I pass straight through. And immediately begin falling even faster down towards the nest, with more than a few of the flying bugs around turning their attention towards me. But to my surprise, they all just look confused. As if they¡¯ve never seen something like me before and are wondering what to do with me. Then I crash into their nest, and they realize I¡¯m bad and fly straight at me, stabbing me with their stingers. I just kinda dust myself as I get up, ignoring the one to one and a half meter long bugs stinging and biting me in the process. Good thing I don¡¯t particularly care about bugs one way or another. My phone suddenly begins buzzing, making me glance down at it before I pull it out of my pocket with some sort of mosquito stuck on my arm with its rather long mouth biting into me. I ignore it as I accept the call. ¡°Aria! Where are you! Tell me where you¡¯re falling so I can bring an airship to catch you!!¡± Hannah shouts the moment the call connects, almost making me move the phone away from my ear. And it seems to annoy the bugs as well since some crawl up to my hand as I summon some Lesser Death Spirits around me to deal with them while I¡¯m busy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m fine down here,¡± I tell her while frowning at the bugs, only to smile up at the next. ¡°I¡¯ll probably stay on this planet for a few years too. Turns out it¡¯s a nicer place than I thought.¡± ¡°What?! I thought you wanted out right awa-¡± Hannah exclaims before cutting herself off. ¡°Wait, never mind that. Where are you?!¡± She pauses for a second, then adds, ¡°And what¡¯s that buzzing sound?¡± ¡°Just a bunch of meter to two meter long bugs,¡± I tell her as my Death Spirits deal with the things swarming us. Then I casually begin walking deeper into the nest, leaving my spirits on the edge of the hole I landed in to stop any from proceeding inside. And to give me a lot of kills, of course. ¡°Don¡¯t mind them.¡± ¡°Bugs?¡± Hannah asks, sounding confused as hell. ¡°Wait, what? Why are there¡­ huh?¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about me down here,¡± I tell her with a smile on my face. ¡°There¡¯s a really nice Hunter¡¯s Spot at the center of the planet! I¡¯m gonna live here for a while and hunt. So please don¡¯t pay me any mind. Just do whatever you¡¯re doing and have fun, kay?¡± Not like I know how to get out of here anyways. ¡°A Hunter¡¯s¡­ huh?¡± she asks, sounding even more confused. And I can hear other people talking in the background. People I¡¯m pretty sure are tribesmen from Arian. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re in a Hunter¡¯s Spot?¡± Oh, nice. Sounds like she¡¯s calmed down a bit. She was always the unnecessary worry wart. It¡¯s definitely a good point about her though. I proceed to walk through the nest for a few minutes until I manage to find my way to another exit. Then I move my phone away, put it on speaker, and turn on my video camera while saying, ¡°See for yourself.¡± And there¡¯s an instant reaction from the people who are no doubt next to Hannah. A rather loud reaction as they all begin cheering until some of them start wondering how they¡¯re even gonna get down here. Guess that means they didn¡¯t know this place was down here after all. Makes me wonder how they knew there was some sort of core down here if they had never gone here themselves. But putting that aside, this is making me wonder something. Just how many Beta Tier worlds have a Hunter¡¯s Spot like this one that was just never discovered? And if that¡¯s the case, I wonder how much coin I could earn from paying those Hunter¡¯s Spots a visit and getting first dibs on the loot there? Like this Hunter¡¯s Spot that I am so going to loot to the hells and back. A grin makes its way onto my face at that thought. Then a bug jumps onto my face and tries to eat it, making my grin go away. Annoying. B2 | Chapter 70 The Tribal Chambers The Kahuna smiles as she hears the latest update with the war. A war that has been progressing far faster ever since Death killed the Clan Leader of the Frost Clan along with three of his Clan Chieftains. Significantly shifting the balance of power in the war. If only Death wasn¡¯t in a constant fall, I¡¯d have thanked her a million times over by now! At first she was very skeptical about having Death come to Arian, but after this? All of her skepticism has turned into pure joy for having the beautiful young woman on their world. In fact, she regrets that she¡¯s already granted her immigration rights, thereby most likely leading to the woman leaving their world. Once she¡¯s done falling, of course. Which could take a while. ¡°We¡¯ve already managed to take back the territories held by the Clan Chieftain who had first battled with Aria using ice magic, so our next target is-¡± Ake¡¯s words are interrupted when an emergency warning flashes on all of their phones. A warning that makes every last tribal chief in the room along with Ake shoot out of their chairs. But their panic is quickly turned to joy when they realize the devices are flashing green instead of red. Meaning it¡¯s urgent good news, not bad news. The device ¨C something they¡¯d purchased from the Eternal Dynasty in the month since Death and the Silver Merchant had arrived ¨C soon shows a hologram of the tribal chief in charge of a fortress close to the front lines on the opposite side of the enemy captured territories from the newly reclaimed territories. And without any hesitation, the man shouts, ¡°Lady Death has found a Hunter¡¯s Spot at the center of the planet! It¡¯s not a core after all! It¡¯s a fucking Hunter¡¯s Spot!!!¡± Silence fills the Tribal Chambers for just a moment before every last one of the tribal chiefs shatter it at once, asking one question after another. Meanwhile Ake feels like her face is growing sore from just how much she¡¯s smiling. ¡°Bring us the details as soon as possible,¡± Ake quickly tells the man in the hologram, her voice cutting across the tribal chiefs¡¯ voices. ¡°And is Lady Death still at the Hunter¡¯s Spot?¡± At that question, the tribal chief grows slightly quiet before he answers, ¡°Err, yes. She¡­ is apparently planning on living there for a few years.¡± Silence fills the chambers again. ¡°What?¡± Ake asks, staring blankly at the hologram. But the look on the chief¡¯s face makes it clear he isn¡¯t joking. Living¡­ in a Hunter¡¯s Spot. She continues to stare for several seconds amidst the silence in the chamber. I just can¡¯t let my guard down around this one¡­
Aria Always wanted to try roughing it out in the wild at some point. This might be fun. Although my version of ¡®roughing it out in the wild¡¯ and others might differ a little. Considering that I don¡¯t need to eat, sleep, take breaks, or do any of those pesky body maintenance things. Makes me wonder why other people have to do it. I mean, it¡¯s such a waste of time to do all those things. Like going to the bathroom, making sure you eat and sleep a certain amount, and whatever. Not to mention watching how much wine you drink. Could never do that myself. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. I enhance my right shoulder with soul energy before igniting it, burning the massive mosquito that had landed there without so much as pausing in my way through this little tunnel of the nest. Could do with fewer bugs though. But at the very least I can¡¯t get those bug bites other people often complain about. So there¡¯s that. Although¡­ I glance down at the mosquito currently sticking its incisor mouth thingy into my calf. ¡­not sure if this is what they mean when they say bug bites. I quickly burn the thing before pausing when I find myself at some sort of cavern inside of the nest. One that¡¯s rather massive and with a lot of bugs flying around and climbing the walls all over. So I do the most sensible thing I can right now. I summon hundreds of Lesser Death Spirits to go around slaughtering the lot of them. Since these are all Tier 1 mana creatures no doubt, judging by how close they are to the entrance. Not to mention that they don¡¯t seem to be letting off all that powerful mana. Over the years I¡¯ve slowly become able to detect mana myself. In the same way I can detect soul energy. Just slightly different. So I can at least see a general idea of how powerful a mana creature is. I also finally saw just what it meant on the internet when people say that all raising your level really does is increase the amount of mana naturally in your body. Just that it¡¯s focused in different locations and in different ways depending on your Class. And that¡¯s basically what mana creatures are. Creatures born straight from the mana of a world. Well, assuming Arian can really be considered a world. I¡¯m just gonna keep calling it one though. Because I don¡¯t feel like figuring that mystery out. On another note, my Death Spirits quickly get to work tearing the bugs apart, leaving me to stand here at the edge of the room with my arms crossed and a smile on my face. The only downside to living down here is that I can¡¯t exactly restock my supplies. A bummer. Would certainly be nice to have some explosives down here. Could do a lot with those. My thoughts come to a halt when my phone buzzes again, making me pick it up while burning another mosquito that tries to latch onto my neck. And I quickly find the call to be from Shirogane. So I answer it while raising it to my ear. And killing another mosquito. What¡¯s with these mosquitos? They just never end. Although at least these bugs count as an entire kill unlike regular bugs. Which does help confirm my theory that it¡¯s based on life span. ¡°Aria? I heard you¡¯re down in a Hunter¡¯s Spot right now,¡± he says, surprising me a little by the fact that he¡¯s in business mode. ¡°Yep,¡± I answer while watching the beautiful handiwork of my Death Spirits. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of bugs down here.¡± ¡°I heard,¡± he says before quickly getting onto business, ¡°Please go into your phone and check out the Dynasty Transport app I had you download from our servers not too long ago.¡± That gives me pause for a second. Then I shrug and go ahead and do that. ¡°This app lets you teleport items and equipment from one app user to another,¡± he explains without pause, making my eyes widen in shock. Well¡­ that just solved my problem. ¡°You have any explosives I could buy?¡± I ask with a grin forming on my face. ¡°I might need a lot.¡± ¡°Already on the way,¡± Shirogane says immediately, making my grin grow wider. ¡°Your favorites too.¡± Then his emotions return to his voice as he adds, ¡°Stay safe down there and don¡¯t end up in the stomach of some massive bug for years.¡± And without another word, he hangs up the call. Following which crates of explosives and other stuff appear in front of me. Including wine. Gotta love the fact that he sent me wine without me even asking. He knows me so well at this point. I kneel down while my Death Spirits go to town on the bugs in the cavern, all of the critters rushing around in a panic due to the mini army of Death Spirits attacking them. But I ignore all of that as I open the crates, checking to make sure the explosives are correct and functional. After that, I go and summon a bunch more Death Spirits, feeding my soul energy pool with the dead and dying bugs around us to do so, and order the Death Spirits to pick up the explosives and go around the edges of the cavern. Then I proceed to have some of them dig into the walls and upwards, since the walls and general structure of the nest isn¡¯t the greatest. To the point that they can literally dig with their bare hands through it. It¡¯s so large though that some explosions shouldn¡¯t even leave a dent in the entire thing¡¯s structure. Might attract more bugs though, but that¡¯s not a problem. I wait for a bit while watching the Death Spirits go about their jobs. Some of them killing bugs, others distracting them, and the rest going about setting the charges. Most of which are being set in a large circle at the edges of the roof. With some more above the roof. And after watching for a bit and feeling that the last one has finished his mission, I pull out a remote that was in the crate, and with a lovely smile on my face, I press the button on the remote. Causing all of the explosives to blow up all at once, destroying the connecting points of the roof and bringing the entire thing down on the massive cavern. Amidst the dust and whatever in the air, along with the constant ringing of kill messages, I nod my head with a sense of satisfaction and dismiss all of my summoned Death Spirits. It¡¯s nice to be able to blow things up in a Hunter¡¯s Spot. B2 | Chapter 71 The Edge of the Capital Island Ake crosses her arms as she looks down over the edge of the island. Particularly at the person with a teleportation artifact and a gas mask on their face strapped to a rope. A person with a flying ability just to be safe. No matter how many times they¡¯ve tried, they¡¯ve never managed to make it past the clouds awake to see what¡¯s down below them. All they managed to see was a vague round shape after making it far enough into the clouds before going under the poison¡¯s effect. So they assumed it was the planet¡¯s core and moved on. After all, they couldn¡¯t make it down there, so what was the point? But now, Ake can¡¯t dismiss it anymore. They need to find a way down there. ¡°Begin the first trial,¡± Ake says. Then she watches with her arms crossed as the volunteer slowly lowers himself down into the clouds with a video camera ¨C something they purchased from the Silver Merchant ¨C on his head to record everything he sees. And to record if he succumbs to the poison so that they can bring him back up. Mostly the latter since they¡¯ve already seen what it¡¯s like down there thanks to Aria¡¯s phone call. Time passes in silence as everyone nearby watches with bated breaths as the volunteer goes lower and lower. But even with the gas mask, he still ends up falling unconscious before the center of the world even becomes visible. Proving just how powerful the poison is. Right as Ake is about to tell them to bring him back up though, the chief next to her says, ¡°Wait, let¡¯s see what happens first. We need more data, Kahuna.¡± Ake glances at him before deciding to go along with it. Then they all silently watch as the volunteer¡¯s body falls down through the clouds on the video until it breaks out of them, and he hits the strange gravity barrier Aria had mentioned to them. And just as she described, the man begins moving along the barrier until he reaches the other side and continues moving through the air until he leaves the clouds again. At which point Ake calls it, having them activate the artifact to bring him back. Ake lets out a faint sigh before glancing at the scientists and researchers she¡¯s brought along and asking, ¡°Well?¡± They all shake their heads, just as she¡¯d expected. The last time they tried this, they didn¡¯t have any sort of device to record what happened while the user was unconscious down there. But even now that they do, they still can¡¯t figure anything out. Which leaves them with one solution. Figure out an antidote for the poison, make a vaccination for it, or somehow block the poison. And all of those things lead back to the same process. Ake turns around to find the Silver Merchant leaning against a tree nearby. Guess we¡¯re going to be splurging to figure this out.
One month later As it turns out, the Arians quickly learn over the course of the first month of research that no matter what sort of device they use, even those from the Eternal Dynasty, none manage to block the poison. Proving at this point that it is by no means a natural poison. It must be a Tier 10 mana creature creating the poison. Ake grimaces at the thought as she stands at the edge of the research facility they¡¯d begun building at the edge of the island. Because even the Silver Merchant said it would most likely take years for them to analyze the poison and make an antidote or vaccine for it. Meanwhile the Horseman of the Apocalypse is still down in the Hunter¡¯s Spot fighting every day, ordering a suspicious amount of explosives that has Ake¡¯s hair standing on edge sometimes when she overhears their discussions. The war, on the other hand, has very nearly ended. Without the Clan Leader or three of their Clan Chieftains leading them ¨C their combat and defensive chieftains at that ¨C the Frost Clan quickly began to fall apart in the war. Then it led to Arian invading Jotunheim instead of the other way around. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Which also required more spending on Arian¡¯s part to get the equipment necessary to survive the frigid cold of Jotunheim from the Eternal Dynasty. At some point closer to the end of the month Ake makes a direct request to the Horseman to see if she can find the source of the poison, but the Horseman hasn¡¯t had any luck with that yet. And the war is going a bit slower on Jotunheim due to the cold. Even if they have a major advantage attacking them with their lack of leaders and their having lost a few of their Class S Ability Holders.
One year later The next year shows progress in the war with them capturing nearly half of Jotunheim, starting their initial transition into a stronger power within the universe. One that controls more than one planet. Meanwhile the research into reaching the planet¡¯s core has barely progressed at all with a major stall that¡¯s been slowing any possible progress down. That stall being that they¡¯ve learned any of the poison they can gather from the clouds ¨C clouds that are apparently made entirely out of the poison from what their research tells them, not cloud matter in the slightest ¨C is very diluted poison. It¡¯s nowhere near the source. So attempts have been made and are still being made to consolidate the poisonous gas into a less diluted form. But the researchers are still trying as hard as they can, and they have made some minor progress. Even if all that does is allow people to last for a very tiny amount of time longer under the effects of the poison. Not enough to matter, but Ake is satisfied that there¡¯s at least being some progress. She lets out a sigh as she sits at the edge of the island right next to the fully built research station, her thoughts going to the Horseman¡¯s friend who had been helping them for a while in the war against Jotunheim. Just in a defensive manner though, using her barriers to protect the Arian forces. Ake feels a faint smile stretching across her face at that as she leans back. Since last she heard, the woman was just breaking into the level 90s. So at the rate she¡¯s going, she should reach level one hundred within the next few years, extending her lifespan and reverting her physical age backwards. And she feels happy about that. Not just because of what that woman has done for their forces, but also because of Lady Death, who would most likely be heartbroken if she died. At that thought, the smile grows fainter as she lowers her head to look down at the clouds again. Where that very same Lady Death is still fighting after a year in the Hunter¡¯s Spot. Never getting a break. I hope she remains sane down there¡­ she might still be there for a few more years.
Four years after the discovery of the Hunter¡¯s Spot After four years have passed, Ake and the researchers have all come to a single conclusion. It is impossible to create a vaccine for the poison that would stop people from falling under for long enough to matter. And making an antidote wouldn¡¯t help either since the poison is spread across the entire Hunter¡¯s Spot as well as the clouds. Which leaves Ake and the researchers to rely entirely on Aria for her to bring back a sample of the poison¡¯s source. Because the researchers are adamant that it¡¯s necessary for a vaccine. Ake lets out a sigh while standing at the edge of the island before she turns around and begins to walk away. Only for her cell phone ¨C an item they had begun purchasing a lot of across Arian from the Eternal Dynasty over the years ¨C to ring, making her reach into her pocket to answer it. And the first words she hears from it make a smile stretch across her face. ¡°Lady Harvey has now reached level 100 and reverted in age,¡± one of the tribesmen at the Gate declares. There¡¯s at least some good news. Looks like she was able to make it before the end of the war after all. Ake¡¯s smile grows wider before she pauses and glances at the ground. Or more particularly, in the direction that Aria is, at the core of the planet. The Hunter¡¯s Spot. I hope she finds the source of the poison sooner or later. Otherwise she¡¯ll be stuck down there with no way out for years. Unfortunately, sending teleportation items through the teleportation system they¡¯re using doesn¡¯t work. According to the Silver Merchant at least. So there¡¯s no way to bring the Horseman back up that they¡¯ve been able to figure out. Airships simply blow up when they reach the gravity barrier. Anyone trying to go down there falls unconscious before reaching the barrier even with their vaccines and is therefore jettisoned out the other end of the planet¡¯s center. That has Ake sighing once more before she finally leaves the edge of the island, not planning on returning again until the problem is solved. I just hope she can retain her sanity down there¡­
Aria I let out a yawn as I wake up, feeling myself being moved as I lie on top of a massive beetle¡¯s back. One the size of a couple houses located in what I¡¯m assuming is around the Fifth or Sixth Tier of the Hunter¡¯s Spot. Over the years I¡¯ve learned that they make pretty good beds. Their shells are nice and cushiony despite being, well, shells, and they move so I don¡¯t have to care about other things attacking me. Not to mention that other mana creatures don¡¯t bother them. It¡¯s a win-win. I yawn again while sitting up, finding the beetle having taken me down deeper. Just like I wanted. Honestly, I have to wonder just how deep this Hunter¡¯s Spot goes. How large it is. Because I¡¯ve been going down for a while now. Only started heading deeper in a couple years ago, but I¡¯ve had some¡­ trouble¡­ with that. Turns out the place is like a damned maze down here. One the size of a fucking continent. And I hate mazes. I let out a sigh before standing up and stretching. Well, whatever. Time to continue my journey through the Hive. B2 | Chapter 72 Aria After spending a few years down here, the place has grown on me. With, of course, the help of my trusty nose plugs. Because some of the bugs living in the Hunter¡¯s Spot are smelly. Although that varies depending on what Tier of it I¡¯m in. The Third Tier especially was pretty bad in terms of smells. I let out a yawn as I proceed through the rather large tunnels that make up the Fifth or Sixth Tier of the Hunter¡¯s Spot. Through my time in this Hunter¡¯s Spot, I¡¯ve learned quite a few things about it. Like how the bugs all work together to repair any damage done to the Hunter¡¯s Spot that I like to call the Hive. Even if they¡¯re all wiped out completely, once more spawn through mana, they begin to rebuild whatever was blown up. Which certainly makes explosions the right choice of tool in this place. Because they don¡¯t cause any permanent damage to the place. Other than that fact, I¡¯ve also learned that there aren¡¯t a lot of bugs here that like to swallow their food. Considering the number of times I was chewed up rather endlessly before the bug decided to spit me out since it couldn¡¯t chew me enough to swallow. Not without me regenerating between chews. A rather unpleasant experience, to say the least. Then there¡¯re those strange wasp-bee things that literally sealed me away into amber or honey. Or both. Before my death energy buildup destroyed said honey or amber not long after and I just left their nest. And I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if I find spiders in one of the later Tiers, seeing as I haven¡¯t seen any thus far. Might have to start mentally preparing myself to be hanging in a cocoon of webbing at some point. Not a pleasant thought either. Other than those things, there actually is some water down here, and food too if you count the bugs. Not that I have been having either. Largely because the bugs are bugs, and the water is full of bug waste and not likely the best thing to drink. But also partially because there¡¯s no reason to have them. Don¡¯t need to eat or drink after all. Only thing I need is the wine that Shirogane has been sending me periodically, making the best possible use of that app that he could¡¯ve used it for. Other than the explosives, of course. Because those are important. After all, with them, I¡¯ve been able to level up all the way to level thirty during my time down here. Still without a single new skill though. At the very least I¡¯ve reached the point where the average adult is at when they don¡¯t try to focus all of their time on their Class. Or, average adult a bit younger than me actually. Come to think of it, how old am I? That gives me pause, making me stop walking through the tunnel as I try to remember. Let¡¯s see¡­ it took me about two decades after leaving Vortel to arrive at Arian¡­ I think¡­ and another four years or so since I arrived here. Then there was the fact that I was about twenty when I first arrived at Eternus. That means I should be in my mid-forties right now. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! I stare ahead for a few seconds before shrugging to myself and continuing through the tunnel, eventually deciding that I don¡¯t actually care. Until I remember that it means the others from the Predator Division are all in their late fifties to early or mid-sixties. Shit. That¡¯s not good. Although, last I heard, Hannah was getting close to level one hundred. I wonder if she¡¯s reached it yet? It would be good if she has. Very good. Because then I won¡¯t have to worry about her kicking the bucket any time soon. A faint smile stretches across my face at that thought. Then it fades as I think about how short the time I¡¯ve spent down here has felt. It¡¯s been about four years or so, but it certainly hasn¡¯t felt that long. I really am becoming desensitized to the passing of time¡­ the only thing that makes sense for why has to be my Class or ability. Nothing else would. Although it does make sense for a true immortal to be naturally desensitized to the passing of time. For the most part. Seeing as I¡¯ll be living for all eternity after all. A rather dreary thought. I let out a sigh as I walk, not stopping even when some sort of ant begins gnawing at my ankles. Leaving me to drag the thing as I burn soul energy right around where it¡¯s biting. Which doesn¡¯t manage to do all that much since I¡¯m in the Fifth or Sixth Tier of this place. From what I¡¯ve come to learn about this little bugger ¨C literally ¨C it likes to gnaw at you without actually doing much more than breaking the skin. Meanwhile its poison will paralyze its victim, half-kill them, and basically make them into a walking vegetable. Except without the walking part since they¡¯re paralyzed. A rather scary method of attack, but rather pointless when I¡¯ve already built up full immunity to their poisons. Basically just means I¡¯m dragging the thing along with me until it gets bored and lets go. Which is always rather annoying when one of them decides to hitch a ride. I continue trudging my way through the tunnel for another hour or so before the ant finally lets go and begins to walk away. Likely not wanting to leave its territory. After walking for a few more minutes and turning another corner though, I realize just why the thing let go. Huh. Guess I was right earlier. In front of me is a narrower entrance to another set of tunnels. But these tunnels are filled with cobwebs. Cobwebs that seem to get ever so slightly thicker the deeper you go into them. That ant must¡¯ve not wanted to enter this area. Which is likely either the Sixth or Seventh Tier of the Hunter¡¯s Spot. On that note, a large meter-long spider passed by the entrance to the tunnel without paying me any mind. As if I¡¯m just not standing here. Unexpected but not unwelcome. I glance backwards through the tunnel I had passed through before continuing onwards. While I¡¯m doing my little search for the source of the poison clouds at Ake¡¯s request, I still have several hundred Lesser Minor Death Spirits going around the First and Second Tiers of the Hive slaughtering bugs. Simply to keep my leveling progress going since I can¡¯t really kill things much down here. Outside of explosives, that is. Explosives are an immortal¡¯s best friend after all. Well, might as well check out the spiders¡¯ home. I walk right on inside of the tunnel, quickly finding myself getting covered with cobwebs. An unpleasant experience at worst. And seconds later the spider that had walked by turns around and begins rushing towards me, so I take a step back, leaving said territory again. Then the spider stops rushing at me and continues on its way. Territorial creatures. Interesting. Also very sensitive creatures considering how fast it realized I had entered its territory. On that note, I turn around and head back a bit further into the previous Tier I was just in before the spiders until I find another ant. Then I grab its midsection and raise it into the air a bit so that it can¡¯t flee before I turn back on around and head back to the spider¡¯s territory. And just to see what will happen, I go ahead and enter the spider¡¯s territory with the ant that is currently flailing like its life is on the line, trying to get out of my hold. But no matter how much it flails, I keep on holding. No matter how many of my bones break or are cut open. I just use a bunch of soul energy to keep it in place while blocking the entrance to the territory with Death Spirits. When the spider is about to reach the two of us, the ant finally breaks free of my grasp via literally cutting my arms off with its little claws. But it¡¯s already too late. The spider catches it before it can get anywhere and stabs it straight through the midsection with its leg, proving that this is a killer spider and not a trapper. Something I¡¯d heard some spiders vary on. With some killing their prey right away and others trapping it in a cocoon for later. Anyways, after the ant stops moving, the spider immediately moves onto me and stabs me too. But I just casually blow up a grenade that I pull from my storage ring, sending bits of me and the spider everywhere until I reform again and begin walking away. Thank you for your sacrifice, spider and ant. You will not be missed. Probably didn¡¯t need to drag that ant here but it was getting on my nerves earlier. So why not? I stretch a little as I walk through the cobwebs into the next Tier. B2 | Story Art and Quiz Alrighty! As usual, click here for the public Patreon post if the story art on Royal Road breaks. Now then. Some story art: Let''s begin with Ake: Then there''s the Clan Leader of the Frost Clan: If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. And the Hive(Hunter''s Spot Aria is in right now): Now then. A little quiz-ish thing for you all. Can you guess who these next two images are art of in Crimson Eternal? Answer in the comments :) B2 | Chapter 73 Aria One hour later Hmm. So, yeah. I knew I¡¯d end up in a situation like this soon enough, but just an hour after entering this place? Seriously? I let out a sigh. Or I try to, but the cocoon covering my mouth kind of makes that impossible. Until the death energy begins to burn away at the threads that is. Slowly. Eeeeever so slowly. Seconds pass by. Then the seconds turn into minutes. And the minutes turn into an entire hour, at which point I can barely move now, finding myself rather surprised by just how strong this thread is. Guess this probably is the Seventh Tier of the place after all. For a spider ¨C a different one to the first one I encountered ¨C to have thread this powerful. To my surprise, my phone rings about an hour later, at which point I can just barely move my hands to accept the call. ¡°Aria! I reached level 100!¡± I hear a relatively familiar albeit also unfamiliar voice speaking in a very familiar manner through the phone. ¡°And I can¡¯t even begin to express just how great it feels to be back in a younger body again!¡± I blink at that before trying to wiggle around the cocoon in a way that might let me see what is most likely her video. It¡¯s Hannah, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s her manner of speaking, and while it is certainly younger sounding, it¡¯s her voice too. ¡°Really? That¡¯s great!¡± I exclaim rather quietly and in a slightly muted manner considering that some of my mouth no matter how hard I try to move is blocked by the cocoon. A brief pause ensues before Hannah asks, ¡°Um, Aria, what¡¯s going on right now? I¡¯m just getting a black screen for your video.¡± Oh. Guess my video is on. A certain spider returns to the little cavern I¡¯m in while dragging another cocoon and making little chittering noises. ¡°And¡­ what¡¯s that sound?¡± her voice continues to come from the phone, drawing the attention of the spider, who now drops its load and heads over to me. Then once it arrives, it seems to notice the state of my cocoon and lets out a loud hiss. ¡°Is that a mana creature?¡± ¡°Sorry Hannah, currently hanging around in a spider¡¯s den at the moment,¡± I apologize, feeling a little bad that I can¡¯t celebrate her reaching level one hundred right now. ¡°A¡­ what?!¡± she exclaims, sounding just as frantically worried as always even with her younger voice. ¡°How the hell did you-¡± The spider screeches, cutting her off. Then it proceeds to cover me back up with webbing again, fixing the cocoon before I hear it leaving. Despite the fact that I can¡¯t see or speak anymore. Which kind of just leaves me listening to Hannah rambling on about all the risks I take despite knowing that I¡¯m immortal. And about how she keeps calling at rather inopportune moments. Come to think of it, she does often call at rather inopportune moments. When I¡¯m inside of a massive fly¡¯s mouth being chewed by teeth I didn¡¯t realize flies had. When I¡¯m falling down through the sky towards this Hive in the first place. When I¡¯m trying to crawl my way out of a massive worm. And now, when I¡¯m stuck in a spider¡¯s cocoon. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°You have terrible timing,¡± I try to tell her, only for it to turn into a mumbled mess when I realize I can¡¯t talk. Probably for the best. She¡¯d most likely get even more upset if she heard what I was just trying to say. I get the feeling the spider is just assuming I¡¯m the one talking and is ignoring me, because it¡¯s surprisingly not moving back over here despite all the racket Hannah is making. But eventually Hannah seems to realize I can¡¯t speak right now and sighs before finally saying, ¡°Just¡­ give me a call when you¡¯re out of there, okay?¡± I mumble an affirmative at that. And she seems to understand what I say, or at least what I¡¯m most likely to say in this situation, as she hangs up the call leaving me in silence again. Well, silence if I¡¯m ignoring the sounds of the spider hanging up another cocoon. I just kinda hang around for a while before hearing the spider leaving. Then I continue waiting. And waiting. And waiting some more. Eventually the cocoon finally breaks open thanks to the buildup of death energy. Good thing it doesn¡¯t just reset or something with the progress it previously having made being reset. Although most of the reason it was building up death energy in the first place was likely due to some sort of poison in the cocoon. Kind of ironic that a poison most likely meant to keep them in the cocoon is the reason I got out. Anyways, I stretch a bit after getting out before waltzing out of the spider¡¯s den and continuing my journey through the tunnels full of spiders. Of course, that¡¯s only after setting a couple charges in that spider¡¯s den. Because it got on my nerves. Would¡¯ve just blown my way out of that cocoon with an explosive, but I couldn¡¯t reach the damned things. I should probably move them to more easily accessible places. Or just hold one in my hand the moment a spider tries to get me. This one had some sort of venom that knocked me out in an instant though, which was how it caught me. I should be fully adapted to it by now though. So that¡¯s good at least. Once I make it far enough away from the spider¡¯s den, I activate the charges I set without so much as glancing back as the tunnels all begin shaking from the blast. To my surprise, I actually get a few System Messages. One of which mentions the spider. Nice. Guess I happened to blow the charges up after the spider got home. Now that¡¯s even better revenge than I originally planned for. I continue walking for a little bit before pulling my phone out, glad that the thing also has the Ethereal Screen enchantment on it otherwise my own death energy would destroy my equipment too. Then I call Hannah, putting my phone up to my ear as I walk. Once the call connects, I speak right away, ¡°I¡¯m out of the spider¡¯s den. Congrats on reaching level one hundred!¡± She doesn¡¯t say anything for a moment, making me move the phone away from my ear to look at the video. And what I see has me pausing mid-step, since it¡¯s really not what I was expecting. Even though I knew she¡¯s reverted in age. At this point she looks to be about the same age physically as me. A sight that I am very much not used to seeing. She still has her brown hair and brown eyes, but all the wrinkles she had are gone, along with any of the gray hair she had gotten mixed in with the brown. Meanwhile, since she shrunk a bit after getting old, she¡¯s now taller again. Then again, she was taller than me even after shrinking a bit. Which was unfair. I eventually smile before saying, ¡°You look great.¡± That has her smiling in return finally as she nods and says rather pompously, ¡°Yep! And I feel even better than I look!¡± Then she raises a brow at me. ¡°Was wanting to return to Arian so that I could tell you the news myself, but then you had to ruin it by being wrapped up with some spider.¡± ¡°Excuse me, I didn¡¯t have a say in when you called, and I wasn¡¯t wrapped up with the spider,¡± I complain while frowning at her. ¡°The spider captured me and hung me up in a cocoon in its den!¡± She just covers her mouth to hide a laugh. ¡°You try laughing when you¡¯re cocooned in a spider¡¯s den,¡± I mutter while crossing my arms, moving my phone away from my face. This time she doesn¡¯t even try to hide her laugh. Rude. Eventually, after she calms down a bit, she asks, ¡°So how long do you think it¡¯ll take for you to find the source of the poison?¡± That has me pursing my lips for a second. It¡¯s taken me about two or so years to get down here, seeing as I spent the first couple years focused solely on fighting the first few Tiers¡¯ mana creatures. So maybe another year? ¡°Probably another year or so,¡± I answer, only to tense up a bit when I hear the sounds of another spider moving along the tunnel somewhere. So I whisper, ¡°Spider incoming. Talk to ya later, kay?¡± ¡°Make sure not to get eaten,¡± Hannah responds back, almost making me trip before she hangs up the call. I¡¯m just gonna act like I haven¡¯t been eaten yet down here. B2 | Chapter 74 Aria I continue making my way through the tunnels of the Seventh Tier for a while, ending up in one spider¡¯s den after another over the course of two more years before I find my way to the next Tier. Something I can only tell because of the phone I have that can track the universal date. Which is nice, since there¡¯s no way to even tell when a day ends much less begins in here. The Eighth Tier ends up being full of scorpions to my surprise. Pleasant surprise too, seeing as there are no more cobwebs. Being covered in cobwebs for years was a very unpleasant experience after all. And I don¡¯t have to worry about these scorpions eating me or trapping me in a cocoon either since they just sting me and wait for me to die. Which doesn¡¯t happen. So they sting me again while clawing me in half with their pincers. Which still doesn¡¯t work, so they give up rather quickly. That spider Tier was a pain just because of how many explosives I had to waste just to get away from or kill the spiders. But these scorpions are nice and friendly. Ignoring their tail stabbing and poisoning and pincer pinching. Much nicer than those spiders who would just drag me into their den and hang me up. Although I did manage to level up once more over the two years in there just from all my Death Spirits farming the bugs in the first couple Tiers. Almost twice actually. Then the Eighth Tier doesn¡¯t take me too long to pass through since the scorpions don¡¯t bother me much other than trying and failing to kill me a few times. Just a couple months at most. Unfortunately the scorpions are resistant to explosions, unlike the spiders. Possibly the first thing I¡¯ve ever fought that I couldn¡¯t just blow up. Tried once before reaching the end of the Tier only to wake up again while still staring at the scorpion who was left with nothing but some burn marks on its carapace. But the scorpions didn¡¯t care much about me beyond their initial attempts to kill me, so it wasn¡¯t needed to kill them in return. I frown at the thought of something not being blown up when they should be as I enter the Ninth Tier of the Hive. A place that I quickly realize is filled with that same grayish mist that makes up the clouds. From what I¡¯ve come to know down here, the poison filling the clouds is especially dense in the clouds, but is also filling the entire Hive. Just to a lesser degree. And all of the mana creatures here are completely immune to it. But down here the poison is almost as dense as it was in the clouds. So I pull out my phone at the very edge of the poisonous region before calling Ake, who picks up almost right away and asks, ¡°Any news?¡± Unsurprisingly, she sounds very enthusiastic about any possible news I can give her. Just like any other time I¡¯ve called her. Which don¡¯t amount to that many times if I¡¯m being honest. ¡°Yes, actually,¡± I answer while standing with my left hand on my hip and my right moving the phone to point at the misty tunnels. Ones made out of what look like some sort of wasp nest. A large one. ¡°Found more poison deeper in. Not directly from the source, but it¡¯s in the Ninth Tier of the Hunter¡¯s Spot. So it¡¯s a lot closer than the poison outside.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. She doesn¡¯t say anything for a few seconds before coming back to me, ¡°The researchers say that it won¡¯t work unless it¡¯s directly from the source. So please try to find it if you can. It¡¯s the only way for us to get you out of there without calling for one of the Grands to personally assist you.¡± What she doesn¡¯t say is that it¡¯s not possible for us to do that. Shirogane actually tried asking Shirou, but apparently he can¡¯t help us. Which I guess makes sense since his ability isn¡¯t actually a combat focused one. So while he is one of the most powerful people in the universe, some sort of foresight or future sight ability won¡¯t help him become immune to a Tier 10 mana creature¡¯s poison. Not to mention that he wouldn¡¯t likely bother helping in the first place. Specifically because, and I quote, ¡®You got yourself in that mess, you get yourself out. Not like you have limited time or anything.¡¯ Rather rude, but has a point. I don¡¯t have limited time. Especially since Hannah is already past level one hundred. And it¡¯s not just her, but Snow reached over level one hundred in the past couple years as well according to her from what she found out in a Universal Feed. ¡°Aria?¡± Ake asks, reminding me that I¡¯m in the middle of a call. ¡°Right. I¡¯ll try to get poison from the source,¡± I tell her with a nod. ¡°I just hope it¡¯s not gonna try to eat me.¡± ¡°It probably will,¡± she says before the call hangs up, making me turn it around to stare at the phone in a slight stupor. Seriously? That¡¯s rude. I let out a huff before putting my phone away and stepping into the poison fog. And just as expected, I don¡¯t notice any difference at all. Guess my adaptation to it has grown large enough that the poison¡¯s effect doesn¡¯t even last long enough for me to notice anymore. Well, anyways, I begin to walk through the Ninth Tier of the Hunter¡¯s Spot. But I don¡¯t see anything for a while. And when I finally notice something, it¡¯s not from seeing it. It¡¯s from being stabbed in the back by something before said something vanishes without me even being able to see it. Something very fast. And with some sort of poison judging by the heat flaring from my back. Almost like my entire back is beginning to swell. Not comfortable to say the least, but also not necessarily painful. And the discomfort only grows when the swelling spreads further along my body, practically making me swell up like a balloon until I completely lose my ability to stand and fall flat on my face. I barely manage to roll myself over before spotting the culprit behind this appearing in a blur high above my head in the wasp nest. Wasp. Nest. Right. That makes sense. The large meter-long wasp stares at me, tilting its head one way and then the other for a bit. Then it¡­ Okay, that¡¯s not a wasp. The creature¡¯s entire face splits into a mouth with four sections with some sort of tongue with a mouth on it leaving said mouth. Then it blurs and I find the thing reaching that tongue mouth straight into my eye, making a flare of actual pain run through me, surprising me due to my distinct lack of ability to feel pain over the past years. And everything goes dark moments later with a faint slurping sound. After who knows how long my consciousness returns to me and I immediately sit up, reaching for my head. But as always, everything¡¯s returned to normal. I really don¡¯t want to experience that again though¡­ Honestly, it¡¯s not too hard to figure out what it was doing. Just from that slurping sound alone that I heard before going under. It wouldn¡¯t have knocked me out right away if it were just eating my eyes. Not to mention the fuzziness of my mind right now. Meaning it must¡¯ve been eating my brain. Probably liquified and drank it, judging by the slurping. Which¡­ is disturbing. I shake my head to get that memory out of it. Then I stand back up, aaaaand immediately feel something stinging my back again. This Tier is not going to be pleasant. The swelling begins spreading again just like the last time, albeit at a slower speed, and it doesn¡¯t reach as far before it begins reverting. But it gets far enough to knock me down, giving the wasp time to suck out my brain. Leaving my consciousness to go dark once more. When I regain consciousness, I immediately blow up a large explosive around me after the brief few fuzzy thoughts seconds. Then a large swarm of the wasps burst out of the destroyed walls, floor, and ceiling of the tunnel. Well, shit. They all start swarming me. But that¡¯s not the worst of it. What¡¯s worse is that none of the wasps look like they were even so much as scratched by that powerful explosion. I¡¯m going to be here for a while aren¡¯t- My thoughts go dark again. B2 | Chapter 75 The Eternal Dynasty Embassy on Arian Shirogane swirls around his glass of wine inside of his office, briefly wondering what he¡¯ll be doing today. Since it¡¯s not a work day, and Aria hasn¡¯t contacted him in at least a few days. Not since she told him and Ake about the poison in the Ninth Tier. Makes him wonder what she¡¯s up to. But when he last tried calling, she wouldn¡¯t pick up. At the end of the day though, she can¡¯t die. So she¡¯s probably fine. Shirogane wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if the girl was having fun down there somehow. He¡¯s found her to be a rather fun traveling companion over the decades they¡¯ve traveled together. To the point that he¡¯s genuinely missing her in this time that they¡¯ve been apart. The man smiles slightly as he remembers how they originally were together when he first became her contracted partner with the Dynasty. All the times he was surprised by her rather self-sacrificial tactics, and how he slowly got used to using them himself. Or making plans for her to use them herself. Then there were the times the two of them would just play games together. Or watch TV, which he had to show her some shows for since her knowledge on the subject was rather barren. At this point Shirogane honestly can¡¯t see his life without her. Even though they haven¡¯t spent much time actually trying to get to know each other. Aria because she doesn¡¯t want to get to know others. Not when she¡¯ll outlive them in the end. And him because he wants to honor that wish and not hurt her. But the time he¡¯s spent with her, even if he¡¯s had his emotions disabled for half of it, has been some of the best years in his life. A smirk stretches across his lips as he thinks of all the ridiculous stunts she pulls and how everyone they meet reacts to them. Never gets old. He continues to drink his wine in peaceful silence for a while before a hologram appears in front of him startling him out of his chair at the sight of the White Emperor, Shirou Amatsuraki. So Shirogane quickly scrambles to a kneeling position and declares, ¡°What is it you require of me, Your Majesty?¡± His Emperor simply ignores the indecorum he had just shown as he declares, ¡°Pestilence¡¯s latest pet project has evolved on the planet Vesta and is beginning to show signs of infecting a world connected to Arian. Make sure you inform the Kahuna of this right away.¡± Then the hologram vanishes again, leaving Shirogane feeling slightly disappointed that his vacation time was ruined so abruptly. But he quickly goes about calling Ake and giving her the news, seemingly almost giving her a heart attack in the process. It doesn¡¯t stop her from doing her job as well though as ¨C after her initial brief stupor ¨C she sets off preparing to deal with the problem, leaving the call after promising to give the Eternal Dynasty a reward for their intel. Not that Shirogane particularly cares about the reward since it¡¯ll be under the Emperor¡¯s own contribution and not his own. It wasn¡¯t his intel after all. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. The Silver Merchant leans back in his chair for a moment, briefly considering the consequences of what may come about. Not only would the plague on Vesta cause major issues if it arrived in Arian, possibly spreading further to Atlantis, then Luk¡¯tar, and then Eternus, but it may very well bring a much more dangerous tragedy. Because where one of Pestilence¡¯s pet projects is, he is often soon to follow. Just to watch it play out and take notes. Which means it¡¯s all the more important that they get Aria out of the center of the planet. So Shirogane quickly gets to work ordering some more expensive explosives for Aria to use down there. Including a few nukes. Some of which he¡¯s putting on his own tab and some he¡¯s planning to put on Arian¡¯s tab after convincing them of why they need them. A process that shouldn¡¯t be too hard to do since they¡¯re not stupid. Pestilence will most likely quickly lose interest in the pet project if he runs into Aria. But he won¡¯t go out of his way to run into her. It¡¯s just not in his character to abandon a project without another directly in front of him. And he would never give up the chance to test some poisons on a true immortal from what Shirogane knows of the man on the Universal Feed. He tries to call Aria again, only for her to not pick up. So he tries it again without any result. Is she hanging from another cocoon again? She better not be. Shirogane feels slightly annoyed by the thought of her just hanging around while they¡¯re having this crisis. But he also knows it¡¯s not likely to be her fault. So he moves on to figuring out how to convince Ake of the necessity of buying nukes for the Horseman of the Apocalypse. Because there¡¯s no way that could go wrong. But not before sending a little gift her way.
Aria This- My mind goes blank as another wasp eats my brain -is- Once again goes blank. -annoying. Right before another wasp sticks that gross thing into my head this time though, I notice some sort of orb appearing next to me in the usual teleport spell from the phone. And the thing distracts the wasps for a moment, allowing me the chance to blink and stare at it for a moment. Then I decide ¡®why not¡¯ and reach for it before pressing the large and obvious button on the top. Only for everything to go white as a loud roar echoes out. And I black out again.
When I come to once more, I find myself in, uh, a large crater. A crater so large that it¡¯s almost as big as an island outside the Hive. Did he send me a nuke? And more importantly, am I going to have to pay for that? Because nukes aren¡¯t cheap. On another note, looking down around the bottom of the crater shocks the shock right out of me. Because the wasps. Aren¡¯t. Dead. Or not all of them. The ones closest to the blast all died, even if they weren¡¯t erased as I expected. But the ones further away are still twitching and trying to move. Clearly not dead. They are all stunned though. Which makes me not waste this chance as I quickly rush to my feet and begin running like hell through the rather large, open space towards the direction the poisonous mist is flowing from. Because I am not gonna wait for them all to recover and take turns eating my brain. I run for my life, meanwhile some of the wasps begin to finally get back up. But they¡¯re still too dazed to move around much, much less sense where I am. So I manage to make it back into the last dredges of the Ninth Tier before rushing through, past the wasps flying out of the wide open parts of the nest, and into the Tenth Tier. To my surprise, the Tenth Tier starts with some odd wall thing. Just one large wall going around in an enormous circle. And for some reason the couple wasps that had begun trying to chase me from the ones who¡¯d seen me entering this and weren¡¯t stunned by the nuke stop right outside of the Tenth Tier. As if something¡¯s keeping them from entering. Then I finally notice that the poisonous mist is a lot thicker here. Makes me wonder if even those wasps are susceptible to the poison in the center of the Hive. Either way, I proceed to move around the wall, searching for a way in. And when I finally find the way in after walking around the wall for an entire hour, I get a rather large urge to turn around and walk away. Because beyond the wall is what looks like a large and simple forest. One with a large wasp nest high above the ground hanging from the ceiling with some fancy looking purple and blue wasps moving in and out of it. But that¡¯s not what gives me goosebumps. What has me feeling rather frightened is the three-meter-tall wasp flying in place right in front of it emitting that gray mist from its body beneath its buzzing wings. Well, found the source. B2 | Chapter 76 Aria After staring at it for several seconds in a brief stupor, I snap myself out of it to realize that the thing isn¡¯t so much as glancing at me. And neither are the other wasps around its nest. In fact, some of those wasps are actually rushing down to attack some bears that are getting close to the nest. A sight that confuses me for more reasons than one. For one, why are there bears down here? Weren¡¯t there just supposed to be bugs? For two, why are the bears four meters tall and larger than the wasps? And why are the bears running while screaming their not-so-little hearts out being chased by the wasps? This¡­ I just don¡¯t know what to say about this sight. So I pull my phone out and take a picture before sending it to Ake. Not calling just in case the call attracts the wasps¡¯ attention here. Since while I know it can¡¯t kill me, that doesn¡¯t mean it might not be able to capture me or something. And I¡¯d rather not end up like I was in the Ninth Tier. Then again, getting it to come to me might just be the best idea. But would it bother? Would it not just send its minions after me? No idea. I need its poison, which would require me gathering a sample directly from it. Just a sample of the poisonous mist it¡¯s directly spewing over there would work. I don¡¯t even need to get close to grab it. Or, rather, don¡¯t need to get close to the obvious Tier 10 wasp. I do need to get close to its poison. My phone vibrates in my hand, making me glance at it to find a text. One telling me to collect enough to fill a bottle. Then a bottle appears in front of me. One that isn¡¯t all that big. Can probably fill it just by scooping it through the air closer to the wasp queen. Then again. Might just be able to anger it into coming over here where it will fill the bottle on its own. Seeing as it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s gonna stop spewing that poison everywhere anytime soon. I begin trying to figure out one plan after another for getting its poison and leaving without it trapping me, but eventually I settle on watching the smaller wasps dealing with the bears. Trying to figure out what exactly their poison is doing to see how I¡¯d be able to handle it. And the poison¡­ well, that¡¯s kinda frightening. Necrotic poison. The bears literally rot in seconds after being stung. Then the wasps each bring a bear back up to their nest before stuffing the rotted corpse inside. And¡­ okay, that¡¯s just gross. I turn my eyes away from what they¡¯re doing to the rotten bears back onto the queen, who is still spewing out poisonous mist. If the queen has the same poison in her stinger as the smaller ones have, then that¡¯ll be very unpleasant. Very unpleasant indeed. After studying the queen for a little while though, I find something¡­ unexpected. Is¡­ is she intelligent? I frown as I continue studying the queen. And after a while, the queen turns her pitch black eyes with glowing purple dots in the center straight towards me. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Then my body freezes up and I lose all sensation, falling face first to the ground as I hear some sort of cracking noise. After a few seconds, I figure out what it is when I see my hand turning to a strange shade of purple stone. Petrification attached to her eyes. Great. My mind goes dark yet not at the same time. Like I¡¯m trapped inside of my body with an incredibly uncomfortable and itchy feeling all over.
The Center of the Hive The Hive Queen tilts her head after petrifying the strange being who had been standing at the edge of her hunting ground¡¯s center. She had simply waited for a bit to see if the creature would do anything, but they weren¡¯t doing anything. Just standing with its weird scales or skin made out of what looked like silk. The Hive Queen doesn¡¯t exactly understand what the creature is as she¡¯s never seen anything like it. But she still orders a few workers from her hive to go pick up the petrified corpse to bring to her. Then she returns her attention to ordering the lower insects of the outer hive to repair the damages that had recently been caused by some unknown force to the outer hive walls. Just moments later though, she pauses and returns her attention to the corpse that is being brought over towards the main hive behind her, where her other children are soaking her eggs in the rotted four-legged fur-covered animals¡¯ fluids. As she begins to wonder if this strange being may be responsible for the damages done to the outer hive. She quickly shakes that suspicion away though after remembering how easy it was to petrify the being. Then she returns her attention to directing the lower insects. Time passes as she continues making progress fixing the outer hive, only for her attention to snap towards her nest when she senses movement that shouldn¡¯t be occurring there. And what she finds surprises her. The strange being she petrified into purple stone is beginning to crack with strange crimson energy leaking out of the cracks. So the Hive Queen tilts her head again and slowly begins to approach, still spewing out her poison in the process to keep the hive defended from any attackers. But not much happens even when she stops to hover right in front of the strange being. The crimson energy just slowly sparks and crackles, occasionally chipping off tiny bits of the purple stone and revealing that strange silklike skin. And the skin just returns to being petrified again as the queen stares at the strange being. The longer the queen stares, the more fascinated she becomes. To the point that she moves to land next to it, barely noticing when her poisonous mist is drawn inside of a strange glass thing tightly held in the statue¡¯s grip. But she doesn¡¯t care about it. Simply continues staring at the statue as it continues to crack and repair itself with her petrification. Over. And over. Again. She stares for entire minutes. Then the minutes turn into hours. Then into days. Once it reaches five revolutions of the sun high above the hive though, she finally begins to lose interest and flies back into the air and refocuses her attention on the outer hive. But unbeknownst to her, the cracking on the purple stone statue, which had grown faster and faster over these past days even as the Hive Queen undid the cracks, begins to proceed without being repaired. Then, over the course of two entire weeks with the Hive Queen having completely forgotten about the statue by now, the purple stone finally crumbles to reveal the being who was originally petrified. With an incredibly hateful look in her eyes.
Aria Over the course of my entire life, I don¡¯t think I have ever grown to hate anyone. Except for the former Emperor of Albaria. But now? I can¡¯t help but genuinely hate this damned wasp queen. For what must¡¯ve been entire fucking weeks, I was left with a nonstop, completely endless itchiness that couldn¡¯t be satiated. All across my body. While I couldn¡¯t move. That was the most fucking unpleasant thing I¡¯ve ever experienced. But I don¡¯t let my anger control me. I calmly get up from the hive, trying as hard as possible not to let the wasps spot me. Especially not the queen, because I still haven¡¯t grown fully adapted to her petrification despite how long I was under its effects. Which goes to show just how damned powerful she is. And there¡¯s also the fact that I haven¡¯t been poisoned by her stinger yet, which could be much worse than her petrification. So best to not catch her attention. Not sure how to do that though. I glance at the bottle before smirking and immediately teleporting it to the others. Just so that I don¡¯t lose it during whatever happens next. Mission complete at least. Just need to get out of here. But how do I do that without¡­ My thoughts trail off when I lift my head to find myself staring straight at some of the wasps of the hive. ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± I mutter rather quietly despite knowing it won¡¯t do shit. Then one of the wasps literally turns into a blur and stabs me in the chest with its stinger, making pain worse than anything I¡¯d ever felt before fill my body just moments before I feel myself blacking out. No doubt turning into nothing but a rotted corpse. B2 | Chapter 77 The Capital Island of Arian ¡°What do you mean it¡¯ll take an entire two years to get the antidote produced?! Aria is down there right now suffering-¡± the Silver Merchant shouts, startling Ake after she tells him the news. Because the man has never raised his voice even a single time since he and the others arrived on Arian. Ake had long since written it off as impossible for the man. But now he genuinely looks worried for the Horseman. ¡°But she can¡¯t die, you shouldn¡¯t-¡± Ake begins, only to trail off when she sees the hellishly cold glare sent her way by the Silver Merchant. A look she also has never seen from him before. ¡°Know there are worse fates than death,¡± the Silver Merchant states in a tone so cold it sends shivers down Ake¡¯s spine. It only takes her a few seconds to realize that they aren¡¯t literal shivers, but instead small threads of silver metal attached to the Silver Merchant¡¯s fingers that¡¯re now wrapped around her tightly. And she instantly realizes just how deadly the man is. He was always taken by both her and everyone else in the nation as a laid back albeit largely emotionless man who was all merchant and no battle. With nothing but a high level that even she can¡¯t see. One hidden behind an item that blocks anyone without a certain ability or skill from seeing his real level. A level that is far higher than her own. She, a level five hundred and seventy-nine planetary leader, can¡¯t see his level. The level of a mere subordinate of another ruler. Ake grits her teeth as the silver threads dig into her skin a little bit before vanishing, making her drop down a little in response. The Nine Grands really are powerful if even their upper subordinates are this strong¡­ it¡¯s just¡­ frightening¡­ and he¡¯s how young?! She stands up straight again, not a single tribesman around the edge of the island even so much as having noticed what¡¯d just happened. Then she takes a deep breath and lets it out again. It¡¯s too bad the Eternal Dynasty has that neutrality obsession, otherwise he could¡¯ve just slaughtered the entirety of the Frost Clan himself¡­ no, nevermind. It¡¯s not his war. It was ours. ¡°Finish the antidote as soon as possible,¡± the Silver Merchant declares. ¡°I want us to be gone from this planet before Pestilence gets anywhere near.¡± Ake nods her head without a word in response. Then she turns to look down at the clouds below as a silence spreads across the edge of the island. Eventually the Silver Merchant asks, ¡°Has she answered any of your calls since sending the poison up?¡± Ake shakes her head in response, feeling her own hand clenching as she can¡¯t help but feel some worry herself. Despite what she said earlier. Since even when Aria was hung up in a cocoon, she would always respond when called. What she must be going through now¡­ I can¡¯t even imagine.
Aria Over the course of who knows how long, I feel myself slowly coming to, only for a flash of incredible pain to run through me before I black out again. Over. And over. Again. With the wasps killing me again the moment I recover, and their necrotic poison taking longer than anything other than that petrification to recover from has ever taken. I¡¯m left barely able to form any coherent thoughts as the pain simply returns almost immediately after I begin to regain consciousness. Almost like the wasps were dedicated to keeping me dead. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. And this continues on and on. Never ending. The only brief moments of respite are a few times when some sort of explosive or fire bomb is sent through the app. But even that only stalls the next black out by a single minute, giving me a small amount of time to regather my bearings. Before I¡¯m put back under, into the same cycle again.
The Capital Island of Arian One year later Shirogane paces back and forth at the end of the island alongside Hannah as the two feel nervous. More nervous than they¡¯ve ever felt in their entire lives. After one entire year, Aria has not contacted them even a single time. And they can¡¯t do a single thing to help her. Shirogane grits his teeth, deciding to just fucking do it as he activates and sends another nuke through the app to her. Something he can only do because she has it set to allow him to activate things before sending like that. But still no answer. Even after the fifth nuke he¡¯s sent through the teleporter. Which means the mana creatures that no doubt have her are just as tough as the leviathan and other Tier 10 mana creatures on Atlantis. Or the ancient kraken on Eternus in its largest Hunter¡¯s Spot. Shirogane almost loses his temper. Meanwhile Hannah does lose her temper, coating her fists with her barriers and slamming them on the ground as she falls to her knees, tears coming from her eyes without her making a single sound otherwise. They don¡¯t have long before the plague fully envelops the neighboring world. And they¡¯ve tried to completely blockade the entire Gate there, but that hasn¡¯t done a single thing to stop the infection from entering Arian. An infection known as The Rot. One created by Pestilence himself and evolved in nature to turn anything infected by it into a natural sort of zombie. One not created by magic. But by science. The only reason they¡¯ve managed to keep the infection contained was through Hannah¡¯s barriers, keeping it locked on the island that has a Gate connected to the infected world. But that won¡¯t stop Pestilence, who has already been heard to have arrived on the world in question. ¡°At this rate, she¡¯ll still be down there by the time Pestilence arrives¡­¡± Shirogane begins muttering to himself as he returns to pacing. ¡°Then she¡¯ll¡­¡± He blinks as he realizes something. Shirogane turns to Hannah, only to pause when a hologram of the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s emperor appears in front of him, making him instantly kneel down, confusing the woman. Until she sees the hologram as well and takes a step back, looking unsure of how to treat the White Emperor. ¡°Ryohei Shirogane, you are hereby ordered to stop wasting your own funds on trying to free the Horseman of Death from the Tenth Tier of the Hive,¡± the White Emperor declares seconds after appearing, shocking Shirogane until he realizes what he¡¯s saying. But Hannah doesn¡¯t understand like he does and quickly shouts, ¡°What?! You¡¯re just going to abandon her?! You bas-¡± Shirogane quickly covers her mouth before she can finish as he whispers into her ear, ¡°Let him finish.¡± That gives her pause before she seems to calm down, only to notice that his mouth is still near her ear, making her blush. But Shirogane ignores that reaction and returns to the hologram to find his Emperor looking at him with a raised brow. The White Emperor doesn¡¯t ask or speak about what just happened as he continues, ¡°Right now the only way I can see her escaping from the Tier 10s down below is for you to personally save her once the antidote is finished in a year-¡± Hannah gasps, drawing the emperor¡¯s gaze to her for a moment before it returns to Shirogane, ¡°-or for Pestilence to save her himself.¡± Pestilence. The only being in the universe completely immune to every single poison, plague, disease, or any other form of pestilence in existence. No matter how powerful. Even Aria isn¡¯t immune to them, just gains an adaptation and heals after their damage is done. If Pestilence were to hear about her being on this planet, there is no doubt he would go look for her to experiment on her a little bit. His attention isn¡¯t easily focused on one thing for long, so he will likely leave after testing on her for a week or two, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold himself back from trying. And to do that he would most likely save her from whatever fate she¡¯s currently stuck in. ¡°I understand, Your Majesty,¡± Shirogane declares while lowering himself to one knee and bowing his head. ¡°I will make contact with the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Pestilence, and notify him of Aria¡¯s current situation.¡± Shirou Amatsuraki nods his head before adding one last thing before ending the hologram. ¡°Make sure you do not let Pestilence anywhere near Atlantis. We do not want his pet projects to gain any further ground towards the Dynasty. Otherwise I will have to call her back to deal with the infection.¡± Shirogane shivers at the mention of the Nine Star Merchant. But he nods his head all the same, making the hologram vanish moments later. He stands up straight and glances at Hannah for a moment, only to look down at the clouds again. Well, guess I¡¯m gonna be meeting Pestilence soon. You better hold on until then. Even with her ability heavily muting trauma and making it hard for things like this to stick, he still can¡¯t help but worry about her sanity. Although in reality, he understands that he should be more worried about the first person to piss her off after she gets out of there. Since despite what she may think, she does have a temper after dealing with things that would traumatize another. And her temper is frightening. But he wishes she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with things like this. I knew she never should¡¯ve let herself fall down off the islands¡­ B2 | Chapter 78 The Gate on the infected island within Arian Groaning can be heard all across the island as a man with black hair tinted with a sickly green shade while wearing a white lab coat flies through the large Gate and crashes straight through the walls of the emigration fortress, crashing the fortress to the ground in the process. Then the man stops moving, leading to him floating midair above the rotting people moaning and groaning as they lumber around the island. He looks around, briefly looking beyond the island while his already glowing pale green eyes glow even brighter for a moment before dimming again. And without waiting even a second, he pulls out his tablet and begins tapping away on it, muttering to himself, ¡°The spread of the infection seems to take longer to infect through the air on this planet, most likely due to the poisonous mist filling the clouds below¡­ but what could be making the poison¡­ mana creature perhaps? Or something else¡­ either way, the infection looks to¡­¡± He trails off as his head raises to look several thousand meters past the island where an uninfected source of mana enters his senses. But after inspecting it for a second, he lowers his head back to his tablet and continues muttering, ¡°Infection doesn¡¯t mix well with poisons¡­ will have to find the source of the poison to determine what unique properties it has but for now¡­¡± He pauses in his muttering as he summons a vial in midair and flies straight over the edge of the island and down to the clouds below to fill it with poison. Then he flies back over the island again and finishes, ¡°¡­sample of the poison collected. Now¡­¡± The man stops muttering to himself again and raises his head from the tablet as the uninfected source of mana reaches the island. He studies the source of mana ¨C a man with silver hair, eyes, and clothes ¨C for a few seconds as if looking at an insect beneath his feet. One whose worth is absolutely nothing in his eyes. Not a threat. Not an annoyance. Not even a person. Just a potential test subject. A boring one most likely. Then he disregards him again and focuses on his tablet some more, returning to tapping away on it. Almost collected all of the data I need on this evolved branch¡­ but I still need- His thoughts are interrupted when the silver-haired interruption speaks, stating, ¡°Horseman of the Apocalypse, Pestilence, I would like to make a trade with you for something you will be interested.¡± Pestilence, otherwise known as Victor von L¨¹neburg, turns his head to finally pay more than an ounce of attention to the interruption as he asks, ¡°What is it? Speak now or leave.¡± Victor is mildly surprised by the level of the interruption considering how this should only be a Beta Tier world, but he doesn¡¯t care enough about the planet to think further on it. His interest is quickly piqued, however, when the interruption states, ¡°Would you like to know the location of the perfect test subject to some of your experiments? A subject who cannot die. Another Horseman of the Apocalypse?¡± Victor finally closes out of his tablet as he moves so fast that the interruption¡¯s eyes don¡¯t even follow him, appearing right in front of the interruption while asking, ¡°Speak child. Now.¡± Meanwhile sparks of pale green energy begin to flicker out of his equally pale green and whiteless eyes. ¡°Aria Crimson, the Horseman of the Apocalypse known as Death,¡± the interruption continues, making Victor¡¯s eyes narrow. ¡°I will tell you where she is so long as you do two things for me.¡± Pestilence stares directly into the interruption¡¯s eyes for a few seconds before stating once more, ¡°Speak.¡± The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. He¡¯s been interested in Death ever since he saw that notification. If for no other reason than to test out his plagues and poisons on her just to see how they would affect an immortal and for how long. With one of them being even more interesting to test on her than others, merely to see if it¡¯ll work. ¡°First, you will save her from her current predicament, and second, you will only experiment on her for at most two weeks and no longer,¡± the interruption continues. Pestilence doesn¡¯t waste any time as he declares, ¡°Deal. Tell me where, child.¡± The child visibly relaxes, but Victor doesn¡¯t care. All he cares about is his test subject. He doesn¡¯t even care about the infection anymore, deciding to let it do whatever as he leaves. Although he might return at a later date to see what comes of it. ¡°She is at the very center of the Hunter¡¯s Spot located at the core of this planet beneath the clouds, and she¡¯s captured by the Tier 10 mana creatures down there,¡± the child answers right away, still surprising Victor a little with the completely emotionless tone of voice and facial expressions he¡¯s using. But this man is of little consequence to him. What he cares about is finding the test subject in question. So without any hesitation, he snaps his fingers, making a horse appear in the air next to him, neighing so loudly that it echoes across the surrounding islands with a sickly tone. The horse lets off a sickly green flame from various parts of its body while wearing a set of black and green armor, with the same pale green and glowing eyes that Pestilence has. Victor jumps onto its back and vanishes in an instant from the child¡¯s sight without another word.
Aria The endless pain continues on and on, with only the breaks in my consciousness giving me any pause. Which is why it¡¯s so noticeable when all of it suddenly disappears out of nowhere, leaving me blinking as I lie flat on the ground. I fail to move at all for several seconds, as if trying to remember how. Then, with the help of¡­ someone... who pulls me up by the arm pit, I manage to reach my feet again while still blinking. It takes me a few moments to figure out what¡¯s happened. First for my mind to fully recuperate from the trauma I just went through ¨C which feels a bit more distant than it should. Probably because of my ability. Then for me to register what is currently surrounding me. The massive hole going straight through the Hive from the outside in. The dead and dying vegetation and the rotting and sickly bugs and even the trees in the center of the Hive. The faint flickers of some sort of green energy leaving the corpses and trailing their way towards where I am. And most importantly, the man whose expression is completely blank as he floats midair while still holding me by the armpit. He has glowing pale green eyes with a slightly sickly tone to them, black hair tinted heavily in that same sickly shade of green, and a white lab coat on over a dress shirt and green tie. Most importantly though, I feel that same click in my mind that I felt with War. And I instantly know who he is. Victor von L¨¹neburg. The Harbinger of Pestilence, Horseman of the Apocalypse, White Horseman, and one of the most infamous figures across the entire universe. Pestilence. ¡°Deal has been made, now it¡¯s your turn, Death,¡± Pestilence declares, making me frown in confusion. Then he explains for me. ¡°A silver-haired interruption above gave you to me to experiment on for two weeks so long as I save you.¡± I blink in surprise by how much he¡¯s talking. Because I¡¯ve heard the man almost never talks. And when he does, it¡¯s mostly him muttering to himself or just saying a very brief sentence. Like all that matters to him are his experiments. Although his calling the person who I¡¯m guessing is probably Shirogane ¨C he¡¯s the only one on the planet that I know with silver hair after all ¨C an interruption does sound like what I¡¯ve heard of him. But¡­ a deal? Guess a long time must¡¯ve passed. I glance at the rotting corpse of the Tier 10 mana creature, feeling¡­ more than a little terrified by how easily this man ¨C whose hand is still holding me up in the air by my armpit ¨C killed the queen. Then I return my gaze to Pestilence and nod my head, only briefly glancing at the odd horse floating next to him. He doesn¡¯t wait for more response. Simply moves onto the horse while adjusting his hold on me to hold me in his arms instead ¨C a rather awkward position ¨C before some sort of green portal appears in front of him and the horse gallops through it leading to us arriving on some barren and dead planet. One I recognize from the Universal Feed as Pestilence¡¯s home world. Vest. B2 | Chapter 79 Aria Everything I¡¯ve heard about Vest has been¡­ pretty bad. The world was completely destroyed by Pestilence. Everything on it plagued, poisoned, or diseased. Killed in a slow and drawn out way, including the planet itself. Which honestly seems to be falling apart in places. The only person who still lives here is Pestilence. No one has the coordinates to the planet and there aren¡¯t any Gates here. Pestilence is just known to make his own temporary portals here using pestilence energy. Which makes me wonder if I¡¯ll be able to make portals with death energy in the future. Either way, the horse just kinda gallops through the air towards a large castle on a barren cliff as I try to digest everything that¡¯s happened. Ignoring the fact that Pestilence is still holding me in a princess carry. While somehow ignoring my existence despite that. Not sure if I should be annoyed by how he¡¯s carrying me or annoyed by being viewed as nothing but a test subject. But at least he got me out of that eternal hell. Can¡¯t really see his poisons being much worse than spending an entire year nonstop dying. Still odd how it feels¡­ so distant. Like the trauma happened a while ago. Like it¡¯s already been healed mostly. So weird¡­ I shake my head at the thought before remembering the absolute devastation brought about by Pestilence¡¯s arrival. How long did he fight with the Hive queen? Did he kill her in an instant? After a long battle? What happened? I can¡¯t help but frown at the lack of intel, but once we make it to his little castle, he just kinda unceremoniously dumps me on the ground and begins walking further inside while saying, ¡°Follow.¡± Rude. But I do so, because this is the agreement Shirogane made. And I would much rather be poisoned by him for a couple weeks than killed for years. To my surprise, I actually find some people working in the castle. Only for them all to run away the moment Pestilence gets near. They don¡¯t actually look like they¡¯re sad or upset or anything though. Maybe a little sickly, but not deathly sick. And they actually look happy despite obviously running away from Pestilence. Then again, everything I¡¯ve heard about him is that if you leave him alone and have nothing to do with his current experiment, he¡¯ll ignore your existence entirely. So he won¡¯t bother you. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he¡¯s just ignoring them and they¡¯re just avoiding running into or bothering him. A rather odd setup, not gonna lie. None of them look too surprised to see me other than what I¡¯m guessing is the fact that I¡¯m following him willingly. Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he¡¯s brought other test subjects here unwillingly before. Either way, we continue through the castle until we arrive at a large lab where he says, ¡°Don¡¯t bother me for five minutes. I¡¯ll be preparing the first and most urgent poison to use on you.¡± I nod my head before glancing around the lab, feeling a little surprised that he¡¯s just letting me roam around without anything binding me or stopping me from messing with stuff. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Not sure if that¡¯s just his apathy, the fact that I¡¯m also a Horseman, or what. Don¡¯t much care either way though. The five minutes pass by rather quickly before he returns with a syringe filled with some sort of strange purplish blue liquid. A color similar to some time magic I¡¯ve seen. A very rare magic that can¡¯t really do much beyond seeing the future or the past, or maybe reversing time on an¡­ object¡­ Wait, is he- He sticks the syringe in my arm faster than I can react, following which a burning pain spreads throughout my entire body and I almost instantly black out. When I wake up again, I find myself lying down on a slab of stone without any pain. Huh. Interesting. I sit up while looking around, only to realize something. Why does everything look so big? I move my legs over the edge of the stone slab, only to realize that my legs are too small for my current clothes. Excuse me, what? I look down to take a closer look at myself in general, only to find that everything¡¯s smaller. And my clothes don¡¯t fit anymore. So I look up again, only to find Pestilence typing away at a tablet right in front of me as he mutters, ¡°Took thirteen days to awaken¡­ time reversion reverted back a few years within that time¡­ return to normalcy estimated to be a few months¡­¡± He raises his head to meet my eyes ¨C his eyes being distinctly higher than I remember along with his height in general ¨C before he says, ¡°It¡¯s a success. You¡¯ve been helpful, Death.¡± The man simply nods his head once and turns around to walk away while mumbling to me, ¡°I¡¯ll return you to that backwater world tomorrow. Do whatever until then.¡± Then he just kinda starts muttering to himself while messing with his tablet and looking over some documents and a few test tubes. As if he¡¯s completely forgotten my existence. Although some of the things he mutters implies that whatever he¡¯s done to make me ¨C judging by what he said about the time reversion thing ¨C regress in physical age wasn¡¯t the only thing he did. Just that most of the stuff he tested on me was done while I was out from the first thing. Because apparently he didn¡¯t need me awake to test the stuff. And he could do it while also studying the time reversion thing. Guess that¡¯s good at least. There was barely any pain or discomfort. Just that initial burst of pain from the first thing. Anyways, I go ahead and ask, ¡°Got a mirror?¡± He waves his hand towards one end of the room where some glass is. Not really a mirror but it works. I walk over to it before freezing stiff at the sight of my reflection. Huh. Well that¡¯s¡­ huh. He said this should revert fully in a few months, right? I¡¯m pretty sure he muttered that. Just in case, I turn around and call back, ¡°You said I should return to normal in a few months?¡± He calls back in that same muttering tone, ¡°Thereabouts. Might be faster if your adaptation speeds it up further.¡± Good then. Because it would be annoying to go around looking like a thirteen year old child for a long time. Also, I need a new outfit. Because none of my outfits are going to fit me now. I frown at my reflection in the mirror. One showing me being even shorter than normal. Damnit, this is annoying. Then again, could¡¯ve been worse. And it should only last a few months for my adaptation to return me to normal. Probably less, since my adaptation should be constantly working to correct this. Actually, it may be beneficial in the end. Because more adaptations are always nice. I turn around while glancing at Pestilence, who is currently mixing some liquids in some vials and doing some sciency things. Come to think of it, how did he even manage this? He shouldn¡¯t have anything related to time magic¡­ Interesting. Well, anyways, he said he would take me back tomorrow. Meaning he¡¯s giving me the fourteenth day off. Seeing as he said thirteen days earlier. I would say that¡¯s nice of him, but he¡¯s probably just lost interest from what I¡¯ve come to learn of his personality. Certainly an odd fellow. One perfectly capable of killing an entire planet without blinking an eye, but also apathetic to a fault about anything he doesn¡¯t care about. Very strange and messed up fellow indeed. Kind of hope I don¡¯t meet him again. On that note, I begin to awkwardly make my way out of the lab, pretty much waddling due to my current form and attire not really fitting. And when I leave his lab, some of the servants going about the castle spot me and immediately start fussing over me, to my immense irritation. Something about me being adorable, even with sinisterly glowing red eyes and stark white hair. I scowl at them, which apparently just makes me look cuter in their eyes. But they eventually leave, since they¡¯re not blind that I don¡¯t like it. This¡­ is going to be a really long few months, isn¡¯t it? I let out a sigh at that and continue walking through the castle. Probably just gonna hole myself up in a Hunter¡¯s Spot to let my spirits hunt during this time¡­ after he brings me back, that is. I¡¯m really not looking forward to Hannah¡¯s reaction when she sees me though. B2 | Chapter 80 Aria Over the course of my day at Pestilence¡¯s castle, I put in a lot of thought about my ability. Particularly how my ability¡¯s adaptation is affected by the level and power of the thing it¡¯s adapting to. For example, the poison from the Tier 10 mana creature. It was so much more powerful that it ended up making my ability adapt to it far slower. Meanwhile those wasps were also far more powerful than me, but they made up for it by repeatedly stinging me, using a massive amount of the thing I¡¯m adapting to instead. Then there¡¯s Pestilence¡¯s time reversal poison. Which ended is supposedly taking months to heal even with my adaptation growing to it as time goes on. Pestilence is one of the three most powerful beings in the entire universe, and despite him only using the thing on me a single time, it still managed to revert me ¨C according to him when I asked ¨C back to when I was about eight years old. Although he said that no one would be able to revert me any younger than that, even though his poison was originally supposed to revert someone all the way back to infancy. But it instead only reverted me to eight years old. About the same age Little Blue was when I met her. The fact that it reverted me that far is still surprising and shows just how powerful Pestilence is. So power and the number of times I¡¯m affected by whatever it is I¡¯m being adapted to seems to alter the amount of time it takes to adapt to it. Never really had much to go off of for that back on Vortel, since nothing on Vortel was anywhere near as powerful as the things outside of Vortel. On another note, I learned from the people in Pestilence¡¯s castle just how it is to live on this planet. They actually live relatively well and are given plenty of food, water, and supplies so long as they work to maintain his castle without getting in his way at all. The only real issue is that if they do end up getting in his way then they¡¯ll either end up dead or thrown across the castle before the man proceeds to ignore them. Depending on the severity of whatever they did. A rather surprising fact considering Pestilence¡¯s being a Horseman of the Apocalypse. Their having comfortable lives here that is. Then again, Pestilence is just an apathetic person when it doesn¡¯t relate to his experiments. I tap my fingers on the edge of the balcony looking out over the planet that is literally dead. To the degree that it¡¯s falling apart, with large chunks of the planet just floating in space around it. Apparently one of the first major things Pestilence did in the universe. Killing his own world through some sort of poison. Or an acid to be more accurate. Or both. A strange one that burns through anything non-organic and kills anything organic. In the end leading to him completely destroying and killing the planet and everything on it, turning it into his own personal lair. Since Gates didn¡¯t exist back then. No one knows exactly how long ago this was. No one except maybe the Nine Grands. But it was suspected to be at least several hundred thousand years ago. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Actually, no one knows how old the Nine Grands are either. Records of the past were just kinda lost over the years. And the Nine Grands don¡¯t talk about their age. Especially the ones that, well, don¡¯t talk much. At all. Like Pestilence and the Leader of the Council of Darkness. Even Famine, who is known to be arrogant and very narcissistic, doesn¡¯t ever speak about his age. Other than going on and on about how much older he is without specifying an amount. Makes me wonder why they¡¯re all hiding it. My thoughts are interrupted when I feel someone grabbing me from my armpit again before lifting me up, startling me in the process. Then I find myself being moved into Pestilence¡¯s arms once more as the man sits on his horse. A little warning would¡¯ve been nice. I frown at him, but he ignores me, instead just waving his hand and making another portal appear. One clearly leading to Arian. And without hesitation, he quickly has his horse gallop through the portal before dropping me on the ground, circling around once, and reentering the portal without a word with the portal closing behind him. Damnit, that guy really is annoying. Just does things without warning all the time. Then again, he¡¯s strong enough that he doesn¡¯t need to say anything. I stand up while wiping the grass off of my pants ¨C pants that still don¡¯t fit because he doesn¡¯t have clothes to fit me ¨C and looking around. Only to find myself getting tackled to the ground again by someone who moves faster than I can see. But after grunting and turning to look at the person squeezing me in a hug, I find it to actually be Shirogane. And he is actually crying. Huh. This¡­ is not the welcome I was expecting. He¡¯s also not saying anything. Just crying on my shoulder. I just stare up at the sky while patting him on the back, feeling more than a little awkward by my age still being about thirteen years old by appearance. After several minutes, he finally lets go and helps me to my feet, briefly looking me over with a vaguely surprised and amused look on his face. I then wipe the grass off of my clothes again. But before either of us can say anything, I¡¯m tackled to the ground again by someone I can see this time. Hannah. ¡°Can you people please stop that?¡± I begin, only to trail off before I say any more as she¡¯s crying too. Instead I mutter, ¡°What¡¯s with all the crying¡­¡± Not really sure why they were so worried. It¡¯s only been a few years since I last saw them. Also, it¡¯s weird to see Hannah looking so young. Very weird. And is it just me, or is Shirogane looking a bit younger as well? Not sure what¡¯s up with that. Or how he managed to move so fast at the level I thought he was. Actually, he doesn¡¯t look to be wearing that silver necklace of his anymore. Wonder if that has anything to do with it. Anyways, Hannah eventually lets me climb to my feet before she puts her hands on my shoulders, a worried look in her eyes as she asks, ¡°Are you okay? Do you need to talk about it? And did Pestilence do anything to you?¡± Then she blinks as if finally noticing my appearance. ¡°And¡­ why do you look so young?¡± ¡°Talk about what?¡± I ask while tilting my head. ¡°And it was the main poison he used on me. One that reverted my age. But it should only last for a few more months at most. Then I¡¯ll be back to normal.¡± Both Hannah and Shirogane share a confused glance at my question, but they look relieved at my answer to the latter. ¡°Glad to hear you¡¯ll be returning to normal soon,¡± Shirogane says with a faint smile. ¡°But are you sure you¡¯re¡­ ya know, okay?¡± ¡°Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± I ask while tilting my head. Then I remember what happened when I was in the Hive. ¡°Oh, the stuff in the Hive? Yeah, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m pretty sure my ability is altering my brain somehow to make trauma just¡­ not stick.¡± They both look worried about what I just said, but I¡¯m not really sure why. It¡¯s a good thing after all. Then Hannah suddenly turns serious as she focuses on me, takes a deep breath, and says, ¡°Aria, there¡¯s¡­ something I need to tell you. Something that happened while you were gone.¡± I blink at that in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± I ask, a frown growing on my face. Hannah¡¯s face tenses up a little before she eventually says, ¡°Rogers¡­ I mean, Frank¡­ is nearing the end of his lifespan. We got word about it from Vortel while you were¡­ unable to be contacted.¡± My entire body tenses up as my eyes widen and I freeze. It feels almost as if time is frozen as I stare. As silence fills the island around us. And as Shirogane and Hannah both look me directly in the eye, with tears building up in Hannah¡¯s own eyes. ¡°We should go back as soon as possible,¡± Hannah says as tears begin to build up in my own eyes. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have long left, and he won¡¯t be able to reach level one hundred before it happens.¡± Silence fills the island once more, and I can¡¯t seem to move at all. Rogers¡­ is dying. I¡­ have to go back to Vortel. B2 | Epilogue A Grand Throne Room on the Capital Planet of the Dread Empire A man sits on a throne with his legs crossed and a wide grin splitting his face, his cheek resting on his fist leaning against the throne¡¯s armrest. And after reading the message from the Council of Darkness¡¯s information gathering center, he lets out a maniacal laugh that sends a shiver running down the spines of every last noble filling the throne room. Each of whom are visibly starved with sunken cheeks and pale skin as they kneel down on the sides of the Grand Throne Room. The man on the throne has pitch black hair with faint gray highlights, pitch black orbs with a faint glowing white light for eyes, and skin so pale that it looks like it is clinging to him. ¡°So they¡¯ve both met her, have they?!¡± he practically shouts, the grin ever present on his face while still laughing. ¡°Then it¡¯s only right that I do so as well!¡± The man, known by the masses as Famine, the Black Horseman of the Apocalypse and Harbinger of Famine, Ignatius Darkheart, waves his hand in front of him. And as he does so, the hovering screen next to him changes to show a world on it. One with only twenty-five percent of the planet being covered by water, with an older level of technology and a strange attire for their soldiers. One of those worlds where both men and women wear skirts. ¡°The Grand Roan Empire, is it?¡± Ignatius asks, making some of the nobles in the hall nod their heads weakly in response. ¡°How about I give a little gift to our new Horseman friend! Just to show her who¡¯s who in this universe.¡± Every last noble in the hall noticeably shivers in terror at those words, clearly understanding just what he means. Because he¡¯s known for being the only one amongst the Horsemen who truly does have a superiority complex over non Horsemen of the Apocalypse. So they all know that he¡¯s doing this to show just how powerful and superior the Horsemen are compared to the others in the universe. ¡°Let¡¯s wipe out that pitiful little Empire from the face of this universe,¡± Ignatius declares, his grin growing wider. ¡°And we¡¯ll see just how my new compatriot feels seeing this!¡± ¡°As you wish, Your Imperial Dread Majesty,¡± all of the nobles declare at once, feeding Famine¡¯s ego even further. A new Horseman, making her mark on the universe already¡­ Famine leans back on his throne and looks out the window at the smoke-filled skies of the planet. Ah, goes to show just how superior we are. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Somewhere in the Universe A man stands in a vast spaceship coated in a black and crimson energy, shielding it from the sight of anyone outside of the ship or any other ship in the fleet. The man has crimson eyes and stark white hair as he crosses his arms, looking out beyond the front window of the ship¡¯s bridge. Meanwhile he has a crimson crystal in the shape of a diamond implanted in the chest plate of his black and crimson high-tech armor. All of the people in the bridge other than him have glowing eyes of varying different shades and don dark colored cloaks, but the only ones with the same stark white hair as him are the two people standing at his sides. One a woman standing at about five foot five inches tall with long and beautiful stark hair, a similar set of high tech armor to the man¡¯s, and a bright smile on her face. A smile that is almost never seen. And a man who looks like a slightly younger version of the man next to him, with the same hair and armor. And both of them also have the same crystal implanted in their armor as the man. Meanwhile all three of them stand without moving an inch as they stare at a screen floating in front of them. One showing a woman with a similar albeit younger appearance to them all standing on an island, with the same crimson crystal that the three have implanted in her current outfit. An outfit that looks too large for her current size. No audio is being played through the screen, but they all look happy seeing her, surprising the other people in the bridge. ¡°Your Majesty, we have gotten word that Famine has made his move,¡± one of the men sitting behind a monitor lower in the multi-deck bridge states, snapping the three people out of their trance. The man at the center turns to look at the man who spoke before focusing on the window of the bridge and declaring, ¡°His target?¡± ¡°The Grand Roan Empire, Your Majesty,¡± a different man answers from down below in the bridge. ¡°Hmm,¡± the man at the center hums while rubbing his chin. ¡°Don¡¯t interfere beyond making sure he doesn¡¯t go too far. Help evacuate the citizens to keep them out of Famine¡¯s reign after he defeats the Empire.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± all of the members of the Crimson Empire declare in unison. ¡°You¡¯re letting some of them go?¡± the younger man next to him asks with a frown on his face. ¡°After what they¡¯ve been trying to do?¡± ¡°Dear, the citizens have no say in what their emperor does,¡± the woman says, her voice resonating smoothly through the room. That gives the younger man pause for a moment before he sighs and nods his head without another word. Then the man in the center returns his focus to the screen in front of them as he says, ¡°Let the Horseman do as he pleases to the nobility of the Grand Roan Empire, but the citizens are innocent.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± all of the members of the Empire declare once more. ¡°When will we be able to meet her?¡± the younger man asks, a scowl on his face. ¡°Can¡¯t I at least send a clone to her?¡± The Emperor of the Crimson Empire glances at his son before looking at his wife and then the screen as he says, ¡°Not yet. The crystal isn¡¯t finished absorbing death energy. We won¡¯t receive the memories if we don¡¯t wait. And if we don¡¯t have the memories, we would be wasting the one chance we¡¯d have to see her before the curse blocks us for another century.¡± Both his wife and son grit their teeth at that, but neither say anything in response. Instead all three of them focus on the screen, watching the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death, as she goes around gathering supplies in Arian, looking like she¡¯s about to leave the planet to go to another one. Soon. We¡¯ll meet soon. B3 | Glossary And here''s the glossary for book 3 of Crimson Eternal! Click here to go to it! This glossary includes more descriptions of worlds along with some more character descriptions from the story. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. After this, book 3''s first chapter will be posted most likely on Monday following my new schedule. A schedule of 3 chapters a week for Wolf of the Blood Moon, 3 for Reaper''s Resurgence, 3 for Crimson Eternal, and one for each of my secondary stories except when one secondary story is prioritized like one will be next week. B3 | Chapter 1 Aria ¡°What do you mean I can¡¯t travel through this Gate?!¡± I shout as I glare at Azura, who is standing in front of me alongside the guards blocking the Gate to Luk¡¯tar. And I genuinely feel angry at him. Not to mention the two princesses standing next to him. But his next words completely deflate that anger as he says, ¡°The Gate to Luk¡¯tar has been sealed off until their war against the Crimson Flag is over. And even then talks have been made about sealing the Gate forever with the help of the Rex Dynasty.¡± I stare at Azura for several seconds before glancing at Little Blue, only for her to nod her head. Then I glance at Sel, and she nods hers too. ¡°Well fuck,¡± I mutter. And without hesitation, I ask, ¡°Do you have any other way to reach the Eternal Dynasty? Or more importantly, Vortel?¡± The three royals both frown before sharing a glance, making me sit here impatiently as both Shirogane and Hannah finally leave the speeder thing Shirogane had to get through the water street. All three of us immediately rushed back to Atlantis the moment Hannah told me about Roger¡¯s life coming to an end, but I couldn¡¯t take it and immediately rushed ahead of the two only to find myself stopped at the Gate when the royals showed up. Almost like they were expecting me. Probably Shirogane¡¯s doing. But¡­ War finally got called over to Luk¡¯tar then? That¡­ was bound to happen eventually, if I¡¯m being honest. Which is dark to think, but true. It must¡¯ve happened after Hannah passed through as well. Damnit. Eventually the three royals turn back to me and Azura answers my question, ¡°If you¡¯re asking about the Eternal Dynasty, there are a lot of places connected to Eternus. But as for Vortel, you¡¯re better off searching for a Gate to Eternus and going to Vortel through there. It¡¯s too new a world to have a Gate to most worlds. Especially those connected to ours.¡± ¡°Okay, then the closest world with a connection to Eternus,¡± I ask, feeling fidgety. Like I want to just run off to find a way myself despite knowing that won¡¯t achieve much. ¡°That¡­¡± Azura begins before glancing behind me as Hannah and Shirogane reach us, ¡°would be a better question for Shirogane than us.¡± Right. He¡¯s from Eternus and works for them. He should know a lot of worlds with Gates there. I turn away from the royals to face Shirogane as I ask, ¡°Do you know any worlds nearby that have a Gate to Eternus?¡± He looks surprised for a second before his face turns emotionless, the man entering business mode, and he answers, ¡°Eternus is currently connected to a world connected to Atlantis. It would be our best chance to get to Vortel quickly, but it will also be difficult to pass through.¡± My eyes narrow slightly as I ask, ¡°Difficult to pass through?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Rex Dynasty of the Dead¡¯s capital world, Rex,¡± Azura answers for him. Shirogane nods his head and then continues, ¡°There¡¯s one other option as well. A world connected to Atlantis that is also connected to a world with a Gate to Eternus. But that would likely be even more difficult to pass through thanks to just how strict they are with their immigration laws. And even then you would still have to pass through a sub-world belonging to the Rex Dynasty.¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. I grit my teeth before looking down at the ground, my hands clenched into fists so tightly that blood is beginning to be drawn from my palms. Even if said blood vanishes in a flash of crimson light and the wounds heal right away. Eventually I raise my head again and ask, ¡°Which would you choose? Which has the best chance of us successfully making it?¡± He blinks, the skill I¡¯ve come to know that¡¯s blocking his emotions ¨C something he never actually told me but I managed to figure out on my own over the years ¨C flipping off and then on for a moment before he answers, ¡°The chances of us getting through Rex unmolested and granted passage through their Gate on the other side of the world connecting to Eternus is rather slim. I can¡¯t see us being in any danger there, but most likely, we¡¯d end up found the moment we arrived by half the populace on the planet. Including the fanatics.¡± I shiver at the mention of the fanatics. So that¡¯s a definite no to Rex then. ¡°So you¡¯re saying the other world is the correct choice?¡± I ask with a frown. ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take to get immigration rights?¡± At that, Azura frowns and asks, ¡°Excuse me, Shirogane, but are you talking about the Shengshi Dynasty?¡± ¡°The Shengshi¡­¡± I begin to mutter, only for Shirogane to nod his head in response. ¡°That could prove troublesome,¡± Azura says before glancing at Little Blue, who steps up and continues for him. ¡°The Shengshi Dynasty is currently having¡­ some trouble,¡± she says with a frown. ¡°Ascension trouble mostly. They¡¯re trying to figure out who will be the next heir to the imperial throne, but aren¡¯t having much luck since both princes have relatively equal claims to the throne. And they¡¯re currently locking entry to and from their nation except a limited few during this scuffle.¡± Well, shit. ¡°We can get you through if you really need to go through there, but it might be better to choose a different route,¡± Sel responds this time, making me and Hannah turn to look at Shirogane. Who just looks down while rubbing his chin. ¡°Well, from what I can remember, there is one way I could see us getting them to let us pass through,¡± Shirogane answers, seemingly surprising all three royals. ¡°How?!¡± they all exclaim at once, startling Shirogane. Guess they want to pass through themselves? Or maybe get trade through? Shirogane glances at me, then at Azura as he says, ¡°Simple. We do the same thing we always do. Have Aria solve things with her ability.¡± That has me frowning. And the other three don¡¯t seem to understand it either. Until Azura¡¯s face turns to a look of realization as he mutters, ¡°The curse¡­¡± Shirogane nods his head and repeats, ¡°The curse.¡± Both of the princesses seem to understand, and the royal guards who are just kinda listening in on our conversation while keeping a sound proof bubble around us all shiver. As if they¡¯d heard something atrocious. ¡°What curse?¡± I ask at the same time as Hannah asks, ¡°Curse?¡± Shirogane glances at me and answers, ¡°The Royal Vault in the Inner Palace of the Shengshi Dynasty is covered in a curse. One that instantly rips all of the organs and blood out of anyone who steps inside of the vault.¡± Ah. ¡°So you want me to offer my services to go inside and bring the treasure inside of it out?¡± I ask while tilting my head a little. He nods his head, saying, ¡°Correct. If you do that, they¡¯re bound to let you at the very least pass through the planet.¡± ¡°If we could do this, then why would it even be a question of whether or not to go through this planet? Whatever it¡¯s called,¡± I ask with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s called Sheng,¡± Azura answers my question, making me glance at him again. ¡°And it¡¯s because most of the infighting between the two princes is going down in the Inner Palace itself. Not through warfare, but through politics.¡± ¡°And they¡¯re bound to try pulling you to their side if you enter,¡± Little Blue adds, a scowl on her face. As if she¡¯s upset at them for even considering it despite it not happening yet. Oh. So it¡¯s just a political nuisance. ¡°Anything else I should know about the place?¡± I ask with a frown while crossing my arms. So far it¡¯s sounding like the correct choice. Azura frowns slightly before his eyebrows rise slightly and he adds, ¡°Oh, right. Shirogane won¡¯t be able to enter the Inner Palace since it¡¯s women, their royalty, and eunuchs only.¡± I stare blankly at him for several seconds. Then I glance at Shirogane to find him nodding his head. So I turn back again to ask, ¡°Why?¡± That¡¯s a very¡­ odd¡­ rule. ¡°There are actually a couple nations like that across the universe,¡± Sel comments, bringing my attention to her. ¡°It often tends to happen in more traditional planets where the ruler has a harem and is rather possessive of them. To the point that they don¡¯t allow any men in the place their women live. Or at least, for the most part. Hence the eunuchs in the Inner Palace.¡± Oh. I glance at Shirogane before taking a deep breath and saying, ¡°It¡¯s our best chance to get to Vortel as quickly as possible. So let¡¯s go.¡± He nods his head, and Hannah does as well. Looks like we¡¯re going to Sheng. B3 | Chapter 2 Aria It ends up taking us about two weeks of travel to reach the Gate leading to Sheng. Simply because the Gate is on the opposite side of the world as the Gate to Luk¡¯tar. And after we arrive, both princesses pretty much tackle me with a hug, bothering me ever so slightly by the fact that they¡¯re taller than me right now. Since I¡¯m still reverted in age because of Pestilence¡¯s poison. Although after taking two weeks to travel to this Gate, and another week or so to travel to Luk¡¯tar from Arian before that, I¡¯ve already gone back to looking like a sixteen or so year old. So the poison¡¯s effect is going away. Eventually the two let go of me and step back. Then Azura steps forward and reaches his hand out, so I reach in return to shake it as he says, ¡°There¡¯s not much point in telling you to stay safe, but do stay happy at least.¡± I nod to him and respond, ¡°You stay safe, Azura.¡± I glance at the two princesses and add, ¡°And you too, Little Blue and Sel.¡± Little Blue blushes at my use of her nickname before quickly looking around to see if anyone nearby heard. Something she often does for some reason. Ever since she became a teenager a while back. But I ignore her as I glance at Shirogane. Only for a flash of a camera to briefly blind me when I turn past Sel, finding her taking a picture of me. She just stares at me before smiling without saying a word. ¡°Uh, what was¡­¡± I ask, but she just says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± I stare for several seconds, feeling slightly embarrassed at her taking a picture of me being in my younger form. But at the end of the day, I don¡¯t really care. So I turn back to face Shirogane to find him nodding his head. Then he, Hannah, and I all begin to walk through the Gate. And immediately after passing through, we find ourselves staring at two dozen soldiers in a little fortress surrounding the Gate. With more soldiers on the walls of the fortress. The soldiers are all wearing metal armor, with helmets on their head that cover their entire head and much older metal armor plating across their bodies. They also have swords and spears without any guns. Which is surprising. Even if I¡¯d already looked into it before. Most of the worlds I¡¯ve been to at least have some guns. So it¡¯s just weird to see even if I was expecting it. ¡°Aria Crimson, Ryohei Shirogane, and Hannah Harvey, you three are all to follow us, and you are not to go anywhere without an armed guard,¡± someone standing at the gate to the fortress wearing a lot of cloth with his hair also wrapped up in cloth for some reason shouts. Probably some sort of officer considering the different outfit. ¡°We will be taking you directly to the Inner Palace. Lady Crimson and Lady Harvey will enter the Inner Palace and stay until His Imperial Majesty has the time to see you to the Royal Vault, while Sir Ryohei will be shown to the guards barracks in the Outer Court.¡± They certainly don¡¯t take no for an answer, do they? Don¡¯t even give us the chance to. Shirogane motions for us to walk forward as he speaks through our communication ring, ¡®Just do as they say. It¡¯ll make things easier to pass through if we don¡¯t raise any sort of fuss. They¡¯re already giving us special permissions.¡¯ Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. I share a glance with Hannah before nodding my head. Then I focus on the man who seems to be impatiently waiting for us and tell him, ¡°Very well.¡± And the three of us quickly begin to follow after them. First outside of the fortress, and then down a road with an escort of about two dozen soldiers. Once we arrive at a large city, I find it looking very¡­ old. From what I learned in my research, the Shengshi Dynasty specializes solely in Ability Holders. They put very little importance on technology or magic and focus entirely on Ability Holders. In fact, they have the most Class S Ability Holders out of most worlds except for the Nine Grands. With the exception of a couple Alpha Tier worlds. Despite them being on a Beta Tier world themselves. We enter the city before passing straight through it, easily drawing the eye of the citizens due to our clothing very much not matching the local clothing. I personally was left buying some new outfits to fit my current size. Which was annoying. But we definitely stand out like a sore thumb. Whether it¡¯s due to the soldiers escorting us, our outfits, or the weapons we have on hand. Everything about us stands out. While we walk, passing through the gate on the other side of the city to walk on the road away from it, I can¡¯t help but think back on the poison Pestilence used. I¡¯m glad Pestilence told me how the poison worked. Or a vague amount about it. Mostly the fact that the poison doesn¡¯t actually change the life force of the one affected at all. So it won¡¯t restart their lifespan or anything. And if it¡¯s used on someone else, it¡¯ll most likely kill them. Seeing as it¡¯s not even complete yet. And he wasn¡¯t really making it to help people anyways. The body can¡¯t handle being reverted in time all the way back to infancy after all. I¡¯m only fine because I¡¯m me. Meaning the poison wouldn¡¯t do anything for Rogers. I grit my teeth as we walk, not really paying attention to much. Especially since the soldiers are all dead silent as they march, and so are Shirogane and Hannah. Why¡­ why didn¡¯t I even try to spend more time with them? Because of the Grand Roan Empire? Sure we talked over the Universal Feed, but I could¡¯ve talked more than we already did. Could¡¯ve tried to get to know them better. But I just didn¡¯t bother. Didn¡¯t care. Why? My frown grows deeper and deeper. This is why I wanted to avoid making connections¡­ My thoughts pause for a moment when we all arrive at some sort of group of carriages drawn by horse-like creatures. And the soldiers quickly get us in the central carriage before we all take off on the road. Then I¡¯m left in my thoughts again as I sit in the back of the carriage, staring up at the ceiling with a sad look on my face. The times when I would sit in the cafeteria just drinking wine as he silently ate, reading the newspaper all run through my mind. Then there¡¯s the times we would just sit in the common room doing our own things without saying a word. Followed by the comfortable silence we had. And after thinking about and remembering those times, a thought comes to mind. Would¡­ he really have said anything even if I tried? Considering how we always interacted. With us never really saying anything to each other. Even when we would message through the Universal Feed it wasn¡¯t really much. Just a short and simple ¡®how are you¡¯ and a ¡®good¡¯ from time to time. Nothing more than that. Neither of us are all that talkative in messages, him even less talkative than me. So I¡¯m not entirely sure if he would¡¯ve even answered if I tried. Huh. Not sure why, but that makes me feel a touch better. Not much though. Still feel like shit. I take in a deep breath before glancing at Hannah. And what about her? What about the others? How will I feel when they die? I clench my fist so hard that blood is drawn, and the crimson light shown. Then I relax again, thumping my head on the carriage with a sigh. The others glance at me before returning to what they were doing. Which is just staring out the front of the carriage. Damnit, maybe it would be best to just lean into my usual laidback attitude and put this all out of my mind. At least until I see him again¡­ But then I might end up losing track of time, so maybe not¡­ I continue trying to figure out what to do, how to treat and process all of this, but eventually my thoughts are interrupted when the carriage comes to a halt who knows how long later. Then we leave the carriage to find a walled off area with a small castle and various other buildings inside. The soldiers don¡¯t waste any time taking Shirogane away before some people wearing gray clothes with those odd hats bow from their place standing in front of the gates to this walled off area. Bow with their hands held in their opposing arms¡¯ sleeves. Which is odd. ¡°Please come inside, Lady Crimson and Lady Harvey,¡± they state before waiting a few seconds and rising again. ¡°We welcome you to the Inner Court of the Shengshi Dynasty.¡± B3 | Story Art As always, click here to see the art in a public Patreon post if the art breaks in this post. Next up, the art. Now then. First matter at hand, a cover for book 3 of Crimson Eternal with the art being of Aria in the sub-world of the Rex Dynasty: Then there''s Famine: The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Next up is the Crimson Empire''s Emperor: Then there''s his son: And the Empress of the Crimson Empire: B3 | Chapter 3 Aria Yeah, after we¡¯re led into the walls, I do quickly find that the people inside are all women except for these people wearing gray robes. Which I¡¯m guessing are all eunuchs. Not really sure if I should pity them or what, so I just kinda settle on treating them as I would anyone else. It isn¡¯t really my problem how they handle their nation anyways. Although just from the short trip we make through the roar inside of the walled off portion, I see just how well the people here are treated. And it¡¯s not very well. The servant women ¨C and that¡¯s what I¡¯m assuming they are judging by their clothing and the fact that they¡¯re running around performing chores ¨C look very tense. As if their life depended on their every action. And in some cases, I actually did see one servant get executed for a reason I didn¡¯t hear. Just saw it as we passed by, with several other servants being near there along with some woman who was dressed really fancily. But the eunuchs aren¡¯t really treated any better. I saw some of them being caned. So this place is not a world I want to stay in for long, even if I wasn¡¯t in a rush. Hannah looks like she¡¯s mere seconds away from rushing to help some of them, only being held back by her self-control. Which makes me feel a little bad about not, well, feeling that bad for them. Not feeling a large urge to go help them myself. If I saw this happening somewhere else, where I knew I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with major consequences and it wouldn¡¯t inconvenience me, sure, I¡¯d help them. Wouldn¡¯t care too much about it. But I¡¯d definitely help them. But here? It¡¯s their nation. I can¡¯t just come in and force my morals onto their nation. On another note though, they seem to be treating us as foreign delegates or something. Which is to say, rather well. They eventually lead us to a nice little¡­ house? A nice little building that actually isn¡¯t as little as that makes it sound. We¡¯re just kind of left here and told not to wander too far from the¡­ I¡¯ll just call it a house. From the house without a guard. And that some guards will be stationed at every entrance to the courtyard around the house that we can talk to if we want to leave the house. Then they just leave us be inside the house, only telling us one more thing beforehand. That being that it¡¯ll probably be another week or two before the Emperor can see us to the vault. Something about him being very busy with this succession issue. And just like that, we¡¯re left alone in this large house. Hannah and I share a glance before separating to look around the place. The design of the building and all of the furniture and stuff in it are very different from what I¡¯m used to. Lots of paper thin walls, outside pathways, and even a little patio thingy that goes around a large portion of the structure with a railing going around it. Meanwhile the roof of the building is triangular, just like a lot of the buildings here, and they look to be made out of stacked plates. Not sure what the plates are made of though. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Overall, this place is very different from anything I¡¯ve seen before. Eventually I meet back up with Hannah, only for her to tell me that she¡¯s going to go take a nap. With a very stressed and tired look on her face. She¡¯s not taking too well with the culture shock of being here. I just give her a nod before seeing her go to one of the bedrooms with a fancy looking bed in it. One with a canopy overhead. Then I tell her my current plans and head on out of the building, leaving several dozen Lesser Minor Death Spirits inert across the building¡¯s premises. A lovely thing I realized I could do at one point. Where I just leave the Death Spirit¡¯s physical form there without the Death Spirit inside so that I don¡¯t have to spend almost any soul energy on it unless it goes active. Makes for great guards. After leaving the building, I go ahead and walk up to one of the guards standing at the edge of the walls surrounding the courtyard before asking, ¡°May I have a look around the Inner Court?¡± The man looks me up and down for a moment, then he just focuses on my face without much expression on his own through his helmet as he says, ¡°Very well, Lady Crimson.¡± And just like that, we begin making our way around the Inner Court. A place filled with quite a bit of rather dark goings-on. There¡¯s not much else to do here while we wait after all. So I might as well scout out our surroundings. Although I get the feeling I¡¯m gonna be raising some eyebrows as we spend more time here and Pestilence¡¯s poison reverts. Since I¡¯ll be aging at a visible speed by the day. Definitely gonna be raising some eyebrows. Even if they were already told about it. Which I¡¯m guessing they were but don¡¯t know for sure We continue walking around with the man actually giving me a very soft-spoken tour, with him not saying much about each place. Just the name and a brief description of a few of the palaces. Like saying that it¡¯s a palace that belongs to the Rose Consort. Or that it¡¯s a palace that belongs to the Azalea Consort. From what I looked up before coming here, these Consorts are the ¡®wives¡¯ of the Emperor. His harem members. And they all have a lot of authority, even if not a single one of them looks very happy. At least, from the two that I¡¯ve seen. There may be some happy ones amongst them. And I only saw those two at a glance when we went to the outside of their palaces. Then again, it¡¯s entirely possible that woman I saw before who was fancily dressed may¡¯ve been a consort too. Neither of the consorts that were pointed out to me by the guard saw me in return though. So I don¡¯t know how they¡¯re planning on treating me during my stay. After those two we move on to the Orchid Palace belonging to the Orchid Consort, then the Lily Palace belonging to the Lily Consort, the Daisy Palace belonging to the Daisy Consort, and the last one, the Chrysanthemum Palace belonging to the Chrysanthemum Consort. Which is a mouthful for that last one. And just as I suspected, the one I saw earlier killing the servant was in fact one of the consorts. The mouthful one too. Eventually we arrive back at our house, and after thanking the guard, I walk back into our courtyard and then the house before finding a place to sit and digest everything I just saw. It looks like the Emperor has six consorts, all given titles named after flowers, and out of them, only the Daisy and the Lily Consorts looked happy. Very kind and sweet too. Maybe a little younger than the others as well. The Azalea Consort looked cold despite the unpleasant smile she had on her face, Rose Consort feisty, Orchid looked the most beautiful of the consorts and yet the most aloof as well, and the Chrysanthemum Consort looked very calm and collected with a bit of a wise air about her. And the only ones that saw me as I passed were the Lily and the Orchid Consorts. Of the two, the Lily Consort ¨C who looked eighteen or so years old ¨C waved at me rather happily, whereas the Orchid Consort ¨C who looked to be in her mid-twenties in terms of appearance ¨C just stared for a few seconds before lightly nodding her head and turning away. Although I doubt either are the age they appear. Most likely they¡¯re older but just reverted back through leveling. Fortunately, I never run into either of the princes during the trip through the Inner Palace. So I don¡¯t have to worry about being pulled into their squabble just yet. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be leaving much again though. Not until the Emperor finally pays us a visit. Overall though, I¡¯d say today was a rather productive day. I¡¯ve gotten the lay of the land, so to say, and I just need to ask the guards some more details about the place later. Don¡¯t have to leave to do that. Can just ask what the princes are like. Although even the guards are rather strict with their formalities and stiffness. But the impression I have at the end of all of what I have so far is that I want out of here soon. I hope the Emperor doesn¡¯t take very long. B3 | Chapter 4 The Emperor¡¯s Palace inside of the Grand Hall Emperor Hao Xing Shengshi maintains an inscrutable face as he stands on the raised dais of the Grand Hall looking out over the various gathered officials of the Inner Court. And right in the middle of those officials are both of his sons, the two of which are glaring daggers at each other. But the emperor doesn¡¯t do anything to stop them. He merely makes sure a civil war doesn¡¯t start out over their fight for the throne, as is tradition. He will let them be children for as long as it takes, even if that¡¯s hundreds of years. ¡°Elder Brother Lei, it is wonderful seeing you taking command of the trade with the arverians, but don¡¯t you think more focus could¡¯ve been put on the Black Claw?¡± the Emperor¡¯s youngest son, Mo Xao Shengshi, speaks, the man wearing robes fit for one of the princes of the nation as he faces his brother. Meanwhile his brother simply responds with a simple, ¡°Oh, but Younger Brother Mo, we¡¯ve already gotten the Black Claw handled. More than the Vermillion House, I might add.¡± The man clearly putting extra emphasis on the fact that he¡¯s the elder sibling. By now the emperor is used to seeing all of this go down. What he¡¯s not used to though, and what piques his interest, is the sight of the odd teenage girl standing in the second floor of the palace looking down at the ongoing events. A girl that, if his intel is correct, isn¡¯t actually the age she appears to be due to some sort of poison that¡¯s slowly fading. Death, I believe? Unsettling to see such a feared being in that form. It¡¯s been a few days since she first arrived, and she ¨C from what he¡¯s been told by the guards assigned to watch her ¨C hasn¡¯t gone out much beyond the first day, when she toured the Inner Court. When he was first contacted by the Eternal Dynasty to let her through, he was going to decline it without even considering the offer. But when he remembered her supposed immortality, he realized the opportunity that she would bring to them. Even then though, he wasn¡¯t going to trust her right away. Because for all he knows, she may very well have a teleportation item on her that she can send their royal treasures through even if she managed to enter their vault. It¡¯s not likely that the treasure could pass through all of the enchantments they have placed across the palace, but it¡¯s possible still. The two princes continue their political dance, with the occasional chiming in of an official from one of the two sides as the emperor focuses his thoughts on their Horseman visitor. Of course, when he had her stay in the Inner Court, he did have an ulterior motive. To challenge his two sons to see if one of them could bring her to their side in the succession. Because having a Horseman of the Apocalypse, even a new one, would be a major boon to the silent succession war. But to his surprise, the woman appears to have avoided all their attempts to even find her, much less get her to join their side. Almost as if she¡¯s somehow able to sense where they are and then avoid them. Even when they so much as begin heading towards her small palace guest quarters that were set aside for her and her friend, she somehow slips out of her palace with a guard in a casual manner. Not showing any signs of having noticed them but still managing to avoid them. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It¡¯s impressed the emperor more than he can put into words. And he hasn¡¯t even met the woman himself yet. What¡¯s impressed him even more though is her adherence to their culture. Since he was expecting at least a few slipups from one so young as her in terms of their clashing cultures and morality. A problem many visitors tend to have. One of the reasons their world gets next to no tourists when the Gates are open to the public. In addition to her avoiding them though, his guards have also realized that the longer she stays in the Inner Court, the more upset she appears. Clearly showing just how much she feels she needs to pass on to the next world. The emperor¡¯s eyes suddenly meet the Horseman¡¯s as she turns to look at him. Then he slowly nods his head and looks down towards his sons again. At first he was going to keep her for a few more days before showing himself and bringing her to the vault. But at this point, he doesn¡¯t believe she¡¯s up to anything. If anything, she just wants to leave. And even his intension seekers confirm that she has no harmful intentions towards the dynasty. That combined with her skillful avoidance of both his sons leads him to believe that greeting her tomorrow and bringing her to the vault then would be the best course of action. Since keeping her longer than necessary would only breed ill will between them. It¡¯s unfortunate she won¡¯t be added as a piece for either of their sides of the succession. But keeping good will with a Horseman is more important. It doesn¡¯t hurt that she¡¯s also an undeclared ally of the Eternal Dynasty. And so, with the decision made, he finally returns his full focus to his sons verbally sparring in front of him.
