《The king of tricks and magic》 Chapter -1 - Status and Real Strength Hi guys this is Arkalphaze. I''m going to explain to you guys, in case someone misunderstand and confused about why does Oz who have a low status, could face a lot of strong figures in the story. First, I''ll explain about the status. The status will only shows you the power your body could emit, so it''s limited to the specs of your body and the mana your body possesses. Oz''s body had an exception because he got summoned from earth, and Oz got the power name Qi form his previous world, that is not detected by the status board. By using the Qi, Oz could utilize his skills and strength for multiple folds from before. And my suggest is don''t get too focused by the status boards, I put the board only to shows the growth of Oz from chapter to chapter, and to show Oz''s skills cards. I purposely didn''t show the items cards and the species cards (like goblin duke card and etc) because there will be so many in the future. And also the reason why Geeta couldn''t see Oz''s power, it''ll be uncovered in the story later. Thanks for reading :) Chapter 1 - Prologue At the dark night where every creature should be sleeping. A battle is in the middle of occurring. A great battle that determines the ending of the war of humans and demons. An epic battle that couldn''t be perceived by normal people. All kinds of traces of the terrifying battle like the scattering ground or traces of explosions could be found in all sides of the battlefield. The heroes are battling against the Demon King. "HAHHAHAHAHAH! You humans will never defeat me! I''ve made a contract with the evil god of war, Hachiman! No one could stop me now!" The laughter of the Demon King is echoing to every corner of the battlefield. With that sentence, everyone could know that the heroes are losing. They gritted their teeth because of their lack of power but their eyes still shone with some hope! they haven''t lost their hope yet! All of the heroes thought the same thing! The strongest of us haven''t even come! And if he comes, even if there is 100 of you all of them will still not enough to defeat him! As the Demon King''s laughter getting bigger and bigger and he''s about to utilize his strongest spell to finish the heroes. A voice cut in. "Antimagic field. antimagic card activate." a voice said. Suddenly the ground shook and a blue light shone and the battlefield changed into a gigantic shining card shape. And the Demon King''s spell is canceled due to the effects of the antimagic field. "HOW DARE YOU!" The Demon King shouted and dashes to the figure in an instant. "Gravity magic card activates, 100 folds increase." the figure said. And the Demon King immediately fell to the ground after it, and he vomits a mouthful of blood. The figure descends slowly and gracefully and his appearance starts to show. He dressed like how an assassin would but he used a black hat above his hood that makes him rather weird. His eyes are hidden and the only thing that could be seen is his nose and his mouth. His cape fluttered in the air as he descends. "who the hell are you." the Demon King asked with his hoarse voice, he is nervous and surprised by the figure that not only canceled his powerful spell but he managed to injure him to this extent too. The figure smirked and said cooly. "I am . . . . a Magician." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In the era of Modernization where inventions had skyrocketed. The night has fallen, the lights of a party shone to every direction, sounds of chatter, laughter, and a party is starting, And a huge stage is waiting for the Greatest Magician in the world to perform. Its a party placed by the president of Indonesia to invite all Great figures from presidents of all countries, prime ministers, great scholars, to all people that well known for their power of thinking to have fun at watching and solving the tricks of this legendary magician. The current date is 11th March 2056, where all technologies have developed because of the countless educated people and numerous geniuses have born and producing a lot of new technologies and countless modern inventions making a world of technologies. The legendary magician called himself Oz, he is the greatest magicians whose tricks never had used and never used others tricks, he uses tricks that could deceive people''s mind and deceive people''s perception from their eyes to their thoughts, and because of all these impossible tricks he performed, he made people thought as if he creates magic itself. He had a characteristic of giving people hints by throwing his cards with an image as a hint of his trick, but since he popped out from the unknown at 2046, until now, for 10 years! no one has ever solved his tricks! He performed not only at shows but also at crucial events in the world. At 2046, He introduces himself to the world by showing his magic tricks at a street show, at the show he asks the spectators to move behind and to not get near the stage. When the spectator step backs the stage suddenly burns and the stage together with Oz got swallowed by the fire. All of the spectator panics and even calls the ambulance. When the fire dies out the only thing left is the ashes. Suddenly, a card slowly descends from the sky and fell to one of the spectator''s head. He looks at the card and he saw that it''s a joker card, he wanders his eyes and wonders where does this card come from. And suddenly, he shocked! all of the ashes turn to a card explosion and the stage together with Oz showed up again. All the spectator was surprised, astounded, and speechless. They can''t describe what just happen, the sound of applause and cheers sounded and that''s the very first trick of the magician. At 2048, New York is under the attack of terrorists, they called themselves liberalist that object the rule of the current government. They shout their thought about people being oppressed by the government and stuff but the main point is they only want to take over the government. When new york had become the terrorist''s hostage, the police and the soldiers are confused about what to do. Suddenly, the big screen of the big screen plaza buzzed and the magician face shown. And he said "To the honored police officers and his peers, I humbly asked you all to prepare yourself to arrest the terrorist, Cause when the sky darkened, and the strange things fell to ground, the oppression would be stopped, and the sinners would be judged, farewell and my utmost sympathy for the oppressor". The police officers didn''t have the time to think of what he had said, suddenly, the sky darkened and everyone looks up to the sky, it''s raining. It''s raining but the thing that falls is not water, but cards, the police officers didn''t know where does the cards came from but the only thing they knew is the muzzle of the guns at the terrorist hand had been all clogged up by a card. The police officers immediately arrest all of the terrorists and the terrorist couldn''t resist as their weapons suddenly got clogged up and became unusable. And the video of that event shared throughout the world and being discussed in all of the media, and none of the people could explain what happened, and the public starts to believe the thing, called magic. He continues performed all sorts of tricks that seemed to be impossible for the eyes and cant be definitely explained by the rule of physics, as if he doesn''t apply to the rule of the world, all sorts of people from the great scholars to the great inventors to great geniuses to even a master of fraud cant solve his tricks. He is the very man who really does deserve the title of "true magician", as no one could explain his tricks, no one is brave enough to do things to him, with his snap of fingers he could make people''s wealth to cards, he could steal anything he wanted as he could pop out anywhere and disappear anywhere, because of this mystery of his, he became the symbol of the unknown. And tonight this very legendary magician is going to perform in front of all great figures in the world, he announced that he is going to use the greatest trick he ever made, a trick that closes to the realm of magic itself, a trick that could really defy the rule of physic and change the impossible to be possible. All of the worldly figures are curious about this legendary figure, he is the one that doesn''t want to be called a hero that saved a city but a magician. And he is the one that showed up with full of mysteries and disappeared with some more mysteries is attracting everyone''s attention. Everyone throughout the world gathered because of his statement that he will show his greatest tricks, all of the great figures are curious about this magician and all of them wanted to befriend him, but one way to do that is by solving his tricks, so they gathered and they''re ready to observe everything from the beginning to the very end of the show. Bwoosh! In the middle of a very grandeur national palace of Indonesia, he appeared in the middle of the grand stage with an explosion that made not from a fire, but from cards, countless of cards flying, popped from nothingness as if they waited for the magician and flew when he arrived. Hundreds, thousands of people clapped their hands for the unexpected and magnificent arrival of the legendary magician, all of the great minds shocked as they cant foreseen the legendary magician''s arrival and all of the martial artists shocked as they cant feel his presence as he suddenly popped together with an explosion of cards, as what they could expect from the one holding the title of "true magician". The legendary magician gave the spectators a very elegant bow, it''s a common custom for magicians to greet their spectators with a bow before they start their show, but the one in front of them is the legendary magician, they can''t let their guard off even if he''s doing a very common and normal bow, they need to give their utmost observation to this magician as he always did something unbelievable and unpredictable to them, its a pride of a great figure, to not forfeit, and continue to pursue the truth of the legendary magician''s tricks. Suddenly when he stood from his bow his face and all of his characteristics, become completely stiff just like a doll, a motionless doll, the doll only stood and stop doing anything as if its string had cut off, suddenly, the spotlight move to the back of the place where the spectators sit, all of the spectators turn their backs to see what exactly appear at their backs, there they saw, a figure is flying, the legendary magicians are flying with 2 snow white colored birds as his wings, and when they focused their attention at the flying legendary magician, an explosion of cards occurred once again at the stage, and the second cards explosion occurred to the flying legendary magician, poof! both of the figures are gone, they vanished as if they''re not there from the beginning, people start to assume and make conclusions of what they had seen, but every thought that they made always arrived at the same destination. "where exactly the legendary magician disappeared to this time and what kind of tricks is he playing right now?" One thing they didn''t know is, they''re not the only one who is wondering where the magician is, in the middle of a forest, a figure wakes up and wander his eyes left and right, confused. "Where the hell am I?" (AN: If you interested in this series, I hope you would vote to helps it continues!) Chapter 2 - The Beginning 13th day of cow month in the year 1246, the Ablux continent. The night at the great magical forest of Everdeen is indeed beautiful, with the stars shining above, filling up the entire sky. The cool and refreshing wind slowly breeze past, it is a one peaceful and serene night. In the middle of the peaceful night in the great magical forest of Everdeen, a carriage is running fast as if they''re getting chased by something, Brukk! something fell from the carriage as the carriage is moving so fast that everything inside became unstable, as the thing fell the carriage keeps on going as they''re in a very much hurry as what could be seen by their speed. As the carriage began to disappear from view, the thing that fell from the carriage moved, and it turns out the thing that fell from the carriage is actually a person that fell because of the impact by the carriage when it turned course, the person seemed to be fainted because of the falling impact. Suddenly, a light shone in the middle of the night right to the body of the person who fainted, and the person woke up from his deep slumber. As he''s still half conscious about the situation he''s in, he raises his body to a sitting position as he starts to collect all of his conscious. "Where in the world am I?" all he could remember is he''s going to show the world figures his greatest trick of magic with the use of teleportation wristband he had made, he who excels at all types of knowledge to make all kinds of tricks that could deceive people''s mind, he is the legendary magician Oz. As he remembered, he invented the technology of teleportation when he is wondering about the myth of the magic array of the old era, as he dives the world of myth, he found that the position of the magic array has a system that quite similar to the programming of computers, so with his knowledge he tries to formulate a program consists of the knowledge of the magic arrays and the modern programming, and he succeed! With the invention he made, he''s planning to use it as his new tricks at his magic shows, he''s gonna prove to the world that Oz the legendary magician has risen to the realm of real magic! in the magic show as he appeared with teleportation or the first time in the stage, and he substitutes himself with the doll with the second time, he''s about to teleport himself to the stage but something strange occurred when he about to teleport, the wristband starts to buzz and sending painful electric statics to his hand, and when the pain''s gone he awakes in a place he doesn''t recognize. (This place feels weird) A voice of neither man''s or women''s could be heard !!!!????? (..........) (Don''t tell me, this is not earth? okay calm down let''s think this through, let''s try summoning the so-called magic card first.) Oz imagines a deck of card to appear at his hand and suddenly, *poof* a deck of gold card with a magical like feeling appeared on his hand. (Holy crap, It seems that I seriously got teleported to another world) The magic card that appeared at oz''s hand does look magical and mystical, the magic card had a rich golden color and a complicated magic rune-like drawings imprinted on every back of the card. Different from the usual card decks, the magic card had only 57 cards that consist from As to King, and Joker but there is 1 card that had a blue gold color design. When oz about to flip the card to see what it is, a screen suddenly popped out from the card right when oz flipped it. [Magic card [Unique skill] Description: A unique skill to make a sealed skill/ an item/ something one possesses to a card Types (host''s possession): -Normal Magic Cards: Description: Cards consist of the normal deck cards; A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, Joker. Throw the cards to give damage to the target according to the cards. A Cards gave 10 damage to the target and 10 cards gave 100 damage to the target. J cards gave 200 damage of the spiritual attack to the target, Q cards gave you the power of illusions, K cards gave you the power of the ruler (you got 1% of the power of each subject you rule). And lastly joker, it''s the cards that could twist the very result of a battle, the effects it gave is random but powerful. -Special Magic Card Deck: Description: Cards consist of Sealed skills, Killed creature power, And Host enforcement cards, that could be equipped to increase the host strength from the sealed power or sealed skill. Like an Appraisal skill card. -Items Magic Card Deck Description: Items that sealed by a magic card user into a card] (Just like a game huh, so what types of cards do I currently have I wonder) As he wandered his cards he looks at the last card, the card with the blue-gold color design, as he flips it another small screen came out from the side of the card [Card of appraisal [special] Description: A card consists of the appraisal skill, the user could check people''s status by equipping the skill and using it, but people of a high level or people who conceal their status will have their status blurred unless they touch the appraisal skill card. Equip Yes/No] (Sweet, a skill to check status, let''s click yes and check my status first) [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Strength: 30 Agility: 80 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1000 Skills: -magic cards: Normal cards, Appraisal card [special]] (Age 14!!?? I thought my body was weakened because of the teleportation, but it seems that I got younger instead, it''s a shame but like what the elderly said, if I was younger I could make myself greater thousands of folds from before) (And what the hell is going on with my mana and spiritual power, does it mean that I have infinite mana?) (Ok, let''s save the thinking for later, for the time being, let''s try to survive in this dangerous looking forest first) (AN: If you interested in this series, I hope you would vote to helps it continues!) Chapter 3 - Survival As Oz summoned into this world of magic in a magical forest, he needs to try his best to survive in this magical forest, the forest is full of danger, you can''t let your guard down even for a minute cause he didn''t know whether the beast here is the same as the beasts at earth. Even when he is sleeping oz keeps his guards up and wakes up every single suspicious sound heard. But a lack of sleep is not a stranger for oz, as he does research, training, and strategize his tricks in a whole day, he only sleeps for 1 hour a day. The only problem he''s currently struggling is, he''s in a magical forest that full of danger with his body weakened. (It seems the appraisal knew even my real name, makes me remember that I use Oz for my alias after getting inspiration from the movie Oz the great and powerful) (But the thing that shocked me the most is whose body is this? As I remember, my skin is rather tanned but this color is very pale) (And the most important part is, this body needs to be trained, it''s way too weak! in order to survive in this magical forest, I need to build it up steadily until it went back like how my body was. I don''t know what kind of danger is waiting for me.) To utilize his former skills, he needs a strong body that compatible with his moves, so he needs to train his body as soon as possible. For the rest of the day, Oz search for a way to get out from the magical forest. As the night came, Oz climbs a tree and eat the fruits from a dragon fruit-like fruit tree that seems like edible. Sitting at one of the branches and eating the sweet fruit, Oz wander his thoughts about everything he encounters since he got summoned to this world, first he thought about the magic cards, The appraisal said that by using the normal cards he could give some damage to the enemy, but does the number of the health point of the enemy is the same as the damage the card gave? He checked and try to use a normal card number 10 to attack a tree with a health point of 1000. *Swish* The tree got chopped immediately by 1 strike from Oz. (If the card number 10 is supposed to give 100 damage to the tree, then the tree should not be chopped in one strike from the card, it meant that the damage from the cards is utilized according to the one who used it huh.) "Interesting..." Oz silently muttered. After testing some other things about the cards he starts to understand the using of the cards, and he starts to imagine in case he would get into a battle using the cards. After thinking for some time, he starts to sleep. ----_-------_-------_-----_-------_-------_------_-------_------_----_-----_-------_------_--------_----_-----_----_- The sun has risen high to the sky, Oz wakes up because of the dazzling light from the sun. He smiled. "Thank God, I thought there won''t be any sun in this world, thankfully there is a sun and a moon existed," he said relieved. When he about to jump down from the tree, he remembered that he had an appraisal card, can''t he use it on the fruit? He imagines using the skill and a status board shows up. [Kraken fruit [Legend] A fruit made from a tree that planted by planting a Kraken core to a dense mana soil, a fruit with very dense ice and water element, highly helps people cultivation of ice and water element.] When Oz looks at the appraisal he can''t help but be shocked, the thing he ate yesterday is actually a very rare fruit, he didn''t know how rare a legendary item is but with the name we could expect that the fruit is quite rare. (Helps the cultivation of ice and water element? Maybe it''s one of the reasons why I don''t feel cold last night despite having a weak body like this.) The fruit is good for the cultivation of this world, but even if oz ate all of the fruits, he won''t get any benefit from it, because in his former world there is no such thing as cultivating power or mana. There is only about building up your body and utilize the body to break the bounds of normal body limits and surpass ordinary humans, with cultivating internal energy of qi that exists in the muscles, people could have superhuman strength, that''s how Oz could change his position as if he teleports back then. After checking all the fruits Oz tried to change the fruits he collects into cards, *poof* all the fruits change into cards [Kraken Fruit cards [Items] ] "Success!" He celebrated. After Oz finished collecting all of the fruits, he starts to wander in the forest again to train his body and searching an exit from the magical forest. About 1 hour after collecting the fruits, oz is walking slowly in the forest. Suddenly, he senses a living being qi coming from his left, since coming to this magical forest he hasn''t encountered any animals or monsters, but from how the presence it felt, it seems that it is not a human. Growl! A growl could be heard and Oz increases his guards, the footsteps are getting closer and closer. Oz gulped. one thing for sure, the qi of the presence that getting to close to him is something that he never encounters, in the one hand he is nervous because of the lack of information, but in the other hand, he is curious about what he will encounter. He smirked. (I Hope I could survive this thing) Chapter 4 - Magical Beast Sound of bushes frictions could be heard, following the sounds, a pair of the frightening red eye could be seen. "Appraisal card!" Oz shouted [Type: Goblin [Duke] level: 272 Strength: 296.000 Agility: 10.000 Vitality: 2.000.000 Mana: 500.000 Spiritual: 30.000 Skills: -strengthen -club dash -Leap -superhuman strength -ruler''s aura -evil gaze] (What the hell with its stats!? It''s way too overpowered!!!! Does my appraisal card broke!?) A gigantic figure with a human-like body, with a dark green and very robust body, slowly appeared. Just like its name, the way it walked is elegant like a noble, the only thing that ruins its image is it''s using a club as his weapon just like a rogue. A goblin Duke, it meant that this goblin is way stronger than common goblins. It''s normal for Oz to meet powerful monsters here as this is the deeper part of the magical forest. The enormous fighting aura its emitted from his body! its tempered muscles and physique made it seems like it''s born to fight! *Roar* The goblin duke dash to oz''s front in an instant, with its robust body it looks like a moving pillar, as it swings its club aiming for oz''s head. If it was a normal human, they would have already pissed they''re self and ran as fast as they could. But the goblin duke opponent is not an ordinary human, its Oz! The legendary trickster that tricks even deceives the mightiest martial artist! And Oz knows that the goblin duke is lacking in his agility! *swoosh* The goblin duke swings his club. When the goblin duke swings his club he didn''t felt anything, he had just hit the air. Oz had already on the goblin duke''s back, as he tried to kick the goblin duke''s leg to make it fell. *sound of kicking a wall* (Damn, its leg is as hard as an iron! it''s too hard for my current strength!) (Ah! I forgot I got the magical cards! time to use my skills of cards) Oz dodged another attack from the goblin duke''s club and retreated about 10 meters from the goblin duke, as Oz prepares his cards. "You''re quite agile for a human" (Goblin Duke) !!!!!?????? A majestic voice that only a ruler would have could be heard by Oz. "For me who is a ruler of the goblins, to couldn''t land even a strike on you is praiseworthy" (Goblin Duke) "State your name, young warrior! I''ll stake my life in this battle, don''t you dare run from me!!" the goblin duke''s state with its majestic voice Oz''s Shocked! this monster could speak! maybe as a monster reached a certain level it will be able to speak normally like a human. Oz smirked, with his evil smile that showed his confident and craftiness. "My name. Is Oz. You could call me Oz or whatever you want to call me, but I prefer to be called, a magician." Oz said with his usual style. "I accept your challenge, I''ll show you the abilities of the legendary magician from the earth that will defeat you even with all of this handicap," He said coolly. "heh, pretty confidence you have there for a human, our strength gap is too wide human." The goblin duke snorted. Yes, the handicap Oz facing is way too big, the gap of their status is way too far like earth and heaven. but status still only is a status, it''s only capable of analyzing the numbers that matched with the body. From what Oz had tested, the status meant to be a limit of the capabilities a body could do, but with the qi he learned at his previous world, the limit is just a name. Oz''s body may be weakened, but it''s only limited to its body, not his skills and wisdom, he knows how to run at a speed that surpasses the limit of the body, he knows how to acc.u.mulate a strength that won''t be possible to emit by the body. Why? Because he is Oz! The Legendary Magician who makes even martial artists surrender! Seeing Oz''s confidence, the goblin duke hesitated, it increases its wariness and starts to take the initiative to attack once again. (this human, our strength gap could be seen by comparing our body alone, The result should be obvious, but where does that confidence come from?) As the goblin duke rushes to Oz, Oz''s smirk doesn''t disappear, he stands still there while looking at the goblin duke rushing in an instant. *whoosh* The goblin duke once again hit the thin air. *slash* Suddenly the goblin duke''s body got scratched all over its body, and there is a thing slowly falling to the ground from the thin air he hit. A golden card! A number could be seen imprinted on it, number 3! The goblin duke saw a slight red on the corner left of the golden card, it''s proof that the human has hurt him using this card. (does this card is the weapon that the human use to attack me with? this human is dangerous! I need to finish him quickly!) Oz saw the scars that he made on the goblin duke''s body, he narrowed his eyes and he starts to analyze. (The power seems to be effective) !!!!!!!!!!!! (9 more extra decks, so this nasty power don''t really neglect me after all) As his agility increased by 1920 it meant that his agility is 2000 now, Oz could fill the enormous power from the boost of stats. he smirked, and Oz starts to take the initiatives to attack. Oz starts to throw some cards to deal some damage, he threw some cards, dodges, and do the same strike as before. The bouts repeat for 10 times and both parties stopped for a while. "Human, what a strange skill you have there. Where do you come from?" asked the goblin duke. Oz laughed. "I came from a very far place that you could never ever imagine," Oz said. "What a cheeky human" The goblin duke snorted Oz only smiled while predicting what the goblin duke will do. Since the battle started, from what Oz had observed, the goblin duke hasn''t used his skills at all. All he does is dashes and strikes with his brute power. (it seems that he''s underestimating me.) (well, let''s show him some tricks.) Oz smirked. Chapter 5 - Transformation [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1000 Unique Skills: -magic cards: Normal cards, Appraisal card [special]] ----_------_-------_----------_-----_------_--------_---------_---------_---- The battle continued. The goblin duke keeps on striking and Oz keeps on evading. As time goes on the goblin duke starts to feel something is wrong, as the battle continues Oz keeps on dodging but it could be felt that his speed keeps on growing on every strike that he dodges. And every time he dodges, one card would be left flying and the goblin duke''s body would be full of scars again, if not for the steady trait of goblins duke and the fact that he is at the duke rank he would not be standing here anymore. From all the strikes and strategy the goblin duke use to hit Oz, he couldn''t get any hit, but one thing for sure he finally knew. (this human is strong!) (every time I strike he would dodge and counter attacks that even my eyes couldn''t keep up!) (who the hell is this human!) The more the goblin duke strikes. The more Oz''s eyes fill with confidence suddenly... "It seems that it''s time for the trick to begin! please prepare yourself goblin, I hope you won''t disappoint me!" with his evil smile, he smirked. "Don''t get full of yourself HUMAN!!!!!!!" the goblin duke is furious! When the goblin duke shout, it eyes gave frightening gaze as if it would devour all of the things in his sight and his body grows, his muscles extends and looks like it became denser and thicker than before (So that is Strengthen fused with Superhuman strength and Evil Gaze) (Oz) The goblin duke could really be described as monstrous right now, his size has become 1,5 times bigger than before, and the murderous aura his eyes were emitting is terrifying. Oz focuses his qi to solidify his defense without decreasing the speed he''s using. (Interesting!) (Oz) The goblin duke rush to Oz with frightening speed and full of rage. But when he strikes his club horizontally from Oz''s Head to the ground *Booooom* He can''t feel anything, but the feeling this time is somehow different, as the dust cleared he finally realized what is the thing is surrounding him. All of his surroundings is cards. Golden cards. The goblin duke felt a cold sweat on his back. *sound of a thing being slashed million times* Blood sprayed out of the goblin duke from every inch of his body. *Vomits* The goblin duke vomit a mouthful of blood and all of his body is full of various scars. The goblin duke is enraged. ROAR! The goblin duke roared and starts to attack randomly, he rampaged without using his mind to attack like before. "You lost and you refused to admit it huh" Oz sneered. Oz dashes to the goblin duke''s back and, *Slash* the goblin duke head got slashed by Oz with his card, and the goblin duke''s head rolled down to the ground and its body fell. ------_-----_---------_---------_--------_-----------_-------------_------ After the announcement prompt heard on Oz''s ears, the goblin duke''s body changed into blue light particles and gather together into 1 point. The more the particles gather the stronger the light became and it developed to a rich blue color. *swoosh* After all of the particles finished gathered to one point, the lights start to cool down and a thing could be seen slowly descending from the air. A blue card! it means its another special card! Oz is thrilled! As Oz took the card and flip it to see what card it is. [Goblin duke card [Special] [Develops] level: 272 Strength: 296.000 Agility: 10.000 Vitality: 2.000.000 Mana: 500.000 Spiritual: 30.000 Skills: -strengthen -club dash -Leap -superhuman strength -ruler''s aura -evil gaze Description: The card consist of the power of a Goblin duke, the host could use its maximum power by fully equipping it and transforms to a Goblin duke, but the host could also half equip it and got to use 20% of its original status. Equip Yes/Half/No] !!!!!!!!!!!!! (So it means that if I want to utilize the full strength of the card, all I need to do is to transform to a goblin?) The condition piqued Oz''s Interest, he quickly chooses to equip using his thought and the blue card changed to particles and envelop Oz''s body. ------_------_---------_-----------_------------_----------_------------_--- "This..." Oz could feel that his height had grown drastically and his power had skyrocketed. He could feel that his body is full of muscles and it''s very strong right now, he doesn''t need to use tricks to fight like before and could rush right away as he has this strong body. In the first counterattack at the previous battle, he used all 10 of the queen cards to decrease the goblin duke''s awareness and weakened its perception, and then he threw all of the cards that could inflict damages to the goblin duke like As to Jack. Only by using all of that damages the goblin duke had already got a considerable damage, by utilizing all of that he exploits the last 2 jacks in his hands and use one to be thrown to the goblin duke''s head and the last one to severe it''s head after it strengthens skill had weakened by the jack card that is thrown to the head. And he managed to kill the goblin duke, and he did all of that only in a few moments! That is only possible for him, as he is the legendary magician! The legendary trickster! It seems that the damages that the cards could inflict which was written on the card description are not really the same to the hp value, it seems that damages that the description meant is the firepower it could inflict by the one who uses the cards, the stronger the card user uses the cards the higher the damage would be inflicted by the cards. As Oz transform to a goblin duke, he thought that maybe using this figure is easier than using his weak human figure, so he decided that he will use this body to survive in this forest. (AN: If you interested please support me in vote and comments, all critics and comments is welcomed and please forgive my bad English :) ) Chapter 6 - Strong Foe [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1000 Unique Skills: -magic cards: Normal cards, Appraisal card [special], Goblin Duke card [special]] -----_------_------_----__--------_-------_--------_--------_---- With the Goblin Duke death, Oz could relax his tension a little. After resting for a while, Oz pondered and tests the effects of the fully equip and the half equip. When Oz transformed into the Goblin duke form, he felt a tremendous power filled within his body, all of his stats were heightened drastically, his current stats is way stronger than his former stats. After testing and checking the power of the transformation, Oz tried the half equip system and changed back to his usual human form. It seems that the half equip does only gave Oz 25% of the goblin duke''s power, and he can''t use the goblin duke''s skill when he half equipped the card. Now he knows the differences of the fully equip and half equip, he pondered about whether he should use the goblin duke form or only take some stats of the goblin duke. finally, he chooses to transform to the goblin duke form to ensure his survival rate on this dangerous magical forest. As he about to left using the goblin duke form, he saw something strange at the goblin duke''s corpse. There is something floating above the corpse. A floating status board [Goblin [duke] corpse {lootable}] !!!?? The word lootable meant that he could get some loots from the corpse, so he touched the Goblin duke''s corpse and suddenly. The corpse changed into blue particles and only 3 falling cards remain. [Card of Strengthen [special] Description: A card containing the skill of strengthening, increases the host''s strength for 4 folds for 2 minutes. Equip Yes/no] [Card of leap [special] Description: A card containing the skill of leap, leap to your enemy with 10 folds of your agility. Equip Yes/no] The card of strengthening and leap has the usual deep blue color and golden design, but the goblin corpse card is jet black with golden designs. (Finally, I possess an item card huh) After checking and preparing all of his possessions, Oz starts his adventure again, and he was hoping to find a place with civilization as soon as possible. By transforming to a Goblin Duke, Oz strolls around leisurely as his prowess is reassuring so he could calm down a little, but with a terrific boost on his stats, he doesn''t let his guard down a tiny bit. Oz walks through a lot kinds of trees and he collects all types of the fruits that he hasn''t seen, thinking that fruits from here maybe could be a fortune for him when he arrived at a town. Every fruit he encounters looked kinda strange and mystical before, and the longer he uses his goblin duke form he starts to saw all kinds of auras from things. A fruit containing fire attribute mana will have a red aura enveloping it, and fruits containing a water attribute will have a blue aura enveloping it. As Oz observe the fruits he encounters, The bigger the mana that envelope the fruits, the stronger the mana attribute contained in the fruits. He collects all the fruits he saw have a lot of manas as he strolls the forest. Since he came to this world and summoned to this forest, he walks to only one direction, that is south, he doesn''t know why but he felt that south is the right way for him. In the middle of the journey, Oz met an Ectra python, it''s a huge python as big as an anaconda, it has a deep green color and terrifying teeth. It shoots poisons and attacks with his teeth and strangles with his long and powerful big body. But, however big and strong the Anaconda is, its prowess is still at the [viscount] class, the stronger the nobility class of the magic beast the stronger the magic beast is, it''s one of many things that Oz learn from this forest. After killing the Ectra Python, the transformation card reward for killing the species for the first time is gifted, and Oz loots the Python. The loot that Oz got from the python is only the corpse card and a white skill card. So there are 4 types of Special cards, Blue (S), Red (A), White(B), and Brown (C). And each type has different qualities too, the blue card is more elegant and artistic, and the white card is a little plain. [Evil Gaze [Special B-] [could be upgraded] Description: A card containing the skill of evil gaze, Stuns your enemy with a terrifying gaze for a moment or kill your enemies who have a low mental defense with deathly fear. equip yes/no ] (Looks like a white card meant that it could be upgraded until it maxed out.) After testing the power of the Ectra python, Oz tried to half equip at while in the goblin duke form, and it turns out that it is impossible, but when Oz half equipped the goblin duke form, he could half equip all other transforming cards too and it gave him a great boost to his human form strength. (it means that if I collect all other species cards, I would be invincible!) While checking the power of his human body while half equipping all other cards, his perception sensed something dangerous coming to his way. The dangerous thing getting near Oz at a terrifying speed, in a split second some creature suddenly dashes to Oz''s. *Sound of explosions* The impact is far bigger than the goblin duke. Oz crashed to a tree because of the impact. "Ugh.." Oz Groaned. As the clouds of dust fade, the ferocious creature reveals its magnifying figure. *Roar!!* It''s a huge Lion! A jet black lion with a jet black and majestic mane! "Appraisal!" Oz shouted [Type: Darkness Lion [Duke] level: 266 Strength: 400.000 Agility: 100.000 Vitality: 4.000.000 Mana: 800.000 Spiritual: 200.000 Skills: -strengthen -Dark magic -Wind magic -Leap -superhuman strength -ruler''s aura -evil gaze -Leadership -Shadow magic -Deathly Roar] (Such strength!) (It''s way stronger than the goblin duke! Even though it had the same class?!!) The darkness lion roared and starts to wreaking havoc once again, all animals like insects, birds, and small animals run as fast as they can to avoid the disaster of the darkness lion. Oz stood up, "Goblin duke card transformation!" he shouted, and he transforms to the goblin duke form. With his goblin duke form, he had more hp, so he thought could survive another attack without getting a severe injury. He starts to analyze the situation, a little while back before the darkness lion dashes to his place he utilizes his Qi to protect his body, with his strong qi and the powerful body of goblin duke, he thought he could withstand the attack of the darkness lion. But, the reality is cruel, the darkness lion strikes once more and arrived at Oz position in an instant. Oz crashed to a tree again because of the terrifying impact. Following the stats, Oz should be able to avoid crashing but he still got crashed to the tree and couldn''t withstand the impact. "Shit!" he shouted and spit some blood. (It seems this world is not simple as I thought, from the stats it showed, my Qi together with the goblin duke stats supposed to be able to withstand it!) (The darkness lion seems to have another power besides his strength!) Oz is smart, he could analyze the situation and size his own self without exaggerating his capabilities. From what just happened, in only 2 strikes from the darkness lion, Oz had got 2 deep scars at his shoulder and his back. If he continues this battle, he will end up dead. After some hesitation, Oz chooses to run from this terrifying beast. He took a stance and runs as fast as he could by using both the speed from his stats and his Qi, right at his 3rd step he got blown away by a terrifying wind, he fell but he stood up quickly and flee once more, the beast is desperate so it uses wind bullets to make Oz blown, it never thought that Oz survive that strike and continue to flee. After running about 2 hours, he felt that the darkness lion had stopped chasing him, Oz checks his own body, he got some serious injury because of the wind bullet, his torn clothes have soaked with his blood. His eyes become hazy and his conscious starts to fade away, Oz struggles to stay conscious, but it seems that it''s futile. His wounds are too deep, and he doesn''t have any medical tools to treat his wounds, he could only hope that the goblin duke form self-regeneration could save his life, Oz fell and faint at the middle of the dangerous magical forest. at dusk, a shadow is walking around the forest, he brings a sword and a bow it seems he came here to hunt. The huge human-like figure is very similar to humans if you see him by his appearance, the only difference is his dark green skin that states that he is not a human. !? He saw a figure lying in the ground soaked with blood. it''s his brethren! (A goblin? A duke! What is a distinguished figure doing at this corner of the forest? as I remember the only goblin duke in this forest is me!) (But, this goblin seems to be hurt, it''s obvious, the deeper side of the forest is way too dangerous for our species, let''s save him for now maybe he''ll benefit our tribe) The goblin picked Oz up and brought him back to his village. ------_---------_----------_---------_-----------_-----------_-------------_------_------- What will Oz encounter at the village of goblins? Will he survive? Or will he die? What will the legendary magician do to face the coming problems? Chapter 7 - The Goblin Tribe Leader [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1000 Skills: -magic cards: Normal cards, Appraisal card [special], Goblin Duke card [special], Strengthen card [special] Evil Gaze [special B-] Ectra Python [special]] -----_------_------_----__--------_-------_--------_--------_---- --- A goblin duke POV--- My name is Aegir. I was born in a tribe called Gobblestone about 20 years old. I was born from one of a goblin leader way before our tribe were found. Back then there are no such things as goblin tribes or villages, we all live as groups in a cave or a place we could hide and get away from the sights of strong beasts. Every goblin is born poor, weak, and cowardly. We strive and struggle to live facing the strong with mere numbers. Every strong goblin that manage to evolve to a goblin rare will be the leader of a group. so basically, the tribe leader is the strongest person in the tribe. So there is my father, he is a goblin rare, he is quite a good leader as a goblin, he is strong but also smart, and he had a good charisma to lead the pack. When I was little, he taught me all the things he knew, he taught me fighting, leading, communicating, and how to use your wits. Back then, there are only a few goblins that could use the human''s language, including my father, from 120 goblins, there are only 26 goblins that could speak fluently. From my father, I got taught the ways of things to be done, and he builds me and showed me the way how to be a good leader, and that''s who I am now. I am the tribe leader and its founder. After my father died 10 years ago, I proceeded to be the next leader of the group. Usually, goblins died in only 10 years because of unhealthy ways of life, their diet and s.e.x.u.a.l life shorten their lives. But my father''s group is different, they only mate twice a week and have a proper diet, as we could hunt more expertly than others, and our group overall strength is quite higher than other groups. My father died because of an attack from the direwolves pack. He died when he goes hunting with 10 members of his peers, he got surrounded and go outnumbered by the numbers of the direwolves. There are only 11 members in my father''s party, and there are 50 direwolves surrounding him. With the direwolves leader had also evolved to a rare dire wolf that quite stronger than a rare goblin, the party got wiped out after struggling and killing about 24 direwolves and injuring the leader. Learning from that battle, I got the idea of making a goblin tribe and recruiting and inviting other goblin groups nearby to form a tribe with us and joining us to make a stronger pack. I talked about my idea to all the tribe members, and most them accepted my proposal, some members don''t agree because they''re afraid their position would be taken if we merge with other groups, so I ensure them that even if we form the tribe, their position will remain. But every idea had its own challenges, not every group leader I invite wants to be under my rule. First, I thought it''s okay for them to be the leader, but I''m afraid that they would make abuse of the power, so I decide to continue my father wishes to rule justly and be the leader. Because of the training and hunting I faced, I evolve to a goblin rare 5 years after I was born, and the opponents I faced at the tribe leader challenges is rather inexperienced at one vs one fight so I won all of the fights quite easily as there are only a few goblins rares. Being the tribe leader, I united 6 groups together, some small and some big ones, and we became a huge family with 500 members. There, we made the first tribe ever. I married 1 of the goblin from another group called Gina, she is the goblin leader of a small goblin group. We fight, we fall in love and we became together. 3 years after founding the tribe, we had become larger than before. We had 1200 members and a lot more of warriors from stray groups joining us and from the high fertility of goblins, there are a lot more mouths to feed but there are also more warriors to hunt. Following my father rules and ways of life and teaching it to all the members of the tribe, we have a healthy diet and s.e.x.u.a.l life, and all of the teachings became a tradition in the tribe and became a strict rule of life. Our lives are peaceful on that days, we hunt, we adventure the forest, and the kids grow safely because we made the village quite at the corner of the forest where there are only a few strong beasts we can''t handle. The peaceful life continues until one day, the direwolves pack attacks our village with 90 wolves because of hunger and we lost 20 goblin soldiers and 4 kids that caught off guarded. We intercepted the attack rather late because it''s at night and the direwolves coordinate the raid perfectly by the rule of the dire wolf rare, seeing the dead kids I went to a rampage and kills 40 wolves. The other soldiers start to attacks the wolves too and guard the defenseless goblins, because of the lack of danger we had a face, the soldiers are hesitant to attack the direwolves, and that piles up the casualties. The result of the battle is, we manage to kill 80 wolves and capture the 10 direwolves, the rare dire wolf is killed by a wooden spear I threw. For the captured direwolves, I''m thinking of taming them and making them our pet, disregarding my personal grudge to the direwolves leader, I thought that taming them could maybe benefit our village. After the direwolves incident, 6 months passed, now we already have 100 direwolves as our comrades. Back then, because of the grudges, I called them pets. But before I knew, I start to become attached to my partner Agira. He is the son of the direwolves leader; I knew it because he was born as a rare dire wolf, I took him in as mine because he is so cute back then. But now, in only 6 months he already as big as me. The peaceful year passed and another year of the problem started, a foe more dangerous than direwolves and more wicked than goblins came, the humans. They chopped trees and hunt some beasts at the end of the forest, they''ll kill every beast they met and they''re always well equipped, so basically, the goblins are no match to them. Our village is placed near the end of the forest so humans could find our village rather easily. One day, a party of humans assaulted our village, at that time our tribe had become bigger than before with 1500 goblin members and 200 direwolves. They assaulted us with 80 members,they equipped with heavy armors and called themselves knights of Grandaria. Just like the direwolves, their assault starts in the middle of the night. They burn some houses and kill the goblins before they could take their weapons. Seeing our members killed again, I start to shout the commands and rush to the members that are attacked. I startle the knights with my sudden strikes and I manage to save some goblins, after reforming the positions and giving some commands, the goblins start to fend off our attackers. This time, we kill all of them with no mercy. We wiped them out, but they killed 120 goblins and 20 direwolves, it''s the biggest loss for our tribe. But together with that lost, we got some useful loots. we got 80 full body armor, 40 iron swords and 40 bows from the human corpses. After cleaning the aftermath of the assault, some goblins came to me and said that they captured a human. When I came to the human, they captured there is an unnecessarily fancy looking moving house-like thing that tied and pulled by a horse, and there are a lot of books inside. The human my peers manage to captured is maybe a tribe leader in a human place but he is so weak and noisy so I killed him and toss his corpse to Agira for his snack. I''m quite interested in the books inside of the walking house so I asked the goblins to put all the books to my house, my house as a tribe leader is far bigger than anybody houses, when I came home, Gina is already waiting and she found that the books are also interesting so we tried to read it together. My father could read so he taught me how to read too back then, and now I taught Gina too how to read and she begins to learn how to read, Gina is smart so she manages to learn and memorize the characters quickly. From the books, I learned about walls, mana, weapons, ores, and magic. and a lot of other things. I learn things from the books and applied it at the tribe, now, another 6 years passed, our goblins live longer than before with our healthy lives, I''m already 20 years old and still as vigorous as I was before, now I had already evolved to goblin duke together with some of my peers that evolve to goblin count and marquis. Benefitting from the knowledge of the book, including me, some members in the tribe could also use magic, and now there are even walls and watchtowers that make out defense more fortified than before, and every member had some useful fighting skills like strengthening and etc. Oh yeah, I remember about having a weird dream some time ago. One day, I got a dream that I was kneeling together with other races leaders to a certain someone, the memory, and the image is too vague and blurred. But one thing I could still feel is the lingering feeling of longing for that person to face me and show me his smile. I know nothing about that person but I could feel our connection, and I hope that I would meet him one day. Today, Using my favorite sword and bow from the loot we got from the humans, I strolled the forest a little more than before because of my rank is already at Duke, as there is no one that could match me at the territory surrounding the tribe, I started to find some opponents at the deeper side of the forest. After hunting, I killed some ectra vipers and some killer bears and went back after exhausted. In the middle of the road, I found a figure, lying at the ground and soaked with blood. He is a goblin duke like I am as its skin is the same dark green as mine, as the darker the green color at a goblin skin the higher its rank is. (Where the hell does this guy came from?) (I wonder where he came from but I guess it''s not that important right now, I should bring him to the tribe as soon as possible.) (I hope he''s not dead yet) Chapter 8 - Goblin Tribe [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen] ----_-----_----------_------------_--------_------------_--------_---------_------_------ "Let''s go, my lord, "A majestic dark green figure said to Oz. Hearing that sound Oz opens his eyes, and he browses at the surrounding. He could see a grandeur throne room with magnificent designs and decorations. Golds, diamonds, and all kinds of jewels are decorating the whole room. The walls are embedded with gold, and the pillars are made with a magnificent white jewel. "My Lord?" The figure once again said. "Ah, yeah, what are you saying just now?" Asked Oz "Oh Come on Ren, what are you doing spacing out like that?" A human man with an expensive-looking armor said. "Yea Ren, what are you doing? Do you lose your mind?" A sweet voice said. When Oz focuses his eyes on the figures near him, there are 20 backs with a lot of species variation. He focuses his eyes to the lady who called his name, but no matter how hard he tried to focus his eyes, he still couldn''t see the lady''s face. "Hey y-" As Oz about to call the lady, he felt great pain at his stomach. He looks down to his stomach and a red sword stabbed to his stomach could be seen. "ARGHH!" Oz groaned. The scenery changed; it''s not the beautiful palace anymore; it''s a gruesome battlefield. A scene of humans being massacred by the demons. Humans screams and demons laughter could be heard everywhere. A demon with a majestic air walked to Oz position, slowly and gracefully. "Human" The demon calls. "Do you wish to live?" He asked. Oz tried to say something, but his lips seemed to be sealed. Suddenly, he feels like he is losing his ability to control his body. He stumbled and fell to the position where the demon is. !!?? But a strange thing occurred, he got through the demon''s body as if the demon''s body is thin air. He gets up, and he saw, not his old body, but his current 14 years old body with a red sword stabbed to his stomach is glaring at the demon eye. The demon laughed. "So have you made your decision yet dear strong-willed one?" He asked. "I won''t fell, to the despicable demon lies," the boy barely said. "HAHAHHAAHAHA! You''re near your death already but you could still say such overbearing words." The demon sneered. "To respect your strong will, you who is an orphan and the one who have the same kind of eyes with the heroes, I grant you a chance to live longer and grow stronger, grow, and keep growing dear young hero, make yourself as strong as you could, and help me the demon king face my boresome!" The demon king pulled his sword and called his underling. "Sell this kid to a slave trader. Don''t heal him. It depends on this kid luck whether or not he will survive this wound. If he dies, then so be it, but if he survives, he will be my next hero toy. (The hell? this is the memories of the real owner of this body?) When Oz is processing his thought, suddenly, the demon king turns his body and walks away. But after taking three steps, he stopped, and he turned his head to Oz direction and their eyes met. Oz sweat his back, and he gulped, the terrifying eyes of the demon king seemed like he is trying to devour Oz and every bit of his existence. Suddenly, his eyes shone with bloody red lights and Oz head is overwhelmed by a terrifying pain. -----__-----__-----_-----_---_----------_------------_---------_----------_------------__--------- *Sound of heavy panting* Oz wakes up from his slumber and he heavily gasps. He held his head, and he tries to calm himself down. (That gaze is deadly! just by looking to his eyes I feel like my head will burst!) Oz calm down and he examines his memories related to his dream, as he scanned he remembers things that are not his, he remembers about he living in slums of a town and got picked by a wandering knight, and he remembers, he and the wandering knight got assaulted by demons when they''re having a night at a remote village. He remembers, he dies when he fell from the slave trader carriage. (So that''s the story, rest in peace kid, leave all of your grudges to me, I''ll pay all of them who do all of those things to you, as we share our memories now, not even the demon king I''ll spare!) Finished thinking about the memories, Oz realized, he''s on a place he doesn''t recognize, he''s in a house. (A house! Whose house is this? Wait a minute, as I remember, I fainted at that creepy forest after meeting that fearsome lion, but where am I now?) (Lucky me! seems like someone met me and helped me all the way here, at least the wound has some benefits, huh, finally I arrive at a civilization huh.) When Oz tried to raise his body and get up from the bed. "Aargh! hell, it hurts!" He held his stomach and saw his wounds had been bandaged, the wound is bandaged skillfully and neatly as if a professional doctor had treated him. When he tries to touch the bandage, Oz saw his hands. !!!?? "THIS IS MY GOBLIN FORM!" He shouted. (Don''t tell me-) "Hey!" A sweet voice called. "Are you awake?" the sweet voice asked. The footsteps getting near and Oz got nervous because of his current body. The room door opened and a beautiful figure came in. "Hey! you''re finally awake!" She cheerfully said. The girl who appeared is beautiful and sweet at the same time, her hair is pink and she had a smart girl kind of feeling around her. The only thing that makes her kinda strange is her green skin. "Hello? are you okay?" She carefully asked "Ah, yes I''m okay" Oz answered. "Good then, come follow me. My brother-in-law is waiting for your stories." She kindly said. "yes.." Oz answered quietly. (She looks exactly like a normal girl, but her skin is green! Is she a goblin? I guess I only need to check it myself huh.) "Appraisal Card skill activate!" Oz silently muttered. [Name: Geeta Age: 13 Race: Goblin [Baron] Strength: 400 Agility: 500 Vitality: 300 Mana: 900 Spiritual: 550 Intellect: 800 Skills: -Fire Magic -Swordskills -strengthen] (As I expected) Oz followed Geeta outside the room, Geeta led him to the living room to meet with his brother-in-law. At the living room, he could see a man sitting and drinking on a wooden chair. The man is muscular and has a good-looking face; his face shows a great charisma; he is the goblin tribe leader, Aegir. "Brother in law, our patient has finally waked up" Geeta cheerfully said. "Ooh, so you finally awake! Come sit in front of me, let''s hear your story." a bass voice said. "Oh yea, my name is Aegir, I''m the leader of this tribe, nice to meet you." The man kindly said. "Y-yes, nice to meet you too, my name is... my name is Ren," Oz said. He wants to say Oz as his name, but his guts asked him to introduce himself as ren. "You know? I found you lying at the deep side of the magical forest soaked with blood so I brought you here." "It''s weird to found a goblin inside a very dangerous place. So ren, what''s your story, what happened to you and where do you come from" Asked Aegir with a smile. (This is difficult, I''ll just make up something I guess) "I dont know... I.. think I lost some of my memories, I can''t remember where I came from and I seem to be unable to remember anything else except for my name and the moments before I faint." Oz lied. "Hmm, so you lost your memory, one of our tribe lost his memories to when he fell from a tree on his head. Well then, what happened before you fainted?'' Questioned Aegir. "I got attacked by a darkness lion" Oz said. "A DARKNESS LION!?" Shouted Aegir. "You got attacked by a darkness lion and you''re survived?" "It''s impossible" Geeta interjected. "um.. when I met it, the darkness lion is fighting with a creature, I don''t know what creature it''s fighting because I immediately run after seeing the darkness lion, but in the middle of my retreat, the darkness lion battle got near me and a stray wind bullet magic crashes me." Oz said "That''s make sense, I saw some holes and there is some trace of wind mana on your back when I treated you, he is not lying brother." Geeta answered. "That''s unlucky for you, but from the fact you meet a darkness lion is already an awesome unluckiness itself but let''s not talk about this anymore, so Ren, stay here for however long you want, either until you regained your memories or until you fully healed. Geeta I''ll left him to you." Aegir said, and he gets out from the house. "So what you gonna do right now? do you wanna tour our tribe?" Geeta asked cheerfully. "Yes, I''m in your care". Oz answered. Oz followed Geeta outside the house and he surprised. The scenery of the goblin tribe is too unbelievable that you won''t believe the one who lives here is goblins. Not only the buildings here are similar to human town, but all the goblins here have a similar appearance with human. Oz shocked, seeing Oz face, Geeta giggled. "Welcome to Gobblestone tribe!" She said with a full smile. Chapter 9 - An Obstacle [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1000 Unique Skills: -magic cards] -----_--------_-------_--------_--------_-------_---------_------_----------_------------_---------_--------- Oz followed Geeta to explore the city. He is very shocked! Because the goblin tribe differs totally from the goblin tribe in his head. Along the tour, he saw goblins with an appearance that very similar to that of humans are doing farming, cooking, training, and stuff. The common knowledge of the stories about goblins is they are small, cowardly, weak, and dumb. The only thing that goblins usually have is a crazy amount of number. They fill the gap of their race and another stronger race with their power of number. But what the goblins here have is not only a great number, but they also have the knowledge, they have the skills; they have the rules at their tribe, and some of them even use real magic. (Magic! real magic! I must obtain this knowledge before I go to the human town.) (But still this place is outstanding. I doubt there is a human town could have a great harmony like this.) "Here we are, this is the place where the tribe got the most food from. The cobblestone river" Said the cheerful Geeta. "Oh, so do you do fishing here? or you just collect some small animals or hunt the humans who drink here?" asked Oz. "So you have some knowledge, after all. Yes, we do fishing here but we only use traps so we could hunt the animals who drink here too. But sometimes there is a dangerous beast who''ll come here to hunt and my brother will come to defeat the strong beasts that will danger our members." Geeta said dramatically while showing off a little. She silently steals some glances to Oz, hesitating to say something. "You seem to adore your brother-in-law so much, well he''s a great man. Just ask me if you want to ask something, don''t hesitate." Oz said coolly. Geeta startled. "A-ah yes, um, I only want to ask you one thing. judging from your size and skin, you''re a goblin duke right?" Asked Geeta carefully while glancing at Oz. "My brother said, you are a goblin duke but you have no mana aura leaking from you." She explained. "So you''re a wizard." Asked Oz. Only a wizard would talk about seeing mana as Oz sees mana after he starts to transform to a goblin duke. She nodded. (So my guess is right, from all of the goblins I met, only Aegir, the goblin magicians, and Geeta that sees me with a weird look. All the goblins who use magic have an aura enveloping them, including Aegir and Geeta. I thought I will have a strong mana aura enveloping me as I have the infinite mana and I could see the auras. But it seems that mana principles are not the same with qi.) "Um, my circ.u.mstances are rather difficult. From what I remember, I learn how to fight on my own, so I still don''t understand how to use mana and stuff. But yes, I''m a goblin duke." Oz explained. "Seriously? then how do you utilize your skills and how the heck does you even fight!?" Geeta asked. "Ooh, so you the type who uses raw strength, huh. No wonder you got that wound and manage to survives. Relax, I''ll teach you how to use mana when we get back home" Geeta sweetly said. "My pleasure, I would be glad if you''ll te-" When Oz about to ask Geeta to teach him magic too, they heard a scream coming from the downstream. *KYAAAAAAAAAA* The voice is high pitched so they immediately know that it''s a woman. The scream is different from the screams that women do when they''re surprised or when they got tripped. This is the scream of terror. Oz and Geeta rush to the downstream. When they got near the downstream a growl from a beast could be heard. They increased their sprint hoping there will be no casualties. *Growl* When they arrived at the downstream, 5 guys are in the middle of the battle with a beast with the head, talons, and wings of an eagle and the body of a lion. "IT''S A GRIFFIN!" shouted Geeta, surprised. No wonder the woman''s voice is full of terror. The one who appeared is a fearsome beast! (Hell could I even manage a hit by that beast?) The griffin flapped its wings and only by the one swing of his wings and all the goblins got thrown to the air. "All the goblins under the rank of rare fallback! now! Go get my brother-in-law!" Geeta shouted to give commands. All the goblins retreated and Geeta hastens her incantations. "I''ll buy you some time," Oz said cooly. Oz rushes to the Griffin side and tries to give a punch using strengthen. !!!??? The Griffin doesn''t even move a flinch. The griffin flapped his wings again and tried to bite Oz. Oz ducks the bite but he got thrown by the wind emitted from the griffin''s wings. but the thing that shocked Oz the most is not the fact that he can''t injure the griffin. (My Qi can''t came out! Why don''t I realize this earlier! Shit!) Oz tried to concentrate his focus to his meridians, and after he tries that, he spits out a mouthful of blood. "Ren!" Geeta shouted. Geeta thought that Ren is injured by the impact and he is still under recovery from his wound so it worries her that Ren will be got more injured by the impact that he got just now. (Ugh. It seems that my meridians are injured. Shit. It took a lot of time to recover an injured meridian. And the worst is I need to cultivate from the start!) When Oz is grumbling about his injured meridians. The spell that Geeta chant had just finished. "Ice Shards!" She put her hand forth and shouted. And a dozen of arm-sized icicles came out from the magic circles in front of her hand. The Griffin felt that its power is superior to the icicles momentum so it just flapped its wings thinking that it will be enough to face the icicles. The wind crashed with the icicles but the icicles pay no heed to the winds from the griffin wings and pierce through it easily. The Griffin is shocked but there''s not enough time for it to dodge so all the icicles strikes its body directly. "Yes!" Geeta rejoice. *Roar* The Griffin roared enraged. The icicles manage to injure it but not severely. The Griffin is enraged because of the icicle attack. The Griffin flies to the sky, and the sky darkens, the clouds changed to black colored and they could hear the sounds of thunders. It will use Thunderbolt! Oz understands that it will use a terrifying skill to retaliate Geeta''s ice shards. he couldn''t analyze the Griffin''s skill damage accurately. But he trusts his guts, and his guts said that the Geeta will not survive that attack. The sounds of thunders are getting bigger and bigger, Oz rushes and jumped to Geeta. And- *Sound of a terrifying thunder* The thunder struck at Oz with terrifying speed and momentum. Oz gritted his teeth bearing all the pain while protecting Geeta from the terrifying thunder. The most terrifying thing is, there are 10 thunderbolts that struck Oz at once. "Ren!!!" Geeta shouted worriedly. "Why do you do that? Maybe I wouldn''t survive it, but you''re injured too." Geeta said while in the verge of crying. "My pride as a man couldn''t stand the fact that I will only stand still looking a beautiful girl getting attacked in front of my eyes," Oz said coolly. Geeta blushed. They''re having the conversations but the Griffin is not standing still, seeing the mage that injured it had survived its attack, the Griffin is once again enraged. The Griffin dashes to where Oz and Geeta are. But before it could land its attack on them- "Horizontal strike!" A voice sounded. The figure who own the voice dashes right at the second when the Griffin''s strike almost hit Oz and Geeta. *Booom* "Brother-in-law! Finally, you came!" Geeta said relieved. "Yes. How is Ren''s condition" asked Aegir solemnly. "I''m okay. I just need a minute to regain my balance." Said Oz coolly. "That''s good then, Hey you, give Geeta her equipment," Aegir nodded and said, and a goblin brought a helmet, gauntlets, shield, and a sword. "Use your equipment quickly Geeta, this beast won''t give us that much time." Ordered Aegir. "Okay, brother-in-law," Said Geeta with a serious face. As Geeta uses her equipment, Aegir takes the attention from the Griffin. He uses strengthen while use speed enhancements too. He dashes to the Griffin who starts to get up and swing his sword hard. *Clank!* The sword and Griffin''s claw collided. Aegir raw strength together with the enhancement magic still can''t match with the griffin''s metal hard claw. *Whoosh* Aegir got thrown backward because of the impact. Aegir got thrown but the Griffin easily recover its balance and dashes to the flying Aegir. "Geeta!" Aegir shouted. "Yes! Wall of Frost!" Geeta shouted. A wall of ice appeared between Aegir and the Griffin, The Griffin crashed to the wall and got bounced backward. It seems to get some damage from the impact. After the Griffin got bounced back from the wall, Geeta immediately dashes to the Griffin with her shield and her great sword. She swung her sword and shouted. "Sword of Frost!". The sword slashed the Griffin and some icicles could be seen to be corroding the Griffin. *ROAAAAR!* The Griffin roared louder than before because of the damage it got. It got more enraged and it about to strike Geeta with its claws but Aegir appeared behind the Griffin and strikes its back. Geeta make use of the momentum Aegir made and took that chance to retreat. After giving the Griffin a strike, Aegir retreated too. The Griffin got all wounds all around its body because of this magnificent pair of two. (They''re strong!, They have such great teamwork and they use strategy as efficient as possible! but the most surprising thing is, for Geeta to be not only a magician but also a magic knight.) Oz''s shocked by the power of the two (But..) "Appraisal card!" [Type: Griffin [Count] level: 237 Strength: 250.000 Agility: 100.000 Vitality: 1.100.000 / 1.500.000 Mana: 700.000 Spiritual: 100.000 Skills: -strengthen -dash -Leap -superhuman strength -ruler''s aura -Eagle Eye -Wind magic -Claw strike -King''s Roar] [Type: Goblin [Duke] Name: Aegir level: 262 Strength: 250.000 Agility: 8.000 Vitality: 1.800.000 Mana: 200.000 Spiritual: 20.000 Skills: -strengthen -club dash -Leap -superhuman strength -ruler''s aura -Swordskills ] [Name: Geeta Age: 13 Race: Goblin [Baron] Strength: 4.000 Agility: 5.000 Vitality: 3.000 Mana: 9.000 Spiritual: 5500 Intellect: 8000 Skills: -Fire Magic -Swordskills -strengthen -Ice Magic -Mind Magic -Shield skills] (Mind magic, huh? No wonder she could deceive my appraisal card. Next time whenever I checked someone using the appraisal card I need to make him/her touch the card I guess. But, to think that the damn beast only got 400.000 damage after all of that strikes.) Seeing the successful attack they had made. Aegir and Geeta are about to attack them together again. (So they used mana to reinforce and strengthen themselves. Different from my Qi, they use their mana by borrowing the external power of the body, so they use the mana from the aura they emitted. My Qi is back to level 1 because of the damn black kitty. Well level 1 Qi will only double the status but it is enough.) "This will be a hard damn fight. But it''s interesting." Oz smirked. Chapter 10 - Great Battle [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen] -----------_-------------_------------_-----------_----------_------------_-----------_-----------_-------_------------_--------- ---Geeta PoV--- Ren is a weird guy. Since he wakes up at brother-in-law''s house I already know that he is an oddball. He woke up with his memories about himself is gone but he still holds a great amount of knowledge. He understands about building, farming, and fishing that is quite rare for a goblin who doesn''t think at all. Well, our tribe does that too, though. He seems to take a great interest in mana, magic, and skills. But the weirdest thing is he is a goblin duke but his mana there is no mana leaking out from his body. But when I treated his wound, but I could feel a strange power inside of him. What a strange person. One thing that piqued my interest too is how stoic he is. I and my sister are considered a great beauty at the tribe, usually, if a new goblin met me they will propose me and ask me to be their mate in an instant. But this guy doesn''t even show the tiniest bit of interest to me. It kinda frustrating but I need to admit that he''s kinda cool. he''s tall, muscular, and I could see his confidence and calmness at his face. "Geeta! Ice Wall!" My brother-in-law shouted. "Yes! Wall of Frost!" I shouted, and the griffin attacks once again blocked by my magic. If my sister is here, we could support brother-in-law more easily though. My sister is a dual-elemental mage of fire and wind. But she is pregnant, so it''s crazy if brother-in-law brought her here. Okay, let''s focus on bringing this fearsome beast down first. We gave it considerable damage, but it doesn''t even slow this stubborn beast. In this rate, my mana will run out first before we could defeat it. "Geeta! Once again!" My brother-in-law ordered me. "Yes!" I chant the ice shards spell getting ready to strike the griffin using it. "Dear spirits of ice, heed my call show your coldness and form an icicle in my call Ice Shards!" After I finished chanting, a dozen of icicles appeared in front of my hand and dashes to the Griffin. The Griffin tries to fend all of it using its claws but it couldn''t repel all of it. So some icicles manage to damage the Griffin. Using the momentum of the ice shards spell of mine, my brother-in-law dashes to its back and about to strike its back again. But suddenly, the Griffin dashes not to protect itself from my brother-in-law''s strike. But it dashes to the place I''m standing. It all happened in a split second. And now, I''m on the verge of falling to a state, called death. I was so shocked that I couldn''t move my feet. "Geeta! Dodge!" My brother-in-law said, but my feet can''t move. The Griffin is about to hit me, so I hold my shield steady and get ready for the outcome. ........ I waited for the feeling of intense pain and intense power but the feeling won''t come. Confused, I opened my eyes, and I saw a figure, is facing the griffin with his bare arms. There is the weird energy I sensed before enveloping him. "Ren!" I called his name happily. "Urrgghhh. Roaaaaar" Ren shouted and he manages to threw the Griffin back. *Sound of water drops* That is? I wandered my eyes for where the source of the voice is, and I saw. the front cloth that Oz borrowed from my brother-in-law, is soaked with blood. But even with all of those wounds, his smirk never fades. "Geeta, lend me your great sword." He said to me coolly. I threw my great sword to him and he caught it with one hand. "Let''s settle this once and for all crazy beast." He said just like a battle maniac. He dashes to the Griffin and strikes it head on, With no strategies, and with no tricks, he faces it head-on. Using his brute strength, his sword vs Griffin''s jaw seems like a draw. Ren retreated while saying "Damn it strong." "Well, it''s obvious. it''s a Griffin," I said. "Geeta, could you chant the wall of frost once more before I make a contact with the Griffin, and chant ice shards After I land the strike at the Griffin?" Asked him. "I still have some mana left, I think it''s enough to use those two spells," I answered. "Great, then tell your brother-in-law to strike the Griffin right after I strike it first." He said and he walks to the Griffin to face it once again. Where does his confidence come from? Well, let''s just see what he got. I told my brother what Ren''s strategy is, and he agrees. "You''re a damn strong beast," Oz said. He dashes to the Griffin once more and I chant the spell Wall of Frost, when each of their strikes almost collides with each other, My Wall of Frost appeared in the middle of them. I just now noticed. That if I summon a Wall of Frost. There will be a cold fog surrounding it. And now I understand what Ren''s plan is. Ren appeared below of the Griffin and strikes its chest, it shocks the Griffin as it couldn''t sense the attack coming from Ren. "Now!" Oz shouted. I immediately use the spell Ice Shards and brother-in-law immediately dashes to the Griffin. I finished my chant and brother-in-law arrived at the back of the Griffin at the same time. I worried that the Griffin will run and change its place and ruin his plans but the Griffin looks like it was bearing pain or something. My Icicles and brother-in-law''s slash strikes the Griffin at the same time. But this time, our strikes penetrate the Griffin rather easily. With the strike from us, Griffin''s blood spurted out of its body and it dies, and something slowly falls from the air. A card with an image of the queen of the humans, but it immediately disappears after i saw it. I want to ask what it is to Ren, but he suddenly fell and fainted. "Ren!" I and my brother-in-law shouted. it seems like he loses too much blood, so we brought him to my brother-in-law house so I could treat him again. Today is a tiring day. But I manage to see Ren''s coolness so I guess that''s enough for me hehe. *sound of humming* Chapter 11 - Mana [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen] ------_--------_-------_-------_-------------_-------_----------_-----------_------_-------_------------_------- The Griffin crumbled and Oz fainted at the same moment. "Serves you right you damn beast." Oz barely said. Suddenly, Oz heard a prompt before he fainted. 280> !!!??? ----_---------_----------_--------_-------------_---------------_-------------_---------_-----------_--------------- Oz wakes up. He observed his surroundings and he could see the same place where he woke up after the fight with the darkness lion. (I fainted at this world because of blood loss for twice already, huh? To think someone like me would experience these things, life does unexpected. The prompt I heard before I fainted, does it meant that the goblin form leveled up?) Oz imagines his hand holding the goblin duke card and the goblin card got summoned to his hands. [Goblin duke card [Special] [Develops] level: 280 Strength: 380.000 Agility: 80.000 Vitality: 2.800.000 Mana: 1.000.000 Spiritual: 300.000 Skills: -strengthen -club dash -Leap -superhuman strength -ruler''s aura -evil gaze Description: The card comprises the power of a Goblin duke, the host could use its maximum power by fully equipping it and transforms to a Goblin duke, but the host could also half equip it and got to use 20% of its original status. Equip Yes/Half/No] !!!!??? (It levels up!) Oz is shocked by the fact that it could level the goblin duke card up. It meant that he could get stronger by leveling his goblin duke card too! (Oh yeah, I need to recover my Qi cultivation, too.) There is 10 realm of Qi cultivation 1. Body Reinforcement Realm 2. Spirit Reinforcement Realm 3. Core Condensation Realm 4. Core Spirit Realm 5. Core Transformation Realm 6. Void Spirit Realm 7. Spirit King Realm 8. Saint King Realm 9. God King Realm 10. Earth Monarch Realm And every stage has 3 cultivation stage. Currently, Oz is in the realm of Body Reinforcement Realm, the first realm of Qi cultivation. Back then, Oz had already reached the Saint King Realm and being the top 10 martial cultivators of the world. But his cultivation level goes back to zero due his meridians got severely injured. Oz straightens his back and cultivates his Qi. He could feel the pulse from his meridians by concentrating for 2-3 minutes. His meridians emit some hot energies and he could feel the power of the body reinforcement realm that in the verge of entering the realm of spirit reinforcement. 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 20 minutes. His Qi starts to enter the spirit reinforcement realm and he could feel that his Qi had increased for 10 folds. When he about to continue his cultivation feeling that he could remember the feeling of breaking through the first 3 realms. The door of the room got opened. "Have you woken up yet Ren?" The cheerful Geeta came in and asked. "yes, I''ve woke up," Oz answered. "Good, how you''re feeling now?" Asked her again. "Well at least better than Yesterday," said oz kindly. "It''s not yesterday though, you''ve slept for 3 whole days," explained Geeta. "3 whole days!?" Oz shocked. "yes, 3 whole days. It''s normal because you lost more blood than last time." Explained Geeta. (No wonder I''m so hungry right now) "Come on, let us eat first. I bet you''re so hungry right now," Guessed Geeta while smiling cheekily. Oz smiled. Seeing Oz smiling, Geeta''s heart felt happy. She smiled tenderly and led Oz to the dining room. Arriving at the dining room, Oz saw Aegir sitting together with a female goblin that looks very similar to Geeta, well, moreover her pink hair is the same as Geeta''s. "Hey, Ren! Come sit here! You must hungry," Said Aegir with his face full of smiles. The female goblin beside of Aegir only smiled and sees Oz while he sits in front of Aegir. She moved her eyes to Geeta, and she gave a surprised look for a moment, and then she gives her a smile with a full meaning. Oz sees the foods at the table, there is a steak he doesn''t know what meat it is, there are some vegetables, and the drink is fresh looking water. Even if the foods and drinks are rather plain, but Oz felt that the foods he is seeing is very delicious, and he felt he got very hungry looking at the food. Maybe it''s because of the fact that he hasn''t eaten for 3 whole days or it''s because of the delicious smell of the food. "Don''t just look, your eyes won''t satisfy your hunger." The woman beside of Aegir said. Aegir laughed. "Yes, don''t hesitate to eat it Oz, You''re considered a part of the family already, without you, we won''t be eating here together.". "Oh yeah, I haven''t introduced you two. This is my wife, Gina." Introduce Aegir. "Nice to meet you" Oz smiled and said politely. "Nice to meet you too, thanks for saving my sister''s and my husband''s life," Said Gina. "It''s nothing. They''re the ones who saved me, I do nothing big," Said Oz humbly. Aegir smirked. "Don''t be too humble Oz, You''re too kind, I never saw a goblin who would sacrifice for others. You have my respect. Okay, let''s stop talking and eat, the food will get cold." Said Aegir. Oz took a small piece of meat and putting it inside his mouth. The taste is quite plain, but the meat is of high quality! The meat is juicy, and it had a rich unique flavor of itself, and the one who cooked this meat had cooked it masterfully. Oz thought, using some seasoning this meat will be a masterpiece that all people will sell their body for eating one piece of this meat. "What meat is this?" Oz asked. "It''s Ectra Python''s meat. What, doesn''t it delicious? well, of course, my Gina cooked it!" Said Aegir bragging about his wife. "Wow, your wife is a great cook" Praised Oz. Aegir is very satisfied with Oz praise to his wife, and Gina is also happy by the praise. They eat the food to every bit of the meat and Oz found that the vegetables are also delicious, they''re very happy seeing Oz eat the foods full of vigor. "Phew, thanks for the food," Oz said, satisfied. "You''re really a glutton Ren," Said Geeta surprised. After they finished eating, they talked and told stories of each other. Aegir shared his story about his father, his adventure, and his meeting with Gina. Gina shared her story about her life and about her old group, and Geeta shared her story about how she trained as a magic knight. "Ah I forgot, I promised to teach you how to use mana haven''t I Ren?" Asked Geeta. "Yes, you did" Confirmed Oz. "Then go for it you two. Geeta, go led Ren to the backyard to train," Ordered Gina to Geeta. Geeta led Oz to the backyard to teach Oz how to use mana. Arriving at the backyard, Oz saw a lot types of plants, from the one, looks like a medical one to some looks that are planted for its wood. "Okay, lets us get started. First, you need to feel the mana first. Try to stabilize your breath." Explained Geeta. Oz concentrates his focus to his breath to stabilize it. "Now, after you finished stabilizing your breath. Try to take out all the energies you could feel inside of your body," Said Oz. Oz scans his body and searches for foreign energy he never felt. Thinking that he needs to stabilize his breath first, he focuses on his breath and he found some foreign energy inside of his body. No wonder he never felt the power, it''s outside the channels of the meridians so he never felt it. Oz tries to extract the energy outside his body. !!!??? Geeta saw a huge amount of mana aura gushing out from Oz''s body, she''s surprised because she never saw this amount of aura that even her brother-in-law never have. "Y-You''re a genius, Ren!" Praised Geeta Oz had already lost himself because of the feeling from the mana, he couldn''t hear the praise Geeta said to him. He continues to Gush out his mana out of his body and tries to uses it the same way he uses his Qi. *Whoosh* A black mana aura envelops both of Oz fist. And Oz opened his eyes. (Success!) !!??? "Wow! I only praising you because you could feel your mana in your first try but, You really are a genius for being able to control your mana in less than a day! I''m about to teach you how to control your mana easily but, well, congratulation, You''ve controlled your mana," Geeta said, surprised. Oz just smiled hearing the praise. "I still have a long way, I''m still unable to use magic but you could already use magic," Said Oz, signaling Geeta to teach him how to use spells too. "Ah, About using magic, you need to learn it from reading books. I can''t explain it to you, it''s too complicated," explained Geeta. "If that''s the case, can I borrow the book," asked Oz, "Yes, you can borrow it. I''ll go to my brother and ask for it, wait for me here okay?" Said Geeta with smiles. "Okay then. I''ll wait here, take your time." Said Oz. Geeta went into the house to ask Aegir for the magic book Oz asked. Seeing Geeta went back into the house, Oz tries to extract his mana power to his fist for the second time. *Whooosh* His fist is enveloped by a black mana aura, after enveloping his fist with mana, Oz tests to combine the mana and his Qi. Oz closes his eyes, and he concentrates his meridians to emit his Qi to his fist. The mana and the Qi clash with each other. Oz tries to forcefully combine both of the power and- *Whooosh* The aura-like mana that envelops his fist before, changed its appearance to a liquid shape. The combination of the Qi and the mana looks like a black liquid that''s enveloping Oz''s hands. Oz could feel the enormous power this new energy contains. Oz about to try punching his fist but- "Ren! Here it is!" Geeta came bringing about 7 thick books. She puts the books at the ground and said cheerfully "Read these books and you''ll be able to use magic right away! well, the reading takes time though," Oz is secretly delighted seeing the books. he can''t wait for learning the book and using magic. (Finally! I will learn Real Magic!) Chapter 12 - Bond [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen] ------_--------_-------_-------_-------------_-------_----------_-----------_------_-------_------------_------- Every book that Geeta had brought is pillar thick. ''I need 4 whole days to read all of this thoroughly'' Thought Oz. There are 7 books that Geeta brought and lend to Oz: -Magic and how to use it -Vengeance of the north mirage -Dragon fire -Grimoire of death -Thirsting book -Dawnlight -Guardian''s Manuscript All the books here look mystical and rare. Oz is interested in the Grimoire of death, but he needs to understand the book about magic and how to use it that seems to be the basics first. So, he read that book first. From evening until the morning, he spent his time reading and understanding the book. In the middle of the night, without him knowing, Oz is reading at a pace way faster than he ever did. He unknowingly finished reading and understanding the pillar thick book at only 8 hours. After he ate dinner with Aegir and fam, he immediately went back to his room and continued to read the book. Aegir and fam only smile seeing the enthusiastic Oz, they just continue their normal daily routine. (This book is outstanding! to think that the books in this world are written with the same alphabet with English! And to think that the formulas of the magic in this world is easy to understand! It''s unbelievable! It''s only about using and controlling your mana and understanding the magic formulas! so simple!) When he about to celebrate his success and he wanted to test it- [Congratulations] [The host had achieved the required intelligence to learn magic] [The host will be rewarded ''Basic Magics [Special]'' Card] [The card contained the complete power of the basic magic due to the complete understanding of magic by the host] !!!!!???? A handful of blue particles shone in front of Oz eyes. Slowly descend to Oz''s hands. [Basic of Magic Card [Special] Description: A card containing the power of the basics of magic; the power of basic fire magic, basic water magic, basic nature magic, basic wind magic, basic light magic, and basic dark magic. Equip Yes/No] (I got the card!) (Does it meant that if I understand all the books then I will get all of those powers!?) "Quite the cheat there," Oz smirked. Oz went out to the wide backyard that a very strategic place for training, he equips the basic of magic card, and he focuses his mana and he tries to chant the spell ''Fire Ball''. *Whooosh* A huge fireball appeared in front of Oz palms, and dashes to the sky. "Damn! I made it!" Oz rejoice. He is thrilled with his success, he had dreamt to use real magic since he''s a child, and now finally he could really attain the power of real magic! "Congratulations" A voice suddenly cut in. !? Oz takes a glance at his back, and he saw Aegir with his sword. "What a coincidence to see you here, so you''re testing magics here." Said Aegir "Yes, I''m very interested in magic you see," Said Oz while scratching his head, embarrassed. "Hahahaha, It''s okay, I''m about the same with you when I first saw the magic books. Oh yeah Oz, do you wanna accompany me at my training? You look rather skilled with the great sword Geeta used," Said Aegir. "Hehe, It''s not much, I just know one or two things about swords. I won''t stand even 5 bouts with you Aegir," Said Oz humbly. "Stop being too humble Ren, and stop using that polite tone too, we''re brothers that face danger together, aren''t we? Come on, give me some enlightenment," Aegir said using casual tone. "Okay then, if that what you want Aegir. But where is the sword I wi-" *Whooosh* A sword suddenly was thrown to Oz, and Oz dodges to his left and grabs the sword. It''s the same sword he used to face the Griffin, It''s Geeta''s sword. "Use that sword, you seem to have some familiarity with that sword," Told him. "Yes, I actually-" Aegir suddenly dashes to Oz, and swing his sword with all of his power. (He''s serious!) Oz blocked Aegir''s strike and slide Aegir''s sword with his sword, and he threw Aegir''s momentum to his right taking use of Aegir''s brute force. Aegir lost his balance because of his unstable feet and he stumbles to the front. "As expected, you''re an expert," Said Aegir. "There is no one in this tribe who could block that strike, moreover using my brute force to make my stance stumble. You''re strong Aegir, this tribe will be very happy to have you," Said Aegir. "Um." Oz confused about what to answer. (I forgot. I haven''t thought about what should I do about them.) (Arriving here, all the people in this tribe gave me great hospitality and unknowingly, I''d get attached to this place. Furthermore, I have lied to them about me being a goblin.) (I like to continue living here but I want to explore this world too.) "If you still can''t choose whether you want to go back or you want to stay here. You could just think about it longer," Aegir said while smiling kindly. Oz smiled. "Thanks, Aegir, but I think I''ve made my choice. I will explore this world and leave this tribe for a while," Said Oz with a smile. !!!?? "You mea-" "Yes, I will go back to this tribe again one day, but I will not leave this tribe for a little while. I''m gonna prepare myself first before I explore further. So don''t give me such sad face Aegir," Said Oz with a smirk. Aegir snorted, "Who''s giving you a sad face, huh? Stop daydreaming," They laughed and they continue to spar until the sun goes up and shines all the forests. Aegir and Oz finally stopped their spar and sit at the wooden chair at the backyard. "Oz, there is something I want to tell you," Said Aegir with a grim face. {AN: Just for information, there are no boys love at this story so don''t get your imagination wild okay. :) } Oz nodded a little, indicating to tell him what he wanted to tell him. "There are some Orcs who started to give some trouble to the tribe, will you help me solve this trouble?" Asked Aegir, worried that Oz will refuse to give him his help. Oz sighed. "Why do you even asked, just tell me and I''ll do it. You''re my savior," Said Oz coolly. Aegir laughed. "Then you''ll be training my sword skills every morning until you leave this tribe for your journey," He said shamelessly. Oz smirked. "As long as you give me some food," Aegir laughed. "You really are an interesting guy," The longer Oz lived at the goblin tribe, the more he got attached to this tribe, he is knowledgeable about buildings and stuff because he is from stuff so he likes to help with others and other goblins saw him as a guest of the tribe leader that is kind and humble. So they got along well, and the people and Oz harmonize and the tribe got merrier with Oz presence. (Shit, this people is too passionate. Different from my guys back then at earth who only searched for benefits by using people. If I don''t go from this tribe quicker than I think I will get trapped in here.) Days become weeks and Oz had become more used to the tribe, each time he meets a goblin they will greet him with full of smiles. Oz helps the tribe at their farming about how to plant without giving the water too much to make the plant healthy, and he told about how to use a weapon more efficient without using too many useless moves. He taught the people about the strategy of the defense and make the wall much stronger and firm. He helped the people so much and the people told him about all the common knowledge they know, the magicians discuss magic with him and Aegir and his family discuss with him about the tribe. Just like a happy life with Oz as the lucky star for Aegir and the tribe. But one night when Oz is learning the last book that he hasn''t learned ''Grimoire of death'' book. He saved this book as the last for the best. But when he is reading a crucial part of the book, suddenly, there is a huge commotion outside. *Sound of swords colliding* *Sound of war cry* *Sound of the tribe ''under attack'' bell is ringing* !!!??? "WHO THE HELL WHO DARES TO ATTACK THIS TRIBE AND DISTURB MY LEARNING!!!" Shouted Oz. Oz fuses his mana together with Qi to make his speed faster and dashes, when he arrived, he saw 4 huge figure is lying at the floor soaked with blood and full of sword wounds. But one of the figure is left alive and captured. Luckily there are no casualties at the guard section because they had got some training from Oz from how to use traps and how to use formations so they got firmer and the casualties rate got drastically lowed. Seeing no casualties Oz sigh relieved. "What the hell is this thing," Oz asked the other guards. It''s a huge figure for about 6-7 feet height. with broad shoulders and muscular, powerful bodies. They have an olive colored skin, and they braid their hair. "It''s an Orc, sir," Said one of the guards. ORC! Chapter 13 - Orc [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic] ------_--------_-------_-------_-------------_-------_----------_-----------_------_-------_------------_------- Magic beast. Magic beast is a beast that contains a strong amount of mana at its body, by infusing the power of the mana with the internal organs of a beast, a magic beast is formed. Magic beast has 10 steps of evolution. Each step has different difficulties. A normal magic beast evolution chain: Common --> Rare --> Baron --> Viscount --> Count --> Marquis --> Duke --> King --> Emperor --> Great Emperor ----------------_---------------_------------------_------------------_---------------------_--------------- The 4 of the Orcs who died got buried by the instructions from Oz, and Aegir. One of them is haven''t dead yet when Oz came to the spot, the soldiers are afraid to give the finishing blow, seeing the suffering Orcs, even if they came to make some trouble, but Oz cannot bear seeing the suffering of the orc, so he gave the finishing blow with a sword from the guards, and he let the orc inhale his last breath. [The host had killed an entity for the first time.] [The host will be rewarded the card ''Orc Baron [Special]''] A handful of blue particles appeared and gather to one point. After some moments, the particles disappear and a card appeared. [Orc Baron card [Special] [Develops] level: 82 Strength: 10.000 Agility: 2.300 Vitality: 50.000 Mana: 3.000 Spiritual: 500 Skills: -strengthen -club dash -Leap -superhuman strength -Regeneration -Ignore pain -Taunt Description: The card comprise the power of an Orc baron, the host could use its maximum power by fully equipping it and transforms to an Orc Baron, but the host could also half equip it and got to use 20% of its original status. Equip Yes/Half/No] (Wow, setting aside the stats, the orc had a lot of benefitting skills.) Oz retrieves the card back to his magic deck. "Ren!" Aegir came while calling Oz. ----_-------------_---------------_-------------_-----------------_----------------------_------------ They decided to imprisoned the remaining Orc, and went back to rest, and continue the case in the morning. In the morning, Aegir invited Oz together with some figures of the tribe, to meet with the captured Orc. They gathered at the place where the captured Orc placed and interrogate it. The Orc hands were chained, and his feet are also shackled. "What''s Your name, Orc," said Aegir with a cold tone. "Magra. Magra son of Mardan," The Orc whispered. "So, dear Magra who had just attacked our humble tribe. What''s your story." Aegir said with a cold face, different from when he asked Oz about Oz''s story, his tone and his face differs totally from before. Magra opened his eyes, Oz could read some sorrow, worry, hesitate, guilt, and hope in his eyes. Seeing such emotions in his eyes, Oz got a little interested in his story, so he crossed his hands, and he prepares to listen to what this Orc will tell him. Magra closed his eyes once again, seeming to prepare his resolve to tell his story. "Demons," He said shortly with his hoarse and deep voice. "Demons?" Aegir raised one of his eyebrows. "Yes, Demons." Magra strengthens his statement. "The despicable demon we all hate had returned," Said Magra. !!??? "They''ve come once again after disappearing for 2000 years." "They''ve come with more armies than before, and they''ll come for all the races except for mankind, to join their ranks," Told him while looking at everyone''s eyes. And his eyes stopped. When he saw Oz''s. Hearing Magra''s statement, all the goblins who present at the place start to murmurs with each other. Sounds of surprised, shocked, and even afraid could be heard gushing out from everyone''s mouth. Aegir raised his hands a bit, and all the chatters disappears. "Continue your story," Said Aegir. "They came, asking our clan to join their ranks. We are an honorable race and we live together with our clan, so we decline the offer from the despicable demons, and they started to intimidate us saying that they will flatten our clan with the march of the demon army," "But all of our members are way too prideful, we underestimate the prowess of the demons, and they defeated us and killed hundreds of our clan members." "There is only 400 from us that is left from the attack, and all of our food stocks are plundered by the demons. We manage to survive because we evacuate the women and child''s, and some youth to guards them," "We''re out of our wits, we didn''t know where to feed the mouth of 400 Orcs with a few soldiers. So we decided to plunder other races to get them. Some of our members said that they saw a huge group of the goblins that might have a lot of foods that we could plunder. So I went together with the clan''s strongest warriors that survive the demon attack to plunder this tribe. No one ever think that we the strong Orcs, cannot even defeat one of the goblins at the defense wall," "You could put all of their faults at me, I am the one who instructs and commands them, I''m the only one who should bear the consequences," Finished Magra while some tears start to fell from his eyes when he''s telling the story. Aegir looked at Oz, and Oz nodded a little. "You could relieve yourself, as there are no casualties from your attack yesterday. I will discuss this matter with my peers first, you could raise your hope up," Aegir said with a smile. All the goblins got out of the place and went to Aegir''s house to discuss the matter. Oz let the others left first, and he stayed at his position," After the other had gone, Oz went near to Magra and he whispered. "The tribe leader is soft-hearted you see, so we may even send some troops to escort your clan members here," Whispered Oz. Oz went out and left the Orc behind. Magra saw Oz''s back and his eyes shone with hope, hoping that what Oz had said will be true. ---At Aegir''s house--- "There is a possibility he is lying, we can''t fully believe him," Said The military chief, Fedra. "But we also need to wary in case the invasion from the demons is real," Said the defense chief, Ibra. "Tribe leader. Honestly, I''ve found some uncommon traces and signs at the places we usually hunt. I''m afraid that what the Orc had said to us is true," Said the hunter chief, Brad. *Sound of people surprised* "Is that true Brad?" Asked Aegir. "Yes, I swear upon my father''s name, Barry," Said Brad with a grim face. The conclusion of this discussion had finally met its end, everyone knew that with that statement, they will be facing the fearsome opponent that is the demons. All of their eyes went to Oz''s figure who usually have a lot of ideas and never afraid of anything. The one who smiles when facing anything, and the one who the tribe leader and all of them trusted, and could depend on. "Tell us your thoughts Ren," Said Aegir smiling. Oz opened his eyes. "The demons are gathering their allies, why shouldn''t we do the same. We had gathered a lot of goblins from the other groups to this tribe, and they accepted the offer, with a lot of struggles you all had face, you guys succeed. My suggestion is, what if we join our hands with the orcs, having a strong ally is more reassuring than having a strong foe. If we could make them our ally, and make a big family together, the other races might join us, and the demons will be more easy to handle," Explained Oz. What Oz had said is make sense, rather than strengthening their defense and stuff, it is better or them to find a strong ally to join hands with them. But- "But back then, even with our forces, subduing the goblins to join us is also difficult. Do you have the confidence that we could join our hands with the Orcs, Ren?" Asked Aegir to Oz. "You see, back then you don''t have the strongest power which you had now," Said Oz full of smiles. "Hm?" Aegir raised his eyebrow, and the other listen carefully about what Oz will say. "You don''t have me," Oz smirked. All of them laughed. Aegir snorted. "Heh, you overconfident bastard. But well, can''t really refute that," He shrugged. "That indeed is true," Said Brad smiling while crossing his hands. "You really are an interesting man," Fedra. "It is a fact though," Said Ibra. "What a strong statement you said there," Gurolf, The Magician chief said. The atmosphere got lighter because of the words Oz said. ''A tribe with a variety of races, huh? It''s interesting.'' Thought Aegir. "Hahaha, okay, putting Ren''s bragging aside, let''s give the good news to our first ally candidate," Said Aegir with smiles. ---At the prisoner place--- Magra waited. Hoping the result will go according to what the strange goblin he met before said. *Sound of a door being opened* The door is opened, and all the goblins that had come before come back again here. "You''re lucky, we understand your circ.u.mstances, we will help your clan but with one condition, Said Aegir with a smile. "What condition, I hope its something that won''t harm our members or something that my clan could afford." Said Magra. "Nothing much. You only need to join hands with our tribe, not only being an ally but also merge together with us to make a bigger family," Oz suddenly answered with a smirk. !!!!!! Chapter 14 - Demons [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic] ---------_-----------_-----------_--------------_-------------_-------------_----------_-----------_---------- Demons Demons are a being of an opposite faction from the angels. if angels are beings who bring happiness and love, then demons are beings who bring disaster and cruelty. Demons will sometimes join hands with some despicable people who want to do evil deeds. They''ll feed and deceive the people and take all the benefits to make themselves strong. Demons are superior to other races in terms of magic. Their body has a tremendous amount of mana that helps them to cultivate the realm of magic. Demons and humans have a history of a century-long war 2000 years ago. The demons wished to be the supreme being of the world, so they begin their quest of supremacy. The demons raise their war flags to the elves, humans, dwarves, and all of other races. The humans, as the weakest race, offer an alliance with all the other races to face the threat of the demons. With the alliance, they manage to kill most of the demons and seal at a very far place. -Demonology book, Grandaria library, Capital of Grandaria. ---------_-----------_-----------_--------------_-------------_-------------_----------_-----------_---------- By the result of the tribe meeting, the tribe agreed to free Magra and to offer an alliance with the Orc clan. Given such a wonderful offer, Magra immediately accepted the offer, thinking that having a strong ally is reassuring. They decided to pick-up the Surviving Orcs at the orc clan immediately because they didn''t know whether the demons will attack the Orc clan once more or not. *Sound of wolves barks* Fedra gathered 300 goblin soldiers and left 100 goblin soldiers to Ibra to defense the tribe, The 100 goblin soldiers that left at the tribe will be patrolling together with Brad''s Hunting division guide. We leaves all the magicians to guard the tribe and Gurolf decided to embarks himself to join the quest. All the soldiers who''ll be going to the Orc clan are riding a dire wolf, the fire wolf had an increase at its population, so all the soldiers could ride a dire wolf now. Seeing the troops that will be escorting his clan, Magra is very happy and relaxed. His eyes shimmered with hope. ''Hang on guys, I''ll be coming with some help!'' Thought Magra in his heart. "All Ready!?" Aegir shouted, confirming all the troops had gathered and ready to go. "Okay then, Let''s save our new family!" Shouted Aegir, all the soldiers together with Fedra, Gurolf, and Oz starts to depart. Aegir rides on Agira together with Oz, while Fedra and Gurolf ride on their own wolfs. Geeta''s instructed by Aegir to leave behind at the tribe, to guard her pregnant sister, Gina. She''s a little sad because she cannot see the Orcs clan, but she prioritizes her sister''s safety so she suppresses her desire. The army starts its journey with high speed with the help of the direwolves. (Demons...) (From Magra''s description, they had a very wide variety in their species, just like a normal magic beast. But only demons with a rank of noble could possess intelligence and tremendous power. 5 normal demon is weak, but 1 baron rank demon could kill 4 orcs.) Oz is curious about the demons that attacked Magra''s clan. In his former world, demons pictured as a despicable, cruel, and wicked being. And in every fantasy story, demons always be their opponent. "Interesting," Oz muttered. "Did you say something Ren?" Aegir asked. "Nope, just me muttering something," Oz shrugged. "Stop spacing out and help me with your great intelligence, will this quest be a success?" Aegir asked. "The possibilities are 50% if we consider out forces," said Oz. "Then why the hell do you suggest this quest!?" Aegir shouted. "I said If we consider our forces. We haven''t considered the orcs forces that''ll join us, and I got a good feeling about this quest," Oz said casually. "Hmph, crazy bastard," Aegir smirked. They''ve traveled 4 hours without taking any breaks, with the help from the direwolves, the 20 hours travel had minimized to only 4 hours travel, now they could already saw some fences in the distance. "That is my clan dear goblins tribe leade-" Magra about to say. *Sound of a woman screaming* Continuing the woman''s scream, sounds of explosions could be heard. !!!! Oz jumps from Agira''s back, Oz points Geeta''s sword onward, "Defend our allies!!!". Oz immediately dashes to the Orc clan, infusing together his Qi with the mana in his body, he utilizes tens of folds from his usual speed. Arriving at the clan''s gate, Oz saw a winged demon is in the middle of attacking a female Orc. It attacked with its scorpion-like tail fiercely, and the female Orc could barely dodge it. "Argh!" The tail hits the Female Orc''s feet. (Time to test my magic) Oz concentrates the fire element mana powers and boosts it with his qi, the fire element mana fuses the qi and the qi became a fire qi. (I tried to make a hell flame fireball but it seems I''m still too weak to make that kind of flame. So let''s just imagine a blue flame) Oz concentrates the magic formula at the books and the image of blue fire in his mind, Oz stretches his sword forward, and he shouted. "Fireball!" Oz shouted. A huge blue fireball pops out and dashes to the winged demon at a terrifying speed. *Sound of explosions* The explosion makes the area covered by smoke after the smoke fades, Oz finally saw the pitiful state the winged demon became because of the blue fireball. The winged demon had lost all of its body except for its tail. (Time to wait for the prompt) (A quest?) "Interesting, I only need to kill all of these damned demons right?" Oz muttered himself. With Oz had obtained the power of magic, Oz got more confident with his prowess. he dashes and slaughters all of the demons he met when the demon got too close he''ll strike them with his sword, and if the demon is at the distance he''ll blast them with his magic. All the Orcs that got saved by Oz are puzzled, they got saved by a huge and strong goblin magic swordsman. Oz keeps on slaughtering the demons and saves lots of Orcs, the Orcs starts to consider Oz as their allies as he saved the kids, women and kills all of the despicable demons for them. The Orcs begin to retaliate to the demons, all the warriors pick up their weapons and counter the demons. Looking at the Recovering Orcs, Oz smirked. (They''re really are warriors after all) One huge Orc with a huge battle ax came to Oz. Surprisingly, the giant Orc bowed his head before he talks to Oz. "Dear honorable warrior, who are you?" Asked the giant Orc. "Ren, a magician, your friend Magra asked me and my goblin tribe for help, so here we are," Oz explained. "Where is Magra then?" Asked the Giant Orc. "He''s back there, with the goblin army," Said Oz "Army? what arm-" "Let''s stop talking, your brothers and sisters are being attacked here, we''ll talk later," Oz said. Oz dashes forward and continues to slaughter the demons. The huge Orc is startled by Oz''s words, but he recovers quickly and starts to slaughters the demons too. Oz kills more than 100 demons already, and the demons start to decrease in number. there is about 500 still left (Hell, the only thing annoying about this demons is their number is way too many.) "Attack!!!!!" Aegir''s voice could be heard. *Army Warcries* An army of goblins advanced with a disciplined formation, with the appearance of the goblin army, the demons got slaughtered in only a few moments. The Orcs are surprised by the sudden appearance of the goblin army, but they soon rejoice after seeing their chief, understanding that their chief had brought a backup force to help them. "Ren!" Aegir shouted. Oz saw Aegir coming to his way running. "What the hell are you thinking by advancing alone?" Asked Aegir angrily. "They need help. If I don''t rush immediately, there will be more casualties," Oz explained cooly. "But, Okay then, let''s put that aside, what''s the situation," Aegir asked. "This far, good. But things will be more difficult after this," Oz said while narrowing his eyes. "Why?" Asked Aegir. "That" Oz pointed forward. "What the hell!" Aegir shouted, startled. He saw a huge horde of demons standing, seems to be waiting for something. "There seems to be a noble demon there, we need to prepare quickly," Oz said with a grim face. Aegir nodded and asked Fedra to prepare the army. Looking to his left side, Aegir found Magra is running to his direction. "Thanks, Thank you very much for your tribe help, We Orcs will always remember this debt," Said Magra while bowing to both Oz and Aegir. "Save your thanks later Magra, go call your warriors, we have a situation to handle," Oz said stoically while signaling the demon army ahead of them. Mandra got speechless for a second after seeing the demon army, but remembering he got allies now, he soon recovered his shock. "Blackrocks!!" Magra shouted. "Assemble! Raise your weapons! Don''t shame our ancestors! Don''t let our new ally down!!!!" Magra shouted to his clan members. Hearing Magra''s words, the Orc warriors rush bringing their weapons to Magra''s back, all of the males of the clan gathered at Magra''s back. They''ve regained their confidence with their new strong ally appearance. "Army leaders! left 20 percent of your army to protect the women and kids," Oz ordered. "Why?" Magra asked. "We''re facing the despicable demon here Magra, you wouldn''t want to see your clan women and kids became hostage by the despicable demons, think like your enemy to read the possibilities," Oz said firmly. "Be quick, we need to move our battlefield. We''ll be at a disadvantage if we battle here, we can''t attack and defend at the same time," Oz ordered firmly. Hearing Oz''s order, all of the army leaders prepared and splits some of their armies to defend the base. "Have you guys done!? let''s send these demons back to hell!!" Following Oz''s words, the new alliance starts their first war together. Chapter 15 - Demon Duke [Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic] ---------_-----------_-----------_--------------_-------------_-------------_----------_-----------_---------- Grandaria Kingdom Grandaria kingdom is known as the magical kingdom because of the high number of magicians in the kingdom and because of having the most renowned magic academy in the continent. The Grandaria Kingdom is known as an advanced kingdom, they have advanced magic technology in their country. The kingdom is famous for its magic knights, the magic knights of the Grandaria Kingdom are ranked the first at the Ablux continent what had participated by 5 other kingdoms. The Grandaria Kingdom is also famous for its resources, its primary goods are from mines, husbandry, and magical equipment. The Grandaria Kingdom is well known in the continent as the richest kingdom of the Ablux Continent. ----------_---------------_------------------_------------------_--------------------------_--------------------------_----- All of the warriors are pumped up because it''ll be their first battle together with their new allies. "Our clan warriors are ready," Said Magra to Oz. "Our tribe too," Aegir continued. "Then that''s it," Oz said and take a deep breath, "INTO VICTORY!!!" and rushes to the place where the demons are standing. All of the warriors follow Oz as he shouted and rushes, the demons are startled seeing the vigor of the Orcs and the Goblins together. "Charge," A deep voice said from the demons faction, the voice is deep and a strange power helps it to resonance across the battlefield. Oz notices the unnatural phenomena, and he understands that there is a strong figure at the demon''s army. "Aegir!" Oz jumped to Agira and called Aegir. "What Ren?" Aegir asked. "There is a strong noble demon ahead. I''ll face it first, you take the lead to reduce their army number while I''ll buy you some time. Immediately join me when the army number had reduced to about 20% and leave the army war to Fedra, bring Magra and Gurolf with you when you join my fight," Explained Oz. "Okay, I''ll do it smoothly. Don''t die, Ren," Said Aegir with a warrior-like smile. "That''s my line," Said Oz. Oz jumped and dashes faster than before to the demons fearlessly, Oz meets the demons first, swinging his sword skillfully killing tens of demons in a few moments. Seeing Oz fearlessly charged to the demon army alone and kills tens of demons in one charge, all of the Orcs and Goblins got their morale highly boosted. Seeing Oz charging like that. Aegir snorted, "Hmph, show off bastard," he said while smiling. "ROAAAR! DON''T LOSE TO THE NEWCOMER" Aegir shouted. *ROAAAR* All of the goblins roared and jumped to the enemies fearlessly following Oz and Aegir. ''Hell, do you need to mention the newcomer words?'' Oz thought, annoyed. Seeing his army being pushed back, the noble demon chants a spell to turn the table. "Meteor bla-" He about to say with his deep voice but, "Wind Blast!" Oz shouted while pointing the tip of his sword to the noble demon. The wind blast hit head on to the noble demon''s head, canceling his chant, and forcing him to got the rebound because of the mana he had gathered, and makes the noble demon vomits a mouthful of blood. The noble demon and Oz''s eyes meet, Oz smirks seeing the noble demon making the noble demon felt cold in his feet. "Hmph!" The noble demon snorted. The noble demon about to chant a spell once more, but Oz already leaped right in front of him, making him cancel his wish to chant a spell. *Slash* Oz slashes his sword at a high speed, making the noble demon startled by its speed, and failed to dodge it at the right time. The noble demon got some deep wound because of the terrifying strike. "Fuc**** lowly goblin, you dare to injure me!!?" Shouted the noble demon. "I''m sorry to injure you my dear noble demon," Oz said, but he continues to strikes to the noble demon. The noble demon manages to dodges Oz''s strikes this time because he''s already prepared for the strikes. But Oz''s strikes are never a normal one, Oz thrust forward and purposely led the noble demon to dodge to his left and Oz immediately swing his sword to his left. The strike injures the noble demon quite severely this time, and he falls back and swears. Oz intends to finish the noble demon quickly but he realized, the wound he inflicted on the demon, all of them had gone without any trace. "Appraisal!" Oz said, activating his appraisal skill. [Type: Incubus Demon [Duke] level: 254 Strength: 400.000 Agility: 100.000 Vitality: 4.000.000 Mana: 5000.000 Spiritual: 4000.000 Skills: -strengthen -claw strike -Fire Arch magic -superhuman strength -ruler''s aura -evil gaze -Illusion Arch magic -Charm Arch Magic] "Arch magic" Oz muttered slowly. Oz had killed a lot of types of demons without getting any cards, so it means that he will only loot cards. (The Arch magic is mine!!) Oz dashes and attacks the Incubus once more. They fight for 30 minutes nonstop, and Oz realized that the Incubus seems like getting stronger and stronger by time. The thing that makes Oz waries the most is the Incubus''s arch magic, Oz never let the Incubus chant his magic, that''s why Oz takes the initiative to attack. Oz scans his surrounding, and he saw that his allies, the goblins, and Orcs, seems like facing a hard time right now, there are some demon barons and viscounts on the demon ranks, no wonder they couldn''t give Oz support. (I need to finish this quickly alone and helps the others) Oz prepares his sword, but this time, he let the Incubus chant his arch magic. The Incubus laughed. "HAHHAHAA! Serve me you lowly goblin! Universal Confusion!" The Incubus duke shouted. The Incubus felt that he had won after he chants the spell, but he never thought, that the lowly goblin in front of him, had way more spiritual power than him. The Incubus slowly walked to in front of Oz. *Sound of something got thrust* Oz thrust his sword to the Incubus''s chest with his sword. "Wha- How?" The Incubus said while blood starts to pour from his mouth. "Because I''m stronger than you," Oz said with a smirk. Oz pulled his sword, and the Incubus''s body falls to the ground. Oz scans the battlefield, and it seems that the goblins and the Orcs manages to past the pinch. "Ren!!" Aegir came to Oz, running together with Gurolf and Magra. Arriving at Oz''s place, Aegir saw the Incubus''s body. "Hell! is this the demon noble?" asked Aegir. "Yup," Said Oz cooly. "You killed it by yourself?" Asked Magra. "Yeah, let''s talk later, we need to dispose of all of these annoying small fries first," Oz said and immediately dashes to slaughter all of the demons left. Oz sigh relieved, secretly rejoice inside of his heart. (I manage to kill the demon without using my cards!) Chapter 16 - Satisfying Loot [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic] ---------_-----------_-----------_--------------_-------------_-------------_----------_-----------_---------- Elf Elves are a semi-divine race that has a similar appearance to humans. The thing that differs Elves and Humans are elves have a shard pointed ear, and all the elves are both beautiful and handsome. Elves are ruled by a Queen and a King, both of them had a huge rule on their race, the Queen manages the realm of magic and the King manages the country, armies, and knights. Elves had two tribes: the wood elf and the dark elf. Both of the tribe had a history of war, but they had their peace because the current queens of both tribes had become a blood oath sisters. -World history book, Grandaria library, Capital of Grandaria. ---------_------------_--------------_---------------_--------------_------------_------------_-------------_------------ 299> The prompts Oz suddenly heard inside his head. (Real clone?) Blue particles suddenly appeared and gathered to one point indicating the appearance of a new special card. *Whooosh* [Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] [Special] Description: A card comprises the Real Clone skill, the user could make a blood sacrifice to make a double of himself. The clone will have 50% of the user real strength. Benefit from the unique skill [Magic Card User]: -The user could insert one transformation card to one of the clones -There could be only 1 clone of a type of clones in one time -The clone could share their senses with the user] (A clone skill! Great!) Suddenly another prompt appeared. Another blue card appeared at Oz''s hand. [ Eye of Wisdom [Special] Description: A card comprises the Eye of Knowledge skill. Benefits: -Understanding all languages and knowledge -Parallel thought skill -Mesmerizing eye [Black] -Skill Analysis/Copy Skill Analysis/Copy Conditions: -The user needs to see the full status of the target. -The user needs to see the eyes of the target.] !!!???? (Sweet! Another cheat skill!) Oz is very excited because of the new skills he got but suddenly- "Huh?" Oz said reflexly. (Does it meant that until now, all of those are just tutorials?) (Me meeting the goblin duke, the darkness lion, and the demon duke, all is only a tutorial?) When Oz is in the middle of arranging his thoughts, suddenly- !!!??? (My Qi, 80% of them disappeared!) ( My cultivation level had not decreased, but the enormous amount of Qi that had been helping my cultivation has gone!