Aria By the morning of the fourth day my patience begins to grow too stretched for me to bear. To the point that I¡¯m rapidly pacing back and forth in my room within the house ¨C which they apparently call a guest palace ¨C while burning a metaphorical hole in my path. I¡¯ve managed to avoid both of the princes simply through using my Lesser Death Spirits as scouts after tossing a bunch of them inert across the Inner Court in locations that no guard would ever look. Like underwater for example. No one typically notices a cloaked body hiding at the bottom of a narrow yet deep river after all. Especially when said body doesn¡¯t move a muscle. If it even has muscles. Not sure if the Lesser Death Spirits actually have muscles or not to be honest. I knew they¡¯d keep us here for a while, but I still wasn¡¯t mentally prepared for staying entire days here. Because I know I¡¯m on the clock. Rogers could die any day now, even if Hannah said he probably still has a year or two to live. Probably is only probably though. So I need to get there as soon as possible. And even then, just one or two years¡­ that¡¯s like the blink of an¡­ I blink as what I was just about to think registers in my mind. Even as a passing thought that was most likely an over exaggeration, that was¡­ no, best not to think about it. I eventually stop my pacing by a window looking out over the courtyard of this ¡®palace¡¯ while glancing at the guards station at its edge. But after seeing them standing just as still as always, I turn back and walk to my canopy bed before lying down flat on my face with my arms spread out on either side of me. Uuugggghhhh, please just let me go soon¡­ Honestly don¡¯t think I can take all that much more of this. I might end up just charging on out and finding the emperor myself if it drags on much longer. All I¡¯ve been left doing over these days is trying to drown myself out in messing with my soul fire. Not something I¡¯ve really put as much time into as the soul energy in general. Simply because I mostly just killed things with weapons and explosives. Mainly explosives. Because boom. What I¡¯ve learned about soul fire though isn¡¯t all that much. There¡¯s only one interesting tidbit about it. And that¡¯s the fact that soul fire can burn enchantments if I direct it to. Learned that when I accidentally burnt an enchantment on the palace. Which the people here fortunately never realized. No idea what the enchantment was supposed to do though. Just know that Hannah said it was an enchantment. And that I probably shouldn¡¯t do it again. They¡¯d likely be mad if I did, and they caught me. Best to wait until after we leave the world for them to figure it out. I instantly push myself up a little before glancing to the side when I get the report of a group of people approaching from the palace. A group including the emperor according to the signal sent by the Death Spirit that spotted them. So I quickly jump off of the bed and begin heading towards the entrance of the palace. Looks like my wish came true after all. Time to meet the emperor at last. I just hope the princes aren¡¯t with him. B3 | Chapter 5 Aria Of course they¡¯re with them. Why wouldn¡¯t they be? Both princes can be seen very clearly staring at me with suspicious looks on their faces, their eyes squinted at me. And they also seem to know I was avoiding them. But they¡¯d have to be stupid not to have realized that by now, considering how I¡¯ve gone over three days without running into them somehow. Even when they tried visiting. ¡°Hello, Lady Crimson, and I hope you have had a splendid stay within our abode over the past few days,¡± the younger prince says with a polite and light bowing of his head. ¡°I am known as Mo Xao Shengshi, and it¡¯s a pleasure to meet one as beautiful as you.¡± I just nod my head without a word, not fazed in the slightest by the flattery. The younger prince has long black hair with a similar facial structure as those from the Eternal Dynasty but also a bit different. He¡¯s wearing long flowing robes that look fit for royalty and are of the national color for this nation. That being black. But it also has white trim here and there. Then the older brother steps up and says with a wide smile on his face, ¡°Greetings, My Lady, you¡¯re as beautiful as I¡¯ve heard. Eyes like luminescent rubies and hair as silky white as the fallen snow!¡± He bows slightly just like his brother did but with a bit more flair added in. ¡°You may call me Lei Xao Shengshi.¡± I just nod to him as well, showing the same reaction to both siblings on purpose. And the elder prince looks just like his younger brother despite the age gap. Because System shenanigans. Other than his hair being only to his shoulder rather than the mid-back length his younger brother has. This is a pain. And finally, the emperor himself speaks to me from in between the two princes, ¡°Welcome to my nation, Horseman of Death. I apologize for not being able to greet you sooner, but we are overwhelmed with joy for being able to have you here. My name is Emperor Hao Xing Shengshi.¡± Yeah¡­ right¡­ How¡¯s this guy able to lie with such a straight face? Is that just normal here? Scratch that. It is just normal, judging by the few interactions I have had with a couple of the consorts. One or two of which seemed to be convinced I was some sort of romantic rival. Yuck. I just want to get off of this planet as soon as possible¡­ ¡°Thank you for having me, Emperor Hao Xing Shengshi,¡± I tell him with a light nod of my head. One that¡¯s ever so slightly deeper than the one I gave his sons, just because it¡¯s the culture here. Of course, Hannah is staying behind in the palace. Because she still isn¡¯t taking very well to being here, and her being in front of the emperor probably isn¡¯t a good idea. Especially with the asshole princes here. Or I guess corrupt would be a better word than asshole. ¡°Let us visit the Royal Treasury,¡± the emperor declares before the entire party of people ¨C many of whom being officials I noticed during the one time I attended one of their little meetings out of curiosity. If watching it from the second floor counts as attending. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Was rather surprised they even allowed me to attend. Probably because they want me to join one of the princes¡¯ sides. Anyways, we begin heading through the Inner Court with the two princes repeatedly trying to make different moves on me. Some being attempts to woo me to their side romantically, others through benefits. All of which I manage to avoid rather tactfully if I do say so myself. Mostly because Shirogane already prepared me for most of the things they would try. The easiest ones to navigate were the romantic and seductive attempts to woo me. Since, no. I have no interest in romance or sex. Wonder if the latter is due to my body being different from others? Not sure. Either way, the princes are left flabbergasted by the end of our trek to the rather ominous building that is the Royal Treasury. One that is located far away from anything else in the Inner Court. Or the Inner Palace. Whatever they want to call it. Pretty sure they¡¯re the same. They just have too many names. Anyways, the ominous building has a rather creepy purple and black mist moving all throughout it. And when some birds fly into the mist, their body basically turns black and gray as all of their organs die inside of them before literally flying right out of their body. Followed by their blood. Despite that though, their bodies are still left looking whole, even if they¡¯re without blood or organs. Looks bizarre. And disturbing. Probably for the best that Hannah didn¡¯t come along. For more than just the other reasons. All of the guards along with the princes and the emperor stop right outside of the line starting the mist. Then everyone turns to me as the emperor steps forward and hands me a piece of paper with a key on it, saying, ¡°This is the key to the treasury and a list of items that have greater priority and can¡¯t be put into a storage ring. Please bring them out by hand. The rest of the items can be brought out by storage ring.¡± I reach to take the paper, but he grabs my hand and narrows his eyes, ¡°I¡¯ve come to trust that you won¡¯t steal from us, but know that if you do try anything, you won¡¯t enjoy the consequences.¡± Meaning he¡¯ll just tell on me to the Arcadian Society. Because his nation isn¡¯t really powerful enough to bother me much. Honestly, I get the feeling he doesn¡¯t realize just how dangerous I can be when let into their innermost region. I can just blow up a nuke in here if I wanted to. Would be a pain to get to the Gate leading to the next world though. Not to mention that the Rex Dynasty would hear about it. Regardless though, they haven¡¯t done anything to me and are even letting me pass through. So I merely nod my head, take the list, and step into the barrier of mist. Then my organs and blood immediately begin spilling out of me, making me drop to my knees while panting from the pain. And the pain continues for a while as I black out, my brain no doubt leaving my body. Eventually though I regain consciousness with nothing but a strong tugging sensation all across my body that feels very uncomfortable and does still rip out my organs from time to time. Including my brain, which leaves me unconscious again each time. I slowly turn around to find a guard quickly rushing away, making me realize that the only people out there are a few guards. Wonder how long it took to adapt to that? A few days maybe? Either way, I turn around, briefly kneeling down to grab the key and paper I dropped, and begin walking towards the large building while stumbling every now and then. And when I reach the large double doors of the treasury building, I move the key to the keyhole and unlock the door. Then I enter the treasury and find my jaw dropping open at the sight of all the treasure located inside. Holy shit this is a lot. Kind of wish I could ask for some of it. Not that I really need it. Well, doesn¡¯t matter. I already have a lot of wealth built up from my time in Hunter¡¯s Spots. Not to mention how much loot I built up from the Hive, which I literally spent several years in without leaving while nonstop farming. So I should be making a lot of money when I find somewhere to sell all of it. Unfortunately I can¡¯t send that amount of stuff through the teleporter app. It¡¯s just way too much. Like, several warehouses full of loot amount. Makes me wonder just how much I¡¯ll be getting from it all¡­ Anyways, I quickly go about putting the stuff that isn¡¯t on the list in my storage ring. And after doing all that, I begin picking up a bunch of the stuff that is on the list and bringing it outside. While, of course, organs are popping out of my body and then burning up in crimson energy as it¡¯s replaced in my body again. Which is a tad annoying, but doesn¡¯t slow me down too much. By the time I make it back out of the mist with the items, I find the emperor standing there with his eyes wide in shock. I ignore him though as I set down the items I had on hand before dumping the stuff I put in my storage ring out. Then I head on back inside of the mist to grab more. This might take a while. B3 | Chapter 6 The Inner Court The emperor stares in shock as the Horseman of the Apocalypse casually walks back and forth into and out of the Royal Treasury, her organs just bursting out of her every now and then all across her body. With the girl, or, rather, woman, considering how old she actually is even if she looks young right now, not showing any signs of discomfort despite what¡¯s happening. There¡¯s even a bloody mist filling the air around her from her blood constantly being ripped out by the darker mist. With the two mists mixing together. When she had first stepped into the mist around the Royal Treasury, and she had immediately burst apart with her organs exploding everywhere and her knees dropping to the ground, he had immediately lost interest in her. Since he already had doubts about whether her immortality was absolute, and a curse as powerful as this one would make a great test for it. But now he sees her walking around like normal, proving her immortality to be genuine and absolute. Even if he finds it odd how the speed of her recovery has changed. The Shengshi Dynasty doesn¡¯t have any analyzers in their midst, much less the Class S analyzers who are able to use the items strong enough to get the exact details of someone¡¯s Class, Purpose, and Ability. It was one of the reasons he decided to allow her on the planet. Although not the main reason. Since the items in the Royal Treasury truly are of great importance. That was why one of the ten Council Members of the Council of Darkness placed the curse in the first place. To cripple their nation. Slowly his shock morphs into extreme joy as he sees the pile of their nation¡¯s treasures growing larger and larger outside of the cursed mist. And after he recovers, he finally orders the soldiers to bring the treasure to his personal palace within the Inner Court. He sees both his sons arriving out of the corner of his eye, the two of them looking even more shocked than he was, but he ignores them as he considers the Eight Star Merchant outside of the Inner Court along with the other person who came with Death. Neither of whom he has done anything to in the three days it took Death to finally start moving. Now he¡¯s glad he didn¡¯t just send them away and decided to station some guards at the Treasury just in case. Since both of his sons had recommended doing so right when Death had collapsed. Maybe¡­ should I try one last time to get her to build a connection to my sons? Or instead¡­ that could work¡­ A small smile stretches across his face as an idea comes to mind. Then he turns around, briefly ordering the soldiers there to come get him once she finishes. I need to make preparations.
Aria It takes me a while, because there is a lot of treasure in the stupid treasury, but I finally manage to bring it all out. I have to say though, it¡¯s rather amusing how shocked they all were when I got up. But then again, it makes sense that people wouldn¡¯t expect real immortality. At least, I think it makes sense. My only problem is that the princes are standing here without the emperor after I finish taking the treasure out. And they¡¯re trying to woo me again. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Ugh. Fortunately one of the guards ran off the moment I mentioned that I was done, saying they were going to go get the emperor. That aside, I can¡¯t help but notice that the guards seem less stiff around me and nicer too. Which leads me to believe that they just didn¡¯t trust in my power even with the black number over my head until now. Possibly even thought that I was lying to get through their world or something. Well, this at least means I can go ahead and leave the world after talking with the emperor once more. I stand at the edge of the mist for several minutes before getting sick of the two princes and walking into the curse again while I wait for the emperor. Because it makes for a perfect place to get away from them. Eventually, when the emperor returns, I step out of the mist again and walk up to him with a nod of my head while saying, ¡°All of the treasure inside has been taken out. My job is done.¡± ¡°It is as you say, Lady Death, and we appreciate your hard work,¡± the emperor says with a smile on his face and a light bowing of his head. ¡°We have confirmed every item on the list and brought it to a safe location. You have finished your part of the agreement.¡± A faint smile emerges on my face as I ask, ¡°Then would it be alright if I take my leave from the Inner Court and head to Aral?¡± The emperor¡¯s smile grows ever so slightly, making mine grow too at the thought of heading on to the sub-world of the Rex Dynasty connected to Sheng. But then he says, ¡°Before that, how would you feel about full immigration rights to our world? You may enter and leave as you please, so long as you pay us a little visit when you do?¡± I blink at that before almost frowning. Then I realize that it could actually come in handy. After all, the more worlds I have immigration rights to, the freer my travels will be. And if all I have to do is visit the palace¡­ Of course, I¡¯d rather avoid coming here again. But that¡¯s beside the point. I may not have a choice in the future, just like this time around. So I go ahead and nod my head, answering, ¡°That would be wonderful.¡± The emperor¡¯s smile grows once more as he says, ¡°Splendid! We will have that squared away now. You may leave the world whenever you please, Lady Death. Merely ask one of your palace¡¯s guards and they will take you.¡± Then the man turns around and begins to walk away. Hmm. Well, whatever. I immediately begin walking towards the guest palace. And even after arriving, I don¡¯t stop. Instead, I immediately ask one of the guards stationed there if they¡¯ll take us to the Gate to Aral. The guard immediately bows his head in deference and agrees. So I go get Hannah and we all set off out of the Inner Court at last before grabbing Shirogane, who was apparently trading with the soldiers in the barracks. He¡¯s also rather surprised by how quickly we got out of there when we arrive. Not to mention when we tell him about the immigration rights. Since he apparently wasn¡¯t expecting that development. Although it¡¯s a pleasant surprise, even if we¡¯re all suspecting the emperor¡¯s motives. With Shirogane explaining along the carriage ride to the Gate to Aral that the emperor most likely just wants to make ties to me. Which is perfectly understandable. Now I just want off of this world though. The carriage ride to the Gate ends up taking somewhere around two days, since the Gate is quite far away from the capital. And after that we immediately get through the walls surrounding the Gate since travel through it is banned at the moment, meaning no one else we have to wait for. Then we pass right on through without a word. Surprising the people on the other side of the Gate watching it from the admissions. And I can¡¯t help but feel surprised by the small warehouse-like building the Gate is in. Which is rather underwhelming. But putting that aside, unlike the other worlds we¡¯ve been to up till now, this time around, we are using Shirogane¡¯s immigration rights. Because he does have immigration rights to all worlds belonging to the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. And through this method we won¡¯t have to hint about me being here, since from what Shirogane has said, the Dynasty should already know my name. So once we arrive at the checking gate, Shirogane quickly handles things and we¡¯re let through the other side. At which point I¡¯m shocked by the sights that greet me. This world is even more advanced than Eternus was. It¡¯s currently night time here, with the massive buildings all around us going straight up into the sky. Buildings I believe were called high-rises, or skyscrapers, or something like that. Enormous buildings, basically. Meanwhile everything is high tech for as far as the eye can see. High tech lightspeed trains high above the ground running on train rails floating midair, floating screens in front of buildings, people flying by on freaking hoverboards, and flying cars going every which way. And this is just a sub-world¡­ Then my eyes narrow as I sense various odd sensations run through me. Almost like I¡¯m being watched. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I whisper to the others, and both of them nod. So we quickly rush off, summoning a hover car from Shirogane¡¯s storage ring to travel through the street. And hopefully make it to the Gate to Eternus as fast as possible. B3 | Chapter 7 All Across Aral All around the planet, one necromancer after another spanning thousands of different death magic users, every last one instantly turns in the direction of the Gate to Sheng. As they sense a powerful wave of death energy radiating out from it like a sun. A wave so powerful they¡¯d never seen anything like it before. And all at once, they all know exactly what it is. Death has arrived in Aral. Then numerous individuals around the planet burst into action. Some of the death magic users ignore her presence, choosing not to bother her. Others try to head directly for Death, wishing to meet her. And some begin making preparations to defend her. But all of them quickly realize that Death¡¯s presence is too overwhelming. So overwhelming that most of them can¡¯t pinpoint her exact location. Leading to a swarm of death magic users arriving at the city she is in, all scouring the city for her. Meanwhile the governor of Aral severely tightens security all over the city to deal with the fanatics of all kinds swarming it as he stands up from his office desk chair making one call after another. Not being able to relax for even a moment. ¡°Make absolutely certain no one bothers her while she¡¯s here! She¡¯s not making herself known, so keep your distance!¡± the governor shouts into his latest phone call, informing the fifteenth city ruler of the current situation. He continues making one more call after another until he¡¯s informed every single city ruler on the planet. Then he leans back in his seat and sighs. But despite the work this has put him through, he can¡¯t help but smile a little at the thought of Death herself being on the same planet as him. ¡°Sir,¡± his secretary says as she walks into the room. ¡°Word has been sent to every mercenary, hunter, and lesser political figure on the planet not to bother Lady Death.¡± The man nods his head, saying, ¡°Good. And the enforcers?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been notified as well,¡± she says with a nod in return. ¡°All the enforcers in the city Lady Death is located are currently working to keep anyone who slips through the cracks away from her.¡± The governor hums, acknowledging her as he turns to look out the window in the direction of where Lady Death is. Meanwhile, in the city Aria is located, enforcers ¨C Arlan¡¯s law enforcement ¨C rush all around the city, capturing one crazy fanatic after another as they all rush straight towards the trio of foreigners driving through the street. With some of the fanatics even trying to rush past the enforcers, ignoring them while letting them get free attacks on them just to get a glimpse of Death. But none of them ever get within a block of her. All while the bystanders nearby the enforcers and fanatics either panic and run away from a heated battle or watch on the sidelines as the enforcers easily handle the problem. And news quickly begins to get out about the ¡®terrorist attacks¡¯ spread around the city.
Aria Huh. Well this is surprising. The three of us just drive straight on through the street without any problems. And according to Shirogane, the city looks just like it usually does. Nothing at all looks different. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Which is strange in and of itself. Shouldn¡¯t the death magic users be able to tell where I am? That¡¯s why we avoided going to Rex in the first place. Because we knew we¡¯d be swarmed the moment we arrived at the city. So¡­ why aren¡¯t we being swarmed here? Shirogane said that there are a lot of death magic users on every single world of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. Meaning that this world should have a lot as well, even if death magic users are far less common in general. A lot of it is apparently because death magic users tend to move to the Dynasty rather often, making it a very diverse nation. But nothing is happening at all. There should¡¯ve been some reaction. I did my research. The citizens of the Rex Dynasty were all riled up about me the moment the System announced me a while back. To the point that some of them went full on fanatical, worshiping entire shrines and setting up temples. Some to a literally psychotic degree. Which was rather terrifying to hear about. So even if we arrived at the capital world and the nation¡¯s higher ups leave us alone, like they probably would have, that wouldn¡¯t mean that it would be easy to pass through. Not with all of those fanatics spread across the capital world, many of whom are on par with the Clan Leaders of Luk¡¯tar or even the Atlantis royalty in level and ability, likely going after me. And I have no plans of being captured and stuffed in a shrine somewhere as they worship the ground I stand on. But¡­ I can¡¯t help but stare out the window of the nice but not overly nice hover car we¡¯re driving through. Just at the passing cars, the people casually flying through the air both with and without powers, the billboards on the massive buildings we¡¯re going between, and everything else. Everything that is normal. ¡­why are there no fanatics here? There should be. So why? It just feels so bizarre, seeing how against my expectations this place is. I was honestly expecting to end up running all the way across the world from one fanatic after another while the enforcers here deal with them and try to slow them down. All while chaos runs rampant through the city. After looking out at the city around us for a bit while we drive, I eventually just shrug and look down at my cellphone. Simply bringing up the internet of this world out of curiosity. But I quickly realize that the internet is different here. ¡°To connect, you need to change the setting on the phone,¡± Shirogane explains while the car drives itself, making me glance up at him. ¡°The Rex Dynasty and the Eternal Dynasty have their own forms of internet. So you can¡¯t connect to the Eternal Dynasty internet from a Rex Dynasty world.¡± Wait, really? ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± I ask out of curiosity. He looks down at his own phone as he answers, ¡°The Eternal Dynasty¡¯s internet is cheaper and more available to everyone while the Rex Dynasty¡¯s internet is more expensive and more private.¡± More expensive? ¡°Is one better than the other?¡± I ask while turning my gaze back down to my phone again. ¡°Yeah,¡± Shirogane answers as I find the setting on my phone for the internet change. ¡°Everything technology-wise is always better in the Rex Dynasty than any other place in the universe, including the internet. Which is about 1.4 times as fast as the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s internet. And it can be accessed anywhere across the entire universe so long as you are allowed on it.¡± He pauses for a moment before adding, ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t worry about being allowed. You¡¯re allowed on it at any time, anywhere. Simply because you¡¯re Death.¡± Oh, well that¡¯s convenient. On that note, I begin to search the internet for more information about the Rex Dynasty. Only to find some¡­ unexpected news spreading across the world we¡¯re on. News about a bunch of random terrorist attacks in the streets of the very city we are in right now. How odd¡­ I look around out the windows, but I don¡¯t see anything. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just regular vehicles flying by and stuff. It¡¯s so¡­ what¡¯s going on? I stare out the window for several seconds before eventually just shrugging again and focusing on my phone once more. Meh. Doesn¡¯t have anything to do with me. I am rather curious about how there¡¯s so much terrorist activity in one of the Nine Grands though. It¡¯s not really something you¡¯d expect from one of the most powerful nations in the universe. Then again, I¡¯ve seen already that higher technology tends to empower the lower leveled people who have weaker abilities. Which makes them capable of doing a lot more damage than they normally would be able to. So maybe terrorist activity in a nation with the most advanced technology makes more sense when I think about it like that. Not a very pleasant greeting though. Since this is my first time entering the Rex Dynasty of the Dead and I¡¯m immediately greeted by terrorism showing up across the world. Even if I haven¡¯t seen it myself. Well, I guess it¡¯s still better than the greeting I was expecting. I lean my head against the window of the vehicle, just looking out it while enjoying the peace and quiet. It at least looks nice in this part of the city right now. B3 | Chapter 8 Aria The three of us proceed through the city and then out of it in the direction of the capital city on the planet through one of the trains. The city where the Gate to Eternus is located. And throughout our trip, we don¡¯t run into a single ounce of trouble. Yet, for some bizarre reason, terrorist activity keeps popping up in every city we pass by. Strange. Doesn¡¯t have anything to do with us though. And since we never see any, we kind of just ignore it all. Although Shirogane seems to have figured something out, he¡¯s not saying anything about it. Hannah¡¯s too focused on watching the scenery of the planet. Since there really is a lot of that. Lots of massive cities, large light-speed trains, and even floating space stations high above the planet. One of which is the size of a damned moon. And apparently the Rex Dynasty of the Dead has a larger version. One of which, Rex itself ¨C which is apparently not a natural planet despite what I assumed ¨C being the largest. Imagine that. A massive artificial planet made entirely out of technology and movable as their capital. The Rex Dynasty of the Dead is one of the few nations no one ever wants to pick a fight with for a reason after all. Considering that the Dynasty can simply turn off every Gate in the universe and then fly on over on a spaceship and start attacking them. Not exactly safe for the other nations. Only the other eight of the Nine Grands stand a chance. Then again, most of the Nine Grands are people no one ever wants to mess with. Crimson Flag is a nation led by a Horseman who doesn¡¯t tire or ever run out of energy. Pestilence is a man who quite likely would ignore them before fighting back while devastating half of their planets by turning them into plagued wastelands on accident somehow. Famine has the most manpower in the entire universe with the largest number of planets under his control. Mostly because War often sells planets to other nations after conquering them. Choosing to do that instead of ruling over them himself. The Arcadian Society is the foundation of all mages in the universe. Going after it would mark you as an enemy of mages. Plus the Archmage can shoot down a star from her home planet. Scary lady. Council of Darkness¡¯s leader has never been found unless he wants to be. And if anyone went after the Eternal Dynasty, then pretty much every other nation of importance in the universe would go after them. Just so that their economy doesn¡¯t collapse. So no one ever goes after the Eternal Dynasty. No one knows where the Crimson Empire is, and the Grand Silvanian Empire has a habit of going overboard in his revenge. To the point of wiping out every last person belonging to the nation that attacked his people. And the Emperor is physically strong enough to cut a planet in half. Which doesn¡¯t bode well for someone taking him on. I lean against the window just looking out into the night through the heavy rain. Rain so heavy that I can barely even see anything. Guess there¡¯s not much scenery right now after all. Considering this rain. After staring out into the night for a bit, I feel like I notice something. Some random flashes of light shining through the rain quite a ways away from the train. But no matter how hard I try to see what it is, I fail to figure it out. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Huh. Odd. I think I hear some crackling and explosion sounds from there too. Fireworks, maybe? I stare for a bit before shrugging and closing my eyes, deciding to get a little shuteye.
Just barely out of sight from the train The Governor of Aral grits his teeth as he sends one bolt of crimson energy after another into his undead, making them all rush forwards to attack the opposing army led by one of the biggest and most psychotic death cults on the planet. A cult that is known for their psychotic obsession towards Death. An obsession so great they¡¯re willing to kill anyone who gets in their way of worshiping her. Willing to do anything just to be able to worship her at their shrine from dawn till dusk every day. Even if Death herself may not want that. ¡°Let us through Art! You will pay if you don¡¯t!!!¡± the leader of the Cult of the Underworld declares as he sends waves of specters at the governor, not losing much ground despite the governor¡¯s attacks. But after some more enforcers begin to arrive alongside the governor, he finally begins to find himself pushed back a little. His army no longer matching the army of enhanced undead controlled by the government. ¡°I highly doubt that,¡± Art says rather dryly as he continues sending more and more undead while also ordering more enforcers to surround the cult on all sides. ¡°Our Lady is not a belonging for you to obsess over. Please keep that in mind in your sentence.¡± The enforcers all slowly surround the Cult of the Underworld, making them attack in a more frenzied manner out of panic. But after seeing that nothing they¡¯re doing is managing to push past the enforcers, each one of them begins to take one last risk. Art¡¯s eyes narrow as he sees the necromancers of the cult all, with the exception of their leader, activating a suicide skill that turns themselves into a massive abomination. One made up of each one of their bodies along with a bunch of the undead around them. Then the abomination rushes straight through and bowls over all of the undead attacking them in the direction of Art and the train Lady Death is on. Art sighs once and claps his hands together, making a massive spell circle appear as the Class S death mage begins casting an Eighth Tier spell. The leader of the Cult of the Underworld¡¯s eyes widen in shock and he mutters, ¡°D-d-dom-¡± Before he can finish muttering, Art¡¯s eyes flash with a pitch black light and he speaks quietly despite his words echoing all around for hundreds of kilometers, ¡°Dominate Undead.¡± The spell circle flares outwards before expanding and moving straight to the massive undead abomination made up of hundreds of suicidal cult members, only to move partway into the thing, locking it in place. Then the spell circle shrinks and binds the thing for a second before vanishing as a black light shines from the abomination. A few seconds pass in silence, following which Art says, ¡°Kill him. But don¡¯t eat him.¡± And without any hesitation, the abomination rushes at the leader of the cult and begins tearing him limb from limb. But it doesn¡¯t devour him, instead tossing the limbs aside for the enforcers to pick up. They need to raise him as an undead for his punishment after all. Art then turns around and looks in the direction where the train is moving, a faint smile on his face. I hope she has a pleasant trip through our world.
Aria I¡¯m woken up by what sounds like someone¡¯s voice saying something like ¡®dominate undead¡¯ or something, but I quickly put it out of my mind. Since I don¡¯t really feel anything¡¯s wrong nearby, and Shirogane would¡¯ve woken me up if there was. But instead he¡¯s just ignoring it and focusing on his phone. On the universal stock market like always. Hmm. This planet has actually been rather relaxing. I look out the window again, still finding those lights there, only for them to begin fading. Huh. Guess the fireworks show is over now. Although, I do have to wonder why someone would have a fireworks show out here in the middle of nowhere. Actually, on the topic of fireworks, I kind of want to see some. Since I¡¯ve never really seen fireworks before outside of videos on the internet, and I do still want to know what¡¯s so different about them from regular explosives. Then again, regular explosives are great too. And they make fighting strong things and people a lot easier. A large mana creature eats me, I just blow us both up. Easy peasy. Anyways, I look down at my phone in my lap, taking it off sleep mode as I glance at the GPS map I have pulled up on it. Then after finding that we¡¯re still a few minutes away from the capital ¨C the train not actually going at lightspeed since that¡¯s only for emergencies and is instead going slower than that for passenger safety ¨C I put my phone on sleep mode again and lean back in my booth. Still a fast trip. According to the time on my phone, I was only asleep for a few minutes. So our trip to the capital across tens of thousands of kilometers was only around ten or so minutes long at most. Quite fast. Even if it¡¯s not lightspeed. I look out the window again when I begin to see some lights, following which we see the city along with it. And while I do that, I can¡¯t help but wonder briefly how I¡¯m able to look out the window clearly despite our speed. Then I just decide to reason it away as science and refocus on the city again. Certainly is beautiful. B3 | Chapter 9 Aria Once we arrive at the capital, we quickly begin to make our way out of the train and back onto the street. Then we head straight for the Gate to Eternus, which doesn¡¯t take too long to do as it¡¯s already quite close to the train. And since Shirogane is a high ranking official from the Eternal Dynasty, we pass through the checkpoint in mere moments. The moment he shows his face we¡¯re waved through, no questions asked. Although his level and probably something else he must be carrying most likely influenced that too. Some sort of key card or verification thing on his person. Don¡¯t know. Also don¡¯t really care. Either way, after passing through the Gate, I find myself once more staring up at the skies of Eternus. For the first time in decades. I take in the fresh smelling air of Eternus before breathing out again as Shirogane brings us past the checkpoint here too. The city this Gate led to is not the capital of Eternus, seeing as that was only a sub-world of the Rex Dynasty we just came through. So we simply use a teleporter to teleport over to the capital city instead of going by ship or plane. Something we can only do because of Shirogane¡¯s influence. Another benefit to having the guy following me around for ages. To my surprise, when we arrive right outside of the teleportation center in the capital city, we¡¯re faced with several fancy and rather long black hover cars. Like hover limousines. And along with them are half a dozen men wearing black suits and dark sunglasses, along with more men in the cars. One of the men next to the car pulled directly up parallel to the sidewalk bows ever so slightly as he says, ¡°We have been awaiting your arrival, Lady Death, Silver Merchant, and friend. Please join us to meet with His Majesty.¡± Oh. Right. The White Emperor¡¯s foresight ability. Interesting thing to note is that I¡¯ve barely seen anyone with a foresight related ability in all of my travels. It¡¯s just him. Just Shirou. Rather surprising. Anyways, both Hannah and I turn to look at Shirogane, just to find him climbing into the vehicle himself. So we follow directly after into the vehicle and the driver sets us off into the air and towards Shirou¡¯s place. Let¡¯s see what he has to say.
Not even half an hour later, I find myself staring blankly at a screen in front of me. One in the middle of Shirou¡¯s office showing a bunch of torn apart massive trees with an enormous army of people. All of whom are wearing sets of red and gray armor. Meanwhile at the center of the lot is a man I recognize from my time on Luk¡¯tar personally. The man has long black hair with scarlet highlights and glowing scarlet eyes that light up the night all around him as he sits atop a large black and scarlet horse. All while wearing that same set of scarlet and black metal armor that he was wearing when I saw him. Except he currently has a crazed look on his face. One mixed with joy, exhilaration, excitement, and bloodlust. War, otherwise known as Lucius Octavio. And this time around he is waging war. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. All around him and his forces is just devastation for as far as the eye can see. Torn up massive trees, trees that are left as just mere stumps with the rest of the trees nowhere to be found, and even a single Grand Tree somewhere off in the distance that had fallen to the ground. And amidst the devastation, the forces of Luk¡¯tar can be seen valiantly fighting out in the open. Which makes me wonder why they aren¡¯t in any fortresses right now. I also spot someone who I recognize as the Clan Leader of the Gallagher Clan standing amidst War¡¯s forces, clearly marking which side of the war he is on. ¡°The Red Horseman of the Apocalypse has already taken full control over the majority of Luk¡¯tar, leaving only a single Clan left standing,¡± Shirou says, not holding back in the slightest after a few seconds of us staring at the screen passes. ¡°Every one of the Clan Leaders other than the Leaders of the Gallagher Clan and the Byrne Clan have challenged him to a duel and lost after being given an ultimatum. And the Byrne Clan is currently evacuating to Eternus as we speak, with only the bare minimum forces left behind to hold War off for as long as possible.¡± Holy shit. Guess I should¡¯ve expected this. No one has ever beaten War when he declared war on a nation before. Not a single power. Of course, that¡¯s partially because he¡¯s never declared war on one of the Nine Grands. But still. And the only thing the Eternal Dynasty can do to maintain its neutrality is take in the Byrne Clan, they would never directly participate in the war. Especially since all they have to do is take in the Byrne Clan and War wouldn¡¯t press them on the issue. In fact, War would probably not even think twice about it and instead move on to the next war on his list. I grit my teeth at the sight of the slaughter ¨C because that¡¯s the only thing I can really call this ¨C going on within the screen. Slaughter of the forces left behind by the Byrne Clan. Meanwhile Lucius himself doesn¡¯t even bat a single eye as he cuts each and every one of the lukians down from atop his horse. Truly deserves the title of a Harbinger of the Apocalypse. I turn my focus onto Shirou before asking, ¡°Is Sean here on Eternus?¡± He shakes his head and says, ¡°Not yet. He¡¯s planning on holding the line until all of the weaker combatants enter Eternus.¡± Right. Because War doesn¡¯t actually attack civilians. Only soldiers. After all, him attacking civilians doesn¡¯t count as him waging war. So there¡¯s no point in his eyes, no doubt. Not to mention that they¡¯re weak. And he¡¯s the type of person who wants to fight nothing but the strong. ¡°Tell him hello and give him my condolences when you speak with him next,¡± I tell Shirou with a nod. He nods back before asking, ¡°Not staying to see him?¡± I shake my head. ¡°No. I need to see my friend before he passes.¡± Shirou meets my eyes for several seconds. Then he eventually mutters a brief, ¡°I see.¡± And silence fills the room. Silence that¡¯s only broken by the sounds of war occurring within the screen. But even that fades when the screen itself vanishes. The silence after that, however, doesn¡¯t last long as a new screen soon replaces it. One that has me frowning. ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­¡± I mutter at the sight of the screen before glancing at Shirou. ¡°Roan?¡± He nods, making me look back at the screen again. Roan. The home world of the Grand Roan Empire. And also the location of another war right about now. Who is¡­ My eyes widen at the sight of the banners held by the army dressed all in black armor covering every inch of their skin to the point of making it impossible to tell even so much as their gender apart. ¡°War is not the only Horseman active right now,¡± Shirou says as he flips his coin again. ¡°Famine has begun to invade the Grand Roan Empire. So now is the perfect time for you to travel to Vortel as no one will be watching.¡± He catches the coin again before revealing it to show that it landed on heads. Then he tilts his own head slightly, his glowing stark white and pupilless eyes staring directly into my glowing crimson ones ¨C I think ¨C as he says, ¡°But be careful.¡± That surprises me. What do I need to be careful of? The man looks at the screen again, and I follow his gaze too to find a man wearing pitch black armor with rather eerie eyes. Ones that have black instead of the normal white, with a faint glowing white light in the center of the eyes. Meanwhile he has short hair and the look on his face genuinely has goosebumps going down my spine at just how psychotic he looks. Twisted. Insane. And¡­ a familiar black energy is moving towards him from every last person on the battlefield, both friend and foe. With each one of them looking slightly tired from it. Right. His skill to drain a percentage of the energy ¨C generally magical ¨C of every last being around him. He must be using it right now. As for the soldiers under his command¡­ I can¡¯t tell what¡¯s going on with them. They all look stiff as a board, terrified, and not actually as powerful as their intimidating armor makes them out to be. Probably all starving right now. The screen fades again, taking with it the screams of that battlefield. I glance at Shirou before looking at Hannah and Shirogane. That¡¯s¡­ Famine might just be the most messed up of the Horsemen. And that¡¯s saying something. B3 | Chapter 10 Aria After discussing things a little bit more with the emperor, we all head straight to the Gate leading to Vortel. And I don¡¯t even bother trying to disguise myself on the way. Simply because I know it won¡¯t work. I can¡¯t dye my hair since the dye would burn out right away. I can¡¯t use contact lenses to change my eye color as the death energy let off by my glowing red eyes just dissolves the lenses. And if I try to wear a hood it would just make me look even more creepy having my crimson eyes glowing from underneath the hood. So I don¡¯t bother. I¡¯ve given up over the years after everything I¡¯ve tried has failed. Instead I¡¯ve taken a particular liking to the clothing from the Rex Dynasty. Since we did stop briefly to shop while we were there. Simply because nothing seemed to be going wrong, even if there were a lot of those odd terrorist attacks everywhere. Come to think of it, I wonder if those attacks are still going on or not? Either way, I got some regular clothing from the Rex Dynasty including a black jacket with red trim, black pants with red lines running down it, and a white V-neck shirt made out of a nice and smooth material. I also got a black undershirt to go beneath the white shirt, with a belt for the pants that I had my jewel embedded in the side of. Overall, it might just be my new favorite outfit. Comfortable, fits really well, great for movement, and I like how it looks. It also matches well with my hair and eyes. Of course, the outfit may stand out a little bit on Vortel. But not too much at the very least. Vortel isn¡¯t that far behind in technology, and it has caught up a bit over the time I was gone according to Shirogane. At worst my outfit would be of higher quality than the clothing there and won¡¯t catch too much attention. As for a holster for my sword and gun? No need. I just started using a storage ring to hold them instead since it¡¯s just faster to pull them out that way. Seeing as I don¡¯t have to go drawing the sword from its sheath or taking the gun out of its holster. I can just make them appear in my hand instead from the ring. Anyways, Hannah, Shirogane, and I all stop right in front of the Gate leading to Vortel. A much less busy Gate than most of the other Gates I¡¯ve been to up till now. Probably because it¡¯s a brand new world to connect to the universe. Or, a new world. Not brand new. It¡¯s been connected for decades now after all. I take a deep breath after stopping right in front of the Gate. Then I glance at Hannah to find her smiling at me. Right. Almost home. After one last brief pause, I step through the Gate, quickly finding myself appearing in the middle of what looks like a warehouse. One with a checkpoint at the end of it that the three of us pass through with no issue when Hannah shows her ID. Then I stop after stepping out of the building and finding us to be on some sort of island. Right. Almost forgot. The Gate to Eternus is located on some random island near the former land of Arteria. Speaking of Arteria, according to Hannah, the nation was fully dissolved into Albaria. So it simply doesn¡¯t exist anymore, and neither does the nobility from it. Other than their wealth, that is. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Hannah turns around to look at me while wearing the same gear she was wearing when I first met back up with her. Gear from the Albarian military. Then she smiles and says, ¡°Welcome home.¡± I nod back with a smile as we begin to walk down towards the port of the island before boarding a ship that takes us straight to Arteria¡¯s former land. We pass through the port there with no issue simply through Hannah showing her ID, surprising me at her rank in the military. Which is a major general. One of the highest rankings in the military, just behind the lieutenant generals and the generals. When she sees my surprise though, she just points out that Leonardo ¨C our division¡¯s commander ¨C is a lieutenant general who is currently being looked at as a possible candidate for general. Wow. Time sure flies. After entering the decently sized city to which the port belongs to, we head to the military barracks within to nab a jeep that we use to drive out of the city and in the direction of Albaria¡¯s original territory. ¡°Jason and Adrian were also promoted to major generals, with Frank actually serving as a lieutenant general,¡± Hannah explains as we drive. ¡°Of course, his promotion is less real and more of a figurative reward. Since¡­¡± Right. He¡¯s not expected to reach level one hundred before the end of his life. ¡°All of us are still serving under the First General,¡± Hannah continues, her tone picking up again as Shirogane just looks at the surroundings we¡¯re passing by with curiosity. ¡°She¡¯s helped us quite a bit over the years, and all she asked for in return was to support her position.¡± She glances at me with a wry smile on her face before looking out the front windshield again. ¡°At this point she¡¯s basically running the entire council herself, with a large majority of the votes. Even if she doesn¡¯t actually have more votes than the others.¡± Her face scrunches up a little. ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡± Politics always are. ¡°She¡¯s already reached level one hundred though, and so has everyone in our division other than Frank,¡± Hannah says without stopping in her driving. ¡°One of the generals has already passed away, so they¡¯re currently planning on holding a vote soon to replace him. And a couple of the other generals are looking to most likely not reach level one hundred either. So another vote will be held after they pass.¡± Wow¡­ was not expecting all of that. I guess two to three decades really is a long time¡­ A frown emerges on my face as the realization of just how long it¡¯s been finally sinks in. Yet I still feel like it¡¯s barely been any time since I saw them all¡­ ¡°You should see the commander in his younger form,¡± Hannah says while snickering. ¡°He looks very different now.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I utter while tilting my head slightly at her. ¡°That¡¯ll be interesting.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± she says before we fall into silence for a while. Just driving along through the deserts. To my surprise though, instead of heading to the Northern or Southern Passes, she heads to the center of the Great Divide mountains. Where we find a pass having been dug out through the entire mountain range. ¡°There have been a lot of changes over the years,¡± Hannah says in explanation. ¡°Mostly caused by the increased technological level we¡¯ve had from the Dynasty.¡± Ah, right. That would do it. She goes on to talk about some of the technology Albaria purchased from the Dynasty that they¡¯ve used to dig out the tunnel. Then she mentions the benefits to everyday life. A lot of technology I¡¯ve grown used to over the years from spending time in some worlds with far higher levels of technology than Vortel. After that though, she moves on to mention something rather interesting. That Jason Vargas has been out of the military for a while now. Even if he still has his rank. Instead of fighting in the military, he¡¯s mostly been working in prisons and psychological wards and the like. Places he can use his ability to help out and to further his purpose by reading and manipulating minds. Adrian Snow, on the other hand, has still been fighting. Using those ice blades of his to win any fight he enters without much trouble. Mostly because the fights are generally against criminals and the like rather than other soldiers. Frank was going around healing people at hospitals and helping with training centers by increasing stamina and the like, since he wasn¡¯t a fan of war. Which I didn¡¯t know about him. That he is actually rather against war and fighting. Then again, he¡¯s basically a healer and support. So it fits the position, even if he¡¯s a big guy that looks like he would be dangerous in a fight. Leonardo has mostly used his ability from a distance to pick off leaders in battle and to scout so that he can give out good commands. Overall, the Predator Division had broken up even if they all kept in contact. I grimace at that thought. They all just went their own ways. Then again, I did the same, and long before they did. It¡¯s still sad though. I can¡¯t help but think about that as I stare out the window of the vehicle at the passing tunnel walls. But¡­ I am back now. The slightest hint of a smile appears on my face once more at that thought. B3 | Updated Glossary There are quite a few updates to this glossary. For one, I added the descriptions for four different nations. Arian, the Frost Clan, the Rex Dynasty of the Dead, and the Shengshi Dynasty. And for two, I added a few characters to the glossary and altered a few details about some of the other nations to compensate for the time that''s passed. Albeit not many details. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Click here for the updated glossary! And have a great weekend :) B3 | Chapter 11 Aria We continue driving through the tunnel for a while until we finally reach sunlight once again. At which point we find ourselves in the once again snow-covered lands of Albaria. The original lands of Albaria. Guess that means it¡¯s winter here. It¡¯s always confusing to keep the seasons straight when I¡¯m on so many different worlds with so many different climates. Especially on worlds like Atlantis that don¡¯t really have seasons. Considering that the entire livable society in the world is underwater. The heavy snow coating the ground aside, the skies are currently mostly clear with only a few gray clouds in sight. And the roads themselves past the checkpoint outside of the tunnel are properly managed. So we make it through fine. Our trip takes just a couple more days with the three of us staying the nights at cities we pass through on the way to the capital. And during the nights there, I can¡¯t help but notice all of the vast differences in the nation since I was last here. For one, people are walking around with cell phones. For two, their clothing is all quite a bit better than it was before. To the point that my current outfit doesn¡¯t even stand out much. Just makes me look like a wealthier person, nothing more. Then there¡¯s the cars. They¡¯re far better than those crappy old things we had before the System Initialization. It¡¯s not just the physical and technological differences though. Everyone looks¡­ happier. Freer. More open. Probably because all of the time I have spent in Vortel was when we were at war. And war isn¡¯t a pleasant time. Not for the soldiers fighting in it, nor for the people at home waiting for their family members to come back. Hoping against hope that they do actually come back. I¡­ A smile inches its way onto my face as I look at the people in the capital while the three of us walk through the sidewalks of a busy street. ¡­it feels nice. To see everything here like this. To see everyone happy and at peace. I may¡¯ve despised the emperor and disliked some of the generals, but I never disliked Albaria itself. In fact, I might even stretch things to say that I loved Albaria. Maybe. The three of us continue walking through the streets until we arrive at a rather large manor located off to the side in a rich district of the capital. And it doesn¡¯t even take us stepping onto the property for me to realize there¡¯s a large barrier around it. One that we easily pass through without trouble. I glance at Hannah, recognizing the barrier. Guess her ability is growing. Pretty sure she didn¡¯t used to be able to manifest a permanent barrier. We continue up to the door before ringing the doorbell and soon finding someone answering the door. Someone who looks vaguely familiar to me for some reason. The man at the door begins to smile and open his mouth, seemingly about to speak at the sight of Hannah. But then he freezes slightly, and his eyes widen in shock at the sight of me just standing here with my hands in my jacket pockets. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Why does he look so familiar¡­ I just can¡¯t place my finger on it¡­ ¡°Aunty? Aunty Crimson?¡± the man mutters, giving me pause. I stare at him for several seconds. He stares back. Hannah and Shirogane both cover their mouths to hide their laughs. Eventually it finally clicks as I mutter, ¡°The old man. You¡¯re his grandson, right?¡± The man who looks to be about in his late twenties to early thirties wearing the clothes of a butler nods his head with a smile and says, ¡°Yeah.¡± He¡¯s the old man from the caf¨¦¡¯s grandson. Luke¡¯s grandson. I was not expecting this. The grandson ¨C whose name I believe was Jason Argent ¨C looks just a little older than me in physical appearance but still in his prime ¨C my own physical age having returned just about to normal by now ¨C with brown hair and brown eyes. But the last time I saw him he was still just around five or so years old if I remember correctly. I recognize him more from Luke than anything else, if I¡¯m being honest. The kid would sometimes show up at the old man¡¯s caf¨¦ while I was there, and he just wouldn¡¯t stop talking. No matter how much I frowned at him, he would just keep on talking. I never got mad at him though. He was the caf¨¦ owner¡¯s grandson after all. That said, it still feels bizarre to see a kid I knew a while back as an adult. It was the same with Little Blue. ¡°You still look the same as you used to, Aunty,¡± he says with a wry smile, using that same way of calling me the kid used to use. Which feels so weird seeing someone who visibly looks older than me saying that. ¡°Come in! I¡¯m sure you¡¯re here to see the lieutenant general!¡± The man waves the three of us inside and leads us to a room closer to the middle of the house before knocking and calling out, ¡°Sir, we have guests. And I¡¯m certain you¡¯ll want to see them!¡± A few seconds pass before we hear an answer croaked out from between the doors, ¡°Come in.¡± And Jason doesn¡¯t hesitate to open the doors ¨C albeit quietly ¨C letting us see into the room. But the sight that I find¡­ I am not ready to see. The room is a well furnished bedroom with a king sized bed at the end and a lot of gray colors all around it. There¡¯s a desk to one end of the room, a TV on the other, and some sofas in the corner directly to the left of the entrance. I ignore all of that though to focus directly on the man sitting on the bed. Frank Rogers ¨C a man who used to look big and bulky ¨C currently looks almost like skin and bone. He¡¯s pale and has long white hair going down to his shoulders. A massive difference from how I remember him. And it takes me some time to even register that he actually spoke when Jason knocked on the door. He spoke. Words. Out loud. ¡°You¡¯ll catch a fly, Little Ari¡­¡± Frank croaks out with a smile on his face, the man just barely angling his head up to look at me amidst my shock. I quickly rush over to his bedside along with Hannah as Shirogane just awkwardly stands at the back of the room with Jason. And without hesitation, I grab his hand while quietly asking, ¡°How¡¯re you this bad already?! It shouldn¡¯t¡­ it¡¯s only been¡­¡± He opens his mouth to speak, only to end up coughing, so I reach over and put a finger on his lips while saying, ¡°No, don¡¯t speak. I¡¯ll just ask Jason.¡± Frank nods his head, making me turn to look at Jason, who is now walking over to stand at the edge of the bed. ¡°The lieutenant general came down with an illness a few years ago,¡± Jason says, his face going dark as he holds his hands together in front of him. ¡°One that no one saw until it was already too late. Until it had already drained away part of his lifespan.¡± My eyes narrow and I turn to look at Frank, who is calmly looking up at the ceiling. ¡°We were able to cure him of the disease after it was found, but the damage was already done,¡± Jason continues, not explaining how they managed to cure it. Because I¡¯m sure that it wasn¡¯t easy. But I guess that doesn¡¯t matter right now. Silence fills the room for a long time. And at some point amidst the silence, I feel a tear leak down my cheek. Frank just continues smiling though. Eventually he turns his head to look at me again with more than a little struggle while speaking, ¡°Little Ari¡­ you haven¡¯t changed¡­ at all¡­¡± He coughs and I reach up to try to make him stop pushing himself to speak. But he just shakes his head and continues anyways, ¡°I didn¡¯t have enough time¡­ to reach level one hundred¡­ anyways, Ari.¡± The tears begin to flow down my face even faster now. He seems to lose the strength he was using as his head falls back down to the bed to look up at the ceiling again. But I can already tell what he was going to say. And those unsaid words just keep echoing in my head. That it was bound to happen eventually. That I couldn¡¯t do anything to stop it even if I was here. By this point I¡¯m crying without letting out a sound. And I¡¯m not the only one. Except Hannah is letting out a sound. Quite a few sobs at that. I keep holding his hand in silence as I mutter, ¡°I should¡¯ve visited sooner¡­¡± The corners of Frank¡¯s lips move upwards ever so slightly at that. But he doesn¡¯t say anything. Merely closes his eyes and seemingly falls asleep. B3 | Chapter 12 Aria After spending a few hours just sitting with Frank, Jason takes us to our rooms in the manor that we¡¯ll be living in. And after spending the night, the three of us go to do our own separate thing, with me and Hannah spending time at Frank¡¯s bedside at least a few hours a day over the course of the next month. During this time, I travel around the capital to see everything that¡¯s changed in the nation. I also catch up with Jason and find that the old man is still alive. Albeit barely. He¡¯s even older than Frank by over a decade. Overall he¡¯s in around the same situation as him, since he didn¡¯t have his lifespan cut short. So I at one point follow Jason to go see his grandfather and spend some time with him as well. Apparently Luke¡¯s son ended up taking over the caf¨¦ after Luke retired, but it didn¡¯t really change the atmosphere much over the times I visit during the month. Which is nice. I stare up at the snow falling from the sky as I head back to Frank¡¯s manor after my most recent outing to the caf¨¦. And I can¡¯t help but sigh while doing so. This month has been¡­ I feel conflicted about it. It¡¯s been rather nice going around and seeing what all has changed. Seeing the old man again. Seeing Frank. Seeing the old man¡¯s grandson. And so on. But it hurts to see both Frank and the old man practically on their deathbeds. I pass through the gate to the neighborhood Frank lives in ¨C one full of a bunch of rich people ¨C before slowing down with my brows furrowing when I spot a few cars parked in front of the manor. Then my eyes widen at the sight of someone practically running out of the building. Someone who looks familiar to me albeit a bit younger. But even with that difference, I still recognize him. The moment Adrian Snow spots me, a wide smirk stretches across his face, and he clears the distance between us in moments, wrapping me up in a bear hug and lifting me into the air as I let out a light grunt. ¡°Little Ari! You¡¯re here!!!¡± he shouts, his voice echoing in my ear from his mouth which is right next to it. Then Leonardo Striker rushes out of the building as well before spotting me and running over as well. With Jason Vargas leaving the building a lot calmer after him and then walking over. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you,¡± I manage to grunt out despite Adrian crushing the air right out of me. ¡°Adrian, put her down,¡± Jason says rather with a slightly dry tone of voice. ¡°You¡¯re crushing her.¡± Adrian puts me down while laughing and saying, ¡°Yeah, but I doubt that would stop this immortal.¡± I roll my eyes before putting my hands back in my pockets and glancing at Leonidas as the man slowly steps up and pulls me into a hug as well. Just that his isn¡¯t a bear hug like Adrian¡¯s. ¡°You guys finally got some time off?¡± I ask, knowing that the others haven¡¯t visited due to the war between the Grand Roan Empire and Famine spilling over a little bit onto Vortel. Although not by much. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. The commander, or I guess former commander, nods his head as he separates from me and glances at the other two, ¡°We¡¯ve been busy till now and the First General hasn¡¯t given us the time to stop by.¡± ¡°Wait, does she know I¡¯m here?¡± I ask while tilting my head a little. ¡°I¡¯ve known you were here since you first arrived,¡± a familiar voice says, startling me into looking at the cars where I find a faint shimmering before the First General appears. ¡°Welcome back to Vortel, Aria Crimson.¡± Ah. Right. Makes sense she would know I¡¯m here. I am a low level black number walking around everywhere. And while that isn¡¯t something unseen before, it is still something to at least look into. After all, there are plenty of other low level black numbers across the universe. And even more high level ones. Especially in a brand new world like this one where most of the people outside of the world are a lot more powerful than those on the world. ¡°First General,¡± I state while shaking Vargas¡¯s hand. The First General and I stare at each other, our eyes directly meeting for several seconds. Then the corner of her lips finally quirks upwards ever so slightly and she says, ¡°Just be careful about how long you spend here.¡± And just as quickly as she appeared, she fades away like an illusion. Which is probably what she was. Just an illusion. Such an annoying ability. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside,¡± Leonidas says, making me and the other two nod our heads. But as we all walk inside, I can¡¯t help but look at the other three. Simply because of how starkly different they look now as opposed to when I last saw them. Since they¡¯re all young again. They look the same age as me thanks to their level reverting their physical age. And it¡¯s so bizarre. Then again, the last time I saw them they were in their mid to late thirties, with the exception of Frank who was the only one in his forties. So they all still look mostly the same, just younger. Fewer gray hairs, fewer wrinkles, and overall just more youthful. All of us move through the house while chatting about what¡¯s happened over the decades since we last saw each other. Like the civil war that occurred in Arteria due to the remaining nobles before they were crushed. Or the initial arrival of the Grand Roan Empire who weren¡¯t particularly happy all those years ago. The abolishment of nobility in its entirety. The establishment of more Gates. And so on. We also talk about a couple of the things I did during those years, but we arrive at Frank¡¯s room before I can go too deep into my travels. All of us walk right up to Frank¡¯s bed, the man himself surprisingly being awake. Since he generally sleeps a lot nowadays. Most of the time I¡¯m here he¡¯s asleep, only staying awake to eat meals. Just that when I first arrived it happened to be meal time. We just stand at his bedside silently watching with a dark atmosphere filling the room. Then Hannah steps into the room, making it so that for the first time in decades, all of us are together. The Predator Division is back together. I reach over to grab Frank¡¯s hand as I kneel down next to his bed. Meanwhile Vargas just stands off to the side and Ardian stands with his arms crossed right next to the bed. Leonidas sits in a chair next to it and Hannah sits on the other side of the bed holding Frank¡¯s other hand. After that I continue the discussion we had on the way here. Telling them all about my journeys through the worlds. About Eternus and the Hunter¡¯s Bay there. About Luk¡¯tar and the war with the Clans, not to mention the Grand Trees. And they seem to get a kick out of hearing about my habit of jumping off the Grand Trees, which makes me smile when I see Frank weakly laughing. Then I tell them about my time in Atlantis. About Little Blue and Sel. About the civil war there that I just kind of stopped right when it began without really meaning to. The time I spent in the Grand Ocean. On Arian fighting against the Frost Clan. In the Hive. And even my little trip to Pestilence¡¯s world. Lastly, my trip through Sheng and Aral. About the Inner Palace, the emperor and princes, and the consorts in Sheng, and the terrorist attacks on Aral. Our conversation ends up going long into the night, and at some points during it, Jason ¨C the old man¡¯s grandson, not Vargas ¨C arrives with meals from the chefs in the house. Or he just stops by to bring drinks and a snack for us. Never actually interrupting our conversation. After I finish going over everything that¡¯s happened to me, the others start sharing their own stories. And I honestly can¡¯t help but feel happy from spending my time here with them. Yet also sad, knowing that Frank won¡¯t be with us for much longer to spend time like this with. But¡­ this time is making me rethink my policy about not getting close to others. Maybe a little. B3 | Chapter 13 A Mansion Within the Capital of New Albaria Frank Rogers has never been the most excitable sort when it comes to life. He helps those who need it, helps his friends, and relaxes whenever he can while idly using his ability to make it grow stronger. It¡¯s just how he¡¯s always been. Ever since Frank¡¯s family passed away. Since he failed to save them, his ability proving to be too weak at the time. Even as a supposed Category 5 Ability Holder. One hailed as a savior by many due to his ability to heal. He wasn¡¯t able to save those that mattered the most to him, so none of that ever mattered to him. Over time he stopped speaking entirely, hoping it would make those catering to him stop bothering him. But after he met Aria, that changed. She never asked him to use his ability to help her. She never needed his healing, never asked for his enhancement, or for any other assistance. All she ever did was spend time idly with him doing nothing but relaxing without saying a single word. Just something about her attracted him. Not in a romantic or sexual way though. Just a comforting way. Almost like she was the daughter he never had. But in a comfortable way that made him feel at peace simply spending time near her. Eventually he grew to like the others as they took her cue and started acting more relaxed as well. So he started using his ability more often even when the commander didn¡¯t outright order him to do so. And when Aria arrived at his manor to see him after having left them all those years ago? He was ecstatic, even if he didn¡¯t show it. One of the things he regretted the most was that he barely ever spoke to her. Even after he started to feel comfortable around her, he only started speaking a while after she had left them. So over the course of the months she says at the manor, he can¡¯t help but faintly smile every time he sees her and the others all gathered around his bed. To talk with them even if it¡¯s difficult for him to do so. And to spend his last moments doing everything he wanted to do before. But most importantly, to snap Aria out of the walled up reality she¡¯s built around herself. Every single day when she arrives to spend time with him, he asks for stories about her travels. Asks for details about other worlds. Asks about her life, how she¡¯s been feeling. He tries to get her thinking. Tries to make her realize. That she doesn¡¯t have to be alone. That Death herself should realize death is natural, even if it won¡¯t affect her in the end. It¡¯s the one thing he wants to do before he passes on, and he¡¯s sure that old man from her favorite caf¨¦ is thinking the same thing when she visits him. Time passes by, and with every week, every month, his pain increases. Eventually he finds he¡¯s no longer able to talk out loud without using a device to read his thoughts and write them all down. After that he loses all of his remaining movement. And one by one, his senses begin to fade away. Soon enough leaving him with nothing but a blurry vision and no ability to hear. Then that goes away too. All while his comrades spend every day with him. And once his mind goes too, everything goes dark.
Aria I stare in silence from the front of the seats at the black and gray casket sitting a couple meters away from the statue located at the end of the Void Temple. Meanwhile a cool silence fills the temple all around us, with friends of Frank filling the Temple to the brim. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The others of the Predator Division are all sitting near me, with Hannah bawling her eyes out while Vargas just looks on with his usual neutral expression on his face. Leonardo looks stoic albeit ready to cry at any moment, and Adrian has a few tears silently going down his face. The same as me. We¡¯re all wearing formal, black attire, with me and Hannah wearing long black dresses and the guys all wearing black suits. And everyone else in the Temple other than the Void Priest is the same. Our collected silence continues on for several minutes before the Void Priest steps up to the casket with a tome in his hand ¨C the man seemingly being used to carrying out high profile funerals like this for people who have died of natural causes. Then he turns towards us and speaks, ¡°All those who wish to say a word to our dearly departed, step forward now.¡± I feel my legs stiffly frozen to the floor, unable to pick myself up. Even when the other people in the room slowly trickle by towards the casket with each one saying some form of last words to him. Then each one leaves the temple with many of them crying in the process. Eventually I find myself alone in the Void Temple other than a few other people, including the others of the Predator Division and the Void Priest. Hannah finally steps forward, stopping right in front of the casket. Then she takes a deep breath and, with a wry, sad smile on her face, says with tears still silently flowing down her face, ¡°Frank, you were the best support we could¡¯ve asked for. Both in battle and out of it. You would always listen when I needed to vent something out and you wouldn¡¯t ever judge me. No matter what.¡± She sniffs once before wiping some of her tears. ¡°Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being in my life.¡± Right after she finishes, she bows once and quickly makes a hasty retreat out of the Void Temple while beginning to cry and sob rather hard. But I just keep staring at the casket as Adrian steps up next. ¡°Frank, please be at peace,¡± he says while bowing his head. ¡°You deserve it for putting up with my crap all these years.¡± Then he stands there for several seconds, just gritting his teeth as if trying to find something to say. Only to blurt out, ¡°Thank you for your service!¡± and run away as the tears flood down his face just like Hannah. After Adrian is Jason, who simply walks up to it and bows without a word. But right when it looks like he¡¯s about to turn and walk away, he pauses and says, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then he turns and walks away. Leonardo goes last between the four as I remain at my spot seated with my eyes glued to the casket. ¡°Frank, I always had a hard time figuring out what you were thinking most of the time, but I think I understood you in the end,¡± Leonardo says with a wry smile on his face. ¡°You just wanted people to see you for who you were, not what you could do. And you wanted to grow skilled enough in your ability to not have to worry about losing anyone again, like how you lost your family.¡± The division commander bows once before rising to his full height again. ¡°You cared about us like we were your family. And I can¡¯t thank you enough for that. Please be at peace.¡± And he walks away too, leaving me and the Void Priest in silence. Eventually I manage to climb to my feet, my legs feeling ever so slightly wobbly in the process. Then I walk up to the casket myself and stop right in front of it. The silence stretches on for a little while before I take a shaky breath, and begin, ¡°You¡­ you were the first person I really started to open up to since I lost everything. The first new person to enter my life and stay there. You never pestered me about how young I was, or how I should just go ahead and retire. You never tried to make me do anything for you or tried to pry into my life.¡± Flashes of my past run through my mind. Of times where I was sitting in a cafeteria simply drinking wine while reading a book. Or when I was watching TV still drinking in the barracks common room. All while Frank was sitting there eating or reading a book of his own, with neither of us saying a word. Memories of times all of us from the Predator Division spent together. Like when we were climbing the cliffs to sneak attack one of the fortresses and Adrian commented about my skill in climbing. Or the vacation our entire Division had after some of our missions where me and Frank visited the library to study the information given to us about the other worlds. ¡°You were a great friend, and that will never change,¡± I continue with more tears beginning to flow down my face. ¡°I just¡­ I wish I could¡¯ve gotten to know you better¡­¡± I stare down at the ground, gripping onto the long skirt of my black dress with both hands as my tears fall. ¡°To know why you would rarely speak. Why you were always so patient with us,¡± I state a lot more slowly before sniffing once. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have waited till the end. Shouldn¡¯t have lost track of time as I did.¡± Both of my hands clench into fists as my eyes harden a little and I raise my head to stare at the casket, finishing, ¡°But I won¡¯t make the same mistake again. I won¡¯t let things pass me by. Won¡¯t let those I care for pass on without me knowing more about them. So please¡­ forgive me for not being a good friend.¡± A sad smile makes its way onto my face. ¡°And please be at peace, Frank Rogers.¡± Then I silently nod at the Void Priest, following which he steps forward and opens a rift to the void. And just like that, he gently pushes the casket into the void, giving it the highest level of burial possible within the universe. I watch for a few seconds before turning around and starting to make my way down the aisle of the temple towards the entrance. Meanwhile Frank¡¯s last words echo through my head. ¡®Don¡¯t live your life regretful of living. Live it as you please. Live it with those around you. And live it with a smile.¡¯ The corner of my lips quirk ever so slightly upwards at those words before I wipe my eyes with the sleeve of my dress. And step out of the Void Temple. With a new outlook to strive towards. B3 | Chapter 14 Aria I spend another month on Vortel, just hanging out and enjoying the remaining time I have left with the old man. All while absorbing everything that¡¯s happened over the year I spent on Vortel with Frank. But eventually, Luke specifically asks me to leave before he passes away. So Shirogane and I begin to head out, with Hannah staying behind on Vortel without us. I feel¡­ strange¡­ as I stare out at the horizon from the front of the rather fancy ship we¡¯re on. Strange in a conflicting way. Both freer. Like I have less weight in my mind. Probably due to that lesson Frank was trying to drill into my head. But I also feel¡­ sad. I just continue staring off at the sun rising over the horizon. Then a strange warping sound echoes all around us and the light vanishes in an instant, soon to be replaced by pitch black darkness. Meanwhile dozens of spell circles appear in the air around the ship as the ship itself comes to a slow stop. What the fuck? I look around in confusion for a second, only to spot the ones responsible. A bunch of people in black cloaks with some sort of symbol on their hood. One I recognize as a symbol representing one of the foremost cults of death from the Rex Dynasty. Well, fuck. All of the cultists give a bow while clapping their hands together and facing me as they speak simultaneously, ¡°Lady Death, we have come to bring you to your esteemed Holy Land.¡± When they raise their heads, giving me a glimpse of what¡¯s under their hoods, I realize half of them are undead and the other half still all have glowing eyes of various colors. Mostly darker colors. They also have rather psychotic looks in their eyes. Which is to be expected of the Cult of the End. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but could I just keep-¡± I begin, not really expecting it to help much from what I¡¯ve heard of these people. And just as I expected, they interrupt me. ¡°Lady Death, we have come to bring you to your esteemed Holy Land,¡± they repeat the exact same thing again in sync with a fanatical look in their eyes. ¡°Oh,¡± I mutter, briefly glancing towards Shirogane, who seems to be rather conflicted about what he should do. Since these guys technically belong to the Rex Dynasty of the Dead, it would be pretty bad for him to attack them. All of the spell circles around us ¨C each one being black and clearly death magic spells ¨C swirl around in circles a few times before expanding and summoning forth dozens of undead all around us. Some within the waters, others just appearing as spirits on the ship. And some summoned from spatial locations where they were no doubt stored by the necromancers. Then another spell circle appears on the deck of the ship. This one being purple and likely of spatial magic. Ugh. This is getting really annoying. ¡°Stop it now,¡± I declare, raising my voice while summoning dozens of Lesser Death Spirits on the ship. Only for the undead to easily overwhelm my Death Spirits and quite literally pick me up in a princess carry while somehow being extra gentle. As if the undead was touching a holy relic or something. And, instead of stopping as I told them to, they repeat, ¡°Lady Death, we have come to bring you to your esteemed Holy Land.¡± But this time they also add on a simple, ¡°It will be far better than this waste of a rock.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Huh. Bias, much? I glance at Shirogane as I struggle rather unsuccessfully to get out of the arms of the undead giant holding me. And to my surprise, Shirogane actually looks like he is about to finally help me. Only for the purple magic circle to flash, blinding me before I find myself off of Vortel and on some other planet. One clearly belonging to the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. Not sure which planet though. How I know it¡¯s one of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead¡¯s worlds? Because of the fancy high tech stuff all around the plaza I find myself in. And the massive skyscrapers surrounding the plaza. And the massive fucking triangular building behind me. And the fucking statue of me in the plaza. This¡­ makes me more than a little uncomfortable. It¡¯s not just one statue either now that I look around a bit more. It¡¯s dozens upon dozens of them spread around the massive plaza. Each with people wearing cloaks bowing down to them. And that¡¯s not counting the massive screens on some of the skyscrapers showing my image as well. I crouch down slightly while covering my mouth. Right. So, I probably shouldn¡¯t throw up. Don¡¯t throw up. Right. Don¡¯t. Didn¡¯t even know I could. Can I? Not sure. Maybe? All of the necromancers who kidnapped me appear all around me in the plaza along with their summons. Summons that they banish just as quickly as they arrive before they all kneel. Meanwhile the people who were already in the plaza quickly rush over and kneel as well, each with fervent looks in their eyes. Then a single sentence is stated simultaneously by quite literally tens of thousands of people filling the entire damned plaza. And it¡¯s not just them, because I¡¯m pretty sure I see people sticking their heads out and bowing through the damned windows of the skyscrapers. ¡°Welcome to Your Beloved Holy Land, Lady Death. May you forever find peace and tranquility within these lands.¡± I just kinda look up at them all while still crouched down feeling more than a little befuddled at the sudden twist in my situation and location. Silence fills the entire plaza as the music that was playing goes silent, leaving me here amidst tens of thousands of people who are all looking at me with a fervent and honestly creepy look in their eyes. ¡°Um,¡± I mutter, only for their eyes to flash with even more fervency as some of them even write down a single thing on a notepad I didn¡¯t even realize half of them had. ¡°So would you¡­¡± I trail off when I realize they¡¯re literally writing down every word I say. ¡°Could you stop doing that please?¡± A man at the front and center of both the group here and the one that kidnapped me steps forwards and says, ¡°No, please forgive us Your Ladyship, but we are but ants in front of you. We must take note of your every word to learn from it. To take in your wisdom.¡± I stare blankly at him while beginning to wonder if I¡¯m in some horror movie or not. Not a very good one, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°So¡­ could I go back?¡± I ask with a frown on my face. They don¡¯t say a word yet have the damned gall to write that down as well. Seriously? Do these people have rocks for brains? ¡°Excuse me?¡± I ask after a long period of silence passes without any form of answer. ¡°You wrote that down. You can¡¯t tell me that you didn¡¯t hear what I just asked.¡± No one says a word. Instead they just write that down too, leaving me putting my face in both hands and letting out an exasperated sigh. Which they write down too. Just¡­ what the hell is even going on here? I¡¯m¡­ not sure how I should even process this. I focus on the only person here who has spoken individually. A man with short black hair wearing that same black cloak that everyone here is wearing. He has glowing black eyes with two very sharp fangs in his mouth that lead me to believe he may be a vampire. And he¡¯s looking at me just as fervently as the others. ¡°Lady Death, would you please grace us with the chance to show you your Sacred Chambers?¡± the man in question asks while bowing his head low. Seriously? Sacred Chambers? Please tell me they aren¡¯t just going to add the word ¡®sacred¡¯ to anything related to me¡­ ¡°If you¡¯re not going to release me, I might as well,¡± I mutter, of which they write every bit down again. Might as well. It¡¯ll at least get me away from all these people. And the Rex Dynasty will know about what happened. Shirogane will see to that. Then the pharaoh should come to free me. Probably. On another note, I get the feeling that this may just have been what Shirou warned me about. When he told me to be careful. I had honestly forgotten about that thanks to everything that¡¯d happened. And thanks to¡­ Frank¡­ Well, anyways, the ones who kidnapped me begin to make some sort of escort formation around me as if I were some sort of princess before they walk me towards the massive triangular building. Which snaps me out of the sadness I¡¯d just felt from thinking about Frank again. Because this is just weird. ¡°Shirogane, please get here soon¡­¡± I mutter to myself out loud. Only to hear the scribbling of pens as the idiots around me write it down. Fucking hell, would they please just stop it with the writing?! B3 | Chapter 15 Aria I let out a yawn as I sit at the edge of a very fancy and overly large balcony on a lawn chair overlooking the plaza. Meanwhile fanatics move about bringing me wine and video games as I wonder what¡¯s happened to my life. The room they brought me to and started calling my Sacred Chambers turned out to be the largest and fanciest suite of rooms I have ever seen. Even nicer than the King and Queen of Atlantis¡¯s suite in their castle which I did manage to see once. After they took me to my room, they had me wait there for a bit to prepare before bringing me to a large chamber deep in the triangular building. One that quite literally has mana creatures being funneled into it by fanatics from the Hunter¡¯s Spot that is apparently beneath this place. So now I find myself sitting out here while they serve me and my Death Spirits just casually kill the mana creatures down in that chamber as they¡¯re brought to them. Quite literally a slaughter house for mana creatures. Large rat and roach mana creatures to be exact. Because it turns out the Hunter¡¯s Spot beneath this place is some sort of sewer. Rather disgusting and not a place I want to visit anytime soon. That said¡­ their whole scribbling everything I say down thing aside, not to mention the fact that they¡¯re keeping me here against my will, it¡¯s not actually a half bad place. Free mana creature kills. Free wine forever. And for some reason these people seem to know every last one of my tastes, all the way down to my favorite wines and the fact that I enjoy hot springs. Something I honestly didn¡¯t think anyone knew since I haven¡¯t been to a hot spring since my time on Luk¡¯tar. And that was on my own. At least other than the whole staying here in the first place thing they aren¡¯t forcing me to do anything I don¡¯t want to do. With them somehow knowing everything I want to do. It¡¯s honestly a little creepy. Okay, more than a little. Almost like they know more about me than I know about myself. So very creepy. If it weren¡¯t for their habit of writing everything I say or do down, or their habit of staring at me like I¡¯m their sun, or their habit of predicting everything I¡¯m gonna do, or¡­ okay, if it weren¡¯t for a lot of their habits, I wouldn¡¯t mind staying here for a little while. I let out a sigh as I look out over the balcony from my comfortable seat. Ignoring the several fanatics dressed as maids and butlers behind me who start freaking out at my sigh like it¡¯s the end of the world. At least they¡¯re not trying to off themselves anymore. When I first arrived, if I so much as looked displeased by one of their services, they¡¯d try to kill themselves. Something about failing their Lady Death. And while I considered just letting them considering how they¡¯re keeping me against my will, I would rather not kill off tens of millions of people that way. Because there are a lot of people in this cult. Many of whom are children. So that¡¯s a no. Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Most of them are higher level than me too, which makes escaping a rather hard feat. Especially considering how much security they have. On the bright side, they wouldn¡¯t dare take my phone or any of my belongings. So I¡¯ve spoken to Shirogane over the phone a few times over the past several hours that I¡¯ve spent here. And from what he says, the pharaoh has already been notified of what happened and they¡¯re tracking my phone¡¯s signal now. A process that takes a little while since they have to figure out what world I¡¯m on. I let out another sigh, only to glance to the side at the panicking fanatics who are quite literally waving their hands around trying to figure out what to do without saying a word, pacing back and forth, sometimes taking a step towards me only to step back. Sometimes I can¡¯t help but wonder just how many screws loose these people have. It¡¯s like they have a completely selective sight. They see what they want to see and don¡¯t see what they don¡¯t want to. Not just sight actually. Selective everything. They actually did execute one person who ended up serving me wine that I offhandedly mentioned I didn¡¯t like. Which was rather awkward to see. Ended up telling them not to do that. Especially considering that they raised them as an undead zombie and had them start doing manual labor after that because dying is an honor here. And not something to be given to someone they¡¯re punished. With undeath being the real punishment. Kind of makes me wonder what those previously trying to kill themselves would¡¯ve done. Probably would¡¯ve had someone else raise them from the dead to do the same thing. Which also makes letting them kill themselves even if I wanted that rather pointless. Since they¡¯d just come back as undead. On another note, I tried to siphon their life force at one point but that didn¡¯t really do much of anything. Only the adults, of course. Because I don¡¯t really want to kill kids who have no say in what¡¯s going on here. The adults didn¡¯t even notice. Their level was too high for me to drain more than seconds off their lifespans. To the point that at most I was making them age two seconds for every one second that passed. So that didn¡¯t really amount to much. Actually, I¡¯m still draining the adult¡¯s life force. Simply because it¡¯s free life energy. So why not? They don¡¯t even notice. In fact, I get the feeling they¡¯d be happy if they did notice. And these adults clearly know what they¡¯re doing, so I don¡¯t care about doubling their aging while I¡¯m here. I almost let out another sigh but manage to hold it in. Because I¡¯d rather not give these maids and butlers a heart attack. Well, guess I can at least relax here while being fed kills as I wait for my rescue. Not the worst thing that could happen to me. I was expecting it to be far worse here. With me being put up in some temple that I can¡¯t leave or something. But nope. They¡¯re just serving me and occasionally walking up to pray, for some reason believing that I¡¯m just gonna understand their thoughts and that I¡¯m acting like I can¡¯t hear them when they do pray. Now if only¡­ I glance to the side at the resident scribes of this tacky and fanatical lot. The five people sitting at a movable desk a few dozen meters away from me writing down every last action and word I take and say. ¡­if only they¡¯d stop doing that. Also, why do I get the feeling these maids and butlers will be punished somehow for my sighing? I glance back at said maids and butlers who are still panicking before a thought comes to mind. So I ask, ¡°Do you happen to know what world we¡¯re in?¡± They all immediately brighten up and answer at once, ¡°We¡¯re on Vartol, Lady Death!¡± Huh. ¡°Thanks,¡± I tell them, making them all begin crying tears of joy. Uh, okay then. I turn back to look out over the balcony again as I pull out my phone and send a text to Shirogane about what they just said. Then he replies back saying he told the White Emperor, who is then gonna tell the pharaoh, and that I should wait a bit for them to confirm that. I probably shouldn¡¯t believe these fanatics right away, but for some reason I can¡¯t see them lying to me. Just the fanatical looks in their eyes right now make me think that. After a few minutes pass, Shirogane comes back to me saying they confirmed that my phone¡¯s signal is, in fact, coming from Vartol. So they did tell the truth. Another instance of me wondering just what¡¯s up with these oddballs. It¡¯s like they don¡¯t bother thinking everything through. Well, at least I know the others will be coming soon. Now I can just enjoy these refreshments and free mana creature kills while I wait. I sit up in my lawn chair and stretch my arms above my head, only for my eyebrow to twitch when I hear the idiots writing that down. Then I let out another sigh, making the other idiots start panicking again. This is getting old fast. B3 | Chapter 16 Aria I stand with my arms folded under my chest simply watching the System Messages go by as I see the Death Spirits in front of me kill one roach after another rat. And finally, after spending several months in this fanatic hole just waiting for someone to stop by to bring me out, I get the message I¡¯ve been waiting for.
User has leveled-up to level 33. User will now be given their fourth skill. Assessing user¡¯s accomplishments and actions¡­ assessment complete. User will now be given the following skill: Death¡¯s Companion This skill allows the user to summon forth a single companion made entirely of death energy. This companion will then travel through the years with Death, never dying, never growing old, and never leaving their lady¡¯s side. For even Death needs a permanent companion.
Silence fills the room with the only sound being my Death Spirits still slitting the throats of the rats and other mana creatures fed to them. All while I find myself wordlessly staring at the notification in front of me, my mouth partially agape despite the bad smell permeating the room from the mana creatures. A¡­ companion? I feel¡­ After a brief pause, I turn around and step out of the room, ignoring the fanatics following me until I arrive at my room and close the door behind me. Because none of them ever dare to step foot inside. Even if they will enter my suite as a whole. The room is incredibly grand with water fountains on either side of the room, an entire waterfall at the back, a massive luxurious bed, and various different areas in the room for different activities. Such as video games, watching TV, boardgames, simply relaxing, and even training against dummies. Pretty much anything I¡¯d need. But I ignore it all as I step up to the bed and sit down, still staring at the notification until it vanishes. A companion. One that will never die. To my surprise, I feel my cheeks growing wet. So I lift my hand to check, only to find tears flowing down my face. I smile at that. A wry smile that has me shaking my head. Then I go ahead and activate the skill, knowing how to do so in an instant. A bunch of crimson energy begins to appear around me, some of which is drained from my own body and some from rifts to the Plane of Death that open up around me. Then the crimson energy starts to swirl around, forming a miniature tempest until it slowly shrinks down in size more and more. Eventually it reaches the size of about a little ball only a little over half a foot in length. And then it just stops moving entirely before, after a few minutes of silence, beginning to morph into a shape. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. One I vaguely recognize as that of a cat. My eyes widen a little as the blob of death energy turns into a cat-shaped blob. Only for the blob to suddenly pop and a little kitten to appear where it was just at. The cat has black and white fur, with crimson eyes as it shakes its head with a short mewing sound. Then it looks up at me and meows before jumping up onto my lap, startling me a little in the process. And just like that, the cat calmly lies down on my legs and seems to go to sleep. Huh. Not really what I expected for a companion. But I¡¯ll take it. Someone else who can¡¯t die. My smile widens a bit at that thought. For some reason a name just comes to mind as I begin to pet the kitten on my lap. I somehow just know that the kitten is male without even checking, and the name just seems right. Especially considering its appearance. ¡°I¡¯ll call you Asher,¡± I tell the little kitten, still smiling at it as I pet the little fella. Although I do wonder if Asher can do anything other than just not die. Is he meant to just be a companion that doesn¡¯t fight or anything, or does he also help in fighting? Also, will he always be this small, or will he grow larger over time? After thinking on that for a few seconds, I pick up the little kitten and begin to leave my room. And right after stepping outside, I go ahead and ask some of the fanatics, ¡°Do the other Horsemen have any companions like this little guy?¡± They look surprised, but they quickly answer nonetheless, ¡°They do indeed, Lady Death.¡± Interesting. ¡°Give me details please,¡± I tell them while petting the kitten in my arms. Never really heard of them having cute little companions, but I guess these people would be more well informed than me. The maids outside of my room ¨C men apparently being banned from getting anywhere near my bedroom ¨C answer me rather quickly. As it turns out, each of the Horsemen do have a companion other than just their horse. Famine has a massive locust that can separate into a swarm of the bugs. War has a rather large hound spanning at least a few meters in height. And Pestilence has a snake. One I never actually saw while at his castle. After they give me a few more details, I head back into my room before looking down at the little kitten in my arms. All of their companions seem to be a lot bigger and scarier. So I¡¯m guessing that might mean little Asher will grow up too. They also have combat capabilities and can use some magic too. Which makes sense considering that they¡¯re made of energy. Well, anyways, I step back over to the bed before lying down, leaving the cat just sleeping on my stomach as I do so. Over the course of the past months I¡¯ve spent here, not much has changed. The fanatics are still worshiping the ground I walk on. Literally in some of their cases. I¡¯m still being fed kills like a child. And these people are still writing down everything I do like it¡¯s some damned holy scripture. I blink my eyes open at that thought before frowning at the ceiling. Okay, I better not find some holy scripture book out there some day just filled with everything I said and did while I was here. That would be creepy as hell. Although I have at least benefited from this whole ordeal. Since they fed me several hundred thousand mana creatures, raising my level three entire times over the course of just several months. Far more than I would¡¯ve been able to do on my own. And all without me even so much as lifting a finger. The only thing that¡¯s really changed in this time is that ¨C according to Shirogane ¨C the pharaoh¡¯s forces are gonna be arriving on the planet soon. Something about them having to prepare for the civil war this would cause. Totally not my fault. Not in any way at all my fault. I nod my head at that thought, reassured of my complete innocence in this affair. That aside though, I¡¯m a little surprised by just how large the military of this cult is. Because they have quite a bit of pull in the Dynasty itself. Still nowhere near enough pull to successfully beat the pharaoh, of course, but still a lot of pull. I¡¯m actually a little interested to see this war go down though. Simply because I¡¯ve never seen a spaceship before. And there is definitely gonna be some space fights in this war. From what I¡¯ve been told, the pharaoh is coming here personally on the Dynasty¡¯s flagship after all. Which will be a sight to see. One thing I am still a little confused about though. Apparently someone has been spying on the fanatics this whole time. Someone who isn¡¯t the Dynasty or the, uh, other Dynasty. Neither the Rex Dynasty or the Eternal Dynasty. But whoever it is, despite being able to spy on them without the fanatics managing to locate where they¡¯re spying from, aren¡¯t doing anything. They¡¯re just watching and waiting. And I can¡¯t help but wonder who that might be. It¡¯s probably not one of the other Horsemen. Just not their style of doing things. War would be jumping straight in to attack without a word. Pestilence wouldn¡¯t give a shit about what¡¯s going on. And Famine is busy slaughtering the Grand Roan Empire. Or, rather, he¡¯s busy finishing it up annexing them. Since that war is just about over, and he wants them alive to starve them just like the rest of his empire. Shirogane actually told me yesterday that he just arrived on the world himself to deal with them personally. So I can¡¯t see that war lasting for much longer. I almost pity their emperor. Almost. I stretch my arms over my head for a moment before flopping them down onto the bed as I close my eyes. Well, might as well take a nap with my new friend. B3 | Chapter 17 Aria One week later I sit on my lawn chair holding little Asher in my lap while looking down at the fella ignoring the explosions ringing out high beyond the sky. Ignoring the rushing fanatics and the much smaller guard all around the place. And focusing pretty much all of my attention on the adorable little kitten who is pawing at my stomach. So adorable. I reach down to poke at his cute little nose before he meows at the same time as another wave of explosions ring out from above. Then more explosions echo from the skyscrapers around the massive triangular building I¡¯ve been living in for a bit now. Over the course of the last week, I¡¯ve managed to study little Asher a bit. And what I¡¯ve figured out about him generally comes down to a few simple things. He can use death magic. He can use soul energy just like me to enhance himself. And he likes fish. Of course, the last one is the most important. Or at least, Asher seems to think so. Every time he so much as sees fish he goes running. It¡¯s rather adorable. The fella also enjoys lying on my lap. And only my lap. To the point that when a few of the fanatics offered to entertain him a bit to give me a break if I needed one, he just hissed at them. Clearly showing that he¡¯s smarter than the average cat. They didn¡¯t even reach for him. Just made the suggestion then acted as if nothing had happened. I never did see those fanatics again. Probably not a good sign, but Imma just act like I never saw them. For the best that way. Soon a large shadow begins to envelop the entire complex of buildings I¡¯m in, making me and Asher glance up to find a massive spaceship moving over the place. Then a loud voice echoes down from the spaceship stating, ¡°Cult of the End! You are hereby ordered to release Lady Death from your clutches! If you adhere to this order you will all have your five-century-long undead labor sentence reduced to four centuries!¡± I blink at that before muttering, ¡°Huh¡­¡± That¡¯s still a rather long sentence. Even for me. I glance down at Asher as he lets out a meow and nods his head with a look of pride on his kitty face. A look that has me furrowing my brows at him in both amusement and exasperation. ¡°Asher, you do realize you didn¡¯t do-¡± I start, only for the cat to look up at me and give me his adorable little kitty eyes. So I just sigh again, making the maids near me once again begin panicking. I glance at the maids before almost sighing again. But I refrain. Gave one a heart attack on accident a few days ago just from sighing. Might be best to not do that. Anyways, this cat is manipulative as hell. And he¡¯s convinced I¡¯m his bed. Are all cats this way or is it just him? I turn my focus back to the spaceship above us as the fanatics all begin sending magical attacks at it. Whether through their abilities or through magical spells, or even through turrets set up around the place. Ones that reveal themselves to have been in the walls and roofs of the buildings without me ever knowing. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Then, as if that wasn¡¯t loud and annoying enough, smaller spaceships begin leaving the large one and firing back at the turrets and fanatics. Meanwhile more spaceships arrive from the stars and fire on places outside of this complex that I can¡¯t see from here. No doubt other fanatics who aren¡¯t in this complex. Just the sight almost has me sighing again. But I refrain. For the sake of the maids. ¡°Asher, you do realize I¡¯m not a bed, right?¡± I ask while picking him up and bringing him to my face. An act that makes the maids behind me jealous for some reason, but I¡¯m just ignoring them as I always do. The cat just tilts his head and meows with a questioning tone. As if I said something ridiculous. This cat really makes me wonder if it¡¯s just him or if all cats have some sort of feeling of superiority over others. I¡¯m pretty sure I saw him at one point ordering the maids to get him fish somehow. And I¡¯m still not sure if I¡¯m more confused by the fact that they understood him or by the fact that they actually obeyed without question. They¡¯re spoiling him. That must be it. There¡¯s no other way a companion of mine would act like this. More explosions echo from above and the large triangular building begins to shake a little bit. Meanwhile the maids continue watching my every move in case I ask for them, somehow being willfully ignorant of what¡¯s going on around us. The butlers ran off though. Pretty sure they went to fight, leaving the maids here with me. I lower Asher again, letting him resettle on my lap as I look back up at the fighting. Which is certainly a sight to behold. Spaceships floating in the sky firing at other spaceships and turrets, turrets firing back on them, a bunch of creepy people in black robes firing off spells and abilities at the ships and the people floating in the sky firing back at them wearing equally black yet less creepy robes. Overall, lots of robes, and lots of explosions. I do find the explosions to be nice though. Makes me wonder if I can buy their explosives. They look like they¡¯d make for good Hunter Spot farming. Oh, and some of the pharaoh¡¯s forces do try to go directly towards me. But most of them are countered by the top people of the cult. People who are all stronger than the king and queen of Atlantis by far. Each and every one of them. Then more forces from the ship try to head towards me, only to be countered by the leader of the cult. A rather creepy dude who was also the one talking to me before. And who happens to be in the four digits in level. Somewhere around level three or so thousand if I remember correctly. I have to say though, this is rather interesting to watch now that more of the powerful people are coming out. Always interesting to see powerful people fight. Makes me excited for the future when I¡¯m actually, uh, strong. When I won¡¯t have to rely on explosives. Not that explosives are bad. They¡¯re great. Amazing even. But relying on them isn¡¯t fun. On another note, I did actually try to walk over to one of the skyscrapers and use an explosive to blow up the wall and let me out. But the wall kind of ignored the explosive. And when I brought out a nuke? Before I could even think twice about it due to the people it would kill, the nuke just kinda disintegrated into dust. I was rather pissed about that, since that nuke cost a lot. So, of course, I had the fanatics reimburse me for it. It¡¯s only right after all. Not like I was gonna blow them all up with it or anything. It was also the point I found out that all explosives on that scale are automatically disintegrated when within the compounds of the complex. Never brought out another explosive after that. My attention returns to the spaceship when I see someone flying out of the thing. Someone wearing a black kilt made of rather nice materials with pitch black eyes. And they just kinda stop there despite a bunch of turrets immediately turning to fire on them. Turrets that they kinda ignore. They look rather androgynous, so it¡¯s hard to tell what gender they are. With a relatively feminine physique and ¨C now that I get a better look ¨C oddly diamond-like eyes. With them being separated into a bunch of rhombuses for the otherwise normal pupil. All of which together makes me realize just who he is. The Pharaoh ruling over the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. Raja Singh Amunet. The most powerful undead in the entire universe. And the only creature of his species. A necro. A species born only in places of immense death energy and miasma. Miasma so thick it and large in quantity that it can be mistaken for a planet. He¡¯s the only known necro in existence though. Although apparently he isn¡¯t really a he. Or a she. Apparently necro don¡¯t have a gender. But he just went ahead and identified as male. The word on the internet says he chose based on the roll of a die and doesn¡¯t actually care one way or another. My thoughts pause when his gaze locks onto me and the faintest hint of a smile stretches across it. Something that I¡¯ve heard never happens. Ever. I just kinda wave at him before reaching over to pet Asher some more. His smile grows slightly amused. Only for it to vanish again when he focuses on the cultists. Well, looks like I¡¯m getting out of here soon. B3 | Chapter 18 Aria I quickly wave at the maids and tell them, ¡°Get me some popcorn please.¡± After which they immediately set out to do so before returning with a bowl of popcorn that I begin to eat. Despite my habit of never eating, popcorn just feels right at this moment in time. Just does. Asher seems to agree too since he¡¯s eating some as well. Not sure how healthy popcorn is for cats, but I don¡¯t really care either since he¡¯s just as immortal as I am. He can deal with the consequences of eating it if there are any. Probably not though. Then we both settle in to watch as what look like thousands of different spell circles begin to fill the air all around the androgynous pharaoh. Terrifying a lot of the cultists in the process. And just as quickly as the circles appeared, black, red, and purple missiles begin to shoot out of them. Blowing up everything they strike and literally disintegrating any living being they touch to ash. Ash that then continues to wiggle around as if alive. Holy fucking shit on a cat, is he turning these cultists into¡­ ash¡­ undead? Is that a thing? Undead as small as little bits of ash? Might just be my mind playing tricks on¡­ That thought trails off when I see a bit of ash jump up into the air while casting a spell of its own and screaming in some rather high pitch voice. Only for it to freeze in place and turn its attack on the other cultists as if forced by some overwhelming power. Right. So ash undead is a thing. I glance at Asher before saying, ¡°Remind me to never get on the pharaoh¡¯s bad side.¡± Asher meows back at me as if saying that he wouldn¡¯t be able to turn me into an ash undead even if he wanted to. And he¡¯s right. I also very much hope I¡¯m not imagining his responses. Because I like being sane. Anyways, the pharaoh keeps turning the cultists into ash undead one after another after another. Slaughtering entire waves including my poor maids. Rest in¡­ ash? Rest as ash maids. You will not really be missed by me at least. I continue eating my popcorn as the pharaoh turns his gaze towards the cultist leaders, all of whom just start floating up to the pharaoh without a word or even trying to attack. Then the pharaoh declares, ¡°Nefertari Hatshepsut Maatkare, leader of the Cult of the End, you will hereby be put to work as the undead commander of the legion in Hell.¡± The cult leader turns to look at me as he says, ¡°So long as it serves Lady Death¡¯s will, we will do whatever is necessary.¡± He turns back to the pharaoh again. ¡°Do your worst.¡± And the pharaoh does just that. Literally waves his hand and the cult leader splits apart into a dozen different pieces before reforming again as an undead. Not sure which type of undead though. He seems to have seams between all of the parts that were torn off with glowing red eyes. And he¡¯s emitting a creepy purple mist. That¡¯s what you get for writing down everything I did. I nod my head in satisfaction while finishing off the rest of the popcorn. Popcorn that seems suspiciously little, most likely due to a certain cat who is sitting on my munching on something. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Rascal stole most of the popcorn. Whatever. Doesn¡¯t really matter. The moment deserving of popcorn is over now anyways. I toss the bowl to the side, not really caring about cleanliness as I stand up, stretching my arms over my head. Well, that was a rather annoying vacation. Other than the luxuries they gave me and the free levels, that is. Although, I can¡¯t help but notice the pharaoh ¨C having already turned the other leaders of the cult into undead as well ¨C turning an amused look at the cat that I¡¯m currently picking up from the lawn chair. Then I walk over to the edge of the balcony as the masses of undead around this complex ¨C mostly consisting of ash undead ¨C are escorted onto the ships in a bizarre display. Meanwhile any of the cultists who were killed in the fighting are also resurrected as undead, and the people on the pharaoh¡¯s side who were killed have their bodies taken to the ships. No doubt to be resurrected at a Void Temple later on. If I¡¯m being honest with myself, that battle was a lot more boring than I was expecting. Guess the pharaoh is just too powerful. Makes me wonder how strong Shirou truly is. Or the other Grands. And speaking of the Grands, the pharaoh barks out some orders to the ships before floating down and landing on the balcony next to me. Then he kneels and declares, ¡°I welcome you to the nation I have built in your name, Lady Death.¡± Great. More worship. After his kneeling though, he rises to his feet with the corners of his lips quirking ever so slightly upwards. Which I guess must be his version of jumping for joy, considering how the guy is known for never once smiling in all the millions of years he¡¯s been ruling the nation. Then he adds rather warmly, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for a long time.¡± Huh. Unexpected. That didn¡¯t sound fanatical. More romantic. Which is still a no. Not that I don¡¯t understand it a little though. Since he was quite literally born from death energy. But romance isn¡¯t my thing. Actually, from what I¡¯ve heard, Horsemen don¡¯t even feel reproductive or romantic urges at all. Of course, that could just be a rumor, but considering how I¡¯ve felt my whole life, it would make sense. ¡°Would you like to head with me towards the capital of the Rex Dynasty, or would you rather continue your travels, Lady Aria?¡± the pharaoh says, surprising me again by his use of my name instead of just ¡®Lady Death¡¯ along with him actually asking. So maybe this guy isn¡¯t¡­ My thoughts return to his turning people to ash undead. ¡­isn¡¯t all bad. Even if he¡¯s known as a ruthless tyrant. And turns people into ash undead. ¡°Hmm,¡± I hum while tapping my chin and glancing at the cat in my left arm. A cat that quickly begins to climb up to my shoulder before moving on to my head and just kinda perching there. ¡°I think I¡¯ve stayed in the Dynasty for long enough. Just point me in the most interesting place that has a Hunter¡¯s Spot and is near this world that I can get immigration rights to easily enough and that¡¯s all I¡¯ll need.¡± ¡°As you wish, Lady Aria,¡± the pharaoh says with a bow before floating up into the air the moment a hover platform appears next to me. Then he says, ¡°Hop on, My Lady, and I will bring you to the flagship for you to peruse the planets all you like.¡± Oh. Right. I almost forgot he has a damned spaceship that can just skip the Gating process. Wait a second¡­ I blink as a thought comes to mind. Then I hop onto the hover platform before asking the pharaoh, ¡°Hey, any chance I could buy a spaceship from you? One capable of travel and that has a way for me to get from one world to another without much trouble.¡± He doesn¡¯t even stop flying as he says, ¡°I will have one arranged for you to have.¡± Well, that¡¯s convenient. And very easy. Probably for the best that I don¡¯t ask how expensive it is. All things considered. It¡¯d probably make me feel a tad bad for accepting it from him. Since I get the feeling he¡¯s not gonna accept my money even if I tried forcing it on him. Not to mention how he said he¡¯d have one arranged for me to have. Not that he¡¯d let me purchase one. We continue floating up into the sky before entering directly through the bridge windshield of his flagship. Not even bothering to enter any real entrances. Just pass straight through a purple spell circle placed in front of the windshield. To my complete lack of surprise, I find Shirogane just kinda sitting around in the bridge while reading a book. And he wordlessly waves at me for a moment before returning his attention to his book. Goes to show how worried he was about me. Then again, he knew that I was being treated as a goddess there. So there wasn¡¯t much to worry about. Once we reach the command seat of the bridge, I can¡¯t help but notice the fact that every last person within the bridge is an undead. And they¡¯re all bowing to me while ignoring their own pharaoh. ¡°Would you be alright with me taking you to the royal capital of the Rex Dynasty to pick out the best possible ship for you?¡± the pharaoh asks while tilting his head ever so slightly. I stare at him for a second, then at the undead who are all looking at me with puppy dog eyes. Which is weird considering that they¡¯re all intimidating undead wearing cloaks over purple and black metal, high tech armor. Eventually I sigh and tell him, ¡°That¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Very well then,¡± he says before sitting on the commander¡¯s chair and declaring, ¡°Move out.¡± Guess I¡¯m seeing their capital after all. B3 | Chapter 19 Roan The Emperor of the Grand Roan Empire grits his teeth as he finds himself unable to do anything but kneel on the ground, bowing his head to the immensely powerful being floating high in the air in front of him. A being whose psychotic grin sends chills down his spine just from a mere glance. And whose power had crushed his entire empire in less than a week when he finally joined the fray personally. But the emperor knows that if Famine really wanted to crush them in an instant, he would¡¯ve. He¡¯s powerful enough to drain the entire planet of their energy in mere minutes, much less a week. In reality, Famine was toying with him. Making a spectacle of it all and trying to teach the universe a lesson. If Vorelius had known when he first attacked Vortel that the Pale Horseman had lived on the world, then he wouldn¡¯t have gone anywhere near the world. Neither would he have signed that Soul Pact if he had known after the war. But how was he supposed to know that Death was a true immortal? The two concepts should¡¯ve been like oil and water. Someone representing death not being able to die. It wasn''t until later on that he realized who she truly was. And by then he had already signed himself into a hole through contracts. He couldn¡¯t stop the hunt regardless of whether he wanted to or not. Now though he¡¯s beginning to wonder if he should¡¯ve just broken the Soul Pact and died that way. It would¡¯ve been a much more peaceful death than the life he¡¯s bound to be living now. He finally lifts his head to fully look at the man floating above him and his entire half-starved army. Meanwhile soldiers in pitch black armor without any features visible through the armor stand with spears in hand surrounding every last group of citizens and soldiers all across the world. Famine himself is wearing pitch black, leathery armor with metal gauntlets and greaves. Meanwhile his short black hair is blowing ever so slightly in the wind as his pitch black eyes take in everything, those white needle-sized glowing spots in them somehow displaying his sheer arrogance and superiority over everyone present. ¡°The real rulers of the Universe are far beyond your strength,¡± the man says as he spreads both of his arms out and lets out an eerie cackle. Following which a black stream of energy begins to rise from every member of the empire ¨C whether they¡¯re soldiers or citizens ¨C and heads directly to him. ¡°Rejoice! For you are now a part of my Empire!¡± Vorelius feels another chill run down his spine at that statement. And at the same time, he feels all of his energy slowly being drained. Whether it¡¯s his mana, his physical strength, or even a large amount of his muscle mass and bodyweight. Everything begins to drain away. And it¡¯s not just him. He sees all of his men and the civilians kneeling further away growing more and more emaciated. To the point that their skin practically begins to cling to their bones. But no one dies. The drain slows down to a tiny trickle the moment it begins to truly reach a dangerous point. Then it just becomes a dull ache in Vorelius¡¯s body. A sensation that somehow tells him that if he were to eat anything, the majority of what he ate wouldn¡¯t be turned into nutrients for his body. It¡¯d be drained by Famine to empower him instead. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Vorelius grits his teeth. And he¡¯s not the only one as all of his people do the same, with the majority of them losing their strength and collapsing onto the ground. It¡¯s over¡­ damnit¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sure you all know my law,¡± Famine declares with a grin before a man with black hair and dead black eyes floats up next to him with a clipboard in hand. ¡°But in case you don¡¯t, here¡¯s my Minister of Law to help you all out.¡± The man in question simply stops moving once he reaches a point directly beneath Famine, not daring to fly higher than his liege lest he be punished. Then he declares, his cold voice echoing out over the entire world through the livestream currently going on, ¡°The First Decree of Dread Empire Law states that all food grown by the world is to be taxed, granting seventy percent of the produce to the Dread Empire¡¯s coffers.¡± Horror stretches across the faces of every last citizen and soldier in the world. And the horror only grows the more the man says. ¡°The Second Decree of Dread Empire Law states that all citizens are limited to one meal a day,¡± the minister continues in an emotionless voice. ¡°Any citizen caught eating more than the listed amount of food every day in more than one meal will be starved to the point of emaciation without killing them. Then you will be locked away in prison for three days and three nights before being set free once again.¡± Vorelius slowly lowers his head, closing his eyes despite the raging hunger filling his body. Having truly given up. A sight that no doubt pleases Famine. ¡°The Third Decree of Dread Empire Law states that emigration is illegal by law,¡± the minister declares, further frightening the people. ¡°Any citizen caught attempting to leave their assigned world will be starved to the point of emaciation and locked away in a cell for one week before being set free to work for the government for one month.¡± Wails and sobs of despair echo out amongst the people, none of whom seem to care about Famine¡¯s presence anymore. Which turns out to be a terrible decision as all those who raised their voices end up falling to the stone unconscious as more of their energy is drained. Just barely leaving them still alive. Then they¡¯re taken away by soldiers wearing pitch black armor whose faces and physical builds cannot be determined through the armor. And the wails immediately stop after that. Everyone growing as silent as the dead out of fear. ¡°The Fourth Decree of Dread Empire Law states that all words or actions against the Horsemen of the Apocalypse will be punishable by emaciation and imprisonment for two weeks,¡± the minister continues, not batting an eye at the turn of events. ¡°The Fifth Decree of Dread Empire Law states that all civilians of the Dread Empire must serve at least five years within the Empire¡¯s military before they turn thirty years of age.¡± The emperor of the former Grand Roan Empire feels slightly disparaged by the fact that this law ¨C which would normally be a strict one ¨C feels so lax compared to the other laws stated up till now. ¡°The Sixth Decree of Dread Empire Law states that all profits earned by the worlds under the Dread Empire¡¯s rule are to be put under a seventy percent tax,¡± the minister declares, still without a hint of emotion on his face. And at this point, the citizens and soldiers of the former Grand Roan Empire have grown numbed to the cruel laws. Enough that they don¡¯t even react to this one. ¡°The Seventh Decree of Dread Empire Law states that food beyond a minimum allowance is not allowed to be brought into the Dread Empire by anyone. All visitors to a Dread Empire owned world will be checked for food, and should they have more than the set minimum, it will be taken from them.¡± Then the minister goes on to state more laws, none of which are as harsh as the already stated ones. But each one leaves the numbed, starved, and terrified people even worse off than before. All while the Dread Emperor, Famine, floats with his arms crossed and a psychotic grin on his face. Showing just why he¡¯s the most apocalyptic of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. After a while, the minister finally puts away his clipboard and lowers himself a little, implying he is finished with stating the laws. Then Famine spreads his arms out again, his grin widening even more as he declares, ¡°Now you all belong to my lovely little empire! Rejoice, for you¡¯ve joined the most powerful force in the universe!¡± Vorelius grimaces when he sees some of his soldiers and civilians showing looks that imply Famine is wrong about that. Implying that they believe the Dread Empire is not the most powerful force in the universe. Because those people are immediately taken away by the soldiers without Famine so much as looking at them. Then Famine raises a single finger and says, ¡°I won¡¯t be tolerating any dissidence, alright? But have fun!¡± The amusement vanishes from his face, leaving him grinning at them with a look that shows just how mad the man is. ¡°Because you¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t.¡± And within seconds of saying that, the man vanishes in a burst of black energy. Leaving the soldiers to manage the new world under the Dread Empire¡¯s banners. B3 | Chapter 20 Aria To my further surprise, the pharaoh and all of his people are incredibly considerate of me. The moment they see that I¡¯m the least bit uncomfortable, they try to do everything they can to fix it without making me any more uncomfortable. When they saw that I was uncomfortable about the looks they were sending me, they stopped. When they realized the silence in the bridge made me uncomfortable since it just felt like they were obediently staying silent for me or something, they started acting like I wasn¡¯t there. The pharaoh even offered me his seat in the bridge or to wait in a lounge room where no one will bother me. All without being pushy in the slightest. The complete opposite of those fanatics back in the cult who would just act like my disapproval didn¡¯t exist certain things like that. Oh, and apparently the pharaoh made certain that all of the writings the fanatics made about me were burned to cinders. Although I¡¯m pretty sure he burned more than just the papers. But I¡¯m not gonna say anything about the crater left behind that used to be the compound. Was almost as if he was trying to erase any evidence that what happened existed. A bit overboard if you ask me. Anyways, the trip to the capital only ends up taking about four hours. And at some point, the pharaoh explains to me why it took so long to get to the world in the first place. It was apparently because of some sort of jammer that made locking onto the coordinates of the planet impossible through lightspeed travel. So they could only travel through regular space instead of hyperspace. Not that I know what half that means. What I do find amazing though is the sight of the capital ¡®world¡¯ when we arrive through the bridge windows. A massive planet made out of metal with two points at the top and bottom of the planet that look kind of like pyramids going upwards. ¡°Those are both entrance and weapons,¡± the pharaoh explains the moment he sees me looking. ¡°They¡¯re how people enter my Temple, and the location where Rex fires its lasers from.¡± Not sure if that¡¯s entirely safe. If my understanding of a laser is correct. A weapon made of some sort of focused light, I think. One so focused it burns straight through things with ease. I¡¯m a little curious about what they can do, but for some reason I get the feeling that it¡¯d be best not to ask. Because I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯d give me a display of the weapon¡¯s power. And I¡¯m not sure what they¡¯d use as target practice. That said, I am a guest, and they are giving me a spaceship for free. So I have to give him something. Instead I ask, ¡°Temple?¡± The man¡¯s face relaxes ever so slightly. Which from what I¡¯ve come to learn, generally means he¡¯s happy. Then he answers from his place standing next to me as I sit on his own command chair, ¡°Think of it like my palace. It¡¯s where I rule. The heart of my domain.¡± If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. That doesn¡¯t sound so bad. For a second there I thought he was gonna say- ¡°And it¡¯s where worshipers come to worship you,¡± he says, making my head jerk to the side. ¡°But only the outer portions are open to the public. Very little of the temple itself is public.¡± Yeah¡­ right¡­ why would a temple be anything other than a place of worship¡­ ¡°Do you want to see your spaceship?¡± the pharaoh asks, immediately making my interest do a one-eighty as I instantly turn to look at him And when he sees the look no doubt in my eyes, he begins to chuckle and says, ¡°Is it safe to take that as a yes, Lady Aria?¡± I nod my head. Then I look out the window again at the sight of a nice spaceship coming into view. One that spans at least a couple hundred meters in length. It has a crimson and black color scheme, with bits of white here and there as well. Colors matching my own rather well. Meanwhile it has some sort of symbol on the side that has me tilting my head ever so slightly. ¡°I apologize if we were too presumptuous, but we had our very best designers create a symbol for you, Lady Aria,¡± the pharaoh says, sounding like he¡¯s rather proud of it despite his words. ¡°We, of course, realize you do not have your horse just yet. But the symbol was created by a seer who had seen the future.¡± My mouth parts open slightly as I look at the beautiful yet terrifying symbol on the side of the ship. One of the head and mane of a skeletal horse with glowing red orbs for eyes and a mane of fur running down its neck despite being naught but a skeleton on some sort of eerie sphere of black and white energy that looks kind of like a moon but also not. Meanwhile an entwining circlet of thorns surrounds the moon-thing and skeletal horse. ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± I find myself muttering without even meaning to. And immediately after I state that, the entire bridge breaks out into cheers, startling me and Shirogane in the process. I look at the pharaoh next to me just to find him sighing while muttering to himself, ¡°Thank Lady Death herself, if you didn¡¯t like it, I¡¯m afraid we would¡¯ve had to torch the entire ship and bring out the next one.¡± Wait, what? I stare blankly at the pharaoh for several seconds as he calms down before I ask, ¡°What ¡®next one¡¯?¡± He turns to look at me while calmly answering, ¡°One of the other one hundred ships we prepared for you, each with different symbols. This was just the first and most likely to work according to our seers.¡± ¡°And¡­ why would you need to torch the ship if I didn¡¯t like the symbol?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask, briefly glancing from him to the ship and back to him again. ¡°Because any ship that was tainted with a false symbol looked unkindly upon by Lady Aria must be burned and left to be purified in the Plane of Death alongside those who made the symbol,¡± the pharaoh answers with a completely straight face, almost blindsiding me. Right. Almost forgot, but this guy¡¯s a tyrant. Regardless of how well he treats me and how he literally thinks of me as a goddess. He¡¯s definitely a fanatic himself. Just in a fanatical way directed towards treating me well and how I want, unlike the fanatical ways the others were treating me. ¡°What¡¯ll happen to the other ships?¡± I ask out of curiosity. He turns to look out the window as he answers, ¡°They¡¯ll have the portions with the symbols cut out and burned before the symbols will be replaced with this one for each ship and each warship.¡± Then he blinks and glances at me again. ¡°Oh, but don¡¯t worry. The symbol is hideable. All you need to do is give the ship a command and the symbol will no longer be visible, allowing you to go where you please in secret.¡± Oh, well that¡¯s convenient. Wait, did he say each ship and warship? Did he just admit to this being a warship? And what does he mean by¡­ Actually, maybe it¡¯d be best if I stop asking questions. His fanaticism is really starting to show, and I¡¯d rather not see that side of him. Although, I do wonder just how much coin he blew on all of these spaceships. It must¡¯ve been a lot considering what I asked for. And if I¡¯m being honest, I really didn¡¯t expect him to go this far when all I said was I wanted to purchase a spaceship. At most I expected him to give me a good one and push it onto me without letting me say no. Didn¡¯t expect him to do that with one hundred ships. Wait a second, I focus on him again as I ask, ¡°You¡¯re going to be putting my symbol on a hundred ships?!¡± He gives me a confused look as if that weren¡¯t even a question while stating, ¡°Of course. They¡¯ll be your backup ships should your current one become damaged.¡± I shouldn¡¯t have asked. I really shouldn¡¯t have asked for a ship. But how was I supposed to know he¡¯d make a hundred ships for me?! After staring at the ship for a while, I eventually turn to look at the pharaoh and tell him, ¡°Thank you.¡± Which, of course, makes a smile stretch across his face. Thereby also making gasps run throughout the entire bridge. I really need to get used to this. Or I can just leave the Dynasty. That works too. B3 | Story Art And as stated in the author''s note of the last chapter, this post is story art! And PS, Aria''s symbol on her ship is included in the story art. And as always, if this art breaks, go ahead and click here to go to the public Patreon post! First up is new art of Aria looking out from the spaceship at Rex: Then there''s art of Aria on different worlds belonging to the Rex Dynasty: This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Followed by the symbol on the side of Aria''s ship: And lastly, art of the Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire and Rory''s uncle, Leopold da Silva: B3 | Chapter 21 Aria After that little fiasco, the pharaoh takes me out of the flagship towards my new ship, giving me a better look at it from the window I¡¯m staring out of. My new ship is wider on the rear half of it than the front half, with two additional segments sticking out from the rear half going parallel to the front half. Albeit not as long. Meanwhile the back half is more of a diamond shape attached to the front rectangular shape. And the back half also gets taller in segments until the bridge located at the very top back of the ship. The ship also has quite a few visible weapons just like the implication the pharaoh made when he called it a battleship. With the engines being at the back of the ship, and what looks like sealable docking spaces in the front half and on the bottom of the ship. Overall, the ship is a beautiful thing. An incredibly beautiful thing. After we enter the ship, the pharaoh takes me around and shows me all of the important places. Including the engine room, the core room meant to power the ship¡¯s electricity, weapons, and lightspeed engine, the cafeterias. Yes. Plural. The cabins, particularly my own. The bridge, and so on. To my surprise though, there isn¡¯t a single person on the ship other than us. And according to him, the ship can be operated by a single person. Although it will need to stop once every so often at a docking station for a checkup. Just to make sure everything is still running smoothly. And it would run better with other people operating it than just me. Don¡¯t want to end up stuck in the middle of space after all. Because that would be annoying. Once he finishes the tour, he gives me a deep bow, a smile, and a farewell. Then he leaves me and Shirogane on the ship. I turn to look at Shirogane, who hasn¡¯t really said much of anything since I first met the pharaoh. And he just shrugs, saying, ¡°Guess we won¡¯t be using Gates anymore.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I mutter while turning to look at the command controls in the bridge flowing in the form of a screen in front of the commander¡¯s chair. My chair. ¡°Well, time to figure out where to go.¡± After a brief second, I glance at Shirogane before asking, ¡°Any suggestions?¡± He steps up to me and the control panel before reaching over, his face frosting over and turning emotionless again the moment he gets within a few inches of me. Which surprises me for a moment. Especially since I¡¯m pretty sure I saw his face heating up a little and blushing when he got close before he switched off his emotions. Odd. But whatever. Probably just my imagination or something. Anyways, he quickly points out several different worlds. All of which are either Alpha or Beta Tier worlds with at least one Hunter¡¯s Spot that he believes would be willing to give me immigration rights and rights to their Hunter¡¯s Spots. And out of the ones he picks, I end up choosing a mercenary world that¡¯s currently in the middle of a civil war. With two different powerful mercenary groups fighting over control of the world. The world is an Alpha Tier world with plenty of Hunter¡¯s Spots all over it, and quite the number of mercenary companies. Most of which are smaller than the two large ones, but not all of them are. After selecting the world ¨C a volcanic world covered in a lot of lava and volcanoes called Vulcan ¨C the ship itself beeps and a slightly monotone, male voice echoes from the speakers in the bridge. |Destination set. Charting route¡­ route charted. Welcome aboard, Lady Death. Please select a designation for your ship, then the journey will begin.| Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Oh. Right. The pharaoh did mention that the ship had an AI to run most of the automated stuff for me. But¡­ a designation? ¡°What do you me-¡± I begin, only for Shirogane to tap my shoulder, bringing my gaze to him. ¡°It means for you to name the ship,¡± he says, answering my unfinished question. A name¡­ I¡¯ve never been particularly good at naming things. Then again, I do feel pretty good about my name for Asher. I glance at the cat currently running around the bridge without a care before refocusing on the screen again. But naming a ship is entirely different. ¡°You can probably ask the AI for name suggestions,¡± Shirogane comments, clearly recognizing the struggle on my face. I meet his eyes for a second before shrugging and focusing on the screen again while saying, ¡°Do you have any suggestions, ship?¡± |List of suggested names include Death¡¯s Hand, the Crimson Flight, or the Crimson Terror.| Huh¡­ too many things with crimson in their name. Crimson Empire, Crimson Flag, Crimson Eternal, Crimson Crimson Crimson. ¡°Let¡¯s go with Death¡¯s Hand,¡± I state with a nod, my decision made. At the end of the day the name of the ship doesn¡¯t really matter that much anyways. |Understood. Designation of the ship has been set to Death¡¯s Hand. Please choose a designation for this unit.| I blink at that before muttering, ¡°What?¡± |Please choose a designation-| ¡°No, I heard that,¡± I state while crossing my arms. ¡°You want me to name something else now?¡± ¡°The AI wants a name,¡± Shirogane states, clearing up the confusion. So that¡¯s what it meant by ¡®this unit¡¯? Why didn¡¯t it just say so? This is starting to remind me of when I first went to Eternus and had to adjust to the technology and lingo they used there. All of which was new to me. Wasn¡¯t a particularly fun adjustment period. But¡­ a name for the AI? From what the pharaoh told me, an AI means an Artificial Intelligence. An intelligence created by humans. Although the ones made by the Rex Dynasty of the Dead are apparently far more advanced than the AI from other nations. With the one I was given even more advanced, and also in every single one of the ships the pharaoh made for me. So even if this ship is destroyed the AI will still be with me. And this AI is so advanced that it¡¯s even begun advancing into an evolved intelligence. One that goes beyond just its mere coding and has real intelligence. Like a human. Of course, still with the locks on what it can do to make sure it doesn¡¯t go wild. But a name for it¡­ To my surprise, a name comes to mind right away. ¡°I¡¯ll call you Crimson,¡± I state with a smile on my face. |Understood. This unit¡¯s designation has now been set to Crimson. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Aria.| ¡°Just call me Aria,¡± I tell it while waving a hand. ¡°Lady Aria sounds too stuffy for my tastes. And reminds me of the fanatics.¡± |Understood. Aria.| ¡°Better,¡± I state, my smile growing a bit. I notice Shirogane backing up a little as the emotionless mode turns off and he avoids looking at my face a little for some reason. But I ignore that. |Notice to all passengers. Please take your seat as the Death¡¯s Hand will soon be entering hyperspace.| I take my seat, and Shirogane chooses a random seat in the bridge and sits down as well while pulling out his phone again. Then the ship turns rather quickly to face away from the massive metal planet before a crimson energy begins to coat the exterior. One that passes over the ship faster and faster until I can no longer see outside. |The ship is now in hyperspace. Beginning to traverse the routed course to the planet known as Vulcan. The trip is estimated to take five minutes.| Well that¡¯s a fast trip. Especially considering how far away the planet is from this one. The ship suddenly begins moving. And when it does, it moves so fast that I feel myself being pushed straight back against my chair, making it very difficult to move for several seconds. At all. Then I slowly begin to regain the ability to move again. |You may now move again. A secondary warning will be given out when the ship is about to arrive to warn you to retake your seats. Please enjoy the trip.| I undo the seat belt on my seat before standing up and stretching a little, briefly noticing Shirogane¡¯s eyes moving towards me in the process from his phone before they flicker back to the phone again. And it¡¯s at this point that I¡¯m starting to wonder if he¡¯s developing feelings for me or something. Considering everything that I¡¯ve noticed in the past like hour or so. But that¡¯s probably not the case. He¡¯s just not the type. He probably just looked since I moved or something. Anyways, I step a bit closer to the balcony of the bridge looking out over the other, currently empty seats in front of a bunch of monitors. Monitors that are acting on their own through Crimson. Alright. Time to see the next world on my journey. This¡¯ll be fun. B3 | Chapter 22 Oris Three Decades Later Lyra Nightshade shivers as she says, ¡°Why the hell did we decide to visit this world again?¡± ¡°Because the place is cheap and easy to earn coin in,¡± her brother, Arthur Nightshade, answers her. Meanwhile the other three people in their group simply nod their heads, used to Lyra¡¯s complaints. But Lyra can¡¯t help but complain. After all, she was outvoted four to one in their group. And the last place she wanted to go to was the frozen hellhole of a planet known as Oris. Even if the Hunter¡¯s Spots on the planet are free for anyone with a hunter certification from the Eternal Dynasty to hunt in. She moves her hands up and down her arms despite the heavy coat she¡¯s wearing over synthetic armor as the group walks through the mining and Hunter¡¯s Spot town, her purple hair tucked in her hood. Meanwhile she peers out of her hood with her two glowing purple cat-like eyes, her pupils narrowed into slits with the woman wanting to be anywhere but here. But they keep moving, passing by the occasional rare person, each of whom are also bundled up heavily as snow falls down around the various huts making up the town and the mining equipment. She doesn¡¯t say anything else despite her discomfort. Especially since the group has already gotten quite the haul from the trip, and it¡¯s only the third day of hunting here. The group continues walking through the town until they arrive at a cave whose entrance is completely frozen over. A cave that quickly splits off into over a dozen tunnels, each of which split off further into more and more branches while going both down deeper into the ground and up into the mountains. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading to the Sixth Tier of the Frigid Caverns today, alright guys?¡± Arthur says, making everyone mumble their agreements while puffing out a visible breath of warm air amidst the cold. As they pass through the tunnels and caverns, all of which are frozen solid, they slaughter one mana creature after another while occasionally passing by miners mining away at some of the special icy minerals within the Hunter¡¯s Spot. The most common reason for miners to head to Oris in the first place. Amongst the monsters are creatures such as wendigos ¨C large humanoid creatures with stark white skin, glowing blue claws and eyes, and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth capable of tearing human flesh to shreds ¨C and yetis ¨C even larger humanoid creatures but with fur instead of bare skin. They also kill off several wolves whose fur is as white as the snow outside and breathe ice through their mouths, spiders made out of nothing but ice, and even some frost salamanders that breathe out water so cold it freezes a person upon contact. While they march from one Tier of the Frigid Caverns to another, they occasionally stop to mine the ore located around it where there aren¡¯t other hunters or miners already mining. They also store the corpses belonging to the mana creatures in their own storage rings to make sure they¡¯re preserved and able to be brought back to the town. Because amongst the mana creatures, the yetis and wolves furs make great resources, same with the fangs and especially the claws belonging to the wendigos. Then the spiders¡¯ frozen carapace, and the scales of the frost salamanders sell for a good amount as well. Making the entire Frigid Caverns a wonderful place to earn coin in. However, most people rarely ever come despite that. Largely because Oris is one of the coldest planets in the universe, and it takes its toll on those who come. It¡¯s always snowing year-round, no matter where on the planet one may be. And there are precious few settlements scattered across the world, with every last one being a simple town set up around the Frigid Caverns on the planet. But despite the hellish terrain, the world is an Alpha Tier world. So it is a popular hunting spot for the highest tier and most experienced hunters to hunt in. Even then though, the majority of the hunters who arrive are all the best of the best or those with a natural resistance to the cold. Like the small number of natives to Oris. Those who are naturally resistant to the cold. Lyra is not one of those though, and she is dreading every second she¡¯s been on this planet. Even if she knows she¡¯ll be overjoyed with their haul after they leave the place. Their fourth day in the Frigid Caverns passes slowly with the group occasionally drinking a red drink that sends a wave of heat through their body. The only reason their bodies can tolerate the cold on the planet. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The magical Potions of Warmth. Warm Pots for short. At least for Lyra, who enjoys calling them that. They¡¯ve quickly become one of her favorite drinks in the entire universe despite the woman being over two thousand years old and having traveled across dozens of worlds over the years. Even if they¡¯re rather expensive. Eventually they reach their final destination. A large cavern at the end of the Sixth Tier of the Frigid Caverns. But what they find there confuses them more than a little bit. Since the sight that greets them isn¡¯t the massive frost drake lying down and sleeping as they¡¯ve come to expect from the intel they¡¯d gathered. Instead it¡¯s of a massive frost drake panting in exhaustion while letting out whimpered whines and small roars as some sort of smoke rises out of its mouth and a faint crimson glow comes from its body. The group share a confused glance before focusing on the frost drake. But the creature doesn¡¯t even pay them a hint of attention other than a short glance. Not until they all draw their weapons and step forwards, deeper into the cavern. And even then, all the creature does is try to stand up on wobbly legs, only to fall down again. Then it appears to fail to breathe its usual ice breath attack that would freeze the entire cavern at them. ¡°Okay, what¡¯s happening here?¡± Lyra can¡¯t help but ask. The others just shrug. They continue walking further into the cavern, spreading out into their usual formation. With Lyra standing front and center with her two blades held out in a ready stance, her brother on the opposite side of the monster with his own two blades ¨C the two of them using the fighting style taught to their people. Meanwhile Argent stands behind Lyra, ready to heal anyone who gets injured, Bishop stands close to the back of the cavern with his staff ready to cast spells, and Lucy stands with nothing but a book in her hand far too close to the monster for Lyra¡¯s tastes. But she knows how Lucy fights, so she doesn¡¯t say anything. Since it¡¯s best for her that way. The group watches the drake seemingly act strangely sick for a while before sharing a glance and beginning to rush in. Only for a strange sound sort of like a muffled explosion to echo from within the creature¡¯s body, with a puff of smoke shooting out of its mouth. Then the creature flops down, lifeless to the ground. Silence fills the cavern for a while, with the group ready to attack at any moment. But nothing happens. Not for an entire minute. Then three. And after five entire minutes pass in silence, the group finally begins to move up towards the creature. And it isn¡¯t until that moment that they start to hear the strange fleshy movement sound coming from the drake¡¯s body and immediately tense up. Then they spot the small movements coming from within its stomach heading towards its throat. ¡°Something¡¯s coming out! Get ready for combat!¡± Lyra shouts, her soft and high pitched voice echoing throughout the cavern. They stand tensely for several more seconds before the movement to turn into a bulge in the thing¡¯s throat. One that slowly works its way to the creature¡¯s mouth until the group starts to hear muttering. Along with a meow. Lyra blinks in both surprise and confusion, sharing an odd glance with her brother on the other side of the creature before refocusing her attention on it. Then the strangest sight she¡¯s ever seen occurs right in front of her. Ten fingers reach between the drake¡¯s jaws and begin pushing the mouth open with some struggle, finally letting them understand the previously inaudible mutterings inside the creature. ¡°That was a very unpleasant month¡­ and Shirogane was probably rather bored during this time too,¡± a calm yet rather irritated sounding female voice comes from within the creature¡¯s mouth. Then a meow follows after it. ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to come back to these caverns again after this trip. Let¡¯s find a new world.¡± Another meow follows. The group grows more and more confused until the hands finally just give up trying to open the monster¡¯s mouth, its sheer weight proving too much for her. And right when Lyra is beginning to wonder if she should help out whoever ¨C or whatever ¨C is inside the drake¡¯s mouth, an explosion blasts open the drake¡¯s mouth without actually damaging the drake. Shooting a beautiful woman covered in stomach fluids and partially frozen solid with half of her body dead to frostbite despite recovering at a visible pace straight out to splatter against a wall. Then the woman ¨C under the shocked eyes of every member of Lyra¡¯s team ¨C slowly peels off of the icy wall and falls to land flat on her back on the ground. Lyra gets a better look at the rather filthy-looking girl ¨C stomach fluids and all ¨C and she can¡¯t help but feel surprised by what she sees. The woman is beautiful despite the filth, with long white and silky hair, glowing crimson eyes, and ¨C in the places where she still has skin ¨C flawlessly spotless and smooth-looking skin. She¡¯s wearing some sort of high tech outfit clearly designed by the Rex Dynasty with a crimson and black color scheme. An outfit that is somehow unscathed despite the damage she¡¯s clearly regenerating from. And without any struggle, the woman just climbs to a sitting position before beginning to wipe herself off while muttering, ¡°Damn, no easy way to clean myself off this time¡­¡± The cat that Lyra is only now noticing was blown out of the creature¡¯s mouth along with her meows. ¡°Yeah, guess we¡¯re stuck going back to that frozen lake in the Fifth Tier to clean up before we go.¡± Lyra feels her mind blanking out at the sight she¡¯s watching, having long since lowered her weapons at the scene in front of her. The woman eventually just gives up at wiping herself off with her hands and just waits for the strange crimson energy on her to burn off more of the bodily fluids. Then she climbs to her feet and stretches a little before turning around, only to wave at Lyra¡¯s group. Lyra for some reason finds herself idly waving back, following which the woman casually walks over to the drake¡¯s corpse before putting it in her undamaged storage ring and begin to walk out of the cavern. Uncaring of the frostbite that is still healing on her. To the point that it¡¯s fully healed, and the woman looks as good as new by the time she leaves the cavern. And the group of confused hunters. ¡°What¡­ did we just see?¡± Lyra mutters, but the others in her group just stare blankly in response. None of them knowing how to respond to that. New Story Release!!!! Hello everyone! Assimilator of Chaos, my new story, has finally reached Royal Road now that Wolf of the Blood Moon is complete(completed on Patreon)! The link is at the bottom beneath the cover and synopsis! Here is the cover if you''re interested: The cover was commissioned from Kart Studio and germancreative. Next up is the synopsis:
What would you do if your entire world were turned on its head? A Primordial System buzzing in everyone¡¯s heads, displaying strange screens and other displays in their visions. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Being thrown into a tutorial before entering your first System Event broadcast across the universe. Returning back to your home after the System Event to realize that it¡¯s been filled with Gates leading to monster-filled domains, a good number of which have already broken and released their monsters into the world. And learning that the abilities every human being has ¨C abilities that have led to the current structure of society ¨C are nothing but the root of their Skill Trees. The very first skill in their Skill Tree out of many. Well, Ashley doesn¡¯t know. She doesn¡¯t remember anything other than some basic common knowledge from before waking up at the start of the tutorial with amnesia. So why should this change anything for her? Other than her finding out about the blood bestowed upon her by a certain primordial and her own Skill Tree. One with just a single skill. A skill to unlock the skill trees of those she kills. To assimilate. What to expect: Skill Trees, LitRPG Apocalypse, Skill Tree Assimilator(the ability to take the skill trees of those the MC kills), Livestreamed Dungeons, Livestreamed Public Battles and Events, Chaos Magic, Varied Magic due to Skill Tree Assimilator What not to expect: I do not write romance(for the main protagonist), there will be no harem, there will be no reverse harem
If you''re interested, click here!!! B3 | Chapter 23 Aria Yeah, this world wasn¡¯t the most pleasant one. But I will admit, the place is cool and beautiful. Has plenty of nice scenery. And it let me stock up on some more specialties. A light smile coats my face as I walk out of the Frigid Caverns with my hands held behind my back and my head tilted up towards the snow falling down from the sky, my hair blowing lightly in the wind behind me. Overall, the last thirty years have been nice. Relaxing, a good change of pace without anything stressful going on, and I¡¯ve kept in contact with everyone to make sure nothing like what happened with Frank ever happens again. Although that was only made possible because of the Universal Feed installed directly into my spaceship. Would¡¯ve gone broke long ago considering how much I use it if I didn¡¯t have a personal one. I move one hand in front of me before looking at my storage ring and then moving my hand back behind me again. Right. And I feel a sense of satisfaction from collecting stuff from each world. Stuff that I don¡¯t always sell. At this point I have at least a few crates full of most of the stuff I collect in each Hunter¡¯s Spot I visit stored on the ship. Just as both souvenirs and in case I ever actually need the stuff for one reason or another. Of course, I sell the rest of it. Which has led to me gathering quite the amount of coin over the years. And not having to use the Gates has allowed me to get through each world without any issue since it¡¯s a lot cheaper to get immigration rights when I don¡¯t use the expensive Gates to enter and leave. Especially when they know I can just enter and leave without their permission through my ship if I wanted to become a fugitive. My thoughts return to the whole bounties on my head thing at the word ¡®fugitive¡¯. But I quickly put those out of my mind as well. Since no one ever takes those bounties. Everyone who has taken them has mysteriously gone missing over the years after all. So everyone¡¯s too afraid to take them. I glance at my watch to see what the date is, only to blink as I realize just how long it¡¯s been since I entered Oris. At least a few years. Hmm. Time sure flies. Probably should pay a visit to the pharaoh in a few more years. Just to thank him for the help he¡¯s given me over the years. Pretty sure I don¡¯t need to bring gifts. From my understanding of him, he¡¯d be overjoyed just from me visiting. I continue walking through the town without paying an ounce of attention to the occasional miners and hunters who stare at me as I pass. Probably because I went missing in there a month ago and they likely thought me dead. That or it¡¯s because I¡¯ve started my own mercenary company with Shirogane¡¯s help, and they recognize me from that. The latter isn¡¯t likely though, since my mercenary company is mostly just a front for me to find new worlds to visit. It¡¯s easier to have a company after all. Although it could theoretically be possible. Since I¡¯m starting to build up a bit of a name for myself at least. For my mercenary company of one person that is. Shirogane keeps bugging me to get more people in my company, but I¡¯m just not sure if that would work. I don¡¯t really work as well with others. And I like the peace and quiet of fighting in Hunter¡¯s Spots on my own. Or fighting alone in general, since I¡¯ve fought in at least four wars since getting my ship. On another note, I open my status as I walk. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Name: Aria Crimson
Class: Harbinger of Death
Ability: True Immortality
Level: 49
I swear, if I don¡¯t get a skill at level fifty I¡¯m gonna throw Shirogane¡¯s favorite metal vase. He can fix it with his ability anyways, and it always makes a good venting partner. Haven¡¯t gotten even so much as a single skill since- Asher meows, interrupting my thoughts and making me glance down at the fella as we step out of the town through the guard post. But all I find is the cat ¨C who has barely changed at all in size since I first got him ¨C having caught a mouse. One that he is now holding in his mouth while walking pridefully in the snow. Snow that¡¯s taller than he is, with the only reason he¡¯s not sinking into it being that he barely weighs anything at all. ¡°Having fun there?¡± I mutter with a faint smile while moving my hands to my pockets. He just meows back a muffled meow through the mouse in his mouth. I roll my eyes and continue walking, enjoying the heat enchantments placed on this outfit. An outfit that also has the Ethereal Screen enchantment to make all the damage it takes pass straight onto me. The outfit is a masterpiece that I found in the ship meant for me. It¡¯s entirely focused on keeping me comfortable in different climates with the Ethereal Screen enchantment making it so I don¡¯t have to worry about my clothes being destroyed. A wonderful thing to have, especially on this icebox of a planet. My clothes aside though, and in all seriousness, I better get a skill at level 50. I haven¡¯t gotten one since level 33. When I got Asher. And going three decades without a new skill is depressing. Even if time still feels like it¡¯s moving by slower¡­ faster? Not sure what the word would be there. It feels like time is passing by far faster than it is for others. Just every day flows by like water in a river. Sometimes the water splits off of the main branch of the river, going a bit slower, but it almost always returns to the main branch. I think. Either way, I¡¯ll just say it does for this metaphor. It could for all I know. Anyways, the times it splits off from the main branch are the times I enter a conflict like a war or something. Slowing down as it goes a slightly different route before returning to the main branch when I finish the conflict and return to my day to day life of farming Hunter¡¯s Spots. And as Shirogane loves to say, finding new mana creatures to be swallowed by. But I don¡¯t find that amusing. No matter how true it may or may not be. I continue walking through the snow after leaving the town before I eventually arrive at our cloaked ship. Then I press the button on my wrist, making the gangway thingy extend down to the ground. The communicator in my clothes beeps before I hear Shirogane¡¯s voice in my head, saying, ¡°Finally out of whatever stomach you crawled into this time?¡± I glare at the bridge where I know the man to be right now as I answer, ¡°That just earned you a flick to the forehead.¡± ¡°Oh, so terrifying,¡± he dryly comments. ¡°And I¡¯ll be punching your vase again,¡± I comment. ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± he says, a lot more serious this time. I just hum in response as Asher and I step back into the ship. Then I close the hatch and tell him, ¡°Anyways, we¡¯re heading out. You have another planet selected for our next job?¡± One definite benefit of nearly being level fifty is that I¡¯m finally the same level as the rank and file soldiers of a lot of worlds out there. Which makes fighting a lot easier when I¡¯m not overpowered in physical strength, ignoring the boost I get from my soul energy enhancements. ¡°My vase?¡± Shirogane asks. But when I don¡¯t respond, he sighs and says, ¡°Yes, I got a new world selected. Come down to the bridge and I¡¯ll tell you about it.¡± ¡°Roger that,¡± I tell him with a smile on my face, going the opposite direction of the bridge before stopping in front of a metal vase. Then I punch it once, putting a slight dent in it for the umpteenth time, following which I turn around and head to the bridge. That¡¯s what he gets for that comment. He can fix it while we head to whatever world he¡¯s chosen this time. Of course, when I get to the bridge, I find him blankly staring at me with a ¡®why?¡¯ look on his face. But I just give him a wide smile, to which he blushes slightly and turns his gaze towards the screen floating front and center in the bridge. Right. That¡¯s becoming a little awkward. It¡¯s become clear that he has indeed been developing some feelings for me over the years. And I have no idea how to deal with that. My thoughts drive to a halt when my communications device begins to beep, making me give Shirogane a nod after seeing who is calling me. Then I ask out loud, ¡°Crimson, please put the call up on the main screen.¡± |Understood, Aria. Call is now up on the main screen.| Then the White Emperor¡¯s face appears on the screen. ¡°So what¡¯s up, Shirou?¡± I ask the emperor of the Eternal Dynasty. He glances between me and Shirogane before answering, ¡°There¡¯s some important matters I would like to speak to you two about, so please return to Eternus whenever possible.¡± Oh? Interesting. B3 | Chapter 24 Aria We quickly chart a route to Eternus from Oris. And I find the atmosphere that fills the ship being rather¡­ strange. After we got the call, Shirogane stopped speaking altogether. He keeps glancing at me and looking away, and he looks both nervous and determined at the same time. Overall, I have no idea what¡¯s going on. Other than the fact that whatever it is, it¡¯s important. Shirou wouldn¡¯t have called us if it weren¡¯t. I frown with my arms crossed as I sit in my command chair within the bridge, trying to think of what this could be about. And one thing comes to mind during the trip. He¡¯s been an Eight Star Merchant for several decades now. Maybe¡­ he¡¯s being promoted? Not sure why I would be called too. Since he made it sound like he had something to say to me too. |Aria, Sir Ryohei has just left the ship.| I blink in surprise at that before standing up from my seat and looking down at the spaceport we docked at within the capital of Eternus. Only to find Shirogane moving at a brisk pace out of the spaceport, not even bothering to wait for me. The hell? He¡¯s already gone¡­ Is this really about a promotion? He almost looks panicked. Almost. I watch him make his hurried exit for a moment before shaking my head and beginning to leave the ship myself. No idea what¡¯s going on here, but I guess I¡¯ll learn soon enough. I make my way out of the ship without any secondary stops inside before the hatch closes on its own. Then I leave the dock we¡¯re in and call a hovercar taxi once I reach the street. The taxi takes a moment to arrive before I give them directions, surprising them in the process with my destination. But after showing them my ID card, they scan it and the vehicle immediately gains temporary permission to enter the emperor¡¯s personal dock. Startling the man in the process. He seems to be professional enough though, since he quickly calms down and begins driving me there. I would¡¯ve used my own hovercar, but I¡¯ve come to realize that I do not like driving. Even though I know it wouldn¡¯t hurt me or anything, I just don¡¯t like being behind the wheel and driving. Simpler to just hire a taxi. I sit in the back of the hovercar with my head leaning up against the window, just looking outside at the passing buildings. And after a few minutes, we break out over the water, away from the city. Then we continue on towards the emperor¡¯s home out on the water. That trip only takes half a minute since we¡¯re out over open water. And once he drops me off, he immediately beats a hasty retreat. Leaving the premises immediately. Don¡¯t blame him though. Who¡¯d want to be on the front door of one of the Grands? I glance to the side to find Shirogane¡¯s hovercar parked as well, proving that he¡¯s already here. Then I head on inside of the emperor¡¯s home, after which I follow the arrows in the hallways. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. But it doesn¡¯t take me long to realize that the arrows are pointing somewhere else other than where they normally lead when I¡¯ve visited in the past. Huh. Something really is odd about this visit. I continue following the arrows until I arrive at a large set of double doors. One with two suits of armor stationed right outside, each holding onto a large sword implanted into the ground. And when I step up to the two suits of armor, their helmets turn to look at me before the eye sockets glow with a silver light. Okay¡­ this is new. A few seconds pass before the helmets look straight forwards again while pulling their swords out of the ground and stepping to the sides of the doors. Then the doors open right after that, revealing a grand throne room with strange silvery energy making up the walls. Swimming around as if we were in some bubble underwater. But with the water being the strange silver energy. My attention quickly focuses on the thrones at the end of the hall though. Yes. Thrones. Not throne. Thrones. I blink at the sight of the large throne along with the smaller one next to it. One that looks like it would be for a prince or a princess. But¡­ I don¡¯t remember hearing anything about the emperor having a child. Putting that matter aside for the moment, the emperor is seated on the throne while wearing his usual attire. Just with a silver crown on top of his head as well. Meanwhile Shirogane is kneeling in front of him. Other than the two of them, there¡¯s also one man who I recognize as the Ten Star Merchant standing behind and to the side of the emperor¡¯s throne. I step deeper into the room until I stop right next to Shirogane, who doesn¡¯t even so much as look up when I stop. ¡°Welcome, Lady Death,¡± Shirou says, the emperor nodding his head with a respectful expression on his face. The doors to the throne room shut as he speaks. And I hear the sets of armor moving in front of it as well, along with the sound of the swords reentering the ground. ¡°So what¡¯s up?¡± I ask while crossing my arms and shifting my weight to a single leg. ¡°I know something¡¯s going on.¡± I point at the guy still kneeling. ¡°He¡¯s been acting like a scared kitten ever since your call.¡± I see the slightest twitch of amusement on Shirou¡¯s face. But what catches my attention more is the twitch of irritation on the face of the emperor¡¯s right hand man as he frowns with disapproval at Shirogane. Interesting. Shirou glances at Shirogane before focusing on me and saying, ¡°This is not to leave this room until Shirogane¡¯s trial is complete. If you can agree to that, we will fill you in on the details of what is going to be happening.¡± Trial. Meaning he¡¯s probably taking some sort of test to reach the rank of Nine Star Merchant. I glance at Shirogane to find him even more tense. Then I focus on the Ten Star Merchant, who is still frowning at Shirogane. Hmm. Why do I feel like I¡¯m still missing something¡­ Whatever. Not like I plan to go around telling anyone. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t say a word to anyone outside of this room about what you¡¯re preparing to discuss with me,¡± I tell the emperor with a nod while shifting my weight to the center again and putting my hands in my pockets. ¡°So what¡¯s going on?¡± The emperor nods his head before turning to focus on Shirogane as his silver eyes begin to glow even brighter than before. And along with that, the silver energy all around the throne room begins to grow more and more turbulent. ¡°Shirou Ryohei Shirogane, Hidden Prince of the Eternal Dynasty, you are to take your trial to reach the status of Nine Star Merchant, and should you fail, you will no longer be a prince of this nation,¡± Shirou declares, making my jaw drop open in shock. ¡°Should you succeed, you will be publicly recognized as the Crown Prince of the Eternal Dynasty and a Nine Star Merchant.¡± His eyes narrow slightly. ¡°Do you agree to take the trial, my son?¡± He what did how who why? Huh? He¡¯s- Huh? I stare blankly at the emperor before turning to stare at Shirogane. Then the emperor. Then Shirogane again as the man raises his head and answers while occasionally glancing at me, ¡°I agree to take the trial.¡± He stops glancing at me and focuses solely on his father, seemingly turning off his emotions at last. ¡°Father.¡± Father¡­ son¡­ emperor¡­ prince¡­ he¡¯s a prince¡­ he¡­ huh? My mind short-circuits as I continue staring blankly, with the emperor nodding his head and declaring, ¡°Very well. Your trial will begin in three days.¡± I finally blink, snapping out of it. Then I stare for a few more seconds and firmly nod my head. Right. Shirogane is Shirogane. Prince or not. Although in hindsight, it should¡¯ve been clear that they looked similar. They both have pale hair and eyes, except with the emperors being white and Shirogane¡¯s being silver. And they¡¯re about the same height with similar facial structures. It would also explain how someone as young as him has become so powerful. ¡°Your trial will be,¡± Shirou begins, bringing my attention back to the emperor again. ¡°Creating trade ties between the Eternal Dynasty and the home world of the Grand Silvanian Empire, finally giving us access to their magical silver.¡± The Grand Silvanian Empires what now? What¡¯s magical silver? ¡°Understood, father,¡± Shirogane declares while bowing his head again. I¡¯m so lost. B3 | Chapter 25 Aria ¡°Lady Death,¡± the emperor declares, bringing my attention to him and snapping me out of my stupor. ¡°You may assist my son as much as you¡¯d like. Whether that¡¯s not at all or helping him through the entire trial. It is up to your discretion.¡± I blink at him before wordlessly nodding. Considering how much help he¡¯s given me over the years, it¡¯d be rather rude not to return the favor. But still¡­ what? I¡¯m still so confused. ¡°You are both dismissed,¡± the emperor states. ¡°Abe will make sure to see to it that you have what you need.¡± Then the emperor disappears in a flash of silver light, leaving the throne empty. And right after that, the silver energy filling the throne room flashes before the room changes, looking entirely different by the time the silver light fades and I can see again. Instead of the grand and mysterious throne room, the room looks like nothing more than a guest room now. Which confuses me even more. ¡°Shirogane, you will not be given immigration rights to Silverfall as we do not have that right ourselves, so you will be required to find and set up your own connections to the world to begin your trial,¡± Abe ¨C the Ten Star Merchant ¨C states, getting straight to the point. ¡°You will have five decades to set up trade, and if you fail to get the magical silver by then, you will lose your status as a hidden prince and will fail your advancement to Nine Star Merchant status. However, funding will be provided for the purchase of the magical silver itself. No matter how much is required. And you will have the right to negotiate for the Eternal Dynasty during this period.¡± ¡°Understood,¡± Shirogane says while standing up, no longer nervous due to his emotions being turned off. ¡°I will set out immediately.¡± ¡°You know how to call when you need funds,¡± Abe says with a nod before leaving the room. But right before he steps out the door, he pauses and turns to me, saying, ¡°And Lady Death, are you sure you don¡¯t want to let others join your mercenary company? We¡¯ve still got a line of applicants wishing to join.¡± I stare at him for a few seconds before shaking my head. ¡°A pity,¡± he says, turning around again. ¡°Please contact me when you change your mind.¡± I raise a brow at that. ¡®When you change your mind¡¯ not ¡®if you change your mind¡¯. He¡¯s certainly confident. After he steps out of the room, the door closes on its own. But I can¡¯t help but notice that those guards aren¡¯t outside anymore. Weird. I turn to focus on Shirogane, who still has his emotions turned off. Then I ask, ¡°So, what¡¯s this about you being a prince?¡± He turns to me and answers, ¡°My father decided that it should be kept a secret from everyone so that I don¡¯t receive any bias while climbing the ranks. This way I¡¯ll be able to gain my own influence without relying on the influence of my father.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± I state with a nod. ¡°And this trial?¡± ¡°The part about my status as a prince is new, but this sort of trial is normal for anyone trying to reach the status of a Nine Star Merchant,¡± he answers while glancing at the door, then looking at me again. His emotions still turned off. ¡°Everyone who wants to reach this rank needs to prove to the nation that they can do something no one else has done for the nation. Something significant like this deal. And after I reach the status of a Nine Star Merchant, I will already have made a name for myself. Enough that Father will reveal my status as his son.¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Also understandable,¡± I tell him while putting my hands back in my pockets and sitting down on one of the couches in the meeting room. ¡°Then how will you proceed to go about this? I¡¯ve heard that the Eternal Dynasty and the Grand Silvanian Empire aren¡¯t on the friendliest of terms.¡± From what I¡¯ve heard, they do still have trade ties to most of the worlds belonging to the empire. But they don¡¯t have any belonging to the capital, Silverfall. Strictly because the emperor of the empire doesn¡¯t like the emperor of the dynasty. I don¡¯t know anything else though. And that sounds rather petty of him. ¡°We have a connection I¡¯m already waiting for respondence from,¡± Shirogane answers without missing a beat. Then just seconds later, his phone begins to ring. I tilt my head slightly in confusion before he answers the phone on speaker and Rory¡¯s voice comes out of it. ¡°Shirogane, I¡¯ve told my father about what¡¯s going on and he said he¡¯ll let you into the world. Both you and Aria. But I¡¯ll warn you, his interests in meeting you and Aria are very different.¡± Oh. Right. I forgot she¡¯s the niece of the Grand Silvanian Empire¡¯s emperor. Daughter of the Archduke of the Empire. Although, he wants to meet me too? And what does she mean ¡®his interests in meeting us are different¡¯? I guess he just wants to meet me due to who I am, and he wants to meet Shirogane for this business? ¡°He¡¯s not particularly interested in what business you have though. And my uncle has even less interest than Father has. So you may find yourself having trouble over here,¡± Rory continues speaking, contradicting my current thoughts. Wait, then why- ¡°Why does he want to meet me if he isn¡¯t interested in business?¡± Shirogane asks the same question I¡¯m thinking. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait until you arrive to find out,¡± she says, sounding like she¡¯s shrugging. ¡°But it has nothing to do with your Trial or the Dynasty.¡± Huh. Well that¡¯s kinda interesting, but not really my business. ¡°You will be allowed to try to negotiate with Father and Uncle while you¡¯re on our world, and Aria will be given access to the Spires to hunt as much as you¡¯d like, tax free,¡± she says, sparking my interest far more at the mention of the Hunter¡¯s Spots of Silverfall. ¡°But don¡¯t get your hopes up. This trial will be nearly impossible for you to accomplish.¡± My focus completely zeroes in on the mention of the Spires as I smile and look up at the ceiling of the room. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been to such a nice Hunter¡¯s Spot. The Spires are just as good of a place as the Hunter¡¯s Bay here on Eternus. They¡¯re massive towers stretching high in the sky made out of some sort of smooth white metal, with spatial magic focused around the spires making them larger inside than they appear on the outside. They also have a lot of floating blocks and mana creatures inside, pretty much all of which have some relation to spatial magic. So it¡¯s not just the resources in the place, which is one of the few places in the universe that has a lot of spatial magic resources like mana creature parts and minerals. But the place itself is in the top ten spectacles in the entire universe. And I¡¯ve gotta see it. Plus it makes for a good next world to visit. Especially if I¡¯m being given access to the Spires. ¡°Oh, and there¡¯s one thing I haven¡¯t mentioned yet,¡± Rory comments, making my attention finally return to the discussion at hand. ¡°Even if Father has something he wants to see you for, the only reason you¡¯re being allowed on Silverfall in the first place is because of Aria. So my uncle declared that Aria is not allowed to help you any further in your negotiations. She will be left out entirely. Is that understood?¡± I blink at that before opening my mouth to say something, only to close it again. Well, guess I¡¯m being excluded from this thing after all. Other than giving him an entry point. But I guess that¡¯s enough help. Shirogane and Rory continue talking as I stare up at the ceiling imagining the Spires. And I¡¯ve heard there are spots on the Spire that you can be forced out of it, which saves a lot of time. I¡¯ve grown to enjoy the Hunter¡¯s Spots that are based on height like that. Ones that I can take a shortcut out of the place. Saves me a lot of time and lets me level up a bit faster. And clean up faster too. Overall, they¡¯re definitely my favorite types of Hunter¡¯s Spots. I can¡¯t help but smile at the thought of seeing the Spires. And if we¡¯re staying for five decades¡­ that¡¯s plenty of time to spend hunting. I keep daydreaming about the Spires as the two continue talking business. Largely forgetting I¡¯m even here. This¡¯ll be a fun trip. B3 | Chapter 26 Aria After the two spend a while planning, Shirogane and I begin heading towards Silverfall on the ship. Not even saying bye to the emperor before we leave. And the trip itself doesn¡¯t take too long, since Silverfall is surprisingly close to Eternus. Just a few hours by lightspeed travel. When we arrive, several spaceships made entirely of magical silver ¨C which I learned about from Shirogane on the way ¨C stop us and begin escorting our ship to a large dock in space. One connected to the planet by a massive elevator going all the way down to the planet. I was rather surprised to learn about magical silver. Since it makes me feel like Silverfall is just a superior world to the other Alpha Tier worlds somehow. It¡¯s a magical metal found at the top of the Spires and only at the top of the Spires. It¡¯s created by the Tier 10 mana creatures that rule the Spires. Mana creatures that are completely domesticated by the Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire. Or at least, in half the Spires they are. Half of the Spires still have wild ones that¡¯ll mercilessly tear apart anyone who gets near the peak of the Spire without question. And anything, since the peaks of the Spires are out in the open air. You can see them just from flying past. Any spaceship that flies within a hundred kilometers of the tower is torn apart in mere moments. Even if it¡¯s made by magical silver, which is a metal that¡¯s so tough even someone at level five thousand can¡¯t crack it with all of their strength. The metal can survive a nuclear explosion without the explosion even so much as leaving behind a single scratch on it. Which also makes it expensive as hell. So expensive that only the royal family owns any. And they¡¯re very much against selling it to any other nation. It¡¯s actually the only reason the Grand Silvanian Empire is able to stand up against the Horsemen and originally were trying to hunt me down. Until Rory contacted their leader a while back and told him about me, making them friendlies instead. While they can¡¯t kill War, Famine, or Pestilence, neither can those three kill the Grand Silvanian Empire. Simply because of the strength of the magical silver. So it¡¯s a bit of a stalemate. But when it came to a new Horseman appearing, the emperor was all about trying to hunt me down before I became a problem. Since the other Horsemen couldn¡¯t retaliate if they wanted to. Until he realized I wasn¡¯t going to be a problem in the first place. And since the Grand Silvanian Empire is largely known for being the nation with the most numerous and most powerful healers in the universe, they wouldn¡¯t even have to worry about Pestilence spreading a plague through their worlds or something like that. I glance at Shirogane as we finish going through the process of docking and proving who we are, finding him to be silent as a mouse. Just like he¡¯s been ever since Shirou declared his trial. We continue walking past the gate in silence until we arrive at the elevator. Then we just stand around in the massive thing spanning a couple hundred meters in diameter with hundreds of people on it until it begins to go down towards the planet. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I look out the window with my hands in my jacket pockets, seeing the planet as we get closer and closer to the ground. And despite the high tech stuff up here, the planet looks a lot more¡­ medieval. With castles and older time cities. Except that they also have cars going through the streets of the older time medieval cities. So the world makes for a very odd sight. Very odd indeed. I turn my gaze towards the people on the elevator with us. They¡¯re all wearing rather medieval garbs, except with more modern and high end materials. Really mixing together the whole medieval and modern theme. Even the guards are wearing full plate armor. Makes my head spin just looking at the direct contradictions of everything. I look out the window again as we enter the atmosphere. Despite this world being the only one with magical silver, I can¡¯t see any from this elevator. Probably because precious little is made at a time on the Spires. Generally only enough for about a few ingots at the top of every Spire every couple centuries. Of course, the emperor is supposedly in the five digits in level. And over a million years old. So every couple centuries still means a lot of ingots have been built up. Especially when they have a couple dozen Spires making them. I can understand why they aren¡¯t selling them to other nations. That thought has me glancing at Shirogane again to find him frowning out the window, having apparently turned his emotions back on again. Shirogane is going to have a terrible time in this world. Not only because the Eternal Dynasty isn¡¯t liked amongst the people or the nobles here, but also because he has to get that magical silver if he wants to pass his trial. Honestly, it¡¯s like the emperor gave him a damned near impossible task for his trial. To the point that ¨C according to Rory ¨C if I wasn¡¯t with Shirogane, he¡¯d never even have been given the chance to get on the planet at all. Ever. At all. No chance whatsoever. The entire planet of Silverfall is banned to all members of the Eternal Dynasty, whether citizens or merchants. Which means the only reason Shirogane even has a chance at finishing this trial is because of me. I can¡¯t help but wonder if Shirou set that up on purpose. Like if he did it so that was all the help I could actually give him. Because, despite what he said, I know how he always seems to know almost everything that happens before it happens. So he must¡¯ve known that the emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire wouldn¡¯t let me assist beyond getting him on the planet. Is he trying to make it so I can¡¯t help beyond that minimum? Or maybe¡­ he may be using this as his sole chance to possibly get magical silver? Since there¡¯s no way he¡¯d ever be able to get it without an in on the planet like me. And since he clearly hasn¡¯t gotten it over hundreds of thousands of years, I kind of doubt he has a way to get it. It¡¯s entirely possible he¡¯s just grasping at straws to get the magical silver. One question still needs being answered though. Just how far does the emperor¡¯s foresight even see? Does he already know if Shirogane will succeed in this trial? I really don¡¯t have any information on the emperor¡¯s ability outside of the fact that it¡¯s foresight related. Several minutes pass as the elevator gets lower and lower, with the elevator being filled with chatter from the many people. Some of whom actually do occasionally glance at Shirogane without really hiding their gazes. Right. I sometimes forget that Shirogane is technically a celebrity. And of course the nation¡¯s capital of the nation that hates the Eternal Dynasty would recognize him. No one is really saying anything though. Most just look confused. Probably because of the fact that he¡¯s here in the first place. After observing the elevator and the people in it for a few more minutes, I look outside again right as the elevator slows to a halt. Reaching the ground at last. Then it opens to reveal a long array of soldiers standing with spears in hand all making a long pathway. One that eventually ends with a man with silver hair wearing silver and gold armor with a blue cape and glowing golden eyes as he walks down the aisle made by the soldiers. And to my surprise, when he looks at me, he has a genuine smile on his face. Huh. Was not expecting the first expression the Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire to make at me to be a smile. Then he turns his gaze towards Shirogane and frowns. Now that I was expecting. But why is he here to greet us right away? I glance at Shirogane before we both walk out of the elevator, the other people in it just taking other exits to avoid the hell out of us. Well, guess I¡¯ll be seeing soon enough. B3 | Chapter 27 Right Outside the Planetary Elevator Leopold da Silva, Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire, smiles a genuine smile as he sees the woman who is responsible for his niece¡¯s survival during the battle at Luk¡¯tar. One where the only reason she¡¯s alive is due to the Crimson Empire¡¯s interference for Death¡¯s benefit. He was certain she would be just like the other Horsemen the moment her presence was announced to the universe. So certain that he ordered her hunted down and killed immediately. But after hearing about her indirectly saving his niece, and hearing about the girl herself from his niece, his opinion did a complete one-eighty. So much so that when he heard about the bounties on her head, he decided to help her out. Then an old friend from the Crimson Empire got into contact with him. He smiles as he remembers the meeting. That friend hasn¡¯t visited for tens of thousands of years, so he was more than a little happy to see her. Leopold glances at the man standing next to Aria Crimson, only to frown with more than a little distaste as he sees the son of the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s emperor standing there by her side. And he gets an itch to kick him out of the planet right away. Even a small desire to try to separate him from the girl who is important to someone so important to him. That friend. But he knows that would just upset Aria, and most likely his niece as well. So he just turns away from him to smile at the girl again as she approaches, completely unperturbed by the dozens of soldiers on either side of her. Once she gets close enough, he spreads his arms out in a welcoming gesture and exclaims, ¡°Welcome to Silverfall, Aria Crimson! My name is Leopold da Silva, the Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire! And I hope you enjoy your time here! If you ever need anything for yourself, please feel free to ask me or my brother!¡± The Horseman looks confused for a second before nodding and answering back, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll want to check out the Spires first thing, but please come and stop by the palace first,¡± Leopold says, still smiling as he ignores the merchant¡¯s existence. ¡°I¡¯ll bring you there myself. There are some things I would like to talk to you about.¡± A brief look of surprise crosses her face this time. Then she nods again. She¡¯s just like what I was told so far. The smile on his face grows a bit warmer at that before he and the two begin to walk in the direction of a nearby carriage stationed at the bottom of the hill. And she looks so much like her¡­
Aria Why¡­ am I getting an uncle-like vibe from this emperor? He¡¯s acting like he¡¯s my uncle or something. Not Rory¡¯s uncle. What¡¯s going on? It¡¯s confusing the hell outta me. I was expecting at least tense treatment from him or something. Maybe forced due to how Rory most likely asked him to let me come here. Not this. Although his treatment of Shirogane is just as I expected. Possibly even worse. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. It¡¯s like Shirogane isn¡¯t even here in his mind. As if the guy is just ignoring his existence entirely after that brief rather displeased look at the sight of him. He didn¡¯t even bother to let Shirogane speak. Didn¡¯t even give him a chance. Just spoke to me, introduced himself to me, let me introduce myself, and ignored Shirogane¡¯s existence. I glance at the carriage we¡¯re approaching. A carriage that looks like a mixture of high and low technology. It¡¯s a real carriage, but with mechanical horses drawing it. Meanwhile the thing, while made from wood, is clearly made out of wood from Luk¡¯tar. Wood that is enchanted incredibly deeply. So it¡¯s far from a normal carriage and is probably vastly stronger than a tank. My admiration of the carriage is interrupted when the door to the carriage closes behind me after I enter, not even letting Shirogane inside. Then I hear one of the soldiers tell him to ride with the driver out front. I blink in surprise at that before glancing at the emperor who is just smiling as he asks, ¡°Do you want any refreshments? The palace shouldn¡¯t be very far, but we have plenty of your favorite wine with us.¡± All thoughts of Shirogane vanish from my mind as I request my favorite wine, soon finding a thin, magical platform appearing right in front of me. Meanwhile a wine glass floats out of a storage in the center back of the comfortable carriage and lands right on the platform along with a couple glasses. Then the wine pours itself into the glass. I reach for the wine before taking a sip and letting out a relaxed and satisfied sigh. Only to blush slightly when I see the emperor¡¯s smile growing as he watches me. As if he¡¯s looking at a daughter or niece who¡¯s enjoying herself on an outing or something. It¡¯s so weird¡­ The carriage soon begins to move. And judging by what I see out of the window, it¡¯s absolutely not moving like a normal carriage. Considering that it¡¯s, well, flying. And coated in some sort of energy. Yeah, this is not a normal carriage in any manner of the phrase. ¡°The royal carriages of the Empire use a special type of spatial magic that separates the carriage into a different dimension from the outside of the carriage,¡± Emperor Leopold says, answering the many questions I have about the thing. ¡°It allows for extra security and allows the carriage to pass through both living beings and objects to get to where it¡¯s heading.¡± ¡°Very convenient,¡± I state while taking another sip of my wine and staring out the window, through the strange energy and at the city we¡¯re flying over. And without turning my gaze from the city, I can¡¯t help but ask the emperor, ¡°So why the use of the older aesthetics?¡± He doesn¡¯t say anything for a second, making me glance at him as I expand on what I said, ¡°It¡¯s clear you have incredibly advanced technology here, but you¡¯re also still keeping to an older, more medieval aesthetic with everything here. The homes, other buildings, clothing, transportation, and castles. Everything.¡± For some reason I find him looking at me with a look of familiarity on his face. As if I said something that strikes a cord with him. Like he¡¯s staring at someone he¡¯s seen before, or staring at an old friend or loved one. Even more odd¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever met him before, so what¡¯s up with his treatment of me? He blinks, snapping out of the stupor he was in before he looks out the window and answers, ¡°I feel like the weapons and looks of the modern world taint things. They just make them less¡­ I don¡¯t know, less peaceful.¡± He turns to look at me again. ¡°Take those factories in more than a few worlds. They pollute the world to a drastic degree. Or the cars. Or even artillery and planes. They all taint the world.¡± ¡°Keeping things like this also feels more nostalgic,¡± he adds after facing the window again. ¡°We get the convenience of advanced technology without damaging the environments or inflating the greed of people. And I get to keep my feeling of nostalgia.¡± That¡¯s not a bad reason. I turn to look out the window before leaning up against it. And he has a point. It¡¯s rather beautiful in this place. I¡¯ve always enjoyed the worlds without high levels of technology as well since they tend to smell and just feel nicer to be in. Less pollution and all. I think the only high tech world before now that I didn¡¯t feel slightly stuffy in was Eternus. But that¡¯s an ocean world, and just smells entirely of ocean. So that¡¯s different. ¡°You even have her same mannerisms¡­¡± I hear the emperor mutter, making me straighten up a little to look at him, realizing that I relaxed despite him being in here. ¡°Excuse me?¡± I ask with a frown. He just shakes his head and says, ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. You just strongly remind me of an old friend who just recently visited.¡± An old¡­ friend? What? Not sure what he¡¯s going on about, but whatever. There¡¯s something I kind of want to ask him though. Something no one in the public knows the answer. And something I¡¯m not comfortable asking Shirou about. But for some reason I feel more comfortable around this emperor I¡¯ve known for a whole like five minutes than I am around Shirou who I¡¯ve known for decades. So I go ahead and ask it, ¡°Why do you hate the Eternal Dynasty so much?¡± His expression instantly hardens as he avoids looking at me. Thought that might happen. But I want to know. B3 | Chapter 28 Aria He doesn¡¯t say anything for several seconds. And when he does, he does it without looking at me, simply looking out the window instead. ¡°Because Amatsuraki is responsible for the one I love having to always stay on the move,¡± the man answers, his voice sounding sad. ¡°Because he¡¯s responsible at the end of the day for her entire family ending up like that. Always on the move and never able to stay in one place.¡± Oh. That¡¯s¡­ deep. Doesn¡¯t explain much other than it¡¯s personal and that he really hates the emperor of the Eternal Dynasty though. He finally turns his gaze towards me, startling me in the process due to the look I find on his face. An incredibly sad look mixed with familiarity like an uncle looking at his niece. But my parents can¡¯t be the person he is thinking of, since they¡¯re both dead. I saw their corpses with my own eyes even, due to how screwed up that damned emperor was on Vortel. And he said he just saw his friend recently. ¡°He sparked the conflict between the Crimson Empire and the other three Horsemen of the Apocalypse,¡± he states, his voice hardening in the process. ¡°And even if he¡¯s trying to make up for that now, I will never forgive him.¡± My mouth parts open for me to say something, only for me to close it again a second later. Not knowing what to say. I¡¯ve¡­ never heard about any bad blood between the Crimson Empire and the other Horsemen. The emperor turns to look out the window again, as if it¡¯s too hard to look at me as he continues, ¡°You won¡¯t know about this because it¡¯s hidden from the public and most nations, but the Crimson Empire is the only nation that all three of the other Horsemen besides yourself are at an agreement towards. That they all want to eliminate at all costs.¡± Oh¡­ just what did Shirou do to spark that sort of enmity? ¡°And after a while, my friend and her husband had a daughter. One who couldn¡¯t be known to the other Horsemen lest they take her away,¡± the emperor says, his voice almost cracking in the process. ¡°So they had to hide the daughter and keep her in the dark to keep any signs of her existence from reaching the Horsemen before the time was right.¡± For some reason, as I¡¯m listening to him I feel the faintest twinge in my chest. But I don¡¯t know why. ¡°Their plan didn¡¯t work out,¡± he continues, his face hardening into a glare directed out the window. ¡°Pestilence decided to work alongside the Council of Darkness to place a curse on their family, making it impossible for them to see one another more than ten minutes every century.¡± That has my jaw dropping open in shock. Holy shit, that¡¯s a brutal curse¡­ His fists clench so tightly I can hear his gloves creaking, ¡°The curse ended up not being strong enough to affect my friend, her husband or their son, but their newborn daughter? She was just an infant. Too weak to resist...¡± He pauses for so long after that I for some reason move over to his side of the carriage and place a hand over his shoulder, feeling like that¡¯s just the right thing to do. The man actually relaxes ever so slightly at my touch. Which surprises me even more than the fact that he¡¯s telling all of this to a random stranger. ¡°Neither of them can spend more than ten minutes with their own daughter every century, nor can their son spend more than that with his own baby sister¡­¡± he says, practically choking up at this point. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. I¡¯m¡­ not sure why he¡¯s telling me all of this. We literally just met, and he wanted me dead when he first heard of my existence. So why is he placing so much trust in me now? Those looks of familiarity¡­ maybe my family is descendant from this friend of his? Or someone else from the Crimson Empire at least? No, it¡¯s probably just a coincidence. Because then my family would¡¯ve triggered the world¡¯s System Initialization just from their presence long before the Grand Roan Empire. That or whoever came to Vortel from the empire would¡¯ve triggered it. ¡°Have they found any sorts of ways to remove the curse?¡± I ask while tilting my head. My question snaps him out of it and he turns to look at me, making me remove my hand from his shoulder in the process. Then the faintest hint of a smile stretches across his face as he says, ¡°Yes, they have. And it¡¯s a rather simple process too, but it requires waiting for the daughter¡¯s own body to expel it. Which could take tens of thousands of years due to how powerful the curse is and how it doesn¡¯t directly harm her or even affect her in any way.¡± Oh. Guess their daughter must be powerful in her own right. Which makes sense I guess, considering that she should technically be the Princess of the Crimson Empire from what he¡¯s said so far. ¡°Well, at least they have a way, right?¡± I tell him with a faint smile before moving back to my side of the carriage. He sends me a sad smile and nods, saying, ¡°Yeah.¡± Then we just stare at each other in silence for several seconds, turning to each face the windows after that. Our silence stretches on for a while before the carriage comes to a stop and the driver¡¯s voice enters it stating that we¡¯re here. But right before we leave, I can¡¯t help but ask, ¡°That daughter. Has she at least been seeing them once a century?¡± That question¡­ does something I wasn¡¯t expecting. He just looks at me with a sad smile and a tear going down his face as he says, ¡°No. She doesn¡¯t even know they¡¯re alive, and they don¡¯t have most of their memories of her. So they don¡¯t want to waste their first chance to see her in person.¡± I stare blankly at him as he signals the driver to open the carriage door, making it open for him. Then he leaves without another word. That sounds like a living hell. I feel really bad for that family. Although, if they don¡¯t want to waste their first chance to see her, does that mean it hasn¡¯t even been a century since this happened? And also, does that mean they have some way to restore their memories or something? It takes me a few seconds to fully process the story he just told me before I finally get up and leave the carriage. Only to find myself staring at a grand palace. One larger than any I¡¯ve ever seen before. The palace is almost entirely silver in color with some traces of gold, and it has far too many towers, with a single massive body for the structure. One that grows taller the closer to the center it is. And other than that, there are also surrounding castles on two sides of it with roads to a large garden connected to each and walled off. To my surprise, when I see the emperor turn around to face me again, his face has already returned to that normal smile he had when he first greeted me. As if our conversation never happened. He¡¯s also still ignoring Shirogane¡¯s existence. So rest in peace Shirogane. ¡°This is my lovely abode! You¡¯re welcome to any room you¡¯d like within the palace, and I¡¯ll make it yours!¡± he exclaims with that same smile. Then, to my surprise, he finally turns to look at Shirogane with that slightly disgusted look on his face as he adds, ¡°You need to find somewhere else to say though.¡± Brutal. Yeah, this is going to be a major hurdle for Shirogane. Even worse than I thought it¡¯d be. Although I can¡¯t help but notice something. The emperor, Leopold, never said just what Shirou did to spark the conflict. All he kept saying was that he sparked it. Never once said how. I also notice that the Eternal Dynasty is on seemingly neutral terms with the three Horsemen despite all of this. The emperor looks back at me again with a smile before saying, ¡°Please! Come and explore if you¡¯d like! And I¡¯ve already had word sent to my brother about your arrival, so my niece should be dropping by soon to say hi.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I tell him with a nod of appreciation, feeling a little awkward about the situation with Shirogane. So¡­ when would be a good time to bring up the whole thing about the magical silver? Since I want to at least try helping him. I know they said I can¡¯t help, but asking out of curiosity why they won¡¯t trade doesn¡¯t count as helping, right? It better not. Might also just be how good he¡¯s been treating me so far that¡¯s making me a bit more confident on that front though. Anyways, Shirogane does appear to be allowed to enter the palace at the very least. Even if he isn¡¯t allowed to stay there. So we all proceed to march on into the massive castle the carriage stopped in front of. Meanwhile the many guards split off with some following us and others staying guard at various positions around the place. I should keep my guard up a little bit around this guy at the very least. That said, putting everything that just happened aside, this place really is beautiful. And I really want to see those Spires. B3 | Chapter 29 Aria After having the guards show us around a bit, the emperor doesn¡¯t take up much of our time. Nor does he bother to talk with Shirogane even a single time during the little tour. He just up and leaves, telling me that if I need anything, I should just ask his guards. And if they can¡¯t give it to me, they¡¯ll notify him or the archduke about it. Because as it turns out, just like most rulers, he¡¯s a busy man. He¡¯s got work he needs to take care of. Eventually I find myself alone in the room I was given along with Shirogane. To my surprise though, he¡¯s just kinda collapsed on the bed face first. I tilt my head at him before reaching out and poking his side. And when I don¡¯t get any reaction, I ask, ¡°You still alive?¡± He just groans. Yeah, he¡¯s not alive. I crouch next to the bed, practically sitting on my heels as I hug my knees with one hand and just poke his side with my other hand a few times. ¡°You¡¯re sure you¡¯re not alive?¡± I ask after a few pokes. He groans again, so I shrug to myself and stand back up. Then I walk over to the balcony, letting the corpse lie. Once I get to the balcony and rest my arms on top of it though, I call back to him, ¡°You¡¯re gonna have a hard time here. You sure you don¡¯t want any help from me?¡± Shirogane groans again. But this time he answers after a few seconds, ¡°No¡­ the emperor would just get even angrier.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re sure,¡± I comment, not looking back at him. Instead just looking out over the massive castle we¡¯re on a high floor of. Several seconds pass as I look at the city out in the distance. One that looks very medieval yet not at the same time. Which is very off-putting, if I¡¯m being honest. Cybernetic horses drawing magical carriages with people who are no doubt nobles. Not to mention cybernetic horses that are drawing regular looking carriages that are still no doubt enchanted and magical but not to the degree of the nobles¡¯. Then there¡¯s the homes which look like medieval homes, but I can sense magic coming off all of them. And they have some appliances in them that are clearly not medieval. Overall, bizarre. I try to look around to see if I can spot any of the Spires, and I actually do manage to spot one after squinting a bit. It¡¯s in the distance and is sticking up at an odd angle. Probably because it¡¯s so far away that I can only see it around halfway up the tower. So bizarre. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s standing up straight, but it just looks at an odd angle from here due to how far away it is. The emperor mentioned that the closest Spire was entire days¡¯ travel from here. Which would explain it. I lean over the railing of the balcony, putting my cheek into the palm of my hand as my arms rest on the railing while I gaze out at the Spire. And after staring at it for several minutes, I stand up straight and stretch a bit. Then I turn to look at Shirogane to find him still collapsed half dead inside on my bed. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°What about if I just ask him outright why they won¡¯t trade?¡± I ask Shirogane while crossing my arms. ¡°I won¡¯t try to change his mind or anything. I¡¯ll just ask and nothing more.¡± He groans again, but this time he nods his head. Cool. ¡°Sounds good then,¡± I tell him while uncrossing my arms and walking over towards the door. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading out to a Spire now. The emperor is probably busy right now, so I¡¯ll leave asking him about that later.¡± He groans again. ¡°And please leave my room at some point,¡± I tell him, with a frown after reaching the door. ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot of work ahead of you. Don¡¯t give up right away.¡± He doesn¡¯t say anything for a second before he finally sits up from my bed. I nod my head at the sight before closing my door behind me and facing the maid that was stationed outside of my room. ¡°Would you mind getting me a ride to the closest Spire?¡± I ask the maid, and she immediately bows towards me and sets off calling soldiers. And not long after that, I find myself standing outside of the castle with an escort of soldiers and a carriage. Feeling more than a little awkward at the overly dramatic display. But I get in the carriage, nonetheless. The ride itself in the carriage doesn¡¯t actually take anywhere near as long as the estimated time the emperor stated. Meaning he meant by foot or regular vehicle. Not a magical carriage that enters another dimension to travel. When we arrive at the Spire, I find the thing to be absolutely fucking massive. So large that it stretches into space and still continues going up. Past the atmosphere itself. For a moment it gives me pause as to how people are supposed to fight on an open-space battlefield. But I quickly realize that anyone strong enough to get that high in the tower probably has a way to get around the problem. Would be more shocked if they didn¡¯t. Just like there are water breathing potions, there are space one as well. Although those, from what I understand, simply put a supply of air in your body that is slowly fed to your lungs for you. Rather than what the water breathing potions do. Anyways, the tower itself is completely white with no other colors in sight. It¡¯s entirely made out of a smooth marble with no cracks or dents anywhere. Just perfectly smooth going all the way up. Meanwhile there are some balconies, windows, and small and rather dangerous obstacle courses extremely high on the outside of the tower. Meaning some perfect exits to the place. And ways to clean myself off afterwards. I look at the base of the tower to find it surrounded by a large wall with the entrance of the Spire sealed behind grand white doors, and the wall sealed by a large gate. One made out of metal bars. Also, I can¡¯t help but notice that the walls themselves have a shiny silver film that for some reason doesn¡¯t look thick across them. One that quite literally glows with a starry shimmer to it. ¡°Lady Aria, if you would please head this way,¡± the captain of the knights who is joining me says while motioning towards the wall. A wall that is quickly and suspiciously being evacuated of people as we approach. With everyone making their exit the moment they see us. ¡°I will assist you past the magical silver gate.¡± Ah, so that¡¯s magical silver. ¡°Is the entire wall made of magical silver? Or is it just one small layer?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask as I walk closer to the wall. The captain quickly answers as he takes his helmet off, revealing a slightly elderly face with long silver hair and golden eyes matching the emperor¡¯s, ¡°The magical silver is simply layered very thinly over the wall in a small film. It was melted down and then hardened over the exterior of the wall in order to provide additional protection to it.¡± Interesting. Once we reach the wall, it opens without us even having to say a word. Then I go inside, and the captain stops outside of it, stating to me that he has to return to his duties. And that some guards will always be stationed here for my return to escort me wherever I desire to go on the planet. Overall, very nice treatment. Albeit a bit awkward too since it¡¯s obvious the emperor is practically spoiling me. Feels almost as weird as the Rex Dynasty in a way. I let out a sigh at that, briefly glancing around and feeling relief that at least these people won¡¯t freak out just from me sighing. Then I turn around and walk towards the lovely white doors of the Spire. The doors span several meters into the air, making far more room than one person would ever need to walk through them. And they¡¯re a set of double doors with no handle on them. I reach for the doors, and the moment my hands touch them, they begin to creak open on their own. A smile reaches my face as I see the inside. Time to go back on the hunt. B3 | Updated Dread Empire and Grand Silvanian Empire Glossary And another glossary. Once again updated with new nations added to it. Click here for to find the glossary! It has the Grand Silvanian Empire and the Dread Empire''s glossaries added into it. Including their military, government style, and basic descriptions. Along with some details about their nobility and their rulers. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. B3 | Chapter 30 Aria The moment I pass through the doors, they close behind me. Leaving me inside of the Spire on my own as I look around at the bottom floor. It¡¯s a rather mysterious place. Filled with floating blocks, various towers, floating mana creatures that just casually float through the air defying gravity, and other moving objects in the air. The mana creatures vary in shape and size. Some look like floating spheres made of various different rings, with some of the popping out and going back in. Other mana creatures look like different shapes like octagons and triangles or pyramids. All just floating around the place. Lastly there are more mana creatures on the ground that are very clearly stone and iron golems. Often with sets of metal armor on. Full plate armor. And polearms. No swords though, which is surprising. Other than the mana creatures, the towers sometimes stretch upwards into massive blocks. Which are, from what I¡¯ve heard, more sections of the Spire. I did a little bit of research before coming here, and I¡¯m pretty sure the second Tier starts¡­ My thoughts trail off as I look high up into the air. All the way to a very far point so far up that it¡¯s a little difficult to see. Where a ceiling is. Right. The second Tier starts on the next ¡®floor¡¯. Above that ceiling. I turn my attention to the various towers all around. Some of whom build off of previous towers on those large blocks. Then there are some that just kinda start midair completely defying gravity. With some entrances that have floating blocks near their entrances, and other floating blocks moving around making a pattern that they move back and forth across. Some of the golems on the ground level take notice of me and begin walking towards me at a brisk pace. I turn my attention to them before sprinting forward and punching it right in the head, denting it and sending its helmet flying with my physical strength alone. I blink at that before raising my fist and looking at it. Then I turn to look at the golem as well. A golem that is still walking towards me. So I punch it in the chest this time, denting it as well. And without hesitation, I pull out my sword and cut straight through the thing with ease, slicing it in half. [User has killed one being of Level 8. Requirements to reach level 50 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 999971/1000000 beings have been granted Death.] Hmm. I¡­ haven¡¯t really had much chance to test out my physical strength now that I think about it. Over the years I¡¯ve mostly just used explosives, my Death Spirits, and guns to kill the mana creatures. I haven¡¯t really used my own physical strength to beat them to death or use a blade. Despite having a swordgun. But I¡¯ve gotten a lot more physically stronger over the years, haven¡¯t I? I know I¡¯ve seen it when moving around. Just based off of my speed, maneuverability, how high I can jump, and so on. A faint smile stretches across my face at this. At the realization of just how much stronger I¡¯ve gotten. Then I tap my foot once while summoning hundreds upon hundreds, even thousands of Lesser Death Spirits throughout the ground floor around me. And without hesitation, I point forwards while declaring, ¡°Off you go! Start your hunt!¡± All of the thousands of Lesser Death Spirits sprint forwards before tearing apart the golems in a massive wave. A sight that is rather cool to watch. So I watch it with my arms crossed for a bit before tilting my head upwards to look at the path I¡¯ll need to take forward. Hmm¡­ that¡¯ll work. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I begin walking forward through my Death Spirits, all of whom are going around slaughtering golems one after another. With little Asher going off on his own as well to explore. But I stop walking within moments. Because a notification appears in my vision along with a System Message.
User has leveled-up to level 50. User will now be given their fifth skill. Assessing user¡¯s accomplishments and actions¡­ assessment complete. User will now be given the following skill: Death¡¯s Judgment This skill allows the user to infuse direct attacks using the user¡¯s bare skin with flames of Death¡¯s Judgment. These flames will not burn away at those inflicted by them, but will instead be left as a curse on them. A curse that will disable all healing. Judgment is left in Death¡¯s hands. Beware, for those who are judged will bear the marks left by Death herself for all eternity.
Seconds pass as I stare at the new skill. Then I raise my bare fist before tilting my head at it and activating the skill, with it being one of those easily activated ones. And the moment I activate it, black flames begin blazing from my fist. Huh. Interesting. Very, very interesting. This¡­ is a rather nice skill. I can¡¯t help but wonder how the System deals out these skills though. How it chooses them. Is it really assessing everything I do? My accomplishments and actions? How would it come up with this one? What have I done that would lead to a skill making people unable to heal after fighting me? I can see Asher¡¯s skill coming from the loneliness and sorrow that came from Frank¡¯s death, but what about this one? Wait, something is coming to mind. The times I¡¯ve been stuck in powerful mana creatures¡¯ stomachs. A lot of those times, the wounds I dealt to them healed themselves right away. For the Tier seven and higher mana creatures at least. At least, not until the death energy I let off built up enough that it was too much for them to ignore. So if I think about it like that, I really did end up dealing with a lot of things healing from my attacks. I look down in thought for several seconds, then I nod my head once and begin stepping forwards again. While having a Death Spirit walk up to me holding a flailing golem by its metal armored collar. The Death Spirit stops when it gets a couple feet in front of me before I raise my fist and coat it in black flames. And without hesitation, I slam my fist straight into its shoulder so as to not kill it, going in one side and out the other. Then I pull my fist back out and wait as the black flames linger very faintly on the thing¡¯s wounds. And wait. And wait some more. I blink as a realization comes to me. Oh. Right. Uh¡­ yeah. This is a golem. Golems don¡¯t regenerate. So what¡¯s the point of this experiment? I stare awkwardly at the golem for several seconds before eventually just nodding my head. Right. This didn¡¯t happen. I turn to stare at the Death Spirit and tell it as well, ¡°This didn¡¯t happen.¡± Of course, the Death Spirit doesn¡¯t show any signs of understanding me. But that doesn¡¯t matter. The Death Spirit crushes the golem¡¯s head, killing the thing. Then it just tosses the thing aside and moves on to go find more golems. [User has killed one being of Level 9. Requirements to reach level 51 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 1/1030000 beings have been granted Death.] Okay, now I¡¯m starting to wonder if my new skill will even be of use here, in the Spires. Since it doesn¡¯t look like they will be. Most of the mana creatures here aren¡¯t biological after all. Then again, I¡¯m pretty sure there are some biological mana creatures in the upper Tiers of the Spire. Things like gargoyles and manticores. Also, I¡¯m pretty sure I heard of some non-biological mana creatures here that can regenerate. Like the Tier 10 monster ruling over the Spires that I am going to avoid the hell out of. Well, putting the new skill aside for the moment, I begin to walk towards one of the nearby towers. Anyways, this is a good place to start racking up some more levels. Fifty years of this place mixed with my enormous backlog of soul energy that I¡¯ve built up over the years. Since I don¡¯t tend to use anywhere near as much as I get. In fact, after I get close to another tower, I go ahead and summon thousands more Lesser Death Spirits and send them off hunting as well. Time to get this hunt started! And maybe find some magical minerals while I¡¯m at it. B3 | Chapter 31 Somewhere in the Universe Ten individuals appear within a large chamber shrouded in darkness, each with their own types of magic cloaking their identities. Then a single individual appears at the center of them all wearing a cloak with its hood down and an older styled black suit on beneath it. One reminiscent of medieval times. However, despite having no hood on, no one can see any details about the man as his entire face is coated in shadows revealing nothing but faint white lights where his eyes are. ¡°Report,¡± Hassan declares in an emotionless tone of voice, his singular word resonating throughout the chamber and sending a chill down the spine of all those who hear it. One of the ten individuals steps in front of the others and declares, ¡°Preparations have been made. Ten Beta Tier nations have been selected and have joined together to declare war.¡± ¡°Methods,¡± Hassan asks, his white eyes locking directly onto the speaker ¨C a man wearing a black cloak with purple flames covering his face. ¡°Memory alterations, bribery, misdirection, and basic manipulation,¡± he answers without expanding on what he means. Understanding very well that the leader of the Council of Darkness hates it when more words are stated than need be stated. Hassan goes silent for a few seconds before asking, ¡°Timeframe.¡± ¡°The war will be declared in twenty years, and it will start with an attack on the empire¡¯s capital,¡± the man, having been chosen by the ten council members as the spokesperson for this operation, states. ¡°However, we have an unexpected problem.¡± Hassan¡¯s eyes narrow ever so slightly, albeit still without any emotion visible in them. So the man hurries up before he gets on the Council Leader¡¯s bad side as he says, ¡°There is a Horseman of the Apocalypse currently in the capital of Silverfall. Aria Crimson, Lady Death.¡± That makes Hassan pause for a moment before he shakes his head and declares, ¡°Continue with the operation. Avoid conflict with her. If possible, recruit her.¡± And without giving them another second to say anything, he vanishes in a wave of shadows that rises up from the floor to envelop him before fading again. Silence fills the room. The man who was designated the spokesperson turns to the others and says, ¡°It would appear¡­ we need to be extra careful with this operation now.¡± All nine of the others nod their heads in agreement. ¡°Make sure to give advance notice to all of the nations in the attack,¡± one of the nine states with a feminine voice, this one having a blue electricity running across their body hiding their features. ¡°They need to be aware not to attack the Horseman of Death.¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t have to tell them that in the first place,¡± another one ¨C this one having black flames coating his appearance ¨C says with a scoff before he adds, ¡°anyone stupid enough to attack a Horseman deserves whatever happens to them.¡± ¡°Are you willing to have to spend a year regrowing your arm after the leader tears it off because one of those idiots decided to attack her anyways?¡± a female voice belonging to the moving statue of ice. The one coated in black flames stiffens up for a moment before stating, ¡°I was fully planning on informing the nation of Alcolt. No need for your sarcasm.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± the spokesperson declares, making the others turn to look at him. ¡°We need to hurry in case one of the nations gets ideas and moves early.¡± And without another word, all ten council members vanish from the room. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Leaving it in silence again for several moments, only for the Leader of the Council to appear once more in the room from the shadows. Having never left it in the first place. He stares at where the other members were for a few seconds before turning to a screen that appears in front of him as a hologram. One displaying the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Aria Crimson, as she fights within a Spire, crushing one mana creature after another. Several seconds pass in silence with the only sound being that of the noise from the screen. Then Hassan finally blinks once and turns into shadows again, leaving the room. At the same time, shadows begin to manifest within the layer of the Spire the Horseman is in.