> "This life . Might be not that easy after all , " Oz wryly smiled. Sigh. "Ren!" Aegir called to Oz. Oz turns his head to Aegir''s direction. "The rest of the demons had all killed, let''s go back to the base, we need some rest," Aegir shouted. "Okay, I''ll catch up with you guys later, I''ll be wondering this place for a while to check some loots," Said Oz. "Okay then , don''t wander too much, I don''t want to carry you all the way to the tribe if you got wounded again," Aegir said sarcastically. "Shut up ! " Oz shouted without turning his head back. ''Weird man'' Aegir thought. Oz wanders around the battlefield and he prayed for the fallen Orcs and goblins that had fought together with him. (Fought together, huh. ) (Never in my previous world I thought about fighting together alongside with others ) "Heh, the lonesome magician finally got himself some comrades, huh, " Oz mocked himself. Oz keep walks until he arrived at the Duke Incubus corpse. [ Lootable ] Oz saw the Lootable window floating above the corpse. Oz approaches the Incubus Duke corpse and touches the Lootable window. *Whooosh* 4 Cards flew to Oz''s hands. -Incubus [Duke] Corpse Card -Fire Arch Magic card (S) [Special] -The ring of phantasm -The Maleficent staff "Yes! I got the arch magic! what a great loot ! " Oz celebrates his good luck. "Oka y, tim e to go back to the base before the annoying old man (Aegir) got mad," Oz muttered to himself. When he arrived at the half-ruined Orc clan, Orcs and Goblins are sitting and chatting together, they laughed and joked with each other, they''ve ignored the race of supremacy because of the experience of guarding each other''s back. (If only humans are this easy to unite) "Ladies and gentlemen! The man we have here named, Ren! He is the one who battled with the demon duke and managed to defeat it single-handedly ! In other words, this is our Saviour! Our Hero! " Aegir announced loudly. "Hail to the hero!" Magra shouted. ""Hail to the hero"" All of the Orcs and Goblins cheers for Oz and said all kinds of thanks and gratitude. Oz''s shocked by what he saw, he''s not used to be thanked by people, when he''s a magician in the earth, he always left before anyone could thank him, so hearing people thanking him is something new to him. Oz wryly smiled. (Aegir you despicable bastard) Oz and the others celebrate their win for a little while and rest a little bit . After the rest, they immediately depart to the goblin tribe fearing that there will be another attack from the demons. When they arrived at the tribe, the goblins have prepared the feast for their arrival. All of the Goblins and Orcs eat and laughed with each other, some shared their life stories, some shared the story of Oz''s battle with the demons, all of them are celebrating. While Oz . Are sitting in his room, reading the Grimoire of Death that he hadn''t had the time to read before. He''s very absorbed to the grimoire of death, without his knowing, he had already finished the book after reading for 5 hours non-stop. It is already midnight. (Finally! I obtain the death magic! I''ll test it later ) (Ah! I forgot! I got a staff now, seems like I won''t be needing Geeta''s sword anymore, I should return it to her) He remembered that he got the Maleficent staff from looting the Incubus Duke, receiving that staff it means that he wouldn''t need to borrow Geeta''s sword anymore. "Let''s return the sword first and find some fresh air," Oz muttered. He opened the door and finally realized had been too absorbed in reading the book. (I need to be more careful...) When it comes to new knowledge, Oz will immediately learn it until he understands it completely, no matter how long he would take. (From all the books, the grimoire of death are the most intriguing and difficult ) Oz is still thinking about the thing he had just read, he''s very fascinated to know that death is an element that only less than 1% of people could use it. In a few moments, Oz had already arrived at Geeta''s door. Thinking whether he should knock or not , Oz hesitated for a moment, and he decided to use his Qi to check. Oz reached out to the door and focuses his Qi to be spread to the door, slowly, the Qi extends to the walls, to the floors, to Geeta''s bed, and to Geeta''s body. By extracting his Qi like that, he could see the things inside the room in his mind. (Ah she''s sleeping ) Oz decided not to wake Geeta up, so he opened the door and came into the room without any noise. Oz covers his feet with his Qi and softens his steps using wind magic. With the Qi and wind magic, Oz manages to come in and put Geeta''s sword at her desk without any noise. Oz glance at Geeta once more. After confirming that Geeta is still sleeping, Oz smiled and walked away from her room. When Oz about to reach the door. Geeta muttered, "Oz, stay here, no good will be found at outside,". Oz stopped for a second. "I''m Sorry, but I can''t. There are still too many things I need to see and learn, and the more I stay, I afraid my adventurous spirit will rust. And, I need to, find other humans, " Oz said with a gentle tone before he gets out of the room. Oz closes the door with extra care, so it wouldn''t make even the tiniest sound that would wake Geeta up. Oz about to walk back to his room but. "Aegir, you''re there aren''t you," Oz said with a cold voice. Aegir got a cold sweat when he heard Oz''s cold voice, but he snorted " Hmph , what a cold-hearted fellow. What are you doing in my sister-in-law''s room? " Aegir Interrogated. "I''m returning her sword, only that," Oz indifferently said. "Hmm, well okay then. Ren, follow me for a second , there is something we need you to hear, " Aegir said to Oz. Oz just nodded a little, and Aegir leads Oz to the meeting place where they discussed what to do to the captured Orc and his news before. (We, means that the others are here too) When Oz arrived at the place, he saw all of the goblin executives plus Magra had already gathered. "So, what'' s the topic today?" Oz asked indifferently. " Actually we''ve already discussed this topic together, because a certain someone is very absorbed in reading a book, and couldn''t hear the knocks at his room door," Aegir said sarcastically. Aegir glares at Oz, but Oz''s face doesn''t change a little bit . "We''re talking about our tribe Ren, whether we''ll call it Cobblestone like usual, or will we change it to something else. And if we''re a tribe, there is no tribe with more than one race, so we''re confused about what to call- " Aegir about to finish but. "Tarot," Oz interjected. "Um. What? " Aegir asked confirming what Oz had just said. "We will not call our tribe a tribe anymore, but a kingdom, Tarot Kingdom. " Said Oz coolly. Chapter 17 - The Birth Of A Kingdom [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom ] ------------_----------------__---------------------_---------------_-----------------_--------------_--------------------- Beastmen Beastmens are used to be called demi-humans, but as they had more intelligence from the demi-humans such as goblins and orcs, they referred themselves as beastmen. Their appearance that similar to beasts with a human-like figure made the term of beastmen. Beastmens divide themselves with clans, there are lion clans, tiger clans, snake clans, bird clans, ox clans, wolf clans, etc. Beastmen could be easily found at mercenary guild and adventurer guilds after the war with the demons, beastmens, and humans join hands and made a great bond. But as time passes, the bond follows to rust. -World history of Grandaria, Grandaria library, Capital of Grandaria. ------_--------_--------_-----------_-----------_-------------_-----------_-----------_--- "Tarot. Tarot kingdom," Oz said coolly. "Um.. what?" Aegir asked, confirming what Oz had just said. "I said, we''ll not call ourselves a tribe anymore, but a kingdom, Tarot kingdom," Oz said indifferently. "A Kingdom?? We''re hardly called a town!!!" Aegir refute. "Calm down Aegir, I haven''t finished my suggestions," Said Oz. "As we just heard, the demons are back in action, we don''t know when and where will they attack next, there will be a lot of victims caused by them." "Think, just think, what will the small tribes do when they got attacked by the demons?" "Will they fight back and win?" "Or will the fight and lost?" "Or will they run and seek refuge?" "But if they knew there is this growing kingdom, all of them will come to seek refuge and join us!" Explained Oz with brimming eyes. All the executives are astonished by Oz''s explanation. "Great suggestion ren!" "Nice Idea!" "More soldiers for me!" But they haven''t realized the biggest problem of the suggestion. "Wait a minute," Magra suddenly cut. "If we''re going to be a kingdom. Who''ll be the king?" All the executives start to chatter with one and another once again. "Let''s not think too much about it, let''s just vote about who will you pick as the king," Aegir suggested. "That''s nice." "Okay then." "It''s good then, we''ll start by stating the name, if you vote for the person who I call, raise your hand. Understand?" ""Understood!"" All of them answered. "Okay then, we start from.... Fedra!" No one raised their hand. "Ibra!" No one raised their hand. "Brad!" No one raised their hand. "Aegir!" No one raised their hand. Seeing no one raised their hand for Aegir makes Oz get a cold sweat at his back. (Oh crap, if they chose me as the king what the hell should I do!?) "Magra!" No one raised their hand again. "Gurolf!" No one raised their hand. Aegir smirked. "And lastly, Ren!" All of the executives raised their hands at the same time. (Crap!) "Then it''s fixed, the king of our kingdom will be our hero, Re-" "Wait a minute!!!" Oz cut, slightly panicking. "I-I''m a newcomer, I can''t be the king!" Oz refute. "We all welcome you Ren, and most of all, you''re our hero." Aegir tried to convince Oz. "But I-" "No buts Ren, we all have voted you, we believe you and all of us trusted you, and the most clever and powerful person in this place. We will always support you even if you become our king." Cut Aegir. "But I''ve said to you before that I want to go out and explore the world." Said Oz saving himself. "Yes I remember, you could always go whenever you want, we will carry the tasks for you and take care of the kingdom while you''re gone, and our kingdom is still in progress to be called a kingdom. so you could go adventuring anytime you like." Aegir explained. Oz got slightly speechless by the statement, but he can''t take the position no matter how much they trusted him. Because he''s still covering the biggest secret from them until now! (But I''m a freaking damn human!!) "Okay, okay, I''ll be the king, if you accept my true form," Oz said after making a firm decision in his heart. (Will they accept me? or will they judge me as a liar?) "True form?" Aegir asked confirmation. "Goblin card, unequip.." Oz silently whispers to himself. *Whooosh* The room suddenly got enveloped by a cloud of thick smoke. When the smoke starts to disappear, a hazy figure of a human could be seen by all of the executives. "This is my real form." "I actually not a goblin." "But a human." A brown-haired muscular figure of a human with a height of 170 cm could be seen by all of the executives. The figure''s face is brimming with youth explaining that the figure is still young. !!!???? (Wait a minute? my body suddenly got this muscular, what''s happening?) (Okay let''s put that mystery aside) "This is the form that I''ve been hiding from all of you, It''s all your decision whether to hate me or not because it''s indeed the fact that I had lied to all of you." Said Oz while keeping his head downwards. No one said a thing after seeing Oz human form, including the usually talking Aegir. "This..." Chapter 18 - The Recognition [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom ] ------------_-------------_------------------__---------------_---------_---------------_-----------_------------------------ Spirit The concepts of spirit and soul often overlap, and both are believed to survive bodily death in some religions, and "spirit" can also have the sense of ghost, i.e. a manifestation of the spirit of a deceased person. But the truth is, the spirit is a race similar to humans, orcs, and elves, with the only difference, are their form couldn''t be seen by n.a.k.e.d eyes. There are spirits of fire, wind, earth, water, ice, thunder, light, and darkness. And each element has its kings and queens. In the great battle with the despicable demons, some spirits join hands with the heroes to eradicate the demon''s threats. -World history of Grandaria, Grandaria library, Capital of Grandaria ---------_----------_---------------_-------------_-------------_--------------_---------------_----------------_--------------_-------------_---------------- "This..." Aegir sized up the burly human with a youthful face figure in front of him that supposed to be his intelligent, strong, and trusted goblin duke friend. "Do you still going to entrust the position of the king to me?" Oz said with an indifferent look as if he didn''t care that he''s been deceiving Aegir and Co for so long. "Actually Ren..." ---Hours before--- "Hey, Aegir! Where''s Ren?" Fedra asked Aegir looking for the hero of the war. "Yeah, he suddenly vanished from the banquet too, we haven''t toast with him yet!" Ibra continued. "Calm down, he''s busy with his study, he''s reading the book grimoire of death that he''s been saving up to read today, he''ll explode if we disturb him when he is reading," Aegir explained. "Reading? boring..." Fedra said. "Don''t mock people who learn, Fedra," Gurolf reprimands. "I don''t care, books are only filled with complicated and annoying letters!" "Stop your bickering, while Ren''s still busy reading, let''s start our meeting quickly," Aegir stopped them. "Hm? Is there something you want to discuss related to Ren, Aegir?" Gurolf quickly picked up Aegir''s hidden motives from his words. "Yes, exactly," "What''s the problem with Ren?" Ibra asked. "There is no actual ''problem'' with him, it''s just, I have some suspicion about him," "There are several points that are odd about him, the first is, at my first encounter with him, he is lying on the deep side of the forest with a body soaked with blood, I scan the surroundings, but there is no other corpses founded." "Isn''t it weird, a goblin duke, lying in the deep side of the forest without any underlings from his group as a bodyguard, from what I observe from him, he doesn''t look like the type who overestimates himself." "And he also said that he lost his memories of his life and his group, and the most strange thing is his wide knowledge of the human lifestyle and defense systems," Aegir explained. "As if-" "As if he''s a human itself, huh." "Is it what you''ve been thinking, Aegir?" Gurolf asked and stares deeply to Aegir''s eyes. "Yes, he''s style, and he''s way of thinking, are way too different with how the barbaric and stupid goblins supposed to be, well we don''t actually deserve to say that though." "So you''re suspecting him as a human?" Brad asked with a serious expression. "Yes, but not really, it''s just, if in the tiniest possibilities, he is actually a human, what will we do to him?" "Will we still trust him?" "Will we punish him?" "Will we make him leave?" "Or will we kill him?" The last sentence tensed up the room. Everyone thinks hard what will they do if what Aegir had just said is true. "I''ll believe him," Gurolf said with a serious face. "If he''s going to harm the tribe, I will do my best to kill him, but he''s not that type of person, and all of us know that. If he does have bad intentions to the tribe, he won''t help our tribe defense and our labors. So even if he''s a human, he''s still Ren, one of our tribe executives." Gurolf explained, his eyes shone, full of trust for Oz. "Hmph! The magician''s head had stated his opinion, what could the guard''s head such as myself say?" Ibra said goofily. "Hahahha! Exactly so!" Fedra agreed. "My Orcs and I will always believe in our savior, no matter what race he came from!" Magra firmly said. "Nice answer Gurolf, then we will set in stone our decisions, does everyone agreed?" Aegir asked confirmations. ""Yes!!"" "Then we''ll continue our meeting to the next topic, with the merging of our goblin tribe and the orc clan, what should we call ourselves?" "We barely have-" *Sound of a door opening* When Aegir''s in the middle of explaining the tribe''s situation, the sound of someone opening a door could be heard. "It''s must be Ren," Aegir confidently said. "Go get him here Aegir, we''re going to need his brain for this topic," Brad urged Aegir to bring Oz to the meeting. "Okay then, I''ll go fetch him," -------------------------------------------------------- "So you''ve realized, since when?" Oz asked. "My doubts heightened since your eyes shone when we discuss humans and their lifestyle," "Interesting.." Oz muttered, remembering the moment where he couldn''t help but got interested when Aegir brings up the topic. He never thought that Aegir would catch that tiny hint from his expression. "So, now that you actually knew that I''m a human, what will you do?" Oz asked and stares at all of the executive''s eyes. !!?? Oz''s eyes widen. Oz thought that what they said about if he''s a human is just a statement states by their inner justice. If they knew that he actually a human, he''s sure that they will resent him and they will hate him for deceiving them all along. But what he saw shocks him! What he saw is not the eyes filled with doubts, hate, or even disgust. It''s the eyes filled with trust! Everyone has the expression as if saying ''we knew wether you a goblin or a human, you''re not going to harm us''. "We trust you, Ren. Even if we have a dark past with humans before, but if it''s you, we will continue to trust you who have saved us from critical situations," "And if we''re going to be a kingdom, we need a king that could unite all the race inside it, and I personally believe that you fit the most, the position of the king!" Aegir said with full confidence. "But what about the others, do the other thinks the same-" "We do, Ren. All of us do." Gurolf said with a barely visible smile on his face. "W-what?" "You should be honored, Ren. We don''t bow and give our trusts to people that easily." Fedra joined. "Yes, we trust you because we owe you a lot of things at the same time," Ibra continued. "My Orcs and I will always follow our hero!" Magra enthusiastically said. "We all believe in you, Ren. No, your majesty," Aegir said. "Kneel to our king!" Aegir said with a firm voice. Right after his words, following him kneeling, all of the executives kneels to Oz. "Hail to the king!" ""Hail!!!"" "Hail the king of Tarot Kingdom!" Chapter 19 - Departure [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom ] ----------_-------------------_----------------_------------------_-----------------------_--------------------- Necromancer Necromancy is a practice of magic involving communication with the dead either by summoning their spirit as a specter or raising them bodily for the purpose of divination, imparting the means to foretell future events, discover hidden knowledge, to bring someone back from the dead, or to use the dead as a weapon. Sometimes referred to as "Death Magic", the term may also sometimes be used in a more general sense to refer to black magic or cursed magic. Necromancy is very rare, the knowledge of the magic has been gone since the last great war with the demons, all of the necromancers or people who engrossed themselves with necromancy got sentenced to death because of the accusation of conspiring with the demons. -World history of Grandaria, Grandaria library, Grandaria capital ----------_---------------_--------_--------------_-------------_-------------------_--------------_---------- With the final decision of having the human Oz as their king, the executives think hard for the best way to tell the people of the tribe about the decision and Oz''s real identity. They continue to discuss the matter for 3 hours and decided to show them Oz''s real form to the tribe members. The tribe usually follows every decision that the executives made, but this time, they''ll ask the opinions of all tribe members whether they agree with making Oz that''s a human to be their king. They decided not to plan it too long, they went back to their home immediately after the meeting to rest, and immediately announce it in the morning. They assemble all of the tribe members in front of Aegir''s house, the tribe hall. The tribe members are thrilled when they heard that their small tribe is going to be a kingdom, but their thrill is overwhelmed when they saw Oz''s human form. "Sorry guys, I lied. I''m not an actual goblin. My true form is a human, I don''t have excuses for lying to you all, and all of you have the right to hate and despise me." Oz bows and apologized. Oz apologize shooks all of the tribe members heart, they remembered the figure who helped them to improve their defense and their life, they remembered the figure who gave them the hope in the recent war. "I d-don''t actually mind for you to be a human, Ren. We have orcs in our tribe too, so I don''t think an additional human is going to be a problem for us!" One of the goblins who joins the war with Oz said. Oz remembers him, he''s the goblin soldier that he saved from the sneak attack from a demon back then at the war. "Yes, Ren! It''s okay for you to be here!" "It''s okay, Ren. We forgive you!" All kinds of lines of forgiving and accepting are delivered to the bowing Oz. Oz couldn''t hide his surprise seeing the reactions of the tribe members, they supposed to be angry and disappointed to him, but the reality is the exact opposite of his predictions. He''s prepared his heart if the tribe denies him. But the reaction is way too unexpected, the tribe members seem to be don''t mind the fact that Oz''s actually a human. Except for one person. A figure silently retreats and went away from Oz''s sight. "Geeta.." Oz wants to run after Geeta right away but his momentum got interfered by Aegir. "And following the announcement of our plan to be a kingdom, we the executives decided to crown the most powerful, wise, and intelligent amongst us!" "We choose Ren!" "Does everyone here agree to make Ren as our king!!??" Aegir shouted the question. """Yes!!!!!!""" All of the tribe members shouted following Aegir''s loud voice. "Then when we''re prepared to declare ourselves as a country, we will crown Ren as our king, the Tarot kingdom king! Hail to our king!" """Hail to our king!!!!!""" All of the tribe members salute to Oz. *Degdegdegdeg* Oz could hear his heartbeat screaming. He''s scared. Scared of disappointing his friends and his subjects. Scared of misusing the power. *Tap* A hand tapped at his shoulder, Oz turns his head and found Aegir with his soothing smile and eyes full of support. "Relax, Ren. All of us will support you!" "Attention! We''re going to hear some words from our newly appointed king! Show some respect!" Aegir''s voice makes the crowd immediately died out. Oz spaced out for a moment. (No one told me about this!) "Hello everyone..." Oz straightens his back and takes a deep breath to keep himself calm. "I''m honored to hear that all of you agreed to make me the king. I hear and I saw your trust. And I''ll accept it gladly," "Following the appreciation, I also have an announcement. Our population is not enough to be called a kingdom yet. But, along with the demons invasion, there will be a lot of races that will be needing our help, and will join hands with us." "So I, as your king, will take on a journey to search some races who need help, and to search for some resources from the human''s territory!" Oz said with a loud and firm voice. "We hear and obey! Hail to the king!" Aegir shouted and the crowds follow his words. The assemble ends with Oz''s words of accepting the position of the king, and his announcement of taking a journey. The tribe members go back to continue their daily routine, while the executives gather again inside of Aegir''s house. "Just like what I say, I will be taking a journey, I''m afraid that the demons attack us again, they will be attacking with more numbers than before." "So increase the quality of our soldiers, we have the direwolves, goblins, and orcs. I let Fedra, Ibra, Gurolf, and Brad to handle the military. Train them to become a good warrior." "While Aegir and Magra will manage the tribe''s affairs. Protect the tribe, and accept anyone who needs help, because we won''t know when we''ll need their help." Oz explained. "When will you go back?" Surprisingly, the one who asked the question is not the passionate Aegir or Fedra. It is Gurolf who asked the question. Oz smiled at him. "Approximately 3 years, but I''ll find some way to communicate with you guys, so don''t miss me too much," Oz said with a smirk. "Who the hell misses you, huh?" Aegir cut in. "Well, if there are no questions, I''ll go now," "Are you the one who will be our king, going to have an adventure with only a shabby shirt?" A figure suddenly appears from the corner. Gina bringing some clothes, cloak, food, and a shabby bag. "Where do you get those clothes from?" Oz asked, confused. "You remember the story where we found the magic books? we also found some useful things from it, one of them is these clothes." Gina said with full of smiles. Gina puts all of the things inside the bag neatly and gave it to Oz. "Ren, Geeta''s the one who prepared all of this hearing you will go for a journey. She said that she''s not mad, but she just needs a little time to process her thoughts," She whispers to Oz. "Ah! I also have something for her, please gave her this for me!" Oz pulled out a paper, folded up neatly to a shape of a letter. "Okay then!" Gina takes the letter and puts it in her pocket. Oz sighs. (All is ready, all I need is just to say goodbye and go, but why does my chest felt so heavy) "Ren, don''t forget us okay? we can''t have our king to forget about us you know?" Aegir with teary eyes and a hoarse voice said. "Don''t cry when I''m gone okay?" Oz teases with his evil smirk. "Whose gonna cry when you have gone, huh!?" Oz laughed. "Take care, all of you! Goodbye!" Oz''s departure saddens all of the tribe members, but they engrave a thing in their heart, that their king, is going to find for more brothers and sisters that will be joining their kingdom, and the king will be back if they need help. Everyone watches Oz since he got out of Aegir''s house until he gets out of the tribe''s gate. After the figure of their king disappears from their sight, then they continue their activities. *Sigh* "Damn, why does my heart felt so heavy," Oz walks his way to the direction of the nearest human kingdom from the magical forest. The Grandaria Kingdom. Chapter 20 - Humans! [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 30 Agility: 2000 Vitality: 200 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom ] -----------_-----------_-----------_-------------_------------------_-----------------_------------ Magic Knight Order The order of the magic knights are the special troops of the Grandaria kingdom consists of advanced warriors and mages that recruited every year in the knight department. The magic knights are ranked the top as the most terrifying special troops. There are some conditions to join the magic knights: The registrant must be a noble The registration fee is 2 gold coin The registrant must graduate from the Avalon the Academy of magic and sword -The Order of The Magic Knights book, Grandaria Library, Grandaria Capital ---------_-------------_------------------_----------------_--------------------------_------------------_---------------------- "Grandaria kingdom..." Oz muttered to himself. "The kingdom who attacks the tribe long before I got summoned to this world, huh?" "I wonder what kind of civilization does the humans that live in this world of fantasy looks like," Oz walks steadily to the north with the Grandaria kingdom as his aim. He didn''t want to rush and tire himself, as this forest had a lot of danger, Oz didn''t want to take any risks. 3 hours had passed since he started to walk from the tribe, but there''s still no sign of the forest end. Oz decided to take a break and eat the food inside his bag. "Geeta..." Seeing the cooked meat that neatly wrapped with a cloth, the figure of the cheerful goblin girl appeared in his mind. *Sigh* This is the griffin''s meat that they killed before, the griffin''s meat is unexpectedly delicious, they feast the meat together but the meat is too many, so there is still some left. "Ah, I forgot! I forgot to check the reason why this body suddenly got all muscular and stuff! What happened to my status!?" [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom ] !!!??? (My strength, agility, and vitality got increased for more than 10 folds!) (I wonder why, ah, I do push myself to the limit at the battle with the goblin duke back then, huh) (Okay, while we''re at it, let''s try to use the half-equipped system) "Goblin duke card, half equip!" "Ectra Python card, half equip!" "Griffin card, half equip!" "Orc baron card, half equip!" "Demon duke card, half equip!" Oz''s body suddenly covered with a thick layer of blue lights. *Whoosh* [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 101.500 Agility: 20.300 Vitality: 500.400 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 10.000 Half equipped: -Goblin duke card - Orc baron card -Ectra Python card -Griffin card -Demon duke card Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom ] The status board that appeared in front of Oz makes him speechless. "Damn right! I''m Invincible!" "My body don''t changes but I could feel the tremendous power that linked with the Qi inside of me!" "But, I need to lay low at the human kingdom, I need to confirm the safety first, so I think that I won''t be using this for a while.." Oz unequips the cards and his body went back to normal. "Ah! The Real clone skill!" "Summon! Real clone!" Oz thought to himself of summoning the real clone and shout the skill name, but the one that appeared is not the clone but another status board. [Summon real clone options: -Goblin duke -Python -Griffin -Orc baron -Demon duke] "Hmm, so I need to choose," "If we''re going to the human territory, then I''ll choose the summon the Griffin!" *Phoosh* A thick smoke suddenly covered up the area in front of Oz. *Roar* A Griffin appeared in front of Oz. "Wow, this''s awesome!" Oz is thrilled when he looks at the Griffin in front of him. When he busy in rejoicing, Oz suddenly got dizzy, and the sight of he looking at himself appeared. "Wha? I-I could see me? Does it mean that I could share an eye with my clone? Damn cool!!" "Ah! what if I ride the griffin to travel faster!?" The Griffin in front of him obediently let himself to be ridden by Oz, because it''s his clone, Oz could command it easily with only his thoughts. *Whooosh* The Griffin flew like a storm. "Wooohooooo!!!" Oz enjoys the ride very much, riding a pegasus or a griffin and flies in the skies is the fantasy of everyone in the earth, but Oz manages to achieve that fantasy in this fantasy world! So he''s very thrilled at the moment. By riding the griffin, in only about 20 minutes, Oz could begin to see the figure of a great wall at the distance. "So that''s Grandaria kingdom.." After another 5 minutes riding the Griffin, Oz decides to land and walk by foot because he doesn''t want to be greeted by arrows and swords in his encounter with humans in this world. Oz ordered the Griffin to guard the tribe secretly for him, as he could share the griffin''s vision, Oz could check on the tribe''s situations anytime. As he sent the griffin away, Oz runs his way to the Grandaria kingdom, he can''t help himself, it''s been too long since the last time he saw a human. (Ah! I should use the black cloak here I guess..) He wore the cloak and continue to run by combining the power of mana and Qi, he arrived near the wall in less than 5 minutes. A long line of people is waiting to come inside in turns. (Real humans!) (Hmm, their clothes and style is like in the medieval era) Oz smile from ears to ears, excited to see what''s inside. "5 copper as the entry fee," A guard said. "Copper? Damn, I don''t have any money," Seeing the long lines and the entry fee he should pay, an idea crossed his mind. (Let''s try using the demon duke''s illusion archmagic) Using the half equip system, Oz could use the demon duke''s skill too, Oz uses the archmagic to make himself invisible. *DegDegDeg* Oz''s heart couldn''t help but beats faster when he walked past the guards. When he got far enough from the guards, he deactivates the magic. "Yes! I did it!" !!?? "Whoaa" A town that looks like a town from the medieval era could be seen by Oz. People using leathers, knights, no guns, and no electronics. (This should be fun) Oz wanders the town, sightseeing every single corner of the town. But in the middle of the trip, he saw a crowd are gathered as if they''re watching something. "You trash! how dare you to touch my clothes! you lowly peasant!" A blonde-haired youth screamed while grabbing a child''s collar. "I-It''s an accident! I tripped and grabbed your clothes accidentally! Please spare me!" The child pleads. The child seems to be a beggar and incidentally grabbed the youth clothes when he fell. The youth that seems to be a noble, turn his head to his back and said. "You guys, punish him!" He ordered the 16 bodyguards on his back. The bodyguards are muscular and look strong, they immediately obey their young master commands and one of the bodyguards grabs the child''s by his collar. "No matter where you are, humans will always be like this, huh?" Oz slowly muttered. The bodyguard''s about to punch the child in his face, but suddenly- *Sound of hitting* "Argh!" The bodyguard who''s about to punch the child suddenly got bounced back. "Don''t you have any shame for ganging up against a child?" A girl using a cloak shouted, her eyes are deep blue and cold as if she could freeze people up by just using her eyes. She punches the bodyguard right a moment before the bodyguard''s fist hits the child. "Not bad.." Oz muttered. Oz about to jumps himself to action when the bodyguard''s about to punch the child, but he senses someone rushing to the spot so he halt his action. "But will she manage to defeat all of the youth bodyguards?" Oz calculates, he senses some mana from the girl''s punch, but the bodyguard she punched is not that hurt. "Excuse me, excuse me.." Oz walks to the front to watch more clearly and to get ready in case he needs to take action himself. "Who are you? How dare you interrupt my punishment to that trash?" The youth arrogantly said. "You don''t need to know," "Hmph! Kill her!" The bodyguards all charged at her at the same time, the crowd starts to retreat slowly to not get caught by the fight. No one in the crowd seems to have an intention to help the girl. (So things like this are quite normal here) *Sound of hitting* The girl punches made one of the bodyguards fell once again, but the other strikes from her are soon easily blocked by the bodyguards. The girl is lost in number, she got cornered because she needs to block, evade, and strike at the same time. But the enemies are too many. *Sigh* (Maybe I''ll help her out a little) When a bodyguard''s fist is about to hit the girl at her back, the girl noticed it too late. When she turns her head, the fist is already in front of her face. But- *Duag* The bodyguard suddenly fell and fainted. "Sorry, my hand slipped. First, ganging up to a child, and then to a girl. Don''t you have any shame?" Oz said while playing another rock in his hand. "Another person trying to be a hero? keep you rubbish, nobles are your lords, a peasant should just stay quiet," The youth said arrogantly. "Kill him too!" The bodyguards felt that Oz are more trouble than the girl, so they immediately charged to the Oz together. *Duag* Oz makes takes down another bodyguard by throwing another stone. *Sigh* "Maybe I should teach you something," Oz dodges all of the bodyguards attacks one by one. Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit! Oz chops all of the bodyguards at their nape with his hand, making all of them instantly fainted and fell. *Sound of bodies fell* """Whoa""" The crowd sound of amazement resonated at Oz''s ears making him grin. "Is that all you got?" Oz said with an evil smirk. Chapter 21 - Orphanage [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom ] --------------_---------------_--------------------_----------------------_--------------------_--------------------_------------ Avalon Magic Academy Avalon magic academy is an academy whose name is very famous on the continent, Everyone from the continent wants to enter the Avalon magic academy. Every military department, like the knight order, the magic department, or the adventurer guild, welcomed every graduate from the Avalon magic academy. Avalon magic academy is famous for its unique teachings that differ for every year, and for their graduates who are sure to be high-quality combatants. One of the requirements to enter the Avalon magic academy is, the registrant must be at the age of 14. -----------_-----------------_---------------_---------------------_----------------------_---------------- "Is that all you got?" Oz said with a smirk. Oz covers half of his face with the cloak''s hood, so people could only see his nose and his mouth. The crowd is wondering who is the hero that dares to confront a noble to defend a beggar? And where does he come from? "Y-y-y-y-you, how dare you!" "I''m a noble! you can''t offend me!" The youth panics seeing his all of his bodyguards collapsed. ''This man is bad news!'' The youth thought to himself. "I don''t care whether you a noble or a merchant or a peasant or a king or even an emperor. What I know is this child''s life is more precious than your life! So Scram!" Oz rebuked. Oz''s statement makes the noble youth lost his arrogance, he got goosebumps and his heart beats fast and loud. He felt like he saw a figure of a huge lion behind Oz. He runs away from the place with all of his got, leaving his bodyguards behind. *Sigh* "Are you okay kid?" Oz asked the child. The child didn''t seem to be hurt anywhere. "Yes! Thanks for saving me!" The child said with an adorable smile. "Your welcome," The child''s bright smile makes Oz doesn''t regret his decision of helping. (The feeling of getting an appreciation do felt nice, huh) "Just for your information, I don''t need your help back then," The girl with the cold eyes interrupted. Just like her eyes. The girl''s words are very matched with her eyes, cold and frozen. "I don''t intend to help you, I''m helping this child," Oz answered to her cold words with a friendly smile without looking at the girl. "Is that so," The girl coldly said and leaves the place. Seeing the fight has already ended, the crowd dispersed and goes back to continue to do the things they''re doing before. *Sigh* (What a cold personality, people with that kind of eyes always have a dark past) "Hey kid, what''s your name?" Oz asked the boy with messy gray hair. "Nash!" "Okay, Nash. Where are your parents?" "I don''t know!" Nash answered with full of smiles. "You don''t know? Okay, hmm..." "Tell me where''s your home, then. I''ll accompany you home," Oz warmly offers. Nash gladly accepted Oz''s offer, as Oz is his savior, he''s happy to be escorted home by his savior. Nash has a very innocent face, he smiles and talks without having any ulterior motives, talking to an innocent child like Nash makes Oz feel warm in his heart. Remembering how innocent kids like Nash got oppressed by some snotty arrogant noble makes Oz furious. "Does the incident like earlier is a normal occurrence?" Hearing that question, Nash''s expression changed to a face filled with sadness as if he remembered something. "Yes, bad nobles like to bully peasants like us," Nash said with his head lowered. (So oppression from nobles to peasants are a usual occurrence here) (Well, That''s not something unexpected for humans to do) (Even at the earth, oppressions and abus.e.m.e.nt to the low class tend to happen) "Big bro! We''ve arrived!" Nash said while pulling Oz''s sleeve, waking Oz up from his deep thoughts. !? "Um... Nash, you lived here?" "Yes!" There is a big sign at the gate IBERAL ORPHANAGE The building in front of Oz is not a house, but a 2 stories orphanage. The orphanage is quite big and neat-looking from the outside. Oz could see some kids are watering the garden plants in front of the orphanage. "Y-you''re an orphan?" "Hehehe, yes big bro!" Nash said cheerfully without any sadness in his words. (He must be happy being here) "Nash!" A hoarse voice that only belongs to someone aged suddenly came from the orphanage direction. An old man called to Nash while walking using a stick, judging from the white beard and white hair of the old man, Oz estimates that the old man''s in his 60''s. His eyes are still clear, his forehead indicates a sense of wisdom, and his posture is calm and collected. "Grandpa Kyron!" Nash run to the old man cheerfully and hugged him. Nash looks very close to the old man. The old man''s presence somehow makes Oz uneasy, when the old man stares at Oz, Oz felt like his gaze pierced through his bones. "Can you introduce me to the young man who came together with you, Nash?" The old man names Kyron said. His sharp eyes scan and observed every detail of Oz. "My name is Ren, nice to meet you, respected elder," Oz greet and bows respectfully to the old man Kyron, he felt some danger form the old man, but he thinks that it''s just a grandfather interrogating a stranger that suddenly walks with his grandchild, so Oz decided to treat the old man Kyron respectfully. "What a well-mannered young man. Young people with good manners are quite rare these days," The old man laughed. "Don''t be too tense, I heard that you saved Nash from some trouble with a noble. I should be grateful to you, thank you!" "I''m just doing the right thing," Oz replied shortly. "Hahahaha, come, come in, let''s have some talk inside, Ren!" The old man laughed and said. Old man Kyron lead Oz into the orphanage with a very good mood. the orphanage door is huge, it''s a 2,5 meters and 2 meters wide double door. The door looks strong and thick indicates that it was made with high-quality wood. *Sound of the double door opened* "Hey! That''s mine!" "No! I took it first!" "Stop fighting! Let''s continue the game!" When the old man Kyron opened the door, the sounds of chatters and laughs from the kids could be heard at Oz''s ears. Some kids are playing, some kids are fighting, and some kids are reading a book. All of the orphanage kids are around 10 years old, the interior seems to be not that old, and the kids are all looked clean. "Hey kids, don''t fight!" Old man Kyron scolds the kids that are fighting over a game. The kids immediately cease their fight when the old man Kyron scolds them. "Yes, Grandpa Kyron!" But when they look back, a stranger is standing together with their grandpa Kyron. Seeing the confused face of the kids makes Oz grin, their expression is so pure and cute, Oz couldn''t help but smile warmly to them. "Let''s go, Ren. Let''s talk in my room." The old man Kyron leads Oz to his room, the old man''s room is are the corner of the east side of the building. When old man Kyron opened the door and invited Oz to come in, Oz could sense some a lot of mana surrounding the entire room from the outside. The room is pretty simple, there is the bed, a pair of chairs with a small table in the middle that could be used to receive guests, a bookshelf, and a closet. "Come, sit here, Ren," Old man Kyron said, pointing to a comfy chair in front of him. Oz gladly accepts the offer and sit in front of him politely. Old man Kyron folded his arms and closes his eyes. "So, Ren, I want to thank you once again for saving Nash from the young noble abuse," "It''s okay, I''m just doing the right thing," Oz answered the same answer like the one before. "A right thing it is, but do you know who is the youth that you had just offend?" The old man asked with an eyebrow raised. "...." Hearing that question, Oz suddenly remembered. A noble accompanied by 16 bodyguards with a decent fighting power must be someone renowned. "As I expected, you didn''t know. Are you new here?" "Yes, I am.." "The one you had just offended, is the only son of this city''s lord, Kevil Snyder. His father is a count with great power and he dotes his son too much," Old man Kyron explained with a frown. (Damn, I got the short stick right away on my first day at the human town, huh) "But because you saved Nash from him, I owe you a favor so you can''t need to be too afraid about that troubled kid, but you need to be more careful with your actions from now on, offending a noble could make a lot of trouble." "Well, enough of the serious talk, I feel bad if I don''t reward you for saving Nash from trouble, is there anything you needed?" Asked old man Kyron. "Um... Something I needed.." "I think that if you could show me a place for me to work, is enough," Oz answered after thinking for a while. The only thing that Oz very needs right now, is money. Without money, he can''t sleep at an inn, and he can''t buy any food. So if the old man Kyron could give Oz a place to work, he would be very grateful. "Hmm... a place to work... then can you tell me how old are you?" "I''m 14," "14, that''s good then, do you have any specialties that you confident in?" "Hmm..." (Science? the science here and earth are different, a skill, specialty, in a medieval time like this maybe being a sword trainer is good.) "I''m quite good at using a sword," "Sword? hmm... then may I tests you to see some of your skills?" After the old man Kyron offer to test Oz, the atmosphere suddenly tensed up and Oz could feel a dense killing intent from the old man. (Hmph testing me, huh) Oz smirked. The old man Kyron was shocked. He has tons of experience in terms of fighting, and he could acc.u.mulate enough killing intent to make a knight lost the strength of his leg. ''At such a young age, to have a strong heart that even a regular knight couldn''t compare to, who is this kid?'' Old man Kyron suddenly laughed, shocking Oz to his senses. "Interesting! Very interesting! Come, Ren! If you did well in the sword fight too I will make you the sword trainer at this orphanage!" Old man Kyron said enthusiastically. Chapter 22 - an Intense Fight [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom ] ----------------------_---------------------_--------------------------_------------------_------------------- Magic Swordsman and Magician Mana A magic swordsman is a swordsman who wields his sword with the enhancement of magic in both his body and his swords and a mage is a person who excels in terms of magic. A magic swordsman and magician have their own ranks in terms of their mana, the higher their rank, the stronger the person will be. If someone has High-rank mana, their mana will have darker colors. Magic Swordsman: Novice Swordsman Advanced Swordsman Great Swordsman Master Swordsman Sword Saint Sword God Magician: Novice Magician Advanced Magician Great Magician Master Magician Arch Mage Magic God -The Fundamentals of the mana book, Grandaria Library, Grandaria Capital -----------_-----------------_-------------------_-------------------_------------------_------------------ The challenge from old man Kyron was gladly accepted by Oz. With Oz''s rich experience from his old world, he has a huge confident with his sword skills, which are on par with the best swordsman on earth back then. Oz had mastered all martial arts at a young age, including swordsmanship from western-style until Japanese style. Oz remembered the feeling of each kind of sword. Oz had grasped the concept of being one with the sword from a young age. Back then in the earth, if Oz said he''s number 2 at swordsmanship, no one will be brave enough to declare themselves as the first. With his skills and deep knowledge of swordsmanship, Oz confidently accepted Old man Kyron''s challenge. "Young man, use this!" Old man Kyron said, and throws a sword similar to Katana to Oz. Oz caught the sword skillfully and gracefully. (This young man is good, judging by his stance and his way of catching the sword; a sword seems not to be a stranger to him. He looks rather confident with his skills.) "I''ll attack you twice. If you could defend the first attack, you passed the test, if you could defend the second attack, I''ll enroll you at the magic academy!" "Don''t disappoint me, kid," Old man Kyron said with a smirk. Oz answered Old man Kyron''s provokes with a polite smile. "I''ll try my best, not to disappoint your expectations," (A Katana, huh. What a surprise to see a Katana in this parallel world) "Hmph, let''s start then," Old man Kyron took his stance and emit a dense killing intent making the atmosphere seems to be heavy, the gravity felt like its weight got increased by 100 folds, birds and small animals fell to the ground helplessly. Oz took his stance, pointing the tip of the sword to the old man Kyron''s head, Oz emits his deadly dense killing intent, shocking old man Kyron''s to his senses. !!!!????? (Such a deadly killing intent, no wonder his face don''t even twitch when I emit my killing intent back then, his killing intent is a killing intent that only people who had face countless wars and battles could have) (What kind of past, a young man could have to possess such terrifying killing intent and such cold eyes) "Young man, it seems you have more secrets than I thought" Old man Kyron said. He could feel that his back is full of sweat after experiencing Oz''s killing intent. "Let''s see how much experience you actually have!" Old man Kyron rushes at Oz with terrifying speed, in an instant, he suddenly appeared at Oz''s back and slashes aiming at Oz''s nape. *Sound of swords clashes* Oz blocked old man Kyron''s strike by defending his back with the katana without even turning his back, he took advantage from old man Kyron''s momentum and led old man Kyron to fall to his front and counters. *Sound of swords clashes* Oz''s sword and old man Kyron''s sword collided once more. Old man Kyron manage to block Oz''s strike aimed to his neck with a close call. Old man Kyron immediately collects his balance and retreated. "Not bad, you actually manage to block and even counter my attacks there are only a few people in this kingdom who could withstand my speed and my swordsmanship." (What a surprise! No need to mention about the block, he even manages to counter my attack and makes me almost lose in an instant!) Old man Kyron got utterly shocked by Oz''s swordsmanship, to think that he never heard anything about someone with such terrifying swordsmanship like Oz is confusing him. On the other side. Oz got good news after just exchanging a few bouts with the old man Kyron. !!!!??? (Just by exchanging a few bouts, I could get such a useful skill!) (Let''s try how effective this skill is!) "Sword God card, activate!" Oz whispers. "Whoa!" Oz Shocked. He could suddenly see each and every sword trajectory he could use and every sword trajectory old man Kyron''s sword would use. Oz smirked. (This skill might be a little too overpowered) (Well, let''s shock the old bones a little) This time, Oz initiated the attacks. Oz opens the second round by infusing both mana and Qi to his feet to instantly appear at old man Kyron''s back and to pay old man Kyron''s first strike back. Oz''s sudden attack shocked old man Kyron deep to his old bones, but he is a veteran, one who is feared even by the king in this Grandaria kingdom. When Oz''s strike almost reached old man Kyron''s skull, old man Kyron suddenly dodged with super speed and counters with a side strike with his full power. *Booooom!* The meeting of both swords runs together with a loud exploding sound. Their clash made a huge hole in their arena that''s about 10 meters deep. But the bout ends with a draw. !!!??? (This kid''s strong, I need to be more serious) *Whoosh Whoosh* *Sound of sword clashing fiercely* Oz and old man Kyron continues their bouts fiercely, the fight is very fierce and fast, normal humans won''t be able to keep up with Oz and old man Kyron''s speed. They keep on clashing with super speed, each soundwave heard like a canon being shooted, the winds clash with each other fiercely. People gathered to the place because of the fierce and loud fight. "That... isn''t that the sword god Kyron?" "That... That''s sword god Kyron!" "Who''s sword god Kyron''s opponent!?" "Their fight is so intense! My eyes couldn''t keep up!" People gathered and make a crowd because of the epic fight that is occurring. The orphans and the staff also get outside to see what''s happening in front of their orphan. Seeing that old man Kyron is fighting with the young man that came in together with him to his office, they got confused. Do they have a disagreement and decide to fight? All kind of people gathers, even the knights that in the shift of patrolling got attracted by the fight. (Ugh, this old man''s sword is accurate and precise. He could know every strike I aim and counters immediately) *Booooom* The second round ends with another draw, but everyone could see clearly, Oz''s condition is far worse than old man Kyron''s. Oz''s clothes got torn in several places, and he seems to be more worn out than old man Kyron. Old man Kyron on the other side stands calmly and all of his clothes are clean and neat. (Damn this old man, he''s very strong!) Oz inhales a deep breath and calms his heart. (At the very least, in this last bout, I''ll surprise him by infusing both of the Qi and mana in my sword. I''ll split up 10% of the Qi for my hand''s speed and pour all of the tiny bit to the sword!) Seeing Oz''s firm eyes, old man Kyron kicked the ground and dashes to Oz with terrifying speed. But different from before, Oz uses a different stance that makes old man Kyron cautious. (Well, let''s see what this kid will show me again!) "Hiyaah!" When old man Kyron about to reach Oz''s spot and strikes, Oz''s roar makes him shocked and frozen for a second. !!!??? *Boooom* Oz''s sword clashes with old man Kyron''s sword with terrifying power, Oz''s strike shocked old man Kyron''s deep to his old bones, making him failed to dodge. But in the last moment when Oz''s sword almost makes old man Kyron''s sword hits his own body. *Whooosh* A dazzling light. A golden light. A light that makes people who saw that light wants to bow down. The golden light suddenly gushed out by old man Kyron and Oz suddenly got thrown backward by several meters. Oz tried his best to stand with the help of his sword, there, he saw, old man Kyron''s figure suddenly felt like it got bigger 10 folds than before. But Oz saw the figure fearlessly, he gritted his teeth and pours every tiny bit energy of his body, no matter what it is, mana, Qi, or any other energy that existed in his body, he refuses to lose to an old bone from another world. "DAMN IT ALL!" Oz shouted, dashes and strikes old man Kyron with terrifying speed and with a body enveloped with a huge blue aura that a level with old man Kyron''s golden aura. *Boooom* An explosion far greater than before that makes all the people watching retreats afraid of getting the impact of the explosion. When the dust in the air is beginning to disappear, the people could start to see both of the figures. Old man Kyron''s clothes got torn in several places and his figure could be seen to be worn out. And Oz is trying his best to keep standing with the help of his sword. "Damn, you''re way too strong old man..." Oz said with a tired voice and fell to the cold ground, fainted. *Sigh* "The kingdom atmosphere sure is changing, strange things keep on coming these days, what is happening?" Old man Kyron said while gazing at the sky hoping to see a glint of the future. Chapter 23 - The King [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] -----------------_-------------_--------------------_------------------_--------------------_--------------------_---------- Adventurer An adventurer has become a highly targeted profession. The smell of nature and adventure piqued the interest of every adventurous soul in the world. There is a condition to join the adventurer guild, it is to be a graduate from a magic academy. -Adventurer book, Grandaria Library, Grandaria Capital ------------_---------------_-------------------_-----------------_--------------------_--------------_------------------- ---A Certain Person''s POV--- Night. I could feel the cold night breeze from my feet to the tips of my head. The wind was strong and made me shiver as if telling me a huge catastrophe is going to happen. This kingdom. This Grandaria Kingdom. Is in grave danger. The nobles oppressed the people, the soldiers submitted to the money of the nobles, and the queen was busy protecting her throne. The queen and the nobles'' disputes of power are getting hotter day by day. With the absence of the king, some greedy nobles with high prestige are aiming to collects power and to take the throne. The queen and the nobles are too busy in their game of power to realize that their surroundings are changing. Big war, is coming. A kingdom without a king is like a headless spider. Helpless. And there is me. Chris Godwinson. The weak and young king who was told to continue hiding by the queen. Gazing the capital high from the inn''s balcony always manage to calm my heart down. * Tap Tap * The sound of footsteps can be heard clearly from a distance. Closer. Closer. And suddenly the sound of footsteps could be heard getting louder and suddenly. * Whoooosh * A tip of a sword, aiming at my head, which was hurdling towards him so fast that the air appeared to rip in front of it. "Spirit of winds, protect me..." *Sound of metals collided* The tip of the swords stops immediately as it was blocked by a shield right in front of my forehead. "O Spirit of winds, tear my enemies to shreds" *Whoosh* Dozens of wind blades tear the assassin that tries to kills me. Life as a king is not that simple, especially if you need to live like a king that always hides all along of your life. "Your majesty! Are you alright!?" My trusted royal guard, Yogul, came to me panicked. "It''s okay I''m going to go back to sleep." "Clean, and throw the corpse. Stay guard from inside the room, in case more assassins will come." I instructed. Yogul bows a little and starts to clean the corpse immediately. I came into the room and laid my back to the bed. *Sigh* That castle, that throne, I need to be stronger and take it as quick as I could. For the sake of the people. For the sake of the kingdom! Chapter 24 - Money! [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God ] -------------_---------------------_-----------------------_---------------------------------_------------------- Magic Stone Magic stone is a stone consists of a dense amount of mana that functions as the core of every magic beasts. The magic stone acts as the source of mana inside the body of every magic beasts that helps the circulation of mana throughout the body. Adventurers hunt magic beasts and collect their magic stones to sell them at the adventurer guild. The magic stone is useful to empower a magic item and to forge a magic weapon. -Adventurer book, Grandaria Library, Grandaria Capital ----------_-----------------_--------------------_------------------_--------------------_-----------------_------------------- The sun has risen, the birds sing a unique but beautiful melody that makes everyone who heard them realized how beautiful the world actually is, the sound of children laughing could be heard from afar. But a certain someone is still lying on top of the bed. !!!??? Oz opens his eyes, he finally wakes up from his deep slumber. His eyes staring emptily at the wooden ceilings, trying to remember how he could arrive at this comfortable bed. Oz tries to lifts his body slowly. "Ugh! Damn! all my body is aching!" He cursed. Oz checked his body and surprised that he''s half-n.a.k.e.d. Moreover, his body is full of bruises. "No wonder all of my body is aching..." Oz observes his surroundings and he found someone is looking out of the window which turned out to be old man Kyron. His long white hair made him look like a respectful and wise elder. "You''re finally awake.." Old man Kyron said with his deep voice. Old man Kyron stares Oz deeply making Oz shivers. "What is it?" Oz asked, nervous. "You passed the test, and in an unbelievable way. As I''ve promised, I''ll enroll you at the magic academy, you don''t need to worry about the fee cause I''ll pay it for you." Old man Kyron said and threw a pocket bag to Oz. *Chink Chink* Oz immediately caught the bag. (It''s full of coins!) "Wh-what is this?" "It''s your first payment, you''ll be working here starting tomorrow. Nash will explain to you the rest." Old man Kyron said and left the room leaving the speechless Oz behind. "Big bro!" "WHOA!" Oz surprised. Oz didn''t notice Nash that has been sitting beside him all along. "Kid you startled me, you seem to have some talent to be an assassin, even I couldn''t notice your presence." "Is that so? people often said that to me, maybe I could be a great assassin!" Nash said while imitating to be a ninja. "So, what does old man Kyron asked you to tell me?" Oz asked. "Oh yeah, Grandpa Kyron asked me to tell you that he doesn''t have much time because he has an appointment with the Avalon magic academy headmaster." "AHH! I almost forgot! He said that you fainted because your body is still unused and incompatible with your enormous mana, and your body is full of bruises is one of the consequences. I don''t quite understand all the things that he said, so you can ask him directly later" "And he asked me to show you around to introduce you to the orphans and the staff" Said Nash. Nash introduces Oz to the orphans and the staff and shows Oz around. There are only 50 orphans in this big orphanage, and the staff is only the cook, so basically, there is only 1 staff in this orphanage. "Only 1 person? who is it?" "Sister Elena!" Nash said cheerfully. "Sister Elena? Who is she?" "She''s the beautiful sister that has the beautiful brown hair, she''s there when I introduce you to the other orphans" "She''s our only cook! And sister Elena''s cook is very VERY delicious!" Nash''s mouth gave a hint of hunger when he said that, making Oz wonders how exactly delicious the cooking of sister Elena that Nash just mentioned. Oz smirked. "Hey kid, next time I''ll show you my cooking that will defeat even that sister Elena of yours," Oz said braggingly. "Liar! Sister Elena''s cooking is the best!" Nash refuted. "Just wait and see, kid. I''ll make a dish that''ll make you bow and say ''Hail master Ren!'' " Ren teases. Ren keeps on teasing Nash until they finally arrived at their final destination. "Ah! This is your room big bro!" Nash opened the door and showed the room that 3/4 smaller than the old man Kyron''s room. All of the furniture are neatly placed in order, and there is no speck of dust could be seen anywhere. "Thanks, kid. I''ll check my room later, I think that I want to have a stroll around the town first, I''ll be back when the sky has gone dark" "Okay, Be careful on your way!" Nash cheerfully said. (Let''s see what this kingdom have) (My trip got ruined by that noble bastard before, I hope that there won''t be another fight) "That girl with the cold eyes, I wonder who she is..." Oz muttered to himself. Oz left the orphanage to stroll the town while the sun still high above, having the chance of watching a medieval-era town with his own eyes makes Oz extra excited. Oz strolls the town by jumping from roof to roof to catch a bigger view of the town. Merchants, nobles, and people with professions that you can''t normally see in the modern era are right in front of Oz''s eyes. The view makes a smile at Oz''s face unconsciously, seeing a place without any pollutions, technology contamination, and without those people that only search for profits wherever they go. At least, that what Oz thought to himself. "Man, what kind of deed that I do to be able to see this peaceful sight-" "Faster you lowly peasant!" Right at the moment when Oz was enjoying his moment viewing the town, an arrogant voice suddenly appeared ruining the Oz''s sightseeing. "Who the hell is it this time" Oz searches the source of the arrogant voice he just heard, and the sight he saw makes him frown. A man, with a luxurious gown that indicates his high social standing is whipping a man in front of him that looks like his servant. The servant is carrying a lot of items that seem to be the items that his owner had just bought. Oz observes their surroundings and he saw that all of the people just saw the scene and immediately continues what they had been doing as if it''s a normal occurrence for a servant and a noble. "Hm. Maybe this kingdom is not as peaceful as I thought." Oz wants to meddle with the problem. but thinking that the servant will get more trouble if he did, and he will be facing a bigger problem that could ruin his medieval city life, Oz tries his best to restrain himself. Oz jumps down from the room and walks leisurely, viewing and trying to forget what just happened. In the middle of his stroll, he passes a weaponry show that interests him. He saw a sword that is displayed in front of the shop are emitting a dense fire element aura. "That, is that a magic weapon?" Oz got interested in the shop so he enters the show hoping that he would found a weapon suitable with his taste. He remembers that he brought some things from the magical forest, thinking that maybe some things could be valuable or maybe expensive to be sold. "Welcome!" An old man at his 40''s greeted Oz with a face full of smiles. "Hm? It''s an unknown face. Are you new here, kid?" Asked him. "Yes, I just came here yesterday" Oz answers. "So you''re new!" Said the man full of smiles. "Nice to meet you, I''m Owen, I''m the owner of this shabby place." Said the man full of smiles. "Is there anything you searching for, kid? You can buy things that already made here or order some things that you want to be made with extra pay! You could also sell the materials you want to sell here!" "Um. Let me take a look first" Oz wanders the place observing every weapon he saw very thoroughly. (Every weapon wether it swords or spears made here are all high-quality weapons) (Blacksmiths at the earth would be ashamed if they saw all of the weapons here) "It seems that you''re a very skilled blacksmith, old man" Oz said while continues to observes the weapons. "You have a good pair of eyes, kid. People usually see weapons only by their prices. You can just call me Owen." Owen said. "I humbly accept your offer," Oz said with a smirk. "What an interesting kid," Owen muttered. "Hm?" Oz''s eyes fell to a sword that very similar to a katana, it''s the same model with the katana that he used in his fight with old man Kyron. (Well that one is broken though) "Owen. does old man Kyron also buy weapons he-" "Excuse me. Owen? Are you there? I broke my sword again, I hope you could fix it!" A girl with dark blue hair with deep-blue cold eyes suddenly enters the store. The girls and Oz froze at the same time when they saw each other. "You..." "You..." Chapter 25 - Unexpected Encounter [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God ] -------------------_---------------------------_--------------------------_------------------------_---------------------- Nobility Nobility is a social class normally ranked immediately under royalty and found in some societies that have a formal aristocracy. Nobility possesses more acknowledged privileges and higher social status than most other classes in society. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles. Not only humans but Nobility also runs in the ranks of magical beast too. The higher the rank of a magical beast, the bigger their power is. There are 8 Nobility ranks that exist in every kingdom. Baron -> Viscount -> Count -> Marquis -> Duke -> King -> Emperor -> Great Emperor ---------------_-----------------_-----------------------_--------------------------_---------- "You..." "You..." Both of them point at each other and observe each other carefully, hoping that their memory is not mistaken. "The haughty little girl from yesterday!" "The snobby man from yesterday!" Both of them said to each other. "Wha- What do you mean by the haughty little girl? Aren''t you a little boy yourself?" She said angrily. "And I''m not Haughty, it''s the show of dignity," The girl said, while gracefully swayed her hair behind. "To face something that you couldn''t handle proven your immaturity, that explains why you''re just a little girl. And my acts yesterday are not snobby but heroic, didn''t I save both of you and the kid? You should be grateful for me to step in." Oz said coolly. "Wha- How dare you... If I used my ma-" Oz puts his index finger in front of his mouth. "I think, if you don''t want people to discover your acts yesterday, we should just end the topic here." "Owen, I''ll visit your shop again next time," Oz shortly said, and left. "H-how dare him!" The girl''s escort angrily said. "I''m so sorry princess, he''s new here, and it seems that he''s still unfamiliar with the identity of the big figures here. Please forgive him." Owen said to the girl that turned out to be the princess of the Grandaria kingdom. "It''s fine since he manages to gain the favor of Owen the iron heart, I think I''ll let it slide this time." The princess said with a smile. "That man, judging by his face, he doesn''t resemble people from Gracewield kingdom neither from Potterland kingdom. Did he came from a place farther?" "Hm? It seems not only me the iron-hearted, but the ice princess of Grandaria seems to be deeply interested in that man too," Said Owen, seeing the sight of the princess whose observing Oz''s back. Hearing the comment, the princess glared at Owen making him shivers down his spine. ***************** Oz left the weapon shop and saw that the sun is on his way back to slumber. Oz walks his way back to the orphanage while memorizing all the places he passed. "There is a lot of different faces here, some look like American, some look like Japanese, and some look like Korean, does this kingdom has that much of variety?" Oz asked himself. The atmosphere here is heavy, people don''t smile that often, and sometimes it looks like there is a hostility between people with American faces and people with the Japanese faces. (Are they an invader? Old man Kyron looks more like Korean, though) Oz runs his thought, thinking about the sights he saw today. He''s wondering what''s the source of the heavy atmosphere. "Eh? I''ve arrived?" Drowned by his thoughts, Oz unconsciously arrived in front of the orphanage. (Why the hell do I think about it anyway?) *Sound of Oz opening the Orphanage door* "You''re back," Old man Kyron appeared from the back of the door. He stands and folds his arms in front of his chest. "Whoa!" "What the hell are you doing old man!" Asked Oz, surprised. "Hm? I heard from Nash that you''ve gone sightseeing the kingdom, what did you saw?" Old man Kyron asked. Oz gathers his thought a second before answering. "Hostility, people seem to distrust each other. The nobles are all sc.u.ms, and everyone looks like they''re in fear of something..." Old man Kyron closes his eyes while he hears Oz''s answer silently. "Ren, follow me to my room," Instruct the old man. Oz follows him to his room and sits facing each other, just like the last time. "The last time I sit here, the next moment I got beaten to a pulp," Oz said with a smirk. "Hmph, it''s because of your inexperiences that you lose," (No one on earth would dare to say that word to me back then, and now an old man said that word right in front of my face. Just how far do I had fallen to since I came to this world?) "Setting your lost aside, the magic academy''s headmaster had accepted your enrollment. You''ll be entering the academy in two months" (Old man Kyron) "I''ve heard it from Nash," (Old man Kyron) "Since you''re new here, and it seems that you picked up a fight with the noble before because you lacked the information about this kingdom. So I''m going to fill the bits of knowledge you need for you to live here. I can''t let someone recommended by me humiliate my name at the magic academy," (Old man Kyron) Old man Kyron explains about all kind of things to Oz for hours. "As you already know, this kingdom name is Grandaria kingdom, the kingdom that has a history for more than 500 years. As you have seen, people from various kingdoms have barged into our kingdom, Gracewield kingdom and Potterland kingdom that has been targeting our kingdom for a long time." (Old man Kyron) "How could they suddenly barged in?" (Oz) "Just like other kingdoms, we have a king. But the problem is, we didn''t know where our king is," (Old man Kyron) "You don''t know?" (Oz) "When the previous king ruled, he has only two offspring, the king and the queen live happily and they ruled the kingdom to prosperity with great harmony. But good people always be the enemies of despicable people," (Old man Kyron) "One day, the king suddenly got assassinated, the crown prince that''s only 12 years old, got crowned but he needs to stay in hiding because the danger that''s still unknown. I knew that the nobles that have been aiming for the crown are the culprits, but I''m powerless to punish them." (Old man Kyron) "The queen takes over the rule replacing the old king and is busy having a cold war with the nobles, that''s the reason why the Grandaria kingdom is slowly fell into a downfall. The state of the kingdom gotten wide to the continent, and some kingdoms like Gracewield and Potterland have started their plan of invasion to our kingdom." Explain the old man with a face full of sorrow. "So?" (Oz) "Hm?" Old man Kyron raised his eyebrow because of Oz''s sudden intrusion. "There must be something you want me to do, by telling me all of this stuff," Oz said while crossing both of his hands. "Support? support from an unknown person from an unknown place seems to be unimportant. Advise? I doubt that a great sage like you would need a piece of advice from me. And, the thing that you''ve seen from me is only my battle prowess, so what is it that you want? an assassination?" (Oz) "Where do you get the conclusion from?" Asked old man Kyron sternly. "A sage that people called as a sword god, couldn''t kill any noble in this kingdom at that much of ease doesn''t he? Whether people could track him from his trace of mana, or from his appearance which is well known in the whole kingdom." Explains Oz with his eyes closed. "Who exactly are you, young man? You have such a domineering presence, unbeatable sword skills, and an eye that seems to be able to look any truth you seek, aren''t you a prince from a faraway country or something?" Said old man Kyron startled. "I''ll take that as a praise." (Oz) "Hmph, your answer is right, but I won''t be needing you yet. You''re just a kid with a lot of potentials if you couldn''t control that mana of yours. Before you enter the magic academy, you need to learn to control that mana of yours first." Said old man Kyron sternly. Oz and the old man Kyron chatted for a long time, they talked about economy, politics, sword, magic, and jokes about the nobles. Their chat continues until the dusk had almost come. They went back to their room to have a rest from their long conversation. Oz lay on his bed, processing the information from the conversation he just had with the old man Kyron. !!!??? A scene suddenly showed at Oz''s mind when he''s about to went to the realm of dreams. The sight from his Griffin is showing him an unusual thing. His kingdom. is being surrounded by the elves. Chapter 26 - Elves [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword god] ------------------------------_-------------------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------- Oz left the tribe that is slowly evolving to a kingdom only for a few days, so there are still no significant changes had been made. Excepted for the fact that the tribe is being surrounded by approximately 500 elves that are fully armed. "What brings you the noble elves to our respected kingdom?" Aegir asked the elves with a loud voice from the top of the wall. The gate is still tightly closed. The direwolves, goblins, and the Orcs are ready in case a fight will break out. No fear could be seen in everyone''s eyes since they''ve experienced multiple wars before this. "Kingdom? Just because you possessed a huge wall doesn''t mean your small tribe could be called a kingdom!" One of the elf soldiers shouted. Hearing that respond, Aegir gave a signal to Ibra with his hand. "Defense Corps! Formation turtle!" Ibra shouted. *Sound of lots of footsteps* Hearing Ibra''s instructions, all of Ibra''s defense corps immediately get into action. Hundreds of goblin archers immediately get into shooting position aiming at the elves. The turtle formation is one of the defense positions constructed by Oz. A defense formation that strengthens the defense by focusing all of the defense troop in one point. All of the archers will aim from the top of the walls and the 300 spearman corps consist of both goblins and orcs that experts in spearmanship will make a square formation behind the wall gate, ready for battle. Seeing how coordinated the goblins are, makes all of the elves shocked to their senses. ''Bunch of goblins could make such a coordinated formation like this?'' Thought all of the elves present. "What the difference by having such formation? Hiding inside a huge wall indicates that you''re just a weak and cowardly goblin!" Shouted the same elf that mocked the kingdom before. Hearing the response, this time, Aegir gave a sign to both Fedra and Magra. "Green corps!" "Red corps!" Shouted both of Fedra and Magra. Green corps under Fedra are the corps consists of goblins and the red corps under Magra consist of Orcs. "Formation Bear!" Shouted both of them. hearing the instruction, both the green corps and the red corps forms another formation behind the spearman defense corps. It hasn''t ended yet. Aegir raised one of his hands to the sky and makes a symbol of shooting. Immediately after giving the signal. Gurolf and his magician corps, riding together with Brad and his hunter corps appeared from behind the elves surrounded them. "Now tell me. Will you tell us what''s the reason for you long-ears coming here, or will you fight with us, I wonder which choice will you choose?" Aegir said coldly. "We mean you no harm dear goblin king!" A sweet voice sounded, a girly voice that is pleasant to hear. All the elf warriors made their way after the sound was heard. A beautiful girl with a gorgeous green knotted hair and beautiful green eyes slowly walked towards the wall. "I''m the princess of the elf village near your kingdom, I wonder if I could ask you the goblin king for a-" "I''m not the king, the king is on an adventure. You may wait until the king is back to the kingdom." Cut Aegir with a cold voice. "Y-you, how dare you lowly goblins, you should just bow and serve us!" Shouted one of the elf soldiers. The atmosphere immediately went heavy after that sentence said by the soldier, Aegir''s face got colder every second passed by. It seems like a fight could break out anytime. "It seems, that your soldiers view us as a lowly goblin that only deserves to be your servants. You mock the people of our country equals to mocks the king of our kingdom, your presence is not welcomed here! Scram!" Shouted Aegir. "You beasts, you lowly goblins, and orcs should just follow our orders obediently!" Said a certain elf soldier. *Roaaaaar* Sound of a griffin''s roar suddenly ranged out from the sky. *Boooooom!!!!* A figure suddenly crashed to the ground, sending bags of dust everywhere. !!!!!!!!!!!!??????? A huge pressure suddenly felt by all of the elves present. All of the elf soldiers are forced to kneel because of the overwhelming pressure inflicted on them. The elf princess also struggles to remain standing. "Could you repeat your sentence for me?" The figure that still covered by the clouds of dust said. The elf princess narrowed her eyes focusing on the figure that suddenly appeared in front of her. """Welcome back my king!!""" All of the soldiers including Aegir, Magra, Brad, Fedra, Ibra, and Gurold said. All of them kneel to the figure that slowly visible. Oz''s muscular body, brown hairs, and clear brown eyes could now clearly seen by everyone. ''A human?'' Thought the elf princess. "I repeat, do you dare to repeat that sentence in front of me?" Oz said with a deep voice and a stern face. Oz currently half-equipping all of the cards in his possession to highly boost his power. That explains the overwhelming pressure felt by the elf princess and the elf soldiers. The elf soldier that mocks the kingdom just now wouldn''t dare to say the sentence he just said. His whole body is shivering because of the tremendous fear he felt. ''Damn, I''m dead. I''m dead. I''M DEAD!!!'' Thought the elf soldier while sweating greatly. "Excuse me, your majesty, please let me introduce myself. I''m the elf princess of the elf village nearby, Azaline. Please forgive my subject. I''ll discipline him myself because of his loose mouth. Please forgive me, your majesty." Said the elf princess while bowing a little with his head. Oz observes the elf princess. (Green-hair, green eyes, long ears, beautiful face features, and noble disposition. Very suiting the title of elf princess) "Let''s cut to the chase, what''s your purpose of coming here? My army will act depending on your answer." Said Oz with a cold voice. The mocking words of the elf soldier piqued the wrath of the usually calm Oz. Aegir and co also shivers, seeing the angry Oz. The elf princess is quickwitted, she knew that she had got into the bad side of Oz, the current situation is very different from what she thinks will happen. She thought that the goblins that should be their meat shield for facing the demons will be weak and obedient, she thought that the goblins will surrender immediately when they surrounded them. But the weak and cowardly goblin that she thought would be easy to be manipulated suddenly has a great and solid wall in front of them. And their presence seems to be already noticed by them, judging from the soldiers that already alerted. But the surprises they encounter didn''t end there, the goblins and orcs that she underestimated are forming a solid formation that indicating that their ready whether they should open the fire first or take a defensive stance. Just by seeing the formation formed by them, the elf princess knew that her soldier''s quality is greatly inferior to the goblins and orcs. Moreover, the soldiers the kingdom has are far more many than what she had calculated. And with Oz''s arrival, the elf princess knew that she just got the short end of the stick. Her army''s quality and quantity are inferior, and the king''s presence alone made her army kneel because of the overwhelming pressure. ''My army is surrounded, if a battle break out the outcome is obvious, we''ll definitely lose!'' Thought the elf princess. "Our elf village nearby got attacked by an army of demons, the sudden attack made a lot of casualties. Our village that formerly consists of 2000 people, has only 1000 people left." "So we came to seek the help of the goblin and orcs friend that we heard have a great number and great soldiers. And it seems that the information we got is extremely accurate" "We heard that you accepted the orcs that also got attacked by the demons, so we''re hoping that you would accept us too," The elf princess kneels after she said the plead. "So you''re asking, that your village wants help from our kingdom? I wonder why the princess of the elf village makes such a decision and not the king or queen of the elf village?" Asked Oz while narrowing his eyes. Hearing that question, the face of the elf princess darken. "My father got killed by the despicable demons. And my mother got captured by the demons." Said the elf princess with her head facing the ground. Oz captures sight of a teardrop falling when the elf princess told her story. All of the elf soldiers also looked down to the ground, seems to be reminded by the tragedy that just happened at their village. Oz sighs. "Fine, our Tarot kingdom will accept you, you''re free to move to our kingdom and make a place to live suitable with your taste. But with one condition, you need to spread the word to the whole forest, that our Tarot kingdom is inviting any race that wants to join our kingdom." "D-do you mean, that rather than just aiding our village with your soldiers, you''re offering us to join your kingdom?" Asked the elf princess enthusiastically. "Yes, I''m aiming to make an empire rather than just a small kingdom, I''m thinking of making an empire consist of the kingdom of elf, orcs, goblins, dwarves, beastmens, and all of the other races. I would be grateful if the noble elves want to help me achieve my aims. So? Will you accept my offer?" Asked Oz with a kind smile. Chapter 27 - Grimoire of Death [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword god] ------------_-------------------------_----------------------------_-----------------------_--------------------_--------------------------- ---Elf Princess''s POV--- "Yes, I''m aiming to make an empire rather than just a small kingdom, I''m thinking of making an empire consist of the kingdom of elf, orcs, goblins, dwarves, beastmens, and all of the other races. I would be grateful if the noble elves want to help me achieve my aims. So? Will you accept my offer?" Said the man who introduced himself as the king of the goblins and orcs. Just by saying that sentence, the heavy pressure we felt before vanished as if there is not there since the beginning. When he appeared with the cold expression, it''s as if I could saw a shadow of a dragon behind him. Huge, and terrifying. His demeanor befitting the domineering demeanor of a ruler. Just by his presence, he boosts the morals of all of the soldiers present. Anyone could see the deep trust the soldiers have to their king. But there is only one thing confuses me. How could a human, became the king of both goblins and orcs. Setting aside all of that, I need to think about whether I should accept the offer or not. Asking for troops just seems to be too shameless, and it will ruin my dignity, and they will not accept that answer too. Being under their rule seems to be the safest choice, seeing that their village didn''t get damaged by the assault of the demons proves their great military prowess. But accepting to be under the rule of a human that we didn''t know whether he''s befitted to be our ruler. "Hm? I wonder what answer will the princess of the noble elves gave me?" He asked for the second time with the same smile. Looking at his smile makes my heart flutter for a second, his face looks young, but I wonder why does that smile of his would make someone 500 years old like me flutter. "I-I accept your generous offer," Answer me while bowing deeply to the king. "I''m grateful to hear your answer, ah! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ren, the king of the Tarot kingdom." Said him with another smile. "Y-yes, the honor is mine, your majesty," Said me with a bow. --------------------------_-------------------------_-------------------------_------------------------------_-------------------------------- ---Third-person POV--- The answer that the elf princess gave, pleases Oz. Oz ordered the soldiers to go back to their posts and ordered Brad and Gurolf to escort the elves back to their village and to guard them until they immigrate to the Tarot kingdom. "So, why do you gather us here, your majesty?" Asked Aegir. Right after the elves went back to their village escorted by both the hunter corps and the magician corps, Oz assembles the committee at the usual place, Aegir''s house. "Can''t you call me Ren like before? Hearing you call me your majesty makes me shivers, Aegir," Said Oz, disturbed. "We need to practice so we won''t make a slip of tongue in front of the others, so just get to the point, I knew you didn''t have that much time." (Aegir) "How considerate of you, Aegir. Well, the reason for me gathering all of you here, is to explain my plans for the future." (Oz) "My goal didn''t end in only building a mere kingdom. If we''re going to build a kingdom, why don''t we aim to be an empire too? We''ll make a goblin kingdom, elves kingdom, orcs kingdom, beastmens kingdom, and other kingdoms that ruled by one empire." (Oz) "So we need some of us to go and ask villages and tribes near us to join us. But for now, let''s just focus on gathering orcs and goblins. I''ll assign Fedra and Magra in this assignment, gather all of the orcs and goblins nearby, and even if you find the other races, invite them too, what we need the most currently is number, so lets us strive together." (Oz) "Enlarge our place, let''s expand our kingdom to the south, wipe all of the wild beasts and invite the ones that could we negotiate. I''ll assign this to Aegir, you''ll be expanding our kingdom, let''s make this place as our capital, and don''t forget to increase the defense. I''ll give some blueprints of the things that we should build again here when I''m back, I''ll be back in three days," Explains Oz. "You could leave this to us, Ren," Said Aegir. *Sound of Griffin''s roar* "I know I could trust you guys, I''ll be going now, my ride had arrived," Bragged Oz. Oz ran and jumped to the griffin, the griffin immediately fly when Oz landed on his back. "Damn, since when does he tame a griffin, he must be doing great out there, I wonder if he could give me one too," Ibra said while imagining himself riding a griffin. "Stop daydreaming you idiot," Mocks Fedra. ******************************** Oz arrived at the orphanage when everyone has already slept. Seeing all of them had fallen asleep, Oz who couldn''t sleep go back to the forest to test some things he hasn''t tested yet. "Grimoire of death...." *Pooof!* The card suddenly appeared in front of Oz, making Oz reflectively caught it. [Grimoire of Death (Special) (Develops) Description: A card comprises the grimoire of death skill. the user could summon a grimoire of death by using the card, every spells and skill written inside the grimoire could be used by the user. Grimoire spells could be obtained by either learning or stealing it from other grimoires] (Shared or stolen?) "Grimoire of death card, activate!" *Poooof!* A thick and black grimoire appeared from a thin air in front of Oz. Strangely, the book''s cover and pages are thick blacks and the book is floating in the air on its own. Oz caught and opens the book and found that there are only three pages filled, and the rest of the grimoire is blank. Oz searches all of the pages other than the first three pages but found nothing. (Does this mean that I need to steal to obtain the death spells? Well, let''s see what the first three spells are) -Summon Undead Summons an undead by using the death mana obtained from the death. -Speak With Death Speak with the entity of death -Circle of Death Surround yourself with a sphere made by a death aura, any living creature who couldn''t withstand the aura will lose their lives. (Damn cool!!! Let''s try the summon undead spell!) "Summon undead!" A magic formation suddenly appeared in front of Oz, and a huge amount of mana was taken from Oz and formed a pitch-black sphere on top of the magic formation. The sphere keeps on growing by eating Oz''s mana. but Oz had an infinite amount of mana so he didn''t felt anything when his mana was being absorbed by the pitch-black sphere. The sphere stopped growing until its height grew about 8 meters. *Whooooosh* The pitch-black sphere suddenly vanished to the nothingness, leaving behind a figure with a jet black armor that in a kneeling position with his black sword as his support. Oz steps closer and saw that the figure is a skeleton with a pitch-black bone. "Appraisal card" Oz whispered. [Type: Skeleton [Duke] level: 280 Strength: 2.000.000 Agility: 1000.000 Vitality: 20.000.000 Mana: 5000.000 Spiritual: 3000.000 Skills: -Summon Servants -Summon Undead -Animate Dead - Death Archmagic -Finger of Death -Immortal Strike -Ice Archmagic -Fire Archmagic -Grimoire of Death] (Damn! What the hell with these crazy numbers!?) (Wait...) (Doesn''t he... Look like someone who''s just gone through a great battle?) As Oz observes the skeletal figure more carefully, he saw that the armor it was using is worn out and a lot of sword marks could be seen on his armor. !!?? Suddenly a red light shone inside the eye socket that has been empty before, making Oz surprised. !!?? The skeleton duke jumps up and observes his surroundings until his eyes landed on the sitting Oz. He immediately draws his sword and took a fighting stance when he saw Oz''s presence. "Who are you?" "Where am I? Why am I here?" Asked the skeleton duke. Hearing a voice came out from a tongueless skeleton makes Oz feels weird. "You ask a lot of questions, huh, Mr. skeleton?" "I''m the one who summoned you here, and you''re here because I summoned you. And this... This is the Ablux continent..." Explained Oz. The skeleton duke froze for a second, seems to be processing the information he just heard from Oz. "Ablux continent... It means that this is not Gravendath... And the reason why I''m not dead... is because I got summoned by you..." Said the skeleton duke. Oz observes every reaction the skeleton duke gives. The skeleton duke pauses a while after saying that sentence and suddenly dashed towards Oz at a terrifying speed. *Crack!* But when he''s just 1 meter left away from Oz, multiple chains gushed out from Oz''s black grimoire, strangling part of the skeleton duke''s body, making him couldn''t move any part of his body. Even if the skeleton duke doesn''t get strangled by the grimoire chains, Oz had already prepared his golden cards to attack. "Damn! So the grimoire had that function as well!" Said Oz, pleasantly surprised. !!!??? Suddenly a great headache assaults Oz''s head making him lose his balance, Oz focuses his Qi to his head trying to suppress the pain, but he suddenly caught the sight of the skeleton duke, seeming to be having the same great headache. Multiple scenes appear inside of Oz''s mind. A place where mortals wouldn''t know it''s existence. A place that is full of terrifying and powerful entities. A place... Full of death... Chapter 28 - Skeleton Duke [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword god] ----------------------_------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------_----------------------_------------------__------------- A dark place. A dark world. A world with no sun and no moon. Only death. And a world consists of endless darkness. All of this scene suddenly appeared inside of Oz''s head, but not only that, a skeleton wearing a full black armor is kneeling in front of Oz. "You don''t have what it needed to be an undead..." A cold voice of a death lord suddenly appeared. A dragon made only from bones suddenly landed in front of the skeleton. "Gareth... You''re a kind-hearted person. But that kind of undead is didn''t needed here, so all you can do is, DIE!" *Roaaaar* Following the roar of the bone dragon, an ice tornado came out, making everything in front of the bone dragon got scattered to pieces. But when the tornado''s about to swallow Gareth the dark skeleton too, rather than getting swallowed by the tornado, Gareth got swallowed by a black hole that suddenly appeared behind of him. All of Gareth''s memory got transferred to Oz forcefully by the bound of the summoning magic. The crazy headache had begun to subside. "So you''ve got through that kind of hell, huh," (Oz) (To summon a skeleton duke that considered a kind-hearted fellow in my first summoning makes me question whether that was a stroke of good luck or a stroke of bad luck) (No wonder he''s alerted, the dragon that''s his best friend betrayed him and joined the faction of another undead king) "Wait, did you got a piece of my memories too?" Asked Oz. "You... You''re not from this world too..." Said Gareth the skeleton duke. "Yea. Since both of us is a foreigner in this world, we should just join hands and be allies" Advise Oz. "Why would I trust you?" (Skeleton Duke) "Didn''t you saw my memories? We have the same thing in mind, Serve me, and I''ll help you make a kingdom where undead could live peacefully here." Offered Oz. The skeleton duke froze for a second after Oz answered him, seems to be thinking something. "I won''t serve anyone weaker than me, even if you have these chains, you''re just a weak human," Refused Gareth the skeleton duke. "Hmph! I knew you would answer like that," Oz snorted. Oz focuses his minds, trying to command the black grimoire to take the chains back. (It worked!) The chains that had been strangling the skeleton duke suddenly got absorbed back to the black grimoire. "Come at me anytime you want, I rather have someone serving me willingly rather than unwillingly," Provoked Oz. The skeleton duke''s red eyes shone brightly when he heard Oz''s words. *Whooosh* With the same kind attack from before, he dashes to Oz with a terrifying and attempts to strike Oz with his jet black great sword. *Whooooosh* All happened in a blink. But the one who loses isn''t Oz, the skeleton duke''s sword got deeply pierced to the ground, and Oz''s pointing two cards of number 10 card with both of his hands at the skeleton duke''s head from the skeleton duke''s back. "Now, will you admit your defeat?" Asked Oz. The skeleton duke didn''t know what Oz''s holding, but he could feel the ominous feeling coming from both of it. "It''s my loss..." The skeleton duke suddenly kneels to Oz. "I admit my defeat, I''ll serve you as you wish, but I hope you''ll not forget the promise of the undead kingdom you''ll be building for my people," Said the skeleton duke. "Sweet! Then Gareth, you should have known my name from my memories, but, I will still introduce myself properly, my name is Ren, and I use Oz as my alias at my former world, you could call me whatever you want," Oz kindly said. "As you wish, your majesty," Said Gareth with a bow. "I only mention Ren and Oz, why do you pick your majesty?" Asked Oz annoyed. "You''re a king, and the future king of both me and my people, I might make a slip of tongue in front of your subjects if I didn''t call you your majesty from now," Explained Gareth indifferently. Oz sighs. "You said the same sentence with one of my friends at the kingdom," Oz said, hearing that sentence makes him remembered Aegir that said the same sentence to him. Oz stretched his head and saw his Griffin clone is standing watching him, he commands the Griffin to come to him and the Griffin obediently came to him. Seeing that the Griffin obediently came to Oz and sit in front of him, it relieves the wary Gareth. !!! Seeing the griffin makes Oz remembered the real clone card. Oz immediately summons the card at his hand. [Summon real clones options: -Goblin duke -Python -Orc baron -Demon duke] (It''s still could be used! Why didn''t I thought of this before?) The griffin''s option disappeared because the clone has been made, but the others still showed up indicating that the clone is available to be summoned. (I choose the goblin duke!) *Pooof* The goblin duke form that Oz had been using before appeared in front of him. (Damn! I couldn''t believe I missed this!) Oz closes his eyes and the sight from the goblin duke form could be seen inside of Oz''s head, and Oz could control every part of the clone too. So Oz could either control the form directly or just command the clone to make it move. Founding this cheat-like ability makes Oz both thrilled and excited. Oz immediately summoned the orc baron clone, python clone, and the demon duke form too. The orc baron has brown hair like Oz and has some of Oz''s face features. The demon duke''s hair is the combination of both grey and brown, the skin''s red and the body is well-built. "Who are they, my lord?" Asked Gareth, wary. "They''re my clones," Said Oz with full of smiles, satisfied. (I''ll send the goblin duke clone back to the kingdom, and make the other clones have an expedition at the forest) (This way I could take care of the kingdom and have an adventure at the same time and from a far place! This is getting more and more game-like!) The goblin duke clone immediately departs to the Tarot kingdom, and the other clones standstill in front of Oz. "I need to go back, the sun will rise in a few hours, I need to get some sleep. Gareth, go on an expedition in this forest, you''ll be going together with my other clones." Instruct Oz. "Yes, my lord," Answers Gareth. Oz rides his griffin and went back to the orphanage, he opened the door very carefully trying to not make even the tiniest sound. "Can you explain to me the reason why you come back this late?" A voice suddenly appeared beside him making him greatly surprised. "Y-you, that brown hair, you must be Elena!" Said Oz. "Don''t act as if you didn''t know me! I''m the only staff in this orphanage, you must be an idiot to not recognize me. This orphanage had its own rules, even if old man Kyron and the kids accept you, I won''t!" Said Elena coldly. "So? It''s not that I want to know where you go, just consider it as a senior staff here interrogating you the reason why you come back to the orphanage this late." (Elena) (What a pain...) "I can''t sleep so I go went for a little walk outside, but it seems that the beautiful scenery makes me forgot time, does senior Elena satisfied with that answer?" Oz replied, trying to convince Elena. "Fine then, it''s cold here, so don''t come back this late ever again. It''ll be a hassle if you caught a cold. Go get some sleep," Said Elena with a bossy manner. (Does this girl actually worry about me?) Seeing Elena''s attitude makes Oz unconsciously smiled. "Why are you smiling?" Asked Elena. "It''s the first time someone ever told me not to get cold. Rather than asking me to get some sleep, I think that you''re the one who should be getting some sleep, miss senior. You''re having black circles under your eyes." Teases Oz. Elena immediately covered her face after hearing Oz''s words. She actually hasn''t slept because she was waiting for Oz''s return. She''s worried because Oz had been getting a lot of troubles since he came to this kingdom, she''s worried that Oz might get into some trouble again. (What an interesting girl...) Oz went back to his room and changed his clothes to a set of clothes he always used for sleep. Oz can''t erase the habit of his from the old world, he always distinguishes the clothes for daily activities and for sleeping. Oz immediately lies his body down to the bed. "Fyuuuuh, what a long day," He mutters to himself. "Now, let''s give this body a rest, and have an adventure using the clone body of mine," "Let''s the game begin!" Chapter 29 - First Lesson [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword god] --------------------------_-------------------------_-------------------------------------_----------------------- Oz decided to use the body of the goblin duke clone since he had already used to using the goblin duke form. (I''m in!) Oz succeeded in transferring his consciousness to the goblin duke clone, he could move his arms and legs as if it was his own body. Everything is normal, except for one thing, he can''t feel any pain. (Great! It means I could be reckless a thousand times more than before!) Feeling that he could only see, hear, and move using the clone''s body, but not feel any pain made Oz thrilled. It means that he could take any risk without fearing anything! Seeing the goblin duke clone that had been standing still until now, suddenly moves naturally as if it had its own soul makes Gareth knew that Oz had controlled the clone directly. "Is it you, master?" Asked Gareth. "Hm? yes, I''ll be using this body for now," Said Oz, he''s too focused on checking up his body making him surprised when Gareth called him. "Where is the place that you wish to explore?" Asked Gareth respectfully. "Since I''ve promised you that I''ll help you make an undead kingdom, we''re going south, I intended to make the undead kingdom there when I succeed in building the empire. The undead kingdom will be in the southern part of the empire." Oz said with his eyes seem to be imagining the scene on his mind. "We''ll also hunt every magic beasts we encounter too to increase our levels, I want to see whether I could make the duke card ranked up..." Said Oz. "As your command, master..." The distance from the city Oz''s real body is sleeping at, to the Tarot kingdom is about 200 Kilometers. And they''ve only got to travel for about 80 kilometers in 7 hours, the sun had risen, and it''s time for Oz to be back at his real body. Oz decided to release the control of his goblin duke clone and just command it to go with Gareth and the other clones to their destination. Gareth is undead so he won''t be exhausted, and Oz''s clones couldn''t feel any pain, so they could continue the journey smoothly. Oz opens his eyes in his real body. "Uaaargh" Oz groans as he stretched his body. Oz''s morning went like the usual, the only difference is, today is his first day of teaching the orphans as the sword instructor. Oz washes his face and went to the dining room to have breakfast. The kids had already left the dining room since it''s pretty late already. There''s only Elena left, cleaning up the mess made by the kids. "You woke up pretty late, Ren, did you caught a cold?" Asked Elena with an indifferent tone as she gives Oz his breakfast. "What a huge difference between your question and your tone... I''m fine, maybe its because I slept too late last night," replied Oz. "Oh, is that so?" Said Elena and continued to clean the dining hall. Oz just smiles seeing Elena''s attitude to him. (Is it her wariness to me that hadn''t gone down yet, or does she just shy to show her real self?) The breakfast is quite simple. A piece of bread, a jam, and a glass of milk. Oz finishes his food quickly and drank the milk. He seems to be very hungry that makes him ate his food so quickly. As he already finished his breakfast, he helps Elena to clean the dining room. Seeing that Oz''s helping her makes Elena felt pleasant. "Rather than helping me, don''t you better prepare yourself as today will be the first day of your sword class?" Asked Elena. "Then we should finish cleaning quickly," Said Oz as he fastens his cleaning pace. Looking at Oz helping her makes Elena got a smile imprinted at her face, Oz didn''t miss the spectacle and felt satisfied being able to make her smile. The cleaning got finished quickly because of Oz''s and Elena''s teamwork. "Thanks for the help, Ren," Said Elena with a pleasant smile. Seeing Elena smiling sincerely in front of him makes Oz wavered for a moment. "I-it''s fine, I only helped a little," Said Oz. "Ah! It''s time for your sword lesson already, I''ll go get the kids so you could just wait at the yard." Said Elena kindly. "Okay then," ************************** "W-why are you holding a sword, too?" Asked Oz, confused. Elena that had just called over the kids didn''t leave after gathering them, but only stayed together with them, she also held a wooden stick just like the other kids. "What do you mean? I''m the one who taught them sword lessons before you became the sword instructor, so basically, I''m the sword instructor before you," Elena said, Braggingly. Watching how she held her sword, it does seem that she had some experience with swords. Since Elena insisted to join the lesson too, Oz helplessly accepted her. "As today is the first lesson of our sword lesson, I want to see your level in the sword first," Elena has a decent skill in swordsmanship, but it seems that she''s not that talented in teaching, judging from the kids that don''t even have a proper sword stance yet. "Okay, enough," Just by watching a few kids using the wooden sticks, Oz decided to stop and showed them the real basics of swordsmanship. "I''ve seen quite enough, I''ll show you the basics that will be the foundation of your expertise in swordsmanship. The first thing is your stance, you should stand with a shoulder-width apart, leading foot slightly forward. With a firm stance, you could preserve yourself from exhaustion caused by swinging the sword, and it will help you to remain your balance. " "The second is holding the sword, holding the sword is not like holding a practice stick, the aim is not to keep a vice-like grip on the sword hilt. This leads to messy movements and will tire you out. The grip is principal with the thumb and first two fingers. Your remaining fingers should be curled loosely around the hilt." "Second is cut down/forward with the sword. Do not wave your arm and move the entire blade. Use a small movement from the elbow or shoulder to move the center of gravity of the sword just before the blade meets the hilt. The sword will move in a nice, straight line." "To stop the sword, snap your third and fourth fingers onto the grip. You will notice that your elbow will reflexively lock as you do this, making a very effective brake. In real fighting, the swordsman would from this position use the full strength of his arm to drive the blade into his target, but we stop here! Stopping the sword moving as it hits your opponent is called ''pulling'' the blow and prevents them from getting hurt." "Pulling a blow is an important element of re-enactment combat. It should be possible to swing in fast and pull the blow sufficiently that it will not hurt an unarmoured target. The pulling process can be assisted by good footwork. The leading foot should hit the ground just before or as the blow is landed. This ensures the weight of your body is not behind the blow. Pulling blows is also a safety device for when things go wrong, for example, the target moving." "Also remember that a single-handed sword is just that. It is not designed to be used with two hands. This will only cut down your reach without giving you the advantage of a secure two-handed grip" Oz explains and shows the thing he said step by step, he only continues to the next step after he confirms all of the kids had understood what he said. The kids enjoyed and understood quickly what Oz explained. Oz quite surprised seeing the pace of these kids studying, he also saw some kids with talent in swordsmanship. As he gives the sword lesson, Oz keeps on monitoring Gareth and his clones that had almost reached the Tarot kingdom. They''ve met a lot of monsters, but they manage to slain all of them without suffering any casualties. Oz felt happy as he could level up his cards at the same time. The class went for about 3 hours, the kids enjoyed Oz''s explanation, Nash watched Oz''s lesson with a sparkling eye since the beginning, and he seems to have a talent in swordsmanship. "You''re actually a great teacher! It gave me some enlightenment on my swordsmanship too! I felt that I could get through the bottleneck of the novice swordsman rank to the advance swordsman rank because of you!" Thanked Elena enthusiastically. "Maybe I just had a talent in teaching," Said Oz braggingly. "Hmph, since you gave me some enlightenment too, I could only unwillingly accept your statement," Said Elena, trying to hide her smirk under her cold face mask. As the class finished, Oz decided to go back to his room wanting to take control of his goblin duke clone again. He enjoyed the feeling of the long-distance controlling system of the clone, he felt like he''s playing a game on a VR. "Let''s continue where we left out," -------------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_--------------------------_-------------------- Today''s loot: Gnoll [Baron] Card Lizardman [Count] Card Kenku [Baron] Card Greensleeve Great Sword Gnollian Mace Wooden bow Kenku knife 300> 272> 100 Chapter 30 - Rank up! [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] ------------------------_----------------------------------_-------------------------------_----------------------------_-------------------------- Dungeon A dungeon is a place closed environment usually having many enemies and treasures. Any respectable dungeon should have at least 8-10 levels with at least 50-100 rooms per level as a minimum. A dungeon needs a dungeon core to keep on spawning the dungeon guards, the dungeon core functions as the mana source of all entities inside of the dungeon. Some dungeons had their own respectable dungeon master, that usually is a demon king. Only a demon king that had a suffice mana and knowledge to make a dungeon core. -Adventurer book, Grandaria Library, Grandaria Capital ------------------_--------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------_----------------------- As Oz took control of the goblin duke, a long prompt suddenly heard by Oz. (Goblin king!?) [Goblin [King] [Special] [Develops] level: 300 Strength: 9.621.000 Agility: 9.000.000 Vitality: 20.000.000 Mana: 2.000.000 Spiritual: 7.000.000 Skills: -Strengthen -Club dash -Leap -Superhuman strength -Ruler''s aura -Ruler''s gaze -Weapon Mastery Description: The card consist of the power of a Goblin duke, the host could use its maximum power by fully equipping it and transforms into a Goblin duke, but the host could also half equip it and got to use 20% of its original status. Equip Yes/Half/No] (Damn! What the heck with the overpowered stats!) The prompts Oz heard are full of good news and upgrades making Oz get too excited that he almost jumped. (What the heck!? Stats increased by 100%!? Goblins will be willing to serve me!? It''s way too awesome!) (Would be able to be granted a skill card? Does it meant that I could give them one skill from my possession?) "Um... Master?" "Hm? Ah! What?" The sudden call from Gareth makes Oz surprised. "I wanted to ask whether that huge wall is your kingdom''s wall, but I''m more curious for the reason why your goblin form had transformed and gives more ominous feeling way different from before?" Asked Gareth. "Transformed?" Oz closes his eyes and tried to see the sight of the goblin king clone using the eyes from the orc viscount''s eyes. (I-its transformed way too much!) The already tall body is increased by about 1.5 feet. The muscles are bulging way different from before, and its face is getting more similar to human features. The skin also got darker. "My clone got ranked up to the king rank," "It ranked up to the king rank!?" Asked Gareth with a surprised tone, startling Oz. "What are you overreacting for?" Commented Oz, seeing that Gareth surprised until his always closed mouth got widely opened. "I-its you that''s strange for being too calm even though you got ranked up to a king rank, master!" Protested him. "D-does it''s rare?" "It''s way rarer than rare! Even at my world, there not even 10 entities that managed to get into the king rank!" (It''s that rare!!??) Oz keeps his surprise reaction deep inside his heart, he tried his best to make his facial expression looks calm. "If my clone could be ranked up, it meant that you should able to rank up too," Oz said indifferently. "Rank up is not a normal occurrence like using magic, it didn''t happen that easily. But your other clones seem to rank up too," "Let''s set aside the rank up things and continue on our expedition, you want an undead kingdom right? Then stop talking. Since we could''ve already seen the kingdom''s wall from here, let''s fasten our pace." Instruct Oz. They sprint and got arrived in front of the gate quickly. "Identify yourselves!!" Following the shout, dozens of archers aimed their bow at Oz, Gareth, and his clones. !!!!??? Oz unleashes the killing intent from all of his clones. Gareth had already unleashed his killing intent to the archers since the archers aimed the bow at Oz. Oz''s clones and Gareth''s overwhelming killing intent make the archers stumble and powerless. They couldn''t move their bodies because of fear, and their bodies had already given up, knowing that they wouldn''t stand a chance against their opponents. *Whoooosh* Some figures rush to the gate with a pale face, everyone in the whole kingdom could feel the overwhelming killing intent that Oz and Gareth emit, all figures like Aegir, Ibra, Gurolf, Brad, and even Geeta and Azaline the elf princess immediately rushes to the top of the wall. (Wait, doesn''t that elf princess should be going back to her village?) Everyone''s face still filled with panic and despair, sensing the killing intent that even made their legs keep on shivering. But seeing that even though their opponent is far more powerful than them, they still took the step to defend their home. Seeing that sight alone had already made Oz feel satisfied. "Eh?" "I-isn''t that, Ren!?" Shouted Geeta as she figures out the identity of the figure that suddenly appeared in front of the kingdom''s gate and releases that enormous killing intent. Ibra, Gurolf, Aegir, and Brad immediately recognize the figure even though Oz''s appearance had transformed a little. "T-that face, judging from that face that full of confidence and its features, it must be Ren. But, doesn''t he look far taller than before?" Asked Ibra. "Are you going to keep your king waiting in front of the gate? no greetings and not even opened the gate?" Said Oz with a stern face. Hearing those words, they confirmed that it definitely Oz, Ibra immediately instruct the guards to open the gate, and all of them went down from the wall to greet Oz. "You''re Ren, but why do that demon and orc behind you have similar facial features with you? I''m clueless about the skeleton, though," Asked Aegir. "All of them is my clone, even this body is my clone. But I''m controlling this body directly for now by sending my conscious here, but this skeleton beside me is not my clone, he''s our new companion," Oz said. Gareth bows a little when Oz introduces him to the others. "You could make a clone of yourself? You had that kind of skill? Since when?" Asked Ibra. "I recently get this skill. I''ve been wondering for a while, but why does you the elf princess is here? doesn''t you should be handling your village''s immigration?" Asked Oz. "I''ve chosen someone I trust to handle the things back at the village, and I''m the one who''ll be handling the people from the village that had already immigrate here," Said Azaline politely. "Hm... What about the kingdom''s expansion progress, Aegir?" "It had been going smoothly but, recently we got stuck at one problem..." "What problem?" Asked Oz. "We encounter a huge tomb that seems to be the lair of a terrifying undead. At first, we found skeletons lurking around the tomb, but they seem to be hostile to us, so we slew them." "And we made an expedition inside of the tomb, I''m intending to give the soldiers some experiences from it, but the tomb is unexpectedly deep. And on the 4th floor, Our soldiers encounter a huge door, but they haven''t opened it yet since they could felt the murderous aura gushing out from the door''s gap," Explained Aegir. "Hm? It looks like fun! Let''s go there then," Said Oz enthusiastically. Aegir showed Oz the way to the tomb. The tomb is uncommonly big, and inside of the tomb is unexpectedly wide and full of space. Oz saw lots of scattering bones along the way, it seems that the soldiers did a great job at clearing the tomb. "Could this tomb be considered a dungeon?" Asked Oz. "If there is a dungeon core inside of this tomb, it means that this tomb is indeed a dungeon. But judging from the skeletons that don''t get respawned here, makes me doubt that this tomb is a dungeon, it looks like the skeletons rather than got spawned by a dungeon core, it got summoned by another entity." Explained Aegir. "Ah! I think that''s the door the soldiers reported," Said Aegir. "By the way, why haven''t you opened this door yet?" Asked Oz. "I decided to wait until you got back, I''m worried that we alone will not suffice to defeat the entity inside without you," Said Aegir. "Scaredy cat..." Oz sneered. "Then what are we waiting for? Let''s open this damn door!" Said Oz enthusiastically. *Baaaam!* Oz kicked the door and barged in together with his other clones, Gareth, Aegir, Ibra, Azaline, Gurolf, and Brad. But right after they entered the room, the door immediately got closed. Inside of the room is pitch black, but slowly, one by one, the torches hanging on the wall started to lit up by itself. Oz observes the surroundings, but his sight got disturbed by the scene behind him. "W-wait a minute, why does all of you follow me here!?" Oz asked Ibra, Gurolf, Brad, Geeta, and Azaline. Oz too focused on going to the tomb and had forgotten about their presence. "We need to ensure the safety of the king," Said Ibra, Brad, and Gurolf simultaneously. "You bastards... And you two? Why did you follow me here too?" Oz asked to Geeta and Azaline. "What? Am I not permitted to follows you around?" Said Geeta coldly. (Ah! I forgot! I haven''t cleared up the misunderstanding with her yet!) "The people from my village had settle peacefully, and it seems that there are no problems big enough to make me handle it personally. And the tomb you guys mentioned piqued my interest, please forgive my selfishness, your majesty," Apologize Azaline, even though her eyes didn''t seem to contain remorse for doing the thing she did. (What a great actress she is, her words and her expression are the textbook definition of contradiction!) "U-um... Oz... I think that you need to start focus at our opponent there..." Following Aegir''s warning, the intense killing intent they had been feeling since they came in suddenly got multiplied for a dozen folds. !!! Oz, Gareth, and Aegir could still stand straight and face the killing intent, but Ibra and co seem to be having difficulties on facing the intense killing intent. !!!!!! Oz, his clones, Gareth, and Aegir gushed out their killing intent simultaneously, making the tomb looks like it is having a small earthquake. Oz and co''s killing intent relieves the pressure at Ibra and others and gave them some space to breathe. The figure that owns the murderous intent seems to be surprised by the sudden presences that seem to be having greater murderous aura than him. The figure stands and his figure finally visible to Oz and co. Its red eyes shone brightly as if it''s furious because of Oz and co''s presence. [Type: Lich [King] level: 312 Strength: 4.000.000 Agility: 100.000 Vitality: 7.000.000 Mana: 15.000.000 Spiritual: 9.000.000 Skills: -Arch dark magic -Arch demonic magic -Arch fire magic -Arch ice magic -Arch earth magic -Summon advanced undead -Curse of the king of death] Chapter 31 - Tomb of Undeads [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] -----------------------------_----------------------------__------------------------------_-------------------------_------------------------------- A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called immurement, and is a method of final disposition, as an alternative to, for example, cremation or burial. Sometimes, the corpse that had been placed inside the tomb could regain their spirit that should be lingering at the afterworld because of the dense death mana inside of the tomb. A corpse that regains their spirit and regains the ability to move is called undead. -------------_-------------------_------------------_------------------------_----------------_----------------------_------------------------_---------------- [Type: Lich [King] level: 312 Strength: 4.000.000 Agility: 100.000 Vitality: 7.000.000 Mana: 15.000.000 Spiritual: 9.000.000 Skills: -Arch dark magic -Arch demonic magic -Arch fire magic -Arch ice magic -Arch earth magic -Summon advanced undead -Curse of the king of death] Oz quickly used his appraisal card and gasped after seeing the skills the lich king possessed. "All Of you, be aware of his magic," Commanded Oz. Bam! The lich king slammed his staff to the ground. All the torch''s fire suddenly lit up ferociously, making the room suddenly bright. Crack! Crack! Sounds of bones cracking appeared coming from the torches. There are about 200 torches in this room and every torch in the room emits the sound of bones cracking. Slowly, white skeleton warriors appeared from every torch, jumping out from it. Dozens of skeleton knights appeared from the torch''s huge fire. "T-this... this is the ''summon advanced undead'' magic! Only an entity with a king rank or above could use this spell!" Shouted Gareth. "You know this spell, Gareth?" Asked Oz. "Y-yes, master... This is the ''summon advanced undead'' magic! He''s opening a portal by using the torches fire as the medium to summon his underlings at Gravendath!" Explained Gareth. Bam! The lich king slammed his staff once again to the ground, and 10 fully armored skeleton knights appeared in front of him. The skeleton knights emit a different aura from the skeleton warriors. They felt more ominous and seems to be a far bigger problem than the countless skeleton warriors. "These bones will be dead if we kill their summoner right?" Asked Oz. "Yes, master" Answered Gareth. "Azaline, Geeta, Fedra, Ibra, Gurolf, and Brad. All of you will be handling the countless white skeleton warriors. Aegir, Gareth, and my other clones will handle the skeleton knights. And the lich king is mine. Advance!" Commanded Oz. As Oz rushes to the lich king, Gareth froze the skeleton knights for a second to let Oz passes them and go straight to the lich king. Geeta and co spread to different positions and started to annihilate the skeleton warriors. The skeleton warriors are no match for them, but their number is the biggest problem. They keep on summoning without showing any sign of stopping. But Geeta and co are not weak. They cut the numbers of the skeleton warriors in only a few moments. Aegir and Gareth take one of the skeleton knights as their foe, while Oz''s clones will be facing the rest. Oz rushes to the lich king and summons the maleficent staff that he got from the demon duke''s loot. He swings his staff with a pure brute force to the lich king as the goblin king clone couldn''t use any magic. Boom! The lich king blocked Oz''s brute strike with his dark barrier, but the barrier seems to be not strong enough to block Oz''s strike. *Sound of glass breaking!