Aria It¡¯s nice to be leveling up again so fast. And I have to admit, this place really is fast. Lots and lots of golems and other creatures for me to- My thoughts come to a sudden pause when the light within the Spire dims a little. I tense up while looking around, searching for some sort of threat. But the light just dims more instead, making me frown. What¡­ is going on? I try to search my surroundings for over five entire minutes, but I can¡¯t find anything. Not a single thing. The only thing I see is that it¡¯s darker. A lot darker. There also seems to be some shadows moving in corners that look kinda unnatural. What¡¯s going on? ¡°Interesting¡­¡± I hear a muttered voice, making me stiffen up as a shiver runs down my spine. Simply due to the sheer emotionless tone they used. It¡¯s different from Pestilence¡¯s emotionless words. His are more like a scientist looking at everything as test subjects. This voice is more like someone looking at everything as if nothing mattered to him. And the voice is definitely male, considering how deep it is. Then something moves out of the corner of my eye and I swivel around within the little tower I¡¯m in to find a corner where the shadows are beginning to coalesce. ¡°Who are you?¡± I ask as I watch the shadows slowly beginning to rise until they form a human silhouette. One of a man wearing a hoodless cloak over a more medieval black suit. And his face is still hidden by shadows, revealing nothing but glowing white eyes. But I recognize him despite all that. Very few people wouldn¡¯t. After all, he¡¯s one of the Nine Grands. He¡¯s Hassan al-Malik. The Leader of the Council of Darkness. The biggest underground organization in the universe, with a particularly large focus on assassination. They were also behind that little rebellion I accidentally squashed some years back on Atlantis. Even if they only did that as a cover for their attack on the Society. ¡°You could spot me,¡± he declares without a hint of emotion. But I feel like I can sense some interest in his words. I frown at that before shrugging and stating, ¡°Not really. I just noticed that it got darker, and the shadows were moving weirdly.¡± Then I cross my arms and ask, ¡°So mind telling me why you¡¯re on Silverfall? I know Leopold doesn¡¯t like your council, so you can¡¯t have permission to be here.¡± Not that the Council of Darkness has ever been in the business of asking for permission from what I¡¯ve heard. He just stares at me. So I stare back. Then we kinda stare for several seconds, neither of us moving. Long past the point of me feeling rather awkward. Is he¡­ um¡­ gonna answer me? Or is he just going to stare me down? Are we having a staring contest? For some reason I just keep staring at him, meeting his gaze. Feeling more than a little curious as to how long he plans to keep this up. My Death Spirits have been surrounding us as we speak in case I need to get away. While still hunting mana creatures, of course. Because, more importantly than keeping their surrounding us discrete, I still need more of that lovely progress to the next level. Ten more seconds pass. Then an entire minute. Then five minutes. And at this point I begin to wonder if he fell asleep standing up or something. ¡°You can maintain eye contact as well,¡± he finally speaks, not blinking at all despite that. I think. It¡¯s hard to tell when all I see are two glowing white orbs in the place of his eyes. ¡°Is there¡­ something wrong with maintaining eye contact?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask while tilting my head. He just stares some more. A real talkative fella, isn¡¯t he? ¡°Well, if you¡¯re not going to do anything, I¡¯m just gonna go back to hunting,¡± I tell him with a light wave before walking away. Deciding that I¡¯ve had enough of our staring contest. Best to go back to exploring this lovely little Spire. Because it¡¯s been quite a bit of fun so far. I walk for a little bit before, out of curiosity, turning around. And almost immediately jumping backwards, feeling startled by the eerie sight of the man just standing the same distance from me as he was before. Just a few meters behind me. Okay, that¡¯s creepy as hell. I didn¡¯t hear any footsteps. It¡¯s like he¡¯s following me while maintaining the same distance without making a sound. ¡°You have something you want to talk about, or¡­¡± I comment, tilting my head again while putting my hands in my pockets a little nervously. In all honesty, the Death Spirits would be a waste. It¡¯s not like I can match up to someone whose level is in the five digits. This guy could turn me to dust in seconds. Even if I¡¯d recover from it. Although I do feel a little curious about how long it¡¯d take. Anyways, mister silent treatment doesn¡¯t say anything again. So I just let out a sigh and continue walking. With mister silent treatment following after me. This is just weird. Wonder what he wants? B3 | Chapter 32 Aria Okay¡­ this is¡­ I glance back at him again after twelve hours of hunting in the Spire¡¯s first, second, and third Tiers. And I quickly find him still just standing behind me. It¡¯s just creepy at this point. After taking a deep breath to calm myself, I turn around, placing my hands on my hips as I shout out, ¡°Hey, Hassan, why are you following me?¡± Unlike the other times I asked, I go ahead and use his actual name this time. It probably won¡¯t help though. ¡°Inspection,¡± he answers, quite literally making me stumble despite standing in place. The heck?! He answers now?! When he¡¯s been ignoring me for¡­ I blink. Wait, was he just not answering because I wasn¡¯t using his name? ¡°What do you mean by inspection?¡± I ask with a frown, crossing my arms now as my Death Spirits continue wandering around the Spire slaughtering things. Actually, is it considered slaughter if they¡¯re just golems? Walking statues and walking blocks of metal and stone? Not sure. I¡¯ll just call it slaughtering things anyways. Anyways, that distraction aside, the Grand just kinda stares at me for several seconds after I ask my question. And stares. And stares some more. Right when I¡¯m about to open my mouth to speak, he finally speaks himself, saying a simple, ¡°Inspection complete.¡± Seriously, what inspection? The man vanishes in a wave of shadows, leaving me with more questions than answers. Not that he ever gave any answers to begin with. I¡­ what just happened? Did he really spend half a day stalking me, then leave three words behind and leave? Seriously? I¡­ don¡¯t know what to think or say about that. After staring at where he left for a little bit, I turn to look at my surroundings. To see if there are any shadows nearby or if the light is dimmer. But no, the light is back to the brightness it was before he got here. And there are no unnatural looking shadows. So I guess he¡¯s just gone. Well then. Wonder what Shirogane will say about this? And should I mention this to the emperor? Probably should. One of the other Nine Grands was in his capital world, so he probably wants to know. More importantly though¡­ I frown before turning to look at the large mana creature walking towards me. One in the form of a massive cube. Which is odd, since it does have legs. And a mouth. Never seen a cube with legs and a mouth before. Why do I get a bad feeling when looking at this thing? I tap my chin at that thought, only for the ten-meter-tall block to stop walking all of a sudden. Then it turns into a blur, and I find myself gobbled up into its mouth. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Right. Bad feeling. Yep.
Somewhere in Hyperspace ¡°Your Majesty, it would appear they have made contact,¡± one of the upper class nobles of the Crimson Empire declares, his face popping up on a screen floating in front of the emperor of the Crimson Empire moments prior to his words. ¡°And?¡± Artorius Crimson asks while fidgeting with his hands behind his back as he stands in front of his command chair. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°The Leader of the Council of Darkness just followed her around for half a day without saying much of anything,¡± the man answers, sounding slightly creeped out by that. But the emperor just smiles a very faint smile. One that startles the upper class noble quite greatly. Enough that he asks, ¡°Is this good news, Your Majesty? I was under the impression that the Council of Darkness was an enemy.¡± Artorius shakes his head lightly while taking his seat on his command chair, tapping his finger against the armrest as he says, ¡°An enemy? Not necessarily. But he¡¯s not a friend either.¡± He pauses for a few seconds and adds, ¡°I was just thinking that he hasn¡¯t changed all these centuries. Not in the slightest.¡± His response appears to confuse the upper noble, but the man simply bows and cuts off the call instead of inquiring further. Taking the correct approach in the situation. Because Artorius doesn¡¯t feel particularly up to talking about him now. Instead he turns to look out over the forces within the bridge of their flagship. All of whom have the same white hair and crimson eyes as every single other member of the Crimson Empire. The result of a mutation from their living deep in space, with their only ¡®home¡¯ being a special wormhole, in-between two different places within the universe in a connection point. A strange one created by magic that has an even stranger sun. One that¡¯s completely black in color yet still emits light. Just like with the Atlanteans, denizens of the Crimson Empire are special in that they have more than just visible differences between them and other humans. They all have a slightly higher sensitivity towards light, both in vision and in body, but none of them require air to survive. The only species of human within the universe that doesn¡¯t require air or water to live. No doubt a result of living within a magical wormhole. Artorius frowns as he leans his head against his right arm, both on the armrest. Just looking out past the bridge of the ship at the hyperspace beyond. The time for him to finally see his daughter and regain his memories of what she¡¯s gone through over the years is almost nigh. But every time he thinks about it, he can¡¯t help but feel nervous. Because he has no idea what¡¯s happened on that planet in regards to her. He tried sending forces to the world known as Vortel many times. But they were never able to dig up what had happened to the Crimson family living on Vortel. It was almost as if someone had wiped memories of their existence from the people, with the sole exception of Aria Crimson. Who everyone there believed to be a war hero who had died during the war with the Grand Roan Empire at the beginning of the System. Since she vanished soon after that war. Leaving to travel the universe. But the mere fact that their clones aren¡¯t with Aria means that something must have happened. There is no doubt about that. Artorius lets out a sigh, feeling just as miserable now as he was when this curse was first placed. When his entire family were forcefully teleported to another world just for getting within a planet¡¯s diameter of her. A small part of him is too frightened to meet with his daughter now after so long. But that¡¯s only a tiny part. What he wants more than anything is to hold her in his arms again. Something he¡¯s been unable to do since she was little more than a newborn infant. The slightest hint of tears begin to leak from his eyes, but he pays them no mind as they all evaporate when a small wave of crimson and black electricity runs across his eyes. His Death Lightning ability at work. Just the thought that she may¡¯ve been hurt on Vortel aches his heart. And he¡¯s not the only one as he¡¯s heard his wife crying in their room when he¡¯s come back more times than he can remember. Even if she manages to force herself to stop and act like nothing was wrong the moment he enters the room. Then there¡¯s his son¡­ Artorius grimaces as he thinks about it. Then he shakes his head. One other thing that he can¡¯t get out of his head is the simple matter of whether or not Aria even realizes her parents are alive. That they were just clones on Vortel. It would depend on how early on the clones died¡­ His grimace grows deeper at the possibility that they may¡¯ve died before the date they decided to have their clones tell her when they first sent her with the clones. When she reached ten years of age. Seconds pass in silence before Artorius finally looks up, focusing on the outside of the ship again to find that hyperspace is beginning to clear out a bit of crimson energy. A sign that they¡¯re getting closer to their destination. He stares out the window of the bridge for a while before closing his eyes. It¡¯s almost time. Just another couple decades remaining before I can see her again. Artorius tries hard not to think about how he¡¯ll only be able to see her for ten minutes and likely won¡¯t even get a chance to hug her in that time. Not with everything they need to explain. And not with them needing to get their memories back beforehand. At the very least though, they¡¯ll see her. His hand trembles ever so slightly at the thought. But he remains steadfast, opening his eyes once more. And looking towards his next mission. B3 | Chapter 33 Outside of the Spire Aria is in Louis de Warren taps his foot impatiently as he stands in front of his carriage near the station at the base of the capital city¡¯s Spire. A Spire that has been occupied for months without a single person entering or exiting other than the one girl who was let inside by the emperor himself before that. He himself is convinced she¡¯s dead. Because there¡¯s no way someone at level forty-nine should be able to survive living in a Spire for three months. Especially when all she had was some storage rings on her. There¡¯s no way she was able to store enough food in there for that long, much less that she could survive for that long. Even if she really did have a black number as some people state. Black numbers can die too. All they mean is that whoever looked at them has an abysmal chance to kill them with what they currently have at their disposal. Nothing more. Doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t die. And a level forty-nine shouldn¡¯t be able to survive three months of constant fighting. Not in this particular Hunter¡¯s Spot. The mana creatures inside of the first three Tiers ¨C the Tiers a level forty-nine should be able to survive in ¨C aren¡¯t biological. So they will never tire and they don¡¯t sleep. No one ever spends nights, much less weeks in the Spires alone for this very reason. It¡¯s just suicide. Louis glares at the guards standing outside of the station, completely ignoring the dozens of nobles each with their carriages parked nearby waiting for the Spire to open again. But no matter how convinced they all are that the special privileged outsider is dead, the guards never budge. They never even look at them. And it¡¯s pissing Louis off more than anything he¡¯s seen in the past year. Because he¡¯s been needing inside the Spire to gather some of the magical steel on the upper Tiers for a business associate. And the time for that deal is beginning to pass. It¡¯s almost reached the point that Louis wants to break past the guards and enter even without permission. But then he would be punished by the emperor if he tried. So he¡¯s left here tapping his foot nonstop. And he¡¯s not the only one as the other nobles nearby all appear just as displeased as he is. Eventually he finally loses his patience. He leaves his carriage and marches right up towards the guards at the gate, bringing their cold gazes towards him. But before he can reach the gate, he hears a strange whistling sound coming from above. And he doesn¡¯t appear to be the only one as he spots a lot of people looking upwards. What¡¯s that noise? He frowns at the growing sound before turning his head upwards, only to stiffen up slightly and squint his eyes. Trying to get a better look at what¡¯s coming. And something is coming. He just isn¡¯t sure what it is. Whatever it is, it¡¯s coming from the upper Tiers of the Spire. Somewhere around Tier 7, where some of the first exterior parts of the Spire are. Did a mana creature fall off or something? It¡¯s been known to happen from time to time. A mana creature might fall off of a Spire and die on the ground. It is the reason why there aren¡¯t any buildings or homes nearby the Spire. Just a hill. But after looking for several seconds, Louis begins to frown. Because the small black dot he had seen and thought was a mana creature grows large enough for him to realize it¡¯s in the shape of a human. Then it continues growing larger until he realizes what it is. A human woman. Likely a crimson ¨C the not-so-well-known name for natives of the Crimson Empire ¨C judging by the woman¡¯s hair and eyes. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Part of him feels irritation at seeing the woman ¨C based on her description that he was given before ¨C that is responsible for their waiting for so long. Another part is stunned a little by how beautiful she is, with her silky white hair, glowing and ruby-like eyes, pale skin, and full figure. Beautiful enough that he immediately thinks about possibly pairing her with his son. And the last part of him wonders why the hell she¡¯s falling out of the sky. It takes him a moment to realize she¡¯s about to die. Because even with a black number ¨C and he does see a black number above her head, surprising him in the process ¨C no one can survive falling from that high up on the Spire. Not at level fifty. Shouts begin to echo out from the nearby nobles who actually care, along with the many guards here no doubt assigned to wait for her. And chaos immediately breaks out as everyone runs around trying to figure out how to stop her from dying. But Louis just sighs, knowing that no one here has an ability conducive to that task. So he just lowers his head slightly in a little prayer for the woman as she gets closer and closer, feeling like it¡¯s a waste for someone as beautiful as her to- His thoughts cut off when he feels a wave of pain cover his body, knocking him out in an instant.
Within an expensive Inn Inside of the Capital on Silverfall Shirogane lets out a groan as he leans over the open window looking out at the street with his strange TV made out of wood and metal near him playing out the news. None of which is particularly interesting to him in his current pity party of depression. One built from absolutely zero success since arriving. Every single merchant company he¡¯s attempted to go to has sent him away without him even being allowed inside. Every noble, turned away at the door. And the two times he¡¯s attempted to see the emperor, he got automatically teleported away just by the defenses of the palace itself. He wasn¡¯t even able to make it to the guards. Shirogane, one of the greatest merchants in the universe ranking as an Eight Star Merchant, hasn¡¯t even been able to open a discussion with anyone in this time. He¡¯s tried assisting them. Giving offers that would normally be too great just to be able to speak. And giving out freebies. He¡¯s tried talking to them. Assisting them through his personal strength. Tricking some of them. Nothing works. Absolutely nothing. And now he¡¯s on his wits end. He groans again, wondering just when that carefree Horseman is going to finally come down from the Spire. For all he knows it could take her- ¡°Breaking news! A woman was just seen falling down from the capital¡¯s Spire and landing on Count Louis de Warren, knocking him out and breaking a fourth of the bones in his body in the process! Yet, unlike what most would assume, the woman got right back up and walked away after reforming completely unharmed!¡± Words echo from the TV near him, making Shirogane turn his head slightly without getting up from the window sill, his eyes squinting ever so slightly. And what he sees on the TV is footage of what happened, showing a woman who is nothing more than a blur crashing into the ground from the Spire above, leaving a crater and an unconscious man with shoulder-length black hair on the ground wearing a torn up suit. With some sort of flesh paste with clothes splattered across half his body. Flesh that soon reforms itself as a fully clothed Aria sitting on top of him who glances down rather awkwardly at the unconscious guy. Then she equally awkwardly stands up, grabs a pouch of coins, and tosses it on him. Before casually walking away as if that hadn¡¯t happened. Shirogane stares with a tired, exasperated, and slightly bored and depressed look on his face at the screen as the commenter goes on talking about what¡¯s happened to the noble since. Then he lets out a sigh and returns to looking out the window. Just Aria being Aria. Nothing new there. His thoughts quickly return to his business. Which doesn¡¯t amount to much on Silverfall. Or anything, really. Then his phone begins to ring, making him glance at it to find the caller being Aria. And a faint smile reaches his lips as he raises the phone to his ear and answers. ¡°Hey Shirogane, I¡¯m back from my short trip in the tower now,¡± Aria says right away, making Shirogane¡¯s brow twitch at the mention of it being ¡®short¡¯ when it lasted for three months. ¡°Oh, right, I thought I should mention that a stalker was following me around the Spire for about a day.¡± Shirogane straightens up as a feeling of anger overwhelms him from those words alone and he shouts, ¡°A stalker?! Who was it!? Are you okay?! Did they touch you in any way?!¡± Aria pauses for a second before answering with some minor surprise in her voice, ¡°Oh, nothing happened. Don¡¯t worry. The stalker left, only saying a few words. And he didn¡¯t seem to care much about me knowing he was there. Didn¡¯t do anything to me either. Was kinda weird too.¡± The Silver Merchant lets out a relieved sigh at that while leaning over the window sill again, muttering, ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that¡­¡± ¡°Aww, were you worried?¡± Aria comments, sounding amused in her own sarcastic and dry way. ¡°Well, anyways, Hassan didn¡¯t stay for more than a day.¡± Shirogane stiffens up at that comment and asks, ¡°Wait, did you just say Hassan?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she answers with a yawn before muttering something about wanting a nap and that she would see him in a few hours. ¡°I need to go tell the emperor about this. I¡¯ll be sure to ask him about you while I¡¯m there.¡± ¡°Wait a second, when you say Hassan, do you mean the Leader of the Council of Darkness Hassan?!¡± Shirogane asks, standing straight as a board while practically shouting into his phone. ¡°Yeppp,¡± Aria answers, drawing out the p for a moment before adding, ¡°gotta go now.¡± And hanging up the phone, leaving Shirogane staring at it. And staring at it. And staring at it some more. As if his gaze could burn a hole through the phone to the carefree girl on the other side. Then he finally lifts his gaze to look out the window before leaning over the sill again with a groan. Hassan¡­ a stalker¡­ Silence fills his room with the only sounds being those from the streets below and the birds chirping away. Why am I even surprised anymore¡­ B3 | Chapter 34 Aria After hanging up the call with Shirogane, I begin whistling a calming little tune as I lean out the window of the carriage I¡¯m in. With both my arms just dangling over the side of the carriage. Feeling the strange sensation of my arms being in a different ¡®dimension¡¯ from the rest of my body. Very odd sensation indeed. Not even sure how to describe it. It¡¯s almost like my arms and face ¨C which is also sticking out of the carriage ¨C are in a faraway place and feel distant from the rest of my body. Also, I¡¯m pretty sure my skin is warping. And rippling. Oh, and the driver of the carriage is shouting for me to put my head back inside before it- I blink when I regain consciousness again, sitting in the carriage. Huh. That was interesting. I think my head and arms just went pop. ¡°Lady Aria! Are you okay?!¡± the captain of the knights frantically shouts as he kneels inside of the carriage on the ground. ¡°Does it hurt anywhere? A doctor should be arriving soon, so please just-¡± ¡°No need,¡± I tell him with a wave of my hand. ¡°I can¡¯t get hurt.¡± Why¡¯s he freaking out so much? Didn¡¯t he see me paint that poor noble guy red with my landing? Rest in peace to that guy¡¯s sanity most likely. I¡¯m pretty sure I ended up traumatizing a couple people back when I did it on Luk¡¯tar, and they were less¡­ prissy¡­ than the nobles here. Made of much sturdier stuff. Literally. Much larger in build. This guy¡­ well, he was just kinda staring blankly as I waved goodbye to him. Well, it¡¯s fine. Nothing a good ol¡¯ mind mage won¡¯t fix. A simple memory wipe here and a pat down to clean up any of my lingering death energy that¡¯s burning the flesh remaining on him and he¡¯ll be golden. ¡°-Aria!¡± I blink as I hear the guy in front of me talking again, reminding me of his presence. Oh. Right. Almost forgot about him. I glance at the entrance of the carriage to find a doctor there. Oh, wow. He really called one. I turn to the guy again and repeat, ¡°I really don¡¯t need a doctor. I can¡¯t die or get hurt. It¡¯s impossible. So could we continue the trip, please?¡± He looks hesitant for a bit before slumping a little with a sigh. The guy is annoyingly large with full plate silver armor on him and no helmet on his head. He has white hair similar to my own and a strange reddish silver colored pair of eyes that ¨C I¡¯ll admit ¨C look rather beautiful. And he seems to constantly be worrying about me ever since I returned from the tower. Not sure why. To my surprise, he reaches for my hand and lowers his head, placing his forehead on my hand as I stare blankly at him, wondering what the heck he¡¯s doing. Then he says, ¡°I apologize, my lady. I swear I¡¯ll warn you of any potential risks the next time. I was careless and didn¡¯t think about how outsiders aren¡¯t used to our modes of transportation yet. Please forgive me.¡± I blink once. Then twice. Then I turn to look at the several guards outside, each of whom salute me the moment they spot my gaze. Then I glance at the doctor, who doesn¡¯t seem surprised at all by this turn of events. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Finally I turn back to the guy who is still holding onto my hand as I reach over and tell him, ¡°No need. Just bring me to the castle.¡± The guy raises his head and sends me a look that kind of reminds me of a little puppy dog. Seriously, what¡¯s wrong with these people? I¡¯m not a damned princess, thank you very much. ¡°I think we should clear things up,¡± I tell him, gently taking my hand away from his grip. ¡°I¡¯m not a noble. I have no noble background. Come from a Gamma Tier world. And even if I¡¯m the Horseman of Death, there¡¯s no reason to act like a servant before me. So please stop.¡± It¡¯s getting annoying. Of course, I don¡¯t say that part out loud. He looks surprised, and one of the guards who is saluting outside even mutters, ¡°But you are a prin-¡± Then he cuts off with a grunt of pain, making me focus on him to find the guy on one knee. What the¡­ I turn back to the guard captain as he sighs once more and says, ¡°Very well, Lady Aria. We will act as you wish.¡± He stands up again, reaching his full height of about six feet, seven inches tall, before walking out of the carriage. It is really uncomfortable to have to look up just to see his face. He¡¯s over an entire foot taller than me. The man who I get the feeling is part crimson judging by his hair and eye color bows once again after leaving the carriage before saying, ¡°May you have a pleasant rest of your ride, Lady Aria.¡± He¡¯s still calling me lady. Whatever. Doesn¡¯t matter. Although, seeing the man does make me think about the Crimson Empire. And the crimsons in general. After hearing the Grand Silvanian Emperor¡¯s story about the Crimson Empire and his friend, I went to research the crimsons. And I can¡¯t help but notice a resemblance between them and myself. White hair, red eyes, pale skin, and so on. That said, I also know that my ability makes it so that my hair can¡¯t be dyed and my eyes can¡¯t be covered by colored lenses. And my eyes glow. Which isn¡¯t what normal crimson eyes do. Then there¡¯s the fact that if I¡¯m a descendant of a crimson, it means someone from the System entered Vortel. Which would¡¯ve sparked the System¡¯s initialization if they were already a part of the System before that. Unless my ancestor was just a child less than five years of age when they came here. The age that the System initializes in people who are already in a world with it. Then again, I have gotten some memories back about my family. Oddly enough rather quickly, over the span of my time in the Spire. Not sure why. But it has filled in some gaps in why I could¡¯ve possibly become the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death. I remembered their abilities. Mom had the ability known as Life Drain, which would allow her to directly drain and manipulate the life force of others. It would also explain the jewel. And it used both death and life magic. Dad had the ability known as Death Lightning, which was basically just incredibly dense death energy compacted in the form of lightning. And it used death magic. And Adrian had the ability Life Clone. Which let him make a perfect clone of anything. But if he used it on a person, it wouldn¡¯t send memories back and forth between the original and the clone. And it needed to be resupplied with life force every now and then. And it used both death and life magic. The only clones he could make that didn¡¯t need to be resupplied were those of himself. Although those still don¡¯t give memories back to the original. He didn¡¯t even get any sort of way to tell if a clone was still alive or not. I purse my lips at the thought of his ability, and the remembrance of his occasionally giving energy to Mom and Dad. Hmm. Clones¡­ I turn to look out the window as the carriage moves forwards again. Just resting my chin on the palm of my hand. Flashes of what the emperor said before fill my mind about me looking like his friend. Mixed with the cloning ability, and Mom and Dad potentially being clones. But after several seconds of thinking, I shake my head. Deciding that it would be best to not give myself any hope. I saw their dead bodies myself and they didn¡¯t disappear. And they wouldn¡¯t hold back anything. It wasn¡¯t like them. They wouldn¡¯t keep that from me. That they were clones all my life. And if they were clones, then where are they now? The originals of my parents. Not here. So no hope. But¡­ I frown. What if¡­ what if a clone was alive for nearly a decade? Would its personality branch off from the original personality? Would they change? For some reason that thought sticks with me a little bit. In the end though, I decide to put all of this out of my mind, sealing it up in a little box. Because regardless of what¡¯s going on, if anything is going on, I don¡¯t want to be hurt again. I unconsciously reach up to my chest to grab the jewel there dangling from a necklace over my shirt. No hope. I stare out the window for several seconds before my attention returns to Shirogane. Come to think of it. He kinda sounded a little down earlier. Wonder what happened to him while I was on my short trip in the Spire? B3 | Chapter 35 Aria It doesn¡¯t take me long to find myself face to face again with the emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire. Because the moment I step up to the palace gates, the guards immediately begin leading me directly to him. I didn¡¯t even need to ask or say a word. Almost like they could read my mind. Or they were just told to do so after I left the Spire. Probably the latter. And when I enter his office ¨C which looks rather large and medieval with a table and seating on the left and plenty of bookshelves spread around the rest of the office ¨C I find the emperor himself sitting behind his office desk at the back. With a large window and balcony behind him. ¡°Aria!¡± he exclaims with a bright smile on his face. ¡°You¡¯re back from your first trek into the Spire! How did it go?¡± I glance at the knights as they shut the door to his office behind me, leaving us alone, before I begin walking over to a random couch within the office and lie down across the thing with my head on an armrest. Then I tilt my head backwards to look at the emperor, finding him to be upside down from this position. ¡°It was rather peaceful,¡± I answer him truthfully. ¡°Not much to talk about. Other than the stalker.¡± His face twitches at that last part as his smile grows eerily wider and he asks, ¡°Stalker? Do you mean there was someone else in the Spire with you?¡± Time for the main reason I came to see him. Other than Shirogane¡¯s problems, of course. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I came here,¡± I tell him while shifting my gaze to the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t invite the leader of the Council of Darkness to Silverfall?¡± His silence is all the answer I need. Even without looking at him. ¡°The guy followed me around the Spire for about twelve hours without really doing much of anything,¡± I continue with a frown on my face. ¡°Just stalked me as if he were some serial killer in a movie. It was rather creepy.¡± He still isn¡¯t saying anything, so I tilt my head back again to look at him, only to find a conflicted expression on his face. One that shifts between pain and determination. Almost as if he both wants to deal with the problem but doesn¡¯t at the same time. And not due to any difficulty in the problem, but more like a genuine sadness about dealing with it. Hmm. Is there a history between Hassan and the emperor? Interesting. Then again, they¡¯re both hundreds of thousands of years old, possibly even millions, so¡­ I guess it would be more of a surprise if they didn¡¯t know each other. The emperor lowers his head and starts muttering to himself while staring at the papers on his desk. But from what I can tell ¨C his muttering sounding slightly muffled ¨C he seems to be talking to someone through a communication device. So I look up at the ceiling again with my hands in my jacket pockets. I wonder if I should try on the attire of this world? Might be fun to try out. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Then again, I know better than to ask a royal family for an outfit. I still remember making that mistake at the Atlantean Royal Castle, which led to me becoming a dress-up doll for at least a few hours as they tried to figure out the perfect outfit to put me in. I am not gonna fall for that again. And¡­ I glance down at my attire before shrugging to myself. Meh. No need to change. Rex Dynasty¡¯s clothing is the best for a reason. Actually, its almost everything. In terms of technology and exports at least. Plus medieval just isn¡¯t my style in my humble opinion. Might wear something if a ball ends up happening. Haven¡¯t been to one of those in a while. I think the last one I went to was on some Beta Tier world whose monarch kept hassling me to marry his son. Almost blew up their castle along with the son in question actually. Only attended that ball because it was the price of immigration rights. And they told me about a special wine I could only find during it. But all I ended up doing was hiding from the guy who kept trying some weird flowery language to propose to me over and over. Eventually almost blowing him and the castle up when he got a little too drunk and handsy. Can¡¯t even remember half the things he said before that. Something about Death this and Winter that. I wasn¡¯t paying much attention after our first encounter. Overall, not fun. The wine was good though. I furrow my brows slightly as I try to remember when this happened. Was it a couple decades ago? One decade ago? Can¡¯t remember. Didn¡¯t stay on that world long. For obvious reasons. I sit up before turning to look at the emperor right as he says, ¡°Thank you for telling me about him, Aria.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± I tell him. Then I stand up while stretching my arms a bit over my head. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading out now.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± he says with a nod. But I don¡¯t get far after taking a step towards the entrance to the office before stopping again and turning around. ¡°Actually, I forgot,¡± I start again, redrawing his attention. ¡°Do you know anything about why those knights guarding me are so obsessively loyal and attentive?¡± He blinks before frowning, ¡°Knights? What knights?¡± Now it¡¯s my turn to blink, leading to us just kinda looking at each other in confusion. ¡°The knights who I¡¯m pretty sure are all crimsons?¡± I point out with a frown and a slight tilt of my head. ¡°I¡­¡± he says, sounding confused as his frown grows deeper, ¡°¡­never assigned any knights to follow you.¡± Wait, what? ¡°But there was an entire force of at least three dozen knights waiting outside the Spire for me,¡± I tell him while folding my arms. That confuses him a bit more. Until he blinks as if realizing something and says, ¡°Wait, you said you thought they were all crimsons?¡± And when I nod, he continues with a smile, ¡°That makes sense then. Don¡¯t mind them. They¡¯re probably of the Crimson Order. It¡¯s an Order from the Crimson Marquis. A delegate from the Crimson Empire who¡¯s earned a title of his own in the Grand Silvanian Empire.¡± Oh. But, wait, why? My mind flashes back to the train of thought I had earlier. About the clones, the emperor¡¯s friend, the Crimson Empire, and all that. Then I immediately shut it away in a box again, not wanting to figure it all out. At least not until it¡¯s shoved in my face by proof. Like my parents appearing in front of me alive. ¡°Would you mind telling them to calm down a bit?¡± I ask, no longer frowning as I put my hands back in my pockets again. ¡°They were a bit¡­ overzealous.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, but I doubt they¡¯ll listen,¡± he says with a slightly amused smirk on his face. Probably because they belong to a delegate and not someone solely of his empire. ¡°Okay, then could you tell me why you aren¡¯t letting Shirogane enter the palace?¡± I ask, deciding to move onto the other thing I almost forgot. His face goes dark at that question. And after several seconds of awkward silence, he answers, ¡°Because I know what he wants, and I will never let the Eternal Dynasty have access to magical silver. Not in Amatsuraki¡¯s lifetime.¡± I open my mouth to say something, but he just lets out a sigh and adds, ¡°Please don¡¯t interfere. I ask this of you as a friend.¡± My mouth closes again. Partially due to what he said, and partially due to me feeling slightly confused. When did we become friends? I blink a few times at that before nodding my head, deciding that pushing the matter won¡¯t help Shirogane at all. It might even hurt him. ¡°Well, see ya later,¡± I tell him while turning around, waving my hand over my shoulder in the process. And when I reach the door, one of those Crimson Order knights opens it for me. As if just waiting for me to get nearby. This is gonna be tiresome. B3 | Chapter 36 Aria Once I get to my room, I go ahead and have a couple glasses of one of the emperor¡¯s bottles of wine before heading to bed and sleeping for a few hours. My first time going to sleep in over a month. And it ends up being a rather peaceful sleep, only eventually interrupted by my phone buzzing and waking me up. I groggily sit up, wearing just a simple shirt and shorts as I glance at my phone, finding it to be Shirogane. Then I yawn and move over to the edge of the bed before putting my legs out over the side. The bed proving its rather grand size in the process. Wonder what¡­ oh, right. I think I told him I¡¯d see him ¡®in a few hours¡¯ at some point yesterday. But I never did see him. I answer the call on my phone while putting it on speaker. And as I begin my morning routine of brushing my hair and sipping some rather lovely wine, I hear his voice coming from the phone, ¡°Good morning Aria, I was calling to ask you something about yesterday. Is now a good time?¡± After swallowing another sip of wine, I place my glass down and begin to change shirts while answering, ¡°As good a time as any. You woke me up, but I wanted to get up anyways. Need to go do another run of the Spire.¡± ¡°Ah, okay,¡± he answers as I put on a brand new, rather comfortable shirt while putting yesterday¡¯s shirt in my storage ring and bringing out my jacket. ¡°Did the Council Leader say anything to you while he was¡­ well¡­ stalking you?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t say much,¡± I answer while putting on my jacket and changing into pants. ¡°Just some rather cryptic things. Like how I could spot him, and how I could maintain eye contact with him. Also something about an inspection.¡± I frown after I finish changing. ¡°Wasn¡¯t much of a talker.¡± Shirogane doesn¡¯t say anything in response for a while as I reach over to my wine for another sip. Having finished changing and brushing my hair at this point. Bright side about being what I am, what with my immortality and everything that comes with my body. Morning routines and self-care are a lot easier. I also don¡¯t have to deal with natural problems other people have to deal with. And I¡¯ve heard some scary stories from other women about things they deal with that I don¡¯t. Rory and Hannah were both jealous that I don¡¯t have any of those problems. Although, in hindsight, self-care isn¡¯t actually a thing I have to deal with at all. Can¡¯t really die or deteriorate or grow unhealthy in any way, so¡­ I continue sipping at my wine a bit before placing the glass back down and putting on my boots. Then I grab both my wine and my phone and head out onto the balcony, pausing at the end of it to lean over the railing while placing my phone on said railing. And right as I¡¯m taking another sip of my wine, Shirogane finally responds, saying, ¡°There is a good chance that the Council of Darkness may be plotting an assault on the Grand Silvanian Empire.¡± I pause mid-sip before continuing. ¡°Please notify the emperor if you run into him again,¡± Shirogane continues himself as I calmly drink my wine. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. After a few more sips, I calmly mutter, ¡°Sure,¡± while enjoying the lingering flavor of the wine and gazing out at the lovely silvery-blue moon high in the sky. The chirping of some cicadas and birds echo as the morning sings its tune. Meanwhile I see quite the number of knights roaming around the castle ground. But from my window, none of them pay me any mind. Since I¡¯m so high up. I find it interesting to just look at each of their levels from up here. Some of them are as low as the low one hundreds, others all the way up to the thousands in levels. Although the ones that are at four digits in levels are very few and far between. Probably captains or something. Higher ranking knights. Hmm. If I remember correctly, all of the Nine Grands are in the five digits in terms of level. But the three Horsemen of the Apocalypse other than me are close to the twenty-thousands. According to Famine¡¯s regular level updates, that is. Since the guy is so obsessed with people knowing how powerful the Horsemen are and regularly tells the press his level. On the other hand, the others of the Nine Grands all only crossed into the five digits more recently. So if any one of the Nine Grands fought against one of those three Horsemen alone they¡¯d die. There¡¯s no doubt about it. But at the same time, level isn¡¯t everything. So, with the right setup and everything, it could theoretically be possible to kill one. Too bad they all have a single revival that they can purchase at an astronomical price from the Void Temple. Although no more than that due to that treaty thing. Trying to revive a Horseman without using the temple though¡­ not sure if that¡¯s even possible. Pretty sure there isn¡¯t a void mage strong enough to do that. ¡°Aria, thank you for trying to help me,¡± Shirogane suddenly says, reminding me that we were in a call. ¡°It means a lot. And I never would¡¯ve gotten on this planet if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡± ¡°No problem,¡± I tell him before sipping my wine some more until I¡¯m all out. Then I turn around, briefly grabbing my phone and reentering my room. ¡°How long have we known each other? Quite the number of years at this point.¡± He chuckles at that. Then we spend the rest of the phone call chatting about some of the things I saw in the Spire. And about my visit that I need to do later today. To sell him a bunch of stuff that I got while in the Spire. And I mean it when I say a bunch. I have way too much loot from my time in the Spire. Makes me a little curious about just how much it¡¯ll be worth. We¡¯ll need a warehouse to sort through it all though. So I might ask the emperor about that at some point too. I also raised an entire half a level from my time in the Spire. Halfway up to level fifty-one. So that¡¯s a nice bonus. My thoughts pause for a second when I hear a meow coming from my bed, bringing my gaze to a certain cat that is currently stretching on said bed. But I turn my gaze away from Asher as I head straight over towards the door instead. Only to spot some of those Crimson Order knights on the other side of the door when I open it. Ugh. Them again. I¡¯m still trying to figure out what¡¯s up with them. One of them actually called me a princess by mistake, which is raising more than a few red flags in my mind. Another called me, ¡®young miss,¡¯ for some reason. Which also raises red flags. But I¡¯m burying those flags in my mind. They don¡¯t exist. And so long as they don¡¯t exist, my mind is a happy place. Although, I can¡¯t help but grit my teeth as I walk past the knights. Because I know I won¡¯t be able to bury those flags forever. They¡¯ll have to surface at one point. And when they do, I¡¯m not entirely sure I¡¯ll like what I make of them. But until then, I¡¯ll keep on burying them no matter how many build up. All for the sake of my sanity. I finish off the last of my wine as I walk through the hall, not even pausing as I place the empty glass on a random tray that a castle maid runs up to me with. Now I can just think of how much coin I¡¯ll be making off of the loot I got from the Spire. A faint smile stretches across my face at the thought as I hear the pitter patter of little paws rushing to catch up before something tugs on my pants. Then I feel that same something climbing all the way up my legs, waist, and torso until Asher reaches my shoulder and meows. I absentmindedly scratch under the cat¡¯s chin as I walk. Coin is always nice, even if I¡¯ve got a bit too much of it nowadays. B3 | Chapter 37 Silverfall Captain Hartfell Sol stands at perfect attention in front of the gate leading to the Spire next to a city called Lavan. One slightly further away yet still nearby the capital city that the princess started frequenting. Mostly due to the complaints of the Silvanian nobility that Princess Aria was unfairly hogging the use of the Spire for herself. Luckily for them, the captain¡¯s warm-hearted princess decided to move to a different tower instead of simply ignoring the nobles. Showing just how kind and generous the woman born from the Emperor and Empress of the Crimson Empire truly is. The captain smiles beneath his metal helmet, his face hidden from the sight of the people traveling in and out of the Spire. Princess Aria even decided to allow other people into the lower floors of the tower! Every time the captain sees one of her acts of kindness, he can¡¯t help but think about how wonderful it is to have such a kind princess. Much better than the cold block of ice that is their prince. Although the man does understand a little bit how the prince ended up as he is. Since he hasn¡¯t been able to see his baby sister ever since the curse was placed on her soon after she was born. And he¡¯s grown far colder ever since. But the last time the prince saw him, the captain felt a chill run down his spine just from the way he looked at him. Although he¡¯s not sure why the man looked even colder than usual. He was just giving his report on the spaceship located a solar system away from Silverfall, yet the man seemed especially annoyed with the captain and all of the knights serving on the princess¡¯s defensive detail. The only possible reason that comes to mind for the captain is that the prince was jealous. But he wasn¡¯t sure if the prince was even capable of that emotion. A loud whistling sound echoes around the clearing in front of the tower, making the captain and everyone else nearby look up. Then whoever is closest to the falling person immediately tries their best to move out of the way before she turns into a paste on the ground. Only to pop right back up after her body reforms itself, with her clothing all in order still despite the fall. A sight that always very nearly gives the knight captain a heart attack every time he sees it. But after he¡¯s seen it happen hundreds of times over the course of the last fifteen years, he¡¯s given up trying to convince her to try leaving the Spire a different way. Like walking. And that¡¯s not the only habit of hers that the guard captain isn¡¯t very pleased about. There are plenty of habits that are clearly fueled by her immortality making her apathetic to pain or danger. The princess looks around for a moment before spotting the guard captain, nodding her head once, and proceeding to begin walking away without saying anything. Despite being in the Spire for two weeks straight this time around. At least she wasn¡¯t in there for a year this time. I was really scared she may¡¯ve run into trouble then. If it weren¡¯t for the Grand Silvanian Empire¡¯s emperor telling him she was fine, he would¡¯ve rushed in to find her. But at the end of the year, she ended up walking right out, or rather, falling right out on her own. As if nothing had happened and it was just another day. Captain Hartfell watches the princess and the nobles and commoners near her with a sharp eye, making sure none of them get too close to her as she walks. Meanwhile all of his knights leave their previous posts to follow after them, discreetly surrounding them. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. After spending over a decade and a half with the princess, the knight captain knows more of her hobbies than even the emperor likely knows. Like her interest in reading books. How she tends to get absorbed in reading for entire days if she finds a series she enjoys, somehow forgetting entirely about the Spires in the process until she finishes it. Then she just goes back to the Spire like it was business as usual. Or how she occasionally plays with her immortal cat using some cat toys when she thinks no one is watching. He¡¯s also learned more about her person. Like how little attention she tends to pay towards others who aren¡¯t directly in her vicinity at any particular time. She cares about others, but they often tend to slip her mind if they aren¡¯t in eyesight of her, or she¡¯s not reminded of them one way or another. Like the merchant she came with from the Eternal Dynasty who still hasn¡¯t made any strides in brokering that deal he came to broker. Hasn¡¯t even been able to meet with the emperor more than twice. Both of which were because he followed the princess to speak with him. The guard captain almost pities that merchant. At the same time though, the princess is incredibly analytical of everything and anyone in her surroundings at all times. As if she¡¯s constantly on guard for possible threats. Even when she¡¯s alone in her room. Which doesn¡¯t bode well to what may¡¯ve happened to her when she was young. A revelation that has been worrying the guard captain, all of the guard, and the imperial family a great deal. Since they still don¡¯t know everything that happened to her on Vortel. Or even much of it at all. But the biggest detail that wasn¡¯t immediately noticeable about the princess but is known pretty widely across those who recognize her in Silverfall is that she has little to no sense of time. He isn¡¯t sure if it¡¯s because of a side effect from her ability or class, but she can¡¯t keep track of time even the slightest bit. If she says she ¡®won¡¯t be long¡¯ when she enters the Spire, she will most likely come out a month or two later. The knight captain shivers at the thought of her one day saying she would be spending a long time in the tower. Just wondering how long she might end up spending in there. If a month is ¡®not long¡¯ and a year is ¡®a little time¡¯ to her. But despite those habits, she is still the precious lost princess of the Crimson Empire. And she must be protected at all costs. It doesn¡¯t matter to him or any other citizen of the empire that their princess is one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. That she cannot die. Or that she likes to jump off of high towers and windows instead of taking the stairs. The captain smiles underneath his helmet again as he watches the princess walk while looking down with half her face covered by her hand and her other arm folded over her stomach. He swore long ago that he would never allow her to face true hardship ever again. And he will keep that promise. For the sweet and kind hearted princess.
Aria I can¡¯t help but frown as I leave the clearing around the Spire. Because I swear there¡¯s more people there than there normally is. Ever since I moved here due to the lack of magical ore in the lower tiers of the capital¡¯s Spire. Something about the place needing a bit more time to replenish what I kinda just had my Death Spirits scavenge. And when I told the nobles that they could enter the Spire at the same time as me due to how annoying they were getting. No reason not to let them in, and their whining was really getting annoying. Although¡­ I glance back at the knight captain following me. ¡­for some reason I feel as if the knight captain is misunderstanding half the things I do for kindness. Then again, not really my problem. I face forwards again as I walk into the carriage before sitting down. It¡¯s his spirits that¡¯ll be disappointed after all. At first it was rather annoying having him follow me around everywhere. To the point that I only allowed it due to the puppy-dog look he always gave me when I was about to tell him to leave. But now I¡¯m fine with it. Especially since the Arcadian Society knows I¡¯m here and has not been shy about hiring kidnappers to capture me in broad daylight. The knights deal with them so cleanly that I¡¯m glad they¡¯re here. Makes less trouble for me. Although their actions aren¡¯t exactly doing the Society any favors with the Grand Silvanian Empire. Good ol¡¯ Leopold¡¯s been fuming over it for a while now. I yawn before leaning against the side of the carriage. Come to think of it, how long was I in the Spire this time? I blink at that before yawning again. Hope Shirogane¡¯s gotten some progress on his mission. Doubt it though, unfortunately. I¡¯ll find out when I pay him a visit later, I guess. Now¡¯s as good a time as any for a short nap though. So I close my eyes and fall asleep in the carriage. B3 | Chapter 38 Aria ¡°Shirogane, you have this exact same look on your face every time I visit,¡± I state rather bluntly while crossing my arms and frowning at the man currently slumped over the bed in the middle of his room at this hotel. One of the more popular ¨C and more importantly more expensive ¨C hotels in the capital. He just groans into the sheets of his bed. Not even dignifying me with a response. Even as Asher jumps onto the bed and climbs onto his back, then his head. Or as Asher stands there acting triumphant. As if the little kitten ¨C who is still a kitten after decades with him ¨C had taken down the big bad merchant. I lightly shake my head before walking through the rather luxurious hotel room ¨C a room he actually had a hand in designing himself ¨C and sitting on a chair next to the bed. Unlike me, who has been grinding away in Spires all these years while earning myself a rather large fortune from magical ore, Shirogane has spent his time making connections. Earning money. Even creating some of his own companies here, granting some very low level magical ore to the Eternal Dynasty in the process. But he hasn¡¯t even so much as met with the emperor without me being present. The man is just too stubborn in his hatred of Shirogane¡¯s father. At this point I¡¯m convinced the only way to get the emperor to even meet with Shirogane without my prompting it is if Shirogane managed to do some sort of great deed for the empire during his time here. But it¡¯s already been¡­ I furrow my brows before glancing down at my watch, where the current year of the solar calendar is stated. ¡­it¡¯s already been over fifteen years since we first arrived here, and nothing has happened. Nothing important, at least. There have been some terrorist attacks, but those were dealt with swiftly. One noble rebelling against the control of the empire. Something about a knight from one of the Orders of Knights ¨C the Grand Silvanian Empire¡¯s form of military ¨C reaching the status of Eight Tier Mage. And that¡¯s really it. Other than the word and excitement I¡¯ve been hearing all over about the upcoming celebration. One happening in like five or so years on the nation¡¯s half a millionth anniversary. A rather large milestone for a nation. The Grand Silvanian Empire has been going strong for longer than Vortel has been out of the stone age. Rather sad to think about. Anyways, Shirogane doesn¡¯t say anything to me even after I sit down. So I just let out a sigh and rest my elbow on my knee while placing my chin in the palm of my hand, staring at the guy as I ask, ¡°Has your father said anything?¡± The poor guy just shakes his head without a word, knocking a certain cat off his head in the process. Until said cat climbs right back up and returns to his triumphant pose. Ignoring Asher¡¯s antics, it¡¯s rather sad, to be honest. Considering the amount of work and success Shirogane¡¯s gotten from this place. He¡¯s gotten so many benefits for himself and the Eternal Dynasty from working here that he¡¯s become rather well-known across Silverfall and even more well-known in the Eternal Dynasty. As the first Star Merchant to get access to the Starless Planet. A nickname the Eternal Dynasty gave Silverfall due to their ban of Eternal Dynasty residents. A sort of play-on-words due to how the Eternal Dynasty names their ¡®officials¡¯ Star Merchants. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. I sit here for a bit before sighing and getting up. Then I move over to the other side of the bed and flop down myself with a few feet between me and Shirogane. Kind of wish I could be of more help to him, but I don¡¯t see what I can do. It¡¯s a little sad. I feel movement from the bed, making me tilt my head upwards, only to find Shirogane glancing at me with a very slight blush to his face. Then I just drop my face into the bed again, having gotten used to that over the years. Almost feel bad for him, but we¡¯ve already discussed it about a decade ago. He knows I have no interest in romance, even if he¡¯s got feelings for me for whatever reason. He¡¯s apparently going to be leaving me soon enough anyways. After we finish this job, or after he finishes it, he¡¯ll be returning to the Dynasty. Whether as an Eight Star Merchant who has failed his trial, or as the Crown Prince of the Eternal Dynasty and a Nine Star Merchant. So he has no intentions of asking me out or anything like that. Doesn¡¯t change the fact that he feels how he feels. I push myself up off the bed, deciding to back away a little bit. Honestly, I don¡¯t know how it feels to be attracted to another person¡¯s body. I just don¡¯t think my body is even capable of that sort of thing. One of the differences in my body from other people. A lack of any reproductive instincts. Possibly a lack of reproductive capabilities entirely. Would make sense with the whole Death thing. I don¡¯t really care about any of that though, but I¡¯d rather not make Shirogane uncomfortable. He¡¯s a friend after all. ¡°Has the Leader of the Council visited you in the last couple weeks?¡± Shirogane asks while turning his emotions off. Something he does often after an interaction like that. I shake my head and answer, ¡°Nope. Haven¡¯t seen the stalker for nearly a month.¡± Still not sure why that stalker keeps popping up every now and then to follow me around. Any defenses around the world or me that the emperor and those guards have tried setting up over the years fail miserably as he slips right past them. So I¡¯ve largely given up trying to stop him. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ll be heading out,¡± I tell him while walking away, briefly waving my hand at him over my shoulder as I do so. ¡°Heard one of my favorite authors just released a new book.¡± Shirogane mutters a goodbye before I hear him once again flopping on the bed. With Asher walking proudly next to me as if he¡¯s the most important being in this room. I reach down to Asher and pick him up in my arms as I walk. But before I get out of the hotel, I briefly pause mid-step. Only to continue walking again. ¡°What is it this time stalker?¡± I ask quietly with a frown while the shadows in the common room at the front of the hotel flicker a little. Several seconds pass before I hear the stalker¡¯s familiar voice whisper in my ear, ¡°Leave Silverfall within five years.¡± That has me stopping and turning around. But, as expected, no one is there. The shadows are still flickering though, meaning he¡¯s still here. So I immediately ask, ¡°Why?¡± In a whisper, of course. Since I don¡¯t like giving others the impression I¡¯m talking to myself. Silence befalls the common room again, with the only noise being that of the chatting people nearby at the reception desk. Then the whisper returns, ¡°For my sister¡¯s sake, leave.¡± And just as quickly as he arrived, the shadows stop flickering. Implying the man is no longer nearby. But the words he left me with¡­ I¡¯d heard the Council of Darkness was currently making themselves known in Silverfall, but what¡¯s happening in five years? Are they making some sort of big move then? And if so, why would he tell me? Should I warn the emperor? I probably should. The stalker no doubt knows I probably will. The emperor has been too nice for me to just ignore something like this after all. It¡¯d make me feel bad. Then maybe he¡¯s trying to fake him out by telling me this? Implying something will happen in five years when it¡¯ll really happen sooner? Either way, the emperor should know about this. I am rather curious about what he meant by that sister part. Honestly didn¡¯t know that the Council Leader of the Council of Darkness even had a sister. Actually, I doubt most people are aware of it. Considering how there isn¡¯t any word of it on the Universal Feed. Of him having any siblings. Then again, there isn¡¯t much word on the man himself at all. Just his name. Not even his full appearance. Just the shadow-covered silhouette he usually hides himself within. The only detail people know about him is his body build and eye color. And even those could theoretically be fake too. I frown before shaking my head and continuing out of the building. Then I proceed into the carriage, telling the driver where to head in the process. Alright. Time to tell the emperor, followed by reading my book. A faint smile emerges on my face at the thought of reading that book. Been looking forward to it for a while now. B3 | Chapter 39 Aria ¡°He visited you again?¡± Emperor Leopold asks with a frown while sitting across the table from me on a comfortable sofa in one of the many lounges within the castle before muttering, ¡°And he warned you to leave within five years¡­ for the sake of his sister?¡± I nod my head despite him not looking at me right now, his gaze locked onto the floor as he rubs his chin. ¡°Do you have any idea who his sister might be?¡± I ask, feeling more than a little curious about this little development. Since if anyone were to know about the true identity of the leader of the Council of Darkness, it¡¯d be one of the others amongst the Nine Grands. My question snaps him out of his head as he raises his gaze towards me with his lips pursed. Then he lets out a sigh and answers, ¡°It¡¯s highly unlikely the man will care if it¡¯s you I tell, but be aware that he has cast a spell that will silence anyone from hearing his real name spoken out loud if he doesn¡¯t wish them to hear it. No matter where they are in the universe.¡± Oh. That¡¯s a strong spell. Then again, from what Leopold told me before, the leader of the Council of Darkness had a hand in creating the curse that was placed on the Crimson Empire¡¯s royal family. So it makes sense that he¡¯d be able to cast spells this powerful. I didn¡¯t realize he was a mage though. Or that his public name wasn¡¯t his real one. Wait a second¡­ ¡°Why would he not care if you told me?¡± I ask with a frown while crossing my arms. The emperor¡¯s lips purse more, only for him to blink when something buzzes in his pocket. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a phone before smiling and muttering, ¡°Finally¡­¡± My own frown just grows deeper at his exclamation. Is he getting distracted from our conversation? I hope he doesn¡¯t try changing the subject. He looks up at me and genuinely smiles as he answers, ¡°The real name of the Council of Darkness¡¯s leader is Arthur Crimson. He is the current Empress of the Crimson Empire¡¯s younger brother.¡± My jaw drops open. ¡°He¡¯s who now?¡± I can¡¯t stop myself from asking out loud, making the emperor cover his mouth to hide a chuckle. ¡°Wait, but why would he curse his own sister?!¡± This question ends up crashing the emperor¡¯s mood, shattering his smile in an instant. But he still answers even as he lowers his head to look at the ground, ¡°Because he was cursed by Pestilence and the Archmage of the Arcadian Society to hate those within the Crimson Empire¡¯s Imperial family at the time of the curse.¡± I frown. Lots of curses being thrown around here. ¡°So you¡¯re saying he¡¯s not currently in his right mind when it comes to his family?¡± I ask, slowly piecing together the pieces of this puzzle. ¡°But what about what you said before about him not minding my knowing?¡± At this he pauses, only to scratch the stubble growing on his chin. As if he¡¯s contemplating how to answer my question. But deep down, I think I know. All of the little clues that¡¯ve been piling up over the years, even if I¡¯ve avoided putting the pieces together due to not wanting to deal with this. With the implications that it leaves me with. ¡°Aria, I don¡¯t know how I should say this, so I¡¯ll just be blunt,¡± he says, briefly surprising me. ¡°It¡¯s always best to rip off the band-aid as my secretary keeps saying.¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Is he really¡­ did he really just compare this to ripping off a band-aid? My frown grows deeper, only for him to blurt out, ¡°The reason he won¡¯t mind you knowing is because you¡¯re his niece, Aria Crimson.¡± I stare at him for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. Yeah, thought as much. I look down at my hands in my lap before grabbing a lock of my stark white hair. Then looking at a nearby cabinet to see my glowing crimson eyes reflecting back at me. It was pretty clear after all of the clues were found. All of the puzzle pieces. I just never wanted to put them together due to not wanting it to be bothersome to me. But the fact that I¡¯m obviously at least partially of the crimson subspecies of human, ignoring the whole immortal aspect and the parts of my body changed by that, along with my brother¡¯s ability, his repeated reenergizing of my family through my life, their power on Vortel, and the curse¡­ how could I not figure it all out? Especially with the emperor here practically all but saying it by blurting out how much I look like his friend, the Empress of the Crimson Empire. I let out a sigh while slumping back in my chair and raising my head towards the ceiling. ¡°So my family is still alive?¡± I half state, half ask without looking at the emperor. ¡°Their originals are perfectly healthy,¡± he answers, making me let out a slightly helpless chuckle. One that I¡¯m not sure what to make of. Out of nowhere, Asher stops playing in the corner and rushes over to jump into my lap where he begins to rub his head against my stomach. Clearly trying his best to comfort me. I look down at him with a smile before petting the little guy and muttering, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then I raise my head to look at the emperor as I state, ¡°Just tell me if my theory is correct.¡± I lean onto the arm rest, placing my face in my hands as I apathetically continue, ¡°My brother created a clone for each of my parents and himself and sent the clones to Vortel with my infant self in tow. The world didn¡¯t register them as invaders since they were merely clones and I was too young to be in the System, so it didn¡¯t activate the System. My parents and Adrian then acted as if they were the originals for my entire life until the clones died when I was nine years old.¡± The emperor¡¯s eyes go as wide as saucers at that, clearly not having known when they died, but I don¡¯t stop. Not even as some tears begin to leak out of my eyes as a few memories from my childhood, just playing with Adrian, Mom, and Dad flash through my mind. ¡°And the originals probably didn¡¯t even realize their clones had died. Leaving me all on my own forced into the military to fight endlessly for the next decade of my life when I was only nine years old.¡± Now the emperor looks like he might start crying. But I keep staring at him apathetically despite the tears leaking from my eyes. Not showing any emotion other than the tears. It takes him several seconds, but he nods his head and mutters, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ correct¡­¡± I roll my eyes up a little to stare at the ceiling above us. Not saying a single word as I do so. Right. So my life has been a mistake up till now. One caused by half a dozen problems that had nothing to do with me in particular. ¡°Your parents will be coming to meet you after the first century ends in five years,¡± Leopold states, bringing my attention back to him again. ¡°They¡¯ve¡­ been struggling to figure out how to introduce themselves to you.¡± I almost snort at that. Would be surprised if they weren¡¯t. I¡¯m left thinking they¡¯re dead for nearly an entire century, only for them to pop up one day saying they¡¯re the rulers of one of the most powerful nations in the universe. Yeah, can¡¯t see that going well for anyone. But, if I¡¯m being honest with myself¡­ do I really care at this point? It¡¯s been nearly a century since they died. Or their clones did, I guess. I¡¯ve made friends, even people I might consider like family since then. Made enemies. Gone through the entire grieving process. Almost gave into apathy more than a few times. And have just lived since. I lower my gaze towards Leopold again, still with my cheek held in the palm of my hand. Besides¡­ ¡°Are the originals even the same people as the clones I was raised by anymore?¡± I ask the most important question I have to ask right now. The emperor in front of me flinches at that. Flinches. That¡¯s all the answer I need, but he answers my question verbally anyways, ¡°There is a high likelihood that clones who have separated themselves from the original for years on end will develop differently from the originals. Especially under different environments.¡± ¡°So the originals aren¡¯t even the parents and brother that I know from my memories,¡± I state rather bluntly. He flinches again before nodding. After tapping my finger on the armrest of the sofa several times, I eventually lift my head from my palm, pick up Asher, place him on my shoulder, and stand up. Then I begin walking away while saying, ¡°I¡¯ll have more questions later. For now I just want to bury my head in a book.¡± Right before I leave the room, though, I pause and throw back at him, ¡°I¡¯ll meet with them when the curse ends, but don¡¯t expect me to suddenly accept them as my family as if no time had passed, and as if they were the ones who raised me.¡± Then I close the door and walk down the hall of the castle. I¡¯ll decide what I do after I meet with them in five years. But now? Now I¡¯m going to read that book. B3 | Story Art As usual, if the art ever breaks, click here to go to the public Patreon post. And if someone ever says a thing in the comment section about the art being broken, the chapter is going to be locked for comments. I haven''t posted any story art for Aria herself for a little bit other than the piece of her in the spaceship however long ago that was, so here is some story art with new art styles included: First up, some art of Aria in a cafe on one of the Rex Dynasty worlds: Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Then art of her in a Hunter Spot on a planet high up in the air: Followed by some art of Aria in different dresses attending parties over the years: B3 | Chapter 40 A World Several Solar Systems away from Silverfall Within the Grand Silvanian Empire Emperor Leopold paces back and forth across the only landing station on the world of Sclara, proving himself unable to get the words of the princess out of his mind. Her actions. And, most importantly, what she looked like after learning that her family was really alive. And that her family is most likely different from the one she remembers. He went to this secluded military outpost world due to how few people are here and the distance it is away from Silverfall, trying to make absolutely certain that the curse won¡¯t flare up here. Since the curse would flare up even from so much as being in earshot of a phone call that the princess was within earshot of. Much less being on a planet somewhere nearby her. But for the first time since contacting them, he has very little room in his mind for the curse. How are they going to take this? Will they be upset? No, there¡¯s no doubt they¡¯ll be upset. They¡¯ve been waiting for nearly a century to see their baby girl. I¡¯d be upset if it were me as well¡­ but they should also have been expecting this, right? Leopold continues pacing back and forth across the massive, round landing pad. All of the knights of the empire have already been sent away on missions, leaving the entire planet barren despite its position as a military outpost. Because there is no way Leopold or the Crimson Empire can let word of this meeting reach the ears of any of the Horsemen. He continues to pace back and forth for nearly half an hour before the space above the world flash a deep crimson and reality itself shatters, allowing a vast spaceship half the size of the planet itself to come out from the depths of the shattered reality. From the wormhole created by the spaceship. The ship itself is coated in black and crimson energy jumping from one plate of its armor to another like electricity. Meanwhile hundreds of ships of much smaller and normal sizes appear alongside the enormous flagship in the form of battleships. Once again proving that the Crimson Empire¡¯s military is overprotective of their royalty. Leopold understands the empire¡¯s protectiveness to a degree, since their royal family is on the blacklist of the three most powerful beings in the universe. But the royal family are also some of the most powerful beings in the universe themselves, even if they¡¯re not on the level of the Horsemen. So he does still believe that an entire fleet as bodyguards is a bit much. The entire fleet surrounds the planet as Leopold¡¯s closest friend appears outside of the ship in a flash of black and red energy. The woman is wearing a black and crimson set of high tech armor far more advanced than any other nation. Even the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. However, this armor was no doubt made through both magic and technology, leaving the Rex Dynasty of the Dead still in the lead with pure technology. Just the sight of his best friend brings a warm smile to Leopold¡¯s face. She¡¯s still just as beautiful as the last time he saw her, with her form-fitting armor matching her curves, her stark white hair floating amongst the crimson and black energy around her as she floats down into the atmosphere of the sand and water-covered planet. And her glowing crimson eyes reminding him strongly of her daughter. Except with a hint of kindness and an edge to her gaze that her daughter¡¯s increasingly apathetic by the day gaze is missing. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. But it¡¯s not just her eyes that look just like Aria. Everything about her appearance is just like the Princess of the Crimson Empire. Her figure, her hair, her face, eyes, everything. Just with a mildly older appearance and more edge to her. Without any of Aria¡¯s apathy. Even with those small differences in attitude, she is very clearly Aria Crimson¡¯s mother. Lucilia Crimson isn¡¯t the only person to leave the ships, however, as her husband and son do as well. And both of them look related to Aria as well, even if not to the degree of her mother. Meanwhile hundreds of soldiers, all wearing crimson robes with their hoods pulled down and a mask over their face, leave the ships alongside them. Forming a massive circle as the group floats down to the planet¡¯s surface to meet Leopold on the landing pad. Lucilia, the Empress of the Crimson Empire, smiles while looking at Leopold before saying, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we met in person, Leo.¡± ¡°That it has, Luci,¡± Leopold responds with a smile of his own. Then he turns to look at the emperor with a nod. Artorius Crimson, the Emperor of the Crimson Empire, nods back with his brows furrowed while crossing his arms as he asks, ¡°So you told her? How did she take it?¡± Leopold grimaces at that before answering, ¡°Not very well.¡± All three of the people in front of him, each of whom are some of the most powerful beings in the universe second only to the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, flinch. In fact, in some ways, the Empress even surpasses a single Horseman of the Apocalypse. Yet, despite that power, Leopold soon watches them grow increasingly anxious. The empress starts her usual habit ¨C one Leopold remembers from all those years ago ¨C where her fingers twitch to show her anxiety. Meanwhile the emperor repeatedly crosses and uncrosses his arms, likely without even realizing he¡¯s doing it. But their son is the worst of the three, the man beginning to pace back and forth while muttering about his baby sister hating him. And it¡¯s at this point that Leopold grimaces, remembering one major issue this family has other than the issue of their clones. Leopold reaches into his pocket and pulls out a red crystal. The red crystal he asked for from Aria a few days ago, nearly one week after he originally told her about her family. All three of the crimsons in front of him immediately lock their eyes on the crystal before Luci rushes forwards and grabs it from Leopold¡¯s hands. Then she closes her eyes and begins to manipulate the crimson and black energy within the amulet. Using her ability to directly manipulate and control life force to unlock the memories within. And in just a few seconds, a crimson energy leaves the crystal in three different paths. One leading to Luci¡¯s forehead, another to Artorius¡¯s forehead, and the last to Adrian¡¯s forehead. Leopold then takes a step back, briefly glancing at the guards surrounding them without saying a word. A sight he still finds creepy to this day thanks to their masks. But none of the guards say a word. Even now they¡¯re being incredibly overprotective. Despite how long I¡¯ve been working with them¡­ it¡¯s a wonder Aria is ever able to make it within several feet out of her own guards¡¯ sight. He turns his gaze back to the three imperials to find them all with tears beginning to form from their glowing red eyes. No doubt watching the memories of their clones flash by through their minds. Leopold gives a sad smile, already having expected this due to knowing a vague amount about what happened to Aria on Vortel. He also knows that if it weren¡¯t for the curse, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to step out of the Crimson Empire¡¯s flagship for eons after they find out what she¡¯s been through. Assuming she let them keep her there, which is unlikely. But¡­ His sad smile turns even sadder as the three drop to their knees, each muttering different things. ¡°My baby¡­¡± ¡°My little rabbit¡­¡± ¡°Little Aria¡­¡± ¡­they really do still think of her as a baby, don¡¯t they? Leopold understands their thinking a little bit, since the only time they¡¯ve ever seen her and held her in their arms was when she was a newborn infant. And their family has lived for over a million years by now, so even a century isn¡¯t very long for them. Or Leopold, for that matter. But they have barely even been able to see her since, and only through images and recordings. The Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire isn¡¯t sure how to handle this situation. Since he feels like they really will treat her like a baby when they see her at this rate. Even if only in their minds. And the Aria Leopold has come to know will not be pleased by that. Leopold lets out a pent up breath as he watches the three break down, ignoring the stares he knows are being drilled into him from all of the guards nearby. I¡¯ll have to do my best to change their way of thinking. To convince them she¡¯s an adult. And to make sure they don¡¯t come off too strongly. For Little Aria¡¯s sake¡­ B3 | Chapter 41 Aria I let out a yawn as my eyes squint nearly closed on instinct before continuing to read my book. Simply enjoying the chilly and incredibly thin air around me as I lie here on a lawn chair in a two-piece swimsuit sunbathing high up on the seventh Tier of the Spire¡¯s exterior. One consisting of a small ledge extending from the Spire itself, giving me a perfect view of the sun and the stars. Ever since learning about my family, I¡¯ve done nothing but read. And it¡¯s been wonderful. The sensation of burying myself in fiction. Of not having to even so much as think about real life outside of the story. It¡¯s incredible. Everything going on around me just melts away. And after sunbathing on and off over the years when I get a chance, I¡¯ve grown to find it relaxing. Especially when I¡¯m reading like this. There¡¯s very little that¡¯s better. The only thing that comes to mind¡­ I glance away from my book to grab the glass of wine on the stand next to me before taking a sip. ¡­doing all of this while drinking some lovely and incredibly aged wine. Wine I got straight out of the emperor¡¯s cellar. After taking a sip, I glance towards the entrance to the ledge. Then at the obstacle course next to it leading to the next ledge. Then I return my focus to the book again, burying my mind in the story. This particular book is actually a romance novel. A fantasy one. I wanted to see what all the fuss about romance was about after Shirogane¡¯s constant attempts in the past three months since learning about my family to help console me. But I haven¡¯t really gotten anywhere with it. The action in the stories is good though. I just don¡¯t understand the romantic actions. Or their interest in sexual activities either. Ends up with me skipping past those scenes half the time. The sounds of some explosions ringing out from a lower ledge as some hunters no doubt fight the mana creatures in the Spire echo up towards me. But I ignore them to continue reading. Meanwhile I have more than a few of my Death Spirits just wandering around the various Tiers of the Spire killing off any of the mana creatures they find. And by more than a few, I mean at least ten thousand. A rather impressive number that¡¯s only possible due to the many soul cores I¡¯ve collected over the years from powerful people. Many of whom were idiots. Like that duke what¡¯s-his-name that tried conducting a rebellion on Atlantis some years ago. Or at least, I think that was what he was doing. All I remember is his spilling my wine and his vaporizing half my body. I continue reading my book for a couple more hours before closing it and letting it fall onto my chest as I let out a breath of air and stare up at the sun. Finally finishing this last book of the series. Now I can move back onto regular fantasy novels. Maybe some academic texts too, since I haven¡¯t read any of those in a while. I hear my phone beginning to buzz on the table next to me, but I ignore it as usual. Since I know it¡¯s either Shirogane, Leopold, or the captain of the guard that the Crimson Empire assigned me. The nation not bothering with hiding anything from me now that I know the whole story. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. And I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ve just upped their protectiveness after I lent Leopold my jewel. Probably because they realized what happened to me all those years ago. The knights are calling me princess and Her Highness now too on top of that protectiveness. But I just ignore them. It¡¯s easy enough to do when they won¡¯t lay a finger on me. Literally. Almost as if they were afraid of breaking me just from a simple tap. I¡¯m not complaining about it though. Means they don¡¯t actually stop me from doing anything. They just whine a lot. I yawn again while looking directly at the sun, only to blink when part of the sun starts going completely black. Huh. An eclipse. Interesting. I glance towards the opening to the ledge I¡¯m on to find a team of seven hunters walking out and just kinda freezing in place, openly staring at me. Don¡¯t mind me, people. Just sunbathing in a Spire. Nothing wrong here. I glance at my ring while beginning to search through my storage looking for the next book to read. Completely ignoring the team, half of whom are men with two of them openly ogling me despite my swimsuit not being very revealing. Or rather, they ogle me until I hear the other man clearing his throat before the team just casually continues moving up through the obstacle course. Not paying me any mind beyond their initial shock. Probably because this wouldn¡¯t be the first time this has happened. News has no doubt reached people down below already about me, considering that I¡¯ve been here for a month now. Haven¡¯t budged from this spot. It¡¯s nice not having to worry about muscle atrophy. And my clothes self-clean. Makes it so that I can just sit here and read forever. I don¡¯t even have to stop to sleep. All while my lovely Death Spirits hunt for me, sustaining themselves with some of the soul energy from the things they¡¯re hunting. A very peaceful existence up here. Not having to worry even a single bit about what¡¯s happening in the universe. Or what I learned before. Well, other than my initial decision to just not bother. Things are easier that way. I¡¯ll talk to them when that century timer on the curse ends and they come to talk to me, sure. But they¡¯re only able to talk for ten minutes anyways, so why should I stress about it? It¡¯ll only cost me ten minutes of my time, and I can make a decision as to whether I really recognize them as my family or not. If I do? I¡¯ll still be upset about what happened. If I don¡¯t? Too bad for them. On another note, I find that curse on the leader of the Council of Darkness a little interesting in the fact that it doesn¡¯t affect me. It doesn¡¯t make him hate me. Since the curse only made him hate the imperial family members who were alive when the curse was placed. But I was only born years after that, so he doesn¡¯t hate me. Rather bizarre in how that works. And I¡¯m pretty sure he knows about the curse. But he still can¡¯t help but follow it regardless. Kind of sad. My thoughts come to a halt when I finally find the book I¡¯m looking for and roll over onto my front to start reading it in a different position. Only to find the shadows beginning to move oddly again. ¡°What do you want this time?¡± I ask, not even turning my gaze away from my book. Just like how he normally does it when he arrives, other than the first time, I hear his voice whisper in my ear, ¡°How long?¡± ¡°Do you mean how long am I going to be lazing around up here?¡± I ask for confirmation, having learned how to understand my apparent uncle better from his infrequent visits over time. Following which the shadows shake as if in confirmation. ¡°Maybe a year or two. Or till I run out of books. Whichever comes first.¡± I have a whole library¡¯s worth of books to keep me occupied though, so it¡¯ll probably be the former that comes first. Gotta love storage rings. Silence fills the ledge as I begin to read. But I see the shadows still in the corners of my eyes as I do so, so I know he hasn¡¯t left yet. Eventually the shadows vanish without the leader of the Council of Darkness saying anything. But for some reason, a cloak appears on top of me. One spread out as if it were a blanket meant to cover my whole body. I frown before shrugging and deciding it doesn¡¯t matter now if I¡¯m covered like this or not, considering the eclipse. Not much sun to sunbathe in when the sun is covered by the moon. I know the knights were raising a fuss about me being up here in a swimsuit on my own without some guards, but surely the leader of the Council of Darkness doesn¡¯t agree with them. Several seconds pass as I occasionally glance at the cloak before returning my gaze to the book again. And eventually I glance down at myself to make sure I¡¯m wearing the right swimsuit and quickly finding that I am wearing the right one. A black and red one that covers up more than most two-piece suits do. What¡¯s wrong with this anyways? I study it for a few seconds before shrugging to myself and going ahead to automatically swap out my clothes through enchantments that are placed on them. Enchantments that let me instantly change outfits with other clothes in my storage ring that also have the enchantment. This outfit is a simple tank top and shorts. Should get them to stop complaining at least. And with that, I continue burying myself in the lovely fantasy that is my books. B3 | Chapter 42 Aria Five years later I still question it to this day. Why, oh why, does a large cube have stomach acid? And for that matter, why does it have a stomach? All very important questions. Very important indeed. I almost let out a sigh as I float in the stomach acid of this Tier 10 mana creature in the form of a large cube made of metal. But then I¡¯d have to breathe in the putrid stench of the contents of its stomach. Which mostly contains a bunch of rusted metal and dead hunters. It¡¯s rather annoying. I tried nuking my way out of here, but all that did was damage the walls of its stomach a little bit. Didn¡¯t do much more than that. And the stomach healed again not too long after. I mean, what sort of creature tanks a nuke in its stomach and is perfectly fine? It should be fine though, since those obsessively protective guards should be checking up on me any day now. Since they check once a month ever since I stopped leaving the Spires entirely. Just spending years in the places, never leaving except to move on to a different Spire and restock my library of books. Still. The sensation of the mana creature¡¯s stomach acid running over me has been more than a little unpleasant. I glance at the wall of the creature, where I used my lovely black flames from Death¡¯s Judgment to begin burning the mana creature¡¯s stomach. But all that¡¯s left is a scorch mark. The black flames didn¡¯t even burn through the stupid wall of its stomach. Not even after spending twenty days doing nothing but burning it. Goes to show just how tough a Tier 10 mana creature is. That even without it being able to heal, I can¡¯t do much of anything to it. Because my flames aren''t strong enough to even really damage it. Rather terrifying. My thoughts draw to a halt when the mana creature in question suddenly begins to shudder. What¡¯s going on? Is someone attacking it? Maybe it¡¯s the knights. Then I see bits of some sort of liquidy shadow slithering down into the mana creature¡¯s stomach. Oh. It¡¯s just the stalker. Hmm. Well, guess I¡¯m fine with his visit today. Actually, I¡¯m very happy with his visit. Means I can get out of this stomach faster than I would¡¯ve otherwise. Also means I¡¯ll be getting a nice soul core along with it from the mana creature in question. So I just lie here staring up at the ceiling as the black shadows in liquid form begin coating the walls of the stomach. And as soon as they completely finish coating them, the walls begin to disintegrate, getting devoured into the shadows from the inside out. At a relatively slow pace, proving that a Tier 10 mana creature isn¡¯t just something even a Grand can ignore. But still thousands of times faster than anything I¡¯d ever be able to do. I continue lying here for a few hours in my shirt and shorts with my arms splayed out on either side of me as the stomach gradually gets eaten from the inside-out. Then, finally, after four entire hours, the edges of the stomach burst and a gray liquid that I¡¯m pretty sure is blood floods inside. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it There we go. After that, the shadows converge on me and begin carrying me out of the stomach while devouring everything along the way. All the way until I arrive at a wall made purely out of metal. No doubt the outer ¡®skin¡¯ of the mana creature. Right as I¡¯m wondering if the shadows are going to start slowly devouring that too, the wall suddenly dents inwards. Almost like someone punched it. I blink in surprise, only for it to dent again. And again. And again. One hit after another comes and after a few dozen, the wall breaks, revealing the light from the outside. Along with a certain stalker whose fist is raised as if he just finished punching the mana creature. Oh, and his fist is coated in shadows too. Interesting, but not important. The shadows carry me the rest of the way out of the mana creature ¨C whose form is that of a massive gray cube with glowing blue and black veins running through it ¨C until they place me on the ground in front of Arthur. My biological uncle and stalker. Although I have at least learned that he¡¯s only stalking me like this because of his complete lack of social skills and the fact that ¨C because of the curse ¨C I¡¯m the only one he sees as family. Which makes the currently impending situation of the Grand Silvanian Empire rather awkward. What with news spreading that the Council is currently trying to attack them. Even if the attack hasn¡¯t begun yet. Or, rather, they¡¯re directing a bunch of other nations to go to war with the empire. Overall, it¡¯s gonna be a massive headache to deal with. Especially because the empire will be sending in knights to gather magical ore and magical silver more often to help with the war. ¡°Thank you,¡± I tell him after the shadows finish cleaning me up of any of that disgusting stomach acid, my voice ringing out through the balcony through the magical ring I have on. He just nods, the man as quiet as ever. I quickly grab and devour the soul core of the mana creature who ate me before stretching a little and walking over towards the edge of the enormous chamber I find myself to be in. No doubt the chamber belonging to that mana creature. After reaching the edge of the chamber, I walk right outside of the large, gaping opening onto a grand-looking balcony. One with a very small, stone railing all around the edge of the balcony. I smile after taking several steps out onto the balcony. Then I spread my arms out on both sides and take in the sensation of the wind rushing past the bare skin of my arms and legs and blowing through my hair. It¡¯s so nice to be outside of that stomach again. Wait a second¡­ I blink as I open my eyes again. Why is there wind up here? I look around, only to hear Arthur clearing his throat, making me glance back at him to find the man pointing upwards. So I look up to see a large bird made out of magical silver flying upwards toward the top of the Spire. And in its wake it leaves powerful gusts of wind that fill the entire Spire up here. Oh. I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s the ruler of this Spire. Wonder why it went down from the top? That normally doesn¡¯t happen in the Spires. I watch the powerful and graceful looking creature until it vanishes over the top of the Spire. Then I stretch a little before walking over to the edge of the balcony and leaning over to look down at the planet below. It¡¯s really interesting to see a structure like this that stretches out all the way to space. Not to mention that the view from up here is lovely. I normally avoid the top of the Spire due to not being able to kill any of the things up here. The only reason I¡¯m here now is because of that Tier 10 mana creature gobbling me up and bringing me back with it. But I can¡¯t help but feel like coming up here again sometime soon just for this view. ¡°Soon,¡± Arthur says, making me turn around to look at him with a frown on my face. ¡°Do you mean the war will begin soon?¡± I ask, and he nods his head without another word. Hmm. That¡¯s not good. I turn around to look out over the edge of the Spire again. Something that¡¯s been bothering me for a while now. Is it just a coincidence that Arthur¡¯s attack happens to coincide with the general time that the curse will be refreshed, and my family will be coming to visit for their ten minutes? Or is that on purpose¡­ I stare out over the edge of the Spire for several minutes before giving a mental sigh. Seeing as I can¡¯t physically sigh here. Well, whatever. This war has nothing to do with me. Both Arthur and Leopold said they¡¯ll keep me out of the war and that I can just continue hunting in the Spires while they¡¯re going at it. What I¡¯m more worried about is Shirogane, who still hasn¡¯t made any strides toward his goal. I really hope he doesn¡¯t do anything drastic. Because the last time I saw him he seemed to be reaching a breaking point. Then again¡­ My frown deepens. That¡­ could work. And I can definitely see him thinking of it himself. But the question is whether his father will let him. I fold my arms and begin tapping my finger against my elbow for a few seconds before eventually trying to sigh, only to find it rather difficult since there isn¡¯t any air up here. Shirogane¡¯s already told me that he wants to do this on his own, and Leopold wants me to stay out. So I guess I¡¯ll just be a spectator to everything going on here. This Spire should be a nice place to watch from at least. Assuming I don¡¯t end up in another metal cube¡¯s stomach, that is. B3 | Chapter 43 Aria I continue staring out at the planet below for a little while before glancing backwards to find the stalker having already left. But when I look out over the planet again, I end up faced with a surprise. Explosions ringing out over three different Gates across the world at once. Dozens of portals opening up across barren land and even inside of cities. And soldiers of various different nations judging by their varying outfits marching through the portals. ¡°Seriously?¡± I mutter with the use of my ring, my arms still crossed as I raise a brow. Talk about a last-minute warning. He literally warned me seconds before the war began. Who does that? What¡¯s the point of the warning? Not like I can do anything about it. Or does he just want me to stay up here or something? I glance up at the strange-looking silver orbs in the sky. Then at the large elevator going into the space station outside of the planet. And all of the knights of the empire are rushing to deal with the attackers. Guess there¡¯s no need to give them a warning. And they already know who¡¯s behind this attack. I turn my attention back down to the planet below before raising one hand to tap on my chin in thought. From what I can tell, there are ten different types of outfits down there. Likely each from different nations. Some of the outfits are more medieval in style, some more along the lines of what we had on Vortel, some more advanced than that. But only one of them is high tech stuff that a spacefaring nation would have. And if one of the nations has that sort of technology¡­ I raise my head right as several portals open up in space, allowing a bunch of large spaceships to pass through them. Spaceships that immediately begin firing on the space station and the planet itself. Only for large shields to form around the station and the cities alike, blocking every last laser and spell that shoots out of the ships. Yep. This is a bit more advanced than most of the wars I¡¯ve seen. And I¡¯ve seen a lot of wars. Also a bit more complicated. Since there are ten nations attacking one nation. The Grand Silvanian Empire won¡¯t be able to just ignore this. They¡¯re ten Beta Tier nations after all. Nations similar to Atlantis in power. Now, the Grand Silvanian Empire would never actually lose a battle like this. But these Beta Tier nations can definitely leave a painful dent in the Grand nation. Especially since one of the other Nine Grands is no doubt going to be out assassinating them. So they¡¯ll have to worry about both the armies attacking them, and the assassins. I lean down before resting my arms on one of the higher elevated parts of the battlement surrounding the balcony before further resting my chin on my arms. Just looking out over the world in chaos. Despite everything that¡¯s going on, I can¡¯t really bring myself to care all that much about it. Is it because I¡¯ve seen too many wars by now? Since I¡¯ve seen a war on almost all of the planets I¡¯ve visited. Or at least two thirds of them. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It¡¯s to the point that wars have just become the norm now. And these are all wars that I don¡¯t really have any stakes in most of the time. Other than getting my immigration rights to the world. I watch as the armed forces all march to attack different cities as the guards of said cities begin throwing out spells while the walls for the cities start their automated defenses in the form of ballista and other wall-mounted weapons. Then I look up again at the spaceships firing spells and lasers at the space stations. Not to mention the knights literally jumping out of said space station while armed with full plate mail covering their entire bodies. Hmm. Never seen their armor suits in action before. From what the emperor was bragging to me before, in addition to what I¡¯ve read on my own, these suits let their soldiers breathe and move even in space. They also significantly enhance their physical strength through magic, along with their magical resistance. Overall, they¡¯re medieval looking mechs. Kind of like what the Rex Dynasty has. The armor suited knights all rush through the air with various weapons in hand. Some have swords, others great swords, and some have lances. I think I even see a couple gun lances. Lances with rather explosive guns on them. I personally like them because of the explosive part. But I¡¯d never use one. They¡¯re too heavy. Anyways, I get up and move to find a spot to lie down that still gives me a view of the world below and the battle above. Then I lie down on my front with my arms once again crossed in front of me and my face lying on them. After that I just lie here and watch the war going on as my Death Spirits continue fighting mana creatures within the Spire. Although I make sure to get my Death Spirits to give a friendly little warning about the war going on to any of the knights or nobles inside of the Spire that don¡¯t already know about it. Just my little added bonus to Leopold for the help he¡¯s given me. Not that it¡¯ll help that much. Neither Leopold or Arthur will care if I do that little after all. And both are very dead set on me staying out of this conflict. So Imma stay out of it. The battles, both in space and on the worlds itself, continue raging as the armies of the Grand Silvanian Empire are deployed. But the moment they leave their barracks after forming, they¡¯re attacked by people in dark robes. Each of whom are also covering their faces with their own various magics. There they are. The Council of Darkness has made its move. And, as expected, I can¡¯t see a thing in regard to anyone¡¯s levels. Not a single person down there. Guess that really goes to show the difference in a war against a Grand. These Beta Tier nations only brought their best. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if the lowest level soldier down there is already over level two hundred. At some point as I watch the fighting I start lifting and lowering my legs one at a time, not taking my eyes off of the strongest combatants out there. The ones taking on the largest garrisons of knights and their knight commanders. Commanders who are on par with said strongest combatants of the Council of Darkness. Judging by how strong they look in comparison to the commanders, they¡¯re probably the members of the Council of Darkness. From what I remember, the Council has ten members, with one of them being the leader. That one being Arthur Crimson. My biological uncle and stalker. And he set up the Council of Darkness so that power reigns supreme. It has a list of ranks with the ten highest ranks of the organization being the ones on the Council. Meanwhile people who are part of the Council of Darkness can challenge anyone who is a member of it for their rank. And the survivor takes the higher rank of the two. There is no challenging and not killing the other member in the duel. It¡¯s not allowed. No one ever challenges Arthur though, since he is leagues above everyone else. He¡¯s why it¡¯s a Grand level organization in the first place. Since he¡¯s on par with the other Grands. Which makes sense. He is the younger brother of the Crimson Empire¡¯s empress and a member of the royal family. I was rather surprised at first to hear that it was the emperor who married into the royal family and not the empress. But I guess that¡¯s just because most of the nations I¡¯ve seen on my journeys have leant a bit more towards having emperors and kings succeeding the throne than the other way around. Although the emperor does do most of the management of the throne. Apparently the royal family¡¯s bloodline is more for battle than anything else. So the direct blood descendants often end up just focusing on combat while their spouses end up taking on the management duties. Some rather odd traditions, if you ask me. And I¡¯m not just thinking that because it would imply that I¡¯m some battle maniac like them. Because I¡¯m not. I am perfectly normal. The most normal person ever. Well, my normality aside, I climb back up to my feet again. Might as well take a look down below. I kind of want to see what Shirogane is up to. Besides. I kind of want to see what it¡¯s like falling from this height. The gravitational pull of the planet should be enough to bring me back into the atmosphere, so it should be fine. So with that thought in mind, I casually take a step off of the ledge. Immediately falling from the Spire and towards the planet below. B3 | Chapter 44 The Base of the Spire Nikolai Dragomir clenches his hand around the handle of his sword as he glares across the plains beneath the Spire at the knights standing around the fortress surrounding it. As his own forces continue to flood out of the portal behind him wearing half plate mail armor and more knights teleport in front of the fortress, each fully armed to the T in full plate mail with magical steel swords drawn in their hands. The knight of the Argonian Kingdom feels his anger flaring the more knights he sees showing up. Despite the fact that he already knows this entire war was coordinated by the Council of Darkness, the sheer existence of the Silvanian Empire drives his anger to near madness. All of the Nine Grands are despicable groups in Nikolai¡¯s eyes. Every last one. But out of the nine, the Silvanian Empire is the worst in the eyes of the Argonian Kingdom. Because the Silvanian Empire refuses to provide the Argonian Kingdom any of their healers. And their arrogance and selfishness has led to millions of deaths across the kingdom ever since Pestilence¡¯s trip through it. Their excuse of being unable to aid every last nation that the plague spread to was nothing more than a front. Nikolai is certain of that fact. And so is their kingdom¡¯s queen. ¡°Soldiers! March forward!¡± Nikolai shouts, his anger radiating out through his voice as sparks of blue lightning begin to flash in his eyes. Meanwhile the knight captain in front of the large Spire, a man wearing full plate crimson armor with the emblem of a phoenix blazing with a red and black flame engraved on his chest plate and a large helmet on his head covering his face points forwards as well. But he doesn¡¯t say a word. Before any of the soldiers or knights manage to take more than a few steps towards them, a strange noise fills the area. One that has everyone grinding to a halt again as they look around, wary for any sort of attacks. Nikolai frowns while looking around himself. But he doesn¡¯t see anything. Not until he looks up and sees a large ball of flame shooting down straight towards them. Only for it to strike the ground right in between his forces and the Silvanian knights. The ground around them begins to shake as a powerful explosion of dust, dirt, flames and rock blast out from around the impact sight. And Nikolai immediately jumps to the assumption that it¡¯s a knight attacking them, so he shouts, ¡°Barriers up!¡± To his surprise, though, the blast from the impact doesn¡¯t last for long before all that remains is some dust and smoke. Then footsteps begin to come from the site of the impact, making Nikolai tense up even more. What is it?! Some sort of weapon made by the Silvanians?! A powerful ability holder?! ¡°Keep your guards up! And start the enhancement magic!¡± Nikolai shouts as his fingers unwrap and wrap around his sword over and over again, the man feeling his palms growing clammy from sweat. The footsteps continue to echo out from within the dust and smoke for several minutes. Only for two glowing crimson lights to shine out from within the dust and smoke. Lights that slowly move parallel to the line of soldiers behind Nikolai. Nikolai furrows his brows in confusion, wondering why the weapon or knight isn¡¯t heading towards their forces. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He holds his hand up, ready to give the signal to attack any second as the smoke and dust slowly clears away. Enough for them all to finally begin to see the knights by the fortress. And what he sees confuses him enough to almost lower his hand. They look¡­ both confused¡­ and¡­ is that resignation? Why do they look like that? And why isn¡¯t the weapon or knight moving towards us? Nikolai continues watching as the dust and smoke gradually clears, only to eventually blink in pure confusion at what is revealed to him. At the sight of a beautiful woman wearing not a single bit of armor. Just a regular black and red shirt and black and red shorts casually walking with her hands clasped behind her back in between the two forces. Seemingly not paying any mind to either. Huh? The man watches her for several seconds, feeling unsure of how he should feel about this. He¡¯s seen the news about a black number woman who is known around the capital of the empire for her incredibly powerful regeneration, but he was informed that she wouldn¡¯t be participating in the war. When Nikolai first heard about her, he didn¡¯t believe the intel. After all, there shouldn¡¯t be anyone in their level sixties who could survive at the top floors of the Spires. But from what he¡¯s seen here¡­ with this woman clearly falling down from outside of the atmosphere and not even getting a scratch¡­ Nikolai blankly watches as the woman walks between him and the captain of the knights. All without so much as glancing at them in the process. What is with this woman¡­ He almost wants to give the order to attack her just from what he¡¯s seen of her so far. But then he remembers the warning they were given about not attacking her unless attacked. And to otherwise just ignore her. That¡¯s not all he remembers though, because he also remembers news of the Pale Mercenaries. And more specifically, their leader. A woman with stark white hair and glowing crimson eyes and a black number no matter who is looking at her. One with incredible beauty and an apathetic gaze. Nikolai watches as she walks, only for his head to jerk to the side when one of his own men throws a spell at her without an order. ¡°Stand down!¡± Nikolai shouts, making his soldier immediately lower his hand. But it¡¯s too late as the spell is already heading straight for her. A spell from a level three hundred soldier. The commander of the eighth legion frantically turns his gaze towards the woman again right when the bolt of lightning from the soldier strikes her. But under his shocked gaze, all it does is travel through her body, frying her skin and the blood beneath it for a few seconds before it stops again. Not having even so much as scratched her clothes. What surprises him more though is the fact that the woman never even stopped walking as she was going through it. She just apathetically ignored it. Like the attack never even happened. Nikolai stares in shock at the woman. And he¡¯s not the only one as both his own forces and some of the knights on the other side do the same. But not all of the knights. One unit of knights turns hate-filled gazes on Nikolai and his forces before immediately beginning to attack without hesitation. And every last one of them attacks the one soldier who had attacked the woman, killing the soldier in an instant while shattering the barrier from the unexpected, focused attack. Nikolai and all of his forces turn their attention away from the strange black number woman as they focus their rage on the knights. Meanwhile the knights themselves continue their barrage while the other knights begin attacking with spells of their own or charging forwards. Damned bastards! He opens his mouth to bark out an order, only to hesitate for a moment when he sees red eyes through the visor of the captain of the knights that had first attacked. And that captain isn¡¯t the only one, because he sees crimson eyes through the other visors as well. His hesitation doesn¡¯t last long though before he stops paying any mind to the woman and shouts, ¡°Eliminate the Crimson Order!!!¡± And his own soldiers immediately begin to charge forwards while expressing their anger in a roar of their own. All while spells fly between the two forces alongside some bullets from the gun swords and powerful soldiers and knights charge to clash with their blades in between the forces. With Nikolai himself soon clashing his own blade with the captain of the Crimson Order¡¯s blade. I will never forgive these bastards! They will pay with their lives! Meanwhile the woman in question continues calmly walking out of the conflict with her hands clasped behind their back and an apathetic expression on her face. B3 | Chapter 45 Aria A few moments ago After I land on the ground, forming a crater which I¡¯m very glad I won¡¯t be responsible for cleaning up, I just begin making my way in the direction of the city. Even as the dust and smoke begin to clear, revealing two different forces on either side of me. I don¡¯t pay them any mind. Instead my thoughts just focus entirely on the thing that¡¯s been bugging me. About the timing of this whole war. The fact that it happens to coincide with the reset period of the Crimson family¡¯s curse. It just bothers me. It¡¯s almost like he¡¯s using the fact that they¡¯ll be here soon as bait or something. Is he planning on attacking them? Or planting a tracker or something on them? I know from our conversations that he hasn¡¯t been able to find where the Crimson family is, since the imperial family has been avoiding their home for a while now. Making it impossible for him to track them down. So maybe he¡¯s trying to plant some sort of mark or tracker on them when they come to see me? The other three Horsemen are far, far away from Silverfall, so I know they won¡¯t be arriving. War is, well, at war fighting on the frontlines against some poor country that became his most recent target due to having a powerful leader he wanted to duel with. Pestilence recently locked himself away in his laboratory so that he can study the effects of that terrible plague he let loose not long ago that slaughtered dozens of planets. And Famine is¡­ well, he¡¯s having fun picking a fight with the Society right now. Something about him not liking the fact that their Archmage placed bounties on my head before. Or rather, on the head of a Horseman of the Apocalypse. He doesn¡¯t care about me in particular. But I just can¡¯t shake the feeling that Arthur is planning something. My thoughts pause for a very brief moment when I feel a wave of lightning rushing through my body. And while the lightning does tickle a bit, it doesn¡¯t do much more than that. And burn through my veins, skin, and flesh. But that part doesn¡¯t matter. So I ignore it as I continue walking, feeling only mildly irritated by the limp I have to deal with for a few seconds. Why would Arthur start a war though? Just to mess with them when they come to visit me. A war won¡¯t hurt them in the slightest. The Crimson Empire, or rather, my biological mother is the only person who is very nearly on par in strength with one of the Horsemen. From what Leopold says, at least. She¡¯s by far the strongest of the Nine Grands that isn¡¯t a Horseman. Meaning an army won¡¯t exactly stop her. Especially when the emperor is alongside her, not to mention Adrian. So it¡¯s highly unlikely that he¡¯s planning on attacking them. Which leaves tracking them. Of course, the army could also just be to fight against the Grand Silvanian Empire. After all, Arthur isn¡¯t exactly happy with Leopold either. What with his constant helping of my parents and the Crimson Empire. I reach up and scratch the back of my head as I continue walking towards the city, ignoring the sounds of battle echoing from behind me. If it weren¡¯t for Shirogane being stuck here for half a century I would¡¯ve probably left by now. Just to avoid all this unnecessary drama and war. Why War enjoys this stuff I¡¯ll never know. The sounds of explosions behind me make me glance back to see the Crimson Order using some rather explosive magic against the soldiers of the attacking nation. Pretty much wiping them out other than their officers, who tank the hits with no problems. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much to be expected. The Crimson Order is one of the strongest Orders of Knights on Silverfall. Some random force of soldiers from another nation wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against them. I almost pity them. Almost being the key word. One of those soldiers attacked me after all. I think. I frown at that thought, only to shake my head. Yeah. Pretty sure one did. Wasn¡¯t paying much attention to where that lightning came from. Anyways, I focus on the city I¡¯m walking towards again as my thoughts return to the important matter at hand. Finding Shirogane and seeing what he¡¯s planning on doing during this war. Because he¡¯d have to be an idiot not to do anything during it. It¡¯s his best shot at earning favor from Leopold. At what cost, though, I¡¯m not sure. I guess it depends on what he can do. If he helps them financially during the war, he could get a lot of favor back, but not enough for what he wants. If he helps them by fighting in the war himself, he could get even more favor, but still not enough. The only thing I can think of is him completely wiping out one or more of the enemy armies himself or maybe taking on a powerful foe who attacks at the wrong time or something. Maybe foiling Arthur¡¯s plot against Leopold. But all of those would require him to break his neutrality. So the only way I can think of for him to do that successfully is for him to somehow cover up his fighting entirely. Which would be very difficult. I¡¯m also still not sure just how strong Shirogane is. I know he¡¯s far stronger than me. Strong enough to crush me with one hand. But is he strong enough to fight on their level? To wipe out an entire army or two? No idea. I continue walking until I get to the walls of the city, at which point I walk right up to the gate and pass through. Using my lovely VIP noble pass to walk through the checkpoint without paying any sort of tax or dealing with any guards. And the first thing I see after entering the city is a battle between a bunch of soldiers wearing gear more similar to what was worn on Vortel fighting with knights of the empire. Hmm. Lots of fighting going on around this world. I ignore the fights as I put my hands in the pockets of my shorts and continue walking down the street. Also ignoring every attack that ends up hitting me, whether on purpose or otherwise. It¡¯s what happens when you pass through a battlefield. No problems with being hit here. I yawn as I walk, only for my consciousness to suddenly go dark before returning again, leaving me blinking and sitting on the ground. Then I stand up again while brushing the dust off my legs and turn to look at the guy wearing an officer¡¯s uniform throwing around large fireballs everywhere and burning both his people and the knights. Now that¡¯s just rude. I put my hands back in my pockets and begin walking over towards him, only for Asher to suddenly jump out of a little black and red portal that opens up near my feet. The little guy then just casually walks alongside me with his tail pointed straight up into the air. A few attacks hit us as we walk, and the guy I¡¯m walking towards eventually spots us as well when I¡¯m about halfway to him. But he just throws a large fireball at me, incinerating me in seconds before I recover and continue walking. When he spots me again, he looks shocked to the core. Probably due to having thought he killed me. The man suddenly starts grinning when I make it about three-quarters of the way to him, only for him to shout at me, ¡°Hey little lady, what¡¯s your name?¡± I blink for a second, realizing the guy who I¡¯m about to punish for vaporizing me and his own forces is now hitting on me. In the middle of a battlefield. Even if I¡¯m clearly not an enemy soldier or knight based on my outfit, that¡­ just isn¡¯t right. Eventually I just shrug, deciding to add that onto the list of things I¡¯m punishing him for. He doesn¡¯t look particularly happy about that, but I don¡¯t respond to any of the things he says after that. I just keep on walking until I step right up to him, ignoring the fireballs he¡¯s now sending my way as I place my hand on his shoulder and ignite him with Death¡¯s Judgment. Not that it actually gets through his armor. The man just frowns at me and says, ¡°What is that? Are you seriously trying to attack me, little lady? With this?¡± I ignore him as I keep my hand on his shoulder and let the black flame continue burning at his armor, not really doing anything besides annoying him. To the point of burning me to a crisp again. But this time my entire body. And when I return again I replace my hand on his shoulder and keep up the black flame. Except now with a smile on my face as he starts to look both frightened and annoyed. Eventually I change my tactic and go ahead and slip my hand into his armor through his collar and over his chest, making him suddenly grin. Until I start the black flames again directly against his skin, finally getting it to begin burning ever so slightly. No idea what level he is, but he can¡¯t be past level four or five hundred. And anyone at this level should burn at least a little when directly in contact with fire. This makes a good test for Death¡¯s Judgment. Oh, and I make sure to use a device to stick my hand to him just to make sure he doesn¡¯t send me flying. Right as I have that thought, he punches me, making me do a complete flip all the way around until I¡¯m hanging across his back with my hand still awkwardly plastered to his chest. Yep. Let¡¯s see how long it takes for him to burn like this. Although¡­ I kind of want out of this awkward position. B3 | Chapter 46 Aria The guy repeatedly tries one thing after another in an attempt to get me off of him, but I stick on without letting go thanks to that lovely sticky thingy that Shirogane gave me. Something about needing it to climb things. I kinda doubt he ever thought I¡¯d use it like this, but that doesn¡¯t matter. After five entire minutes of shouting and throwing me around like a ragdoll or even breaking my bones and burning me to cinders, the man seems to change up his tactics. He flips me around so that I¡¯m facing him, still with my palm to his chest burning through with my black flames. Then he tries to pull me in for a kiss, crushing me against his chest in a very awkward position seeing as my hand is placed there blocking my own chest from getting near him. Thankfully. Seriously? Are you really trying to do that? Then again, I¡¯ve had my hand placed on his chest for five minutes now¡­ I let out a sigh before going ahead and drawing a sword, making him pause for a second in surprise. But instead of attacking him like he¡¯s no doubt expecting, I just cut off my arm and casually begin walking away while stretching my other arm a little. Something I learned while in the Spire that¡¯s rather convenient. I can choose to delay a part of my body from returning for a short period of time, and I can choose how I regain the body part as well. Whether the arm will regrow on my body, whether my body will be drawn to my arm, or vice versa. And during the time I wait, I can still control my arm to a degree. Hence the black flames still burning his chest despite me standing a few meters away now. He glances at me, then at my arm, then at me again. And the look on his face is just priceless. So priceless I have to cover my mouth with my other hand to stop myself from snorting in amusement. ¡°What the hell are you, lady?!¡± The man whose name I don¡¯t even know shouts, any and all of his previous flirtatiousness having clearly been thrown out the window in the place of fear and anger. ¡°And what are you even doing?!¡± I blink at him before tilting my head slightly, ignoring the crimson energy very slowly snaking out of both ends of my severed shoulder as I answer, ¡°Burning you?¡± Should be pretty obvious. He opens his mouth to respond, only to close it again. I knew this guy was messed up when he tried to force me into an intimate kiss to get me to stop, but he clearly can¡¯t see what¡¯s happening in front of him if he¡¯s asking that. ¡°No, I mean, why are you bothering to burn me with such a weak flame?! It¡¯s barely even singing me even after this long!¡± He shouts. ¡°And how are you even still alive?¡± The man proceeds to ask one question after another as I stand here, trying to hold myself back from yawning at the boredom this is causing. But for him to get his just deserved punishment served, I need to stand here for a bit longer. I doubt I¡¯ll be able to kill him. I ran out of explosives in the Spire, and he¡¯ll no doubt leave after he realizes he can¡¯t heal the damage caused by my black flame. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! So might as well just let him continue asking pointless questions for a little while. While we wait, my arm draws me back to it, reattaching itself under his confused gaze. Until I cut it off again before he can try kissing me again. Because yuck. I have no interest in swapping spit with someone. It¡¯s just gross. Why people find that interesting is beyond me. Anyways, the man tries one thing after another to get me to stop burning him. But I can clearly tell he¡¯s being arrogant since he¡¯s not even thinking about trying to heal his burns. All he¡¯s doing is trying to catch me and make me uncomfortable. Almost makes me wish I could use that item to make his own feet stick to the floor or something to get him to stop. Because it really is making me uncomfortable. It¡¯ll be fine after I finish though. He¡¯ll have to live the rest of his life with a severe burn on his chest, never to be healed. A perfect punishment for everything he¡¯s done here. After half an hour of playing tag with him, even resorting to using my Death Spirits to keep him from catching me by literally piling them all on top of myself, we¡¯re interrupted by a portal opening up nearby. Then another portal. And through one of the portals steps some man wearing white robes, while through the other steps a knight captain from one of the Grand Silvanian orders of knights. Of course, both look incredibly confused when they walk in on us. Much less the soldiers behind them who look even more confused. Then again, all of this idiot¡¯s soldiers ran away long ago since he was attacking them just as much as me. So I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if this guy has some sort of reputation. Putting that aside though, the asshole looks like he¡¯s in clear pain as he shouts at the guy in the white, priestly robe, ¡°Heal me! And get this psycho away from me!¡± That would be my cue to leave. I quickly order my Death Spirits to pick me up and run away as fast as they can in the direction of the knights. Which surprises everyone here, but the priestly guy and the guy I was burning both focus their attention on healing the burns. It doesn¡¯t take long for me to feel that my hand was burnt to a crisp again, following which a new one grows out of my arm wrapped in crimson energy that soon fades. But it doesn¡¯t matter. I just let out another yawn as I stare up at the sky, letting my Death Spirits charge through the city streets while carrying me in a large crowd. Well, that was unpleasant. But I managed to test out Death¡¯s Judgment and punish the guy in the process. Honestly think that was the closest I¡¯ve been physically with another person in years. Much less the opposite sex. Unfortunately a necessity when I¡¯m burning him. I glance downwards in the direction of the asshole when I hear a loud roar of anger echo from over there. A loud roar that I proceed to ignore as I look upwards again, truly believing the knights won¡¯t just let that asshole through them to chase after me. Well, now that I have some experience using Death¡¯s Judgment, I can try using it on people of my own level. And mana creatures. When I find non-golem mana creatures, that is. He may have been annoying, touchy, gross, wildly stronger than me, and perfectly happy killing his own people, but he made a perfect test subject for it. Let me do whatever I wanted to test the skill in his arrogance, and I didn¡¯t have to worry about him dying on me. Or worry about the aftermath of using Death¡¯s Judgment on him making it unhealable. It might also get my other goal accomplished for me. The goal of getting the word out there to the universe about my ability to deal out permanent, unhealable damage. Maybe it might make people think twice before chasing after me to capture me. Of course, it could also backfire and make people wanna chase me more. But I think the former is more likely. After all, who would want to risk permanent harm to themselves just to capture me? Permanent harm that can never be healed. At the very least it¡¯ll drive away people who are anywhere near my level. People who are thousands of levels above me probably can¡¯t even be damaged by the black flame with the level difference though. I glance to the side at the people I¡¯m passing by. Some of whom are knights, others enemy soldiers or priests from some random holy empire, and others paladins. Then there are the citizens, merchants, and travelers, and pretty much anyone in the capital at the time of the attack. And lots of them are staring in confusion as my Death Spirits carry me past. So I simply nod my head sternly in their direction before staring up at the sky again. A sky that is completely blocked out by a bunch of fighting spaceships and knights in armored suits. After staring at the war in space for several seconds, I let out a sigh and mutter to Asher who is riding on top of me using my chest as a pillow while staring at my face, ¡°This is going to be a loud next couple decades, isn¡¯t it?¡± B3 | Chapter 47 Back with the Knights and enemy soldiers after Aria leaves Marc Val Night grits his teeth in both severe pain and anger as he glares at the woman who spent over half an hour doing nothing but torturing him. And while he knows full well that she didn¡¯t do anything too bad to him, just some major burns that can be easily healed, his pride still feels severely damaged just by the mere fact that the woman managed to deal that much damage. Enough damage that if he didn¡¯t have a healer then he would¡¯ve been severely limited in his combat efficiency, even if it won¡¯t kill him. But it¡¯s not just the fact that she managed to do it to him, the Crown Prince of the Nightingale Kingdom. It¡¯s the fact that she managed to avoid every last attempt he made to make her stop and didn¡¯t even seem to be bothered by any of what was happening. All the way till his reinforcements and healer arrived from the Holy Dragon Kingdom. When the woman was a mere level sixty-two. An entire three hundred and twenty levels beneath him, and she managed to give him a severe burn and walk away without a scratch on her or her clothes. The crown prince even ignores all of the knights fighting against their forces. Since the knights are a mere lower ranking team from the Gray Order of Knights. Nowhere near strong enough to face off against the young Crown Prince of the Nightingale Kingdom or the Saint of the Holy Dragon Kingdom who is currently healing him. But that thought gives Marc pause as he glances away from the retreating woman to glare at the saint in question. Why is it taking so long for him to heal my wound? Did the Holy Dragon Kingdom lie about this man being a saint?! Marc quickly feels his already ignited anger growing even stronger as he shouts, ¡°Finish up with the healing already! I need to chase that woman down!¡± The saint grimaces, no doubt at how Marc raised his voice at him. But Marc doesn¡¯t care. He doesn¡¯t follow the religion of the dragon like the saint does, so he has no reason to be respectful of the saint. In fact, if anyone needs to be respectful of someone, Marc believes the saint should be respectful of him. But even after his shouting, the look on the saint¡¯s face just grows more and more confused even as a golden light repeatedly shines from his bare chest, the paladins and priests fighting against the knights several dozen meters away from them. Keeping them all at bay while the saint heals him. Eventually, to the crown prince¡¯s confusion, the golden light fades without the pain going away. And after it does, he sees the burn from the woman¡¯s black flames still clearly present with some sparks of black flames still coating the burns. Except without the black flames seemingly doing anything to him. Finally losing his patience entirely, the crown prince reaches forwards and grabs the saint¡¯s collar with his fist as he growls out, ¡°Heal me or it¡¯s your fucking head!¡± The paladins and priests guarding the two grow tense as some of the paladins reach for their swords. Meanwhile some of the soldiers next to them begin pointing their guns at the paladins. But the saint just raises his hands, looks the crown prince directly in the eyes, and says, ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± Marc¡¯s eyes begin to flare, releasing sparks of red flames as he growls, ¡°Why. Not?¡± A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°The wound,¡± the saint says, his accent making the man purposefully speaking as few words as possible with every sentence. ¡°Won¡¯t heal. Curse.¡± The crown prince snarls before tossing the saint and trying to get up, only to grit his teeth as the pain of the burn on his chest continues to ravage him. And while it isn¡¯t enough to kill him, it very much is enough to keep him from fighting at full force until it¡¯s healed. Or even at half of his strength. Marc tries hard to search for the woman, but by now she¡¯s far away from their battlefield, on the other side of the knights of the Grand Silvanian Empire. What the hell did that fucking bitch do to me?! He jerks his head to the side while shouting at the saint who is currently getting up, ¡°Give me top quality potions! I need to heal this wound!¡± ¡°Won¡¯t work,¡± the saint says, frowning at the crown prince himself now. Marc¡¯s eyes flare once more, making the saint sigh before he summons several glowing potions from a storage ring and hands them to Marc. The crown prince then chugs each and every one of them, making all of his pain and fatigue fade away except for the pain and fatigue caused by the burn on his chest. The spots covered by the black flames. ¡°That fucking bitch¡­¡± he mutters, turning his head towards her again as he tries to begin walking in that direction. But his own soldiers immediately begin holding him back. ¡°Your Highness, you must fall back!¡± ¡°We need to research this curse! It¡¯s too late to capture her!¡± ¡°Please stop, Your Highness!¡± Due to his weakened state, the soldiers manage to hold him back after a tough struggle. Marc¡¯s hate-filled gaze doesn¡¯t leave the direction the woman left in, though, as he lets out one last hate-filled roar of pain and anger. Only for his soldiers to drag him into a portal leading towards their planet. His time on the battlefield cut short before it could even really begin. And not long after he comes back from Silverfall, he learns just who the woman was. Making the man feel a chill run down his spine the moment he does. But that doesn¡¯t make his anger and hatred fade even the slightest bit. Not when he has a burn on his chest that won¡¯t go away no matter how much he spends on healing it. Soon word begins to spread of the unhealable wound caused by the Horseman of Death, and the number of people willing to take contracts on her significantly lessens once more.
Aria I let out another yawn as I finally make it to where Shirogane has been staying for the past several years. A rather fancy and high end inn located within the capital city of Silverfall. Some place whose name I can¡¯t remember. Then again, I don¡¯t remember a lot of names nowadays. It¡¯s like they just slip my mind. Too many names to remember after all. Anyways, everyone is rather hectic within the inn. And the security sure packs a punch as I walk right through the lasers firing at me automatically, ignoring the warning sign about them meant for civilians. Clearly a privilege for the wealthy people staying at the inn. Of course, the knights stationed to guard the place just let me pass without question. Confusing anyone who sees me calmly walk inside while under fire from the automated security. After entering the inn, I walk up to the reception desk and ask the rather confused clerk where Shirogane is staying while giving him my name. And after a brief stunned silence, the man answers me, and I go on my way to the stairs. I trail my hand along the railing as I walk up the stairs, finding this place to be rather nice. Nice enough that I might consider staying here myself sometime. Although it¡¯s likely expensive too. And while I can easily stay here for years upon years, it probably won¡¯t be very good for my bank account if I stay here for decades. I continue going up the stairs until I arrive at the fourth floor, where Shirogane is staying. Then I proceed through the hallways, ignoring the knights I see along the way until I arrive at Shirogane¡¯s room and ring the magic doorbell. Which is in the form of a button on the wall. It¡¯s still rather disorienting seeing the blatant mix of medieval and modern in this world. The door in front of me magically vanishes, revealing Shirogane on the other side as he nods his head and turns around. Very disorienting. I walk through the doorway before the wooden door magically reappears behind me. Then I continue inside of the rather fancy looking common room of the suite as I ask Shirogane, ¡°So, are you planning on doing it?¡± He doesn¡¯t even turn around when he answers, ¡°Yes.¡± Unsurprising. I walk over to a lovely looking sofa before sitting down as Shirogane grabs a bottle of wine and brings it over to me, sitting on the other side of the table from me. And while he passes me the bottle, he continues, ¡°I¡¯ll be dealing with this war personally.¡± B3 | Chapter 48 Aria I hum a little as I lean out over the edge of the fifth Tier of the Spire, just resting my cheek on my palm while looking out at the battles going on outside. It didn¡¯t take long for me to end up back here again. Not long at all. Shirogane refused to tell me his plans beyond how he was initially going to start helping with the war in a mercantile manner before moving onto helping directly in combat, and when I met with Leopold, he just told me to go back to the Spire and ignore the war. So I did just that. But I can¡¯t help but stare out and watch it a bit. Kind of hard to just ignore a war after all. Although I do still have my Death Spirits roaming around the Spire killing things. Because why wouldn¡¯t I? I let out a yawn before hearing a meow, bringing my attention over to the entrance of the little ledge I¡¯m on, where Asher is currently casually walking out of the Spire. Then I turn to look outside again. After a few seconds though, I turn to look down at myself. At the outfit Leopold had me change into for some reason. It¡¯s not the fanciest of outfits or anything, but it still isn¡¯t something I¡¯d normally wear. My usual go-to outfits have pants or are just plain shorts. But the outfit he had me change into is a blouse with a skirt. A rather nice looking outfit overall. I¡¯m just not sure why he asked me to change into it. Although, I don¡¯t really care one way or another what I wear one way or another. I mostly just like pants and shorts because they¡¯re both easy to move and fight in and are not very revealing. Something about this makes it feel like he¡¯s dressing me up for¡­ I blink as I realize what¡¯s going on. Oh. I lean over the edge again and sigh. Well, that¡¯s annoying. It¡¯s gonna happen soon, isn¡¯t it? I tilt my head up to look at the sky, feeling my hair blowing in the wind as I do so. And I can¡¯t help but feel like something¡¯s going to happen any second now that I¡¯ve figured out what he had me dress up for. But nothing happens for over an hour, so I eventually turn to look down at the fighting again. It was rather weird when I came back up here. Everyone was avoiding me. Well, every enemy of the Grand Silvanian Empire, that is. They looked terrified of me. Makes me wonder if news about what I did to the soldier guy got out or something. But unless he¡¯s really important to their nation or something, I doubt it would¡¯ve blown up that quickly. It was really bizarre to see them all running for the hills when they saw me. Or, at least, the weaker ones ran for the hills. The stronger ones just looked wary of me and avoided me. Such a strange sight. I ignored them all though. Just walked straight through all the fighting and entered the Spire. Doesn¡¯t really matter at the end of the day. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. I let out another sigh before yawning. Maybe I should take a nap. I¡¯m plain bored now. Normally I would¡¯ve left this world to move onto the next one long ago. I just don¡¯t like to spend more than like a decade or so on any particular world. The mana creatures tend to get boring, and so does the scenery. But I¡¯ve been here for two decades now and I can¡¯t leave for another three decades. Unless I just want to leave Shirogane behind. Which won¡¯t be happening. My thoughts are cut off when I hear a very loud warping sound along with a lot of flames and overall just the sounds of a spaceship leaving hyperspace. So I raise my head before frowning at the sight of an enormous red ship that completely dwarfs every other ship in space. It¡¯s so large that it¡¯s like a fifth or so of the size of the entire planet I¡¯m on. A spaceship. The size of a fifth of a planet. It¡¯s ridiculous. And everyone that was battling immediately pauses as they focus on the ship. Whether they¡¯re the people in space or on the planet. I frown as I slump over the railing, my arms dangling over the edge. Well, guess it was bound to happen at some point. No avoiding it now. At least it¡¯s happening when I¡¯m bored and don¡¯t have anything to do that I¡¯m particularly interested in. Especially since a lot of my favorite books from this world are kinda being put on hold for the war. Which is very unfortunate. If they¡¯re gonna fight, couldn¡¯t they at least avoid causing problems in the publishing industry? I sigh again at that before lifting my head again and spotting three people as they appear outside of the spaceship, each of them immediately letting out an incredibly powerful aura that spreads across the planet. Auras that vanish almost immediately. Meanwhile hundreds of people wearing cloaks with masks on appear around them like bodyguards. And without wasting a single moment of time, the three all rush straight over to float right in front of the ledge I¡¯m on with the bodyguards surrounding the Spire in a dome shape. And the ten minute timer begins now. So with that in mind, I stand up straight and cross my arms under my chest while looking at my parents and brother. All three of whom look exactly like they did before, except with a slightly different feel to them. Like they¡¯re filled with pride and arrogance. Something they didn¡¯t have anywhere near as strongly from what I remember. I¡¯m sure they originally did when they made the clones, but after being separated for so long and weakened¡­ that pride and arrogance probably faded a good bit. Although I wonder where Uncle Jake is? Haven¡¯t heard a single mention of him. That aside, the three look like they¡¯re struggling to figure out what to say. ¡°You¡¯ve had a century to figure out what to say, and you¡¯re still struggling?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask while tilting my head and tapping my foot. Then again, it might not be a bad thing if they waste their ten minutes. Also, is it just me, or are they struggling to figure out how to look at me? Because their gazes keep shifting from the look of a parent or sibling of a newborn baby to that of a long-lost family member. All mixed in with a bunch of regret. The former kind of pisses me off. And the latter, I¡¯m not really sure if they fully deserve being able to feel like that or not. But at the end of the day, I think they do. They hid the truth from me, or rather, their clones did. And while I do think of them like pseudo strangers, they also lost their child right after I was born. And were banned from seeing them more than ten minutes a century. Anyways, the three move to land on the ledge behind me. So I turn around as Asher begins to climb up my side to my shoulder. I absentmindedly pet Asher as Empress Lucilia takes an awkward step forward, making me focus on her. Which feels rather odd, seeing as she looks like an older version of me. Just kinda disorienting. Very obvious that she¡¯s my mother. ¡°Aria, can¡­¡± She starts, only to pause for a few seconds and glance at the other two. Then she looks at me again, bows, and says, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. I¡¯m sorry for everything you went through because of us. Sorry about everything.¡± I blink in surprise, not having expected this introduction at all. Both Adrian and Emperor Artorius bow and say very similar things. And I can genuinely tell that they truly feel sorry for everything. I cross my arms again and begin tapping on my arm with my finger, trying to decide how I should take this. A few seconds pass as the three continue bowing before I eventually sigh and tell them, ¡°Stop bowing please. It feels weird.¡± The three immediately straighten up, making me briefly think of them as puppy dogs loyal to my every order. Like they¡¯re trying to do whatever they can to appease me. They really do want to be my family, don¡¯t they? But I genuinely don¡¯t feel much of anything for them. After all, I can tell just from how we¡¯ve interacted thus far. They are very different from how I remember my brother and parents when I was a child. They aren¡¯t the same people. Not all the way. My assumptions about their clones branching off of the originals turned out to be correct. Honestly kind of wish I can avoid this situation entirely to go back to my comfortable life of hunting and reading. My uncomplicated life. But that¡¯s not possible. I open my mouth to say something, only for another aura to suddenly spread across the world. And this one isn¡¯t being hidden. All four of us immediately turn our attention towards the direction of the aura, each of us tensing up in the process. Fuck. That¡¯s what Arthur was after. He¡¯s here. B3 | Chapter 49 On the planet known as Helmuth Not long before the Crimson Empire arrived on Silverfall The sounds of swords clashing and gunfire blasting echoes all across the volcanic world of Helmuth as Lucius Octavio runs straight through an enormous battlefield filled with tens of thousands of soldiers. And alongside the man runs his war horse while the two slaughter thousands of soldiers every second through the use of a scarlet energy surrounding them both. All while War himself swings a single sword one way and then another, sending shockwaves that leave the land asunder along with the people in the direction of his swings. ¡°Everyone! Focus on War! Take him out!¡± The general of the military of Helmuth ¨C a man wearing a dark brown and black metal armor along with a gas mask for the atmosphere of Helmuth standing near a large base set within a volcano near the battle ¨C shouts while pointing at War. But no matter his orders, everyone anywhere near War immediately begins running away as soon as Lucius gets close. That or they are killed within milliseconds of stepping near his auto-kill zone. A skill that is well-known to be possessed by War. One that automatically attacks anyone he considers a target when they step within a certain range of War. And when someone of his power has a skill of that strength, it automatically kills the vast majority of people within the universe should they step within the range of his skill. Every time War swings his scarlet and silver blade destruction follows. Rapidly reducing the number of forces the Helmuth military has at its disposal as he slaughters them all over the course of several minutes. Almost as if he was just butchering the lot of them with nothing but a round of thrilled laughter while his own soldiers handled clean-up, fighting against anyone classified as enemy soldiers who attempt to flee the planet. Once over half of the forces of Helmuth have been slaughtered, War stops moving and raises his sword into the air as he sucks in a large breath. Then he speaks, his voice echoing throughout the entire planet, ¡°Viceroy Golar! If you come out here and duel me now, I will spare the rest of your soldiers! If you do not, every last one of your soldiers will be massacred before we leave!¡± And without any hesitation, War steps up to his horse and climbs onto its back. At which point he waits in silence, his arms crossed with nothing but a smile on his face. The man feeling eager for his next duel. And he waits. And waits. And waits some more. Eventually he begins to frown, tapping his foot against the stirrups on his horse. After half an hour passes and no signs of the man appearing come, the soldiers of both sides simply waiting and searching for the viceroy with abandon, War finally clicks his tongue. ¡°So that¡¯s how it¡¯s gonna be¡­¡± War mutters before uncrossing his arms as his second in command walks up and bows. ¡°Word from a neighboring world is that their leader has long since abandoned the world and fled,¡± the second in command says without hesitation. War glances at the man, only to click his tongue once more and stretch his arms above his head. But right as he is about to raise his blade to slaughter the rest of the soldiers on the planet as he promised, his arm suddenly freezes. Then his head jerks towards the direction of a portal he had sensed opening up at one point during the war. A portal that he believes leads to the capital of the Grand Silvanian Empire. At first he wasn¡¯t sure why that portal was opened here. Since a world like this one would never be able to open a portal to Silverfall. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. When he first sensed the war energy coming from the portal in spades, he was very tempted to abandon his current hunt to go there and join in the fun. But he didn¡¯t want to involve himself with the Grand Silvanian Emperor right now. Even if he sensed Death on the other side of the portal as well. Now though¡­ He breathes in deeply with a wide grin quickly forming on his face. Then he breathes out. His subordinate lets out a sigh, clearly recognizing the signs of what he¡¯s about to do. Everyone else, on the other hand, shows clear shock when War immediately charges his horse straight towards the portal, ignoring anyone and everyone in the way and making them all jump away to avoid being trampled. Then he simply enters the portal without a word to either his own forces or the enemies. Leaving everyone in a confused silence until War¡¯s second in command begins taking charge while wondering what is his life. Meanwhile War charges straight into Silverfall, shocking everyone within several thousand kilometers of the portal he entered the moment his aura spreads into the world. But he proceeds to ignore the various armies fighting with each other as he lets out a shout, making his horse begin galloping into the air towards one particular Spire. All while his gaze locks onto one particular ledge on the Spire. ¡°Time for some fun!!!¡± War mutters, unable to stop a psychotic grin from spreading across his face.
Aria I let out a sigh when I see War riding through the air atop his horse until he stops right over the ledge and jumps straight down from the horse onto said ledge. Then he just walks straight towards us while laughing, his gaze alternating between my family and me with a rather twisted-looking grin on his face. One that makes me question his mental health. ¡°So you finally left hiding, little emperor and empress? It¡¯s about damned time!¡± Lucius says, but despite his harsh words, he sounds and looks ecstatic about the turn of events. The empress suddenly shows a faint black and red energy flickering around her eyes as she frowns at Lucius and asks, ¡°Did Arthur send you here?¡± And contrast to Lucius¡¯s demeanor, the empress just looks irritated. Like he¡¯s wasting her time. Which I guess he technically is, what with the curse and all. The emperor, on the other hand, looks livid. And so does Adrian. So livid that I¡¯m pretty sure if they didn¡¯t no doubt believe that attacking War would only prolong his time here and be exactly what he wants, they would¡¯ve long since done it by now for interrupting us. Lucius, for his part, just laughs and exclaims, ¡°Maybe! You can blame whoever opened that portal on Helmuth!¡± Probably Arthur then. ¡°Hey, War, could you wait a few minutes?¡± I ask while crossing my arms, making his gaze turn towards me as he raises a brow. ¡°Curse.¡± He stares for a few seconds before barking out another laugh and crossing his arms, saying, ¡°Alright, sure, why not.¡± A smirk stretches across his face. ¡°And it¡¯s nice to see how you¡¯ve grown over the years, little lady.¡± If someone else were to say that, they probably would¡¯ve meant it by me physically growing whether in height or other areas. But I can just tell that War means it in a leveling sense. ¡°You keep growing like that and I might be asking for a duel with you sometime in the next couple hundred thousand years,¡± War says, sounding excited just from the thought. ¡°You stay away from-¡± The empress begins, but I interrupt, cocking my hip out to one side and tilting my head a little as I ask War, ¡°Even though I can¡¯t die? You still want to duel me?¡± I ignore the worried looks my biological family is giving me as I find myself feeling rather amused by War¡¯s interactions with me. Even if the atrocities he¡¯s committed over the years are more than the number of years I¡¯ve lived. Might even be more than the number of days I¡¯ve lived. He barks out another laugh before slamming his sword¡¯s point down into the ledge, piercing the sword into the structure of the Spire itself. Something I¡¯ve never managed to do myself. Damage the Spire I mean. And he did it with ease. ¡°You¡¯re amusing, little Death,¡± War says, widely grinning at me. ¡°If we Horsemen had any romantic or sexual urges, maybe we could¡¯ve had something. But alas.¡± He shrugs. ¡°I¡¯ll be eagerly awaiting our future duel, Aria.¡± Then he just kinda stands there, seemingly waiting to give us time for our remaining minutes. However many that is. Not sure how much time he¡¯s wasted. Although it is interesting about what he said. That- ¡°Wait, you Horsemen don¡¯t have romantic or sexual urges?¡± The empress suddenly asks, drawing my attention towards her. ¡°I know I¡¯ve never had any myself, and my body doesn¡¯t seem capable of reproduction from what doctors have said over the years, but this is the first time I¡¯ve heard that the other Horsemen are the same,¡± I answer her with a shrug. ¡°That¡¯s not what you¡¯re wanting to talk about, though, is it?¡± She opens her mouth to speak again, only to pause and say, ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡± Then the three bow to me and begin apologizing to me once more, albeit more briefly this time. Right. That again. Well, guess we¡¯re basically just starting over with more time. I glance at Lucius. And a spectator. I glance back at them. Time to see what they have to say. B3 | Story Art As always, click here to find the story art post for free on my Patreon if the art breaks on this post on Royal Road. If anyone comments about it breaking I will be locking the comments on this post. Also, please don''t go bothering the staff on royal road to tell me that the art is broken on a post that I already know the art is broken on and has a link to the working art on Patreon. Because someone did that a few weeks ago. On a post where they could just click the word here to see the art, they went and made a support ticket to get the Royal Road staff to tell me that the art was broken on a post I already knew the art was broken on. Because the reader couldn''t comment on the post to tell me. Bothering the staff in the process for no reason.
First up is art of Shirogane with a different art style than the other characters: A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Then there''s art of the other three horsemen''s horses: War''s Horse: Pestilence''s Horse: Famine''s Horse: B3 | Chapter 50 The Spire Adrian Crimson was never one for words. When he speaks, he has a reason to do so. It¡¯s how he is now, and it¡¯s how he¡¯s always been in the past. Adrian knows that a lot of people assume he just doesn¡¯t like speaking or isn¡¯t good at it, but in reality, he just never viewed speaking as something he should bother doing unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary to get a point across. He¡¯s never had any real issues speaking and communicating with others in his life. After all, he¡¯s a prince, born and raised. While his life wasn¡¯t always sunshine and rainbows, he was certainly raised as royalty. And not just any royalty, but royalty to one of the strongest empires in the universe. So he is not used to apologizing to people or making mistakes. And now, for the first time since he can remember, he is at a loss for words. Unable to figure out what he should say to his sister despite the many years he¡¯s spent trying to think of what he should say when he finally meets her. The first moment he saw his baby sister, he almost started crying just from the impact of it. And no matter how much the Silvanian Emperor stresses that she isn¡¯t a baby, he still can¡¯t help but see her as the little baby sister he held once in his arms a hundred years ago. Especially since Adrian himself is already over a hundred thousand years old, making a century old sound like an infant to him. Adrian gazes deeply into his sister¡¯s glowing crimson eyes for what feels like ages to him but is in reality just seconds, seeing a strange sense of death just from looking into them. Meanwhile his sister just furrows her brows more and more as he and their parents stay quiet, the two no doubt feeling the same as him. But after nearly half a minute passes since War backed off, Adrian finally takes a deep breath and steps in front of his parents, drawing both their eyes and his sister¡¯s eyes towards him in the process. Then he gives Aria a sad smile and says, ¡°Are you living well?¡± His words surprise everyone on the ledge of the Spire they¡¯re standing on as sounds of gunfire and spells being slung around continue to echo from the ground below due to the war. And, to Adrian¡¯s surprise, the first real hint of emotion outside of irritation that his sister has shown since they arrived appears on her face as the corner of her lips quirks upwards ever so slightly. Then she uncrosses her arms and puts them in the pockets of the skirt she¡¯s wearing while saying, ¡°Well enough.¡± And even more to his surprise, she asks in return, ¡°You?¡± Adrian¡¯s sad smile turns a bit happier as he nods his head and says, ¡°Well.¡± But silence fills the air again after that, Adrian not knowing what to say now. Part of him still feels like the memories he received from the jewel are alien to him. Since the personality and traits of his clone gradually changed over the nine years they were away from him. And there are plenty of things his clone had done around Aria that he never would¡¯ve done. Simply because he and his parents are far too powerful to need to resort to such things unless the Horsemen are involved. So trying to use the memories she had with them in the past as a connection to start up a conversation with her feels wrong to him. Both because he isn¡¯t sure if she would take it as him trying to act as the brother she grew up knowing and because he doesn¡¯t feel like it was entirely that brother in the first place. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. It¡¯d feel fake to him. And judging by the looks on both their parents¡¯ faces, they feel the exact same way as he does. Adrian quickly checks the time before seeing that it has been six minutes since they first arrived. Meaning they only have four more minutes until the curse flings them far away from here. Damnit, so much time wasted! He can¡¯t help but beat himself up over this inside, but he doesn¡¯t show anything on the outside that Aria would be able to see. Instead he takes another deep breath, only for his father to step forward this time and state, ¡°Aria, if you ever need our help, please ask. No matter what. We¡¯ll do anything you want.¡± Adrian glances at his father¡¯s face before finding an incredibly sad smile on it as the man continues walking up to his daughter. All the way till he stops just a few feet in front of her and kneels down without breaking eye contact. Even when he reaches his knees on the ground. ¡°You don¡¯t have to forgive us now, and you don¡¯t have to think of us in any way that would make you uncomfortable,¡± Adrian¡¯s mother says as she, too, walks up to Aria and kneels down. ¡°Just do what you want.¡± A tear leaks out of her eye, making tears begin to build up in Adrian¡¯s own eyes while he moves forwards himself and his mother finishes, ¡°Whatever will make you happy.¡± Adrian smiles up at Aria after kneeling down himself and says, ¡°We know you don¡¯t like being bothered by annoying things.¡± Aria¡¯s eyes widen in shock at that admission, but Adrian just keeps talking, ¡°Don¡¯t feel you have to do anything you don¡¯t want to do.¡± Tears fall down his face. ¡°You just do you, little sis.¡± Aria looks temporarily at a loss for words as her mouth opens and closes a few times. Then she eventually just nods her head and says, ¡°Okay. You can get up now.¡± Adrian and their parents both quickly climb to their feet while ignoring the amusement visible on War¡¯s face as he watches this entire thing. The silence continues for a little while, the three waiting for Aria to say something. Since she¡¯s the one in charge of everything here. And Adrian immediately feels hope filling him when she finally speaks, saying, ¡°Stop crying already. You¡¯ve made your point, and I don¡¯t hate you.¡± Then the hope fades ever so slightly, albeit not entirely when she adds, ¡°But I don¡¯t consider you family either. That passed long ago, when I was being used as a weapon while thinking you were all dead.¡± Adrian feels conflicted about it, but in the end understands it perfectly well. Regardless of what they had planned to do, regardless of their intentions, his and their parents¡¯ plans led to a life of suffering for Aria. And nothing can change that. Especially nearly a century later, after everything happened. Silence fills the area for a few seconds before War lets out a whistle and mutters, ¡°You three are screwed up, aren¡¯t ya?¡± Everyone turns to stare at the man. But before Adrian or his parents can express any of their irritation with the man, Aria says, ¡°You probably shouldn¡¯t be throwing stones in a glass house, Lucius.¡± This time everyone turns to Aria in shock. Everyone but War, who simply tilts his head slightly and asks, ¡°What do ya mean, Little Death? I¡¯m the epitome of normal.¡± And everyone¡¯s gaze turns back to War again. ¡°Lucius¡­¡± Aria mutters, only to shake her head in the corner of Adrian¡¯s vision. ¡°I¡¯m probably the only one of the Horsemen who can be considered normal, so you probably shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± She trails off when she sees the look on War¡¯s face. A look that looks like he isn¡¯t paying a single ounce of attention to her words. ¡°Nevermind. I give up.¡± Everyone on the ledge turns to stare at Aria this time. Not because she gave up on what War said, but because of her referring to herself as normal. Adrian then turns and glances between War and Aria as a single thought runs through his head. I may love her and would do anything for my sister, but I don¡¯t think any of the Horsemen are normal¡­ The atmosphere on the ledge of the Spire that had begun building up is soon shattered when a bright purple and green light begins to shine from Aria, startling her in the process. Then the light flares outwards, blinding everyone on the ledge as it envelops them all. Adrian and his parents quickly try to shout a farewell to Aria, but none of them are sure if they managed to do it before they reappear in the middle of space an entire galaxy away from Aria. The three share a glance before each one sighs, a sad expression spreading across their faces. And the wait for another century begins. B3 | Chapter 51 Aria I flinch the moment a bright green and purple light shines from my chest to completely fill everything around us, blinding me in the process. Then I feel like I hear some words that are shouted, albeit not clearly enough for me to understand them before they cut off mid-shout and the light fades again. Leaving me staring at the now-empty spots where Adrian, the emperor, and the empress were just standing. Huh. Guess that¡¯s how the curse works. I can¡¯t help but stare down at my chest where the light shined from while patting at it. But nothing feels odd about my chest at all, and I don¡¯t sense anything either. So I just shrug it off and turn to look at War, who is currently opening a scarlet portal while climbing on top of his horse again. ¡°Well it¡¯s been fun seein ya, Little Death, but I¡¯ve got a duel to go hunt down!¡± Lucius says while giving me a salute from his horse¡¯s back. Meanwhile the horse itself surprises me by giving me a polite bow of its head, making me wonder if the thing is as sapient as a human or something. ¡°See ya when I see ya! And make sure ya grow stronger before then!¡± Then his horse simply walks over towards the gate that I can¡¯t see the other side through. But right when he¡¯s about to pass through, he pauses and glances back at me, saying, ¡°Oh, and we Horsemen are gonna be having a little meetup in a few centuries. If you¡¯re interested.¡± And just like that, he passes through the gate, leaving behind a few last words that echo across the ledge of the Spire. ¡°I¡¯ll be contacting you when.¡± A warping sound comes from the gate the moment the scarlet vortex closes in on itself, following which a slightly awkward silence fills the clearing with the only sounds being that of the war going on below and the many guards still floating around the Spire. Most of whom quickly begin moving to the spaceship before entering it. Some stay behind though. Only for them to just vanish, with a black and crimson mist appearing in their place. My eyes narrow ever so slightly. Why do I feel like I just gained more bodyguards? I stare at the slowly fading black and crimson mist for a few seconds before sighing and glancing up at the now departing spaceship belonging to the Crimson Empire. And within seconds, everything returns to how it was before the Crimson Empire arrived. Which is still in the middle of a war, so not exactly peaceful. Asher meows from his place on the edge of the ledge. ¡°You¡¯re tellin¡¯ me¡­¡± I mutter to the cat while walking over to the edge and leaning against the battlements, staring blankly down at the battles going on below. ¡°This drama is why I wanted to avoid all this and just bury myself in my books.¡± Too bad drama doesn¡¯t just let you run away. But whatever. They themselves said I didn¡¯t have to forgive them or consider them family. That I didn¡¯t have to do anything. So Imma just spend the next century doing whatever I feel like doing. It¡¯s just who I am and how I do things. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. And nothing will change that. I give myself another nod before standing up straight, putting my hands on my waist, grinning, and opening up dozens upon dozens of rifts to the Plane of Death all across the ledge and the various ledges around this one. Letting Death Spirits of every type I can currently summon flood out of the things. Then they all proceed to charge into the Spire. And what I want to do right now is hunt. This world right now really is one of the best places for me to be, regardless of how sad that is. Considering all the death going on here. I¡¯m just passively devouring the soul energy of millions of people, all of whom are dying in this war. Of course, I leave their soul cores alone so that they can be revived. Seeing as I have a limited number of soul cores I can have within me at a time. Even if they¡¯re permanently dead regardless of if I let go of the core for another one or not. Never able to be revived again. After I finish summoning my Death Spirits using the rather large mass of soul energy I¡¯ve attained over the years I turn around and begin walking towards the entrance of the Spire leading to the ledge I¡¯m on with my hands held casually behind my back. Then I begin humming to myself while thinking about what Lucius told me right before he left. About the meeting of the Horsemen. I can¡¯t help but wonder what that¡¯ll be like. And if I will actually want to attend, considering that Famine is there. Of the other three Horsemen of the Apocalypse, I¡¯ve already met Pestilence and War. But I¡¯ve never met Famine before. And the man is completely psychotic from what I¡¯ve heard. Much worse than the other two. Then again, I¡¯ve also heard he treats the Horsemen rather well. Compared to normal people, at least. He basically sees everyone other than himself as an inferior lifeform. Like he is a perfect creature and deserves to rule over all. Except the other Horsemen. Those he just sees as weaker rulers. He still picks fights with the Horsemen, he just doesn¡¯t have that obsession with himself being some sort of superior lifeform that he has with others. One way or another, though, if I do go to that meeting, I¡¯d better not bring anyone I care about. Because he wouldn¡¯t think twice about draining them dry on sight. Just for the ¡®slight of talking casually with a Horseman of the Apocalypse¡¯. Which would be rather unfortunate. I don¡¯t think Shirogane would be happy with being emaciated into a corpse. The bright side is that I don¡¯t have to worry about him trying to capture me to use me as endless progress on his purpose or some stupid idea like that. Because I know for a fact that our purposes don¡¯t discriminate based on level or power. So there would literally be no point in capturing me. He has trillions of people already that he¡¯s always starving. So having one random person to starve, especially since I can¡¯t even starve in the first place, would be pointless. The guy has zero reason to do anything to me. And he¡¯s very pragmatic about focusing his time on things that benefit him. I honestly can¡¯t see him going after me. Even when he targeted the Grand Roan Empire for targeting me, he likely wouldn¡¯t have done it if he didn¡¯t see some sort of benefit from their empire to him. That benefit being the people he would forcefully incorporate in his ¡®power bank¡¯ has I¡¯ve heard the man calls it. His phrase for his own empire. A rather disturbing man if anything else. But I guess I can attend the meeting. After all, I won¡¯t be able to avoid Famine for all of eternity. I¡¯ll be living forever, so it would be impossible to do that. Might as well get it out of the way and see what he thinks of me. Then I can avoid him. All that aside, I still wonder what this meeting will be about. Especially for Pestilence to be attending, considering his obsession with his experiments. It must be important. Which is another reason for me to attend. I look down at my feet as I walk deeper into the Spire, heading towards a floating block within a large chamber of quite the number of floating blocks. Still with my hands held behind my back and one hand lightly gripping onto my other arm¡¯s wrist. Hmm. That horse¡­ Lucius¡¯s horse. When will I get my own horse? And what will it look like? Will it look like a skeleton, just like the symbol on my spaceships? A skeletal horse? That would be kind of cool. More importantly though, it¡¯d be awkward for my personal mark to not actually match with my horse. I frown a little. Very awkward. But that¡¯s for future me to worry about. Whenever that may be. I hope soon though. I kind of want my own horse. Not that Asher is bad or anything. I glance at the cat who is currently walking behind me with his head held high and his tail pointing straight up in a prideful walk. Cute. Well, now all I need to worry about is my hunt. So I turn around to face forwards again, stopping right at the edge of the ledge next to a floating block. Then I step onto the floating block. And am immediately swallowed by an enormous gargoyle along with the block in question. Okay, I¡¯ll worry about my hunt after I get out of here. B3 | Chapter 52 A World Far Away from Silverfall Not long after the Crimson Imperial Family was Teleported away Lucilia Crimson feels truly enraged as she glares at the Horseman of War in front of her, the man on the back of his horse barely floating above the ground of this dead and barren planet they found themselves teleported to. Because the man interrupted her first meeting with her daughter. But that¡¯s not all that upset her. Seeing his interaction with her daughter also upset her. The fact that she seemed more comfortable talking to him than to her own family. In short, Lucilia feels jealous of War. And she knows how ridiculous that thought is. But it doesn¡¯t change how she feels. She glances up at the spaceship high above the planet as wave after wave of their soldiers fly down to surround them. Then she looks at War again and asks, ¡°Do you really plan to try something in a situation like this?¡± War grins back at her and answers, ¡°Of course! When else would I be able to fight with opponents of your level? You¡¯re always running away after all!¡± The man crosses his arms with his sword in one hand. ¡°It¡¯s almost like you¡¯re avoiding me!¡± ¡°No shit,¡± Lucilia retorts while tapping her foot on the ground, still scowling at the man. ¡°And what, will you start chasing after Aria after you don¡¯t get what you want from us?¡± That comment gets a response out of Lucius that surprises all three of the imperials there. ¡°Why would I do that?¡± He asks with a frown on his face, tilting his head a little. Lucilia blinks in surprise before asking in return, ¡°Isn¡¯t your whole obsession about taking the skills of those you deem worthy in a duel?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Lucius answers with a nod. Then he looks at her rather blankly and says, ¡°So why would I bother Little Death when she can¡¯t even die in the duel? I wouldn¡¯t get anything out of it other than the excitement of the battle.¡± That comment makes Lucilia open her mouth for a few seconds before closing it again. ¡°He has a point,¡± her husband comments, having stayed quiet this whole time, focusing instead on his telepathic link to their forces that are still arriving on the planet. Even her son nods his head at that. Right. His skill works by giving a skill from the participant of the duel that dies to the winner. But she can¡¯t die. ¡°I can¡¯t see Famine taking any sort of interest in bothering her either,¡± War adds with a shrug, uncrossing his arms. ¡°Everything he¡¯d try to drain out of her would immediately return to her after all. And Pestilence has already gotten the use he wanted out of her.¡± His grin grows wider as he focuses on Lucilia. ¡°So, really, your whole stunt of hiding her has pretty much become pointless. None of us are going to bother her after all.¡± Lucilia feels this one comment alone as if it were a dagger straight to her heart, making her almost drop down to her knees. But she manages to stand tall, simply through reminding herself that the other Horsemen wouldn¡¯t be treating her daughter the same way if they hadn¡¯t already known she was the Horseman of Death. No one knew she would be the Horseman of Death for sure. Lucilia and Artorius only assumed it was a possibility based on her death energy and ability. Not that it was guaranteed. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. So their sending her away wasn¡¯t pointless. It can¡¯t have been¡­ ¡°Well, how about we begin the fun, shall we?¡± Lucius says, his grin turning psychotic as waves of scarlet energy begin to release from his body, spreading out all around the entire planet and beginning to fill everything nearby with a faint scarlet mist. One that makes it difficult for anyone to see. Until a bright scarlet light shines from Lucius¡¯s blade as the man raises it into the air. ¡°Move!¡± Lucilia shouts at all of their forces while using a skill to teleport herself through her life energy hundreds of kilometers away. Following which Lucius brings his blade down, sending a massive and constantly growing arc of scarlet energy straight towards the planet. Cutting the entire planet in two and making the core explode afterwards. Every single soldier nearby and even the spaceships coming out of the wormhole begin firing straight at War. Including her husband and son. But Lucilia only barely manages to teleport out of the way when another blade sweeps straight past where her neck was and she hears War whisper, ¡°Let¡¯s play,¡± near her ear. Lucilia grits her teeth and begins draining at his life force while drawing her own bladeless sword. One that quickly grows a blade made out of black and crimson energy. Out of life force. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, I¡¯ll entertain you until it¡¯s time to leave,¡± Lucilia growls out, a little pleased at the chance to vent her anger on the man. Then their blades begin clashing in the middle of space, sending out waves of crimson, black, and scarlet energy as the soldiers, the ships, and her family all attack him at the same time, with the man himself managing to perfectly block every hit without taking a single wound. Only seeming to be worried about Lucilia¡¯s attacks and no one else¡¯s. Worried about the Grand of the Crimson Empire. Meanwhile any ships that happened to be passing near the area are either wiped out or flee as quickly as they can.
Aria A few days later Huh. Well that¡¯s interesting. I almost yawn before holding myself back, briefly reminding myself that I am currently inside the stomach of one of the birdies at the top of this Spire. A not-so-healthy or fun place to be. Despite that, and despite the stomach acid failing miserably to eat away at me, I can¡¯t help but keep my eyes glued to the news article I¡¯m reading on my phone. One about the battle between my blood family and War. A battle that wiped out several planets. Both uninhabitable and habitable ones. The battle is currently trending all over the universe. Which makes sense, considering that it¡¯s a battle directly between two of the Nine Grands. Two of the strongest amongst the Grands at that. The Empress of the Crimson Empire and the Horseman of the Apocalypse, War. Just the mere fact alone that a Horseman was involved was enough for universal news, but the reveal of the appearance of the Crimson Empire¡¯s Imperial Family was also an important aspect to it. Since before now no one had seen their faces. Out of not important people, that is. Just the higher ups of a lot of the more powerful nations. Mostly just the others of the Nine Grands. I¡¯m a little surprised that most people are just talking about the recordings of the battle showing off some of War and the empress¡¯s powers rather than the damage and casualties caused by the battle. Not to mention the fact that the Crimson Empire has finally revealed itself again after centuries of hiding. And with their leaders personally revealing themselves no less. I purse my lips while scratching the back of my head. Guess that was probably Arthur¡¯s goal when he led War to Silverfall. To expose the Crimson Empire again using their visit to me to do so. It¡¯s nice to at least know his goal. Although I don¡¯t particularly like being used. Especially by a stalker. I don¡¯t care if he¡¯s my biological uncle. Actually, on that note, what happened to Uncle Jake? Was he a clone too? I frown at that, briefly wondering about it. But then I just shake my head and decide to leave that matter to the next time the three come to visit me. In a century from now. Because I¡¯d rather not involve Leopold in family affairs by asking him about it. Especially when he¡¯s fighting in a war right now. I heard he¡¯s even fighting directly against Arthur in this war, making the empress and War¡¯s fight not the only high profile fight going on. Which makes it so he can¡¯t really help with the war personally. Since he¡¯s busy with Arthur. I continue reading the article as I casually keep one hand plastered against the edge of the stomach I¡¯m in, letting black flames burn away at it. An action that isn¡¯t exactly getting me anywhere fast, but is better than doing nothing. Because I doubt anyone¡¯s gonna help me out of here anytime soon. Especially when explosives don¡¯t work, no matter the quality. And I¡¯d rather not blow up the Spire and anyone in it by using a more powerful one. I stare at the article for several more minutes before sighing. And immediately regretting it. How long am I going to be stuck in here this time? B3 | Chapter 53 Aria Aria¡¯s Fourth Decade Living on Silverfall And there it is. It¡¯s about time. The System Message I¡¯ve been waiting for.
User has leveled-up to level 75. User¡¯s skill ¡®Servants of the Pale Horseman¡¯ will now be upgraded. Assessing user¡¯s accomplishments and actions¡­ assessment complete. User¡¯s new upgraded skill is as follows: Servants of the Pale Horseman This skill allows the user to summon up to Lesser Major Spirits of Death, including the three lowest of the hierarchy of Death Spirits. These spirits will then obey all of the orders given to them by their beloved Lady Death. Set these Spirits on the fools who would try to harm Death herself. For they do not know of whom they harbor animosity towards. User will now be given their sixth skill. Assessing user¡¯s accomplishments and actions¡­ assessment complete. User will now be given the following skill: Blood of Death This skill changes the user¡¯s blood into a deadly poison. One that will curse those who aren¡¯t able to withstand it. For to devour Death is to play with your Life.
Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. I glance at Asher from my place seated atop the ledge of the eighth Tier of the Spire looking out over a city far from the capital, and the little fella is just happily playing with a ball of yarn that I got not too long ago. So I return to leaning backwards with my hands splayed out on either side of me on the stone ledge, just swinging my legs back and forth over the edge. While I have no idea what it means by a curse, this should help a lot with the whole ¡®being eaten alive¡¯ thing that happens more often than I¡¯d like. And for a place that doesn¡¯t have any biologically living organisms in these Spires, I sure do get eaten a lot here. Rather depressing. Either way, though, my next goal is clear. To reach level one hundred. I smile at the thought before glancing down while still kicking my legs, looking at the battles still being fought. The war has progressed a lot over the course of the last couple decades. To the point that several cities have even been taken on Silverfall. Meanwhile hundreds of planets have been taken across the universe from the attacking nations. Each of whom is most likely regretting their choice of attacking the Empire by now. At the same time though, I haven¡¯t been able to meet with Leopold for years now because of how busy he¡¯s been. Or Shirogane, for that matter. Leopold has been repeatedly clashing with the Council of Darkness, fighting against Arthur over and over again, only to end up fighting every last member of the council when Arthur pauses to recover. Making it so that he doesn¡¯t ever get a single moment to help with the war itself. He barely even manages to recover between fights, much less help fight the other invaders. As for Shirogane? He just kinda cut off contact after saying he wanted to do this all on his own. So I haven¡¯t talked to him in years. I let out a sigh as I lean backwards, putting my weight onto my arms as I stare up at the sky. A sky that is, at the very least, clear of spaceships. Unlike the ground forces, the space forces ended up taking the battle away from the planet, restoring the beautiful skies once more. But throughout all of this war and death, despite my gaining more soul energy than I know what to do with, I¡¯m still feeling more than a little bored. And I¡¯m getting to the point that I might just want to join in on the fighting simply for something to do. Because spending forty years fighting and reading in a tower is boring. Even more so during the times when I¡¯m eaten by a mana creature, because I can¡¯t read then. Unless it¡¯s an e-book. Seeing as the books wouldn¡¯t last five minutes in a stomach. And even then, my phone only has so much power before it¡¯ll die. I almost want to leave early before the fifty years are over, but then Shirogane would likely be kicked off the planet. Maybe. Actually, I¡¯m not sure if he would anymore. Not since I know he is helping the war effort a lot through the economy. He hasn¡¯t told me his grand plans, but I know he¡¯s set up multiple businesses, used his contacts and favors to pull in a bunch of trade including both food, weaponry, tools, and potions and enchantments, and has set up new Gates for the purpose of sneak attacks. A lot of different benefits, each of which has significantly helped the Empire. But none are anywhere near enough for what he¡¯s here to do. And from what he said the last time I spoke to him, he¡¯s likely planning on fighting personally. So he¡¯ll have to hide everything somehow. To make it so no one knows it was him who fought. I lean forwards while moving my hands to my sides on the edges of the stone and looking out over the planet again. Well, whatever he¡¯s doing, I¡¯m rather curious to see it up close and personal. After all, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s gonna be interesting. Maybe I can even find him down there? Not like it¡¯ll hurt to check things out instead of staying cooped up inside this tower all the time. Plus I¡¯ve reached the point that I can keep my Death Spirits summoned here even from far away. Although that¡¯s mostly because of the overwhelming amount of soul energy on this planet from the war. But whatever. Oh. Right. I stand up before turning around and walking a little further onto the ledge. Should test out the new summon. The Lesser Major Death Spirit. A rather simple name. First it was Lesser Minor Death Spirits, then Lesser Death Spirits, and now Lesser Major Death Spirits. I raise a hand before using the skill to summon a Lesser Major Death Spirit. And the moment I do, a larger rift than normal appears, following which a rather large creature steps out from it. My eyes widen ever so slightly at the sight of the creature. Then the corners of my lips quirk upwards a little. Interesting. The Lesser Major Death Spirit at first glance looks like a rather large creature cloaked in shadows. To the point that it almost looks like an actual cloak, when in reality it¡¯s just a bunch of shadows gathering around the thing¡¯s body. But after taking a better look at it and seeing past the shadows, I can tell that the thing is actually a skeleton. A skeleton of a beast. Not a human, but of a beast. Looks like a gorilla¡¯s skeleton. And it¡¯s rather large. At least three meters in height. With glowing red eyes. I cross my arms and begin walking circles around the Lesser Major Death Spirit. A spirit that is currently just watching me walk around it with its head tilted. Like a curious animal. After circling it twice, I stop in front of it with a faint smile and state, ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can do.¡± Then I order the spirit off of the Spire, making the thing jump straight off the ledge to shatter on the ground below before reforming again. Something I once in a while have the spirits do ever since I realized they don¡¯t feel pain. No point for pain when the beings can¡¯t die after all. And, well, have no nerves to feel pain with. I quickly follow after the spirit and jump down until I begin burning from the velocity of my fall. And after creating a lovely crater, I ignore the open gazes of those around the base of the Spire ¨C most of whom seem used to my presence by now, with some seemingly even having jumped out of the way as if knowing I was coming ¨C before entering the Spire after the spirit. Alrighty. Time to see what this fella can do. B3 | Chapter 54 Aria As it turns out, it can do quite a bit. The thing is very different from the Lesser Minor and regular Lesser Death Spirits in that, while they are weak and can¡¯t really do much actual fighting themselves other than carrying things, with the Lesser Death Spirits being able to use basic weapons, these things are physically strong. To the point that they can shatter the metal making up the bodies of the mana creatures within the Spire up to about Tier 3 and even some Tier 4 mana creatures. Just with their bare fists. Or, rather, their bare skeletal fists? Their bare physical strength. Although part of that is influenced by my own level, since they¡¯re powered by my soul energy. And the quality of my soul energy is based on my level from what I¡¯ve been able to figure out over the years. Regardless of the level of the creature the soul energy came from. The level of the source of the soul energy only determines how much soul energy they give me with no determination on quality. I continue to test the not-so-little skeletal ape for a while before going ahead and summoning a few more Lesser Major Death Spirits. And immediately finding myself faced with a surprise. One in the form of several more large beast-like animal skeletons cloaked in shadows. Different beast-like animals than the ape. Some of them aren¡¯t even bipedal beasts but rather quadrupedal ones. Like some tiger and wolf skeletons amongst them. I fold my arms while pursing my lips and tapping my foot for a few seconds. Then I simply nod my head and proceed to go through with several more tests for the spirits. Tests that end up going rather well. Turns out each of the different beasts have different strengths to them. Like how the ape had powerful physical strength, or the wolf was agile. And after several attempts, I learn how to summon specific beasts. It mostly just takes wishing for one particular beast to appear when I¡¯m summoning them. Although it isn¡¯t a one hundred percent success-rate for summoning what I want. More like eighty to ninety percent. I continue to test things out for a little while before feeling satisfied with the results and moving on to test my new skill. Which involves cutting my arm to make blood flow out. First I do it so blood falls on top of a Tier 1 mana creature, but that turns out rather awkward when the creature simply starts convulsing in front of me before dying. Probably because the thing was a very weak creature in the first place. So I move on to Tier 4 mana creatures, which should be about the same strength as I am on a personal level. After doing that, I start my experimenting first on the creatures that are more metal than anything else. Like a golem. I sprinkle some of my blood on the golem as the thing has a ball stomping on my arm. Which turns out to be rather pointless in and of itself since it gets my blood on itself through stomping on my arm. Blood that ever since I¡¯ve gotten this skill doesn¡¯t simply vanish right away after being burnt by the crimson energy. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Instead, my blood is instantly replaced in my body while the blood that left me stays for several seconds. Then it disappears in death energy if it hasn¡¯t touched a living creature in that time. But if it has touched a living creature, it dissolves right into them and begins spreading crimson veins through their body from the point of contact. Veins that immediately begin to make the creature less and less full of life. Less vigorous. Although that¡¯s rather hard to tell with these metal creatures, who don¡¯t exactly have biological parts in the first place. It¡¯s just like the whole Death¡¯s Judgment skill not being very suitable for these Spires. I kinda wish I got these skills while on a different planet overall. After tapping my feet for several seconds with my arms still folded over my stomach, I finally come to a decision. Right. I¡¯ll walk outside and let someone attack me. Then I¡¯ll use them as a test subject instead. It¡¯ll be self-defense after all. So with that thought in mind, I march right on outside, leaving my Death Spirits inside of the Spire to hunt as I do so. And after stepping out of the Spire, I am immediately faced with two forces of enemies still clashing over the rights to use this Spire. Both sides of which quickly proceed to ignore my existence. I blink in surprise at the sight. Um, hello? Obviously, neither side can hear my thoughts. So no one pays me any mind other than a couple glances at the rather out of place woman wearing a simple black jacket, tank top, and pants amidst the warring soldiers. Why do I get the feeling these people aren¡¯t going to attack me? I know I¡¯ve made a name for myself by occasionally jumping down from the Spires on this planet in the middle of their bickering, but come on¡­ can¡¯t someone be a good soldier and attack me? Wait¡­ would that be being a good soldier? I¡¯m not actually sure about that. Especially considering how I¡¯m a neutral party in these battles, putting aside the fact that I¡¯m a guest of the empire. Actually, the other nations even made it known not to bother me unless they want to die. A rather blunt order, if someone were to ask me. Hmm¡­ well, maybe I can just walk out in the middle of them and see what happens. So I do just that and walk right out into the middle of their battle. Only for them to immediately begin avoiding the hell out of the place I walked to. I walk to another place. They avoid the hell out of that place. And another. And another. Eventually I just give up and begin walking towards the city while slumped over a little bit. Fine. I¡¯ll just go find some random summoner to summon me some monsters that I can test it on. As I walk I try to ignore the fact that I was just disappointed by the fact that no one would attack me. Which is a rather bizarre thing to be disappointed about. Makes me wonder if I¡¯m normal or not. But after several seconds, I just firmly nod my head and decide that I am most certainly normal. The most normal of the normal people out there. I nod my head once more, firm in that thought. Then I just put my hands in my pockets and think about the book I was reading before leveling up as I walk through a bunch of battlefields, ignoring the soldiers from both sides of the conflict who are all avoiding me like the plague. It¡¯s a rather nice book. Not the absolute best, but a good one, nonetheless. The story actually reminds me of myself, since it¡¯s about a true immortal. A person who can¡¯t die. It had some romance in the story, but not much. Most of it was focused on the fact that they couldn¡¯t die, along with some of them watching their loved ones pass away one after another. A rather sad story. Especially because this story is set place in a universe without the System. So there is no leveling up, and therefore no extending their lifespans. At least the people I know can extend their lifespans. This poor guy couldn¡¯t go even a century without his loved ones passing away whenever he got new ones. I feel bad for the guy. Actually, now I kind of want to continue reading it. So I bring the book out on my phone and begin reading it as I continue walking through quite the number of battlefields on my way towards the capital. Just casually humming to myself in silence, and occasionally singing a little tune. Books are a nice thing. Why can¡¯t the universe just focus on reading instead of fighting? Everyone should just follow my example like this and be normal. And like that, I continue reading all the way till I reach the capital, at which point I just head straight for the emperor¡¯s castle. Of which is currently surrounded by the council members who are having a tough time blocking the emperor inside with a powerful barrier. The moment they see me, though, they open up a small gap in it to let me through with a single nod. One that I return. How kind of them. And so, I keep marching on into the castle while humming and reading my book. Ignoring the fighting going on in its entirety. B3 | Chapter 55 Aria After arriving at the castle, I go ahead and find a random summoner within it and have them summon me a bunch of biological monsters to experiment on. Then they go off to do war stuff. And the experiments actually prove to be rather interesting. Particularly the ones over my new blood. The first thing I learn about my blood is just a confirmation of what I already learned before. It stays for about five to ten seconds before being devoured by death energy if it doesn¡¯t touch anything. But if it does touch something living then it¡¯ll begin infusing itself into the creature. The second thing I learned is how it infuses itself into a creature. It¡¯s a rather dangerous process in which my blood worms its way into their very being and soul, fighting against their life force in the process and reducing their lifespan very slowly due to their life force fighting back. After that it¡¯s basically a battle of who wins out. If my blood wins, then it¡¯ll fully merge into the creature, pretty much turning the creature into a strange sort of undead. One that isn¡¯t like any other undead I¡¯ve ever heard of. The undead made by my blood have glowing crimson veins spread throughout their body, and they don¡¯t need to eat or sleep. They don¡¯t need any form of nutrients other than my blood. Willingly given. And even then, it doesn¡¯t seem to be very often at all. To the point that after I gave a drop of my blood to them once, they haven¡¯t needed it again. But I can tell just because it¡¯s my blood flowing through their veins that they will need more blood eventually. That it¡¯s not a one-time fix, but a once in a month or even once in a year thing. All that said, if the creature¡¯s life force is too weak and too stubborn to give in, then the creature will just kinda die. Without turning into anything. And if their life force just fights off my blood without much issue, then nothing really happens. Other than some pain for them, some fatigue, and a slightly reduced lifespan depending on how hard their life force fought. Overall, it should be a good way to deal with those annoying mana creatures that try to eat me. Because mana creatures ¨C according to what I¡¯ve learned from books in the past ¨C have incredibly stubborn life forces. Meaning my blood will never be able to turn a creature born from a planet¡¯s mana into one of those ¡®crimson spawn¡¯, as one of the researchers in the place I was experimenting on the monsters dubbed them. Monsters are fine though. And so are humans. Since neither were born from natural mana. Monsters are born from human mana, whereas humans are just born with some small amounts of mana passed down from their parents that they grow and turn into their own personal mana while merging their parents¡¯ mana. I frown as I walk through the castle, my hand partially covering my mouth in thought. The benefits of this new skill are quite numerous. Not only for getting me out of the stomach of a mana creature, but also to deal with people. Since the curse will make them entirely reliant on me. And they can¡¯t even force me to give them blood or take it from me since it requires my truly wishing to give them blood. Certainly makes for a nice bargaining chip if I can get the curse on an enemy. They would be reliant on me to live. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Although I guess it comes with some perks for them as well. Like not needing to eat, breathe, drink, or sleep. It also takes away their sense of pain. Assuming they view those as perks, that is. Some people actually like sleeping or eating after all. I don¡¯t really like eating, but not being able to drink wine would be annoying. And I do sometimes sleep just to pass the time. Sleep is a really good way to waste time. I haven¡¯t really been able to experiment how the curse affects abilities and skills, though. So for all I know, their ability or even class could change. But at the same time, nothing might happen to those. Don¡¯t really have any people to test it on since no one wants to attack me. Well, I¡¯ll figure it out eventually. Not like I¡¯m in a rush. So with that comforting thought, I proceed through the castle for several minutes. Then I hear a loud warping sound echoing from outside, making me pause before I walk up to a window. And the sight I find greeting me outside is¡­ an unexpected one. A massive portal high above the city and castle, along with dozens of other portals. Each of which leads to different places. Meanwhile the massive portal is letting out large fireballs that seem to be targeting soldiers, with the smaller portals letting out people that look rather important. I blink at the sight, only to frown a second later. Hmm. Looks like this war may be reaching its climax. I lean over the window as I watch numerous bolts of silver metal shoot out to strike at each fireball, causing each one to explode before they hit the ground. And that sight alone surprises me a little. Because I clearly recognize it as Shirogane¡¯s ability. Then an even bigger surprise hits in the form of a massive dome of silver metal stretching all around the capital city and the castle. One that covers everything. I bring out my phone to see if I can find out anything about what¡¯s going on, but the connection is completely cut off. No internet. No service. No nothing. That¡¯s when I look up at the large dome to find it letting off some sort of vibration to the very air around it. Maybe the dome is intercepting transmissions or something? Judging by the looks of the knights in the castle, they all seem to be under the impression that this dome and the interception is the work of the enemies. But I know just from that dome alone that it¡¯s not. So this is what Shirogane has been planning all along. The corner of my lips quirk upwards as I lean further over the window, linking my fingers as my hands dangle outside the window. Well this is taking an interesting turn. And¡­ I glance in the direction of where I sense Leopold, who is currently still trying to recover while dealing with the members of the Council who aren¡¯t Arthur. ¡­this attack was most likely coordinated to finish Leopold while he¡¯s weakened from his last clash with Arthur. I turn back to the many powerful people I see floating down from the portals, each looking confused at the dome. My faint smile turns into a full one as I begin chuckling at the sight of a certain silver-haired merchant slowly floating into the air to meet the many enemies, all of whom I¡¯m guessing must be the leaders of the enemies. Judging by how powerful they are in comparison to the soldiers I¡¯ve seen thus far. And while Shirogane is floating up into the air, thousands of spears of silver metal shoot out of him and pierce straight through each and every one of the portals, somehow shattering them through brute force alone. Further shocking the enemies. At this point all of the knights in the castle that I can see are growing confused. But it¡¯s not just them. It¡¯s everyone. Everyone looks beyond confused. I leave the window and quickly sprint in the direction of the emperor, deciding that I might be able to help Shirogane out a bit after all. When I reach the man, I find him standing atop the highest balcony of the castle ¨C the one attached to his own room ¨C as he raises his hands up while casting spells that are sending out spears of golden light to combat the members of the Council of Darkness. Each of whom is still attacking. And it¡¯s a rather bizarre sight. Seeing all of them still fighting despite also looking at what¡¯s going on. ¡°Aria, is there something you need?¡± Leopold asks, sounding strained due to his current seemingly exhausted condition. Then he follows up immediately with a brief, ¡°Is it about that merchant prince?¡± He¡¯s certainly quick to catch on. I cross my arms while looking up at Shirogane, only to surprisingly find him looking in my direction. Although it may just be because the emperor is here. ¡°If Shirogane were to deal with this situation, would you be willing to discuss the trade of magical silver with the Eternal Dynasty?¡± I ask for the very first time since meeting Leopold. The emperor grits his teeth, no doubt not wanting to agree. But he doesn¡¯t have much choice in this situation. He¡¯s surrounded by a dozen enemies and weakened due to his fight with another Grand. Not to mention that Arthur could show up at any moment to make matters even worse, if he¡¯s willing to risk himself with his own injuries. Several seconds pass in silence before the Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire begrudgingly states, ¡°I am open to negotiation.¡± A smirk immediately appears on Shirogane¡¯s face as he spreads his arms out and faces all of the enemies. Having finally gotten the opening he¡¯s wanted all these years. B3 | Chapter 56 The Skies above the Capital Shirogane has been waiting for this moment for decades. He¡¯s set up every little detail. Done everything he can do. And it¡¯s all come down to this. Over the course of his years on this planet, he¡¯s made use of every connection he has. Set up trade routes between Silverfall and dozens of other nations that had things Silverfall needed. Had new Gates constructed to worlds the emperor was wishing Silverfall could be connected to. And done everything he could to ensure this final confrontation goes exactly how he desires it to go. He instigated all of the leaders of the many attacking nations to perform a major assault at the same time against the capital, having spread word that the emperor was weakened, and his strongest forces were far away dealing with other worlds. Having faked turning traitor to lure the other nations in. Even having set up the very portals their leaders used to get here. All for this one moment as Shirogane flies high into the sky while small droplets of liquid silver emerge in the skies around him. The dome blocking out any possible sun, and the frequency he¡¯s having the dome vibrate at blocking any sort of connection. He even sets off a powerful EMP in the capital to disable all sorts of visual capturing devices while having one of his connections ¨C one under a binding body contract ¨C use a particularly rare ability to suppress any and all powers that would be able to capture evidence of what Shirogane is doing. Everything is set for him to join the fray. And so he does. Without any hesitation. Under the confused, shocked, and betrayed gazes of the many enemy leaders, the liquid silver all around Shirogane bursts out into long spikes that pierce straight through each and every one of the leaders. And while several of the leaders do manage to avoid the attacks, they, too, end up being pierced when more spikes follow. Only three of the enemy leaders manage to do anything beyond simply dodging. They successfully block his attacks with their defenses or attacks of their own. Then they follow up by attacking Shirogane in return or attempting to flee. But Shirogane doesn¡¯t let them. Instead he pulls out a device from his pocket and activates it. Sending a dimensional stabilizing field throughout the dome. One that blocks any form of gates from opening or teleportation from happening. He couldn¡¯t do this until he had already destroyed all of the current portals in the area and disabled the Gates down in the capital with the help of the Rex Dynasty, so this particular part of the plan was one of the hardest for him to complete perfectly. Stranding the attempted escapees to the point of no escape. Shirogane apathetically ignores the pleas of the remaining leaders, the man not allowing anything to ruin his plans. Not even when he senses a couple of the Council of Darkness members turning their attention from the emperor to him. He just wipes out every last one of the leaders. Leaving the enemy nations leaderless. First part of the plan is complete. He should be arriving any minute now. Shirogane turns towards the approaching Council of Darkness members. Two of them in particular. One of them is covered in shadows and the other in lightning. Both shrouded so that their real appearances can¡¯t be seen. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Silver Merchant, shall we take this as a sign of the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s breaking away from their neutrality?¡± the one shrouded in shadows asks, his deep voice resonating throughout the dome. But Shirogane simply wipes his hands with a handkerchief while emotionlessly stating, ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.¡± Silence passes for a few seconds before the lightning Council member says, ¡°You won¡¯t be leaving here alive.¡± Shirogane ignores the woman¡¯s threat as he focuses on both their levels. Levels that are below his own, but only by a few hundred levels. With Shirogane¡¯s level being over seven thousand. Before their battle can commence, Shirogane presses a button on another device within his other pocket. And immediately after that, a bottle appears floating in the air in front of the emperor all the way down in the castle. Shirogane makes eye contact with the emperor, seeing the man letting out a sigh before he grabs the bottle and downs it. Then the emperor¡¯s eyes flare with a golden light and all of the wounds across his body, both internal and external ones, vanish soon after. The medicine Shirogane gave him being one of the best in the universe. Something many people don¡¯t realize is that the higher someone¡¯s level is, the harder it is to find potions and medicine that actually works on them. Their own natural resistance winning out over more basic potions and medicine, even if the potions aren¡¯t doing anything bad to their bodies. One of the biggest problems in the universe. And for one of the Nine Grands, the only people who can create the potions that work on them belong to either the Crimson Empire or the Eternal Dynasty. With the Rex Empire of the Dead not needing healing supplies, and the Grand Silvanian Empire having the best healers in the universe. But no healer is capable of quickly healing one of the Nine Grands, as healing magic is the same as potions. So another way for Shirogane to aid the empire was to gift him a potion that could heal the man. An act that Shirogane believes just won the emperor over, even if only grudgingly. Going simply by the resigned look on the emperor¡¯s face. And with all of the cards lined up, Shirogane begins fighting with the Council of Darkness members attacking him. The man feeling slightly more motivated by the fact that it¡¯s the first time he can show off to Aria. But only slightly. Meanwhile the emperor faces off against the leader of the Council of Darkness who appears amidst the other council members¡¯ shadows after no doubt sensing Leopold¡¯s recovery. Marking the real start of the final battle of the war.
Aria I kind of wish I had popcorn right now. Because this is getting interesting. Setting aside the potion the emperor just used, I still find it hard to merge the image I have of Shirogane in my head as a boy who has a crush on me with the man easily slaughtering people who could rip me to shreds with ease right now. Not that I¡¯d stay in those shreds. And it¡¯s even harder to think of him as Shirogane when he¡¯s fighting members of the Council of Darkness. Makes me wonder just how powerful Shirogane is. Considering the fact that he¡¯s never actually told me his level. Seeing him fight like this kind of puts him in a new light for me at the very least. Now instead of a penny pinching boy with a crush he¡¯s a powerful penny pinching boy with a crush. I nod my head at that conclusion before glancing at Asher, who seems to be mesmerized by the flashing lights from the battle. So I reach down to pick him up, then I glance up at the battle again while casually petting the cat in my arms. Wonder how long this fighting will last? It¡¯s clearly going to be the last battle of the war. And judging by the look on Arthur¡¯s face as he battles, he doesn¡¯t really care much about how it turns out. Which makes some sense. Considering how he¡¯s gotten his primary goal. Or what I assume to be his primary goal. The goal of making the Crimson Empire reenter society again by force. This was most likely just a secondary goal. To hurt the Grand Silvanian Empire. Not something that¡¯s absolutely necessary. And at this point there¡¯s nothing he can really do to salvage this war. What with Shirogane having slaughtered the enemy leaders like they were cattle, and having healed the emperor. I watch the battle for a little while, uncaring even when some stray attacks blast me to smithereens before I reemerge from a wave of crimson energy rebuilding my body. Along with the cat in my arms. This battle feels rather dull to watch when I already know what the outcome is gonna be. Especially given Arthur¡¯s look. One of someone who is close to resigning himself to losing. Which, I have to admit, is hard to tell. Considering how Arthur¡¯s face is covered. But I feel like I¡¯ve grown better at reading how he feels over the period of time he¡¯s spent stalking me. Whether that¡¯s a good thing or not is something I won¡¯t bother thinking about. Eventually I turn around and begin walking deeper into the castle, heading towards the room that was reserved for me when I¡¯m here. Deciding that I don¡¯t really care about the battle anymore. Not when Shirogane looks like he¡¯s handling himself well and won¡¯t be killed. So it¡¯s time to start that new book I was wanting to read. B3 | Chapter 57 Aria I end up spending the next few days ¨C because that¡¯s how long it takes them all to fight ¨C just reading my new book. And as I read, I can¡¯t help but wonder. Should I try writing one of these days? Becoming an author? That would be interesting. I could write stories inspired by my own lovely adventures. Or I could write up research papers over things I¡¯ve experienced myself. Like that curse on the Cheng Dynasty¡¯s treasury. I¡¯m sure a paper over that would go over nicely somewhere. Although I don¡¯t really know enough about magic to really, well, do that. Maybe I should go to a magic tower one of these days? Not like it¡¯d matter since I can¡¯t use magic spells. That thought has me putting down my book for a second as I glance out the window at the fighting people who seem to be getting close to done. Huh. Actually, can I use magic? I know I don¡¯t have an ability or skill for it right now, but what about the future? I¡¯m Death after all. It would be weird if Death couldn¡¯t use Death magic. Certainly worth a shot. My thoughts pause on the subject when all of the noise outside finally grinds to a sudden halt. And when I focus on them all, I find each member of the Council of Darkness finally retreating. Meanwhile Shirogane didn¡¯t let a single one of the other nation leaders or soldiers escape alive. He slaughtered every last one. And if I know him well, he¡¯s also likely going to force a body contract on every single person within this dome making them unable to speak about his interference in this conflict. Just to cross every last possible leak. After all, it¡¯d break the neutrality of the Eternal Dynasty if it leaked. He has to be incredibly cautious. I stand up from the chair I was sitting on next to the window before stretching a little while putting the book in a storage ring. Then I glance at Asher as the little guy gets up from the base of the chair, stretching himself. The little guy no doubt copying my habits. Adorable. I walk over to the bed before changing from shorts to pants and from a tank top to a regular T-shirt. And after putting on my usual jacket and boots, I go ahead and leave my room. Heading directly for the throne room. As I walk, though, every knight I pass by waves at me with a friendly smile. Which has become a regular sight around here, even if most of these guys also ignore me when I¡¯m out walking around the battlefields. Putting that aside, I end up walking into a rather tense discussion when I enter the throne room unbidden. And I soon find myself smiling when I hear them discussing the magical silver. Not just debating over whether the dynasty will get access to it, but what the empire wants in return. Meaning at this point they¡¯ve already decided that they¡¯ll be getting the magical silver. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Way to go, Shirogane. Way to go. And with nearly a decade to spare at that. Although I get the feeling he never would¡¯ve gotten the magical silver if it weren¡¯t for the stalker¡¯s little scheme. Which means my parents paid for his success. Then again, he¡¯s not at fault just because it benefits him. And they¡¯re the ones who jumped in as soon as they could to meet me despite the potential dangers. Anyways, I sit at the side of the throne room on a window sill as I listen to the negotiations, ignoring the many nobles who occasionally glance my way from their places kneeling at the sides of the halls. Each one looking rather awkward at my casual presence over here. At this point I¡¯ve stopped caring about their little noble etiquette. Just no point after all. Not like it affects me, and a certain emperor is still doting on me in a way. The negotiations continue on for a good while, leaving me sitting here swinging my legs back and forth as I glance out the window at the large dome that¡¯s still around the entire capital. I wonder when Shirogane is going to remove that? Maybe after he gets the contracts from everyone? It is one of the conditions he put on his side of this little negotiation of theirs. Can¡¯t have people leaving and talking. Not that anyone would be able to prove anything without evidence. But it would be best for him to avoid bringing more pressure on the Eternal Dynasty. Even if no one can really do much with just the words of random people. After all, even if there are truth-seekers, they can easily be tricked. And people¡¯s memories can be altered. Evidence is king. There¡¯s no changing that. I yawn before glancing at the throne room again right as they begin to close out the deal. Hmm. Guess Shirogane is going to officially be declared as a prince soon. Wonder if I should treat him any differently? What with him being royalty and all¡­ I blink at that thought before frowning. Actually, come to think of it¡­ My parents are the Emperor and Empress of the Crimson Empire. So¡­ doesn¡¯t that technically make me a princess too? I stare blankly for several seconds as they continue negotiating. Huh. Not sure how my mind missed that. I look down while tapping my chin in thought, my hair falling over my shoulder in the process. Maybe I was just too focused on the whole ¡®not wanting to bother with this stuff¡¯ thing that it didn¡¯t register the implications beyond ¡®my sorta family is alive¡¯? No idea. But I guess I am a princess. Then again, I guess I¡¯ve been blocking out the fact that the knights are calling me princess and Her Highness. Just not really recognizing it myself even if they¡¯ve been calling me that. I purse my lips for a few seconds before just shrugging. Meh. Doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m me. On a different note, I wonder if Shirogane will have official duties now that he¡¯s an official prince? Maybe? He¡¯s already been rather busy. Oh, and him being promoted to a Nine Star Merchant as well. My thoughts cut off when the two finish negotiating, with Leopold not looking too pleased. But there isn¡¯t much he can do. He can¡¯t exactly turn away someone who pretty much saved his nation from extremely large setbacks. Possibly even saved Leopold¡¯s life, if things had gone worse. And all Shirogane is asking for in return is the rights to trade for something. Not even for that something for free, but the rights to trade for it. I have to admit, though, when I hear the price of the magical silver that they end up agreeing on, my eyes bulge more than a bit. Because I can¡¯t even afford a single ingot of it, and I thought I was filthy rich at this point. But then my eyes narrow a little and I cover my mouth with my hand, briefly wondering if I should invest in getting some magical silver gear at some point in my eternal life. Because if it¡¯s worth that much, it would be very nice to have a full set of equipment made of it. Even if it would likely take millions of years to save up enough for that. Both Leopold and Shirogane turn to look at me with tired smiles on their faces, Shirogane¡¯s emotions turning back on now that he¡¯s no longer negotiating. And I still can¡¯t help but wonder how it feels to turn off your emotions just from the sight of that. But I don¡¯t say anything. I just wave at them before looking out the window again with a faint smile on my face. Looks like our time in this world is finally going to come to an end. What with Shirogane¡¯s business being complete. I hear footsteps as everyone scatters from the throne room, followed by a flash of golden light from Leopold no doubt leaving. Then a single set of footsteps march towards me until Shirogane leans over the window about half a meter away from me. ¡°Congrats on your success, Your Highness,¡± I tell him with the corners of my lips quirking upwards. ¡°Thank you, Your Highness,¡± he jokes back. Silence fills the chamber for several seconds. Then he says something that leaves me stunned. ¡°Aria, now that I¡¯ll be officially instated as the Prince of the Eternal Dynasty, we won¡¯t be able to travel together anymore,¡± he says, making my head jerk around to stare at him as I find a sad look in his eyes. ¡°Excuse me, what?¡± I ask, just blankly staring at him. B3 | Chapter 58 Aria ¡°We won¡¯t be able to travel together anymore,¡± Shirogane repeats himself without taking his gaze away from my eyes. But I just find myself remembering all the times I spent with him. A man who has become my best friend over the¡­ over the however many years I¡¯ve known him. He¡¯s been there through thick and thin, bringing me my explosives, my weapons, my gear, and anything else I ever would¡¯ve wanted to purchase. He¡¯s been my connection to who knows how many different nations. And my conversation partner when I¡¯m not hunting or stuck in something¡¯s stomach. And while he does have unrequited feelings for me, I still think of him as a great friend. Well, that and a very useful merchant and place to get explosives. Explosives are nice after all. But that¡¯s beside the point. I open my mouth a few times, but each time I end up closing it again without finding anything to say. And eventually, Shirogane just smiles at me with a sad smile and says, ¡°Now that this deal has been made, I have completed my trial and will be officially recognized as the Crown Prince of the Eternal Dynasty. And because of that, I¡¯ll have duties I need to see to that come along with the position. Duties that require my physical presence on Eternus.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± I mutter, glancing outside the window at the setting sun over the horizon. Looks like our journey is coming to an end. ¡°You just thought something along the lines, ¡°looks like our journey is ending,¡± didn¡¯t you?¡± Shirogane suddenly asks, amusement in his voice. Amusement that only grows when my head jerks around to stare at him. When did he learn to read my mind?! He barks out a laugh. One that¡¯s quickly followed by another. And another. All the way till he¡¯s just having a laughing fit. I frown at him and cross my arms while muttering, ¡°Rude.¡± Which only serves to make him laugh even harder as he leans over the edge of the window. I turn to look out the window again, not bothering with telling him to stop. It¡¯s a little sad to say goodbye. The guy¡¯s like an older brother to me in a way. One that cleans up a lot of the messes I end up making. Or cleaned them up, back when I made messes. Now I¡¯m perfectly fine on my own and never cause trouble for others. Ignoring the few times I end up turned into a paste on top of someone from jumping down from a high place. Because that doesn¡¯t happen. At all. I get down from the window and lean over the window myself while resting my head against his shoulder, making him stop laughing in an instant. But I don¡¯t say anything. ¡°I know you don¡¯t think of me the same way I think of you, Aria,¡± Shirogane says out of nowhere, startling me for a moment. Not enough to move from my spot, though. ¡°You¡¯ve made that perfectly clear over the years, and I really appreciate that.¡± I see him turning to look at me out of the corner of my eye, but I don¡¯t move. ¡°Thank you, Aria.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Instead of responding with any words, I just let out a short hum in response. Then silence befalls the throne room once more. The silence stretches on for several minutes as we just look out at the horizon. But I eventually break it when I say, ¡°You¡¯re like the older brother I missed. Maybe some part of me was overlapping you and Adrian, but you really have been like an older brother to me.¡± I pause for a few seconds, waiting for some sort of reaction from him. And when I get nothing, I continue, ¡°Of course, I know very well you¡¯re two different people. But you just sorta filled the missing brother slot, if you know what I mean.¡± I frown. Then I stand up straight, crossing my arms as I stare up at the ceiling. ¡°Why are words so hard?¡± I mutter to myself, only to look at Shirogane, finding him sadly smiling out the window. ¡°I think what I¡¯m saying is that I¡¯ll always think of you as a brother. If you ever need my help, don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± He turns to look at me, still smiling as he says, ¡°Okay.¡± A few seconds pass in silence. ¡°I¡¯ll probably help you,¡± I make sure to add, making him blink for a moment. Then he breaks out into laughter again. Laughter so strong that tears leak out of the corners of his eyes. The corners of my lips quirk upwards as well before I lean over the window again, returning my gaze to the sun. I let the silence pass, with the exception of his laughter, for several more minutes. And after it¡¯s stretched on for long enough, I go ahead and ask, ¡°So who is going to be my new contracted merchant?¡± Shirogane just glances at me, blinking for a moment as he answers, ¡°I am.¡± The silence returns. ¡°But I thought you were leaving and staying on Eternus?¡± I ask with a confused frown on my face. He nods his head, ¡°Yeah, I am.¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± I start, only for my eyes to begin widening a little. ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Shirogane says, a smirk forming on his face. ¡°No one ever said a contracted merchant ever had to be following his partner around everywhere. You have that device. It can teleport you almost whatever you purchase in an instant no matter where you are. And if you need something you can¡¯t get through it, just come to Eternus or contact me through the device.¡± I feel dumb. Shirogane turns to look out the window again as he mutters, ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d let someone else take my position as your contracted merchant from me.¡± I blink at that, unsure of how to respond. Or even how he meant that phrase. Whether romantic or due to the fact that I¡¯m Death and probably one of the most profitable business partners possible. Probably both. Best not to ask. Although, on that note, there is something I should say. I place one hand on his shoulder, startling him for a moment before I tell him, ¡°Shirogane, you should go find a princess somewhere.¡± And with that, I give him a firm nod of my head and jump out the window, leaving him blank-faced for several seconds. There. Told him to move on to find someone else. Hopefully he¡¯ll listen. Because I¡¯d rather him not be stuck in an unrequited love for his entire life. That would probably be sad. Just judging based on the books I¡¯ve read. I have no idea how it would actually feel personally. And I am bad at goodbyes. So I just won¡¯t say goodbye. I¡¯ll probably be talking to him on the phone within the next week anyways. Anyways, my legs are actually perfectly fine even after jumping down from several stories. Simply because of my current level. Nothing more than some slight strain. So I begin walking over towards the city as I think about the stuff I¡¯m gonna want to do before we leave the world. Not to mention the next world I¡¯m gonna go to. There are certainly a lot of choices to choose from. And while I may¡¯ve had a choice a while back, I kind of forgot it over the years. But that¡¯s fine. Not like I¡¯m ever going to run out of time. I think I might set a goal for myself. ¡°Aria!¡± I hear a shout from far behind me, making me pause for a second and glance back. Finding Shirogane waving at me from that very same window. ¡°Please come to my official designation ceremony when it comes!¡± A ceremony? ¡°I promise you that Father¡¯s wine cellar will be open for you to try at your leisure!¡± he shouts afterwards, instantly catching my attention. I quickly raise a hand and give him a thumbs-up, along with a firm nod of agreement. Because yeah. Wine. I turn around again and continue walking over towards the city with my hands in my jacket pockets. He¡¯ll send an invite when it comes. No reason to stay here. For now, I better get the contact information of the publishers on this planet. Just to make sure I can find them again for my favorite books on other planets. Or if they aren¡¯t on other planets, when I return here in the future. Because there¡¯s no way I¡¯m gonna miss out on those series just because I¡¯m moving on to another world. No way in the Plane of Death. B3 | Epilogue In the middle of a grand throne room, Famine quietly taps his fingers against the armrest of his throne. Utterly uncaring of the dozens of nobles bowing at the base of the dais the throne is standing upon, each half-starved and shivering from fear as Famine¡¯s eyes rest upon them while he contemplates the most recent news they brought him. Aria Crimson¡­ I knew it was likely, but you really are the lost princess after all¡­ He continues tapping his fingers on the armrest for several minutes before suddenly stopping and snapping his fingers once. At which point a large screen appears in front of him, between Famine and the nobles. Nobles who immediately relax ever so slightly now that they aren¡¯t in his direct line of sight. Meanwhile a woman with long white hair, glowing crimson eyes, and a beautiful figure partially covered by the coat she¡¯s wearing as she walks down a street on Silverfall appears on the large screen. Famine was rather surprised when he first heard that the fourth and last Horseman was a woman. Simply because he¡¯d begun to assume that they would all be men, strictly because they had always been men until now. All the way from the first of the Horsemen to be born, War, to the third Horseman, Pestilence. The Horseman looks over the woman for a few seconds, studying her before lightly shaking his head. Coming to the conclusion that even a female Horseman of the Apocalypse doesn¡¯t cause any reaction. He¡¯s wanted a successor for a long time now. Someone to create his own bloodline. A superior bloodline. One far greater than any of the lowly humans in the world. But the Horsemen of the Apocalypse cannot reproduce. Their bodies don¡¯t even have any romantic or sexual urges. So when he first heard that the latest Horseman was a woman, it had brought his hopes up a little that maybe another Horseman would work. It was a waste of time thinking about. He shakes his head before glancing to the side when he sees a noble glaring at him through the screen. Bold inferior life form. Without hesitation, the Horseman of the Apocalypse reaches out and tugs on his connection to his only companion, Apocalypse. And just mere seconds later, the already starving noble is surrounded by a swarm of mutant locusts that instantly devour the man. Frightening all of the other nobles around him as the man¡¯s screams echo throughout the throne room. All the way till the screams go silent and the locusts, who Famine affectionately named Apocalypse, immediately disappear. But Famine just leans his temple against his fist, his elbow resting on the armrest still as he lets out a soundless sigh. The disappointment he¡¯s feeling making his poor mood even worse. Then he receives a telepathic message from War, making him instantly sit up to focus on the woman on the screen again. And when he does, all of the nobles stiffen up as well. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. He doesn¡¯t pay them any mind, however, as an eerie grin spreads across his face and he mutters, ¡°So the girl may be attending our meeting? That¡¯ll be fun¡­¡± One of Famine¡¯s favorite things to do, other than starving others, is to meet new people who he deems on relatively equal levels of superiority with him. So meeting other Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Famine puts both his elbows on his knees as he leans forwards, resting his chin on his hands. ¡°Let¡¯s have a splendid meeting, Death,¡± he whispers out loud while Apocalypse begins flooding the throne room before leaving and heading into the city down below. To hunt. And as the screams begin flooding up into the palace from the capital city of the Dread Empire, Famine¡¯s eerie laughter can be heard echoing out through the throne room.