* The barrier breaks and the lich king tried to block using his staff, but Oz''s strike got through both of the lich king''s staff and the lich king''s skull. Bam! Oz''s strike scattered the lich king''s body that made only from bones. But it surprised Oz that it only need one strike to defeat the lich king. He was expecting to has another intense fight, just like the fight between him and old man Kyron. (I-its over?) Oz turned his head to observe the others fight. The torches fire had already got back to its original form, and his clones together with Gareth and Aegir''s fight seems to be over soon. There''s still a lot of skeleton warriors, but Oz let Geeta and co to handle them, hoping that some of them will rank up like his clones. Following the prompts, blue particles started to appear in front of Oz and gathered to one point, forming another blue card. [Lich [King] [Special] [Develops] level: 312 Strength: 4.000.000 Agility: 100.000 Vitality: 7.000.000 Mana: 15.000.000 Spiritual: 9.000.000 Skills: -Arch dark magic -Arch demonic magic -Arch fire magic -Arch ice magic -Arch earth magic -Summon advanced undead -Curse of the king of death] Chapter 32 - Growth [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] ----------------------_---------------------------_---------------------------_----------------------_-----------------------_-------------------------- Together with Oz''s lich king clone, Gareth summons his servants from Gravendath the undead world. Oz''s lich king clone managed to support Gareth by using its enormous mana, making the summoning became successful. The tomb is not enough to maintain the enormous amount of Gareth''s servant, forcing Oz to expand the tomb another 5 levels underground with his nature magic. """Master...""" Gareth''s servants kneeled and greet their master. Gareth''s duke ranked servants; Dullahan and Death knight stand at the front of other servants and kneels. "Gyren... Cyran..." Gareth mumbled slowly as he observes his servants and his best friends at Gravendath. "I''m Glad that all of you survive..." Told him. "Yes, master... We followed your orders and hid at our secret base, we manage to deceive the enemies by sending a large number of foot soldiers to our main base. But may I know where exactly is this, master?" Asked Cyran the death knight. "I''ve summoned you here together with my master, this is the Ablux continent," Answered Gareth. !!?? The statement that came out from their lord makes them surprised, but it makes them happy too at the same time. "W-wait, your master?" Asked Gyren the dullahan. "Yes, let me introduce him. This is Ren, my master, and it means that he is going to be your master too," said Gareth. "Y-you, you became a servant of a goblin, my lord!?" Asked Gyren the dullahan with a protesting tone. "Are you doubting my decisions, Gyren?" Gareth asked him, and he gushed out his killing intent that had increased for hundreds of folds because of the rank up. !!!??? The killing intent makes Gyren get back to the kneeling position and plead for forgiveness; "I''m sorry, my lord. I''ve crossed the line, it seems that you''re not taking leisure here and keep on increasing your strength. But why do you serve a mere goblin that known to be weak by all of us?" "Hm? Weak?" Asked Oz with a deep voice. That words annoyed Oz, making him emit his killing intent that''s stronger than Gareth for multiple folds. Oz had a lot of experiences, and even without the stats and stuff, Oz with his Qi alone could make any entity within the Duke rank nervous because of his murderous killing intent. And now, he had the power from the goblin king, magic cards, and combined with his Qi and his immense experiences, he made Gyren the dullahan kneeling legs begin to sink into the ground because of the intense pressure. Seeing that the dullahan couldn''t endure much longer, Oz retracted his killing intent and said, "I''m Oz. And since now on, you will be under my rule. I''ve promised to Gareth that I will give the undead some area to make your own undead kingdom, You''ll still be under Gareth''s command, but Gareth will be under my command. I promised I won''t misuse you, or any of you, so build your kingdom from a scratch, starting from making a necropolis in this place." "Gareth, I''ll be leaving the growth of the undead kingdom in your hands, you''re free to plunder only from the are that the demons controlled. Restrain yourselves from having a conflict with other races," Commanded Oz. Oz left the tomb together with the rest of the group, leaving Gareth inside to coordinate together with his new group. It will be the beginning of the undead kingdom, under the Tarot flag. When Oz came out, it''s almost dawn, Oz withdrew his conscious back to his real body and take some real rest. *Sigh* "It''s been a while since I let my mind rest too, it seems that it is true, that not only body but your brain and heart also need a rest," Mumbled Oz as he started to visit the dream realm. --------------------------------------_----------------------------_-----------------------------_--------------------------_--------------------------------_----- Two months and a half passed. Just a few more days, Oz will have to go to the capital to enroll at the magic academy. The two months and a half passed so quickly, Oz rarely goes out of the orphanage, he spent his time playing and teaching the kids from morning until evening. As he spends his time a lot at the orphan, Oz and Elena got closer as well. Elena started to became more open and had already removed his wariness towards Oz. She always reminded Oz when it''s already time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Oz also taught Elena a lot of things, from swordsmanship to magic, Elena learns a lot from Oz, and she seems to have a talent at using a knife, making Oz doubt her whether she reincarnates from an assassin. Oz refrain from coming out of the orphanage is not because he''s not interested, but because the kingdom had become tenser lately, the kingdom''s relationship with the rival kingdoms had become worst day by day, and the foreigner at the land started to make a ruckus in a lot of places. Besides refraining himself from intervening, he also refrains from the kids to be interested to go outside, and to guard the orphanage because of old man Kyron that rarely went back to the orphanage. Oz is ready if something big occurred at the kingdom, he''ll call his troops at the tarot kingdom and escort the orphans and Elena to Tarot to protect them. In the evening, Oz will start to control his goblin king''s body to govern the kingdom. Oz will take a break for dinner and rest when it near dawn. Tarot had grown bigger in population. Fedra, Magra, and Azaline managed to invite a lot of people that eager to join our kingdom. Fedra and Magra got back to the kingdom a month after they got the orders. In the next month, they choose some goblins and orcs to go separate ways and find more people that are eager to join the kingdom. Every end of the month, they will come back to the kingdom bringing people that want to join with the kingdom. In the second month, seeing a lot of goblins and orcs coming together peacefully seems to attract other races about what happened. A pack of centaurs, kobolds, and gnolls asked permission to Oz to join the kingdom. The increase of races in the kingdom seems to encourage other races to join the kingdom too, making even the Lizardmens started to asked permission to join the kingdom too. At first, they underestimate the kingdom when they heard that the kingdom is ruled by a human. But they couldn''t help but gasped when they saw the soldiers of the kingdom and Oz. At the beginning of the third month, Aegir commanded to begin the construction of Oz''s palace, luckily Everdeen magic forest is very vast and magical, the undead under Gareth found some gold mines, iron mines, and other kinds of mines at his troops expedition on taking over the area controlled by the demons at the south of the Tarot kingdom. With the iron mines, the elves helped the kingdom for making the weapons and the armors, even if they''re not as great as the dwarves, their blacksmithing is still great. With Oz''s guide, the kingdom had grown prosperous, food is essential if Oz wants to increase the population, so Oz guides the builders to make a huge farm and ranch for the kingdom, they farm some edible monsters and with the help of the elves, they manage to farm some edible plants. The existence of the Tarot kingdom had spread wide to the whole Everdeen magical forest, as they knew that the undead troops that are taking over the area controlled by the demons are under the king of the Tarot kingdom, no entity at the forest is brave enough to assault a member of the Tarot kingdom. The undead had built their grand necropolis successfully, and the area Oz gave them had become the is filled with skeletons, ghouls, wraiths, specters, and much more undead, surpassing 10 thousand in number. The area had filled with a dense death aura because of the enormous number of the undead. But the undead are is not as scary as its name, they don''t plunder and assault randomly, and its as if the skeletons had their own conscious, they walk and run their activities just like a normal human. Gareth built a huge wall with black steel he got from the black steel mine that he found underneath the tomb before. Normal undead couldn''t talk, but they still behave like a normal person. It seems that only undead with a baron class above could have the ability to communicate. Azaline had also done a great job in governing the elves, every elf village in the Everdeen magical forest had heard the news of the rising Tarot kingdom, some villages immediately rushes to join the kingdom when they heard that Azaline''s village had also joined the kingdom, but some elf villages refused to join the kingdom, thinking that it''s a disgrace to their elf pride to bow to a mere human. Magra uses far extreme way from Fedra and others, he went to all of the orc clans, challenging every clan leader to fight with him and to join the Tarot kingdom if they lose. Magra had also ranked up to the [duke] rank, making his muscle that had always been big, got bigger than before. Tarot kingdom current population: -48,200 Goblins -36,000 Orcs -30,000 Elves -10,000 Centaurs -8,000 Lizardfolks -9,000 Kobolds -50,000 Undeads Surpassing one hundred thousand in population. Everdeen magical forest is very wide. If you go 124 miles to the south from the Grandaria kingdom, you''ll find the Tarot kingdom, nevertheless, even if you go another 1000 miles from the Tarot kingdom, you still won''t found the sign of an end of the forest. Oz''s aim for Tarot is far more than just a kingdom, he is hoping that he could build an empire that would rule various races. He gave the southern part of the empire for the undead kingdom, but he also aims to make other kingdoms under the Tarot flag at the south too, that could be under the surveillance of the undead kingdom. the west is for the goblin, orc, and centaur kingdoms. The east is for the lizardfolk''s kingdom, and he is hoping that there would be some other beastmen kingdom and Dwarves kingdom at the east. In the east, there will be the humans and elves kingdom. And the capital will be in the center of the empire, ruling all of the kingdoms from the center. Watching at the quick growth of the kingdom, Oz thought that his aim is not that far, and nothing could hinder the kingdom''s growth to an empire. Oz got a report from Gareth that they met a dead end of the ''taking control from the demons'' mission. There is a huge number of demons that are guarding the area, and there seem to be some high ranked demons guarding that area too, making them unable to continue their expansion. Hearing the report, Oz gave his command, "Aegir, call everyone, even Geeta and Azaline. Time to pay the demons what we owe them." Said him with an evil smile imprinted at his face. Chapter 33 - Request [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] ---------------_---------------------_----------------------_-----------------------_---------------_-----------------_------------------------_------------------_---------- Dullahan The Dullahan is depicted as a headless rider, usually on a black horse, who carries their head in their arm. Usually, the Dullahan is male, but there are some female versions. The mouth is usually in a hideous grin that touches both sides of the head. Its eyes are constantly moving about and can see across the countryside even during the darkest nights. The flesh of the head is said to have the color and consistency of moldy cheese. The Dullahan is believed to use the spine of a human corpse for a whip, and its wagon is adorned with funeral objects: it has candles in skulls to light the way, the spokes of the wheels are made from thigh bones, and the wagon''s covering is made from a worm-chewed pall or dried human skin. The ancient people believed that where the Dullahan stops riding, a person is due to die. The Dullahan calls out the person''s name, drawing out the soul of his victim, at which point the person immediately drops dead. -Book of the undead, Grandaria Library, Grandaria Capital ----------------_---------------------_---------------------_-------------------------_--------------------------------_---------------------_--------------------_------------------------- The sun is high above, it''s afternoon, and the sun is radiating a sweltering heat, making everyone couldn''t bear standing outside. *Sound of a door being opened* Today sword class had already finished, Oz is at the orphanage''s huge living room, having a warm chat with the kids, joking and talking about things. When Oz heard the sound of the main door, Oz''s eyes shone. "Old man? Is that you!?" Asked Oz with a huge voice. But the person who just came inside the orphanage keep his silent, making Oz anxious and left the kids to confirm the identity of the person who just opened the door. Oz rushes quickly to the main door, seeing that the figure who just came inside the orphanage is suspiciously using a cloak that covered all of his body, Oz dashes and strikes the suspicious figure using the wooden sword that he uses to teach the orphan kids. Boom! (Shit!) The figure leisurely caught Oz''s wooden sword that he had already infused and strengthen using his mana. "Not bad Ren, for you to be already in the Great swordsman rank by training for 3 months, you must be a genius!" Said the figure with an old voice. "That voice, and that tone that either mocking or praising... Old man! You''re back! Where have you gone in these two months!?" Asked Oz. Old man Kyron opened his hood, letting his white hair graciously fell. His face got more wrinkles than before, showing how much stress he had acc.u.mulated in these three months. "Let''s talk inside the living room," Said Oz after he finished observing old man Kyron''s condition. When they entered the living room, the kids are still leisurely chatting and played chess. When they saw an old man Kyron entering the living room, all of them had smiles on their faces and greet the old man. "Kids, go back to your rooms, let the old man Kyron relax here for a while," Instruct Oz to the kids. The kids love both Oz and old man Kyron, and they respected them. The kids obediently followed Oz''s command when he instructed them. They went out to their own room, some of them go to the backyard to play swords. "Nash, asked call Elena to come here, tell her that old man Kyron had just got back," Oz told Nash. "Okay big bro!" Said Nash cheerfully. He''s very happy seeing old man Kyron back, he wants to hug him but Oz said old man Kyron is tired, so he refrains himself from doing so. "Bill, Ted. Please serve some tea for us," Asked Oz to the fat kid with short black hair, Bill. And his best buddy, the skinny kid with brown hair and a pretty face, Ted. ""Yes, big bro Ren!"" Answered both of them. "What''s the condition, old man? Your face seems to show how much distress you''ve been having lately..." Asked Oz. Hearing Oz''s question, old man Kyron only closes his eyes and said "I don''t think I need to answer, your eyes seem to tell me that you''ve already reached to a conclusion," Oz followed suit, he closes his eyes as well, gathering his thought. "As from what I''ve seen, the Gracewield and the Potterland''s people had been increasing lately, and they''ve also sent some ''peacekeeping troops'' here. It means that slowly, our queen''s authority began to weaken. I''m guessing there are some noble that join hands with either Gracewield or Potterland kingdom to conspire against Grandaria kingdom," "The fact that your condition got worst simultaneously with the Grandaria kingdom''s condition, it means only one thing, you''re in the direct orders of the queen, am I right until this point?" Asked Oz while he opens his eyes. "As usual, great deduction, Ren. Grandaria kingdom will prosper under you," Said the old man Kyron. "I humbly reject that thought, I have no dreams to be the hound of this kingdom, I won''t sell my freedom that cheap," Said Oz with a shrug. Old man Kyron snorted. "I wonder whether it''s your real opinion, or it''s just you being sarcastic," Said old man Kyron with a smirk. "I''ll leave it to your imagination," Answered Oz, smirking. Oz misses this kind of chat with the old man, he''s one of the people that Oz had vowed to protect inside of his heart. *Sigh* Old man Kyron gave a long sigh, Oz felt that his face ages faster when he sighs, making his heart worried. "Just like what you''ve said, Ren. The kingdom''s condition is like a tree on the verge of collapsing. The king is still too young, he needs to hide longer at the shadows before he could take the throne." "Those despicable nobles are planning to make a coup d''etat, one by one, they started to make more problems with the queen. And some of them conspire with Gracefield, and some of them with Potterland, little do they know, that those kingdoms are just using them!" Said old man Kyron with a face full of wrath. "Why don''t you eradicate them, then? You''re a sword god, right? There is only 1 sword god and 1 magic god in this kingdom, and you''re one of them. Doesn''t the kingdom give you some respect as you''re the guardian of this kingdom? You should''ve got the privilege to eradicate some nobles bastard," Asked Oz. "The problem doesn''t lie there, Ren. I do have the privilege to eradicate people who had the potential for threatening the safety of the kingdom, but our opponents here is not just an ordinary noble, it''s the prime minister, Keaton Baldwin. Not only as a devilish prime minister, but he also has high prestige in this kingdom, he has the title of a duke." "He is the one who''s having a cold war with the queen lately, making the queen let her guards down. He conspires with the Gracefield who had 4 Sword God and 2 Magic God. If I were to eradicate him, I''ll be the one who ended up eradicated," Said old man Kyron. Oz closes his eyes, and contemplate for a while. Bill and Ted had finished making the tea and served it at the round table. Oz gave them a smile of gratitude and gave them the sign to leave them for a while. "And that means if I, an unknown foreigner who killed that old bastard, there will be no harm towards the Gracefield kingdom, that''s what your words mean, I presume?" Asked Oz. "Definitely. as I thought, you remembered the request I''ve told you before," Said old man Kyron. "Of course, and I think this is the ''right time'' you mean for using me, right? And I hope you don''t forget my request too," Said Oz. "Hmph, I remembered clearly, the job will be tomorrow night, you can take the equipment you ordered at Owen''s blacksmith tomorrow. Let''s stop here, Ren. I want to lay my old body to the bed for a while," Said old man Kyron as he stands and walked to his room. Before old man Kyron''s long absence, Oz had requested a piece of equipment to be made in case his power will be needed. He draws the equipment that looks exactly from the game he likes when he''s a kid, the equipment from the assassin creed, the hoods, and the weapons, he draws all of them with full detail at the paper. As he talks with the old man Kyron, he didn''t realize that the evening had come, he went to his room and lie his body at the bed. He concentrates all of his focus to send his conscious to the goblin king''s clone. Both Oz and old man Kyron forgotten someone. The figure came inside the living room but found out that there is no one inside the living room. "Where is grandpa Kyron?" Asked Elena who just returns from the market. The Tarot kingdom''s army had already camped just 2 Miles from the demon territory, ready to attack anytime. All of them waited for Oz''s return and command. As Oz takes control of the goblin king''s body, he stands and said: "Attention all!" Everyone at the camp immediately stopped the things they''re doing and gathered in front of Oz, and kneeled. """Welcome back, your majesty.""" Said all of them in unison. "Today, is our first day, of declaring war with the despicable demons. Some of our people had experienced the brutality of the demons. They attack our homes, they deprive our peace, and assault us." Oz summons his maleficent staff and raises it high. "But today is our revenge. Stand proudly warriors of Tarot, as it''s time, to retaliate," """Roaaaaaar"""" Roared all of them, brimming with excitement. Chapter 34 - War! [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] ----------------_------------------_-----------------_---------------------_-----------------_------------------------_----------------------- When the sun had already gone to its slumber and amidst the piercing cold of the night. A tense atmosphere had enveloped the whole magical forest of Everdeen, all denizens of the magical forest of Everdeen knew what this atmosphere meant. It means war! But the demons are clueless about the atmosphere, they only left some of the demons to guard, and the rest of them seems to be in the midst of a feast. Seeing the demon''s commotion, Oz sent some of the high leveled undead under Gareth who is more accustomed to the darkness. The undead scout Gareth picked is a type of a Spectre [Viscount], it had the ability to be invisible and translucent, totally invincible to any physical attack. It went back to the camp after half an hour and reported all it saw to Oz and co. It said that the demons are feasting on the prisoners that they had captured from the tribes and clans they attacked. "There are a lot of races inside the prisoner cage, they had made a huge cage that is used to accommodate the prisoners. There are some goblins, elves, Orcs, Kobolds, and even Dwarves!" Said the specter, reporting. The report the specter gave lit up the wraths of the army, everyone clenches their weapon strongly when they heard the report. They remembered the faces of their loved ones and the faces of the people from their village that got killed by the despicable demons. "Control your wrath, change it into power. Since they''re holding a prisoner, we can''t be careless, it might be the card they''ll use to counter us. We need to stay calm, but kill mercilessly!" "I''ll be explaining our assault plan, there will be no repeat. They put the huge cage containing hundreds of prisoners at the center of their camp, while the main army led by Aegir is attacking from the north, I''ll be attacking from their south together with some of the undead!" "Gareth! I''ll take a quarter half of the undead army with me, you''re to be stick with the main army," Said Oz after explaining the plan. Gareth immediately kneels and said: "I''ll go together with you my lord, there is a lot of unpredicted danger that could appear there, I could be your shield when you''re in danger," "No, you had a crucial role at the main army, Gareth. Your undead army will be the shield of the main army, order all of the summoners and magicians to keep summoning the foot soldiers to exhaust the enemy, you''re necessary for keeping the casualties low. Led your army wisely, Gareth." Ordered Oz. "Yes, my lord," Gareth said while bowing his head deeply. ""We could follow you right?"" Asked both Azaline and Geeta. "No, it''s a couple of times more dangerous there," Said Oz indifferently. "You need an elf that could open all types of keys to save the prisoners right? And the one who''ll be leading the elves army is my second-in-command, after all," Said Azaline haughtily. "And I could help you distract the guards with my sleep magic," Continued Geeta, following Azaline''s way of speaking. "...." "Just take them, Ren. They''ll be useful," Advised Aegir to Oz. Oz sighs. "Fine then, just, be careful, and retreat when it''s necessary," Said Oz with a stern face to both of the girls, they immediately answered ''yes'' when they saw his stern face. Oz raises his right hand to the air, and all of the commotions before vanished to a deep silence. All of them could hear the sound of the wind because of the silence. "This, may not have the same result as the usual battle. All the battles we had faced before, had always resulted in no casualties. But the battle ahead of us, maybe not as easy as that. We had gone stronger because of our increase in number and our unity, but don''t let the current skills you have, made you arrogant." "There are lives that we need to save ahead, control your wrath, but don''t let it vanished. The wrath inside you will devour your fear and made you a dog that could swallow a wolf!" "Your life is important, but the lives of your comrades are your priority. Don''t let anyone of your comrades die, save them when they''re in a pinch, we had a strong enemy ahead, but we''re also strong ourselves. And we have the unity that they don''t possess. Don''t fear, and don''t die," *Roooaaaar* All of the soldiers roared after hearing Oz''s speech, his words ignited the flame inside their hearts, the feeling of solidarity and courage filled their hearts, making them couldn''t feel any fear. Oz raises his magnificent staff, and said the words the soldiers have been waiting from the start; "March!" Oz led the undead together with Geeta and Azaline to circle the enemy''s camp quickly. Oz only picked the swift ones and left the heavy-armed ones to the main army. There is a total of 30,000 soldiers at the army, Oz left some of the soldiers at the kingdom to guard. As Oz, Geeta, and Azaline circled the demon''s camp, the main army led by Aegir, marched slowly but steadily with a neat formation, all of them look valorous and heroic, anyone could feel the wrath from their steps. Oz formed a team of summoner comprises of undead that possesses the ability to summon lesser undead, their job is to continuously summon the foot soldiers throughout the battle. There is about 1000 summoner inside of the summoner team that could summon 5 foot soldiers every 1 minute, so there will be 5000 undead foot soldiers summoned every 1 minute. As the main camp marched, and they''ve got near the demon''s camp, the magician legion walked in front of the army, reading some incantations. Behind the magicians is the heavy armored tanks, with their shield ready. And behind the tanks is the infantries with their swords and spears, and behind the infantries is 5,000 archers with their bow ready to fire. Aegir looked at Fedra who gave a nod, signaling that the troops are ready to attack. Aegir replied with another nod, and take some glances at Ibra, Brad, Gareth, Magra, Gurolf, Razor the kobold''s leader, Talak the lizardfolk''s leader, and Firenze the centaur leader. All of them nod, showing that they''re ready. When Aegir glance a little bit more to the right, he saw the group of Oz''s other clones, and the lich king clone nodded to him. Seeing Oz''s clones together with the main army relieved his tense heart. Aegir smirked, he raises his huge greatsword forward. "ATTACK!!!" Aegir shouted with all of his might. The shout of the goblin king made sound waves to the demon camp, it''s more like a roar rather than a shout of command. It made strong wind crashes to the demon''s camp, and following the roar, hundreds of fireballs, and thousands of arrows showered the demon''s camp. The demons that are enjoying the feast got panics, just by that round of fireballs and archers, thousands of the demons got dead. All of them rushes to the front of their camp, readying themselves to battle. But their reaction is still late, the second round, the third round, the demons keep on taking hits and their formation is still a mess. As 7 minutes had already passed from the three rounds of ranged attacks, there is already 35,000 undead foot soldiers summoned. The magicians retreated to the back of the archers, and the archers shoot another volley of arrows, killing another thousand of the demons. But the number of demons can''t be underestimated. Even after all of those attacks, there still about 50,000 of them at the demon camp. But because of that number, they''re having difficulties in arranging the formation, their formation is still a mess. Seeing their messy formation, Aegir shouted another command with the same frequency as before: "MARCH!!!" *ROAAAAR* All of the soldiers marched with high speed towards the enemy flanks, Aegir''s and the rest''s roar staggered the demons, as another minute passed, an additional 5,000 undead foot soldiers got summoned from the summoner. As the troops got near the enemy, Aegir rushes in front of the troops and jumps. Booooooom! Aegir blast the ground with his greatsword, sending a hundred demons blasted away. "Attack!!!" Fedra and Ibra followed suit. "Don''t die, Fedra!" Shouted Ibra as he blasts away several demons with his hammer. "You too! Ibra!" Replied Fedra with another shout, as he spins his body together with his ax, slaughtering lots of demons. Ibra and Fedra use their herculean strength and slaughter lots of demons just by one swing of their ax and weapon. Different from Ibra and Fedra, Brad and Gurolf fight skillfully with wisdom. Brad switched between his short sword and his bow, he fights as if he had eagle eyes that watched from above, every time a comrade is in a danger, their enemy will get hit by an arrow that came from unknown place. His fighting skills and martial arts are far above Ibra, Fedra, and even Aegir. Gurolf fights rather scarier than before, he''s converting his wrath to mana, everyone could feel the wrath from the spells he used. He usually uses the spell very efficiently, using the spell with the lowest mana cost to kill, but today, he used advanced spells that cost a great amount of mana and blasts the demons with all kinds of magic. Gareth fights calmly as he always, and pierce the enemy flanks together with Aegir. His objectives are only one, finish the battle quickly and catch up with his master. The undead foot soldiers did a great job at the battle, they jumped to the enemies and made them open to be struck by the Tarot soldiers, and they would be a decoy anytime a soldier wants to retreat. Some of the demons started to think to run away, seeing the invincible enemy troops. The centaur sent away the enemies only by charging them with their mighty bodies, and they also have excellent swordsmanship. The elves excel in both archery and swordsmanship, and their agile body made them hard to be killed, furthermore, their great amount of mana makes them excel at magic too. The kobolds are firm and fast, their sword style is cold and merciless. They like a samurai that killed their enemies with one strike. The orcs stumbled the demons, their strength and power made them cower in fear, they ram their body when they can''t use their hands. The lizardfolk had an excellent spearmanship and unpredictable tails, they strike with both spear and strong tails, their scales are hard but they still covered themselves with armors, making them harder to get killed. The goblins surprised them the most, the coward goblins had become stronger and far braver than the centaurs and the orcs. The unusual swordsmanship that they learn from Oz made them totally invincible, not only their swordsmanship, but their teamwork with each other is also perfect. Tricking the opponent by switching opponents is one of the crazy tactics that they easily used. The Tarot kingdom''s troops easily overwhelmed the demons, and pierce through their flanks. There are still no casualties until this point and the soldiers are still as vigorous like before the battle began. Oz, Geeta, and Azaline had already arrived at the south part of the demon''s camp. The demons only left some guards that made to sleep by Geeta''s mind magic. Oz infiltrates quickly and silently inside, and arrived in front of the huge cage. But suddenly. !!!!???? 7 presence of high leveled entities suddenly appeared with their murderous aura gushed out from their body. 4 of them are in front of the main army. 3 of them in front of Oz, Geeta, and Azaline. "Shit..." Chapter 35 - Success! [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] ---------------------_----------------------_-------------------------_--------------------------_-----------------_------------------_----------------------------_------------------ [Type: Demon [Duke] level: 280 Strength: 4.000.000 Agility: 1.000.000 Vitality: 6.000.000 Mana: 15.000.000 Spiritual: 10.000.000 Skills: -Arch dark magic -Arch demonic magic -Arch fire magic -Herculean strength -Demon''s terror] (Damn... All of them are demon dukes!) (What the hell with that stats!? Their just a duke but has a status equal to a king rank!) (Geeta''s mind magic won''t work on it!) 3 demon dukes are facing Oz right now, red huge and burly bodies, long and sharp claws, and terrifying faces. But Oz couldn''t sense any sense of intelligence from them, as if they''re robots or clones. (Shit! Does it mean that I need to face these 3 demons all by myself!?) Oz analyzes the situations and arranges his strategies inside his brain, and said: "Geeta, led the undead to release the prisoners swiftly and retreat. Azaline, back me up with your bow," "B-but, I could help you too-" "You''ll be facing the opponents near the cage, there must be some powerful enemies there too, you''re to make sure that they will get out of here safely, now go!" Geeta immediately went together with the undead after hearing Oz''s stern instructions. Oz raised the normal-looking sword that Aegir gave him, he took some stances and observes the demon dukes. What worries Oz the most is not the safety of his goblin clone, but the safety of the elf girl behind him and the success of the rescue plan. He''s currently using the goblin [king] form, so he couldn''t summon the magic cards as he used to when he''s cornered. He could only fight efficiently with his decent sword and supported by his qi. Azaline pulled the string of her elven magic bow and shoots, opening the fight. The demon duke aimed by Azaline intercepts her arrow with his claws, but Azaline''s arrow is not a normal one, the arrow exploded when the demon duke blocks it, hurting him a little. All of the demons dukes dashes forward, and Oz dashes forward to prevent them from getting near Azaline. (As long I keep them on track for about 1 hour, it''ll be our win) Keeping his calm, Oz deflects all of the demon dukes attacks with his sword. Two demon dukes will dash to Oz and have melee combat with him, while one demon duke will stay behind and support them with the arch magics. *Sound of swords colliding* Oz clicked his tongue. (There are no openings...) While Oz is keeping the three demon dukes busy together with Azaline, he keeps on track the other clones of him on the other side. Aegir and Gareth are having one on one with a demon each. Ibra is facing one of the demon dukes, teaming with Fedra. Brad and Gurolf team together too to face the last demon duke. The only clones that have enough leeway to travel to Oz''s and Azaline''s position are only his skeleton [king] and griffin clone, the other clones are busy handling their respective opponents. Oz commands the skeleton [king] clone to hop on the griffin clone and travel to his place to support him. Having to battle with three demon dukes together with Azaline only is way too difficult, and Oz''s goblin duke clone''s mana is not infinite! He''ll run out of mana soon, and his qi can''t run efficiently as this is not his real body that has the real qi circulation. The battle has been going for 30 minutes, but there is no sign of ending, neither in Oz''s battle or Aegir and co''s battle. Even though Oz can''t feel the tiredness, his body still shows some signs of weakening. Getting unscathed when being a vanguard while facing three demon dukes with crazy stats alone is impossible. (As expected, they''re just clones...) (It seems that I underestimated their side too much) (They sent a soulless demon duke to defend because they''ve anticipated our assault! And judging from how coordinated their formation is, it seems that the one who summoned them is watching this battle right now,) Sensing something is coming, Oz sighed relief. Seeing Oz that withdraws his battle stance and sighed made Azaline frown, confused. ''Does he Gives up?'' Thought her. Oz''s figure made her stop shooting her magic arrows too, and suddenly, all of the three demon dukes jumps and dashes to Oz''s goblin duke clone''s position and is about to strike him with all of their might. But Oz remains idle as if he''s already given up. But when the three huge claws had almost cut Oz to shreds, Azaline caught a glimpse of something that doesn''t fit with the situation. Oz is smiling with his usual evil smirk and his eyes filled with confidence. Booooom! An explosion suddenly occurred, following with a cry from a griffin. The demon dukes got blasted away from the explosion, and bags of dust covered the whole battlefields, making it hard to see anything. *Sound of bones cracking* Following the sound of cracking bones, a skeletal figure appeared beside the goblin king. It''s Oz''s lich [king] clone, Azaline''s expression immediately got bright after she saw the sight. Hope started to come back to her heart, as the lich [king] clone''s magic is peerless. *Sound of stretching bones* Oz stretches his goblin [king] clone''s head and said while smirking: "Now, fight seriously, shall we?" Azaline pulled her bowstrings again, preparing to shoot, but she suddenly felt a gush of power streaming inside of her, the bowstring felt easier to pull and the bow felt lighter than before. Her mana that has been depleting because of the battle had also started to recover. It shocked her, but she realizes that the skeleton [king] clone is buffing her with his magic. "Thanks!" She thanked sweetly and shot three arrows simultaneously to each demon dukes. The demon dukes had already blocked her arrows before, but the damage from the arrows this time is far different from before, their explosion is also powerful than before too. It seems that the skeleton [king] clone had also buffed her arrows, making a smile to be imprinted at her face as she continues to shot another volley of arrows. The large explosion and the sudden boost of power at the arrows shocked the demon dukes, making them let an opening for Oz to strike. Oz''s goblin [king] clone dashes and strikes two of the demon dukes swiftly. The first demon duke finally dead, but the other demon duke seems only get a heavy wound. Oz doesn''t miss the opportunity and the skeleton [king] shot three huge fireballs to the wounded demon duke, burning it to cinders. The last remaining demon duke is still alive, but both Oz and the skeleton [king] clone suddenly sit down at the ground, making Azaline confused. Looking at Azaline''s confused face makes Oz laughed and said: "Don''t be confused, I''m giving the remaining demon duke for you to defeat, my skeleton [king] clone will boost you and assist you when you''re in pinch. So fight with all your might!" "E-EH!?" Azaline let a surprised sound. As she about to rebuke at Oz''s sudden command, the demon duke dashes at her and about to strikes her, making her to unwillingly swallow back her words. Azaline took a breath to calm her and stares at the remaining demon duke with a cold gaze. As she observes her opponent, she saw that there are some wounds at the demon duke''s body that Oz had inflicted before. But there is one different wound that is deeper than the others. "Lucky..." Azaline whispered. "Swift winds... Guardian of nature... Be my arrow''s guide and let it pierce my enemies" Azaline chants with elven language. The arrows that had already buffed by the skeleton [king] clone''s magic, got another boost, Azaline shot the arrow and the arrow pierce the deep wound that Oz had already inflict it before, piercing the demon duke, giving it a huge hole at its stomach. "Good job! As expected of the elven princess!" Oz praised her. "Of course! I can''t let you underestimate the title of the elven princess!" Said the elven princess while swaying her hair gracefully. The battle ended with great success. The undead summoner that summoned the undead foot soldiers had the greatest role in keeping the casualties zero. There are some who got injured, but fortunately, there are no casualties. The foot soldiers took all of the damages and jumped in when someone is in danger, making no one have the chance to got hurt or got a severe wound. Seeing the countless undead foot soldiers made them feels that they had multiple lives, their morale got heightened and they fought triumphantly. There are hundreds of people inside of the huge cage that came from several races. There are goblins, elves, orcs, kobolds, and several dwarves. Geeta led all of the prisoners out of the cage and went back to Oz''s position, but unexpectedly, Aegir and the rest of the army also arrived at the same time with Geeta. When Azaline looked at the prisoner''s direction, she seems to be looking for someone as her face gradually look paler and paler, seeming to didn''t find the person she''s looking for. When Oz about to console her, someone taps her shoulder from her back. "Princess!!" The figure said to Azaline. Azaline turns her back and closes her mouth with both of her hands because of the surprise from seeing the figure. Tears gradually gather at the corner of her eyes and slowly falls to her cheeks. "Em!" Azaline shouts the name belongs to the person in front of her and jumped to hug the person. The other elves gathered behind the figure Azaline called Em and waited for the touching reunion to end. "Princess," Em said. She got away from Azaline''s hug and kneels to her. "We''re deeply ashamed for getting a multiple defeat from the demons. Our village got attacked when we let our guards down, and not only we became their prisoner, you even went personally to the battlefield to rescue us," As she said this, all of the elves behind her also kneels to Azaline and apologized. Hearing this line, Oz approaches Azaline and asked in a low voice that only both of them could hear it. "Oi! Don''t you come from a different village? Why does this girl call you princess too? Doesn''t every elven village had at least one princess on their own?" Asked Oz. Azaline turns her head, facing Oz, and said with a frown: "Of course not! What do you think a princess is!? We originally come from a kingdom that had a huge castle in the forest, but you humans came with your greedy eyes and assault us! You burn our kingdom and kidnap our people to be made slaves!" When Azaline shouted these words, her eyes are filled with scorn and hate, layers of bad memories started to storm her brain, and the scenes and shouts from that time gushed like water that fell from the waterfall. Seeing Azaline''s state shocked Oz for a moment, but he could only stay silent as he himself is a pure human, so he could only apologize and wait for Azaline until she calms down. (Seems like that topic is a taboo to be discussed from now on) "S-sorry..." Oz said while shifting his eyes away from Azaline''s gaze. "Eh!? Ah! Sorry, the bad memories possessed me. It''s okay, Ren. You''re different from the humans that attacked my hometown, you don''t have the greed at your eyes," Azaline recovered her cool and said with a kind smile. *Cough Cough* An old cough suddenly heard from the side, Oz shifted his gaze and found out that dozens of dwarves are standing beside him. "Hello young un! Are you our benefactor!? We old dwarves want to express our gratitude to you, do you have some time?" Said the old dwarf while stroking his beard with his hand. Chapter 36 - Dwarves [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] -----------------_-----------------------_---------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------_----------------------------_------------------_-------------_ "My name is Thydal! Are you the king these mans mentioned?" Asked a short burly man with long orange hair and beard. His voice is so loud that Azaline got startled because of it. Six dwarves are standing behind him, their short bodies confirm their identity as dwarves. But amongst them, he''s the burliest and biggest one. Seeing the dwarves makes Oz remembered a tale from his old world, a story where a girl being helped by seven dwarves, similar to the dwarves in front of him. "Yes I am, I wonder what the brave dwarves need from me?" Said Oz politely, Thydal wides his eye a little when he heard Oz''s words, showing a sign of surprise because of Oz''s politeness. But he immediately regains his composure and bows his head a little and said: "What an honor to meet you, your highness. We dwarves give you our utmost gratitude for saving our lowly lives, we dwarves respect you from our deepest heart for the fact that you, a king, went personally to the battlefield and save people. I wonder how we could pay you back for your kindness?" Asked Thydal. "No need to be too humble, dear brave dwarves. To avoid misunderstandings, I need to inform you that this body is nothing but a mere clone, so I doubt it could be said as the heroic act of a king. My real identity is just a human, and saving all of the prisoners that the demons imprison is a promise that I made to my people, so there is no need for you to pay me back," Said Oz with a kind smile. Thydal seem to be shocked when Oz said that the body he''s using is just a clone, and his shocked got multiplied when he heard that Oz is a human, considering how humans are hostile with almost all races in the world, seeing Oz leading the army with no humans inside it made Thydal to be shocked. But just like before, maybe because of his experiences and old age, he regains his composure quickly. "But without you, we dwarves would only be a corpse that got sacrificed by the demons, as we''re just dwarves with no home, we could only offer you our knowledge, I wonder if the human king that lead a lot of races will accept my offer?" Said Thydal. The knowledge of the dwarves is alluring, but as a person from earth, getting compensation from doing a good deed gave a bad after-taste to him. "Hm? Not that I''m not interested in the knowledge you possess, but I refuse to make a good deed as a trade. But I do interested in some words that you''ve said. If you don''t mind, would you tell me what do you mean by ''we are dwarves with no home?''" Asked Oz as his eyes narrowed. Hearing this question, Thydal raise his head a second to take a glimpse of Oz''s face, but he immediately lowered his head deeper after it. ''Maybe, maybe this young king could help us!'' thought Thydal inside his head. "It''s nothing to be proud of, it''s just, we''re banished from our own kingdom, the dwarves kingdom, because of treason. I wonder if your highness could accept these lowly dwarves to your country even though we''ve accused as a traitor before. But there is nothing we could do if you refuse us, as we''re just traitors that got banished from our kingdom..." Said Thydal with a hoarse voice. Silent enveloped the place for a moment, Thydal and the dwarves behind him keep their heads down, like a criminal admitting their sins. Oz''s silent made worries not only the dwarves but to Azaline that had been eavesdropping the conversation from the start too. "Fine, I accept all of you," Said Oz full of determination. "A-are you serious, your highness?" Asked Thydal. "I just couldn''t imagine any of you doing a crime or something that similar to treason. So I conclude that your king or your lord must be the one whose corrupted," Said Oz with a kind smile. "H-how could you end up to that conclusion?" Asked Thydal with his voice raised a little. "It''s simple, you said that you want to pay back my kindness right? But doesn''t it just you defending the integrity and pride of the dwarves by not owing to any other races? Or maybe it''s just my thoughts messed up because of your alluring knowledge. Now tell me dear my new dwarf friend, does my deductions right?" Asked Oz with a half-joking tone. The dwarf widens his eyes and mouth because of the surprise, he thought that the young king he''s requesting is going to be a better king than his former king. He just thought that the king in front of him had some charisma and kindness at the same time, making him want to serve him. But no one could expect that the king''s charisma is far more than he expected, no wonder even the arrogant elves accepted to be under his rule, and not just the charisma, he''s eyes are full of wisdom, making Thydal questions Oz''s age. Thydal broke into laughter when he remembered Oz''s half-joking tone. "It''s exactly like what your majesty had said! I''m worried about whether the king is wise or not and whether the king will accept us or not, but who''ll expect that you actually saw through us! Not just the fact that our former king is an asshole, but you seem to notice that all of us, dwarves, have a bold personality! It''s our greatest pleasure to be your subjects, your majesty!" Said Thydal cheerfully. Having the dwarves to the Tarot kingdom is hugely good news for Oz. (Weapons! Buildings! All of them finally could be improved drastically!) Oz silently cheered inside of his heart. Having the dwarves at the Tarot kingdom will give a huge boost to the weaponry and building constructions. Anywhere, Dwarves are famous for their blacksmithing and their crafts, all dwarves are an expert in terms of making weapons, crafting, and constructing. Even though Oz had handled the construction of the kingdom personally until now, but with the dwarves present, the construction will have a great boost! "Well, Thydal, since I can''t stay too long, you could rely on this girl if you have any questions," Said Oz smiling while tapping Geeta''s shoulder. "E-eh?" A strange voice came out from Geeta''s mouth as she''s surprised for both the sudden touch and the sudden job she just tasked with. "Help me out, Geeta. You''re the only one I could rely on this job!" Said Oz with his thumbs up. "Haah... Fine, you better compensate me with something later," Said Geeta helplessly. (Ah!) Oz suddenly remembered something and approaches Azaline. "Don''t forget to ask the elves about your mother, maybe one of them knew something," Said Oz to Azaline. "Ah! Thanks for reminding me!" "My pleasure, send my regards to the others, I need to go," Said Oz to Azaline, and the goblin [king] clone''s eye lost its light, just like a soulless doll. The sun is back from its deep slumber, illuminates every detail of the Grandaria kingdom. Different from the earth, the air here is more fresh and cold, maybe because there are no pollutions in this world. Oz opens his eyes and stretched his body. *Sound of bones cracking* "Ugh... My body feels stiff!" Complained Oz. The morning is more excited than usual because of the old man Kyron''s presence. All of the kids miss him, making the breakfast rowdier than before. Today is a break day for Oz, there will be no sword lessons today. Right after Oz finishes eating his breakfast, he cleans up his dish and prepared to went outside, but when he''s about to step out from the dining room, Nash and Elena block his way. "U-um... I believe I''m free today..." Said Oz with a wry smile. ""Where are you going?"" Asked both of them. "I-I have a business outside with an acquaintance of mine, though. Is there a problem?" "You actually forgot your promise to me! I can''t believe you, big bro!" "It''s bad to lie to someone, Ren. Especially to kids, what if they imitate you?" Nash and Elena keep on complaining to him, but Oz seems to not remember any promise he had with them. Elena lowered her spatula that she had been pointing at Oz with, and sighed. "You seriously forgot your promise, huh." Said her. "Huh? Promise?" Asked Oz, dumbfounded. "Ugh... You promised the kids that you''ll bring them to a stroll at the town don''t you remember? And you said that you''ll buy me something..." Said Elena with a pout. (Damn!) (I forgotttt!!! It''s a promise that I made in a split second when they''re trying to bother me last night! Since I need to send my conscious to the goblin king clone I made that verbal promise to silent them!) (Who''ll expect that they''re remembered about that verbal promise I made!) "Ugh... Fine! Go call the others! Remember, anyone who won''t listen to my words must go back immediately to the orphanage, okay?" Chapter 37 - The Stroll [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] ----------------------------_--------------------------_-------------------------_------------------------------_------------------------------_-------------------------_----------------------------------------- ---Grandaria Kingdom''s Royal Palace--- "What do you mean, Duke Baldwin?" A cold voice that could pierce and instill fear in anyone''s heart sounded. The owner of the voice is the current ruler of the Grandaria kingdom, Queen Tiffania. As the queen''s son, the king''s whereabouts are unknown, the queen decided to sit on the throne herself. In front of the ice-chilling queen, a bald old man is kneeling in front of her. His face is full of wrinkles, and he has long white mustache and beard. The queen can''t guess what expression the old man had right now, as he lowered his head deep to the ground. "As I''ve said before, joining hands with the Gracewield kingdom will be the best option for us. As they''re known for their remarkable soldiers, they would be able to defend us and makes the other kingdom hesitates," Said the prime minister calmly without minding the ice-chilling aura radiating from the queen. They''re currently discussing the kingdom''s condition that gotten worse each day. Both Gracewield kingdom and Potterland kingdom had openly shown their willingness for war. The problem had reached the pinnacle to the point that war could break out at any moment. But the queen steeled her stance, she''s decision is solid, the Grandaria kingdom won''t be asking the help of any kingdom, as the position of the king is being replaced by her, and lots of people will aim for the throne. ''One of them is this bald old man in front of me though'' Thought the queen of Grandaria kingdom. Joining hands with other kingdom is followed with a big risk, the risk of having a noble plotting together with another kingdom to snatch the throne is a risk that the queen couldn''t take. "My decision will not change, I won''t join hands with those impure kingdoms," Said the queen with a voice as firm her face. "If you reject that option, then the last option would be searching for the king to take the throne soon. We should deploy our soldiers to find him," said the prime minister. "He''s too young, he has not enough experience to be a king yet, we''ll wait another year before we search for him, that is my royal decree," The queen coldly said and stand from the throne, and went to her room. As the queen left, the prime minister raises his head, his expression is now clearly visible, but if the queen saw the expression at the prime minister''s face right now, his head would be cut right away. It''s an expression of a lecher, an old fox, and a villain. He walks to the throne and strokes the armrest. "Both you and the queen soon will be mine..." Said the old man evilly. ----------------------_------------------------_------------------------_---------------------_--------------------_--------------------_-------------------------_-------------------_------------ "Where are we going, big bro?" Asked Nash with a face full of smiles. Strolling around the city already felt like having a fun vacation to another country for the kids, they stayed inside of the orphanage for too long that they look like country bumpkins. Watching the enthusiastic kids somehow pains Oz''s heart. He wants to make them happy, but the situation is rather dangerous these days, and the atmosphere is getting tenser each day. "We''re going to old man Owen''s place, and then we''ll go stroll the town and find a place to eat lunch, it will be my treat today," Said Oz kindly to the kids. """Yeay!!!""" Shouted all of them. All of the orphanage kids followed Oz for the stroll, there are only 27 kids at the orphanage, and all 27 of them followed Oz enthusiastically. Their smiles removed the tense atmosphere from the Coldmore city. People will occasionally stop to observe the lively and adorable kids and went back to their own business with a smile imprinted on their faces. The kids have the unusual lively aura that is transmitted to others, anyone who passes the kids will get smiles imprinted on their faces. "How lively, to think that these kids will change the atmosphere of the city with a normal stroll..." Said Elena, amazed. "It could be said as a normal outcome. Because of the neighborhood kingdoms that started to invade our kingdom slowly, people''s wary had got heightened to the top, and the rumors that war could be broke anywhere and anytime makes them felt tense every day," (Oz) "They doubt each other because of that, especially to foreigners. Seeing the kids that walk without any worries and with a pure aura radiating from their faces soothes the heart of the people, in other words, it''s been a long time since they saw such pure and sincere smiles," Explained Oz while he keeps on walking with his normal pace. "Hm... Is that so?" "Yup, ah! We''ve arrived!" Said Oz, they''ve arrived at Owen''s smithy, their trip feels fast because they are engrossed in conversation. "Owen! You there?" Called Oz as he enters the smithy. "Yo! Young man! What''s your business?" Asked Owen with his usual loud voice. "I come for the thing I requested, old man Kyron told you my orders right?" Asked Oz. "Ah! I remember! What unusual equipment you ordered to me kid, it''s the first time I made that suit!" Said Owen enthusiastically as he went inside the smithy room to take the item that Oz requested. "Well, it''s more like a combination of a cloak and a suit, though. But it''s one damn good gear I made for you, kid, so you better don''t lose your life out there," Owen''s voice became serious when he said those words. He put a bag filled with the equipment Oz requested. "What do you know, Owen?"Asked Oz as he senses some weird feelings when he heard Owen''s words. "Lower your voice, Ren. You''re taking a shady task from old man Kyron, right? If it''s not that, that busy old man won''t be coming here personally, relax, I''m on your side," Said Owen with a shrug. "Is that so, you have my thanks, Owen," Said Oz as he took the bag and said: "I''ll treat you to something later, wish me luck," and left the smithy. The kids seem to become impatient as they waited for Oz outside, Oz apologizes because of the wait, and continue their trip. "So? What''s inside that bag?" Asked Elena. "Hm? Just some pieces of equipment I ordered," Answered Oz indifferently. "Hm..." Even though Oz had answered Elena''s question, but Elena still feels that the answer Oz gave her is still too vague, and she''s unsatisfied with the answer. "What is it?" Asked Oz as he''s disturbed by Elena''s gaze. "Nothing... It''s just, maybe I need to decrease your food from now on, our money is getting tight, after all," Elena said indifferently. "Ugh..." Oz let out a sigh. "It''s the pieces of equipment necessary for old man Kyron''s request, I''m helping out your kingdom so please don''t decrease my portion," Said Oz helplessly. "Is that so? I''m just lying about decreasing your food, though. But since you told me what inside, maybe I''ll make some sweets for desserts tonight, it''s been a while anyway," Said Elena cheerfully. "Request, huh..." Mumbled Elena softly. (She doesn''t seem to question it, huh. Does it mean that she knows about the whole matter?) Oz observes Elena''s expression for a while, but it seems to be futile. (I can''t read anything from this girl...) "Big bro! Big bro!" Nash suddenly called out. "We want the candies there, can we buy it!?" Asked Nash cheerfully as he pointed a candy shop. "Yes, but don''t buy too much, or I''ll have no money to buy the lunch after this," Answered Oz helplessly, he could only give a wry smile, seeing the bankruptcy alert in front of him. (My payment... These kids do know the way to extort people) Seeing Oz''s wry smile, Elena kindly smiled and said: "Why don''t you buy the double head candy there, all of you liked it right? And you can share in twos," "Thanks, Elena. I owe you one," "It''s fine, they love that candy anyway," Answered Elena kindly. (W-what a saint!!!) Oz secretly praised Elena inside of his heart, tears almost fell as he thanked his money saver in front of him. The trip went smoothly, even though the kids ate the lunch noisily and rowdy, the restaurant''s atmosphere got lightened up because of them. When they arrived at the orphanage, the kids immediately went to their own room to sleep because of the trip and their filled stomach. Oz went to his room too, it''s still in the middle of the afternoon, but Oz had an appointment in the night with old man Kyron so he needs to use his time wisely. Oz went to his room using siesta as an excuse and sent his conscious to the goblin [king] clone. Oz opens his eyes, his goblin [king] clone had already back at Tarot, he''s now sitting at Aegir''s home chair where he usually had meetings at. "Eh?" (Oz) "Ah! Are you back, Ren?" Geeta''s voice sounds out from the distance. "Y-yea, why are you here? No, why am I here!?" Asked Oz, confused. "Aegir asked me to wait for you back, so I wait while reading some books that I haven''t read yet," Answered Geeta indifferently. "Hm... Is that so? Okay then. What''s the status?" Asked Oz. "The prisoners we freed, happily accepted our offer of joining us, they currently helping out at the construction of their houses. There are no problems until now, though." (Geeta) "How about the dwarves?" (Oz) "Their presence greatly boosts out development, all of the constructions advance smoothly because of them, greatly reduce the duration of the usual works," (Geeta) "They taught the elves and the orcs about the ways of blacksmithing, and they personally take over all of the construction matters, they said that they''re going to make the biggest and the most gorgeous castle on the world," (Geeta) "Ah! I almost forgot! Brother-in-law asked me to report to you that they''ve found the thing that the demons are protecting at the war before," (Geeta) "What does he found?" (Oz) "He said that he found a dungeon!" (Geeta) Chapter 38 - New Sets of Equipments [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] -------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------_---------- "A dungeon?" Oz asked with a surprised tone. "Yes, a dungeon. It''s totally different from the tomb we ventured before, both in mana amount and difficulty," "At the tomb before, the skeleton [king] supply the mana for the undead habitant of the tomb. But in this dungeon, just by entering the first floor, the enormous amount of mana could be felt, there must be a dungeon core inside of it," Explained Geeta. "A dungeon core..." Oz muttered slowly. "Aegir and Co are venturing the dungeon right now, he said that he will report to you personally when he''s back," Said Geeta with a smile. "Okay then, if Aegir''s handling the matter personally, there will be nothing to worry about. I''ll just handle other things while he''s out," Said Oz leisurely. Geeta smiled as she understood how deep Oz''s trust to Aegir from that sentence. Oz wandered the developing Tarot together with Geeta, the only executives that stayed is only Azaline and Ibra. Oz visited all places and all races, and finally, he went to meet the dwarves. "Hey, Thydal!" Oz called to dwarf that''s seems to have got drown at his thoughts while sitting on a wooden chair. The dwarves got their own respective homes quickly, and they design their own homes that suitable to their taste. "Yo! Your highness! What brings you here!?" Asked Thydal with a frank attitude. "Just wandering around, what''re you troubled about? You seem to be in a very deep thought," Asked Oz. "Um... Actually...." Thydal explained the things that currently troubling him, it looks like they''re in a shortage of manpower, there are too many constructions undergoing, and almost all men are busy with their own jobs. "This country got a lot of potential in developing! But we''re lacking on manpower!" Said Thydal with full of ambitions. (Manpower, huh...) Oz contemplates for a moment, and suddenly an idea struck his head. "How about using the undead?" Oz suggested. ""The undead?"" Asked both Geeta and Thydal. "Yea, the Tarot''s undead had some intelligence too, it''ll be easy to command them!" (Oz) "Hm... You''re right, as long as there is someone who could command them, the construction will go smoothly," Mumbled Thydal. "Okay, then! Let''s try it immediately!" Said Thydal enthusiastically. Oz, Geeta, and Thydal went to the undead territory and told Gareth about Oz''s idea. Gareth react positively when he heard the suggestion, it will be another breakthrough at the kingdom construction and development. The suggestion Oz made succeed beautifully, the undead have their intelligence and they don''t feel fatigued, commanding them is easier and they don''t need to rest, the construction of the kingdom got boosted greatly because of it. "Hm... Going with this pace, your palace would be finished in another four months, your majesty!" Said Thydal with full of vigor. "Great! It will be easier for us to declare our kingdom with the castle! Great job, Thydal!" Oz thanked with a thumb raised. Oz continued to wander with Geeta to the kingdom''s smithy and found that the smithy had gotten more developed and advanced. The dwarves had made a lot of tools in such a short time, making both Oz and Geeta shocked. "T-the quality of the swords and armors are top-notch! As expected of dwarves!" Oz praised with his eyes sparkling as he observes the swords. (If the quality of the swords and armors keep on developing... We could flatten any country!) As Oz''s imagination had started to gone wild, Geeta tapped his shoulder. "Hm? What is it, Geeta?" Asked Oz. "One of the goblins said that brother-in-law is back, let''s meet him," (Geeta) Oz and Geeta went back to Aegir''s home to met Aegir. When he arrived, Agira the loyal partner of Aegir is already lying down in front of the house with its huge body. "Ren! You must be waiting," (Aegir) "In this kind of situation, I''m the one who should be saying that though" (Oz) "So? How''s the dungeon?" Asked Oz while observing Aegir''s body. (No wounds, huh) "It''s unimaginably huge," Aegir said with a serious expression. "Huge?" (Oz) "Even though the monsters are weak, but even after the other executives and I explored it personally, we still couldn''t find the stairs leading it downwards, it is so wide that it one floor is as wide as a huge forest," (Aegir) "It''ll need a long time to explore it thoroughly, sorry for our incompetence, Ren," Aegir said with his head slightly bowed. "It''s fine. Since the floor is wide enough, just let the soldiers train there too, tell this to Fedra and Ibra later. If the floor is as wide as what you described, we''ll going to need a large number of soldiers to explore it rather than just a few people," (Oz) "Using them to explore will also give them battle experiences, let them retreat when they face some opponents with zero possibilities to win and asked some higher leveled one to take over," (Oz) "I''m thinking to make some fighting style for each species, I think it''ll be useful for them. I''ll teach you, executives, each a fighting style too, and you''ll be teaching some of it to the army, it will increase our army quality, until now, they''re fighting with only they''re brawn but with no brain," (Oz) "From now on, there might be some time that I can''t go back to take over this goblin [king] form, so I''ll be needing your help to handle the things together with the other, Aegir, please forgive me," Said Oz with a helpless smile. "It''s fine, Ren. It''s my pleasure to help our king!" Said Aegir kindly. Oz smirked. "Thanks, man. Well, I''ll be going then," Oz suddenly bid farewell. "Wha- Where are you going? It''s haven''t even dawn yet" Asked Aegir. "I got a business on the other side, just ask Geeta later," Oz said indifferently and sent his conscious to his real body. "..." Oz silently observes his room at the orphanage. (The atmosphere is so different, huh) When Oz prepared to raise his body, suddenly someone knocked at the door. *Sound of knocking door* "Ren, are you awake?" A hoarse voice sounded from the other side of the door. "Old man? Yes, I''m awake!" Answered Oz. "Prepare yourself, the promised time almost arrived," Old man Kyron said and the sound of his footsteps started to get farther. Oz got up and took the bag that he got from Owen, and took out all of the bag''s contents and equip all of the pieces of equipment. The equipment he got is exactly what he had ordered to old man Kyron. (Damn! That Owen uncle is awesome! To think that it is exactly the same as what I had in mind!) What Oz uses is something similar to a black robe, The upper body featured a hood with the center shaped to resemble an eagle''s beak, which was connected to the robes, with the torso bearing an open collar. The lower part of the robes was doubly layered, with the back of the robes trailing down to be longer than the front. Around the waist was a long red sash with pouches attached to a belt, holding smoke bombs, poison and medicine vials. The belt also held together scabbards holding throwing knives flanking it. The robes featured a leather spaulder where a cape was attached, dr.a.p.ed over and around Oz''s left arm and shoulder. Oz also uses some black armors at some points of his body: A pair of black gauntlets, a pair of black greaves and black iron shoes, and a jet black b.r.e.a.s.tplate and plackart. The robe only consisted of black and red color together with an armored pitch-black mouth mask and two long swords sheathed at his back, making Oz looked like a terrifying assassin. After checking and satisfied with what he saw, Oz got out of the room to meet the old man Kyron in the living room. The moon is high above, everyone should be sleeping right now, but Oz and old man Kyron is still awake with a firm expression imprinted on their faces. "What good equipment you''re using there, Ren. No wonder it costs a little expensive," Old man Kyron said as he scans Oz''s equipment. "Cool, right?" Oz asked with a smirk. "As cool as it is, whether you succeed the task or not is far more important," Old man Kyron said with a voice as firm as his expression. "Even though you''ve grown your mana cultivation to the great swordsman rank, no, wait, you''ve grown again haven''t you kid? I could sense a Master Swordsman rank from you now," Asked old man Kyron while he narrowed his eyes. "As expected of you, old man. You realized too quickly," Oz answered leisurely. "I''m right! You really are a genius in cultivation! But don''t let this praise made you lower your guard, even though you''ve entered the master swordsman rank, you''re still at the first level, right? You must still proceed cautiously," Old man Kyron exclaimed. Every rank of the mana cultivation had three levels, and each level had its own difficulties themselves. The hardest obstacle is the third level, there is a large gap between the third level and into raising a rank. Oz trained easily as he mastered the knowledge of meridians and qi, he figures out the secrets of the mana cultivation quickly. "Yes, old man. Don''t be too serious, I could make even you a sword god face some difficulties, there won''t be any trouble on killing a despicable duke," Oz said with a smirk. "Don''t get too c.o.c.ky, kid. Keep cautious, retreat if you''re in a dangerous position," Said old man Kyron still with his stern voice and face. (This old man cares for me deeply, huh) "Yes, I''ll be careful. Wish me luck then old man, don''t forget the payment," Oz said and left the orphanage silently to the darkness with his black mask on. (Time to do my first assignment...) Chapter 39 - First Mission [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 500 Agility: 10, 000 Vitality: 2, 000 Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 1, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] ---------------------_--------------------_-------------------------_----------------------------_--------------------------_------------------------_----------------------------_-------- Magic Weapon A magic weapon is a weapon that infused by a dense amount of mana that helps the wielder to uses a skill that they didn''t possess. A great quality magic weapon could only be made by a highly-skilled blacksmith like dwarves. A magic weapon could boost someone status and power spontaneously by multiple folds, and according to its rank, a magic weapon could grant the wielder a skill, there are 8 ranks in terms of magic weapons: -Low Class: 1 Skill -Medium Class: 2 Skill -High Class: 3 Skill -Top Class: 4 Skill -Legacy Class: 5 Skill -Relic Class: 6 Skill -Legendary Class: 7 Skill -Divine Class: 10 Skill There are only a few legendary class magic weapons in the world, The Endless cold sword, the One light bow, and the Holy light shield. There is still none of the divine class magic weapons ever found in the world. -Magic Engineering -Grandaria Library -Grandaria Capital ------------------_-----------------------------_----------------_-----------------------_-------------------------------------------_-------------------_-------------------------_---------------------_ The sun had switched its shift with the moon, together with the enveloping darkness and the sparkling stars, a shadow is stealthily wandering around. "Duke Baldwin''s residence is a mansion, but it could actually be called as a fortress. About three hundred guards are patrolling it and on each side of the walls held an alarm bell that used to inform of danger, you need to proceed cautiously and ensure that the bell won''t ring," "Duke Baldwin''s chamber is on the top floor, the fourth floor. As long as you sneak in silently, you could consider yourself safe, because there are only a few guards patrolling inside of the mansion," Oz could still remember clearly old man Kyron''s instructions to him. Oz jumped to a huge tree near the wall to sneak in and get into the mansion''s rooftop. The guards patrolling on the rooftop is weak, Oz just knocked them down with his fist and hide them at the sides. Oz entered the mansion from the rooftop and scans his surroundings, only to found out that no guards are patrolling at the stairs to the rooftop. (That damned old man actually right, there are only a few guards patrolling inside of this freaky huge mansion) Oz never let his free time to get wasted, when he''s free, he''ll use it to whether train his qi cultivation or mana cultivation. His mana cultivation is currently at the Master Swordsman rank, and his qi cultivation is at the Core transformation realm, his stats had become far higher than before. (The mana cultivation really does helps me recover my body, I could feel that I almost reached my former body state! Ah! It''s been a while since I checked my status, I wonder what it had become) When Oz chant the word "Appraisal", the prompts that he hadn''t heard for a long time finally appeared once more. [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] (Wha- Finally! I could see the stats of the mana and qi together! Does it because I''m currently checking my stats while using both of them together?) Oz contemplates a while but immediately dispel his thoughts. (Let''s focus with what in front of us first) Oz starts to sort out his strategy once more. There are two options to enter the duke''s chamber, the first one is to enter right from the chamber''s room main door, but after Oz entered the fourth floor, and took a peek of the frontside passage, there are eight guards with a minimal of master swordsman rank guarding the chamber door. The second option is to enter the chamber from its balcony, Oz could get into the balcony from the rooftop, and only three guards are guarding the balcony. (Let''s just enter from the balcony, I can''t afford to fail this mission after all) Oz went back to the rooftop and jump down to the balcony, stunning all of the low-ranked guards with his bare hands. The balcony''s door and window''s curtain are shut closed so Oz couldn''t see anything inside, but he could still hear a conversation from outside with his keen hearings. "The queen had lost her vigor, even though she tried to hid her fear and hesitation, but I still notice her wavering eyes, the plan should proceed as we planned," A deep and calm voice belongs to aged men could be heard by Oz. "Splendid plans, Duke Baldwin. It''s an honor for the Gracefields to aid you, you''ll be a splendid king of Grandaria," Another voice sounded out. (Four... No, five... And all of them have the cultivation of master swordsman rank or above) Oz tracked the aura of the people inside with his Qi and measure their power, if the curtains are opened, Oz would be able to appraise their status with his appraisal card. Oz prepares his throwing knives and envelope it with his qi and mana, five knives, he''s planning to kill all of them in one strike and finish the ones that manage to survive with his swords quickly and flee. But when Oz''s about to open the door, a sound that he didn''t want to hear, sounded out. Ding! Ding! The sound of the alarm bell rang out and screams from the guards cover the duke''s chamber with tension. Oz could hear the sounds of swords colliding and the groans of the guards, sensing the abnormality, Oz camouflage himself with the dark balcony walls with his illusion magic and covered his presence with the ''Stealth Soul'' qi technique. *Sound of a door being opened* The balcony door opened and five people, fully armed, came out from the chamber with a grim face, they scanned the resident state from the balcony calmly. Oz immediately recognizes his target as old man Kyron had to describe duke Baldwin''s appearance. (What a shiny head) Boom! The main door of the chamber opened with loud crashed sound, the five old men immediately ready their swords and observe the source of the sound calmly. Oz couldn''t see anything inside the chamber as he''s camouflaging with the balcony''s wall. The figure that barged into the duke''s resident with such a flashy way slowly came out from the duke''s chamber. His attire is an attire that every assassin would use, the only unusual thing is the fedora that''s as black as the attire that he''s using. "You seem to have a lot of enemies, duke Baldwin," Said one of the old men to duke Baldwin. "Sadly, you''re right. So? Who are you? Do you think you could leave this place alive after making such a big mess?" Asked the duke arrogantly. The fact that the duke''s answering arrogantly and that the five old men aren''t showing any sign of fear makes Oz tilt his head. (Judging from the mana color, that assassin must be at the sword saint rank, but why do these old men could still stay calm even though they knew it?) (Are they idiots? Or....) !? All of the five old men unleash a mana aura that didn''t inferior to the assassin''s mana, Oz could see that the assassin''s surprised when he saw their mana. Not only the assassin but even Oz himself is also surprised seeing the spectacle. "I don''t know who you are, but you''ve made a mistake coming here," Said the duke while he shoots a beam of light to the sky. (Shit! He''s signaling for reinforcement!) Duke Baldwin snorted. "Nice guts, to not waver when facing five sword saint rank at the same time, who are you?" Asked him arrogantly. But the assassin remains silent, he waved his hand a little, and blue particles suddenly appeared from the thin air and gathered at his right hand. The particles gathered and it changed to a sword, when the sword appeared, the temperature seems like it got lowered for a multiple Celcius, making Oz feel some chill at his back. !!?? (T-that!?) Not only Oz but even the five sword saint facing the assassin also wavered when they saw the sword appearance, a sword as white as a snow, and a sword that brings an everlasting chill. "T-the legendary class sword, ''Endless Cold''!" Duke Baldwin exclaimed with a surprised face. "Hmph!" One of the sword saints snorted and dashes to the assassin. *Sound of swords colliding* (A tie... No, the assassin is a little bit stronger...) Judging by the mana cultivation rank, the assassin''s rank is still at the first tier of the sword saint rank, but the sword saint attacking him is already at the bottleneck of the sword saint rank. When their swords met, the assassin shows some superiority in power, furthermore, the sword saint''s slowly froze because colliding with the ''Endless Cold'' sword. But the other sword saints including duke Baldwin don''t stay idle, they rushed to aid their comrade and attacked the assassin from various angles. (Seems that my throwing knives won''t be useful here, it''s been a long time but, I''ll be needing to use the magic cards again) Oz withdraws his throwing knives and ready his magic cards, four number ''10'' cards, and four number ''9'' cards are ready at both of his hands. after enveloping them with mana and qi to boost the power, Oz waited for the right timing. (Now the question is, should I kill the assassin too or not, moreover, his sword is very alluring to steal) When the sword saints attacked the assassin at the same time, the assassin muttered a word: "Disperse!" Cold mana force gushed out from the assassin''s body with great power, making the sword saints got bounced back because of the powerful force. "Shit..." Cursed Duke Baldwin. (Hm? It seems that it''s not a normal power that the assassin used...) Their body that contacted with the cold force started to freeze, even though their sword saint mana is powerful, but they still couldn''t dispel the curse from the legendary sword ''Endless Cold''. *Sound of a lot of footsteps* (Shit! Reinforcements are coming!) Oz started to get uneasy as he''s still waiting for the right moment to kill his target. Fortunately, the bodies of the sword saints started to freeze more, their movement got numb, and they''re still trying their best stand up. The assassin walked slowly to duke Baldwin, his eyes are as cold as his sword, Oz felt a deja vu when he saw those cold eyes. Duke Baldwin''s body had frozen, but it doesn''t restrict him from moving, the assassin took the bait and let himself to be at duke Baldwin''s striking range. All of the sword saints, including duke Baldwin, rushes and strikes the assassin once more. But their movement is not as swift as before because of their frozen body. (Chance!) Oz threw all of the cards to the sword saints, four number ''9'' card to duke Baldwin''s head, and the remaining cards to the remaining sword saints. The assassin manages to block one of the cards with his sword but got pushed back because of the great force, the remaining cards cleanly pierce duke Baldwin''s head. *Sound of blood splattered* (Mission success) Seeing Duke Baldwin and the other four sword saints successfully killed, Oz unleashes his mana and qi in full power and retreat with full speed. Oz''s full speed is very quick, but he could feel that a presence is following him at the same speed as him. (Following me, huh. Let''s see what you got) Oz wanted to immediately report to the old man Kyron about the mission''s success, but he decided to change course. The assassin keeps on following him. But when they arrived at the magical forest of Everdeen, the presence of the man he''s chasing vanished. The assassin cautiously observes and searched for the mysterious man that suddenly stole his prey and killed all of the sword saints spontaneously. !!? *Sound of sword unsheathed* A figure suddenly appeared behind the assassin following with a terrifying murderous aura, making him jolted because of surprise, but he couldn''t retreat as two swords had already pointed at his neck. "So? I wonder what kind of face hiding behind that mask, would you be so kind as to show me your face?" Asked Oz with neither kind or cold voice. Chapter 40 - Another Encounter [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -fire magic -Fire Archmagic -illusion magic -water magic -light magic -nature magic -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God] ----------_---------------_-------------------------_---------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------_-------------------------_---- In the middle of the silent night, where the piercing cold could make anyone shivers. Two figure is still awake in the magical forest of Everdeen. A tense atmosphere enveloped them, one of them is aiming a sword at the other''s head. "So? I wonder what kind of face hiding behind that mask. Would you be so kind as to show me your face?" Asked Oz with neither kind nor cold voice. Oz''s voice is filled with a murderous aura, making the assassin''s leg tremble unconsciously. The murderous aura gushing out from Oz is enormous, even a sword god could get numb from just his aura. "Tsk!" The assassin clicked his tongue. "Disperse!" He said loudly. A same cold force that cursed the five sword saints appeared in front of Oz, different from those five arrogant sword saints, Oz skillfully deflects the cold force with his arch fire magic, but the assassin took the chance to retreat and made some distance with Oz. "Who are you?" a cold voice sounded. !? The coldness of the voice doesn''t surprise Oz, but what surprised him is the fact that the voice he just heard is the voice of a female! Moreover, the feeling of deja vu started to get stronger in his heart. (Where do I know this girl from?) Oz tried his best to remember, but nothing rang the bell. Seeing the silent Oz, the girl asked once more: "Who are you? Who sent you?" Asked her with the same coldness. "Does your parents didn''t teach you manner, girl?" Asked Oz with the same coldness as the girl. "Wha!?" (The assassin girl) "You''re supposed to introduce yourself first before asking someone else''s identity," Told him indifferently. But the girl didn''t care with Oz''s answer anymore and snorted, "Hmph, nonsense!" Said her and dashed to Oz. Her strikes are fierce, but she lacks balance and power. Oz sheathed his sword and face the girl with one of his throwing-knife. Seeing Oz sheathing his sword and changing to his small throwing knife, the girl said angrily: "Y-you, are you underestimating me!?" "Letting your emotions lose control when facing an opponent stronger than yourselves shows your immaturity, I didn''t say that I didn''t underestimate you, but I prefer using ''You''re not worthy for my sword'' as the reason," Said Oz coldly. The assassin girl could only cower when facing the bitter-truth stated by Oz. "Y-you... Who are you?" This time, the assassin girl asked with an emotional tone. "Oz, a magician," Said Oz coolly, and suddenly vanished to the girl''s back. ''A magician that uses swords and knives? I can''t even sense any magical mana from him,'' Thought the girl inside of her mind, confused. Whooosh! Oz suddenly strikes, and the girl could barely avoid Oz''s strike, Oz''s speed surprised her greatly, but luckily the ''endless cold'' sword boosts her power, helping her to evade Oz''s strike by a hair-breadth. But Oz''s strike is more than that, he threw the throwing knife he wields to assassin girl with terrifying speed. !!! As the girl is still at her dodging position, she hadn''t regained her balance yet, her lips tried to chant one of the legendary sword skills but her voice won''t come out. Oz''s increasing murderous intent makes her throat dry. Facing Oz''s inevitable strike, she could only close her eyes and surrender to fate. But Oz''s aim is not her head. But her mask. !? The mask fell slowly to the ground, showing the face of its owner. The sight of the face made Oz utterly surprised. (I-I-I-It''s the arrogant girl from before!!!) It''s the face of the tomboy and cold girl he met at Owen''s smithy before! The girl closed her eyes and waited for the pain, but even after waiting for several seconds, the pain that she''s anticipating didn''t come. She slowly opened her eyes, thinking: ''I''m alive?'' But she regains her composure quickly, she realized that her mask is gone, and the thrown knife was aiming for her mask. She also realized that her opponent is surprised because of an unknown reason, making the murderous intent to disappear and her voice to come back. She took the opportunity and chant the skill of the ''Endless Cold'' legendary sword that she''s trying to use before. Their eyes. Met once again. "Petrifying cold," Oz suddenly felt a terrifying cold all over his body, his mana won''t come out, his qi won''t generate because his meridian flow is frozen. Oz''s completely petrified. (Shit! There are more skills!?) "One of the ''Endless Cold'' sword''s seven deadly skills ''Petrifying Cold'', Anyone who made eye contact with me, even if he/she is at the sword god rank or similar, they will still be petrified," The girl explains her skill even though Oz didn''t ask. "You... You didn''t try to kill me even though you could, who are you? Who commands you? I permit you to talk," Asked the girl. Oz''s frozen lips started to break free, and Oz could now talk. "Appraisal!" Oz slowly muttered. [ Name: Seraphim Grandaria Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+1,000,000 [Mana]) (+2,000,000 [Endless Cold Sword]) Agility: 30,000 (+1,000,000 [Mana]) (+2,000,000 [Endless Cold Sword]) Vitality: 200,000 (+2,000,000 [Mana]) (+2,000,000 [Endless Cold Sword]) Mana: 800,000 (+3,000,000 [Endless Cold Sword]) Spiritual: 300,000 (+500,000 [Endless Cold Sword]) Intellect: 200,000 Unique Skills: -Endless cold -Arch Water Magic] (As expected of the status of a sword saint, huh) (W-wait, Grandaria? Is she somehow, a princess of this kingdom!?) But a voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere, the prompt that Oz just heard at Duke Baldwin''s mansion, appeared once more. Oz confusedly heard the prompt while trying hard to process the new information he just got. "Hey, answer me!" The girl said domineeringly, and open Oz''s black mask and hood, revealing Oz''s brown hair and face. "!? You are!" But before the girl could continue her words, Oz cut her sentence. "Steal," Oz muttered. Suddenly the ''Endless Sword'' legendary sword that the girl''s using shone, it''s emitting a terrifying cold aura and seems to be out of control, making the girl panicked. "Wha-what is happening!?" The girl shouted, panicking. The prompts continued. After the last prompt finished, the ''Endless Cold'' legendary sword started to calm down. All of the terrifying cold aura that it gushed out before, vanished as if there are none, to begin with. Oz tried to move his legs, and he successfully walked one step, making Seraphim more surprised. "W-what? You dispel the spell?" Asked her confused. "I think so," Answered Oz indifferently. "H-how? Even a sword god shouldn''t be able to dispel it! Ugh... Even if you managed to dispel it, I still got more skills!" Said Seraphim angrily. She raised the legendary sword and made another stance. "Scatter!" Said her, but nothing happened. "W-what happened?" Asked her, as she tried to check at her sword, but nothing seems to be broken. "I don''t know the detail myself, but it seems that your sword could no longer harm me," Said Oz. Both of them are confused, but another danger suddenly appeared piling more problems for them. (What the hell!? Suddenly a quest!? Moreover, the penalty is too heartless!!!!) "W-wait, darkness lion?" Muttered Oz "Eh?" (Seraphim). *Sound of a beast growl* Whooosh! A huge figure suddenly dashed to Oz''s and Seraphim, a jet black figure in the shape of a terrifying beast. The darkness lion. Oz jumped and pushed the frozen Seraphim from the darkness lion''s strike. [Type: Darkness Lion [King] level: 344 Strength: 8,000.000 Agility: 6,000.000 Vitality: 18.000.000 Mana: 8,000.000 Spiritual: 2,000.000 Skills: -strengthen -Arch Dark magic -Arch Wind magic -Leap -superhuman strength -ruler''s aura -evil gaze -Leadership -Arch Shadow magic -Deathly Roar] "Shit! Doesn''t there only one darkness lion this forest!? How the hell could it grew so fast since the last time I encounter it!? And how the hell should I tame this overpower beast!?" Oz shouted, trying to protest about the impossible quest. Thump! Thump! Thumb! Thumb! Oz''s heartbeat suddenly raised quickly, with his current body, the darkness lion is too powerful, and there is also Seraphim that is currently still shocked at his arms that he needs to save, he can''t let the girl that probably the princess of the kingdom to die. {Use me} Oz suddenly heard a childlike voice that he''s sure coming out from the ''Endless Cold'' legendary sword. {Use me, master! Quickly!} The voice telepathically said to Oz. "Hey, give me the sword," Said Oz as he asked Seraphim to give him the ''Endless Cold'' sword. "W-what? Why? No!" Answered her, confused and panicked. "If you want both of us to survive, quickly give me that god damn sword!!!" Oz commanded her firmly. Seraphim still hesitated, but after she saw the terrifying darkness lion, her legs trembled and she gave the sword to Oz. "I trust you, I hope you won''t run away with the sword and leave me here!" She said with a pleading tone. "Ugh, shut up!" Oz said, annoyed. (If I let the darkness lion away, I''ll lose my powers and the orphanage might be in danger, I''m not doing this because of your god damn trust!) Oz cursed inside of his heart. Oz held the legendary sword, and make a stance. {Now, follow my chant} Said the childlike voice once more. "You, ignorant fools that forgotten the cold of the heart," "The cold of the nature that could freeze even the gods," "Tremble and cower in front of the absolute cold, Ezen Garde!" A tremendous amount of cold force gushed out from the ''Endless Cold'' legendary sword and envelope the darkness lion, the darkness lion started to felt suffocated and slowly froze. Oz felt feeble after using the skill, he felt that his body is so heavy that he''s having a hard time even to stand. Seraphim could only watch and stunned by the spectacle, Oz''s using the ''Endless Cold'' legendary sword''s skill that even she never used before. *Sound of ice shattered* The darkness lion frozen body suddenly shattered to air, leaving only a small figure lying at the ground. A small black cat with the same blackness with the darkness lion, it''s just like the mini version of the darkness lion, without its mane and terrifying aura. Oz tried to pick up the darkness lion, but when he touched it, the mini darkness lion transformed into black particles and vanished. Oz surprised when he saw it, but he sensed a familiar presence coming to his direction at a terrifying speed. Boom! The figure landed at the ground with a crash. "As expected, the mana I sensed is yours, Ren. And it seems that the other mana I sensed is also right, I wonder what does the princess of the Grandaria kingdom doing here in the middle of the night?" Asked the figure while he''s still covered by the bags of dust that appeared because of the crash. "G-Grandpa Kyron?" Said Seraphim with a surprised tone. Boom! The figure landed at the ground with a crash. "As expected, the mana I sensed is yours, Ren. And it seems that the other mana I sensed is also right, I wonder what does the princess of the Grandaria kingdom doing here in the middle of the night?" Asked the figure while he''s still covered by the bags of dust that appeared because of the crash. "G-Grandpa Kyron?" Said Seraphim with a surprised tone. Chapter 41 - A Disturbance [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Endless Cold] --------------_---------------------_------------------------_---------------------------------_--------------------------_---------------------------------------_---------------------------_----------- "As expected, the mana I sensed is yours, Ren. And it seems that the other mana I sensed is also right. I wonder what does the princess of the Grandaria kingdom doing here in the middle of the night?" Asked the figure, while he''s still covered by the bags of dust that appeared because of the crash. "G-Grandpa Kyron?" Said Seraphim with a surprised tone. "I-I... Um..." Seraphim can''t find the right excuse to say. Old man Kyron leaked a sigh, his aged face looked tired when he leaked the sigh, making Seraphim felt more guilty when she saw that face. "Princess... I told you that I will call you by myself if there is a mission for you. If you won''t obey the rule, I''ll tell you majesty the queen about this," Threatens the old man Kyron. "No! Please don''t tell mother, Grandpa!" Plead Seraphim. "Then you need to obey my orders, princess. Even if you''re at the sword saint rank, and possess the legendary weapon ''Endless Sword'', facing a real sword saint rank veteran, there are still big possibilities that you''ll lose, princess..." "If I don''t hire Ren to assassinate duke Baldwin too, you might die, princess." Said the old man Kyron with a stern voice, lecturing the tomboy princess. "You knew my plans all along?" Asked Seraphim. "Yes... I''ve become your mentor since you''re a kid, princess. I knew you better than yourself" Said the old man Kyron. Watching the drama of a grandchild and grandfather, Oz yawns, but he soon realized about something. "W-wait, don''t tell me that you actually hired me not only for killing duke Baldwin but also to protect this tomboy princess too? I demand more payment for this old man!" Oz protested. "Y-you! How dare you address the kingdom''s sword god an old man!?" Comment the princess when she heard Oz was calling the kingdom''s sword god as an old man. "Shut up, you tomboy princess. Your kingdom''s sword god had just scammed me! I demand more payment!" (Oz) "Shut it, Ren. The opponent is not even worthy for you, but since the princess manages to escape unscathed, I''ll increase your payment," Said the old man Kyron. "Yes! Thanks, old man!" Oz thanked. "Um... Grandpa Kyron? What is your relationship with this man?" Asked Seraphim. "Hm... I wonder what our relationship could be defined as. For some time he''s my sparring partner, but for now, I''m his employer," Explained the old man Kyron. "Sparring partner?" (Seraphim) "I''ll tell you the details later, princess. You must return, tomorrow you''ll be returning to the castle right?" (Old man Kyron) "Ah! I will take my leave then, good night grandpa!" Seraphim said and leave the forest after taking a glance at Oz. Oz glared at old man Kyron, annoyed because the old man used him. "Don''t be angry, Ren. You need to return and take some rest too, the magic academy grand opening will be started in three days, that''s why you''ll be going to the capital in the morning. I have some other business, you may return first," Old man Kyron said and leave without waiting for Oz''s reply. (Magic academy!? Finally!!) "Ah, shit! I let that old man ran away!" Cursed Oz. (Ugh, well. I don''t have any energy left to complain anyway, let''s just rest while there''s still some time left) Oz went back to the orphanage and went right to his room. And groaned as he lies at his bed. "Damn, my back hurts, doesn''t this a body of a 14 years old boy? How could it ache this much," Complained Oz because of his aching back. Oz took a deep breath. (Does Aegir and the others slept already? Well, let''s check some things out, The said dungeon piqued my interest too) Oz closes his eyes and sent his consciousness to the other side, but different from the usual, he sent his consciousness to the lich [king] clone. (This body stealth better than the goblin king clone, this way, I won''t disturb anyone) The reason Oz decided to use the lich [king] clone is that the goblin [king] clone is inside Aegir''s house, all clones other than the goblin [king] clone are stationed outside of the gates to monitor in case there is a danger, and to sacrifice themselves to buy time for readying the defenses. Oz uses his arch dark magic and flies, one of the arch dark magic''s advantage is that the magic wielder could levitate using a wing made by the concentrated dark mana. Oz flies and observes the kingdom state from the skies. Even though most of the people had already slept, Oz could still feel a warm atmosphere, a warm smile imprinted at Oz''s face as he saw the scenery. All of the races live and work together, no sparks of a fight and there is no contest of supremity. All of them only searches for a safe and peaceful place to live. There is still no money system at the kingdom, they used barter as a trading system, but Oz''s aiming to make a money system to make the economy easier. Tarot''s location is very strategic, the Everdeen forest supply a countless amount of magic beasts that could be hunted for meat, and a lot of magical fruits that also helps to develop mana cultivation. A lot of mines had started to be processed by the kingdom, gold mines, iron mines, and luckily, there is also a magic metal mine that found under Gareth''s necropolis, Thydal had started to make some prototype of the magic armor and weapons for the army to use. The other dwarves helped at the kingdom constructions, all of the citizens had their own respective house, but there are still a lot of empty spaces inside the kingdom, as Oz had started the plan of making it an empire. Half of each race had gone and made a civilization at the location Oz gave them. The undead at the south had made the most progress, their necropolis had already finished as they could work without having rest, and even though it had become the nest of the undead, no sinister and evil could be sensed from them. The land had also not got corrupted because of their existence, The trees don''t die because of their mana, and animals don''t run from them. Under Gareth''s rule, there are no unreasonable killings, as undead don''t need to eat, there is no need to take a life, this kind of life of the undead changed the perspective of the other races about the undead. At the west, the goblins, Orcs, and the centaurs had also started to make their territories. The goblins had a great number, so Aegir asked Geeta who had a smart brain to organize it, while the orcs led by Magra, and the Centaurs led by the centaur leader, Firenze. The orcs are fierce and strong, they adapt quickly and they stockpile a lot of hunted animals for their food. Magra''s leadership slowly grew as he learns from the other executives, people could now sense a wise feeling from him. The Centaurs are led by their leader, Firenze, a mighty and noble centaur. But centaurs had a high pride when he first came to Tarot, he challenges Oz to evaluate whether Oz''s worthy to be served by the noble centaurs. Centaurs are both experts in terms of swords and bow, and their charge when they used swords are formidable. But Oz still defeated him single-handedly, making the centaurs hold a high-esteem of him. The centaurs easily build their civilization, as they''re beings that live together with nature. Firenze sent some of his men to invite other centaur tribes to join him, to inform them that he had found a place that all races could be safe, and a peaceful kingdom that the centaur had been searching for, where no centaurs would be hunted and became slaves. Humans like to hunt other races to enslave them, centaurs are one of the targets of the humans, because they''re powerful and could become a powerful guard. Firenze deeply respected Oz as he rules all the races fairly and peacefully. The lizardfolk had also gone to the east, their leader, Talak, is strong and wise like a long-lived dragon. There is a huge river in the east, so Oz gave that territory to them. Talak''s name is pretty known at the Everdeen magical forest, even Aegir knew him, with the title of ''The descendant of the dragons'' Talak. Different from Firenze, Talak didn''t challenge Oz, he respectfully greets Oz and offered to join Tarot peacefully, he only evaluates Oz as he observes him in a short moment. Talak said that he''ll invite other beastmen to join the kingdom, he said that other tribes are just afraid to ask for joining, and some is whether clueless or too prideful to ask. Each day, lots of people from various races keep on coming.to Tarot to join under the flag of the magical cards. The flag with an image of love at the right top, the diamond at the left top, club at the left bottom, and spade at the right bottom. Oz flies and saw his castle that''s still under construction. (I wonder what it''ll look like when it finished) (Ugh, the dungeon interest me, but somehow, I think that I want to sleep) Oz landed and sent back his consciousness to his real body, and decide to sleep before the sun goes high above. But as he tried to sleep. "Don''t tell me, he''s dead?" A childlike voice that Oz heard before sounded. "I don''t know, I tried to wake him up multiple times, but nothing works!" The other voice that answered, have a deep and bass voice that filled with darkness. "....." (Oz) "W-wait, you''re awake don''t you?" Asked the childlike voice. Oz sits up and saw that on top of his body, there are a black cat and a white puppy standing on top of him. "What the hell are both of you are?" Asked Oz with a sleepy tone. Chapter 42 - Spirits? [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Endless Cold] -------------------_-------------------_---------------------------_-----------------_-------------------_-------------------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------- "Who are you two?" Asked Oz with a sleepy tone. (Appraisal) [?????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ???????????] [?????? ??????????? ??????????? ??????????? ???????????] (W-what the hell!? Their status won''t come out?) "You... To only wake up now... How much a sloth are you? Well, whatever, hello master, let me introduce myself. I''m the spirit of the endless cold, you could say that I''m the real endless cold" The childlike voice that Oz heard before, is actually the voice of a white puppy, she sounded a little proud when she introduced herself. "Sorry to disturb your night, master. I''m the spirit of the darkness lion, you could say that I''m a darkness spirit," A deep and bass voice came out from the black cat. "U-um... Master?" Oz asked, dumbfounded. "As expected, you''re clueless about it, we don''t know ourselves, but somehow, you manage to form a contract between us, and became our master. But I''m grateful for it because you unsealed me from that sword, though," Said the white puppy. "W-wait a second, you mean that I inadvertently made a contract with both of you? And what both of you are, anyway?" Asked Oz, confused. "Slow your pace a little, endless cold. Master had just woken up, suddenly barging him with such sudden information will confuse him. Just like what endless cold had said, master. While she''s the spirit from the ''endless cold'' sword, I''m the dark spirit from the darkness lion." The black cat with a deep and bass voice sounded again. "Same with the endless cold who got sealed at the legendary sword, I also got sealed as a darkness lion, but somehow, master frees us from our seal and made a contract with us," Continued him. "And because of the contract, our souls are now connected, master. So we could reside inside of your body, and you could summon us anytime," Said the white puppy. "Hm... So both of you are spirits that with an unknown reason, got contracted with me, so does it meant that I''m your master, and you will obey all of my orders?" Asked Oz. (It must be because of the prompts) "Hm... you''re not wrong, the contract prohibits us of denying your orders anyway, and we don''t have any problems having you as our master, as our memories are connected because of the contract, we basically know all about you, including your memories from your previous world," Said the white puppy. "What? Hm... That makes sense, I can''t do anything about it, anyway, but didn''t I should be able to see the memories of both of you too?" Asked Oz. "Well, what do you think, darky?" The white puppy asking the black cat''s opinion. "If it''s master, I''m sure he''s more than worthy to saw it," Answered the black cat. "Well, okay then," (White Puppy) "W-what are both of you talking about? E-eh?" Oz''s surrounding suddenly change, his usual room, changed into a wide, dark, and hot desert, but it''s not a normal desert. "T-this is..." The desert is full of dark and demonic aura, Oz could feel that every spot at the desert, even the sand comprises a dense amount of dark and demonic aura. BOOM! An explosion suddenly appeared at where Oz''s standing and the scenery once more changed. All of the deserts got enveloped by the fire, a blue fire that burns everything that contacted with it as if it would burn the air too. "Demon Emperor, you''re not accepted here..." Said a deep and bass voice, similar to the black cat''s voice. Oz finally caught sight of him and widened his eyes when he saw him. !!?? Its figure is different from the darkness lion he faced before, its mane is more graceful and fiercer, its body is far bigger, and its aura of darkness could make any weak-hearted person lost their consciousness. On his side, there is a huge white wolf that resembles a snow mountain, as if it could freeze anyone with its gaze alone. "We can''t let you make problems to this continent," Said the huge white wolf. (It''s the voice of the small puppy!) *Sound of laughter* Oz searches for the source of the laughing voice, and he saw a human, no, a demon that resembles humans with two horns at his head. He''s laughing evilly and said: "To have the spirit kings come and welcome my arrival personally! I''m honored!" Said him with exaggeration. A lion, wolf, eagle, gorilla, fox, and a pegasus. All of them had a huge figure and each of them had a different element. The demon emperor suddenly gushed out an enormous and deadly killing intent together with his terrifying demonic aura. The battle that could be defined as the battle of myth is occurring in front of Oz''s eyes. But before the battle came to end, Oz''s surrounding got enveloped by an endless lion. "To not even flinch when watching the battle that only happens at myth, as expected, you''re a formidable person," The voice of the black cat sounded. "Maybe because I watched a lot of this kind of fighting at my former live movies? Rather than that, what happened after the battle?" Asked Oz. "The outcome is a total defeat as he got the power from the demon god, he killed all of us, even though he couldn''t kill us permanently as we''re spirits, but we got sent back to the spirit realm, and the spirit king punishes us and sealed each of us in a different form for 5,000 years," (Black Cat) "The demons manage to cause mayhem to the world, but then, the heroes from the humans came, they gathered the warriors from various races to make an alliance, and ask a blessing from the spirit god. There, we spirit kings are allowed to come out once more and helped the heroes, but we''ll continue our punishment after the battle," (Black Cat) "The battle with the demon emperor and his underlings are fierce, we almost got wiped out, but the heroes manage to seal the demon emperor with their lives as the sacrifice, and the world got back to peace after that battle, and we, spirits, got our punishment continued," (Black Cat) "No one knows about how long the seal will last, and after the battle, 2,000 years had passed, for you to break our seal that should be unbreakable for the next 3,000 years, it''s unbelievable, master," Said the black cat. "So that''s the reason why both of you got sealed at those forms, huh. Demon emperor, huh..." Oz closes his eyes and seems to be thinking something, but he soon reverts to his usually calm expression. "Well, if the demon emperor appears, we''ll just wait for another group of heroes to appear and defeat him, I''ll only fight if he makes a problem to my territory," Oz said indifferently with a shrug. "But, what if you''re chosen by the gods to be one of the heroes?" Asked the black cat. "It''s simple, I won''t, my existence at this world is completely foreign, I doubt that the heroes of this world are an otherworld people too, There''s a lot people other than me, why would I be the hero?" Oz said calmly. A burst of laughter of a child suddenly sounded. "You''re truly interesting, master! It''s right, all of the heroes are people that are born and grow here, so there is only a small possibility that you''ll be chosen as the hero," Said the white puppy to him, while suddenly appeared from the darkness. "Well, if that''s your choice, I could only obey, master. That''s our stories, I wonder if you catch up until this point, master?" Asked the black cat as the surrounding went back to the usual room of Oz. "So basically, you guys got punished by the spirit king and suddenly your seal got broken by me, and you guys suddenly found yourselves contracted with me, right? Well, that''s cool, now may I went back to sleep?" Asked Oz. "Um... Actually, there is one more thing, master. We can''t regain our power before you gave us a name, could you please grant us one?" Beg the white puppy. "Name? Don''t you guys have one already?" Asked Oz. "We never contract anyone as we''re a king of our kind, they usually called us as dark spirit king or something like that," Said the black cat. "Hmmm... Okay then, you darkness lion, your name will be..." Oz thought a second and continues: "Reo, Reo Arken!" "Reo Arken... I like it," said Reo. "And you endless cold, you''ll be Fenrir! Fenrir Arken!" Oz said the new name of the little puppy. "Fenrir? What does that weird name mean?" Asked the little puppy. "In my former world, it meant the king of wolves," Explained Oz. "Hm... Not bad, Fenrir Arken, I accept that name!" Said the white puppy that resembles a puppy of a Siberian husky. !!!??? The room suddenly filled with a tremendous amount of dark and ice mana, Oz jolted in surprise because of the sudden appearance of the terrifying amount of mana, but he soon calms down when he saw that Reo and Fenrir are glowing. [Fenrir Arken]> (So the skills follow their granted name, huh) The prompt suddenly appeared inside Oz''s mind. "I''ve given you your names, now please let me rest," Oz said with a tired expression. "Yes, master!" Said both of them cheerfully. (They''re that happy because they regain their power, huh?) Oz lies his body on top of the bed and tries to sleep once more. "Um... What are both of you doing?" Asked Oz to the spirit kings of darkness and ice. "Your feelings are shared to us too, master. We''re also sleepy when you''re sleepy," Said Fenrir with her childlike voice. (Um... Your voice is cute, but please don''t disturb my sleep,) (Oz) (Actually, master. we could hear your thoughts too) (Fenrir) "Argh!!! Please leave me alone!!!" Oz shouted out of stress. [Name: Reo Arken Type: Dark Spirit [King] level: 372 Strength: 18,000.000 Agility: 9,000.000 Vitality: 60,000.000 Mana: 90,000.000 Spiritual: 30,000.000 Skills: -Aura of Monarch -Dark Forbidden Magic -Shadow Forbidden Magic -Darkness skill: Shadow Servants -Darkness skill: Decay -Darkness skill: Immortal Darkness -Darkness skill: The Curse of The Death God -Darkness skill: Shadow clone -Darkness skill: Ruler of the Dead -Darkness skill: Death Knell -Darkness skill: Darkness Veil -Darkness skill: Aura of Death -Darkness skill: Detonating Siphon] [Name: Fenrir Arken Type: Dark Spirit [King] level: 365 Strength: 16,000.000 Agility: 12,000.000 Vitality: 50,000.000 Mana: 90,000.000 Spiritual: 21,000.000 Skills: -Aura of Monarch -Ice Forbidden Magic -Water Forbidden Magic -Ice Skill: Evil Snowman -Ice Skill: Blizzard -Ice Skill: Demonic Ice Wolves -Ice Skill: Winter Moon -Ice Skill: Ice Guardian -Ice Skill: Frozen Armor -Ice Skill: Lord of Winter -Ice Skill: Abominable Weaver -Ice Skill: Climaclysm -Ice Skill: Endless Cold] Chapter 43 - Farewell [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] -----------------_------------------_--------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------_------------------------------_---------------------------_------------------------_----------- Magic Magic is an art of using a supernatural power that generated by the ''mana'' element that not everyone has, only several people may have the aptitude for using magics. Magic is feared for their explosive and magical function, they usually have a strong and formidable attack or a powerful magical barrier. There are four levels of magics. Basic --> Advanced --> Arch --> Forbidden Only sword gods could use the forbidden magic, and not all sword god could use it. Forbidden magic is a magic that could either annihilate a city in one spell or massacre thousands of people with one spell. -Book of Magics -Grandaria Library -Grandaria Capital -------------------------_-----------------------_------------------------------_-----------------------_--------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------_------------------------ "Ren! Wake up!" Elena''s voice faintly heard by Oz. "Ugh... What is it?" Oz answered half-awake, but he still didn''t change his sleeping posture. "Since it came to this..." (Elena) !!! Oz suddenly jumped to the side of his bed and made his stance because of the sudden appearance of a murderous intent aiming at him. But he finally realized that the person in front of him is Elena with her usual apron. "Elena... Waking up someone with blood thirst is a bad manner, you know?" Oz scolded weakly. (Ugh... Those noisy spirits keep on disturbing me, making it hard for me to sleep) Oz slowly stretches his back and shoulders to relieve the stiffness of his body. "Ren, grandpa Kyron said that you''re going to the capital today, is it true?" Asked Elena with a worrying face. "Yea... I was also just told last night," Oz answered. Elena let out a sigh. "Then you need to bid farewell to the kids properly later, okay? They''ll be sad if you go, but they''ll be sadder if you go without saying goodbye," Elena said as if she could read Oz''s thoughts about going without bidding farewell. "Yes ma''am," Answered Oz helplessly. (This girl... Is it your wife, master?) (Fenrir) (No, master haven''t reached the marrying age, it must be his Fiancee) (Reo) (Shut up both of you! And both of you''re wrong!) (Oz) "Ren, grandpa is waiting for you at the dining room, I''ll pack your stuff," Said Elena, hearing this line, Oz thought that it felt like they''re a newlywed or something, making him felt a little hot at his face. (Tsk! What am I thinking?) (Oz) "What''s wrong, Ren?" Asked Elena as she steps closer to check Oz. "N-no, I''m totally fine! I''ll leave it to you then, Elena, thanks!" Said Oz in a rush and went to the dining room quickly. (Seriously... These spirits are ruining my life...) (Oz) (Whoa! That''s mean master!) (Fenrir) (Fenrir, let''s take a break from teasing master, you''ll anger him) (Reo) Hearing the voices at his head, Oz could only leak out a sigh, as even his head is not a safe place to complain anymore. When Oz arrived at the dining room, the kids are still eating, and grandpa Kyron is sitting at his usual exclusive sit, that no kids dare to sit at. Oz takes his portion of breakfast from the foods that Elena had prepared, and sit at a sit next to the old man Kyron. "What is it, old man?" Asked Oz, a little bit annoyed as he remembered last night''s occurrence. "The carriage will arrive here in the afternoon, eat well and don''t forget to bid farewell to the kids later," Said old man Kyron as he continued eating the bread. "Is that all?" Asked Oz once more. "Nope, you''ll be continuing to have missions even at the magic academy, I''ll send a letter every time there''s a target, and the payment will be inside the letter," (Old man Kyron) "Different from the others, you don''t need to register first, but since the magic academy will need proof of your worth, you still need to attend some of their tests. The travel to the capital from this Coldstone city is about three days worth by carriage, preserve your health, Ren," Said old man Kyron with an unusual worry expression on his face. "Relax, old man. To ask me to preserve my health, do you got attached to me old man?" Said Oz indifferently. Old man Kyron snorted. "You brat, don''t get too c.o.c.ky, I can''t let a person I recommend got easily sick, it''ll disgrace my name," Answered old man Kyron with the same indifferent manner like Oz. "Hmph, I''ll miss your insults, old man," Said Oz with an emotional face, but his expression soon reverts to his normal calm expression and continue to eat. The old man Kyron didn''t reply to Oz''s words, he just continues his eating and closed his eyes. Oz opens a new topic to talk about, and they have their breakfast with a warm conversation. (I''ll miss this feeling... and this atmosphere...) The laugh of the kids with their innocence expressions. The insults from the old man Kyron that silently protecting everyone in the darkness. The caring and tenderness of Elena. Oz will miss all of it when he''s at the magic academy. The breakfast end and the kids gathered at the orphanage yard, today, it will be Oz''s last day of teaching them swordsmanship. "Everyone, today, I''ll teach you a special technique, I''ll only show this move once, the technique''s name is ''Savage Fulcrum''" Oz said. Oz approach a wooden scarecrow that usually used for swordsmanship practice, and made his stance. And suddenly, the temperature dropped greatly. Tink! Tink! Tink! Tink! Countless sound of sword slashes suddenly heard, and Oz straightens his posture, indicating the technique is done. And the wooden scarecrow got scattered to pieces. !!?? The most surprising fact is, what Oz just used is a wooden sword! All of the spectators got awed when they saw it, Oz didn''t use any mana, and he didn''t his Qi either, but somehow, different with the kids'' expressions, Elena just smiled tenderly seeing the scene. (WHOAA! THAT''S SO AWESOME MASTER!) (Fenrir) (As expected of our master!) (Reo) Fenrir''s shouted inside of Oz''s mind making him felt a little dizzy because of it. But Oz immediately regains his composure and he stands in front of all the kids. "As you just see, there is no mana used on my technique, and the technique even works with a wooden sword like this. The key of being strong is to train harder until you grasp the core of the technique. You don''t need the talent to learn my techniques, you don''t need mana, and you don''t need expensive swords, all you need to do is hard work and train!" (Oz) "This technique is my farewell gift to you guys, today, I''ll be going to the capital, I''ll be a student at the magic academy," (Oz) """Whaaaat??? Why???""" All of the kids protested when they heard Oz''s leaving. "It''s not that I won''t meet you guys anymore, I''ll be back at every holiday, so I want each of you to be able to use that technique already when I returned, okay?" Asked Oz with a thumb. "It''s such a great time being your teacher, today will be the last, but not least, of my swordsmanship lesson. Thanks for all of your supports until now you brats!" Oz thanked with a broad grin. """Ren!!!""" All of the kids went to Oz and hugs him, some beg for him to don''t leave, some of them beg for him to come back quickly, and some of them beg for him to bring gifts for them when he returned. "All of you," When Elena called them, all of them immediately went silent and release their hug, except one kid. "Nash... I''ll be back before you even realized okay? Don''t be so sad..." Oz consoles Nash that''s crying at his bosom. Oz leaked out a sigh and patted Nash''s head, saying: "How about this, when I come back, I''ll teach you all the techniques you wanted to be an assassin, deal?" "Really? Deal! It''s a promise okay!" Nash answered cheerfully. (This truly are bad for the heart) Oz felt that his heart is so heavy for leaving the children, he had made a very close bond to all of them, hearing their noisy and cheerful noise is already a daily routine for him, hearing them pestering and asking him to do something funny or tell them a story, all kind of memories started to show up, making Oz''s eyes felt moist. "Well, that is it, it''s almost time for the carriage to come," Said Oz as he guessed the time. "Yea, I''ve packed your stuff behind the Orphanage main door, let''s wait there, Ren." Said Elena. All of them went to the main door and found out that the old man Kyron is already there, watching a carriage in front of the orphanage. "It already here, Ren. I wish you the greatest luck," Said the old man with a rare smile and emotional eyes. "P-please don''t be like that, old man. It feels weird," Said Oz as he averts his moist eyes from meeting the old man Kyron''s eye. Oz took his bag and go out of the orphanage, but when Oz''s about to go the carriage. "Ren!" Elena called him. Oz turns his back, and an unexpected thing happened. !? (Eh?) Elena jumped and hugged him tightly, and said with a small voice that seems to be ont he verge of crying: "Come back quickly, okay?" Oz recovers from the shock because of Elena''s body that slightly shivered. Oz patted her back, and say: "Yes, I''ll try to return as soon as I could," with a tender voice. (See? It''s his wife right?) (Fenrir) (Girlfriend, Fenrir.) (Reo) Oz ignored the annoying comments of the spirits, and wait until Elena release him from the hug. When she released the hug, Oz took her hand and pretend to take a card from his pants pocket that actually summoned with his magic. "Hold this, if any case you or the kids get into any danger, use this, shout the name, at least it could buy you some time if the opponent is formidable," Said Oz with a firm voice while he put the card at Elena''s hand. "Orc Marquis clone card?" Elena said as she tried to read the card''s text. "Yes, it contains a skill of mine, just use it at emergency, okay?" Said Oz with a smile. (If the orc marquis clone got summoned, I will immediately realize the location where it got summoned, and I could also control the clone personally, not a bad idea, as expected of me!) (It will be so sweet if you gave her a ring and not a card, master) (Fenrir) (If it''s a ring, he already gave her one when you''re still sleeping, Fenrir) (Reo) (WHAT!? HOW COULD I MISS THAT!?) (Could you please be quiet for a moment!!!) (Oz) Oz wave and bid his goodbye to all of the orphanage residents, and enter the carriage, surprisingly, there is only him at the carriage, the coachmen hit the horses and the carriage started to move. Oz and the orphanage residents waved on each other, and a red ring at Elena''s right hand reflects the afternoon light, making Oz remember something and felt his face got a little hot. The carriage had started to get more distant until Oz couldn''t see the orphanage any longer, Oz took a relaxed posture and closed his eyes. (A magic academy life, huh... I can''t wait for it!) (Oz) Chapter 44 - Travel [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken] ---------------------_---------------------------_---------------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------_---- *Sound of a walking wagon* The wagon''s quite large, it''s not an expensive one, but a decent one. It could accommodate 6-7 people inside of it, but currently, there are only Oz inside. Lucky for Oz, the coachman seat has a connecting door with the passenger seats, making it feels like a private space. "Feels like a personal wagon, heh, I never thought that riding a wagon alone could be this comfortable" Oz muttered to himself. Together with the sound of a clone appearing, both Reo and Fenrir appeared with their mini form. "Whoaa, it feels nice!" Fenrir said with her childlike voice, as her voice shakes together with the wagon. Oz enjoy the feeling of riding a carriage, the wagon''s coachman is an uncle with a thin body, he''s not that talkative so Oz doesn''t chat too much with him. He said that he had become a coachman since he''s young, being a coachman is like flipping a palm for him. "Master, I want to buy a wagon one day!" Fenrir said enthusiastically. "Where will you get the money from?" Asked Oz with a sarcasm. "Of course master will buy it for me, right?" She asked her with a begging face, but her puppy face that looks like a Siberian husky''s cub is very cute. "I''ll consider it later," Answered Oz with his eyes closed. "I''ll also support if you want to buy a carriage, master. It''s comfortable," Said Reo. Just like kids that love the shakings from the car, both of the old living spirits are getting excited just by riding a wagon. (Well, I enjoyed it too, though) (Oz) (Rather than that, last time, I couldn''t appraise them with my appraisal card, since I already gave both of them their names, I should be able to see their status right? Well, let''s try the most efficient way) "Fenrir, Reo, come here and step at this at the same time," Oz instructed them as he summons the appraisal card at his hands. They obey Oz''s instruction and step at the appraisal card together. "Appraisal!" Oz said. [Name: Reo Arken Type: Dark Spirit [King] level: 372 Strength: 18,000.000 Agility: 9,000.000 Vitality: 60,000.000 Mana: 90,000.000 Spiritual: 30,000.000 Skills: -Aura of Monarch -Dark Forbidden Magic -Shadow Forbidden Magic -Darkness skill: Shadow Servants -Darkness skill: Decay -Darkness skill: Immortal Darkness -Darkness skill: The Curse of The Death God -Darkness skill: Shadow clone -Darkness skill: Ruler of the Dead -Darkness skill: Death Knell -Darkness skill: Darkness Veil -Darkness skill: Aura of Death -Darkness skill: Detonating Siphon] [Name: Fenrir Arken Type: Ice Spirit [King] level: 365 Strength: 16,000.000 Agility: 12,000.000 Vitality: 50,000.000 Mana: 90,000.000 Spiritual: 21,000.000 Skills: -Aura of Monarch -Ice Forbidden Magic -Water Forbidden Magic -Ice Skill: Evil Snowman -Ice Skill: Blizzard -Ice Skill: Demonic Ice Wolves -Ice Skill: Winter Moon -Ice Skill: Ice Guardian -Ice Skill: Frozen Armor -Ice Skill: Lord of Winter -Ice Skill: Abominable Weaver -Ice Skill: Climaclysm -Ice Skill: Endless Cold] Two status board appeared in front of Oz. (WHOA!) An unbelievable stats at the status board made Oz''s speechless when he saw them. But he soon remembered something. "Um... We have the contract thing right? Then could I use your powers or something like that?" Asked Oz with curiosity filled his face. "You could, master. Actually, we could assist you both with our body and give a copy of our power to your weapon and make it into a legendary weapon simultaneously just like the sword ''Endless Cold'' before, and you should be able to use our skills, master," Explained Reo. "But in the ''Endless Cold'' sword case, it could only be called as a semi-legendary sword because it only holds 20% of my power. It should be able to become a real legendary sword if it has my full blessings. Do you have a weapon that you want to enhance with our powers, master?" Asked Fenrir. "Hmm..." Oz contemplates a moment, and soon he remembered the maleficent staff that he loot from the battle with the demons before. "How about this?" Asked Oz as he summoned the pitch-black maleficent staff. "A stuff, huh? I thought master will use a sword, it''s quite unexpected," Said Fenrir. "Even though I could use a sword, I still recognize myself as a magician," Oz answered with a shrug. "So? Could this staff got blessed by both of you?" Asked Oz. "Well, let''s give it a shot, Fenrir," Said Reo. "Okay then!" Answered Fenrir. Reo and Fenrir gathered and touched the staff with their palm. Faint, an ordinary person will not recognize that a terrifying amount of mana is being transmitted to the maleficent staff. Oz stares and observes the process with focus and awe, the maleficent staff absorb the tremendous amount of death and ice mana. Slowly, the lights enveloping the staff got brighter and brighter, dazzling Oz''s eyes. After waiting for several minutes, the process finally finished, and the light enveloping the staff also disappeared, leaving the maleficent staff remaining. (Semi-Divine!?) Once more, the staff got enveloped by both black and blue dazzling lights, it''s far brighter than before that it makes Oz, Reo, and Fenrir closes their eyes. "W-what''s happening?" Asked Fenrir, afraid that the occurrence is because of her. The light slowly disappears, and a staff that had a totally different appearance with the maleficent staff appeared. It had the same black color, but it had a lot of strange ice rune-like designs all over the staff. The staff had also got longer than before, and a terrifying amount of mana could be sensed even from a distance. [Defiler of the Banished, Ataraxia [Staff] [Transformable] [Semi-Divine] Description: The staff of one of the demon god at the god ages, Krugel. A magical staff that could transform into any weapon the wielder wishes, blessed by the Ice spirit king and the Dark spirit king. Ability: -Transform Demonic Enslavement (8 Slots): Control up to 8 demonic beings Devour: Sacrifice the enemy to the staff and devour their stats Enhanced Armor (1 Slot): Store one of the wielder''s armor to equip it instantly anytime and share the stats of the staff Reo Arken: 10 Skills of the Dark Spirit King Fenrir Arken: 10 Skills of the Ice Spirit King +10,000,000 to all of the wielder stats] "Bloody hell! It''s a semi-divine weapon!" The one who strangely surprised is Fenrir. "I-impossible, even if all of the spirit kings enhance a weapon, it''s still impossible even to make a semi-divine weapon!" Reo followed suit. "Does a semi-divine weapon is that difficult to make?" Asked Oz. "It''s not just difficult! It''s close to impossible! Only the spirit god could make a semi-divine weapon!" Answered Fenrir with a shout. "Calm down, well, I don''t know anything about why it became a semi-divine staff, though. Let''s just consider it as a piece of luck," Oz indifferently said. "T-to say that getting a semi-divine weapon just a piece of luck that calm, you really are something..." Fenrir muttered in awe. But the truth is, Oz is the one who felt thrilled the most amongst the three. (BLOODY HELL! Just equipping it could make someone stats as powerful as the king rank! Moreover, I could now use all 10 skills of the spirit kings and the demonic enslavement skill meant that I could enslave any demon I want, right? GODDAMNIT YES!!!) (Oz) (Um... Master... It seems that you''ve forgotten that we could hear your inner voices...) (Reo) (Shit! I forgot!) Oz turns his head and saw the annoying grin from Fenrir. "You despicable dog, I won''t be giving you any food," Oz said, annoyed. "Huuuh? T-t-t-to threaten me, a spirit king, with food, it''s unfair!" Fenrir rebuked strongly. "It''s my right to decide, as your master," Oz answered indifferently. "Uuuuu, my master is despicable-" When Fenrir''s still protesting to Oz, the wagon suddenly stopped. "Young man! We''ve arrived in the city of mercenaries, the Redfall!" The voice of the coachman sounded from the front. Oz took a peek outside, and he saw that it''s still evening, they''ve just traveled for 5 hours, and they should be able to travel to the next city. "Why are we stopping here, uncle?" Oz asked the coachman as he got out of the wagon and saw that they already arrived in front of an inn. "Hm? The next city is quite far, young man. We could barely arrive there at night, but we''ll get ambushed by some bandits if we do that, so it''s better to rest here for today," The coachman leisurely said. "Ohh, okay then," Oz agrees. (I forgot, this is a fantasy world, huh) (Oz) "We''ll meet again here tomorrow morning, okay young man? There will also be one more young man that going to join us to the capital," The coachman asked Oz. "Yes, thanks for the hard work," Oz thanked the coachman. "Whoaa, It''s nice to see that there are still youths that have a good manner. It''s nothing, it''s my job, after all," The coachman said as he left. "Hm... what a unique city this is..." Oz said as he observes his surroundings, different from the Coldstone city, the people of this city have a lot of trained warriors. Large buildings that have a lot of people visiting make Oz interested. Holding his staff, Oz went to one of the huge buildings. The people that entered the building are all well-equipped and looks like a mercenary and all of them had awakened their mana cultivation. "Let''s try to visit that building," Said Oz to Fenrir and Reo. (Is this a mercenary guild?) (Oz) But unexpectedly, before Oz, Fenrir, and Reo arrived at the building, dozens of people with scary faces surround them. Their intentions are unknown, but Oz''s sure that they must not have any good intention in doing this. "What''s the meaning of this?" Oz asked with a cold voice. "Oi brat! This is not a place for you a brat to walk with your pets!" One of the mercenaries said with a mocking voice. "Is that so? Forgive my intrusion, then," Oz said and turn his body, while Fenrir and Reo with their mini form tried to glare to the mercenaries. But different from Oz''s expectation, the mercenaries didn''t give him space to leave the place. "Then what''s the meaning of this?" Oz asked coldly and glares at the mercenaries that blocked his way. ??? The mercenaries got jolted out of surprise when they saw Oz''s terrifying cold glare, even though Oz didn''t emit his bloodl.u.s.t, his glare is enough to make their legs felt weak. "Sorry brat! But anyone who came here must pay before they could leave!" The mercenary that seems to be the leader once again said. Oz just sighs and muttered: "So troublesome," Chapter 45 - City of Mercenaries [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] -------------------_----------------------_-----------------------------------------_------------------------_------------------------------_----------------------------------_------------------------------_-- Mercenary A mercenary, sometimes known as a soldier of fortune, is an individual who takes part in military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather than for political interests. Different from adventurers, there are no qualifications for being a mercenary. -Military occupations book -Grandaria Library -Grandaria Capital --------------------_---------------------_---------------------_--------------------------------_-----------------------------_----------------------_-------------------------------_-------------- "Sorry but, I don''t have enough money to give you, I need to eat too, after all," Oz told them without minding the dozens of people surrounding him. "Nice guts, but you didn''t know who we are, right? We''re the mercenaries from the Rain Rage guild! You won''t even win against one of us! You''re a magician, right? Only wealthy people could become magicians, don''t lie to us!" Said the one that seems to be the leader of the mercenaries. (Hm... They''re that strong? Some of them only at the Advanced Swordsman rank, though) (Oz) (Well, it''s been a long time since I deceived someone, so let''s see whether this trick will deceive them or not) (Oz) Oz focuses his mana and muttered: "Darkness Skill: Shadow Clone," Oz summoned his shadow clone to hide at his shadows, and slowly uses the ''Stealth Soul'' qi technique and slowly went transparent. Letting the shadow clone standing brave to the mercenaries, Oz stealthily left the crowd and walks leisurely. (Eh, wait. Reo! Fenrir! Enter my body!) (Oz) As Oz''s instruction, Reo and Fenrir enter faded into the air and entered Oz''s body. "You bunch of idiots," A cold voice of a young man sounded. "Y-young master, Sen!" One of them said in surprise. *Sound of a sword slashing something* *Sound of clone vanishing* "Hm?" Oz turns his back, and he saw that his shadow clone had got shattered to pieces by a young man that should have the same age as him. He''s using a katana-like sword and is using samurai-like clothes. (Nono, doesn''t it''s like he IS a samurai himself?) (Oz) !!! (Not a bad amount of murderous intent, he must''ve killed a lot of people) (Oz) The samurai-like young man gushed out his blood l.u.s.t to Oz''s direction and rushed quickly and slashed his sword. But, he''s speed is still far from the old man Kyron''s speed. *Sound of swords colliding with something hard* (Hm... The second stage at the Sword Saint rank, huh?) (Oz) The young man''s sword collided with Oz''s staff, and Oz''s stealth mode broken, revealing the real Oz. Their eyes meet. "You, who are you?" Asked the samurai-like young man. "Just a traveling magician," Oz simply answered. "Then Mr traveling magician, if you want to leave this place intact, you need to pay for your intrusion first, I''m so sorry but it''s the policy of our mercenary guild," The young man said with a threatening tone. "I''m sorry but, I don''t have that much time," Oz answered indifferently. "!?" The samurai-like young man seems that notice that something is odd, he immediately slashes Oz, but what came out from the body is not blood, the body only gushed out a black liquid that vanishes to the shadows quietly. He searched the surroundings and found another Oz. But when he strikes it, it turns out that it''s still Oz''s shadow clone! (No one said that there is only one shadow clone, right?) (Oz) (Splendid way to use the shadow clone skill, master) (Reo) Oz left 8 shadow clones to deceive and play with the mercenaries and walk away from the place leisurely. "Hm... Where should we go?" Oz asked the spirits about their opinions. Fenrir appeared from the thin air with a ''Poof!'' and said: "Why don''t we go to a tavern here, master? We could gather some information there," "Nice idea, let''s find a tavern then," Said Oz and they stroll the city of mercenaries, Redfall. Just like its name, the city of mercenaries is full of mercenaries and business that could profit from the mercenaries such as taverns, blacksmiths, and stuff. When they''re at the stroll of searching a tavern, a potion shop catches Oz''s attention, the shop had a sign saying: "Buying all type of magical fruits," in front of the door. (I''ve collected a countless amount of magical fruits at the magical forest, does it could be sold?) (Oz) (You didn''t know master? Everdeen magical forest is the most dangerous magical forest in the world, and it''s said that all of the fruits from the magical forest could enhance the cultivation of anyone, and it''s very expensive!) (Reo) (Is it? Okay, let''s try from asking a price of a fruit that I possess) (Oz) "Excuse me," Said Oz politely as he entered the potion shop. "Welcome, welcome, whether it''s buying or selling we will try our best to satisfy you!" Said an uncle with a grey hair, he uses a monocle that gave him a smart people-like vibe. "What are you searching for, young man?" Asked the uncle. "Um... I wonder if I could sell something here," Said Oz. "Yes, if you''re offering something that could be used for a potion or medicine, we will gladly buy it," The uncle said kindly. "Then, I wonder if I could sell this," Said Oz as he put the Kraken fruit at the counter. "T-THIS ARE!!!!" (THAT ARE!!!!) (Fenrir) Together with the uncle, Fenrir also shouted inside of Oz''s mind, making him dizzy. (Quiet down, Fenrir! You''re killing me!) (Oz) (How could I be quiet! That''s a legendary fruit! Are you going to sell that master!? It''s-) (Fenrir) "It''s a Kraken fruit! W-where do you get this from, young man!?" Asked the uncle aggressively. "From the magical forest of Everdeen," Oz said indifferently. "F-from where!? The magical forest of Everdeen, you said!!??" The uncle said with a surprised face. "How much could it worth, uncle?" Asked Oz. "T-this... its normal market value is about 200 gold coins, but if you put this on an auction, it could even reach 600 gold coins!" Said the uncle. "I-it''s that expensive!?" Oz asked, surprised. There are 3 types of coins in this world, copper, silver, and gold. A normal person could live a decent life with 4 gold coins for a year, while 10 gold coins are already considered a fortune. And there are a big copper coin and big silver coin, one big copper coin worth 10 small copper coins, while 10 big copper worth 1 small silver coin and 10 small silver coins worth1 big silver coin. And 10 big silver coins are worth 1 gold coin. In dollars, one big copper could be considered as 1 dollar, while one big silver coin could be considered as 100 dollars, and 1 gold coin is 1000 dollars. (200 gold coins... It worth 200,000 dollars!!!) (Oz) Oz''s secretly thrilled inside of his heart, but he tried his best to hide it from the potion shop uncle. "Will you buy it?" Oz asked with his flat tone. "I-I''ll buy it! I''ll buy it for 250 gold coins! no, 300!" He raised the price. "Deal!" Oz immediately accepted the deal. Oz only possesses 3 gold coins in his pocket, but getting a sudden 300 coins is unbelievable, he could spend his money without thinking twice. (I''m rich!) (Oz) (Such a waste! Why do you waste such a precious fruit, master!) (Fenrir) (Calm down, Fenrir. I still got tons of that kind of fruits, just relax) (Oz) (Really?) (Fenrir) (Yea, I wonder why I don''t remember about this sooner, I''ve collected a lot of fruits when I first arrived at the magical forest, and all of the fruits had a marvelous effect! It should be able to strengthen the kingdom''s army!) (Oz) "Here the golds, kid. Thank you very much! Feel free to come back here if you want to sell any similar fruits!" The potion shop uncle said enthusiastically while giving a bag full of golds to Oz. "I will. Uncle," Answered Oz as he took the bag. Oz came out of the potion shop and changed the bag of golds into cards with a huge smile on his face. (Now, let''s continue to search the tavern, we could buy any expensive food now!) (Oz) Walking around the town once again, Oz finally found a tavern, Oz entered and took a seat in the corner of the tavern. A small build girl that seems to be the waitress came and asked what he''ll eat. "I''ll take what food the shop recommends, but please give me a cup of milk," Oz indifferently said. "Okay!" The chestnut-haired girl answered cheerfully. As he waits, Oz observes the surroundings. Different from an inn, a tavern usually used by mercenaries or merchants that seeks information or came to recruit people for jobs. Oz saw that there is a board that had a ''Quest Board'' sign above it, a bunch of people with full gears is looking at it. He''s interested, but he''s decided to check on it after he eats. "Have you hear? The prime minister, Duke Baldwin is dead! And it''s said that the killer is a terrifying magician!" A voice came from behind of Oz sounded, when he mentioned duke Baldwin, Oz immediately caught the name as he had a keen hearing. "Yes, I''ve heard it too. I''m so grateful to the one who killed him, those Gracefield and Potterlands people had become more overbearing these days, having that kind of prime minister will only lower the integrity of our kingdom!" Said another person. "Yea, and have you heard this? It''s said that the king is now 14, there is a possibility that he will enter the magic academy with a fake identity!" "What? It''s the first time I''ve heard it, is it true?" "Yes, the rumors had spread widely, I guess it is true," (Hm... The young king, huh) (Oz) Oz imagines the figure of the young king inside of his head. (To be powerless when seeing the country you ruled about to be conquered by other kingdoms, I wonder how it feels) (Oz) *Sound of the tavern door opened* A young man with a samurai-like fashion enters the tavern. "Here''s the milk," The small-build waitress came and gave the milk to Oz. Oz doesn''t mind the people who just came in as there should be a lot of people who leave and enter a tavern. "T-that, that''s Sen," "I-I think that I''m going to leave, I''m scared," The atmosphere inside of the tavern suddenly got tense, Oz still calmly drinks his milk, didn''t care about any scared comments of the people behind him. *Sound of a chair being pulled* A young man suddenly sits right next to Oz, when Oz turns his head and glance at the figure, the figure also turns his head to see Oz. "Y-you..." The figure said. (Shit... It''s the samurai from before) (Oz) Chapter 46 - Tavern [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] --------------------_-----------------------_----------------------------_------------------------------_-----------------------------_----------------------------_-------------------------------_------------- "Y-you..." The samurai-like young man said when he saw Oz''s face. (Shit... It''s the samurai from before... what a pain...)