Isabella scowls at the elderly-looking man bowing in front of her after hearing his report. ¡°She is the Princess of the Crimson Empire!? Death?! One of the filthy Horsemen?!¡± Isabella shouts, her voice echoing throughout the top of the Archmage¡¯s tower with a beautiful ring to it despite her anger. ¡°Is this intel accurate?!¡± The man nods his head before raising it and looking directly in her eyes as he answers, ¡°It is accurate, Lady Archmage. Furthermore, the Horsemen are planning their thousand year meeting soon.¡± Isabella feels her hands clenching around her staff as she stands at the edge of the top floor of her tower, turning to look out over the city from the open sides of the floor. And after a second, she asks, ¡°Do we know where this meeting will be held?¡± ¡°We do,¡± the elderly Ninth Tier Mage answers, sounding a little cautious in his response. ¡°It was leaked to us by War.¡± His answer infuriates Isabella to no end. Because she knows without a shred of doubt that the battle-maniac simply wishes for her to attack so the man can duel her. Like he¡¯s tried numerous times already. The first few times he attempted it, Isabella fell for it every time and very nearly lost her life. But after fighting him three times and escaping each time through different means each time, she eventually gave up on taking down the three Horsemen personally. And now that she finally has a Horseman who is fresh in her own lifetime, the Horseman had to be unkillable. If that were all then I¡¯d be able to capture her for long enough to experiment and find a way to seal her away. Maybe even tossing her into the void itself. But if we try to attack her, I¡¯m sure the Crimson Empire would take it as a declaration of war and attack us in return. Isabella finally understands with this new information why the Crimson Empire was aiding Aria. Before she could speculate it easily enough simply through her name, but she refused to believe it. But now it¡¯s being shoved in her face and she has no choice but to accept it. ¡°That¡¯s not all, Lady Archmage,¡± the mage behind her says, making her turn her head partially to look at him through narrowed eyes. ¡°What is it, Alvez?¡± Isabella asks, her sharp yet melodious voice echoing through the tower in a brisk manner. The Ninth Tier Mage immediately relays everything that happened during the war on the Grand Silvanian Empire. Specifically Death¡¯s involvement in the war. Which, to Isabella¡¯s astonishment, was little to no involvement at all. She didn¡¯t even kill a single soldier on either side. Isabella feels her grip on her staff growing tighter and tighter by the moment as she feels herself questioning her own oath. But when she remembers what happened to her family at the hands of the Horsemen, and everything else the Horsemen did, she reconvinces herself that all Horsemen are evil. Even if it¡¯s nothing more than an excuse for now, she¡¯s sure there¡¯s something evil about Death. So she clings onto the notion of the Horsemen being evil. But even if she didn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t change her oath. Her oath to mana itself. One ensuring that she would lose half of her mana if she ever broke her oath. After several seconds of silence, Isabella finally turns around and begins walking down to the center of the tower, past the old man. And the moment she reaches the spiral staircase at the center, she pauses and declares, ¡°Follow Death. Study her every move.¡± Her eyes narrow a little bit as she stares down the staircase. ¡°We will make our attack before the Horsemen¡¯s meeting,¡± she finishes before continuing down the stairs again. Leaving nothing but a frowning mage behind. B4 | Glossary Vortel Description: The World of Vortel is a world where one tenth of the population will be born with a special ability. These ability users are classified in two different ways. Special Class Ability Holders, or SCAH, who have a unique ability that no one else has ever had before, and Regular Ability Holders, or RAH. The abilities come in various different classifications: Physical: Physical Ability Holders gain an increase to their body in some physical manner such as superstrength or speed. Magical: Magical Ability Holders gain the ability to use one magical element and gain a mana pool to go along with the element. Special: Special Ability Holders are the in between. The abilities that cannot be classified in the other two classifications but are still abilities. These can include a hybrid of Physical and Magical, or neither. Some examples include the ability to use a single powerful attack, the ability to set yourself on fire but feel no pain and take no damage, or the ability to nullify abilities. But these abilities do not give the user any mana to use. There is only one continent on Vortel as all of the others have been destroyed over the years through war, leading to the Great Acclaims being established, banning the use of strategic abilities and strictly enforcing it within both nations to lock down any person with a strategic level ability and restrict the use of their ability. Aran Description: The continent of Aran houses the Albarian and Arterian nations, both of whom have been at war for as long as either side can remember. The Albarians want the gold and metals that the Arterians have, and the Arterians want the fertile land that the Albarians have. And neither are willing to share with their eternal enemy. New Albaria Description: The Albarian nation treats its soldiers generally well, but if a soldier has a bad officer in charge of them they will not have a good life. Ruled by a council. Ability Holders are required to enlist into the military within four years of graduating from lower education, by the time they turn 22 years old. They are also required to attend special classes to help them learn how to control their ability during their education. Military Rankings: Private Corporal Sergeant Warrant Officer Second Lieutenant First Lieutenant Captain Major Lieutenant Colonel Colonel Major General Lieutenant General General ¨C 9 Generals Eternal Dynasty Description: The largest commerce network and empire in the entire universe. It is a completely neutral force that does not directly interfere with other powers no matter what. The Dynasty is ruled by a single Emperor who has absolute power, however, he rarely interferes with his subjects, merely directing trade and managing the largest business deals the Dynasty holds. While taking a large chunk of profit from all the merchants working under the Dynasty¡¯s name and his protection. The Dynasty spans over dozens of planets across the universe, with connections to nearly every single important nation. Military Rankings/Social Structure: Zero Star Merchant ¨C Initial position for all new merchants to the Dynasty. It is also the grunt position that is used in the military as the base soldier. One Star Merchant ¨C The One Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Two Star Merchant ¨C The Two Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Three Star Merchant ¨C The Three Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as lower level officers within the military. Four Star Merchant ¨C The Four Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Five Star Merchant ¨C The Five Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Six Star Merchant ¨C The Six Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as higher level officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Seven Star Merchant ¨C The Seven Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as top commanding officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. Eight Star Merchant ¨C The Eight Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as top commanding officers within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. Nine Star Merchant ¨C The Nine Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as members of the war council within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. Ten Star Merchant ¨C The Ten Star Merchant has authority over all merchants with fewer stars than they have. They also act as the top generals within the military. They can also directly contract with an official business partner of the Dynasty, granting both them and the partner benefits. They are also not required to report for military duty if they are directly contracted with an important business partner. Emperor ¨C He has absolute power over the entire nation and its citizens. Unlike many other nations, the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s military is stylized based entirely off of the ranking of the merchant in question, with one of the requirements of each Star Rank being combat capability and strategic thinking. Luk¡¯tar Description: A largely crafter dominated world ruled by six clans who are often at a cold war with each other until recently when it finally broke out into a full war. The world is covered mostly in forests on the surface, a high amount of humidity with vast oceans and lakes, Grand Trees that stretch higher into the sky than people can see, and six different Gates to other worlds. Military Rankings: Thrall: New to everything and has a lot to learn. Huskarl: Lowest ranked officer. Vanir: Middle ranked officer. Merkismathr: High ranking officer chosen by the members of the Council. Stallari: Leading general of the military chosen by the Clan Leader. Council Members Clan Leader Clans: Byrne: The clan focused on military development with very little manpower in terms of their own military. Their Gate is connected to the Eternal Dynasty on the Alpha Tier world Eternus. Sullivan: The clan focused on artifact development with a strong focus in their military¡¯s manpower. Their Gate is connected to the neutral Beta Tier world called Atlantis. DEFEATED Gallagher: The clan focused on industrial structures with the most powerful defenses of the clans in terms of building strength with a manpower greater that is the second weakest of the clans. Their Gate is connected to the Crimson Flag, with ties to War, the Horseman of the Apocalypse, on the Alpha Tier planet Conquere. (pronounced con-q-where) Nolan: The clan focused on enchantment with a strong focus on mages within their military. Their Gate is connected to the Arcadian Society on the Alpha Tier world Arc. DEFEATED Keane: The clan focused on potion development and alchemy also with a strong focus on mages within their military. Their Gate is connected to the Arcadian Society on the Beta Tier world Raja. DEFEATED Sorrel: The clan focused on bladesmithing with a smaller military filled with more powerful officers. Their Gate is connected to the Grand Silvanian Empire on the Alpha Tier world Silverfall. DEFEATED Atlantis Description: A world ruled by a single absolute monarchy, with a King or Queen ruling over it. The monarchs have absolute power, however, unlike many other nations, the rulers of Atlantis are known to treat their people fairly. Atlantis is largely known as one of the greater but not greatest aquatic powers of the universe. However, it is still overshadowed by the Eternal Dynasty. The other nation of which¡¯s capital planet is an ocean world. They make their money through sending out mercenaries to other nations and acting as a tourist planet, where tourists may come in from other worlds and enjoy the underwater cities known around the universe for their beauty. Meanwhile some hunters often come to the world simply for the Grand Ocean, whether to enter it or to see it. Their middle name is their family name. And each prince and princess inherits one mercenary company based on their surname. Military Rankings: Marine and Sailor: The bottom two ranks of the Atlantis military. The marines are the baseline grunts of the military meant for direct combat, whereas the sailors are the baseline grunts of the military meant for ship combat, whether submarine or above water. Petty Sailor/Marine Officer: Officers who hold various specialized roles on a ship and amongst a crew of marines, such as gunnery or navigation. Chief Petty Sailor/Marine Officer: The highest-ranking enlisted member on a ship or in a crew of marines, responsible for the crew''s discipline and morale. Ensign: A middle-ranking officer that can be stationed either as a sailor or a marine. Lieutenant: A middle-ranking officer higher than Ensign that can be stationed either as a sailor or a marine. Commander: Second-in-command on a ship or in a squadron of marines, responsible for assisting the captain and managing ship and squadron operations. Captain: The commanding officer of a single ship in the Atlantean navy or of a single league of marines. They are responsible for the ship or league''s crew and their mission. Commodore: A senior officer in charge of a fleet of ships or a legion of marines. They are responsible for planning and executing naval missions. Admiral: Second highest rank of the entire navy of Atlantis, responsible for leading naval operations. High Admiral: The highest-ranking navy officer in Atlantis, responsible for overseeing the entire navy and making strategic decisions in times of war. Princes and Princesses: They have control over the navy on par with an Admiral unless they are the First Princess or First Prince, at which point they have authority directly between an Admiral and a High Admiral. King and Queen: They have absolute control over the entirety of Atlantis and the military. Royal Mercenary Companies: Azurion Company: The company currently belonging to Nerissa Atlantus Azurion, Ninth in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Fifth Princess. She was eight years old and therefore doesn¡¯t manage the company herself. The Azurion Company focuses largely on mercenaries sent out for use by other companies on Atlanta itself. Caelum Company: The company currently belonging to Selenia Atlantus Caelum, Eighth in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Fourth Princess. She was fifteen years old and only just started managing her company herself with some help. The Caelum Company focuses largely on mercenaries sent out for use by other companies on other planets. Althea Company: The company currently belonging to Azura Atlantus Althea, Seventh in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Fourth Prince. He was one hundred and fifty years old. The Althea Company focuses on mercenaries sent out to support other mercenaries and companies in combat but not directly in the combat themselves and are largely made up of support and healer Ability Holders. Aquarius Company: The company currently belonging to Koralis Altantus Aquarius, Sixth in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Third Princess. She was one hundred and sixty years old. The Aquarius Company focuses on mercenaries sent out to cities on Atlantis. Neptune Company: The company currently belonging to Typhon Atlantus Neptune, Fifth in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Third Prince. He was one hundred and seventy-five years old. The Neptune Company focuses on mercenaries meant to defend the Gates and keep spies from entering Atlantis. Sirenna Company: The company currently belonging to Marisandra Atlantus Sirenna, Fourth in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Second Princess. She was one hundred and eighty years old. The Sirenna Company focuses on mercenaries sent out to directly support combat and warfare of loosely allied nations. Aquarion Company: The company currently belonging to Nauticus Atlantus Aquarion, Third in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and Second Prince. He is twins with the Second Prince, and they were both two hundred years old. The Aquarion Company focuses on sending out specialized mercenary teams meant for covert operations. Aegir Company: The company currently belonging to Azarus Atlantus Aegir, Second in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and First Prince. He is twins with the Third Prince, and they were both two hundred years old. The Aegir Company focuses on sending out mercenary leagues and ships to close allies in times of their war with others. Nauticus Company: The company currently belonging to Azurona Atlantus Nauticus, First in line for the Throne of Atlantis, and First Princess. She was two hundred and twenty years old. The Nauticus Company focuses on sending out entire legions of mercenaries to be used in warfare with other nations and by other nations. It is also the main Company of Atlantis. All of the Companies can be used as mercenaries sent to others or to work for Atlantis itself. Not all mercenaries are specifically for combat as some are used for recreational and construction jobs, and various other jobs of the like. Arian Description: A lower population nation with a level of technology on the lower end of the universe governed by a council of tribe chieftains and a single kahuna. The decisions of the nation are all made by a group vote amongst the council and the kahuna, however, many decisions can be made by the kahuna on their own. The world of Arian is separated into floating islands spread across the sky world, where each island has a single tribe on it, each of whom are represented in their council. However, Arian has no military, and each tribe has their own defenses largely consistent of powerful independent fighters. Frost Clan Description: The nation ruling over the world of Jotunheim with a level of technology at the bottom rung of the universe. They are led by a single Clan Leader whose emotions are always erased the moment they take control, along with a council of Chiefs. However, the Clan Leader has absolute control over the nation due to their inability to be affected by emotions. The military of the Frost Clan is separated into three ranks: Vanguard ¨C The forces of the Clan that are sent to attack other worlds. Frost Sentinels ¨C The forces of the Clan that stay on Jotunheim to defend their own world. Frost Keepers ¨C The names of officers serving below Clan Chiefs within the Frost Clan. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The Clan Chiefs each have their own forces and take commands directly from the Clan Leader. Rex Dynasty of the Dead Description: The most technologically advanced nation in the universe. They created the Gates connecting each world, created the Universal Feed keeping the worlds connected through the internet, and manage each and every Gate¡¯s creation and management except for Gates created by the Eternal Dynasty. The Rex Dynasty of the Dead is ruled in an absolute monarchy by the Pharaoh, Raja Singh Amunet, and the nation and its leader both worship Death itself along with the Spirits of Death. Death is seen as a reward in the Dynasty and not a punishment. Only those who have done enough for the nation are allowed to die. Meanwhile those who do die yet have not done enough are raised as undead and forced to work until they have done enough if they killed themselves, or they will be resurrected if they were killed by other means such as murder. However, various other factors may influence it as well, such as how much benefit the being in particular may grant the nation. The necromancers of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead are the only ones to be publicly known to never have summoned a Death Spirit and be killed by the Death Spirit summoned. Every Death Spirit summoned by the necromancers of the nation left without killing their summoner, regardless of if they carried out the wishes of the summoner or not. The Rex Dynasty of the Dead¡¯s military: Pharaonic Royal Guard ¨C The personal bodyguards of the Pharaoh. They are at the top of the military and have the right to command any other member of the entire military to do anything. Death Legion ¨C The ground forces of the military. They handle the ground warfare on other planets. Death Sentinels ¨C The defensive forces of the military tasked with defending the Rex Dynasty¡¯s territory. They are often split up into enforcers to keep the peace on the worlds and military sectors to defend against attackers and have the lowest ranks amongst the military varying depending on what worlds they are stationed on. Death Fleet ¨C The space and naval forces of the military tasked with marine and space warfare. They are often the highest ranking members of the military and are tasked with defending their worlds and attacking other worlds from space. They also station themselves around the capital to defend the artificial mechanical planet known as Rex from others. Nobility ¨C The nobility have a large amount of control over the military, with the noble rankings ranging from baron to duke, with barons having control over low-ranking officers and dukes having command over up to mid-ranking officers. However, no nobles have control over high-ranking officers. Meanwhile the planetary governor of every planet is at the very minimum a viscount of the Dynasty. Shengshi Dynasty Description: A harsh nation on both natives and non-natives alike with a level of technology on the lower end of the universe. It is ruled by the emperor with a council of state officials who got the highest scores on various tests to earn their positions. The nation has no measures in place to help out the poor or the struggling, and purposefully uses them to benefit the higher ranking members of their society. Whether they got to where they are through birth or skill. And the nation does not trust outsiders in the slightest, only allowing them in unimportant cities while banning them from more important cities to the nation. The military is led by a single general who has the same ranking in regards to military decisions as the princes of the nation. Meanwhile the emperor has the authority to direct where a war will go, however he has no control over what exact actions the military will take in any particular war. The governing of the nation is split between the state officials, the emperor, and the consorts, with each having their own responsibilities. Meanwhile the consorts are all titled off of different flowers. The nation currently has six consorts, including the Rose Consort, the Daisy Consort, the Lily Consort, the Orchid Consort, the Chrysanthemum Consort, and the Azalea Consort. Meanwhile there are two princes and no princesses within the nation. Grand Silvanian Empire Description: The second largest empire in the world in terms of pure number of owned planets and citizens, with the Dread Empire being the largest. It largely specializes in healers and protection and has a strange focus on medieval aesthetics. One beginning with its emperor. And it is ruled absolutely by the Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire, with the other nobles each having some sway with him as he does truly listen to his noble court. The nation makes up the majority of the healer market around the universe, providing healers through the Healer¡¯s Order to every world with ties to the nation. Meanwhile they fund themselves largely through the Spires and the magical iron and magical steel within, which are leagues below the powerful magical silver but still incredibly powerful for a naturally found metal, and worth an extremely large sum. One large enough to fund the running of thousands of worlds. The Grand Silvanian Empire is in a constant cold war against all of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse except for Aria, who of which the emperor considers like a niece to him. Military: The Grand Silvanian Empire¡¯s military is split up into Knightly Orders, each of whom belongs to a different noble. With the Royal Order of Knights being directly under the Emperor¡¯s command and far above the others in power. However, all Knightly Orders are required to listen to the emperor as well. Royal Order of Knights: They serve the royal family and include ten Class S ability holders along with millions of Class A ability holders. The captains and commanders of the order also have authority over everyone within lower authority Orders. Which include every single other Order within the nation. Violet Order of Knights: They serve the Archduke¡¯s family and include three Class S ability holder along with millions of Class A ability holders. The captains and commanders of the order also have authority over everyone within lower authority Orders. Which include every single other Order within the nation except the Royal Order. Aqua Order of Knights: They serve the Aqua Duke¡¯s family and include a single Class S ability holder along with millions of Class A ability holders. The captains and commanders of the order also have authority over everyone within lower authority Orders. Which include every Order that serves a noble beneath the rank of duke or duchess. Emerald Order of Knights: They serve the Emerald Duchess¡¯s family and include a single Class S ability holder along with millions of Class A ability holders. The captains and commanders of the order also have authority over everyone within lower authority Orders. Which include every Order that serves a noble beneath the rank of duke or duchess. Amber Order of Knights: They serve the Amber Duchess¡¯s family and include a single Class S ability holder along with millions of Class A ability holders. The captains and commanders of the order also have authority over everyone within lower authority Orders. Which include every Order that serves a noble beneath the rank of duke or duchess. Gray Order of Knights: They serve the Gray Duchess¡¯s family and include a single Class S ability holder along with millions of Class A ability holders. The captains and commanders of the order also have authority over everyone within lower authority Orders. Which include every Order that serves a noble beneath the rank of duke or duchess. Governance: The nation¡¯s everyday operations are controlled by the Council of Nobles, which only allows nobles from the rank Marquis and above to join. But all decisions can be overruled by the emperor should he desire. Dread Empire Description: The Dread Empire is in a constant state of starvation. It is ruled absolutely by the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Famine, who has zero cares for his own people outside of their use as a source of famine to level him up. However, he tries to stop killing as much as possible for no other reason than to have more people to starve. So the nation still has the lowest death count out of most nations in the universe despite it being the worst place to live. Additionally, the Dread Empire is the largest nation in the universe in both number of worlds owned and population. With tens of thousands of worlds under its control and quadrillions of people. Meanwhile every last citizen including the nobles are required to sign a body contract blocking them from killing themselves or allowing others to kill themselves in any way whether directly or indirectly. They are also forced to obey incredibly cruel laws meant to put them in a constant state of starvation and fear. The military is directly under the control of Famine¡¯s Nine Generals and his Grand General, who of which has a perfect cloning ability reliant on illusion magic, unlike the Crimson Empire¡¯s Class S perfect ability user that uses life and death magic. There are no officers in the military as the Dread Empire¡¯s method of fighting often tends to be simply throwing their soldiers in numbers at their enemies without a care for their lives. Then reviving them afterwards by paying a massive price to their levels with void mages, their nation having been banned from the Void Temples long ago. Every single world at the end of the day is governed by one of the Grand General¡¯s clones. With a substitute governor assigned from the upper class nobility. Universe Revival is possible if a strong enough void mage or a Void Spirit is present. They are capable of pulling a soul from the void and placing it back in the body at a significant cost levels from the one revived. However, conditions have to be fulfilled for the revival to work. Such as the being who is getting revived needing to be at least level 10 if it is a void mage doing the resurrection. However, a Void Spirit can revive most people with only a few restrictions. Every world has a World Core where the users of the System are allowed to reset or lower their levels. However, these changes are permanent and cannot be revoked. Furthermore, people are not capable of forcing others to reset their levels as the System will detect attempts to do so. Invasions of new worlds are considered an honor for those who participate, and entire forces are created just to prepare for invasions, filled with people who have either stopped themselves from leveling or have had their levels purposefully reset to 1 at a World Core. Coordinates of new worlds are found by spatial magic users, and the worlds are classified by a division of seers from the Arcadian Society into five different Tiers. Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, with Alpha being the highest Tier. These Tiers are decided based on planet size, population, quantity and quality of Ability Holders, and resources. Level of the user plays an important role in society outside of Vortel. Meanwhile most adults are already at least level ten, with the higher level average adults being around level 20. Raising the level of someone¡¯s class has various effects on the user in question. Some of them include but aren¡¯t limited to raising their physical strength, their mental capacity, their magical power, their mana capacity, and their lifespan. Every user in the System tends to live for around 100 years on average, with every 100 levels doubling the user¡¯s total lifespan. Worlds across the universe vary in their levels of technology and magical understanding, with Vortel¡¯s level of technology being just a small amount above the average level of technology in the universe, and their understanding of magic a little above that. System Description: The System is an instinctive defense mechanism on every single planet in the universe, and it activates when invaders arrive to attack the planet. Class: A Class is automatically assigned to every user based on their natural ability and talents. Leveling up their Class will give them skills that will benefit them in further accomplishing what their Class requires along with possible physical or magical enhancements to their own body. Ability: An Ability is whatever special ability the user was born with. Level: A user¡¯s level is increased by doing the action that their Class centers around. Planets are tiered based on various factors including but not limited to the size of the planet¡¯s population, the number of Ability Holders they have, and the power of the Ability Holders on the planet. And they are rated between Tiers Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Epsilon, with Alpha being the highest. Abilities are divided into five Classes or Categories, the term varying depending on the culture classifying them. Category 1/Class D Category 2/Class C Category 3/Class B Category 4/Class A Category 5/Class S Aria Crimson Description: The main protagonist of the story and a true immortal. She was a soldier fighting on the side of Albaria and was on the frontlines when the gates open and the System Initializes. And she is the only surviving member of the Crimson Noble Household ¨C a family made up of Category 5/Class S Special Ability Users, each with their own unique ability. However, all of the money of the household was taken away by those who killed her family off, and she is the only one left because it is impossible to kill her. So as the only way the Emperor could think of to get rid of her, he sent her to the frontlines where she is expected to fight for eternity for the Empire. But he lost his political and military power, and was eventually killed by Aria with his soul core devoured so that he could never revive again. Aria then left Vortel and arrived on Eternus, the Capital world of the Eternal Dynasty where she began living life as she pleased. Going from one world to the next with her friend Shirogane. Eventually she learns that she is the Princess of the Crimson Empire and that the family who raised her were in actuality clones and that her real blood family is still alive. And at the end of a war she was stuck spectating between the Grand Silvanian Empire and various other nations, she is finally separated from Shirogane, beginning her travels once more through the worlds alone this time. Albeit with her immortal cat, Asher. She is beloved by the Death Spirits and the people of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. Aria doesn¡¯t care for anything that¡¯s bothersome and is a laid back person in general. And if something doesn¡¯t interest her, she won¡¯t care about it. Ability: True Immortality ¨C The user will never die and will always regenerate from any sort of damage done to them given time. Furthermore, the amount of time it takes to heal from a wound will shorten every time that exact same type of wound is received. Class: Harbinger of Death ¨C One of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the harbinger must bring death unto others to grow stronger. Characters Pestilence: Pestilence, otherwise known by the name of Victor von L¨¹neburg, is a mad man who is obsessed with science with a specific focus on poisons and diseases. Victor is always in his lab on the planet of Vest and rarely sets foot out of it. He lives on a secluded planet, only ever leaving in order to test out a new virus, plague, or disease he has made, wiping out the populations of entire planets in the process. War: War, otherwise known by the name of Lucius Octavio, is a war fanatic who brings war wherever he goes. He is the absolute ruler of a military nation called the Crimson Flag and is always on the battlefield, his class giving him the ability to fight forever without rest. Famine: Famine, otherwise known by the name of Ignatius Darkheart, is a brutal tyrant who starves his people for obedience within his ever-growing Dread Empire. He is also a warmonger who travels from planet to planet, spreading his rule along with the eternal famine that comes with it. Ignatius also grows stronger by the number of starved near him, so the further he spreads his rule the stronger he becomes. Isabella de la Vega: The ruler of the Arcadian Society that has dominance over the world of Arc. She is a mage with the ability to keep three spells ongoing indefinitely as long as she pays the mana price to activate them initially, with no more price required to upkeep them. And her Arcadian Society is a society of mages with a powerful school of magic. Leopold da Silva: The Emperor of the Grand Silvanian Empire ruling over the world of Silverfall. He is a kind ruler who loves his people but is ruthless towards his enemies and goes the extra mile to remove threats to his Empire before they become a problem. Raja Singh Amunet: The Pharaoh of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. He is a brutal tyrant who worships death and the Spirits of Death and views death as a reward for those who have fulfilled their purpose. And his people believe it as well. Hassan al-Malik: The Leader of the Council of Darkness, an Assassination group that is spread out across most of the powerful worlds initialized into the System. He is a psychopath without the capacity for emotions and cares only for coin, same as his assassin underlings. Shirou Amatsuraki: The Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty, a neutral empire that wishes only to stay afloat forever without entering conflict with other nations. Shirou himself is a lover of commerce and runs the empire as a merchant would. He has white eyes and shoulder-length white hair, and enjoys fiddling with a coin in his hands. Artorius Crimson: The Emperor of the Crimson Empire, an underground empire with many of the most powerful ability holders in the universe. He is Aria¡¯s biological father. His ability is Death Lightning. Adrian Crimson: The Prince of the Crimson Empire, an underground empire with many of the most powerful ability holders in the universe. He is Aria¡¯s biological brother. His ability is Life Clone. Lucilia Crimson: The Empress of the Crimson Empire, an underground empire with many of the most powerful ability holders in the universe. She is Aria¡¯s biological mother and one of the Nine Grands. Her ability is Life Drain. Ashur Kaelar Valan: The emperor of Arteria. DEAD Lysandre de Pyre Voltaire: The former emperor of Albaria. He is power hungry and cares only about himself without any care for the nation. To the point that he eliminated the Crimson family simply due to their power and influence threatening the little power he has remaining over the people and politics. DEAD Elara Crescent: The First General of Albaria. Serious, intelligent, leader, and cares about skill more than anything. Rowan Vale: The Second General of Albaria. Analytical and ruthless. Meanwhile he appreciates tactical maneuvers and intelligence. Calyx Star: The Third General of Albaria. Quiet, reserved, and in charge of the Third Army, which is in charge of gathering the nation¡¯s intelligence. Seraphina de Aragon: The Fourth General of Albaria. She has the most powerful Super Strength Ability in the world and can crush a skull with her bare hands with ease. Supports Aria. And she does not like how powerful ability holders are treated. Selene Morn: The Fifth General of Albaria. She has long blond hair and golden eyes and is blunt and to the point. Supports Aria because her brother, the Eighth General, supports her. While she is very much a nationalist who loves her nation and will do whatever she can to benefit it, she will assist her brother over her nation any time. Alaric Ashfall: The Sixth General of Albaria. He is an old man who doesn¡¯t participate in any of the political squabbles surrounding the generals and therefore has the least power amongst them. Valerie Sylver: The Seventh General of Albaria. She has a screw loose and does what she wants, when she wants, and when she becomes interested in something. Victor Morn: The Eighth General of Albaria. Supports Aria. He is passive aggressive and sometimes is hard to figure out. Aeliana Fang: The Ninth General of Albaria. She is power happy and enjoys having as much power as she can get her hands on. Frank Rogers: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 Enhancement ability that lets him flood energy into other people¡¯s bodies, replenishing their mana, stamina, and healing them while also increasing their strength and speed. He doesn¡¯t speak much but when he does, everyone listens. Meanwhile he sees himself in Aria and takes a liking to her. He has a large frame with black hair and green eyes and is in his early forties in age. Overdrive. Leonardo Striker: Leader of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him control kinetic energy to a degree. He wishes for his team to get along well and be more informal, so he¡¯s constantly making attempts to get them closer together. And he especially likes Category 5 abilities, finding them all to be interesting as he tries to learn more about them. He has black hair and purple eyes with an average height. He is in his mid-thirties. Twilight Huntsman. Hannah Harvey: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 Perception and Protection ability that allows her to sense everything with mana in a ten kilometer radius around them and use her own mana to create an incredibly tough barrier within a single kilometer radius around her. She is very excited to have another girl joining Team Predator but is saddened by how Aria treats them. She is taller than Aria and has brown hair with equally brown eyes and is in her mid-thirties in age. Mystic Warden. Adrian Snow: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him create blades of ice that are nearly indestructible and grow stronger with each unsuccessful blow against the target. He is a lady-killer who often goes to mixers when given time off. So he is very interested in Aria when she joins Team Predator since she¡¯s a beautiful girl. However, he believes she is too young for him and to be an officer in general and believes that she should retire. He is tall and has white hair and blue eyes and is in his mid-thirties in age. Arctic Edge. Jason Vargas: Part of Team Predator with a Category 5 ability that lets him read the minds of whoever he touches and dig into their memories. He acts kind and jokes with everyone but when it comes to his job, he is ruthless and follows Striker¡¯s orders to a T. He sees Aria as a weapon to be used, just like himself. So he has nothing against her joining the team and welcomes her. He has gray hair and eyes and is in his late thirties in age. Psionic Inquisitor. Vorelius Cornelius Caesar: Emperor of the Grand Roan Empire. Ryohei Shirogane: The Silver Merchant, traveling companion, and contracted merchant contracted to Aria. He is a Nine Star Merchant and Prince of the Eternal Dynasty whose level is incredibly high but unknown, and he has the Class S ability to manipulate and create metal and turn it into liquid or molten metal. Aisling Sullivan: Clan Leader of the Sullivan Clan on Luk¡¯tar. Darragh Sullivan: On the Sullivan Clan¡¯s council and brother of Aisling. Sean Byrne: Clan Leader of the Byrne Clan on Luk¡¯tar. Azura Atlantus Althea: Seventh in line for the Atlantean throne and friend of Aria¡¯s. He likes setting up cafes. Nerissa Atlantus Azurion: Ninth in line for the Atlantean throne and a friend of Aria¡¯s who thinks of Aria as an older sister. She was only 8 years old when she first met Aria but is now an adult. She quickly became close to Aria and shares Aria¡¯s interest in explosions. Selenia Atlantus Caelum: Eighth in line for the Atlantean throne and a friend of Aria¡¯s who thinks of Aria as an older sister. She was only 15 years old when she first met Aria but is now an adult. Sel enjoys battling very much and would often spar with Aria or join her on hunts to the Grand Ocean during Aria¡¯s time on Atlantis. Akela Nalohia: Kahuna of Arian. Hao Xing Shengshi: Emperor of the Shengshi Dynasty. Lei Xao Shengshi: Elder Prince of the Shengshi Dynasty. Mo Xao Shengshi: Younger Prince of the Shengshi Dynasty. B4 | Chapter 1 Eternus Yakashi Kito feels nervous as he walks through the capital city of Eternus. As he passes by one massive electronic billboard after another, each advertising the grand celebration of the Heir to the throne¡¯s commencement ceremony. A round of celebratory and congratulatory celebrations that will be going on for an entire week, starting with a ball on day one. But none of that matters to Kito. Because what really matters to him is where he is currently going. His mind is fully locked on his current objective. To join the Pale Mercenaries. The personal mercenary company belonging to the Horseman of Death. News of the beautiful Horseman of Death has spread all across the universe at this point. A woman both powerful, beautiful, and eccentric beyond measure. She has grown largely known for her mercenary acts over her century or more of activity throughout the universe. Joining one war after another, or ending one conflict after another. All based on her whims and depending on where she wishes to travel next. The one being in the entire universe other than Death Spirits who will never die. Who will be around for eternity. Ever since the war on Silverfall, where the Pale Horseman stayed completely neutral, mercenaries throughout the universe began running in droves to join her mercenary company. Whether it¡¯s those who wish a tie to the Horseman of the Apocalypse, a tie to the imperial family of the Crimson Empire, or just to join a company that doesn¡¯t enter conflicts for no reason. And Kito is not ashamed to count himself amongst those numbers. He keeps walking through the city until he begins to near the outskirts. At which point he finds the building he is looking for standing high above every other building nearby, right next to the Hunter¡¯s Bay within the capital. Property given to the Pale Horseman by the new Prince of the Eternal Dynasty himself. A man otherwise known as the Silver Merchant. The building itself spans over a hundred floors, and it¡¯s been rapidly filling up with new hires by the day. But from what Kito has heard, most of the time Death herself is nowhere near the building. Instead she is traveling from one world to another. Now, however, is a different matter. Kito glances at the entrance of the building, where he finds long lines of people who are obviously mercenaries waiting for their turn to enter the building. Meanwhile, staff belonging to the Pale Mercenaries, each with suits of high-tech armor with the Pale Horseman¡¯s personal emblem imprinted on their armor¡¯s shoulder marking their identities, move around guiding each of the mercenaries and keeping order. And in addition to them, various bottom ranking Death Spirits wander around acting as security. Now the Pale Horseman is stuck in her company building doing work since she¡¯s staying on Eternus now anyways. For the prince¡¯s ceremonies. Kito glances down at himself to make sure he has everything he needs for the interview and testing here. And after he finds his own high-tech armor from the Rex Dynasty securely fit, along with his sword-gun, he nods to himself and joins the very end of the line. Then he waits. And waits. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. And waits. The line very slowly progresses forwards, with Kito very much wishing that he had arrived earlier. Before the line progressed to this point. But he didn¡¯t, so he ends up spending over half the entire day in the line until he finally reaches the front and is called in for the next batch of testing. At which point he finds a woman that he immediately recognizes overseeing the tests. A woman who is also royalty, just like the Pale Horseman herself. Albeit to a much smaller nation. She is Selenia Atlantus Caelum, the Fourth Princess of the Kingdom of Atlantis, and the top ranking mercenary under the Pale Mercenaries ranks. The woman has long azure hair tied up in a ponytail, and is wearing a deep blue set of high tech armor, no doubt coming from the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. The official supplier for technology for the Pale Mercenaries. Meanwhile she has a sword hanging from her waist and both of her hands held behind her back. But despite her composed posture, Kito can¡¯t help but look at the excited expression on her face as she looks over every one of the mercenaries. As if she can¡¯t wait to test them all out. A battle-maniac, just like everyone says¡­ He¡¯d heard news before that the two youngest princesses of Atlantis both knew the Pale Horseman when the princesses were kids, and that¡¯s why both of them joined the Pale Mercenaries. But the rumors around them mostly talk about their connection to the Horseman. Not about how talented they are individually. Although Kito feels a bit reassured by the fact that he can¡¯t see the princess¡¯s level. Even if she isn¡¯t more skilled than him. ¡°As many of you know, our leader is currently residing in our building,¡± the princess begins speaking, her voice clearly audible throughout the training hall. A hall filled with various pieces of testing equipment and some dueling rings, along with some illusionary dueling rings that must¡¯ve cost the company a fortune. ¡°And I am quite eager to take advantage of her once in a blue moon presence to recruit as many talented recruits as possible.¡± Whispers begin to fill the hall, only for the princess to start grinning from ear to ear as she shouts, ¡°But before that, how about we eliminate the weaklings amongst you!¡± Her words immediately antagonize the mercenaries within the hall as some of them begin mouthing off to her. But the princess simply grins at them, then at everyone else, and says, ¡°If you think you can take me, I¡¯ll take you all on myself. One versus five matches each. In the illusionary dueling rings.¡± The crowd begins to quiet a little bit before she continues, ¡°If you can defeat me, you¡¯re in without having to take the rest of the tests. But if I beat you within less than half a minute, you¡¯re out! I¡¯ll be having the Death Spirits escort you personally!¡± Her grin grows wider as she leans forwards a bit. ¡°So, what do you say?¡± Immediately after her question, one challenge after another fills the hall. But Kito stays silent, deciding to simply wait and watch on the sidelines to study the woman¡¯s real combat strength before making any moves. And it doesn¡¯t take him long to feel relieved at that decision. Not after seeing the first round of level four hundreds being wiped out in seconds by the princess. An act that quickly wipes out half of the challengers¡¯ zeal, leaving only the other half left to challenge her. The stronger ones. But even they end up with nearly half of them being eliminated and taken away. Kito keeps watching every fight, however. No matter how the matches go. And through this, he manages to learn quite a few things about the way the princess battles. For one, like many of the Atlantis Royal Family, she uses a variant of water magic. Which, in her case, is ice magic. And she uses it far better than what her presumed level is most likely at. Based on the reactions of those others in the room who must be able to see her level. The ones higher level than he is. Along with the amount of physical strength the woman is able to put out. She is talented, and her combat style seems to treat everything like she¡¯s battling in water. She freezes the air around her and moves around like she¡¯s underwater, surprising those she faces and defeating them near instantly as they try to adjust to her fighting style. Overall, Kito feels rather impressed by the woman. Especially since the woman only has a Class A ability. But Kito is different from the other mercenaries in the room. So after the woman wipes the floor with another group, Kito steps up and challenges her. But he does it alone, startling her in the process. The woman tilts her head after his challenge and asks, ¡°Are you sure? You won¡¯t be able to join if you lose within half a minute.¡± Kito just smiles at her and nods, his long purple hair falling over his shoulders in the process. The princess¡¯s eyes rove over his form, taking in his shorter stature, his weapons, and his armor until they land on his uniquely colored purple eyes, and she grins. ¡°Alright,¡± she answers without any hesitation. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± B4 | Chapter 2 Aria I stare blankly at the stacks of paperwork sitting on my desk as I rest my chin in the palms of both my hands and my elbows sitting on the desk. Just wondering why I have to deal with paperwork. It¡¯s so annoying. The entire reason I hired Little Blue was so that I wouldn¡¯t have to deal with paperwork. So that she could deal with it all for me. But nope. Apparently, while she can do most of the paperwork, some of it absolutely requires the signature of the person at the top of the food chain here. I let out another sigh before sitting up straight and spinning my chair around to look out the window at the very long line of applicants to the mercenary company. A line that I swear only gets longer by the day. Because it probably is getting longer by the day. All because news is finally getting out to the universe as a whole about some of my actions over the years. Some of the wars I¡¯ve fought in, conflicts I¡¯ve resolved, situations I¡¯ve handled, and even the wars I just kinda sat by and watched. Like the one with the Grand Silvanian Empire not too long ago. Then there¡¯s news about my presence here for Shirogane¡¯s little ceremony to officially grant him the title of Crown Prince. A ceremony that some people higher up in society are apparently calling ¡®Death¡¯s Debut¡¯, since it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ll have shown up in an official ceremony where all the important nation leaders will be attending. I felt a little bad for Shirogane at first due to this attention, but he¡¯s apparently rather happy with it all. Mostly because it creates a connection between me and Shirogane in the eyes of the other nations, showing a good standing between us. So I guess it¡¯s fine so long as it doesn¡¯t bother him. But it is still annoying. I hear the door to my office opening, making me immediately spin around to focus on the paperwork again as Little Blue exclaims, ¡°Please focus on your paperwork. You have to get this paperwork done by the end of the ceremony Aria.¡± And the nagger is back. ¡°Can¡¯t I just designate you as having the authority to sign for me?¡± I complain while glaring at the paperwork in front of me. Then I raise my head and add, ¡°And why do I need to sign a document about some set diet for the mercenaries anyways?¡± Little Blue sighs and explains, ¡°Because unlike you, we all have to eat. And what we eat determines the physical health and fitness of our bodies.¡± I blink at that before looking down at the paper and muttering, ¡°Sounds like a pain.¡± Little Blue sighs again. A common occurrence these days. It¡¯s rather sad how things progressed to this point. When I first stopped by Atlantis a little while back and asked if she wanted to take a job managing my company, she was quite thrilled. But she always gets like this when the paperwork stacks up. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. And she¡¯s rather scary if I try to say no. ¡°Little Blue, what do you think about a two-week-long vacation?¡± I ask with a bright smile on my face. She just stares at me. ¡°Okay, then how about a month-long vacation?¡± I continue, my smile growing a little. She keeps staring. ¡°Fine,¡± I mutter, ¡°then how about a year-long vacation? Paid in full.¡± ¡°First of all, I¡¯m not a kid anymore. Please don¡¯t call me Little Blue,¡± she says, a very slight blush on her otherwise stern face. Then she says, ¡°Secondly, why do you keep extending it instead of shortening it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Little Blue, but you will always be a kid in my eyes,¡± I tell her with a firm nod of my head, making her drop her face into her hands with another sigh. But when I open my mouth to speak again, the buzzer on my door rings. So I call out, ¡°Come in.¡± Nice. A break from paperwork. Little Blue squints her eyes at me as if she just read my thoughts, but I ignore her to focus on the mercenary who enters the room and immediately salutes me. ¡°Lady Death, the recruitment department believes you may want to see what¡¯s happening in the training hall right now,¡± the mercenary says without any hesitation, having learned by now that I don¡¯t like wasting time with formal talk and greetings. I share a glance with Little Blue before turning to a device on my desk and saying, ¡°Crimson, please pull up the feed from the training hall.¡± The AI responds right away by making a holographic screen appear in front of my desk. |Showing the main training hall.| Little Blue walks around the desk and stands right behind my chair to the side, looking over my shoulder at the screen. Meanwhile the screen itself shows Sel, Little Blue¡¯s older sister, fighting with all she¡¯s got against a man with a relatively uncommon appearance. He is rather short, with purple hair and eyes, and a black and purple high tech set of armor. ¡°Name and level?¡± I ask while resting my cheek against my fist, my elbow on the armrest of my chair. |The recruit¡¯s name is Yakashi Kito, and his level is 612.| ¡°His level is over a hundred below Sel¡¯s, yet he¡¯s keeping up like this¡­¡± Little Blue mutters while leaning against the back of my chair with her head sticking out over my shoulder. By the looks of it, he¡¯s a mage. One with gravity magic, considering the purple coloring and how his body is moving far faster than it should otherwise move. Not to mention how he seems to be weighing down Sel with his magic as well. But the spell circles he¡¯s using¡­ and those spells I can sense engraved in his own flesh¡­ |It is estimated that Yakashi Kito is a Class S Gravity Mana Control ability holder.| ¡°My thoughts exactly,¡± I mutter while watching the two go at it despite the large level gap between them. Mages have different Classes for their abilities. And while a low Class mage can catch up to a higher Class mage, they do have inherent advantages. Like the limit of how many spells can be engraved into their flesh, what types of spell circles they can cast, and how much mana they possess. Honestly, if the Arcadian Society were to find out about this guy, they¡¯d probably come knocking just to get him to join them. ¡°Huh,¡± Little Blue mutters while tilting her head a little. ¡°Wasn¡¯t expecting to recruit a Class S ability holder so soon.¡± But it sounds like you were still expecting to recruit one. I don¡¯t say that out loud though. It is rather surprising to have a Class S joining us, if I¡¯m being honest with myself. Although, at the same time, I don¡¯t really care one way or another. After all, while this mercenary company is technically mine, I have nothing to do with building it up to where it is today. Other than my name attracting people here. I mostly just use it for my own convenience and forget about it afterwards. Little Blue is the one responsible for taking charge of it. She¡¯s also rather happy with it, since the mercenary company she manages on Atlantis isn¡¯t anywhere near as big as mine has grown. And she can use mine from time to time to help out hers. Both Little Blue and I watch the battle for a little bit as Sel and the mage go at it. But eventually Sel manages to beat him. Not until long after that time limit she gave, though. Which lets the Class S gravity mage immediately skip the rest of the tests to join us. I watch for a few seconds longer as Sel and the man shake hands, then I comment, ¡°I kind of want to meet him.¡± Little Blue looks at me for a second before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll add it to your schedule.¡± Good. ¡°Now back to your paperwork,¡± she adds, making me grimace. Not good. B4 | Chapter 3 Aria ¡°And done¡­¡± I mutter while slumping back in my office chair and staring up at the ceiling with a faint smile on my face. ¡°No more paperwork.¡± ¡°You did well,¡± Little Blue says with a smile of her own from across my desk as some of the mercenaries gather up the piles of paperwork sitting on my desk. ¡°Now onto the next matter of business.¡± I sit up straight in an instant as I exclaim, ¡°There¡¯s a next matter?!¡± Little Blue blinks in surprise and tilts her head before asking, ¡°You didn¡¯t forget why you came here, right?¡± ¡°Shirogane¡¯s designation ceremony,¡± I answer without hesitation, making her nod her head. ¡°And you didn¡¯t expect to just walk in wearing that, right?¡± she comments while nodding again at what I¡¯m currently wearing. Which consists of a regular T-shirt, jacket, and pants. I glance down at myself, not really finding anything wrong with my current outfit. Then I look back up at her again while tilting my head. She apparently doesn¡¯t need me to say anything as she puts her face in her hand and sighs, muttering, ¡°Right. Of course you did.¡± And after shaking her head in what looks like exasperation for a few seconds, she looks up at me again and asks, ¡°Haven¡¯t you worn a dress to every ball you¡¯ve been to up till now? Why would this one be any different? We can¡¯t have Death walking into one of the biggest parties in the entire universe wearing casual clothes like what you¡¯re in now¡­¡± I stare at her for a few seconds before answering while still tilting my head, ¡°Because other people put me in those clothes and I didn¡¯t really care either way.¡± That has Little Blue staring at me for an uncomfortably long time. ¡°What?¡± I ask, not really sure what¡¯s going on. I¡¯ve personally never really cared about clothes. I just wear what¡¯s comfortable. And generally what¡¯s comfortable is simpler and without a bunch of different layers and things to put on. She eventually sighs again and reaches down to the terminal on my desk to press a button. Then she says, ¡°Catherine, please get ready. We¡¯ll be down there soon.¡± ¡°Of course, Your Highness,¡± the woman who I believe is in charge of the armory answers, confusing me for a second. Little Blue makes eye contact with me and says, ¡°You still need to get changed for the opening ceremony party. I made sure Catherine knows the type of clothing you prefer, so don¡¯t worry about that.¡± I blink at her before the girl goes around my desk and pulls me to my feet. And without hesitation, she starts pushing me towards the door while saying, ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be too much left to do, since you¡¯re already perfect as is and don¡¯t need makeup or anything to make you more beautiful, but the outfit we choose needs to be perfect. You need to make an impression on everyone there after all.¡± An impression? I try to look back at her as she pushes me out the door, but all I find is a bright smile on her face. As if she just got a doll to play with. Why do I feel like she¡¯s doing this for more than just my making a good impression? Also, I swear I heard a mercenary mutter after that something about her being jealous of my not needing any sort of makeup. But I probably just imagined it. She continues pushing me until I start walking alongside her towards the armory. Then we enter some side room I didn¡¯t know about, where I find a bunch of dresses, along with Catherine, who is standing next to some sewing supplies. Wait, does she do more than just armor? That¡¯s convenient. My good mood drops a little though when I see the mountains of different dresses in the room.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°We have several hours until the opening ceremony begins, so let¡¯s use that time to its fullest,¡± Catherine says without missing a beat before moving over to the closest dress. I glance at Little Blue and quickly find her smiling at me with a bit of anticipation hidden beneath that smile. Seriously? Well, whatever. She¡¯s still a kid. Might as well humor her for now.
The Ceremony Hall Shirogane stares down at the people in the ceremony hall feeling more than a little bored. The hall itself is large with balconies spread on both sides of the hall looking out over the ocean beneath the castle and a floating dais made of water high above the hall itself holding two thrones, one of which Shirogane is currently sitting on. But the only other people up on the dais along with him are his father, who is sitting on the main throne without showing any hint about what he¡¯s feeling, and whichever representative is currently paying their respects. The new Crown Prince makes sure to go through the motions, politely responding to each and every one of them. Accepting their gifts, their well wishes, and their praise while also making sure to study each one to watch their expressions with care. Seeing just how they think of him. Time passes, and with each person who introduces themselves, the number of people in the hall below grows more populated as they proceed to go down to join the festivities. And with each person, the next one is from a more influential power. But despite all of this, Shirogane can¡¯t help but feel both anxious and bored at the same time. Anxious waiting for Aria to arrive, and bored because he knows she won¡¯t be arriving until right before the other Nine Grands who are showing up. A position saved for her to show how influential she is without putting her on the same stage as the Nine Grands just yet. Both Shirogane and his father know perfectly well that Aria won¡¯t care about any of the political symbolism behind how things are done, but they believe it to be best to do it that way regardless. Shirogane keeps moving through the motions of the night while occasionally looking around the hall at the different sections. To accommodate the various different types of humans and nations, the hall itself is split into several sections. Some of which are filled with lava, others water, and others pure land. All different types of terrain, each for different humans that have different living conditions. Meanwhile refreshments, all different forms of entertainment including music, stage performances, combat, and even sports are played throughout the enormous place. But Shirogane always finds his eyes moving towards the entrance despite all of the entertainment. Even as he entertains whichever representatives or royals are in front of him. He would pay a bit more attention to them, but they¡¯re still the early officials belonging to the weaker nations. People who he won¡¯t likely ever see again and don¡¯t really matter to the nation. As time goes on, and more people pass though, he slowly focuses more and more. All the way till all of his attention is focused solely on the officials in front of him. Over time Shirogane gets fully absorbed into the introductions and politics. So absorbed that he almost misses it when the woman he has been waiting for finally enters the hall. And even then, the only reason he doesn¡¯t miss it is because everyone in the hall goes silent the moment the doors open to the ceremony hall. Shirogane first glances down at the people, finding them all staring at the entrance in surprise. Some of them showing some fear, others showing awe. And when he follows their gazes, he finds the woman who he has been in love with for decades now walking into the hall without a single care in the world about the people staring at her. As if none of them exist. Whispers begin to fill the hall about the Horseman of Death. Harbinger of Death, Pale Horseman, Pale One, and Death herself. No matter which one of the many nicknames she has, they are all whispered across the hall by the many influential figures within it. Shirogane smiles as he admires Aria¡¯s dress for the night. Something he knows for a fact that the youngest royal of the Atlantis Royal Family had a hand in preparing for her. The dress is largely red and black, with a mostly open back and exposed shoulders and frills going down the length of the dress¡¯s skirt that alternate between red and black in color. Meanwhile the top part of her dress has a pattern on it that reminds Shirogane of the roses that people often put in Aria¡¯s hair. Just like the rose decoration currently in her hair. With a band of fabric around both her upper arms. Her overall dress strongly reminds him of Aria herself. Almost like the dress was made for her. It reminds me of both death and beauty at the same time¡­ The corners of his lips quirk upwards as Aria glides across the stairs of water up to the dais. And, as expected of a Horseman of the Apocalypse, she doesn¡¯t bow or kneel or show any form of deference to Shirogane or the emperor. Instead, she nods her head towards Shirogane and says, ¡°Congrats.¡± Then, amidst the awed silence of a room full of people no doubt seeing the black number above her head despite their incredibly high levels, she walks back down the stairs and joins the party. Immediately finding the closest and unsurprisingly most expensive wine in the hall. Then she moves off to a balcony and starts drinking it there without paying attention to the people following her with their eyes. Shirogane almost snorts in amusement at that. But that wouldn¡¯t be princely. He looks at the girl with her figure framed by the large moon for several seconds before remembering that he has a job to do. And the next entrants are the Grands who chose to come. The most important people he needs to meet. B4 | Chapter 4 Aria I let out a yawn as I lean over the railing of the balcony, looking out at the ocean and the full moon shining at the edge of the horizon. The ceremony itself is held in a large castle far from most cities, so there isn¡¯t really much to see beyond the ocean from here. Not that I mind. It gives me a nice view while I¡¯m sitting here bored to death. At least the dress the girls put me in is at least comfortable. And I¡¯ll admit, it does look nice. The other people here seem to agree considering how much they¡¯re staring at me. And while I would first assume it¡¯s because I¡¯m Death, some of them are obviously admiring my looks without really hiding it. Well, whatever. I yawn again, only to turn my head while resting it on the palm of my hand, my elbow sitting on the railing as I look back at the doors of the hall. With the gazes of most of the people here turning to look as well when they open to reveal someone I actually recognize entering. Haven¡¯t seen him in a very long time. To my complete lack of surprise, the pharaoh of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead nods and waves at me the instant he enters the hall, pretty much ignoring the emperor and crown prince of the Eternal Dynasty in the process until I nod back. Then he starts walking up the stairs to the raised dais of water. Yeah, Shirogane told me this would likely happen. Apparently the pharaoh barely ever attends events held by other nations, so his reasoning for attending this one is pretty obvious. He also took the attention away from me since he¡¯s also a rather rare sight to see. And a lot of people probably want to make connections with him. As for his attire? It¡¯s actually rather androgynous. Makes it hard to tell if he¡¯s male or female. Although I guess he¡¯s technically neither in a biological sense, so it makes sense. His attire very much looks like a royal pharaoh, with a lot of flowy material and some exposed skin with shorts, long sleeves, and cloth flowing down from his waist all around except for the front. Meanwhile he has an amulet resting on his chest with black and gold colors spread throughout the outfit, mixed with some white. And to top things off, he doesn¡¯t have a single emotion displayed on his face as he walks. Except for when he looks my way. Then there¡¯s his entourage that enters the chamber alongside him, which mostly just consists of higher ups from the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. All of whom give me a deep bow before even facing the emperor and crown prince. Which sends whispers spreading throughout the hall, but I¡¯m just going to ignore those. The pharaoh¡¯s greeting to the emperor and crown prince themselves doesn¡¯t last long. To the point that he just walks up there, nods his head once, says congratulations to Shirogane, and leaves again. Walking straight over towards me and settling down on the balcony without a word. Meanwhile his entourage just kinda form a wall at the entrance of the balcony as if blocking any unwanted company from bothering us. Not that I mind. Right as I¡¯m about to turn back to admire the moon again, I hear the door to the hall opening again. And this time the ones who enter are the representatives of the Grand Silvanian Empire, including the emperor, Leopold. Who also nods his head my way after entering. Which once again causes whispers to be sent out around the hall.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. But this time he doesn¡¯t even bother saying anything to the emperor or crown prince. Just walks up there, drops off his gift, and walks away without a word. Heading towards me as well. Then our group of two people on this balcony turns into three, with Leopold¡¯s Royal Knights standing guard alongside Raja¡¯s Pharaonic Royal Guard. At this point I turn around to face the moon again while yawning, no longer caring about what¡¯s going on in the hall. I don¡¯t know any more of the Grands that should be making an appearance today after all. Most likely there won¡¯t be any of the other Horsemen of the Apocalypse attending. They never do after all. Except maybe Famine, but he wouldn¡¯t be invited in the first place. And I can¡¯t see the Crimson Empire leaving hiding again to show up. Unless they¡¯ve just given up on hiding. Not that my biological family would even be able to attend, considering the curse. And the Council of Darkness doesn¡¯t show up to events like this. For obvious reasons. What with them being a group of hired assassins. The door opens again, immediately making the talk within the hall vanish in moments. Which surprises me a little. Enough that I glance behind myself to find a representative of the Crimson Empire walking into the hall while surrounded by white haired people wearing cloaks with masks covering their faces. And immediately after she waltzes into the hall, whispers about the Crimson Empire fill the hall. This is starting to get old. I turn back around and face the moon again, holding back a yawn this time as both Leopold and Raja stand a couple meters to my sides without saying a word. The emperors just looking into the hall at the Crimson Empire¡¯s representative, and Raja having his eyes closed as if he¡¯s taking a nap. But regardless of what they¡¯re doing, I¡¯m perfectly fine with it. Because they make rather nice shields from the other delegates, royals, representatives, and so on in the hall. I was very much not looking forward to this ceremony due to having to deal with their politics. But with these lovely shields, I don¡¯t have to deal with any of it. And I can sense another shield walking in this direction. After several seconds, I see the representative of the Crimson Empire joining us out on the balcony and walking up to me before kneeling down with her head lowered and her arm crossed over her chest. Meanwhile all of the other cloaked people from the empire kneel down behind the representative. ¡°Your Highness, I am Duchess Rose from the Crimson Empire,¡± the representative says as I lazily look at her without really caring. She raises her head to look at me and continues, ¡°It is an honor to meet you.¡± The woman is the only one of their group not wearing a mask on her face. Although she does have the same cloak that the others have. And just like me and the other crimsons, she has stark white hair with red eyes. Albeit not glowing red like mine. Mine are also more crimson and blood-like than hers and the other crimsons in front of me. ¡°Pleasure to meet you,¡± I respond politely before returning my gaze to the moon. And after a few seconds, the duchess stands up and takes a position at the entrance to the balcony, acting as a guard alongside her own guards. Further increasing the number of people guarding us. The entrance to this balcony is getting crowded. I finish up my glass of wine before beginning to turn around, only to find Raja handing me another glass of wine. Making me blink in surprise. ¡°Thank you,¡± I tell him with a faint smile. Then I notice the many guards holding glasses of wine that they aren¡¯t drinking. Wait, did they just gather up¡­ I spot a couple other guards walking up with wine in their hands before joining the others. Without drinking the wine. They really are just gathering wine for me to drink here, aren¡¯t they? I could get used to this. Although the looks the other delegates, royals, and representatives are sending us is growing more and more shocked and dumbfounded by the second. Meanwhile whispers fill the hall as many of them send anxious looks my way. As if they¡¯re really wanting to come and talk to me but don¡¯t have the guts. Which makes sense, considering who is surrounding me. Well, that¡¯s not my problem. I turn to face the moon again while sipping my wine, enjoying the wonderful flavor it has. This ceremony is ending up more enjoyable than I expected. These people make great shields. And none of them are bothering me either. Maybe I should¡¯ve brought Asher with me? I stare out at the moon for a few seconds. Maybe not. Silence suddenly spreads through the hall again as the doors creak open, making me frown. Because I don¡¯t remember them creaking when the others entered the hall. And just seconds later, I feel a very¡­ strange sensation filling the hall. I turn around before immediately making eye contact with the person entering it as guards all around the hall draw their blades while facing them. But I ignore all of that. All I can focus on is the new entry into the hall, whose eyes I immediately lock on. Realizing who he is in an instant. Just like with the other two Horsemen I¡¯ve run into in the past. Famine. B4 | Story Art As always, click here for the story art if it breaks to see the public Patreon post! If anyone ignores this and says even a single word about the art breaking, as usual I will lock the comments. To start things off, here are three new pieces of story art. After them will just be some story art for characters that may or may not be attending the ceremony. New art of Shirou, the emperor of the Eternal Dynasty: Next up is art that I''ll just go ahead and let you take your own guesses as to what it is :) And next up is art that a lot of people have asked for. Art of Aria and Asher, her cat: With her just sitting on a lawn chair on the dock of a hunter''s bay on Eternus with Asher blocking her from reading her book. His paws are white btw, but you can''t see them through the book.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The next pictures are ones you''ve seen before, and they''re of characters that may or may not show up at the ceremony: Famine: Shirogane: Leopold: The Pharaoh, Raja: Isabella: Azura: For the ones who will be at the ceremony, that''s obviously not their garbs at the ceremony. Except Shirou, the emperor of the Eternal Dynasty. That is his outfit at the ceremony. B4 | Chapter 5 Aria The silence in the hall grows tense as everyone either moves their hands towards any sorts of weapons they may have on their person or they back away to the edges of the hall. But the source of the tension, Famine himself, completely ignores everyone. He even ignores the stairs to the dais and just walks around the stairs, blowing off the emperor and crown prince entirely as he heads over to our balcony. Then he proceeds to ignore everyone he passes along the way until he reaches the many guards we have on the balcony. And while the guards try to stand firm for a few seconds, all it takes is a single glance from Famine for them all to collapse on the ground, emaciated. I narrow my eyes at Famine for a second as I ask, ¡°If you¡¯re gonna drain guards here, could you keep it to the other guests please?¡± Famine blinks for a second before laughing out loud and saying, ¡°Our first interaction, and you scold me? I¡¯m really glad I came here.¡± I cross my arms as Famine completely ignores everyone else on the balcony as if they were nothing but worms. Something I pretty much expected from the Horseman supremist. The Horseman grins at me and reaches his hand out as if wanting to shake my hand. So, after a brief hesitation, I reach out and grab his hand. Only for the Horseman to move his hand at the last second and grab my hand in a different way before raising my hand to his face and kissing the backs of my fingers. I feel a slight shiver run down my spine at that before I blankly stare at him and ask, ¡°What are you doing?¡± He looks up from my fingers, a rather¡­ uh¡­ insane look in his eye, and says, ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to meet the only female Horseman for a while, my Lady Aria. So it¡¯s a pleasure.¡± The insane look grows even more twisted as he moves his face a bit closer to mine. ¡°Please call me Ignatius.¡± I try to decide whether I should be grossed out by his current act or confused. His smile grows into a more flirting look as he says, ¡°You¡¯re as radiant and beautiful as the rumors say, Lady Aria.¡± Right. I should be grossed out. I take my fingers from his hand and wipe them on my dress¡¯s skirt. Then I go ahead and say rather bluntly, ¡°Why are you bothering with this act? We Horsemen can¡¯t feel romantic or sexual urges. So what¡¯s the point in acting?¡± He just bursts out laughing at that before stepping forwards and putting an arm around my shoulder, making me glare at the offending hand that I see near my collarbone. And as if it were nothing, he says, ¡°Because I¡¯ve never been able to mess around like this before. The only women I¡¯ve known were pigs after all.¡± Now I just stare blankly ahead at the pharaoh with a look of ¡®help me¡¯ on my face. Or even Leopold. Whoever will help me. But no one gets a chance, since Famine quickly moves back away from me again. And when I turn around to look at him, I find the man looking down his nose at everyone else in the hall that is currently staring at us. Including Shirou and Shirogane, Shirogane of which looks incredibly pissed off for some reason. Maybe because Famine wasn¡¯t supposed to show up? Not sure. Could also just be that they really hate Famine. Which I guess makes sense, considering how most of the universe feels about the mentally unstable tyrant.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Oh. And there¡¯s the fact that he keeps calling people pigs right now in front of their faces. Yeah, that would do it. ¡°There¡¯s so many worthless pigs here, you¡¯d think this was some sort of gathering for them,¡± Famine mutters, making me do a double-take in his direction. Then I look at the people he¡¯s talking about again, finding everyone either too terrified of him to say anything or show their anger, or finding them rather livid at the man. He really doesn¡¯t even consider anyone except Horsemen as sapient beings¡­ ¡°You¡¯re the same as always, Dread Emperor,¡± Leopold finally speaks up, bringing Famine¡¯s attention over towards him with a look on his face as if he¡¯s looking at a bug. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the brat,¡± Famine says before reaching up and tapping his lips, looking slightly upwards in the process. ¡°What was your name again¡­ oh, right!¡± He forms a fist and hits his other palm with it. ¡°The golden boy who was messing with our fight with the Crimsons!¡± Then he tilts his head and looks genuinely confused at the man as he asks, ¡°You¡¯re still alive? Thought you would¡¯ve croaked long ago. You humans are rather fragile after all.¡± Well that can¡¯t be good. I glance at Leopold to find the man looking more pissed the hell off than I¡¯ve ever seen anyone before in my life. But before he can say anything, Raja speaks up, bringing our attention to the pharaoh, ¡°Please reign yourself in here, Famine. Unless you want another crusade beginning.¡± Famine glances at Raja with a frown on his face, surprisingly showing a different expression than usual. Different from the one he was sending the others that made it look like he was looking at a bunch of insects or pigs. Probably because Raja isn¡¯t a human. He¡¯s an undead. Famine still doesn¡¯t look particularly pleased with him though. ¡°Keep your comments to yourself, living corpse,¡± Famine says with more than a little scorn in his voice. ¡°And I know you wouldn¡¯t join a crusade like that anyways, so what¡¯s the point in worrying about a bunch of insects nipping at my heels?¡± He glances at me with a faint smile before turning back to glaring at Raja. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have any time to care about anything other than Lady Aria here.¡± ¡°True as that may be,¡± Raja says, making me do a doubletake at him instead, ¡°you should remember that what any individual Horseman does will affect all of your reputations. And I will not have you sullying Death¡¯s name.¡± His comment seems to genuinely confuse Famine as I glance back and forth between the two. ¡°Why would a superior Horseman of the Apocalypse need to worry about the views of insects?¡± Famine asks, sounding genuine despite the words that just came out of his mouth. Raja quickly fires back at him again, except with his words now starting to sound like he¡¯s trying to convert Famine to my religion or something. Which is getting even creepier. And Famine just starts to agree with him on some of the things he says about my superiority, only making things even more awkward in the process. Even if he still says that a reputation for a Horseman amongst ¡®lowly animals and insects¡¯ isn¡¯t necessary. I turn to look at Leopold, who still looks pissed the hell off. Both for what Famine said earlier and the fact that he was completely blown off for this ridiculous argument. Then I turn around to look at the many royals and representatives throughout the hall, where I hear them whispering about the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Mostly about Famine¡¯s unexpected appearance, but also about me. The bright side is that the whispers about me aren¡¯t very negative. Most are just about how beautiful Death is, stuff about the phrase about the beauty of the end and all that being true, along with the whole thing about my number being black to everyone in the room. And about how laidback I am. Some people even seem to be rather happy about how I am here, since their first impression of me doesn¡¯t lead them to believing I¡¯m some psychopath like the other Horsemen. It¡¯s giving them hope. Then there are the people talking about Famine. Yeah, they¡¯re not very happy about him. Don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard a single thing that wasn¡¯t negative about him so far. And Famine doesn¡¯t seem to care even the slightest bit about it. Assuming he even notices. Considering how insistent he is about them being nothing but pigs and insects to him, he probably doesn¡¯t care. Soon enough, Leopold joins in on the Horseman and Raja¡¯s argument. Adding his own comments, mostly just to counter Famine¡¯s. The two having some strange grudge between each other. Largely revolving around Famine talking down to him like Leopold¡¯s a child, seemingly because Famine met him when he was just a child, and Leopold getting more and more pissed off from it all. So I do the most logical thing in this situation. I sneak away to another balcony. And when I arrive, I let out a sigh and take a glass of wine handed to me by the Crimson Empire representative and her guards who followed me, having been completely ignored by Famine. Finally. Some peace again. Then the door to the hall opens once more, revealing a woman with long golden hair and sea-blue eyes who walks in immediately with her heels clicking on the hall floor. Drawing everyone¡¯s eyes towards her. A woman I recognize from the internet. Isabella de la Vega. The Archmage and ruler of the Arcadian Society. My eyes narrow. Great. More drama. B4 | Chapter 6 Aria The Archmage steps into the hall before immediately stepping up the stairs to the dais, nodding her head once to the emperor, and declaring, ¡°Greetings, Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty.¡± Then she glances at Shirogane and looks him up and down for a second. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure, young prince.¡± ¡°Likewise, Archmage,¡± Shirogane answers with a nod of his own. And without another word, the Archmage turns around and simply steps off of the dais. Not even bothering with heading towards the stairs, instead creating her own stairs out of glowing blue and gold light. As she heads in the direction of both Famine and I. Before she makes it to either of us, she stops a little outside of our balconies, in the middle of both. Then she crosses her arms and says, ¡°Two Horsemen of the Apocalypse in one place.¡± Her eyes narrow. ¡°A rare sight.¡± I lean backwards against the balcony railing while glancing between her and Famine, who is no longer arguing with the other Grands on the balcony. With him now just glaring at Isabella instead. The Archmage clearly doesn¡¯t like either of us. But I can tell she hates Famine far more than myself. Why exactly she hates me is still a mystery though. Famine leaves the balcony he is on and heads over towards the Archmage. Meanwhile the other Grands on the balcony along with their guards move over to join me again without a word now that they¡¯re no longer tied up with Famine. Then we all just sit back and watch as Famine gets right up in Isabella¡¯s face and suddenly grins like a maniac. ¡°If it isn¡¯t the little girl who was bawling her eyes out at my court just half a million years ago,¡± Famine says, once again antagonizing the Grand just like the others. ¡°What was your name again? I can¡¯t remember¡­ not that it matters. What brings you here?¡± Huh. Not hard to tell why she hates him. Isabella¡¯s cold look turns damn-near glacial as she focuses everything on him, ignoring me now that her fury has been ignited. ¡°I came to give my greetings to the new crown prince, but you wouldn¡¯t know anything about etiquette, now would you?¡± the Archmage strikes back at him. ¡°After all, you¡¯re nothing but a walking corpse in need of a burial.¡± Oh. Wow. She¡¯s not holding back in the slightest. I glance back at the balcony¡¯s railing, briefly wishing that I could just sit on it to watch this little event. But I¡¯m in a dress right now. Not to mention at a formal setting, ignoring those two who are trying to tear each other¡¯s heads off with words. ¡°You say that, but aren¡¯t you the one who was begging me to stop my conquest after you lost to me? At least, that¡¯s what I remember,¡± Famine says with a smug look on his face as he steps backwards and looks down his nose at her. ¡°Oh, it looks like you¡¯ve regrown your energy over the years since I took compensation!¡± I glance at Raja, prompting him to whisper to me, ¡°The Dread Empire was targeting the Arcadian Society when it was only a weaker power over half a million years ago. And at the time, the Archmage was merely a Tier 8 mage. She was nothing more than an upstart.¡± He glances at the two who are still fighting back and forth with words. ¡°Famine found her amusing when she came to his court to beg for mercy. So he did what he found interesting. Drained her of most of her magic and a lot of her knowledge of magic and tossed her out to see what would happen.¡± The pharaoh keeps talking without any emotion in his voice, which is rather odd considering what he¡¯s talking about. ¡°The Archmage was left returning to her home as a Tier 3 mage. Weaker than some of her weakest subordinates. And it left her struggling to maintain control over the Society even with Famine leaving them be to watch it all happen.¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. He really is cruel¡­ it¡¯s no wonder she hates him with a passion. The man pretty much treated her life as a toy. Actually, not just her life, but her entire nation was just his plaything to him. ¡°A couple hundred thousand years later, after she had already stabilized most of her power again and made it to Tier 9 as a mage, Pestilence began experimenting on some of the worlds belonging to the Society,¡± Raja says, explaining her reasoning for hating the Horsemen in general. ¡°He turned a fifth of the worlds belonging to the Society into wastelands covered by nothing but the undead.¡± Hmm. Yeah, her hatred is understandable. Annoying that she¡¯s taking some of it out on me though. ¡°And War,¡± Raja continues, making me glance at him with a brow raised, ¡°War never attacked the Society, but he has killed someone who the Archmage considered dear in a duel. Her father. So she has held a grudge against him since despite never meeting him.¡± I turn to look at Isabella again as she clenches her fist at her side and looks at Famine with an expression that looks really out of place on her face. One of absolute rage. Like she¡¯s about to start tearing him apart at any moment. Famine keeps messing with her for a little while before he turns in my direction and waves, saying, ¡°Well, I¡¯m gonna head out. See ya at the meeting, little one!¡± I don¡¯t give a response as he turns around and begins walking away. Only to vanish in a cloud of eerie famine energy. Leaving the hall a lot less tense than it was before. But the tense atmosphere returns when Isabella turns her attention on me, still looking incredibly pissed off. Ugh. Please don¡¯t take your anger out on me just for being here. Right after having that thought, she begins to walk over towards me, only pausing when the guards all block her from moving onto the balcony itself. Then she looks me over from head to toe, her face turning from anger into a slight frown. And it¡¯s only at this point that I realize something. We actually look a little similar in some ways. Albeit opposites in others. Our figures and bodies are rather similar. Same sizes up top, same height, same slim figure other than our chests, and even a similar look in our eyes. And it¡¯s not just that, but our hair styles are pretty much identical. Same length, same style. But despite all of that, we also look like opposites. My hair is stark white, hers is a shimmering gold. My eyes are an eerie glowing crimson, hers are a glowing sea blue. We even both have a flower in our hair behind our ears as accessories. Except with mine being red and hers blue. Although our faces are very different, and her skin has an almost golden tinge to it unlike my incredibly pale skin. There can¡¯t be any relation between us, though. After all, both my parents are crimsons. And Isabella is nothing like a crimson. The complete opposite. A brief silence fills the air regardless. Then Isabella¡¯s frown turns more aggressive again, and she says, ¡°So you¡¯re Death.¡± I fold my arms under my chest as I look at her rather apathetically. Not really caring much about this ceremony anymore at this point. Considering how much annoying stuff has happened. Makes me wonder if I should bother going to the other celebrations if they¡¯re gonna be anything like this one. ¡°And you¡¯re the Archmage,¡± I reply to her. ¡°Nice meeting you.¡± She looks surprised, but I don¡¯t really give her any time to respond further than that as I just turn around and lean over the railing again, looking down at the water as I continue, ¡°Let¡¯s meet again in the future sometimes.¡± Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully not. Probably best not to piss her off more right now. I just don¡¯t care enough to deal with the trouble it would cause. The Archmage doesn¡¯t say anything for a few seconds, following which the guards and the other Grands here start shooing her away. And she actually does leave. Although I notice a strange look coming from her as she leaves to go talk with other delegates and royals here. A look that is both confused and slightly annoyed. Like I¡¯m not what she was expecting. Well, whatever. I turn to look out at the ocean again, resting my cheek against the palm of my hand, with my elbow on the railing. If she causes problems for me later on, that¡¯s a future me problem. Right now I just want to get through the rest of these ceremonies so that I can go back to traveling and hunting. I let out a sigh at the thought. And to get away from the company. Because paperwork sucks. B4 | Chapter 7 Aria The rest of the ceremony doesn¡¯t prove to be very interesting. Especially since all of the representatives and royals that come to bother me are immediately turned away by the seemingly overprotective guards belonging to the Rex Dynasty and the Crimson Empire. Both of which seem a little too enthusiastic when turning them away. And too aggressive. Like they don¡¯t want people like them bothering me. Meanwhile Leopold occasionally walks out of the balcony to speak with some royals of other nations. Of other more powerful nations, that is. The pharaoh doesn¡¯t bother with anyone though. He just stays here with his eyes closed while leaning against the railing a couple meters away from me. Looking like he¡¯d rather be sleeping than here. Which I don¡¯t blame him for. I feel the same after all. I glance up at the dais to find Shirogane still up on his throne next to the emperor. With the emperor being as inscrutable as always. While, of course, playing around with his coin. Par for the course for that guy. He loves that coin. Time passes without anything else happening within the ceremony. And eventually, the thing finally comes to a close. With me making my exit and returning back to my company building. Where I¡¯m staying on the top floors. The moment I get back to my suite of rooms, I go ahead and change out of my dress and into a simple tank top and shorts before crashing in my bed. Falling asleep right away. Only to be woken up the next day by Little Blue, who immediately drags me into the office to deal with more paperwork. After I change into a T-shirt and pants, and put on my jacket. It takes me a few hours to get through the stacks of paperwork before Little Blue finally looks at me with a smile and says, ¡°The next item at hand is what you requested before. Your meeting with the new recruit.¡± My interest grows immediately at that, and I sit up straight in my chair. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading down to the training hall, where Yakashi Kito is currently training under Sel,¡± Little Blue continues, making me stand up from my chair. ¡°And Sel would also like for you to look over the mercenaries there and see how strong they are for yourself while you¡¯re there.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± I answer without much care, focusing entirely on the thought of meeting the new class S in the company. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She nods her head before we both head down quite a few floors until we arrive at the training hall, where I find myself looking out from a balcony in the hall at the dozens of mercenaries training inside. But my eyes immediately focus on the rather short man with purple hair and eyes, and a black and purple high tech set of armor. A man that stands out quite a bit from the others there. Every person down there is currently running an obstacle course while Sel watches over them all from a platform of ice above the course. Meanwhile, of the recruits, the only one clearing the course with ease is the purple haired person. The same person I saw fighting Sel before.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Generally, Class S ability holders are incredibly rare. They¡¯re pretty much strategic class weapons for whichever nation has them. Some nations even determine the nation¡¯s strength by a mixture of two factors. The nation¡¯s average level for their leaders and strongest fighters, along with the number of Class S ability holders they have. After all, it doesn¡¯t matter as much if their Class S ability holders are level ten. But a Class S is still a Class S. Just looking at me proves that rather easily. Although, at the same time, not really. Considering that Horsemen of the Apocalypse are generally considered special Class SS ability holders instead. A class even higher than Class S. I watch as the man practically flies through the obstacle course with ease using his gravity magic. And since this is also a competition with the others, he¡¯s using his gravity magic to weigh them all down, making it harder for them to move as well. Of course, I can¡¯t see a single level when I identify the lot of them. Not a single one. All of their levels are quite a bit higher than my own. Not that it¡¯d be difficult for me to deal with them. After all, not many people can take a nuke to the face. I firmly nod my head at that thought. Anyways, I continue watching until the new person reaches the end of the obstacle course. Then he walks over to grab some water as the others finish their own run of the course. Once everyone is done, Sel floats her little ice platform downwards to them and says, ¡°That was a poor excuse for an attempt. Everyone except for Yakashi will be repeating the course in half an hour.¡± She glances up at me with a smile as the recruits look rather tired before she says, ¡°For now, we have a visitor.¡± All of the recruits, the Class S ability holder included, turn to look my way. Only for them all to appear shocked at the sight of me standing here with my arms resting on the railing, just slightly leaning over it to look down at them. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you, Aunty,¡± Sel says, her smile growing wider as all of the recruits down below shiver for some reason and send her a shocked look. ¡°How did they all do?¡± Their shock fades into anticipation when they turn to look at me, clearly waiting for my answer. ¡°Yakashi Kito was rather impressive, but everyone else still needs work,¡± I comment while leaning my face against the palm of my hand, my elbow resting on the railing. Then I glance at the Class S ability holder, studying him for a bit. For some reason I see him shivering under my gaze. But I¡¯m gonna pretend I didn¡¯t see that. Other than that, I¡¯m pretty sure a couple of these recruits have moved on from feeling wary towards me while anticipating my words to looking me over. Some of which seem to admire my looks, others grow even more wary when they no doubt see my black number. After a few seconds of studying him, I lose interest entirely. Thought he would be more interesting, but the guy is just gazing at me with a mixture of awe, fear, and the slightest hint of lust in his eyes. Albeit not much of the last part. Probably due to the fear. ¡°Well, I¡¯m done here,¡± I finally state, glancing to the side, ¡°do I have anything else planned for the day, Little Blue?¡± Everyone down below stiffens up, with more than a few people covering their mouths as if hiding a laugh. And others simply awkwardly turning away. The entire atmosphere in the training room changing from the moment I say the words ¡®Little Blue¡¯. Little Blue herself blushes a little as she narrows her eyes at me and says, ¡°Other than the tournament later, there isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Good,¡± I state before stretching a little and turning around to leave the training room. ¡°I¡¯ll hunt a bit then.¡± I also ignore the openly amused look Sel has on her face as she quietly laughs at Little Blue. Hmm. Wonder if I embarrassed her? I continue walking out of the room before eventually just shrugging to myself after the door shuts behind me. Meh. That¡¯s whatever. Putting the matter of Little Blue¡¯s former stern and cool reputation aside, I walk straight over to a random door leading to a balcony on this floor halfway up the company building. And then, without a single hint of hesitation, I jump off of the balcony. Because it¡¯s far faster to get out of the building this way than through walking down the stairs or taking an elevator. When I land on the ground, half of my bones fracturing in the process ¨C not breaking due to my level ¨C I stand up again and begin walking in the direction of the Hunter¡¯s Bay right next-door. Ignoring the looks from the people nearby being sent my way. Time to go hunt for a bit! B4 | Chapter 8 Aria I wonder¡­ why have a light in your stomach? It doesn¡¯t really make much sense to me¡­ This rather crucial question fills my thoughts as I float along in the stomach acid of some large serpent creature deep down in the Hunter¡¯s Bay, just staring up at the ceiling of the stomach. Where some strange, glowing blue light is just dangling from some thick-ish string of flesh. Just what¡¯s the purpose of this light? I honestly can¡¯t tell. Maybe it¡¯s some sort of radiation? Or maybe the thing just wants to have a light in its stomach. It¡¯s certainly the question of the day. Well, that and the question of how I¡¯m gonna get out of here to attend that tournament. The tournament is a two day event where fighters from all around the universe gather. Albeit with the preliminaries having occurred like half a month ago, so this is just the main event. With probably around a couple hundred participants remaining. Although mostly it¡¯s just to show off Shirogane, or rather, their new crown prince¡¯s power. To show the other nations that he isn¡¯t a pushover. I¡¯ve already seen his power before, and I doubt I¡¯m the person they¡¯re trying to show it to anyways. So I guess it¡¯s fine if I miss this. Shirogane might be upset though. Maybe. I look around the stomach at the other mana creatures inside of it. Most of whom are melting from the stomach acid. But oddly enough, that¡¯s not the only thing happening to them. Some actually seem to be getting sick or something, with blue blotches appearing across their scales and stuff. I glance down at my skin, but I don¡¯t notice anything. Other than some faint tickling sensation. And the stomach acid, of course. But even that¡¯s getting less and less as I adapt to it. Huh. Guess it probably is radiation. I¡¯ve just already adapted to it and it¡¯s not really doing anything to me anymore. With my regrowth being faster than it can deal damage. Well then. What to do now¡­ I could do one of my usuals for getting out of a stomach. Nuking the creature with me in it, blowing it up with a regular bomb, slowly burning a hole through the wall of its stomach with Death¡¯s Judgment, bleeding myself to poison the thing, filling up its stomach with enough Death Spirits that its stomach becomes bloated and it vomits, and so on. But this particular serpent I¡¯m pretty sure came down from the tenth Tier of the Hunter¡¯s Bay to the eight Tier, where I was at when I was eaten. So I¡¯m pretty sure most of those won¡¯t work. Most of that would barely tickle a Tier 10, even if I were to bleed entire gallons of poison directly into its stomach. And the stomach is too big for me to summon that many Death Spirits. Plus even if a nuke did work, it¡¯s probably a bad idea to set off a nuke underneath the capital city.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Hmm. Well, sorry Shirogane, but it looks like- The stomach suddenly splits apart, leaving me blinking in surprise as water floods into the now bisected serpent. Following which I see Shirogane floating down towards me with an exasperated look on his face. Right. It looks like I¡¯ll be attending your tournament as planned. Totally didn¡¯t expect to end up lying around in a stomach while you fought. I just wave at him before casually swimming out of the stomach and shamelessly swiping the soul core of the serpent he just killed. Free core. Thank you very much. ¡°Aria, please tell me you weren¡¯t planning on staying down here in a stomach while I fought in the tournament,¡± Shirogane states with a look on his face that implies he already knows the answer. Well, if he wants me to say that, far be it from me to say otherwise. ¡°I wasn¡¯t just planning on staying down here in a stomach while you fought in the tournament,¡± I tell him, repeating what he just said. He gives me a look. I avoid his gaze as I change the subject, asking, ¡°So what are you doing down here?¡± ¡°Princess Nerissa informed me that you were heading down to hunt in the Hunter¡¯s Bay,¡± Shirogane states while crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at me. ¡°I immediately assumed you would be eaten by something and came down to get you before the tournament.¡± Not sure which to comment on first. The fact that Little Blue informed Shirogane of what I was doing, or the fact that he just immediately assumed that I¡¯d be eaten if I came down here. Then again, he probably asked Little Blue what I was doing or something. Since she¡¯s not the type to blab for no reason. As for the other thing¡­ I glance upwards as I try to remember the number of times I¡¯ve been eaten by some big mana creature. And after realizing that I have no idea how many times it¡¯s been, just that it¡¯s at least in the four or five digits, I decide to drop the subject. ¡°Well, anyways, don¡¯t we have a tournament to go to?¡± I state with a smile on my face that merely has him shaking his head in even more exasperation. It works though, as he quickly wraps me up with his silver in an orb then drags me with him as he moves at extreme speeds towards the surface. After which we both burst through the surface of the water, spraying everyone at the dock before he brings me over towards the massive stadium built off the edge of the capital city. Then we both land on a large balcony, with him reopening the sphere and letting me reclaim my footing. I look around, down at the entrance to the stadium. Where millions of people are roaming around, most of whom are trying to enter the stadium. So many that there aren¡¯t enough spaces, leaving a lot of people stuck outside to watch on the large screens there. And even those people still have to pay to watch despite not being in the actual stadium. As for the stadium itself, it¡¯s enormous. Probably the largest stadium I¡¯ve ever seen in my life. Not that I¡¯ve seen many stadiums. It has a theme centered around the color silver, and is in a dome shape, with no ceiling. Although I get the feeling there is a barrier acting as a ceiling, so no one can enter through it, nor can any rain get in. ¡°You know where your booth is?¡± Shirogane asks while adjusting the gauntlets on his forearms, making me finally take notice of his attire. Attire that includes actual armor. All silver at that. Not too heavy, but at least light to medium armor, with a more medieval style to the set. ¡°Yep,¡± I answer before waving at him and beginning to walk into the stadium. ¡°Good luck!¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I hear him say, the man sounding rather happy with my support. We part ways as I begin heading towards the VIP booth I was given. And when I reach it, I find Little Blue standing at the entrance, tapping her foot with a frown on her face. ¡°Hello,¡± I say to her with a light wave, making the little girl ¨C who isn¡¯t so little anymore ¨C immediately turn her frown on me. ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± she says rather bluntly. ¡°Blame the serpent,¡± I comment, apparently not surprising her in the least judging by her reaction. I frown at that. Does everyone just expect me to be eaten by something when I go out hunting now? That¡¯s just rude. I walk past her into the booth, finding the booth to be rather luxurious in general. And with a black and red color scheme, clearly making out who it is designed for with that alone. Death. After looking through the booth for a second, I head for the lovely little chair at the front and center that looks like it was made for royalty. Then I sit down and look out the red tinted barrier at the stadium below. One filled with more people than I can count, with quite a bit of noise. From what Shirogane told me before, this tinted barrier is both for protection and to hide whoever is inside of the booth. Meaning me. So no one outside of the booth knows who I am or can see what I¡¯m doing. Rather nice of them to add. I wait for a few minutes as Little Blue comes in and sits next to me, following which a few other people come in. All of whom are higher ups from my company, including Sel. Then the noise begins to die down a bit in the stadium and a loud voice echoes throughout it from an MC. Setting off the beginning of the tournament. B4 | Chapter 9 Aria ¡°Weelllcoooome oooone and alllll!!!! To the Crown Prince¡¯s Introductory Grand Tournament!!!!¡± the Master of Ceremonies exclaims, her voice echoing out through the entire stadium as she appears floating above the arena. The woman having long brown hair fluttering around her with gray eyes while wearing a fluttery green dress. ¡°Let¡¯s get this started!!! To begin with, let¡¯s introduce our competitors!!!¡± I lean my cheek against my palm, my elbow resting on the armrest of my little throne as two hundred people appear all across the arena. With each one of them waving at the audience. Or most of them, at least. There are a few wearing what look like royal garbs that are just standing there looking at the other competitors. No doubt sizing them up. The MC goes on to introduce them all one by one, starting with each of the biggest names, and just barely glossing over the smaller, not well known people. But I don¡¯t really pay much attention and instead begin reading a book. At least, until they finally get around to introducing Shirogane, making me glance up from my book to find him floating in the air with particles of silver around him. Huh. Wonder how he¡¯s doing that? I tap my chin a few times before eventually just shrugging. Whatever. Power is power. Power does things. Probably some sort of skill. Anyways, he looks rather impressive floating above everyone. But I still can¡¯t tell anyone¡¯s power apart. Not without being able to see their levels. And I can¡¯t see a single level out there. On that note, I glance at the audience, at which point I realize I can¡¯t see over half of the levels of the people within the audience. Well that¡¯s not awkward at all. I continue tapping my chin for a bit before returning my gaze to my book. Just waiting for the first match to start. And when it does ¨C about half an hour later ¨C I finally put my book down and focus on the match that is just starting up. One between some guy named Regers Alvarez and a woman named Artoria Vela. The guy actually looks to be a lukian from Luk¡¯tar, with a large build and a thick beard. Along with those pointy ears that they have and a set of heavy metal armor. On the other hand, the woman has rather pale skin and is wearing a mage¡¯s robe. Likely someone from the Society. I cross my legs and lean forward a little bit with more than a little interest over seeing a match. Since I know that everyone down there is at the very minimum level one thousand. It was a requirement to even so much as enter the preliminary matches after all, much less the actual tournament I¡¯m watching now. It¡¯s not every day that I see a high level battle. Most of the high level users I¡¯ve seen fight just slaughtered a bunch of people. Like Shirogane. Although I did see a couple matches between Leopold and the stalker. Not that it was a very showy set of matches. What with the stalker, or rather, my uncle being an assassin type fighter. And there was the whole army fighting too. But I was paying more attention to the nuisances on my mind at the time rather than the battles I was walking through.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Now begin!!!!¡± the MC shouts, her voice echoing throughout the stadium as the audience roars their approval. Meanwhile the two combatants immediately begin moving, with the mage floating into the air while a bunch of green spell circles appear around her, and the warrior suddenly making a bunch of strange runes appearing across his body. I tilt my head a little in curiosity at those runes. But I¡¯ll be seeing what they do soon enough, so I don¡¯t say anything about them. Instead I just watch as a bunch of poison bolts shoot out from the green spell circles, and the warrior jumps straight at them with a large hammer appearing in his hands. A two-handed one at that. He swings the hammer at the bolts of poison, sending them flying towards the audience, only for a barrier that was previously invisible to appear and block them perfectly. Then it vanishes again without a trace as the warrior continues soaring through the air towards the woman. With the mage in question sending one bolt after another at him. I watch them go at it, with her creating barriers of poison and attacking him with a bunch of poison while flying through the air to avoid his attacks, and the warrior just running around with incredible physical strength swinging his hammer around. Once in a while even taking an attack that simply makes the runes on his body flash and actually reflect back at the mage. Overall, it¡¯s not as impressive as I was expecting, but still interesting to watch at the very least. Actually, the exhibition match before the finale might be rather interesting, now that I think about it. A very slight smirk stretches across my face at the thought of it. Yeah. Very interesting. A single match where every last participant of the tournament is meant to attack a single person. And if they can kill them or make them surrender, then they win. But if they can¡¯t do either, even with two hundred against one, then they lose. And, of course, they can¡¯t kick me out of the arena. That¡¯ll be great for developing new adaptations. Although I¡¯m pretty sure the reason the emperor set that up was to increase my own influence for me. Probably something related to his ability making him decide it would be a good idea. That or Shirogane suggesting it. Either way, I¡¯m actually looking forward to it. Too bad it doesn¡¯t happen until right before the finale of the tournament. Meaning tomorrow. I let out a sigh at that before leaning back again. Then I just watch as the match comes to a close with the warrior beating the mage in the end. After that, one match after another occurs. With some of the matches being between people of differing strengths. Some of them, according to whispers I hear around the stadium along with intel from Little Blue, are upwards of level six or seven thousand. Others are just at two or three thousand. But what interests me the most is how their levels don¡¯t always determine the results of the match. A couple of the matches actually surprise me quite a bit. One of which in particular ended with a level three thousand something losing against a level two thousand something. With almost a thousand levels between them. All because of a mixture of skill, equipment, and the level two thousand something having a Class S ability while the level three thousand something had a Class A ability. It was very interesting to see. So far I¡¯m actually quite happy I came here. Until I start growing bored, that is. Because when you¡¯ve seen a dozen matches, you¡¯ve seen them all. Sorta. I continue watching the matches one after another, seeing the many different types of humans from all over the universe fighting against each other. All the way until Shirogane¡¯s match finally arrives. And Shirogane¡¯s opponent? Surprises the hell out of me. I¡¯m not the only one, either, because Little Blue and Sel both show surprise on either sides of me as well. ¡°This is an unexpected event,¡± I mutter while leaning forwards again and uncrossing my legs, resting my arms on my knees in the process as a smile stretches across my lips. ¡°And our new Crown Prince is fighting agaaaaaiiiiinnnsssttt!!!!!¡± the MC exclaims, drawing it out before the large screen above the stadium changes to show the man in question. A man with long, blue hair matching both his name and his suit¡¯s color as he floats with droplets of water surrounding him. ¡°The Seventh in line for the Atlantean Throne, Azura Atlantus Altheaaaaa!!!¡± Haven¡¯t seen Azura in a while. Wasn¡¯t expecting this tournament to be the first time I see him in so long. And he¡¯s fighting against Shirogane as well. The two of them begin talking a bit amongst each other, their words not traveling to those of us in the audience. But it¡¯s most likely some sort of ¡®haven¡¯t seen you in a while¡¯ greeting, if I had to guess. ¡°Let¡¯s see how your brother matches up against Shirogane,¡± I comment with a smile on my face, making both the sisters nod their heads in agreement without a word. Both of them too shocked to say anything. Which is understandable. Considering that Azura wasn¡¯t above level one thousand the last time I saw him. The two continue talking amongst themselves for a short while before they finally separate and create some distance between them. ¡°Now!!! Let¡¯s get this battllllleeee staaaarrrteed!!!!¡± the MC exclaims, her shout bringing out a roar from the audience as both of the competitors begin their attacks at the same time. B4 | Chapter 10 Aria I watch with more than a little interest as Azura floats up into the air with his water magic forming a whirlpool of water beneath him. Surprising me a little with the sheer power of his mana. ¡°Did he¡­¡± I mutter in surprise before glancing at Little Blue, who merely nods her head. ¡°Huh.¡± I turn back to the battle again. ¡°Interesting.¡± Something Shirogane had mentioned to me a while back that isn¡¯t public to the universe at large. Other than some incredibly influential people and families. The Center of the Universe. Otherwise known as Aegis. A planet where the World Core has the power to grant a reawakening of sorts. Replacing one¡¯s ability with another. It can be risky to try it, simply because it could theoretically make your ability worse. In fact, for someone with an ability like Azura¡¯s previous Class A, pseudo Class S ability, I have no idea why he would ever risk it. But it could also improve your ability. Although it does always give the same affinity you have for the ability. Assuming you have one. Also, it apparently doesn¡¯t work for Horsemen of the Apocalypse abilities. It can¡¯t take them away or give them to people. Someone tried forcing War in the distant past to change his ability as a result of his losing a duel back then. Even if it wasn¡¯t to the death. And it just plain didn¡¯t work. They couldn¡¯t get rid of his ability. And I guess Aegis¡¯s World Core gave Azura a Class S ability. At least, I think that¡¯s a Class S ability. I¡¯m not the only one surprised as everyone else in the stadium has gone silent as well. Especially when Shirogane himself begins to show signs of discomfort, with some bubbles appearing around his body. Azura grins from his place floating above the whirlpool. On the other hand, Shirogane just sighs and snaps his fingers. Sending out a wave of silver liquid that covers him from head to toe before forming a suit of fancy and honestly rather intimidating armor. At which point I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s feeling any discomfort anymore, but judging by the frown that forms on Azura¡¯s face, he¡¯s probably not. ¡°So you can block it,¡± Azura mutters, his voice echoing throughout the stadium. ¡°I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m more impressed by the guts it must¡¯ve taken to change your ability,¡± Shirogane declares, his voice echoing throughout the stadium and shocking even more people. The ones that didn¡¯t already know Azura. ¡°And to think you¡¯d win the lottery with a new Class S ability.¡± Yep. My assumption is now confirmed. ¡°His new ability lets him directly manipulate the water in the bodies of others,¡± Little Blue explains for me, startling me with just how powerful an ability like that is. ¡°Although their level does matter.¡± I lean forwards again, resting my chin on the palm of my hands as I watch Shirogane float up into the air. It looks like his ability is either just plain being blocked by Shirogane¡¯s own power, or he can¡¯t manipulate the water of people he can¡¯t see directly. Either way.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°But still,¡± Little Blue mutters. ¡°Yeah,¡± Sel says from the other side of me. ¡°Azura is only level 1051. He doesn¡¯t stand a chance against Shirogane.¡± I can¡¯t help but glance at her with a brow raised. ¡®Only¡¯ level 1051? Only? If that¡¯s only, what am I to you? I don¡¯t say any of this out loud and instead turn to watch the battle some more as Little Blue says, ¡°It¡¯s probably to show off his new ability to the world. I¡¯m sure a lot of other people are here to show off as well.¡± Guess that makes sense. It is a very high profile tournament after all. ¡°I¡¯ll accommodate you, then,¡± Shirogane says, his voice sounding rather ominous coming from within his equally ominous silver armor. One that looks almost like that of a demon king from one of those novels I¡¯ve read. Then Shirogane and the two begin to fight it out, with strings of silver liquid rushing out to combat against torrents of water that leave the whirlpool. But I can tell just with a glance that Shirogane is holding back. Specifically due to my seeing his fighting back on Silverfall. Where he was far stronger than he is showing right now. ¡°Is he holding back to let Azura show off?¡± I ask while tilting my head a little. ¡°Probably,¡± Little Blue says with the slightest hint of a smile in her voice. The three of us watch as the two pull off a grand looking battle, only for Shirogane to eventually say ¨C after several minutes pass ¨C ¡°Let¡¯s finish this up, shall we?¡± Azura grits his teeth, following which Shirogane just floats up into the air with bits of silver liquid appearing all around him. Then the liquid shoots up into a massive pillar towards the sky, covering up everything in sight above the stadium with nothing but liquid metal. I lean back again while crossing my arms, no longer as interested since I¡¯ve seen Shirogane go all out before. The crowd, on the other hand, is going wild. I tap the crook of my arm. Merely watching as chains of silver metal appear all around the stadium and stretch out to completely break through the water around Azura. Then they wrap around the seventh prince and bring him up to Shirogane. Azura frowns at the crown prince in front of him before eventually sighing and declaring, his voice echoing throughout the stadium, ¡°I surrender.¡± The crowd roars even louder than before, making me yawn as I lower the volume of the outside of the booth. Because it¡¯s a little annoying. After their battle, they both leave the field, and the usual maintenance crew quickly comes in and repairs everything. Which doesn¡¯t take more than a few minutes thanks to magic. Then the next competitors enter the ring. Competitors that are far less interesting than Shirogane and Azura. I continue tapping the crook of my elbow for a few minutes before eventually sighing and bringing out a book to read. Because this is getting boring. I hear Little Blue sighing next to me, but I pretend I didn¡¯t notice as I read. Only occasionally glancing up to look at the arena. Eventually I hear the buzzer going off for the booth, notifying me that someone¡¯s here. And after a quick glance, I find it to be Azura and Shirogane. So I press the button on my little throne to let them in. Before going back to reading again with nothing but a wave in their direction over my shoulder. I hear the two snorting in amusement before Azura says, ¡°You never change, do you?¡± ¡°You sure about that?¡± I comment without looking up from my book. ¡°My level has grown, so I¡¯d say I¡¯ve changed.¡± I see the two walking around my throne and entering the corner of my view as I read. And after a brief glance up at them, I find Azura looking down at the cat that snuck onto my lap at some point. ¡°Didn¡¯t realize you were a cat person,¡± he comments with a raised brow. Oh, right. He hasn¡¯t met Asher yet. ¡°Asher, meet Azura,¡± I state while petting Asher on the head once, making him look up with a sleepy expression on his face as he lets out an adorable yawn. Then goes back to sleep. ¡°Azura, meet Asher.¡± Azura reaches down to pet Asher, only for Asher to move his head at the very last second. Avoiding his hand in the process as Azura touches my thigh instead. He pulls back right away and blinks at the cat. Then reaches to pet him again, only to be dodged again. Albeit with him stopping his hand right away this time. Then it repeats itself a couple more times as I glance at Little Blue, who just glares at Azura as she says, ¡°He loves cats.¡± Ah. That explains it. ¡°They don¡¯t always love him, though,¡± Sel comments from the side, her voice sounding rather dry. I watch Azura and Asher¡¯s antics for a few seconds before I start to feel irritated that they¡¯re doing it over my lap. So I pick Asher up and place him onto the ground. Then I go back to reading as Azura and Asher have a stare-down. B4 | Chapter 11 Aria The next day and a half passes by rather quickly. With one battle going on after another, and some even occurring at the same time. All with me reading my book throughout the battles, only occasionally pausing to check out the powers of the competitors. Mostly because that information could be useful in the future. And by the end of it all, I find myself standing in the center of the arena myself as the MC¡¯s voice rings out throughout the stadium. ¡°Now, before we start the final round, we have a special exhibition match for you all to see!!!¡± the MC says, sounding more than a little excited as one competitor after another appears around the rather massive arena. An arena that has only grown larger since the beginning of the tournament somehow. ¡°As many of you already know, our universe has had unique beings known as Horsemen of the Apocalypse for over a million years now. Ever since the First Era of Chaos, these special beings have been appearing one after another. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.¡± The excitement in the arena starts to grow a little confused due to the topic the MC is discussing, but most people still continue cheering due to their favored competitors standing in the arena. ¡°Unlike most people, the Horsemen of the Apocalypse are beings created purely by the energy that they represent,¡± the MC declares, surprising me a little with some knowledge about myself that I didn¡¯t actually know. And apparently a lot of the audience didn¡¯t know it either as they start to quiet down even more. ¡°The Horsemen are created solely when the energy of their being has grown so dense within the universe that it grows dangerous for the denizens of the universe. So they are made as both a cure and a disaster. One meant to absorb the growing apocalyptic energy in the universe.¡± At this point, everyone in the stadium is silent. Whether they¡¯re competitors or the audience. Or even myself. Not that I was talking in the first place. ¡°Many people assume these Horsemen of the Apocalypse are naturally terrible beings,¡± the MC continues, almost making me raise a brow at how open she¡¯s being about that despite said Horsemen no doubt hearing her other than myself. ¡°But that is false. The Horsemen are merely affected by their own energy, guiding them towards certain paths just like humans are. They are not inherently evil beings.¡± Now whispers are beginning to spread across the stadium as I put my hands in my pockets and tilt my head a little. Only for the large screen above the arena to suddenly start showing me as I stand here blinking up at the audience in surprise. ¡°With all that said, let me introduce someone to the universe as a whole,¡± the MC declares. ¡°She is the Princess of the Crimson Empire, ally to the Rex Dynasty of the Dead, contracted partner of the Crown Prince of the Eternal Dynasty, ally to the Grand Silvanian Empire-¡± the lady continues on with a rather long list of titles before finally finishing with ¡°-and the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death herself!!!¡± The whispers grow more numerous as they all look at me and at the screen showing me. But gradually, a lot of shouts begin rising from within said audience from people I¡¯ve met over the years. Many of whom recognized me from my actions at Hunter¡¯s Spots judging by the things they¡¯re shouting. Mostly things like how they recognize me, how I¡¯m not a bad person from what they saw, and the like. Then other whispers start talking about my looks. That I look like a cute young woman and nothing more. Overall, especially with the previous explanation the MC gave about the Horsemen and all of my titles, removing a lot of prejudice these people may have had against me. Which is interesting and probably what Shirogane and the emperor were going for with this whole thing.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. And now it¡¯s time for the next part of their little plan. ¡°As ordered by the Emperor of the Eternal Dynasty, the Silver Emperor, Shirou Amatsuraki, the exhibition match between the Horseman of Death, Aria Crimson, and the two hundred competitors of the tournament, will soon begin!¡± the MC declares, sounding like she¡¯s getting rather into this herself. ¡°This will be a two hundred versus one match, with death or surrender being the only way out for any of the competitors participating! Beyond that, the rules are simple! The battle must stay within the confines of the arena. There is a spell in place to teleport anyone who leaves it back into the arena again, as well as a spell in place to make the arena nearly impenetrable by even one of the Nine Grands.¡± Now the audience sounds like they¡¯re getting excited again. So that¡¯s a thing. Honestly though, I really couldn¡¯t care less about what people think about me. Not like most of them will be alive for most of my life anyways. After all, the rate at which one¡¯s lifespan doubles decreases rapidly after reaching the four digits in level. From once every one hundred levels to once every three hundred. Then again after level 2500 from once every three hundred levels to once every one thousand levels. Even the Nine Grands, except maybe the other Horsemen, will eventually die. So why should I worry about the opinions of people who I won¡¯t be seeing for long? All that aside¡­ I look down while crossing my arms in thought as the MC declares, ¡°Now with that said, leeeeeet the exhibitiiioooonnnn maaatch begiiiiiiiiinnnnn!!!!¡± ¡­it¡¯s rather interesting how- My thoughts come to a brief halt when I¡¯m blasted by hundreds of attacks at once. Then I reform again at the center of the arena, briefly glancing up at the two hundred currently shocked looking faces staring at me. Or at least, most are shocked. Some aren¡¯t. Then I look back down and return to my thoughts as some of them start attacking me again. It¡¯s rather interesting how the Horsemen were born. Also interesting how no one in the universe has made this public until now. My thoughts repeatedly cut in and out as my body is blown to smithereens, torched, boiled, erased, poisoned, and whatever else these people can possibly do to me. But I keep just returning to my current line of thought as they hack away. The idea that the Horsemen of the Apocalypse were originally naturally formed by the universe in order to absorb the apocalyptic energies within it is not what I would¡¯ve expected we were made for. But at the same time, it makes quite a bit of sense. Although I get the feeling the universe can¡¯t really think. Otherwise it would¡¯ve understood that creating four apocalyptic beings to absorb the apocalyptic energy isn¡¯t a very good idea either. All things considered. Unless it just cares about the energy and not the beings in the universe? Then it would make more sense. Also, my thoughts continuously cutting off as I¡¯m trying to think about this is getting annoying, so after my most recent reformation, I look at the people blasting away at me and finally pay attention to the MC who is shouting her head off with excitement. Something about how incredible this is, seeing me being blasted to pieces over and over again by some of the strongest people in the universe and just reforming like it¡¯s nothing. Honestly, I¡¯m rather happy about this whole exhibition match as a whole. If for no reason other than the adaptations I¡¯m gaining from this. Considering that I¡¯m gradually recovering faster and faster from every attack these guys are making. But some of them are starting to lose motivation in attacking me and are surrendering. Decreasing the number of people attacking. Well, the origin of the Horsemen aside, I really don¡¯t care what the universe wants. I¡¯ll just do what I do best. And that¡¯s whatever I want to do. I glance at Shirogane, who is also blasting me with bolts of pure liquid silver with an amused smirk on his face. Probably only bothering with attacking in order to show how strong I am to the others, seeing as he knows by now that I can¡¯t die. So after giving him a silent nod of greeting, I return to looking at the ground as the crowd goes wild. Just getting lost in my own thoughts again. Also briefly regretting the fact that it¡¯s not possible to place the enchantment my clothes have on a book. The one that makes damage pass through the clothes onto me. Which is kinda necessary right now, otherwise I¡¯d long since have become naked in front of these people. And while I have no sexual or romantic urges as a Horseman of the Apocalypse, that doesn¡¯t mean I want to go around naked or anything. I just wish I could read while these guys blast me with spells. That thought rolls around in my head for a few seconds as I get blasted to death over and over again, occasionally tossed around when some of them try to move onto physical attacks. But all that I can think of is the simple fact that even if I could read, I probably wouldn¡¯t enjoy it much right now. A pity. B4 | Chapter 12 All Around the Universe Every nation worth its salt all across the universe watches with both excitement and fear through the universe-wide broadcast of the tournament as the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death, is constantly pelted with one attack after another. Regardless of the type of attack. Whether physical, magical, mental, or even spiritual. And throughout the process, the woman, who looks no more than twenty-two years old despite being below level one hundred, simply seems bored. The tournament is an important event for every nation in the universe as it symbolizes the strongest upcoming powers within the universe. It also marks the rise of the Crown Prince of one of the Grands. One of the few heirs to a Grand that exists outside of the Crimson Empire. All throughout the lives of the people across the universe, everyone was told about the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The terrifying beings who know nothing but carnage. Nothing but spreading their source of apocalypse throughout the universe. But now? As they watch one of those beings sitting by with an apathetic if not slightly bored expression on their face while they¡¯re being pummeled by nonstop attacks from beings over level five thousand? Despite her being at level eighty. And especially when some of them realize that Death is recovering from their attacks faster and faster with every attack made at her. Opinions on the Horseman of the Apocalypse begin to change. Some leaders of nations begin to see her as a potential ally against the other Horsemen. Others begin to fear her. Some powerful individual figures within the universe begin to finally take notice of the woman. Others feel threatened by her. But no matter what, very few of these parties even consider attacking her. Because everyone understands by now. You can¡¯t kill Death. Meanwhile the other Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who are also tuning into the broadcast, show varied reactions of their own. War grins as he finds Death¡¯s improvement impressive. The man finding himself more and more excited at the prospect of a future battle with her. Pestilence simply begins to wonder if her leveling may affect the results of poisons used on her at all, finding himself to be slightly interested in making a deal with her again to test more poisons on her. And Famine finds himself laughing like a madman as he sees the Horseman of Death proving the superiority of the Horsemen to the entire universe. Utterly indifferent to the opinions of anyone else on the matter of her attitude and frightening all of the nobles around him in the process. Finally, on one planet known very little by the universe known as Vortel, all of the former team members of Team Predator feel relieved to be seeing their old friend doing well. Even if some of them have begun to age again despite making it into the triple digits in level. Eventually the battle on the broadcast comes to an end, with Shirogane, the new Crown Prince of the Eternal Dynasty, being the last one to surrender as the crowd roars its applause.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. And the Horseman of Death simply yawns.