(Oz) But different from Oz''s expectation, the samurai-like calmed down and ordered food. The chestnut-haired waitress seems to be not afraid with him, different from the other people inside the tavern. "Hm... she didn''t afraid of you, huh," Said Oz, impressed. "....." The samurai-like young man answered with silence. When Oz''s food came, Oz''s stomach had already growled fiercely because of the delicious smell, the meal is something like a roasted boar, it''s huge and looks delicious. Oz devours the boar with high speed, there are only bones left from his meal in just 5 minutes. The travel makes Oz''s felt hungrier than before. The samurai-like young man just stared at Oz''s glutton silently and eat his food calmly. "Another glass of milk, please!" Oz ordered another glass of milk. "Yes!!!" (Waitress) "I''m Sen, Sen Yasuhiro," The young man suddenly said his name. Oz stared at him for a while and answered: "Ren, Ren Arken," With the same indifferent tone. Another silence enveloped them after the short introductions for a while. Until Sen finally broke the silence. "Why don''t you kill them?" Asked Sen. "Hm?" (Oz) "Why don''t you kill them? You should be able to slaughter all of my underlings," Sen asked again. Oz observed Sen''s face before he answered: "There is no need to make a meaningless kill," "But it could be considered as a robbery attempt," (Sen) "I don''t really care about it, I just do that on a whim, or you could say that I saw them not as people who must be killed," Oz answered indifferently. "Hm... fine then," Answered Sen. Another silence enveloped them, Oz slowly drinks his milk, while Sen is still eating his meal slowly. "I-it''s Edreale!!" People shouted and crowds gathered when a violet-haired girl that resembles an elf, but with a shorter pointed ear, entered the tavern. She holds a thing that resembles a Guitar and sings. (A bard?) " A griffin flies into the moonlight~ A place, former a heaven~ He knows the prophecy will arrive~ Castles will return to the ground~ The wicked and Vicious had come to deny~ Wreaking havoc in the world~ The seal from sacrifice had lost it light~ The new group of light will arrive~ Mystery and magic had already grasped~ The darkness will be enveloped by darkness~ And the unknown will gather the lights~ Justice will prevail~" Her voice is clear and smooth, people will feel soothe at their heart just by hearing her voice singing. The song''s meaning is quite deep, but Oz couldn''t interpret it clearly as he doesn''t have enough information. "Lights?" Oz muttered softly. (Does it refers to the heroes?) (Oz) "What, you''re interested in becoming a hero, too?" Sen suddenly asked him without looking at his direction. "Become a hero? How?" Asked Oz, confused. "Y-you didn''t know? Which world did you live in?" Mocked Sen. "Even though I looked like this, I could be considered as a country bumpkin, you know?" (Oz) "Seriously? Well, whatever..." (Sen) "It''s about the prophecy from the church, it''s said that the heroes will come in figures of young people, and they''ll repel the demons that will invade the world once more," Explained Sen. "And to become heroes, you need to show your strength at the year right 2000 years after the demons got sealed," (Sen) "And that is?" (Oz) "It''s this year, what, you''re interested?" Sen indifferently said, he looked like he doesn''t even care about who he heroes are. "Is that so? Nope, not at all," Answered Oz, and he drank all of his milk, and empty the glass. "Thanks for the information," Oz stands and paid his meal bills, and left the tavern. Sen didn''t mind Oz leaving and continue eating his meal calmly. Oz walks back to the inn that the coachman''s uncle recommended him, to rent a room for the night. "How long will you stay here?" Asked the inn staff. "One night," (Oz) "Would you like a meal and a bath, too?" (Inn Staff) "Yes, please," (Oz) "3 pieces of big copper coin, then" (Inn staff) Oz put the big copper coins at the counter. "Thanks, your room is at the top floor number 16," (Inn Staff) Oz went upstairs and found that his room is at the corner of the third floor, and Oz entered the room. (Well, not a bad place to sleep) (Oz) The room is 3/4 of his room at the orphanage, but the bed looks comfortable enough for him to sleep so the room size doesn''t really bother him. Oz lies his body at the bed with a groan. "Damn, riding a wagon made my body stiff," Oz complained. Poof! Reo and Fenrir appeared with their mini form. "You should just lie your body at the next trip, master. The wagon is pretty large, after all," Said Fenrir. "I''ll try your advice later, Fenrir," Answered Oz as he took a sleeping posture. "I think I''ll let myself have a full rest, today," Oz muttered. Reo and Fenrir also took their sleeping position and uses Oz''s body as their pillow and Oz''s shirt as their blanket. But after a mere 10 minutes of silence and peace, three of them suddenly got tense. Fenrir and Reo''s fur stand straight, a lot of presences that shouldn''t be here suddenly popped out. "This presence..." Oz muttered as he focuses his qi. "You''re familiar with the presences too, master?" Asked Reo. "Yes, they had the same presence as my people..." Oz said with a serious face. "Reo and I also recognize these presences because we''ve lived at the magical forest of Everdeen too, but what does master mean by your people? Aren''t you a human?" Asked Fenrir. "They are my people, my subjects," Oz said and suddenly stands from the bed. "What!?" (Fenrir) "You didn''t know? You''ve seen my memories, right?" Asked Oz. "Just like you, master, you only saw our memories when we battle with the demon emperor, right? What we see is only a piece of your memories when you''re in your former world too," Explained Reo. "No wonder you didn''t know, well, let''s set that things aside, I got a feeling that they''re in a trouble," Said Oz as he equipped his jet-black gears and the maleficent staff. "Let''s go," Said Oz as he opened the window and jumped out. "Fenrir, let''s follow suit," said Reo. "Yes, I never saw master in such a rush before, let''s try our best to help him, Reo!" Said Fenrir as both of them jumped out of the room''s window to follow Oz. A figure of a man together with a black cat and a white puppy jumped from roof to roof in the middle of the night. Oz suddenly stopped at the corner of the city. "This place..." It''s a suspicious alley that visited by both nobles and mercenaries. Oz jumped down from the roof and blend in with the people, Reo and Fenrir walked slowly following him at his sides. "This... Is this a black market?" Wondered Oz. There are a lot of merchants that sell rare items and products that Oz didn''t see at the day. Oz keeps on walking and tracks the familiar presence he felt until he arrives at the corner of the black market, nobles and rich-looking people are gathering there, looking at the stage. Oz saw that there were a lot of cages inside a huge tent behind the stage. Oz uses ''Stealth Soul'' to cover his presence and sneak inside the tent. But when he entered. !!! (C-calm down, master!) (Fenrir) Oz almost leaks his terrifying murderous intent unconsciously because of the scene that he saw inside of the tent. There is a countless magical beast that being imprisoned inside the cages, but it''s not the thing that made Oz almost got berserk from anger. Elves, Centaurs, and some goblins that Oz ever saw at Tarot are also imprisoned inside of the cage. There are 6 elves, 4 centaurs, and 9 goblins that are imprisoned inside a huge cage. There are 9 Master Swordsman guarding the tent, Oz prepared his magic cards and is about to throw all of them to the guards, but before he could throw them, four figures wearing a black cloak entered the tent and massacred them first. They act quickly and kill all of the guards swiftly; the guards don''t even have a spare to groan. The battle finishes in a moment, but a strange thing happens. Four of them entered and kills the guards together, but it looks like the first pair caped figures didn''t recognize who the other two caped figures are. The first pair looked like a pack of assassins, one of them is using a Katana-like sword, while the other one only uses knives. Oz grinned when he looked at the other pair of caped figures. One of them is using an expensive-looking bow, while the other one is using a great sword. "What the hell are both of you doing here? Geeta, Azaline," Said Oz with a smirk as he dispels his stealth qi technique. ""Wha- Ren!?"" Said both of them in surprise. "Why don''t we calm down a second, as we have the same goal. I understand why the purple-haired bard girl came here, but I didn''t seem to understand your motive, Sen," Said Oz with his sharp eyes looking at the other caped figure. The pair opened their hood and showed their faces. The face of the samurai Sen and the purple-haired bard half-elf girl showed. "I''m saving my fellow race, that is all, you''re the strange one here, Ren," Said Sen with his usual cold voice. "Eh? Your fellow race?" Oz leaked out a confused voice. "Brother, is that your friend? I saw both of you sitting together at the tavern too," Said the purple-haired girl. "B-brother!? (Oz) "He''s not my friend, Edraele. We just happened to sit next to each other there," Answered Sen coldly. "Both of you are siblings!?" Asked Oz. "Not two, but three," Said Sen. (Hm?) *Sound of swords collided* A blue-haired figure that has a similar face feature with Sen appeared from above Oz. When he''s about to strike Oz with his knife, Geeta immediately blocked his strike with her greatsword with a quick speed, while Azaline aimed her bow at him, ready to shoot anytime. "Three half-elf siblings, huh. Interesting..." (Oz) Chapter 47 - The Half-Elf Siblings [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] --------------------_-----------------------_----------------------------_------------------------------_-----------------------------_----------------------------_-------------------------------_----------- "Three half-elf siblings, huh. Interesting..." Muttered Oz, with an amused face. "You''re the strange one here, what are you anyway? A magician? For a magician, you got a well-built body there, black master," Said the blue-haired cloaked guy with a rather lousy manner. The blue-haired guy is only equipped with a knife, his attire is like an assassin, he''s movement is nimble and swift, no hesitation could be seen from his eyes. "Alfred big bro!" Said Edreale the purple-haired bard girl. "Well, there are no rules about a magician may not train their body right?" Answered Oz with a shrug. "Well, rather than that, I think that we didn''t have enough leisure to fight amongst us here," (Oz) !? As Oz said that word, all of them finally realized that there is a lot of presences are surrounding them right now. As the others are surprised, Oz approaches the cage that imprisons his people. "Hm... What a good lock this is," Muttered Oz as he examines the lock. "Well, let''s not waste too much time on this," Said Oz and he slammed his staff to the ground, and the lock suddenly got burn and melts. The lock is not an ordinary lock, Oz could feel that it is enhanced by magic. But Oz''s fire arch magic is too strong, and the lock easily melted. "A-are you, Ren, your highness?" Asked one of the elves. "We talk later, we''re going out from here first," Said Oz. "Azaline, Geeta, try your best to minimize the casualties, don''t kill the guards, but kill the one who looks like their leader. The rest of you, capture one of the guards for us to interrogate," Oz ordered Geeta, Azaline, and the just-freed prisoners. The three siblings confusedly watched Oz ordering around goblins, elves, and centaurs. """Yes, your highness,""" Answered all of them. "Three of you, feel free to join us," Said Oz as he prepares his staff. "We don''t need your-" (Sen) "Let''s follow them for now, Sen. It might be advantageous for us to join them, there are too many guards surrounding us right now," said Alfred. "B-but..." Sen wanted to rebuke, but he decided to follow Alfred''s orders obediently. About 100 guards are surrounding them right now, and all of them were at least at the master swordsman rank, and there are four sword saints too. "Well now, let''s remove this strange-looking tent first," Said Oz with his usual smirk, and burns the tent. The 100 guards surrounding them jolted in surprise when they saw the burning tent, they never thought that their ambush will be discovered. Oz points his staff forward and says: "Attack," Azaline and Geeta immediately dashed to the enemies at their right, while the 6 elves, 4 centaurs, and 9 goblins rush to the enemies on their left. The warriors from Tarot are strong and skilled, normal soldiers are not a match for them. *Sound of whistle* "They''re strong! How the hell could they get captured with that level of skill?" (Alfred) "It''s normal for them to do at least that much, I can''t let my warriors be weak, don''t I?" (Oz) "You may not leave this place, we, the four blades of Grogan will stop you," (One of the sword saints) One of the goblins retreated and kneel in front of Oz, saying: "Your highness, four of them are strong, they''re the one who managed to capture and imprison us, please be careful," "Hm...." Oz muttered with an amused expression, but his eyes don''t act the same as his face, his eyes is giving a very dangerous vibe right now. Oz slowly walked forward with his staff. "Transform," Said Oz, and a dense dark and ice mana element gathered making a small black and white tornado at Oz''s hand. When the small tornado disappeared, a heavy black long sword with beautiful ice runes design imprinted at its body replaced the staff. "So basically..." (Oz) !!!!!??? A terrifying murderous intent that stuns all of the people presents suddenly appeared from Oz. "W-what a terrifying amount of murderous intent..." (Edreale) " You''re the one who attacked my people huh? You did well, taking care of my people, I wonder how should I pay you back? " (Oz) Oz''s words are filled with a dense murderous aura that makes all of the sword saints legs shivered and felt weak. An endless stream of sweat keeps on flowing from all of the guards, including the sword saints. "Shadow bind," Oz chanted, and the sword saints'' shadows suddenly formed a bind and restrict them from moving. Even though they tried to break free using their sword saint rank power, they''re still powerless. Slash! With one sound of slash, four heads flew to the sky. *Sound of bodies falling to the ground* Albus, Edreale, and Sen cautiously observe Oz''s action. "Do you found their leader, Geeta?" Asked Oz. "Nope, they''ve fled," Answered her. Oz looked at the goblins, elves, and the centaurs that just got freed, it seems that they managed to capture some of the guards. Oz and co interrogate them and found out that this is not the first time they''re doing this, they are a huge slave dealing organization, and there are still a lot of branches of them on the whole continent. But one of their bases is at the capital, and they said that there are a dozen times more prisoners at the capital than here. "Damn, so we''re facing a pretty huge organization here? What a bad luck we had here," Oz complained *Sound of stomach growls* "Ugh, I think that I got hungry because of the fighting, let''s find a place to eat, we continue our conversation there," Suggested Oz to his people. "I''m starving too," (Geeta) "Let''s eat then, I''m hungry too," (Azaline) ******************************** "Wait, what the hell are the three of you doing?" Asked Oz with an annoyed face. "What a mean words you said there, didn''t we just fought together just now?" Said Alfred with his lousy manner. "Let''s not beat around the bush, quickly spit out your business," Said Oz. "Actually... The one we have business with is the gentleman that had just got freed from those slave-dealers," Alfred said as his eyes got sharper. "Then spit it out, quickly before the meal came," Said Oz indifferently. "Well then, Edreale, you tell stories better than me, tell them," Alfred instructs Edreale. Edreale nods and told her story. "Since there are people who still didn''t know who I am, let me introduce myself properly, my name is Edreale, me, Sen, and Alfred big bro are all 14 years old," (Edreale) "We called ourselves siblings, but actually, we''re not real siblings," (Edreale) "You mean?" (Geeta) "We lived at the same orphanage, as the three of us are orphans, you could say that we''re siblings. The orphanage we lived, is an orphanage made by a duke, that have a dream of having a good relationship with the habitant of the forest, the magic beasts, or as what my mercenary guild called them, the demi-humans," (Edreale) "Because of that dream of his, he made an orphanage that gladly accepts a half-elf kids like me. Both Sen and Alfred are also a half-elf, but their appearance is not different from the usual humans, different with me who have a pointed-ears," (Edreale) "The orphanage is peaceful and fun, the staff and the duke treat us kindly, everyone at the orphanage is kind. But one day..." Edreale''s face suddenly got darker. "The orphanage got burned, the duke, the staff, and the rest of the kids got killed. I, Alfred, and Sen are running errands ordered by the orphan, but when we saw the burning orphanage, the duke shouted at us, ordering us to run," Her voice started to shivers. "But before we leave, we saw a person, a middle-aged man with brown hair, dressed as the royal knight, said ''You''re punished for treating and protecting the child of demons at this place, the king had ordered us to kill you''," (Edreale) "The duke got executed, and we run with our all from the place, and got recruited by the Red Fall mercenary guild master, Red Terrance, and that''s the end of the story," Edreale finished her story and her expression reverted to her usual expressionless face. "So? Your point is?" Asked Oz. "We''re looking for that middle-aged royal knight, did anyone of you saw his appearance?" Asked Alfred with his lousy tone, but his eyes seem to be serious. The goblins looked at Oz''s direction first, and after Oz nods, one of them answered: "We do see a person with the same appearance you described, he''s one of the strong people that pursue us," "Do you know where he goes?" Asked Sen. "I heard that he was going to the capital," (One of the goblins) "Is that so..." Sen muttered as his eyes started to be clouded. "More importantly, could you guys explain to me how could you got captured by those bastards, judging from your skills, you should still able to run, right?" Asked Oz. "Forgive us for our weakness, your majesty. It might be heard as an excuse, but other than those four sword saints that could be considered as the duke rank, there are two king ranks on their army, we''re too powerless when we faced them, so we sent five of us to notify the lord Aegir," (One of the centaurs) "But we''re too late, they capture 50 of us, we''re on our expedition to the north side of the kingdom, we''ve disappointed you, my lord," said the centaur, all of the other captured people also bows to Oz, as if asking forgiveness. "It''s fine, It''s my fault too, It seems my identity as a human makes my neglect the thoughts about humans rotten nature, It''s my mistake, forgive me too," Oz said with a gentle tone. "Y-you don''t need to apologize, your majesty, it''s our weakness that had given you, our savior, a lot of trouble," (One of the elves) "W-wait, what is this ''your majesty'' thing this guy keeps on saying? You, are you a prince or a king from a kingdom? But how could a human have centaurs, elves, and even goblins under you? moreover, are these guys really goblins? I don''t remember any goblin that this similar to humans you know?" Asked Alfred with a confused face. "Hm? Well, sort of that, to add on that, my kingdom only human is myself, you know?" Said Oz with a shrug. "W-what!?" Chapter 48 - The Spirits Feeling Nostalgic [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] ----------------------_--------------------------_----------------------------------_---------------------------_--------------------------_------------------------------_---------------------------_-------- "I-impossible... You make a kingdom at that magical forest!?" Exclaimed Alfred in surprise. "Don''t make such a fuss about it, more importantly, is there anyone except all of you that got captured by the slave dealers?" asked Oz to the freed-prisoners. "Yes, your majesty. Regrettably, there are still about 14 of us that got captured by the despicable humans, there are some centaurs, Elves, and Goblins too," Answered one of the goblins. Oz closes his eyes for a while, sorting and organizing his plans. "Okay then, I''m glad all of you managed to stay alive. I ordered all of you to go back to the kingdom together with Geeta and Azaline," Ordered Oz. "W-wait Ren, we could still help you," Said Azaline. "No, I don''t want to take any risks, in the future, both of you could accompany me, but as long as I''m still unsure about your safety, you need to stay safe inside the kingdom. Or rather, you need to keep the kingdom safe," Said Oz gently. Geeta clicked her tongue. "Tsk, using your sly tongue as always, huh? How could we rebuke you if you said that much?" Said Geeta with a pout. Oz flicked Geeta''s forehead, making her to leak a sound of surprise. "Don''t pout, Geeta. Well, as we''ve finished the meal, let''s leave. It had gotten very late now," Said Oz. "We''re taking our leave too," Said Alfred, as he and his two siblings left the tavern first. "Go back as quick as you could, I''ll try to find the missing others when I''m at the capital, so rest assured," Said Oz to the just-freed prisoners. Geeta and Azaline left together with the others, and Oz went back to his room at the inn. Just like how he left the room, he enters the inn from the window too. (What happened to both of you? It''s rare for both of you to be this quiet) (Oz) (Did I sense the sarcasm there? We''re just surprised when we saw your angry state, master. It''s our first time seeing you like that) (Fenrir) (And to think that you really are a king of the Demi-humans, it greatly shocked us too) (Reo) (Please forgive me, it seems that I''ve made both of you scared. As my apology, how about I bring both of you to a place that I love?) (Oz) (Um... You''re literally lying on the bed, though) (Fenrir) (Then clench your teeth, I''m going to bring both of you to the place right now!) (Oz) Oz enthusiastically collects his qi and captures both of the spirits at a ball of qi, and together with his consciousness, Oz sent them to the body of the skeleton [King]. "Welcome, to the paradise of the humans and non-humans, the great Tarot Kingdom!" Said Oz as he summoned both of the spirits from inside of him. Poof! They''re surprised when they suddenly got summoned, but when they felt the air and observe the surroundings, they gasped in surprise. !!!??? "R-Reo, I''m not imagining this, right?" Asked Fenrir with a shaking voice. Gulp! "I-I don''t think this is fake, Fenrir. I can''t be wrong, this feeling, this atmosphere, and this smell, it''s Everdeen..." Said Reo with a surprised expression. "It is real! I sent my consciousness to a clone here, and I bring you guys together with my consciousness," Explained Oz. Fenrir turns her head to see Oz, but she jumps in surprise when she saw Oz''s skeletal figure. "M-MASTER HAD BECOME A SKELETON MONSTER!!!" Fenrir said in a surprise. *Sound of smacking* Oz smacks Fenrir''s head and said: "As. I. Said. This. Is. My. Clone!" Trying to be as clear as possible. !!! Oz suddenly sensed a powerful presence at a distance. Oz narrowed his eyes and tried to search for the presence. (Master! The presence that''s coming had a very dense dark mana!) (Reo) "Gareth?" (Oz) "It looks like I''m not mistaken, I thought that I felt that your majesty''s skeleton king clone is acting weird, and its presence suddenly got stronger so I wanted to check it, but it turns out that it is your majesty yourself," Said Gareth as he kneeled in front of Oz. "Stand, Gareth. I''m sure that everyone should be sleeping at this time, but I forgot that one of my strongest friends is an undead that didn''t need to sleep," Said Oz with a shrug. "It''s rare for you to come here at this hour, your majesty. Is there anything urgent?" Asked Gareth. "Ah! Luckily you''re here, Gareth. Please tell the others, I''ll be coming here before afternoon comes, and gather all of the executives too, including Firenze and the other new executives, I''m going to discuss something important," Instructed Oz with a smile. "Roger that, but the truth is, you just missed them don''t you?" Asked Gareth. "Well, you could say that too. But I''m not lying at the part of discussing an important thing, though," Said Oz. "So? Where are you going now, your majesty?" Asked Gareth. "I''m going to accompany both of these guys around, by the way, why does both of you didn''t change to your big form?" Asked Oz. "If we change to our big form, we''re going to use a lot of master''s mana, it will exhaust master," Said Reo. "Is that so? If that''s the only thing you''re worried, then it''s good, just try to change your form, I''m curious to see both of your real forms," Said Oz. "D-don''t blame us if you deplete your mana, okay?" Said Fenrir. Fenrir and Reo focus their mana circulation, and as they closed their eyes, Fenrir got circled by a huge white typhoon and Reo got circled by a huge dark typhoon. (Well, I don''t feel the mana that they absorbed from me, anyway) (Oz) "W-what are they, your majesty?" Asked Gareth. "Them? The white one is the ice spirit king, while the black one is the death spirit king," Said Oz indifferently. "S-spirit king?" (Gareth) The typhoon dissipated, a huge white and magnificent wolf, and a black and terrifying black lion appeared. "Whoa! Not bad!" Said Oz. Both of them are as big as a tree, seeing he could ride them, Oz asked them: "Could you reduce your size to a horse''s size?" "We could," Answered Reo, and both of them suddenly shrank to a size of a horse. "Well, this way, I could ride you easily," Said Oz as he hops at Reo''s back, and said to Gareth: "Gareth! We''re off sightseeing, send my regards to the others, okay?" And left together with Fenrir and Reo. Gareth could only helplessly watch him leave, and return to his necropolis. Reo and Fenrir took their time on sightseeing the magical forest, everywhere they go, they looked like they''re having a nostalgic feeling, and their voice will shivers if they remembered touching memories. When they''re satisfied with strolling, they return to Oz''s real body and rest together. But the morning came too fast. Oz still felt very sleepy, but he can''t let the coachman uncle leave him here because of him late. Oz wakes up, takes a bath, and prepares his equipment. Oz transformed the bag Elena gave him to a card so he didn''t need to hold it everywhere, and he could summon it anywhere. Oz went to the first floor to the inn and asked to be served breakfast. *Oz Yawns* (Damn... I need more rest!) (Oz) (We''re so sorry, master. We haven''t seen the magical forest of Everdeen for a long time, so we forgot the sense of time there, please forgive us) (Fenrir) It''s rare for Fenrir to felt guilty for what she did, Oz kindly smiled when he heard her voice. (It''s okay, I''m glad that I could make both of you happy) (Oz) (Hwee Masterrr!!!! You''re so kinddd!!!) (Fenrir) (Shut up, Fenrir. You''re making me dizzy!) (Oz) (But master, how could you don''t even flinch when we used your mana to regain our true form, I believe that it should cost a lot of mana for us to regain that form) (Reo) (Ah! Yeah! I wanted to ask that to you too, master) (Fenrir) (It''s nothing. I just happened to have an infinite amount of mana, that''s all) (Oz) (W-what? INFINITE!?) (Fenrir) (S-shut up!) (Oz) *********************************** Oz ate his breakfast and went to the promised place that the coachman uncle told him, but surprisingly. "W-what the hell are the three of you doing here?" Asked Oz as he started to have a bad feeling. "It''s our line, what the hell are you doing here?" Surprisingly, it''s Edreale who rebukes Oz''s question. "Um... I''m going to the capital, though," Said Oz. "W-w-wait a second... We''re going to the capital too... Don''t tell me..." This time, Sen is the one who got fl.u.s.tered. "You three, it is impossible for three rogues such as yourselves to apply for the magic academy too right?" Asked Oz. "Well, we''re actually aiming to apply at the magic academy. Wait a moment, ''too''!?" (Alfred) (This going to be a long trip...) (Oz) Chapter 49 - Plans For The Future [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] -----------------_------------------------_------------------------_---------------------_--------------------_--------------------_---------------------------_----------------_-------------------- "..........." (Oz) "..........." (The three siblings) (It''s Bloody Awkward!!!) (Oz) When the wagon came, the uncle cheerfully invited the three siblings in even though he fully knew about their identity. Just saying: "There are no benefits for any mercenaries to attack a poor wagon coachman, right?" (That coachman uncle... I won''t even be surprised if he''s a sword god) (Oz) (It''s impossible, master. We''ve checked him, and he''s only at the rank of master swordsman) (Reo) (You''ve checked?) (Oz) (Yes, we thought that his relaxed character came from his confidence about his power, but it seems that it''s not the case) (Fenrir) (Well, there is no need to pry deeper, he''s that strange old geezer acquaintance after all) (Oz) "By the way, can anyone of you why Sen''s name is so infamous at the town?" Oz asked the three siblings to broke the silence. "Hm? He killed the feudal lord of the mercenary tow," Edreale answered indifferently. "K-kill? And no one punished him for it?" Asked Oz with a wry smile. "With the current state of the kingdom, it''s nothing to be surprised for," Said Alfred. "The feudal lord has his own enemies at the capital, so basically, a lot of people benefit from his death, so we didn''t get any punishment from it," Explained Edreale. "Is that so..." (Oz) They had traveled for about two hours, the afternoon almost come. It''s time for Oz to went for the executives'' meeting at Tarot. Oz closes his eyes, and he sent his consciousness to the goblin [king] clone. Oz opens his eyes and saw that all of the executives had already sitting on their respective chairs, waiting for Oz to come. (We''re lucky we had Aegir''s huge house, it''s very comfortable meeting at this house) (Oz) All of the executives notice Oz''s presence, and all of them stand, saying: "Welcome back your majesty!" "Let''s put aside the formality later. I''m afraid I didn''t have much time to waste," Said Oz with a smile. Oz scanned the members. "I see that all of the executives had gathered here. Good job," (Oz) Oz turns his head to both Geeta and Azaline. "Doesn''t both of you still tired? You don''t need to force yourselves," Said Oz with a gentle voice. "We''re fine, your majesty. We''ve already taken some rest earlier, it''s fine for you to start the meeting," Said Azaline. When it''s in a formal meeting like this, no one dares to call Oz''s name casually, all of them address him as your majesty. "Let''s start from hearing all of your reports first then, let''s start from you, Aegir," Said Oz as he asked Aegir to start first. Aegir stands and nods before he started to tell his report. "There are some reports that I need to convey to you, your majesty. I''ll start from the most urgent one, we''ve been neglecting them since they haven''t made any moves since we grow to a kingdom, but now, some moves from them had been reported," (Aegir) "Who are ''Them''?" Asked Oz. "They are the kings that had been living at the Everdeen magical forest for a long time, there are four kings existed in this region, the king of west, east, south, and north. At the far south, the desert region had only one king, and its king, the king of the barren, hadn''t made any move yet," (Aegir) "This is the first time I''ve heard about this," (Oz) "Yes, since they don''t actually have a kingdom, it''s just a name that the forest habitant gave them because of their strength," (Aegir) "As the far north is the humans'' region, there are other three regions, the far west is the eternal winter region, the far east is the beastman region and the far south is the desert region, and this place is called as the grassland region," (Aegir) "Somehow, the only one who had four kings is this region and yesterday, they had shown some hostility to our kingdom, the hunter corps got attacked by them, luckily Brad presence there, and he managed to save his members," (Aegir) "Hm? Interesting... Can you tell me, what race are they?" Asked Oz with an amused face. "The king of the west is a minotaur, the king of the east is a bull-headed beastmen, the king of the north is an Ogre, and the king of the south had got killed by the demons," (Aegir) "By the demons?" (Oz) "Yes," (Aegir) "Okay, is that all, Aegir?" (Oz) "No, there is one more additional problem inside of the kingdom, there are spotted some people that had started to become lazy to work, I''m afraid that if this continues, it''ll ruin the people''s spirit, they look like they don''t have any purpose on life," (Aegir) "Hm... okay, next report, you Brad," Said Oz. Brad stands and nods before he starts to report. "Your majesty, we''ve found some traces of the demons," (Brad) Brad''s report makes the executives started to get rowdy, seeing the situation, Oz raised one of his hands indicating to be silence. "When do you find it?" Asked Oz. "This morning, my corps is hunting at the south, we traveled quite far to check if there are any traces of troubles, but unexpectedly, we found a footstep that had a trace of demonic mana there," Said Brad with a firm expression. Oz nods and closes his eyes for a while, but a grin suddenly formed at his mouth and his sly eyes that always appeared every time he''s thinking something sly appeared. "Good job noticing it, Brad. Next," Said Oz. "In my case. There is nothing worth to report, your majesty," said Magra. Oz turns his gaze to the next person. "I''ve found some weak points at our defense, your majesty. With our territory keeps on growing, I''m afraid that we''re having some difficulties in strengthening the defenses," Said Brad the defense corps leader. "Ah! I''ve almost forgotten that point, Ibra. Thanks for reminding me," Said Oz as he gazes at the nest person. Both Talak the Lizardfolk leader and Razor the kobold leader said that there is nothing worth to report. And Firenze the leader of the centaurs stands. "I have something to report to you, your majesty. Some of my brothers got captured by the humans when they''re patrolling. I''m asking for permission to start a saving mission to save them," said Firenze. "I''ve heard the detail from Geeta and Azaline, I''ll solve that problem personally, Firenze. We can''t let the humans know our presence yet, It''s not that I''m afraid of them, but our kingdom is still immature, we need to strengthen ourselves first," Explained Oz. "If that is your decision..." Said Firenze as he sits back. "Your majesty," The rarely talked Gurolf the magician suddenly showed his voice. "What is it, Gurolf?" Asked Oz. "I sensed a lot of malicious mana presence at this forest these days, but it will immediately disappear if I tried to track it, could you permit me to investigate it?" Asked Gurolf. "A malicious mana? Fine, I permit you, but immediately retreat if you think that you couldn''t handle the opponent," Said Oz. "Thydal, had the thing I requested finished?" Asked Oz to Thydal the dwarf. "Yes, your majesty. It had already done, I''ve brought the samples," Said Thydal as he put a gold, silver, and copper coin at the table. "W-what''s that, your majesty?" Asked Gareth. "After I heard Aegir''s report, I''m sure that this is the right time to introduce an economy system to the people, with this, we could avoid them being lazy, and this could raise their spirits to work," Said Oz as he raised the coins. A joker image is beautifully imprinted at the gold coin''s sides, the flag of the Tarot kingdom is imprinted at the silver coin''s sides, while there is only a spade image imprinted at the copper coin. "How many coins that we had right now? And how many that still could be processed at the mine?" Asked Oz. "We currently have about 200,000 of each coin, while it not even deplete 3% of each mine, the goblins had a skilled hand, they boost the speed of multiplying the coins greatly. Your majesty. We could be the richest kingdom that exists!" Said Thydal enthusiastically. "Marvelous! Then, it could be fine if we distribute them, then, since today, I appoint Geeta as the royal treasurer!" (Oz) "Distribute them to the people according to how long they had been at the kingdom, the one who had been together with us since we started to become a kingdom will be given 3 coins of gold, people who had joined us early will be given 2 coins of gold, while people who had just joined us will only be given 1 gold coin," (Oz) "You... Giving me such troublesome tasks..." Geeta muttered silently. "You say something?" (Oz) "No! It''s my pleasure to be the treasurer, your majesty," (Geeta) (You definitely heard that master. You''re so mean!) (Fenrir) "I''ll sort out some jobs that the people could work at to you later, Aegir. As the prime minister, this will be your job," (Oz) "Roger that," (Aegir) "Next, about the three kings, we won''t stay idle if they started to make problems for us. If they made another move that harms us, Magra, I appoint you to subjugate the king of the west. Razor, I appoint you to subjugate the king of the east. While Geeta and Azaline will be the one who subjugates the king of the north," (Oz) """Yes, Your majesty!""" Answered four of them. "Just like what Ibra''s said, as we''re expanding our territory, our defenses will also get more vulnerable as we stretch our army, because of that, because of that, starting tomorrow, I''ll make some martial art techniques personally for each race, and even the normal citizens need to learn the basics," Said Oz. "And from now on, I''ll disband all of the corps, it''ll now be changed into an official army legion and a knight order. Fedra, you''ll be the supreme commander of the royal legion, ''Joker Legion''. While Ibra, you''ll be the royal grand knight commander of the royal knight''s order, ''The league of the crest'' there will be four branches of the royal knight''s order, the spade, the club, the love, and the diamond," (Oz) "I order all of the races that will make your own kingdom in the future, to make your own army legions and knight orders, this will give some opportunity for people to work hard," Said Oz. "While you, Brad. Your corps''s new name is ''Jack of all trades'' secret order. Your corps will not only gather information about our kingdom''s surroundings, but I''ll start to give you missions to gather information from all around the world, I''ll give the special training course of your corps later," Said Oz. "Aegir, since you''re the prime minister, you''ll need to control and observe all of the processes, could you handle it?" Asked Oz with a wry smile. Aegir sighs and snorted. "Hmph, you always asked a lot anyways, don''t underestimate me, this much is not a problem," Said Aegir. Oz grins, seeing Aegir''s usual frank attitude. "It''s good then, I''m counting on you bro, I''ll be back in the evening to show you the techniques and give some directions, see you guys later," Said Oz as he sent his consciousness back to his real body. But when he opened his eyes, something''s wrong, the coachman uncle is shaking Oz with a serious face, while there are no signs of Alfred, Edreale, and Sen. "Hey! Ren! Wake up! We''re under attack!!!" (Coachman Uncle) Chapter 50 - Bandits [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] -----------------_-----------------------_----------------------_-------------------------------------_------------------------_----------------------------------_--------------- "We''re under attack!" (Coachman Uncle) Hearing that statement, Oz immediately lifts his body and narrows his eyes while he scans the surrounding. He''s still inside the wagon, and the trio siblings are gone. (No, they''re outside, together with lots of other presences) (Oz) "You''re very difficult to wake up, huh?" Said the coachman uncle as he shrugs. "I''m so sorry uncle, thanks for trying to wake me up," Said Oz, and he got out of the wagon. "Damn, we''re surrounded by a lot of bandits, huh," Said Oz with an indifferent tone as he joined together with the gathered trio. "R-ren!? You finally wake up... We thought you died you know? You''re so difficult to wake up," Said Edreale with an annoyed tone. "Well, well, sorry about that. What''s the situation?" Asked Oz. "Quite serious, Ren. There are about eighty of them, while there are only five of us. And their cultivation rank is all above the Greatswordsman rank. Five against eighty is a suicide, and what troubled me the most is, they just surround us without doing anything, as if they''re waiting for someone," Said Sen with a serious tone. "Any ideas, Ren?" Asked Alfred with an unusually serious face. "How about we start by asking their motives?" Suggested Oz, but he didn''t wait for the other to answer. Oz immediately walks slowly to the direction of the most bandits. "Is there anything you wanted from us, gentlemen?" Asked Oz politely. "Give us your money!" Said one of the bandits. "I offer you my most sincere apology, as we didn''t have any money ourselves, the proof is that our wagon is not an expensive wagon too," Oz answered in the same polite manner, but with a hint of sarcasm. "Say that to our boss," The bandit answered with his hoarse voice without taking any steps forward. Seeing that, Oz returns to the trio. "This is bad, they''re waiting for their boss to come, even without the boss, I could sense two sword saints, we need to breakthrough-" Before Oz could finish his words, he sensed a very terrifying danger from his back. Clank! Oz could barely block the strike that was aiming at his head. "Whoa, I''m thinking about killing the magician first to make it easier, but who would think that it''s actually a warrior," Said the person who just struck Oz with an awestruck tone. !!! Sen, Alfred, and Edreale immediately went to the person and tried to slashes at him, but he easily dodges and retreated. "Are you okay, Ren?" Asked Edreale. "What? You''re worried?" Teases Oz. Edreale just snorted and pretended that she didn''t hear what Oz just said. "So? Who are you, old man? You''re quite strong," Said Oz frankly. "You as well, brat. I never really heard anything about a warrior dressed as a magician," Answered him with a wide grin. "It''s a good plan of capturing the famous bard, Edreale. And we''ve prepared to face the merciless, Sen and the shadow, Alfred. But who are you brat? I didn''t hear anything about you from the intel," Said the bandit boss as he narrowed his eyes. Oz shrugged and said: "Well, I don''t have any talent to be popular," "Alfred, Sen, Edreale, I''ll handle this guy, could you handle the rest?" Asked Oz with a small voice. "Probably..." Said Alfred with a wry smile as he saw the great amount of bandits. "I''ll give you some backup, Reo! Fenrir!" Together with Oz''s calls, a white tornado and a black tornado suddenly appeared at his sides. As the tornado dissipates, a magnifying huge black lion and a beautiful white wolf appeared. (Yes! We finally had a chance to go on the action!) (Fenrir) "A beast tamer?" (Bandit Boss) Everyone present was surprised by the sudden appearance of the two huge beasts. Seeing their shocked expression, Oz smirks. "With these two, you should be able to manage," Said Oz. "Okay then, be careful on your opponent, Ren. I know him. He''s the bandit boss that infamous for his strength, Gale the vigor," Warned Alfred. "Thanks for the warning," Said Oz, and he dashes forward with his staff. "A-a magician, charged forward?" The Bandit boss, Gale, exclaimed in surprise. "Do you even have the time to be surprised, old man?" Oz said with a voice filled with confidence, as he suddenly vanished and appeared behind Gale''s back. !? Boom!!! Oz''s strike contains more power than he expected, making him greatly surprised when he tried to block the strike. "Hm?" Oz notices something and retreated a few steps. Gale snorted. "Hmph! Good instincts you got there, brat!" Said Gale with a broad grin, he looks like he''s enjoying the fight. When Oz''s staff and Gale''s sword clashes, Oz felt a trace of mana gathering and surrounding his body. Oz narrowed his eyes as he searches the source. "Wha- Don''t tell me, the winds!?" Oz exclaimed in surprise. "That''s right," Gale''s voice suddenly appeared from Oz''s back, but when he reflectively turns his back to guard. (H-he''s gone!?) (Oz) "At your other side!" (Gale) Slash! "Tsk!" Oz clicked his tongue. Oz manages to jump to the sides, to evade the strike, but his left shoulder still got cut by Gale''s slash. "I see, so you whisper your voice, and sent it to my back with the winds, good strategy," Said Oz as he analyzes what Gale''s just did. "You really have a sharp mind, brat! You''re right, it''s a simple skill called ''gale whisper''," (Gale) "But a simple skill like this managed to kill a lot of people," Gale''s voice appeared at Oz''s right side this time, while Gale strikes from his left. "This is the end, brat!" (Gale) Clank! "Huh?" (Gale) "I don''t know who is the opponents that got defeated by you and this simple technique, but we magicians have our own rules," (Oz) "You may only use a trick once," Said Oz with his evil smirk. Boooom! Oz smashes Gale with his staff, sending him away like a bullet. Oz turns his head to the sides to see the trio''s condition, but they''ve also finished their fights. Reo and Fenrir transformed into their usual mini form and approaches Oz. "What? You''ve finished? Even though I tried to finish my fight quickly to help," said Alfred with a sigh. "Did you kill them?" Asked Oz. "Just some of the bad eggs, we just knocked out the rest, your pets helps greatly, but most of the people they attacked died, though," Said Sen. "What is this? Does the ''Merciless Sen'' is only an exaggeration?" Teases Oz. "I would be so glad to mercilessly kill you now if you wanted so," Answered Sen coldly. "You have no sense of humor, Sen," Said Oz with a shrug. "Ren, you''re bleeding," Said Edreale as she saw the red color of Oz''s left shoulder. "Hm? Ah, yeah, he got me there, it''s fine, let''s get into the wagon," Said Oz as he walks into the wagon. Oz opens the wagon''s curtain and saw that the Coachman Uncle is sleeping soundly inside. "..." (Oz and the trio) "This guy, should we kill him?" Asked Oz to the others. "No, no one of us could drive a wagon," Answered Sen. "Hm? Is the battle over?" Asked the coachman uncle while yawning. "Oi, uncle. You..." (Oz) "What? It''s the job for you, youngster to fight, an old bone like me should just rest my back. Now, let''s continue our journey," Said him cheerfully. Oz leaked out a sigh. "I''m way too tired to rebuke him" Oz mumbled to himself. Oz sits and leans against the wagon''s wall. He closes his eyes for a while, thinking that he sensed something wrong about the bandits. (Where do they get the intel from?) (Oz) Oz contemplates and got absorbed by the thinking, but as he still closes his eyes, he felt that his left shoulder is being touched by someone. "Ouch! It''s hurt!" Oz reflectively said. When Oz turns his head, he thought that it''s Fenrir doing pranking on him, but it actually Edreale, holding a wet cloth and a bandage. "W-what the hell are you doing?" Asked Oz, fl.u.s.tered. "Hm? I''m cleaning your wound," Edreale said with her expressionless face. "Wha- Well, I knew that, but..." (Oz) "Let her be, Ren. It''s rare for Edreale to care someone like that, so be honored," Said Sen, he also seems to be rather surprised with Edreale''s action. "..." (Oz) "Open your clothes," Said Edreale. ".....What?" Asked Oz, dumbfounded. "Just open it," Said Edreale as she furrows her brows. "...Fine," Oz reluctantly said and obeyed. Oz opened his clothes, and sit half-n.a.k.e.d, making his well-built body to be shown. (Why do I felt that I''m getting humiliated here?) (Oz) (You are, master. To show off your body to a girl like that, the master is a pervert) (Fenrir) (It''s not a perverted thing, Fenrir. For a man, especially for someone who had a great figure like the master, they must have the urge to show off their body) (Reo) (Shut up, both of you!) (Oz) "W-where do you get all of these scars from?" Asked Edreale, she widens her eyes when she saw Oz''s body that filled with a lot of scars. "Ah, well you see, I got to a lot of unfortunate battles, while just barely hanging on the string of life, it recovers, but it can''t help but leave scars," Said Oz as he shrugged. Alfred and Sen also looked at Oz''s body that filled with a lot of scars, they themselves, who lived as a mercenary, didn''t have that much of scars. ''For him, that could defeat that ''Gale'', to have these much of scars, who does he battle with?'' Question Alfred inside of his heart. "Ren, you''re strong, you could even defeat ''Gale the Vigor'', he''s famous because he''s at the bottleneck of the sword saint rank. Even if the three of us handle him together, Sen and I are still at the first stage of sword saint rank, while Alfred big bro is at the second stage, we wouldn''t stand a chance against him," (Edreale) "How could you defeat him with your cultivation rank that is still at the master swordsman rank? And if you''re that strong to defeat ''Gale the Vigor'', who are you fighting with? Does that what makes you this strong?" Edreale surprisingly asked a sudden bunch of questions at Oz. Sen and Alfred are also wondering about that, they could only sense mana cultivation at the level of a master swordsman from Oz, but how could he be this strong? They focus to hear what Oz''s answer is. "I cultivate a different type of power than you if mana is using a power that exists at nature, I''m using a technique of cultivating the power that exists inside of you," Answered Oz with his eyes closed. "Inside of us?" (Edreale) "It''s a concept that you won''t understand, but the key to strength does not exist at the mana cultivation rank. The concept of mana is they help you to boost the capacity of your body right? But if you see at from a different perspective, if you train both your body and your mana cultivation, you''ll be able to boost your body multiple times, right?" Oz tried to explain as simple as he could. "In my case, I uses an energy that existed inside of our body that is very difficult to explain," (Oz) "I understand, so it means that if we train our body to be stronger two folds than before, it will also multiply the power of the mana cultivation for two folds, right?" Said Edreale as she started to comprehend Oz''s concept. "The journey is still long, how about you tell us the story of your kingdom, Ren?" Suggested Alfred. Oz took a peek of the sky, and see that it''s still afternoon. "Since you had known somethings already, it won''t change anything if I tell you all, so I''ll explain it to you as quick as possible, and I''ll get another sleep after that, okay?" (Oz) Chapter 51 - Martial Techniques [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] ------------------_-------------------------_--------------------------_-------------_--------------------_------------------------_-------------------------------------_-------------------_------------ Oz told his story started from when he first met Aegir at the cobblestone village, the story goes on for hours. After Oz tells them his story, the trio started to tell their own life stories. All three of them didn''t know who their parents are as they only had the memories when they''re at the orphanage. But as they got bigger, the three of them felt a great bond between them, and they felt that there seems like there really is a connection on their blood. Alfred and Sen felt the feeling the most, as both of them had the same blue hair, everyone will believe them as siblings. The duke said that all three of them had the blood of elves running through their veins. The statement from the duke makes them felt more certain that the three of them are siblings, so the three of them started to address themselves as siblings. Different from the purple-haired Edreale who had a half-pointed ear, Alfred and Sen didn''t inherit the pointed ears, they only inherited their affinity of mana cultivation. As their conversation goes on, the wagon arrived at their next stop, the closest city to the capital, Plumore. Together with the coachman, Oz and the trio rents a room at the most expensive inn in the city. It''s already evening when they arrived at Plumore, after renting the room, Oz immediately bid his goodbye to the others and get to the bed as he had to go back to Tarot. As Oz laid his body at the bed, he immediately sent his consciousness to the goblin [King] clone. When he opened his eyes, Aegir had already waiting for him while folding his arms and closing his eyes. "You''ve come, Ren?" Asked Aegir. "Yes, how''s the condition," Asked Oz. "All of your plans went smoothly, all of the people accepted the concept of economy you suggested, especially people who worked hard the most," Said Aegir. "Good, let''s start giving all of the races their own martial art, had all of the representatives of each race assembled, Aegir?" Instructed Oz. "They''ve already waited for you at the training grounds," Said Aegir. There is a huge training ground at the Tarot kingdom now, Fedra''s the one who suggested to make it, it''s five kilometers wide, a lot of people trains there every day, but today, there are only a few people who are permitted to come to the training grounds to make easier for them to learn what Oz''s going to teach them. When Oz arrived at the training ground, the strongest warriors of each race had already gathered. Oz smiled proudly when he saw his strongest warriors. "Sorry for the wait, everyone. Now, let''s start the practice," Said Oz with a smirk. The martial techniques Oz taught them is divided into three types, the first type is the techniques of the royalties, to strengthen the powers of each kingdom royalties and ensure their safety, the second type is the techniques of the soldiers that will be the fighting style of the legion army, while the third is the techniques of the knights, this type of technique is an elegant and honorable fighting style. The martial arts made for the goblins focuses on helping them to be nimble and swift, with the great stamina of goblins and the skilled hands of goblins, Oz taught them how to fight with both skills and wisdom. The goblins had a great affinity to be an all-type fighter, to be able to master all types of weapons and to could fight even while bare-handed. For the orcs, Oz created the techniques that make it possible for them to utilize the full potential of their herculean power. Orcs had great power, but they lack the strategy of fighting, the weapon Oz taught them is Kodachi, Axes, double-axes, greatswords, and halberd wielding. For the Lizardfolks, even though Oz didn''t have a tail, he could still manage to make a fighting technique that makes the lizardfolk''s could utilize their strong tails and strong body to the fullest. Oz only showed the techniques of spear-wielding to the lizardfolk as they had the most proficiency in using a spear. In the centaur case, Oz taught them the way of cavalry, as all centaur is a natural-born cavalry. Oz taught them archery, swordsmanship, and spear-wielding. But they master it quickly as if all centaurs are born with the talent. Elves are the most natural skilled fighter, all elves are a skilled fighter since they born. They could use swords, spears, and bows skillfully. But they don''t master the thing that they should suit the most. The path of an assassin, Oz taught the elves that should be nocturnal and is skilled in concealing their presences, the martial art of an assassin. For the kobolds, all of them took the path of the sword, so Oz taught them the path of a samurai, the keys to be one with the sword, and the ultimate skill of swordsmanship. Oz taught all kinds of swords skills started from dual-wielding, greatsword-wielding, to even rapier-wielding. Oz hesitates a bit when he about to show the martial art for the undead, but who would ever think that they managed to follow all of the things Oz''s showed just by looking once. Oz''s eyes lit up when he saw that the undead could follow his directions easily, making him teaching them a lot type of martial arts. As there are only a few dwarves that currently existed at the Tarot, so Oz easily taught them how to move efficiently with their short and muscular body. The dwarves got taught the way of hammer-wielding and ax-wielding. "I-I never thought that the king will be this knowledgable of martial arts, he makes me admires him more," Said Fedra, awestruck. "Me too, I should have asked him to train me sooner," Said Brad the leader of the ''Jack of All Trades'' Special force. "It''s pleasing to see that we''re serving a mighty warrior," Said Firenze, the leader of the centaurs. "Indeed, I could see an endless potential at this empire in the future, we can''t let our ruler hopes down, let''s train our people diligently," Said Talak, the leader of the lizardfolk. "Yes, we need to show him that he''d done enough for us, we can''t let him to do all of the things for us, right?" Said Razor, the leader of the kobolds. "That''s right," Said Aegir as he gazes at Oz''s inspiring figure. After training the executives for a couple of hours, Oz walks around to observe the growing empire''s state, the people had started to work far more diligently than before, it means that the economic system is working and giving a good impact to them. The undead is roaming at every place as they helped at all of the building construction, they boost the work of constructing things greatly, making a ten days work of construction to be done in only one day. The royal ''Joker Legion'', ''The order of Miracle'', and the ''Jack of All Trades'' special troops had started to assemble. Oz gave each of them a different training course, the ''Jack of All Trades'' training course focuses on increasing agility and for assassination, while the ''Joker Legion'' training course focuses on increasing their battle strength, and lastly, ''The order of Miracle'' training course not focuses at strength solely, but at both attitude and manner too, aiming to make the noblest knights existed. Each race had also started to make its own military legion and knight orders. Oz also gave them their respective training courses that suitable for their race. After strolling around a little, Oz came into Gurolf to give him a title. "I wanted to give you this title when your tower is already built, but I think that I need to notify you first. Gurolf, you''ll be entitled as the royal magician of the Tarot empire! Will you accept that position?" Asked Oz with a gentle smile. "Yes, your majesty. I''ll be honored..." Answered Gurolf with a bow. The empire is still under a lot of constructions, the walls of each race kingdom are also still under construction. Thydal said that all of the constructions may be finished together with the finish of the royal castle. "I can''t wait to see when all of the construction is done," Mumbled Oz as he observes the scenery from the top of Aegir''s house. "Ren! What''re you doing there?" Asked Geeta from downstairs. "Nothing, just enjoying the scenery," Said Oz as he gazes at the growing empire. "Hm..." Geeta jumped and sits beside Oz. "What are you doing?" Asked Oz. "Joining you enjoy the scene at the wonderful night, am I not permitted?" Asked Geeta with a smile. "Well, it''s not that I didn''t permit you..." Oz answered awkwardly. Silence enveloped them as they gaze at the growing empire and the sky that filled with a lot of stars. "You, do you still mad with the fact that I disguised myself?" Asked Oz. Geeta gazes at Oz''s face for a moment before answering: "Nope, I''m sorry, it''s so immature for me to be mad just because of that," with a cheerful smile. "Nope, it''s my fault, I''m too afraid to tell you my real identity," (Oz) "It''s okay Ren, I''ve forgiven you, I would do the same thing if I''m in your position," Said Geeta kindly. "Heh, I''m so lucky to know all of you," Mumbled Ren as he gazes the skies. "We''re the one who supposed to say that, Ren. I believe the others thought the same with me," (Geeta) Oz just smiles hearing Geeta''s answer, they gaze the scenery together for some moments until Oz bids farewell to take some rest. Oz sent his consciousness back to his real body and leaked a sigh. (Let''s get some rest, I''m tired as hell!) (Oz) But as Oz closed his eyes and about to enter the dreamlands, something at his arms moves around. "Mmhhh..." A m.o.a.n suddenly sounded from Oz''s arms. !!?? Oz opens his eyes and took a peek at what at his arms, and leaked out a surprised shout. "AAAAAAAAARGH" (Oz) Chapter 52 - Orcs Quest Part 1 [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] -----------------------_-----------------------------_----------------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------_--------------------------------_-----------------------_--------------- ---Magra''s POV--- A moment after his majesty, Ren, left his clone, Geeta notifies us that he had left, and the executives, once more assemble. "Now, let''s start the independent executive meeting," Said Sir Aegir that could be said as the king''s, no, the emperor''s right hand. He''s like the sworn brother of the emperor, both of them are smart and strong, all people and even the executives admire both of them. Sir Aegir''s and the emperor''s relationship is so close, even though the emperor is kind and gentle to everyone, sir Aegir''s is one of the few people that won''t get nervous when talked with the emperor. Even I, as the leader of the orcs, I still felt nervous when I meet the emperor. "Sir Aegir. Does his majesty informed about this meeting?" Asked the king of undead, Gareth. Everyone knew about sir Gareth''s deep loyalty to the emperor, he''s not scared to eliminate anyone he judged as a nuisance or a threat for the emperor. "He doesn''t," Answered sir Aegir with his eyes closed. "I see, then it means the word ''independent'' refers to our meeting that doesn''t comprise and bother your majesty, right?" Asked Gurolf, the royal head magician. He''s one of the most mysterious figures at the executives, no one knew what he thinks, and no one knew his real strength is, a very mysterious person... "Indeed, we seem to depend on the emperor too much, and if we notify him about this meeting, he''ll try his best to attend. But it''ll not let us grow and made us more dependent on him," Said the noble leader of the centaurs, sir Firenze. "So we''re holding this meeting to not give the emperor more weight to think, heh? I like the thought," Said the leader of the dwarves, sir Thydal, frankly. "Precisely, that''s why I assemble all of you here, as the prime minister, to discuss each of our kingdom''s progress, but setting that aside, is there anyone that needs any urgent help at their territory? Foods, or stuff," Asked sir Aegir. """Nope""" All of us answered together. "Then, our problems lie at the four kings and the construction of our empire, how are the progress of the construction, Thydal?" Asked sir Aegir. "It''s running at the full speed, we have the resources and materials, and the undead had covered the lacking manpower and boosts the speed, but it will still need a lot of time," (Thydal) "Each kingdom except the undead kingdom construction including the palace and the great walls should be finished at two months at most, while the emperor''s palace of the empire could only be finished at three months at most," Said sir Thydal. With the presence of sir Thydal, the empire''s buildings had all become gorgeous, there are no weapons shortage for the soldiers, and there are no people who have no home. They design the buildings and let the undead do the job, while at blacksmithing, they taught us orcs and the elves the key points of blacksmithing, improving the weapons and armours we made. Because of the dwarves, our orc kingdom had grown quickly and prospered. In a short time, everyone who had moved to our newly built kingdom had already had a house built. The undead worked nonstop and all of the undead have a significant amount of intelligence. "One of the things that I want to discuss, concerns the constructions. Every day, there are a lot of people joining our kingdom, while we still had a lot of constructions undergoing. This would make a gap at our defenses, so I want to remind you to quickly build your kingdom army legion and order of knights," (Aegir) "One of the things that protect us until now is the great walls, but only here, at the capital, that had the great wall constructed, while each of our kingdoms still needs to wait for two months until they''re finished. We may not underestimate the other habitant of this forest, we may be in peace now, but we couldn''t sure that the peace will last for long," (Aegir) "My biggest fear is, if one of us suddenly got attacked by the demons when we hadn''t prepared the army legion and order of knights, it won''t be even one day to get massacred by them, we can''t afford to be careless," (Aegir) "So I''m here to remind you to quickly assemble your people and build your military power steadily, and train them with the martial arts that your majesty had given us," Said sir Aegir to all of us, the executives. "For the equipment, I and the emperor had made the designs for every race, both for the legion and the knights, you''ll all love it," Said sir Thydal with a broad grin. "But what about the four kings? The emperor had chosen the people who''ll face them, but when should we start?" I asked sir Aegir. I can''t wait to go and subdue the minotaur and make the emperor proud. Helping the emperor that had saved my clan and my family is my biggest wish. "We should start from tomorrow, everyone who had been tasked by the emperor to face the four kings, prepare your armies and subdue them tomorrow, start from having negotiations, and use force if you must. If you need any reinforcement, you could send a messenger here, to the capital, but I believe that the emperor hoped that all of you will finish the task by yourselves and let you get some experiences from here, so I hope you will not let him down," Said sir Aegir. Hearing that, we who had been tasked by the emperor stands, we can''t let that line slipped, everyone here has a deep loyalty to the strong, wise, and magnificent emperor of ours. Sir Aegir''s words could be heard as challenging our loyalty and could be interpreted as questioning our competence of serving the emperor. I, the leader of the orcs, sir Talak, the leader of the lizardfolk, and lady Azaline, the leader of the elves stands when we heard that line, and said: "We won''t disappoint him," with a firm and resolute tone. Sir Aegir smiled when he heard our answer, we discussed some other things related to the empire for a while, and then sir Aegir ends the meeting, and all of us return to our respective homes. I went back to my kingdom by walking, across the road, I silently contemplate about all of the things that I should do, all of the executives always waits for there to be a meeting, because all of us wanted to meet the emperor, his charismatic charm makes all sorts of people got drawn by him. "Minotaurs..." I don''t know what minotaurs are, but if they''re going to hinder the emperor''s way, I won''t show them any mercy. The emperor already had a lot of things at his mind, I need to help him even if it''s just lifting one of it. When I am aware, I had already arrived in front of the huge gate that''s still under construction. (It seems that I got sunk at my own thoughts) I enter the gate and went to my temporary house to rest, tomorrow will be tiring, I need to get enough rest. ***************************** After I wake up, I washed my face, cook an ectra viper''s meat for a simple breakfast, and do a morning practice with the soldiers. The martial art the emperor gave us is very suitable for the muscle-headed orcs like us, it felt so natural when we learn the techniques. *Sound of something got slammed* "Don''t forget to make a firm stance to maintain your balance, if your stance is weak, you''ll immediately lose your balance after striking with full power, footsteps are one of the most important things to maintain at a battle," I lectured the soldiers that had just sparred with me, 15 orcs are lying at the grounds after sparring with me, it''s good, the more you felt hurt the more you''ll improve. "My lord, the War Hammer legion is ready, every chieftain had approved to send their soldiers to the War Hammer legion," My right hand, Kotkizun came reporting to me. "Is that so?" (Magra) "Yes, together with their soldiers, they had already gathered at the capital''s hall," (Kotkizun) "Good, let''s go there quickly too then," I said as I end the practice session and went back to my house. ******************************** "I''m pleased to see all of the chieftains presents, it shows your loyalty and our unity," I said to the fourteen chieftains in front of me. "It is our duty to come when we''re summoned by our king," Said the strongest chieftain, the chief of the Battlebringer clan, Dom Battlebringer. "I''m happy to hear that, Dom. The emperor had tasked us orcs with an important quest, to subdue the minotaur that proclaimed himself as the king of the West, he had attacked some of our people too, so the emperor judged him as a threat to the empire," (Magra) "The emperor didn''t choose the goblins or the noble centaurs to subdue them, but he chooses us. We owe our lives to him, and I don''t want to disappoint him, let''s handle the minotaurs wisely, and united!" (Magra) *Roaaaar* All of the orcs presents roared with all they had, just by mentioning the emperor lits their spirits, it makes me admired the emperor more. Fourteen chieftains had joined with the empire and had already moved to this growing orc kingdom. Each one of them had at least five thousand members, making our kingdom to have approximately 70,000 residents. By using the emperor''s knowledge, we''ve made great farms and ranches to preserve our food. And by introducing the concept of economy, no one slacks off, as everyone wants to eat, and everyone needs to work to get paid. After the introduction of the economy, a lot of business buildings had been constructed, inns, restaurants, and there are even some orcs that had started to learn how to be a merchant. The kingdom had become lively in such a short time. "It''s all because of the great emperor," I mumbled softly. "Did you say something, my lord?" Asked Kotkizun to me. "Nope, sorry, I spaced out there for a second," I pointed my ax to where the king of the West should be and said: "Now, let''s begin our quest!" Chapter 53 - Orcs Quest Part 2 [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] ----------------_-----------------------_--------------------------_-------------------------------_-------------------------_----------------------_---------------_-------------------_------------------------- ---Magra''s POV--- We travel from the orc kingdom to the place where the king of the West existed by foot, the traveling pace of orcs is fast, after traveling for about five hours, we''ve already arrived at the eternal winter region. Luckily, the emperor chose us as the one who''ll subdue the king of the West, as we orcs had a strong body, the cold hardly bothered us. I let my soldiers rest for 10 minutes, and we''ll continue our journey. "My lord, it''ll be the toughest part after this, we should slow our pace as to not drain the soldier''s stamina too much," Said my right hand, Kotkizun to me. Just like its name, an eternal winter region is a place that could only be described as a place where winter didn''t end. The snow piled up, and the trees and stones got frozen, because of the orc''s strong body, our herculean strength gave us immunity to the cold. "Yes, tell the soldiers to slow our pace, and prepare to continue our journey," I said. "Yes, my lord," Answered Kotkizun. According to what sir Aegir told us, the eternal winter region is filled with a lot of dangerous magic beasts, and there are the winter bears that ruled the region. The king of the West should be not that far from the borders of the grassland region and the eternal winter region. After walking for another four hours, we finally saw an old-looking wall from the distance, the wall looks old and battered as if no one manages it. "My lord..." (Kotkizun) "I know Kotkizun... It''s whether they''re stupid and careless, or they''re that confident with their strength, I won''t be careless," (Magra) "What do you think we should do, Duverl?" I asked the smartest orc from the Bonefall clan. He''s the wisest amongst us, so I appoint him as the strategist of the legion. "We should assume that their lack of defense is a symbol that shows their confident at their strength, so we mustn''t underestimate them yet," (Duverl) "Let''s send some scouts first, we need to know what''s inside the walls first," Said the strategist, Duverl. "You''re right, Kotkizun, send some scouts to find out what''s inside, and notify the soldiers that we''ll make a temporary base here," I instructed Kotkizun. As my right hand, Kotkizun acted quickly and swiftly, he''s one of the most powerful and smart orcs at the kingdom, his name is well renowned at the orcs community as ''The King''s Right Hand, Kotkizun''. Kotkizun sends five orcs that excel in stealth to scout inside the walls, we waited until dark to ensure the success of the scouting while building the base not far from the walls. Waiting for the scouts to carry out their mission, I sit at a piece of wood that had just been cut down and used as our chair. We don''t make any campfire as it will notify the enemy about our presence. We brought about 10,000 soldiers here, it''s the half number of the war hammer legion. I let the other half to keep guarding the kingdom, we can''t let the kingdom to be left unguarded. I wonder if my decisions are wrong... The scouts sure took their time on the scouting; it''s already one hour since they started their mission. Do they fail? If they fail, as their king, what should I do? Will I disappoint his majesty, the emperor? If- *Sound of something getting smacked* "Ouch!" I shouted because of the sudden smack at my back. "W-what are you doing, Gruival!?" I asked the perpetrator who just smacked by back, my old friend, the chieftain of the Deathbringer clan, Gruival. "What the hell are you thinking, my lord? You''re not that bright, so don''t waste your energy for thinking something that''s too complicated, your head will explode," Said Gruival with some sarcasm mixed inside of it. "You... I have no idea whether you''re consoling me or making fun of me, Gruival," I said with a wry smile. "Say your doubts and worries out loud, Magra. We''re orcs, we solve our problems by muscle and power, we respect the strong and admire them. That''s why all of us admires you and the emperor," (Gruival) "He''s right, my lord. You''re not the only one who didn''t want to disappoint his majesty, the emperor. All of us also admires him and his strength, as our lord, you''re free to ask us your retainers to think about the complicated problems you know?" Said the chieftain from the Ironfist clan, Iran. Not only both of them but the other twelve chieftains had also come and surrounded me with smiles imprinted on their face and trust shone from their eyes. Seriously, what a great comrade I have here, ever since I met his majesty, Ren, a lot of good things keeps on happening. All the people around him admire him and get a good influence from him. As if everyone who got near him got blessed by the gods, even someone like me got blessed with such wonderful comrades. "My lord?" (Gruival) "It''s nothing, I just thought about how I''m blessed for having such wonderful comrades. You''re right, we''re orcs, we solve our problems by force, no matter what it is, a powerful force will be able to destroy any problem, thanks for reminding me Gruival," (Magra) "It''s my job to do so," (Gruival) "My lord! The scouts had returned!" Kotkizun reported while running to me. "Good, lead me to them," (Magra) The five of them returned safely, but all of them had dark expressions when I saw them. "What happened?" I asked them. "We''ve successfully infiltrated the walls, my lord," (One of the scouts) "I mean what makes all of you had that kind of expression? Did they imprison some of our brothers? But I''m sure that there is no report of a missing people," I asked all of them. "N-no my lord, none of our race got imprisoned by them," (One of the scouts) "Then tell me what you''ve seen inside, that darken all of your expressions," I asked them once again. "I-it''s not our race who got imprisoned, but some goblins from lord Aegir''s goblin kingdom. We trained together before at the capital, so we remember clearly their face and their appearance, they''re all good people, my lord," Said one of them while he squeezes his fist powerfully and lowering his face. "Hm... So it''s not our race but the goblins that got imprisoned by them," (Magra) "Not only that, my lord. Some orcs also work together with the king of the West and the minotaurs inside," (One of the scouts) "What? Which clan who had betrayed us?" Asked the strongest warrior, Dom, furiously. "I don''t recognize them, my lord. I never saw their clan before, different with us, they had a blue-colored skin. But I''m sure that they''re orcs," (One of the scouts) "Explain to me their defenses and the condition inside of the walls," (Magra) From the report that the scouts gave us, the races that live inside the walls are only the blue orcs and the minotaurs. There are no defend systems inside, the blue orcs live as if they''re the slaves of the minotaurs and there are only some of them patrolling. They said that there are approximately 2,000 minotaurs and 5,000 orcs including their females, elderly, and children. "I see, Duverl, what is the best course of action should we take?" I asked the strategist. "Hm... If there are no defend system inside of the walls, we should take advantage of the darkness of the night to make a sudden assault. Because there are the goblins that we need to save, we can''t attack them head-on, they might use the goblins as a hostage," (Duverl) "So we need to attack them when their security is at the lowest, it''s now. Let''s split some of the elite warriors to make a small group that prioritizes in saving the prisoners," Said Duverl. "Then Dom, pick another five people to make a group that prioritizes in saving the prisoners," I immediately instructed Dom. "Yes, my lord!" Dom answered and immediately make his group. "Let''s attack them now, my lord. At this time, their security should be at their lowest, it will make fewer casualties at both sides," Said Duverl. "Kotkizun, gather all of the soldiers, it''s time to attacks," I instructed Kotkizun. The soldiers are discipline, the training course his majesty gave us makes enhance not only the body but also the mind of the soldiers, just a moment after the announcement, all of them immediately gathered and make an organized formation. "We''ll now attack the king of the West, I''m not good at words like the emperor, so I doubt that I could raise your morale like him. But I could still say this, stay alive! And don''t disgrace the name of the War Hammer Legion, now, let''s attack our enemies and save our allies!" I said trying to imitate his majesty''s speech. We orcs have a natural night vision, we could see at night as clear as the day, Dom''s team had infiltrated the walls first, and leading the main army, I lead them to strike swiftly. Our entrance alarmed the subjects of the king of the West, but they''re not prepared, and they''re slow at making their formation, making it easier for us to incapacitate their soldiers. Our 10,000 soldiers easily overwhelmed the blue orcs and the minotaurs, some of them run to the place where the prisoners were kept, only to encounter Dom and the other mighty warriors and got wiped out. The minotaur had greater strength than us, but our soldiers had learned a martial art, while the minotaur fight without any strategy. One of our orc soldiers could face five blue orcs or two minotaurs simultaneously. Even though we had only got introduced to martial art recently, but the improvement at the soldiers is superb. I never thought that the battle will go this smoothly, but when I''m in the midst of admiring the soldiers'' strength, suddenly a blue orc that had a different aura enveloping him, and a minotaur that had a bigger body than the other minotaurs appeared. I immediately notice their presence when they appeared, but when I move my gaze to them, unbearing wrath enveloped me. I knew that the minotaur is the leader of the minotaurs, but the blue orc that appeared with him had his neck, hands, and legs shackled with chains. And the blue orcs is not a male, but a female! "What''s the meaning of this?" I asked with a cold voice. "Don''t you think it''s my line to say that? You''re from that newly built kingdom, don''t you? Why are you here? To save those weak goblins?" Asked the minotaur with a disgusting face. "That''s part of it, but your actions had become a threat to the empire, so the emperor ordered us to subdue you and your evilness," Said I. Suddenly the minotaur laughed, his disgusting face stuck out his tongue when he''s laughing as if he had lost his mind. "That''s funny, little orc! A lot of people had challenged me before, while no one had the strength to defeat me, and because of my peerless strength, all of them serve and worship me! And you said that you came here because of your puny emperor!? Don''t make me laugh!" (The king of the West) !!! I immediately gushed out all of my killing intent when I heard that insult, not only me, all of the chieftains and all of the soldiers who heard that the king of the west just said gushed out their killing intents too. The other minotaurs and blue orcs that already surrendered shivers because of the terrifying amount of killing intent, the walls start to give a cracking sound, and it felt as if the whole place is shaking. " Don''t You dare insult the emperor in front of us, " I said coldly. The emperor is our savior and our hero, all of us got saved by him and all of us gladly serve him. For this dirty minotaur to insult him with his unworthy mouth, makes me couldn''t handle my wrath. "H-hmph! Not a bad bloodthirst you had there warrior, but you''ll end up the same like this girl here, I''ll gladly make you my toy and make your emperor my toy too!" Said him once more, this time, I couldn''t bear it anymore. I''m sorry Duverl, but I think that I can''t help but kill this F*@#ing bull. Chapter 54 - Awkward [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] -------------_----------------------_------------------------_-------------------------------_----------------------_--------------------------_-----------------------_--------- "W-w-w-w-w-what the hell are you doing, Edraele!!??" Oz shouted in surprise when he saw the figure that''s lying at his arms. "Mmmhh," Edraele didn''t respond. Oz took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, he regains his calm after a while and started to analyze the situation calmly. "Oi, Edraele," Oz tried to call her, but Edraele didn''t respond and continue sleeping soundly. Oz leaked out a sigh. "She''s already at the land of dreams, huh," Oz muttered. Oz tried to lift her body and pull his arms. "Ouch!" Oz writhed in pain when he felt great pain at his shoulder. "Eh?" Oz finally realized that his currently half-n.a.k.e.d while his hurt shoulder had already got wrapped by brand new bandages. "Does she takes care of my arms as I was sleeping?" Oz asked himself as he gazed the sleeping half-elf beauty in front of him. "She usually hides her feelings, and she shows no expression on her face, but she''s actually a kind-hearted girl, huh," Oz muttered gently as he pats her head, and covers her whole body with the blanket, and stand. (Wait, as I remember, I slept inside the wagon, right? Then who carries my here?) (Oz) As he wonders who carried him to this inn, Oz uses his shirt and cloak and leaves the room. Oz tried his best to move silently to not wake Edraele up. (Reo, the master is sleeping with a beautiful girl at his room, he''s so sinful) (Fenrir) (It''s normal for a capable man to charm a lot of women, Fenrir) (Reo) (You guys... Even though we went to the magical forest together...) (Oz) Oz leaked out another sigh. "Now, where should we go? My body is too energized to sleep again, and it will be dangerous for my heart if I sleep inside that room," Oz muttered. (Even though you''re secretly happy...) (Fenrir) (I don''t!) (Oz) (I want some milk, master) (Reo) "Okay then, let''s grab some meal," Said Oz. Oz went to the inn''s canteen and took a seat at the corner. Because it''s already late, there are only people who drink alcohol that remains. A waitress approaches Oz asking what he''ll order. "Give me three portions of the canteen''s greatest meal and four glasses of milk please," Ordered Oz. (Four? There are only three of us here, master. Do you expecting someone?) (Reo) (It''s for me, I love milk) (Oz) They waited for several minutes, and the food finally came. The meal that they served is a grilled bird, the bird''s huge and the smell of the seasonings greatly increase the appetite. Growl~ Oz''s stomach growled as he smelled the food. Poof! A black cat and a white dog suddenly appeared at the table in front of Oz together with clouds of smoke. "Thanks for the meal~" (Reo and Fenrir) Oz grins when he watches the cute behavior of the mini spirits. Oz also started to eat the delicious meal in front of him. The meat is juicy and soft; it contains a sweetness that combines perfectly with the salty flavor. Just when Oz is enjoying his meal, two figures suddenly sat beside him and shouted, "Give us two-portion that similar to this guy!" "You guys... Are you here to disturb my meal?" Asked Oz as he drinks his milk. "Yup, we''re disturbing your meal as we can''t disturb your peaceful sleep before," Said Alfred with an evil smirk. Pfft! Oz spurted his drinks when he heard Alfred''s words. Cough! Cough! Cough! He also got choked because of it, and he drinks the milk in a huge gulp to dissipate it. "Ugh... Both of you knew..." (Oz) "Well, it''s such a surprise to us, too. We never saw that Edraele to care about someone to that extent," Said Alfred with a shrug. "I''m the one who should be surprised the most, by the way, why does Sen keep on staring daggers on me?" Asked Oz. "It''s just him, being a protective brother," Alfred answered. "Seriously, I''m the victim here, you know? I don''t even do anything..." Said Oz. "Just the fact that you don''t even flinch when you knew our identity already gave a huge impact to Edraele, not only her, we also felt the same way," (Alfred) "Even inside our mercenary guild, people will still show a hint of disgust when they knew our identity as the half-elves," (Alfred) "What is the reason for that kind of exaggerated reaction? I thought it was quite cool to be a half-elf," Said Oz as he continued his meal. "Eh? You''re the only one who''ll ever say that words at this kingdom, every half-bred is considered as a slave in status since they''re born, it''s the law of the continent, it''s not a crime to kill or enslave a half-bred, that''s why people often try to capture us, to sell us to a slave dealer," Explained Alfred. "I see, no wonder they gave that kind of reaction," Said Oz indifferently as he continues to eat. "Y-you don''t seem to be that surprised," Said Alfred with a wry smile. "Well, not that I could change the world''s perspective of half-bred, and not only half-bred even orphans also treated like slaves in this kingdom. And at this age where war could break out anytime, rotten people keep on showing up, while the queen is still busy fighting for power with the nobles, I really want to smack the queen''s head if I met her," Said Oz with a hint of rage in his eyes. "And I told you before that I''m the king of a kingdom that have no humans existed right? Well, it soon will be an empire though, I''m friends with elves and even orcs there, how could I be surprised just by meeting three half-elf siblings?" Oz answered indifferently with a shrug. "Well, you''re not wrong," (Alfred) "But Ren, about your kingdom, is it-" Alfred about to ask something, but Oz had already guessed his words. "You want to join my kingdom? It''s up to you, we accept all races, as long as they''re good eggs though, I''ll bring you guys there one day," Said Oz with a gentle smile. "I wish we could go there together one day," Said Alfred while he closed his eyes. "About Edraele, we support any decision you made about her," said Alfred. "What the hell do you even mean?" Oz pretends to don''t know what Alfred means. From the beginning to the end, Sen didn''t mutter any sentence and only eat his meal calmly. Oz feign ignorance at his attitude, Alfred eats his meal with a relieved smile and the two spirits seem to be too focused on the meal in front of them. All of them went back to their room after the meal, Oz forgot that there is Edraele sleeping at his bed, fortunately, there is a wooden chair inside the room, so Oz sits and closed his eyes to take some rest on it. ********************** The sun had risen; the light pierced through the window, disturbing Oz''s sleep. Oz slowly opened his eyes and stretched his arms. But an unexpected view appears in front of his eyes. "Um... Edraele, what are you doing?" Asked Oz to the purple-haired girl that is staring his face at a very close distance. "You''re awake, Ren," Told her. "Yes I am, and your face is so close," Oz said with a wry smile. "I tried to wake you up, but waking you up is so difficult," Edraele said with her usual flat tone and expression. "I-I''m sorry?" (Oz) *Sound of the door getting knocked* "Ren! Edraele! It''s almost time to continue our trip to the capital!" Alfred''s voice could be heard from outside. "Yes Alfred big bro, we''re coming," Said Edraele as she opened the door. Oz stands and saw that his bag has already neatly prepared to on top of the bed. (Just like a wife, huh, Master?) (Fenrir) (Fenrir, please stop on commenting every time this kind of thing occurred) (Oz) (But teasing you is so fun, master) (Fenrir) (You damn dog...) (Oz) Oz could only leak out a small sigh. "Let''s go, Ren. We mustn''t be late!" Said, Alfred. Oz took his bag and followed them to the place where the coachman uncle said he would pick them up. Since Oz slept on his way to the city, he didn''t know where the place is, so he could only obediently follow them. Different from the mercenary city, this city is far more peaceful and prosper. When they arrived at the place, the coachman had already waiting for them together with an additional two young men. "What took you guys so long?" Asked the coachman uncle. "Someone slept too late last night," said Alfred with a teasing smile to both Oz and Edraele. "Don''t use words that will make an unnecessary misunderstanding, Alfred. And we''re still 14 years old! We''re underage!" Said Oz with an annoyed tone. "Well, at this Grandaria kingdom, 14 years old is a marriageable age, Ren," Said Alfred. "Are these the people were waiting for, uncle?" Asked a fat young man that used fancy clothes with a rather arrogant tone. "Who is this fatty, uncle?" Oz asked the coachman uncle, annoyed by the tone used by the fat young noble. "Y-you didn''t know who this man is, Ren?" Asked the coachman uncle with a surprised face. The trio beside Oz also shows a surprised face when they saw the fatty. (Who the hell is this fatty?) (Oz) The fat young noble snorted. "Hmph! I''ll feign ignorance of your rudeness because of your peasant identity! So remember this name! I''m the son of the royal head magician, Albus Theodore!" (Albus) Chapter 55 - Meeting The Myth [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] -------------------_--------------------_--------------------------_-------------------_-----------------------_--------------_-------------------------_----------------_---------- Quest A quest is a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something. Usually, people, nobles, or royalties will put some quests on the adventurer guild or at the mercenary guild. The quests in adventurer guild usually comprise adventuring quests or item searching quests, while the mercenary guild usually has a bounty quest on criminals, or nobles searching for military power. -Basics of Adventurer -Grandaria Library -Grandaria Capital ----------------_-----------------_--------------------_---------------------_-----------------------_---------------------_-------------------------------_------------------------------- "Hmph! I''ll feign ignorance of your rudeness because of your peasant identity! So remember this name! I''m the son of the royal head magician, Albus Theodore!" (Albus) "..." Oz flatly stared at Albus and enter the wagon, totally ignoring him. "Nice to meet you, sir Albus Theodore," Alfred lightly bow as he greeted, "Eh?" (Oz) "Nice to meet you too, sir Albus Theodore," Sen and Edraele follow suit. "It''s rare for you to greet a noble, Alfred," Oz exclaimed in surprise. "Because he''s different from the other shitty nobles, Ren. Maybe he talks like that, but he''s the one who built several orphanages at the capital, he''s also famous for his kindness to the Demi-humans," Said Alfred. "Seriously?" Oz asked as he observed the fat noble once more. "Please stop, it''s my honor to be praised by the demon siblings of Rain Rage. But the one who manages the orphanages is my father and the sword god, Golden Kyron, not me," Said Albus with a totally different tone from before, as if his arrogant tone before is just an act. (That old geezer, huh) (Oz) "I well informed about the demon siblings who had reached the sword saint rank at such a young age, rumors said that a sword saint genius only appears every 50 years, and only people above 40s that managed to reached that rank. But these genius siblings manage to reach that level at such a young age. It really made an uproar to the whole kingdom," Albus said with a calm tone. "Said the person who reached the archmage rank at the same age as us," Said Sen mixed with sarcasm. "What I mean is, I knew about this trio, but who are you? I heard nothing about the demon siblings had a friend," Asked Albus. (Hm... I wonder how I should answer that question...) (Oz) (Why don''t you answer with your usual cool act, "I''m Oz, a magician," and stylishly smirk?) (Fenrir) (Y-you''re mocking me, huh, Fenrir? No dinner for you today!) (Oz) (N-no! I''m just giving you a suggestion... Please give me my dinner!) (Fenrir) (You deserve that punishment, Fenrir) (Reo) (Reo you traitor! Even though you''re the one who suggested to me to say that!) (Fenrir) (R-Reo... No dinner for you too!) (Oz) (W-what!!!????) (Reo) "Hm... He''s the new leader of us," Said Alfred cheerfully. "Since when do I become your leader?" Rebuked Oz. "Yea, since when does he become our leader?" Sen follows suit. "Fine, fine. Let''s save your introduction for later. How about you? Could you introduce yourself?" Albus asked the blond youth who is sitting at the corner of the wagon. The blond youth looked like a noble, his graceful and elegant demeanor will make anyone thought of him as a young noble. He got a handsome and charismatic face, his blue eyes reminded Oz to someone, he had a sword at his waist so he must be a swordsman. The blond youth stands and said: "My name is Peter Robert, nice to meet you," elegantly. "Nice to meet you too, my name is Albus. Robert... I never heard that noble name before," Muttered Albus as he tried to recall the name. "I''m not a noble, sir Albus," Said Peter with a kind smile. (T-this guy''s smile is so kind-hearted) (Oz) "Please drop the ''sir'' thing, you guys too, it''s annoying to be formal all the time," Said Albus. Oz sits next to Alfred and whispered: "You''re right, he''s a good egg," With a smile. "Told you so," answered Alfred. "Hey! You guys ready!? Off we go then!" The coachman uncle said enthusiastically. (We Haven''t even answered yet, uncle...) (Oz) (The next destination is the Grandaria Capital... I wonder what it looks like) (Oz) The group chatted several topics on the trip, they unexpectedly made strange chemistry in this irregular group. Albus conversed with Oz and the trio without holding any restraint, and they became friends in an instant. Peter only join the chat sometimes, he still restraint himself from showing his true personality, but it could be seen that he enjoyed chatting with the group too. When the afternoon came, they had run out of topic to converse, Oz secretly glanced at Peter with an amused gaze a few times. (This guy... He''s hiding something) (Oz) "Appraisal..." Oz silently muttered. [????????? ????????? ????????? ?????????] "Wha?" Exclaimed Oz, surprised. (Maybe he uses something like a magic item or a magic artifact, master) (Fenrir) (Huh? Does anyone else had an appraisal skill too?) (Oz) (Not a skill, it''s a spell actually, a high-leveled mind spell) (Fenrir) (I see, so he even took such extreme counter to an appraisal, he must be hiding it because of something) (Oz) (Y-you''re thinking something bad again, huh, master?) (Reo) (Nope, not at all, I''ll look at his status later, it''s been a while since I cultivate, I must not slack off) (Oz) Oz changed his sitting posture to a crossed-legs position, he closes his eyes and took a deep breath. The five people inside the wagon watch him carefully, full of interest, but Oz pays them no heed. "This guy, don''t tell me, he''s cultivating?" Asked Albus with a wry smile. "Yup, he is," (Alfred) "At this moving wagon?" (Albus) "Yea, relax, you''re not the first one to be surprised looking at him like this," Said Sen. "Ren is weird," Said Edraele. "Edraele... You sure choose the right moment to mock people, huh. Well, there are only three words that suit him, weird, unknown, and mysterious," Said Alfred with a shrug. "Strong, I hate to admit it, but he''s strong," The quiet Sen suddenly cut in. Alfred a little bit surprised when he heard Sen said that, but he just smiled and said: "It''s true, he''s strong," "For these guys to say someone strong..." Albus slowly muttered to himself as he observes Oz with narrowed eyes. Oz had concentrated all of his focus to observe the spin of his qi flow at his meridians, slowly but steady, and by flowing the mana at his body too, his body started to feel warm. Both of his qi and mana is increasing at a steady pace, both of the cultivation energy is at their bottlenecks, the pace of the circulation had become slower as Oz''s still searching for the key to breakthrough the bottlenecks. Just right when Oz got more indulged in his cultivation, the feeling of sitting inside a wagon changes, Oz opened his eyes and found out that the scenery had changed. "Where is this..." (Oz) A barren and inhabited land, there is only red rocks, no trees, no animals, but malice enveloped the place, the aura of hatred, evil, corruption, and darkness could be felt everywhere. Oz observed the place calmly, the feeling is the same as when he uses the goblin [king] clone form. Oz looked at his hands. "What the hell?" (Oz) He''s using the magician suit that he always used when he''s on earth. Even his magician hat is on top of his head. Oz tried to summon his ataraxia staff and the ataraxia staff appeared. "I could still summon the staff and the cards, but I couldn''t emit my mana at all. It looks like this is my old body..."Oz muttered as he keeps on analyzing the situation. "Fenrir! Reo! Are you there!?" Oz tried to call out for the two spirits, but there is no answer. "I''m alone, huh," (Oz) " Nope, You''re not, " A familiar deep voice suddenly appeared behind of Oz. With a quick move, Oz threw a card, aiming for the figure''s head. But the figure easily captured the card Oz thrown. "Appraisal," Muttered Oz. The card he just threw is the appraisal card! The appraisal could only give the most accurate status when the target touched the card, in such a short moment, Oz planned it inside his head. [Type: Demon [Great Emperor] level: 542 Strength: 200,000,000 Agility: 350,000,000 Vitality: 600.000.000 Mana: 600,000,000 Spiritual: 900,000,000 Skills: ?????????????????????????] (W-what the f.u.c.k!? Level 542!?) (Oz) (D-demon great emperor!?) (Oz) Oz immediately prepared his stance and observed the figure who just appeared. Somehow, Oz felt that he ever saw the figure somewhere. (That horns...) (Oz) !!! (T-this guy... He''s the demon emperor that battled with the spirit kings from Fenrir''s and Reo''s memories!) (Oz) " I see... You just checked my status from this card, huh? " (Demon Emperor) !? Oz immediately retrieves his appraisal card to his spatial card deck in panic. " Spatial inventory, huh? Interesting... " Muttered the demon emperor with an amused expression. "You... Who the hell are you?" Asked Oz with a firm voice and expression. If people who know him at the Ablux continent saw him, they won''t believe that this is Oz. His usually calm and laid off demeanor is gone, his eyes full of coldness and killing intent. " Me? " Asked the demon emperor as he suddenly vanished. " Don''t you saw my status just now? " Asked the demon emperor as he suddenly appeared from Oz''s back. Boom! When the demon emperor''s voice appeared from Oz''s back, he immediately strikes the demon emperor with his ataraxia staff at a high speed. But Oz hit nothing but air! The demon emperor disappeared and reappears at Oz''s front. " Well, since I''m the one who summoned you, let me introduce myself properly. I am the great emperor of the demons, Asmodeus! Now, will you introduce yourself too? " Said the demon emperor. "....I''m Oz. A magician," Oz answered shortly. " Hm... Then dear magician Oz, why did you appear here? " The atmosphere suddenly changed when the demon emperor asked this question. "Hm?" (Oz) " I collected my power slowly to summon the heroes that will face me in the future, I made this plan to make sure to limit their growth, but why does you, who didn''t even have the hero seed inside of you to appear here? " asked the demon emperor. "I don''t know..." (Oz) (How the hell could I know?) (Oz) !!?? Boom! The demon emperor suddenly vanished and attacked Oz from his behind. Oz immediately noticed it but he managed to dodge it. Oz tried to estimate his current qi cultivation rank, and he found a pleasant surprise. !!?? (This dense and powerful qi... This color... Impossible... This is the God-King realm! It''s only one rank behind the absolute Earth Monarch Realm! Even my former body hasn''t reached this rank yet, why does this body suddenly reach this rank?) (Oz) " Hm? I struck intending to instantly kill you. To be able to dodge my strike, it seems it''s not a stroke of bad luck to summon you here, you might be more troublesome than the heroes in the future, " Said the demon emperor with an evil smirk. " Magician Oz, fight me, it''s been a long time since I fought someone, amuse me! " The demon emperor said with a smirk of a battle maniac. Seeing the demon emperor''s battle maniac expression, Oz''s battle maniac spirit lits up too. Oz smirked. "I accept your challenge demon, let''s fight!" Said Oz with full of vigor. ---Inside the wagon--- "R-ren?" (Alfred) A terrifying red wind suddenly enveloped Oz''s body and form a small red typhoon inside the wagon. "W-what is happening!?" (Sen) Chapter 56 - Great Loss [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] ------------_------------------_---------------------_--------------------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------_------------ Demonic Magic Demonic magic is a magic that uses or collaborate to form magic with assistance from a demonic spirit or a demon. Demonic magic is far more prohibited than the dark magic, people who use demonic magic will be trialed and executed. The demonic magic comprises the uses of demonic curses and demonic strengthening that strengthen people by giving sacrifices to the demon. -Demonology -Grandaria Library -Grandaria Capital -------------------------_----------------------------_--------------------------------_--------------------------_---------------------------_-------------------------------_--------------------------- Oz''s body suddenly got enveloped by a small red vortex. The vortex slowly but steadily grew bigger, the vortex comprises of dense killing intent and malicious demonic aura. "W-what the hell is happening!?" (Sen) "R-Ren?" (Edraele) "Sir Albus! Do you know what is happening!?" Alfred asked Albus in panic. "I-I didn''t know anything myself, t-this is the first time I see something like this. It consists of a very dense murderous aura and demonic magic! We''ll get cursed if we get near the vortex!" Said Albus. "Uncle! Stop the wagon!" Said Alfred to the coachman uncle. *Sound of ires braking* When the wagon stopped, Albus, Alfred, Sen, Edraele, and Peter jump out of the wagon. "What should we do!?" Asked Sen. Poof! Suddenly a black cat and a white puppy appeared near Oz, they had a panic face when they saw Oz, and they immediately jumped to the red vortex. When they jumped, suddenly white and black color entered the red vortex, and the vortex''s power slows down a little, but it''s still not showing any sign of stopping. Oz still closes his eyes, and he''s still at the cross-legs position, and slowly float a little in the middle of the red vortex. "Ren! Wake up!" (Edreale) "What the hell is happening to you, Ren!" (Sen) ********************************** The battle continuous, even though Oz''s qi cultivation is currently at the god-king rank, he''s still not used with the power yet, and the demon emperor is far too powerful. (Damn! This guy is far too powerful!) (Oz) The demon emperor''s speed, strength, mana, and magic is all far above him. Oz already half-equipped all of the special cards he possesses, but his stats are still nowhere near the demon emperor. But for the magician. Having an opponent at this caliber is a challenge. A challenge for him to test his limit. And a chance for him to challenge the impossible. (This is fun!) The demon emperor fight with his scarlet red demonic sword that looks powerful and terrifying. Oz also transformed his [defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] to a sword. Clash! Oz''s and the demon emperor, Asmodeus''s sword clashed. "Not bad, human! Even though this is only a part of my true strength, to be able to keep up with the battle until this point is remarkable! It''s not a waste to summon someone like you here!" (Demon Emperor, Asmodeus) "What a great words you say there, demon," (Oz) (This is the first time I used this, but there is no harm to try, isn''t it?) (Oz) Oz had been waiting for his chance to use this trump card of his. He threw four queen cards that possess the ability to give illusions to the demon emperor. (The proud demon emperor won''t try to evade it, but whether catch or deflect it) (Oz) "Hmph! What are you doing? This kind of toy won''t even scratch me!" Said the demon emperor arrogantly. (But even if he deflects it, it''s enough. Because the queen magic card will affect the opponent by just getting near them) (Oz) Oz evilly smirked. "T-this... are these illusions?" Asked the demon emperor as he suddenly stopped his steps. (Chance!) (Oz) Oz threw all the attacking cards, including the jack card from the ten decks into the demon emperor, bombarding him with countless cards. "D-did it works?" Oz muttered. !!?? The demon emperor''s clothes got tattered, but it could be seen that he only got some scratches from those attacks. The demon emperor laughed. !!!!! And suddenly the atmosphere changed, and the gravity felt heavier for several folds. "HAHAHAHAHAHA, It''s been a long time since I felt pain! Good job human!" Said the demon emperor as his body emitted an enormous amount of demonic aura. (F*%$! He''s way too strong!) (Oz) Oz gritted his teeth. "You''re so difficult to kill, demon," Said Oz with a wry smile. "Indeed, but forcing me to go to this extent is the proof of how troublesome you''ll be if I left you alone, you might be a bigger problem than the heroes," (Demon Emperor) "Don''t hold a grudge to me, magician. This is the end!" (Demon Emperor) The enormous amount of demonic aura gathered at the demon emperor''s hand and formed a huge sphere. "I''ve also sent some of my underlings to kill your real body and your comrades, goodbye magician. Try your best to survive," (Demon Emperor) (S&*%! Since he''s going to kill me anyway, let''s try to at least damage him a little!) (Oz) Oz gathered all of his qi at one of his meridians and prepared 10 joker cards at both of his hands. Oz jumped to the demon emperor at a high speed and threw all of the joker cards to the demon emperor. But the demon emperor ignores the thrown joker cards and the rushing Oz, he thought that it''ll be the same as the cards that Oz had thrown earlier. Less does he know that a qi cultivator had a sole technique that could destruct everything, a saint king realm will be able to destroy an island if he uses this technique, and who knows what a god-king realm would be able to destroy with this technique. Self-destruct. Oz also threw the cards that he never used because he didn''t sure what they use are. The joker card is said that it''ll give a random effect when it used, so basically, Oz''s gambling, he didn''t sure that he will die at this world where the demon emperor summoned him, but he couldn''t let the demon emperor win this easily. "Try this, demon emperor!" (Oz) "Die! Magician!" (Demon Emperor) *************************** After about 20 minutes, the red vortex dissipates, and Oz''s body slowly descends. Cough! Cough! Oz suddenly vomits a mouthful of blood, and his arms, his legs, his ears, and his chest suddenly filled with a lot of scars. "Ren!" Edraele shouted and approaches Oz in a hurry, Alfred, Sen, Albus, and Peter also approaches Oz to see his condition. "Ren! Are you okay!?" (Sen) "Ren! Wake up! What happened to you!?" (Alfred) "-Mons" Oz slowly said. "What?" (Alfred) "Demons..." (Oz) "Demons?" (Albus) "W-we''re surrounded" Oz tried his best to mutter these words. "K-Kids!!! Strange looking monsters are approaching this wagon!!!" (Coachman Uncle) "What?" (Alfred) Alfred, Sen, Edreale, Albus, and Peter get out of the wagon again and saw dozens of red and weird looking creatures are staring at the wagon. "T-that... Don''t tell me..." (Albus) "Demons, that is demons! Prepare yourselves, everyone!" Together with Alfred''s warning shout, the demons rushed to the wagon with high speed. "Great lord of fire, grant me the heat of your great power, protect me and sting my enemies, Fire Ring!" (Albus) Albus chanted an arch fire magic, and a ring of fire circles their wagon. The demons hesitated when they saw the fire. "This... Is this arch magic?" Asked Peter. "Yes... But it won''t last long... Please prepare for the worst, everyone," said Albus with a serious face. (Ugh! He got me there!) (Oz) By unknown means, the joker cards Oz threw couldn''t be deflected by the demon emperor, and it helped Oz to get near the demon emperor to detonate himself. But the explosion and the demon emperor''s attack happened simultaneously, both of them got hit. (That crazy demon! He blocked the qi circulation at my meridians!) (Oz) Oz''s furious because of his qi circulation had got blocked by something at his meridians. He couldn''t muster any qi because of the blocked circulation. (I can''t recover my wounds quickly without my qi, all I have left is only mana!) (Oz) Oz tried to lift his body, and he saw that Fenrir and Reo are lying beside him, Oz sees the burn marks on their fur, and his heart couldn''t help but turn sour. "Fenrir! Reo! What happened!?" Oz tried to get near them. "Everyone! The spell will soon run out! Prepare yourselves!" Albus''s words could be heard clearly at Oz''s ears. (The demons had started to attack, huh) (Oz) *Sound of swords clashing* Oz could hear the sound of sword clashing outside the wagon, it meant that the battle had started. (I can''t let them fight themself, I need to help them) (Oz) Oz gritted his teeth and half-equip all of the special cards he possessed. Oz''s status got boosted greatly, and the pain started to disappear slowly. (My body won''t be able to hold too long, I need to end this battle quickly!) (Oz) Chapter 57 - Unexpected Chemistry [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] ----------------_--------------------------_-------------------_----------------------------_---------_------------------------_------------------------------------_---------------------_-------------- "Sen! Edreale! Don''t get too far from me!" Shouted Alfred to the nervous Sen and Edreale. Sen and Edreale nods, confirming to understand his instruction. The fire dissipates, and the 25 demons started to get visible again. Their sharp claws, terrifying figures, ugly faces, and sharp teeth clearly visible to Sen, Alfred, Edreale, Albus, and Peter. The demons had a big head but no eyes could be seen, they walk in all fours and growls like a beast. Different from Oz who already faced numerous demons before, Sen, Alfred, Edreale, Albus, and Peter who never saw a demon before, they only knew a demon from the tales and the history book. The five of them grip their weapon strongly to remove their fear, and nervously wait for the demons to attack. 24 demons are circling them, the biggest one of them that seems to be their leader roared as if to command them to march. "They''re coming! Prepare yourselves!" (Alfred) "Fire Blast!" (Albus) Albus''s fire blast managed to blast one of the demons. But he''s unsatisfied with the result. Albus clicked his tongue. "Tsk! That spell was supposed to blast at least 4 of them!" (Albus) "Focus, Albus!" Alfred reminded him. The demons charged in a well-organized formation, while Alfred and co''s formation are still disorganized. No one of them had the initiated of giving orders because they''re not that close enough. The demons charged and each one of them had to at least fight four of them simultaneously. Even though all of them are in the sword saint rank and the demons are only at the Count rank, the demons still got the upper hand from their powerful brute strength. Alfred and Edreale could barely face them by using their agility as they only use knives, but Sen, Peter, that uses sword and Albus who is a magician couldn''t help but suffer some hit from being attacked by multiple demons. "Ugh!" Sen got clawed by one of the demons. (Shit! If this goes on, we''ll all die!) (Alfred) Edreale got distracted by Sen''s groan and made her unnoticed the demon behind her that already prepared to strike her with its claws. "Edrea-" (Alfred) Before Alfred could shout, a pair of cards cut three of the demons beside Edreale, one of them dies, but the other two only lose one of their limbs. Alfred looks to the source where the cards are thrown from, and his face lighten up "Ren!" (Alfred) Oz didn''t respond to Alfred''s call, he only prepared his staff and chanted: "Holy Light" A spell from the basics of magics card, the basic magic from the light spells, [Holy Light]. A holy light that radiates light from heavens. A dazzling light shone from Oz''s staff, but even though the demons didn''t have any eyes, they retreated to some distance from Alfred and co. "Ren! Are you oka-" Before Edreale finishes her sentence, he saw Oz''s figure, his legs, his arms, his chest, and his body are filled with wounds. "Are you okay Ren? Don''t force yourself!" Edreale said with an unusual worried face. "It does not matter right now, I''ll explain to you later. Let''s form a formation first, Albus and I will be the rear guard, Alfred and Edreale will be on the middle, Sen and Peter will be the vanguard," (Oz) "Sen! Peter! Just slash one of the limbs of the demons, and let Alfred and Edreale finish them off. Immediately focus to the next opponent after slashing one, Albus and I will protect all of you!" (Oz) "Albus, use a single target spell, avoid using an area type one to avoid hitting our comrades! Do all of you understands!?" (Oz) ""Yes!"" (Everyone) The instructions Oz gave felt natural to all of them, they followed it without any hard feelings for an unknown reason. Oz instantly became the leader of the group, and all of them listens to his commands. All of them immediately went to their position. (Good, even though I couldn''t muster any qi. My mana and the magic cards still work, we need to finish this quickly before I lost my consciousness!) (Oz) Oz''s sight is a bit hazy and blur, but he can''t let his friends and himself got killed here, there are still a lot of things he wants to see and he wants to protect. He can''t give up in front of some demons, because he is the legendary magician! He won''t let himself give up! "They''re coming! Albus, use a single target spell and kill one of them!" Sen! Peter! Prepare yourselves!" (Oz) ""Yes!"" (Albus, Sen, and Peter) When the demons started to get closer, Oz shouted. "Albus! Now!" (Oz) Albus chanted the spell chantation and finally said: "Fire bullet!" Following Albus''s words, a compressed fire bullet appears in front of him and pierce one of the demons in an instant. The demons slowed down their pace a moment when they saw one of their brethren got attacked by the fire bullet, but they immediately dashed even faster after it, as if they''re going to avenge their brother. (22 Left) (Oz) (Now, for my turn...) (Oz) Oz gathers his mana at his staff and chanted: "Ice curse," in a small voice. The demons suddenly got enveloped by dense blue mana, and their movement started to slow down. "Ice curse!?" Peter exclaimed in surprise. Oz is quite interested in how he could know so much about the spell he used, but the battle in front of him is far more important. "Ren! Are you sure we could survive this!?" Asked Alfred with an unusually serious expression. "We will. Trust me," Answered Oz with his usual confident smirk. The demons had arrived at Sen''s and Peter''s range of attack, and the battle begins. Sen and Peter follow Oz''s instructions and slice the demon''s limbs and immediately prepare for the next demons. Because of Oz''s ice curse, the plan became more efficient. Alfred and Edreale skillfully kill every demon that lost their limbs, Albus and Oz defend Sen and Peter every time the demon almost caught them off guard. After they killed for about 10 of the demons, the biggest demon that seems to be the leader finally jumped to Sen and caught Sen off guarded. The other demons pattern of attack also changed and they charged at Sen at the same time. But before it could land its attack on Sen. (I''ve waited this moment) (Oz) Oz''s smirked and chant: "Shadow Bind" All of the demons'' shadows got merged because of them charging at Sen together, making Oz use the shadow bind that binds all of their movement. "Now! Attack all of them!" Oz shouted. All of them immediately attacked the demons and slaughtered them. The stinky smell of demon''s blood could be smelled everywhere. "Phew! That''s a new experience..." Muttered Alfred with a wry smile. "Yea, we made a quite good team, huh?" (Albus) Crash! Suddenly the sound of something fell stole everyone''s attention. But it turns out that the hero that saved them is the one who fell, or rather, fainted. ************************* !!?? Oz opened his eyes and immediately stands and took a fighting stance. Alfred, Sen, Edreale, Albus, and Peter gazes at Oz with a strange gaze. "....." (Oz) "Ouch!" (Oz) Oz cries because of a terrifying pain that he felt from all over his body, Oz observes his body and saw that almost whole of his body got covered by bandages. "You can''t move suddenly like that, Ren! Your body is full of scars! The scars will open again if you suddenly move like that!" Edreale lectured Oz. "Y-yes," Oz obediently followed her orders and sit back. Oz tries to remember what happened while closing his eyes. (After I got beaten up by that fu*&%$# demon emperor, I manage to come back to my real body but my qi is blocked and I couldn''t muster even a tiny bit from it. And then I back up these guys to face the demons that ganged up against us, and then....) (Oz) "I fainted, huh," Oz said with a wry smile. "Yup! You did!" Alfred said as he stands and approaches Oz. "You fainted, and we''re still left in the dark about what just happened, now explain to us, you owe us that," Alfred said with an annoyed face. "And tell us about the black tattoo at your right arm," Albus continued. "Tattoo?" (Oz) Oz checked his right arm, and he saw that there is a black wing tattoo imprinted on his skin. "W-what the hell!?" (Oz) "That''s a curse, a terrifying curse. I never saw one before, but just by the terrifying amount of demonic and malicious aura it emits, I could already know that it''s a curse by a terrifying being," Said Albus with a serious face. "Tell us, Ren. Who did this to you," Asked Sen. Oz sighs. "I doubt that you''ll believe what I said," Said Oz with a shrug. "Don''t give us that shit, Ren! You''ve reminded us about the demons that surrounded us and makes us avoid death. And it''s DEMONS we''re talking here, they should be extinct!" Edreale said with an unusually long and emotional sentence. "Fine, fine, I''ll tell you all. But it''s up to you whether you''ll believe me or not," (Oz) Albus, Alfred, Sen, Edreale, and the silent Peter approach Oz and focuses as they want to hear Oz''s story. "Alfred, Sen, Edreale, the three of you knew that I cultivate energy different from mana cultivation right?" (Oz) "Yea," (Alfred, Sen, and Edreale) "The strange energy is called qi. When I''m cultivating, I''m cultivating both mana and my qi and got too immersed in cultivating them. But suddenly, I felt that my surroundings had changed, and when I open my eyes, it''s just a place with red rocks and filled with terrifying demonic and malicious aura," (Oz) "And there I found," (Oz) "Who?" (Albus) "The demon emperor," (Oz) !!!??? Chapter 58 - Good News [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] ----------------------_---------------------_-----------------------_---------------------_-----------------_------------------------_------------------------_------------_---------------- ""Demon Emperor?"" "Yea, at least that''s what the guy who I fought said to me," (Oz) "Is it true? Did he seriously said that he is the demon emperor?" The usually quiet peter asked with a serious face. "Yup," Oz nodded. "This curse should have blocked your mana circulation, how could you still use mana, Ren?" Asked Albus. "Does this have a relation with why your strange energy disappeared?" Asked the sharp Alfred. "Exactly, I''m sure that all of you noticed strange energy inside me because all of you are at the sword saint rank, and a sword saint usually sense energy fluctuations sharper than anyone," (Oz) "The thing is, this curse didn''t block my mana circulation, but it blocked my strange energy called qi circulation. At the last moment of our fight, I detonate myself with my qi technique, but he still managed to curse me in that short moment, and my consciousness finally return to this body," (Oz) "Did you manage to hurt him, Ren?" Asked Sen. "It should hurt him, the explosion is strong enough to explode the whole place after all," (Oz) "But the bad news is... My power is forced to weaken. Well, it''s a piece of bad news just for me, though. Do you know how to lift the curse, Albus?" Oz asked Albus hoping that he would know how to lift the curse. "I''m sorry, Ren. But I don''t know much about curses, I''ll try to ask my father later," Said Albus apologetically. "It''s fine, thanks," (Oz) "I knew a lot of curses, Ren," Said Alfred with a grin. "I think the curse I''m mentioning and the curse in your mind had a different, Alfred," Answered Oz annoyed. "Your body. Is it still hurt?" Asked Edreale with her usual flat tone, but Oz could sense a worry at her eyes. "It should heal shortly, uncle! How much longer until the capital!?" Oz shouted to ask the coachman. "We''ll travel overnight, kid! We should arrive at dawn!" (Coachman) "Ah... It''s already evening, huh," Oz muttered as he peeks outside the wagon. (I wonder how''s the progress there. Maybe I should go there and tell Aegir and co about what happens) (Oz) "Let''s get some rest to preserve our energy for tomorrow," (Oz) "Yea, we should get some rest," (Alfred) "I''ll stay guard a little while, I''m not that tired," Said Sen indifferently. "I''ll sleep first, okay?" Oz said as he closes his eyes. "Yes Ren, you''re the one who needs to rest the most after all," (Edreale) (Is that sarcasm?) (Oz) (Fenrir and Reo haven''t regained their consciousness, huh. Well, they''re spirits so they should be okay right? Let''s just check my empire first) (Oz) Oz closes his eyes and tried to focus his mana to envelope his consciousness, he usually uses his qi to help him send his consciousness, but since he can''t use his qi right now, he uses his mana and operates it with the same concept of qi. The pain that Oz felt from all over his body started to disappear. His body felt stronger and more energized than before, Oz opened his eyes and the dining room where they usually hold a meeting appeared at his sight. (Success!) (Oz) (As long as the connection between the clone and the real body still could be felt, I could still transfer my consciousness whether I use qi or mana) (Oz) "Ren?" (Aegir) Just right when Oz stands up, Aegir appeared from the hall and called him. "Yea, it''s me. Any news?" Asked Oz as he sits back. "Yup. A lot of them, all good ones," Aegir side with a confident smile. "I have one too, but let''s hear yours first," (Oz) "All of the subjugation greatly success, we''ve captured all of the kings. The king of the west, north, and east had been captured at the capital''s prison," (Aegir) "Nice, so Magra, Talak, and Azaline did a great job, huh," (Oz) "Yup, setting the wise Talak aside, Azaline and Magra succeed the subjugation perfectly and beautifully, there are no casualties in this subjugation," (Aegir) "Great, they seriously exceed my expectation, did we get any loot?" Oz said with a wry smile. "Numerous, Magra brings back thousands of ice orcs and ice goblins. They also loot lots of pieces of equipment that we could scrap to make better pieces of equipment. He also left some soldiers to look after the minotaurs left there," (Aegir) "Talak is the same, because of his subjugation, a couple of beastmen clans wanted to seek negotiation with us, some also wanted to join under our flag," (Aegir) "Azaline did the greatest, she unites five elf tribe at the east to her wings, and subjugate the ogre together. A lot of food and treasures being kept inside the king of the north''s room," (Aegir) "That''s great! How could they accomplish all of that?" (Oz) "Well, the power of your name greatly boosts their morale. The enemies incur the soldier''s wrath just by mocking your name," (Aegir) "I-is that so? How about the martial art I taught them?" Oz changed the topic. "The martial art you taught to all of the races greatly improve their fighting prowess, our soldiers quality had greatly heightened, and their spirit to train their body and prowess had peaked," (Aegir) "The adventurer guild and the mercenary guild we established had invented numerous adventurers and mercenaries. Since we have introduced them economy, all of the people had strived to search professions they like, because of the increasing adventurers, the dungeon clearing progress had greatly boosted," (Aegir) "The adventurers gave our smithy all the materials we need, Thydal said that it won''t be long until the equipment plan you gave him will be accomplished, maybe about 2 months or so," (Aegir) "The economy had circulated smoothly, and the imperial funds are stable, Geeta said that the money could stand for another 10 years without taxes," (Aegir) "Good, how much is our funds right now?" Asked Oz. "About two million Tarot gold coins," (Aegir) "Have we made a stable income?" Asked Oz. "The gold mine gave us 200,000 gold coins each month, and I doubt there is no other gold mine in this magical forest. We also got 200,000 gold coins from the imperial ranch and farm each month," (Aegir) Before Tarot had become so big, food had always become a problem. Because of the increasing members, hunting had become exhausting, so Oz suggested to make a ranch, the strong magic beasts only exist at the deeper part of the magical forest, at the ends of the forest, near the Grandaria kingdom, there are still weak magic beasts like a mad bull, and an earth lamb. They only attack if people attack them, so Oz only lured them to Tarot with mind magic and make a huge ranch. There are normal animals like pigs, cows, and sheep at the Grandaria kingdom, but Oz didn''t have a lot of money to buy them back then. The ranched magic beasts had reached the number of tens of thousands, making there is no shortage of food. For farming, Oz personally choose the plants for the farm, and Oz made a special farm for the soldiers, the special farm comprises of fruits and vegetables that help the mana cultivation and their growth. "The farm that you made for the soldier had grown beautifully, some of the gardeners said that the fastest tree will harvest next month, we could later see the effect to the soldiers," Aegir said with a satisfied smile. "Good, how about my lab? Is it done?" (Oz) "Sorry Ren, but the lab will be built at your palace''s bas.e.m.e.nt, Thydal said that you should wait until the palace finished," (Aegir) "Is that so? It''s fine, are there any other reports?" (Oz) "Brad said that there is an increase in the number of ferocious magic beasts," (Aegir) "An increase?" (Oz) Until this time, even though Everdeen magical forest has countless ferocious magic beast, they only feared because of their huge number, a duke rank appearing is quite rare. Oz didn''t encounter any of the magic beasts these days because Brad and his men keep on hunting the magic beasts near Tarot and wipe them up every day. The place with the most strong beasts is at the south where Gareth and the undead lives, but the undead is scarier than them, making them retreat to the far south. "Yes, the bear and ape types," (Aegir) "I see, is it still under control?" (Oz) "Fortunately, Brad said that they haven''t reached a level that they will become a threat to us." (Aegir) "Good, I''ll decide what to do next later, any other?" (Oz) "Hm... Do you want to see the prisoners?" Aegir asked as he folded his arms. "Sure, lead me," (Oz) Aegir led Oz to the prison near the under-construction palace. When they arrived, Magra, Talak, and Azaline had already waited in front of the prison. "I''ve heard your success from Aegir, Great job, all of you far exceed my expectations," Oz said with a proud smile. "Thanks for your kind words, my lord. It''s normal for us to do our best to fulfill your orders," (Magra) "Indeed, it is my most pleasure to serve you, your majesty," Talak said with his deep voice. His voice contains a deep sense of wisdom and patience, and his figure shows a great warrior vibe. (Really, this guy had the vibe of a dragon...) (Oz) "....." (Azaline) "I''m so proud of you, Azaline. You far exceed my expectation," (Oz) "...Thanks, Ren," Said Azaline, but she still lowered her head. "What happened, Azaline? Tell me," Oz said with a firm voice. "...T-the ogre, he said that he saw my parents," Azaline said as her voice started to waver. "Eh?" (Azaline) Oz touched Azaline''s shoulder and say: "Now, let''s squeeze some information from these guys," Chapter 59 - Interrogation [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] -------------------_-----------------------------_----------------------------------_-------------------------_-------------------------------_-------------------------------_-------------------- Oz and co entered the prison together. The prison had already made in advance in case if there are in need to imprison criminals and to interrogate invaders that came. The prison has only two floors. But the most important parts of the prison are placed in the bas.e.m.e.nt. With more than two hundred soldiers guarding it, the bas.e.m.e.nt is filled with the tightest guards and interrogation room with full equipment. When Oz and co went into the bas.e.m.e.nt, the guards guarding it stands and bow to them as they walk. The kings were placed in one place together, their neck, hands, leg, and h.i.p.s are restricted by chains, making them impossible to move and escape. Five guards are stationed to watch on them with three shift rolls. Oz entered the iron door of the prison, and three different races with muscular bodies appeared at his sight. Oz observes the prisoners, but his eyes got distracted by one of the kings. "Wait, why does this minotaur are in the worst shape than the others?" Asked Oz. "Um... Magra?" (Aegir) "Let me explain to you, my lord. When I''m in the middle of subjugating him, he incurs the wrath of the orcs by mocking and disgracing your name, so I decided to give him a lesson, but it looks like I''ve gone too far," Said Magra as he kneeled in front of Oz. "I see, if that''s the case, it can''t be helped. But indeed, it seems that you''ve gone a little bit too far," Said Oz with a wry smile. One of the minotaur''s horns are gone, and his body is full of scars. He''s so beaten up that Oz could barely see the hint of consciousness from his eyes. !!!!!!!!! All of the people present inside the prison tensed up because of a sudden enormous murderous intent emitted by Oz. All of the kings immediately awake from their slumber with a shocked face. "Hm... I need to convey my thanks to Elena. The technique of waking up people with murderous intent was proved pretty useful," Oz said with a satisfied smile. "Y-you... Who are you?" Asked the one who is called the king of the west, the battered minotaur. "Now, now. I''m the one who is going to interrogate you today. I got a lot of ways to make you speak, but I prefer not to use them," Oz said with a dangerous tone. Gulp! The sound of the kings swallowing their saliva could be heard. Oz could see the arrogance from the kings, they must have occupied their positions for quite long, their power could be considered powerful, but one question still stuck inside of Oz''s mind. "For starters, let me hear your answers, who bestowed you the title of being a king?" Asked Oz with a domineering manner. "...." "Answer me," Oz once again pressure them with his murderous intent. "Because we''re the first one to enter the [king] rank," Answered the ogre, the king of the north. "I see... Wait, you''re at the [King] rank?" (Oz) (Then how could Magra and others defeat them!?) (Oz) "Appraisal!" (Oz) [Type: Minotaur [King] level: 318 Strength: 10.000.000 Agility: 3.000.000 Vitality: 40.000.000 Mana: 10.000.000 Spiritual: 1.000.000 Skills: -Arch Ice Magic -Herculean Strength -Dash -Club Mastery -Rage -Ice Aura -King''s aura -Despair Stomp -Blizzard -Freezing Strike] "Then how... Appraisal!" (Oz) [Type: Orc [King] level: 345 Strength: 12.000.000 Agility: 5.000.000 Vitality: 50.000.000 Mana: 15.000.000 Spiritual: 5.000.000 Skills: -Strengthen -Club Dash -Leap -Superhuman Strength -Regeneration -Ignore pain -Taunt -Temperature Immune -Herculean Strength -Ax Mastery -Club Mastery -Greatsword Mastery -King''s aura -Dominating Gaze] "W-what? How?" Oz exclaimed in surprise, Oz turns his head to Talak and Azaline. "Don''t tell me you two too? Appraisal!" (Oz) [Type: Lizardfolk [King] Level: 335 Strength: 10.000.000 Agility: 19.000.000 Vitality: 40.000.000 Mana: 20.000.000 Spiritual: 25.000.000 Intellect: 29.000.000 Skills: -Arch Wind magic -Arch Fire magic -Forbidden Water magic -Arch Nature magic -Spear Mastery -Swordsmanship Mastery -Dash -Natural Body Armor -Iron Tail -Descendants of the dragons -Herculean strength -Archery] [Type: Elf [Queen] Level: 302 Strength: 8.000.000 Agility: 15.000.000 Vitality: 28.000.000 Mana: 40.000.000 Spiritual: 30.700.000 Intellect: 20.000.000 Skills: -Forbidden Wind magic -Arch Fire magic -Arch Water magic -Arch Nature magic -Archery Mastery -Swordsmanship Mastery-Dash -Assassinate -Knife mastery -Elven Heritage -Star-Saint Archer] "I-impossible... How could all of you ranked up so much in such a short time?" (Oz) "It is all the fruit of their hard work, Ren. They worked their bones until the middle of the night to grind experiences at the dungeon, they asked me to keep this a secret from you to surprise you, well, the others too though," (Aegir) "But to rank up in such a short time is still impossible... Wait, the others too!?" (Oz) "Well, everyone wants to get stronger," Aegir said with a shrug. "D-don''t tell me... You also followed them to the dungeons, Aegir?" (Oz) "What could I do? I can''t resist the temptation of getting stronger in a few days," (Aegir) "A few days?" (Oz) "Let me explain it to you, my lord. Two weeks ago, I heard a weird voice inside my head when I''m asleep, I thought that I''ll forget about it when I wake up, but I found myself couldn''t get it out of my head," (Magra) "I told the voice that I heard to Aegir and found out that he also heard that voice, and when I asked Fedra, he said that he also heard the same voice with the same words, so Aegir hold a meeting for all of the executives, and found out that everyone heard the voice, even Geeta heard it too," (Magra) "What does the voice said?" (Oz) "With a strange manner of speaking, it said ''You''ll be granted 10 days to get 400% experience points from all creatures you slain. Slay as much as you could to grind experiences points and rank up'' " (Magra) (I-it''s must be the prompt!!!) (Oz) "Because of that, we agreed to try going to the dungeon together and try to kill some magic beasts inside it. But when we slay the magic beasts there, for every creature we slay, we felt a tremendous power acc.u.mulating inside of us, and we felt stronger every time we kill," (Magra) "On that day, Azaline and Geeta ranked up from the count rank into the Marquiss rank just after two hours clearing the dungeon. Seeing that occurrence, all of us got pumped up to slay more and we keep doing that until ten days. And after 10 days, the feeling of tremendous power acc.u.mulating after we kill a creature disappeared," (Magra) "And we found ourselves had acc.u.mulated these much power, and that''s the end of the story," (Magra) (I see, so the prompt gave them 10 days to get a 400% boost of their experience points. And they take advantage of it and took their time grinding experience points from killing monsters inside the dungeon) (Oz) "But how could Azaline ranked up so much?" Oz asked once again. "It just shows how much she worked harder than anyone," (Aegir) "I see," (Oz) *Pat* "Wha-What are you doing!?" Azaline shouted in surprised because Oz suddenly put his hand on top of her head. "Hm? Just giving a reward for your hard work, good job Azaline, you really did great, I''m so proud of you," Said Oz with a gentle voice and kind smile that could make any woman melts. After letting Oz patted her head for about a minute making her head as red as a potato, Azaline finally said: "D-do you think I''m a kid!?" And push away Oz''s hand from her head. "Sorry for the interruption, but let''s continue the interrogation, shall we?" Aegir said with a wry smile. "Ah! Sorry, well, it''s good news that all of you had powered up so much, we need to celebrate this later. Okay, where are we? Ah, yeah, next question, you ogre, I heard that you saw the elf queen, is that true?" (Oz) "Yes, it is true. I knew that only the queen of the elves possess a crown made by pure magic pearls," (Ogre) "Then the next question, why are you so obedient? I haven''t even unleashed my murderous intent again to pressure you to speak, but you answered it already, why? How could I believe your words?" (Oz) "There is a rumor spread across all of the magical forests, I''m sure all habitant of the forest heard the rumor, I finally meet the king the rumor mentioned, I didn''t want to perish," Said the ogre with his hoarse voice. "What rumor?" (Oz) "The rumor is: ''An emperor from unknown will appear, he''ll obtain the absolute strength and rule the forbidden forest, all habitants of the forest will kneel and cower under him, ones who oppose him will perish, and ones who follow him will prosper, choose and decide wisely'' it said," The ogre said the rumor that heard like a poetry with his hoarse voice. "How could I sure that you''re saying the right thing?" (Oz) "All of us heard the same thing," The cow-headed beastmen cut in, he keeps his mouth shut until now, but now he suddenly talks. "Yes, I also heard it, I believe all of us tried to conquer the forest because of that rumor, all of us believed that the one who will take the emperor''s throne is ourselves," (Minotaur) "All the things the ogre said is the truth, only people who ever saw my mother could know that she wears the magic pearl crown. It''s a secret to prevent the urge of stealing from other races, especially humans," (Azaline) "I see, where do the demons bring her?" (Oz) "I don''t know... But one thing for sure, it''s not a demon who captured the queen of the elves," (Ogre) "What!? Then who!?" Oz''s voice got higher. "It''s not demons, but humans..." (Ogre) !!!!??? "T-that must be those f*&%$#g bastards," Oz muttered as he remembered about the slave dealers he faced together with Alfred, Sen, and Azaline. "Do you know where they''re going?" (Oz) "They''re going to the north," (Ogre) "It must be them. Relax Azaline, I think I knew where your mother is, now, for the next question, do you want to join us?" (Oz) "I know it will come to this..." (Aegir) "Yea, somehow, I''m not surprised anymore," (Azaline) "As expected of my lord, to making a for into an ally," (Talak) "Of course! It''s our lord, after all!" (Magra) "Y-you''re inviting us?" (Minotaur) "Yea, hm... It must be hard to decide it on the spot, just take your time, you can answer the question anytime," (Oz) "Let''s go back, Aegir. I want to meet the others," Said Oz as he turns his back and prepared to leave the prison, but a voice suddenly made him stopped. "I-I accept your offer, your majesty! I and all beastmen under me will follow your rule!" The cow-headed beastmen shouted in a rush, he''s afraid that Oz will never come back and the offer will expire. "M-me too! All of the minotaurs are ready to serve you!" The minotaur follows suit. "Me too! The ogre tribe too!" (Ogre) Oz smirked. "Then so be it, I''m going to make you work until you can''t feel your bones anymore, prepare of it," Said Oz and he continues to leave the place together with his underlings. When they get out of the prison''s building, Oz suddenly stopped. "What is it, Ren?" (Aegir) "Aegir, there is a thing that I still suspect, tell Brad to search for some places, I''ll tell you where the places are later. If they became a king because of their rank, then they are not the only kings," (Oz) "What do you mean?" (Azaline) "Magic beasts, those kings we captured could only be considered as a demi-human, there are the magic beasts that are more ferocious than them, it''s impossible for them to don''t have a king of their own, I knew there is something wrong with their strangely low number back then," (Oz) Chapter 60 - Grinding Experiences [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 50,000 (+3,000,000 [Qi] +700,000 [Mana]) Agility: 80,000 (+4,000,000 [Qi] +800,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 100,000 (+7,000,000 [Qi] + 900,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken] ------------_----------------_-----------------------_--------------------_------------------_-------------------_---------------------------_-----------------_----------------_------------- Clank! Clank! "Die!" Shouted Oz as he sliced off a harpy. "Phew! This is fun," (Oz) After ordering Aegir to ask Brad to search some certain places Oz picked to check up whether his suspicions right or not, Oz told Aegir that he''s going to the dungeon. Oz went together with all of his clones, so basically, it''s a party made up with all of Oz''s clones, including his Griffin clone. But Oz couldn''t summon his Orc clone since the orc clone is at Elena possession. 310> 306> 300> 250> 250> (Nice! A lot of useful skills must be added! But damn the cards that had reached the king rank is so hard to level up! I''m curious about a lot of things but I''ll check it all later, let''s face this new opponent first!) (Oz) Oz smiled bravely and kicked the huge door in front of him. the floor''s boss room door. When Oz entered the dungeon, 24 floors had been cleared by the army, adventurers, and Aegir and co. Oz entered the 25th floor and cleared almost all of it by himself. Because of Oz''s qi had been sealed, he needs to find another way to get strong quickly, so he decided to go into the dungeon to grind experiences and to steal useful skills from the dungeon monsters. Oz also got a lot of other clones because of it. "Let''s summon some new allies first," (Oz) [Summon real clones option: -Troll -Ogre -Minotaur -Demonic Ant -Fire Golem -Ice Golem -Wind Golem -Earth Golem -Harpy -Kobold -Manticore -Mummy -Frost Bear -Earth Ape] "Okay, let''s summon them all, my today''s target is making all the cards into the duke rank!" Oz shouted full of vigor as he summons his clones and entered the boss room. The room is huge but dark. When Oz entered one step into the room, all of the torches at the sides of the room lits up, and a figure sitting at the throne appeared at Oz''s sight. A huge cyclops, it had two heads with one eye on each. One head is wearing a frozen crown and the other wears a burning crown. Its body is huge, its left-hand holds a huge sword while his right-hand holds a huge ax. The monsters inside of the dungeon had no intelligence, making Oz have no hard feelings when he killed them. Oz smirked. "Bring it on!" Oz shouted with his battle maniac smile. All of the party members is Oz''s clones, without giving any orders, Oz could easily control them and make them move according to his head. When the cyclops stands, Oz sent all of the golems that head a strong body to be the tanks. Clank! The cyclops hit the golems with his sword and ax, but the golem''s body is strong, the cyclops hands got bounced back because of the collision. Oz immediately orders all of his clones to attack the cyclops, even if the cyclops is the floor''s boss monster, being bombarded with the attacks from Oz''s clones is still unbearable for it. One of the cyclops'' head got chopped by Oz''s goblin [King] and demon [King] clone and fall to the ground. Oz uses his lich [King] in this fight to easily command his clones from the rear while giving supports to the front lines. "Ice Prism," Oz muttered. Ice Prism, arch magic that traps the spell target inside a block of huge ice. *The cyclops groans* Swoosh! Oz''s other clones bombarded the cyclops with another attack and finished him into minced meat. Lots of prompts appeared inside of Oz''s mind at the same time, reporting the level up and the rank up of his clones. "Phew, let''s end it here," Oz muttered to himself, feeling satisfied. Oz left the dungeon with his lich [King] clone to meet Aegir and left the other clones inside the dungeon. (I could control them inside my head like playing a game while monitoring them from the griffin''s eyes! Damn, it''s getting so fun!) (Oz) Oz went to Aegir''s house immediately after he leaves the dungeon. "Yo! Ren! You''re done?" (Aegir) "Yea, any report from Brad yet?" (Oz) "Nope, it seems what you''re suspecting is right, the usually swift Brad hasn''t come to report anything to me yet," (Aegir) "It''s fine, I''m sure my body will be arriving at the capital soon, I''ll be taking my leave, Aegir. Leave the minotaurs under the orcs, let Magra use them. Let the goblins take the ogres, and the lizardfolk to handle the cow-headed beastmen, okay?" (Oz) "Okay, anyway, please give this to Thydal," Oz said as he went to the corner of the room, and threw countless cards into the floor. Poof! Lots of magic cores, magic weapons, magic armors, and stuff suddenly appeared replacing the cards. "What is this, Ren!?" (Aegir) "Some stuff I loot from the dungeon, see ya! By the way, let this clone to go back to the dungeon, I''ll be controlling it from afar," (Oz) "W-wait! Ren!" (Aegir) But Aegir''s shouts are useless, Oz had sent his consciousness back to his real body and the lich [King] clone lost its emotion and became like a doll. When Oz opened his eyes, the others are still sleeping, he got back quickly to check up on somethings. (For the starters, let''s check all of my clone cards first) (Oz) [Summon real clones list: -Griffin [Duke] -Ectra Python [Duke] -Goblin [King] -Demon [King] -Orc [Baron] -Lich [King] -Troll [Marquiss] -Ogre [Duke] -Minotaur [Marquiss] -Demonic Ant [Duke] -Fire Golem [Duke] -Ice Golem [Duke] -Wind Golem [Duke] -Earth Golem [Duke] -Harpy [Marquiss] -Kobold [Marquiss] -Manticore [Duke] -Mummy [Marquiss] -Frost Bear [Duke] -Earth Ape [Duke]] (As expected, clearing a dungeon floor gave a lot of experience points, but not all of them had ranked up to the duke rank. When they reached the duke rank, it''s very hard to level them up, and the king rank is even harder. It won''t be that easy, huh) (Oz) (Now, let''s check my current status) (Oz) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] (Hm... My status increased a little, but as expected, losing the power of the qi did greatly decrease my power...) (Oz) (Now, let''s check the normal skills I''ve copied) (Oz) [Skills: -Dash -Swordsmanship mastery -Ax mastery -Spear mastery -Archery mastery -Knife mastery -Herculean Strength -Superhuman Strength -Poisonous strike -Claw Strike -Rage -Berserk -Assassinate -Taunt -Dominating Gaze -Greatsword Mastery -Regeneration -Temperature Immune -Hawk''s eyes -Triple Stab -Cloak of Light -Rapid Recovery -Shadow Bind -Exoskeleton -Aerial Lunge -Flash Stab -Poisonous Needle -Stern Crush -Smoke Cloak] (Quite a decent amount, copying skills are very useful, I even get some unique skills!) (Oz) (Continue this pace for a month and I''ll be invincible!) (Oz) (Now... what is this magic mastery use for?) (Oz) Oz summoned the card into his hands and observe the card''s description. [Card of Magic Mastery [special] Description: A card consists of the magic mastery skill, the user could store every magic the user learned and acquired. The user could use any magic stored easily with the minimum amount of mana amount. There is no need to chant the chantation of the magics stored inside the magic mastery card. Equip Yes/No] (I see... No wonder the spells I used is easier than before, so it means that every magics I learned will be stored at the magic mastery card, huh," (Oz) (Let''s check-) (Oz) "Kids! We''ve arrived! Come on, wake up! We''ve arrived!!!" Suddenly the coachman uncle''s voice wakes up everyone. "We arrived?" Edreale asked half-awake. "Yea! We''ve arrived! At the capital of Grandaria Kingdom!" (Coachman Uncle) Chapter 61 - The Capital of Grandaria [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil Gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic Magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ----------------_--------------_-----------------------_--------------------------_----------------_-----------------_-----------------------_---------------------_-----------------_----------------_---- "The capital of Grandaria..." (Sen) "..." (Peter) "You never went to the capital too, Sen?" Asked Oz to the awe-stricken Sen. "No, I haven''t" (Sen) "None of us have," Alfred cut in. "I see," (Oz) (So this is the capital city of Grandaria, huh) (Oz) The capital city of the Grandaria kingdom, the capital city that said to have the most advanced technology of the continent. Different from the other cities Oz had visited, the city is more lively, but a lot of nobles with their arrogance demeanor are walking around the cities making Oz felt sour. The city is well-built, a lot of different shaped buildings with different uses could be seen. Not only that, Oz felt a lot of strong auras around the city. From afar, the sight of the huge royal palace could be seen, it looks grand and majestic. "That''s the royal palace..." (Oz) "Yea, big like hell, huh," (Alfred) "True..." (Oz) "Kids! We''ve arrived at the inn! Thanks for riding the wagon together with me kids!" The uncle said with a broad smile, but Oz and the other felt somehow sour when they heard those words, even though they just met for a few days, they had become rather attached with the coachman uncle frankness. "No, thank you for letting us ride together with you, uncle, it may be not much but, please take this," Said Oz as he took out a pouch filled with twenty gold coins and give it to the coachman uncle. "What is this kid?" (Coachman Uncle) "Just a little surprise. Don''t open it until you arrived at your home, uncle," Said Oz with a grin. "Fine, thanks, kid," The coachman uncle thanked, he thought that Oz won''t have that much of money, so even if he didn''t expect much from inside the pouch, he still feel grateful just by the fact Oz gave him a gift. "By the way, you never told us your name, uncle," Asked Oz, he always interested with the coachman uncle''s name, Oz thought that he will introduce himself some time, but who knows that he didn''t introduce himself until the end. "Hm... You''re right, I never introduce myself yet, huh. But well, you''ll know who I am soon," Said the coachman uncle, full of mysteries. ".....Fine, I won''t force you, thanks anyway, uncle," (Oz) "Yea, even though you only sleep when we''re on danger, we''re thankful to you, uncle," Said Sen with sarcasm mixed inside of his words. "Sen..." Oz couldn''t force but make a wry smile. "HAHAHAHA. Well, sorry about that! Goodbye, kids! See you when I see you!" The coachman uncle said and continue his way, leaving Oz, Sen, Alfred, Edreale, Albus, and Peter. "Seriously, that guy is very unique," (Oz) "Indeed..." (Alfred) "By the way, what are your business here at the capital?" Oz asked Alfred. "Hm? We''re thinking of entering the magic academy, you?" (Alfred) "In my case, I''m thinking of entering the magic academy," (Oz) "..." ""WAIT, YOU"RE GOING TO THE MAGIC ACADEMY TOO!?"" Shouts all of them, even the usually quiet Peter shouted in surprise too. "I thought you''re going here for your mercenary business! And why does the rest of you shouts too!? You''re going to the magic academy too!?" (Oz) ""Yes, I am!"" (Albus and Peter) "......." "So in the end, we''ll meet again, huh. Well, that''s not bad," (Oz) "Yea, we''ve made a quite good team anyway," (Albus) "The magic academy''s test is tomorrow morning, right? Let us all get some rest today," Suggests Oz. "Yea, let''s part here, and we''ll meet again here tomorrow morning, agree?" (Albus) They nod at each other and part their ways. Oz wanted to rent a room at an inn, but he''s more interested in the grand library of Grandaria capital. Not too far from the inn, a huge building that similar to a tower, with a huge ''Grandaria Library'' sign atop them. "I''m going to the library, how about you, Alfred?" (Oz) "We''re going to run some errands our guild master gave us," (Alfred) "How about you, Peter?" Oz asked to the usually quiet peter, Oz caught some moments where Peter looks like he wanted to join the conversation, but seem to be holding himself because of something. "Hm? Me? I''m going to do a sight-seeing, and meet some of my acquaintance," Peter answered awkwardly. "In my case, I''m going to my father," Albus suddenly cut in. "Okay then, see you guys tomorrow morning, I''m going to the library," (Oz) "Okay, see you, Ren," (Edreale) Oz bid them goodbye and walks to the huge Grandaria library that looks just like a tower. Oz''s aim is one thing! (The magic books! The magic mastery card said that I could use any magics that I learn! Then the library is the place that I must visit to learn countless magic!) (Oz) "This place is so big!" Said Oz, amazed. Even the door of the library is big, Oz''s height is only half of the library''s door. Oz opened the door of the grand library and he gasped. "I-it''s full of books! Everywhere!" (Oz) Every part of the grand library are filled with books, there is a small counter at the middle of the base floor, Oz approach it while gazing at the countless books inside the library. "Excuse me, can you tell me where the magic books are?" (Oz) (Hm? It''s a girl?) (Oz) The one who sits at the counter is a black-haired girl, wearing black glasses, her hair is long and wavy, and her glasses gave her the vibe of smart people. "It''s on the 4th floor, it''s filled with magic books," The girl answered shortly and continues reading a book. "Thanks," Oz thanked and went to the stairs. (4th Floor. 4th Floor...) (Oz) "Whoa!!!" (Oz) The 4th floor is filled with countless magic books, there are sections of fire magic, wind magic, water magic, nature magic, lightning magic, light magic, mind magic, and even dark magic. Oz observes his surroundings and he finally grasps the reason why even dark magic books exist at the library (I see... So that''s why...) (Oz) (Not all people could have the talent to use magic, and not everyone understands the language of the magic books, and how to understand the concept. That''s also the reason why there are no people on the 4th floor where there are only magic books here) (Oz) (Fortunately, I have a cheat of my own, now let''s absorb all the magic skills I could learn here!) (Oz) ************************************ While Oz is getting indulged in reading and copying magic skills from the magic books, an old man that have no black color remains at his hairs is sitting at his couch. The great royal magician of the Grandaria kingdom, he''s also the headmaster of the renowned magic academy. He''s currently sitting at his couch inside his office at the great magic tower at the Grandaria capital. "I know you''re there, Kyron. You cannot trick me!" "HAHAHA! Even though you don''t have even a single breadth of black hair remaining, your skills do remain, Oxius!" (Old man Kyron) The royal magician of the Grandaria kingdom, Oxius Theodore. "Hmph! Saying those words as if you have a single breadth of black hair yourself! What business do your old bones have with me!? Asking me to meet and making me wait for 3 hours! Does the sword god of Grandaria kingdom didn''t have any shame!?" (Oxius) "Why are you mad? I told you that I''m going to meet you, but I never told you when!" Old man Kyron said with a broad grin. "HAHAHA. You never change, huh, Kyron? How are you, my friend?" Oxius''s tone changed 180 degrees. "I''m great! How about you, Oxius!?" (Old man Kyron) "Not great at all, Kyron. Sit, please let me pour all of my exhaustion to you," (Oxius) Old man Kyron sits at the couch in front of Oxius, and wryly smiled when he saw the state of his old friend. "Does living at the capital that tiring? You should get more rest, Oxius, you''re already old," (Old man Kyron) "It''s far more tiring than you imagine, Kyron. The state, it''s getting more and more chaos. Pressures keep on coming, Kyron. Our kingdom is on the brink of falling," (Oxius) "It had gotten that bad?" (Kyron) "It''s no longer bad! It''s a disaster! Countless Potterland and Gracefield people had started to slowly invade us! Those nobles one by one are betraying us! And that queen is focusing on a wrong opponent! I''m getting crazy here!" (Oxius) "And you know what? They''re not fighting possession of us! But they''re now joining forces to conquer our kingdom! We only have one sword god and one magic god rank here! This thing surely drains my old soul!" (Oxius) "...We can''t do anything about it Oxius, it''s our job to fall together with this kingdom. We can''t blame the young king either, he''s one of the victims here, and we also had the problem of the prophecy too" (Kyron) "The prophecy of the heroes and the demons, huh. Well, Kyron. We won''t face the demons if we died because of the war first," (Oxius) "Don''t be too negative, Oxius. I came here bringing a piece of good news too. I''ve found my successor," (Kyron) "What!? Finally!? Do you adopt a son like me!?" (Oxius) "No, but that''s a good idea, maybe I''ll do that, that kid might be mad to me if I do that though. You see, I even crossed swords with him several times," (Kyron) "You crossed swords with him? How many seconds does he bear? It''s impossible to hold you out for more than 50 seconds, though," (Oxius) "Hmph! Not even 50 seconds! He landed multiple strikes at me!" (Kyron) "What!? Are you serious!?" (Oxius) "Yea! I''m serious!" (Kyron) "What rank is he at!?" (Oxius) "When he fights me, he''s only at the rank of advanced swordsman!" (Kyron) "What!? How!?" (Oxius) "He cultivates different energy of us too, setting aside his cultivation rank, his swordsmanship is topnotch, it''s astounding, I could bet my whole life that there is no one in this world could match him in swordsmanship," (Kyron) "You sure you''re not exaggerating this, Kyron?" (Oxius) "Do you ever saw me exaggerating something, Oxius? I even tasked him with some assassinations to the nobles in our opposition, he''s our hope, Oxius!" (Kyron) "Indeed, could he be trusted, Kyron?" (Oxius) "You could, but remember, he''s my successor, I don''t want anything bad to happen to him, and if you want to give him a task, you''ll need a reward to give him," (Kyron) "To think that he even made the golden Kyron to pay him, I''m looking forward to meeting him, Kyron. What is his name?" (Oxius) "Ren. Ren Arken." (Kyron) Chapter 62 - Collecting Magic [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] -----------------_----------------------_--------------------------------------------_-------------------_---------------------_------------------------_------------------_------------------- ---Elena''s POV--- "Nash! Lead everyone to the yard! We''ll start the swordsmanship lesson!" I asked Nash to lead everyone for the swordsmanship lesson that Ren usually teaches before Ren comes, I''m the one who teaches the kids the swordsmanship, and now that he had gone to the magic academy, the position of the swordsmanship instructor went back to me. "Nash?" I opened Nash''s room but he''s nowhere to found I opened the rooms of the other kids, but it''s also empty. Seeing that, I went immediately to the yard and found that everyone had already gathered. "Sister Elena! What took you so long! We started the training first because we''re tired of waiting for you!" Said Nash with his usual cheerful smile. I could only leak a weak sigh and warmly smiled. (Ren really boost their spirit to this extend, huh) (Elena) Some of the kids including Nash had reached the advanced swordsman rank, Oz''s lesson gave us the shortcut of cultivation. And me myself, I finally reached the bottleneck of master swordsman rank, I could feel that my breakthrough won''t be long, I surely will surprise Ren when he''s back. Remembering about Ren, I reflectively held the necklace that is the ring Ren gave me before he went to the capital that I made into a necklace. In the middle of a night, after dinner, he indifferently gave it to me, saying that it''ll boost my power in case I''ll be facing a strong opponent. Even though it''s not romantic at all, I still feel happy. Even though he already gives me the ring, he still gave me that weird card that seems to have another strange power, it means that he really cares about me, or maybe the kids, but it''s okay, I still happy because of that. Holding the ring that I''ve made into a necklace, I smiled and took the kids'' attention. "Kids! Let''s start the lesson!" (Elena) ********************************************** ---3rd Person Pov--- (MASTER!!!!!!) (Fenrir) !!!!! Oz takes a peek outside the library''s window. (Ah! Snap! I was too absorbed in learning all of the magic! Times flies very fast every time I''m too absorbed in something...) (Oz) "Eh? wait... Fenrir?" Oz dumbfoundedly muttered as he''s making sure that he doesn''t mishear it. (Yes! This is me!) (Fenrir) Poof! Two small animals appeared in front of Oz. "You guys back!" Oz delightfully said. "Yeah! For about 4 hours ago! Jeez! Master, you really didn''t care about us, huh!" Fenrir shouted and pouted. "Forgive me Fenrir, I got too absorbed in reading, let me compensate you with a huge serve of dinner later," (Oz) "Okay!" Fenrir reflectively answered cheerfully. "Hey! Wait! You can''t bribe me with food!" (Fenrir) "Hehehe, my apology is sincere, you know? What happened to both of you anyway?" Oz asked both of them. "I believe we''re the one who supposed to be asking that question, master..." Asked Reo with an unusually serious tone. "Reo... You don''t need to mention it now," (Fenrir) "I don''t need your permission, Fenrir. Just once, I will only let myself lose so many things to the demon emperor just once, I won''t let him have his way once more," Reo said with a firm tone. "What happened, master? Please tell us. I will never forget that aura of malice and destruction. It''s that bastard, right?" (Reo) "Calm down, Reo. It is indeed, him. He said that he''s aiming to summon someone who had a thing called the hero seed, but rather than the hero, I''m the one who got summoned instead," (Oz) "We converse a bit, and then we fight," (Oz) "You fight with the demon emperor, master?" (Fenrir) "Yea, in that place, somehow, I regain my former body, and my qi cultivation got increased by multiple folds. But even with that enormous power, I still can''t defeat him, he''s way too powerful. So I use a self-destruct technique to injure him, but he hit me with one of his attacks too," (Oz) "Does it hurt him, master?" (Reo) "It does, but his attack that hits me hurts more. I got cursed by him and got my qi cultivation blocked as the outcome, it really gave me lots of problems," Said Oz with a sigh. "T-to think master could hurt him..." (Reo) "Don''t expect too much, I may hurt him, but I won''t be surprised if he appeared once more fully healed. But at least I got a picture of strength, and a picture of the enemy my empire will face in the future, at least I could get something from that fight," (Oz) "I see... By the way, master. What are you doing here?" (Fenrir) "Don''t you just said that you waited for me for hours? I''m reading magic books, you can''t read?" (Oz) "I could! I mean, people usually don''t depend on magic books because of their complexity. And only by understanding the magic books don''t really ensure you to be able to use magic, so people usually avoid it. But why does muster seems to be so absorbed by it?" (Fenrir) "Heh! Be proud of your master! See this! magic mastery card, activate!" Together with Oz''s words, a huge floating grimoire with lots of color on its cover appeared. "This is?" (Fenrir) "See it by yourself!" Oz opens the grimoire and a dense amount of fire, ice, wind, thunder, nature, and light mana gushed out of the grimoire. "W-w-w-w-what is this master!? It had a dense amount of mana from all elements except death!" (Fenrir) "And now this! Grimoire of death!" Oz shouted, and now a huge floating pitch-black grimoire appeared from the thin air, Oz opens it and now a dense aura of death appears too. "All elements are filling this room!" (Fenrir) *Sound of a book being closed* Oz closed all of the books and the enormous amounts of mana disappeared. With a disordered breath, Fenrir asked: "What the hell just happened, master? What is that?" "That. Are my new power. I''m here because I''m collecting all magics from all of the magic books that exist here," Explained Oz. "I see... So all of that power is from all of the magic you''ve collected?" Asked Reo. "Yea, I''ve collected roughly 30 spells of each element, and this floor still had countless of them. I can''t imagine how strong I''ll be," Oz excitedly said. "It''s great, master! But will it suffice for facing the demon emperor?" (Fenrir) "I doubt it will, but at least it''ll help, I also trying to increase all of my other strengths, it would be better if the heroes succeed in defeating that bastard without needing me to join the battle, though," Said Oz with a wry smile. "It can''t be helped master, the strong always have a big burden on their shoulders, it''s the destiny of the strong," (Reo) "Indeed... you may be right, Reo. But I hope it''s not true, let''s have some stroll, are you guys hungry?" (Oz) "Hm... Not really, master. We don''t really in the mood of eating, right now. We''re still stabilizing our body," (Reo) "Yea, I feel a little bit sick, maybe tomorrow, master," (Fenrir) "That''s rare, well it''s fortunate for my wallet though, then let''s just have a stroll at this capital city, I need to get some fresh air," (Oz) ****************************** "Ren, why do you look so sleepy?" Alfred asked the sleepy-eyed Oz. "Huh? Ah, I forgot to sleep last night," (Oz) "What did you do the whole night?" (Alfred) Inside of Oz''s head, both of the spirits are sleeping so soundly that Oz could hear Fenrir''s snore. yesterday, they strolled a little bit after getting out of the library, but when Oz went to the inn to rent a room and grab a little food, Fenrir and Reo suddenly want to eat, they eat a whole bunch of foods until they full. Because they''re too full to sleep, both of them couldn''t sleep and keep on disturbing Oz, making Oz couldn''t sleep too. So they conversed until dawn, and when Oz want to get to sleep, the inn''s staff knocked on the door saying that breakfast is ready. "Just some stuff," Oz answered weakly and yawns. "Ren, your eyes look like you just got punched," (Azaline) "It''s because I didn''t sleep, Azaline," (Oz) "I wonder if you want me to make you look like you really got punched, Ren?" (Sen) "No thanks," (Oz) "Morning! Lively as usual, huh. Your face looks so sleepy, Ren," Albus finally arrived and asked Oz. "Morning, Albus. Yea, I got no sleep last night," (Oz) "He didn''t get any sleep last night," (Edreale) "Um... I just said that, Edreale," (Oz) "Morning," Peter, the last one they''re waiting said. "Morning Peter, so, we''re all complete, right?" (Oz) ""Yea!"" Answered everyone. "Then let''s go! To the magic academy of Grandaria, the Avalon magic academy! Chapter 63 - Avalon Magic Academy [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ---------------------_----------------------_------------------------_-------------------------------------_--------------------------_----------------------_----------------- "By the way, Ren. Do you know what we should when we arrived at the magic academy?" (Alfred) "Hm? I don''t know anything," Answered Oz indifferently. "Is that so... What!? You don''t know!?" (Alfred) "Shouldn''t we be briefed when we arrived there?" (Oz) "No, we don''t! Seriously? You guys didn''t know anything about the magic academy test?" (Albus) Oz, Alfred, Edreale, Sen, and Peter shook their heads. Albus leaked out a small sigh. "Every time the magic academy opens the registration, there will always be 3 tests. The first test is strength, the second test will be mana, and the third will be a showdown between two magic academy student candidate," (Albus) "The first and the second test will be opened at 10 AM, while candidates who pass the test will be announced in the afternoon immediately, and the third test is the last one, the sword god, the magic academy headmaster, the queen, and the 10 great generals of Grandaria kingdom will be watching the fight," (Albus) "........" (Peter) "Will the one who lost the fight, failed the test?" (Oz) "No, all candidate who shows great potential will be put at a different class than the others," (Albus) "I see... They''re harvesting young talents for the kingdom, heh." (Oz) "Yup, basically, they are," (Albus) "...Eh? Wait. You said 10 AM, you know how to count time, Albus?" Oz suddenly asked with a surprised face. "Huh? Are you mocking me, Ren? Of course, I know it," (Albus) "Eh, no, I mean, it''s just the first time I heard someone mentioned the time here, so I thought, wait, so you guys knew how to count time, too?" (Oz) "Of course we do," (Alfred) "What happened to your head, Ren? You''re okay?" (Edreale) (God, It looks like I underestimate the development of this world too much) (Oz) (Um... Master, I don''t know whether you''re stupid or not, but, don''t you know that there is a clock at the inn last night?) (Fenrir) (There''s a clock!?) (Oz) "(Yes, master...) (Reo) (Shit, it''s embarrassing!) (Oz) "Ah, it''s okay, I''m fine, maybe because of the lack of sleep," (Oz) "Okay then, let''s go quickly, let''s not get late at our first day," Oz said and walk at a faster pace. "Is he really okay?" (Albus) "I''m not sure about that," (Sen) ********************************* Oz and co preferred walking to the magic academy rather than renting another wagon or riding a carriage because they could sightsee more clearly and at their own pace. "That, that huge building that looks like a castle, is the magic academy?" (Oz) "Yea, that Is the Avalon magic academy, it''s our destination," (Albus) "Then let''s go there quickly, how about a race to the magic academy?" Oz suggested to his friends with a smirk. "I agree, it''ll be fun," (Alfred) "I''ll win," (Sen) "No, I''ll win," (Edreale) "I''m in," (Peter) "What? Race?" (Albus) "3. 2. 1. GO!" Oz count down and Alfred, Sen, Edreale, Peter, and Oz ran to the magic academy as fast as they could. The speed of 4 sword saint is fast, but the one racing with them is Oz. Oz could only barely catch up with their pace, but Oz had one trick to defeat them. "Fire Wings," (Oz) A wing of fire suddenly appeared behind Oz, and his speed got multiplied for two folds. "Hey! That''s cheating!" Peter who is taking the race seriously, shouted. "Ren! It''s not fair!" (Edreale) "There are no rules that said you may not use any magic or skills!" (Oz) "Hmph! Wind magic, Typhoon!" Peter followed suit and used his wind magic, his speed matched Oz''s speed immediately. "Ugh... You''re not that different from him, Peter!!!" (Alfred) The citizens who watched them confusedly, ''Is there a festival?'' thought them. And all of them end up thinking that it is the work of the magic academy reminding the people who want to take on the test. Oz suddenly stopped at the huge gate of the magic academy. "Whoa," (Oz) All of the people who want to apply to the magic academy dress with fancy clothes and look rich, Oz leaked out a sound of surprise when he saw this. (Do nobles is the only one who could apply at this academy?) (Oz) Oz arrived first, and then Peter arrived as the second, and then Edreale, Sen, and Alfred arrived together, but Albus is nowhere to be seen. "You''re cheating, Ren," (Peter) "But you did the same thing as I did right?" (Oz) "Nonono, both of you cheated," (Alfred) "It''s unfair," Edreale pouted. Oz smiled seeing Peter had started more and more open and having more conversation with them, but there is a bigger problem they should be thinking right now. "Guys, where is Albus?" (Peter) "That fatty... Didn''t he should have at least one spell that would help him move faster?" (Oz) "Ren, that''s mean," (Edreale) "I''m getting kinda worried here," (Alfred) "There, I saw something red," Said Sen as he pointed at something in the air. "I-is that Albus?" (Alfred) Oz observes the red figure more clearly, it''s moving with a lot of effort, it moves downwards and upwards as if it''s holding something so heavy. "That is Albus," (Oz) Albus''s body is so heavy that even his spell is having a hard time lifting him up. As Albus got nearer, they could see his face is in a deep concentrate state and he is sweating profusely. Albus finally catch the sight of them, and he descends to the ground, his sweat had made his clothes wet, and his face is pale. *Whoosh* Winds blew to Albus, drying his clothes and refreshing him, Peter seemed to be the one who made the wind. "Are you okay, Alby?" (Oz) "Do I look like I''m okay? And who is Alby anyway," (Albus) "Hahaha, don''t you look healthier this way, and Alby is a nickname I found for you, it suits your name, and your body," (Oz) "I like how it sounds," (Alfred) "Yea, it sounds cute," (Edreale) "Don''t randomly give me a nickname!" (Albus) "Calm down, Alby. Now, where should we go?" (Oz) Albus sighs, slightly annoyed. He observes the magic academy and his eyes lits up. "Come on guys! The first test will be started soon! Let''s register ourselves first!" Albus said as he hurriedly walks to the registration counter. The magic academy is at the corner of the capital, there is a forest behind the building that will look rather creepy at night. When Oz and co followed Albus to the counter, people''s attention gathered at them. "That. Isn''t that Albus Theodore? The magic god''s son?" "Yea, and isn''t that the merciless, Sen? He''s so cool!" "That''s the bard, Edreale!" "And that''s the shadow, Alfred, right? The three sword saint siblings are applying to the magic academy?" "The rumors are true, there are a lot of geniuses applying to the magic academy!" "Why are the archmage, Albus is together with them?" "Who are the other two people together with them?" "You''re not famous, Peter," (Oz) "You''re not that different, Ren," (Peter) "Yea, you''re not famous, Ren," (Alfred) "Sorry, we, peasants are talking here, please don''t disturb us, Mr famous" Oz teases Alfred back. "Let''s just quickly register ourselves guys," (Albus) Oz and co followed Albus and registered themselves. The counter staff will ask the registrant name, age, and hometown. But it''s up to the registrant to fill the hometown part or not. Oz decided to leave it a blank. The staff checked a list filled with names and said to Oz: "So you''re Mr. Ren Arken, the headmaster had told us about you beforehand, your registration had approved, please enter, Mr. Ren Arken, you don''t need to join any test, but your 3rd test will be arranged by the headmaster personally," (The headmaster?) (Oz) (You know the academy headmaster, master?) (Fenrir) (No, I never met him before) (Oz) (Then how could the headmaster know you?) (Fenrir) (It must be because of that old man...) (Oz) After they finished registering themselves, an announcement suddenly sounded: "To all candidates of the Avalon magic academy, the first test will soon start, please gather at the training grounds of the magic academy," The voice belongs to a woman, it sounds smooth, Oz estimate she''s not more than 25 years old. "You hear that, let''s go to the training grounds then. Alby, show us the way," (Oz) "What am I? Your guide? Well whatever, follow me," (Albus) Oz observes the people around him, it''s filled with noble kids and rich kids, they wear fancy clothes and some of them walk arrogantly. "Is only nobles and rich kids are the only ones who could apply at the magic academy?" (Oz) "It isn''t. Anyone should be able to apply for the magic academy, but usually, commoners don''t have that much of talent, and even if they have talent, none of them had enough guts like you to dive into the pool of arrogant nobles," (Albus) "I see..." (Oz) Albus led everyone to the training grounds. When everyone had arrived at the training grounds, another announcement sounded. "The first test will start, those who have valid registration will be displayed on the list, and those who are rejected will not appear on the list," "Where is the list?" (Sen) A similar sound that always appears when Oz summon a status board from his appraisal card suddenly appeared together with a huge floating board with lists of the magic academy candidates. "Whoa!" A surprised and amazed voice sounded on the whole training grounds. The announcement sounded once more: "As you could see behind you, the number next your name is your turn number, when the number is called, it means it is your turn to enter the first test," "Ah! That''s our name!" Alfred said as he pointed Sen, Edreale, and his name in a three consecutive row. "That''s mine," (Peter) "And that''s mine," (Albus) Oz scanned the board list multiple times, but the name he''s searching couldn''t be found. "Where is my name?" (Oz) Chapter 64 - Surprised Spirit Kings [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ---------------_-----------------_------------------------------------_----------------_-----------------_--------------------_-----------------------------_----------------_------- "Where is my name?" Oz muttered in confusion. He couldn''t find his name at the floating board, but fortunately, Albus and co''s name are written at the board. (Master, don''t the staff said that you don''t need to partake the first and the second test? Maybe it had a connection with what she said) (Reo) (I see, I''ll try to-) (Oz) "Mr. Ren," The female staff that notified Oz about the headmaster to him suddenly called him from behind. "Yes?" (Oz) "The headmaster had prepared a place for you to wait until the 3rd test, please follow me," Said the female staff as she led Oz to a house near the training grounds. The place they visited is a house near the training grounds, she opens the house door with an old key and they entered the house. She leads Oz to a room that as spacious as a living room, the room is wide and looked fancy. "Where are we?" Questioned Oz. (This is very private, master. We''ll close our eyes and ears if you want to!) (Fenrir) (What the hell did you mean, Fenrir?) (Oz) (Nothing...) (Fenrir) (You dirty-minded dog) (Oz) "This is the house made for the battle instructor, but the ex-battle instructor had already quit a month ago, so this room is vacant," Explained the female staff. "I see..." Oz continued to observe the room. "Please have your time, I''ll notify you when the 3rd test begins," The female staff bowed and about to leave the room. "Um... Do I need to wait here until you call me?" Oz asked her before she leaves. "Yes, the headmaster asked me to make you wait here," The female staff said and leave the room. "Hm... I wonder what does this means..." Oz mumbled as he sits at the couch, and closes his eyes. (Headmaster, huh. Judging from the old man''s personality, he won''t do anything that will threaten me, he also needs me to kill the nobles in his opposition, so it''s impossible for him to displease me) (Oz) (But then, I don''t know anything about this academy headmaster, that known as the magic god and the royal magician of the kingdom, what does he want from me?) (Oz) (Maybe he just checking whether the person who got chosen by the sword god, satisfy his expectation or not) (Reo) (You might be right... But the staff didn''t say that the headmaster will be meeting me) (Oz) "Well, there is no need to worry too much about it, I think I''m going to go back to Tarot, there are some things that I need to check, you guys want to join?" Oz asked them both. (Yes, master! We''re in!) (Fenrir) (Me too!) (Reo) "Okay then! Prepare yourselves!" (Oz) Oz gathered his mana and utilize it with the exact way with how he used his qi before, and sent his consciousness to the goblin [King] clone. (W-where are we, master?) (Fenrir) Clank! The sight that Fenrir and Reo see when they try to see from Oz''s goblin [King] clone eyes is the sight of a huge and terrifying chimera that got slashed by a minotaur''s ax. The slash is strong, but what they heard, is as if the minotaur is slashing an iron with his ax. "Reo, Fenrir, come out!" Oz shouted, followed with a Poof! Sound and a pair cloud of smokes, and a mini cat, and a mini dog appeared. "Not that appearance, but your real appearance!" Oz shouted, and another Poof! Sounded, and a huge white wolf and a huge dark lion appeared. "Where are we, master?" (Reo) "We''re at the dungeon near Tarot, fortunately, my clones had managed to reach this place, the boss room of the 24th floor," (Oz) "Dungeon!?" (Reo) "Boss floor!?" Fenrir shouted with a higher pitch. "The defiler of the banished, Ataraxia. Give me a sword," (Oz) A dense amount of death and ice gathered at Oz''s right hand, forming a vortex of death and ice mana, slowly but steadily, the vortex formed a sword. Whoosh! The vortex disappeared, and a sword with a strange but beautiful black sword with white rune designs on its sides appeared on Oz''s right hand. "Reo, Fenrir, my clones had been fighting this demonic manticore for 4 hours, even though my clones are strong enough to evade all of its attacks, but it keeps on regenerating every time it almost dies, I believe we need to destroy the magic core inside it, please use a forbidden magic to attack it, my clones will distract it while you''re casting the spell, while I''ll slash its magic core when its body broke," (Oz) "Y-yes!" (Fenrir) "Roger that!" (Reo) "Start chanting!" Oz instructed both of them. Oz now had 20 clones in his possession, there is the minotaur, ogre, fire golem, wind golem, ice golem, earth golem, kobold, manticore, mummy, frost bear, harpy, and earth ape clone at the front lines. While there are only a lich, demonic ant, and demon clone at the rear guards to support. The golems act as a tank and took all the hit from the demonic manticore, they didn''t die until this time because of the demon clone supporting the fire golem, the lich clone supporting the ice golem, the minotaur clone supporting the earth golem, and the kobold and mummy clone supporting the wind golem. By maintaining a strong supply of mana for the golems, the golems also continued to recover. "We''re ready, master!" (Fenrir) "Good, attack it now!" Oz calls back all of his clones at the front lines and lets Fenrir and Reo use their forbidden magic to the demonic manticore. "Forbidden magic, winter rose!" (Fenrir) "Forbidden magic, the sphere of death!" (Reo) Following Fenrir and Reo''s shouts, the demonic manticore suddenly got enveloped by a sphere of darkness that strangulate it with a terrifying force, the strong exoskeleton of the demonic manticore started to make a breaking sound. Following it, a dense amount of ice mana suddenly appeared, and in a split second, a tornado of ice surrounds him and suddenly stopped at a form of a rose. Crack! Crack! The one that is cracking is not only the ice rose but the demonic manticore''s body, too. The ice broke and the demonic manticore''s body also shattered into pieces, leaving a huge floating red magic core in the air. Seeing the sight, Oz smirked. "It''s time," (Oz) Oz gathered his mana at his feet, making a deep black color aura surrounding his feet. (Leap card, activate) (Oz) "Leap..." (Oz) Oz Leaped to the demonic manticore with terrifying speed. Slash! The demonic manticore''s magic core got split into half by his sword. 250> (It evolved into a different type of card?") Oz heard some other prompts after that, prompts about his new clones ranked up, but he''s more curious about the manticore card that got evolved into the demonic manticore. (Does it mean that if I found a stronger entity that has the same type with my card, it will evolve the same way as the manticore card did? Sweet!) (Oz) "You really shocked me, master. What are your clones doing at this place?" Fenrir asked Oz as she reverts to her usual Siberian husky baby form. "What am I doing? I''m gathering power, as my clones increased and get stronger, my power will get stronger too, and this dungeon is the perfect place for it," (Oz) "You''ve been controlling your clones from the distance all this time, master?" (Reo) "Yea, well, let''s go to Aegir, I''ll leave my other clones here, so let''s go out of this dungeon, there is something I need to check," (Oz) "Roger that, hop on top of me, master," (Reo) "Hop on top of me, master. I''m more comfortable to ride rather than Reo," Fenrir said as she transforms into her huge wolf form once more. "That''s insulting, Fenrir! My fur is comfortable!" Reo growled. "Don''t fight," Oz said as he hops to Fenrir''s back. "Wha!? Is it uncomfortable to ride on top of me, master?" Reo asked with a pleading expression. First, the face of a terrifying lion pleading to him doesn''t make him feel any pity at all, and second, Reo''s deep voice ruins all of his plans. "I don''t think that I just hop at Fenrir on a hunch, let''s not waste any more time in this useless blabber, let''s go!" (Oz) ""Yes!"" (Fenrir and Reo) The three of them get out of the dungeon and went to Aegir''s house, only to found Aegir already waiting in front of his house. "What are you doing, Aegir?" (Oz) "Ren, you''re right. Your suspicion about the increasing of the magic beasts is true, this might be a huge threat for us!" (Aegir) Chapter 65 - A Beneficial Threat [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ---------------_-------------_-------------------------------------------_--------------------_--------------------------_-----------------------_-------------_---------------- "Ren, you''re right. Your suspicion about the increasing of the magic beasts is true, this might be a huge threat for us!" Aegir said with a pale face, his shirt had already drenched by his sweat. "Is it that serious, Aegir? Tell me, what did you found?" (Oz) Oz never saw Aegir''s face as pale as this, looking at his expression, it must be so serious. "The magic beasts," (Aegir) "Hm?" (Oz) "The magic beasts, I thought that we''ve managed to cut off their number, but when I asked Brad to check the south, it seems that the reason why we don''t meet a lot of magic beasts back then, is because they''ve moved to the south region, not far from the undead kingdom!" (Aegir) "How many does Brad found?" Oz asked him with his eyebrow furrowed. "He only saw the apes and the bears, he couldn''t continue the expedition because the region is filled with the magic beasts, but they seem to have a considerable intelligence, we suspect that there is a king between them," (Aegir) "And the worst thing is?" (Oz) "Their number far exceeds 100,000 in number, and it''s only the number that Brad saw, it''s unknown about whether there are countless more magic beasts there, but one thing for sure, Brad said that they''re preparing for an attack," (Aegir) When Aegir reports the news, his face is solemn, both of them know the danger of Everdeen magical forest as both of them are considered the habitant of the magical forest. The magic beasts inside the magical forest are always strong, and their number is what they feared the most, that''s why Brad and his men always hunt every day to limit the number of the magic beasts around them. "Bear and ape... Had Gareth got informed about this yet?" (Oz) "Yes, we''ve already told him," (Aegir) "Had he prepared?" (Oz) "I believe he''s in the middle of preparing," (Aegir) Oz folds his arms and gathers his thought for some moment. (It is bad news that we didn''t know the exact number of the magic beasts, but it might be a good chance for testing our defenses) (Oz) "If they attack, do you think Gareth''s undead kingdom defense will suffice?" (Oz) "I''m not sure whether it will suffice or not, we have not enough information," (Aegir) "I see... Then let''s try to find more information, and don''t panic. I have a plan, but for now, tell Gareth to prepare all the traps I told him to make, tell him to let some of the magic beasts pass to the capital, use this opportunity to strengthen the soldier and give them a lot of experiences. This is also the chance to test our defenses, inform Ibra too, this case will be his responsibility too," (Oz) "Ask the other kingdoms to send the soldiers they want to train here, it will be a great experience for them. Since the capital is surrounded by the moat, they will come from all direction, so let the bridge down and open the gate too to make them focus on one passage," (Oz) Tarot''s capital, where Aegir''s house is located, is surrounded by a huge moat. Together with the 80 meters tall walls, the huge moat is one of the capital defense Oz came up with. The moat is 30 meters long, and there is a huge bridge to pass the moat. "But then they will be able to enter the capital!" (Aegir) "That''s my point, every time some of them pass the moat, start to raise the bridge and close the gate again. After killing all of the magic beasts inside, let the bridge down and open the gate again," (Oz) "Ah! I see... So you''re thinking of taking this opportunity to make a real-time defense training for the soldiers, huh. By limiting the magic beasts that entered the walls, the soldiers wouldn''t be exhausted," (Aegir) "Exactly, but tell Ibra to let some of the soldiers in patrol in case of a flying type magic beasts attacks too. And there is also a possibility that they will start to swim over the moat and climb from all over the place if the magic beasts do have a considerable intelligence, it won''t be impossible, so don''t let our guard down," (Oz) "It''s time for the knights to show up and do what they learn and what they train for. Ask Fedra to support the knights too," Oz instructed Aegir. "Roger that, are you going?" (Aegir) "Yea, I don''t have much time," (Oz) "Then I''ll report to you on your next return, your majesty," (Aegir) "Oh please, drop the honorifics when we''re alone old guy," (Oz) "Heheh, good luck on the other side, Ren," Said Aegir with a grin. "You too, brother," Oz said and he called back Fenrir and Reo to his mind, and the huge wolf and the huge black lion disappeared together with Oz''s consciousness, leaving the goblin [King] clone standing like a robot. "Brother, huh..." Aegir muttered to himself while staring at the distance. *************************** "Mr. Ren! Mr. Ren! Please wake up! It''s almost your turn at the 3rd test!" (???) "Hm?" Oz slowly opens his eyes, his body could finally take some rest, but his mind still hasn''t got any rest at all. Oz could feel someone is shaking his shoulders, the shadow of a figure slowly got clearer, and the female staff that led him to this room appeared at his sight. "Um... Hi?" Oz said with a wry smile. "Finally! Let''s set aside the greetings, it''s almost your turn at the 3rd test!" The female staff protested. "I''m sorry, I got that a lot," Oz could only maintain his wry smile while apologizing to the female staff. "Now please, follow me," The female staff said after wiping the sweat at her forehead. Oz followed the female staff that walked so quickly as if they''re getting chased by something. (Time flows really fast, huh. I thought I only went there for a while) (Oz) (As if fighting with the dungeon floor boss, and then traveling back to Tarot, and talk with the prime minister is a while) (Fenrir) (Indeed...) (Reo) (You two...) (Oz) "Geez, Mr. Ren. You really sleep like a log! No wonder the headmaster return so fast! I never thought you''ll sleep there, did you get a lack of sleep last night?" Asked the female staff without turning her head. "Yea, something like that, wait, the headmaster visited me?" (Oz). "Yea, he did. Ah! we''ve almost arrived!" (Female Staff) They could see a huge colosseum-like building near the training grounds from the distance. Even though they''re still quite far, Oz could already hear the voices of countless people from the distance. "Whose voices are these?" Oz asked the female staff. "It''s the voice of the spectators from the kingdom, the building we''re seeing right now is called ''The Magic Arena of Grandaria''. Every 3rd test of the magic academy is held here," (Female Staff) "Um... Why does a 3rd test have these many spectators?" (Oz) "We''ve eliminated those who didn''t have enough power at the 1st and the 2nd test. While there will only strong kids left at the 3rd test, this set up is also good to promote the students to the queen, generals, and nobles that will get interested to recruit them when they''ve graduated," (Female Staff) "I see... So it''s held to give the students an opportunity to show their skills and get sponsored, huh. The fight they perform will give benefits to both students and the magic academy, while the queen, generals, and nobles get their part by getting an opportunity to reap some potentials," (Oz) The female staff finally stared at Oz once more when he said that. "You have a sharp mind, you''re exactly right," (Female Staff) "Well, it''s not that hard to guess," Oz set it aside with a smile. "So, what is the 3rd test? Will I be facing another student candidate?" Oz changed the topic. "For the others, yes. But for you, nope," (Female Staff) "Um... What do you mean?" (Oz) "You''ll know later, there it is, let''s go there, all of the student candidates wait there before they fight, it''s the fighter waiting room," The female staff pointed at the passage beneath the spectators'' seat. "Wait-" (Oz) "Ren! Where have you been!?" Edreale''s voice suddenly appeared from nowhere. "Hm? Edraele!" Oz called Edreale when he saw the half-elf girl running to him. "We''ve searched for you for ages! Where are you? We thought you went away because your name isn''t on the board!" (Edreale) "Yea, you missed all of our fights!" (Albus) "Sorry guys, the academy staff suddenly led me to somewhere to wait, and I got overslept there," Oz said with a wry smile. "The academy staff brings you where? You overslept?" (Alfred) "More importantly, let''s watch Peter''s fight, he''s the one who panicked the most when you suddenly disappeared, Ren," (Sen) "He panicked?" (Oz) "Not only him, but all of us did," (Albus) All of them went up to the student candidate seat above the fighter waiting room. All of them took their seat and Oz finally saw two figures in the arena. One of them is wielding a sword with dense wind mana surrounding him, while the other is using a spear with a weak earth mana surrounding him. Oz observes the arena, and at the vip spectator seat, Oz saw a throne with a woman sitting on top of it, looking at Peter''s fight with a frown. "Hm..." Oz slightly grinned Chapter 66 - Seriously!? [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] --------------_------------------------_-----------------_------------------------_--------------------------_--------------------_---------------------------------------- ---Young King''s PoV--- "Are you sure, your majesty? Didn''t you come to the capital just to observe it?" My royal guard, Yogul asked me. "It''s fine, I''ve been thinking to enter the magic academy from a long time ago. And I have great allies, anyway," I answer Yogul as my eyes stare to the distant, and Ren and the others'' face appeared. Without my knowing, my lips had already formed a grin. "I see... You''ve trusted them into that extend, huh," (Yogul) "Indeed, even though I''ve only met them recently, the journey to the capital felt long enough, as we''ve been together since we''re kids, it''s comfortable, they don''t seek money, prestige, or others, they''re just having fun together, making me wonder maybe I should drop the thought of taking the throne and just join them," I leak a small laugh. "But you''re the king-" (Yogul) "I know, Yogul. I know. My heart had still not waver yet, let''s rest, don''t forget to distance yourself when you''re following me, I''m going with a bunch of sword saints ranks, even though Ren hasn''t reached the sword saint rank yet, I got a hunch that he''s the most dangerous one," (Young King) "Yes, your majesty," Yogul bowed and entered his room. I''m currently standing at a balcony of a mansion I''ve bought before, I''ve just arrived today here, at the capital, after traveling together with Albus, Ren, Sen, Alfred, and Edreale. It''s not a long journey, but we experienced a lot of things from it. "Ren..." I slowly muttered as I stared at the sky. When Ren acts as a leader and commands everyone, it felt natural and everyone immediately obeys it, even me myself felt natural to be commanded by him. How could he possess that much charisma? Will I be able to be a great king if I try to learn from him? *Sigh* I leak out a small sigh and went back to my room to sleep. Let''s think about it next time, tomorrow is a big day, I need to rest. My mother will be there. ----------------_-------------------_---------------------------_-----------_--------------------_----------------------_----------------------- ---3rd Person PoV--- Clank! Peter''s fight continued. Peter''s excellent skill at sword gives him an advantage even if he didn''t use his sword saint rank power completely. His swordsmanship looks like a dance, a sword dance style. (He''s good) (Oz) Oz observes the spectators, and his gaze stopped at the queen that looking at Peter with a frown. Oz made a slight grin, but when he saw the one sitting next to her, he suddenly gasped in surprise, the person he''s looking is grinning broadly towards him. (OLD MAN!?) (Oz) (Who?) (Fenrir) (I''ll tell you later) (Oz) Alfred caught the sight of Oz''s looking at the VIP spectators and whispers. "The one that sits at a chair similar to a throne is the queen, while the two old men sitting beside her are the magic god, Oxius, and the sword god, Kyron," (Alfred) Oz just nodded and shifted his gaze away from the old man Kyron''s gaze, even though he already knows his identity, seeing Oz''s eager to know, Alfred continues. "While the other five people besides the sword god, Kyron are the five great generals of Grandaria. The one sitting next to the sword god, Kyron is the supreme general, George Tudwin, the strongest general of Grandaria kingdom," Alfred whispered as if they are gossipping about somebody. "The strongest general, huh..." Oz stares at the strongest general of Grandaria kingdom, George Tudwin. "There is general Bruce Tellen, the master of swords. Edward Egen, the bloody spear. Emily Beller, the valkyrie. And Esmeralda Stivania, the sorcerer," (Alfred) "Hm... You know a lot of them, Alfred," (Oz) "Well, it''s part of my job to know about strong people," (Alfred) "I see..." (Oz) Oz shifted his gaze back to the battle. Peter''s opponent is at the master swordsman rank, he started to realize that he had no chance at all on facing Peter that didn''t even sweat until now. As he started to lose his patience, his attacks became more aggressive, but it also gives a lot of opportunity for a strategy type fighter like Peter. Clank! Peter made his opponent''s spear flew, and point his sword to his neck. "The winner is, Peter Godwinson!!!!!!" The commentator of the fight announced Peter''s win. Oz and co stand up and clap their hands together with the other spectators. Peter stare to the direction of the VIP spectators for a moment, but he immediately shifted his gaze to Oz and co, and give them a smile of victory. "Hmph, since when does that guy become like that," (Oz) "I think he''s imitating you, Ren," (Sen) "W-what?" (Oz) (Hm... Judging master''s behavior that likes to use a cool lines nad act cool, it really does looks like what you''ll do when you win, master) (Reo) (Reo... It''s rare for you to comment about me like that) (Oz) "Ah! By the way, does all of you win your fights? Wait, that''s a stupid question, huh," Oz immediately cancel his question when he saw his sword saint friends. "Mr. Ren! Please go downstairs! It will be your fight after this!" The female staff shouted to Oz from the distance. Oz give her a sign of him understands with a nod, and say to the others: "Well, it''s my turn, wish me good luck, guys," "Yea, I hope you lose, Ren," (Alfred) "Yup, please lose, Ren," (Edreale) "Wish you bad luck, Ren," (Sen) "I hope your opponent Is the supreme general, Ren," (Albus) "You guys... Can''t you be nicer to me? I saved you guys before, you know?" Oz rebuked their wish of bad luck to him and went downstairs. When he arrived at the fighter waiting room, the female staff had already waiting at him, and Peter is on his way of walking to the spectator seat to join the others. "Hey, Peter, good fight, even though you''re only toying at your opponent though," Oz said with a wry smile. Peter leak a small laugh. "Didn''t I learn it from you? So, it''s your fight after this, good luck, Ren," (Peter) "Thanks, you''re the only one who with me good luck," (Oz) "Really? Then it''s my mistake for saying that, I''m taking back my words, please lose, Ren," Peter finally said and went to the spectator seat upstairs. "T-that bastard..." (Oz) After swearing at Peter with a small voice, Oz approached the female staff that already waiting for him. "Mr, Ren. Good luck, it''s your turn now," Her kind attitude made Oz somehow suspicious, but before Oz could suspect anything, the commentator suddenly announced the next battle, and the gate into the arena opened. "Now!!! It''s the last fight of the 3rd test!!! It might be the most intense fight, or even be the fastest fight!!! The participant, please enter the arena!!!" (Commentator) Oz gets out of the gate, and enters the arena with his defiler of the banished, Ataraxia, in its staff form. But when he entered the arena, his opponent is nowhere to be seen. Oz becomes confused, and his suspicion suddenly raised, he immediately shifts his gaze to the old man Kyron that pretends to didn''t sense his gaze. Oz is not the only one who got confused, the other spectators also started to ask each other about the other participant whereabout. "What is happening?" (Edreale) "I don''t know, but it seems that Ren''s opponent is not showing himself," (Alfred) "...." Sen just silently stared at the arena. "It''s a special fight, set by the headmaster!!! The last participant, Ren Arken, will be fighting one of the great generals!!! To the honorable great generals!!! Anyone willing to fight the participant may enter the arena!!!" (Commentator) "What the f*$%!?" Oz reflectively swore. The spectators started to become noisy, the five generals look at each other, and suddenly, the dark grey-haired, Emily Beller, the valkyrie stands. Judging from her looks, her age seems not that different from Oz''s, she looks like a child wearing expensive armor. "I''ll-" (Emily) Before the valkyrie could challenge Oz, the supreme general, George Tudwin suddenly stands. "S-supreme general," The valkyrie bows to the supreme general. Seeing the rare spectacle of the supreme general and the other great general trying to do something is something that rarely seen by the spectator. The battle of a participant and a general had never occurred before. The whole arena suddenly becomes silent. "I''ll. Be your opponent," The supreme general said, making all of the spectator, even the queen, surprised. *Sound of something crashed to the ground* The supreme general jumped to the arena. When he landed, a sound similar to the sound of an explosion sounded, and clouds of dust covered the arena. Oz calmly gazes at the supreme general that lands in such a grand way. Inside of Oz''s mind, he''s swearing to a certain someone. (Albus you bastard! Your wish comes true! My opponent is INDEED the supreme general!) (Oz) (Seriously!? Why does it become like this!?) (Oz) Chapter 67 - Intense Duel [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------_--------------------_------------------------_---------------------_------------_----------------------_----------------------_-----------------------_----- "........" The crowd becomes silent of a sudden, they could hear a cough of one person from the corner of the magic arena because of the silence. "So you''re Ren, the one that master Kyron considered as his successor," The supreme general said while his eyes are observing Oz from his toe until his head with a sharp gaze. (Successor?) (Oz) "Yes, I am Ren, but I''m not sure about the last part you just said. Can you please explain it to me, your honor supreme general," Oz said while bowing a little with his brows furrowed. Not only the supreme general, but Oz also observes the supreme general to his very tiny detail. (He''s at his 40s, his arms show that he didn''t train only his mana cultivation, but he also tempers his body to this extent. His way of holding the sword felt very natural, he''s familiar with the sword he''s using, and he''s skilled at swordsmanship...) (Oz) (And the last thing, he''s at the bottleneck of the sword saint rank, without my qi, this won''t be easy, I''ll need to half-equip some of my cards) (Oz) "But before that... Appraisal..." Oz muttered softly. [??????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ??????? ???????] (The f*%$!? Why does all human I tried to appraise always hide their status?) (Oz) The supreme general stares at the silent Oz strangely. (I don''t have much time, I''ll just half-equip the goblin [King[ card first, and judge his powers my-) (Oz) Before Oz finished his thoughts, the supreme general on his sight suddenly disappeared. (Tsk! Goblin [King] card! Half-equip!!!) (Oz) Boom!!!!!!!!!!!! A very loud sound of an explosion sounded. "Hm? (Supreme General) """Whoa!!!""" The spectators leaked out a sound of surprise when they saw the sight that happened in front of them. The supreme general formed a small grin at his face. "You''re pretty good, kid. Who''ll ever though a magician will evade my strike in such a way," (Supreme General) When the supreme general struck from Oz''s side, Oz half-equipped the goblin [King] card and evade the strike by a hair''s breadth. He can''t use any other [King] rank card because if he used the demon [King] card, there is a risk that the demonic mana could be sensed from him, and if he used the lich [King] card, there is a risk that the mana of death could be sensed from him. But the boost from the Goblin [King] card alone won''t enough, he barely could evade the supreme general''s strike, but Oz''s sure that even though the supreme general haven''t used his full power, he will lose his life if he got hit by that strike earlier, even if he already half-equipped the goblin [King] card. Because half-equipping a card only gives 25% of the card''s real power. (I could only equip all other cards except the demon [King] and the lich [King], but it''s still better than nothing) (Oz) Oz half-equipped all of the cards he possessed, and he could feel a tremendous power filling his body. (This should be enough) (Oz) "Interesting... Your cultivation rank is only at the master swordsman rank, it''s remarkable for you to be able to evade my strike, but one thing you should know. You commoners will never defeat us, nobles," The supreme general arrogantly said. (Old guy, it''s time to pay you back for trying to kill me) (Oz) !!!??? The spectator got shocked once more, Oz''s figure suddenly disappeared just like how the supreme general''s figure suddenly disappeared before. Boom!!!!! Another sound of an explosion sounded. But this time, the spectators are more shocked than before, and even the magic academy magic god headmaster, Oxius, and the queen, also shocked by the sight they saw. Oz appeared from the supreme general''s back and slammed his staff to the supreme general''s body, sending the supreme general flying about 200 meters away. "Great job, Ren!!!!!!" (Albus) The spectators started to cheer together with Albus''s huge voice. But only some people and Oz knew what actually happened. When Oz strikes the supreme general, in a split second, he managed to block Oz''s staff. And the supreme general''s face. (He''s smiling...) (Oz) When the clouds of dust started to fade away, the unscathed figure of the supreme general finally reappeared. (As expected, he''s unscathed) (Oz) "What a great power you have there, kid," Together with the supreme general''s grin, a killing intent that shakes all of the spectators enveloped the magic arena. "But it''s still not enough," (Supreme general) Only several people could withstand the terrifying murderous intent of the supreme general of the Grandaria kingdom. But the murderous intent doesn''t pique Oz''s fear, but it made him feel challenged. Oz''s smirked. !!!??? A terrifying murderous intent, that even much darker and scarier than the supreme general''s murderous intent gushed out from Oz''s body. The spectators felt more pressure because of the battle of murderous intent between the supreme general and Oz. The magic god, Oxius, slammed his staff to the ground, and an invisible barrier suddenly enveloped the arena battleground, blocking the murderous intent from pressuring the spectators. The supreme general finally shows a surprised expression when Oz unleashes his bloodl.u.s.t, making Oz''s smirks wider. "Hmph! Don''t get too c.o.c.ky, you peasant brat!" The supreme general unleashed his full power and disappear once more, but the Oz that already got boosted by half-equipping a lot of his cards foresee the supreme general''s strike and blocked it. Boom!!! The supreme general''s sword and Oz''s defiler of the banished, Ataraxia staff collided, and send a powerful wave of winds to the spectators. (Ugh, he''s strong!) (Oz) But Oz won''t let any opportunity miss, Oz who addresses himself as a magician purposely blocked the strike with his staff, and pointed his left index finger at the supreme general. (Let''s try the magics I learn!) (Oz) "Summon fire snake," Following Oz''s words, a huge burning snake came out from his finger and dashed to the supreme general with terrifying speed. The supreme general tried to evade the burning snake, but who would think that when the supreme general tried to dock to his left, the burning snake turns its course and hit the supreme general and blasted him away 50 meters backward. "Ugh!" (Supreme General) "Supreme General!!!" All other generals stand when they saw their supreme general got hit by the spell. (Hmph! Even though a spell chanted by a master swordsman rank or a master magician rank is not that powerful, but the spell ''summon fire snake'' is one of the evilest spells that give the damage to the victim according to how much his strength is!) (Oz) The spectators cheered seeing the great fight, it''s all happen in a split second, but they could still feel the excitement from watching a high-leveled battle. Usually, a person who could use his mana for both body strengthening and magic using at the same time is very rare, they are called the dual-cultivator. The spectator is excited to see such rare talent battles. "I see... So your staff is not only for show, huh. You''re really are a dual-cultivator, not bad for a peasant," The supreme general that finally got some damage said with a calm expression. Oz didn''t answer the supreme general''s comment, rather, he continued his attack. "Summon a fire wolf," (Oz) A wolf with fire enveloping its whole body suddenly appeared in front of Oz, and dashes to the supreme general at a high speed. But different from before, the supreme general seems to be more collected and had become even more serious about the battle. It will be strange if Oz could use all the magic elements, so Oz decided to only use the fire magics at the battle. (It should be enough) (Oz) The supreme general cut off the fire wolf with a great force, but rather than disappearing, the fire wolf explodes. Even though the explosion didn''t hurt the supreme general, it gives Oz another opening to attack. "H-he''s gone!" (Supreme General) Oz suddenly disappeared from his sight and the supreme general suddenly sensed a presence from above of him, but when he prepared to block Oz''s strike with his swords, Oz''s attack is way out of the supreme general''s prediction. "Phoenix Blast!!!" Oz strikes with his staff and cast the spell at his staff, causing an unimaginable strike to the supreme general. Boom!!!!!! The supreme general''s sword managed to block Oz''s staff, but Oz''s ''Phoenix Blast'' spell managed to breakthrough the supreme general''s defense, forcing his body to withstand the spell directly. But Oz''s attacks didn''t stop right there, the supreme general is still paralyzed because of taking the Phoenix Blast directly to his body, Oz took that chance and swing his staff aiming at the arrogant supreme general''s head with his full power. but. Whoosh!!! Several figures disturbed the fight, but the final sight makes the spectators gasped. The other four great generals dashed to save the general and aim at Oz''s head, but unfortunately for them, Oz also had some sword saints back up. Oz''s staff stopped in front of the supreme general''s face, while a spear, two swords, and one staff aiming at Oz''s head. But behind the great generals, Albus''s staff aimed at the ''Sorcerer, Esmeralda Stivania'', Peter''s sword aimed at ''The master of swords, Bruce Tellen'', Alfred''s and Edreale''s knife aimed at the ''Valkyrie, Emily Beller'', and Sen''s sword aimed at the ''Bloody Spear, Edward Egen''. The atmosphere suddenly got heavy. The spectators become silent once more, seeing several sword saints in one arena together. But suddenly, a voice cut in. "Enough!" (???) Chapter 68 - Fire vs Fire [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------_---------------------_---------------------_------------------_---------------------_-----------------------_----------------------------------_----------------- "Enough!" (?????) Suddenly Oz, Sen, Alfred, Albus, Edreale, Peter, and the generals'' movement got restricted by something similar to a fire bind. Who could make Oz and 10 sword saints movement restricted!? (S-so strong!) (Oz) (Master, I believe it''s a spell cast by a magic god) (Reo) (Magic god...) (Oz) Oz tried his best to tilt his face, trying to see the figure who had the power to bind 10 sword saints and him. "You''re in the presence of her majesty, the queen, don''t disgrace yourselves," Oz finally sees the figure who is floating above of them. "M-master Oxius..." The supreme commander mutters the mighty name while slightly shivers. Oz could sense enormous fire mana from the magic god. Oxius stares at his adopted son, Albus for a moment, and Oz captures a little grin formed at his mouth. (Damn... I''m Dead) (Albus) But Oz is not satisfied yet, to give such an arrogant person the position of a supreme commander, no wonder the people always got oppressed by the nobles. (Magic god my ass! It''s your fault for interrupting the fight!) (Oz) (Master! Don''t be rash!) (Fenrir) "Hm?" (Oxius) Oz musters all his strength to move his index finger, and point it to the magic god, Oxius. "Fire bullet," Oz mutters. !!!??? Oz''s sudden attack surprises everyone present at the magic arena, but different from the others, old man Kyron only grins broadly when he saw the scene. "HAHAHA! I believe you feel it too, Oxius! That spirit! That strength!" (Old man Kyron) Fire bullet, a spell that makes a bullet made from the fire element. The stronger the supply of fire it gets, the stronger the bullet will be, and the reason why Oz chooses that spell. Is because the fire element will only strengthen the bullet. (T-this kid...) (Oxius) But Oxius is a magic god! He had countless experiences of battles. He dispels the fire bind he cast to bind Oz and co and cast: "Fire Staff," The fired bullet hits the magic god''s staff, but it doesn''t damage it, but the fired bullet scatters and enveloped the staff. Oz clicked his tongue. "Tsk. As expected of a magic god," (Oz) Whoosh! Oxius waved both of his hands to the side, and the generals and Alfred and co got thrown away to their seat at the spectator place. He slammed his staff to the ground, and a fire circle enveloped the battle arena. Oxius and Oz size up each other. "Not bad, kid. As expected of the one that old geezer has chosen as his successor, you made me remember our old friend," (Oxius) "...." Oz remains silent. (I start to understand why you chose this kid, Kyron) (Oxius) (His fiery gaze when he saw a rotten person) (Oxius) (His bold way of fighting) (Oxius) (His presence that made people inspire others) (Oxius) (He resembles him... As if they''re the same person from the beginning...) (Oxius) (He resembles him. The legendary king of Grandaria. Our mentor. Arthur Godwinson Grandaria!) (Oxius) Seeing the strangely silent Oxius, Oz started his move. "Fire Guardian!" (Oz) A dense fire mana gathered in front of Oz, and a countless fire starts to gather and forms a huge figure, a 2-meter burning knight, using a burning armor, and a burning shield and a burning sword at both of his hands. "Fire manipulation," Oxius cast, and the fire guardian''s master changed. (Just by using one spell, he takes over my fire guardian? Fine!) (Oz) Oz gathers his enormous mana, and planning to turn the table once more, "Fire dragon..." But Oz''s cultivation level isn''t that high enough, so the dragon is only at the size of a horse, but it''s more than enough. The mini dragon absorbs all of the fire from the fire guardian, and absorb its armor too, making the mini dragon to form an armor protecting its body. "Naive!" (Oxius) "Fire typhoon!" Following Oxius''s shout, a huge fire typhoon enveloped the fire dragon and swallowed it. Whoosh! The fire typhoon suddenly disappeared together with the fire dragon, but when Oxius shifts his gaze to Oz, he got surprised. (H-he''s gone!?) (Oxius) "Fire claws!!!" Oz appeared above Oxius''s above, but Oxius didn''t get fl.u.s.tered. "Hmph! Blast!" (Oxius) The tip of Oxius''s staff always pointed upwards, so without having to make any other movement, Oxius blast Oz, throwing Oz away for about 40 meters. "Ren!!" (Alfred and co) (Shit... Even a simple ''Blast'' spell become so powerful when it is used by a magic god, I never thought it will give me this much of damage) (Oz) An advance spell needs a longer time to use than a basic spell, so Oz thought that his ''Fire Claws'' spell wouldn''t be deflected by Oxius. But he never thought that his advance spell will get overpowered by a basic spell, and it even injures him quite badly. With his breathe start to get disordered, Oz started to think to use his cards. "Since it came to this..." Oz about to summon his cards, but his sight suddenly gets hazy and blur, and his body starts to lose its strength. "D-damn..." (Oz) (Master!!!) (Fenrir and Reo) Oz could faintly hear Edreale shouting his name, but his consciousness had started to fade away. (I lost to another old man, huh...) (Oz) *********************************** Oz vaguely sees a scene, he felt very familiar with the scene, he knew that he ever saw this scene before, Oz tried to focus his sight more, and suddenly anger and hatred envelope his heart. It''s the demon king that killed the old owner of this body. It''s the slave dealer that conspires together with the demon king. The scene rewinds multiple times as if craving the scene deeply to Oz''s memory. Even though Oz felt so angry, but somehow, he couldn''t shout or even let out a voice from his mouth. Oz could only clench his fist strongly as he saw the hometown of his body old owner got destroyed by the demon king. As Oz''s heart started to get more corrupted by the hatred and the anger he felt, Oz vaguely hears a voice he didn''t know from. "Master!!!" Fenrir''s loud voice wakes Oz up from his dream. "Huh? Where am I?" Oz confusedly asked. "This is the magic academy''s clinic, you''ve been sleeping here for a whole day, master," (Fenrir) "I see..." (Oz) Oz observes his surroundings. A room filled with medical equipment appears at Oz''s sight. (As expected of the famous magic academy of the kingdom, huh. They had the complete set of medical equipment) (Oz) Oz takes a look at his body, and he found that his body is covered with bandages. Again. Oz leak out a sigh. Oz suddenly remembered by the dream he just had. He promised to himself that he''ll find them, and kill them all to let the old owner of the body rest in peace. "What happened to you, master? You suddenly get enveloped by a demonic aura! But when I wake you up, the demonic aura suddenly disappeared!" The small white puppy said to Oz with her child-like voice. "Demonic aura?" Asked Oz. "Yes, master. I think that the source of the demonic aura is from the curse at your arm," The black cat told Oz with his deep voice. Oz takes a peek at his right arm, and he got surprised when he saw it. "W-what the hell?" (Oz) The curse that looks like a black wing tattoo at Oz''s right arm suddenly got bigger than before. Oz''s sure that when he checked it before, it hasn''t become this big, it''s almost covered his whole arm now. (D-don''t tell me, it eats from the anger and hatred I feel?" (Oz) "It might be, master," Fenrir suddenly answers Oz''s thought. "Ah! I forgot that both of you could read my mind," Oz clicked his tongue. "Yes. We''re connected, master," Reo said with his deep voice. "Seriously, Reo. Hearing you say that words with your deep voice made me shivers," (Oz) (It sounds like a pervert...) (Oz) "A pervert!?" Reo shouted, shocked. "Pfft!" Fenrir tried to restrain her laughter. "Ah! I mean per... perfect and mighty spirit king. You sound like a perfect and mighty spirit king, Reo," (Oz) "Nice save, master," (Fenrir) "Hmph!" Reo snorted. "By the way, how the hell could I suddenly fainted anyway?" Oz tried to change the topic. "You know that your movement got restricted by a fire bind cast by the headmaster, master?" (Fenrir) "Yea, I remember that," (Oz) "The spell actually didn''t restrict your movement, it only restricts the mana that enveloped your body. The spell takes control of your mana and interrupts your command to the body, that''s why you couldn''t move," (Fenrir) "But because you''re using an excessive amount of fire mana, he got a medium to take control of your body once more, and he uses that to drain your fatigue, that''s why you got a lot of damage only by one ''Blast'' spell and immediately fainted, master," Fenrir explained to Oz. "I see... That old fox, fighting him while using a handicap of only using fire magic is damn difficult," Oz complained. Suddenly, the door of the clinic got opened. (Go back!) (Oz) Poof! Reo and Fenrir went back to Oz''s body. "Are you awake, kid?" An old figure came inside the clinic with a broad smile. "O-Old man!!!" (Oz) Chapter 69 - The Old Man Visits [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_--------------------------------_---------------------------_---------------------------_---------------------------_--------------------------_--------- At the night after Oz fainted at the magic arena, a tense atmosphere is currently enveloping the palace. "What are you doing here?" The queen asked the young man in front of her with a cold tone. Even though the queen had her unique pressure as a ruler, the young man''s eyes didn''t give any sign of wavering, he calmly answered: "I''m learning," "Before you willingly give me the throne, I''ll try everything to enrich my knowledge, as a king, I''m obliged to learn and nurture myself to become a suitable king-" (Young King) "King?" The queen cut the young king''s words. "Had I ever said that I''ll give you the throne to you?" (Queen) "You said-" (Young king) "I only said that you need to learn to more, it''s just to make you wise and strong, I never said anything about giving you the throne," The queen turns her back and said those cold words that combined with a cold tone. "B-but mother..." The young king could only grit his teeth because of his helplessness, his eyes start to give the sign of wavering. "No buts! Go back to hiding, I''ll at least permit you to enroll at the magic academy to make you forget the idea of being a king, but you''re not permitted to do anything conspicuous, now go!" The queen said without turning his back towards her only son. "Y-yes, mother..." The young king could only follow his mother''s orders obediently and disappear to the shadows. Sigh The queen leaks a heavy sigh as she stares blankly to the dark sky. "Chris, you must be strong. Now, you might feel that you''re mighty and invincible, you might think that the people you could trust everyone. You haven''t seen the real dark side of the world, every time and everywhere. There will always be someone that aims for your back. Rulers like us always meet with terrifying misfortunes," (Queen) "Just like how your grandfather, your father, and how myself, will meet my end because of this power. Find great comrades, the one that you could believe and trust your back to them, I believe, that you will be the one that will break the curse of our family..." (Queen) *************************** "I lost," Oz admitted his defeat with a wry smile. "Hmph! Of course, you lost! He''s my rival! We''re one of the reasons why the other countries never dare to attack our kingdom!" (Old man Kyron) "I thought that I''ll win that time..." Oz sighs. Old man Kyron''s expression suddenly went serious. "You lose just because you''re unlucky, you still not that familiar with mana. I believe that you''ll be able to defeat him if you''re more experienced on mana control, even though watching that old bone surprised is fun, the kingdom will be in danger if he lost. Well, you''ve made enough problem by defeating the supreme general of the kingdom though," Old man Kyron said with a wry smile. "A problem?" (Oz) "Defeating a supreme general of a kingdom is a great achievement, but having a candidate of the magic academy student defeating the supreme general of the kingdom will sully the kingdom''s military, and might even make the other countries consider to attack our kingdom," (Old man Kyron) "That is why Oxius erase the spectators'' memories of your battles for the sake of the kingdom," Old man Kyron said. "I see... Wait, erase what?" Oz asked to confirm whether what he just heard is true. "Erase their memories. For a magic god, doing that trick is simple. The queen asks him to erase all of the spectators'' memories," (Old man Kyron) "Including my friends'' memories?" (Oz) "Nope, their memories are kept intact as your gift of victory, so you still have some witness of your great battle. The queen said that she might want to meet you one day," (Old man Kyron) "Really?" (Oz) "Yea, by the way, Ren. When did you get that curse at your right arm?" Old man Kyron''s eyes suddenly went sharp. "Um..." Seeing Oz''s hesitate to answer, old man Kyron leak out a soft sigh and said. "Don''t hesitate to tell me, Oxius had already seen it too, I asked him to check it and even he, a magic god, couldn''t remove it. I know it''s a demonic curse, but it''s the first time I ever saw that kind of curse, tell me the truth, Ren," Old man Kyron persuade Oz. Seeing the persistent old man Kyron, Oz could only sigh helplessly and tell him everything. "I see... No wonder Oxius couldn''t do anything to it, so it''s a demonic curse from the demon emperor... I need to tell this to Oxius later," (Old man Kyron) "Well, setting aside about the curse, I''ll contact you myself if the queen wants to meet you, learn hard and don''t disgrace my name here, I introduce you as my pupil to the magic academy headmaster after all," (Old man Kyron) "I see... So it''s really your doing, huh," Oz sighs. "Hahaha, don''t sully my name, okay? Using my name is the easiest way to enroll you to this magic academy after all," (Old man Kyron) "Fine, but-" (Oz) Before Oz could continue his words, Oz and the old man Kyron senses some figures coming near. "Is it okay for them to see you visit me?" Oz asked the old man. "Hm... You can just introduce them to me later, I have another appointment anyway," Old man Kyron said as he stands. "Okay then, thanks for visiting, old man," Thanked Oz. "Of course I pay a visit to my pupil, right? Well, goodbye kid," Old man Kyron bid farewell and go out of the clinic, and his presence disappears in a split of a second. Not long after old man Kyron left, Albus, Alfred, Edreale, Sen, and Peter enters the clinic. "Ren!" Edreale shouted right away when she saw Oz and approaches him. """Ren,""" The others follow suit. "Hey, guys..." Answered Oz as he turns his head towards them while his body''s still lying at the bed. "What, why does all of you have a dark expression?" Oz asked Albus and co that approaches Oz with a sour expression. "It''s unfair, how could they erase the memories of almost everyone, you supposed to get the credit of having the best and the most intense fight!" (Edreale) "Yea, even the ice princess got her memory erased too," (Alfred) "Ice princess? Does the princess watched my fight too?" Asked Oz. "Of course, Ren. Nobles, generals, soldiers, and the royalties watched you. But well, the princess is watching as a candidate student like us though," (Alfred) "What? The princess is entering the magic academy too?" (Oz) "Yea... Hm?" Alfred''s face approaches Oz''s with a weird grin. "Does the strange Ren had finally get interested in a girl? And the first girl is the princess?" (Alfred) "Of course no," Oz pushes Alfred''s face away. "I''ve got a problem with that troublesome princess before," When Oz remembers the arrogant princess''s tone back then, he gets a little bit irritated. "T-troublesome? You might be the only one who dares to say that about her, Ren..." Albus rebuked with a wry smile. "By the way... Sorry, Ren, my father went too far to you, luckily you''re finally awake after 3 days," Albus apologetically said. "It''s fine... Eh, wait, 3 days?" (Oz) "Hm? Yea, 3 days, you fainted for 3 days, Ren," (Albus) (Damn! Why do I need to faint every time I battle against strong people?) (Oz) "Ah! Do I miss anything?" (Oz) "You miss almost everything, Ren," Answered Peter. "Seriously? Could you please explain to me all of it?" Oz plead. "Fine..." (Peter) After Oz fainted, Albus and co immediately dashed to the battle arena to check him up. But suddenly, the magic god, Oxius flew high above them and cast a grand spell that covers all the spectators with red flames. It seems that it''s the spell that the magic god uses to erase the spectators'' memories. After that, the commentator immediately announced that the 3rd test is done, and all spectators are permitted to go home. On the next day, the magic academy announced the one who passed the test to enroll at the magic academy, and there is a new class made at Oz''s generation. "A new class?" Oz asked Albus. "Yes, including you, the six of us will be entering that new class, they called it the special class," Albus said with a shrug. "Special class?" (Oz) "Yea, it''s only this year that a lot of sword saint rank students enter the magic academy at the same time. The academy considered that we''re going to need a different class than the other so that our improvement will not be hindered by the slow progress of other classes," (Albus) "I see... Wait, I''m only at the master swordsman rank, why do I need to enter the special class too?" (Oz) "Ren... You defeated the supreme general of the kingdom! Even if there are only a few people that have the memory of the battle, the academy knew it all! There''s no way a master swordsman rank student candidate that defeats the sword saint rank supreme general of the kingdom will be put at a normal class!" Albus immediately rebuked Oz''s words. Oz sighs. "I''m too rash, huh," (Oz) "Yes, you are, you really make us get a cold sweat at our back, Ren," Said Peter with a helpless expression. "Well, it''s not the first time I got this kind of injury, so you don''t need to worry. By the way, when will we start our first class?" (Ren) "It''s a week after the 3rd test, so four more days," (Albus) "I see..." (Oz) (4 days, huh... I believe my body is not at a very bad condition, I could sneak out to the grand library at night) (Oz) Oz chatted with his friends for another 2 hours and the others decided to went back to the inn and let Oz rest again. "Hm... I think I''ll visit Tarot until night come," Oz said to himself as he closes himself and gathers his consciousness. (I haven''t visited them for 3 days, I hope they don''t worry too much) (Oz) Chapter 70 - Magic Beast Outbreak [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] --------------_-----------------------_-------------------------------_--------------------------_--------------------------------------_------------------- Oz sends his consciousness to the goblin [King] clone that is sitting at the meeting room inside Aegir''s house. When Oz opens his eyes in the goblin [King] clone''s body, he found something strange about the house. "It''s strange..." Oz mumbled to himself while narrowing his eyes. (What''s strange, master?) (Fenrir) "It''s too quiet," (Oz) Every time Oz''s at Tarot, even if he''s inside Aegir''s house, the voices of people outside could always be heard. But strangely, even though it''s not even afternoon yet, Oz couldn''t hear the usual voices, and he couldn''t even sense Geeta''s presence inside the house. "I have a bad feeling about this..." Oz hurriedly gets out of Aegir''s house to check the situation as he muttered those words. "W-wha?" Oz got speechless when he saw that it''s also empty outside, not even a single person could be found wandering near Aegir''s house. Fenrir and Reo that usually voice out their opinion bluntly fall silent seeing their master shocked state. Oz''s hands start to tremble as his imagination starts to go wild. Oz couldn''t scan their presence that easily because his qi got blocked by the demon emperor, he could only sense a presence that under 15 meters far from him. "Please be fine..." Oz muttered hopefully as he gritted his teeth. Oz dashes to wander the town seeking for anyone, his heart is heavy because of countless wild imagination that popped up inside his head. But when Oz''s near the capital''s gate, Oz started to hear the sounds of a crowd from the distance. Oz focuses his eyes and saw countless people are gathering near the capital''s gate and Aegir''s standing on top of the wall with a firm face. The main gate''s closed, but when Oz steps closer to the gate, the sound of swords clashing and cries of beasts suddenly sounded. (Don''t tell me...) (Oz) Feeling relieved because his people didn''t get vanished or get slaughtered by an unknown enemy, Oz starts to feel some warmth at his chest. Oz grasps the understanding of the situation quickly when he saw the knights under Ibra battling against some magic beasts. Oz calls his griffin clone to help him fly and went to Aegir that''s sitting on top of the great wall. "Yo, Aegir! How''s the situation?" Oz came with a broad grin on his face. "Ren!! We''ve waited for you for ages!! Fortunately, it''s still under control right now, but I have a feeling that something isn''t right with how the magic beasts attack," Aegir widen his eyes when he saw Oz''s figure, and his expression quickly reverts to a relieved one. "I see..." (Oz) "They started their attack since yesterday morning, Gareth contact me immediately when the magic beasts start to attack the undead kingdom. Just like what you''ve expected, there are some aerial magic beasts too, luckily we''ve prepared archers all over the walls," (Aegir) "Yesterday, there are thousands of bears, apes, and birds type that attacks the undead kingdom, while only hundreds of them attack the other kingdoms and our capital," (Aegir) "But today, it looks like they''ve found out that the capital is bigger and had more defenses than the other kingdoms, so they''ve sent more magic beasts here far more than the number they sent to the undead kingdom yesterday," (Aegir) "Following your orders, we occasionally let some magic beasts in to have the knights and the soldiers experience real-time battle. It''s very effective, they''ve shifts for every hour and it gives them a lot of experiences, we hit quite a jackpot on that side," (Aegir) "That''s great," Oz said with satisfaction. "There''s also no casualties until now, but..." Aegir''s face suddenly filled with doubts. "But?" (Oz) "Their attack pattern is strange, and judging from the way they attack us, it''s as if this army of magic beasts are only a sacrificable pawn for them..." Said Aegir as he stares at the magic beasts that are attacking the walls. Seeing Aegir''s shifted his sight to the other side of the walls, Oz followed his line of sight. Oz could hear both Fedra and Ibra giving orders to their respective underlings. Ibra made a defensive formation to the four sides of the capital, the west, east, south, and north. Every side has dozens of elite archers that keep on shooting down the flying beasts, and elite knights that will defend the archers when the flying beasts manage to survive from the volleys of arrows. Ibra put more new-recruited knights at the main gate, so they could experience a safe real-time battle with the magic beasts. Because of the great moat that surrounds the capital, the bears and apes could only pass moat every time the bridge is put down. Fedra''s legion is ready on standby in front of the main gate of the capital, in case something went wrong, the Tarot legion soldiers will begin to wipe out the magic beasts. Different from the other kingdoms, the capital had all types of soldiers, and only elite soldiers will be allowed to join the imperial knight order, the league of the crest, or the imperial legion, Tarot legion. If the undead knight order is consists of undead only, the imperial knight order, the league of the crest had all races combined, and they''re trained to be able to make an elite squad of knights. Using the fully armored undead that has limitless stamina as a tank together with the powerful minotaur, and having the elf and goblin as both the rear guard and support magician, a lot of unique teams had been formed at the knight order that made the imperial knight order invincible. At the imperial legion, there are the natural cavalry, the centaurs. And the orcs that have immense strength that made a great soldier, both Ibra and Fedra followed Oz''s guide of taking advantage of each treat and talents from each race. Great teamwork, trained body, and combined with the martial arts Oz invented for them, every Tarotans admire them and wish to be able to join them. Even though Gareth''s undead kingdom is the one that got attacked first by the magic beast outbreak, they still stand powerfully because of their powerful military power. Different from the other kingdom, all people of the undead kingdom are basically a natural soldier, every undead has the strength to fight back. With the special treat of the undead kingdom, the undead pawn soldier summoning, even without a moat surrounding them, with a hundred undead summoner they could outnumber the magic beasts easily by summoning countless undead pawn soldier. The other kingdoms also had it easy, the goblins are smart, they easily outsmart the magic beasts with traps. The orcs and the minotaurs overpower them with strength. The elves use their magics and archery skills to defend. The centaurs, lizardfolk, and kobolds crush them with their martial arts. When Oz stares at the magic beasts under the walls, he found something