Aria Well, that was boring. I give a half-hearted wave towards the audience, making them go wild, before I return to my booth with a simple teleport from the MC. Which is rather convenient. Too bad I can tell their teleportation magic won¡¯t work on me for long. On the bright side, I got a lot of new adaptations from this exhibition match. So yay for that. Most of the important people attacking me gave up right around the time they ran out of attacks that could actually deal damage. When my adaptation to their attacks reached its peak. So I got plenty of adaptations out of this. Honestly, I¡¯m a little surprised the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s emperor and Shirogane even let me do this. Because it kind of makes the next generation of top level beings rather useless against me. What with me having gained adaptations to all of their attacks. Except Shirogane, who I don¡¯t think went all out. But I¡¯ve already gotten adaptations to his attacks before. What with us often using strategies in our travels that involve killing me. I still remember that strategy back on Luk¡¯tar where I was diced up into pieces and stuffed into crates. Wasn¡¯t particularly pleasant. Although by now even that doesn¡¯t bother me. I think I¡¯ve been numbed to any sort of pain by now. Anyways, after reaching my booth, it takes a good few minutes for the crowd to calm down. Then the MC begins speaking again, ¡°Now, let us begin the finals!!!¡± And the crowd immediately goes wild again as I rest my cheek against the palm of my hand, my elbow resting on the armrest of my seat. The MC goes on and on trying to rile up the crowd more, but I just feel like I want a nap. Mainly due to spending the last like hour or so being pummeled by attacks nonstop without being able to do anything. Since if I brought out a book it¡¯d just end up destroyed. And I can¡¯t have that. I also couldn¡¯t just have wine or something since it would be, well, destroyed as well. Which is also very bad. And a waste of wine. It¡¯s bad to waste wine. Wine is important. Speaking of, I press some buttons on the armrest, calling for a servant to bring some wine as the MC continues talking. Can¡¯t have too much wine. I watch as the MC finally introduces the two competitors in the finals. Shirogane and some girl from a secluded society. One not belonging to any of the Nine Grands. If I remember correctly, it¡¯s a rather feisty group of people in general. They¡¯re a subspecies of human just like the crimsons and lukians and atlanteans, except they¡¯re more affected by their subspecies instincts than them. They have animal instincts. Specifically cat instincts. Or lion to be exact. They¡¯re called lyons. And this particular lyon is actually about the same size as me. She has long golden hair like a mane, with golden slit eyes, and retractable claws on her furless hands. The only animal features they have though are those eyes and claws, to the great disappointment of a small part of the universe that apparently wanted them to have cat ears or something. Which is weird in my opinion, but to each their own. They do share some instincts with lions though, and that¡¯s why they¡¯re feisty. The lyons are very prideful. They don¡¯t take insults well. But they¡¯re also rather loyal to allies. This lyon looks rather odd though. From what I¡¯ve heard of them. She¡¯s calm. Cool and collected. She isn¡¯t showing any of the feistiness I¡¯ve heard about. Oh, and the MC announced her level as being around the eight or so thousands. Similar to Shirogane¡¯s level. Which is very impressive. I¡¯m actually rather curious to see how their battle goes. The lyon girl ¨C whose name is, coincidentally, Leone Pride ¨C doesn¡¯t have any weapons on her. She is just standing there in a set of golden and silver armor that doesn¡¯t show much of any skin at all other than her forearms and from the knee down. And her head. Before the MC announces the start of their battle, though, the girl turns to look at me, her long and flowing golden hair blowing in the wind over her shoulder as she does so. And somehow I feel as if she can see me through the barrier of my booth. Which has me raising a brow. What surprises me more though is that she gives a light nod in my direction. One of respect. Then, after her lips quirk upwards a little, she turns to face Shirogane again. And the MC announces the beginning of the battle. Without hesitation, the girl vanishes in a blur. Moving too fast for my eyes to keep track of. Meanwhile a spherical barrier of liquid silver appears around Shirogane at the same time she appears in front of him, slamming her fist into the barrier and sending him flying back to slam into the barrier of the arena. Instantly silencing everyone. Huh. She¡¯s strong. B4 | Chapter 13 Aria Shirogane recovers rather quickly even with his barrier dented rather fiercely. He moves away from the arena¡¯s barrier and shoots out a bunch of silver chains from his own barrier while repairing it, sending the chains straight towards the lyon girl. But Leone jumps high up into the air as if gravity weren¡¯t a thing and literally smashes her fist into one of the chains. Shattering the thing and sending the bits of silver down to the ground. And that¡¯s not all as she slams her other fist into another one. Then a foot. A knee. Another foot. Another fist. Over and over again, she just shatters every chain sent her way. Proving herself to be incredibly powerful. And this is all just physical strength as well. I haven¡¯t sensed even a blip of magic from her. ¡°What¡¯s her ability?¡± I ask without looking away from the battle. Little Blue answers rather quickly, ¡°She has a rather unique ability. It doesn¡¯t give her any sort of magic at all, but she is-¡± The girl flies forwards to slam into his barrier again, cracking it this time and sending him flying towards the barrier of the arena for the second time. ¡°-very strong in the physical sense,¡± Little Blue finishes, sounding a little awed herself. Huh. ¡°So she¡¯s a musclehead,¡± I state without really thinking. Yet somehow the girl¡¯s ear twitches, and she glances at me with a raised brow. ¡°Um, so, is it just me, or can she hear us?¡± I can¡¯t help but ask Little Blue. ¡°That is most likely the case,¡± she answers with a nod of her head. ¡°Right¡­¡± I mutter, deciding not to say anything like that again when she¡¯s anywhere nearby. Not that she¡¯d be able to do anything to me at all. Considering the fact that all she has is brute force strength. Although she also doesn¡¯t seem to be antagonistic towards me either. Even seems kind of curious about me. Well, putting that matter aside, the two continue exchanging blows in the arena over and over again. With Leone batting away any attack Shirogane sends at her, and Shirogane blocking all of her attacks with his own ability while keeping his distance. So overall, not much is happening in terms of actual progress in the battle. Until Shirogane manages to finally pin her down in the corner of the arena with his liquid silver simply by flooding the entire arena with it. To the point that she can¡¯t escape. Then he just creates dozens upon dozens of chains while solidifying the liquid silver around her lower half. Locking her in place.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. But no matter how hard he tries to hit her with the liquid silver, it doesn¡¯t really do anything. And she manages to shatter the metal whenever it gets near her face, making it so he can¡¯t suffocate her either. So they kind of just end up in a deadlock. He can¡¯t seem to really damage her, while she can¡¯t move. Until Shirogane finally stops holding back and begins preparing an attack midair that is sure to actually pierce her skin. But she just announces her surrender when she sees what he¡¯s doing. Which disappoints quite a bit of the crowd, but she doesn¡¯t seem to care. Then the MC goes ahead and announces Shirogane¡¯s grand victory in the tournament. Which was pretty much set in stone from the beginning. Even if the lyon surprised everyone. All that said, I am rather curious about her. Wonder if I¡¯ll ever meet her myself?
The very next day I find myself awkwardly sitting across from a certain lyon in my office as she says, ¡°So I¡¯m joining your company starting today. Nice meeting you, boss.¡± With a salute and a cold look on her face. I just stare blankly at her for several seconds, not really knowing quite what to say. Her actions don¡¯t really make a lot of sense to me. The lyons are a very proud people. They would never suddenly start working for someone else. Ever. And to top that off, she is far higher level than anyone in the company. To the point that she is most definitely in the upper echelon of people in the universe in terms of level. Just her battle with Shirogane is enough to show that. So¡­ why? I watch her for several moments, noting the instant movement of her eyes towards any movement within the room. Even the smallest movements like a page on my desk billowing in the air from the air conditioner, or the smallest movement from Little Blue. But with her eyes focusing on me again a mere instant later. As for what I see in her eyes? I¡¯m honestly not sure. She doesn¡¯t exactly show much in her gaze. It¡¯s just calm, cool, collected, and kinda icy. It perfectly hides how she¡¯s feeling right now. Also doesn¡¯t look like the type of gaze someone calling me ¡®boss¡¯ would have. Eventually I just decide on the easiest route and ask point blank, ¡°Why?¡± My question actually surprises her enough that the look in her eyes fluctuates ever so slightly before she answers with the corners of her mouth tilting upwards, ¡°Tit for tat.¡± ¡°You want something from me and in return you¡¯ll join my company and work for me?¡± I ask, clarifying the meaning of her answer. And she immediately nods her head without another word, proving to be the silent type. ¡°What is it you want?¡± She doesn¡¯t hesitate as she answers, ¡°After the last event of the Crown Prince¡¯s ceremony, please come with me to Nera.¡± I glance at Little Blue to find her mouthing, ¡®the home of the lyons.¡¯ So I turn back to the lyon in front of me and ask, ¡°What do you need of me?¡± Once again, she answers with no hesitation, ¡°We need your immortality to retrieve a precious artifact of our kind that has been lost.¡± Hmm. The same thing that the Cheng Dynasty needed then. ¡°I can do that,¡± I answer before glancing at Little Blue and saying, ¡°decide on a good place for her to work until the end of the ceremonies.¡± Little Blue nods her head at that, only for her to pause and a slight smirk to appear on her face. Implying that she¡¯s figured out a good place for her. She¡¯s so helpful. I stand up and pat her on the head with a smile, ignoring the fact that she¡¯s taller than I am now. Which is unfair. Little Blue blushes at that before I move around my desk and approach the lyon as Leone reaches her hand out for a handshake. I accept it and tell her, ¡°I¡¯ll be expecting more details on the job before I officially accept it, as you¡¯d probably expect, but I think it¡¯ll be a pleasure working with you.¡± She genuinely smiles for the first time since I first saw her and replies, ¡°I do too.¡± A second passes before we let go of each other¡¯s hands, following which I begin to leave my office. Only to hear Little Blue tell the lyon, ¡°When you join us, your job will be to follow her around in the place of Shirogane to make sure she returns every once in a while. Got it?¡± I spin around immediately while blurting out, ¡°What?!¡± Little Blue just smiles at me while saying, ¡°Well, there¡¯s always paperwork that needs to be done. And we need someone to make sure you return at least once a century to do it.¡± Then she shrugs, still with that frightening smile on her face and adds, ¡°And you did say that I would be deciding where she works.¡± I find my jaw having dropped open as I stare at Little Blue. Then Leone, with a faint smirk barely visible on her face, says, ¡°Sounds like a plan, little boss.¡± Little Blue takes the moniker in stride as she continues smiling at me. I turn around and leave my office before finding one of the closest balconies and jumping off of it while crossing my arms and frowning. Traitor. Now I¡¯m starting to second-guess this job. B4 | Chapter 14 Aria ¡°So,¡± Shirogane says with more than a little amusement in the smirk on his face as we dance around the floor of the ballroom together, hand in hand, ¡°I heard you got a babysitter assigned to you by Nerissa.¡± I glare at him and retort, ¡°She¡¯s not a babysitter.¡± Shirogane just smirks at me, twirling me around in a circle one last time with my dress¡¯s longer skirt flaring out a little with me before our dance ends, and the other important people in the ballroom begin clapping for the performance we put on. At least I didn¡¯t have to learn how to dance for this. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this bring you back to when you had to learn how to dance for that idiot prince¡¯s ball?¡± Shirogane says as he escorts me by the hand ¨C an annoying custom if I¡¯m being honest ¨C towards the edge of the ballroom to make room for the next pair to dance. I just let out a sigh as I mutter, ¡°Please don¡¯t remind me¡­¡± It was hard enough trying to forget about that terrible planet without him reminding me. The planet where one of the damned princes wouldn¡¯t stop pursuing me in an attempt at marriage. Just remembering the dance lessons they bribed me into taking so that I could dance with the prince at that ball sends a chill down my spine. And that¡¯s not even mentioning the ball itself. I shiver at the memory before Shirogane and I reach a balcony and guards station themselves at the entrance of the balcony. Both my own guards ¨C the Crimson Empire having sent knights to keep their princess protected ¨C and Shirogane¡¯s guards. Of course, the instant I leave this world I¡¯m ditching them without a moment¡¯s hesitation. ¡°What about you?¡± I ask with a smirk and a sideways glance at Shirogane as I lean over the railing with a glass of wine in my hand that I got from one of the guards. ¡°Remember when you had to avoid that court lady back in the Cheng Dynasty? Because she kept coming onto you and even tried to slip an aphrodisiac into your drink?¡± Shirogane groans as he leans over the railing, not saying a word. I face the setting sun with a smirk on my face. Serves you right. I take a sip of my wine as I smile, reminiscing about the old times I spent with Shirogane on our trip. Old times that have now come to an end since we¡¯re going our own separate ways. Although I¡¯ll probably visit the Eternal Dynasty once every so often. Maybe once every fifty or a hundred years or so. And I can always keep in touch with him through messages. So it¡¯s fine. On that note, actually, I plan to visit Vortel soon and see the people from the Predator Team there. Haven¡¯t visited them in a while. After seeing the lyon¡¯s homeland, of course. ¡°So what are your plans after this?¡± Shirogane eventually asks after recovering from the memory of that court lady.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Well,¡± I start while swirling the wine around in slow circles, ¡°first I¡¯ll deal with the lyon¡¯s homeland¡¯s issue. Then I¡¯ll go back to Vortel for a short visit. And after that? I¡¯ll figure it out then. Probably just go to random worlds that happen to have a connection to whichever one I¡¯m on at the time.¡± He snorts at that before muttering, ¡°Yeah, that sounds like you.¡± Then silence fills the balcony with the only noise being that of the ball going on inside. Along with the occasional person attempting to meet with one of us who is turned away by our guards. Eventually Shirogane says, ¡°Thank you. For these decades we spent traveling together.¡± I glance at him, feeling a little surprised by the sheer emotion I can hear in his voice. Emotion that is mirrored on his face as he smiles with some tears leaking out. ¡°It¡¯s probably been the best years of my life,¡± he admits, letting out a short laugh as he does so. ¡°But now it¡¯s over¡­¡± I take another sip of my wine as I look over the rim of the glass at the man. ¡°And I know we¡¯ve both talked about this before, but,¡± he says before turning to me with a sad smile and more tears going down his eyes, ¡°I really do love you.¡± I let out a short hum while considering what to do right now. Then I eventually just answer, ¡°I don¡¯t really know what love is, to be honest. Romantic or otherwise. But if I had to guess, I probably love you too, albeit not in the same way as you love me.¡± He gives a sad and slow nod at that. ¡°I think I see you as a sort of¡­ younger brother, probably,¡± I state, startling him in more ways than one. Considering how he¡¯s older than me. ¡°Yeah, probably a younger brother.¡± He opens his mouth to respond, only to close it again. Then open it. Then close it. Like a fish. I turn to look out at the horizon as the sun finishes setting before stating, ¡°I¡¯ve always known that I¡¯m not exactly the most normal person, even if I say or sometimes think otherwise. Especially when it comes to romance. And I¡¯ve always just accepted that things are as they are. Didn¡¯t even realize there was a reason for my outlook until I learned what we Horsemen are. What with us being formed from apocalyptic energy and not being physically capable of romantic or sexual feelings or urges and all.¡± ¡°But,¡± I state while turning towards Shirogane again as some tears fall down his eyes, only briefly noticing the shimmering barrier no doubt showing some illusion to anyone watching us hiding his tears, ¡°I¡¯ll continue being your friend until the end of your days, and I¡¯ll remember you for eternity.¡± A faint grin stretches across my face. ¡°If that helps any.¡± He smiles and nods as more tears fall quietly down his cheek. And, after a brief hesitation, I set my wine glass down and pull him into a hug, startling him. Not sure why, but I just felt this was the right move. Never really understood hugs myself though. Or why this might help. I feel his tears wetting my shoulder and the strap of my dress for a few seconds before I move away again. And just like that, he wipes his tears and suddenly returns to his usual neutral expression. As if nothing had happened. So I turn back to the sun while grabbing my wine and taking another sip. He turns as well, leaving the two of us in a peaceful silence. Ignoring the noise of the ball that is actually dimming down, likely due to illusion magic from one of the guards. Probably to give us privacy or something. No idea, really. I take another sip of my wine amidst the silence as we both stare at the night sky, the sun no longer anywhere in sight anymore. ¡°When I first met you, I was pretty floored by how you were acting,¡± Shirogane admits, making me glance at him for a moment before returning my gaze to the sun. ¡°I never would¡¯ve expected that I¡¯d fall in love with you or be rejected so bluntly though. More than once even. But that¡¯s just who you are. I can¡¯t see anything ever tying you down. It¡¯s just not in your nature.¡± I can¡¯t help but raise a brow at the wry and slightly amused way he said that. A few seconds pass in silence before he turns to look at me and says, ¡°I¡¯m really glad we met. So go on and continue your little excursion around the universe.¡± A grin stretches across his face. ¡°But make sure you don¡¯t scare too many people by falling off towers, okay?¡± I smile at that and just take another sip of my wine, not bothering to grace that request with a response. And enjoying the sounds of the waves hitting the large castle we¡¯re on. He turns to face the horizon again and we just stand here in silence drinking our wine. Until the silence is broken by a meow, making us both glance down to find a certain cat rubbing up against my legs. I smile before setting down my wine glass and picking Asher up into my arms. Then I grab the wine again and continue drinking as we all stare at the night sky once more. With the sounds of a purring immortal cat joining in with the waves. B4 | Chapter 15 Aria ¡°Well, guess this is goodbye for now,¡± Shirogane says as he grins at me, the two of us shaking hands in front of my spaceship with no one else nearby. Other than Leone, who is joining me for this journey. ¡°I know there¡¯s no point in saying this considering who you are, but please stay well, okay?¡± I nod at him with a smile and answer, ¡°Course I will. And you stay well too.¡± He nods back, following which our hands separate and I head into my ship alongside the lyon. Whose job turned out to be far simpler than I expected. The lyons have a rather special history to them. They absolutely despise Pestilence for destroying their home world. Which is the only reason they aren¡¯t considered an Alpha Tier society and are instead considered a Special Tier society. One of the civilizations whose Tier is unclear due to one reason or another. Pestilence spread a rather¡­ special¡­ disease throughout their planet. Or rather, more like a virus. Lycanthropy. It turns anyone who is infected by it into a werewolf. A shapeshifter who can transform into a half-human, half-wolf beast. And around 99.9% of those who are infected turn into nothing but monsters. Ones who automatically attack anything living around them while losing all of their memories and acting solely on instinct. Pretty much made their world nothing but hell. Filled with humanoid wolf creatures always going around hunting. Some of which are as strong as Leone here. Since their civilization used to be one of the civilizations competing to be one of the next Grands. Hence their status as a Special Tier society now instead of just reducing their Tier. Meanwhile the object I¡¯m supposed to recover is located at the very center of that mess of a home world filled with the virus. A world where pretty much no one would ever step into because the virus infects even people in the five digits in level. Albeit only the lower five digits. Around ten or eleven thousand. But the vast majority of the universe isn¡¯t at that level, so¡­ And the ones who are above that level won¡¯t risk possibly being successfully infected just to help them out to return a natural treasure of their people. Which leaves two people who can easily make the trip. Me, and Pestilence. With Pestilence not being considered an option for obvious reasons. But¡­ I sigh as the ship begins revving itself to fly without me having to do anything. My lovely AI handling everything. ¡­the problem is that their former home world was cut off from the rest of the universe. Meaning we¡¯re going to have to go there personally. We can¡¯t Gate there. And the lyons don¡¯t even remember the exact coordinates. Just the vague area of the universe it¡¯ll be located in. ¡°Just one last check, but you do realize this job won¡¯t be a simple and short trip there and back, right?¡± I ask while glancing at Leone as we walk towards the bridge of my ship. ¡°This trip could take decades at the very least just to find your home world.¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. She nods her head and answers, ¡°I know. And we¡¯re not in a hurry to get our natural treasure back either. As long as we know we will get it back eventually. The elders would rather not try to pressure you in any way.¡± Huh. Polite bunch, I guess. Or, actually, that¡¯s probably not the case. They just seem blunt. So I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re treating me this way so as to not make another Horseman enemy. What with their current situation being due to the whims of Pestilence. ¡°If you¡¯re sure,¡± I state before we fall into a comfortable silence, just walking through my ship. Meanwhile I can¡¯t help but wonder just how painful it¡¯ll be to get that virus. Even if it¡¯ll be healed right away, the same as any other sort of change or damage would be. Not to mention how many times I¡¯m going to get it before I grow fully immune to the effects of the virus, and how long the first effects of it will last. At the very least, it won¡¯t be very pleasant. Then again, the last time I did a job like this I was literally torn apart with my organs popping out of my body. So I¡¯m not worried. We continue to my bridge before I stop in front of the command seat and open up a hologram of a massive map. ¡°What are your plans for finding your home world?¡± I ask while glancing at the girl who is currently wandering around looking at my spaceship¡¯s bridge. She quickly answers without looking at me, ¡°Our people have been collecting intel on it for a while, so we¡¯ve got a few places narrowed down with people who may have records. Including merchants who traded with us before our home world¡¯s downfall. Through direct delivery instead of Gates at that.¡± ¡°And the Rex Dynasty? Did you ever ask them for the coordinates set in the Gates?¡± I ask while focusing on her, letting the ship take us into space on its own. ¡°The data was corrupted and lost before they finally got around to accepting our call,¡± she says with a frown on her face. Clearly not very happy with them. ¡°So they¡¯re no use anymore.¡± Huh. Right. Almost forgot that the Rex Dynasty doesn¡¯t tend to be very friendly with a lot of other nations. Even if they do work with them. Plus they¡¯re incredibly busy. What with managing the Gates all across the universe. Although I¡¯m sure if I¡¯d have been the one who asked they would¡¯ve jumped to answer me in a heartbeat, long before the data was corrupted. Actually, on that note, I go ahead and send a message to Raja asking about this issue. Just in case they may¡¯ve lied to the lyons due to a grudge or something. But I get an answer right away that says they told the truth about the corrupted data. Except one thing they didn¡¯t mention was that it was technically possible to recover the data. Just that it would take decades for them to do it, along with a lot of wealth. I go ahead and share that detail with Leone, making her immediately run straight up to me, appearing before me in an instant and startling me. ¡°Really?! That¡¯s great news!¡± she exclaims with an actual smile on her face, holding both of my hands together in her excitement. ¡°From what he told me, it¡¯s very difficult to recover corrupted data from lost Gates, so it¡¯ll still take at least fifty to a hundred years,¡± I tell her, feeling slightly uncomfortable with her proximity. ¡°And I really don¡¯t feel like rushing them, so¡­ also, your people will have to pay for it.¡± I¡¯m not very close to Leone, so the best I¡¯ll do for her is act as a connection. I won¡¯t go forcing Raja to work harder just for her sake. Nor will I make him pay for their problem. Especially since Leone said they weren¡¯t in a hurry. ¡°That¡¯s no problem at all! I can just follow you around as instructed until they have the coordinates!¡± Leone says, still holding my hands until I carefully extricate them from her grasp. ¡°Oh, right, sorry about that.¡± Then she backs up a few steps and takes a deep breath before returning to her usual stoic and cold albeit slightly eccentric attitude. ¡°So, boss, where¡¯re we going first on your journey?¡± she asks, the corner of her lips quirking upwards a bit. I turn to the holographic map and purse my lips for a few seconds. Just studying it for a bit. After several seconds, I reach forwards and touch a single world on it, saying, ¡°How about Frostfall.¡± I turn to look at Leone as I continue, ¡°I haven¡¯t been to many worlds with a really cold climate in a long time, and I kind of feel like seeing snow.¡± Plus the civilization there has already sent me an invitation should I ever wish to travel there. Just like quite a few other civilizations across the universe ever since that exhibition match. All wanting to form a connection with the up and coming Horseman, of course. The girl gives me a salute and says, ¡°As the boss commands!¡± I raise a brow at her before shrugging and selecting the world, stating out loud, ¡°Crimson, please bring us to the planet known as Frostfall.¡± |Understood.| Another nice thing about the world is that it is an Alpha Tier world, even if there aren¡¯t as many people on it as most Alpha Tier worlds have. Although it does still have a decently sized civilization despite that. Simply because of the Hunter¡¯s Spots on it. Which, in this one, take the form of glaciers. ¡°Let¡¯s go then,¡± I state with a smile while sitting down on my commander¡¯s chair, the ship taking off into hyperspace towards the next planet on my journey. Leaving behind any of the paperwork Little Blue would¡¯ve made me do before leaving. B4 | Chapter 16 Aria On the way there, I go ahead and contact the king of Frostfall, telling him that I¡¯ll be there soon. Which leads to us having a rather large welcoming party when I have Crimson park the spaceship in one of their largest docks. One consisting of their king ¨C a man with stark white hair kind of like my own and pale blue eyes, very much unlike my own ¨C along with a couple ministers and a dozen royal guards. The man walks up to me with a smile on his face and reaches out his hand as he says, ¡°Welcome to our frostbitten world, Lady Death! I hope you enjoy your stay here for as long as you please!¡± ¡°Thank you, King Varan,¡± I tell him with a faint smile of my own as I take his hand and give it a shake. ¡°I¡¯ll probably be here for at least a few years before moving on.¡± He nods his head, his smile growing even wider when he says, ¡°Sounds great! If you ever need anything, just ask! And remember what I said before. All taxes on your loot from the Endless Glaciers are free from any taxes!¡± ¡°Much appreciated,¡± I say with a nod, very much loving this VIP treatment. From my understanding, this world is an Alpha Tier world that follows more along the quality over quantity mentality. With their king here being around level six thousand something. Far higher than my level, but also lower than Leone and Shirogane. Meanwhile the average level of his royal knights are around a thousand or so levels beneath him at five thousand something. Speaking of those knights, it¡¯s rather amusing how none of them are paying much attention to me but instead have their gazes locked on Leone. As if they¡¯re worried she¡¯ll suddenly attack and kill them all. Then again, I¡¯m not much of a threat in their eyes without the use of nukes and weapons. Since I¡¯m not even level one hundred. And, if I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m pretty sure most guns lose their effect at around level five thousand. No matter how strong the gun is. Nukes and explosives still work though. At least up till level ten thousand. Well, assuming they¡¯re nukes strong enough to blow up half the world. Which would¡­ have a bit of collateral damage. Just a bit. Anyways, the king once more gives me polite words telling me to ask him if I need any help before he and the knights lead us to his castle. Where he gives us rooms to stay for our time here. Then I go ahead and follow a knight to the closest Endless Glacier. At which point I realize exactly why it¡¯s called an Endless Glacier. Because I literally can¡¯t see the end of the glacier from the sky above it. Suffice it to say, the thing is big. The royal knight drops me down right in front of it and hands me some sort of coin, telling me that I can use it to call him back when I¡¯m finished. So that he can bring me back to the capital if I need him to. Then he leaves without another word. I look around while putting my hands on my hips, just taking in the bone chilling temperatures around here. With ice patches here and there across the snowy ground, trees all over the place in front of the glacier, and frozen rivers connected to said glacier. Not to mention a large crack running down the glacier that is very clearly the entrance. At this point the cold doesn¡¯t have any sort of effect on me, so I completely ignore it as I put my hands in my jacket pockets and walk over to the glacier while wearing a simple T-shirt, my jacket, and shorts. Then I step inside of the crack and begin navigating my way through tunnels within the glacier. Tunnels that honestly just look like naturally formed cracks in the ice. Eventually I find a large creature made entirely of ice just crawling across the surface of the wall. With the creature having an appearance based partially on some sort of short humanoid. I pull out my gun from the holster on my thigh before shooting it in the head, shattering its icy skull in a single blow and making it collapse to the ground as a message plays out. [User has killed one being of Level 7. Requirements to reach level 81 have been updated. New requirements are as follows: 418423/3000000 beings have been granted Death.]You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Right. This could take a while. Honestly, I kind of want to reach level 100 before having to go to lyon¡¯s home world. More than that, in fact. Simply because of what Famine told me after the ceremony through a text. Ignoring how he got my private contact information in the first place. That all three of the other Horsemen got their horses at level one hundred. Along with a surprise he refused to tell me about. I frown at that thought, only to shake my head. The king said this place would be for me alone today. So I¡¯ll go ahead and take advantage of that. Although it¡¯s just today. They are allowing other hunters access starting tomorrow. Anyways, I go ahead and begin opening rifts around me.
The Next Day Not far from the Endless Glacier ¡°Did you hear?¡± Valkar asks with a wide, excited grin as he and his group of hunters march through the Frost Woods towards the Endless Glacier closest to the capital. ¡°They say there¡¯s a Horseman of the Apocalypse on our planet!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯ll believe it when I see it,¡± Valla says with a wave of her hand, dismissing his words and no doubt not believing them. The others just chuckle, not entirely believing the rumor that¡¯s been making its way around since the enormous spaceship landed in the king¡¯s personal dock. ¡°I¡¯m serious! Wouldn¡¯t it be cool if there really was a Horseman here?!¡± Valkar exclaims, feeling more than a little indignant at their blunt refusal of the rumor. ¡°If there were a Horseman here, we¡¯d all be dead,¡± Ragna says. And the others all nod their heads in agreement. ¡°So please don¡¯t go summoning Horsemen here with your words, Valkar.¡± Valkar puffs his cheeks out, feeling even more upset at their words. But the youngest member of the hunter party ¨C a level 401 hunter just fresh of six hundred years old ¨C doesn¡¯t say anything. Because he knows it¡¯s true. And the others will be shocked when they learn of it. I wonder if we¡¯ll run into the Horseman or not? I really want their autograph! Valkar isn¡¯t the type of person to be frightened off by the reputation each of the Horsemen have garnered. Moreover, he¡¯s just excited at the idea of meeting someone who will be around for long enough to see Valkar¡¯s own great-great-great-great-great-great-great-many-more-greats-grandchildren long after Valkar himself has died. ¡°We¡¯re coming up on the entrance now,¡± Valla says, sounding as stern as always. Meanwhile her long hair flows past Valkar in the wind, bringing with it the smell of her rather flowery perfume. Something she only wears because it attracts the mana creatures within the Hunter¡¯s Spot. He personally really likes the smell, though. So he never says anything about it. ¡°What d¡¯you reckon caused yesterday¡¯s closure, anyways?¡± Ralk asks, the tall, foreign man glancing over at Valla and Ragna. ¡°They don¡¯ often close an entire Hunter¡¯s Spot afta all.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you! It¡¯s the Horseman!¡± Valkar exclaims with his excitement returning. Only to be shot down by Valla as she says, ¡°Probably some sort of accident that happened inside and needed investigating.¡± Completely ignoring Valkar in the process as they get close enough to see the entrance to the Endless Glacier. Then they pause when they see two strange creatures just standing guard at the entrance. ¡°Get ready,¡± Valla says, with all of them preparing their weapons, whether they¡¯re guns or blades. But the two creatures don¡¯t move from their place standing guard. Even after their group readies themselves for battle. Valkar frowns at the creatures. Both of them are cloaked in shadows with glowing red eyes peeking out from under them, and he can¡¯t quite see through the shadows from here. So he isn¡¯t sure what they are. Except that their overall shape doesn¡¯t imply human. Which doesn¡¯t make sense since this Hunter¡¯s Spot shouldn¡¯t have any creatures like this in it. What¡¯s more is that identify doesn¡¯t result in anything when they try it. ¡°Get ready to attack on three,¡± Valla whispers as they slowly inch their way forwards. ¡°One.¡± ¡°Two.¡± And the moment she says ¡°Three!¡± all of them shoot forwards, with Valkar throwing fire spells straight at the two creatures while the others shoot them or cut through them with their blades. Each being careful to avoid friendly fire. Both of the creatures fall apart, turning into a pile of bones with a faint crimson tint to them mixed with some shadows still on them. Valkar and the others share a glance, only to poke at the creatures to make sure they¡¯re dead. But when nothing happens, Valla just shrugs, and they continue walking through. Just to hear the sounds of rattling bones behind them, instantly making them turn around to find the two creatures already fully reformed and standing guard once again. ¡°What the hell are these?!¡± Valkar shouts, no longer bothering with being quiet. None of the others answer. Eventually Valla just sighs and says, ¡°For now, we continue moving. They don¡¯t seem aggressive even after our attacks, so we just need to keep an eye on our backs.¡± Everyone nods their heads in agreement before they proceed further into the Endless Glacier. Until they find themselves stopping again at the first major cavern of the Endless Glacier. Where they find hordes of those strange creatures slaughtering the mana creatures of the Endless Glacier in droves, always restoring themselves whenever killed. The group just numbly stares at the strange sight for several seconds before Valla mutters, ¡°What¡­ am I watching?¡± They watch the strange creatures slaughter the mana creatures for a few more seconds before Ragna and Ralk answer simultaneously, ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°Beats me.¡± Silence fills the air as the shadowy skeletons kill the creatures made of ice. Without a single organic noise being made other than the rattling of bones and shattering of ice. Eventually the group just moves into another tunnel to skip past this cavern, realizing that there isn¡¯t really anything they can do with the skeletons taking all of the corpses and storing them somewhere while hogging all of the enemies. Only to find the next cavern filled with the skeletons as well. And the next. And the next. And the next. After trying five different caverns, the group finally gives up and leaves the Endless Glacier, feeling defeated while muttering about their plans to try again tomorrow. But when they come back the next day, they find the exact same thing still happening. So they move on to a different Hunter¡¯s Spot, having clearly realized why the place was closed for that day. B4 | Chapter 17 Aria It only takes a couple days for word to get around before I find the Endless Glacier I¡¯m hunting in filled with tourists and people who came to just watch my Death Spirits go to work killing the mana creatures. Which makes for a rather awkward hunt, if I¡¯m being honest. Since I¡¯m just going around gathering rare and expensive materials in this place while hundreds of people are just roaming around the Glacier looking for me for whatever reason. According to the king here though, most of them simply want my autograph. Which is a no. Although not everyone does. He also said that there were a few people here who wanted to test out just how immortal I was. So annoying. Of course, I completely avoid them throughout my time here. Just staying in the high tiers of which it¡¯s damn near impossible to find someone. And I have to say, I rather like this place. Because the mana creatures here don¡¯t have stomachs. I feel the muscles of my face trying to turn into a smile without much success at that thought. As I sit here frozen inside of a solid cube of ice while stuck inside of a frost dragon¡¯s den. It¡¯s so much easier to get out of the ice than out of a stomach. I just have to wait for it to melt enough from my ambient death energy ¨C the death energy I let off when I¡¯m hurt ¨C to be able to move my hands even the slightest bit. Then I can just activate a nuke and everything¡¯s fine. The king even said it was fine to use nukes in the later Tiers. Like Tiers 8 through 10. Because the ice making up the glacier is so strong a nuke won¡¯t do much more damage than blowing up maybe a cavern and tunnel or two. And any radioactivity that would be there from a normal nuke ¨C not the ones I use, because they¡¯re premium nukes that don¡¯t have that problem ¨C is dealt with naturally by the dragons. Who, well, kind of eat the radioactivity. Without even meaning to. So these dragons are convenient cleaners. Anyways, the ice around my hand finally melts enough that I can finally use my ring to summon and immediately activate a nuke. Which blows up the entire cavern along with the neighboring caverns and tunnels. And myself. But I reform almost instantly while stretching, my clothes not even having a scratch thanks to the enchantment on them passing any of the damage they take to me. Then I put my hands in my pockets and begin to walk away from the rather damaged dragon den. Only to pause when I realize some of the dragon¡¯s hoard is still here. So I do the sensible thing and store whatever I find in my storage ring before making my way out. Would rather not end up frozen again by a dragon made entirely of ice. From what I understand, the dragon was rather upset by the fact that it couldn¡¯t kill me at first, but then it decided to just display me as a trophy in its hoard.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Meaning this is its own fault. I firmly nod my head at that thought as I walk out of what used to be a den with my hands in my jacket pockets while still wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Might be a good time to leave the tenth Tier of this place though.
It takes me about a month to return to the capital of this frost-covered planet, and when I do, I curiously find billboards on the castle warning hunters of a rampaging dragon in the seventh through tenth Tiers of the closest Endless Glacier. All telling them to stay out of those Tiers unless they want to end up turned into a popsicle and torn to shreds by the dragon. But that has nothing to do with me as I walk with my hands behind my back, just ignoring the strange looks being sent my way for my outfit that probably doesn¡¯t match this climate. Honestly, the matter of getting past the people in the Endless Glacier searching for me wasn¡¯t actually that difficult. All I had to do was send a wave of Death Spirits down a hall whenever they were nearby, then I just casually walked past as they chased after the Death Spirits like some form of paparazzi. I hear a meow, following which a certain furball jumps onto my shoulder from who knows where. But all I do in response is give him some scritches, making the kitty purr. Although I can¡¯t help but notice something odd as I walk through the city. There are a lot more knights and soldiers around than there were before. Is some sort of conflict emerging soon? I frown at that thought. Well, whatever. Doesn¡¯t involve me unless I¡¯m being paid. Not that I¡¯d be surprised if I returned to the castle and found them trying to hire my services if there was some sort of conflict. In fact, I¡¯d place money on it. And just as expected, when I arrive at the castle, the king immediately comes to visit me as I sit down in my room. Following which he tries to request my services in what is apparently a civil war. Something about a duke trying to overturn and take over the kingdom. Kind of reminds me of a certain duke whose rebellion I ruined back on Atlantis. Anyways, I turn my gaze towards the king from my place seated on the edge of my bed as the guy just kinda kneels in front of me. Making me feel more than a little awkward. Although whether it¡¯s because I¡¯m a princess or because I¡¯m Death, I¡¯m not entirely sure. Regardless, I go ahead and ask, ¡°You do know the terms of working with me, right?¡± The man nods his head while looking up at me. ¡°Please repeat them,¡± I tell him, wanting to make sure. Since some people have mistaken my terms before, and it gets annoying when they do. Without hesitation, he begins to repeat the terms of working with me and my company, ¡°Should Lady Death be captured for longer than one week within the conflict without escaping, then she will be taken out of the conflict and her payment will be cut in half so as to not overbalance any conflict to the advantage of one side or the other.¡± Then he nods once more and adds, ¡°I agree to these terms.¡± ¡°Then we have a deal,¡± I tell him with a faint smile. He reaches out and we both shake hands. Good. It¡¯s always just really annoying when they don¡¯t understand the terms. Those terms were set in place by Shirou along with all of the enemies I¡¯ve fought over the years when entering other conflicts as a mercenary. Because it¡¯s just too unfair for the enemies otherwise. Fighting someone who plain can¡¯t die. So for me it¡¯s more like a game. Or it¡¯s become like one over the years. I still know what it means to take a life, but at the same time, I know that quite a few of those lives can be revived. And many are revived. So it¡¯s kind of dumbed it down for me over the years. But I don¡¯t take any lives that aren¡¯t enemies in whatever conflict I¡¯m in, nor do I take the lives of anyone who doesn¡¯t attack me. At least, for those who aren¡¯t in the conflict. Not that anyone has ever actually captured me for that week yet though. I¡¯ve always escaped within a couple days. The only things capable of keeping me for weeks, or even months, are the Nine Grands and Tier 9 and 10 mana creatures. Their egos always get in the way though, so the enemies never really believe I¡¯ll be able to get away. Which is their problem. So long as I get paid. ¡°Please give me a rundown on the current situation,¡± I tell the king, and he quickly gets into the details of the rebellion. And it is quite some rebellion at that. Mostly revolving around how little of the planet is actually occupied. With most of it being barren and uninhabitable land. So the duke pretty much rules over the other half of the planet with the king not really getting involved much there. A rather large problem in and of itself. Never give a subordinate too much autonomy if you don¡¯t want them possibly betraying you. I¡¯ve just seen it happen too many times in my life, whether it¡¯s in stories or in real life. I continue listening to him for over half an hour before coming to a decision on my first move. Time to go to war again. B4 | Chapter 18 Aria I end up attending a few war councils with the king and his generals, all of whom are wary of me, before finding myself standing on a cliff looking out over an army. One made up entirely of Death Spirits and numbering in the tens of thousands. Meanwhile the officers assigned to me by the king look more than a little shellshocked by the sight of the army. Not sure why though. It¡¯s just a bunch of Death Spirits. Lovely creatures, they are. No one could ever dislike them. They¡¯re so nice. It takes a royal knight teleporting in to knock the officers out of their stupor as the knight ignores my army and bows lightly to me, saying, ¡°Your Highness, the enemy forces have arrived on the plains and have raised a white flag to negotiate. Your presence is requested by His Majesty.¡± I glance at the knight before nodding my head, ignoring his use of the honorific. Something most people here have been doing way too often, with the exception of the king, who uses Lady Death instead. After that, the knight reaches his hand out with his fingers pointing upwards, expecting me to take his hand. And after an inner sigh at their annoying customs, I take his hand. Then a few purple specks appear around us as he no doubt tries to teleport me. With nothing happening. Which was honestly to be expected, but there¡¯s always a chance they¡¯d have teleportation magic that I haven¡¯t seen yet. The knight looks confused before I take my hand back and scratch the back of my head as I mutter, ¡°Uh, sorry about that. I¡¯m pretty much immune to most spatial magic teleportation spells and abilities at this point.¡± He just stares blankly at me, finally stunned into the same stupor the officers were in earlier. ¡°It¡¯s a pain,¡± I admit to him, snapping him out of his stupor. Following which he opens his mouth and closes it again, seemingly unsure of what to do in this situation. ¡°I can just go to the meeting spot on my own, if it¡¯s alright with you. Tell the king that I¡¯ll be there in a few minutes.¡± He finally settles on closing his mouth and nodding. Then he teleports without a word. And as usual in this situation, I raise my arm up to around my chest level before pressing a bunch of buttons on the terminal to call forth the shuttle from my ship. A shuttle that appears within moments after teleporting here. Without paying the soldiers and officers any mind, I step inside of the ship, give them one last salute, then let the small ship bring me straight to the meeting place. At which point I step outside of the ship to find a bunch of guns aiming at me. I just give them a wave as my shuttle leaves again without a sound. The king doesn¡¯t look fazed in the slightest as he nods his head at me from some sort of outdoor pavilion with a massive tent over it and a large table surrounded by seats. With the seats being separated on two sides.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I look at the seats, finding about seven seats on the king¡¯s side, with six of them filled and one directly next to the king empty, along with another five on the duke¡¯s side, each being filled. And after looking, I go ahead and take my seat at the table next to the king. Crossing my legs and put my hands in my pockets after sitting before glancing between the duke and his supporters on the other side of the table. All of whom are blatantly staring at me without hiding it. Now, whether it¡¯s because of my outfit of shorts, a T-shirt, and a regular black jacket while seated at a table of nobles, each of whom are wearing fancy military uniforms, or it¡¯s just my presence here in general, I¡¯m not sure. Either one is probably an oddity to them though. So it could be either. ¡°Now that we¡¯re all here, let us begin,¡± the king declares with a frown. ¡°You coward!¡± the enemy duke whose name I don¡¯t know ¨C I¡¯ll just call him Duke Goatee, since he has one ¨C shouts almost immediately. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even fight for your own kingdom without help from a damned Horseman of all things?!¡± All of the nobles in the meeting, including the ones on Duke Goatee¡¯s side, send him shocked looks before turning worried glances towards me. As if they¡¯re worried I¡¯ll take offense. But I just yawn, clearly showing my disinterest in this farce. Because I really don¡¯t care about what happens here. I would be reading a book right now if I could. But that would probably piss them off a bit too much. ¡°Why would I be a coward for using my connections? Isn¡¯t that what a King is supposed to do?¡± the king asks with a brow raised. And his question seems to gather support from the others seated next to us. Even from one of the nobles on Duke Goatee¡¯s side seems to show some tiny hints of support, with another one seemingly starting to question his decision to support the duke. Mostly because of Duke Goatee¡¯s comment scorning Horsemen right in front of me. After that, the nobles all continue to squabble amongst themselves as I just kind of sit here without really caring. Although I do pay attention. Just in case something important for the war is said. Most of it is political squabbling though. Stuff that is unrelated to the war and is just them arguing like children. Then, as expected, by the end of the little truce talks, it all breaks down with Duke Goatee shouting at the king and shooting straight up from his chair. The other nobles all around us doing the same thing as if in sync. I just yawn again before feeling a certain cat jumping in my lap, making me pet him. Duke Goatee glares at me with quite a bit of animosity ¨C the guy himself being too high a level for me to identify, although he should be somewhere around the king¡¯s level if the king isn¡¯t mistaken. And after glancing at Asher, he looks up at my face again and asks, ¡°You better leave this world soon, brat. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re a princess or not. Our world has no place for Horsemen.¡± I continue stroking Asher¡¯s soft fur as I look down at the cat and respond to the guy, ¡°Yeah, yeah, say what you will, but it doesn¡¯t really matter at the end of the day.¡± The snow around us begins to heat up a little bit, making me glance up to find flames building up around the man¡¯s eyes as steam quite literally lifts off of his head. Huh. Didn¡¯t think I¡¯d ever see someone get so mad they¡¯d actually start steaming like this. He doesn¡¯t do anything, though. Because, asshole or not, he is still a duke. So Duke Goatee reigns in his anger ¨C and his steam ¨C and turns around rather swiftly, beginning to walk away. I turn to look at the king as I can¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Does Duke Goatee just have something wrong with Horsemen?¡± Then everything goes silent. A brief wave of confusion fills me at the strange looks everyone is sending me ¨C not the anger Duke goatee is looking at me with though, because that¡¯s normal for his face ¨C until I realize that I said my little nickname for the man out loud. Oops. The king¡¯s lips quirk ever so slightly upwards as he tries to hold back a smile. And he¡¯s not the only one. I even hear a couple of the soldiers on either side of the pavilion trying to hold back snickers. Which serves to piss off Duke Goatee even more, leading to him storming off while shouting something about capturing me alive and torturing me. Not sure what purpose that would serve though, considering my lack of any sensation of pain at this point. After Duke Goatee is too far away to hear, the king answers my question, ¡°No, he is most likely just upset about my bringing you in, and wanted to find some sort of excuse to force you out of the war.¡± Ah. Makes sense. I turn to look at Duke Goatee¡¯s retreating back as I continue stroking Asher¡¯s fur, the cat also not having a single issue with the weather as he sits on my lap. Well, I haven¡¯t really fought a full war in a while. Much less on a frozen planet like this one. So this¡¯ll be interesting. B4 | Chapter 19 Aria Less than an hour later, I find myself standing atop a cliff looking out as my forces of shadow-cloaked Death Spirits rush through the frozen plains straight towards the army of soldiers and knights. Only for them to clash and the soldiers and knights to immediately begin making short work of my Death Spirits with ease. Until my Death Spirits simply reform themselves and take a large chunk of the soldiers and knights out from behind, the soldiers and knights clearly not expecting them to recover from their injuries. After losing a good number of their forces, the soldiers and knights manage to regroup and take my Death Spirits on in a much more defensive manner. Still slaughtering my Death Spirits with ease thanks to the soldiers and knights being much higher leveled than me on average, with my Death Spirits being weaker than me, but not doing much of anything other than that. Since my Death Spirits can¡¯t die. I watch for a bit before dropping down and sitting on the edge of the cliff, simply swinging my legs back and forth while holding the edge with both my hands in between my legs out of boredom. So much for this being interesting. But then, as if to contradict my thought, several higher level nobles suddenly jump in along with some higher level knights. Or at least I assume they¡¯re higher level judging by the clear power gap between them and the others out there. And these nobles and knights tear entire paths through my Death Spirits with ease and just a single strike of whatever they¡¯re using. Whether that¡¯s magic or blade or gun. I lean forwards a little, still swinging my legs back and forth. But my Death Spirits reform even after these stronger opponents arrive. My soul energy at this point having amassed so much that there isn¡¯t much they can do to face off against my Death Spirits. Especially when my soul energy is actually still being replenished from all of the dying soldiers nearby. Both in my own battle here and the other battles going on nearby. Since this isn¡¯t the only battle. In fact, it¡¯s just one out of four within the couple hundred kilometer region around us. The battle continues raging with my Death Spirits still fighting without losing any steam at all. Meanwhile the enemy soldiers and knights very much lose steam. At least for the weaker ones. After watching for a bit and getting bored, I decide to stand up and stretch a little bit. Then I look past the enemies at their basecamp. Because what¡¯s the best way to deal with an army? Starve them out. So I jump down from the cliff and begin heading through the forest surrounding the plains towards their basecamp on the other side of said plains. All while ignoring the enemy nobles and higher ranking knights who are clearly starting to search for me. Having no doubt realized by now the futility of trying to kill my Death Spirits. I sneak all the way to the edges of their basecamp, finding it still filled with soldiers and knights. Meanwhile I sense stronger energy sources inside. Well, time to get things ready. I frown as I begin sneaking down to get into their base. Would be so much nicer if I could use a nuke. But that would probably kill my allies as well.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. A pity.
The Basecamp General Vladmar scowls as he slams his fist into the desk, destroying the desk while sending splinters all across the tent. Splinters that pierce into his subordinates armor without damaging the high level knights at all. With the splinters going towards the general all vanishing in a purple light the moment they get near his own blue and purple set of metal armor. ¡°What is the point of this farce?!¡± the general shouts, his voice ringing out through the tent. ¡°How are we supposed to kill an army of immortal Death Spirits?!¡± None of his nobles and officers say a word in response. Simply letting him continue ranting to himself. ¡°What the hell is the duke thinking?! Going against a Horseman!¡± General Vladmar continues, his hands starting to blaze with purple flames with even more spilling out of his eyes. Then he raises his head to look at his highest ranking officer as he shouts, ¡°How close are we to capturing the Horseman?!¡± The officer in question just shakes her head and answers, ¡°We haven¡¯t spotted her yet, my Lord.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t even fou-¡± the general begins, only to freeze in place when he notices a change in the basecamp. Following which his head jerks to the side and he falls silent for a bit. ¡°My Lord?¡± one of the nobles asks, but most of the higher level officers and nobles in the room all turn to look in the same direction as the general. Then the general whispers without even looking at them, ¡°Get ready.¡± The others nod their heads, with only a few nobles in the large tent looking confused. But that confusion vanishes when a woman walks straight into the tent with ease and too much calm for her own good. Just walking right in with her hands in her pockets. The woman looks to be about twenty-one or twenty-two years old, but with the System and the obvious identity of the woman, her exact age is unknown to the general and the others in the room. She has long white hair, with glowing crimson eyes and is wearing clothes that are far too light for the freezing temperatures of the planet. ¡°This makes things easier,¡± the general states while looking directly into her eyes. Trying hard not to look anywhere else that could even possibly offend her, despite her beauty and current bizarre choice of outfit for the climate. ¡°Have you decided to turn yourself in?¡± Death just raises a brow at them and asks, ¡°Why would I do that?¡± General Vladmar shrugs and answers, ¡°To make this easier on all of us. And because you¡¯re an outsider who shouldn¡¯t be in this conflict in the first place.¡± ¡°Should or shouldn¡¯t is a matter of opinion, don¡¯cha think?¡± Death asks while tilting her head a little, giving the general a bad feeling for some reason. But the woman just walks up to a random part of the table nearby and bends down to poke at it, making all of the knights and nobles near her back away while still holding tightly onto their blades¡¯ handles. None of them having drawn them yet. ¡°If you¡¯re not here to turn yourself in,¡± the general begins before narrowing his eyes a little as the woman picks up a bit of wood from the table and seems to inspect it, ¡°why are you here?¡± She doesn¡¯t answer for a few seconds, leaving the general feeling wary. Because he knows she is most likely one of the last people in the universe anyone would want to fight. What with her power to permanently damage someone so that they aren¡¯t able to ever heal, or her power to erase souls entirely. All without being able to be killed herself. Even if she¡¯s not all that powerful on her own. ¡°Oh, just came here to deal with something,¡± she answers before tossing the piece of wood onto the ground and standing up straight to look at the general. ¡°To deal with something?¡± the general asks with a frown on his face. ¡°To deal with us?¡± All of the nobles and officers in the room tense up with some beginning to draw their weapons part-way. The girl just smiles at him ¨C and she is as old as a child in the general¡¯s eyes even if she is over a century old at least ¨C before crossing her arms and answering, ¡°Nope. I came here,¡± she starts before the general hears something akin to a button being pressed from her pocket, following which she pulls her hand out with a remote in said hand, ¡°to blow up your supplies.¡± Then explosions start to ring out from across the entire basecamp, making the general¡¯s eyes widen in surprise and anger. But his anger is still limited because they have plenty of spare supplies within their storage rings. ¡°And to destroy your storage rings,¡± Death adds a moment later before more explosions blow up the edges of the tent they¡¯re in, leaving smoke filling the area even if it doesn¡¯t actually harm the general or most of his nobles and officers. And amidst the smoke, the general just sees Death¡¯s gaze looking straight at him, her eyes glowing through the smoke cover. As her voice echoes through the smoke-filled basecamp, sending chills down the spines of people far stronger than she is. ¡°Let me know when you¡¯re done playing and I¡¯ll bring you back as a prisoner, okay?¡± B4 | Chapter 20 Aria So I¡¯m not sure if it was something to do with the way I came into their tent or what, but four of their nobles attack me the moment the second round of explosions go off. Which is rather rude. But I just use Death¡¯s Judgment on the hand gripping my face while lifting me up, burning their hand a little bit in the process. Then I set off more explosions around me that blows up the rest of the tent and the officers and nobles. Of course, it doesn¡¯t do anything other than destroy their clothes and ¨C more importantly ¨C their storage rings and everything in them. All of the nobles and officers immediately jump into action, setting up their own defenses after that with many of them sending attacks my way. But I just casually walk out of the remains of the tent and make my way out of the camp without bothering with them. Because I don¡¯t have any weapons capable of killing them that I can use right now. Not with it being too close to our own forces to use nuclear-level explosives. Which is a pity. And bullets from the arch-rifles I got from the pharaoh are too expensive to waste on people like this. The only weapon and bullets capable of killing beings in the several thousand levels range. At least out of the non-explosives area. Doesn¡¯t really matter that the pharaoh offered to pay for every single bullet I shot. I¡¯m not wasting them when it¡¯s so annoying to get refills, what with them being too powerful to teleport or something. Anyways, I leave behind a lot of shouting throughout the camp. Probably due to the explosives, and the fact that I permanently burnt the hand of one of the nobles who attacked me. And the fact that I blew up all their leaders¡¯ storage items and clothing, leaving them with nothing while in a frozen wasteland in the middle of their troops. But that¡¯s their problem. They should¡¯ve just surrendered after all. On another note, by the time I reach the edge of the camp, elite forces under the king arrive and surround the camp. All of them preparing to attack the now-unarmed enemies. But I just continue walking through the snow with my hands in my jacket pockets until I reach my own battlefield again. And what I find when I arrive is pretty much what I expected. The enemy soldiers are ignoring my Death Spirits and running back to their camp, where they no doubt saw the explosions ring out from. Meanwhile my Death Spirits are chasing them without a care for their immortal lives. I return to my place atop a cliff while swinging my legs over the edge, just watching all of this go down. So much for this war being interesting. ¡°You look bored,¡± Leone says as she appears next to me, sending a wave of wind and ice flying in the process due to the sheer speed she arrived with just coming to a complete halt in an instant. ¡°I am a little bored,¡± I answer her honestly without looking back at her, just seeing her from the corner of my eye. ¡°Do you know when the last time I had a serious fight was? When I last used my combat training outside of training?¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Years ago?¡± Leone asks while walking up to stand next to me with her arms crossed. ¡°It¡¯s been centuries,¡± I answer, feeling rather disappointed by that. ¡°Immortality kind of makes combat training in actual battles a moot point.¡± She kneels down next to me and looks at me while tilting her head a little, her glowing and slit amber eyes shining in the darker light around us and reflecting off the snow as she asks, ¡°Do you dislike your immortality?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± I answer right away. ¡°At first I had problems with it, but now I¡¯m fine with it. I like it in fact.¡± I will admit, before the System expanded the lifespans of everyone in it who manages to reach level 100, I did hate it. Because having such a short time with anyone I met and got close to was just painful. So painful it was hard to get close to others. But the System expanded that time significantly so long as they keep leveling up. Which is good enough for me. Although¡­ I think back to Frank from Vortel before looking up at the dark clouds covering the sky, ignoring the battles going on all around us. Including the enemy soldiers and my own Death Spirits rushing in to slaughter the enemy soldiers and their nobles and officers at the camp I blew up. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that it¡¯s sad to lose someone. And Frank isn¡¯t the only person I¡¯ve lost. He¡¯s the only one I¡¯ve been really close to, sure, but not the only one. I¡¯ve met people and befriended them on many of the worlds I¡¯ve visited. And not all of them have been interested in leveling up. So quite a few of them have passed away over the years. I look back down from the skies at the battle again, only to notice some of the nobles trying to flee from the camp, with a couple of them having managed to secure clothing again. Clothing which I¡¯m pretty sure is just spare armor from their soldiers. Seeing as I blew up their armory too. Wonder if any of them have died yet? Or been captured? I¡¯m pretty sure this planet doesn¡¯t have a Void Temple, so resurrecting them may be difficult for their duke. Actually, on the matter of the Void Temple, I¡¯ve visited them a few times over the years. Mostly just to say hi if I end up in a world with a major temple on it. It¡¯s polite to do so after all. But my last visit to a Void Temple ¨C when I went back to Eternus for the ceremonies ¨C was different. The Void Spirit at the temple invited me to go to their home world at some point. Which will be interesting, since most people are never allowed to go there. Not unless they¡¯re relatively high ranking priests within the Void Temples. I¡¯m also not allowed to bring anyone because of the severe restrictions they have on their planet. What with there being no air there. Or sun. Or, really, anything a normal human being would need to live. So that¡¯ll be an interesting trip when it comes around. But I¡¯m not planning on going there for a long time. At the very least not until after I finish traveling with Leone. Since she wouldn¡¯t be able to go there. Oh, and they also specified that I should only come after I get my horse. Which gives me a pretty good idea of what it¡¯s about. What with the things I¡¯ve been told by Famine since meeting him at the ceremony. About one of the benefits having your horse brings as a Horseman of the Apocalypse. The ability to enter your plane. So for me, the ability to enter the Plane of Death. The place where I¡¯m summoning all of these Death Spirits from. If they want me to have my horse by then, the thing they want to discuss most likely involves the Death Spirits. Makes me wonder if I¡¯ll finally meet some of the higher ranking Death Spirits. Sapient ones instead of all the non-sapient ones I¡¯ve been summoning thus far. That¡¯ll be interesting. And so will seeing the Void Temple¡¯s home planet. A place that the internet doesn¡¯t even have pictures of. ¡°Is this what most of your travels are like?¡± Leone asks while sitting down next to me with her hands behind her in the snow supporting her. I glance at her before looking at the battles again as I answer, ¡°Well, kind of. I generally go through a period like this in every new world before settling in and just hunting for years while occasionally reading.¡± Silence fills the cliff we¡¯re on with the only sounds being that of the battle. ¡°Huh,¡± she frowns while looking out at the battle herself. ¡°Sounds like it¡¯ll be a strange time for me.¡± I glance at her, feeling a frown of my own tempting my lips. Only to look at the Death Spirits down below. Did she just call my lifestyle strange? How rude. B4 | Chapter 20 Aria So I¡¯m not sure if it was something to do with the way I came into their tent or what, but four of their nobles attack me the moment the second round of explosions go off. Which is rather rude. But I just use Death¡¯s Judgment on the hand gripping my face while lifting me up, burning their hand a little bit in the process. Then I set off more explosions around me that blows up the rest of the tent and the officers and nobles. Of course, it doesn¡¯t do anything other than destroy their clothes and ¨C more importantly ¨C their storage rings and everything in them. All of the nobles and officers immediately jump into action, setting up their own defenses after that with many of them sending attacks my way. But I just casually walk out of the remains of the tent and make my way out of the camp without bothering with them. Because I don¡¯t have any weapons capable of killing them that I can use right now. Not with it being too close to our own forces to use nuclear-level explosives. Which is a pity. And bullets from the arch-rifles I got from the pharaoh are too expensive to waste on people like this. The only weapon and bullets capable of killing beings in the several thousand levels range. At least out of the non-explosives area. Doesn¡¯t really matter that the pharaoh offered to pay for every single bullet I shot. I¡¯m not wasting them when it¡¯s so annoying to get refills, what with them being too powerful to teleport or something. Anyways, I leave behind a lot of shouting throughout the camp. Probably due to the explosives, and the fact that I permanently burnt the hand of one of the nobles who attacked me. And the fact that I blew up all their leaders¡¯ storage items and clothing, leaving them with nothing while in a frozen wasteland in the middle of their troops. But that¡¯s their problem. They should¡¯ve just surrendered after all. On another note, by the time I reach the edge of the camp, elite forces under the king arrive and surround the camp. All of them preparing to attack the now-unarmed enemies. But I just continue walking through the snow with my hands in my jacket pockets until I reach my own battlefield again. And what I find when I arrive is pretty much what I expected. The enemy soldiers are ignoring my Death Spirits and running back to their camp, where they no doubt saw the explosions ring out from. Meanwhile my Death Spirits are chasing them without a care for their immortal lives. I return to my place atop a cliff while swinging my legs over the edge, just watching all of this go down. So much for this war being interesting. ¡°You look bored,¡± Leone says as she appears next to me, sending a wave of wind and ice flying in the process due to the sheer speed she arrived with just coming to a complete halt in an instant. ¡°I am a little bored,¡± I answer her honestly without looking back at her, just seeing her from the corner of my eye. ¡°Do you know when the last time I had a serious fight was? When I last used my combat training outside of training?¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°Years ago?¡± Leone asks while walking up to stand next to me with her arms crossed. ¡°It¡¯s been centuries,¡± I answer, feeling rather disappointed by that. ¡°Immortality kind of makes combat training in actual battles a moot point.¡± She kneels down next to me and looks at me while tilting her head a little, her glowing and slit amber eyes shining in the darker light around us and reflecting off the snow as she asks, ¡°Do you dislike your immortality?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± I answer right away. ¡°At first I had problems with it, but now I¡¯m fine with it. I like it in fact.¡± I will admit, before the System expanded the lifespans of everyone in it who manages to reach level 100, I did hate it. Because having such a short time with anyone I met and got close to was just painful. So painful it was hard to get close to others. But the System expanded that time significantly so long as they keep leveling up. Which is good enough for me. Although¡­ I think back to Frank from Vortel before looking up at the dark clouds covering the sky, ignoring the battles going on all around us. Including the enemy soldiers and my own Death Spirits rushing in to slaughter the enemy soldiers and their nobles and officers at the camp I blew up. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that it¡¯s sad to lose someone. And Frank isn¡¯t the only person I¡¯ve lost. He¡¯s the only one I¡¯ve been really close to, sure, but not the only one. I¡¯ve met people and befriended them on many of the worlds I¡¯ve visited. And not all of them have been interested in leveling up. So quite a few of them have passed away over the years. I look back down from the skies at the battle again, only to notice some of the nobles trying to flee from the camp, with a couple of them having managed to secure clothing again. Clothing which I¡¯m pretty sure is just spare armor from their soldiers. Seeing as I blew up their armory too. Wonder if any of them have died yet? Or been captured? I¡¯m pretty sure this planet doesn¡¯t have a Void Temple, so resurrecting them may be difficult for their duke. Actually, on the matter of the Void Temple, I¡¯ve visited them a few times over the years. Mostly just to say hi if I end up in a world with a major temple on it. It¡¯s polite to do so after all. But my last visit to a Void Temple ¨C when I went back to Eternus for the ceremonies ¨C was different. The Void Spirit at the temple invited me to go to their home world at some point. Which will be interesting, since most people are never allowed to go there. Not unless they¡¯re relatively high ranking priests within the Void Temples. I¡¯m also not allowed to bring anyone because of the severe restrictions they have on their planet. What with there being no air there. Or sun. Or, really, anything a normal human being would need to live. So that¡¯ll be an interesting trip when it comes around. But I¡¯m not planning on going there for a long time. At the very least not until after I finish traveling with Leone. Since she wouldn¡¯t be able to go there. Oh, and they also specified that I should only come after I get my horse. Which gives me a pretty good idea of what it¡¯s about. What with the things I¡¯ve been told by Famine since meeting him at the ceremony. About one of the benefits having your horse brings as a Horseman of the Apocalypse. The ability to enter your plane. So for me, the ability to enter the Plane of Death. The place where I¡¯m summoning all of these Death Spirits from. If they want me to have my horse by then, the thing they want to discuss most likely involves the Death Spirits. Makes me wonder if I¡¯ll finally meet some of the higher ranking Death Spirits. Sapient ones instead of all the non-sapient ones I¡¯ve been summoning thus far. That¡¯ll be interesting. And so will seeing the Void Temple¡¯s home planet. A place that the internet doesn¡¯t even have pictures of. ¡°Is this what most of your travels are like?¡± Leone asks while sitting down next to me with her hands behind her in the snow supporting her. I glance at her before looking at the battles again as I answer, ¡°Well, kind of. I generally go through a period like this in every new world before settling in and just hunting for years while occasionally reading.¡± Silence fills the cliff we¡¯re on with the only sounds being that of the battle. ¡°Huh,¡± she frowns while looking out at the battle herself. ¡°Sounds like it¡¯ll be a strange time for me.¡± I glance at her, feeling a frown of my own tempting my lips. Only to look at the Death Spirits down below. Did she just call my lifestyle strange? How rude. B4 | Chapter 21 Aria After the first battle, several more take place all across the world. Each one with me leading an army of Death Spirits and getting my soul energy replenished by the very armies I¡¯m fighting. To the point that I¡¯m gaining more soul energy than I¡¯m expending. Which is a very cost efficient process. But unlike with many of the wars I¡¯ve fought in, this war only lasts for around half a month. Ending when I get bored and decide to march a large army of Death Spirits into their military headquarters with bombs strapped to them. Because who doesn¡¯t like bombs? Or at least, I can only assume it¡¯ll end. The duke sitting across from me in his reception room doesn¡¯t look like the type who¡¯ll give up this easily. ¡°Why?¡± the duke asks while clenching his fists on the couch as I casually sip a glass of wine. Wine I¡¯m pretty sure I just tasted something weird from, possibly poison, but since it tastes good I don¡¯t mind and keep quiet. Which seems to make the duke even angrier. ¡°Just why did you have to come to our world and work with him?!¡± the duke asks again, clarifying himself better this time. I take another sip before I answer without much care, ¡°I actually don¡¯t remember the reason I chose this world. Probably at random or something. And I¡¯m working with the king because he asked first.¡± My answer makes the duke gape at me. And he¡¯s not the only one as the soldiers in the room do the same thing, with some of them even beginning to grip the handles of their swords with hints of rage emerging on their faces. The guards clearly not happy with my answer. ¡°Well, anyways, Duke Goatee, are you going to surrender or not?¡± I ask while stretching back in my seat, today wearing a jacket over a tank top and pants. Still not clothing that most people would wear here. Not sure why ¨C probably the use of the man¡¯s nickname ¨C but he grows even angrier. All the way to the point that he shouts, ¡°Guards, do whatever you can to capture her! I don¡¯t care how many casualties it¡¯ll take!¡± Then all dozen or so guards in the room draw their swords and rush straight for me, impaling me through multiple directions with their blades. Going in one way and out the other. But I ignore them as I tilt my head at Duke Goatee and ask, ¡°So you won¡¯t surrender?¡± The anger in his eyes grows even more. My vision of him is cut off soon though when various different spells and abilities start popping up from the dozen guards around me. Each burning through me, shocking me, melting me, disintegrating me, and what-not. And when I return to perfect condition, about to order all of my Death Spirits to activate the explosives, I pause. Because the sight in front of me¡­ is unexpected to say the least. Instead of the guards still trying to capture me, I find a beheaded Duke Goatee slouched over the table between where he and I were sitting. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Uh¡­ I glance at the guards to find them all backing away towards the corners of the room, sheathing their swords. My gaze shifts between the headless corpse and the guards, wondering just what the hell I just saw. Or didn¡¯t see, since I didn¡¯t have a head when it happened. ¡°What¡­¡± I begin, only to trail off when the commander of the duke¡¯s knights walks up to Duke Goatee ¨C who I now notice is missing part of his goatee since some of it was cut off along with his head ¨C and stops right behind his chair. Then the man just bows to me. I blink, unsure of what¡¯s going on before the man declares, ¡°The duke has been killed as a casualty of the battle. May this victory belong to the Horseman of Death and her current employer, His Majesty, the King of Frostfall.¡± Wait¡­ seriously? When the duke said that he didn¡¯t care about how many casualties they made trying to capture me¡­ they took it as an excuse to kill their duke and call it a casualty? With me not being able to see thanks to missing my own head at the time¡­ An awkward silence fills the room for several minutes. Only for it to be broken when a small rift appears next to me, and a certain cat jumps out of it to land on my lap with a meow. I subconsciously begin to pet Asher without pausing in the process of my glancing back and forth between the knight commander and the headless corpse. Eventually I just shrug and devour Duke Goatee¡¯s soul core. Well, guess my job here is done. With that, I pull Asher up into my arms, holding him to my chest before standing up, nodding my head to the commander, and beginning to walk around my chair towards the entrance of the room. Perfectly ready to go and report back to the king about this for my reward. But before I can even finish stepping around the chair, the knight commander asks, ¡°Lady Death, about those explosives¡­¡± I pause and glance back at him to find a worried and wary gaze in his eyes. Oh. That¡¯s why they did it. While Duke Goatee was fine with dying to my explosives, his forces were very much not fine with it. So they killed him to stop me from blowing them all up. A bit of a pity that I¡¯ll miss the progress to the next level they could¡¯ve given me, along with the soul energy, but whatever. I give a mental order to my Death Spirits to all begin marching out of the enemy headquarters. ¡°They¡¯re on their way out as we speak,¡± I answer him while turning around and continuing my trip to the door. ¡°Thank you, Lady Death,¡± the commander says as I step through the door of the reception room. But I just wave my hand over my shoulder at him without saying anything. After I make it just three steps out of the room, though, I pause. Then I turn back around and head inside the room again to grab the poisoned wine I was drinking, uncaring of the tensing up of the soldiers and knights within said room. And without another word, I head back outside the room again while drinking the poisoned wine. Interesting. Never really thought about the possibility of flavoring my wine with poisons. This may open up an entirely new field of alcohol for me to try. Ignoring the fact that alcohol in and of itself is technically a poison. I down the entire rest of the poisoned wine as I march through the building towards one of the outer walls. Following which I just jump off of the wall and land on the ground, my legs still largely fine even after that fall simply due to my level. Then I put my hands in my jacket pocket, dropping the glass on the snowy ground without a care as I walk over towards the nearby cliff I have my Death Spirits marching towards. Where I find Leone just standing at the edge of the cliff waiting for me. She looks rather surprised by the sight of my Death Spirits marching back with their explosives intact though. When I arrive, I answer her question without even being asked, ¡°Duke Goatee was ¡®killed as a casualty of their attempting to capture me¡¯ and is no longer a threat. So the war is pretty much over now.¡± Leone looks surprised at that, only to shrug, proving how little she actually cares about this war. Not that I blame her. Wonder if I should stop calling him Duke Goatee since his goatee was cut? I glance back at the headquarters ¨C which is pretty much a large castle ¨C before shrugging. Meh. Duke Goatee will always be Duke Goatee in my mind. Until I forget him in a couple months that is. I turn back to Leone again and tell her while beginning to walk away from the headquarters, ¡°Well, time to spend the next five to ten years fighting and reading inside of the Endless Glaciers. Maybe watching some TV as well, if they have service in there.¡± Some places don¡¯t have service in their Hunter¡¯s Spots for some reason. Which is stupid. How else am I supposed to keep up with my TV shows in there? I ignore the bewildered look on Leone¡¯s face as we begin the march towards the king¡¯s headquarters. And how she mutters, ¡°TV? In¡­ a Hunter¡¯s Spot? What?¡± B4 | Chapter 22 Aria I smile as I watch TV in a random cavern of the Endless Glacier closest to the capital. Just sitting high above the cavern filled with monsters and my own Death Spirits. Not to mention the occasional other hunter who happens to pass through looking rather confused. It¡¯s been a good five years since I arrived on this world, and it only took Shirogane a good month to get back to me with a router that can connect through the Hunter¡¯s Spot here. Which was a very short period of time to develop a new product like this. So I¡¯m happy. Of course, I¡¯m using headphones with my TV. Because of a certain dragon that likes to chase after me whenever it gets near and hears me. And at one point it started linking the sounds coming from the TV to me somehow. Not sure why that dragon is so pissed. All I did was blow up its den and steal all of its horde. I yawn as I finish the last episode of this action drama TV show. Then I stretch a bit and look down at one of my many Death Spirit armies slaughtering the mana creatures below. Only to stiffen up slightly when said dragon enters the cavern and starts throwing a fit. I quickly gather up my TV and other stuff inside of my storage ring before making a swift exit out of this cavern to enter another. Where I remake my setup and start lying down to read this time instead. Such an annoying dragon. It was worse when I had two dragons on my tail instead of one though. But that second dragon was killed by the first when they met. I later learned from the king that the dragons are territorial. So the first dragon probably sees me as its prey and doesn¡¯t want anyone else taking me. That or it considers me as part of its horde, considering how it stuck me in there as a frozen statue. But I¡¯d rather not consider that option. On another note, this world has been incredibly good to me in terms of leveling up. Since there are a lot of mana creatures flooding these Endless Glaciers. Not to mention that war, which gave me quite a few as well. Albeit nowhere near as many as these Endless Glaciers that I¡¯m just sending waves of Death Spirits through. So in just five years here I got more progress to my purpose than I did in four times that long on other worlds. As if on cue, another level-up message plays out in my head and vision. [User has met the requirements to reach level 93. User¡¯s level has been updated to level 93. New requirements to reach level 94 are as follows: 0/4000000 beings have been granted Death.] I¡¯m getting really close to my goal. And in just a few years at that. Although part of it is probably because I¡¯ve been focusing entirely on leveling up during this time. Far more than before. I¡¯m using a lot more Death Spirits, arming a lot of the Death Spirits with explosives to kill off the icy mana creatures here, and pretty much tearing this poor Hunter¡¯s Spot apart. Which has been making a lot of people avoid this particular place. The king has been rather happy though. Since it made it so that fewer mana creatures would leak out of the Endless Glacier. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. A problem some Hunter¡¯s Spots on certain worlds actually have. When they don¡¯t have enough hunters to maintain them, and mana creatures begin to leave the Hunter¡¯s Spot due to overpopulation. Thereby causing problems with the world itself due to them ruining the ecosystem. But my actions here have kind of destroyed that problem. With this Hunter¡¯s Spot, at least. Also destroying the Hunter¡¯s Spot itself. Until it slowly recovers itself from my explosives. Everyone knows that explosives are the best way to deal with problems though. I yawn before glancing at the number of beings granted death, which is rapidly shooting up every second by the hundreds. Then I lie back and stare up at the ceiling of the cavern from the small little terrace that I¡¯m in high up at the top of the frozen chamber. Just dropping my book on my chest as I do so. Come to think of it, when was the last time I left this glacier? It can¡¯t have been more than a year, right? Not sure. Makes me wonder what Leone is doing outside¡­ I think back to the last thing I saw her doing. Which was picking a fight with all of the royal knights of this kingdom, seemingly having a lot of fun while doing it. Something about her needing training against a lot of different enemies. Will the¡­ kingdom be okay by the time I get out of here? Maybe I should stop by to check on it¡­ I think that while still lying down and staring up at the ceiling, unmoving. Several seconds pass. Meh. Not my problem. Something I¡¯m looking forward to is the other benefit I¡¯ll get from reaching level one hundred. Something Famine also told me just recently. Although I kind of wish he would stop sending me messages so frequently. It¡¯s annoying. Even if it¡¯s simply because the guy only recognizes other Horsemen as people and is friendly to all of us because of that. Anyways, Horsemen get two things when they reach level one hundred. Their horse, and their magic. I smile at the thought of actually becoming a mage. With death magic I¡¯ll finally be able to cast spells of my own. Actual spells like a mage instead of just the skills I¡¯ve gotten from the System. Other than that, I should be able to sense mana as well. Something I can¡¯t do right now. Even if I won¡¯t have mana of my own. Just my natural death energy. And judging by how terrified all of the necromancers I¡¯ve seen get just from the sight of me, I probably have a lot of death energy. Not to mention how I¡¯m a literal beacon when I go to Rex Dynasty worlds. Something I didn¡¯t learn about for a little while. Which was awkward when I heard about the reason for those ¡®terrorist attacks¡¯ before. I purse my lips at that thought. Probably best not to go to Rex Dynasty worlds that aren¡¯t their capital. I yawn before slowly closing my eyes, only to hear the dragon roaring and marching straight into the cavern. Damnit. This dragon is getting annoying. I stand up again with a scowl on my face as I begin to search through my storage ring for items that I could use against the pest. But I don¡¯t find any items strong enough to kill the Tier 10 mana creature. So I do the next best thing. The dragon seems to like following my trail and trying and failing to destroy my Death Spirits, so why don¡¯t I lead it somewhere? With that thought in mind, I jump down from the cavern terrace before landing on the ground completely within sight of the dragon. Enraging it in the process. Then I proceed to charge straight through the cavern to a tunnel, letting the massive creature chase after me. A chase that ends up taking a while, with me actually getting into my hover car and driving through the Endless Glaciers to stay ahead of it. All the way till I reach the Tier 10 parts of the Endless Glacier. At which point I lead the dragon straight into the territory of another dragon, making the dragon cover the other dragon¡¯s territory with its scent as it passes by to chase me. Then I keep going to another dragon¡¯s territory. And another. And another. All while feeling happy that I have no scent personally. Probably because I¡¯m Death. After half a dozen dragon¡¯s territories, I finally make it to the center of the Endless Glacier. With the dragon charging in behind me. Before the thing halts in terror when it sees the Grand Frost Dragon ruling over this entire Endless Glacier slowly getting up with anger in its gaze directed at the smaller dragon. The thing completely ignoring a ¡®small-fry¡¯ like myself when the larger dragon is right there behind me making a fuss. I make a U-turn to go back around the currently terrified dragon and flee. Only briefly giving the thing a salute of goodbye and farewell as I do so. Yeah, I probably should¡¯ve done that sooner instead of letting it rampage for years, but whatever. That dragon is now bigger dragon chow. In a sense, considering that these frost dragons are blocks of ice that don¡¯t eat. But the point is made. Anyways, time to go back to Tier 5 again to take that overdue nap. B4 | Chapter 23 The Capital of Frostfall When Leone first met with the Horseman of Death, she was surprised to say the least. Because despite everything she¡¯d heard, she wasn¡¯t expecting an adorable girl of less than two centuries that does the most hilarious things. Take in point the conversation she¡¯s listening to right now from atop the palace. ¡°Please, can you just do something about it? Maybe ask Lady Death to be more careful in the Endless Glaciers¡­?¡± the king practically begs some of Aria¡¯s secret guards that Leone is sure she doesn¡¯t even know about. ¡°Over the last five years, a frost dragon has been going on a rampage, killing everything it sees all throughout the Endless Glacier. But just in the past few days, this rampage has stopped and was replaced with an even worse one after Lady Death led it on a parade throughout the entire Endless Glacier, marching it through several other dragons¡¯ dens all the way to the Grand Frost Dragon¡¯s den. Leading the other dragons on their own rampages trying to find the culprit along with the deaths of two of the frost dragons, including the first one that was on a rampage.¡± Leone feels herself smirking in amusement at the situation, along with how depressed the king sounds right now. He couldn¡¯t bother Aria herself so he¡¯s begging her hidden guardians. That¡¯s not gonna end well. Just as she suspected, the guard states, ¡°Do not bother the Princess with this dribble.¡± Then the guards vanish without a trace, leaving behind a depressed king. No doubt returning to their posts guarding Lady Death from any unwanted bounty hunters from the Arcadian Society. Not that Leone can blame the poor king. Since she herself has heard about how inhospitable the closest Endless Glacier to the capital has become. Since having dragons rampaging throughout the place is never a good thing for hunters. She does find it incredibly amusing though. Seeing all of Aria¡¯s antics. At first she wasn¡¯t very happy about being given this job. The job of hiring a Horseman of the Apocalypse to collect their national treasure. Especially since she heard about the Horseman of Death¡¯s habit of losing track of time. After all, Leone has no interest in sitting around for decades doing nothing. Not when her purpose requires her to hunt new creatures. And she can only work towards her purpose a certain amount without going to new places. But she¡¯s been sufficiently amused by Aria¡¯s antics over the last five years. So it hasn¡¯t been as bad as she thought it might be. Even if Aria herself almost never leaves the Endless Glacier. She¡¯s even heard that the Horseman¡¯s been watching TV and reading inside of it. Which Leone finds both insane and amusing. Leone turns her attention away from the distant sounds of the king crying alone inside of his throne room to focus on her terminal when it starts to beep. Signaling a call. And after reading the caller ID, she answers the call. ¡°Yellow?¡± she says while perched atop the sharp point located at the tip of the castle. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Leone, how have things been going?¡± her father, the chief of their people, asks. The lyon as serious as ever. Leone smirks at that question while glancing in the direction of the Endless Glacier and answering, ¡°Amusingly.¡± Her father, Chief Leopold Pride, sighs across the line before muttering, ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t take your thirst for amusement too far and anger Lady Death. Our people can¡¯t afford to make an enemy of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Especially not before that.¡± The smirk on Leone¡¯s face vanishes in an instant at the mention of it. But after a few seconds she just sighs just like her father and says, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. She barely ever even leaves the Endless Glacier, so I only see her once a year at most.¡± ¡°That¡­¡± her father mutters, sounding like he¡¯s not sure what to say about it, ¡°¡­I hope that Hunter¡¯s Spot survives.¡± That leaves Leone blinking in surprise for a moment. ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asks after a few seconds. ¡°Intel from some of the previous worlds she¡¯s visited tell stories about how she ended up blowing up one of the less sturdy Hunter¡¯s Spots,¡± Leopold states with some disbelief of his own in his voice. Leone gapes at the terminal, where she sees her father¡¯s slit eyes awkwardly staring back at her. His long hair blowing in the wind of their new home. ¡°How does one blow up a Hunter¡¯s Spot?¡± Leone eventually asks after several seconds. ¡°The king of the nation controlling that world said that Lady Death was testing out a special orbital missile from her spaceship and blew up the entire volcano that was their Hunter¡¯s Spot,¡± Leopold answers. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be enough,¡± Leone says right away with a frown on her face. ¡°It normally wouldn¡¯t be,¡± Leopold says with a shrug. ¡°But the volcano was particularly unstable, and it led to dozens of secondary explosions.¡± Leone forms an O with her mouth as she tries to imagine the Hunter¡¯s Spot blowing up. ¡°The king wasn¡¯t particularly happy,¡± Leopold says, clearly holding himself back from chuckling as he no doubt remembers the king¡¯s face. And Leone dearly wishes that she could¡¯ve seen it as well. No ruler would ever be happy to see one of their precious Hunter¡¯s Spots destroyed. Even if they know it¡¯ll reemerge eventually. It¡¯ll still take thousands upon thousands of years for it to reappear, so they¡¯ll be left with a significant drop in their economy until then. Hunter¡¯s Spots are all important to the nation they belong to after all. ¡°My intel also shows that she hasn¡¯t used an orbital bombardment again from her ship since then, so she does have some self-restraint,¡± Leopold says, still sounding amused. ¡°But she has a habit of riling things up in every Hunter¡¯s Spot she visits. Whether it¡¯s through making it easier for other hunters or far harder. And she also traumatizes a lot of people by falling from rather tall heights on top of people.¡± Now that one Leone has already heard about. And she was a little disappointed to know that they were journeying to a place without a tall Hunter¡¯s Spot because of it. Since she¡¯s really wanted to see it in person ever since she heard about it. A beautiful woman falling down from a large tower or some other structure and going splat on a person before reforming like nothing had happened. Leone¡¯s sure it would be a sight to see. ¡°Actually, do you want to hear about what¡¯s happening here?¡± Leone asks, glancing at the terminal screen with a smirk on her face. And her father immediately starts smirking back at her as he answers, ¡°Of course I do.¡± The man sharing her interest in amusing sights just like most lyons. So she spends the next half an hour describing all of Aria¡¯s antics through the Endless Glacier. One after another. And by the time she¡¯s finished, the only sound coming from the call is that of her father¡¯s laughter. Meanwhile she jumps off of the castle¡¯s roof straight past the castle and onto the ground. Then she proceeds to run towards the Endless Glacier, deciding to go ahead and check on Aria out of curiosity. But as she runs, she also can¡¯t help but think about the future. The future when they finally find the lyon home world. And the treasure that awaits within. Her face takes a dark turn at these thoughts. As she remembers her brother. Transformed into a wolf-man beast as he attacked her. She grits her teeth as she runs faster than sound, reaching the Endless Glacier in seconds before running through it with her eyes closed. Just using her incredibly powerful hearing to search for Aria. Only for the dark look on her face to turn amused when she hears what sounds like a TV playing. Of course¡­ Once she reaches the cavern Aria is in, she soon finds her just lying down on a lawn chair watching TV as her Death Spirits slaughter mana creatures down below. At this point I¡¯d be more surprised if she was actually doing some fighting herself¡­ B4 | Chapter 24 Aria It ends up taking me longer than I expected to reach my goal, leaving me staying in the world of Frostfall for several years longer than planned. But it finally happens while I¡¯m reading a random romance novel. What I¡¯ve been waiting for.
User has leveled-up to level 100. User will now be given their seventh skill. Assessing user¡¯s accomplishments and actions¡­ assessment complete. User will now be given the following skill: Death The personal skill of the Horseman of Death herself. Her trademark skill. And the symbol of her domain. With this skill, the user becomes the origin of all death magic and obtains the ability to summon forth the Horse of Death. Beware of Death, for she has finally blossomed.
My eyes widen as I feel a wave of energy flowing through my body that lifts me off of my lawn chair and into the air. A very different reaction to new skills than any I¡¯ve experienced before. I feel a wave of pain radiating out from every part of my body, but I don¡¯t really mind it since pain doesn¡¯t really bother me anymore. And along with the pain, I feel my senses beginning to expand outwards. Until I can feel the mana all around me. Mana of the mana creatures in this place. The mana of the Hunter¡¯s Spot itself. And the death energy radiating out of my own body like a bloody sun. Yet for some reason, I can tell that the death energy is changing slightly. Taking on qualities that now allow me to use it in the place of death mana. But also qualities that make it visible to more people. Visible to those who aren¡¯t just death mages. And that realization makes my eyes widen. Especially now that I know just what my death energy looks like. Not to mention how I look like a fucking beacon. It certainly explains how those death mages could tell where I am even from the other side of a planet. And along with these realizations, a flood of knowledge begins to fill me. Knowledge about magic. About spells. About energy manipulation. My eyes widen as I continue floating in the air with my arms stretched out to either side of me as I grit my teeth, feeling strain filling me all over. But especially in my head. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Despite the knowledge though, I don¡¯t know how to use it. Not all of it, at least. After the strain leaves me, I slowly lower back to my lawn chair. Then I open my eyes and lift my hand in front of me, grabbing control of the energy filling my body and moving it towards my hand as I form a spell circle in front of my hand. I narrow my eyes while writing script into the spell circle. Script of the universe itself. Magical commands that end up focused within the spell circle before directing my energy to form a spell. But despite my sudden knowledge on all of this, all I manage to do is send out a wave of miasma from the circle and nothing more. I tilt my head at the wave of miasma shooting across the top of the cavern. Huh. Both easier and harder than I expected when I heard I would be able to use magic. I look at the miasma filling the air of the cavern, only for it to slowly absorb into the ice in the cavern, tainting it. Hmm. Yeah, I should find myself a magic teacher. But putting that aside, I look at the ground of the overhang high at the top of the cavern that I¡¯m on before raising my hand again and activating my new skill. Speaking it out loud for the first time out of any of my skills, ¡°Death.¡± My voice echoes throughout the cavern, seemingly sending a shiver down the spines of all the icy mana creatures down there. Despite them not having spines. Meanwhile my own Death Spirits stop their assault and look up at me before kneeling. I narrow my eyes as my lips quirk upwards at the sight of a large pit of darkness forming on the ground of the overhang. One filled with crimson and black death energy spilling out of it at a constant pace. Then a single horse begins to rise from within the pit. One made entirely of bone, with bolts of crimson flowing between its bones, and pitch black metal armor covering its body. It has a mane of hair flowing from the back of its head despite being a skeleton, and a regular horse¡¯s tail. And when it finally steps out of the pit of darkness, everything around where its feet land is instantly filled with miasma. The Horse of Death ¨C my horse ¨C slowly steps up to me as I slowly lower down to float a few feet above the ground, right in front of it. I stare at my horse, and my horse stares back through eyes made purely of death energy. Then my horse walks around in a circle before stopping in front of me and showing me its back, as if beckoning me to climb onto it. So I do just that. I climb onto my horse¡¯s back. And the moment I do so, I feel my own death energy connecting with that of my horse¡¯s. Power¡­ death¡­ and the end. My lips quirk upwards in a smirk as waves of death energy begin to radiate out of my entire body, with the death energy eventually turning into miasma when it gets far enough away. The energy of the dead. All of the mana creatures down below ¨C each one being Tier 4 or 5 ¨C begin to run away in a panic despite being so much stronger than me personally. But I don¡¯t pay them any mind as I tap my foot on the side of my horse, making it let out a screeching neigh before a large rift opens in front of me. One leading directly to the Plane of Death. Then I tap my horse again, leading it into the rift, and finally entering the Plane of Death myself for the first time. My Plane. And the moment I step into it, I feel a strange sensation. Like I¡¯m home for the very first time. Like the plane itself is welcoming me home. I smile as I enter the barren wasteland of a plane filled with death energy to find millions of Death Spirits of all types quickly appearing and kneeling down, whether they¡¯re in the air, on the ground, in patches of miasma, or even in oceans of death energy. Then the Greater Death Spirits begin to arrive, slowly floating downwards to the ground in a circle around me before kneeling. But before they can even say anything, three Grand Death Spirits appear directly in front of me and smile. ¡°Welcome home, our beloved Lady,¡± I hear hundreds of voices echo out around me at once. My smile grows wider. ¡°I¡¯m home,¡± I tell them.