strange. "Hm?" Oz narrowed his eyes to see clearer. (They really have intelligence, huh...) (Oz) The magic beasts that haven''t pass the moat yet waited obediently for the bridge to be put down once more if they''re a normal magic beast, they should have already tried to swim over the moat and dies, but there are only two or three corpses of them that Oz could see floating above the moat. (It might be bad, master. It means that the real inhabitants of this magical forest are already started to take the initiative to confront you) (Reo) (Real inhabitants?) (Oz) (The king of south, west, east, and north master faced before could only be considered as demi-humans. While the real inhabitants of the magical forest of Everdeen that are feared by everyone are the magic beasts) (Fenrir) (Y-you mean-) (Oz) (Yes, master. These magic beasts are the real inhabitants I mean, while the real kings that live inside the magical forest of Everdeen are supposed to be magic beasts too, so it means that their ruler is the true kings of the magical forest of Everdeen) (Fenrir) (Wow, this forest had a lot of kings...) (Oz) (It''s normal, the forest is far too wide after all. Even master could make an empire at this forest and still didn''t found all ends of the forest, right?) (Fenrir) (Indeed...) (Oz) (Back then before Fenrir and I got cursed, the magical forest of Everdeen is ruled by the lion king, bear king, eagle king, and gorilla king. There are other kinds of other magic beast race king, but four of them have the most territory in the forest, while Fenrir and I lived there together with some of our spirit subjects and have our own territory here) (Reo) (But after we''re cursed, our subjects went back to the spirit realm, and the magic beasts fully rule the forest) (Fenrir) (Ah! I remember one thing, master!) (Fenrir) (What is it?) (Oz) (It''s said that the magic beasts serve the absolute power, they follow the most powerful person. There are also some magic beasts that used to serve me back then because of my strength. If only I could retrieve back my divine powers from the spirit king and get my real power back) (Fenrir) (They serve the absolute power, huh...) (Oz) "Oi, Ren! Why are you spacing out?" Aegir asked Oz. But Oz suddenly shows his usual smirk. "Nothing, I just got an idea..." (Oz) Chapter 71 - Defenses [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ----------------_-------------------_-----------------------_----------------------_---------------------_---------------------_------------------_---------------------_------------------ "An idea?" Aegir could feel a mischievous aura coming out from Oz. "Hm? Ah, no, I''ll try that thing later, by the way, why do all of the people gather here?" Oz changed the topic. "Um. Well, you see... It looks like not only the knights and the legion soldiers that got enthusiastic to be stronger, it seems that almost all of the people also got enthusiastic about making themself stronger..." Aegir said with a wry smile as he couldn''t find any solution to this problem. "Hm..." Oz''s smirk got even broader. "Wait, what are you going to do-" Before Aegir could interrogate him, Oz jumped from the wall, gathering the attention of the people. "All soldiers, assemble!" (Oz) Hearing the voice of the emperor, all of the soldiers came out of their camp together with Ibra and Fedra. Oz stared at the civilians and made a grin. "I''ve seen the spirits inside your eyes! Because of that, I''ll grant your wishes of joining the battle! I want 2 soldiers or knights to pair up and make a team together with a civilian! Protect the civilian you team up with! At this battle! My clones will protect anyone that is in a danger! Do your best, and have fun!!!" Together with Oz''s words, Oz''s clones suddenly gathered near the people. "Bring out the weapons! Arm everyone!" "Ibra! Fedra! I''m counting both of you!" Oz jumped back to the wall after he said those words. "Y-yes, your majesty!" (Ibra and Fedra) After a minute of preparing, Oz gives another command. "Bring down the bridge!!! Open the gate!!!" Shouted Oz. "A-are you crazy, Ren?" (Aegir) "Calm down, Aegir, this''s where the real show will begin," Said Oz with a broad grin. While the soldiers are putting the bridge down, Oz closes his eyes and calls his demon [King] clone. The demon [King] clone jumped to the high wall and Oz sent his consciousness to the demon [King] clone, leaving the goblin [King] clone body. Aegir saw the enormous mana that being gathered by Oz. At a high speed, the mana aura that enveloped Oz is getting bigger and bigger until Oz finally opens both of his eyes. "Mirror of illusion!" (Oz) A huge mirror as big as the area near the gate suddenly appeared above the people. "W-What is happening?" (Aegir) All of the people under the walls suddenly changed into a group of bears and apes that holds a weapon. "How could-" (Aegir) "It''s my magic," Oz answered immediately. "Magic?" (Aegir) "Yes, it''s an arch illusion magic. I made an illusion of the people to look like a group of bears and apes" (Oz) "If it''s true that the magic beasts have a considerable intelligence, it''ll confuse them and make them hesitate to attack. And then they''ll report this to their king," (Oz) "Furthermore, it''s a good thing to give our people some battle experience, maybe we could reap some talented soldiers from this experiment," Oz explained with a satisfied smile. "I see... Your journey to the human realm is truly fruitful, Ren. With your intelligence, our empire will grow very prosper!" (Aegir) "I hope it''ll go that smooth, Aegir. By the way, where''s Thydal? I have something to discuss with him," Oz suddenly mentions Thydal''s name. "Thydal? I think he went back to the laboratory, want me to lead you there?" (Aegir) "No, it''s fine. Keep eyes on the battle, send a messenger if there is something wrong immediately," (Oz) "Roger that," (Aegir) Oz jumps down from the walls and went straight to the laboratory. The laboratory is very huge. There is a bas.e.m.e.nt with multiple levels underground. When Oz design the workshop, Oz intends to make it as the national laboratory to research some things Oz had in mind. Thydal''s personal workshop is located at the lowest level of the bas.e.m.e.nt of the laboratory. As Oz enter the laboratory, multiple goblins, elves, kobolds, and dwarves that considered to have a high intelligence got handpicked personally by Thydal to be the researchers. When Oz''s arrived at Thydal''s personal workshop, Oz opened the door and enters his workshop. When Oz enters, Thydal is using his monocle and seems to be concentrating on some blueprints. "Oi, Thydal! It''s me," (Oz) Hearing Oz''s voice, Thydal immediately stands and salutes. "Y-your majesty! Pardon my rudeness, I''m too drawn on these blueprints you gave me before so I didn''t realize there that you''ve entered the workshop," Thydal said "Is that so? Do the weapons blueprints I gave you difficult to make?" (Oz) "No, not at all... I''m just adoring these designs, how could you even think about these weapon designs suddenly, your majesty?" (Thydal) Not long before, Oz remembers some weapons he read before that also used at the medieval times on earth. A catapult that will use in the castle defense, the ballista that gives tremendous damage, a trebuchet that could use to attack at a long distance, but Oz also put two other designs of weapons from the middle-ages, the canon, and the gun. "And this weapon..." Thydal took the gun blueprint. "I doubt that your majesty ever went to the dwarf kingdom before, but even if you did, it''s impossible for you to know about this kind of weapons, and the design is also different, to have an idea that the same as the best engineer of the dwarven kingdom, as expected of you, your majesty," Thydal said with his eyes filled with admiration while pointing at the gun design with his index finger. "You mean, the dwarves already invented a gun before?" Asked Oz, a little bit surprised. "Yes, but we called it a magic gun, but different from your majesty''s design, the dwarven''s magic gun is less efficient and clearly is an inferior type from your majesty''s gun," Praised Thydal. "How do you know that?" (Oz) "I could already imagine it in my head, the dwarven''s magic gun''s bullet is too big, they thought that the bigger it is the stronger it will be, but actually it only weakens them, the bigger the bullet the bigger the firepower will be needed," (Thydal) "But the design your majesty made is slim and long making it smoother and will have a far longer range and power. And I''m interested with your majesty''s gun doesn''t need any mana to operate, how could you even get the idea from all of these weapons anyway?" (Thydal) "I just have great imagination power, that''s all," (Oz) ("Imagination power..." my ass. You''re just stealing some modern weapons from your old world, right?) (Fenrir) (Of course! What use of my former world memories if I couldn''t benefit from it?) (Oz) (Well, that''s true...) (Reo) "I see... As expected of your majesty... The catapult''s prototype had been made and it works perfectly as you described it, I''ll order the royal blacksmiths to start producing for the wall defenses, the other designs prototypes are still on the way," (Thydal) "Good job, Thydal. Then start producing the catapults quickly, I''m afraid that we might need it for the upcoming battle with the magic beast outbreak," (Oz) "Roger that, I could believe that there is no one in this world will be able to conquer our empire with all type of defense systems you''ve made, your majesty," (Thydal) Oz collaborated with Ibra and Thydal in strengthening the empire''s defenses. All kingdoms have been given their own layout of defenses by Oz, from patrol shifts and formation, archer defense formation, to urgent military defense calls. The capital of the Tarot empire has 15 grand watchtowers connected with the great walls surrounding them. Oz design the watchtower to place elite archers on them to give them greater range to shoot their arrows. At the capital, there will always 5 groups of knights patrolling the surrounding and slay some wild magic beasts in case there are some magic beasts that manage to cross the moat. Oz gives Ibra two authorities, as the supreme commander of the knights and the supreme general of the whole empire''s defenses, including the other kingdoms defenses, are also managed by him. So if one day the capital or some kingdom is in urgent need of defense troops, there are only two people with the absolute authority of the empire defenses, the emperor Ren and Ibra. The guards at the Tarot capital are called the imperial guards, even the archers at the walls are a group of elites that deserved to be called as the imperial guard, one imperial guard is at least at the [Viscount] rank, but the thing that makes them special is not their rank, Oz made a special training drills for the imperial knight order, legion, and guards, all of them are given the most dangerous and hardest training course possible. Sharpening not only their skills but also their senses. Training their teamwork abilities while not forgetting their individual training. With Oz''s training course, one imperial guard could be considered as precious as 100 normal knights of other kingdoms, while the imperial knight and soldier are stronger as the imperial guards are focused at defense. The other kingdom''s defenses are almost the same as the capital, except for the undead kingdom. Oz made a graveyard trap surrounding the undead kingdom, skeleton pawn soldiers are buried at the ground and they''ll surprise attack anyone the kingdom considers as an enemy. Oz left the laboratory after checking up the prototype of the catapult and getting satisfied with it. "Okay, time to get on with the next plan," (Oz) Chapter 72 - Imposter [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] -----------------_--------------------------_----------------------_--------------------_-----------------------_------------------------_----------------------------------_--------------------_----------------- At the far south of the Tarot empire, countless magic beasts are roaming at every point of the forest, and the kings of the magic beasts are currently gathering. "Bird king, how''s the situation?" A heavy voice breaks the silence. Hearing the question, a 4 meters tall eagle responds to the questioner, "None of our attacks succeed, monkey king. Not even one kingdom is destroyed or even damaged," "Even though we''ve sent some stronger ones, I couldn''t see any openings at their defenses. Each of their soldiers is terrifying, from the report I heard, there are still no casualties on their side, while we''ve lost almost a hundred thousand of our race," A bear as huge as a tree continued. "The latest reports said that they got powerful magic beasts defending their capital too, is that true?" The bird king asked the monkey king that looks like a 5-meter tall gorilla. "It''s true, some of my underlings reported the same thing too," Said the monkey king with a solemn expression. "Does the three of you incapable of defeating this so-called Tarot empire?" A deep and terrifying voice suddenly sounded, when the voice appears, all of the kings present immediately went into silence when they heard the voice. "I-it''s not like that, lion emperor. But you said that they will be an easy opponent so we underestimated them a little, but it turns out that they have strong warriors and impenetrable defenses! Give us some more time!" The bird king said, panicking. "Y-yes! You must be tired from battling with the demons and we''re grateful to you for saving us from the demons, let us handle this," The bear king continued. When demons attacked the whole Everdeen magical forest, the magic beasts are getting slaughtered and massacred by the demons as all of them have unprecedented strength. But when one of the demon kings attacks the magic beasts too, the one who faced him is the lion emperor that becomes the emperor of the magic beasts at the magical forest of Everdeen. The demon king is at the [King] rank and despite the emperor title at the lion emperor, it''s still at the [King] rank too. The lion emperor ordered the magic beasts to flee and do not watch the fight in case he loses they will get massacred by the demon king. But the lion emperor managed to return to them, battered. All of the magic beasts cheered and rejoice, but the lion emperor suddenly gives out a new order, while the air of battle remains, he orders the other magic beast kings to attack the Tarot empire that suddenly pops out at the magical forest out of nowhere. "I see... Don''t need to hesitate to say to me if you''re at the pinch, the late wolf king left his soldiers with me before he died, and the snake king are still on stand by, I could give you some reinforcements if you need it," (Lion Emperor) "It''s fine, lion emperor. It''s just that we''ve underestimated the enemy," (Bear King) (If we accept your reinforcement, you''ll consider us useless and kill us like you kill the wolf king, after all!) (Bear King) "It''s good then..." (Lion emperor) "What is good?" A new voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "Hm? Who are you?" (Lion Emperor) "Isn''t that should be my line, demon!?" (???) ---------------_--------------------_--------------_--------------_--------------------_--------------_---------------------_---------------- Oz came out from the laboratory after checking the development of the weapons he requested Thydal to make. Feeling satisfied with the progress, Oz left the laboratory with a satisfied smile. When Oz got out of the laboratory, Oz felt a presence suddenly appeared beside him. "Your majesty," The figure said. "Brad," (Oz) The one that suddenly appeared is the leader of the ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order, Brad. "The first step of spreading the ''Jack of All Trades'' to the whole world had already started. I''ve sent some well-trained members of the secret order to several kingdoms near the forest, they''ll start their intelligence gathering starting from being a merchant or mercenary," (Brad) "The training course your majesty gives for the secret order had boosted the stealth, strength, and the mana capacity of the members greatly. The name ''Jack of All Trades'' truly suited them now," (Brad) "I''m glad to hear that," (Oz) "I''ve personally searched for some information about the magic beast outbreak," (Brad) "Did you found any useful information?" (Oz) "Yes, I infiltrated to the far south and interrogated an intellectual magic beast that has the ability to speak, it is said that the magic beast kings are having a conference several hours from now," (Brad) "It said that the ''Lion Emperor'' had summoned the kings," (Brad) "Lion Emperor?" (Oz) "Yes, but something didn''t match the information. When I tried to trace the lion emperor, there are faint traces of demonic mana, but I couldn''t feel anything from the lion emperor except for the tremendous mana it possesses," (Brad) "You meet the lion emperor?" (Oz) "Yes, but I''ve retreated before it could notice my presence, I hold some suspicions, but I think you''ve thought of this already," (Brad) Oz shows a satisfied smile once more. "As expected of the leader of the ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order, Brad. Your thoughts ran a little bit quicker than Aegir," (Oz) "Indeed. I also hold some suspicions about the magic beast sudden outbreak. The demons should be attacking the whole forest, I thought that the magic beasts managed to repel the demons with their number and power, but after watching the magic beasts prowess, I started to doubt that they really manage to defeat the demons at the far south," (Oz) "But if there really are some traces of demonic mana near the lion emperor''s territory, then I could only think one possibility," (Oz) "I see... It looks like your majesty thinks the same thing as I did... You mean that the lion emperor is an imposter, right?" Said Brad as he narrows his eyes. "Exactly. Splendid thinking, Brad. Immediately tell the others about this, we''ll make a small elite group and assault them when they are gathering," (Oz) "As you wish," (Brad) -----------------------_------------------------_-------------------------------------_------------------------------_----------------------------_--------------------------_--- Following Oz''s order, Brad told the report to other kings and higher-ups of the Tarot empire and asked them to gather at the undead kingdom that nearest to the far south. They gather quickly and together with Oz, they assault the magic beasts. "Hm? Who are you?" The lion emperor asked with a menacing aura. "Isn''t that should be my line, demon!?" Using the goblin [King] clone, Oz dashes and strikes the lion emperor. (Hm?) (Oz) Oz''s strikes managed to hit the lion emperor, but it got a different sensation when his strike hits the lion emperor''s body. (It''s so soft as if I''m cutting tofu) (Oz) "L-lion emperor-" The bear king and the other beast kings tried to back up the lion emperor. "Not that fast," Aegir and others stand in front of the beast kings, blocking its way. The monkey king snorted. "We need to back up the lion emperor, bird king!" (Monkey King) "Roger that!" The bird king flew high, but when he finally catches a glimpse of the lion emperor, a menacing red aura is surrounding him. "W-what is this? Demonic mana?" (Bird King) "Kukkukuku! Well done noticing my presence in such a short time, emperor of the Tarot empire," (????) "Your disguise could only able to fool these magic beasts, but not us," Oz coldly said. "Hmph!" "W-wha!?" (Oz) The lion emperor''s body suddenly melted to huge red liquid. "Seriously? D-don''t tell me..." Oz''s expression became bitter seeing the sight in front of him. The red liquid splits into 10 forms, and each form transforms into 10 different types of demon. "L-lion emperor?" (Bear King) "Have you realized now? He''s not the lion emperor you know, it''s just a demon that disguises itself and took your lion emperor form," (Oz) "My transformation should be perfect, I wonder how could you see through the great disguise of the mighty me, the demonic slime king?" (Demon Slime King) "Why should I even tell you that, huh? You disgusting slime," (Oz) (First of all...) (Oz) Oz summons his appraisal card at his right hand and threw it to one of the demonic slime king forms at a high speed. Because the appraisal card couldn''t give any damage, the demonic slime king didn''t even bother to dodge it as he didn''t sense any danger from it. "What are you even trying to pull with such a weak attack?" (Demonic Slime King) [Type: Demonic Slime [King] level: 324 Strength: 7.000.000 Agility: 5.000.000 Vitality: 20.000.000 Mana: 60.000.000 Spiritual: 7.000.000 Skills: -Cloning Strengthen -Arch Dark magic -Arch Wind magic -Arch Demonic Magic -Arch Ice Magic -Arch Fire Magic -Arch Earth Magic -Slime Soul Diverse] (Slime Soul Diverse... It sounds like a cool skill! That''s skill is mine!) (Oz) Chapter 73 - Convincing The Magic Beast Kings [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] -------------------------_-----------------------_----------------------------------_--------------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_----------------------_--------- Skill A skill is a special ability that people could have by talent or by learning it personally. When a person''s cultivation had reached a certain rank, more skills would be able to be learned. Different from the magic that needs complicated chantation, skills could be invoked by having the wielder to imagines the skill to be invoked or simply by saying the skill name. Skills could be also used by using a magic weapon that possesses a skill inside it. Different from a normal skill, there is a unique skill. Unique skills are very rare there might be no one in a kingdom that has a unique skill. A unique skill could only be obtained by using a forbidden scroll that gives you a unique skill or using a magic item that imbued with a unique skill or having an incredibly rare talent. -Skill Encyclopedia, Grandaria Library, Grandaria kingdom -----------------------_-------------------------_--------------------------------_--------------------_-------------------------_----------------------------------_---------------- "What does this mean, y-y-you''re not the lion emperor? Where''s the lion emperor!? What''s going on!?" The bear king asked with a roar. "Your majesty, is the magic beast dumb? Doesn''t the situation had more or less explained what''s going on?" (Fedra) "Fedra, don''t use such vulgar and rude words, you''re in the presence of the emperor," (Brad) "Wha!? How dare you humiliate me-" (Bear King) "Stop it, bear king. We''ll definitely lose if we make them our enemy too, we could continue this after we punish the demon that dares to disguise as the lion emperor first," The wise monkey king stopped the bear king that about to go on a rampage. Seeing the monkey king stopped the bear king made Oz smiled pleasantly. "I''m grateful there is someone wise enough amongst the magic beasts, I''m the emperor of the Tarot empire that had just risen lately, nice to meet you, the wise monkey king and other kings of the magic beasts," Oz greet the magic beast kings. "So you''re the emperor of the new empire, nice to meet you too, the emperor of Tarot empire," The monkey king answered Oz''s greetings "Hmph! How dare you ignore me you lowly goblin!" One of the demon clones shouted and dashes to Oz''s position. Despite having one of the demon clones dashing at him, Oz remains standing leisurely, making the wary magic beast kings confused seeing him too calm. Seeing Oz''s relaxed posture, the demon got more furious. "You insolent-" (Demonic Slime) "You insolent, you''re in the presence of the great emperor of Tarot," (Gareth) Boom!!! Before the demon clone could even get near to Oz, Gareth appeared behind him and strikes him with his greatsword, splitting the demon clone into two. "W-wha!?" (Monkey King) "Impossible!" (Demonic Slime) The demon clone that got split into two by Gareth scattered into dust. "I have an offer for you magic beast kings," (Oz) "An offer?" (Monkey King) "Yes, an offer. You see, there seem to be some magic beasts that attacked my empire these days, We are searching for the one responsible for sending those magic beasts to my empire and threatens the peaceful days of my people," When Oz brings up the topic, the atmosphere suddenly changed, as if the temperature suddenly got dropped drastically that even the demonic slime king shivers from it. "Now here''s the deal, if you agree to be ruled under me and followed my rules, I will protect you and all of your brethren and gives all of you a life that you''ll never imagine, including helping you out from this situation," Oz indicates of helping the magic beasts on facing the demonic slime king in front of them. "But if you refuse," Suddenly the temperature got dropped even more. The magic beast kings and even the demonic slime king trembled because of the terrifying amount of murderous intent that gushed out together at the same time. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "W-what? T-this. Is....." (Monkey King) Oz, Aegir, Fedra, Ibra, Brad, Gurolf, Gareth, Magra, Firenze, Talak, Razor, Thydal, Azaline, Geeta, and Oz''s other clones gushed out their murderous intent, enveloping the forest with terror because of the murderous intent of several [King] and [Duke] rank. "I''ll punish you and all of your brethren for attacking my empire and for endangering my people," (Oz) "Y-you''re threatening us!? You think you could face us together with the demons!?" (Sky King) (Yup, it''s basically a threat) (Fenrir) (Indeed...) (Reo) (Shut up both of you) (Oz) "You''ve threatened the life of my people too, no? And what do you think? Do we look like we couldn''t handle all of you together?" Said Oz while his evil smirk that appeared only when he''s having an evil scheme makes him gives even more pressure. "We accept!" The monkey king unexpectedly accepted Oz''s offer even quicker than Oz had expected. "Monkey king! Had you lost your mind!?" (Sky King) "T-t-t-to have the guts to completely neglect my presence... HOW DARE YOU!!! YOU LOWLY MAGGOTS!!!" The demonic slime king dashed wit all of its clones. "Seriously... I believe I already told you before, you''re in the presence of the great emperor of Tarot, lower your unsightly voice," (Gareth) "I''m sure you already know about this Gareth, but just to remind you, you''re lecturing a slime," (Aegir) "HAHAHAHA! Indeed! There is no need to lecture a low intelligence monster like a lowly slime!" (Fedra) "Fedra! You''re too loud!" (Ibra) "You''re not that different, Ibra," (Gurolf) "I''m thrilled to have a chance to fight together with the close aids of my emperor, this is such a rare occasion," (Razor) "Indeed, it''s been a while since all of the executives fight together at the same time," (Magra) "I''m honored to be able to see directly how Mr. Brad and Mr. Gurolf fights, the fighting style of both of you are masterful," (Talak) "To think the king of the lizardfolk has the same thoughts with me, I''m honored, but I also hoped I could see the great emperor fights too. His majesty''s fighting style is beautiful, " (Firenze) "I''m honored to be able to fight together with you guys too, but indeed, I''m still far from his majesty''s fighting skills," (Brad) "Wow, all of them hold Ren''s figure at very high esteem," (Geeta) "You''ve been together with Ren so you maybe had already gotten used with his unique way of thinking and fighting, but for us, his unique thoughts and charisma is new and majestic," (Azaline) "HAHAHAHA! As expected of the emperor! Even great people adore you!" (Thydal) (All of them praises him like that, little do they know that the guy they''re praising is trying his best to hide his embarrassment) (Fenrir) (Fenrir, you shouldn''t say that loudly) (Reo) (Y-you two...) (Oz) Boom! Boom! Boom! The demonic slime king clones started to clashes with Oz''s retainers, but Oz''s other clones remain idle. All of the magic beast kings got shocked when they saw the prowess of Oz''s comrades. "Have you seen this man''s comrades'' prowess? They''re terrifyingly strong, and this man, I didn''t sense any lies when he said his offer before. From the fact that they''re leaving him, the emperor, without any hesitation. It could already give us a hint as to how strong this emperor is," (Monkey King) "And under the protection of the emperor, we might decrease the casualties we''re having because of the constant battle with the demons. It''s a very benefitting offer," (Monkey King) "As expected of the wise monkey king, it seems that I don''t misjudge you," Said Oz with a satisfied smile. "Thank you, kind emperor. So? Will you guys accept it too? Even if you guys don''t accept it, I''ll still accept his offer," (Monkey King) "W-what? Monkey king, you mean you''ll betray us-" (Bear King) "I''ll accept," (Sky King) "Sky king!?" (Bear King) "Just like what the monkey king had said, it''s not a bad offer. And bear king, we''re kings, we need to consider the future of our brethren too," (Sky King) "Ugh... Fine! I''ll accept the offer! But if you harm even only one of my brethren, even if I''ll lose, I''ll be the one who''ll strike on you!" (Bear King) "As expected of the brave bear king, you got peerless bravery. but..." (Oz) Boom!!! Right when Oz''s talking, the demonic slime king dashes to Oz with his real body, hoping that its strike will hit the off guarded Oz. But fate didn''t at the demonic slime king''s side, Oz had been monitoring the demonic slime king real body with Oz''s other clones, monitoring it so it won''t flee. "A king needed more than bravery," Oz deflect the demonic slime king''s strike bare-handed. Oz pushes the demonic slime king back and draws his greatsword. Slash! The demonic slime king got slashed by Oz''s greatsword directly and got flew a couple of meters because of the impact of Oz''s goblin [King] clone''s terrifying strength. Oz''s figure when he''s blocking the demonic slime king''s attack bare-handed looks so majestic, making the magic beast kings awestruck by his figure. "Dear great emperor of the Tarot empire, you who had been sent by the war gods to meet us and lead us, please allow us to serve under you and become your shield," Said the monkey king as he took a kneeling position with its huge figure. Not only the monkey king, the bear king, and the sky king also took a kneeling position as they''re also awestruck by Oz''s majestic figure. "I gladly accept your service," Oz pleasantly accept their loyalty, even though he''s slightly confused with the bear king''s attitude sudden change. "Ugh... To think that the mighty me will be defeated here. If I die here. Then I won''t let any single of you leave this place alive!!! Hell''s Gate!!!" The demonic slime king shouted, and a huge gate suddenly appeared from the thin air, bringing an ominous aura that envelops the area. "Ren," (Aegir) "Yea, I know. Fenrir, Reo," A huge and beautiful white wolf and a huge majestic and pitch-black lion suddenly appeared at Oz''s both sided. "T-the darkness spirit king... And the Ice spirit king!?" The monkey king muttered in shock. The demonic gate slowly opened, showing pitch-black clouds covering the inside of the gate, but countless red eyes shone from inside the clouds, and slowly, countless demons started to appear. "A demonic gate?" (Monkey King) "Well, that''s a damn terrifying gate, master," (Fenrir) "They''re many, but they''re weak, master," (Reo) "I see, then let''s start, it''s been a while since we fight together, right? Let''s rampage, guys!!!!" (Oz) """Yea!!!!!!""" (Everyone) Chapter 74 - Hells Gate [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ---------------------_--------------------_--------------------------------_-----------------------------_--------------------------------_------------------------_---------- "So? After saying all those cool lines, what are we going to do against countless demons from the hell''s gate?" (Fenrir) "Fenrir... Well, is there any other option than breaking through with meer force and destroying that creepy gate?" (Ren) "T-that couldn''t be called a good plan, doesn''t it?" (Reo) "It''s fine, sir Reo. If the sly Ren chose to take the bold way, it means that there are no methods that more effective than that one, right?" (Aegir) "Indeed, Ren always making bad schemes inside his head," (Geeta) "Yup, even a fragile girl won''t be spared if she had something useful for him," (Azaline) "As expected of master..." (Gareth) "NONONO, THAT''S NOT SOMETHING TO BE ADORED FOR, GARETH!" (Oz) Oz sighs. ROOOOAAARRRR!!!!! Hundreds of demons behind the hell''s gate started to roars and crawled out the hell''s gate. "Seriously... I''m not sure anymore whether you guys praising me or mocking me, but let''s focus at the fight now, we mustn''t be careless" (Oz) "Roger that!" Fedra rushes first together with Ibra to the demons that crawled outside the hell''s gate. ROOOAAAR!!! The demons that crawled outside the hell''s gate didn''t have any intelligence, they only roared and crawled with a high-speed just like a beast. "Silence, go back to hell, you insolent demons. Freezing Hell," (Gurolf) All of the demons that already crawled out of the hell''s gate, and together with the hell''s gate got frozen by Gurolf''s magic. "Scatter," (Gurolf) Crack! Following Gurolf''s command, the ice scattered together with all of the demons that got frozen by the spell. "It seems that it''s not enough to destroy the hell''s gate too, huh," (Gurolf) There are only some scratches that could be seen at the gate''s wall. "Gurolf! Don''t take all of the fun for yourself!" (Fedra) "As expected of the empire''s sage, you take your moves quick," (Talak) "Indeed. Let''s join the fray too, shall we?" (Firenze) "Geeta, you don''t join them?" (Azaline) "You see, I started thinking whether I''m needed here," (Geeta) "True, I''m glad I''m not the only one who thinks that," (Azaline) Oz and co''s tremendous prowess pushed back the countless demons back and managed to destroy the hell''s gate after fighting at only 10 minutes. "I-impossible... It''s a hell''s gate, you know!? A gate that the demon emperor made by himself! How could... No... I need to retreat first before hey noticed I''m not dead yet-" (Demonic Slime King) Gulp! A huge griffin suddenly appeared in front of the small demonic slime king that wanted to flee. After Oz slashes the demonic slime king''s real body, it split a small part of its body that didn''t get any damage, but it seems that the demonic slime king didn''t notice that Oz''s griffin clone never even once take off his sight from him. "N-n-n-n-n-nooo!!!!!" The demonic slime king could only scream while it gets eaten by Oz''s griffin clone. "A-amazing... Each of them had a power equivalent to a king rank or a duke rank. But even if they had such tremendous prowess, they fight with godly skills and crazy teamwork... We''re lucky to be able to join them, they might even be the heroes of this era!" (Monkey King) "True... And that. Isn''t that the dark spirit king, and the ice spirit king? And I could sense a contract bond from them with the emperor," (Bird King) "Is that true, monkey king!?" (Bear King) "It''s true, bear king. With even two spirit kings having a contract with him, we had brought our brethren into salvation by joining him," The monkey king speechlessly stares at Oz and his comrades. (W-what!? Wait, it means that the prompts detect the slime as a different entity with my Incubus demon [King] card, huh. Lucky!) Just like before, a [Lootable] board floats above the demonic slime king corpse. (Time to loot!) (Oz) Oz touched the status board, and two cards flew to Oz''s hands, both of them are blue cards. [-Slime Soul Diversion card (S) (Special) -Slime technique: Split (S) (Special)] (Yes!!! I got the skill! I''ll test it out later) (Oz) "Sir emperor-" (Monkey King) "My name''s Ren," (Oz) "Then sir emperor Ren. Does the two figure beside you is the dark spirit king and the ice spirit queen?" (Monkey King) "That''s not that much different... But yes, they are, but now it''s Fenrir and Reo," (Oz) "Nice to meet you, are you the descendant of Marka?" (Fenrir) "Y-yes Lady Ice spirit queen," (Monkey King) "I got a name now, my name is Fenrir, child," Fenrir said with a different leisure tone that she usually uses when she''s conversing with Oz. "And I''m Reo," (Reo) "I see... Lady Fenrir, Sir Reo..." The monkey king kneeled in front of them, and both sky king and the bear king follow suit. "It''s an honor to meet both of you," (Monkey King) "You know them, Fenrir?" (Oz) "Not them, but their ancestors. When we spirit kings still live at this forest, we''re the one who led the magic beasts," Fenrir said with her eyes looking back to her old self inside her memory. "I''ll give you some time to converse, I''m going back to the empire. After looking at that gate, I''m now more sure that the demons will strike again, and it seems that they also know about us now, go back in an hour okay, guys?" (Oz) "Thanks, master," Fenrir unusually express her thanks. "We''ll be back soon," (Reo) "Okay then, see you guys later," (Oz) "Um... What about us?" (Monkey King) "You can converse with Fenrir and Reo while I''ll discuss where you magic beasts will be put at," (Oz) "M-my deepest gratitude, your imperial majesty," (Monkey King) Oz just waved his hands and smiled as he went back to the Tarot capital together with the others. The magic beasts escort Oz and co on their way until they arrived at Tarot''s capital. "So? What are you intend to do with the magic beasts?" Asked Aegir. As usual, The executives gather at Aegir''s dining room and started the meeting. "I''m thinking of letting them be the familiars of our people," (Oz) "Meaning?" (Aegir) "Just like the bond between the direwolves and the goblins, I decided to make similar bonds like that," (Oz) "I see... Which race will you give the magic beasts to, master? I believe that there are the monkey type, birds type, and bear types," Talak unexpectedly interested in the conversation. When Oz shifted his gaze and observes the other kings, all of them seem to want to have their people have a familiar, as the magic beasts could be used as a military power too. "Relax, for the meanwhile, I intend to give the bears to the orcs, they could help the orcs as a mount or as a hunting partner. For the monkeys, I think that they could help the centaurs with a lot of things as their hands are skilled and they had high intelligence. And for the birds, the elves suits them the most, it will also give our empire an aerial force, what do you think?" (Oz) """We agree with your decision, your imperial majesty,""" (Everyone) Everyone agreed with the decision, but the one that didn''t get any familiar for their kingdom felt kind of disappointed. "For the kingdoms that hadn''t got a familiar for their people yet, don''t be disappointed, don''t we heard them saying ''The lions and the serpent king are still on idle''"? "Y-you mean-" (Aegir) "There are still other magic beasts that we could still subdue and make them join us?" Talak''s eyes filled with high hopes when he said this. "Exactly, so after this, we could ask the help of the magic beast kings to help us persuade the other magic beast kings to join us," (Oz) "Indeed... If we had the magic beast kings persuade them, they might trust us more, as expected of you, Ren," (Aegir) the conversation continued for an hour. Oz contacted Fenrir and Reo from their telepathy to tell the magic beast kings his decision. After the meeting, Firenze, Azaline, and Magra went back to the magical forest to escort their chosen familiar back to their kingdom. "We just got a huge boost at our empire''s prowess, huh," (Aegir) "Indeed, I hope we could keep on getting such good luck," (Oz) "True, in a short moment, that small village had become an empire consists of several races. You really change a lot of things here, Ren," (Aegir) "It''s true, huh," Oz smirked as he''s rewinding all that already happened as he arrived at this world. "Yup, and this empire going to grow more, it will need the emperor to lead it, all of the people know who the emperor is, but our people keep on increasing, Ren. Your presence will be needed more frequently," (Aegir) "True, but relax Aegir, I also got some interesting skills that I just get from the earlier battle, you could see it tomorrow," (Oz) "Skill?" (Aegir) Chapter 75 - First Gathering [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ---------------------_-----------------_--------------------------_--------------------_------------------------_--------------------------------_------------- "Ren? Aren''t you supposed to be back in your real body? Why are you still here," Aegir asked Oz, confused. After the meeting, everyone went back to their own places to manage their territories. Oz supposed to be back to his body, but in the morning, Aegir surprisingly found Oz''s goblin [King] clone walking around with intelligence still shone from its eyes. "What? This is the surprise I''m talking about yesterday," Oz''s goblin [King] clone said as he smirked. "Surprise?" (Aegir) "Yup," Suddenly, Oz''s lich [King] clone answered behind Aegir. "W-what the!?" Aegir got surprised by the sudden appearance of the lich [King] clone of Oz, but the fact that both of the clones have an intelligence shone from both of its eyes ass if both of them are a different person made Aegir surprised more. "What, surprised already? Well, I got another surprise for you," Another voice appeared, but Aegir is very familiar with this voice, it''s Oz''s voice when he''s at his human form. Aegir turned his head, and it''s truly Oz with his real form. "R-ren? Why are you in that form? Wait wait wait, why are there three Ren with different forms suddenly appeared?" (Aegir) "HAHAHAHA, don''t freak out, Aegir. It''s just that I got some new skills, with the new skills I acquired, I could now split my consciousness and handle all of my clones as if they had their own consciousness," (Oz) "But that body," (Aegir) "Ah! This is my slime clone, as this is a slime, I imitate my own body with its skills, now the people will recognize their emperor real face, and I could manage the empire all the time!" Said Oz enthusiastically. "Great! With your presence here, we could boost a lot of things!" (Aegir) ********************************** ---Avalon Magic Academy''s Pharmacy, Grandaria Kingdom--- The pharmacy patient room is huge and luxurious like an expensive inn. Oz had already taken a shower and is waiting for Albuth and others to come to visit him again. (Another 3 days until the first class, huh) (Oz) Suddenly the room''s door got opened, and Albus''s cheerful voice appeared. "Yo! Ren! You''re awake!" Together with Albus''s voice, Alfred, Azaline, Sen, and Peter entered the room. "Yea, I am. Doesn''t the first-class start in three days? Then where are we going today?" Asked Oz. "Yes indeed, the class will start in three days, but the dormitory division will start today at the gathering, you don''t think that you may stay longer just because it''s so luxurious," (Albus) "That''s true..." (Oz) "Then follow us, quick, they''ll start soon!" (Albus) Oz and co went to the magic academy''s hall by Albus''s lead. The magic academy''s hall is huge, and when Oz and co had just arrived, almost all of the magic academy students had already gathered at the hall, thousands of the magic academy students present. "There! There''s the seat for the people of the special class!" Albus pointed a place that nearest the stage. "Let''s go then," (Peter) "Hey, that''s the headmaster''s grandson, Albus, right?" "That. Isn''t that Sen, the merciless?" "That''s the Gorgeous Bard, Edreale? She''s so cute!" "That''s Alfred, the shadow! He''s so cool!" "Seriously, you guys are so popular," Ren couldn''t help but have a wry smile at his face as it felt awkward to walk together with famous people. "We''re the same, Ren," (Peter) "I''m grateful you''re here, Peter," (Oz) "S-seriously, we don''t even know we''re that famous ourselves," (Alfred) As if they''re a celebrity, all attention went to Alfred, Sen, Albus, and Edreale when they entered the hall. Everyone praised and adores him, but some people hate the fact that they are walking together with the unknown Sen and Oz. "Who is that? Does the magic academy accepted a commoner here?" "Why does sir Albus wanted to befriend with such filthy commoners? "How could they even dare to show up themselves in front of us, nobles?" (Those annoying brats! Summon me, master! I''ll teach them a lesson!) (Reo) (yea master! I''ll shred them to pieces!) (Fenrir) (Relax, both of you. They''re just kids) (Reo) A sword saint rank is a high rank that is very difficult to enter, but strangely, this year, the magic academy got 34 sword saints entered as freshmen, a lot of geniuses appeared, and most of them are from the noble family. Oz and co pretended they don''t hear them and continue to walk to the special class seating section. "You peasant, how dare you to show off your face and sully this noble ground with your presence? Do you have no shame?" A blonde-haired kid with a robust body and arrogant behavior stopped Oz. But Oz just stared at the kid''s face indifferently as if he didn''t hear anything. (He''s in the sword saint rank too, so he''s also one of the special class''s student, huh) (Oz) "You lowly peasant! How dare you ignore me!" The young noble about to draw his sword, a voice cut in. "Brandon, could you be silent, and don''t disturb him?" Everyone''s surprised with the owner of the voice that suddenly cut in, it''s the one that called the ''Ice Princess'', everyone''s surprised as to why the cold princess stopped the son of the most powerful duke at the kingdom for Oz. "P-princess... Sorry for my rude behavior, but I think it''s not appropriate for him-" (Brandon) ''Silence, he got far more worth than you think," The ice princess coldly said. "W-w-w-w-wha-" Before Brandon could rebuke in a rage because of the insult, the time for the gathering had already started. Cough! "Attention!" The headmaster of Avalon magic academy and the magic god of the kingdom, Oxius Theodore, went up to the stage and took everyone''s attention. When the magic god said the word, everyone in the hall immediately went silent. "Welcome and congratulation on being accepted at the Avalon magic academy! Applause for all of your success!" (Oxius) *Sound of Applause* "Today, after discussing, we finally decided on which dormitory each class will be," (Oxius) "All of the classes will be led by their homeroom instructor and will be explained by them except for the special class. The normal classes will be at the usual dormitory of the academy, but the special class will be put at another place, and I''ll be leading all of you myself," (Oxius) (What? He''s going to lead us? Does it mean the magic god is our homeroom instructor?) (Oz) "While we''re still here, I''ll explain some things about the classes. The normal classes will still hold some theoretical classes such as mana understanding and other classes. But the special class will do more practical classes, and there will be some missions given to the special class," (Oxius) "The normal classes will also get some missions, but you''ll only get it after studying for a half-year here. Remember, you''re not inferior to the special class, but you''re here to be more superior than them, and your teachers will give you lessons and teach you for it," (Oxius) "The nobility system of the kingdom didn''t have any effects at the magic academy, we only acknowledge people who have power, who have spirit, and have the guts to break their limits," (Oxius) "Using your power of prestige at the magic academy will give you a harsh punishment, and not even your parents will be able to help you if we decide to punish you, so do your best, and fight to improve," (Oxius) "Thanks for listening, instructors, you may lead your classes and show them their dormitory," Oxius asked the instructors. The instructors stand and started to call out their class names and lead them to the dormitory. "For the special class students, follow me," Oxius step down the stage, and lead them outside the magic academy. When they exited the magic academy from the huge gate, the headmaster suddenly stopped. "Where is the dormitory, headmaster?" One of the students asked the headmaster. "34 sword saints, huh. All of you had a strong and great amount of mana," Oxius the headmaster said with a satisfied smile. "Yes, headmaster. We''re grateful for your praise, but what does the academy let this lowly peasant with a mere master swordsman rank join our class?" Said Brandon arrogantly. (This brat, he''s searching for trouble again) (Fenrir) "Can I kill this guy?" Asked Edreale as she almost let her murderous intent leak. "Don''t do that, Edreale. I don''t want to flee from this kingdom as the killer of a son of a noble just when we had entered the magic academy," (Oz) "Oi, peasant! You-" (Brandon) "Shut up, spoiled kid. Or I silence you by force," Said the usually aloof Alfred, with an unusually serious expression. "Alfred-" (Oz) "Hohohoho! You can try fighting the peasant you so despise of later, when we reach your dormitory, all of us will be the witness of your fight! Hohohoho1" The headmaster answered while having a strange cheerful expression. "Thank you, headmaster! Hmph! I''ll show you that even if you befriend the four sword saints and one archmage, you still don''t belong at this place!" Brandon snorted. "Then it''s settled," (Oxius) "Wait, I haven''t even accepted," (Oz) "Hohohoho!" (Oxius) (This old geezer....) (Oz) Chapter 76 - A Useless Duel [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ---------------_--------------------_--------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------_---------------------_-----------------------------_------------ "Who''ll ever though we''ll be able to process this much just because of your multiple presences..." Aegir''s confused whether he needs to be happy or sad with the multiple Oz in different forms, doing a lot of things. After showing his new abilities to Aegir, Aegir setting a parade of the emperor and strolls around the emperor with Oz''s slime clone that imitates Oz''s real body to shows the people their emperor''s real figure. Everyone at Tarot respects and adores their emperor, the mighty emperor that manages to unite several races and even gives them martial techniques for each race even though he''s a human himself. All of them are curious about the emperor''s figure. "Aegir, let''s stop at Thydal''s workshop first, I''ve ordered the outfit I want to use to him," (Oz) Oz had already ordered an armor that suits an emperor to Thydal before, and Oz designs the emperor''s outfit by himself. He''s using a two-layer magic armor, the first layer is jet-black light armor that he will be using daily, while the second layer will only be used when there is a battle. The armor is designed to match each other, Thydal used the rarest magic ore, adamantine magical ore as the material. A usual adamantine is considered rare already, but what Thydal used is adamantine that possess mana veins inside of it, making it the best type of magic armor. The outer is the imperial mantle, a gorgeous and majestic red with jet-black furs that beautify it with the feeling of mystery and strength. While the crown of the emperor of the Tarot empire is a golden black colored. "This is great! As expected of dwarves, you never fail on making great items," Praised Oz. "HAHAHA! You''re flattering me, your majesty! But, I made it without imbuing it with any magic, what are you going to do with it?" Thydal asked Oz, he''s curious because he knows how much a genius his emperor is. "Hm? I''ll show it to you later, I have an idea as to what I will use it for," (Oz) "Well, at least you tell me what you''ve done later, your ideas are always great after all," (Thydal) After Oz equipper his slime clone with the emperor outfit, he went to the parade with Aegir, companied by Ibra and the strongest imperial guards. While Oz''s slime clone is having a parade, Oz''s lich [King] is helping Gareth on an experiment and research about the strengthening of the undead, and discussing a plan to attack the demons with. Oz''s goblin [King] clone went to subdue the Serpent King together with the lizardfolk led by Talak and the imperial soldiers led by Fedra. The negotiation got over smoothly as the Serpent King possess the ''Eye of The Serpent God'' and could see the prowess of Oz''s goblin [King] clone and his soldiers. Oz''s Demon [King] clone''s and other magic beast clones such as Griffin and Ectra Python keep on grinding experience at the dungeon, Oz had a lot of objectives by doing so, the first objective is Oz hope that he could reduce the effects of the curse given by the demon emperor. The second objective is to try to clear the quest, as the demon [King] clone level up and rank up, Oz''s demon [King] clone got the skill of [Summon Demon General] that summons 4 demon general that helps him clearing the dungeon. The last objective is to collect a lot of magic beasts cards and collecting valuable materials that could be harvest from the dungeon. Oz''s trying to rank up all of his magic beast cards to test it at an experiment, but even if it failed, those magic beast cards could still be used as clones and be a valuable military power. Oz''s orc [King] clone''s venturing the forest with some Imperial Knight to invite other inhabitants of the forest to join the empire. With Brad''s ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order, Oz could know the places of a race easily. "Seriously, this is too overpower..." (Aegir) ****************************** (Master, does the ''Slime Divison Skill'' doesn''t have any penalty of using it? A drain of excessive mana or something?) (Reo) (I could feel my mana being absorbed, but as both of you already knew, I got infinite mana) (Oz) (No wonder you could use it that easily, seriously, master getting this skill is just like getting a cheat) (Fenrir) (Of course! And with my infinite mana, I don''t even get exhausted! Except for the slime clone, all of them even had a different personality with me, it''s as if I have multiple twins!) (Oz) "We''ve arrived, from now on and next three year, all of you will stay and study here!" The headmaster pointed at a building that as big as the main magic academy building, and all of the facilities exist only for their class. (This place...) (Oz) (Yup, we''re very close to another magical forest) (Fenrir) The only thing that makes Oz feels weird is the location of the special class is at the border of a magic forest that even though it doesn''t as dangerous as the magical forest of Everdeen, it had a famous dungeon called the "Spooky Mine" That rates as an A rank by its difficulties. "Yes, I believe all of you noticed this, but the dormitory is very close to the capital magical forest. There is an A rank dungeon called the "Spooky Mine". The inhabitants of the magical forest ate from the dungeon''s supply of mana, so there will be a lot of magic beasts that may roam and attack the dormitory, so there will be a guard shift from the class every day," (Oxius) "Saturday and Sunday are holidays, on usual days, you''ll be given one practical class, and you''ll be given a mission once a week. If you''ve finished the mission, then you have your free time and you can freely use the facility here," (Oxius) "And for the missions, you''ll also get paid for it so it will worth your while. Well, I like to explain some other things too, but it seems that it will be more interesting if I tell you later. Let''s see the fight of Mr. Brandon and Mr. Ren first, it will serve as the first duel of the class, it will be a good practice," Oxius said cheerfully. (Good practice my ass) (Oz) (Master, no swearing) (Fenrir) (You''re an emperor, master. You need to act like one) (Reo) (Shut up both of you...) (Oz) Oz could only sigh as the headmaster lead them to the huge training grounds of the special class facility. "To the duelers, take your positions," Oxius instructed Oz and Brandon to take the position of a duel. "Is it okay, Ren? If you want, I''ll volunteer to switch up with you," Peter unusually shows his anger. "It''s fine, I''ll be okay," (Oz) Edreale suddenly pulled Oz''s shirt. "Be careful, Ren," (Edreale) "As I said, I''ll be fine," Oz assures her with a smile. "Don''t kill him, Ren," (Alfred) "Yea, don''t kill him, Ren," (Albus) "I won''t!" (Oz) (Listen, master, don''t kill him) (Fenrir) (I said I won''t!) (Oz) "Well, let''s start, when my barrier enveloped the arena, it means the battle started, ready?" (Oxius) ""Ready!"" As Oz''s observing his opponent, some people are observing him too. The ice princess is observing Oz while using her cold face mask as usual, but some other people from the special class are also interested in the sole master magician rank Oz. "You, your name is Ren, right? I''ll show you that you''re not worthy to be standing here," Said Brandon arrogantly. "Could you make it quick then? I''m getting tired with your chatter," Oz indifferently said. "Pfft!" Some of the students couldn''t hold but let out a laugh because of that mockery from Oz. "Y-y-you! You''ll pay for embarrassing me!" Brandon prepares his sword The barrier had finally set up perfectly. (Let''s finish this with some elementary magics) (Oz) "Body Streng-" Before Brandon could complete his magic, Oz threw some rocks at him that aim for Brandon''s body. Even though it''s only some rocks that don''t give that much damage because Brandon had some skin barrier that protects his body, but Oz''s trick is ready because of it. "Throwing rocks, as expected of a peasant! Body Strengthening!" (Brandon) Brandon strengthens his body with magic and shows off his muscular body. "Don''t die from my strikes!" Brandon dashes and strikes at Oz. Facing a sword saint rank, Oz knew that he mustn''t face the strike head-on, Oz doesn''t even summon his staff in the first place. But even though the speed of a sword saint rank is fast, his swordsmanship is average, Ov evades Brandon''s strikes rather easily. "Does dodging is the only thing you could do, peasant!?" Brandon sneered. "A magician usually chants a spell immediately when a battle starts and keeps a distance between their opponents, especially when it comes to a melee fighter that may have an advantage if they got close, but he doesn''t. And even though he doesn''t even wield any weapon and only at the master swordsman/master magician rank, he''s evading the strikes at such precision, magnificent!" Oxius praised Oz, making other students also let out a sound of admiration for Oz that got praise from the magic god. Boom! !!! Oz finally gives a counter-attack to Brandon, making everyone surprised at how a master magician rank manages to counter-attack a sword saint. But even though Oz doesn''t give that much of damage, the strangest thing is Oz don''t strike with his fist but with his palm. "Sprout, Burn," Oz''s just using elementary magic to grow a sprout and a simple burn spell. "With such a weak-w-wha! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Brandon''s clothes suddenly got set into a fire for an unknown reason. Oz waits until Brandon lost all of his strength and cast another magic. "Splash," Following Oz''s spell, a spray of water extinguishes the fire that''s burning Brandon''s clothes, leaving some part of Brandon''s body exposed with burning scars that quite severe that made him lost his strength. "Well, that''s it! The winner is Ren Arken!" (Oxius) "Ugh..." (Brandon) *Sound of Applause* Chapter 77 - Sudden Visitor [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ---------_-------------------_----------------------------_-------------------------_------------------------------_-----------------------_-------------------------_---------- "The winner is Ren Arken!" Oxius declared the outcome of the battle. "Ugh... I lost... Damn, it hurts!" Brandon rubs the part of his body that got some burn scars. "........" Oz remains silent. *Sound of an Applause* Everyone applauses for the splendid way of Oz''s fighting. "Does anyone could explain to the others, what does Mr. Ren use at the last moment of the battle?" Oxius asked the spectators. Everyone is also confused about what just happen at the last moment of the battle. They could only see Oz strikes Brandon''s stomach with his palm while muttering some words. Even the ice princess is not sure about what Oz just used at the last moment of the battle. But suddenly someone raised a hand. "Me, headmaster," A short but cute girl that use an attire befitting a mage raised her short hand. Her mage''s hat covers her emerald green hair. "Hm? Then Lady Griselda Lockhart, what did you see," (Oxius) "When he strikes Brandon with his palm, he used two elementary magics, [Sprout] and [Burn]. But I don''t know what he uses the sprout spell for, but somehow, he successfully make the [Burn] spell remain by using it," (Griselda) """Whoa!""" Hearing that Oz only use elementary spells made everyone got surprised and amazed. "As expected of the saintess of wisdom, Griselda Lockhart. Despite Mr. Ren executes his plan in a very short time, you still manage to grasp the spell he used. But, you missed some key points," (Oxius) "Mr. Ren''s plan had started since he threw the stones together with some small seeds that he covers with dirt. By summoning a small seed with a simple [Seed] magic, and covering it with dirt, some of it sticks to Mr. Brandon''s shirt," (Oxius) "And one of the reasons why Mr. Ren used his palm is to make it easier to transmit his mana to the seeds. And when he used [Sprout] to grow the seed and [Burn] to burn the plant he grows, while he also covers the fire with a mana layer that makes Mr. Ren the only one that could extinguish it," (Oxius) "As expected of Ren," (Albus) "Yea, his way of thoughts are abnormal," (Alfred) "It could be called a brilliant way of fighting, but it could also be called a madman''s way of fight," (Oxius) "I''ll take that as a compliment," Said Oz with a smile. "So how about it Mr. Brandon? Do you still have an objection about Mr. Ren being enrolled at the magic academy''s special class? For your information, I''m the one who recommends his enrollment in this magic academy, as you could see, he has extraordinary senses of battle and planning, befriend him and learn a lot from him, his knowledge will be useful for all of you," (Oxius) Oxius''s words made the students surprised. "I-I have no objections, headmaster," (Brandon) "A recommendation directly from the magic god? That''s absurd!" "To think that the magic god evaluates him that highly..." (Shit... That old man... What is he trying to pull?) (Oz) "Well, this is the end for today, you can use the facility at your will, we''ll gather here again in three days, your rooms have their names already, you could check in on your own," (Oxius) Whoosh! Oxius suddenly got enveloped by flame and disappears from the spot. (He fled) (Reo) (That old geezer...) (Oz) Brandon lost, but he still doesn''t accept it, he keeps on staring daggers on Oz, but Oz act indifferently as if he doesn''t know. "Let''s check our rooms," Oz asked Alfred and co. "Yea, I''m curious what our room will be like," (Albus) "Wait, Albus, you''re the headmaster never show you around?" (Alfred) "Nope, he never," (Albus) "Yes, Ren. I''m sleepy," (Edreale) "It''s not even noon yet, Edreale..." (Sen) "Spar me later, Ren," (Peter) "Okay, I accept your challenge," (Oz) Oz and co went to the dormitory to check on their rooms. Surprisingly, the dormitory of the girls and boys are mixed together, while Oz and the others got their rooms separated rather far away. There are a lot of vacant rooms. Even though the special class students are few but the dormitory has 10 levels while having 10 rooms on each level. Oz got a bad luck of having his room at the top of the building, while Alfred and co are on the fifth floor together. (Why do I get the feeling of being isolated...) (Oz) (More importantly...) (Oz) Oz takes out the room''s key that the dormitory staff gives him, while the person that coincidentally gets the room right next to Oz also takes out her room''s key. (WHY THE HELL DO I GET A ROOM RIGHT NEXT TO THIS ICY PRINCESS!?) (Oz) (C-calm down master! It''s rare for you to get this worked up!) (Fenrir) (Is something wrong with her, master?) (Reo) (I smell trouble! This must be a setting sets by those two old bones!!!!!) (Oz) The ice princess seems to take some glances on Oz, but Oz pretends he didn''t know and enter his room quickly. "Whoa! This is rather unexpected," Oz exclaimed in surprise when he saw his room. The room is even more luxurious than the pharmacy''s patient room where he used before when he fainted. There is a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, a balcony, and the bedroom. (Why the hell does the bed is so huge here, this is king''s sized) (Oz) Oz observes his room that is very clean as if the room just got cleaned by the staff a moment ago. Oz started to plan the things he wants to put and design at the room while suddenly a sound disturbs him. Knock! Knock! Knock! "Coming!" (Oz) (Alfred? No, he won''t come alone) (Oz) Oz got a bad feeling when he touched the door''s handle, and when he opened the door, his bad feeling comes true. "........" The ice princess silently stares at Oz with her cold eyes. "....Um, princess? Do you need anything from me?" Asked Oz with a forced smile. "......." (Ice Princess) (DON''T JUST STAND THERE! ANSWER ME!) (Oz) Oz sighs. "Princess, do you knock on my door in a whim, and got confused as for what to answer me?" Oz asked the princess. The princess''s expression finally changed. "H-how do you know?" The princess asked, slightly fl.u.s.tered. "M-my guess is true? Seriously, I can''t fathom you... Come inside, it''ll be far better rather than we stand here like idiots," Oz asked the princess to enter his room as he went to the kitchen to prepare something. "True, excuse me..." Said the princess as he enters the room. "Just go to the living room and sit at the couch, princess. I''ll make a tea," Said Oz as he makes a tea. As Oz could change anything to a card, Oz changed some foods from Aegir''s house and edible things he found and bought to cards and store it at his spatial deck. Summoning out two teacups and a kettle from his deck, Oz makes the tea while brewing it with magic. "Here, princess. It warms both the body and the soul," Oz gives the teacup filled with Oz''s brewed tea. "Thanks," The princess gracefully take a sip of the tea. !!! "It''s delicious!" Said the princess as her face starts to show more expression. "Thanks for the compliment," (Oz) "What are the ingredients? I like this taste very much, can you tell me what the ingredients are? I''ll pay if you want it," The princess unexpectedly asked Oz the ingredients so eagerly. "Relax, princess. I''ll tell you for free. I make it using a normal tea leaf, but I add another ingredient inside of it," (Oz) "What is it?" (Ice Princess) "It''s from the mercury herb," (Oz) "A mercury herb? Isn''t that a magical herb? It often used for some alchemy, to think that you use it on a tea," (Ice Princess) "I don''t use the herb, but I use the flower that has a relaxing smell on it and possesses some nature mana that softens the flow of mana at the body," Said Oz. When Oz first saw the herb''s flower, it looks exactly like a jasmine flower. "I see, that''s new, you might be the first one that used the flower to make a tea. As expected of Grandpa Kyron''s pupil," The ice princess said with a satisfied smile. "You see... That pupil term is his own-" (Oz) *Sound of the door opened* "Ren! We''re coming in!" Alfred''s voice suddenly appeared after the sound of the door. "Alfred?" (Oz) "Yea, we''re thinking of visiting y-" Alfred and co enter the room and went right to the living room, only to be surprised by the scene. """T-t-t-t-the ice princess!?""" Chapter 78 - Party Leader [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] -----------------_-----------------_---------------_------------------------_--------------------_--------------------_-------------------------_-------------------_-------------- """T-t-t-the Ice Princess!?""" (Alfred and Co) (Oops, the master got caught cheating~) (Fenrir) (Fenrir, polygamy is normal in this world) (Reo) (Please don''t make me more panic... Wait, it''s normal?) (Oz) "U-um... Hi guys, this is the princess. Princess, these are my friends. We''re side by side neighbors, so she just visiting me as a neighbor," (Oz) "No, Ren, just the fact of a girl visiting a man''s room is weird enough, but this is the PRINCESS that visited your room! You could get killed by the queen if she knew it!!" (Albus) "You''re exaggerating, it won''t be that dangerous..... right?" Oz started to worry when he saw the panicking face of the ice princess. "Seriously? You''re coming here with my life on risk? Pay me for all of the tea you drink!" (Oz) "Y-you''re the one who invited me to your room in the first place!!" The ice princess rebuked. "R-Ren... You invited her to your room?" Edreale asked Oz with her usual indifferent face, but somehow, Oz could feel a sinister aura gushing out from her. "Um... Edreale? Your eyes look dead, why are you looking at me like that? You''re scary! Miss Edreale!?" (Oz) "Well, let''s stop teasing Ren here. Ren, I have something to discuss with you, I think it will be good if I discuss it earlier," (Albus) "You... You''re teasing me... Whatever, What do you want to discuss?" Asked Oz as he took other glasses for Albus and co and asked them to seat as he takes some chairs for them. (Luckily the room''s as big as an apartment room) (Oz) "Well, nothing will happen to you as long we don''t report it. By the way, I want to discuss to you about our plans in this school," (Albus) "Our plans?" (Oz) "Yes, in this school, there is a system called the party system. The party system is a group system that similar to the adventurer guild, especially us, the special class, we will get a lot kind of missions and we''ll be tasked as parties," (Albus) "So?" (Oz) "I want you to make a party for us, and be our party leader, Ren," (Albus) "All of you knew that I''m the only one that still at a master magician/swordsman rank, right? I don''t want to draw unnecessary attention from people for being a party leader of celebrities," Oz refused. "Even though being the only master magician in a group filled with sword saints and archmages are already makes you quite popular, though," (Peter) "Peter..." (Oz) "He''s not wrong, Ren. We also knew that you have the most experience, knowledge, and leadership amongst us. And I admit that even though you''re one rank below me, you''re stronger than me, and I won''t stand a chance in a duel with you," (Albus) "You''re overestimating me," (Oz) "We don''t Ren, I also admit that you''re stronger than me," Sen unusually admitted his lost. "Even you Sen..." (Oz) "Please Ren, I''m sure that with you, all of us have a bright future. There are a lot of things that we could do and learn from you, please help us," (Albus) "You won''t need me, even without me, I firmly believe that all of you will still raise and improve rapidly, and I believe that the academy will permit me on going solo," Oz''s expression becomes a serious one. "Ren, we knew each other for not that long, but all of us knew your prowess. Because we haven''t known each other for that long, we didn''t know each other that much, but one thing for sure, all of us have a goal, and we knew that we would be able to achieve it if we follow you," Peter''s expression and tone are filled with confidence. He has a firm belief that Oz will be able to lead them to their goals. "............" (Oz) (It''s true. I don''t know why all of them keep on sticking together with me when they enough power for themselves. And I don''t know their goals and motives for achieving strength) (Oz) (Well, I guess having a party is going to be far easier than going on solo missions, huh) (Oz) Oz let out a heavy sigh. "Fine! I''ll be the leader! But I''m going to give you a harsh training okay!?" Oz forcefully accepted the position. """Yes!""" (Albus and Co) "Um... I''m sorry if I intrude on your conversation, but may I join your party?" The ice princess suddenly joins the conversation. "Why do you want to join our party?" (Oz) "What? Am I not allowed?" (Ice Princess) (Yes you don''t. I may not say that, huh. But seriously, this princess smells like trouble...) (Oz) Oz couldn''t help but get a bad feeling that there will be a lot of problems that occurred if the princess joins their party. "It''s fine princess, your name will splendidly increase our credibility," Albus said with politely to the ice princess. "Oi, isn''t I the leader? Why are you the one who accepts her?" (Oz) "Yes, princess. It''s our honor to be in the same party with you," (Alfred) "It''s my honor too..." Said the princess with a satisfied smile. "Seriously... What is the point of making me the leader then..." (Oz) Oz and co chats for a little bit longer for another couple of hours, all of them decide to take a rest and buy some supplies for their rooms, while Albus submits the application of their party. "Phew, finally I get some time alone. It''s been a long time since I cultivate, I mustn''t slack myself," Oz sit crosslegged and take a deep breath, preparing himself to cultivate his mana rank. Poof! Poof! "Master, let us cultivate with you, we might help boost your cultivation," (Fenrir) "Really?" (Oz) "Yes, we, spirits could boost the mana circulation of a mana cultivator. We could help you boost your cultivation, master," (Reo) "I see, then please help me, guys!" Oz starts concentrating while Reo and Fenrir jumped to Oz''s shoulders and concentrate their mana to help Oz too. ******************************************** ---Undead Great Necropolis, Undead Kingdom, South Side of Tarot Empire--- "Are you pleased with the undead kingdom, master?" Said the king of undead, Gareth to his beloved master. "Yes, from all other kingdoms, the undead kingdom has the quickest construction rate and the greatest military power. The progression rate of the undead kingdom extremely pleasing for me, Gareth," Said a skeletal figure that covered with an expensive robe, while holding a terrifying staff that has five skulls at the top of it. "Indeed, but it won''t progress much if master doesn''t assist us," Despite having a skeletal face, people could still feel that Gareth is in a very good mood as his master uses his undead clone to personally visit his kingdom. "You praise me too much, Gareth. Setting that aside, you can now report everything to me directly," (Lich Oz) "You mean, to your lich clone, master?" (Gareth) "Correct," (Lich Oz) "Than, should I give you my report now?" (Gareth) "Yes, what reports do you have?" (Lich Oz) "First of all, the construction of our undead kingdom had almost finished," (Gareth) "Splendid, that''s good news," (Lich Oz) "Thanks, master. While the construction had almost complete, as you instructed, we''ve prioritized the construction of the defensive buildings, lots of towers and magic towers had been made at the walls, all of the trap designs you gave us had functioned greatly, and by gathering the power all of the undead nobles, We''ve made the living graveyard that circles the kingdom," (Gareth) "Exactly like master''s plan, the graveyard summoned an endless horde of undead foot soldiers every time an enemy that holds a menace to the kingdom, or the empire appeared. And the undead foot soldier will go back to the seal when the enemies are dead. But the most special thing is when an undead foot soldier reaches a certain level, they will evolve to an undead guardian," (Gareth) "Interesting..." (Lich Oz) "The undead guardian will continue to appear even if it dies, so we''re going to have more undead guardian if there are more enemies that attack us. The undead guardian has a great prowess, and each of them has a different form or type, but all of them have a superb commanding ability," (Gareth) "Good, how about the kingdom''s military?" (Lich Oz) "We''ve formed the royal soldier, royal guard, and royal knight order just like your orders, master. And surprisingly, the battle training you gave us had boosted the soldier to unexpected length, a lot of the soldiers got ranked up because of it," (Gareth) "They rank up?" (Lich Oz) "Yes, from what you explained to us before, you said that we could rank up when we continue killing monsters and raising our level to a certain length. But before, we never felt anything like having an increase of strength when we train or when we killed a monster like we experience after we submit to you, master," (Gareth) "I see, it means that the reason why all of you got to rank up much easier is because of my influence, that''s a new piece of information, goof job, Gareth," (Lich Oz) "Your praise is too much for me, master. Continuing my report, the undead that reached a noble rank will start having retainers and soldiers of themselves. So I decided to give bigger houses and lands to the undead with a higher rank, this system gives us much more military power," (Gareth) "Indeed, while the king had the absolute power and possess the royal soldiers, guards, and knights, the nobles will also help the kingdom as they need to protect their own territory too, a wise decision, any other reports, Gareth?" (Lich Oz) "There is a strange thing that occurred to all of the undead recently, master," (Gareth) "Strange thing?" (Oz) "Yes, all of the undead are starting to feel emotions and could feel a taste of food even though they are a skeleton," (Gareth) "Feel emotions? Taste food?" Chapter 79 - The Path Of The Undead [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] -----------------_---------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------------_------------------------_-----------------------_------------ ---Gareth''s PoV---- "Yes, master, we still couldn''t feel any pain or get exhausted, but we could taste foods and starting to feel countless emotions," I explained the strange occurrence that happened lately. Somehow, the master''s presence felt different from before. I knew master''s otherworldly intelligence, he''s a natural genius. But before, he''s a type that would take anything that benefits or challenging him, while he indeed has an irregular thirst for knowledge, but he never shows to anyone his thinking appearance. "Interesting... An emotion whirl and the sudden ability to taste the food at a body of an undead that should be unfunctional. I see... I do have some guesses, the highest possibility is that this is one of the influence from me, that is my real form, a human," (Lich Oz) But this lich clone of the master. Somehow has a more sinister aura, and didn''t hide its intelligence. I could totally see how a genius the master at the lich clone is. He talked as if he had planned everything in his head. "Just like the reason why you lots could rank up much easier, it''s because of the concept that I know is the concept of levels. And your body starts to change according to my body way of improving, and that''s why the skeletons started to feel emotions that a human, like what my real body is, feels," (Lich Oz) "I see... So that''s the reason, it does make sense," I agree with the master''s deduction. "Well, make sense or not, it''s just a theory that didn''t have much proof at all. But I guess it''ll suffice for the people to hear. By the way Gareth, I actually came because of another reason, I have a request for you," Master suddenly said to me. That''s strange, for the master to have a sudden request, I somehow feel that he''ll ask an absurd thing. "A request, master?" (Gareth) "Yes, could you send me to the undead world, Gravendath?" The master asked me with his usual tone. "T-t-to the undead world!? What need do you have there, master? it''s a very dangerous place!" I got fl.u.s.tered because of it and shouted. "Relax, Gareth. I''m only a clone, even if in a one in a million chance, I died, I could get summoned again by my real body. I''m aware of the undead world''s danger, but I couldn''t just let such a military power to go to waste," the master said with full of confidence. "A-a waste? Are you intend to search and recruit some undead from there, master?" (Gareth) "That is only one of the numerous reasons I''m interested in the undead world, Gareth. One of the other reasons is I like to absorb all of the undead and dark magics to my grimoire of death. Somehow, the clones will take the skills that the body recognize as compatible," (Lich Oz) "And because of that, I could gain an unprecedented power if I go to the undead world where I could also absorb the endless mana of death there. So could you please help me go there, Gareth?" (Lich Oz) "I see... If you say so, master. But may I follow you there?" I asked the master. "Then who will defend this region if you''re not here? I won''t die that easily, Gareth," (Lich Oz) "I understand, master. But how do you know that I could send you there?" I asked the master as it piqued my curiosity. "Hm? You have that skill, right? [Gate of Gravendath]" (Lich Oz) !!!??? "H-how do you know it, master?" (Gareth) I indeed have that skill after I rank up to the [King] rank, but I haven''t even reported that skill to the master, and the master never checked up on my status since the last time. So where does he know that? "I knew that skill from a book, and your behavior when I mentioned the undead world is enough for me to knew that you possess that skill," (Lich Oz) "I see... Please forgive me for hiding that skill from you, master..." I apologized as I kneel to my master. "It''s fine, I never ordered anyone to show their skills to me either. But since you feel that you''ve done something wrong, then Gareth Gravendath, your punishment is to send me to the undead world and defend this region from anything that may harm the empire," The master said to me. When the master said that words, I couldn''t help but got surprised. How could even the master know my full name? Or does he just make a random guess? "Y-yes master..." (Gareth) "Open the gate, dear Gareth Gravendath. It''s time for the sinners to feel the pain of their punishment, it''s time to judge the sinners. As the contract that thee had made with me, I''ll save thy captured friends and retainers, now let the gate to the world of death opened," (Lich Oz) "Gate of Gravendath!" (Gareth) "Gate of Gravendath!" (Lich Oz) A huge gate that had greater death mana than I ever saw before appeared before us. I see... "You have my thanks, Gareth. The skill had entered my grimoire too because of you," Said master as he steps closer to the gate. "What an interesting gate, well, Gareth. Protect the empire when I''m gone, okay?" Said the master without turning his back. I see... Living here had made me started to forget about the past, the tragedy that will always incur my wrath each time I remembered about it. But it seems that as I tried to forget the tragedy, even though I don''t care the promise master told me, the promise when he said he''ll revenge them for me, when I''m getting soft, the master took the hatred from me. The words he said as if it lifted the heavy load at my shoulders. His voice is filled with a dense murderous intent, but I could still sense a sliver of gentleness in the tone. As if it is a father that''s going to punish those who made his children suffer. What a great master I''ve blessed with... *********************************** ---Third Person''s POV--- A world filled with darkness, malice, and hatred. A world filled with death. A world that no living being will be able to survive. "What a splendid world," (Lich Oz) KACHAKACHAKACHAKACHA! Countless undead is roaming everywhere. Skeletons, banshees, ghouls, and numerous other undead types. When the lich Oz appeared, he stole all of their attention. "I see, so this is a region that ruled by another undead. In normal occurrence, they should be kneeling to me and serve me when they saw my mana," (Lich Oz) KACHAKACHAKACHAKACHA! The sound that came out from a skeleton when they move surrounded the place. And all of them started to attack the lich Oz. "But it''s fine, it will be a benefitting experiment, and I could even take the skills that I haven''t have yet. Time to test the mana of the undead world. [Dark Typhoon]!!!" (Lich Oz) A huge typhoon that keeps on getting bigger by absorbing the dark magic that lingers at the air appeared and crushed all of the undead at Gareth''s sight. "What a pleasant sensation..." (Lich Oz) Together with the death of the monsters, a tremendous amount of experience point flowed into the lich Oz. The lich Oz suddenly heard a prompt, saying that he leveled up. Oz managed to kill hundreds of undead with that spell. "A feeling of an increase in mana power is very pleasant, and to think that by using just one spell, I could summon such a huge dark typhoon and levels up, going to the undead world is indeed a fruitful decision," (Lich Oz) "Marvelous! An increase in power in just one spell! Truly Splendid!" Lich Oz celebrated. "Hm? Looks like the territory owner immediately came here after he saw the dark typhoon," (Lich Oz) "You... Who are you?" A huge mummy that uses a crown on top of his head asked the lich Oz. "Me? I suppose you don''t have any need to know it. Hm? So it''s a duke rank, what a good catch, I''ll be needing your knowledge and assistance, would you want to serve under me?" (Lich Oz) "We only serve those with power..." (Mummy Duke) "I see... Then let''s try subduing you with force, it''s a perfect chance to experiment with my new skills. [Soul Cage]," (Lich Oz) With lich Oz''s terrifying control of death mana, the spell got activated with much stronger power. A huge cage that restrains the soul of the Mummy Duke with countless chains appeared and strangled the Mummy Duke. "Splendid spell, now, [Spell of Doom]" (Lich Oz) Boom! An explosion as big as a bomb explosion appeared with the death mana made the damage doubled. The Mummy Duke finally realize the strength of his opponent, but no need to mention how he couldn''t cast a spell, he couldn''t even talk because of the [Soul Cage] spell. "Good damage, next, let''s combine both of the spells. [Idol of Death] [Puppet]" (Lich Oz) Lich Oz suddenly emitted a strange aura of death that different from the usual death aura, and together with the strange aura, countless strings that only the Lich Oz could see covered the whole body of the Mummy Duke. "Serve me, [Soul Cage] Dispel," (Lich Oz) Crack! Crack! The cage cracked and shattered to pieces, and slowly disappear to the thin air, leaving the Mummy Duke kneeling at Lich Oz. "Forgive my ignorance, master. I, Manistrode, kneel before your strength and wish to serve you," The Mummy Duke kneeled and said to Lich Oz politely. "Give me your army, wealth, and knowledge. We''ll wage war to the whole Gravendath! All shall kneel before me!!!" Chapter 80 - Experimenting Untested Skills [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] --------------------_---------------------_------------------------------_--------------------------_--------------------------_-------------------------_-------------- Lich A high-ranked monster that possesses high intelligence that could even endanger the life of an S-rank adventurer. A lich is a magician type of undead that possess destructive spells and summoning spells that help it over its front lines. Using its high mana capacity, a lich could summon a huge horde of undead and have the power that could endanger a nation. A lich will be a catastrophe if it had gathered other high ranked undead and make them serve it. All undead saw lich as the "King of Undead" -Book of the undead, Grandaria Library, Grandaria Capital -----------------------------------_--------------------------------_-----------------------_----------------------------_----------------------------_---------------------- "Allow me to lead you to my castle, master," Malestrode the Mummy Duke said to the lich Oz. "Wait, we can''t let such precious resources to waste right? Come dear my followers, [Animate Undead Legion]!!!" (Lich Oz) "T-this is..." Malestrode muttered in shock as he saw the sight in front of him. All of Malestrode''s army rise and became an even stronger undead with a much denser amount of dark and sinister mana of death gushing out from them. The skeletons wear jet-black full body armor and the plump of fleshes joins together and become a huge and strong abomination, and other undead that had their body intact, rise again with a far more powerful body. "Hm... About 1000 undead, I see... Looks like it''s my limit on making a personal elite undead legion. Well, these are enough, hm?" When Lich Oz is observing his new elite undead legion, a corpse that drawing a huge amount of death mana took his attention. "That''s the general of the army that you before, my liege," Malestrode said politely. "I see... His will is strong, so strong that the spell before isn''t strong enough to restrain his will. Fine then, I acknowledge your firm will, I''ll give you the honor of being my guardian, rise,[Undead Guardian]!" (Lich Oz) The corpse absorbed a huge amount of lich Oz''s death mana and even absorb some other corpses near it. "It''s in an evolving phase, huh? Then take this," Lich Oz took some cards and threw it to the corpse. The cards transformed into some adamantine magic ores, some high-ranked demons, and magic beast corpses. The corpse absorbs all of it and the mana of death surrounding the corpse got even denser and form a cocoon of death mana. "Such a powerful aura," (Malestrode) "Grow, rise my dear undead guardian," (Lich Oz) Following lich Oz''s words, the cocoon of death mana surrounding the corpse disappeared, leaving a 3 meters tall and six-armed death knight with a full plate heavy armor. "Powerful, for it to be at the [King] rank because of that is unexpected, it''s power is even on par with Gareth''s. As expected of my guardian, but sadly, I could only have one undead legion and one undead guardian, I need to subdue other undead lords and force them to serve me, protect me as we conquer this world, undead guardian," (Lich Oz) "I will protect you even if it costs my life, master..." (Undead Guardian) "Good... Malestrode, lead me to your castle," (Lich Oz) "Y-yes, master... Follow me..." (Malestrode) (What a terrifying entity) (Malestrode) Malestrode leads Lich Oz and the Undead Guardian to his castle. It''s a huge castle that roamed with countless undead, Oz killed one of Malestrode''s general, but he still has 5 other generals. "What a huge castle, and a fine troops indeed," (Lich Oz) Malestrode''s underling saw that their usual sadist king is kneeling at lich Oz. But they couldn''t see any undead brand that usually formed at an undead body when they serve an entity. "Ah! I forgot I only cast a simple [Puppet] spell to you, forgive me Malistrode, I let you be one of my kings, become one of my sword, [Undead King]" (Lich Oz) The [Undead King] skill could only be used to undead at the [Duke] Rank and helps it to break through the [King] rank immediately. A death mana cocoon similar to the one that covers the undead guardian covers Malistrode too. The process went smoothly and the death mana cocoon dissipates, leaving Malistrode with his former white Mummy [Duke] bandage transformed into a sinister black Mummy [King] bandages. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seeing their king got branded in front of them, all of them realized that their master had changed. All of them kneeled to lich Oz immediately after realizing it. "Don''t need to be so tense, I''m going to give all of you a gift too. [Undead Brand]" (Lich Oz) The dense death mana at the air gathered and make a huge whirlpool formed at the sky because of the dense mana that being absorbed by all of the undead that kneeling to Oz. "About 70,000 advanced undead. Marvelous, this would be far more than enough, now, advance," (Lich Oz) ************************* ---At Tarot Empire''s Capital--- "Ren, why do you request Thydal to not give any magic enhancement at your attire? Even the armors didn''t have a single ability, you''re aware that it should be the equipment of an emperor, right?" (Aegir) At this time, Slime Oz and Aegir had finished the empire''s parade. They''re back at Aegir''s house that had become a huge mansion after finished the renovation. Aegir''s house had started the renovation since Magra first joined the empire since it occasionally used to hold a meeting. And now it had become a huge mansion that had fancily decorated by Thydal. "Yes, I''m aware of it, Aegir. Relax, I have an idea for it, watch this," Slime Oz took off his equipment. "What are you doing?" (Aegir) "Just watch from there," Slime Oz said and took out some magic cards. Oz possesses some skills from the king card at the normal deck, one of the skills is [Give]. The skill could grant a piece of equipment or a person a copy of a skill that Oz possesses but only if it had the compatibility with the skill. Oz had quite a lot of unique skills, but he has too many normal skills that he got from killing countless monsters at the dungeon. Oz hasn''t had the chance to use it since he hasn''t had a skillful blacksmith like Thydal before. "First the black gauntlets," Oz take the gauntlets and tried to put a magic card with the skill [Strengthen]. "[Give]" (Slime Oz) The magic card slowly entered the gauntlets. "Success!" Slime Oz celebrated. Aegir saw the scene before him in shock, and he saw that the black gauntlets suddenly got covered by some mana and the mana permanently surrounds it. (H-he imbue it with magic himself!? And more importantly, that easily!?) (Aegir) "Now time to experiment how much skill it could wield," (Slime Oz) Oz took out 9 magic cards; [Wrath of The Berserker], [Pound of Flesh], [Weapons Master], [Self-Repair], [Fireball], [Frost Nova], [Intercept], [Assassinate], [Hardness]. "Incredible!!! It absorbs all of it!!!" (Slime Oz) "What an overpower skill! Time to enhance other equipment too!" (Slime Oz) Oz enhances the rest of the equipment with 10 skill magic cards too, making all of it advanced to the [Divine Class] because of it possessing 10 abilities. The first layer of armor (Light Armor): [Self-Repair], [Harden], [Healing], [Juggernaut], [Ignore Pain], [Strengthen], [Sharp Sense], [Protection], [Stealth], [Detect Magic] The second layer of armor (Heavy armor): [Self-repair], [Strengthen Armor], [Defensive Stance], [Protection], [Ignore Pain], [Mage Armor], [Frost Armor], [Mana Shield], [Fire Turtle Duke''s Shell], [Demon Armor] Sabaton (Foot Armor): [Self-Repair], [Light Step], [Dash], [Sprint], [Flee], [Leap], [Fury''s Kick], [Blink], [Shadow Step], [Glacier] Black Mask: [Death Coil], [Hell Fire], [Howl of Terror], [War Cry], [Scorch], [Curse Of Doom], [Conceal], [Poison Immune], [Glaciate], [Magic Enhancement] Emperor''s mantle: [Self-Repair], [Chain Lightning], [Lord of The Mountain''s Powerful Muscle], [High Wizard], [Supreme King''s Aura], [Fire Storm], [Blazing Mantle] Crown: [Self-Repair], [Dominating Pressure], [Shadow Guardian], [Earth Golem Guardian], [Ice Golem Guardian], [Iron Golem Guardian], [Chain Golem Guardian], [Undead Guardian], [Sand Golem Guardain], [Blade Golem] "Finished! Oh wait, it lacks a finishing touch," (Slime Oz) Oz took another card, and the card got absorbed by the first layer armor and a pitch-black hood appeared attached to the armor''s neck. "This is a hood made from the spider queen''s silk that got found inside a treasure chest inside the dungeon, it''s said that its rarity is on par with the adamantine''s magic ore" (Lich Oz) Oz puts [Sky Lord''s Vision], [Darkness Veil], [Demonic Stare], [Parallel Thought], [Self-Repair], [Harden], [Shell Defense], [Clairvoyance], [Shadow Lord], and [Detect Danger] magic cards to the hood, and the hood absorbed all of them. "Fantastic! The emperor''s equipment is completed! Hm... It seems I need to wait until the castle finished before I could see the effects, but well, let''s try the other experiments now!" (Slime Oz) Chapter 81 - Orc King Clones Adventure [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] -------------------_--------------------_------------------------_--------------_-----------------_-------------------------_--------------------_----------------- "Your Imperial Majesty, we''re entering the territory of the Naga tribe," Said one of the imperial knights to the Orc Oz. The Orc Oz is venturing the forest together with six imperial knights and their familiars, Oz aimed to train six of them to be the six Commander Knight of the imperial knight order under Ibra. Supported by the ''Jack Of All Trades'' secret order, Orc Oz easily knew the territory of the naga. "Let''s enter boldly, it is said that the nagas didn''t like those who act like thieves, it''ll be better if we enter boldly," (Orc Oz) "I see... as expected of your imperial majesty, the emperor. You''re very wise," Said the orc knight, Borg. "St!!" The Kobold knight, Valor, put his index finger in front of his mouth, indicating to Borg to stay silent. "My liege, I sense a presence," Valor said with a whisper. "Indeed, it''s a demonic aura, there''s a lot of them. Change of plans, naga hates demon''s impure mana, smells like trouble, let''s hide and observe first," (Orc Oz) """Roger That,""" (All of The Knights) Orc Oz and the imperial knights took a cover at a huge tree near them while observing at the oncoming presence. Thump! Thump! A giant demon walks together with a hundred of low-leveled demons, Making the ground trembles every time the giant take a step. "The huge one''s estimated rank is at the [Count] rank. The others are just low-leveled demons. Looks like his minions," Said the Lizardfolk knight, Kiryu. "Good, there are only 100 of them. Edrym, use your bow, ride your mount, back us up from above," (Orc Oz) "Roger that," Answered Edrym the elf knight as he rides his Jade Falcon familiar. "Garol, Myren, both of you attack from their back while we attract their attention. Attack them together with your familiars," (Orc Oz) ""Roger That,"" Answered the goblin knight, Garol, and the centaur, Myren. "Borg, Valor, Kiryu, time to ambush, NOW!" Together with Orc Oz''s command, Oz and the imperial knights attacked the demons. "[Howl of Orc King]. ROOOOAAAAAR!" Orc Oz roared, paralyzing the demons for several seconds. But it''s enough time for the orc Oz and the imperial knights to ambush them. "[Smash]!!!" Borg the orc attacked together with his bear familiar and attacks. Borg smashed his ax to the ground, sending dozens of the demons flying. "How dare you imbeciles!" The huge demon about to attack the orc Oz in wrath, but a figure appeared behind him first. "Stop your bickering, demon. You''re facing the emperor," Slash! Garol the goblin knight jumped and slashes the demon count''s head from behind. While Myren the centaur knight dashes and charges as a sole cavalry, breaking through the demons formation. "Valor! Kiryu! Edrym! Don''t let any of them flee!" Orc Oz instructs them while he swings his greatsword killing multiple demons with each swing. ""Yes, my liege,"" (Valor & Kiryu & Edrym) Orc Oz took a magic adamantine greatsword from Thydal by his request. Orc Oz designs the weight of the greatsword to be very heavy, and the result is, the greatsword became the heaviest greatsword that when combined with Orc Oz''s power it became the deadliest weapon. With the demon count''s death, the low-leveled demons are no longer a threat. Oz and the imperial knights massacred them in just three minutes. "That''s a good warm-up, right?" Said the orc Oz, full of grins. "Indeed, my familiar is also happy as he could eat a lot of demon meats," Said Galor the goblin knight, looking at his direwolf familiar that happily eats the demon count together with Borg''s bear familiar and Kiryu''s serpent familiar. "Sky, you don''t want to eat the demon count''s meat too?" Edrym the elf knight asked his Jade Falcon familiar. The Jade Falcon stares at him for a second, and flies to the demon count''s corpse, joining the other familiars. "It''s good, it will strengthen them," (Orc Oz) "Ah! I think I leveled up, my liege. I could feel my body getting stronger, and the fatigue suddenly disappears," Said the kobold knight, Valor. "Good job! Since all of you are at the [Duke] rank already, it might be hard for all of you to rank up again, so this will be good training to train your skills, rather than acc.u.mulating levels," (Orc Oz) "But I feel something strange about these demons, we''re at the far west region, looks like the demons finally change their course. Let''s investigate this, guys," (Orc Oz) """Yes, your imperial majesty!""" ***************************************** ---Tarot Capital--- "What do you mean by the next experiment, Ren?" Aegir asked the slime Oz. "Come here, Aegir," Slime Oz asked Aegir to approach him. "Okay..." (Aegir) Slime Oz took out a card and he pours his mana to the card and puts it at Aegir''s chest. "Um... Ren?" (Aegir) Countless blue particles suddenly appear and covered Aegir''s body. "W-what the hell is this? Ren?" (Aegir) Whoosh! The blue particles suddenly disappear to the thin air, but there seems to be nothing change in Aegir. Slime Oz tried to give the Goblin [King] card to Aegir, but the empowerment failed. "I see... It seems that the imperial castle is an essential thing for our improvement, I need to be patient while trying to improve the kingdom from other ways, huh. Well, it can''t be helped," (Slime Oz) "Um, what just happen?" (Aegir) ****************************************** "It failed, huh..." Orc Oz muttered to himself. "Did you say something, my liege?" Borg the orc knight asked orc Oz. "Hm? It''s nothing, we arrived at naga''s tribe, their tribe should be in front of us," (Orc Oz) "T-that''s the naga''s tribe?" Galor the goblin knight muttered as he saw the battered walls in front of them. "Looks like your guess is right, my liege," (Valor) "Indeed, I hoped my guess is wrong though. It looks like our ally candidate had just got invaded by the demons," Orc Oz narrowed his eyes. "Let''s enter, stay vigilant, since their opponent is a race that excels in magic, the nagas, there''s a huge chance that they send a [King] rank," (Orc Oz) """Roger that,"''" The tribe of nagas is a huge cave filled with a lot of houses that masterfully made with magic. When Orc Oz and the imperial knights entered the huge cave, the scene inside the cave shocks them. "Those despicable demons..." (Myren) "..." (Orc Oz) (Lots of kids corpses, it means they killed them in consideration of food. They took the male for labor and experiment while the female for sacrifices and breeding, huh) (Orc Oz) (From the footsteps alone, there are hundreds of them, while the nagas not even reach a hundred at number. And judging from how battered this cave is, it means the strongest one of the nagas fought with the demons, they must be at least at the [Duke] rank to make this much of mess) (Orc Oz) Orc Oz wander around the cave, searching for the body. (Since none of these bodies have that much of mana, looks like the strongest nagas also got captured by the demons, huh) (Orc Oz) Orc Oz wandered a little bit further together with the imperial knights, and they found something unbelievable before them. An Altar that has a huge and terrifying door before them. "T-this is..." (Borg) "It''s impossible! There is no way this thing still existed right? my liege! Please! Tell me I''m wrong!" Myren shouted, fl.u.s.tered. "No, I hate to admit it, but I guess this is indeed the thing inside your mind, Myren," (Edrym) "Yea, it''s the demonic gate, now it finally makes sense why they took the risk of attacking the nagas. They''re aiming to open another gate to the demon world. "Impossible..." (Valor) Creak! Creak! Whoosh! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The demonic gate suddenly got covered by an enormous amount of demonic mana. The door slowly tried to open. "I-it''s opening!?" (Borg) "Change of plans, all of you, return to the empire and try to find one of the ''Jack of All Trades'' and report what you just see," (Orc Oz) "W-what about you, my liege?" (Valor) "Me? I''ll stay here and do a massacre," Orc Oz said with a huge grin. "H-how can we leave you here alone, my liege!?" (Myren) "Idiot! I''m just a clone! I could appear again anytime I want! But all of you only have one life! Now go!" (Orc Oz) "I''m sorry my liege, I won''t leave. Even if you''re just a clone, you''re the emperor''s clone, I can''t leave an image of the emperor getting defeated by the despicable demons right?" (Galor) "Wha!? What the hell you-" (Orc Oz) "That''s a brave word, not bad, kid," A figure using an attire of a mage said. "Relax, Ren. I plant my shadow to all of your clones so I know everything, we''ll help," A figure equipped with light armor and dressed as an assassin said. "Brad? Gurolf?" (Orc Oz) "It''s sir Brad and sir Gurolf!" (Myren) "Indeed, Brad told me what happened. What an interesting gate, such a shame that it''s wasted by a vile creature such as demons," (Gurolf) "How could you appear here so fast?" (Orc Oz) "Hm? I obtained useful magic lately, it''s the spatial magic," (Gurolf) "Spatial magic!?) (Orc Oz) ROAAAAR!!! Countless roars appeared just like that time with the gate opened by the demonic slime king, but Gurolf, Brad, and orc Oz could feel the demons behind the gate is on a different level with the demons from the demonic slime king''s gate. "Looks like we need to continue our discussion after we handle these guys first," (Brad) "Indeed... It will be a good exercise" (Gurolf) """Let us be your shield, your imperial majesty,""" (The imperial knights) "Fine, don''t die, you hear me?" """Roger that!""" Chapter 82 - A Sudden Danger [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] --------------_---------------------_-------------------------------_-----------------------_----------------------------_----------------------------------_----------------------- "There is no end of them!" (Borg) Orc Oz, the imperial knights, Brad, and Gurolf battled with the demons that came out from the hell''s gate for an hour non-stop and there is still no sign of end of them. The strongest demon that came out of the gate is at the [Duke] rank, while the other demons are not that strong, their terrifying number is the most troubling thing. "What do you think will happen if we destroy the gate?" (Orc Oz) "It''ll explode. A gate that connects to outer-dimension possesses a huge amount of mana. If we destroy the gate that acts as the medium of the mana pool, it will make a huge explosion. We could only seal it," (Gurolf) "Gurolf, do you think you could do it?" Orc Oz asked Gurolf. "Easily, but since it''s my first time, I might need a longer time," (Gurolf) "It''s fine, we''ll cover you. [Herculean Bash]!!!" Orc Oz smashes the ground, sending the demons flew and the cave quivering. "[Fast Step] [Multiple Kill]" Brad uses a combine the use of both of the skills and kills lots of the demons in a few seconds. "Handy as usual, you use your skill as skillful as ever, Brad," (Orc Oz) "Thanks for the compliment," (Brad) "Ren! It''s ready!" (Gurolf) "Everyone! Retreat to Gurolf''s back!" Orc Oz commanded and everyone immediately run to Gurolf''s back. Some demons take the opportunity to get close but Oz bashes them away with his greatsword. "Burn, [Flame of Gehenna]" (Gurolf) A blue flame enveloped all of the demons, burning them to cinders. "That''ll keep their number for a while! Everyone! Protect Gurolf as he seals the gate!" (Orc Oz) Gurolf went to the back of the gate and try to start sealing the gate. "All of the imperial knights! Protect Gurolf! Brad and I will block their way, making sure no one of them gets out of the cave!" (Orc Oz) """Roger that!""" (The Imperial Knights and Brad) "Brad, make sure you don''t die," (Orc Oz) "I will," (Brad) ----------------_-------------------------_----------------------------------_--------------------------_------------------------------_---------------------- ---Capital of Tarot Empire--- "It looks like the situation is already under control, even though they barely made it, though. The expedition to the undead world is going smoothly too. But indeed, it will ensure the success rate if they were given some divine equipment too," (Slime Oz) "Aegir, could you give these blueprints to Thydal?" (Slime Oz) "Blueprints? What blueprints are these, Ren?" (Aegir) "It''s the equipment for my other clones and the kings and generals of the empire. I''m planning to imbue it with skills and magics by myself," (Slime Oz) "Y-you''ll give us equipment like those emperor''s equipment?" Aegir asked with a face full of hope. "Yea, I know you stare at me with such hopeful eyes. Go send it to Thydal quickly if you want to get your equipment too," (Orc Oz) "HAHAHAHAHA! You know me well, Ren! Then I''ll go deliver these blueprints to Thydal so I could get my divine equipment too," Said Aegir as he went to deliver the blueprints to Thydal. "Well, anyone will become greedy if they see divine equipment getting made that easily. His reaction is rather humble already, he shows good self-restraint in front of divine class equipment, that itself is considered applaudable already," (Slime Oz) "Okay, where are we? Having Gurolf and Brad going into the hell''s gate is a good decision. Gurolf will have a chance to learn the demonic magic and get some understanding about it, while Brad will start thinking about the best way of killing a demon because he''s a natural-born hunter," (Slime Oz) "The next objectives are to search for other magic beast kings that could be subdued while dispatching more people on investigating the movements of the demons. I hope they haven''t encountered any humans yet, it will be a trouble if those humans start to send some expedition team here, they''ll try their best to exploit us because of their greed," (Slime Oz) "Oh well, that''s one of the reasons I''m being the one who stands by here and watching over the empire''s progress personally though. Okay, enough of complaining, let''s check through other things once more," Slime Oz take a look at some doc.u.ments in front of him. "The adamantine magic ore should be enough for everyone, even if there it''s not enough, the workers are still mining the magic ore from the dungeon. The demon [King] clone and his summoned demon generals had finally had some results, huh. Clearing the dungeons to collect the loots gives me a lot of cards and valuable loots, as expected of a dungeon," (Slime Oz) "I think I''ll give some of the new clones to support him and to make them level up too. But... It''s still a long journey before the demon [King] clone reach the [Emperor] rank, huh. This is troubling, as expected a war is the most convenient way to level up," (Slime Oz) "Okay, let''s send the goblin [King] clone to survey the north to check up on the movements of the humans. Let''s hold some parties and events I get from my previous life too, it will make the citizens happy too," (Slime Oz) "Ah! It looks like the real body wants to use the divine emperor attire, let''s turn it to cards," (Slime Oz) ********************************************** "Come in..." Oz said. Oz is drinking tea as he finally relaxes at the sofa after decorating and cleaning it, but when he took the first sip of the tea, someone suddenly knocks at his door, sensing at the mana of the person, Oz lets him in. *Sound Of Door Being Opened* "Sharp as usual I see," Old man Kyron entered the room with a weird cape as if he''s undercover. "What happened, old man? Your face seems rather stiff," Oz narrowed his eyes when he saw the stiff expression of the old man. "Ren, there is an urgent thing that came up," (Old man Kyron) "You don''t need to go around the bush, old man. Just tell me, I''ll help you with all I can," (Oz) "Thanks, kid. The truth is, The kingdom is about to get attacked by the Potterland kingdom... They had gathered their troops at the north," (Old man Kyron) "And why does the kingdom doesn''t take any countermeasures, yet?" (Oz) "I believe you already have a guess. The noble faction deliberately blocked all of the information related about the attack, and it looks like even the queen didn''t know about it," (Old man Kyron) "What do you mean? Why haven''t you told her yet?" (Oz) "We''re actually under the danger of the attack from Gracefield too, if the queen sent her soldier to intercept the attack from Potterland, our power will get significantly weakened, and even if I tell her now, the soldiers won''t make it in time. I can''t let the citizens there die," (Old man Kyron) "So, the point is?" (Oz) Old man Kyron''s expression got even more serious. "This time, I won''t ask you to go to the battlefield as it will be too dangerous, kid. I knew you realized that the princess''s room is right beside yours. Your task from me is to guard her whatever happens," (Old man Kyron) "From your way of talking, don''t tell me you''re going to face that army alone, old man," Oz looks at old man Kyron''s eyes, and it seems his guess is right. Oz sighs. "I''m sorry kid, I may be-" (Old man Kyron) "How many are the soldiers from Potterland?" (Oz) "Huh?" (Old man Kyron) "I''m asking you how many are their number, old man?" (Oz) "It''s about 20,000 soldiers," (Old man Kyron) "20,000... Is it considered many or normal," (Oz) "I''m afraid it''s their elite royal army, Potterland is famous for their great elite soldiers that had great prowess. Why are you asking?" ((Old man Kyron) "You''re too old, and you''re too famous, but your age reason comes first. If you die, the kingdom will get even more danger in the future. I''ll let you owe one to me, leave this to me, I have a plan to manage them. Just tell me where they are and I want nobody to see me fight," (Oz) "You want to face them!? Are you crazy, kid!?" (Old man Kyron) "Old man, without you, the kingdom might collapse. I would be able to survive fighting against 20,000 soldiers, just relax. I said I got a plan," (Oz) Seeing Oz''s eyes that seems to not lying, Old man Kyron decided to take on the feint hope he saw at this full of potential young man. "Are you serious, kid?" (Old man Kyron) "Yea, don''t be too dramatic, I will definitely survive," (Oz) "Then fine, if you manage to survive, I''ll accept anything you request. But one thing, kid, if you''re in a pinch, I accept it if you flee. Just don''t die," Old man Kyron stared at Oz with a face full of worry. "I said relax, old man! I''ll massacre all of them, so you just need to go to the queen and report it to her, and say that you''ve handled it, okay, old man?" (Oz) "Fine... I owe you a lot, kid... Please be safe..." The old man said with full of emotions. "Now hurry, tell me where the enemy base is. A night like this is the best time to make a night raid," (Oz) Chapter 83 - Complete Victory [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] --------------------_----------------------_--------------------------_-------------------_------------------------_-------------------------------_------------------ "General Arnedian! There is a village in front of us, Are we going to do some night siege first?" A soldier asked the general of the army. "It will be good, even if we attack them, the Grandaria kingdom won''t know about it since his majesty the king had collaborated with some greedy nobles of Grandaria," The general agreed with the soldier. "Then should I get ready the soldiers?" Asked the soldier. "Yes, but there''s no need to be in such a rush, we could take it slowly and let the soldiers do whatever at the village and the villager. R.a.p.e and Plunder as much as they want, we''ll make a camp at the village and rest there," Answered the general. "Yes, general," The soldier answered and ran to tell the army. "Heheheheh, my aim is not just some lowly village girl, I will take the ice princess that known for her beauty as my prize!!" The general muttered to himself, filled with ambition as his eyes show a disgusting expression. The army of Potterland kingdom walked to the village, they send the soldiers to attack the warehouse first, but when they saw the inside, an unexpected thing happens. "What!? The warehouse''s empty!?" (Potterland''s General) "Yes, not only the warehouse, it looks like the whole village is empty, general," (Soldier) (Does our attack got leaked? No, those nobles from Grandaria won''t betray us, they won''t get anything from leaking it. But this village doesn''t seem to be abandoned. Shit, which one is the right one!?) (General) "For now, let''s just use the village first and send some-" (General) "AAAAAAAAAAARRGGH" "ENEMY ATTACK!!!" BOOM! BOOM! A scream, an explosion, and a signal of danger appeared together. "Shit! Impossible! Our attack is leaked! Prepare for defense!!!" The general shouted with all of his might, but no one responds. The general opened his tent, but he immediately regrets himself for getting out of the tent. A complete defeat. A massacre. His 20,000 soldiers got became a pile of corpses in just a few seconds. Soldiers that he nurtured himself and had become his pride. "I-impossible... Who are you bastards..." Even if he''s furious because of the death of his army, the fear enveloped him and affects him more. An estimated 1,000 soldiers from various races, paired with various kinds of magic beasts surround him. They''re only 1,000 while his soldiers are 20,000 in number, it means each one of them needs to kill twenty soldiers. "This is absurd. Since when does Grandaria have this kind of army..." The general refuse to admit the scene before him. ********************************************* "Aegir, prepare 1,000 imperial soldiers and send them together with Fedra to the north side of Grandaria. My real body will meet them there," (Slime Oz) "What happens, Ren?" (Aegir) "Looks like it''s time to take a step to the outside world," Slime Oz said with an evil smirk Oz usually gives when he''s scheming something. (If it will cause trouble if they enter the forest. Why not we be the ones who got out ourselves?) (Slime Oz) *************************************************** "Human, answer me, what are your objectives by going here?" Fedra asked the Potterland''s general. "A-a goblin? I-I''m here by the order of the king of the Potterland kingdom! Who are you!? Are you the secret weapon of the Grandaria kingdom!?" The general asked, fl.u.s.tered. "We''re not part of the Grandaria force, but our emperor''s friends are living there. So we can''t let you invade the Grandaria kingdom because it will cause sorrow to our emperor, (Fedra) "Emperor?" (Potterland''s General) "Yes, ah! Pardon me, we''re from the Tarot empire that rules the magical forest of Everdeen, the empire was just recently got founded by our great emperor, so it''s normal for you to don''t know us," (Fedra) "M-magical forest? Don''t make me laugh! No one in this world could survive living there for even a month! There is no-" (Potterland''s General) "Calm down dear general of the Potterland kingdom," A voice cut in. "Huh? Who are you?" (Potterland''s General) """Your Imperial Majesty!""" Fedra and the imperial soldiers saluted and immediately kneels when Oz appears. "The emperor?" Potterland''s general mutters as he saw the figure that the enemy''s soldiers called the emperor is wearing a jet-black heavy armor, with a majestic emperor''s mantle, and wearing an unusual black hood while the black mask is covering his mouth. The beautiful crown he''s wearing tells everything. Even though he couldn''t see the emperor''s face, he could felt the terrifying pressure from the figure and the absolute quality of his attire. "I believe you''ve seen the prowess of my soldier. Even though I only bring 1,000 with me, it didn''t mean my empire has no more soldiers. I believe you do now understand that what you do might determine the fate of your kingdom," (Oz) "H-how dare you... What do you want?" The general asked. "Hm... What do I want? That''s indeed a good question, I think I have nothing that I could get from you, so basically, you''re worthless. Fedra," Oz said and turns his back and leave. "Yes, your imperial majesty," Fedra answered and give a signal to one of the imperial soldiers. "W-w-w-w-wait, wait!!! I could give you money!!! Or information!!! You''ll need it!!! I have a lot of intel!!! I-" (Potterland''s General) Slash! The Potterland''s general''s head fell into the ground, but before the blood splattered everywhere, a mage burns the corpse immediately, burning its body into ashes. "Fedra, tell Brad to gather some intel from the Potterland kingdom, after the imperial castle''s construction finished, that kingdom might be the first kingdom we''ll raise our war flag upon," (Oz) "As you wish, your imperial majesty," (Fedra) "I''m going back, go back to the forest too. Try your best to not get seen by anyone," Oz said and leave the place. The reason why Oz choose to battle the Potterland''s soldiers with his imperial soldiers is to estimate the power level of the imperial soldiers of the empire and to check out the power of the divine emperor equipment. It turns out all of its results in great success. (Who would ever think the battle will end in a split second. It''s more like a massacre rather than a battle. A single imperial soldier could kill even more than 40 soldiers, it''s a total overkill) (Oz) (And this armor, I try to take on a strike from one of the strongest enemy soldiers, it don''t even leave a scratch on it! It''s too strong! Well, as expected of divine equipment) (Oz) (I never knew master is such a bloodthirsty person) (Fenrir) (Indeed, the figure of you when you kill hundreds of the enemy in a split second is like a spitting image of a war god) (Reo) (Oh! Fenrir! Reo! you''re back!) (Oz) (Of course, we''re back, even though I''m hoping to bust master when the master''s doing something *&#%$) (Fenrir) (Fenrir! I won''t do such a thing!) (Oz) (Of course, Fenrir. Master won''t do such things..... Yet) (Fenrir) (Seriously guys, my body is still 14!!!) (Oz) ************************************** "What do you mean, Kyron. There is an army from Potterland kingdom that on their way of invading us, and you don''t report it to me immediately?" The atmosphere at the throne room became terrifying when the queen said the sentence. "Please forgive my foolishness, my queen. I will accept any punishment you give me for my foolish action," Said the old man Kyron as he kneels in front of the queen. The queen gives out a heavy sigh. "So you said there is Potterland''s army that is 20,000 in number invading us from the north, and you''ve handled it?" The queen asked the sword god. "Yes, my queen. Someone I trust had already handled it, but he refuses for his name to be known by you. He''s a humble person, my queen," The old man Kyron said with politely. "Does he able to handle those 20,000 elite soldiers from the Potterland kingdom alone?" The queen asked the sword god, but she saw that the sword god''s expression remains unchanged, she could see the absolute trust in his eyes. "I see... I''m interested in that friend of yours, Kyron. Do you really couldn''t tell me who this person is?" Asked the queen. "I humbly apologize, my queen. But even if it''s you, I can''t tell you who this person is. But I believe that someday, you will meet this person and trust him like how I trust him," The sword god said with a smile filled with confidence with the person he mentioned. "A person that obtained the absolute trust of the sword god, I''m looking forward to meeting this person," (Queen) Chapter 84 - The First Class! [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------_----------------------_---------------------------_----------------------_-------------------_-----------------------_---------------_------------------ Three days pass, and it''s time for the first day of class at the magic academy. Every student is instructed to gather at the academy building. The academy building is 400 meters from the dormitory. The facilities it had is advanced and complete. But even though there is only one class that will be learning at the building, there are lots of rooms at the 8-floor academy building. "Finally the class will start, I''m curious about what we''ll be learning here," Oz muttered to himself as he entered the classroom. "Ren! Here!" Edreale called Ren from the student''s seat. The class is like a huge college classroom, but it''s more elegant and far wider. (Even though there are only a few of us, they still give us such a huge class...) (Oz) "Come, quick, Ren! The class will start in no time!" (Albus) (Yes, I''m coming, fatty. You don''t need to shout that loud!) (Oz) Oz joined Albus and the gang and sat in the same row. "You''re unexpectedly late, Ren," (Peter) "Well, something disturbs my sleep last night. But not the princess, Alfred. Stop looking at me with such eyes," Oz said with an irritated tone. "What? You can''t accuse me like that, Ren. I''m just wondering maybe you cultivate too long yesterday or something," (Alfred) "Don''t lie you bastard," (Oz) "Seriously? You do those kinds of things. Ren?" (Albus) "What? what things?" (Ice Princess) "No!!!" (Oz) "Guys, the teacher had come, quiet down," Sen told everyone to be silent. The one that came is not the headmaster, but another teacher. "Good morning, students. My name is Donald Kudwoski. You could call me professor Donald. starting today, I will teach you the fundamentals of using your mana efficiently, this is a core skill that will be needed by either a warrior or a mage," (Professor Donald) "This lesson is not something you will find at books or any scripture. This is something that could only be obtained by getting a lot of experience," Said the professor. (So they choose a professor that in the archmage rank too, huh. As expected of the magic academy, they choose the professor according to their skills too) (Oz) The class went by for two hours non-stop, the class stops when the school bell rang and the break time came. "It''s time for the break, after one hour, gather at the training grounds, the headmaster will teach your class there," Professor Donald said and left the class. "Woah, that''s epic. As expected of the class of the renowned magic academy of Grandaria, the lesson is mind-blowing!" Oz cheerfully said as he''s very happy for obtaining new knowledge. "Yeah... To think the flow of mana has a connection with our breathing, it means that we need to train our breathing too," (Peter) "Even though the lesson is indeed great, but your reaction is kinda exaggerating, Ren..." (Alfred) "Shut up, you just don''t understand how precious such knowledge is..." (Oz) "Seriously, Ren... Your common sense is abnormal..." (Alfred) "Ah! How about we go to the training grounds first. I''m interested in some of the training equipment there," (Oz) Oz and co went to the huge indoor training ground that has lots of facilities. But there is one facility that piqued Oz''s interest. They entered a small room that has only one table with something on top of it. "This, I want to try this," Oz point at a ball-shaped device in front of them. "Isn''t this the device that the headmaster made himself?" (Peter) "Yes, it called the illusion battle device. It will make you fight the strongest person inside your head in your dream. Since all of you decided on making me the party leader, then I have a goal for you guys, with me as the party leader, all of you will train with defeating this guy as a goal," Oz said with a smirk. "Hm... Let''s see it then, I''m interested who is the person you''re talking about," Peter somehow got motivated. "Okay, fortunately, we could use the device as a party but it will only summon the strongest person it estimated, are you guys ready?" (Oz) "Wait! How dare you left me at the class!" The ice princess shouted suddenly as she entered the room. "Eh? Princess, I don''t realize you''re not here," Oz answered with a wry smile as he averted his eyes. "You... You mean you don''t even aware of my presence!?" The princess shouted with her eyes start to get teary. "Shut it. You''re noisy sloppy head princess," Edreale suddenly cut in. "Eh? Edreale?" (Oz) "Huh!? Don''t intrude on my conversation with Ren you, sleepy eyes, half-elf," The ice princess coldly answered Edreale. Both of them stared at each other with terrifying bloodshot. "Um... Guys?" (Oz) (Master... This what you get for two-timing, no three-timing, eh no! Oh my god! You''re five-timing them!) (Fenrir) (How come it became that many! And I don''t even have a relationship with any of them!!!) (Oz) (Yes, Fenrir. Master HAVEN''T have a relationship with any of them YET) (Reo) (Reo... So you''ve teamed up with Fenrir this time, no dinner for both of you!!!) (Oz) (HAHAHAHA! Lady Geeta will feed us even if you don''t feed us, master! HAHAHAHAHA!) (Fenrir) (That Geeta...) (Oz) "Hey, Ren. Calm them down, we couldn''t start if they continue this," (Alfred) "Oioi, you''re Edreale''s big brother, right? Why should I be the one who calms them down," (Oz) "Nononono, from any perspective, it''s obvious that you must be the one wh calm them down," Albus said while looking at Oz with a strange look. "Albus, don''t look me with such eyes. It breaks my heart," (Oz) "I agree with Albus, Ren. Go calm them down," (Peter) Sen stays silent while having an amused smile on his face. (Don''t mock me with your face with such a cool pose, you bastard!) (Oz) "Ugh... You guys, calm down Edreale, princess Seraphim. We''re here for training, remember?" (Oz) ""Hmph!"" (Edreale and Seraphim) "You could call me by name directly, Ren, no need for honorifics," (Seraphim) "Nonono, even if I don''t get beaten up by your guards, your fans will try to kill me if I call you that," (Oz) "Then, it''s fine if there is no one else, right?" The princess said while averting her eyes and trying her best to stay at her cold expression. (Woohoo, the master is such a ladykiller!!!) (Fenrir) (Shut up, Fenrir!) (Oz) "Seriously, I can''t guess what you''re thinking, princess," (Oz) "Hmph!" (Edreale) "Well well, let''s just start the training shall we? Time for you to meet the figure that will you guys, no, the world will face in the future. [Open Illusion Battle]!" (Oz) "The world will face?" (Albus) A very bright light suddenly gushed out from the ball-shaped device, blinding Oz and co''s sight. "W-what is happening? It feels like I''m floating," Albus said while he covers his eyes. "We''re on our way to the dream battle," (Oz) "How could you so knowledgable of this device, Ren?" (Alfred) "Of course I''ve researched the facilities of the magic academy, if it''s not because of the classes and the training facilities of the magic academy, I won''t even go to the capital," (Oz) "Then why do you-" Someone suddenly cut in Alfred''s words. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! You have such bravery to come directly at me once more, magician!" A sinister filled with malice suddenly appeared. "Heh, you''ve appeared, huh," (Oz) Oz and co''s sight start to revert to normal, and they finally opened their eyes. But the owner of the sudden voice is nowhere to be founded. "Where are we?" (Alfred) "This place is filled with dense malice, where is this?" (Edreale) "I got a bad feeling about this place," (Seraphim, the ice princess) "Ren, where exactly do you bring us," (Alfred) "Impossible..." Albus suddenly muttered with a shaking voice. "Albus?" (Alfred) "Impossible! Ren! How do you know about this place!? This sinister aura and this red world filled with malice. Isn''t this the demon world!!!???" (Albus) "As expected of Albus, it''s as expected for you to have the knowledge as you are the son of the magic god. Indeed, Albus. This is the demon world, but not the real demon world at the same time," (Oz) "What do you mean?" (Albus) "At the real demon world, countless demons are roaming and no human could survive there. So there is no way I could go there or even come from there and go back," (Oz) "Ah! I thought you''re a demon," (Sen) "I''m not! This is not the demon world that you guys think. This is a world inside a seal, that only one person existed in this place," (Oz) "One person?" (Alfred) Boom!!! "We meet again, magician!!!" Chapter 85 - Is That The Demon Emperor!? [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ----------------------_----------------------------_---------------------------------_------------------------------_-------------------------_----------------------------_------------ "The time is near, the enemies are coming, it''s time to gather the heroes," A majestic voice sounded at the empty but grand church. "the heroes, lady saintess?" The person behind her voiced his question. "Yes, I''ve received a new oracle-" The holy saintess suddenly stumbled and fell as she lost her balance. "Lady Saintess!!!" The people behind her immediately tend her and support her. "I''m fine, sir bishops. It''s just, the scene I saw is too much for my current self to handle," The holy saintess said weakly. "What did you see, lady saintess?" The bishop asked the holy saintess. "A horrible scene. It couldn''t be called a war, it''s a massacre. We need to gather all of the heroes as soon as possible, but there is also a man who is not a hero but essential for our survival," Said the holy saintess. "Who is that man, lady saintess?" The bishop asked. "He is-" *********************************************************** ---Tarot Empire''s Capital City--- Slime Oz is sitting at the meeting room Oz usually uses to hold a meeting with the other executives. The conference table in front of him is filled with doc.u.ments and maps that have some chess pieces on top of it. "Hm..." Slime Oz mutters as he seems to be thinking something when he stares at the Ablux continent map. "Something is not right..." (Slime Oz) Tap! Tap! Tap! Slime Oz tapped a chess piece as he stares at the map. "I''ve sent scouts to all direction, but even though almost all of them encounters some demons on the expedition, there is no other gate founded. Where exactly they summon their gate at?" (Slime Oz) "Most of them came from the far south, but then where do those demons from the far west and the far east came from?" (Slime Oz) "Interesting... To be able to hinder my prediction is praiseworthy. The demons seem to have a wise strategist amongst them. But being smart is not enough," Slime Oz evilly smiled. "I see... After thinking it through once more, it''s not that hard, indeed... They''re aiming to keep on making us wary by sending some demons from the west and east while they preparing something at the far south..." (Slime Oz) "An army, no, a fortress... Looks like they''re trying to make their own fortress. But it''s fine, they''re underestimating us, so let''s make them think we don''t realize and defeat them as we loot their demonic resources and take over their demonic fortress," (Slime Oz) "About four or five months. Since the demons didn''t have that much of resources, it''s the worst scenario where they finished their construction, but if things went according to my prediction, then they won''t even finish at one year, and at the time they''re finished, the construction of the empire should be finished already," (Slime Oz) "To make sure, let''s sent them pawn undead soldiers that the undead summoner could summon daily, it will serve well as their training. Now the true problem lies in how to prevent the demons on advancing towards the humans," (Slime Oz) "Circling them won''t be effective, and the lich clone won''t be coming back soon. Looks like every kingdom will need a longer patrol distance, let''s use the goblin clone as the hidden boss in case of emergencies, that should enough for the matter of the demons," (Slime Oz) Slime Oz observe the continent map once more. "Hm... The attack on Potterland''s army is a great success. Since they don''t know the hidden force that supported Grandaria, they will stay on put for a while. Since Gracefield is conspiring with Potterland, they will get the information about the Potterland''s crushing defeat and will stay vigilant while watching over Grandaria from afar," (Slime Oz) "There are no other countries that worth mentioning since they won''t even know our existence. It''s best if we stay hidden in the shadows until the empire''s construction truly finished, it''s kinda funny for a mighty empire that has formidable power but doesn''t even have an imperial palace," Slime Oz said with a bitter smile. "The orc clone is still gathering the other new races to join us, while the demon clone is having a very fun time as he already arrived at the 76th floor of the dungeon. I really hope I could dive into action too..." Slime Oz let out a heavy sigh. "Well, it''s an absolute order from the main body, after all, at least I could see their progress from afar," (Slime Oz) ********************************************************************************** "What the hell, Ren!!! Is that a demon!!!???" Albus shouted in panic. "Shut up, fatty. Don''t make such a fuss about it," (Oz) "Impossible... That, I saw that demon before, Ren, how could this demon appear here!? This place should only able to summon an entity that you''ve met before!" Seraphina muttered in fear. "Hm? Magician, you bring some weak hero friends this time. They''ll only hold you down, you know?" The demon emperor said with a tone that could be heard as if he''s advising Oz. "Do you have the memory of our previous battle?" Oz asked the demon emperor, ignoring the cold princess''s question. "Indeed... What a splendid battle that was... With such strength, you manage to fight me back and even hurt me splendidly. I always feel excited every time I remember that fight. Even though this is not my real body, I could still feel the excitement of that battle!" The demon emperor embraced himself like a pervert as he praised his and Oz''s battle. "As I remember, I''m not at this form when I''m fighting you, how could you recognize me?" Oz asked the demon emperor coldly. "Everyone has a unique presence, And you have a presence that very much different from others. And one of the other sign is, that cursed arm, I''m the one who gave you that, how could I don''t recognize you?" The demon emperor laughed as he pointed at Oz''s cursed arm. "Indeed, you do give me quite a lot of trouble you bastard," Oz grins but his eyes aren''t. "you''re right, princess. He is what you think he is," (Oz) "Impossible! He''s the demon emperor!? How could you meet him!?" (Seraphina) """WHAT!?""" (Alfred, Sen, Peter, and Albus) "Ren, you got cursed by that demon?" Edreale asked with a deadly expression. She''s mad as Oz never told her such an important thing before. "Um... I''ll explain to you later, guys. Don''t you think we should focus on the opponent before us first?" Oz said with a bitter smile, trying to change the topic. "Indeed... I''m itching to fight... Even though you look weaker, but I believe you have some things under your sleeves, no?" (Demon Emperor) "Of course, but I don''t think it will actually work to you, though," (Oz) "True... Even though my guts keep on telling me to flee, I think we do need to at least focus at the opponent first, at least we won''t truly die if we die here," (Albus) (Thanks, Albus!) (Oz) "Ren, I''ll kill you if you don''t explain properly after this," Said Sen, but even though his words are cold, his expression is unusually showing a hint of fear and his hands trembled as he holds his sword. Oz observes the others, and all of them are not that different. everyone is shivering just by sensing the tremendous dominating aura of the demon emperor. "Don''t afraid! Just like how the undead move without fear because they couldn''t die! The opponent before us is the greatest enemy of humanity, no, the enemy of the world! You guys may think we''re not the heroes, but even if we''re not the heroes, does it mean we should just wair for the heroes to help us when we encounter an entity as strong as this demon? Of course not! We need to have the strength to repel him ourselves," (Oz) "Fear not! We won''t die! I believe all of you could sense the overwhelming difference in power between us. But this experience is for us to learn that there are still some entities that could kill us easily as flipping their hands! You guys are the ones who decided to follow me right!? That is enough to serve as a reason for you guys to train more, don''t you guys agree!?" (Oz) Oz''s words cleared their minds. Even though they still feel some fear, they remember their goals on following Oz. They want to be stronger. "Thanks, Ren. That cleared my mind," Peter express his gratitude. (Nonono, this should be the time you guys answered my motivation with "Yes! We agree!" you know?) (Oz) "Nothing, even though I said all of that, I also couldn''t imagine how we could win," (Oz) "Then!" (Albus) "Then we should just try our best, right?" Oz said with a broad smile. (Well, at least they got motivated) (Oz) "Ren... You''re a battle maniac, huh," Said Edreale with her usual expression. "Okay, that should be enough for the idle talk, right? Since I''m going to start killing you guys," The demon emperor that had been creepily smiling all this time suddenly said. Chapter 86 - The Last Boss [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ "Phew, that''s quite a close fight, huh?" Oz wipes the sweat on his forehead with his hand. "That''s not close at all! All of us got killed in just 30 seconds!!!" Albus shouted angrily. The fight with the demon emperor at the dream world only last for 30 seconds. When the battle starts, the demon emperor immediately dashes and aimed Oz, leaving Oz no chance to show all his trump cards because of his speed. With Oz''s death, the other stands no chance at all, and the battle ends. "That''s not even a fight," Said Sen with a frustrated face. (He really hates losing, huh) (Oz) "That demon is strong. I couldn''t think of any way to defeat him," Edreale said with a hint of frustrated could be also seen from her face The demon emperor they met indeed has tremendous power, but even if he''s strong, they couldn''t help but feel frustrated because of their utter defeat. "Indeed, he could even detect my stealth that even a sword god shouldn''t be able to notice," Alfred slowly muttered. (Hm? A unique skill, huh?) (Oz) "Ren Arken, how could you even meet that thing?" Seraphina stared at Oz with dubious eyes. "Um... That''s-" (Oz) "You seem to be quite familiar with that training device," an old voice suddenly join the conversation. """H-headmaster!!!''"" (Oz and Co) Oxius stared at Oz with interested eyes for a moment, and said: "Come, the class is going to start," ******************************************************** At the deepest part of the dungeon that resides in the middle of the Everdeen magical forest, several figures are in the middle of slaughtering the dungeon monsters. "We''re close to the last boss room, my liege," A huge demon clad with red heavy armor and holding an ax said to his liege. "Indeed... finally, huh," Slash! Demon Oz said while slashing the final monster with a spear that has a magic orb at the other end of the spear. 375> "The final boss room. Hades'' castle''s throne room, I wonder what kind of monster inside that room," (Demon Oz) "I believe the entity inside the room will be no match for you, my liege," The huge demon clad with a red heavy armor said. "It would be nice if that''s truly the case, Adramelech," Demon Oz answered with a smirk. "Indeed, your majesty. But even if something happens outside your prediction, we, the four demonic generals will always protect you," A demon clad in black armor said, while his black wings twitch in anticipation to fight. "I''m glad to hear that, Lucifer," (Demon Oz) "My king, I sense no presence of monsters, we''ve killed all of them," A demon clad in green and huge heavy armor said to Oz. "Yes, my king. Just like what Beelzebub had said, I didn''t sense any monsters, but my senses told me to be careful, let''s proceed with caution," Said another demon that has a huge harpy''s wing spreading behind her back. As Demon Oz clearing the dungeon while helping some magic beast clones to level up, he got several unique skill cards as the loot from the dungeon boss, He got: -[Four Hell''s General] Skill -[Fire of Gehenna] Skill -[Demon King''s Familiar] Skill -[King of Hell] Skill All of the unique skills greatly boosts Demon Oz''s strength, but Demon Oz''s favorite is the [Four Hell''s General] skill, he could summon four demon general that he has in his imagination, with his previous life''s knowledge, Demon Oz summons Lucifer the fallen angel, Adramelech the majestic, Paimon the queen of the sky, and Beelzebub the battle maniac. "Indeed, good judgment, Paimon," (Demon Oz) As Oz kills a lot of magic beasts, he got lots of new clones too. Oz level up the magic beasts that don''t have a humanoid body and store them back to his spatial magic deck, while he continues clearing the dungeon with the clones that have a humanoid body. Oz''s new clones: -Ogre clone -Troll clone -Minotaur clone -Behemoth clone -Dark Elf clone -Cyclops clone -Ent clone -Druid clone "My king, the door is moving," Adramelech moves forward, taking a stance of defending in front of demon Oz. "......." (Demon Oz) Boom! The huge door suddenly got opened with a powerful force. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "My king..." (Paimon) "I know, Paimon. I could sense its overwhelming force too," (Demon Oz) "My king?" Lucifer couldn''t help but calls his master that is smiling fearlessly in front of such a terrifying pressure. As soon as the huge door opened, a vehement force and pressure suddenly appeared. But as the four demonic generals got vigilant and show a hint of fear when they sense the terrifying presence, their lord unexpectedly got delighted when he sensed the presence. Seeing his generals'' expressions, Oz erases the smirk on his face and revert it to a calm and collected face he usually uses. (Oops, I got too excited because of its presence. But what can I do, fighting it seems to be so fun!) (Demon Oz) "Let''s enter, don''t be afraid, we won''t lose," Demon Oz said as he calmly enters the room. Whoosh! "What a rare visitor..." A deep voice that a great amount of mana could be sensed just from his voice sounded. "What a delightful day, it''s been a long time since I have a visitor... Especially strong ones..." (???) Boom!!!!!!!!!!! "My king!!!!!" (Adramelech, Lucifer, Paimon, and Beelzebub) "I''m fine," Demon Oz answered calmly. "Hm? To think there is someone strong enough to block my claw, it seems I''ve grown too old..." (???) A dragon. A symbol of might and wisdom. An entity that considered adjacent to the realm of gods. The one that appeared before Oz could be considered as the king of dragons. An old one, a wise one, and a mighty one. A huge black dragon. "I don''t quite agree with that, dear old and wise dragon. It''s just my strength is strong enough," Demon Oz answered with no hint of fear could be felt from him. "......" The dragon stays silent for a moment. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! What a brave words, small one!!!! I praise you for your strength and your bravery!!!!" The dragon shouted with full of joy, with his shout that similar to a roar. "Adramelech, Beelzebub, Lucifer, Paimon, get back. The four of you don''t need to battle the dragon," (Demon Oz) "W-what do you mean, my king!? Are you thinking of battling him alone!? Even if we''re not strong enough, we could be your shield!" (Beelzebub) "Calm yourself, Beelzebub. I''m entrusting you with my back, [Demonic Vortex]" Demon Oz suddenly pointed his finger behind without turning his back, and a huge vortex of demonic mana transforms into a tornado of red blades. *Monster Screams* When the four general turns their back, they saw the scene of Oz''s other clones slaying some wyvern and lesser-dragon and the demonic vortex killing lots of monsters. "That''s quite a dirty trick you''re using, dragon," (Demon Oz) "There are no such things like a dirty trick on a battle, all of them is a plan. Don''t you think so, little demon? I praise you for noticing those followers of mine, I now acknowledge you as a worthy foe, demon! State your name! I am the one who used to be called the King of dragons! Atlas!" (Atlas The Dragon) "Oz, a magician, and also a demon king," Demon Oz answered with a smirk. "Hm? Interesting... You blocked my claws with sheer strength, yet you address yourself a magician, what an interesting fellow... Dear little demon king, do you dare to challenge me?" (Atlas The Dragon) "Let''s not beat around the bush, Atlas the dragon," (Demon Oz) "Indeed, then goodbye, demon!" Atlas the dragon shouted and dashes to Oz with its huge body. Oz swiftly dodged and fire some spells to the Atlas. "Hm... Around level 340, huh. Well, it means my thoughts about levels is right," Demon Oz mutters to himself. "You have some guts to not concentrating on our battle, demon!" (Atlas The Dragon) "Your attacks are too weak for me to get serious," (Demon Oz) "HAHAHAHA, Nice guts!!! Take this, dragon breath!!!" A black flame gushed out from Atlas''s mouth. "[Magic Counter]" (Demon Oz) Atlas''s dragon breath gets back to Atlas and hits him. "HAHAHAHAHA, That hurts!!! Not bad, demon!!!" (Atlas The Dragon) The battle of Oz''s demon clone, demon generals, and other clones with the dragon king and his minions started. Oz''s demon clone rely on speed and spells, even if his strength is not low, he is an incubus type of demon that excels in magic. "Come, dear dragon king. Let me show you the heat of hell''s flame" (Demon Oz) Chapter 87 - Subduing The Dragon King [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ "You''re indeed strong, demon. I acknowledge your strength that rivals even me, the dragon king," Atlas the dragon king said with his deep voice. They had been battling for 5 hours non-stop, but neither of them shows any sign of exhaustion. "You''re strong too, dragon king. I have a good suggestion, what if we make a bet?" (Demon Oz) "Hm? Interesting, I accept! If I win, I''ll be taking your body!" (Atlas the Dragon King) "Good, then if I win this battle, everything of you is mine," Demon Oz said with an evil smirk. "I see!!! Indeed, the body of a dragon king is a treasure itself, but I also have my other treasures, that''s a lot but I accept. Demon!!!" (Atlas the Dragon King) "Then good, let''s continue the fight," (Demon Oz) "HAHAHAHA! You''ve already lost! We, dragons have an advantage of strength and endurance far exceed you, demons! Your body is mine!" Atlas prepares to shoot another dragon breath to Oz. "[World Of Illusion]" (Demon Oz) "[Dark Dragon King''s Roar]!!!!!" Atlas the dragon king shoots his powerful dragon breath to Oz. "Hm?" Atlas senses something''s wrong, he felt that Oz''s presence suddenly vanish. "W-what is this!? I got teleported!?" Their battlefield suddenly changed, the old huge castle suddenly changed into a vast forest. "Do you think I''m a fool enough to bet without having anything on my sleeves?" (Demon Oz) Atlas could hear Demon Oz''s words, but he couldn''t see where he is and he couldn''t even sense his presence. "Where are we?" (Atlas the Dragon) "Welcome to my empire, dear dragon king. This is the magical forest of Everdeen," Demon Oz''s explained without showing his presence. "Magical forest of Everdeen!? An Empire!? I see... as I''m having a slumber at this dungeon, it looks like the world has become lively again, but why do I smell a hint of magic, covering the whole of this forest?" (Atlas) "As expected of the nose of a dragon, you do live up to your legends. Indeed, this is the trump card I''ve been saving under my sleeves," (Demon Oz) !!?? Atlas suddenly hears Demon Oz''s voice from his back, but when he turned his back, an army numbering to hundreds of thousands comprises of various magic beasts. "I see, so you really are a king, no, an emperor," (Atlas) "I am, welcome to my world of illusion, Atlas the Dragon King. This is my empire''s army, even though they''re created by my skill, the illusion world had saved their strength because of their allegiance to me," (Demon Oz) Atlas observes Oz''s army and saw the kings like Aegir and the others. He shifted his gaze to the imperial soldier, guards, and knights, all of them have the aura of a great warrior. "I see... I could indeed sense a lot of powerful figures on your ranks, and all of your soldiers is an elite, what a great country," (Atlas) "Do you admit your lost, Atlas?" (Demon Oz) "We dragons put our pride above our lives, I won''t surrender!" (Atlas) "Then I need to put you into obedience with force then," (Demon Oz) Demon Oz looks at his back and summoned illusions of all of his other clones too. "Tarot!!! Attack!!!" (Demon Oz) *********************************************************************** The effects of Demon Oz''s skill, [World Of Illusion] had already dissipated, because of their battle on the illusion world, there is no significant damage to the dungeon''s last boss room. There is only one difference. The last boss of the dungeon is kneeling in front of Demon Oz. "It''s my defeat, and in such a shameful way of losing. I never thought your army will be that strong... To not even stand for 10 minutes... How humiliating..." (Atlas) "Of course! They''re my pride! It''s your defeat, will you keep your promise, dragon king?" (Demon Oz) "We dragons hold our pride above our lives, and a promise is even more above than them. I''m more than glad to have a strong person like you to be the one to take my life. You may use my corpse as you wish, my treasures are underground," Atlas said as he already surrendered his life by closing his eyes, waiting for the pain that will end his life come. "Huh? What do you mean by dying? Why would I kill a powerful dragon like you? What I mean by having your body is to have you serve me, Dragon King!" Demon Oz said hilariously. "Serve you?" Atlas asked, dumbfounded. "Yes! Doesn''t it cool to be an emperor that has a dragon king as his servant? Come and join my ranks, dragon king. Let''s gather your brethren across the world and make a place you could call home at my empire!" (Demon Oz) "A place to call home, huh. What a tempting offer, but since I''ve lost to you, the strong one who even benevolent enough to spare my life, I, The one who used to be called the king of dragons, Atlas, pledge my allegiance to you," Atlas said as he kneels in front of Oz. "I accept your allegiance, dear Atlas the Dragon King. I will not abuse my power and discriminate against anyone, and since you''ve joined my ranks, I''ll also protect the ones you want to protect. I''ll be counting on you for my future battles, Atlas," (Demon Oz) Whoosh! A dense black mist suddenly covered the whole body of Atlas, making a huge cocoon. The pitch-black mist surrounds Atlas for a couple of minutes until the cocoon suddenly dissipates into thin air. "W-What the," Demon Oz got speechless as he saw the spectacle. Atlas''s huge body got even bigger for about two times from before, and his scales had become more beautiful and majestic, there are some gorgeous purple and dark purple scales that aligned with some red gems that appear on his body. His head suddenly grew three huge black horns that emit a dense amount of mana. "What a pleasant surprise! To think that I''ll evolve just because of having a contract with you, master. I humbly thank you," (Atlas) "Nonono, I don''t do anything, what just-" Just when Demon Oz wants to ask Atlas what just happened to him, another prompt appears on his head. (W-what the *&#$!!!! Dungeon master!?) (Demon Oz) "Atlas, you said you have a treasury, right?" (Demon Oz) "Yes, I''ve collected a lot of things on my journey, master. I believe there will be a lot of things that will be useful for you there, let me lead you there," (Atlas) Atlas lead Demon Oz to the treasure and Demon Oz went speechless when he entered it. It''s a huge treasury that has the size of four grand castle''s usual treasure, and it''s filled with mountains of golds, magic items, magic weapons, and ancient treasures. (Okay, calm down, let''s search for the dungeon core first) (Demon Oz) "Atlas, do you know something called the ''Dungeon Core''?" (Demon Oz) "Hm? Do you mean that blue crystal over there, master?" Atlas points at a huge crystal that shapes like the whole of the dungeon with his huge claws. "Yes! That!" Demon Oz immediately runs to the dungeon core and observes it. The dungeon core shapes exactly like the dungeon, and even have the most absolute details of the dungeon on it. "Do you know that this is the dungeon core?" (Demon Oz) "Nope, I just happen to come here and kill the owner of the dungeon, and then the monsters start to follow and serve me so I accept them and make this dungeon mine," Said Atlas indifferently. (Well, that''s not quite the answer I''m hoping to hear, but well, let''s focus with this dungeon core first) (Demon Oz) Demon Oz observes it while he''s confused about how does he obtain the dungeon core that supposed to be his reward, Oz tries to touch the dungeon core, and suddenly. Chapter 88 - Dungeon Core [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ Suddenly a dazzling light appeared from the thin air in front of Oz. Following the beautiful light, countless blue particles gather and slowly merging, making a new form. "L-looks like I''ve struck quite the great treasure here," (Demon Oz) ********************************************************** "EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!" "EMERGENCY! EVERYONE PREPARE FOR BATTLE!!!" The voice of the imperial guards of the Tarot''s capital sounded across the walls. Fedra that''s looking at the continent''s map while thinking some things hears the calls and went outside his base. "What happen!?" (Fedra) Fedra''s shout is filled with power and firmness, the panicking imperial guards immediately calm down looking at his supreme general''s calmness and prowess. "S-s-s-supreme general! A dragon is flying on his way towards the capital! It''s not a lesser dragon but a real dragon! Please follow me, sir!" The imperial guard said. The imperial soldier leads Fedra to the top of the walls and pointed his finger to the shadow at the distance that keeps on getting larger. "Indeed... Ring the bells! Everyone prepare for battle! Send one person to ask Ibra to prepare as well!!!" Fedra''s command resounded across the base, the imperial guards and imperial soldiers are all well-trained, everyone immediately took their position and waited for the next command. Fedra observes the dragon calmly while gripping his ax with full force. "Fedra! I''m here! Is it true that a dragon is going to attack our capital!?" The just-arrived Ibra asked Fedra as he runs together with the imperial knights on his back. "Yea, look there Ibra," Fedra said with a firm expression. "Merlin''s beard... I never fought a dragon before..." Ibra muttered. "Yea," (Fedra) ""I wonder how strong it is,"" (Fedra and Ibra) "Hmph! You never changed, huh?" Ibra said with a broad smile. "You too, Ibra! Let''s have a couple of booze after this fight," (Fedra) But when Ibra and Fedra had prepared themselves to fight, a huge voice filled with power suddenly sounded. "I have a message from my master, he said ''Calm down, Fedra, Ibra, it''s me," A deep and powerful voice sounded. !!!!!????? "Y-your majesty?" Fedra muttered as he saw the figure that is standing on top of the huge and mighty black dragon. "That... That''s his majesty!" (Ibra) Hearing Fedra and Ibra''s mutters, the imperial soldiers, guards, and knights started to get excited. "That''s The emperor!?" "That''s the emperor''s demon king clone!!!" "The emperor is on top of the dragon!?" "The emperor had tamed a huge and mighty dragon!!!" The imperial guards, soldiers, and knights shout and cheer for the mighty emperor. "I''ll explain to you guys later! I need to go to the under-construction imperial castle!" Demon Oz shouted. Atlas fly through the walls until they arrive above the under-construction imperial castle. "Atlas, I''ll go down here, I''ll call you again when I need you, you may go sightseeing," (Demon Oz) "Okay, thanks, master," (Atlas) Demon Oz landed at the ground smoothly in front of the grand imperial palace. But when Demon Oz finally realizes how big of a scale the construction of the imperial palace is, he couldn''t help but have a bitter smile on his face. (No wonder even though the skeletons work non-stop but the construction still need another 3 months) (Demon Oz) "Okay let''s focus on this first," Demon Oz stares at the half-complete huge grand imperial castle for a moment and muttered to himself. The grand imperial castle is designed to have a lot of functions. The size of the grand imperial castle is five times bigger than any royal castle. Demon Oz''s destination is the empire treasury. The treasury is one of the facilities that almost finished constructed. "I''ve arrived, time to put the prize," Oz muttered as he took out a card and put it at the ground. "Summon [Dungeon Core]" (Demon Oz) Dazzling blue light suddenly shone, enveloping the whole capital with a dazzling light that gives the magical feeling. Suddenly a floating board appeared before Demon Oz with some examples of a dungeon like a graveyard, a tomb, etc. But Demon Oz already had a mind of what dungeon he''s going to make with the dungeon core. "An empire," (Demon Oz) A loud voice that sounded lifeless suddenly appeared at the skies above the Tarot empire. (T-the prompt''s sounded not inside my head!?) Suddenly countless blue particles covered the whole magical forest of Everdeen. Rubbles, woods, stones, and all material buildings got covered by the blue particles and flew to all sides. The huge wall of the imperial capital, goblin royal capital, and other kingdom''s capital got covered by the blue particles. All buildings slowly got covered by the blue particles and slowly changing. The blue particles enveloped the imperial castle and forming a huge and grand castle, the materials slowly floated and stuck together, countless beautiful runes suddenly formed at all of the pillars by itself. The people of the Tarot empire watched the scene with opened-mouth while getting shocked by the buildings that beautifully formed by itself. As if the gods are building the empire for them. "Eh? Wait," (Demon Oz) *************************************************** In the middle of the magic academy special class. *Sound of something fell* """Ren!""" Oz suddenly fell and fainted in the middle of the training. **************************************************** "Sister Elena! Where are you!?" Nash''s voice sounded. "I''m here, Nash! In the kitchen!!" Elena answered Nash with a helpless smile that appeared on her face. It''s been a while, Nash will always check on Elena whenever he didn''t see Elena for a while, he''s afraid that Elena will disappear and go like Oz too. "What, Nash? I''m not going anywhere. I''m making the pie Ren taught me before, I''m thinking of trying his recipe," Elena said tenderly. "Hm? I''m not thinking that you''ll go anywhere~ It''s just I''m afraid you will get kidnapped by a shadow monster or something~" Nash said adorably. "A pie? Sister Elena is making a pie?? Yeaay! I''ll go tell the others!!" Nash get out of the kitchen and suddenly a loud sound of footsteps sounded. "Geez, don''t run Nash!! You''ll fell!!" Shouted Elena. She doesn''t want Nash to fall and cry like he usually does years before. "But well, he never cries again since Ren left, huh, that guy, where is he, he never contacted me again..." Elena''s expression suddenly changed to an annoyed one as she stared at the ring Oz gave her before he went to the magic academy. Elena closes her eyes and pours her consciousness to the ring. "Ren? Do you hear me? Mr. Orc Ren?" Elena mutters softly as she didn''t want anyone to see or hear her calling out Oz''s name while holding to the ring Oz gave her. "Hmph! He usually contacts me once a week! Why does he didn''t contact me again even though it''s been 2 weeks! Even though the orc card he gave me suddenly summon an orc that turns out to be Ren''s clone and shocked me a lot! But the card and the orc clone suddenly disappears! And now I could only communicate with me from the ring!" Elena muttered angrily as she hits the ring to the ground and then gently stroke it hoping Oz''s voice will appear. "Sister Elena?" Nash''s voice suddenly appeared behind her. "KYAA!!!" Elena shouted because of surprise and the ring she''s holding got thrown making the sound of a falling ring. "W-w-w-w-w-what are you doing here, Nash!?" Elena asked in a panic. "Hm? I just want to tell you that I''ve told the others. Why are you so surprised? Aren''t sister Elena''s the one who told me not to run?" Nash said innocently. "W-well that''s true..." (Elena) "Hm? That''s... Isn''t that the ring big brother Ren gave to sister Elena? Oh~ I understanddd~" Nash''s expression suddenly changed to an expression of a child that ready to do mischief. "Nash... What are you thinking?" Elena asked Nash while feeling nervous. Elena slowly moved towards Nash preparing to catch him in case he''ll do something stupid. But Nash also had grown stronger, Nash swiftly run and escape from the kitchen while shouting. "I HAVE A NEWS~~~" (Nash) "NASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" (Elena) Chapter 89 - Good News And Bad News [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ Inside the royal palace of the Potterland kingdom. Bam! A person slammed a table. "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!?" A loud shout that filled with anger enveloped the room with fear. No one could answer the question. "Does Gracefield betrays us? It''s impossible! Both of us aimed for Grandaria''s land for so long. Then What!? Who!? Who is it that dares to ruin my plans!?" "Those nobles from Grandaria are too greedy to betray us, then who!? We lost 3/4 of our elite soldiers in just one night and even a piece of information is heard about the reason for their loss! So who, should I blame for this humiliation!?" Silence enveloped the room for a while until the prime minister of Potterland decided to voice his thoughts. "We apologize for our weakness, your majesty. But we couldn''t think of any reason for our elite soldier''s loss. There is no information about the Grandaria''s queen mobilizing her troops, and their nobles are as shocked as us, And Gracefiels is not that different. Gracefield decided to stay put for another year and gather more information because of that incident. I couldn''t help but also think that there is a third party that defended Grandaria," The prime minister bows and said. Potterland''s king sighs. "I apologize... I lost my temper because of the stress of losing such precious troops in one swoop. Indeed... I agree with your thoughts, prime minister. But IF. IF it''s true that there is a third party that could defeat our elite troops that feared by the continent in one night and silently. It means we might be facing a foe that is far more dangerous than Grandaria," (Potterland''s king) "What do you mean, your majesty?" One of the ministers asked Potterland''s king. "If there are soldiers more than 20,000 in number mobilize near Grandaria, there must be some people who saw them. But not even a single piece of information of a group of soldiers mobilizing near that place found. Do you get what I mean?" Potterland''s king stares at the minister with sharp eyes. "You mean..." (Potterland''s Minister) "Yes, it means the one that defeated our elite soldiers are fewer than our elite soldiers in number. In short, it means they''re far more elite than us," (Potterland''s king) "Impossible..." The ministers mutters as their king declared that there are soldiers stronger than their elite soldiers. They are so confident with their kingdom''s elite soldiers. "This opponent of us... A great leader is needed for a great army... We might have stumbled on a difficult enemy to handle..." ************************************************** !!! (W-what exactly happened...) (Demon Oz) Demon Oz opened his eyes and saw a ceiling that covered with expensive designs and beautiful runes. "Where am I?" Demon Oz observes his surroundings. The room is huge and he''s sitting on a king-sized bed. The room is filled with decorations and countless colorful runes. Demon Oz tries his best to memorize what happened. "Ah! I remember! The prompt!" Demon Oz exclaimed as he remembered. *Sound of the door being opened* "So you''re awake," A figure wearing the clothes of Tarot''s emperor entered the room. "Slime..." Demon Oz called the person who entered the room. "Yo, demon. You finally wake up, do you noticed something?" The person who is just like him, a clone, said to Demon Oz. "Don''t tell me... This is the imperial palace!?" Demon Oz exclaimed in shock. "Correct, this is the imperial palace. You''re the last clone to wake up, I''ve given the instructions to the others for them to do. I guess you wake up the last because you have the most exp amongst us since that dragon you found is also still in the middle of a slumber. it''s lucky for us that he didn''t fell on any building you know," (Slime Oz) "The last clone... Wait, does the real body hasn''t wake up yet?" (Demon Oz) "Yes, well it''s only 5 days since all people of the empire suddenly fainted on the spot, I''m guessing he hasn''t wake up yet because he''s our real body you know? The root of our powers are all inside of him, it''s normal for him to have the upgrade by the prompt a little bit longer," (Slime Oz) "So everyone fainted and got upgraded?" (Demon Oz) "Yea, I don''t if it could be considered good news or not, but every race got upgraded, all of them had kinda changed from their usual race," (Slime Oz) "Changed?" (Demon Oz) "Yea. Changed. Well, let me explain to you from the beginning," (Slime Oz) Orc Oz had embarked on a journey and invites all kinds of races to join the Tarot empire together with the Imperial generals. Orc Oz managed to make the cyclops, ogres, trolls, ents, and druids to join the empire. Since their number is not high, Slime Oz didn''t give them lands to make their kingdom, Slime Oz just gives them lands to make their cities near the imperial capital. Slime Oz intended to make them the guard points of the imperial capital, they''ll be responsible for the safety of the imperial capital. Since they only joined recently, their cities'' constructions are just started recently too. But because of the dungeon core that Demon Oz put at the treasury, the constructions all over the empire suddenly finished. "Finished? So not only the imperial castle but all other constructions too?" Asked Demon Oz. "Yup, the imperial walls, imperial training grounds, imperial colosseum, the kingdoms'' royal walls, royal palace, and more. All of them got finished overnight. And all of them got constructed in even greater forms than the blueprints that Thydal and I''ve made," (Slime Oz) "Greater? So even the buildings got upgraded?" (Demon Oz) "Yea, you really got a huge haul by getting the dungeon core. The imperial walls suddenly got even stronger and have several golem ballistae, catapult, trebuchet, and huge adamantine towers, there are even dozens of magic towers installed on the imperial walls, while only four magic towers installed on the kingdoms," (Slime Oz) "The imperial moat had got wider, and the imperial gate suddenly gets stronger than magic adamantine in hardness. While the last but not least, the imperial castle had some mysterious defense system, and all of the statues in front of the imperial castle, I could sense mana from inside of it, it looks like they''ll turn alive when the imperial castle is in danger," (Slime Oz) "But not only the buildings. Our people also got upgraded, all of them had some changes, but the most shocking one is the undead, all of them suddenly have a human form," (Slime Oz) "A human form?" (Demon Oz) "Yea... They could change from the undead form into a human form, some other races that are too different from humans suddenly got the ability too, all of them got a boost on power and get more intelligent so we could even send more spies to the human countries," (Slime Oz) "Why do you look like that even though all of it is good news and it''s very benefitting for us?" Said Demon Oz as he''s thrilled when he heard that the empire had grown so invincible in such a short time. "I''m also thrilled when I saw and observe it at first, but I soon calm down when I heard the news, rather than I calm down, I needed to calm down to plan more things ahead," (Slime Oz) "News?" (Demon Oz) "Yea, Brad reported to me that he saw five huge demon portal had been opened on the far south. Each of them had a [King] ranked demon guarding it, the demon beasts back then are not that strong, and it''s easy for us to repel them, and we even get them to our side," (Slime Oz) "Ah! I see..." (Demon Oz) "Yea... They tried to remove us from their chessboard by manipulating the magic beasts, but because they failed on doing that, and even have one of their gate destroyed by us, it looks like they decided on having a full war on us," (Slime Oz) "So they''ve finally considered us as a hindrance on their plans," (Demon Oz) "Exactly, but I figured out that I underestimated them too much. Brad scanned the far south alone and finally found them inside a cave, and the cave is very isolated that people would usually think that someone can''t be there, and the reason for that is because they camouflaged it. Do you get what I mean?" (Slime Oz) !!! "It means we don''t know where and how many gates are there in this forest. And if all of the gates have a [King] ranked guarding them..." (Demon Oz) "Precisely, We''ll be facing a far stronger army than the magic beasts," (Slime Oz) Chapter 90 - Dungeonization [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ A sinister world. A world filled with malice and evil. A world enveloped by dense demonic mana. Inside a huge and sinister demonic castle, a gathering is running. The gathering, the party of demon lords. The gathering of all 72 demon lords. The Walpurgis night. "Are the preparations completed yet?" A deep and powerful voice sounded. "Yes, Baal. The preparations we needed have completed. The only thing left is to wait for the right moment to attack. That''s why we gathered everyone here today," (???) "Indeed... It''s wise to have you handle the strategy, Agares. We depended on Paimon too much on the past to strategize our war plans," Baal the 1st rank demon lord said. "Is it true that Paimon suddenly vanished from the demon world?" Vassago the 3rd rank demon lord asked. "It''s true, Vassago. Even her retainers didn''t know where she had gone, we couldn''t guess anything as well because of the lack of information," Agares the 2nd rank demon lord answered. "Nope. There are two possibilities, Agares," Baal suddenly cut in "Hm? You mean?" (Agares) "Yes, Paimon is a genius. I believe she had a lot of trump cards hidden behind her sleeves, so the answer is only two, whether she found a very powerful foe that could finish her before she could do anything, or," (Baal) "Or?" (Vassago) "Or she found a new master," (Baal) "Baal! It''s presumptuous! Are you suspecting Paimon to betray the demonic emperor!?" (Vassago) "Calm down, Vassago. I said it''s just a possibility," (Baal) "What makes you said that, Baal?" (Agares) "Hm... Just a hunch. But you see, my guts keep on giving me a signal of danger, Agares. I keep on getting a feeling that I will die if I enter the human world," Baal stares the distance with a serious face. "...." (Vassago) "I see... If what your guts told you are true. Then maybe that enemy could only be defeated by the demonic emperor," (Agares) ***************************************** Inside the special class pharmacy, a person is reading a book next to the fainted Oz. "Seriously, Ren. You fainted too much," ***************************************** ---Tarot Empire''s Imperial Capital--- Demon Oz went to the imperial castle''s treasure as Slime Oz''s instructions, along his way, Demon Oz got awed by the extraordinary design of the imperial castle, the mysterious but beautiful and colorful runes that cover the mighty pillars of the imperial castle impresses him the most. "So this is the treasury... It''s very different from the scene I saw before I fainted..." Demon Oz muttered with a wry smile. The treasure is located behind the throne room, 10 elite imperial guards guard the treasury''s entrance. Only the emperor, his clones, and people the emperor permit to enter the treasury may enter it. Demon Oz slowly opened the treasury''s door *Sound of opening a door* !!! "This''s... (Demon Oz) Demon Oz could feel an enormous amount of mana that so dense that a magic beast could recover from the brink of death even if it had lost all of its limbs and is having excessive bleeding because of the dense amount of mana. It gave pressure yet pleasant. It''s so dense that it should be suffocating but yet it soothes the soul. The treasury is already filled with a lot of gold coins and treasures but because it''s very wide, it still felt kind of empty. There is only one thing that makes the treasury very precious. The huge blue crystal that has the form of the whole forest of Everdeen. The imperial dungeon core. "Beautiful..." Demon Oz couldn''t help but mutter as he saw the dungeon core. Demon Oz approaches the dungeon core and slowly touches it. But suddenly. D++> After the prompt, a huge board suddenly appeared in front of Oz. [Tarot Core [Dungeon] [Empire] [D++] Ruler''s Title: Emperor Subjects: 340,000 Vassal Kingdoms: 7 Loyalty: High Wealth: 854,000 Gold Coins Dungeon Points: 1,100,000 [Dungeon Shop] [Dungeon Core Setting] ] Demon Oz observes the board while feeling flabbergasted. The board shows only the numerical points at first, but when Demon Oz touched it, all of the details of the subjects, vassal kingdoms states, loyalty, and empire wealth got shown on the board. Demon Oz skipped most of the details, feeling that he should leave it for the Slime Oz to handle. One thing piqued his curiosity more. The dungeon shop! (If my thoughts are true, then...) (Demon Oz) Demon Oz touched the [Dungeon Shop] bar and a huge list appeared before him. "Bullseye!!! HAHAHAHA!!! We''re invincible!!!" Demon Oz shouted as he read the list. What Demon Oz thought is right, it''s just like playing a dungeon making game. Various kinds of things appeared, and all of it could be bought with dungeon points. Facilities, monsters, golems, entities, spirits, portals, upgrades, and more. "Phew! Calm down... I need to calm down... Even though we share the same memory and knowledge, I should still let Slime or the real Oz handle this. I mustn''t mess this up," Demon Oz tries his best to calm down his excitement. "Ah! Let''s try opening the settings too," (Demon Oz) The settings contain the dungeon system settings such as administrators of the dungeon core, move the dungeon core, change the dungeon core form, and more. "This one! Let''s give the administration permit to other clones too," Demon Oz mutters. ********************************************** Oz slowly opens his eyes as he saw a somehow nostalgic ceiling. Oz closes his eyes once more as he tries to remember what happened, and at that time, A huge amount of information suddenly got transmitted into Oz by his clones, and a huge excitement overwhelms his heart. "Ren?" A voice suddenly sounded beside him, Startling the excited Oz. Oz raises his body and finds out that the owner of the voice is Peter that is holding a book while sitting crosslegged. Oz felt like shouting because of his excitement but he tries his best to suppress the feeling. "What are you doing Ren? Are you okay? Your expression kinda weird," Peter asked Oz as he knitted his eyebrows. "Ah! Nothing. Do you know what happened, Peter? And why are you here?" Oz asked Peter. "Hm? Of course, I''m looking after you, idiot. And I''m the one who wanted to ask you what ha-" Peter suddenly stopped his words. "Peter?" (Oz) "Ren, since when do you enter the archmage rank?" Peter asked Oz with a strange expression. "Hm?" (Oz) Oz knitted his brows and try to feel his mana. !!?? "You''re right, I suddenly went ascend into the saint rank," Oz exclaimed in surprise. "You... Do you remember what happened when you passed out? Or what caused you to faint?" Peter asked Oz. "I don''t really remember. All I remember is I suddenly felt my body so limp and lost my consciousness," (Oz) "I see... I only sense your mana at the rank of a master magician since four days ago, but your rank suddenly ascends to the archmage rank today. It''s possible that your mana rank ranked up because you got an insight from the battle with the demon emperor that triggered your breakthrough," Peter explained to Oz. "Indeed... Your explanation does make sense," Oz mutters (So even though I actually fainted because of the upgrade the prompt mentioned, I also got a breakthrough on my mana rank. Hitting two birds with one stone, lucky!) (Oz) "By the way, Peter, how many days have I fainted," (Oz) "You''ve fainted for four days, Ren," Said Peter. "Four days, huh..." Oz mutters as Peter saw Oz''s eyes went distant as if he''s thinking of a lot of things. "But Ren, there is also one thing that disturbs me. Why does your mana felt like you''ve honed it for years even though you''ve just entered the archmage/sword saint rank?" Asked Peter. "What do you mean?" (Oz) "You see... When people first enter the archmage/sword saint rank, their mana flowed wildly and their task is to calm it and tame it to help their progress on their mana cultivation. But in your case, your mana had already honed to the point that people would hardly notice your actual rank," (Peter) "Really?" (Oz) "Yes, it should be impossible since you''re a dual cultivator. You use both sword saint and archmage cultivation, because of the combination of both of them, your mana should be running wild because of it''s the first breakthrough to the sword saint rank," Peter said with full of suspicion. He''s thinking that it''s impossible without a secret technique, and he''s hoping that Oz wants to teach him it. (I see... It must be one of the upgrade results) (Oz) "Hm... I don''t know how should I answer that question. So I have no comment about your suspicion. But Peter, let me give you a question too," (Oz) "A question?" (Peter) "What is your REAL intention on coming here. You even brought an unusual friend," The atmosphere suddenly changed as Oz''s mana suddenly enveloped the pharmacy room. Chapter 91 - Real Identity [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ "W-what do you mean, Ren?" Peter asked Oz. (That idiot...) (Peter) (Hm? He''s skilled enough to flee in the instant I cover the room with my mana, huh) (Oz) "I somehow sensed that you waited for me to wake up because of another reason too, isn''t that right?" Oz closes his eyes and said. "........." Peter stay silent for a while. Sigh "Nothing passes your eyes, huh..." Peter could only sigh. "Thank you for the compliment. So? What''s do you need from me, Peter?" Oz''s eyes suddenly went sharp as he said the words. "Actually..." (Peter) "You need some help? Or something similar to that?" (Oz) "Yea... I need your help," (Peter) "So what do you need my help for, Peter? Killing your enemies? Or usurping the throne?" (Oz) !!!??? "H-how do you-" (Peter) "You could ask me anything, Peter. Or should I say, your majesty, Grandaria king?" Oz said with his usual smirk imprinted on his face. Whoosh! A knife suddenly got flew towards Oz at a high speed, but Oz evades it easily while having his eyes shut closed. The knife comes from Peter''s back, but Oz couldn''t sense the presence of the thrower, but the intense murderous intent he felt when he said Peter''s real identity could still be felt. "You got a good guard, Peter," Oz couldn''t help but admit. Peter raised his right hand, and the murderous intent Oz felt immediately vanished as if it''s not there at all. "Since when?" (Peter) "Hm?" (Oz) "Since when do you noticed?" Peter asked Oz with a face that shows how eager he is to know the answer. "To be honest, your act is too shallow. I knew it from the start," (Oz) "From the start!?" Peter exclaimed in surprise. (Hm... I think I don''t need to tell him that I could use [Appraisal]) (Oz) "Yea, Just by looking at your expression every time anything concerning the kingdom is mentioned, it''s obvious, especially if the ''King'' name is mentioned," (Oz) "Well, one of your flaws is that guard of yours, though. He''s strong, but because of his strength, people who strong enough could notice him because he always unintentionally leaked his murderous intent every time you''re in danger, Sen," (Oz) "...It''s that obvious, huh..." Peter said, looking depressed. "Yup," (Oz) Peter sighs. "Actually Ren, I intended to test whether you''re trustworthy or not by this request, and then I''ll tell you my identity after confirming you''re trustworthy," (Peter) "But it turns out that you''ve already known my real identity, huh," (Peter) "So what? Will you silence me because I know your real identity?" Oz asked with his eyes closed as if he doesn''t even care if what he said is true. "I won''t. I believe in you, well that''s not the only reason, though," (Peter) "Hm? The other reasons are?" (Oz) "If you aim for money or power, you could have already gone to some noble that on the opposite faction of me and my mother and sold me off. But you didn''t do so, that fact alone is enough for me to trust you, Ren," Peter said with full of confidence. "I see... That''s true. But Sen, do you trust the others?" (Oz) "Hm... I do trust them, but I''m not that convinced yet. I think I need more time before I could tell them my real identity. My little sister included," (Peter) "Ah! I forgot, she''s your sister, huh..." Oz couldn''t help but remember that ice princess. "Anyway, that''s such a shame, Peter. The problem is I''m not the only one who realized your identity," (Oz) "Huh!? W-what do you mean, Ren!?" (Peter) "Hm? Maybe Albus and that icy princess haven''t realized, but Sen, Edreale, and especially Alfred are very sharp, you know? I believe they noticed that I realized your identity too but I stay silent, that''s why they decided to feign ignorance about it too," (Oz) "I see..." Peter suddenly got absorbed by his thoughts. Concern and anxiety could be seen in his expression. "Relax, Peter. They''re a mighty ally that you definitely could trust. They''re a bit rough, but they won''t betray you. In my case, I might not always in your range for you to ask my help, but I believe you''ll always find them easily even in the future," (Oz) "If you say that much about them, I don''t have any reason to don''t trust those words..." Said Peter as a satisfied and relieved smile imprinted on his face. "Okay, back to where we start. What do you need from me, Peter?" (Oz) **************************************************** A lot of things changed and got upgraded at the Tarot because of the dungeon core upgrade and the dungeonification. All of the buildings at the Tarot empire got upgraded, from the castles, walls until the civilians'' house. Most upgrades occurred in the imperial capital. The imperial castle suddenly got a lot of automatic defense systems, from the statue guards until the castle walls have its own defense systems. But to Oz''s surprise, the things that got upgraded are not only the buildings but all of Oz''s subjects too. The undead, Centaur, kobolds, lizardfolk, and other races who have a form that far from human''s appearance suddenly gain the ability to change their appearance to a human form. The symptoms that happen to the undead lately like their sudden ability to taste foods might be one of the signs of the current occurrence. But even though they could change themselves to a human form, there are some consequences they must pay, their stamina and their power became limited. They could only use up to 80% of their real power when they''re in the human form. But the upgrades didn''t give them that ability alone, they got a lot of other upgrades too. Their raw power, their talent, their mana, all of them got enhanced greatly that even Oz got shocked. All of them got a different skill that very useful for them, even civilians that not part of the soldiers, guards, or knights got some skills too. Slime Oz remembers the reports he received and couldn''t help but felt relieved again. "I''m grateful there is no bad news, it''s normal to think that good news always comes with bad news, luckily a hoard of good news came but not a single bad news inside the kingdom appeared aside from the case with the demons, how fortunate..." Slime Oz mutters to himself. Currently, Slime Oz is facing the imperial dungeon core. Slime Oz had instructed Demon Oz to investigate the demons on the far south and check on the situation since Demon Oz had already set him as one of the administrators. "Now, let''s see the dungeon shop," (Slime Oz) Slime Oz touched the imperial dungeon core and a big floating board appeared before him, Slime Oz touched the dungeon shop tab immediately, and a huge list of things that could be bought with dungeon points appeared. "W-what the... As expected, this is so awesome!" Slime Oz couldn''t help but rejoice. The list shows some monsters, soldiers, facilities, magic items, magic weapons, and even a variety of golems are on the list. "Hm... I see... I see... Let''s buy the things we need the most first..." (Slime Oz) *********************************************************** At the different world that far from the Ablux continent and filled with darkness, malice, and death. A world that holds a very dense amount of death mana. A world that filled with bones and death. Inside a huge and terrifying castle, a figure is sitting on a throne. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Great!!! To think the empire will get such an unexpected boost on construction and power!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! What a joyous occasion!!!" The figure suddenly said. "M-master... W-what exactly happened? You fainted for 4 whole days," Manistrode the mummy king asked his master. "Hm? My body went for some upgrades, that''s why I rest for several days. Hm? Malistrode, it seems that you got a boost on power too, huh," (Lich Oz) "Yes, master. I suddenly got a huge boost on my power and I suddenly got several skills and the ability to transform to a form similar to a human," (Malistrode) "Indeed, I believe all of our soldiers got upgraded too," (Lich Oz) "I-it''s true, master. How do you know that? I haven''t even told you yet," (Malistrode) "I just know, Malistrode. Just consider it as an ability of a supreme ruler," (Lich Oz) "A-as expected of you, master..." Malistrode said as he kneels in front of Lich Oz. "Stand, Malistrode. As we got a boost on power, it''s time to continue our world domination," (Lich Oz) Chapter 92 - Tarot Guilds [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ At the world of the undead, chaos is coming, a spark that will burn the whole world to the chaos of war had appeared in the midst of them. Bringing the boring life of undead to the shining and new light. "Master, we almost arrived at the vampire''s territory, the Vlad Dracula," (Malistrode) "I see..." Lich Oz answered as his eyes suddenly went distant for a while and immediately reverts normally. "Victory assured," Lich Oz muttered. Malistrode watched his master''s behavior while even though he''s an undead, he suddenly felt cold at his back because of fear. (Again! Every time master''s eyes went distant, he will suddenly become very confident as if he''s certain with the plan he had made on those several seconds of thinking! But the most fearsome fact is the fact that he always wins!!!) (Malistrode) "Malistrode," Lich Oz called Malistrode. "H-hm? Yes, master?" Malistrode answered in a panic. "Focus," Lich Oz slowly pointed his staff forward and said, "We''re going to war," ******************************************************* At the magic academy of Avalon, Oz is sitting at the couch inside his room at the dormitory. (Quite a problem you got there, master) (Reo) Reo''s voice suddenly appeared inside of Oz''s mind, startling Oz. (It''s normal, Reo. There will be always problems wherever the master goes!) (Fenrir) (Fenrir... Don''t take me as a trouble magnet... Since when does both of you''ve been there anyway!!!) (Oz) (Since the beginning of your conversation with that young king, master. But my words are true, right? We''ve been together with you for not so long but quite a number of trouble had already appeared, master. You really are a magnet of trouble) (Fenrir) Oz could only smile bitterly as he rewinds all of the events he encounters at this world inside his head. (Ugh... Can''t deny that...) (Oz) (Don''t be dejected, master. Strong people always attract huge trouble in their life, that''s one of the strong people''s responsibilities) (Reo) (Indeed... Wise words, Reo...) (Oz) (Or you could just say that master is filled with bad luck) (Fenrir) (Fenrir, you...) (Oz) (.........) (Reo) (Hey, Reo! At least help me deny that!!!) (Oz) Oz could only let out a big sigh because of Fenrir''s words as he couldn''t deny that. "But seriously... Why do I need to meddle on this kingdom affairs too? I''ve enough affairs on my empire already..." Oz silently complains. Poof! Two small animals appeared in front of Oz. One is as white as snow, while the other is dark like the night. "Cheer up, master. At least you got a powerful ally candidate," Fenrir said with her high-pitched voice. "Indeed... Empire building... Magic Academy... Demons... Undead world... Usurping the throne... Guarding the kingdom... Guarding the princess... searching for Azaline''s mother... There''s a ton of things to do, huh," Oz mutters to himself while feeling kind of lazy because of the lot of things to do. "Oh well, lucky I could now leave the other problems to my clones and focus on what''s here. Now, let''s start arranging a plan for the future, let''s start from Peter''s problems..." (Oz) *********************************************** "Um.. can you please repeat your words?" (Oz) "I''m thinking of giving you the position of the prime minister when I became the king of the Grandaria kingdom," Peter said with a broad smile, feeling confident with the offer he gives Oz. Seeing Peter''s enthusiastic face, Oz could only let out a small sigh. "I refuse," Oz answered indifferently. "Agreed, then the only problem remaining is- What!? Why!?" (Peter) "First, You don''t even have any certainty to show me of you getting the throne. Second, I don''t like such a troubling position. Third, I''m not interested," Oz explained to Peter harshly. "......" Peter stays silent for a while, he seems to think about what offer he should offer Oz to make Oz supports him. "You know what, Pete-" Before Oz could finish his words, Peter cut in. "I see... it''s unexpected but it''s fine. So Ren is that type of person. Okay then, I''ll let you have as many girls you want, you may even marry my sister but only if she accepts it," Peter said with a serious expression. "........" Oz gritted his teeth. Smack! "Of course not, idiot!!!" Oz smacked Peter''s head in annoyance. "Ugh! That hurts, Ren! Then what should I offer you to make you help me get the throne!?" (Peter) Oz let out another big sigh. "Peter. I''m saying that I''m fine without any rewards. I''ll help you get the throne but with one condition. I don''t want any spotlight at me, let me act on the shadows and help you from there," (Oz) "Really!?" Peter asked for confirmation enthusiastically. "Yes, we''re friends, right?" (Oz) "Ren... Thank you so much..." (Peter) "Don''t say such things as if you''re already assured that you will obtain the throne. Listen, I''ll devise a plan for you to take the throne but remember, my plans might be too hard for you, you''re free to give up if my plan is too hard," Oz said with an evil smirk. "It''s fine. No matter how hard it is, I''ll do it," Peter said with a firm expression that showed his firm resolution. "Good, quite a nice expression you have on your face there, I''m more eager to support you if you have such a resolute expression," (Oz) ********************************************************* "I said all of that stuff but. Sigh. What a troublesome..." Oz complained as he lay on the sofa and closes his eyes. On the other side, at the capital of the Tarot empire, Slime Oz is still busy with a lot of things. Because of the sudden finish of the constructions, there will be a lot of things that needed to be handled. Moving his stuff from Aegir''s house to the imperial castle, teaching the soldiers some martial art to perform when they''re on their human form. Slime Oz also design some adventurer guild, mercenary guild, magician guild, and merchant guild. To prevent the mercenary guild to have a dispute with the adventurer guild over an escort mission, Slime Oz decided to let only the mercenary guild to have an escort mission, while the adventurer guild only contains venturing, collecting, gathering, and searching requests. Using these systems, the information network among the empire will be far easier to spread. Different from the other kingdoms'' guilds, Tarot''s adventurer guild, magician guild, mercenary guild, and the merchant guild work and act with the empire''s interest as the top priority. In the other kingdoms, adventurer and mercenary guild refuse to be under any kingdoms'' flag because the royalties tend to use them as a meat shield to dispose of, because of that reason, adventurer guilds and mercenary guilds across the world agrees to become one organization and refuse any kingdoms'' approach. The Tarot empire is different because Oz wouldn''t limit the adventurers'' and the mercenaries'' freedom like the other kingdoms as long as they don''t do any crimes. Knowing they''re fully supported by the emperor and the empire, the adventurers and the mercenaries pledge to defend the empire. The set up of the guilds went successfully, thousands of people who search for money and seek adventure immediately register to become adventurers. While people who don''t want to venture that far register as mercenaries. The magician guild is a new guild that Oz invented, solely focus on potion-making, magic industries, magic inventions, and all things that under the name of magic. Races like the elves and the centaurs who seek wisdom and seek to refine their magic registered at the magician guild, Slime Oz assigned Gurolf as the magician guild''s guild master even though he''s already become the leader of the magic tower. Different from the magician guild, the magic tower focuses on inventing something that the empire requested while lecturing and nurturing those who have the potential and talent to be recruited by the empire. The magic tower had built several magic academies to train the future generation of the empire. With the assembling of the merchants and the successfully built merchant guild, the economy of the empire spread easily and smoothly. Slime Oz thought that the merchants will be the hardest ones to convince to make their guild, but it turns out that they accept it happily while saying that all of them owe a lot to the emperor. Because of the imperial dungeon core finishing all of the empire''s construction, the sight of the empire had become very beautiful and gorgeous, Slime Oz decided to make some events and share his knowledge of modern foods and festivals. The day the empire got its construction finished and the subjects upgraded will be remembered as "The Empire''s Birth". "Hm... Maybe I should make invent a hot spring too..." Slime Oz mutters as he remembered the feeling of relaxing on a hot spring. Chapter 93 - The Undead Sovereign (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ Inside a sinister and malicious castle that resides on the undead world of Gravendath, a figure is sitting on a throne with its menacing presence. "master, an army is approaching your dominion," An old butler said as he kneels in front of the throne. The old butler looks like a normal human, the only difference is his two scary fangs that long and sharp which a characteristic of a vampire. "How many are them?" The Lord asked the old butler. It felt kind of strange to have a butler handling the military affairs too at a huge castle for a normal person''s perspective. But for vampires, a butler is meant to serve and ease their life in every aspect, so being a butler of a vampire lord is to handle every affair of their lord including controlling their lord''s army to fend off invaders. "There are about 120,000 of them in number, master. I personally think that we shouldn''t underestimate them, master. The army... Looks kind of unusual..." Said the old butler. "Sebastian... Do you catch the figure of their commander?" The vampire lord asked the old butler named Sebastian. "I do, master. He''s a lich type, but I believe he''s different from a normal lich, master... We need to proceed with the highest caution," Sebastian the old butler said as he remembered getting some cold sweat when he tried to observe the enemy''s flanks. "It''s rather rare for you to show such expression, Sebastian," The vampire lord said as he saw Sebastian''s anxious expression. "Please forgive me, master. But I felt it, I certainly felt it. When I scout for the enemy commander, the terrifying sensation when he suddenly senses my gaze and shifted his eyes to me. As if the death god had put his attention to me, please forgive my weakness, master..." The old butler, Sebastian kneeled deeply as he apologizes to his master while his expression got devoured by a fear that not came from his master, but from his master''s enemy. For a vampire butler, their lord is their target of worship, fear, and devotion. To worship, devote, or even fear another entity is the same as an act of treason to their lord. "Raise your head, Sebas... I can''t blame you for that, it''s not your fault," The vampire lord said with a gentle but slightly stiff tone. The old butler raises his head and checked on his master that voice kind of weird. "Master?" The old butler, Sebastian asked his master that showing a strange expression but different from his expression of fear. His master. Is having a broad and sinister smile. "I could feel it..." Vlad Dracula clenched his fist as his mana aura of death gushed out and enveloped the castle. "I could feel it... The strength of the enemy... Finally... A worthy opponent had finally arrived! I''m sick of slumber!!! It''s time to shake this boring world!!!" Vlad Dracula shouted as he let out a sinister laugh in the end. Looking at his master''s morale, the old butler got a boost on his morale too. "Let''s go, Sebastian! Call the five bloody generals! Let''s welcome our enemy!" (Vlad Dracula) *************************************** "Master, should we attack now?" Malistrode the Mummy King asked Lich Oz who is staring at vampire dominion. "......." Lich Oz stays silent for a while before suddenly knocks his staff to the ground as if realizing something. "It''s a trap, huh. They got quite a good schemer on their side. Malistrode, I''m quite interested in these vampire folks, a change of plans, we''ll be forcing them to our side," Lich Oz indifferently said. "A-as your wish, master..." Malistrode answered with a bow. "Call the summoners, we''ll start with their pawn soldiers," (Lich Oz) ************************************** The vampire dominion Vlad Dracula ruled is a fortress city that has a huge wall circling it. It''s a royal vampire city that consists of 100,000 vampires. "Master, the enemy had started to move," Sebastian reported to his lord. "Are they attacking with their main force?" (Vlad Dracula) "No, they''re attacking with several thousands of pawn soldiers," The old butler answered his lord''s question. Vlad snorted. "Hmph! Are they mocking us!?" (Vlad Dracula) "Please calm down, master. It might be their intention to make you worked up to hinder your decision making..." Advised the old butler to his lord. "I know, Sebastian. Where are the bloody generals?" Vlad Dracula asked the old butler, Sebastian. "They''re waiting behind the wall''s gate together with our 20,000 elite vampire soldiers, master..." (Sebastian) "I see... Then let''s speed up a little bit," (Vlad Dracula) The black mist suddenly enveloped them and their figure vanished completely as if they got devoured by the black mist. The black mist suddenly dashes to the gate with a high speed, arriving in mere seconds. When both of the black mist arrived in front of the soldiers and the bloody generals, all of them immediately kneels to their lord. """Welcome, your majesty,""" All of them said in harmony. "Stand up, this is war, not a ceremony," Vlad Dracula indifferently said as he observes the battlefield. Above the walls, dozens of vampire archers and magicians are fending off the pawn soldiers sent by Lich Oz. Different from usual archers and magicians, vampire archers and magicians have a bigger explosion power on their every attack, making the pawn soldiers look like they''re harmless. The vampire magicians and archers easily fend off the pawn soldiers sent by Lich Oz even if they''re thousands in number because of their explosive attacks. ******************************************************** "Hm... Not bad, they''ll be good soldiers," Lich Oz muttered with a satisfied tone as he observes the battle between the wall guards and his pawn soldiers from the hole he made with his skeletal thumb and index finger that serves as a magical telescope. "Master?" (Malistrode) "Hm? Ah! Sorry, I''m too busy admiring their prowess, let''s make our move," Lich Oz answered Malistrode as he looks at them with from his skeletal hand telescope once more. "Hm...Since they have such a human-like figure, maybe I should use my human form to communicate easier with them," Lich Oz mutters as he focuses his mana aura and envelope himself with a black and sinister mana aura. The aura completely covers Lich Oz for a while and suddenly vanished, leaving a pale and tall muscular person with beautiful long white hair. His body build is muscular but not heavy enough to hinder movements. "Not bad!" Lich Oz exclaimed, feeling satisfied. "Master... That figure..." (Malistrode) "Yes, this is my human form. Now, let''s advance," Lich Oz said with his new face. Before, Malistrode couldn''t see any expression because Lich Oz only has a skeletal face that couldn''t make any expression. But now, Malistrode could clearly see Lich Oz''s face that gives a strong feeling of intelligence and confidence. ************************************************ "Your majesty, the enemy''s main force had started their move," One of the bloody generals said to Vlad Dracula. "They started to move? Do they have any siege tools or something similar that looks like their card to handle our walls?" (Vlad Dracula) "No, master. They simply slowly march to our direction with all of their troops," Said Roselia, one of the five bloody generals. "Are they going to suicide? No, it means that they''re confident about their strength... Sebastian, I''m going above," Vlad Dracula said to his loyal old butler. "Yes, master. Let me accompany you..." Sebastian the old butler said with a bow. A pair of huge bat wings suddenly appeared behind their back, and both of them fly to the sky. Vlad Dracula stared at the invaders that about to attack his dominion. But Vlad Dracula''s brows twitch when he saw the enemy''s commander. "Sebastian... Don''t you say the enemy''s commander is a lich?" Vlad Dracula asked his old butler with suspicion. "Indeed... W-what!?" Sebastian suddenly shocked when he saw the enemy disappearance of the lich figure he saw before, replaced by a man that looks like a human with a very pale face that''s leading the army with a huge and sinister staff on his right hand, and a floating black grimoire at his left side. "I-I swear I saw a lich leading the army before, I don''t see that man before, does the lich went back?" (Sebastian) !!!!!!!! When Sebastian question himself whether he saw right or not, he even started to doubt his capabilities and start to think that he might be already too old and need to retire to not become a burden to his master. But suddenly, the figure he''s observing suddenly shifted his gaze to Sebastian''s direction with a sinister and malicious smirk on his face, a familiar feeling of terror struck him that makes him realized. That man is the lich I saw before!!! "M-m-master... I believe that man is the lich I saw before... I don''t know what kind of tricks he uses to change his form, but I could swear that he is the lich I saw!" Sebastian said in a panic. "Hm... Calm down, Sebastian," Vlad Dracula asked his loyal butler to calm down as he gazes the figure that makes his butler that on the [Duke] rank to shiver in fear. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Vlad Dracula unleashes his murderous aura together with his tremendous amount of death aura that envelopes the whole city. His soldiers and generals felt the familiar terrifying aura but they don''t shiver, rather they got excited because their lord''s prowess gave them morale and strength. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But in a split second, countless thunders suddenly appeared as if showing how tense the atmosphere suddenly became. loud sounds of thunders appeared everywhere because of the clash of two powerful aura. Vlad Dracula secretly praised his enemy inside his heart because of his prowess to rival his aura, he focuses his eyes to the figure that look more like prey on his eyes with a sharp gaze, but Vlad suddenly felt that he heard a small but powerful voice. "Hm... It can''t be like this... We''re here to make them submit by showing them our prowess, I feel bad for them, but we can''t let them have any courage to do anything against us," !!!!!!!!!?????? Vlad suddenly felt his aura getting overpowered by the enemy''s aura. "Let''s use that new skill. Burn everything to cinders, [Flame Of Gehenna: Burning Fortress]" !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "Impossible..." (Vlad Dracula) Chapter 94 - The Undead Sovereign (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ "Burn everything to cinders, [Flame Of Gehenna: Burning Fortress]" Lich Oz said the words with a small voice, but somehow, Vlad Dracula, his loyal butler, the five bloody generals, and all of his soldiers heard that small voice clearly as if he said the words right next to them. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoosh! "Impossible..." Vlad Dracula exclaimed, shocked by the scene before him. Raging flames suddenly appeared out of the thin air, enveloping the whole city walls with flame. Sounds of the crumbling walls and the cries from the soldiers above the walls could be heard by Vlad. "S-such powerful magic... Impossible..." Vlad mutters as he unconsciously stopped his thoughts because of the shock. "W-what are these flames!?" "So hot! Agh!!!" "it''s a devil!!! A devil is attacking us!!!" Vlad''s soldiers shouted because of fear, not much different from Vlad, Sebastian, and the five bloody generals also got frozen in place because of the scene. "....." Vlad Dracula could only grit his teeth as he couldn''t think anything to handle the raging flames that completely surrounded his city and his citizens. "M-master... What should we do..." Sebastian tried his best to collect his composure and asked his lord, hoping his lord will regain his composure too. A vampire has a lot of weakness, but they''ve made sure their weakness stays as their secrets. But Lich Oz possesses the knowledge from the earth, and the vampire''s weaknesses are common knowledge on earth. Their weaknesses are metals, sunlight, and fire. A common vampire will die if they got exposed to the sunlight in a long time, but even in the fire, the heat of a fire could kill a vampire even if they had become as strong as Vlad. But before his lord could answer him a response and give out an order, the terrifying being that made the walls they made to defend becomes a backfire for them suddenly make another move. "Greetings, dear fellow denizens of death, the honorable and respectable creature of the night, the vampires. My name is Oz, and I''m here to shake this boring world of the undead. Join me, vampires, you should know that I could erase all of you with these flames with ease. But if you decided to join me, I could grant you an ability that will erase your vulnerability to sunlight and fire. I will also erase these flames that''s enveloping your walls. So will you choose to join me and got reborn? Or will you choose to die by my flames? It''s all your options!" Lich Oz''s voice resounded to the whole city, every vampire heard his words as they tried their best to bear the fire while their heart secretly got swayed by Oz''s words of removing their utmost weakness. (Well, half of it is a lie, though) (Lich Oz) Lich Oz silently smirks inside his heart, he actually didn''t know what kind of ability the system will give to the vampires if they join him, there is also the possibility that the system won''t grant the vampires any ability, but if it comes to that, Lich Oz also has a plan to convince them to join him with other play of hands. Lich Oz observes the vampires'' reaction and got pleasantly surprised by the scene he saw. All of the vampires, the soldiers, and even the citizens tied their best from accepting his offer. Lich Oz suddenly remembers that vampires have high pride and loyalty to their lord. (This makes them worth even more) (Lich Oz) Lich Oz shifted his gaze to Vlad Dracula that wears an attire befitting a lord, Lich Oz could feel his great amount of mana, but Lich Oz confidently smirks as Vlad''s mana is not even the 3/4 amount of Lich Oz''s mana. "Open Gate," (Lich Oz) Following Lich Oz''s words, the huge burning gate suddenly forms a huge and terrifying gate. The flames that form the gate slowly got even hotter while it''s color slowly turns black. Slowly, but surely, the gate opens. Vlad Dracula, Sebastian, and the five bloody generals could only silently watch the scene before them. Silently, Vlad had regained his composure, but he could still feel the terrifying fear that tries to persuade him to flee. He silently thought all of the possibilities and measures what he could do as he stared at Lich Oz. (Nothing... I could think no way out!) (Vlad) (Even if all of us fly, the citizens and the soldiers could only change to bats, but the flame''s heat will still be felt and only a few will survive. I can''t risk their lives for my cowardice!) (Vlad) Vlad Dracula''s wife and his child suddenly appear inside his head. Regretting his weakness and his lack of training, Vlad Dracula clenched his fist with all of his might. (I need to choose the safest option to save everyone''s life... This is my duty as their lord!) (Vlad) "W-what?" Vlad Dracula suddenly exclaimed in surprise once more. Not only Vlad, everyone witnessing the scene gasps and tremble in fear. Lich Oz is slowly walking through the burning hell''s gate and in a relaxed demeanor. As if he didn''t feel any heat from the fire that makes even Vlad that had already have a high resistance to heat feel like the sun had shown up at Gravendath. Feeling Lich Oz''s gaze, Vlad clenched his fist and resolute himself and slowly descend to the ground, facing Lich Oz face to face. """Y-your majesty!""" The five bloody generals shouted as they walk in front of their lord to protect him while trying their best to withstand the scorching heat before them. "Please let me introduce myself, I am Oz, or rather, Lich Oz, I''m thinking of uniting the undead world of Gravendath. Are you the lord of this city, dear respectable vampire?" Lich Oz asked Vlad Dracula graciously with a courteous bow. Seeing Lich Oz''s courteous behavior, Vlad Dracula responds in the same manner to respect him. Lich Oz observes the dark red-haired vampire before him that looked like a middle-aged noble. His face is handsome but pale as it''s the common trait of a vampire. "I''m honored to meet you, lord Lich Oz, my name is Vlad Dracula," Vlad Dracula answered with the same courteous bow like Oz''s. "I''m here to invite you to join me, lord Vlad, But please forgive me, I couldn''t accept no as an answer. I''ve decided that you, the vampires will be precious and reliable comrades for me. So to avoid giving both of the side''s loss, will you and your subjects surrender and join me, Vlad?" (Lich Oz) Lich Oz''s words somehow had a fascinating feeling, the way he talks gave people the feeling of his intelligence and couldn''t help but admire him. But for his enemies, they could only feel pressure from his words and leisure movements. (It''s as if he''s confident he knows the absolute answer and as if he already thought all of the possibilities... My enemy this time is quite a monster, huh...) (Vlad) "That''s quite a troubling and kind of forcing us in our perspective, dear lord Lich Oz," Vlad Dracula answered with a smile, but Oz couldn''t help but get a little bit cautious because of Vlad''s smile that suddenly had his fear and caution gone. (Oh well, if he got some hidden sleeves, it will be even more fun for me) (Lich Oz) "I''m so sorry for that, lord Vlad. But it''s just a strategy to force you to accept my request anyway," Lich Oz answered indifferently. (Facing such a powerful opponent will only make me sacrifice my people, I need to live to ensure their safety! And it''s been too boring these days anyway, I couldn''t help but think that this man will really shake the whole Gravendath!!!) "That''s quite a blunt statement you say there, lord Lich Oz," (Vlad Dracula) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Vlad Dracula''s butler, soldiers, and the five bloody generals got shocked when they saw their lords sudden action. Their lord kneels in front of the enemy!!! In the custom of the undead hierarchy, subjects need to obey everything their master or lord decides, once a subject had devoted themselves to a person, they will serve that person until he dies, and if the person they serve serves another master, it means that that master is also their master that they need to obey more than their original master. (Hm? he surrenders rather quicker than I expected...) (Lich Oz) All of the soldiers, the five bloody generals, and Sebastian kneels in front of Oz while they still gritting their teeth because of the heat and because of the sight of their lord kneeling to their enemy. "Hm... Let''s erase this to make you easier, [Disappear]" (Lich Oz) Following Oz''s words, the burning flame vanished together with the scorching heat that been tormenting all of the vampires. "Continue," (Lich Oz) "Master! If you make it disappear, you might get hurt if they suddenly attack!" Malistrode''s voice sounded. ''You might get hurt'' Those words resounded on every vampire''s head. (It means even if all of us attacks him at the same time, at best, we could only hurt him and won''t be able to kill him, huh) (Vlad) "Malistrode, be quiet, it''s disrespectful to them," Lich Oz''s slightly angry voice made Malistrode shudder. Hearing Lich Oz''s response, Vlad suddenly got a smile imprinted on his face, vampires are a race that holds their pride high just like the elves. As they had great capabilities in both combat and magic, they hold their names in high esteem. And Lich Oz knows that. That''s why he avoids any disrespectful manner even if he far surpasses them in terms of power to make sure they don''t feel that their pride being stomped and mocked. Knowing this, Vlad Dracula could only smile while feeling satisfied that the one who attacked them today is rather a kind person, different from the commonly barbaric undead. "I, Vlad Dracula, the 32nd heir of the royal Vlad family kneels before you, dear the one who holds the absolute power. I''ll be your sword, wand, or even your shield when you''re in danger. Please accept my pledge, my dear king," Vlad Dracula said as he pledges his loyalty to Lich Oz. "I accept your pledge, Vlad. And I accept all of your subjects'' pledge too. As your new master, I appoint you not as a lord, but as a vampire king! I''m not a king, Vlad! I''m an emperor! Lead your subjects to prosperity and serve well before me, vampire king!" Lich Oz''s Chapter 95 - The Undead Sovereign (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ Vampire A vampire is a creature from folklore that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living or by absorbing death mana. Vampires have the ability to absorb and extract blood into unique powers with their skill called Vampirism. At the age of gods, vampires live on the continent by teleporting using the gate opened by Gravendath''s king. They kidnapped countless people to be their blood supply livestock, forcing the world rulers to make an alliance to fend them off. But different from demons, vampires are still able to communicate normally and not as barbaric as demons. Vampires have a high pride just like the elves. Their significant abilities are the cause of their high pride. The old folk called them "The denizens of the night" -The book of Undead, Grandaria Library, Grandaria Capital ---------------_------------------------_-------------------_--------------------_--------------------_------------------_-------------------------_---------------_------------ Inside a very huge castle, the biggest castle existed in Gravendath, a huge skeletal being slowly wakes up from his deep slumber. Each of his breath gushed out an enormous amount of death mana. "What is it?" With his deep and terrifying voice that carries a vehement force, the huge skeletal being asked the figure that is standing at the entrance of his chamber. The figure standing at his chamber''s entrance is a lich that already reached the [King] rank, the lich calmly enters the huge chamber and face the huge skeletal being. "I have a report, your majesty," Said the lich respectfully. "I said what is it!?" The huge skeletal being raised his voice, and the pressure around the castle dropped just because of the vehement force from his voice. The lich remains calm and slowly kneels. "There is a movement at the southern continent, a high ranked lich is rampaging and conquering the kingdoms one by one," Said the lich. "Hm... Is that information worth my while?" The skeletal dragon asked the lich as he narrowed his eyes. Sensing his king''s bad temper, the lich secretly sighed as his master never changed. "I personally thought so, your majesty. This lich had already conquered and managed to subdue the vampire lord, Vlad Dracula," Said the lich while hoping that his master''s bad mood will disappear because of the news. "Hm? A mere lich managed to make that strong-willed and stubborn Vlad submit? Vlad''s power is not to laugh at, it means that the lich you mentioned possess even greater power, HAHAHHAHA! HAHAHA HAHAHA!" The skeletal being, the undead dragon king laughed as he could already see a scene of him fighting with the unknown lich. All of his body started to twitch as he itches to battle. "Good... Looks like a storm is coming..." The undead dragon king silently mutters as he closes his eyes slowly. ********************************************* "I see... So you''ve already conquered 4 territories, my lord..." Vlad Dracula mutters as he brushes his beard. Lich Oz, Malistrode, and Vlad are having a conversation inside Vlad''s house. "Yes, along the way I recruit this mummy king, Malistrode. While I kill the other territories lords because they refuse to serve under me, I also kill their subjects because they''re not that strong, and since they could only be used as pawn soldiers, I decided to make them f=nourishments for my troops," Lich Oz said indifferently. Hearing Lich Oz''s words, Vlad couldn''t help but have a drop of cold sweat slowly fall from his face. (I-if I reject his offer... Will he also kill me like how he killed the other lords before me?) (Vlad) Lich Oz already guessed what Vlad''s currently thinking inside his head from his expression alone and gives a gentle smile. "Relax, Vlad. Your vampires are in different cases. Different from the undead I faced before, you live in a civilized way of living, and your city is neat and clean, your subjects respect each other. I could see the quality of your people and the lord that managed to make that kind of city in this kind of world. Even if you vampires didn''t have that much prowess, I will still give you the same respect," Lich Oz said with a gentle smile. "I see... I''m grateful for your praise and to have a king like you, my lord..." Vlad expresses his gratitude to Lich Oz. (Does my expression show that much? It''s as if he''s listening what I''m saying inside my hear) (Vlad) When Vlad silently praising his lord while feeling a hint of fear inside of his heart, he suddenly felt Malistrode''s gaze to him. He saw that Malistrode is smiling at him as if he''s seeing a best friend. (What is that gaze means?) (Vlad) "Relax, I know how you feel... I''ve been with the master for quite long already, I''m grateful to meet you, junior!" Malistrode said in a good mood. "I see! I''m glad I''m not the first one to felt like this! Nice to meet you, senior!" Vlad responds Malistrode in the same manner. "Hm?" Lich Oz silently stare on both of them with a confused face, he''s confused why the high prided Vlad easily address Malistrode as his senior, little did he know that both of his underlings had formed an understanding and become a comrade quickly because of his intelligence that silently pressures everyone. (What are these guys talking about?) (Lich Oz) "Wha-" Before Oz manages to question them, Malistrode cut in. "So master, what will we do next?" (Malistrode) "Hm? We''ll move after the vampires had already fully grasped their new abilities," (Lich Oz) "Indeed... The new abilities we obtained after pledging our allegiance to you are powerful yet hard to master," Vlad agrees to Oz''s statement. Different from the upgrade before that made everyone faint, the vampires only got enveloped by black particles that form a cocoon around them, and the process finished in just an hour. All of the upgraded vampires obtain several new and powerful abilities and a new title. ''True Vampire'' They reached the pinnacle rank of their race, just like what the name mentioned, they''ve become the true vampires. All of their weakness had gone, they could freely walk under sunlight and stand near fire, their vampirism had upgraded that each of them has a unique blood ability that they could muster. They also got several new abilities that could be useful for combat, but the most pleasing ability for them is all of them could now summon a pair of huge bat wings from their back just like their lord. No need to change themselves to a bat, they could fly without having to exhaust them from the need to transform. They could also freely control their fangs whether to appear or revert to normal teeth. But different from the others, Vlad''s wings got upgraded, even more, the size of his wing got even bigger and he got another pair of bat wings. "Yes, we could say that vampires will only be able to reach their full potential if they could master their new abilities. It will be good if you could master your divine blood art," Lich Oz said to Vlad. Divine Blood Art. The upgraded version of vampirism that the vampires obtained from the upgrade, the evolved version of vampirism that uses not their prey''s blood, but rather their own blood to muster.a unique ability. Some of them could change into chains, swords, spears, bows, and other weapons while others could obtain a sudden boost on their power. The ability varies according to the person, it''s the new trump card of the vampires that had become the true vampires. "Yes, my lord. I ensure you that all of us will master it as quickly as we could," Vlad answered Lich Oz as he also itching to train his divine blood art. "Setting that aside, I have something to ask you, Vlad. Since you have a proper town, do you have a world map of Gravendath?" (Lich Oz) "Ah! Yes, I do, please wait a moment, I''ll take it," Said Vlad as he went to his bookshelf and took a huge map and put it at the table. "This is the world map of Gravendath, my lord. Let me explain it to you," (Vlad) Gravendath is split into five continents. The southern continent, the northern continent, the western continent, the eastern continent, and the central continent. Oz''s currently at the southern continent, the five continents are divided by the ocean that made from blood and mana of death, the abyss ocean. Inside the abyss ocean, countless deadly magical beast that lives by eating the dense amount of death mana guards the ocean and kills anyone who got drown at the ocean. The number of kingdoms in the whole world is unknown since it keeps on changing and increasing. There is a lot of undead that could summon their subjects and make their kingdoms. But at this southern continent, as one of the strongest rulers, Vlad knew that there are 8 lords at this southern continent, and the nearest to them is the Arachne kingdom. "I see, the Arachne, huh..." (Lich Oz) Chapter 96 - A Quest [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ "A quest?" Oz asked to confirm whether what he heard is true or not. "Yes, a quest. On the west side of the kingdom, there is a bandit calling himself the bandit king. He has followers exceeding hundreds of bandits. Your party''s task is to obliterate him with any means you have, the magic academy will give you the rewards once you''ve completed the mission," Said Oxius the magic academy''s headmaster as he strokes his beard. In the morning, Albus suddenly came to Oz''s room and said to him that the headmaster is calling him. With a question mark inside his head, Oz prepares himself and went to the headmaster''s office. "Why so sudden?" (Oz) "There''s currently a lot of problems inside the kingdom, I let yourself to guess the reasons, but our soldiers are in a short of hands to handle all of it, that''s why I suggested making a special class in order to help to solve our short of hands. And your generation had a lot of kids with great potentials after all," (Oxius) "I intended to give you quests a little bit later, but the situation isn''t really on our favor, so we need to dispatch you, the students from the special class that has the sword saint''s rank, I''m counting on you, Ren," Said Oxius with an apologetic face. Oz sighs. "I bet this is the hardest quest, and since it''s the most dangerous one, you decided to give it to me, am I right Professor?" Oz said indifferently. Hearing Oz''s response, Oxius smiled with satisfaction. "Precisely. Good guess, you''re the main reason why I give your party the most dangerous quest, you know? If you want to blame someone, go and blame yourself. It''s your fault to defeat the supreme general of the kingdom..." Oxius sneered while he strokes his beard. "My pride on the stake, you''ll be disappointed to me if I let him crush my pride, right?" Oz said with a shrug. "That''s not wrong. Anyway, go tell your party members to gather and embark to the Bareland city, you could start hunting the bandit king there," (Oxius) "Fine, I''m hoping for a good reward from this quest, headmaster," Said Oz as he left the office to meet his party members. (Are we going for a journey, master!?) (Fenrir) Fenrir''s loud voice suddenly appeared inside Oz''s mind. (Fenrir! Could you please don''t shout inside my head!? And yes! We''re going to have a journey) (Oz) (Yes!!! Sorry, master! I''m too excited!!! Are we going to ride a carriage again!?) (Fenrir) (Of course) (Oz) (Yeay!!! let''s go!!! I prefer inside you rather than your other clones, master. They work too much! Even though I don''t do anything, I feel exhausted just by watching them!) (Fenrir) (You''re just a slacker, Fenrir. How the hell could they choose you like the ice spirit queen anyway?) (Oz) (W-what do you mean!? I''m not a slacker! Oh well! At least we''ll get some fun by having a journey, so I forgive you, master!) (Fenrir) (I don''t do anything wrong, though) (Oz) (Fenrir, you''re overreacting) (Reo) (Hmph! You''re not the one to talk! You couldn''t even erase that ugly smirk on your face! Don''t lie! You''re even more excited from me, Reo!) (Fenrir) (Wha-What do you mean by ugly!? This is a gentleman''s face!) (Reo) (Agh!!! Shut it!!!) (Oz) Oz could only hold his head, trying his best to endure the pain of having those two spirit king and queen bickering inside his head. With large effort, Oz finally arrived in front of his room. Oz opened his room''s door while his face got pale because of the headache caused by the two bickering spirit king and queen. Oz sigh. (I think I''ll go take some rest for an hour before telling the others...) (Oz) But when Oz entered his room, the only thing waiting for him is the fact that his hope of having some rest for an hour is gone. "Ah! Ren! You''ve arrived!" Albus''s cheerful voice enters Oz''s ears. Oz took a deep breath and try to process the scene in front of him while telling the spirit king and queen that still bickering inside his head to shut up. "Tell me, how does all of you enter my room? I definitely lock this room up before I go," (Oz) "Hm? All of us got a spare key to your room, Ren!" (Albus) (S-spare key!?) (Oz) "Um... how do you manage to get the spare key? I don''t remember lending my key to anyone," Oz asked them weakly. "Hm? What are you saying? It''s simple since we have the royal princess on our side, everyone accepts all of her commands. We just ask the dormitory officer to make six spare keys of your room and he immediately handles it for us after looking that the princess is together with us!" (Albus) Oz stares at all of them. (The princess, the heir of the headmaster, the three famous half-elf sword saints, and a good looking man that looks like he came from a noble family...) (Oz) Oz let out another big sigh. (Well, I can''t blame the officer to easily lent the spare keys. I could imagine his expression when he saw all of them...) (Oz) "I won''t ask why all of you need to have a spare key to my room because I don''t want to hear the answer, I''ll ask why the hell are all of you gather here instead, I believe I haven''t told you guys anything about having a meeting and definitely not at my place," Said Oz with a hint of annoyance. "We come to play!" Edreale said with a tone that didn''t match with her expressionless face. (You come all the way here and even make a spare key to my dormitory room only to play!) (Oz) (Calm down, master!!!) (Fenrir) (You need to maintain your composure, master. Don''t lose your cool) (Reo) (AND WHO DO YOU THINK THE ONES WHO MADE ME LOST MY PATIENCE, TO BEGIN WITH, HUH!?) (Oz) "Don''t be mad, Ren. She''s just joking, Albus told us that we''ll have a meeting about a quest or something similar, so we decided to gather at your dormitory room," Alfred said with his usual frank style. Oz shifted his gaze to the ice princess that been looking at him with a flat expression for a moment before giving out a sigh. "Okay, let''s discuss it then," Oz took a seat. "According to the headmaster, the place we''re going to is called the Bareland city," (Oz) Bareland city is a city that has interesting terrain, like how it''s named, the land only has bare lands without any forests or any other natural terrain specialties. Because of the lack of forest, magic beasts that need to feed on nature''s mana habits far from the city, making the city no danger of magic beasts. Because there is no danger from the magic beasts, lots of people decided to live that while merchants make their firms and other business there, making the city prosper. But one day, a sudden appearance of a bandit that calls himself the bandit king changes the atmosphere in the city. The bandit king brought his allies that he gathered before from other places and make a camp near the city. Having the bandits near the city, the merchants felt their goods endangered by their presence, and it turns out their worries are true. The bandits under the bandit king rob and plunder the merchants that went in or out from the city for business. Because of the crisis, the city decided to dispatch their knights while the merchants gave them support by hiring lots of mercenaries to help the knights. As one of the most prosperous cities in the west, the knights of the Bareland city are strong and renowned. They dispatch at midnight to obliterate the bandit king and his minions full of vigor, the city lord, and the merchants wait for the good news at their residences for hours. They waited until morning, afternoon, evening, and when the night came, the city lord and the merchants start to worry. Still holding positive thoughts about the operation, they decided to wait longer, but when midnight came, they never expect that their midnight attack will be retaliated by the bandits. Under the bandit king commands, the city got attacked by the bandits until it''s forced to ask reinforcement to other cities. After the bandits plundered the city to their heart content, the bandit king instructed his minions to retreat and return to their base. "Hm... The bandit king seems pretty clever," Peter said with an interested expression. "He seems to be quite strong too," Said Sen with a similarly interested response. "Indeed... So we need to embark to the west soon, we''ll embark tomorrow, this will be our first mission as a party, let''s go wild," (Oz) Chapter 97 - Bandit Hunting (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 200,000 (+1,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 300,000 (+2,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 800,000 (+1,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 300, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia] ------------------------_---------------------------_-----------------------------------_-----------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------ *Sound of a wagon moving* "Waaa~" Fenrir''s enjoyed voice resounded on Oz''s ears. Strangely, Fenrir is currently sitting on top of Edreale''s lap while being treated like a doll by Edreale. Oz found it amusing for the expressionless Edreale to be so excited when she saw Fenrir''s mini form, and surprisingly, Fenrir doesn''t mind being treated like a doll by Edreale. While on the other side, Reo is... Pant! Pant! Pant! Reo, using his huge form is running next to the wagon. While Seraphina is adoring Reo''s huge body and noble figure, imagining herself riding on top of the huge black lion. "Um... Reo? Are you tired?" Oz couldn''t help but asked Reo who is running next to the wagon. At first, they want to hire a carriage service or a wagon service to go to the Bareland city, but it turns out all carriages and wagons going to Bareland have an absurd price of 10 pieces of gold. After feeling irritated that all of them don''t want to lower their price, Oz decided to buy a new wagon using his money, hearing the news, Fenrir makes a ruckus because of feeling excited. But when Oz wants to pay the wagon, it turns out the princess had already paid it before him, while he''s gratified to get his expenses covered, he couldn''t help but feel troubled. Because hiring a coachman will need more costs, imagining the princess will pay it again, Oz didn''t want the princess to feel like he owed a favor to her, so Oz decided to be the coachman himself, and it turns out that he starts to grow a liking towards being a coachman and handling the horses. Oz summons Fenrir and Reo not only because they wanted to be summoned, but Oz also wants to take advantage of their sharp senses to make sure their safety. While on the other side, several ''Jack of All Trades'' members is on their way to escort Oz and co to Bareland city from the shadows by Brad''s orders, they keep their distance enough to make sure Alfred and co didn''t sense their presence. Bareland city is quite far from the capital, Oz estimates that with their current speed, they will arrive at Bareland city in 5 days, but they are not in a rush, all of them agreed to travel without haste to ensure their safety. There are no other cities or villages in the middle of Grandaria capital and Bareland city, making people from the capital who want to go to the Bareland city needs to prepare to have a camp in the forest. The kingdom''s royal family decided this to make sure Bareland city''s lord to not be able to manipulate other regions of the kingdom from behind the scene and get too much influence and become potential harm to the royal family. Oz continues the journey until the sun completely disappears and the moon had risen to replace it. The party votes whether they will continue to travel or stop and rest for the night. The result of the vote is 5 to 2 while stopping and rest for the night had the majority votes. Oz explains to them that even if they continue the journey, he could let his shadow clone from his shadow skill to act as the coachman, but it would be better if they have a better quality rest rather than getting low-quality rest and have their prowess limited because their body is not at their best condition. The wagon is big enough for them to sleep together, but since it''s impossible for them to sleep together with the ice princess and incur the royal wrath of the royal kingdom, they had brought a tent for the boys to sleep at while they let the girls sleep inside the wagon. "I''ll take the night watch for today," Oz said out of the blue. "But Ren, aren''t you tired from being the coachman?" Edreale asked with concern. "It''s fine, I''m not sleepy anyway. And I could sleep tomorrow when we continue our journey while letting my shadow clone take control of the wagon," (Oz) "I see..." Said Edreale as her expression reverts to her usual flat expression. "It''s fine, Edreale. Ren is stronger than all of us after all. Since he''s strange enough to like being a coachman, maybe he also has a hobby of taking night watch too, well, as long as he doesn''t peep on you and the ice princess it''s fine, right?" Alfred said with a grin and a shrug. "I won''t," Oz rebuked. "I''ll wake you guys up when it''s near dawn, I''ll be on top of this tree," Oz said as he pointed the big tree that height around 24 meters and climbed it. "There he goes, he''s such a loner..." Albus said with a wry smile and a shrug. "Indeed... He should rely on us a little bit too," (Peter) "Agree," Sen agrees to Peter''s statement. Watching his little brother Sen shows his agreement with Peter''s statement that clearly displays his affection towards Oz, Alfred smiled satisfactorily as he says, "That''s what makes us trust him, right? He''s too caring to be a bad guy, and he doesn''t wear any sugar mask in front of us," with his usual frank attitude. "Indeed..." Said Edreale as she gazes the silhouette on top of the mighty tree while the countless stars decorated the skies above, fully represents his figure that resembles the night sky. beautiful, calm, soothing, but yet distant. Not only Edreale, the others felt the same way when they follow Edreale''s line of sight. At the moment, a certain someone is looking at Oz''s figure with a different thought. (Why...) (Seraphina) (How could such a person, have such a sad and lonely back...) (Seraphina) But as the princess, she knows how to read the atmosphere and refrain herself from saying what she just thought about Oz''s back. She just stares at Oz''s back while she felt a strange pain inside her heart. *********************************************** (What is this...) (Oz) Oz felt a hollow sensation at his heart as he sits cross-legged on top of the highest tree branch while gazing at the beautiful night sky. "Strange... I thought I have no attachment to that world..." (Oz) Oz touched his chest that felt a rare longing to his former world. (Indeed... Too many things had happened here so I never really have any time to think about the past...) (Oz) Oz weakly scoffed at himself. (So this is my curse, huh. No matter how strong or how many people trust me, the feeling of being an outsider won''t cease haunting me... An outsider will always stay an outsider...) (Oz) "Nature''s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf''s a flower; but only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, so dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay," Oz recited the poem from his former world that he remembered. When he recites the poem, the memories from his former world until the present time got replayed inside his head. And a hint of fear appears inside Oz''s heart. The fear of losing something important. Fenrir and Reo actually heard Oz''s self monologue because of their contract and their connection. But both of them decided to stay silent as they could feel Oz''s pain inside his heart too. "Okay! Let''s not get drown at depression. I need to continue to cultivate my powers, but first of all, let''s check on my stats first, it''s been ages since the last time I checked it," (Oz) "Appraisal!" [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] (Good! It grows rather nicely!) (Oz) After checking his stats, Oz checks the new unique skills he obtained. (Hm... The slime skills came from the demonic slime king... Looks like the Tarot emperor skill came from the dungeon imperial core... Ah! Atlas is still sleeping, huh! I wonder what he will be when he wakes up!) (Oz) Oz''s quite interested in some of his unique skills. Strengthen, leap, and basic magics should be normal skills rather than unique skills. Oz checks his normal skill cards, and it turns out that there is also a copy of the three unique skill cards at the normal skill cards. (I see... So these are the upgraded versions of the normal skills) (Oz) The description of the unique skill and the normal skill turns out to be different, the benefits from the normal skills couldn''t be compared to the unique skills at all. The normal basic magics skill only gives the user the power to use the basic magics, while the unique skill card gives the user a boost at all of his magic according to how the user understanding of the concept of basic magics. "Okay, it''s been a while since I cultivate. It''ll be a waste if I don''t cultivate under this beautiful night," Oz mutters to himself as he closes his eyes and cultivates his mana. Oz''s focus is something that made even Fenrir and Reo amazed. His concentration could be pictured as a drop of water that fell from a leaf. Highly compressed, relaxed, concentrated, yet elegant. Oz compresses his mana as thin as possible, his mana surrounds his body and made a beautiful and colorful thin aura. As if Oz''s enveloped by a rainbow, all elements of mana gathered to him, but not rough like how other mana cultivators cultivates. Like stroking a baby''s head, he gathers the elements slowly and with full of care. Not only Reo and Fenrir, Sen, Alfred, Edreale, Albus, and Peter secretly observes Oz''s actions from below, when Oz cultivates, they felt as if the tree Oz''s sitting is slowly glowing. As if the spirits gather because of Oz''s cultivation, the forest''s surroundings felt brighter to them, the wind is strong yet soft as if the whole forest cultivates together with him. All of them stares at Oz with more admiration than before, the ''Jack of All Trades'' also silently praising their emperor from the distance. Everyone stares at Oz''s aura that felt vivid, beautiful, soothing, yet they could feel a hint of sadness from it. Peter who observes Oz with gleaming eyes silently thought to himself. (My gut wasn''t wrong. I choose the right person to follow!) (Peter) Chapter 98 - Bandit Hunting (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Oz finishes cultivating when it''s almost dawn and wakes up the others to continue their journey. But different from what Oz said before, Oz doesn''t use his shadow clone to drive the wagon, just like the day before, Oz becomes the coachman and drives the wagon. Different from the day before, today, Alfred sits next to Oz as Oz drives the wagon. Saying that he wants to sightsee the forest, Alfred sits next to Oz with a strange smile. Hearing Alfred''s motive, Oz remembers that back then at his former world, he used to like sightseeing at the zoo. "What is it, Alfred? You look like you have something to say to me," Oz says without turning his head to Alfred. "You''re very sharp, Ren," (Alfred) ".........." Oz remains silent. "You''re sharp about people''s thoughts, but it doesn''t mean we couldn''t notice a change on you. What happened, Ren? It''s rare for you to be so gloomy. It''s disheartening to have our leader depressed like that," Alfred said with a low voice, ensuring that the others don''t hear what he says. "Is it that obvious?" Oz asked with a wry smile. "Yes, your back usually shows your great confidence. but I couldn''t feel any of that today," Alfred said with an unusually serious expression. "If there is anyone who displeases you or hurts you, you could always tell me, Ren. I''m more than glad to help you finish them, Sen, Edreale, and I owes you a lot anyway," (Alfred) "It''s fine, Alf. I think I miss my homeland a little bit," Oz said with a smile. Even though Oz smiles, Alfred could still catch a hint of loneliness from his face. Alfred didn''t know where Oz''s homeland is. Since he''s afraid that Oz might have some bad memories at his past that make his identity such a mystery, Alfred decided to stay silent. The journey continues, Oz removes the sad air surrounding him and act like normal. The next night watches are shifted fairly, but even though everyone had been given the shifts fairly, Oz never slept as he always cultivates every night. Oz''s been itching to cultivate since he first knew that he entered the sword saint rank. Oz could feel that all of his senses had gotten sharper, and his perception had become even more. Watching Oz that keeps on cultivating, Alfred and co got flabbergasted when they saw Oz''s progress, in just three days, Oz''s mana cultivation level at the sword saint rank had almost approached their level. Afraid that Oz will soon catch up with them, even the fatty Albus decides to cultivates too along the journey. On the fourth day, they finally met the sign that they''re going on the right way. "We''re surrounded," Said Oz with an indifferent voice. Normal people will have their tension hyped if they were facing what Oz and co are facing right now. But for Oz and co who already entered the sword saint rank, dozens of bandits won''t even bother them. "Then we''re on the right path, what should we do, party leader? should we attack them first or will we wait until they attack us first?" Alfred asked Oz with a low voice as he prepares his dagger. "Hm... I would love it if we could finish them right here and right now, but there is a possibility that they disguise themself as merchants and get us framed by saying we suddenly attacked them. It will be best if we let them attack us first to ensure our proves," (Oz) "You mean... there are merchants that collaborating with them?" (Peter) "I see..." Alfred suddenly mutters to himself. "Do you got it, Alfred?" (Oz) "Yea... Since Sen, Edreale, and I are mercenaries, I understand what you mean, Ren," Alfred said with a nod. "What do you mean? Mercenaries... Ah!" Edreale that quite quick-witted immediately grasped Alfred''s meaning. Sen thought for a while and closes his eyes with a nod when he understands at almost the same time with Edreale while folding his arms. "What do you mean?" Asked Albus. "If you have a group of bandits with a lot of people, where will you get your food from? Your pieces of equipment? And where will you sell the loot you get from plundering people? That what Ren means by having a connection with some merchants," Alfred explains to Albus, Peter, and Seraphina. "I see... Indeed... There will be no benefit of looting if there is no place you could sell it at, but if there is one, it could become a mutual relationship," (Peter) "Yes, but there is also a possibility that the lord of the Bareland city has a connection with the bandits, and he''s using the bandits to fend off and harass his enemies from entering the city. By using the bandits, he could monopoly the city''s market and become the sole producer," (Oz) "I see... It indeed makes sense," (Edreale) "There might be other possibilities and other suspects too, but for now, the one I hold my suspicions the most is the city lord, since he seems to be the one holding the most benefits from this, and it''s way too strange for a huge city to be unable to fend off the bandits," (Oz) "But doesn''t the city lord lost his elite soldiers together with the mercenaries paid by the merchants because they attempted eliminating the bandits?" (Seraphina) "I believe there is when the real play started, I believe those merchants also sent their trusted and high ranked bodyguard to ensure the winning possibilities, it will be a perfect chance for the city lord to eliminate his enemies force in that attempt. If my deduction is correct, then the elite knights of the city lord must be hiding at the bandit''s base right now," Explained Oz. "Oh! It looks like they''ve finally prepared to attack. Prepare guys, there is about 60 of them, three of them are at the sword saint rank, others could just be considered as cannon fodders, sharpen your sense but don''t make them sense our awareness," (Oz) Following Oz''s words, Alfred and co prepare their weapons while acting like they didn''t know the bandits'' presence. Oz had already withdrawn Fenrir and Reo as they liked to sleep inside Oz''s consciousness more, it turns out that Fenrir had grown tired of being shaken while sleeping because of his keen sense as a dog. "They''ll attack soon. Alfred, Edreale, silently reduce their number from the shadows, Albus and I will give support from behind, while Sen, Peter, and Seraphina face the sword saints," Oz give out instructions. "Now!" (Oz) Together with Oz''s voice, Alfred and co''s movement harmonized with the bandits attack, making the bandits to get startled and give the initiative to Oz''''s party. Taking advantage of the startled bandits, Edreale and Alfred disappear using their stealth skill, while Oz cast restricting vines that suddenly appear from the ground and the trees and makes all of the bandits divert their attention from Alfred and Edreale. Since they''re in the middle of the forest, Oz didn''t want to damage the forest and make fire by casting fire-type magic. "Remember, Alby. Don''t use any fire type magic, we mustn''t damage the forest," Oz warned Albus. "Roger that," (Albus) Seraphina, Sen, and Peter face the sword saint bandits while the rest of the bandits got handled by Alfred and Edreale that attacks from the shadows. Just like his nickname, Alfred lurks in the shadows normally while finishing several bandits in seconds, Edreale is also skilled, but she hasn''t reached Alfred''s level yet. The sword saint bandits realized that their pawns had all been knocked down and quickly got panicked. They only got instructed by their boss to kill some kids from the magic academy but no one said that all of the kids will be at the sword saint rank! Since Peter and Sen had fought together with Oz longer than Seraphina, they''ve taken some pointers from Oz and imitated some of his moves with the sword. Even though the bandits had the same rank level as them, the bandits should have more experience than them but Peter and Sen face them calmly and took less wasting moves as they strike effectively. Different from Peter and Sen that almost defeat their opponents, Seraphina is having a rather hard time with her opponent. She has the endless cold sword with her, but if she uses that skill, it might expose her identity when she disguised herself as an assassin and she didn''t want to be too dependant on it. After Peter and Sen defeated their opponent, all of them watched at Seraphina''s battle. The bandit has his rank the same with Seraphina but he has more experience and confidence than her. Taking advantage of that, Oz knew that the bandit will try to use Seraphina as his bargaining chip to flee. "Princess, you''re taking your time too long, his defense is weak at his left side, just focus on attacking at his left side and finish the battle," (Oz) Oz''s words are like the scythe of the grim reaper for the bandit. (All of them are sword saints, but even though they''re kids, they defeat us very easily! And how could he know that I''m weak at defending my left side when I''m the one who keeps on attacking her!?) (Bandit) "Hmph! I knew that!" The ice princess snorted as she dashes towards the bandit and her eyes turn very cold, startling the bandit. (Wha!? Those eyes... Shit! She''ll attack my left side) (Bandit) Since the bandit had a slow response when defending his left side, he took a defensive stance for his left side in advance to ensure his speed. But. (What the hell!? A thrust!?) (Bandit) Surprisingly, rather than attacking the bandit''s left side, Seraphina gives a quick thrust aiming at his chest. Clank! !!! The bandit had closed his eyes as he accepted death, but the pain he''s waiting didn''t come. "What are you doing, Ren?" Seraphina''s voice that filled with a hint of surprised sounded. The bandit slowly opens his eyes and he got surprised when he saw the scene before him. Oz deflects Seraphina''s sword with his staff while holding Alfred''s dagger at his left hand and putting it in front of the bandit''s neck. "Now, old bandit. Will you give us information or die?" (Oz) Chapter 99 - Bandit hunting (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -appraisal -evil gaze -strengthen -leap -basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "You could be quite ruthless sometime, huh, Ren..." Said Alfred with a wry smile as he stares at the poor bandit that just got interrogated by them. To make sure the bandit didn''t run away, Oz tied him upside down on top of a tree while having his clothes completely stripped. "Hm? Ah... We should make sure he regrets turning into a bandit, right?" Oz answered with a fresh smile. "By the way, give me back my dagger, Ren," Said Alfred as he remembers Oz used his dagger to threaten the bandit. "Hm? It''s on your waist, though?" (Oz) "My waist?" Alfred checked his knife sheath on his waist and his hands could feel that his knife is still inside the sheath. "Eh? But I''m sure-" (Alfred) "Let''s continue our journey quickly. If what the bandit told us was true, then the bandits must be confident that we''ve already died. It''s our opportunity to enter the city smoothly," (Oz) "Indeed... Then let''s leave now, we can reach the city at night if we leave now," (Peter) "Then what''re we waiting for?" (Albus) The journey continues and as Oz''s predicted, they arrive at the city at night without having other bandits attacked their wagon. "Damn... It''s far more impressive than the capital..." Oz couldn''t help but exclaim when he saw the city. The buildings, the walls, the city that filled with a lot of grandeur buildings and soldiers with expensive equipment. The city lord even has its own castle while several small castles are surrounding his castle, as if the city is a small kingdom that stands alone. "It really is..." Not only Alfred, Sen, and Edreale, even Peter, Seraphina, and Albus are surprised by the scene before them. "Wait, aren''t Albus and Seraphina should''ve already been to Bareland city before?" Oz asked after looking at their surprised face. "Yes, indeed... I''ve been here before, but it''s five years ago, and it''s not this grandeur when I went here before," (Albus) "Me too, last time I went here is four years ago. I also have no recollection of the city to be far more grandeur than the capital," Said the princess. Oz didn''t ask Peter directly since it might blow his cover, but Peter knew that Oz wanted to ask him too and shook his head, hinting that he didn''t know anything about it too. Hearing and looking to their reactions, Oz paused a moment as he realized something. "What is it, Ren?" Alfred realized Oz''s reaction and asked him. "My deduction is right, but it''s also wrong at the same time. Looks like the city lord has other objectives by attacking them," Oz answered after several seconds of pause. "What do you mean? Other objectives?" (Albus) "Princess, if I''m not mistaken, the city lord is at the opposite faction of the royal faction right?" (Oz) Hearing Oz''s question, Albus and Co got quite surprised since that''s pretty much a sensitive question to ask to a royalty. But surprisingly, Seraphina didn''t even twitch when Oz asked it, rather, she immediately realized what Oz means. "I see... Yes, they are," (Seraphina) "Everyone, use our cloaks, and let''s cover our identity. We might be entering a lion''s den," Oz said as he uses his cloak. Everyone followed Oz''s orders obediently and quickly before questioning him. "So? What do you mean by all of this, Ren?" (Peter) "My deduction from before is right, but it''s wrong at the same time. The deduction itself is right, but it''s not enough and their objectives are wrong," (Oz) "Think it like this, they suddenly attack us, a group of students from the magic academy that should be lacking at experience with a group of elites and three sword saints. It might look like they''re trying to silence us, but if we include the fact that the city lord of the Bareland City is at the opposite faction of the royal faction, then another objective could be seen as we have the royal princess and the royal magician''s heir coming together with us," Explained Oz. !!!!! "I see... So we''re trapped inside a political war here..." (Alfred) "It would be a great benefit for them if they eliminate the princess while saving Albus and making the headmaster owe them a favor. And if they play their cards well, they must be thinking that they could recruit Alfred, Sen, and Edreale to their ranks," (Oz) "So they caught the news of our arrival here..." (Peter) "That''s right, that''s why we shouldn''t let them know we''re from the magic academy and the princess is traveling together with us. Let''s disguise ourselves as mercenaries while collecting information and end this quest quickly. If they realize that we''re not dead yet, I believe they''ll keep on sending us some assassins to kill the princess," (Oz) "Indeed... Let''s enter with caution," (Alfred) At the Bareland city''s gate entrance, they enter while using Alfred''s, Edreale''s, and Sen''s mercenary badge to enter as mercenaries. While Oz used soft mind magic to remove the guard''s suspicions, the three half-elves'' Red Fall mercenary badge turns out to be famous and menacing enough to convince the guards. The Red Fall''s mercenary icon is made from magic ore in the middle of the badge. As one of a top-ranked mercenary guild, their clients are spread from various countries, giving them enough wealth to have such a badge. "W-welcome to Bareland city, sir... Have a nice day..." The gate''s guard said, panicked. (Even though it''s already night...) (Fenrir) As it''s already night, Oz and co decided to find an inn to rest for the night. They decided to choose a normal inn to rest in order to not take too much attention. Since it''s not an expensive inn, everyone got a room each. After buying some food, all of them decided to get some rest for the night. (Master, didn''t you just said that we''re going to get some rest for tonight?) (Fenrir) (Fenrir, your thinking is too shallow. Master asked them to rest because if they''ll only become a hindrance to master) (Reo) (Oh! I see...) (Fenrir) (It''s not like that, Reo. Don''t make me sound so selfish like that... It''s just we need to ensure that the princess does not take too much action on this quest) (Oz) (Hm? Why?) (Fenrir) (I only know that they''re aiming for the princess''s life. But I got a bad feeling that keeps on bothering me since I enter this city) (Oz) (Bad feeling?) (Reo) (Yes, as if something really bad will happen. Since our top priority is the princess''s safety, the safest and easiest way is for me to act alone at night) (Oz) (I see... It looks like you really care about that cold princess, master) (Fenrir) (It''s not like that, I only fulfilling my promise to that old man) (Oz) Old man Kyron''s figure appear inside Oz''s mind, the old figure that hides his caringness and problems with his stern face. But somehow, old man Kyron''s distressed expression appears inside Oz''s minds. (This kingdom. Is slowly crumbling, Fenrir... Like an old tree that about to get struck by a storm... Rather than the lord, an old man that should be enjoying his remaining time is guarding the kingdom with his life on the line... I''m just helping him a little bit, hoping that I could relieve some of the burdens that he''s bearing on his shoulders...) (Oz) (........) (Fenrir and Reo) Fenrir and Reo left speechless after hearing Oz''s words. They couldn''t think of any reply to answer their master. (Well, what I''m about to do right now is for the sake of another thing, though) (Oz) (Another thing?) (Reo) (Yea, I''m going to hunt for another purpose today) (Oz) Oz has three primary objectives on his ''Blending In'' in human society. First, He''s searching for Azaline''s mother that got caught by the demons that might be in captive of a slave trader like how he got given by the demons to a slave trader too. Second, Oz''s also searching for the slave trader that receiving commands by the demons that attacked the former owner of his body''s homeland. Third, he''s looking for ways to improve his power in order to defeat the demon emperor. (Ah! I see!) (Fenrir) (Exactly, this collaboration of bandits and this city''s lord made me remember about the demons and the slave dealer) (Oz) (Master, you mean!?) (Reo) (Yea, I''m afraid that some humans are conspiring with the demons too) (Oz) Chapter 100 - Bandit Hunting (4) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Different from the pitch dark of the night at the forest, the night at the Bareland city is covered with beautiful lights from the magic lights that covered the whole city and from the colorful lights that emitted by the city lord''s diamond castle. The scene is very beautiful and gorgeous, it''s an awe-inspiring scenery. But in Oz''s eyes, it''s just a city that shrouded by greed and malice. It''s a huge tree that grew from a seed of malice, having only rotten fruits that will appear from it. Despite the kingdom''s current situation, the city selfishly focuses on its prosperity rather than the kingdom''s safety. If the city supports the kingdom, the story will be completely different, the kingdom will get a great boost of power and wealth that will make Gracefield kingdom and Potterland kingdom cower. As Oz wander around the city in stealth, jumping from roofs to roofs, he saw that the majority of the city''s residents are slaves that got forced to work by the wealthy and the nobles that live here. They sleep on the streets and small hut while their master sleep inside their huge and fancy houses. (Well, it''s not that surprising since most of the people with wealth and power are people like them...) (Oz) Even though Oz isn''t surprised by the scene he saw, but it didn''t mean he didn''t felt any anger or disgust towards the nobles and the merchants that lived here. (Okay... Let''s not be stupid...) (Oz) Oz inhales and exhales a huge amount of air to regain his calm. (Now, since there''s a lot of slaves here, there must be someplace where they bought them from, right?) (Oz) Oz continues his search for a slave market, different than the other cities, Oz couldn''t found any slave market at the corners of the city. Oz continues his search until he arrived in front of the biggest market district of the city. "Don''t tell me..." (Oz) Oz slowly enters the market district and it turns out that inside the beautiful designs of the district, it contains a lot of cages that contains various kind of slaves. Looking at the elves, beastmen, half-elves, and other demi-humans locked inside the cage with their eyes that seemed to have lost the hope to live is enough to fuel a great amount of anger inside of Oz''s heart, but when Oz saw that even a human, their own race is also enslaved by those bastards, Oz''s heart slowly got consumed by hatred as the former owner of the body''s memories of being a slave got repeated inside of his head. Badum! Badum! Badum! "Wha-!?" (Oz) Oz''s heartbeat suddenly increased at a terrifying speed, he''s sweating profusely and his left arm is under a cruciating pain as if his left hand got burned by a fire. (Master!) (Fenrir and Reo) (Calm down, Fenrir, Reo. Looks like I''ve made a wrong decision coming here, I forgot that this curse the Demon Emperor gave me grow from hatred) (Oz) (Both of you, don''t come out unless I command you, okay? It looks like my deductions are right, but it might be exceeding my expectation a little bit) (Oz) Whoosh! Oz ran with his highest speed towards the barren land outside the city. When Oz stopped, Oz immediately summons his staff the Defiler of the Banished, Ataraxia. "8, no, 10, huh. I''m honored, what a grand welcome you gave me..." (Oz) "Demons..." (Oz) Following Oz''s words, 10 figures appear surrounding Oz, Oz could see their hesitant when Oz said "Demons,". "To know our existence here, you''re not a normal human, are you? Are you a hero?" One of the demons that had a large built said. "Well this is quite a surprise, I heard that the one that called himself the bandit king has a huge build and a red hair. To think that he''s a demon, that''s rather surprising," Oz said with a wry smile. "I''m asking you, human!" The demon emits his enormous blood l.u.s.t. But facing the enormous blood l.u.s.t of the demon, Oz remains idle and indifferent. "Patience, demons. Patience is gold, don''t you know that? Anyways, nope, I''m not a hero," Oz said with a bold attitude. "You... Then who are you!? To be able to maintain composure and not even raise your caution a little bit when facing me, one of the 72 demon kings'' murderous intent, who are you, human?" The demon said as a hint of annoyance could be sensed from the demon''s tone. "Hm? Your murderous intent is nothing special, you know? Even if all of you emits your murderous intent, it won''t make me frightened for even a bit, you know?" Oz said with a mocking attitude. "Who am I, you ask?" Oz''s eyes suddenly turn sharp, making the demons to get cautious. He laughed a bit inside his heart when he saw a hint of fear from those kings of demons. Oz immediately summons his emperor equipment from his slime clone before saying, "A magician," *************************************************** !