All around the World of Frostfall The moment Aria reached level 100 On what should have been a normal day on the world of Frostfall, every single mage on the world instantly feels a terrifying chill run down their spine. Mages, unlike other beings of the universe, are all incredibly sensitive to mana. And the world of mages is largely centered around whoever has the most mana. Many mages across the universe judge other mages by how much mana they¡¯ve managed to build up over the years through training and leveling up. So when every last mage in the world, regardless of how powerful they are, senses a massive wave of death energy flooding outwards from one of the Endless Glaciers, they all begin preparing defenses. Whether they¡¯re near it or on the other side of the planet. Because the wave of death energy mana is so thick that it¡¯s like a sun beating down on every last one of them, no matter where they are. But the wave doesn¡¯t last for long before it fades, as if the source of the wave is no longer on the planet. Leaving all of the mages on the planet immediately beginning to discuss the terrifying event on the internet. With the discussions going all the way to the Arcadian Society and the largest forums of mages across the internet. Meanwhile the other three Horsemen of the Apocalypse all turn in the direction of the world before showing different expressions. War grins like a madman, terrifying all of his own subordinates as they wonder just what he¡¯s planning next for their war. Pestilence simply nods his head once and refocuses on his current experiment. And Famine begins to laugh as he declares, ¡°And the birth of Death is now truly complete!!!¡± Thus marking the start to the true Era of the Apocalypse. B4 | Chapter 25 Aria After their initial greeting, none of the Death Spirits below the Greater Death Spirits say a word to me. They just sit there kneeling with more than a little happiness brightly shining from their faces. For the ones that have faces, that is. The ones without faces simply look happy. Not really sure how I can tell, but I can. Of the Greater Death Spirits, there seem to be about two dozen total. Meanwhile there¡¯s only the three Grand Death Spirits. Which sounds about right from what the internet and the pharaoh said. Each of the Grand Death Spirits and the Greater Death Spirits look different in terms of their appearances. Some of the Greater Death Spirits look like ghosts, others like zombies, and others like skeletons. But they¡¯re all dressed in intimidating looking black and crimson armor, and with glowing crimson eyes and glowing crimson veins running through them. Which is odd for ghosts, since ghosts don¡¯t usually, well, have veins. As for the three Grand Death Spirits? They each look different. And to be honest, they look almost human in appearance. Sort of. The leftmost Grand Death Spirit looks like a human with glowing crimson veins running through his skin, glowing crimson eyes, and long crimson hair tinted with bits of black. And the Grand Death Spirit is also wearing a set of crimson and black full-plate armor with a rather large build that completely dwarfs me in size. The rightmost Grand Death Spirit looks like a human with pitch black orbs as eyes except for a small dot of crimson shining from the center of its eyes. He ¨C and both this one and the leftmost Grand Death Spirit clearly look male ¨C has long black hair with hints of crimson highlights throughout it, and he¡¯s wearing a pitch black suit with some strange crimson cracks running across his skin. Although he is a lot skinnier than the leftmost one, even if he¡¯s still just as tall as him. And he looks older than the other two, with some wrinkles. Meanwhile the center Grand Death Spirit ¨C the only female of the three ¨C has long white hair and glowing crimson eyes. Just like me. But she is a good bit taller than I am, and is wearing a beautiful flowing black and crimson dress. She is smaller than both of the male Grand Death Spirits though, with a beautiful figure that really confirms the whole death is beautiful thing. Even if I¡¯m Death and not her. Then again, she looks quite a bit like me. Almost like she could be my older sister or something. She also has the most death energy in her out of the three. To be honest, I feel a little surprised looking at the three of them. Strictly because each of the three have more death energy than I have. Despite me being Death. Even the Greater Death Spirits have more death energy than I have. But I guess it¡¯s because I¡¯m still so young. Considering how I get more death energy naturally built up just from killing things, being hurt myself, and from leveling up. I blink after having that thought. How do I know that? ¡°Young Lady Death,¡± the centermost Grand Death Spirit says, her voice practically dripping with emotion and affection as I turn to focus on her again. Just to find her floating towards me with her hands reaching for my face. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. I feel a little surprised when she pulls my face forwards and rests her forehead against my own, her eyes closing in relief. As if she¡¯s happy to finally see me in person. ¡°Thank you for coming at last, Young Lady Death,¡± the Grand Death Spirit says, her voice practically filling the entire Plane of Death with pure power, yet also being soft and beautiful at the same time. ¡°Thank you for visiting your brethren.¡± She raises her head again, still holding my cheeks with her hands. Then she wraps her arms around me and pulls me in for a hug. One that feels warm and comfortable. So comfortable that I feel my eyes closing for a bit. A few minutes pass before we both somehow pull back at the exact same time. Like we¡¯re in sync. ¡°My name, little one, is Zero,¡± the female Grand Death Spirit says, her voice still soft and relaxing despite the absolute power I can still feel coming from her. Even more power than I felt from the Nine Grands. Then the leftmost Grand Death Spirit steps up with a laugh and pulls me into a bear hug, damn near crushing me in the process. But instead of pain or anything like that, I actually find myself laughing as well as the Grand Death Spirit lifts me off of my horse and into the air with him as he spins in circles. ¡°You¡¯re finally here little lady!!!¡± the large Grand Death Spirit exclaims, his excited voice echoing out across the Plane of Death with almost as much power as Zero. ¡°I can¡¯t even tell ya how long I¡¯ve been waitin¡¯!¡± He continues to spin me around a bit before placing me back down on my horse and kneeling down midair while grabbing my hand. Then, despite his rough exterior, he grins up at me and pulls the back of my hand to his lips by my fingers. And with a smile still on his face, he kisses the back of my hand and says, ¡°Welcome home, little one.¡± The spirit moves his head back without letting go of my hand before saying, ¡°I¡¯m En.¡± Then he backs away after a second¡¯s hesitation to return to Zero¡¯s side. I turn towards the third Grand Death Spirit to find him smiling at me with his hands held behind his back. But he doesn¡¯t move closer. Instead just floating there as he says, ¡°Young Miss Death, I am greatly pleased to finally meet you in person. My name is Zwei, and if you ever need anything, please feel free to ask me.¡± A faint smile spreads across my face at Zwei¡¯s demeanor. One that kind of reminds me of a nice and kind old butler who is currently speaking to the Young Miss of his household. I turn to Zero again. The beautiful big sister-figure. I turn to En. The fun-loving friend. I turn towards Zwei. The caring butler. My smile grows wider. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you all,¡± I tell the three, feeling some tears beginning to drip down my face. Almost like it¡¯s the first time I¡¯m truly relaxing and happy in my life or something. Like something I didn¡¯t know was suppressed is free. I look at all of the other Death Spirits from my new horse¡¯s back, then I glance back at the rift leading into the Endless Glacier. Finding all of my summoned Death Spirits still kneeling in the Glacier without a single mana creature in sight. Huh. Guess the stronger mana creatures fled at the arrival of the Greater and Grand Death Spirits. Even if I get the feeling they won¡¯t be able to cross through the rift. Their power is still flooding it, so that¡¯s obviously more than enough. I give the Death Spirits over there a quick order to continue their hunt before closing the rift and turning to face the Grand Death Spirits. Only for the butler to somehow instantly understand what I want as he snaps his fingers once, making all of the Death Spirits that aren¡¯t Grand Death Spirits vanish in an instant. Likely teleported somewhere far away. Then he glances at the other two, both of whom nod back at him, before snapping his fingers again. Following which all four of us appear on a large tower overlooking the Plane of Death. With me sitting on a large throne and the three of them standing in front of me at different angles. Zero standing in the center bowing ever so slightly, En standing to my left like a guard, and Zwei standing to my right with both arms crossed behind his back like a butler. ¡°Ask us any questions you wish, little one,¡± Zero says with a kind and supportive smile on her face. ¡°We are here to help you in any way possible, little lady,¡± En says as a sword of death energy manifests in his hands and he slams it down into the tower beneath him with a grin on his face. ¡°So long as the Young Miss desires it, I will do everything within my power to assist you,¡± Zwei says without moving a muscle. I smile at all three and answer, ¡°Thank you.¡± Then I get straight to asking questions. B4 | Q&A And here is the first Q&A post for Crimson Eternal to reach Royal Road. Which is kind of surprising to me, mostly because I keep forgetting just how many chapters I have advanced on my Patreon. That being an entire book. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Anyways, go ahead and ask me questions about the story and I''ll try to answer most of them. Do know that there are some questions I won''t answer though. Mostly questions that are already answered in the story, but others too. B4 | Chapter 26 Aria My questioning session lasts for quite a while. And it bears a lot of fruit as well. Through it I learn a lot of things I was curious about but didn¡¯t have anyone to ask. Like why I generate death energy when I¡¯m hurt. Why my skill calls me the ¡®origin of all death magic¡¯. And whether anyone else other than myself can pass through the rifts I make with my horse. And the answers are rather simple. I generate death energy because me ¡®dying¡¯ is pretty much the same as someone training one of their muscles. They tear it apart and let it rebuild itself stronger. So when I am ¡®killed¡¯, my body rebuilds itself while growing its death energy reserves. My skill calls me the origin of all death magic because that is literally what I am. My very existence now amplifies death magic as a whole in the universe. But at the same time, it makes it so that all death magic uses some of my power. Power that I¡¯m personally not able to access. It¡¯s rather complicated. But they did say that I could refuse anyone the ability to use death magic since I¡¯m the origin. Which is cool. And I can¡¯t take anything through the rifts I make yet. I won¡¯t be able to do that until I¡¯m a lot stronger, and even then, it will be very limited at first. And I¡¯ll never be able to transport Death Spirits through the rifts. Since Death Spirits are special and need to be summoned to the mortal universe in order for their death energy to not immediately leak out and kill everything around them. Which is probably important to keep from happening. Unless I want to make a lot of enemies in the universe. And while said enemies won¡¯t be able to actually do anything to me, I¡¯d still rather avoid the bother they¡¯d bring. It¡¯d be annoying after all. After those questions, I go ahead and ask about the other Horsemen. And the Death Spirits have plenty to say about those three. Nothing good though. Because they don¡¯t seem to like them. The other three Horsemen also have spirits like I have, but the Famine, Pestilence, and War Spirits are far weaker than Death Spirits. So they aren¡¯t anywhere near as big of a problem for the universe. Although War Spirits are stronger than Famine and Pestilence Spirits. By a decent chunk at that. Even if Death Spirits are still by far superior. And the other Horsemen can also enter their own planes and are the origins of their magic. But just like with Death Spirits, death magic is far more common throughout the universe than famine, pestilence, or war magic. In fact, those three are actually rather rare. Or, at least, war and famine magic are. Pestilence magic isn¡¯t as rare as the other two. It includes poison magic after all. And poison magic is a lot more common, even if it¡¯s not something you see every day. Not that they matter to me, seeing as all I can use is death magic. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. And I don¡¯t know anyone personally that uses poison magic. Poison abilities notwithstanding, since it¡¯s just magic that the origin affects. Also, just like with how my existence amplifies death magic, the other Horsemen¡¯s existences amplify their own magic too. That said, the most important thing I¡¯ve gotten from this is that I probably just majorly screwed up the balance within the universe. Considering how the Rex Dynasty of the Dead is filled with death magic users as its top forces. Even its weaker forces use death magic. In fact, the majority of the people in the Rex Dynasty¡¯s enforcer force use death magic. And while not all of their military use it, quite a few of them do. Although I have to say, the idea of being able to deny them the use of their magic if some of the fanatics in the Dynasty try anything again is a pleasant one. Not that it would help me all that much when they could just grab me using their far superior physical strength. But still. Back onto the topic of the Dynasty growing powerful though, it¡¯s not like how the other Horsemen empower their own forces¡¯ magic. Since they became Grands mostly because of the Horsemen themselves and not the forces under them originally. Sure they grew their nations into the roles in terms of power, but they started out weak with just a powerful leader. Except Pestilence, who couldn¡¯t care about any of that and doesn¡¯t even bother leading any sort of nation. Unlike them who empowered their nation before the nation was really formed, what with it happening long before they became Grands, the Rex Dynasty of the Dead was already one of the Nine Grands before death magic was empowered. So it¡¯ll lead to a large disturbance to the power balance in the universe. Especially since the Rex Dynasty already has a full monopoly on the Gates. So I¡¯m sure all the other nations of the universe just love me right now. Assuming they even know what¡¯s happened. After that, the next question I ask is about my death energy and if it¡¯s possible to suppress it. And the short answer is yes, it¡¯s possible in the distant future, no it¡¯s not possible for me to do it right now or in the near future. Which sucks and means I¡¯m going to be a bloody beacon for every mage within a planet¡¯s distance from me for a while. With the only bright side being that I¡¯ll be a beacon too bright for anyone to fully pinpoint an exact location, even if they can tell the general location. And last but not least, I finish the round of questions with a rather simple one. ¡°Can you teach me the basics of magic?¡± I ask with my arms crossed as I sit on the throne amongst the three Grand Death Spirits. ¡°Of course, little one,¡± Zero answers with a smile on her face. Then she raises a single hand with her index finger pointing upwards as a black and crimson circle appears with script running around in circles through it, with some of the script going one way and other bits of it going in the opposite direction. And all of the script being in some strange symbols that I just somehow understand. ¡°Magic is the process of controlling mana through spell circles to do what the caster desires of it to do. But unlike with an ability, which can break the laws of reality with ease, magic cannot do so. Magic must follow the laws of the affinity the caster is using, and it has to use the ancient script to do so. Otherwise known as runes.¡± ¡°While an ability could for example send out a blast of flames that turns into water halfway through the attack, a spell could never do that,¡± Zwei states, making my gaze turn towards him as he makes a spell circle as well. One that sends out a wave of black and crimson flames filled with death energy. ¡°Flames cannot suddenly turn into water in any way through a natural process, or through runes, and therefore it cannot be done through a spell.¡± ¡°The very act of creating spell circles in the first place, little lass, is breaking the laws of the universe,¡± En states, turning my gaze towards him. ¡°It is why mortals require an ability to manage even something as trivial as that. But it isn¡¯t the same for beings like us.¡± ¡°And neither is it the same for beings like you,¡± all three of them state at the same time. Interesting. So an ability is pretty much breaking the laws of the universe to do supernatural things while magic is using those very laws to do supernatural stuff. Overall, a rather simple explanation. ¡°But magic is for mortals,¡± Zero states, surprising me with that statement. ¡°Death Spirits are not bound by the laws of the universe, and neither will you be once you reach level 1000. We simply manipulate death energy as we please.¡± Well that¡¯s good to know. ¡°Until then, we will teach you, Young Miss,¡± Zwei states while bowing down a little. ¡°And to start that process, please watch what we do.¡± I nod my head in understanding, quickly zeroing my gaze in on what the three Grand Death Spirits are doing. Because where could I possibly ask for better teachers on death magic than the three most powerful death magic, or rather, death energy users in the entire universe? And with that, my lessons begin. B4 | Chapter 27 Aria As it turns out, death magic is actually very easy to learn. For me, at least. Whether it¡¯s the same for other death mages or not doesn¡¯t really matter to me. It¡¯s entirely possible that it¡¯s easy because I¡¯m Death. In fact, that¡¯s likely why it¡¯s easy, seeing as learning death magic so far has felt more like I¡¯m relearning something I forgot instead of learning an entire magic system for the first time. All that aside though, using death magic is as simple as writing out how I want magic to act in a certain way with special characters. It¡¯s a little like programming, actually. Not that I have much experience in that area. Little Blue likes programming though, and she had me join her when she was younger. Except that this programming is a simpler version. Kind of like that block version of programming where the ¡®code¡¯ is placed into simple blocks that can be matched together rather than some complicated script. But not literally, since they aren¡¯t blocks. They¡¯re runes. Amongst the runes, there are runes that let me convert death energy into miasma, expel miasma from my body, expel death energy from my body, move the death energy in specific directions like left or right or up or down, and various other things. Like entering specific objects to pass through them carefully in death energy form, entering them to corrupt them in miasma form into an undead, and so on. So I spend almost an entire year working on just my death magic in the Plane of Death while my Death Spirits continue slaughtering mana creatures in the Endless Glacier. And through this process, I level up one more time and manage to start using basic death magic. Then I finally leave the Plane of Death and the Endless Glacier altogether. Heading over towards the capital city with my Death Spirits all returned to the Plane of Death. Because I¡¯m finally ready to leave this planet. When I go to tell the king about it though, I find him looking rather relieved for some reason. I narrow my eyes at the man as he sits on his throne with a wide smile on his face. Then I glance at the other advisors around him, each of whom look just as relieved as him. After they notice my look though, they all quickly wipe the relief off their faces. I stare at them, wondering just why they all seem so relieved and happy about the idea of me leaving. But eventually I just sigh and turn around to walk away. Because I don¡¯t really care at the end of the day. After all, I¡¯m not likely to ever come to this world ever again. At least, not for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. I head straight towards my ship, where I find Leone already waiting for me in the bridge. With the girl just lying down on one of the many seats while yawning. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Once she sees me, she asks, ¡°So where are we goin next, cap¡¯n?¡± I raise a brow at that manner of addressing me, only to shrug and head over to the commander¡¯s chair as I state out loud, ¡°Crimson, bring up the star map.¡± |Showing the star map.| Along with his voice, a massive holographic map appears in front of me with the nearby star systems and planets. And I just lean forwards while looking at the map. But there are too many worlds on it. Waaay too many. I purse my lips before eventually just telling Crimson, ¡°Choose a random planet that has contacted us and we can get rights to enter.¡± |Understood, Lady Aria. Selection in process.| One after another, the planets on the map gradually begin to disappear. All the way till only a single planet remains. And this planet leaves me surprised. Because it¡¯s a very well known place. And not really a planet. The Star Link Stations. A solar system filled with dozens upon dozens of massive space stations instead of planets. All of which are linked by trains yet none of them have any sort of real ruler leading them. Unlike most nations, the Star Link Stations are completely neutral in all matters and are each led by someone with the title of ¡®Star¡¯. But these Stars are all chosen by rather strict rules. Each Star must fulfil certain requirements. They must have some sort of light or radiation-based magic. They must be the highest level person living on that station, with visitors not being included. And they must follow the laws of the Star Link Stations. Very strict laws at that. And the only way to make new laws for the stations is for every last current Star ruling over the stations to agree on a new law. Which hasn¡¯t happened in over five hundred years. I share a glance with Leone before looking at the map again. At the four dozen massive stations spread across the solar system on it. ¡°Alright, looks like we¡¯re going to the Star Link Stations,¡± I state with a faint smile on my face. The only reason why I¡¯m fine with this is because I¡¯m rather curious about the place. Especially about the Hunter¡¯s Spots across the solar system. Because the solar system in question is unique in that there are no planets whatsoever. Just the stations. But there are still Hunter¡¯s Spots spread across the solar system despite that. And all of these Hunter¡¯s Spots? They¡¯re in the form of worm holes in space. It¡¯s a rather unique and interesting place, so I¡¯m actually looking forward to seeing it. And it¡¯s also pretty, uh, peaceful? Sort of. There¡¯s peace between the stations and other nations. But no peace inside of the stations themselves, seeing as they¡¯re always fighting to become the highest level person in the station so that they can overtake the current Star in each station. Which makes it a rather wild place to be. I¡¯ve actually been contacted by at least two dozen Stars already. So getting permission to enter the place is a very simple matter. Although each one wants me to visit for different reasons. A dozen of them directly state that they want me to fight for them while I¡¯m there for at least a period of time. Another half dozen state that they just want me there to keep the people fighting peaceful while I¡¯m there, since a lot of people will be too intimidated to cause trouble while I¡¯m there. Four of them just state that they want me to visit sometime and don¡¯t give any reason, and the last two seem to be trying to get in my good graces both to make a favorable impression on me and the people I know. At the end of the day, I think I¡¯ll go with one of the last two. After all, it¡¯d be nicer to just relax while there rather than fighting for some random person¡¯s benefit. If there¡¯s no reason to fight in other people¡¯s war, then I won¡¯t. And when I don¡¯t have to go to war to go where I want, I won¡¯t. It¡¯s as simple as that. While the ship starts to leave the planet behind, I lean my cheek against my palm with my elbow on the armrest of my seat as I think about the Hunter¡¯s Spots. Wormholes that lead into strange, warped realities. Ones filled with mana creatures of all sorts that change every time someone new enters the place. Someone who has never been inside one before. Meanwhile the Hunter¡¯s Spots themselves are called Fractures. Since the places are so warped, with the gravity being all messed up and sometimes having the ¡®ground¡¯ being the ceiling or even the walls. Overall, a very unique place in the universe. One with very few other places like it. I smile as I look out the window of the bridge at the approaching space and the few other ships leaving the atmosphere of the planet. This will be an interesting trip, that¡¯s for sure. B4 | Chapter 28 Aria It doesn¡¯t take us long to reach our destination. What with my ship being one of the best in the universe. And when we do, I can¡¯t help but gaze in awe out of the window. Because the Star Link Station in front of me ¨C the one that I¡¯m going to land in and stay for a while ¨C is massive. It¡¯s damn near the size of half a planet. The largest space station I¡¯ve ever seen, with the sole exception being Rex. The capital of the Rex Dynasty of the Dead. Assuming that counts as a space station since it¡¯s literally just a metal planet created by the dynasty personally. Anyways, the station seems to consist of large sectors in a grid formation, with some trains running between each sector. Meanwhile there¡¯s an even larger train parked on a rail that seems to just stretch off endlessly into space. No doubt connecting to the next station. Or, the high tech type of train, that is. There are also people flying in and out of multiple hangars in the station quite a bit. Probably because of the tourist sectors of this place. After all, other than the main sectors of the stations, there are tourist sectors that do not allow combat at all. Places filled to the brim with more stores than you can count in a day. More than even Eternus has, if you added up all of the stores across the many stations. The Star Link Stations are known for being amazing tourist spots after all. And I can see why simply from the sight of the stars and other astral formations clearly visible from the station itself. Not to mention that there aren¡¯t many worlds that have such easy and open access to space. Ignoring that this isn¡¯t a world. It still has Gates and that¡¯s all that matters. The place also has the least strict security at the gates and hangars out of every place I¡¯ve been to from what I¡¯ve heard. For the tourist sectors at least. When it comes to the main sectors of each station, including the sectors that have the main trains linking to other stations, those have much stricter security. Anyways, Crimson flies the ship towards their largest hangars. Their VIP hangars from what their Star has told me. And after we park the ship in there, I head out of it along with Leone. Immediately finding the Star in question outside of the ship here to personally greet me herself. ¡°Welcome to the Thirteenth Star, Princess Aria, Horseman of Death and Harbinger of the End!¡± Lyra Ren Thorne declares with a wide smile on her face and her arms spread out to either side of her in a welcoming gesture. ¡°I hope you enjoy your stay!¡± I nod at the woman, briefly taking a moment to analyze her appearance and gear. She is wearing a set of high tech black and gold armor, with black being the main color and gold being the outline, and she seems to constantly be smiling. Probably because I saved her brother in some war I fought in long ago. With her brother being some random mercenary I helped and largely forgot about at the time. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Haven¡¯t met him again, but I apparently left an impression on him. And it¡¯s worked out for this. Certainly puts into perspective that saying about never judging a book by its cover. Or something like that. Anyways, Lyra has black and gold hair, with glowing gold eyes, and a youthful appearance that matches my own. Albeit with her looking only about five feet in height that would make her look like a child if not for her figure making it obvious that she¡¯s not. And from what I¡¯ve heard, she should be about level 5000 something. Of course, her ability has something to do with radiation or light, the same as every other Star. So that¡¯s not hard to figure out. What is hard to figure out though is what exactly her ability does, since no one has really been able to confirm it. Some people say that she can create her own radiation from her body and control it, others say she can just control radiation that¡¯s already in space. But no one really knows for sure. Not sure about any of that or why they can¡¯t figure it out, nor do I really care. ¡°Thank you for having me,¡± I tell her with a nod of my head. Then I glance around her, unsurprisingly not finding a single guard in the hangar. Because the Stars are known for not liking the idea of having bodyguards. What with their society literally being built on a ¡®whoever is the strongest rules¡¯ mentality. ¡°Please, come this way!¡± Lyra says before glancing at Leone and giving her a light nod, ¡°You too, Miss Leone.¡± Both Leone and I follow after the woman out of the hangar, where I immediately see a massive amount of guards stationed outside of the doors. Not to mention entire laser cannons pointed outwards from next to the door. Very tight security outside of the hangar. Lyra ignores them all as she waltzes through with a wide smile on her face and her hands held behind her back and her chest pushed out. Really almost making me wonder if she has the mentality of a child or something. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I¡¯ve seen videos of her fighting, I would assume that. But I¡¯ve seen her turn people inside out using radiation with that same smile on her face. So that¡¯s a no. She¡¯s a rather terrifying woman, and one of the top ten most powerful Stars. Although Leone might be able to take her on, considering how well she did against Shirogane. Not that I have any interest in fighting her in the first place. ¡°By the way, Your Highness,¡± Lyra says, tilting her head backwards at me as she continues walking through the long tunnel we¡¯re in that I¡¯m pretty sure leads to a tourist sector, ¡°please refrain from using explosives on my station.¡± Then she turns her head to face forwards again while still smiling. I blink at her before a slightly sad expression crosses my face. One that I wipe away entirely. Right. Explosives are probably bad on a space station. Wouldn¡¯t want to kill everyone on the station after all. And while I¡¯m sure they have plenty of shielding that defends against it, a strong enough nuke will likely render those null and void. I hear a meow, making me glance down to find Asher popping his head out of the breast pocket on my jacket before he looks around with curiosity clear in his gaze. The cat having shrunk himself down a bit to fit in the pocket, making him look absolutely adorable in the process. After petting his head a bit, making him purr, I look up to see Lyra staring at the cat like she wants to pet him. The corners of my lips quirk upwards a bit and I tell her as we walk, ¡°You can pet him if he lets you.¡± Lyra immediately vanishes from sight before appearing in front of me with her head level with my chest as she stares at the cat. Meanwhile Asher yawns and opens his eyes again to stare back at her. Then the two just continue staring at each other for half a minute before he meows and closes his eyes while going back into my pocket, making a look of disappointment cross Lyra¡¯s face. ¡°He¡¯ll probably warm up to you over time,¡± I tell Lyra, feeling slightly sad for the gi- I mean the woman. Right. She¡¯s older than me by thousands of years. Lyra looks up at my face and says, ¡°Sorry about that display.¡± Then she vanishes again and continues walking as if that hadn¡¯t happened. Even the guards in the corridor ¨C of which there are many ¨C act as if that interaction didn¡¯t happen. They just stare forwards in silence like statues. I glance at Leone, who seems to be trying to hold back her laughter. Then I look down at the breast pocket of my jacket again where Asher is just snoozing away. Finally I raise my head to look at the back of Lyra¡¯s head as we walk. This place might be more amusing than I was expecting. B4 | Chapter 29 Aria The three of us soon enter the tourist sector of the Star Link Stations, where we¡¯re immediately assaulted by the sounds all around us. Sound made by the tourists, the shop owners, tour guides, flying cars and trains, and even flying scooters. All of which make for an incredible sight. Especially as we approach the railing at the edge of the long path the tunnel opens up into. And what we find beyond the railing is even more stunning of a view. The tourist sector is split up into large pathways going along the walls of the station, with railings on the edges facing towards the center, and multiple little outcrops clearly meant for either flying cars to land or flying trains to park. Meanwhile there are hundreds of floating little platforms with different activities happening on top of them. Whether they¡¯re more vendors just like the vendors lining the pathways of the station, or they¡¯re arenas with fighting and betters, or even lectures. All sorts of activities. And the place is so enormous that it expands in two directions for as far as the eye can see until both ways curve off out of my vision. With the place seemingly in a large ring-shape. But what stands out the most in this place is the view through the glass ceiling and floors. A clear view of space and several Hunter¡¯s Spots outside of the station that are visible in the distance as an amalgamation of twisting lights. As wormholes. Which look really cool. As for our entrance and what effect it has on the people here? A lot of the people near us along with even more throughout the entire place that I can tell are mages thanks to their mana turn and begin staring, with many of them muttering about my presence along with their Star¡¯s presence. But most of them still move on without bothering us. Especially when Lyra glances at them. Albeit not without shivering in fear. Now whether that¡¯s from Lyra¡¯s gaze or my death energy that¡¯s leaking out of me like a damned sun, I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m just gonna pretend it¡¯s solely Lyra¡¯s gaze and leave it at that. Just like how I¡¯m pretending those guards I know are assigned to me by my parents aren¡¯t there, and how I¡¯m pretending that the cultists and religions worshiping me don¡¯t exist either. Lyra then turns back to me with a grin and says, ¡°So what do you think of my station?¡± I lean over the railing while taking in the view before turning back to her with a smile and saying, ¡°It looks amazing.¡± The girl sticks her chest out with a clearly proud look on her face as she says, ¡°Yep! As it should!¡± Then she walks over to the railing with her hands on her hips. ¡°I¡¯ve spent thousands of years making this place as incredible as I possibly could, and while it doesn¡¯t stand up to Eternus in business success, it certainly exceeds that old man¡¯s world in extravagance!¡± Now that has me raising a brow. The fact that I¡¯m pretty sure she just called Amatsuraki an ¡®old man¡¯. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Shirou Amatsuraki. The emperor of the Eternal Dynasty and Shirogane¡¯s father. ¡°Seriously, the old man really is stubborn to a fault,¡± Lyra complains with a pouty frown on her face while looking down from the railing at the passing flying cars and trains. ¡°Every time I make an improvement to the station, he goes and makes one to Eternus. Repeatedly raising the aesthetics of Eternus in a completely different way from how I improved the station! And don¡¯t get me started on that damned brat of his!¡± I share a glance with Leone to find her looking thoroughly amused. Then I glance back at her again. She knows Shirogane too? The girl ¨C and I¡¯m struggling to think of her as anything but a child now ¨C crosses her arms with that same pouty frown on her face and says, ¡°The first time that brat came here, he immediately stole five of my biggest clients right out from under my nose! And he did it without a single shred of shame on his face at all! The nerve of him!! His father should¡¯ve taught him better! But what should I expect when his father did the exact same thing to Mom!¡± To¡­ her mom? And yeah, I can see Shirogane doing that. Absolutely. Although he probably had his emotions turned off when he did. ¡°But don¡¯t worry,¡± she says while turning to me with a childish grin on her face, almost making me want to comment about how I wasn¡¯t worried, ¡°I did the same thing right back at them when I visited Eternus for that ceremony of theirs!¡± She laughs while holding onto the railing and leaning backwards, her laughter echoing out with a childish giggle to it. ¡°You should¡¯ve seen the look on their faces!¡± I purse my lips. So¡­ what happened to all that ¡®his father should¡¯ve taught him better¡¯ stuff? Or is it only okay when you do it and not the other way around? I take a moment to examine the girl. Right. I can see her thinking that way. Also, now that she mentions it, I¡¯m pretty sure I recognize one of those stores down there from Eternus. A caf¨¦, to be specific. Huh. Was wondering where that went. It was a caf¨¦ I actually enjoyed going to during my time on Eternus. Or times, I guess. But it vanished one day never to be seen again. I¡¯m glad I found it again. It was a nice place to go. ¡°Well, enough about that,¡± Lyra says while letting go of the railing as a large flying car slowly pulls up beside us and the railing itself folds into the balcony. With the car being a large, flying limousine. ¡°Next up I¡¯ll show you the private sector of this place!¡± I give a light nod of my head at that. Both in agreement with her words, and to reaffirm my previous thoughts about this place being amusing. Then Leone and I enter the limousine before it drives off through the large station, giving me a lovely view of the place as we go. And I take my time viewing it as well. Because it really is a nice place. As for the people here? None of them appear to be fighters. Mostly just tourists traveling, with a lot of them being at a lower level than I am. Although the security guards have a lot more mana than anyone else. So much so that they¡¯re probably somewhere in the couple thousand levels range themselves. A smile touches my lips at that thought. It¡¯s nice to be able to more accurately gauge someone¡¯s level now that I can sense mana. Very nice indeed. That aside, the guards are all wearing high tech armor. Armor I¡¯m sure is strong enough to easily shake off bullets strong enough to kill people over level one thousand. I can¡¯t help but tilt my head a little, wondering how expensive those sets of armor was. And therefore also how expensive it was to outfit everyone in the entire station with them. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll like the private sector even more, Death,¡± Lyra suddenly says, catching my attention. But she doesn¡¯t say anything else besides that, so I turn to look out the window of the vehicle again as we fly through the air. Eventually arriving at a large gate with an enormous amount of security stationed at it. Only for us to pass through the gate without pause. And what¡¯s beyond the gate immediately has me opening my mouth in shock. Because whereas the tourist area was made to look beautiful and awe-inspiring, the private sector¡­ well, it looks even more beautiful, but also¡­ different. The private sector seems to start in a massive orb shape with two exits. One at the top of the orb and one at the bottom. Meanwhile there are platforms all around it with teleporters and flying trains connecting the platforms. But there aren¡¯t any of those pathways on the edges of the orb. And the people on the platforms? They¡¯re not friendly looking in any meaning of the word. B4 | Glossary 2 The new entries in this glossary are for the Star Link Stations and the Arcadian Society. And if you didn''t notice, there is a table of contents on the left side of the document for you to go to the various important headings in the glossary. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Click here for book 4''s glossary 2! Or click on the following link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H6ra6v3-BXYo6vy09I06g6vYq1qiRzVa0zkujoKgltw/edit?usp=sharing B4 | Intermission 1 Somewhere on the Planet known as Vest Victor von L¨¹neburg, otherwise known by the majority of the universe as Pestilence, finally finishes his latest plague. A plague he has been working on for several years now. The plague itself is one designed to mutate any living creature that it comes into contact with into a mana creature. But it¡¯s a rather untested plague, and more like a virus in nature. So Victor finally leaves his lab, making those in the hallway of his castle stiffen up at the sight of him before bowing. He ignores them to walk through the castle towards his throne room, which is still in disrepair thanks to the lack of use. Even if the place is clean thanks to the maids in the castle. Once Victor reaches the throne, he sits down on it with his legs crossed, the man wearing the same green and white suit with a lab coat pulled on over it as he does so. Meanwhile he opens several holographic screens in front of him through the terminal on his arm showing dozens of different maps. Each of which has worlds and solar systems that could potentially be used as testing areas for his new virus. Victor has never cared about killing or harming people before. He takes no join in it nor any displeasure, and he has never cared about any of the effects his viruses or plagues have on others beyond his mere curiosity towards making the ultimate viruses and plagues. Making the ultimate pestilences. He couldn¡¯t care less about his reputation to the universe as a whole or his own level. All he cares about are his experiments. And this experiment is an important one for him. The type of place he wants to test it on needs to be filled with as many people as possible, with a very closed off society. So he narrows the search down to just a few civilizations. Each of which are largely known for their tourist attractions. He also doesn¡¯t want any other mana creatures in the picture, so they either have to have their civilizations separated from their Hunter¡¯s Spots, or they can¡¯t have any Hunter¡¯s Spots. But the problem with that is that all tourist planets have Hunter¡¯s Spots without exception. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. It¡¯s just how the universe works. Which eventually narrows his search down to a single civilization. The Star Link Stations. While he¡¯s looking though, he finds something rather curious about the place. Or rather, he finds a person curious in the place. Because he senses a Horseman of the Apocalypse within the Second Star of the Star Link Stations. He leans his cheek against his fist, his elbow resting on the broken armrest of the throne as he stares at the Second Star, just thinking back to the experiments he did on Death a while back. But he doesn¡¯t have anything to trade with her this time around. And Victor finds violence to be a waste of valuable experimentation time. So he has no interest in trying to force her into his experiments. Even if he could at least temporarily do that. Until Death¡¯s dogs came chasing after her, that is. He taps the finger of his other hand against the undamaged armrest on his other side as he tries to think of a solution. Only for him to pause as an idea comes to him. A solution that¡¯s pretty much been handed to him on a golden platter. From what he¡¯s heard, Death is rather apathetic towards others and time. But if someone she did care about ended up getting infected by the virus¡­ Victor waves his hand across the screen, selecting the Second Star of the Star Link Stations as the first test subjects of the new virus. A perfect location in every possible way. He can get the testing of the virus done in a perfect environment, and he can bribe Death to let him experiment on her a bit more by cleaning up the mess afterwards and curing them once his experiment is over. Victor nods his head as he starts making preparations for the experiment. Right now the virus should only affect lower level beings. People at level one or two thousand and below. No more than that. So the Star and her followers shouldn¡¯t be affected by this. He rubs his chin as he continues making preparations on the screen in front of him projected from his terminal. I¡¯ll also see how this virus will affect Death herself. Will she fully turn into a mana creature before returning back to normal? Or will she not even turn at all? And if she does turn, how long will she stay a mana creature? The Horseman¡¯s excitement continues to grow as the corner of his lips twitch, showcasing his rare expression of emotion. Even if it¡¯s an expression the vast majority of the universe wouldn¡¯t notice. A loud crackle of thunder brings Victor¡¯s attention outside of one of the throne room¡¯s balconies, where he sees crimson lightning beginning to bubble up a little bit in the skies. And after seeing that, he stares for several seconds before sighing. I guess the time for a new birth is getting closer and closer. Victor can barely even remember the last time a birth happened, much less what lengths the other Grands went to in order to deal with it. But at the same time, he doesn¡¯t care. Since it doesn¡¯t affect him in the slightest. Or it shouldn¡¯t. If it does end up affecting him, then there will be hell to pay for everyone. And he¡¯s sure that Famine agrees with him there. Even if War is most likely celebrating the upcoming birth with fervor, no doubt launching himself into even more wars to prepare. For now, though, Victor focuses all of his attention on setting up the preparations for spreading the new virus to the Second Star of the Star Link Stations. And for his second meeting of the Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death. B4 | Chapter 30 Aria I let out a sigh as I look out from the window of our ship while we pass through the various platforms. Each of which are filled with armed forces of various different types and cultures. Some of the armed forces have guns and armor similar to what Val had when I was there, others have high tech weaponry and armor like the guards of the Second Star. And some of them even have more fantasy-like armor and weapons, like swords, spears, and metal plate armor. But they all share similarities in how they look like a bunch of armies, some of which are in encampments looking like they¡¯re preparing for battle and others are even in battle fighting another force. That¡¯s not all though, because there seems to be mercenaries and smaller groups amongst them as well. Single people moving around and fighting random enemies from different armies, or groups of people working with one army and then going to another. So overall, it¡¯s total chaos outside. And I¡¯d rather not be dragged into it. But it is quite a sight to behold at the very least. ¡°You disapprove?¡± Lyra asks while looking at my face with her chin resting in the palms of her hands and her elbows on her knees. I shake my head and answer with a slight shrug, ¡°I don¡¯t really care one way or another so long as it doesn¡¯t affect me. It¡¯s your nation after all.¡± She smiles at that and sits up straight again. ¡°You really are interesting,¡± Lyra says in a way that finally reminds me of her age. Or it would if she didn¡¯t still look like a teenage girl at the oldest. Anyways, our trip continues rather quietly after that with none of us saying anything, and Leone even taking a nap. Surprisingly on my shoulder for some reason. Not sure when we got close enough for her to feel comfortable doing this¡­ Or maybe it¡¯s because she knows I don¡¯t have any intentions of harming her? Could just be that she knows I can¡¯t hurt her. Her only strengths are the physical strength and durability of her body, so¡­ There¡¯s no way I could harm her even if I tried or wanted to. I frown for a second. Actually, I could probably stick a nuke in her mouth. So maybe I could harm her. Maybe. Then again, I agreed not to use powerful explosives on the station. Although, for some reason the sight of her sleeping on my shoulder reminds me of Asher. Probably because she is a lyon. I glance at the breast pocket of my jacket to find that very same cat snoozing away as well while inside of it. Which I can¡¯t help but notice Lyra glancing at every once in a while, no doubt wanting to pet the cat. Not that Asher seems like he¡¯ll ever let her at this rate. Regardless, our trip lasts for a couple hours before we arrive at our destination. A massive tower stretching high into the station for as far as the eye can see. All the way to the roof and the floor of the station. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The tower itself looks reminiscent of a high-rise while also being obviously some sort of military outpost of a sort. And from what I¡¯ve researched, the tower holds all of the controls and the like for the entire Star Link Station. Whether that¡¯s the lighting, temperature, the trains connecting the station to other stations, or anything else going on within it. Everything can be controlled from the tower. And each of the Stars is in control of the tower of their Star Link Station. Our vehicle quietly pulls into the tower under the gazes of the fighting people on platforms nearby. Only to slowly fly to a stop inside of the tower¡¯s own personal hangar. Then we are let out of the vehicle, and I stretch a little while looking around. The hangar is enormous despite the utter lack of people in it. Instead just filled to the brim with different vehicles for as far as the eye can see. Small spaceships, large ones. Flying scooters, cars, limousines, tanks, and other weaponry. Anything that can be vaguely considered a vehicle. ¡°I own everything in this hangar if it wasn¡¯t already obvious,¡± Lyra says while casually walking backwards towards a large elevator at the center of the hangar with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face. ¡°But I¡¯m sure there is something you care about a lot more than seeing what is in my tower.¡± I nod my head at that, following which she turns around and begins walking even faster to the elevator as she says, ¡°This elevator leads to every single floor in the tower so long as you are registered with the AI. Which Aria is.¡± She glances over her shoulder at Leone, who is trailing along behind us after I got up without bothering to wake her up. Leading to her falling down and waking up via hitting the seat. ¡°You are only registered for some of the floors.¡± Then Lyra turns her head again and continues walking. An odd silence fills the hangar despite its massive size before we reach the elevator. After which Lyra tells the AI to bring us to the Star Deck, and the elevator takes off at incredible speeds. But despite the speed at which I see everything flying past us through the elevator¡¯s windows, I don¡¯t feel any pushback myself. A very well built elevator. The elevator goes up. And up. And keeps going up. All the way until we finally stop at a rather odd place outside of the station with a large forcefield around it. Where the elevator opens up, startling me due to the fact that we¡¯re in space and making me glance at Leone. Just to find her breathing fine. Guess the forcefield has air in it? ¡°Leone, you stay here,¡± Lyra says while floating out of the elevator, ¡°Bob will show you the way to your room.¡± Leone looks confused at that for a moment before the AI answers, ¡°I¡¯m at your service, Lady Leone.¡± ¡°And Aria, come join me for a little flight,¡± Lyra continues, sounding rather giddy as she does so. ¡°We¡¯re going over to a Hunter¡¯s Spot.¡± That statement immediately has me leaving the elevator, following which said elevator closes up again and goes back into the station. Then I follow Lyra straight out of the forcefield into space. Surprisingly enough, I feel myself able to move around out in space like I¡¯m swimming in water. Despite the complete lack of gravity. Is this because I¡¯m a crimson? I honestly forgot about that fact. That while I am a Horseman of the Apocalypse, I¡¯m technically still a crimson. And the crimson subspecies of humans are born to live in space. They don¡¯t have to breathe, and they can move around freely in space as if they were swimming through water. Not sure how that works though. No one ever gets to look at a crimson because of how secretive they are, and if someone tried to look at me they wouldn¡¯t find much. Not when my wounds would just close right away, concealing everything within the crimson light. And especially not when they wouldn¡¯t know if differences in my body are from being a crimson or being a Horseman. Something that does make me a little curious though is the sight of Lyra casually flying through space herself while coated in radiation. The girl seemingly not having any trouble with breathing or anything like that. Actually, Lyra doesn¡¯t seem to be breathing at all. Just like me. I wonder if she¡¯s a subspecies of human too? That thought rolls around in my head for a few seconds before I eventually just shrug. Deciding it isn¡¯t important. What is important is the fact that we¡¯re getting closer and closer to one of the wormholes. To a Hunter¡¯s Spot. And when we finally arrive at it and go inside? I find myself in the most bizarre and confusing location I have ever been in throughout my entire life. A strange dimension where what is up and what is down changes depending on where you¡¯re standing. With large, draconic yet wormlike creatures flying through the spaces between numerous floating platforms. Lyra flies a bit ahead of me to land on a platform where up is down for where I¡¯m floating and stares at me while standing upside down in my eyes. Then she spreads both of her arms out in a welcoming gesture and declares, ¡°Welcome, Horseman of the Apocalypse, to one of my lovely Fractures! Please do enjoy your stay!¡± B4 | Chapter 31 Aria After bringing me around for a bit, Lyra eventually leaves the Fracture. With the girl telling me to talk to the security guard she¡¯ll be stationing outside of the Fracture whenever I¡¯m ready to leave. And while I try to tell her that I might be in here for a while, she¡­ yeah, she just says it¡¯ll be fine. Something tells me she has no idea how long ¡®a while¡¯ is for me, but whatever. It¡¯ll probably be fine. So I just send out all of my lovely Death Spirits and summon my horse before riding on my horse. With my horse ¨C who I haven¡¯t come up with a name for yet ¨C immediately stepping into the air instead of on a platform. Completely ignoring gravity in the process. Because who needs common sense? Then I just let my Death Spirits go wild as my horse carries me through the Fracture. Ever so gradually gaining kills. Gaining progress towards my purpose and my next level. Although I find it a bit harder in this place since the majority of the mana creatures I can see are all flying. Which is something my Death Spirits unfortunately cannot do. But the bizarreness of this place makes it a bit easier for them to kill the things. What with up being down sometimes letting them get above the mana creatures and jump down. Or up? Or up down? This is getting confusing. Very confusing. Anyways, I continue moving further in on my horse. And further in. And even further in. Through the entirety of the first Tier, then the second, and the third. The fourth. The fifth. And with each Tier, the Fracture gets weirder and weirder. With there being more and more floating platforms at even weirder angles than before. It¡¯s getting so weird in here that I¡¯m starting to wonder if I¡¯ll recognize what¡¯s up and what¡¯s down when I get out. But that¡¯s a problem for future me. Present me is going to finally enjoy being at another Hunter¡¯s Spot that I can blow things up in. Because no one cares about me blowing up the inside of the Fractures. So once I get far enough into the Fracture¡¯s fifth Tier that I find some rather clustered spots, I get to work blowing things up. Along with the large nests of smaller mana creatures I find here. It¡¯s kind of annoying how that diminishing returns thing works on kills though. What with how I get fewer and fewer ¡®kills¡¯ per kill with every one that I do back to back in a short period of time. Something that only started happening in the last few dozen levels or so. Although it does return to normal later on at least. And it¡¯s only for each unique species. So when I kill thousands of a single species of mana creature in a day then they¡¯ll start to count for just a small fraction of a kill each instead. But they¡¯ll start counting for full kills again within a few days. Rather annoying overall. I asked the Death Spirits about it the last time I went there on the way here and they said that it¡¯s got something to do with there being too much of that species¡¯ unique death energy in the area. So I get less death energy over time in the same area from the same species. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Anyways, I go ahead and start blowing things up.
The Second Star of the Star Link Stations A few weeks later Laura Vecol smiles as she hands her customer a cone of ice cream and says, ¡°Here¡¯s your order. Have a wonderful day and please come again!¡± The customer nods his head silently and leaves without a word. Meanwhile Laura looks around the side of the station she and her stall is stationed at for her next customer. Only to find most of them going to the ice cream stand a bit before hers, closer to the entrance of the nearest hangar. A much better location than hers. She continues to look at each of the passing people for anyone who may be interested in her ice cream. But as she¡¯s doing that, she notices something strange. The same something strange that she had noticed multiple times over the past couple of weeks. People walking by while limping. Almost like everyone is getting injured or something. Laura tilts her head for a second before deciding it¡¯s not important and continuing to search for potential customers. At the very least, there have been more customers for her in recent days than before. Simply because there are a lot of people heading to the station just to see the Horseman of the Apocalypse that is rumored to be here. The Horseman of Death. But Laura still has her doubts about there being a Horseman here. After all, she hasn¡¯t seen her yet. Even if some people say they have, and others took pictures. Pictures can still be altered, and there are always gossips and people spreading false rumors everywhere. So she won¡¯t believe it until she sees it. Not to mention that she hasn¡¯t heard a single thing about explosions in the station. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices a potential customer. Only to pause when she¡¯s about to open her mouth. Because something else catches her attention. Some of the people who are limping seem to be dropping stuff as they walk. And they all look incredibly hungry. She narrows her eyes a little at it before broadening the range of people she¡¯s looking at to include those outside of the vicinity of her stall. And she finds the same thing further away, and even on the other side of the station. Albeit without the dropping stuff thing. Laura looks back at the limping people again to focus on what it is that¡¯s falling from under their pants or skirts. But when she realizes what it is, she immediately covers her mouth as she feels the urge to vomit. Is that¡­ skin? Are they really just trailing behind dead skin as they walk?! Laura stops trying to attract people to her stall as she sits here and closes up the lid on the freezer full of ice cream. Then she continues to stare out, watching people walk by. Where she finds more and more people limping while trailing along flakes of skin. Something she didn¡¯t notice before though is that every last person she sees limping and trailing dead skin has their legs covered. Whether it¡¯s through leggings, in which they don¡¯t trail dead skin but are limping, or through pants or long skirts. She narrows her eyes while kneeling a little bit to get a lower view, and what she sees has her immediately turning into her booth to vomit in a corner. Because what she saw was dead and dying flesh on their legs. But not very thick. Like it¡¯s just patches of dying flesh on the surface of their legs. Just the skin. But it is clearly spreading, and the skin is just flaking off around the dying flesh as well. That¡¯s all she needs to see before she clearly understands what is going on. At which point she hurriedly packs away all of her stuff and calls for a taxi. Then she immediately leaves the ledge of the station, letting out a sigh of relief as she does so. Letting the taxi drive her in the direction of her hotel. A pandemic¡­ there is a pandemic spreading through the station!!! Laura frantically gets on her phone and begins researching any potential news on a pandemic, but all she can find are details about a rash spreading recently. Which confuses her to no end, because what she saw was far worse than a rash. She continues to search harder for news and she eventually finds it. All new reports that were just posted within the past couple hours. Almost like all of the rashes decided to progress at the same time. This¡­ doesn¡¯t sound good. Laura continues to search for information on the pandemic before glancing at the taxi driver, who is still driving. Then she looks out the window at the people on the two pathways alongside the main air street, where she sees a large number of people limping. She continues looking out for a few seconds, then she grimaces. I need to get out of this station as quickly as possible. B4 | Chapter 32 Aria ¡°Huh,¡± I mutter while staring blankly at Zero in front of me as the two of us sit on comfortable chairs in her bedroom within the Plane of Death. A rather comfortable place despite the name that happens to be situated in a massive castle. ¡°I didn¡¯t know about that.¡± ¡°Understandable, little one,¡± Zero says with a smile on her face. ¡°There are plenty of events kept hidden from the populace about the Horsemen and the other energies of the universe.¡± Hmm. I wonder what else is being kept hidden? Zero opens her mouth to speak, only for us to be interrupted when the terminal on my arm buzzes implying that I¡¯m getting a call. So I glance at Zero, who gives me a nod and a smile for me to accept it, then I reach over and accept the call. Immediately making Leone¡¯s face appear on the terminal. And she doesn¡¯t look particularly happy for some reason. For a moment I wonder if I did anything wrong, but nothing comes to mind. Which makes me even more curious about what¡¯s up. Then she answers my curiosity as she says, ¡°An outbreak of a new virus has infested the Second Star of the Star Link Stations.¡± I stare blankly for several seconds. She stares back. Silence fills the air. I turn to look at Zero, only to find her nodding. So I nod back once and summon my horse again before opening another gate back to the Fracture. Then I go ahead and ride on my unnamed horse through said Fracture back towards the entrance. ¡°I¡¯m on my way now, but it could take several hours to reach the entrance of the Fracture,¡± I tell Leone while searching through the Star Link Forums on my terminal, splitting the screen into two as I do so. Just trying to find anything I can about this outbreak. And the very first thing I see isn¡¯t a good one. Because it¡¯s about Pestilence. Apparently this outbreak has signs that it was caused by Pestilence. The foremost sign being a rather obvious one, considering that he is literally just floating outside of the Star Link Stations watching the station. But there isn¡¯t too much buzz on that right now because of the outbreak itself. And it¡¯s a rather brutal virus at that. ¡°I¡¯m currently safe and haven¡¯t gotten exposed, and no one has boarded the ship either,¡± Leone states as I read up on the virus. ¡°So there shouldn¡¯t be any worries about the ship getting contaminated. But do please stay outside of the ship, or at least in a decontaminated portion of it.¡± I notice her shivering slightly in the other half of the screen. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to catch this virus.¡± ¡°Understandable¡­¡± I mutter as I finish reading up on the virus. The virus starts out almost completely imperceptible. Nothing but some minor itchiness on the legs of the infected. With no signs externally visible that they¡¯re even sick. No fever, no marks on their legs, no nothing. Then the virus progresses through their legs from the inside out, literally eating away at their flesh. But it does it at such a slow pace and with some sort of antiseptic agent that completely numbs any sense of pain so it¡¯s still unnoticeable. Aside from an itchy sensation that continues to build. Making the infected want to scratch their legs. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Which, in turn, makes it even worse as they tear off some of their own flesh in the later stages. The first few days of the infection have no signs beyond the itchiness. It isn¡¯t until after the first few days that the virus finally reaches the surface flesh and begins to leave large, black and dead holes in their legs. Although it does become noticeable before that simply because of a sensation of weakness in their legs. Which makes sense, since there are some rather large holes inside of their legs. Would be weird if they didn¡¯t feel weak. Anyways, after that, the virus continues to spread upwards throughout the entire body of the infected. But that¡¯s not the worst of it. There is a way to stave off some of the virus. And it¡¯s incredibly cruel. To stave off some of the virus, the infected must eat fresh flesh. Straight off the bone. And it¡¯s only a temporary fix as well. Obviously no one knew about this at first though. They only learned of it when the devastating hunger that came with the dying flesh began to drive some of them insane. So insane they started to eat their fellow man when they weren¡¯t close to any other food sources. And that very act snapped them out of their insanity for a brief period of time. Only for the horror to set in about what they just did. Overall, the illness pretty much turns them into zombies that still retain their sapience and are forced to live with the consequences of anything that happened while they are infected. And there aren¡¯t any permanent cures known as of yet. The virus also doesn¡¯t seem to affect people above level one thousand, so most of the guards at the station are fine and are trying to keep the peace there. Which is difficult with the billions of people aboard the station. As for the other nations of the universe? They¡¯re all quarantining the Star Link Stations. Even the other stations are quarantining the Second Star. Not that it¡¯s helping all that much, since it has spread to several other stations already. Although considering that Pestilence is still floating in space writing notes while watching the Second Star, it¡¯s obvious he released it in the Second Star. I purse my lips as my horse rides through the air in the Fracture completely ignoring gravity and the platforms in the process. It¡¯s kind of ironic that I end up seeing Pestilence again when I¡¯m planning on heading to a world Pestilence destroyed a while back in one of his previous experiments. On that note, I glance at the video call side of my terminal to see Leone gritting her teeth as she looks out the window of the ship. No doubt at Pestilence, but I can¡¯t see from this angle. Yeah, Leone probably isn¡¯t happy to see him. I let out a sigh before just riding in silence through the Fracture. All the way until I eventually leave the Fracture entirely, just to find the spaceship that Lyra mentioned before waiting for me here. But I don¡¯t see or sense anyone inside of it. Guess the guard stationed with it headed back to help deal with the emergency. Understandable. My horse slows down a little bit and neighs, making me glance in the direction of both Pestilence and the station. And through the station windows, I find people running around wild on the two pathways, with some people even trying to eat each other. Meanwhile Pestilence just continues taking notes, only briefly glancing up at me from his horse. Simply because his horse turned to look at us, seemingly locking eyes with my own horse. As if the two were communicating or something. Pestilence doesn¡¯t even say anything when our eyes meet though. Just returns to his note taking. Doesn¡¯t even nod or acknowledge me. I head inside of the ship next to the Fracture before searching for something that can easily contact Lyra. Because I¡¯m sure she must¡¯ve left something of the sort behind. And lo and behold, she did just that. Some receiver sitting on top of the captain¡¯s seat. I grab it and press the call button before waiting. And waiting. And waiting some more. Eventually the call is accepted, and I hear Lyra¡¯s voice immediately coming from the other end, ¡°Hey, so you¡¯re finally out of the Fracture? That¡¯s good! I really underestimated how long ¡®a little while¡¯ would take, didn¡¯t I?¡± I open my mouth to speak, only for her to continue speaking without giving me a chance to say anything, ¡°By the way, is there any chance you could speak with the rather intimidating fella floating outside watching my station like we¡¯re some group of labrats of his?¡± That has me raising a brow. ¡°You want to turn me into a labrat in your nation¡¯s place?¡± I ask without lowering my brow. ¡°Why would I do that for some strange nation that I have no ties to? You¡¯re the one who owes me a favor, not the other way around.¡± A brief pause ensues. ¡°What if I gave you a dozen factories to produce your own explosives of all kinds?¡± Lyra eventually asks, making me blink for a moment as a list of factories on the Star Link Station appears in a hologram in front of me within the ship. ¡°As I was saying, is there anything you¡¯d like me to ask him in specific?¡± I ask without any hesitation. ¡°Other than stopping his experiment, of course.¡± Another pause ensues. ¡°Could you ask him if he could cure our people of the virus?¡± she asks, sounding oddly bemused. I nod my head before stating, ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll go ask him now.¡± Then I put the receiver thing into my jacket pocket and turn back around to leave the ship. But all I can think about despite my heading over towards Pestilence are those factories. Why didn¡¯t I ever think about making factories to produce my own explosives before? It¡¯s genius. B4 | Chapter 33 Aria I immediately find Pestilence waiting for me when I go out to meet with him. And the very first thing he does when I arrive is to ask, ¡°Would you like to make a deal?¡± Which can imply one of several different possibilities. He could¡¯ve come here knowing that I was here so that he could draw an agreement out of me. A possibility that is very highly likely and would irritate me a bit. He could¡¯ve come here without knowing I was here but realized I was here immediately and decided that he¡¯d rather have what I can give him than the results of this experiment. Which is also technically possible and is what I would prefer. Or he could¡¯ve just noticed my arrival and, once again, decided that I¡¯m more important than the experiment. The most likely possibility is the first one though, since there¡¯s no way in my eyes that he didn¡¯t already know I was here beforehand. All that aside though, I nod my head and answer, ¡°Yes,¡± as my horse slows down to a halt several meters in front of him in the middle of space. Pestilence nods his head once in return at my single word statement before raising a hand and snapping his fingers. Following which everyone I can see through the windows in the station below who has the virus immediately stops moving as if he froze them in place. And it¡¯s not just them, but their viruses too. They stop spreading instantly. ¡°Very well,¡± Pestilence eventually states while tapping his foot on his sickly looking horse¡¯s side and making it take a couple steps towards me and my horse before stopping. ¡°I would like for you to participate in the same agreement we had last time. Allow me to experiment on you with viruses for two weeks. You may have whatever freedom you wish during those two weeks so long as it does not interfere with my experiments, and I am allowed to check up on the progress whenever I wish during those two weeks.¡± I think back to the two weeks I spent on his world the last time, remembering the fact that most of it was just plain boring. Since I wasn¡¯t able to go hunt mana creatures or anything. And the only experiments he did weren¡¯t painful in the slightest. The most annoying part about it was my de-aging for a while. ¡°Very well,¡± I state before putting out my conditions, ¡°In return you will cure every single person of this virus and leave the Star Link Stations.¡± Pestilence simply nods his head and snaps his fingers again, making everyone I can see through the window collapse to the ground as the signs of the virus vanish. Although the dead spots on their skin and the holes still remain, and now a lot of people are screaming in pain. Likely because the numbing agent of the virus is gone. ¡°Bring them to healers and they¡¯ll be fine,¡± Pestilence states when I turn to look at him. I just stare with a raised brow. After a few seconds, he sighs and snaps his fingers, making a wave of some green powder spread out from him and through the station. And the moment the powder touches the injured people down there, their wounds begin closing on their own in moments. Thought so. Stolen story; please report. It only makes sense that there are ¡®pestilences¡¯ that can heal people as well. I raise a finger before grabbing the receiver and asking through it, ¡°Is everything good?¡± Almost immediately I get a rather happy response from Lyra saying, ¡°Yes! Very good! Thank you! You¡¯ll have your factories as soon as I can get them transferred to your ownership!¡± ¡°Understood,¡± I state into the receiver with a smile on my face while Pestilence opens up a portal to his world. ¡°I¡¯ll be gone for two weeks.¡± After telling Lyra, I go ahead and tell Leone as well. Although Leone doesn¡¯t seem particularly happy with how I¡¯m currently with Pestilence. For obvious reasons. And with that, I go ahead and follow Pestilence through his little portal to Vest. His home world that is cut off from the rest of the universe. Then the two of us proceed to head towards his lab, dismounting and unsummoning our horses when we get into the castle. With each of the servants of said castle giving me a rather surprised look upon seeing me. Guess they don¡¯t get many repeat visitors. Anyways, when we reach the lab, he immediately gets to work testing pestilences on me. But at this point I¡¯m numb to pain, so I don¡¯t really pay much attention to what he¡¯s doing. Actually, I start reading a book at some point as he¡¯s busy sticking my body full of viruses. The only nuisance is when a virus or poison or whatever makes it so I can¡¯t move to turn the page, or makes it so I can¡¯t see. One of the viruses he gives me actually makes me begin transforming. But my body just kind of says no to that and cancels the transformation halfway through. Making me return to my usual form. He tries it again though despite that, and the transformation cancels even sooner. And again. And again. All the way until the transformation doesn¡¯t even begin in the first place. Meanwhile I just continue reading. This process continues on and on for an entire week before he finally speaks, telling me, ¡°I will be testing out one last poison on you. This one will most likely last for six months based on how the last attempt worked on you in your previous visit and the differences between this poison and the last.¡± Wait a second, does that mean- My thoughts halt for a moment as everything just kind of morphs together in my mind and everything freezes moments after he injects something into my heart. And when I come to again, I find myself once more in the form of a child. Except this time I look ¨C judging by the mirror nearby ¨C about nine years old. The sight of my nine year old self ¨C the same age that¡­ things¡­ happened ¨C has me grimacing. Although not as much as the sight of my clothes practically piled on top of me due to being way too big. But it¡¯s fine. Because Pestilence just casually tosses clothes at me while writing down notes. Clothes that I can tell are literally copies of my current outfit except meant for a child instead. Huh. Considerate. Maybe he¡¯s warming up to me. That aside though, why is he doing so many experiments with age reversal anyways? Is there a specific reason for that, or what? Actually, I might as well ask him. So while I change into the clothes he dumped on me, with the man not paying any attention to me and looking the other way in the process, I go ahead and ask, ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯re so focused on age reversal poisons?¡± Although the sound of my young voice briefly startles me again, reminding me of past memories. Briefly being the key word. Pestilence doesn¡¯t turn around until after I¡¯ve finished changing, at which point he finally says, ¡°Yes.¡± But that¡¯s all he says. Guess he doesn¡¯t want to explain any further than that. He continues writing down notes as I adjust to my current size. Which isn¡¯t very easy to adjust to. Suddenly returning to your nine year old body. I dump my other clothes and stuff in my storage ring, with the ring itself adjusting to fit my new size. Then I turn to look at Pestilence again when he says, ¡°Please make sure to return to this lab once every hour for the next twenty-four hours. Then come once every two hours for the following twenty-four hours, and once every three hours after that.¡± He turns to look at me. ¡°Beyond that you¡¯re free to act as you please for your remaining time here.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± I answer before stretching as I walk out of the lab. Only to find maids and servants doting on me again soon after simply because I¡¯m cute. It¡¯s not very hard to escape from them this time around though. Not when their levels are rather abysmal. To the point that I¡¯m a higher level than them all. So I just push through them with my higher than level one hundred self, even if I¡¯m in the body of a child. But that aside, it¡¯s definitely giving me a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu being here again. In a young body again. Well, whatever. Time to find a nice corner to read in. B4 | Chapter 34 The Command Center of the Second Star Lyra taps her foot as she impatiently waits out the last several minutes of the two weeks that Aria said she would be gone with Pestilence. And that impatience only grows more and more with every passing second. When she first invited the Horseman of the Apocalypse to her station, she didn¡¯t expect all that much. She mostly invited her because she did feel some genuine gratitude for what Aria did, but she also wanted to be able to say that a Horseman of the Apocalypse had visited her station and not the others. Which, she¡¯ll admit, was a pretty petty reason. She never expected that Pestilence would show up and target her station. Nor did she expect Aria to end up being the one saving her station from the disaster. Even if some part of Lyra knows that part of the reason Pestilence most likely chose their station was Aria¡¯s presence. But she, and the people, also know that he was most likely going to choose one of the Star Link Stations anyways. And even if he chose a different station, the virus would¡¯ve likely spread to hers anyways. That fact alone is why the people of all the Star Link Stations are practically idolizing the Horseman of Death now. The Princess of the Crimson Empire. And now a forever friend of the Star Link Stations. Lyra smiles a little at that. When she first met the princess, she was rather surprised. Simply because of how nonchalant she was. Which, while she had already heard about before, was more than she was expecting. The girl is just so laidback that it startled her. I never thought I¡¯d see someone so laidback despite their fame. She glances at the lyon in the command center with her. Someone who came along with the Horseman of the Apocalypse. When Lyra first saw Leone, she was rather surprised. Since she saw the girl¡¯s performance in the Eternal Dynasty¡¯s ceremony. Where she fought against the crown prince of the Dynasty. And she fought rather well at that. In fact, Lyra herself has her doubts about whether she could take on Leone. Not because she isn¡¯t strong enough, but because Leone specializes fully in her physical body. Making her body incredibly tough. Meanwhile Lyra uses radiation magic. Which isn¡¯t the greatest matchup, especially when Leone could just avoid all of her attacks and come in to punch her. The picture of that happening in Lyra¡¯s head makes her let out a sight before returning her focus to the monitors across the command center. Monitors checking for any sorts of spatial fluctuations in the area. Checking for Pestilence¡¯s return. Something that is worrying Lyra is whether or not Aria will stay in the Second Star after returning. Whether she¡¯ll just immediately leave to go to a different station, or if she¡¯ll got to a different world entirely. It¡¯s been bothering her for the entire time Aria has been away. It doesn¡¯t matter how many times Leone has said Aria will likely stay. Lyra is just prone to acting off instinct and her own paranoia. She leans against the armrest of her command seat. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. I hope she comes back soon¡­ especially with that other issue¡­ That thought has her turning to look at the other corner of the command center. Where the princess¡¯s bodyguards are stiffly standing with rather stony expressions on their faces. One of her biggest issues over the past two weeks were the princess¡¯s bodyguards. All of whom were completely ditched when Aria entered the portal alongside Pestilence. And none of whom have been very happy about it. Lyra¡¯s thoughts grind to a halt when she finally gets report of a spatial fluctuation in the area. Then a portal appears right in front of her, startling Lyra enough to almost make her topple over her chair. Or she would¡¯ve if the chair wasn¡¯t nailed to the ground. Then she and all of the guards stationed in the command center tensely watch as the portal reveals the home world of Pestilence on the other side. Along with Pestilence himself and a sight that has Lyra¡¯s thoughts blanking out. Because it¡¯s the sight of a tiny version of Aria sitting on top of her horse. And the sight has Lyra feeling more conflicted than she¡¯s ever felt in her entire life. The Horseman of the Apocalypse right now looks like a ten year old girl with glowing crimson eyes and stark white hair wearing a fancy suit of high tech red and black armor. One that¡¯s just sitting on top of a terrifying horse made of bones with glowing crimson death energy running through the bones and pitch black armor. It¡¯s a sight that looks absolutely ridiculous in more ways than one. But more importantly, it¡¯s a sight that has Lyra instinctively jumping out of her chair and tackling the little girl in a hug before squeezing the girl. Because the girl is just too adorable.
Aria I feel more than a little exasperated when my very first greeting upon arriving back at the Second Star is that of Lyra glomping me. Meanwhile the portal behind me closes without Pestilence saying a word. After that, I glance around the command center I¡¯m in to find everyone else looking at me in a similarly terrifying way to the way Lyra currently is as she¡¯s glomping me. Like I¡¯m some adorable little creature they want to hug or something. Even the knights from the Crimson Empire. I let out a sigh at that. The stupid poison Pestilence tested on me seems to be more potent than I was expecting. Since I¡¯ve only reverted back by about a year. Going from looking like I¡¯m nine to looking like I¡¯m ten. Despite two weeks having passed. At the rate it¡¯s going I won¡¯t reach my usual appearance again for like five months or so. Maybe more. Which is actually about the psychopathic poison obsessed Horseman estimated. I just wasn¡¯t expecting it to actually take that long. What with how many poisons I¡¯ve adapted to, and how I already adapted to the previous age regression thing he did to me. But whatever. It doesn¡¯t really matter. I¡¯m just going to go to the Fractures and let my Death Spirits hunt the mana creatures there anyways. So I wasn¡¯t planning on fighting myself. On another note, I finally get sick of Lyra¡¯s current actions when she literally picks me up and tries holding me in her arms. At which point I pull out a nuke and raise a brow at her. Making her finally carefully lower me down to the ground. ¡°Please don¡¯t set that off in here¡­¡± she mutters as my feet touch the ground again. I narrow my eyes at her and everyone else in the command center, waving around the nuke in my hand as I do so. And when I feel they¡¯ve all gotten the picture by now, I put the nuke back in my storage ring again and begin walking over towards the entrance of the command center. Or at least, I¡¯m assuming this is the command center. It¡¯s where Pestilence said he was dropping me off, and it certainly looks like one judging by all of the control panels and the like. ¡°Little Aria, there¡¯s something you should know before you go out into the station,¡± Lyra says while hurriedly chasing after me. I glance at her but don¡¯t stop moving as I ask, ¡°What?¡± Her eyes widen a little at my voice and I can just tell that she wants to glomp me again. The same as a lot of the other people in this room. But she reigns herself in and says, ¡°You should check the news first before you go out into the station.¡± I blink at that and stop walking. Then I go ahead and check my terminal. The stupid terminal didn¡¯t have much of anything in terms of access to the internet or news while on Pestilence¡¯s little dead world, so I haven¡¯t really been able to see anything about the aftermath. Might as well¡­ check¡­ I frown as I find the first headlines on the news related to the Second Star. The Horseman of the Apocalypse, Death, has saved the Second Star from the disastrous Pestilence!!! Welcome the savior of the Star Link Stations! Aria Crimson, Princess of the Crimson Empire! Breaking News!!! A benevolent Horseman has finally been born!!! After a brief pause, I turn to look at Lyra as I ask, ¡°What the hell is this?¡± B4 | Chapter 35 Aria So, as it turns out, a lot of people saw me leaving with Pestilence. They also saw Pestilence curing them all while we were talking. And to top it all off, a certain childlike Star went and blabbed to everyone about what I did. Saying that I ¡®sold my body to be used for experimentation to save them¡¯ and other crap like that. Which I guess isn¡¯t wrong per se, but I don¡¯t like how it was worded. What¡¯s worse is that I¡¯m already starting to find articles talking about my childlike appearance. Some of which even have pictures taken from this very command center. I turn a glare in the direction that the pictures were taken from just to find some guards in the command center standing stiffly at attention like nothing was wrong. But I can tell from some very minor twitching in their fingers that they¡¯re still fucking taking pictures. Eventually I let out a sigh and shake my head while grabbing a cloak with a deep cowl from my storage ring. One that is far too big for me. Then I simply dismiss my horse and continue my earlier walk over to the entrance while donning said oversized cloak. Maybe this¡¯ll work. I doubt it though. Now I may just leave this place. Because I don¡¯t want the attention that I¡¯m no doubt going to attract. Especially as I open the command center door into the hallway and begin walking through it while reading more articles. Including articles talking about how I was temporarily turned into an adorable child for the sakes of everyone here. And the responses to said articles that range from ¡®she¡¯s too adorable¡¯ all the way to ¡®I want to take her home¡¯. Completely shattering any image I had as a cool Horseman of the Apocalypse. If I ever had one in the first place. I let out a sigh at that thought before stopping right in front of a random door in the hallway as a realization comes to mind. Then I just wait here for several seconds, letting Lyra catch up to me. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the way to your ship,¡± she says while smothering a smile and trying not to look at me. No doubt also holding herself back from laughing at how I just left the command center with no idea where the hell said command center even is within the station. Even Leone looks like she¡¯s struggling not to laugh as she catches up as well. Unfortunately for me though, thanks to my current distraction, the thought that walking with the Star herself through the station might inform everyone looking about who I am doesn¡¯t cross my mind until we leave the locked off part of the station and enter the inner station. The part still blocked off from the public but not blocked off to the regular, everyday denizens of the station itself. At which point said denizens all begin swarming me. ¡°She¡¯s so adorable!!¡± ¡°Let me hug her!¡± ¡°Thank you for saving me and my daughter!!!¡± ¡°Thank you so much Aria!!¡± ¡°Thank you for saving my kids!!!¡± My eye twitches and it takes everything I have in me to not pull out my nuke right now. I take a deep breath in as Lyra uses her ability to send everyone near us flying away without harming them. Then I let out said deep breath. Right. No blowing up space stations with nukes and committing mass murder. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I may like nukes, but most people don¡¯t. Just gotta keep thinking that. Fortunately for me, I don¡¯t have to hold myself back much longer. Because we soon reach a flying limousine and enter the thing, taking off into the air and ditching the rabid fans and masses of appreciation. Finally letting me breathe in the process. I turn to look at Lyra to find her still hiding her smile behind her face. Meanwhile Leone isn¡¯t even bothering to hide anything as she openly grins at me. ¡°Keep grinning like that and I¡¯m gonna make you clean my ship top to bottom every week,¡± I tell her with a glare on my face, instantly wiping the grin off her own. I turn to look out the window at that, still ignoring Lyra as I do so. Putting aside all of this attention though, there isn¡¯t much wrong with my current situation. Since I should be able to hide in the Fracture, or rather, hide inside of the Plane of Death while my Death Spirits hunt for me. And I can stay there for several years. Until this all dies down at least. Meanwhile Lyra owes me bigtime. More importantly though¡­ As if reading my mind, Lyra says, ¡°I¡¯ve already transferred the factories to your name. Your secretary, the Princess of Atlantis, is handling the affairs as we speak.¡± ¡°Good,¡± I respond with a faint smile spreading across my face without turning to look at her. Very good. Now I¡¯ve finally got my own explosives factories and won¡¯t have to bother with buying explosives all the time. My smile grows wider. That¡¯ll make this all worth it. Especially after I eventually leave the Star Link Stations behind. And when I¡¯m no longer in the body of a child. At the sudden reminder of my body¡¯s current appearance, my smile falters a little bit. Simply because of what happened the last time I looked like a child and saw Little Blue. Ugh.
The Main Office of the Pale Mercenaries on Eternus Nerissa Atlantus Azurion, or as Aria likes to call her, Little Blue looks up from her paperwork with a smile. Something she hasn¡¯t done while working on paperwork in a while. Simply because of the exact paperwork she¡¯s currently filling out. Paperwork regarding the transfer of around a dozen different large explosives factories from the Second Star to her aunty, Aria Crimson. Not only does the paperwork signify a lot less work for Nerissa in the future, since she won¡¯t have to fill out anywhere near as many purchase forms for her aunty¡¯s explosive obsession, but it¡¯ll mean less work for the company as well. Since they haven¡¯t entered the weapon¡¯s industry as of yet. And having a place in the industry now means their company will be better supplied with explosives. But the two most important reasons for her smile are completely different. And they are both interlinked. Nerissa will be going to the Second Star soon to deliver some paperwork regarding these new purchases to her beloved aunty. Something she knows her aunt will absolutely love. And more importantly than that, she knows from the news flooding out of the Star Link Stations that her aunt is currently in the form of a child once more. Which means Nerissa will have the chance to snuggle her again. Before her aunt blows her lid. Both literally and figuratively. Although Nerissa is also happy about the positive reputation her aunty has gotten from this recent development. Since the applications to join the Pale Mercenaries have only shot up even more than before thanks to this. Which does also mean more work, but that extra work is on her sister¡¯s shoulders. Not her own. Most likely they¡¯ll simply add more restrictions onto the qualifications required to join the Pale Mercenaries. Even more than they already had before this. And there were a lot before this¡­ Nerissa purses her lips at that thought before shrugging and continuing to work on the paperwork. Putting in the last touches on them before shoving them to the side of her desk and leaning back in her chair while spinning said chair to look out the window. Where she sees a massive line extending for quite a ways from the main building of the mercenary company. Maybe we should hire more people to handle the recruitment process¡­ She stares at the line for a few seconds, only to eventually just turn around and get up from the chair. Right. More importantly, it¡¯s time to go see Aunty. A smile lights up her face at the thought. Even if Aria sometimes does things that infuriates Nerissa, she still loves her almost as much as she loves her own parents. More than she loves her own siblings in fact. It¡¯s why she left home to go work under her. And her parents were more than supportive of the decision since it meant establishing permanent ties to Death. Although Nerissa isn¡¯t sure if Aria knows that she left her old mercenary company behind completely instead of just temporarily taking up work as her aunty¡¯s secretary. But at the end of the day it doesn¡¯t matter to Nerissa if her aunty knows or not. Part of what Nerissa loves so much about Aria is how laidback and carefree she always is. And nothing will ever change that. So with her smile still on her face, Nerissa goes ahead and grabs all of the paperwork she plans to give to Aria before heading straight out of her office. It won¡¯t be long now. B4 | Chapter 36 Aria After returning to my ship, I spend a couple of days just reading inside of it. Trying to let everything blow over outside before I leave again. Because I don¡¯t want to be caught by fans out there right now. Or, ever, really. But right now especially, seeing as I¡¯m still in the body of a kid. Which is rather annoying. I have a rather bad feeling though for some reason. Like something dangerous is approaching. I can¡¯t quite figure out what it is though. Leone¡¯s had a fun time with all this though. Even if I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve seen her looking rather darkly out the window a few times in passing. Probably because Pestilence was here, and he was responsible for what happened to her home world. I actually asked Pestilence if what he did here was possible for her homeworld as well, but according to him, it¡¯s not possible. Because unlike with these people who were just infected with a virus, the people of her home world were infected by something far worse. By a contagious mutagen. Which apparently means it directly merges with the body of those it infects, altering their body at the genetic level. All the way down to the DNA. So it literally turns them into a different species of creature. And it can¡¯t be reversed. Because at that point it¡¯s not even a virus anymore. It¡¯s part of their body, with the mutagen itself still being there in the form of venom in the lycanthrope¡¯s fangs. It¡¯s unfortunate, but it also means there¡¯s no cure for them. Not even with Pestilence¡¯s help. And for Pestilence to try to make something to turn them back into a human, he would apparently need to make an entirely new mutagen. One that would turn them back from their new species into a regular human being. A mutagen that would take thousands of years to develop and isn¡¯t something he sounded even the slightest bit interested in wasting that much time on no matter how long I let him experiment on me. Something he said point blank to me actually. That he ¡®had no interest in spending that much time for such a pointless endeavor no matter what I gave him¡¯. Although he did give me a tidbit of information for free. He told me that there have been some precious few people amongst those who managed to retain their sapience surviving on the dead world full of lycanthropes. That some have even had kids together despite the hellhole of a world they¡¯re stuck on, and those kids were born as natural lycanthropes. The only thing he has even the slightest bit of interest in there in fact. The naturally born lycanthropes, since they have the upsides of the lycanthropes but none of the downsides. He doesn¡¯t care enough to go there to research them though, since he¡¯s already labeled that experiment as completed. Although he did seem pretty certain that he wouldn¡¯t be able to turn those naturally born lycanthropes into humans even if he wanted to. Since they were born that way. After we got back to the ship a couple days ago, I went ahead and told Leone about all of this. But she just nodded her head sadly and walked away without a word. As if she¡¯d already expected that. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. It is a sad thing to be told, but I needed to tell her. It would be worse if she kept some sort of hope for her people burning alive without any chance for anything to actually come and save them. Unfortunately the annoying Horseman wouldn¡¯t tell me where exactly the dead world was. It would¡¯ve made things easier if he had. I let out a sigh at that thought as I continue playing with my death magic. Making one spell after another appear so that I can get used to the different types of script and the process of inputting the ancient scripts into spell circles as quickly as I can. Because speed is important in a battle. Amongst the types of ancient scripts, there are action scripts, command scripts, and connector scripts. Action scripts tell the mana to do something. To go somewhere. To not go somewhere. To stay in place. To control something or create something. Command scripts pretty much just give the mana an order and must be attached to an action script. So for example it could order the mana to delay an action script¡¯s command for a certain period of time, making that action script take effect later on. And connector scripts link multiple scripts together. Whether command or action scripts. And through them I can even make a bunch of scripts activate at once at the exact same time in a spell. Overall, it¡¯s a rather fun process. And the Grand Death Spirits have taught me quite the number of scripts that weren¡¯t included in the ones I just instinctively knew. They also taught me how to use those scripts in the best ways. Not to mention little tips and tricks here to shorten the spells. I¡¯m quite happy with my death magic at this point. Because I¡¯ve learned how to do a rather broad array of things with it. I can make corpses into undead, make miasma, send out pure death energy now in an intimidation sort of attack, and simply cause necrosis through said death energy on anything it makes contact with that I place a command script to hurt. So quite a few new things all with just a single skill. As for my horse¡­ yeah, I¡¯m still not sure what to name it. I¡¯m not even sure if my horse is male or female. It¡¯s kind of hard to tell with a skeletal horse that¡¯s always wearing armor that I can¡¯t even take off. And it¡¯s a type of horse no one I¡¯ve brought in even recognizes, so they can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s male or female. I purse my lips as I glance at the corner of my room in the ship where said horse is just lying down looking bored. ¡°Someday I¡¯ll be sure to name you,¡± I say with a firm nod of my head. To which said horse snorts. ¡°I swear I¡¯ll name you some day. Just be patient.¡± The horse snorts again. Not sure how it¡¯s doing that when it is a skeleton that can¡¯t even breathe, but I¡¯ve learned over the years not to sweat the small stuff. Or to try thinking logically about things when I¡¯m an immortal who can¡¯t die. Logic is something that should be tossed out the metaphorical and sometimes literal window after all. My thoughts are interrupted when I find my terminal buzzing, following which I check to find a call coming in from Lyra. And when I answer it, I end up blinking in surprise at the first words she says. ¡°Aria, you have a visitor who wants to see you,¡± Lyra says right away. ¡°It¡¯s the Ninth Princess of the nation of Atlantis. And she says she has a lot of paperwork for you to fill out.¡± I stiffen up at the last part. And a small part of me wonders if I should take off now and leave the station. Pretty sure Little Blue won¡¯t be able to catch up to me if I take this ship after all. It¡¯s one of the fastest ships in the- ¡°She also mentioned that it¡¯s the paperwork to finalize the transfer of the factories,¡± Lyra adds. ¡°Tell her to come in,¡± I state with a smile before getting up from my chair, dismissing the nameless horse, and having my ship teleport me to the entrance. A few seconds then pass as I stand at the entrance with my arms crossed despite looking like a ten year old girl wearing some child-sized military suit of armor. Then I add, ¡°But tell her no trying to glomp me.¡± I hear Lyra snorting in amusement at that through the call before it cuts off. A few more seconds pass. ¡°Crimson, make sure to teleport Little Blue to the other side of the room if she looks like she¡¯s about to glomp me,¡± I order the AI of the ship without hesitation. |Understood, Lady Aria.| I nod my head again at that before moving my arms to my hips instead of crossing them. Good. Now I should be safe from her trying to snuggle and hug me. These are all preparations I should¡¯ve made the last time I saw her while in a young form. And soon enough, I find Little Blue walking through the entrance of the hangar and immediately making straight for my ship. While carrying a literal pile of papers. But the first thought that runs through my mind at the sight of that is that she¡¯s doing it on purpose. Since she¡¯d easily be able to put those papers in a storage ring. My eyes narrow. She¡¯s evil. B4 | Chapter 37 Aria I manage to successfully complete all of the paperwork without being glomped or cuddled by Little Blue. Mostly because of Crimson¡¯s teleporting of the girl away from me when she tried the first several times. After which she gave up. Then Little Blue moves on to discussing matters of the mercenary company with me. The Pale Mercenaries. Specifically how my current fame and popularity is helping the company grow by leaps and bounds. Both in the stock market and with getting new mercenaries. Not that we really needed much help in the recruitment department from what I saw while on Eternus. Little Blue goes on and on about a bunch of things she deems important. Mostly things regarding the wealth, status, influence, etcetera of the company. Including how much it¡¯s making annually, the expected growth, how many planets we send our mercenaries to, how many world leaders we have connections with, and so on. None of which I really care about. What with my massive pile of money that I have from my year upon years of endless hunting that only seems to grow no matter how much I spend on explosives. Although it is at least nice to know about the connections the company has made. Since I can use those connections to check out new worlds. I may even be able to look at what the mercenaries are doing there. Would be interesting to watch them fight. ¡°Are you listening?¡± Little Blue asks with a frown after looking at me from the PowerPoint she was going over in my office. I subconsciously nod my head without thinking about it. Which has her narrowing her eyes at me. And thus our lovingly boring session continues as I wonder what I¡¯m doing with my life. All the way until she finally finishes, and I manage to escape to the Fracture near the station. Then I continue slaughtering mana creatures within it for another few decades. Completely losing myself in my books, TV shows, and death magic training while I do so. Until I find myself stuck in the stomach of a Tier 10 mana creature, that is. One that just has some pitch black pit in the place of its stomach, so I¡¯m not even sure how to get out. I can¡¯t see anything in here, can¡¯t move, and don¡¯t actually feel any pain. I just feel cold. Which makes it so that I can¡¯t really read a book or anything while in here. What I can do though is fill this place with miasma and see if it does anything. So I do just that. I constantly create miasma for days upon days, filling the place to the brim. Then I eventually start using my black flames on everything as well until I finally begin to see something that¡¯s not just pitch black darkness. Tiny little cracks in the darkness that look kind of like cracks in flesh. Interesting. I purse my lips for a moment before shrugging and pulling out a bundle of about a dozen nukes. Let¡¯s see if this works.
The Tenth Tier of the Fracture Laura Ren Thorne yawns as she uses her spatial magic to carry her lazy self through the center of the Fracture¡¯s deepest depths towards the massive orb floating dozens of meters in front of her and her entourage of random soldiers. And just like when she first entered this place at her sister¡¯s order, she wants to go take a nap somewhere. But she also knows the soldiers won¡¯t let her. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. So she keeps moving while yawning over and over again. Casually making any mana creature that approaches her pop like a balloon after spatial fractures appear across their bodies. Unlike her sister, Lyra, Laura doesn¡¯t have light based magic. Which disqualified her automatically from the position of Star. But despite that, pretty much everyone in the Second Star knows that Laura is stronger than her twin. And that their Second Star would be a much greater force if Laura or Lyra actually cared about going out to conquer others. Laura is too lazy for any of that though. So she just spends her days sleeping. She was actually surprised when her sister barged into her room while she was trying to watch the latest anime and dragged her out to join this search team saying something about their savior having been in the Fracture for over thirty years without a word of hello. It doesn¡¯t really matter to Laura if this savior of theirs is still alive or not, but she kind of hopes she is. Because it would mean the search wouldn¡¯t take as long. Fortunately for her, Lyra said that if she would be anywhere, it would probably be closer to the center of the Fracture. Must be a strong savior¡­ Laura yawns again while popping several more mana creatures like balloons, making their insides splatter across multiple barriers around Laura and the soldiers behind her. Soldiers who by now are used to their team leader¡¯s attitude and are just ignoring what she does. Eventually the group arrives at the lair of one of the few fracture blobs of the Fracture. The Tier 10 mana creatures ruling over the others with an iron stomach. After that, Laura stops moving and pulls out her sensor. Activating it without really expecting much. Only for the sensor to begin beeping, waking her up ever so slightly in the process. Only for her eyes to begin drooping closed again as she orders the soldiers, ¡°Cut open this blob¡­ I¡¯m gonna take a nap.¡± The others fall awkwardly silent at that command but begin to gather their tools anyways. But right when Laura is about to go find a good place for a nap, she pauses. Because she sees something odd about the blob that attracts her attention. So she teleports straight up to it and studies the cracks around the creature¡¯s body. The blob itself is a massive ball of flesh and blood with mouths that occasionally open up at random places across its body. With tentacles growing around those mouths that pull food inside so that it can absorb the life force from said food forever in its stomach that is cut off from reality in a strange dimension region. Theoretically it should be impossible to escape from the blob¡¯s stomach without a level surpassing ten thousand. But Laura finds herself feeling a little surprised when she sees flashes of light coming from underneath the slightly cracked skin of the blob. And with every flash of light, the cracks grow by a tiny amount. Laura tilts her head in curiosity at the sight. Only to eventually shrug and create a blade of pure spatial rending power around her right hand. Then she digs that blade straight into one of the cracks, making the blob open up dozens of mouths across its thousands-of-meters-long body while screeching the soldiers¡¯ ears off. Literally, in the cases of two of the soldiers whose ears crumple. But they¡¯re healed soon after by other soldiers, so Laura ignores it and continues digging into the blob. Until she finds herself immediately teleporting away when a massive explosion shoots out of the cracks, making the blob screech even louder as the cracks are widened. Laura blinks at the sight before waiting for the explosion to die down. But when she moves up to the blob again to continue digging, another explosion echoes out. And another. And another. Eventually she just pouts at the blob with her arms crossed as one explosion after another repeatedly widens the hole while making more cracks across the creature with more gouts of the same explosion coming out of them. Until the entire blob eventually just pops like a bubble from the inside out. Except with a massive explosion following the bubble¡¯s popping. Laura makes a barrier around herself and the soldiers and waits for the explosion to eventually die down. And when it does, she finds herself staring at a single woman located at the center of the blob¡¯s remains which are all floating lifelessly around in the Fracture. Then the woman looks up at Laura and tilts her head, asking, ¡°Lyra?¡± But Laura is still trying to figure out what she just saw. ¡°What are you doing here¡­ wait a second, you¡¯re not Lyra,¡± the woman continues through Laura¡¯s silence. Before Laura can bring herself to say anything, she finally takes note of the three nukes that the woman is currently storing away somewhere. At which point it all clicks in her head. She¡­ brute force nuked her way out of the blob? But how? That shouldn¡¯t work unless¡­ Laura¡¯s thoughts pause as she notices the miasma in the area, along with the black flames. Oh¡­ no idea what those black flames are, but the miasma might¡¯ve¡­ Her thoughts run faster than they¡¯ve ever run in the last five years of her anime watching binge, only for her to eventually just shut her mind down and yawn as she says, ¡°I¡¯m Laura, and I¡¯ve completed my mission now. Have a nice day.¡± Then she teleports away without another word, heading back to her room to continue watching anime. Deciding that trying to figure out what an anomaly does when they¡¯re doing anomaly things is too much trouble. And that she¡¯d rather go back to her anime. B4 | Chapter 38 Aria When I get back to the station, I find that both a lot and very little has changed. Everything that was damaged before from Pestilence¡¯s attack is fixed, but everything is once again going on as normal from prior to the attack. As if it had never happened. People are also still fussing over me even after three decades have passed. Which isn¡¯t fun. I manage to make it to my ship without much trouble though. Because all of the people fussing over me at least give me room and do it from a distance. Unlike what they did before. As for when I arrive back at my ship again? I find that Little Blue long since left to return to the company, meanwhile Leone was off exploring other stations. According to Crimson, at least. Also, Crimson has a message for me that I very much do not like. I grimace after listening to a recording of Little Blue happily talking about how much paperwork I¡¯m going to have to deal with. Okay. So maybe I should find Leone and leave this place fast to avoid her? Preferably before she gets word that I¡¯m out of the Fracture. One thing I am a little surprised about though is that Lyra sends a message welcoming me back instead of coming personally. Which is very much unlike her from what I¡¯ve seen so far. So I do some snooping, having Crimson open up various news articles from the past years all across the universe out of curiosity. And lo and behold, something strange is going on. I frown. Very strange. Pretty much every one of the biggest powers in the universe is readying their military. Or most of them, at least. Some of them aren¡¯t doing anything, but the ones not doing anything are all the ones that tend to stay neutral in everything or just plain not concern themselves with outsider affairs. Which still leaves thousands of nations across the entire universe with several of the Grands included raising their militaries. Almost like everyone¡¯s preparing for some disaster or enormous universal war. I try to have Crimson look into it, but the only thing I can find are details about something everyone is calling ¡®another birth¡¯ all over the universe. With no one specifying what that even means. Weird. Other than the military preparations, there are also other preparations. Like increasing security in populated areas, increasing production of space travel vessels, and for some reason making some sort of purifiers meant to purify the air. But everything is locked down tight in regards to information. I frown before eventually just giving up, honestly not caring enough to bother Shirogane to look into it for me. Or any of the other nations. Atlantis doesn¡¯t seem to know what¡¯s going on since they aren¡¯t preparing anything. So I can¡¯t bother Little Blue about it like I normally would. Or Azura. Actually, come to think of it, maybe I can ask those annoying bodyguards that are waiting outside of the ship? That should be simple enough. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. With that thought in mind, I head straight outside of the ship and stop right in front of it with my arms crossed as I shout out, ¡°Come out guards! I have a question I want to ask!¡± All of them appear in an instant in front of me, kneeling down with their heads lowered to look at the ground. ¡°Tell me what this ¡®another birth¡¯ thing everyone¡¯s preparing for means,¡± I order while feeling ever so slightly uncomfortable at the sight of them all kneeling. Although I am at least starting to get used to it a little bit. The captain of the guards looks up and states, ¡°I apologize, Your Highness, but Her Majesty has forbidden us from speaking on the subject of that being¡¯s birth to you.¡± I blink in surprise, but the guard doesn¡¯t stop surprising me there. ¡°We have also been ordered to keep any information about the being¡¯s birth away from you as you do not need to know about it,¡± the captain continues with an apologetic look on his face that gets on my nerves. Considering what he¡¯s saying right now. ¡°Please continue moving around the universe at your leisure, for the being will not target you even should you run into it after its birth.¡± And without letting me get a word in after that, the knights all shout out a quick, ¡°Your Highness,¡± in respect before vanishing without another word. Leaving me standing here in silence, no longer crossing my arms and just holding them at my side instead. The fuck just happened? Silence fills the hangar for a little while. Then I eventually just let out a sigh and head back into my ship. Whatever. Just, whatever. I don¡¯t even care anymore. Besides, they¡¯re just gonna block me if I try to dig any deeper. And it¡¯s not worth the effort to try to go around them. I¡¯ll figure out what it is when it happens. Anyways, I go ahead and leave a message with Lyra about me leaving the station. Then I have Crimson start up the ship and head over to whatever random Star Link Station Leone is currently in before picking her up and leaving the Star Link Stations entirely. With her complaining the entire way about how she got stuck on gambling while I was away and ended up having to leave before she could win back her earnings. Which is her own fault, not mine. So I do the responsible thing in this situation and ignore her. And with that, my ship and I both finally bid the crazy nation full of crazy people who are now treating Death as their savior behind. Leaving it to go to another crazy nation full of crazy people. This next world is one that I¡¯ve been interested in checking out for a while now. It also has Hunter¡¯s Spots, of course, and it is one of the few worlds in the universe where the mana creatures have spread out from said Hunter¡¯s Spots to fill the planet itself. Which has led the people of the world to settle in the skies way above the surface of their world. Above the clouds even. Clouds that are poisonous to the touch, much less breathe. The world of Khelethario. A world most people avoid like the plague because of the poisonous clouds and the fact that the Hunter¡¯s Spots are down on the surface. In the middle of the poisonous gas-filled caves. And the other mana creatures are also on the surface. A surface covered in that same poisonous gas. So it¡¯s a very dangerous world. One where the people literally have to live on large cities above the clouds suspended there by massive towers that go all the way down to the surface just to survive. But the reason these people are crazy is a simple one. They¡¯re still living there despite the shit conditions because they want to become a subspecies of human. It¡¯s ridiculous. They¡¯re actually trying to stay there just to make their bodies undergo evolution to be immune to the poisonous gas. Overall though, they don¡¯t have much of a society. Each one of those cities is individually ruled, and there isn¡¯t much of a presence on the surface. So I can just go down and land there without much problem using a shuttle. And no one will stop me. Meaning I can completely ignore the people on the planet and check out the Hunter¡¯s Spots. While also getting myself an adaptation to that particular poison. Because more adaptations are always nice. ¡°You¡¯re seriously taking us there?¡± Leone mutters after she looks over my shoulder at the map and where I indicated Crimson take us. ¡°Yep,¡± I answer without looking back at her, ¡°I¡¯ll probably spend some years there. You¡¯re free to head back to Eternus while I¡¯m there if you want. The company can always use the help.¡± I smile as I look out the front window of the ship while sitting back in my commander¡¯s seat. ¡°If that¡¯s how you feel, then why don¡¯t you fill out some more paperwork on the way to this new destination of yours?¡± I hear a familiar voice echoing from the entrance of the bridge, making me stiffen up before I slowly turn to find Little Blue there with a smile on her face. Not to mention a cart of paperwork next to her. And before I can ask anything about how the hell she got on the ship, she glances up at the ceiling with her smile growing and says, ¡°Thank you Crimson, for letting me test out the teleportation pad. It seems to be working wonderfully.¡± |Your welcome.| My eyebrow twitches in irritation. When did she become so friendly with my ship¡¯s AI? B4 | Chapter 39 Aria Somehow I manage to finish all of the paperwork before we arrive at the planet. Although I get the feeling Little Blue somehow swindled Crimson into lengthening our trip a bit for that very purpose. But Crimson says otherwise. It¡¯s honestly starting to worry me a bit about how close that AI seems to be getting with Little Blue. Maybe I should add in some security countermeasures for this? Something like blocking the teleporter¡¯s use when I know there¡¯s going to be paperwork. I let out a sigh as I head to the hangar of my rather oversized ship currently parked right at the edge of the atmosphere. It¡¯s such a pain that I can¡¯t just give someone else the right to sign paperwork for me. But the ability to do that was removed from the universe at some point due to certain types of magic. Like mind control magic and cloning magic. Now people have to use a special pen when signing things. One that actually infuses the energy of the person signing it into the document itself. And no one can mimic someone else¡¯s energy. Which is why every document I sign apparently feels rather eerie to anyone else near them. Because they¡¯re filled with my death energy. Well, whatever. No point dwelling over that now. Especially when my current plan is to spend the next sixty or seventy years down on the surface of this planet going on a mana creature killing spree. At least until the pharaoh has finished figuring out where the lyon¡¯s home planet is located. So with that plan in mind, I walk right up to the forcefield making up the entrance of the hangar before ordering Crimson to turn it off. Then I step right out of the ship, with the forcefield reappearing behind me. And after briefly shooting out a blast of miasma behind me to propel myself into the atmosphere itself, I just let gravity take control. While pulling out my lovely ebook reader. One that has the same enchantments as my clothes. So it won¡¯t be damaged no matter what happens to me. I had Little Blue get one while I was doing the paperwork. It should be useful for passing the time while I¡¯m in stomachs. Not that I¡¯m planning on being in any stomachs, but still. Time passes as I fall until flames begin to build up from the speed at which I¡¯m falling. I just keep reading though.
One of the Cities above the Clouds of Khelethario Kelhar Tri Rala lets out a sigh as the man stands guard at the rim of the city. A long outer pathway that goes all the way around the city with a single railing at the edge of the platform. And no matter how long he stands watch, no matter how many days, he just can¡¯t seem to grow any more interested in it. So he always finds himself sighing as he wonders why he chose this job and why he can¡¯t get rid of it. The job of a city guard is a simple one. Stand alone throughout their entire shift just barely within visible distance of the next guard over but nowhere near within talking distance of them all while watching the skies around the city for any mana creatures trying to break out of the clouds. Or any approaching spaceships wishing to dock in one of the few hangars of the city. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. But most days he is left standing there for the entire ten hour shift, only occasionally swapping out with someone to use the bathroom. Without a single thing happening. Because, unlike the kheletharians, very few people in the universe wish to arrive on a planet filled with poison. Which brings Kelhar to the biggest problem of the guard post. He has to wear a full bodysuit just to handle the poisonous mist that drifts upwards from the clouds without melting alive from the acid within it. Much less the other poisons. Goes to show just how much the council¡¯s plan to evolve us has proceeded¡­ Kelhar has never been a very vocal supporter of his own people¡¯s cause. Not that he¡¯ll ever admit that to his superiors. They aren¡¯t exactly the friendliest people towards non-supporters after all. Kelhar sighs again for the umpteenth time. Then he looks upwards right when something catches his eye. Only for him to blink and rub his eyes before looking again. Uh¡­ what is that? Several hundred meters above the city and quickly approaching is some sort of ball of flames. The guard has to hold himself back from immediately sounding the alarm. Because he has heard before that space debris does occasionally fall down from above. And that sounding the alarm for nothing but space debris is a good way to get himself thrown off the edge of the city. Which isn¡¯t a very pleasant way to go out. So he just tensely holds onto his polearm as he watches the fireball approach. But when it gets within a couple hundred meters of the city, he realizes that it is not space debris. It¡¯s also not a missile or some sort of attack either. Kelhar blinks again as his mouth parts open in a sense of dumbfounded shock. Only for him to slowly pull out his phone and raise it to take a video of the woman currently falling down from space while reading on one of those latest generation ebook readers. On fire. This will serve as proof later when I report this. Just so I¡¯m not called crazy or on drugs or something. He firmly nods his head despite the dumbfoundedness he feels. Soon the flaming woman gets within a couple dozen meters of the city and looks up from her book straight at the guard. But instead of any sort of panic, she just nods her head once at him in some form of passing greeting and then continues reading her e-book as she falls past. Right. He blinks again before scratching his head with his other hand, still recording her falling down below the city with his other. I¡¯m still awake, right? This isn¡¯t a dream? Part of him genuinely wonders if this is a dream. Because who wouldn¡¯t dream about a beautiful woman falling down from the sky while reading without a care? He frowns a little at that thought. Right. Most people probably wouldn¡¯t dream of that. Eventually the woman falls down below the clouds, leaving him just staring at the greenish purple line of clouds below. Then he just returns to his duty of watching the skies without pause. I¡¯ll just post that to my blog later tonight. After this shift.
Aria That was an interesting looking city. And the guard there was wearing some large bodysuit that made it so I couldn¡¯t even see their face or anything about them. I couldn¡¯t even tell if it was a male or a female guard. The city itself looked pretty meh, with it being shaped in a large disc shape. One with a large outer pathway with a railing running along the entire thing on the widest part of the city, and some hangars visible from the top. But the rest of the city is located within the disc-shaped structure. Putting the city aside though, I personally can¡¯t help but wonder about that bodysuit. Because it couldn¡¯t have been comfortable. Oh, and he had a spear too. The guard seemed friendly enough though. Considering that they didn¡¯t try to attack me. I think they just watched me fall past. Very polite. Much politer than a lot of other nuisances I¡¯ve seen on other worlds. Anyways, when I reach the clouds, I finally begin to feel the poison. A bit. All of the damage that the poison in the clouds causes me is healed before it can actually hurt much. So all I really feel is a sting running across my entire body. A sting that I proceed to ignore without much care as I continue falling down through the clouds until I break out and find the land below. And for the first time since arriving, I find myself feeling a bit surprised. Because the land below really is just a hellscape. There are trees and mountains everywhere, but all of the trees are dead and tainted green and purple in color. Meanwhile the grass is the same. But most importantly, there are mana creatures just roaming around everywhere. A lot of which are spiders. And other bugs, but mostly spiders. Interesting. This¡¯ll be an interesting next several decades.