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sound of doors opened, people vomit, cries, and swears suddenly enveloped the city with ruckus. Since Albus, Peter, Alfred, Sen, Edreale, and Seraphina''s room are near, the six of them immediately met each other when they opened their room''s door. "Do all of you sense that?" The ice princess said with a distorted voice because of panic. "We wouldn''t open our door if we didn''t sense that," Sen rebuked. "All of you sensed that too? I sensed 10 Sword/Magic gods'' aura just now, does all of you sensed the same thing?" (Peter) "Yes, I could sense 10 too. And all of them are gathering at one point," (Albus) "We need to go away from here quickly," Alfred said with a firm expression. "Wait, where''s Ren?" Edreale pointed out the current most crucial problem of their party. Their party leader is gone! "Sh*t," Sen swore as he enters Oz''s room. "He''s not here!" (Sen) "That Ren, at times like this-" (Peter) Boom!!! A huge sound of an explosion coming from outside the city suddenly appears. "Damn, this city will end up in ruins if those 10 sword gods fought! We might get caught in their fight and die if we don''t run away from here as soon as possible!" (Alfred) Clank! A sound of a shattered glass sounded from Oz''s room. Sen opened the room again only to find Oz with a flat face. It looks like he breaks in from the window. "Ren! Where have you been-" Before Sen could question him, Oz suddenly hold both of his shoulders and say with a tone as flat as his expression, "Retreat! The enemies are too strong! Demons! Tell the headmaster!" "Wha- Ren!? What are you-" (Sen) Poof! Oz''s figure disappears into a black mist. !!!!!! "That must be his shadow clone, we saw his skill before, right? Let''s go, we need to follow his command," (Alfred) "And leave him be?" The ice princess rebuked. Edreale, Seraphina, and Sen seem to oppose Alfred''s suggestion, but what Peter said next forced them to obey Alfred''s words. "If there is Ren here, he''ll order the same thing to us. Are you going to defy his, the party leader''s orders?" (Peter) Hearing Peter''s words, the three of them nod in obedience. "Good, then let''s go, we need to go back and report to the headmaster," (Peter) Alfred and co took their stuff and retreat to Grandaria capital with Oz''s wagon. When they went outside the inn, there''s already a crowd of people running towards the city''s gate. Looking at the running people that looked like they''re getting chased by monsters, Alfred and co shifted their eyes towards the direction of the people source of fear. Only to gasp because of the scene. It''s the malicious beings that should not be in this world. Beings that should have been annihilated from this world. Beings that once enveloped the world with fear. """Demons!""" Alfred and co exclaimed in surprise. Countless demons are surrounding the city, looking at the scene, Albus and co''s heart couldn''t help but get enveloped by fear when they saw how many the demons are in number. Albus and co immediately flee as quickly as they could while killing some of the demons that hinder their way in a panic. Alfred that had already regain his calm observed the situation with his sharp eyes. His eyes caught the sight of a lot of demi-humans from various races that are also running away from the demons, but different from the running humans, they have an expression of fear mixed with happiness. (There are no demi-humans when we enter the city before, and that clothes, they''re slaves?) (Alfred) But even for the calm and collected Alfred, the situation is too much for him to comprehend completely. (Ren, what''s exactly happening...) (Alfred) Chapter 101 - Demon Slaughter [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Good... The plan worked smoothly~" Oz mutters as a winning smirk had already imprinted on his face. Before Oz went outside the city, he left several shadow clones that had different tasks. One of the shadow clones went to Alfred and co to relay Oz''s message, while the others went to release the slaves at the market district. "You... You provoked us deliberately and made us unleash our bloodl.u.s.t, making the hiding demons to sense it and thought that we''ve summoned them. You''re very dangerous... Who are you, human?" Asked a demon that has the voice of a woman. "As I''ve said, I''m just a normal magician. I intend to leave you demons to the heroes but. It looks like you demons had faster preparations than this world, I couldn''t help but took my stance to protect my people, you know?" Oz shrugged as if he really is helpless in this situation. "Hmph! What arrogant words! What would you do now? You''re surrounded by 10 of the demon world''s 72 supreme demon kings and 10,000 demon soldiers! Don''t act strong!" (One of the demon kings) "Hm... So there really is an organization at the demon realm. Judging from your expressions, you''re not that panicked by the fact that your soldiers show themselves now, so you''re the main force of the first wave, huh?" Oz smirks. "What will I do? Of course, I''m going to annihilate all of you. It will give this world enough time to collect power to face the demons. And the other demons at the other places will also start to take action after sensing the appearance of this demon army, right? It will force the world to prepare for another attack from you, demons. you must be thinking that at least their attacks will give some severe damages to us, but too bad, I''ve sent several trusted subordinates to every point where your hell''s gate might open," (Oz) ********************************************************** In the northern part of the Grandaria kingdom, hundreds of demons also appeared. The sudden appearance of the demon army cause a ruckus and chaos to the territory, but little do the demons know, the kingdom''s people might be surprised by their appearance, but another party is waiting for their arrival. "Hm... I sense 500 demons here, you lads may back down if you''re scared," Gurolf said to the 5 imperial magicians behind him. "Don''t be like that, sire. Your words hurt our pride, you know?" "Yes, Sire. Even though you said this kind of work is tiring, why do you suddenly get so pumped up right now?" "Shut it. Ren is facing tens of thousands of demons, I need to finish this quickly and support him. I can''t have him act cool alone," Gurolf said with a yawn. "Now, let''s start the demon-hunting," Said Gurolf while imitating Oz''s smirk. ********************************************************** "Seere, this human is dangerous, he knows too much, we need to eliminate him," Said the 69th demon king, Decarabia. "I agree," Answered the 70th demon king, Seere. "Hm? Looks like a sleepy-head had finally waked up," Oz suddenly mutters. "What a great timing... Darkness spirit king, Reo. Ice spirit queen, Fenrir. Dragon King, Atlas. Come, it''s time to wreak havoc," (Oz) Together with Oz''s words, three huge magic circle appears surrounding him. Black, Ice, and Dark-red. The three of them gather a terrifying amount of mana and shone a light pillar of their respective color. "Wha!? Spirit Kings? Dragon King?" The 68th demon king, Belial mutters as all of the hairs on his body stood on their end. "Filthy demons... What a great pleasure to have the chance to slay your kind again..." A deep voice coming from the black light pillar sounded, a voice that filled with darkness. "Foolish demons, for you to dare to step into this realm again... All of you need to be punished at the eternal ice..." A voice that only from hearing the voice made the demons felt cold on their feet. But that''s not all. Another fearsome being that the demons feared had yet spoken. "Weaklings! For you weaklings to dare to anger my master! All of you need to taste the royal breath of the dragon king!!!" ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The three fearsome beings roared, bringing fear to the demons'' hearts. More than half of the demons lost their lives because of the terrifying roar of the three mythical kings. (Wait, does wolf even roar? Doesn''t they bark?) (Oz) (Hey! I could hear it you know!?) (Fenrir) "Now, now, you need to know that the times had changed, demons. You''ve no longer the lions, you''re the ONE who is entering the lion''s den... And only death awaits you..." Oz said with a winning smirk. ************************************************************ Tap! Slime Oz placed the king piece on top of the chessboard. But looking at the scene, Aegir felt that what Slime Oz''s doing is rather strange. Slime Oz used the king piece to the front lines, making the usually protected king to be exposed to danger. "What are you doing, Ren? Isn''t that the same thing as surrendering?" Aegir asked Oz that is playing the chess himself. "Hm? You''re not wrong, but that''s the case if we''re playing the usual chess," (Slime Oz) "What do you mean?" (Aegir) "On a normal chess game, a king is only the mastermind but is rather useless on the battle. But the pieces I''m playing here are representing our empire pieces... What I have here is not only kings, this is the emperor piece, he shouldn''t be cowering behind his soldiers, right?," (Slime Oz) Hearing Slime Oz''s words, Aegir only helplessly sighs. Every time Oz shows this kind of expression, It means he had caught the glimpse of his win. "In other words, checkmate, huh," (Aegir) "Precisely, time to enter the second step of our huge plans, (Slime Oz) Chapter 102 - Prologue: Ozs Disappearance [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Three and a half years ago, a sudden appearance of demons across the world had increased the tense atmosphere enveloping the world. Lots of destructions were made because of their appearance, but strangely, only the Grandaria kingdom that supposed to be currently unstable that managed to fend off the demons on its region. Following the demons'' appearance, the rumors of heavenly knights from different races saving the Grandaria kingdom''s people and defeating hundreds and even thousands of demons with only dozens of them spread wide across the continent. Some people said they''re a party of heroes. Some people said they''re forces from heaven. Some people said they''re legends from myths. Some of them are magicians, some of them are warriors, and some of them are assassins. Not long from the appearance of the rumor, more kingdoms and people admitted that they saw those heavenly knights slaying the demons in ease. Just like their sudden appearance, the demons got erased from the continent in a short time by these heavenly knights, leaving the demons no time to wreak more havoc. But that''s not the end. All kingdoms got information that the demons will be back in four years, but even though the source of the information is unknown, all of them trust it, and even the holy church said that the information is valid. On the day of the demons outbreak, Alfred, Sen, Edreale, Sera, Albus, and Peter retreat to the magic academy as Oz''s orders. After reporting to the headmaster of the magic academy, together with the sword god, Kyron, the headmaster and the sword god went to Bareland city together with some forces of the academy. When they arrived, the city, the 10,000 demons, and Oz disappears, leaving terrifying remnants of demon bones and a huge hole. They searched the place for hours but not even a life could be found. It''s said that all of the people from the Bareland city had evacuated first, but Alfred and co knew that Oz is not amongst them. After another round of searching, Albus found a cloak that similar to their cloaks. After looking at the badge at the cloak, Oxius confirm that it''s the academy''s cloak. The old man Kyron takes the cloak and checked the remnants of mana that still left at the cloak. And with a dark expression, he confirms that he sensed that the mana remnants is Oz''s "Kid... You have done an extraordinary deed. Even if the world didn''t know it, I do. You''ve saved a lot of lives..." Old man Kyron mutters to the cloak he''s holding while the image of the confident Oz appears in his mind. He couldn''t help but have a drop of tear dropped from the corner of his eyes. Looking at the old warrior''s tears, the group got enveloped by sadness. After mourning for a while, they went back to the academy. Because no one really knows what happened at the Bareland city, even if they say Oz''s the one who slain all of the demons there, they don''t have any proof of it. And as if giving more wounds to the sword god''s heart, Oz''s name suddenly got labeled as a heretic that served the demons, and the queen refused the old warrior''s request to help him clean his deceased successor''s name. After going back to the capital, the sword god had isolated himself from the public. Bringing the kids from all of the orphanages under him, they moved to a mountain far from the capital. Hearing the news, Elena and the kids cried and mourn, making the sword god''s heart pain even more. After the absence of the sword god, as if the kingdom had lost their lucky charm, misfortunes keep on coming towards the kingdom. Even though the Grandaria kingdom had the least damage from the demons outbreak, their recovery rate is also the lowest amongst other kingdoms. Because of the demons outbreak, all kingdoms had increased their military might. And since the internal strife for power at the Grandaria kingdom still continued, the kingdom had lost its influence on the continent. Together with the noble faction''s increase of influence, the magic academy''s special class had got removed, and the students got forced to graduate earlier. But the nobles couldn''t erase or even control the magic academy completely, because there is still the magic god, Oxius, sitting at the headmaster seat of the academy. One year after Oz''s disappearance, Potterland kingdom''s and Gracefield kingdom''s invasion towards the Grandaria kingdom had started. Because of the noble faction''s hold of influence, they let lots of Potterland kingdom''s and Gracefield kingdom''s soldiers to garrison their soldiers inside Grandaria kingdom, making more people from both kingdoms to enters and live at Grandaria as if it had become theirs. As the danger had become more obvious, as the kingdom''s princess, Sera tried her best to help her people that currently got discriminated inside their own kingdom. Together with Alfred''s help that had taken over the position of Red Fall''s mercenary band, they managed to stabilize the capital and the city of mercenaries. Sen and Edreale still went to search for the culprit who burned their orphanage. Together with Peter who still hasn''t found the right time to take over the throne since it''s still full of danger. As the years went, sparks of war got even bigger, the flame of wars almost enveloped the world. Yet where is the legendary magician when the world is in the brink of peril? ******************************* Inside the royal palace of the great Grandaria kingdom, a royal meeting is currently on progress. "Your majesty, please hear my advice, it''s better if we join hands with Gracefield. With their economic power, we could stabilize the kingdom easily," "No, your majesty. We should lean to Potterland, with their military might, we could ensure our safety for several years ahead until we stabilize our economy and our military power," The ministers advised the queen with their thoughts, but the queen completely knows what they mean by their advice which made her felt irritated. (These old bastards. One seeks to satisfy their greed for wealth, while the other wants to satisfy their greed of power, is there even someone who still care with this kingdom?) (Queen) The queen could only silently clenched her fist while facing the old and greedy nobles in front of her. While the Grandaria kingdom is facing the threat of peril, deep inside the great magical forest of Everdeen, Aegir is watching a demonic sphere that holds a figure inside it with a complex look. "Again, Aegir?" Slime Oz that appears from the imperial chamber''s door silently slightly startled Aegir. "Don''t surprise me like that, Ren. I''m just staring at my old friend''s figure, that''s all," Said Aegir as he stares at the figure inside the sphere once more. "Don''t be like that, Aegir. Couldn''t you see that I''m standing right here?" (Slime Oz) "It''s different, Ren. Even though you''re the clone that has a similar appearance with the real Ren, and you even have a fragment of his soul, but yet, it''s still felt different," (Aegir) Slime Oz sights because of his dear friend''s behavior. "Don''t need to worry too much, I won''t lose the battle," (Slime Oz) "I do believe, but we''ve waited for three years. I couldn''t help but worry," (Aegir) "You don''t need to, stop worrying too much, worrywart. Let''s go, there are some people to save, and some demons to slay," (Slime Oz) Chapter 103 - New Life Of The Princess [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ As a princess of the kingdom, I want to protect this kingdom too, and joined the battle. but yet, the scene before me froze my feet. Terrifying battlefield. Terrifying numbers of enemies. Terrifying demons. Our kingdom''s soldiers are only 100,000, while our opponent had more than 10 times ours. But even so, we don''t have any option but to stand with our shivering legs and hold our position. We have our home to protect. I clench my fists as strong as I could as I remember how other kingdoms rejected our offer of alliance. The battle started with powerful magic from the enemy''s side. How much time had passed? How many soldiers had we lost? How big is our chance to win? Too many questions that I have yet already know the answers. As the blood of the demons spilled all over my body. My emotion as a human starts to fade away once more. Even though that man had helped me and made me more human. (I wonder how''s he doing?) I swing my sword, cast my spell, and kill every enemy I encounter. "We. Are never meant to live happily, aren''t we?" As if my feet had just entered the sea of darkness, my eyes started to lose its light. I couldn''t see any light of hope, only despair, and death. Slowly, surrendering my body to the depth of despair. No one will help us. No one will fight for us. He. He will not help me. But before my head entered the sea of despair inside my consciousness, a war horn appears from an unknown side, pulling my body back from the sea of despair, preventing me from sinking. The war horn sounded so majestic. As if I could feel the strength and spirit of their army. "Reinforcements?" "Enemy''s?" "No, they''re pushing the demons backward," A red flag with four images on four sides of the flag. "Men, advance," A familiar voice sounded at my ears. A voice that so calm and so reliable, I could felt warm and relax just by hearing his voice. His voice sounded as clear as a river, not loud, yet everyone heard the voice. "Let''s make the demons regret defiling our world," He ordered his army. "Attack!!!" One of his generals shouted, his army roared with a roar that shook the battlefield. As if the demons got overwhelmed by their momentum, some of them flee because of them. Looking at the fleeing demons, our army''s morale raised to the pinnacle. "Ren!" I called out the name of the man that in this world, maybe only him that can form a smile in my face. As my heart filled with a warm feeling, I feel that I want to pause this moment and stare at him all the time. But yet, the reality is cruel. !!! Putting my hands on my head, I let out a heavy sigh. "It''s just a dream, huh..." As usual, I take a bath and prepare for the day. Using a usual princess attire that easiest to move with, I get out of my room and meet my very first friend. "Mary," Mary, Mary Estranbelle. The very first maid that accompanies me since I''m still six years old. We''re at the same age so we became friends easily, despite me having a troublesome personality, Mary still loyally accompany me whenever I go. "Princess, the breakfast is ready~," Mary said cheerfully. "Geez. You should just call me Sera when there''s only both of us, you know?" (Sera) "This is my pride as a professional maid, my dear princess~ As the first maid that serves you, I need to show that I''m better than the other maids!" (Mary) "Full of energy like always, huh," (Sera) "Of course! I''ve eaten my breakfast, after all! That''s why you need to eat too, princess! Let''s go!" Mary pulled my hand. The breakfast tasted as usual. Eating breakfast like this made me remember the days when I still study at the magic academy. Peace and fun. Under his leadership, it felt as if we could face anything. "Whoa. Sera. Breakfast," A familiar flat voice suddenly sounded from behind me. "Edry, sneaking inside the castle is a bad habit, you know?" I lecture my friend for sneaking inside the castle. "It''s fine, a crime is not a crime as long as we don''t get caught," She answered with a mischievous answer yet a flat tone and a flat expression. "Is that another Ren''s words?" (Sera) "Yup. His life''s leisureliness is a bliss for me. I''ll follow his way of life as my life''s guide," (Edreale) "Lady Edreale! Since when do you enter the castle!?" Mary that just returned from taking some desserts for me exclaimed in surprise when she saw Edreale lying at the couch. "Ah. Mary. Please keep this a secret from the guards, okay? It''s troublesome if they knew, they''ll lecture me for hours," (Edreale) "B-but if you got caught, I''ll be the one who''ll get lecture by them, you know?" (Mary) Since Ren''s disappearance, we couldn''t help but get even closer to each other. Even Edreale and me that used to dislike each other, start to get closer and become best friends. (Well we''re the only girls in the group, after all) (Sera) "It''s fine, Mary. If we got caught, I''ll tell them that Edry appear by my summons," (Sera) "But princess!" (Mary) "It''s fine. By the way, Edry. How''re the others doing?" (Sera) "They''re good, I guess. Sen''s still focusing on honing his sword skills even stronger. Alfred big bro''s getting more cunning and had subjugated lots of wild mercenary guilds and merge them with ours. With Peter''s help, the mercenary guild had grown very big," (Edreale) "Albus''s belly didn''t change, big and fluffy as always. The headmaster had decided to make Albus replace his position soon. But because of the appearance of all kind of heroes in every kingdom at the continent, the headmaster felt that it might be dangerous if he handed it to Albus for too soon," (Edreale) "Heroes..." I mutter the word that started to become everyone''s topic of conversation since a year ago. "Yes. Heroes. A year ago, the holy church announced that the world will have heroes that have extraordinary abilities and help humanity defeat the demons. The news brought the world into an uproar," (Edreale) "Yeah, because of that news, a country that has the so-called heroes will be feared by others and possess a great influence in the world. Knowing that fact, every kingdom at the continent choose their heroes on their own, preventing the church from officially declare who''s the heroes are," (Sera) "Despite the danger ahead of us, the fear of losing their authority and power is far bigger than their fear towards the demons. Those greedy bastards..." (Sera) "Well, if Ren''s here, he probably says "Demons, huh. Let''s finish them off ourselves!" Indifferently as if the words he just said are nothing," (Edreale) "True, he''s a strange battle maniac," I couldn''t help but have a smile formed on my face. "By the way, h-have you found the royal knight that... You''re searching for...?" I don''t know why, but I''m curious and want to ask her the question even though it''s quite sensitive. As the princess of the kingdom, I felt that I bear some of the responsibility of the incident. "We''ve found him, and he had taken into prisoner by big bro Alfred. But it''s just one of them. We''re still progressing on searching for his other comrades," I notice some changed in her face when she said it. "I see..." (Sera) Tap! "Eh? Edry?" Edreale suddenly holds my hands. "it''s not Sera''s fault, so it''s okay. It''s impossible to prevent such bad guys doing bad deeds anyway, Sera didn''t do anything wrong," Edreale tries to comfort me, what a sweet girl. "Thanks, Edry. So? Does stealing my breakfast is your only reason for sneaking inside the castle?" (Sera) "Yea. I''m sorry to give you a piece of bad news on such a good morning. But this news can''t wait," (Edreale) "Alfred''s order?" (Sera) "Yea, we''ve found a fresh traces of some demons. I''m afraid another war with those demonic creatures will occur once more," (Edreale) Hearing the news from Edreale, I couldn''t help but remember the dream that I just had last night. The warmth that I felt when I saw his figure inside my dream appear once more inside my chest. (Ren... What exactly happened to you...?) (Sera) Chapter 104 - Sudden Attack From The Demons [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "A demonic army?" (Sera) "Yeah, at least that''s what Alfred big bro said to me," (Edreale) "But this is a half-year earlier than the prophecy!" (Sera) "Yes, but-" Before Edreale finished her sentence, another voice cut in. "Yes, but the prophecy does only mention that the big war between humans and demons will happen in a half year, it didn''t mention that the demons won''t make any other type of attacks towards us," Said Alfred with his usual aloof manner. "A-Alfred!" (Sera) "Yo! How are you, princess?" Alfred said with a smile. "I''m good. How are you? Not that, why do you need to sneak inside the castle too, anyway?" (Sera) "I''m fine, princess. Thanks for asking. Well, you see, I just remembered that this girl here isn''t really able to explain things properly. So to avoid a misunderstanding-" (Alfred) ''You sneak inside the castle by yourself, huh..." (Sera) "Exactly!" Said Alfred proudly. "That''s not something to be proud of!" (Sera) (Well, that guy probably do the same thing, though) (Sera) "Ah. You just thought that Ren might do the same thing anyway, right?" Edreale suddenly said towards Sera as she stares cynically at her. "U-uh, more importantly. About the demonic army, when do you think they will start their attack?" (Sera) "Hm... The longest they will come maybe in one week," (Alfred) "One week!?" Sera exclaimed in surprise. "Yes, the fastest will be... Maybe today," Alfred said with a shrug as if the information he just gave to Sera is insignificant. "T-today!? Mary! I''m going to my mother''s place! Mary-" Boom!!! An explosion that shakes the ground of the capital shocked everyone inside it, even the aloof Alfred showed a surprised expression too. (E-even though I said maybe today just to tease her...) (Alfred) Alfred never thought the demons will attack right away today. (There is only one answer. They''re confident with their strength!) (Alfred) "I''ll gather the soldiers," (Sera) "Edreale and I will call our lads to help protect the walls, we''ll meet again later," (Alfred) "Yeah." (Sera) The three of them split up quickly and dash towards each of their destinations at a high speed. Sending off Edreale to notify Peter about the situation and to summon their men, Alfred went to the walls and slaughter some of the demons that manage to breakthrough. "This is troubling... the walls won''t be able to hold those flying demons from entering the capital, and since their above the sky, my shadow skills won''t be in any use... Flying enemies are seriously annoying..." Alfred complained as he saw dozens of flying demons had entered the capital. "Stop complaining, Alfred," Together with the voice, all of the flying demons got burnt to the point that they became ashes in just mere seconds. "Hm~ The fatty mage had finally appeared on the stage~," Said Alfred as he shifted his gaze towards the flying Albus. "Shut it, Alfred. Seriously, you need to protect my image and dignity in front of the public, you know?" (Albus) "As if that belly will protect your image," Mocks Alfred as he shrugged. "W-what did you say!?" (Albus) "Stop fighting. We don''t have time to have a useless chatter," A figure with a samurai-like attire appears suddenly behind Alfred. "Sen... Appearing from the shadow is my persona, you know? Couldn''t you just appear with a more samurai-like entrance?" (Alfred) "What do you mean by the samurai-like entrance, stupid brother? As if there are such things," Rebuked Sen. "Geez... Even though you always follow my instructions obediently three years ago... You grow up too fast~" (Alfred) "Alfred big bro. Our men will arrive soon," Said Edreale that is sitting at a rooftop of an unknown''s house. "Um, Edreale? Aren''t you supposed to be the one leading our men here?" (Alfred) "Yes. I lead them about halfway, no, a quarter way? Well, I have Peter take the job to lead them, though," (Edreale) "O-oi! He''s not officially part of our mercenary group, you know?" (Alfred) "It''s fine. He''s reliable," (Edreale) "Indeed, he''s reliable. But don''t you think you''re relying on him too much, my dear little sister?" (Alfred) "I said it''s fine, annoying big bro," (Edreale) "U-ugh..." Alfred suddenly lost his aloofness as he felt a cultural shock from seeing his cute little brother and sister that had made a distance from him. Looking at the cloudy sky, Alfred got his eyes clouded too. (Seriously. It''s all because of you, you know? Because of you, they finally held someone higher than me in their mind. So you better be alive and well outside there. I don''t know why you disappear, but I know you have your problems. That''s why I''ll help you handle the things on this side while waiting for your return) (Alfred) "Hm? It looks like everyone had gathered. Am I the last one?" Peter appears together with mercenaries from Red Fall. "Peter! How are you!?" (Albus) "Yo! I''m good. Ah, Sera hasn''t arrived yet, huh?" (Peter) "I''m here, looks like the members of Ren''s party had all gathered again, huh?" Sera appeared with the kingdom''s soldiers behind her coming from the castle''s direction. "Yeah! Now let''s go! It''s demon hunting!" (Alfred) ***************************************** The first battle with the demons went smoothly and easily. Even though there are some damages to the capital, the casualties are not many and the situation got controlled smoothly because of the capital''s quick response. While mostly everyone''s morale got heightened because of Alfred and co''s appearance. "T-that! That''s the Grandaria''s five celestial heroes!" "The heroes are here!" "We''re saved! We''re saved!" "Heroes! Please protect us!" "Five Celestial Heroes, huh..." (Albus) One year ago, Alfred and co managed to reach the sword god and magic god rank after having their body training until their body to the point that normal people will think that they''re torturing themselves. And together with their ascending to the sword god realm, the rumors of the appearance of the world''s heroes that will save humanity suddenly appeared. Looking at the opportunity, the queen appoints the five of them as the five celestial heroes of the Grandaria kingdom. "Even though the one who does the heroic deed is not us but him..." Alfred mutters to himself with an unusual hint of anger obviously coming out from him. (Even though Ren is the one who defends us from getting a sudden attack from 10,000 demons alone. The church and this kingdom labeled him as a heretic, but yet, we still need to protect this kingdom, huh...) (Alfred) "Alfred," Said Peter as he taps at Alfred''s shoulder. Alfred shifted his gaze towards Peter as he returns to his usual aloof manner after looking at Peter''s full of meaning expression. ("You''re not the only one who felt that way", huh...) (Alfred) (Well, that''s true, though... And our little princess is the one who is getting suffered the most both physically and mentally by that incident. I can''t let her felt more guilty, right?) (Alfred) "So? what''s the plan?" (Sen) "They''ll come again. I''m sure another wave will come shortly. Those we''ve defeated just now are just low-ranked minions from their ranks. Just like that time, there is only one meaning by the move that the demons just take..." (Sera) """Warning...""" "Exactly. Well, there are also the possibilities that they''re trying to test our strength and is currently searching for a worthy opponent to wage a war with. But the fact that they manage to give a direct attack to the capital without attacking any other cities at the kingdom-" (Sera) "There must be a portal or a gate near the capital. There is also a possibility that the fact that they attacked our capital directly is not a coincidence," (Alfred) "Yeah, if that''s true then there must be some people from the surface that feeding information to them," (Sen) "Indeed... And it could even be humans..." (Sera) The group got enveloped by silence for a while because of that possibility until Alfred claps his hands and breaks the silence. Clap! "Well, we''ll handle it when it comes to it. Let''s face the thing in front of us first. The possibility that they''ll attack us again had surpassed 90 percent, so what will we do? Will we play defense or take the initiative to attack them first?" (Alfred) "We''re going to need to search for their hell''s gate if we want to attack them. It might take too much time if we do that, so taking a defensive stance might be a better option," (Peter) "Indeed. Then we''ll go with that. I''ll report to my mother, the queen. I''ll contact you guys after it," (Sera) Chapter 105 - Defending The Capital [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Inside the abyss of death. The world of death and undead. The world filled with darkness and death miasma. At a huge castle, a skeletal figure is sitting on top of a gorgeous throne. his mightiest soldiers are kneeling in front of him. "Your majesty, we''ve conquered half of the undead world. If we want to completely conquer the world, there is only one opponent left for us to defeat..." Lich Oz''s first loyal servant, the mummy king, Malistrode said to his master. "The Undead Dragon King. The one that currently has the highest authority over the undead world. his voice alone could take a living creature''s soul, even an undead will feel fear in face of him," (Vlad) "Me. And him. Who do you think will win?" The deep voice of the skeletal figure that contains a powerful force not inferior from the voice from the mighty dragons. "Of course, you''ll be able to defeat him, my lord. But it might be an intense battle," (Vlad) "Is that so? Shame... Well, let''s begin then. Let''s face the last boss," *********************************** "Mother! We won''t survive with this number!" (Sera) "Sera. At our condition right now, we could only afford that number of soldiers. If we muster too many soldiers, we''ll be vulnerable if the noble faction attacked us. They don''t even send 1 percent of their soldiers to protect the kingdom against the demons, not to mention asking the Gracefield kingdom and the Potterland kingdom for backup, they definitely won''t send their soldiers with guarding their homeland as their reason. We have too many enemies to wary, Sera. If we could wait another five days, we could be able to summon more soldiers," Said the queen calmly from the throne. "Y-you... Even though our kingdom''s life is on the stake... You still worry about having the throne stolen and afraid of those nobles!? Then why are you still sitting on that throne!?" Shouted Sera as she left the throne room and in anger. The meeting with the queen end shortly with only a sum of 40,000 soldiers will be called from the kingdom''s other regions to back up the capital. Meeting up with the others at a barrack near the capital''s walls, Sera told them the result of her meeting with her royal mother, the queen. "So we''re going to play defense with only 50,000 capital soldiers and 30,000 men from my guild while another 40,000 will arrive in 2 days..." (Peter) "Yup, we''re dead," (Alfred) "Alfred!" Sera shouted Alfred''s name angrily because of his words. "I-I''m just kidding princess... But seriously, this is a problem..." Alfred''s face changed into a serious one. "Attacking them head-on or even having a war with the demons outside the capital are clearly out of question. A low-ranked demon is on par with five normal great swordsmen ranked soldiers. A mid-ranked demon is on par with ten master swordsman ranked soldiers. While a high-ranked demon could even be on par with a sword god. Not to mention the 72 demon kings..." (Alfred) "The 10,000 demons appear at the Bareland city, they''re high-ranked demons, right?" (Edreale) "Yeah. And Ren managed to defeat all of them single-handedly," (Sera) "Even now, even though I''ve reached the sword god realm, I still couldn''t imagine I''m winning against him..." Said Sen that rarely praised people, let alone admitting someone is better than him. "Well, that guy is an exception. There are too many things that we didn''t know about him, more importantly, let''s decide what kind of formation our defense will be. We''re going to need to defend for three days without having too many casualties on our side, can we do it, princess?" (Alfred) "It will, no, it must be. Or not, all of us will die... I''ve let them take the normal positions according to the usual formation for now. any suggestions?" (Sera) "I do. I think we''re going to need-" Before Peter could finish his sentence, the sound that they didn''t want to hear the most suddenly sounded from outside the barrack. *Sound an alarm bell rung* "We''re under attack!!! Take positions!!!" "Demons!!! Fend them off!!!" "Tch! Now from all times..." Peter gritted his teeth. "Let''s go!" (Sera) The five of them went to the walls. It''s another wave of minions and low-ranked demons. The situation seems to be under control for now, but Alfred felt that there is something amiss. (They''re not the type that attacks with the same plan as before. What are they planning?) (Alfred) Alfred climbed the wall and see a shocking scene. Behind the attacking low-ranked demons, a well-organized army of demons could be seen. They''re standing still like a veteran army waiting for their general''s instructions. "These low-ranked demons that are attacking us are about 8,000... That army behind them... Crap, this is a problem... That number, it''s more than 40,000..." Alfred couldn''t help but show a wry smile. "Guys... I think you guys need to go up here..." Alfred called the others. The others jumped to the top of the walls while killing every demon that they meet. "This is..." (Sera) "....." (Sen and Edreale) "Oioi... Are you serious...?" (Albus) Even though they have more in number and are taking advantage of the walls surrounding the capital, but the demons'' overall strength is far stronger than a human. They couldn''t help but gasped and have their morale dropped when they saw the number of demons. "Hm?" Peter narrowed his eyes as he saw a demon using a black cloak that covers the whole of his body walked to the front of the army behind the low-ranked demons. "That demon, what is he doing?" Asked Peter as he points his finger towards the cloaked demon. Huge magic circles suddenly start to appear at his surroundings. Enormous aura of malice and demonic mana is gushing out from him, sending shivers and fear towards the kingdom''s soldiers. "T-that! He''s casting a forbidden spell! That magic circles, that enormous mana! That spell is dangerous! Fireball!" Albus exclaimed in panic and shot a firebolt spell in reflex, trying to hinder the chanting process. A fireball shot by a magic god is powerful, but even so. Whoosh! Albus''s fireball vanishes 5 meters before it reached the cloaked demon. Albus releases other consecutive spells trying to hinder the cloaked demon again, but it still ended in vain. All of his spells disappear before even reaching the cloaked demon, let alone giving him any damage. "His chantation is so fast! There''s not enough time. Even if I cast a high-ranked spell or a forbidden spell, his chantation will finish first!" (Albus) Albus''s statement enveloped the group with panic. If the five of them went to slay the cloaked demon that is casting the forbidden spell, they''ll die because of getting surrounded. If they lead the soldiers to get out from the walls and to battle head-on, they''ll also lose. But if they remain inside the walls, the forbidden spell cast by the cloaked demon will destroy the capital together with them. "Shit, it''s too late..." Alfred gritted his teeth as he couldn''t find any solutions. A huge magic circle appeared at the sky above the capital, but before it could do anything. Crack! A sound of cracked appear from the magic spell before it dissolved into bits and disappears to the thin air. "Don''t panic, young men," A familiar old voice appears behind them. Hearing the familiar voice couldn''t help but give them a feeling of safety. """Headmaster!""" (Everyone) Just like the old man Kyron, Oxius had also drilling himself in cultivation since Ren''s disappearance and the accusation that Ren''s a heretic from the church. That day, he couldn''t do anything. If he protested, the magic gods and sword gods from the church will attack him without giving him any leeway. "Princess, take command of the army. After we deal with the low-ranked demons, go outside the walls and take an attacking stance. That guy will join the battle too so don''t worry," Oxius said with a confident smile. "He?" (Sera) "Yes, that old man, the sword god, Kyron," Said Oxius. "O-oh! Great!" (Sera) "Tell me honestly, Sera. You just thought that he''s referring to Ren, right?" (Edreale) "N-no! Of course not!" (Sera) Following Oxius''s orders, they manage to slaughter all of the low-ranked demons and finally let out their army outside the walls. They quickly took the attacking stance and are ready to attack anytime. Looking at the demon army in front of them, Sera felt a bad feeling as she feels weirdly nostalgic when she looks at the demon army before her. (Will we able to win...?) Chapter 106 - The Great Coronation [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Deep inside the magical forest of Everdeen. Inside the great imperial castle of the Tarot empire. The great coronation of the emperor and the kings had finally started. Gurolf and Thydal collaborated and make a huge magic screen at every kingdom of the Tarot empire and projected the capital and the throne room. Every citizen watched the magic screen that''s displaying the coronation of the emperor together with the kings from various races that will begin soon. With Zen''s knowledge and Thydal and his brethren''s skills, they managed to advance the empire''s technology and merge technology and magic. Countless inventions appear not from Thydal and the dwarves alone, lots of his pupils invented lots of magic items, tools, and weapons that improved the empire greatly. "All of this inventions and advance of technology, the emperor are terrifying. Even the dwarf kingdom couldn''t be compared with our technology now," Thydal couldn''t help but mutters as he observes the capital city from the top of the capital walls. "Well, isn''t it''s as expected for the emperor of wisdom? An emperor of his caliber is needed to be able to make an empire formed by various races of the world. Not a single citizen doesn''t know his achievements and his greatness. We follow him from his back because of this genius side of him, right?" Gurolf answers Thydal''s murmuring. "Indeed... Can''t deny that" Thydal shrugs as he accepts Gurolf''s words. "He managed to change a lot of races, improved them, give them a better home, a better life, and give them protection. Everyone respects him and is proud to be his subjects as they also feel that they owe him their lives," (Gurolf) "Well, included us," (Thydal) "Yup," Answered Gurolf with a smile as he stares at the huge screen that displayed the situation inside the grand imperial palace of the Tarot empire. "Oops, it''ll start soon. Let''s go, Ren will be mad at us if we late," (Gurolf) "Yea," (Thydal) After several minutes waiting, every representative and important people of every race had finally gathered inside the throne room of the imperial castle. Only the great emperor remaining that haven''t enter the stage yet. "Ren, I forgot to ask you, who does the coronation just being held now not since three years ago? Didn''t we have finished the empire''s construction back then, even though it had become more amazing now," Geeta''s voice that had become more mature sounded from behind the closed throne room''s door. "Yea, I''m also curious about that, does that have any other reason?" Azaline''s voice appeared too. Her voice hadn''t changed as much as Geeta''s, but anyone observant will notice that her voice had now given a hint of wisdom and calmness. "Ah. Aegir hasn''t told both of you yet, huh. Well, it''s because I planned the coronation to be very grand and made it couldn''t be compared with other empires and kingdoms," (Oz) "And now the preparation had finally completed?" (Geeta) "Yup," (Oz) "What kind of preparation do you prepare?" (Azaline) "Well, that''s a secret. Come on, it''s time to enter the stage," (Oz) The throne room''s door finally got opened by two imperial guards. The great emperor accompanied by the two beauties that rumored to be the empress candidates. Everyone kneels in face of the great emperor. Their savior, their hero, and their ruler. Slime Oz slowly walks towards the grand imperial throne that he felt that the throne designed by Thydal with all kinds of magic stones, jewels, and ores is too grand for him to sit. When Slime Oz sits at the grand throne, Azaline and Geeta stand beside him as they''re not or haven''t become the empress yet, the most the may do is only stands beside him. No one commented or complained of the scene as everyone felt like it''s natural for them to stands beside him. Slime Oz raised his right hand slightly, and everyone inside the throne room finally stands. Little did he know that even the people outside the throne room that only watches from the huge magic screen also stand from kneeling to him with respect when Slime Oz raised his right hand slightly even though their emperor wouldn''t know it. As they don''t trust and don''t even have a church in the empire, Geeta acts as the master of the ceremony while Azaline will be the one who will put the imperial crown at Slime Oz''s head. "Today is a wonderful day that we''ve all waited for long. The wonderful day where our emperor and kings of the great Tarot empire will officially take their crown," (Geeta) "Today will be the day where our empire will officially become a nation, and the day where our freedom will become true and materialize," (Geeta) "Great citizens of the Tarot empire, I here present unto you Ren Arken, your undoubted emperor. Wherefore all you who are come this day to do your homage and service, are you willing to do the same?" (Geeta) """Yes,""" (Every citizens) "Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the peoples of the Tarot empire and other Territories to any of them belonging or pertaining, according to their respective laws and customs?" (Geeta) "I solemnly promise to do so," (Slime Oz) "Will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy, to be executed in all your judgments?" (Geeta) "I will," (Slime Oz) "Then I, Geeta Everdeen, as the prime minister of the empire, hereby enthrone, Ren Arken, as the emperor of the great Tarot empire!" As Geeta declared Oz''s enthronement, Azaline put the crown elegantly to the top of Oz''s head. The people cheered and celebrated the enthronement of their beloved emperor. They thought that their emperor using the emperor''s armor and the crown looks so majestic and admiring. "Moving forward, the emperor will enthrone the kings and queen of the Tarot empire." (Geeta) "Aegir, Magra, Firenze, Razor, Azaline, Gareth, and Talak" (Oz) ". The king of orcs, Magra Doomhammer. The king of centaurs, Firenze Darkworth. The queen of elves, Azaline Elvenheim. The king of Kobolds, Razor Ravenclaw. The king of undead, Gareth Gravendath. And lastly, The king of beastman, Talak Dragonborn," (Slime Oz) The names mentioned by Oz walk forward in front of Oz and kneels before him, including Azaline. "As the kings and queen under the great Tarot empire. Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern your respective kingdoms justly and according to the empire''s rules?" (Oz) """I will,""" "Then as the emperor of the great Tarot empire, with my authority, I bestow all of you the royal position of kings and queen of the Tarot empire," (Oz) "The king of goblins, Aegir. I bestow you the royal name Cobblestone, govern your people well," (Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty," (Aegir) "The king of orcs, Magra. I bestow you the royal name Doomhammer, govern your people well," (Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty," (Magra) "The king of centaurs, Firenze. I bestow you the royal name Darkworth, govern your people well," (Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty," (Firenze) "The queen of elves, Azaline. I bestow you the royal name Elvenheim, govern your people well," (Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty," (Azaline) "The king of Kobolds, Razor. I bestow you the royal name Ravenclaw, govern your people well," (Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty," (Razor) "The king of Undead, Gareth. I bestow you the royal name Gravendath, govern your people well," (Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty," (Gareth) "The king of beastmen, Talak. I bestow you the royal name Dragonborn, govern your people well," (Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty," (Talak) "Use your authority wisely and with your people''s prosperity as your priority. And as the emperor, let me personally give all of you a gift," (Oz) *Flick* With a flick from Oz''s hand, blue particles appeared and gathered on top of the kings and queen of Tarot''s empire. The blue particles enveloped their whole body and disappear. !!!!!!! The citizens witnessed the miracle made by their great emperor. Aegir and co''s attire suddenly changed into a beautiful, majestic, and elegant piece of clothing and armors that radiates strong mana and aura. Not only having a design suited with each of them, it feels like their power had increased for several folds. The crowns slowly descend to their head, and when they land at their head, a voice that came from the unknown suddenly appeared. Seven black cards suddenly appear in front of the rulers of the seven kingdoms, when they touched the black card, different items appear from each of the black cards. !!!!! "My beloved subjects! This will be the day when our first footprint got imprinted on the world! As the gift from the world for our empire that finally formally established! Behold! The tree of life and prosperity, Yggdrasil!" (Slime Oz) Chapter 107 - The Great Coronation (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "My beloved subjects! This will be the day when our first footprint got imprinted on the world! As the gift from the world for our empire that finally formally established! Behold! The tree of life and prosperity, Yggdrasil!" (Slime Oz) Following Slime Oz''s words, an earthquake shakes not only the forest, the whole continent got shaken by the earthquake as if something big is coming out from the planet''s stomach. Since the empire''s constructions are strong and with the help of the magicians under Gurolf, the Tarot empire didn''t sustain any damage caused by the earthquake. But something other than the earthquake enveloped the empire with shock and awe. "W-what in the world..." "It''s a miracle!" "I-it''s the emperor''s miracle!!!" Voices of admiration got leaked inside the throne room, making the people inside the throne room got curious about what is happening outside the castle. "You''re free to see what is happening outside," Slime Oz permits them to fulfill their curiosity. Everyone present in the throne room is an expert. Right after hearing slime Oz''s permission, all of them vanished and went to see what is happening outside, only to get their mouth wide-opened by the shock after looking at the scene. A huge tree that only it''s trunk visible while the rest of it''s parts soar high to the sky, covered by the clouds as if it soars high to the heavens. The tree radiates a holy aura and a relaxing nature aura. as if the world is welcoming the huge tree, it felt like the forest got even greener and more beautiful, and not only the forest felt the change. "M-my body is getting bigger??" The bear king exclaimed in surprise as he could clearly feel that his body is getting bigger and his strength is getting increased for several folds in a short time. "I-I thought I''ve reached the pinnacle of my strength... To think that I could still get even stronger..." (Sky King) "What a great amount of nature mana... The mana is enormous yet stable, it soothes the body and entered our meridians smoothly, accelerating and reinforcing the flow and amount of mana inside of our body... This is a divine tree of heavens!" The monkey king exclaimed in excitement. "Ren... So this is the surprise you mean... And so this is why you deliberately let the backyard of the imperial castle to be huge yet empty... I could feel my strength got increased in multiple folds once more. How could you manage to summon this divine tree, anyway?" Aegir asked Slime Oz. He didn''t whether he should be sad or happy because of this as Oz had shown too many impossible things to him. "This could be happened because of the dungeon core we have at our treasury," (Slime Oz) "The dungeon core?" (Aegir) "Yea. I manage to take control of the dungeon core and make our empire as a dungeon empire. So the empire''s territory is the dungeon''s territory, that''s the reason why the dungeon core became so big and why we manage to finish our construction at a faster rate," (Slime Oz) "I could summon lots of things by following the rule as a dungeon master, this divine tree of life, Yggdrasil is one of the things that I could summon after waiting three years collecting the points to buy it," (Slime Oz) "W-what!? T-then you could summon more things that could further improve our empire''s strength!? If it''s true, then, then, not only this world! We maybe could conquer other worlds, too!" Said Aegir filled with excitement. "Well... Actually, I''ve reached the maximum things I could summon. I could only summon things again after 50 years," Slime Oz said with a shrug. "W-what? What a shame..." (Aegir) "It''s fine. No one ever wanted their world or home to be attacked, Aegir. All of us prefer peace rather than a war, only a tyrant that loved wars. We''re not tyrants," (Slime Oz) "We have our home to protect, that''s the sole reason I strive to seek any possibilities that could benefit our empire. In order to protect the peace, protect our family, and protect our home," (Slime Oz) ".....Indeed... We''re lucky to have you as our emperor, Ren..." (Aegir) "Thanks, but you should say that to the real me later... Anyway, let''s go, Aegir! Let''s join the party," (Slime Oz) Aegir went and join the others together with Slime Oz towards the imperial castle''s backyard that had got swarmed by people because of the appearance of the tree of life, Yggdrasil. When Slime Oz arrived, ordering the tree of life with his mental thoughts, a huge root appears from the ground below his feet. Looking at the divine tree that lifts their emperor as if it''s moving according to his wishes, starting with Aegir and co, everyone kneels before the emperor. "Brave citizens of Tarot empire. In the past, you and your brethren had experienced a lot of pain and suffering. It''s all happened because of your enemy has whether a greater power, a greater number, or even both," (Slime Oz) "And because of that reason, I made an empire in order to show that peace is existed not for humans alone! All of the demihumans and magic beasts have the right to live peacefully too!" (Slime Oz) "And today, we''ve finally reached here! We''ve finally made a strong empire! The forest symbolizes our brotherhood! The divine tree symbolizes our prosperity!" (Slime Oz) "And the dragon that symbolizes our strength," Slime Oz''s voice resonates throughout the capital and the whole empire by the magic screen. ROOAARR!! A roar appears from beneath the clouds, a deep voice that could make a normal people die because of fear. But yet, the Tarot empire''s citizens strangely didn''t feel any fear from the voice. They saw a glimpse of the dragon''s shadow that slowly appear in the sky. "I am Atlas! The king of dragons! And a servant of your emperor! There is no need for you Tarot''s men to fear! As I will protect this land with my life! Let''s burn those humans and demons to cinders!!!" Atlas''s voice burns the Tarot citizens'' spirit. (Um. Sir Atlas. Isn''t it different from what I told you to say?) (Slime Oz) (Eh? Is that so? Well it''s fine, isn''t it? The people look like they''re happy with my words, anyway. HAHAHAHA!) (Atlas) (I-I hope this won''t make things complicated...) (Slime Oz) (Master! When is Reo''s and my time to shine!? Why does that stupid lizard is the only one who gets the spotlight!! You''re not fair!!!) (Fenrir) (It''s not the time for both of you yet. Both of you have your time to shine too, but not now. Just be patient Fenrir) (Slime Oz) (That''s right, Fenrir. Just be patient, we''ll have our time later) (Reo) (Shut up, Reo! Even though you''re the one who wants to go out the most! Don''t act like I''m the only one impatient here!!) (Fenrir) (Wha- No! I don''t!) (Reo) (You liar!) (Fenrir) (Ha!? You''re looking for a fight!?) (Reo) (Bring it on! You scaredy cat!) (Fine! You stupid dog!!!) (Reo) (Shut it!!!!!) (Slime Oz) All of the empire''s inhabitants cheers and celebrated as they saw the might of the emperor and the empire, but little do they know, that there are two spirit kings causing havoc inside of the emperor''s head. *********************** In front of the Grandaria kingdom''s capital, a war between demons and humans are currently happening. "Grandpa, we have defeated all of the low-ranked demons and the minions. But the casualties turn out to be greater than we expected," (Sera) "It''s fine. We don''t have that much option, to begin with. Order the soldiers and the mercenaries to reform the formation. Let''s assault right away when we completely prepared, Oxius and Albus will divert their attention while our soldier reform the formation," Old man Kyron said with a voice as firm as his expression. "Okay, grandpa," (Sera) Following old man Kyron''s orders, Sera lead the army and quickly regain the army''s formation. Together with Albus, the magic god, Oxius managed to give some considerable damage to the demon army from the distance. "Princess, Oxius, and I will take on the strongest of them. I leave the rest to the rest of you," (Old man Kyron) Even though Sera and co had entered the sword god realm too, the old man Kyron and their headmaster showed them that even though their cultivation rank has the same name, they''re still on a different level whether in skills, power, or experience. (It''s truly reassuring to have them here...) (Alfred) Alfred let out a relieved sigh as he felt grateful that the two guardians of the Grandaria kingdom had joined the battle and had become even stronger than before. "You''re ready, old friend?" (Old man Kyron) "That''s my question, fool," (Oxius) "Hmph! Arrogant as always, huh!" (Old man Kyron) "Well, can''t show any weakness in front of these youngsters, right?" (Oxius) "True, let''s go, then," (Old man Kyron) "Yeah!" (Oxius) Both of them dashed towards the ranks of the demon army, looking at the silhouette of the two old guardians of the kingdom boosts the morale of the Grandaria kingdom''s soldiers. "Attack!!! Follow the guardians!!!" (Sera) Chapter 108 - Rise Of The Great Tarot Empire [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ The battle went smoothly in the beginning. But soon, everyone started to realize that no matter how many demons they slew, there are no signs of ending them. (This is not my imaginations. The enemy''s number really didn''t decrease even though we''ve slew countless of them... This is bad... There is only one explanation why this is happening) (Oxius) Oxius retreats together with his old friend. As their back meet each other, both of them knew that something is wrong with the situation. "Kyron..." (Oxius) "Yeah, I realized it too... Any leads?" (Old man Kyron) "It''s not that a hell''s gate is opened near the capital, but I think they''re bringing the hell''s gate together with them," (Oxius) "Is that true? What makes you said that?" (Old man Kyron) "A hunch," Said the old magic god. Both of them had killed all of the stronger demons, but yet, there is no sign of the demon army retreating. "Normally thinking, if a-" (Oxius) !!!!!!!! "A-another one!?" (Old man Kyron) "No, that''s wrong. There''s a lot of them..." (Oxius) Presences with an enormous amount of demonic mana that made the kingdom''s soldiers shivers suddenly appear. But that''s not the only thing that made Sera and co felt like they had lost their light of hope. "I-impossible..." (Sera) "...." (Sen) "Damn... Even with six sword gods and two magic gods, an endless stream of demons are still too much..." Alfred said with a wry smile. From their front, from their left, and from their right. Another army of demons appear from the unknown yet no one saw a hell gate that supposed to be the medium that the demons used to enter this realm. When everyone is having their morale fell to the lowest ground, Sera strangely got absorbed in a nostalgic feeling. (Just like in that time) (Sera) (The light of hope that fades away) (Sera) (The endless army of demons) (Sera) (The light of hope that starts to fade from everyone''s heart) (Sera) (But the pain and the stench from the blood felt more real) (Sera) (Will he come like how he saved us inside my dream?) (Sera) (Stupid. To think that the day where I will expect a miracle like that to happen will come...) (Sera) After killing more than five hundred demons, Sera starts to feel fatigued, her arm felt sore, and her head felt dizzy because of the blood''s stench. "Human..." A rough voice appears behind Sera. When Sera turns her back, she saw five huge demons with a pitch-black body and a huge horn holding two greatswords in both of their hands. (Their mana isn''t lower than mine, should I use the endless cold''s skills now?) (Sera) Increasing the force of her grip, Sera about to prepare to use the endless sword''s skills. But before she could unleash it, unexpectedly, yet fortunately, the miracle that she''s hoping suddenly happened. *Sound of a war horn* Sera doesn''t really remember the sound of the war horn she heard at her dream, but she somehow convinced that the war horn she''s currently hearing is the war horn she heard inside her dream. The majestic feeling from the rhythm. The sound of the war drums that increases the battle spirit. And the sound of the strong footsteps that getting near on each second. (R-Ren?) (Sera) Sera couldn''t help but search for the figure that she saw inside her dream, hoping that just like inside her dream, he will appear too together with the unknown army that saved her and her kingdom. There, the demons and the people from the Grandaria kingdom saw a huge black banner with four symbols of Tarot cards imprinted at four sides of the flag and a huge tree in a midst of a forest and a dragon. Knights from various races that equipped with magic weapons and black heavy armors. Even though their number is not that many, but their presence alone give pressure enough to make the demons halted their attacks. Sera felt that the flag somehow felt weird because it has too many images on the flag, but yet, the flag they''re carrying is big enough to make the image looks beautiful and majestic. "Advance, slaughter those filthy demons," A clear voice sounded from the unknown army''s direction, judging from how he''s ordering the army, Sera deduced that he''s the general of the army. But yet, it''s not the voice she''s searching for. Those black armored knights advanced to the demon ranks without showing even a little hint of hesitation in groups and slay the demons quickly. Everyone gasped when they saw them fighting. They coordinate with each other perfectly and fight very skillfully as if all of them had gone through countless battles together. Despite they came from various races, they made perfect teamwork with each other. Each of them knew the specialty of their own races, the orcs took the position as a tank, the centaurs become vanguards and bring havoc to the opponent''s formation, the goblins skillfully fight as a Middle guard together with the beastmen, the elves ride huge birds and shoots from the sky. As the undead had obtained an ability to change into a human form, they''re currently fighting while using their human form to avoid troubles. "S-so strong!" Albus couldn''t help but praise. Their number is only 6,000. But despite their small number, they still split their army into three parts, defending the Grandaria kingdom''s armies from all three sides: West, East, and North where the demons attacked. But even though their number is small, they still managed to push the demons'' army back. The grandaria kingdom''s army regains their morale and formation after getting a sudden reinforcement from an unknown army. But as they saw how the black knights fight a little bit longer, they realized that the way they fight, the way they protect the Grandaria kingdom''s soldiers, and the way they appear and bring hope to them made them remember about the rumor of the heavenly knights that saved the Grandaria kingdom territories from the demons'' attack three years ago. Coming with a small number, saving the people, and slaying the demons in ease made all of them sure that they''re the heavenly knights of the legend. It only needs a spark to lift the spirits of the Grandaria kingdom''s soldiers and have their morale heighten to the peak. "T-that''s the heavenly knights that saved my family three years ago!!!" "Yea! They definitely are them! They had come to save us!" "Forward!!! Support the heavenly knights!!!" Sera and co saw their soldiers regain their spirit and rushed towards the demons without any fear. Like a spark that lit a fire, the heavenly knights burn the Grandaria kingdom''s soldiers spirits to the point where they forgot their fear. Roughly counting, the demons still have more than 40,000 soldiers which are still increasing, but yet, Sera and co saw their soldiers together with the heavenly knights starting to push the demons back. Looking back towards the direction where the heavenly knights came from, Sera saw a group of heavenly knights that didn''t rush towards the demons together with the other heavenly knights. They slowly walk towards Sera''s direction. (T-that person...) (Sera) A figure leading the group caught Sera''s attention. But after holding a rare high expectation, rather than the brown-haired man that she''s hoping to appear, a white-haired man walks in front of the group and lead the group. "......." (Sera) Not seeing the figure she''s hoping to appear, Sera couldn''t help but felt a lingering pain inside her heart. A feeling she rarely felt as she never holds an expectation towards anything. Disappointment. Sera let out a soft sigh. (Idiot. Of course, believing a dream that felt like a prophecy is too absurd, to begin with) (Sera) "Name yourself!" (Sera) "I''m the ambassador of the great Tarot empire, Slime Tarot. You can just call me Slime. We came as an order from our great emperor," said the white-haired man. "Tarot empire?" (Sera) "Yes, Tarot empire. The one inside the magical forest of Everdeen where the divine world tree, Yggdrasil existed," (White-haired man) "Divine world tree?" Sera tilts her head, confused. "Ah! I''m sorry. It should be around this time..." Following the man''s words, an unexpected phenomenon happened in the middle of the battle. Crack! The ground cracked and shook, causing the demons and the Grandaria kingdom''s soldiers to paused for a while, but not the Tarot''s soldiers. They''ve heard that the emperor has something big to show at the coronation, and even if they''re outside the empire, they will still able to see it from the distance. A tree quickly grows bigger and soar to the sky in a short time. The huge tree came from the direction of the magical forest of Everdeen. Sera, Alfred, Albus, Peter, Sen, Albus, the Grandaria kingdom''s soldiers, and even the demons gasped in front of the spectacle "Yup, we came from there. Nice to meet you," said the white-haired man with a smile. Chapter 109 - Audience With The Queen [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "I heard that you seek an audience with me, who are you?" The clear voice of the queen sounded inside the royal palace of the Grandaria kingdom. "I''m the ambassador of the great Tarot empire that rules the magical forest of Everdeen, Slime Tarot. I''m here by the great emperor''s order. I''m instructed to make ties to the great Grandaria kingdom and to make sure to help the future ally of our great empire that seems to be in a pinch. It''s a great honor to meet you, your majesty," said a white-haired man that is kneeling in front of the Grandaria''s queen. "It''s my honor to meet you, Mr. Slime. Please let the Tarot empire''s emperor know that I''m grateful for your help against the demons. We manage to survive because of the help of your empire''s heroes. What kind of compensation do the Tarot empire and your heroes want for helping our kingdom?" (Grandaria''s Queen) When the queen mentioned that she will compensate the empire with something, the ministers that support other kingdoms like Gracefield kingdom and Potterland kingdom got startled. As now, the influence of the queen has decreased, it will be troublesome if an unknown empire that possesses great military power to ask the Grandaria kingdom to be a vassal kingdom under its banner. "Y-your majesty..." One of the ministers called out the queen. "What is it, minister Warren?" (The Queen) "A show of gratitude is enough to give them since we never even request their help, to begin with. Giving them compensation is a little bit too much since our soldiers and the reinforcements from the Gracefield kingdom are enough to handle the demons," "I agree for the first part of minister Warren''s words, but the Potterland kingdom had also marched to back the capital up and help us, your majesty. Different from an unknown empire, the Potterland kingdom has ties with us, if you compensate them not the Potterland kingdom, it will harm our relationship with the Potterland kingdom," Another minister followed. (T-those traitors...) (Sera) Oxius, Sera, Albus, Alfred, Sen, and Azaline watched the meeting of the queen and the representatives from the so-called Tarot empire. They couldn''t help but get pissed when they saw the ministers of their kingdom is humiliating their kingdom in front of a foreigner and the queen. "Oxius, did you see the reinforcements from the Gracefield kingdom or the Potterland kingdom at the battle?" (The Queen) "No, your majesty," (Oxius) "But your majesty, they just haven''t arrived at the place yet. If they knew earlier about the attack, the Gracefield kingdom will quickly send reinforcements for us," (Minister Warren) "And that reason is enough for me to compensate the Tarot empire reinforcement that had arrived quicker than both Gracefield kingdom and the Potterland kingdom. Despite never have any political ties with us, the still helped us fend off the demons. I believe that reason is reasonable enough. So Mr. Tarot, what kind of compensation did you want? Or you may relay this message to your emperor first together with my gratitude if you haven''t know what to decide," (The Queen) "Oioi, we haven''t even know whether they''re good eggs or not. If they suddenly asked us to be their vassal kingdom, we won''t have many options or even power to refuse them, right?" At the corner, Albus commented with a small voice, making sure that only his group will hear his words. Little does he know that the white-haired man got a smile imprinted on his face because of his words. "That''s why the queen does that, kid. She''s betting in them. Since it''s just a matter of time whether we will get devoured by the Gracefield kingdom or the Potterland kingdom, the queen is thinking that it might be better to be under the flag of an unknown but powerful empire that the most things they will do are only extorting money from the kingdom. But if they reject the compensation from the queen, then..." (Oxius) "Then?" (Albus) "Then it''s whether they will be a good ally or a future enemy that seek to take over the kingdom completely and seize the throne just like the Gracefield kingdom and the Potterland kingdom," Sera continued Oxius''s explanation while her eyes stare the white-haired man from the Tarot empire sharply, only to get surprised by what she saw. "Good guess," !!?? (H-he heard our conversation!?) (Sera) "It''s fine, your majesty. We don''t request anything from the Grandaria kingdom, you can just consider what we did as a token of friendship," said the white-haired man. "I apologize Mr. Slime. I''ve already considered your empire as our ally, But not giving any compensation to you could be considered as a rude thing to your emperor. I dislike the concept of taking without giving, It will be in our pleasure to have something to compensate your empire," (The Queen) "Hm... Then your majesty, as the symbol of friendship between our country, how about permitting us to make our legation in the Grandaria kingdom? Since we didn''t know if there will be another attack from the demons, we''ll gladly station our soldiers at the kingdom to help your safety," said the white-haired man with an innocent smile. His words are just like a bomb, it shocked and attacked everyone without batting an eye. (T-to think he''s able to manipulate the queen in such a short moment. With this, the queen will lose her face if she rejects it. But will gain complaints and displeasure from Potterland kingdom and Gracefield kingdom... Is he that cunning and fearless... Or is he just bold but reckless?) (Oxius) At this moment, the queen is considering whether it''s a trap, or whether it''s a sincere request. She had heard the report that there is a possibility that the man and the army behind me are the heavenly knights from the rumors that spread wide at the continent. At first, she''s confident that taking a step towards the unknown empire that has mighty soldiers with a holy name like the heavenly knights is the safest step to take. But when she saw the man before her, she couldn''t help but worry one thing. (Is this really the safest step, or did I just chose the worst step that will lead us to our demise?) (The Queen) Looking at the man before him once more, she decides to trust her intuition whether the decision she takes will lead her to her kingdom''s demise, or to her kingdom''s salvation. "I''m happy to hear your request, Mr. Slime. It''s our pleasure to have your empire''s legation in our kingdom, and we''ll feel very safe to have your heavenly knights protecting us," The queen finally chose a decision. It might sound like a safe decision since the request doesn''t sound too much, but not for the Tarot empire. Tarot empire''s soldiers have powerful soldiers that even a man could be considered as an army. "Even if they only station 500 of their man inside our kingdom, isn''t it''s similar like letting a tiger in and live inside our house?" Sera muttered to herself. "I''m very grateful for your kindness, your majesty. The emperor will be delighted by your kindness, we will assure you that you won''t regret your decision," The white-haired man smiled as he said those words. **************************** "Looks like everything went smoothly and perfectly according to your plan," said a figure that appears from the shadow of the room. "Looks like you''re getting more and more accustomed to the shadow, Brad," said Slime Oz. He had already sensed Brad''s presence even before he arrived at the place. "Well, I couldn''t help but get accustomed to it since a certain someone asked me to do so, right? Since I want to get paid and don''t want to get any punishment, especially mockery, I don''t have many choices other than getting used to it, ain''t I?" Said Brad as he shrugged. "Hahaha!" A burst of laughter appear from behind the room''s door "That''s true, Brad! I believe you''ve also realized how demonic the ruler we''ve chosen is!" said Aegir as he opened the imperial palace''s library door. "Don''t say that. I''m doing all of this for our people. I do plan on controlling the Grandaria kingdom indirectly, but it''s necessary in order to control the situation since that it seems a lot of countries strangely targeting the kingdom. So? How is the report?" (Slime Oz) "It''s all went perfectly according to your plan. How many knights should we send there?" (Brad) "Hm... I think 100 is enough," (Slime Oz) Chapter 110 - The Heavenly Knights [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "So this is the hell''s gate that those demons used to enter this realm, huh..." Demon Oz stares at the huge gate before him. "Paimon, do you recognize this hell''s gate?" Demon Oz asked one of his generals. "I don''t, your majesty. This gate is big enough and contains an enormous amount of demonic mana, it''s impossible for me to forget it if I''ve seen it before. I believe this must be the possession of a member of the 72 demon kings," Paimon answered as she kneeled. "I see... Do you have a hell''s gate similar to this?" (Demon Oz) "Yes, I do, your majesty," (Paimon) "Does every 72 demon kings of the demon realm have a hells gate?" (Demon Oz) "Yes, there''s a high possibility that every 72 demon kings have one or maybe more," (Paimon) "Hm... But how and why do you have these hell''s gate? And why attack now?" (Demon Oz) "The hell''s gate is made by a skilled space magician 1000 years ago. It''s said that there are more than a hundred gates spread across the demon realm. Knowing that legend, we, 72 demon kings search for the gates for years. But we only manage to found it 5 years ago, not only one, it seems like every demon kings suddenly stumbled upon a hell''s gate," (Paimon) "The first thing we do is testing where the destination of the gate is. And it turns out that it''s true that the gate connects the demon realm and this realm. After confirming that fact, each of us planned our own plans on conquering this realm since we have a long bloody history with this realm, your majesty," (Paimon) "Hm... Then do you, the ex-member of the 72 demon kings of the demon realm, Paimon. Do you. Harbor the thought of conquering this realm too?" Hearing demon Oz''s question, Paimon felt like countless blades are pointed at her. Hearing demon Oz''s words and suspicion towards Paimon. Lucifer, Adramelech, and Beelzebub hold their respective weapons, ready to slay their fellow demon general in case she might be a future enemy and bring harm to their lord. Stream of sweats falls from Paimon''s body because of nervousness. "Lucifer, Adramelech, Beelzebub. Stop it. Withdraw your bloodl.u.s.t," By a single order by their lord, they cease their release of bloodl.u.s.t. Seeing that her lord is still kind to her ease Paimon''s heart. "At the demon realm, I lead a faction called the neutral faction. With the idea of harmony and peace. But of course, because of that, we have lots of demon kings that oppose our thoughts, and most of them came from the upper branch of the 72 demon kings," (Paimon) "After getting summoned by your majesty, and knowing your identity, your goal, your passion, and your way of thoughts. All I have left is just my loyalty towards you, my lord," (Paimon) When Paimon said those words, Demon Oz could feel that all of her words are sincere. Looking at his kind and sincere general made a smile imprinted on Demon Oz''s face. "You really are smart, Paimon. I praise you, your sweet words managed to completely capture my heart," (Demon Oz) "I-I just telling the truth, my lord," (Paimon) "Indeed. I never even once doubted your loyalty towards me. Even if you support the thought of conquering this realm, I won''t blame you for that since that thought ever crossed my mind too," (Demon Oz) "About conquering this realm, my lord? If you wish for it, we will try our best to obtain it for you," (Adramelech) "No need, Adramelech. I''m happy with your loyalty, but that thought crossed my mind is not because I want to be the absolute sovereign of this world, but because I thought maybe the fastest way to clean this world that had got dirtied by humans is by conquering it completely," Demon Oz''s voice sounds cold and merciless when he said those words. His eyes got cold and his tone harbor a hint of murderous intent that made the four demonic generals before him shivers. "I-If your majesty-" (Lucifer) "I don''t, Lucifer. I can''t bring sadness and sorrow to the world where people I cared for lives, can I?" (Demon Oz) "Well, setting that matters aside. Since you also have a demonic gate, Paimon, can you activate this hell''s gate and connect it to your hell''s gate?" (Demon Oz) "I-I never tried it before, my lord, I think I could, but it might take a long time," (Paimon) "Then try, we have a lot of time," (Demon Oz) "M-my lord. Are you thinking of going to the demon realm?" (Beelzebub) "Yes, all of you are generals, what kind of general that didn''t have any soldiers, right?" (Demon Oz) **************************** !!!!!!??? "W-what happened, your majesty!?" A guard inside a castle that resides in the demon world entered the throne room in a hurry as he suddenly felt his king''s aura that suddenly got disordered as if he''s under attack. "This. Where am- I see... No, I just saw a nightmare, that''s all..." Said the leader of the 72 demon kings, Baal. "A nightmare? It''s rare for your majesty to have a nightmare. Is there something haunting your mind?" "Hm... It''s more like I got a bad feeling. My guts are warning me that something dangerous is coming. Strengthen our security, I think a huge storm is going to wreak havoc at our realm," (Baal) "I-impossible! As your orders, your majesty. I''ll relay your message to our generals..." The man stands and left the throne room. Inside the empty throne room that looked sinister, Baal stares at the thin air as his mind gone clouded. "The undead world, the demon world, and the world of the living... Is this the punishment for our greed, or will this be the last war that will lead us to our prosperity? But then, why do I keep on having a dream of my death? Who are you... human?" The figure asked to the thin air. **************************** After a few days of the meeting between the ambassador of the Tarot empire and the queen of the Grandaria kingdom, it''s confirmed that the Grandaria kingdom acknowledges the Tarot empire as a country and formally form a pact of alliance with the Tarot empire by giving a land inside the royal capital as the office of the Tarot empire legation. Currently, inside the royal palace of the Grandaria kingdom, another meeting is being held without having the ministers present. Only those who the queen trusted were summoned and are present in the throne room. "So? What did you think?" The queen asked Sera, Albus, Oxius, and Alfred that is standing in front of her. Since there are only them inside the throne room, the queen said that there is no need for formalities since no one will see them and they don''t have much time. "It''s a dangerous move, your majesty. It might look like the safest choice at first glance if we consider them as a normal strong country. But on the other hand, they''re not, that''s why that decision might be the most dangerous choice at the same time," Said the Grandaria kingdom''s magic god, Oxius. As a Seasoned veteran, Oxius words have a big influence on the queen. hearing the old magic god''s words, the queen narrowed her eyes as she asks everyone before her. "What did you see? Fill me in," The queen shifts her gaze towards Sera. "Before they came, I think I could guarantee that our loss is just a matter of time. That''s the reason I try my best to think of a way to prolong the battle. Even though our formation is firm and strong, but the opposition is also strong themselves, no, even stronger," (Sera) "As the battle goes on, our soldiers are getting weaker and weaker because of fatigue. And the demons'' number doesn''t seem to get decreased, as if they''re endlessly summoned. Even though all of us had killed more than hundreds, they keep on coming, until..." (Sera) "Until?" (Queen) "Until finally, another group of demons came. They looked like they''re the upper branch of their hierarchy. Not only they''re strong and have an enormous amount of sinister demonic mana, but their soldiers also respect them," (Sera) "That time, all of us knew that it''s our defeat. Until an unknown war horn appeared from the unknown. We thought they''re the demons'' reinforcement, but strangely they came not from their direction. And there, they appear just like how the rumors that spread across the world told us about the heavenly knights," (Sera) "They''re very strong, each individual is strong, and they''re invincible when they''re in a group. With a small number, they covered all of our flanks without losing even one of their soldiers. Looking at their power, our soldiers got motivated and regain their spirits and morale, bringing us to a survive from that pinch," (Sera) "Does the white-haired man their general? Is he strong? He doesn''t look like he''s a fighter," (Queen) "All of us thought so at first, your majesty. But in the end, it turns out we''re wrong," (Oxius) "Wrong?" (Queen) "Yes, together with the group of the high-ranked demons, there is a demon king that appeared together with them. And he''s the one who killed the demon king single-handedly," (Oxius) ****************************** At the capital, Slime Tarot is standing in front of the land where the queen gave his empire to make their legation together with his soldiers. "This is the land, sire. The building will maybe finish at the two months, sire. The queen said that all of you may return to your homeland while getting escorted by the royal guards or temporarily stay at the royal guest house," Said a man to Slime Tarot. "This is good land..." The white-haired man said with a smile as he saw the fresh green grasses. "Beg your pardon?" "Um. It''s fine, we''ll construct the legation by ourselves. Peggy, do your job," (Slime Tarot) Chapter 111 - The Intruder [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ The sudden appearance of the Tarot empire''s legation at the Grandaria kingdom''s capital shocked everyone. Without any process of construction, the building just popped up from nowhere as if it got summoned by the heavens. "We''ve made them owe us. made them acknowledge our empire. And made them permit us to make our legation in their kingdom. What''s next-" A skinny man with pointed ears and a pretty face that obviously showed that he''s an elf. He about to make a conversation with his weird boss that always looked like he''s about to do a mischievous thing, but that weird boss of his is putting his index finger in front of his mouth, giving him a sign to stay silent. They''re sitting at the office room of the Tarot empire''s legation that had just been made a couple of hours before. Slime Tarot continues to drink his coffee at his office''s desk as he enjoys the quiet night. But on the other side, the skinny elf is thinking hard whether he made a mistake or something to that weird boss of his. But despite his weirdness and mysterious identity, the skinny elf fully knows how smart and strong his boss is. (Well, everyone in the empire that possesses a position is full with strong and smart people, though) (Skinny Elf) "So? Until when will you stand there, mister shadow?" Slime Tarot suddenly spoke. !!?? There are two people that are currently surprised, the skinny elf and the one who is hiding at the shadows. As an imperial soldier of the empire, he''s confident with his strength. But yet, he didn''t realize and hasn''t sensed the presence of the intruder yet. And for the shadow, the fact that he got busted is enough to make his back sweats as he''s confident with his stealth. "Hm... To avoid misunderstanding, this is not a bluff. Well, as a proof," (Slime Tarot) Thud! A card flew towards a wall and slightly pierced it. The force is controlled enough to make sure the card will get stuck on the wall while minimizing the damages to the office''s wall. "Will you show up now, mister?" Said Slime with a smile. "Fine, fine, you win. Damn, I never thought I will get caught this easy," Alfred appear from the shadows and said with a shrug. "How dare you sneak inside the legation of the great empire," The skinny elf said sinisterly as he unsheathes his sword. "Stop it, Aquila. Don''t make too much noise. I don''t want the others to come inside the office too and cause a ruckus," (Slime Tarot) "But general-" (Aquila) "It''s fine. You guys are not a match for him, anyway. The most you guys could do is maybe slightly injure him, but still, he could flee whenever he wants to. And more importantly, he came here just to evaluate me, am I wrong?" (Slime Tarot) Alfred couldn''t help but sighs as his moves and his plans got by Slime in such a short time, it''s been so long since someone ever does that to him. (This frustration, only Ren managed to make feel this way. To think there will be another person that could checkmate me like this...) (Alfred) "You''re exactly right. Well, I''m not sure with the part where I could fight with that mister Elf over there, but I''m sure that I won''t be able to do anything if I were to fight against you," Alfred said frankly as he pulled the card from the wall. (A card, this is... 2?) (Alfred) "Such a flatter, you don''t come here only to flatter me, do you? Tell me, what answer are you searching for, I''ll answer any questions that you want but only the ones that I could answer," (Slime Tarot) "G-general! Not capturing him is already troubling, giving him information about us is too much!" (Aquila) "It''s fine. Sooner or later the questions he''ll ask us will be answered anyway. So? Tell me, assassin. What answer do you seek?" (Slime Tarot) Even though Alfred likes to manipulate his enemies with his suggestions and blackmails. But when Alfred stare at Slime''s eyes, Alfred felt uncomfortable as he felt like he''s the one getting manipulated. (How much do he guess?) (Alfred) "Hm... Not all, maybe three-quarters of your questions?" Slime said with a smile. "Y-you... How could you read my mind?" The smile at Alfred''s face disappears as he starts to get annoyed. "I''m not reading your thoughts, I''m reading your expression. It''s as easy as reading the card inside your pant''s pocket," (Slime Tarot) !!?? Alfred immediately put his hand inside his pocket, and he could feel that a card is inside it. Alfred pulls the card out and sees that this time, number 3 is imprinted on the golden card. (Since when did he put this... Wait, where do I see this card before...?) (Alfred) "The time is moving, quickly tell me your questions. You only have your chance to answer until the number 5 card appear at your body," (Slime Tarot) "....Fine, who are you? What exactly is the Tarot empire? What are you aiming for? What is the huge tree inside your empire? How could it appear?" (Alfred) "Hm... Quite a lot of questions you''re asking, but well, I''ll still answer it. Who am I? I am the ambassador and the acting consul of the Tarot empire legation at the same time. Tarot empire is an empire that rules several races under our banner, you could say that we''re the ruler of the Everdeen magical forest," (Slime) "How the races could live in harmony with each other is all because of our great emperor''s effort, our aim is to eliminate our enemies and our future enemies in order to protect our peace," (Slime) "The huge tree is called the divine world tree, Yggdrasil. How it could get summoned is a secret that only the emperor and the kings of the Tarot empire that know. I''ve answered all your questions, right?" Said Slime with a smile. Technically speaking, Slime Tarot had answered all of Alfred''s question. But his answers are not what Alfred seek, Slime Tarot is purposely giving out the safest answer for his country. He answers all of the questions and avoiding them at the same time. "Who is-" Before Alfred could give another question, Slime cut his sentence. "Before you ask, can you give me back the card you''re holding?" (Slime) !!?? (Again?) (Alfred) Alfred looked at his right hand and he finally realizes that he''s holding a card, and number 4 is imprinted on it. Alfred threw the card to Slime Tarot with his full power in annoyance, but yet Slime captured it in ease. Alfred is sure that he had tried to watch carefully every move that Slime made, but he still doesn''t realize when Slime put the card at his hand and moreover made his hand hold the card. (Shit. I completely fell to his pace...) (Alfred) "So? What''s your next question?" (Slime) Alfred''s mind got into a disorder because as he tried to focus on Slime''s movement, he couldn''t think of any other questions that could benefit the Grandaria kingdom. But if he focuses on thinking about a question, he''s afraid that he might miss Slime''s movement and feel humiliated again. "W-what is your real purpose by coming to our kingdom?" Said Alfred as he could only think that question. "Hm... If I say I want to conquer this kingdom, what could you do?" Asked Slime with a provocative smile. (T-this bastard...) (Alfred) Alfred''s right hand immediately went to the knife sheathed at his hip, but rather than his knife''s hilt, he felt a sensation of a small and thin thing that he is quite familiar with. (D-don''t tell me...) (Alfred) Alfred draws the thing, and it turns out it is a golden card with a number 5 imprinted on it. "Well, don''t get too serious. The reason I come here is... Hm... To protect someone?" Slime said with a smile. Somehow, Alfred is sure that what Slime just said is sincere even though he doesn''t have any proof. "To protect someone?" (Alfred) "Well, since you had already seen the number 5 card, the question session is over. It''s time for you to go out from here before more trouble appear," (Slime Tarot) "What? Wait-" Before Alfred could ask another question, Slime flicked his desk softly, and the scenery that Alfred saw suddenly changed. He''s in front of the gate of the royal capital. "F-forced teleportation?" (Alfred) Chapter 112 - The Clones Concerns [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "How did it went? You succeed?" Edraele asked to the shadow that just entered the Redfall mercenary guild guildmaster''s room. "Does my cover that obvious? It seems like everyone could sense my stealth now, I start to lose my confidence here," said Alfred with a wry smile as he appears from the shadows. "If you use stealth seriously, I won''t be able to sense you at all, Alfred. What happened? You look distracted," asked Peter as he saw Alfred''s face is kinda pale. "I''ve infiltrated their legation that had suddenly appeared from nowhere, and got caught immediately when I enter that white-haired man''s office," Alfred couldn''t help but show another wry smile as he remembers what just happened. "You got caught?" (Sen) "Yea," (Alfred) "How did you flee?" (Sen) "They let me go," (Alfred) "So much for the one who called ''The Shadow''," Peter said with a shrug. "Shut it. You can try to infiltrate their legation yourself, I''ll give you the guildmaster position if you can enter it without getting caught," (Alfred) "I humbly reject. If the one called ''The Shadow'' that experts on infiltrating and assassinating couldn''t infiltrate the legation, let alone me," (Peter) "But did you manage to obtain the information we need?" (Sen) "I do manage to have a conversation with the white-haired guy, but even though I asked all of the questions we need, I didn''t get any information we''re searching for," Alfred shook his head. "I see... That guy and his empire, should we discuss this with the old man?" (Peter) "We do. Since if it turns out that they''ll be hindering our movement and our goal. We''re going to need to eliminate them," (Alfred) "Okay then. By the way, our position in the capital is in danger, you know?" (Peter) "Danger?" (Alfred) "Yea. The Potterland''s mercenary guild had come and made their own guild inside the capital as their embassy''s orders. The mercenary that is said to walk according to the way of swords, The Musin society," **************************** "Is it wise to let him go, my lord?" Aquila asked Slime that is staring at the scenery outside with a strange smile. "I wonder... What do you think, Aquila? Did we lose anything here by letting him go?" Said Slime without turning his head towards Aquila. "...Nothing..." (Aquila) "That''s right. Even though I answer all of his questions, I only answer some things that don''t even matter whether he knows it or not. Even though we''ve just appeared at the map of the continent, all countries are evaluating us, and even though we''ve shown them a part of our strength, it''s not even something surprising back at our empire. But yet, all of them got cautious because of it," (Slime) "Indeed..." (Aquila) "It''s because our strength is different. And even though they don''t have any information about us, we''ve lots of information about them. This is what happens between a strong country and a weak one, if we infiltrate their palace, with just punishing the culprit, it won''t ruin our ties with their kingdom. But if the information about there is someone that is also an important figure of their kingdom got caught infiltrating our legation, it could become a spark of war. As we need to ask compensation again to their kingdom to show them that we''re not weaklings and wage war if they reject," (Slime) "Does that guy before someone important?" (Aquila) "Yes, he is, Aquila. He''s one of the heroes of this kingdom and one of the heroes that we need to nurture and strengthen," (Slime) Looking at the scenery outside the window, Slime smiled. "Teaching and guiding the heroes. It''s one of our missions, after all," (Slime) ******************************* This world where Oz got summoned to is called Terra, and the world is divided by five continents. The Eastaria continent on the east, the Westfalia continent on the west, Southfilia continent on the south, Northalia continent on the north, and the largest continent, the Ablux continent in the middle. Unlike earth, this world didn''t have any world map that has every detail about the world. Because of that reason, Oz sent the ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order together with some of his clones to find information about the unknown continents and to complete his world map. "With Ogre to the west, Orc to the south, Druid to the east, and Goblin to the north. It''s should be enough. Even if it''s not enough, we''ll back them up immediately..." (Slime Oz) Knock! Knock! "My lord, I''m informed that you''ve summoned me to the imperial castle," Gareth''s voice appears from outside the door. "Oh! Gareth! Come in! Indeed, I''ve called you!" (Slime Oz) The door opened, and a gorgeous man with long white hair entered the room clad in his black armor and his black greatsword. "What a pretty face you have there, Gareth," (Slime Oz) "Please don''t tease me, my lord. Can you tell me what do you summon me here for?" (Gareth) "Why rush, Gareth? I heard that you''re getting close to one of your generals. If my source is not wrong, she''s an Arachne, right? A race that rules the spiders and called the queen of the undead, (Slime Oz) "Indeed... Since obtaining the ability to transform into a human, we start to have emotions and stuff. It''s a great thing that my lord has ordered the construction of the academy and the schools that teaches about feelings too. We started to learn and comprehend what feelings we are having because of that," (Gareth) "Sigh... You''re no fun. I called you here because I want to put the undead to the front lines once more, we''re going to wage a war, Gareth," (Slime Oz) "With who? The humans?" (Gareth) "No, the time to wage war with the humans haven''t come yet. We need to give some damage to our other enemy first before dealing with them. We''ve now three hell''s gate in our possession, while because we didn''t know to which part of the demon realm the hell''s gate will teleport us, so we''re going to send only your summoned undead there," (Slime Oz) "Gather your summoners in three days, we''re going to swarm the demon realm with the undead. They might think that they''re in the position where they''re the only one who can attack us, so let''s show them who''s the hunter and who''s the prey," Slime Oz said with a sinister smile. (Poor demons. When they''re like this, they do resemble each other, huh. Well, they''re actually summoned from the same origin... I wonder how''s my lord''s undead clone doing at the undead world...) (Gareth) "My lord. Is my lord''s undead clone doing fine at the undead world?" (Gareth) "Hm? Lich, huh. He''s fine and kicking. I think it''s almost time for him to battle with the undead dragon king that rules the undead world. In two weeks? Three weeks? Well, since our real body is currently in a deep slumber, our connection with each other had got cut out. It''s as if we''ve really become an independent individual," Slime Oz said with a shrug. "Then how do you know that my lord''s undead clone is all right?" (Gareth) "Hm. Then, Gareth. Could you imagine him, no, we, Ren Arken''s clones lose?" (Slime Oz) "I-I can''t," (Gareth) "Then that''s fine, right? Just have faith with your master, would you?" (Slime Oz) Slime Oz realizes that from day to day, without the real body''s presence, each of his clones had become independent individuals that could move without an instruction. Even that day, there is a time where their opinions turn out to be different from each other. To avoid other clones to have the same doubts and concerns with him, Slime Oz took the role of the substitute of the real Oz. They''re clones, clones are just an imitation and originate from magic or skill. Despite having the same memories, they have different personalities, but each of them knows that the soul they possess is just a fragment of their real body, and despite having emotions and desires like a normal individual, they''re just a couple of fakes. (Make a good distance, don''t get attached, don''t make people attached. You''re just a clone...) (Slime Oz) Thinking and ordering himself to not get too attached is already like a spell and a routine for Slime Oz. (Hypothetically speaking, a skill or magic should have been deactivated if their caster lost their consciousness and lose focus since the source of mana will get cut out. But in our case, we could still exist in this world without having any problems while the real body is unconscious...) (Slime Oz) "My lord?" (Gareth) Even Gareth realized our difference. He used to call me ''Master'' and now he calls me ''My lord''. "Nothing, Gareth. I''m just thinking about something that I will never find the answer," (Slime Oz) (I wonder until when will this go on...) (Slime Oz) Chapter 113 - Assassination [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Storm is coming, I''m afraid we couldn''t save this kingdom anymore, the most we could do is just prolong its demise..." An old figure muttered to himself as he stared at the kingdom that he had protected for decades slowly withers like his age from on top of a mountain. The old figure lets out a heavy sigh as he remembered the man he had called his successor. "If I had known that you will meet your demise here and got treated like this, I won''t send you to the capital, and I won''t ever help this kingdom even if it''s only a single time..." "But yet, I need to admit that I might be the one who leads you to your demise... Heroes do die young, but I never expect your deeds will be disrespected and die together with you... Once again, this world denied me..." The old figure takes a looked at his hand that had led the man that he considered as his own grandson to his grave. He could feel the urge to destroy the kingdom that had disrespected his successor''s and frame him as occult as he clenches his fist. But he had been protecting the kingdom for decades as he had promised to a royal family decades before. "At that time, this kingdom is on it''s prime. But now, just what, what exactly am I protecting?" The old figure asked the thin air only to get answered with silence. "Grandpa Kyron, It''s almost time for dinner, what are you doing?" A girly voice filled with youth appears, calling the old figure for dinner. "Nothing, just some useless thoughts that bothered me," Said the old figure kindly towards the girl that he considered as his own granddaughter. "Lies... Grand-Grandpa must be feeling guilty about Ren again," Said the girl as she clenched her fists as her tone changed. "N-no, Elena. It''s fine, I''ll go back for dinner," (Old man Kyron) "I know it. Grandpa always avoids the topic whenever I mention his name. I know that you''re hurt and you felt guilty for what happened to him, but you can share it with us, you know? But you see, I don''t know why but, even though I''m very sad when I heard about his death, I couldn''t help but think that he''s still there outside, I don''t know why he''s hiding, but I believe that like usual, he''s trying his best to protect people," Elena said as she imagines the figure that she longed and always waiting for. (Even though your eyes always got swollen because you cried all night...) (Old man Kyron) "If you say that much, grandpa doesn''t have any choice but keep on believing in him like you, right?" (Old man Kyron) "Yes!" Elena answered with a smile. When the old man Kyron saw her smile, he felt that it had been so long that he hadn''t seen her smiling sincerely from her heart. (I need to protect her, no, their smile. I think that I''ve protected this kingdom enough. It''s time for me to protect my family...) (Old man Kyron) "Grandpa?" (Elena) "It''s nothing. I just thought that we don''t have the obligation to obey this kingdom anymore. I think it''s time for us to completely cut the ties between us and this kingdom," (Old man Kyron) "A-are you serious?" (Elena) "Yes. Since if our belief is true, and he''ll return one day. Then I believe we need to choose between Ren or this kingdom at that time, so I decided to make the choice now. It''s time to make our own home," (Old man Kyron) *************************** The darkness of the night had enveloped the capital city of the Grandaria kingdom with silence. Unlike before, every citizen''s night is filled with anxiety and worry because of the kingdom''s situation. The king''s whereabouts are unknown, the queen is trying her best to maintain the status quo only to get her feet entangled by it and became unable to take any other moves, the other kingdoms are trying to take over the kingdom slowly, and the nobles are selling their country for authority, while the citizens could only bear the suffering. In the middle of the night, a figure is moving in the shadow, merging with the darkness with a jet-black costume like an assassin. (Today''s target is count Cendra from Potterland kingdom. According to the intel, he should be having a meeting with some top brass of their kingdom at the inn under the influence of the new Potterland kingdom''s mercenary group, Musin society...) (Sera) (Should be around here, huh...) (Sera) Standing on top of a roof, Sera stared at a 5-leveled huge Potterland''s inn. The inn is huge and constructed with the Potterland''s style, traditional and made with wood. Today''s Potterland kingdom''s festival day for celebrating their kingdom''s birth. People from their kingdom went outside and gather with fellow Potterlandian, lighting candles, and hold a banquet. (When the lights of the banquet light on, the chance will come, huh...) (Sera) "3. 2. 1," Following Sera''s mutter, every Potterland''s citizens light their candle and went outside the inn. Since count Cendra is an important figure of their kingdom, he doesn''t go outside the inn, but he opened the window as he disgustingly smirked when he saw his kingdom''s citizens that are celebrating the festival. Hiding in the darkness of the night, Sera silently saw the chance for her to kill her target has come. "Count Cendra from Potterland''s kingdom, you''re punished for raping dozens of Grandarian woman, abducting Grandarian kids to be sold as slaves, and tainting Grandaria kingdom''s name by spreading the rumor that he had slept together with me, the royal princess of Grandaria kingdom. You''ll be punished with the severest punishment," (Sera) With full of hatred and anger, Sera silently said the punishment. "Death. May you repent your sins inside the purgatory of freezing ice. [Ice Bullet]," "[Lightning spear]" A familiar man''s voice sounded together with Sera''s chant. "Eh?" (Sera) *Boom!* *Bzzt!* Count Cendra is at the swords saint rank, but he''s well known with his great mana perception. As he realized Sera''s ice bullet that is coming to his head, he''s about to dodge but a lightning spear that only in a size of a needle pierced the count''s veins, shocking the count with enough electricity to make him experience heart failure while giving the ice bullet''s the chance to make the count''s head blown perfectly. (One target, two assassins... He summoned the lightning spear that supposed to be a complex spell and still have the leeway to customize its size to the size of a needle with enough power to kill the count. Who is he?) (Sera) Sera observes the surroundings and spot a silhouette of a man dressed in black similar to her, running away from the crime scene. Right when she tries to tail the man, a shout from the inn''s waitress alerted the whole place. "KYAAAAAA!" "H-he''s dead! He''s been murdered!" "Find the culprit! He must be still near here! Search the area!" The situation fell into chaos because the panicking citizens that made a ruckus. The mercenaries from the Musin society mercenary guild immediately embark to search for the culprit of count Cendra''s assassination. "Boss, forgive our incompetence. We never thought that there will be someone aiming count Cendra, and the attack came from quite a distance, we completely unaware of their attack," the second-in-command of the Musin Society mercenary guild said as he kneels in front of the guildmaster. "The first spell that hits the count is a lightning spell, because of its speed that''s quick by its nature, the count''s talent in mana perception doesn''t have any use because of it. But a spell as fast as this with enough damage to kill him like this supposed to need a lot of mana and long chantation, we should be able to detect him chanting by the mana fluctuation. But we don''t sense anything... Is the one who chants the spell had reached the magic god realm?" "The lightning spell should be enough to kill the count, but yet there is still an ice bullet spell that could only be used by a person at a middle-tier sword saint rank aiming at the count''s head. Is it insurance in case the count evade the lightning spell? Wait," The man using a robe with a gorgeous dragon imprinted on the robe said. His words are accurate, indicating his vast experience, while his tone is firm and confident that shows his leadership. The man sensed a trace of mana right at the veins of the count''s neck. (Does the reason why we don''t sense the mana fluctuation is not because of the killer''s high cultivation rank, but because the spell is customized to be enough to kill the count with the minimum amount of electricity. The killer is sure that the spell will hit the count''s vein...) "This... Two assassins and one target... Why...?" Chapter 114 - The Winter Bird [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Master, tell me your wish. As the one who had managed to subdue me and even able to make my strength reached a higher feat, whether it''s the demons or the humans or anything, I''ll burn all of those who oppose you with my infernal flames," (Atlas) "I''m afraid your flame alone won''t be able to complete my wish, Atlas. The enemy we''ll face in the near future is much stronger, faster, and powerful..." (Slime Oz) "Is it the demon emperor, my dear master?" The dragon king asked his dear master as the memories of the old war reappear inside his head, the scene where the flames from hell burn the world and slaughter all creatures including his brethren. "Yes, Atlas. I know very well how strong he is, so rather than going towards the enemy now, it''s time for you, the king of dragons to search for your brethren. My dark elf clone will accompany you, take back the throne that meant to be yours, and make the world remember the fear from the might of the dragon folks," (Slime Oz) "M-master... As you wish..." It''s not that Atlas forgets about his brethren, but he felt that his affection towards his current master is much greater rather than his affection towards his brethren and his throne. He did want to search for his brethren as he''s once a king, he felt a slight feeling of guilt for not protecting his kind. His master''s order for him to search for his brethren made him overjoyed. (Master. Whoever your enemy is, and whatever path you''ll take. I, Atlas, will always follow to even if it''s the depth of hell. May you live long and have a happy life together with your people and your family...) (Atlas) ********************** "One target, two assassins... But why...?" The leader of the Music society mercenary guild muttered as he ponders about the assassination that just happened. "Wait. Kenzo, have you sent our men to follow them?" Asked the leader of the Music society as he just realized something. "Yes. I''ve sent them to follow them," "Tell them to retreat, sending them to follow the assassins that excel in darkness like this is the same as sending them to their graves. If my thoughts are right, these killers can''t-" "Agh!" "You! How dare you-" "Arghh!!" Before the leader of the Musin society finished his sentence, the groans of his men suddenly sounded. "Kenzo, go help them. Don''t waste our men''s lives here," "As you command, boss," The second-in-command immediately disappears as he dashed towards the source of their men''s voice. "To be bold enough to assassinate someone inside my territory, who are you, assassin? Grandarian warriors? Hired assassins? Whoever you are, I hope you''re ready to face the consequences of messing around inside my territory..." The man said he stares at the black sky of the night. ************************* Whoosh! Sera dashed, following the assassin that aims at the same target with her at the same time. Slash! Slash! (This guy... His power is not much to consider, but his intelligence mustn''t be underestimated...) (Sera) Sera slashes several magics the assassin chant to her. The assassin''s speed is not as quick as Sera, but even though the spell is just mid-tier, his aim is accurate and could be vital if Sera doesn''t focus on evading and blocking his attacks. (Hm?) (Sera) The assassin suddenly stopped and turned around, facing her. At that moment, Sera remembered that three years ago, he also met that man in the same manner as this. But different from that man, the assassin before her doesn''t have a pair of brown eyes, but an emerald one. But Sera strangely thought that their eyes had the same clearance and confidence. "[Firestorm]" Following the assassin''s words, a firestorm approaches Sera with its scorching heat. But for a sword god ranked magic swordsman like Sera, it''s not a difficult thing to handle. (Chantless, huh) (Sera) "Don''t underestimate me. The second skill of Endless Cold, [Blizzard]" (Sera) The assassin''s Firestorm meets Sera''s Blizzard, causing a great disaster. Sera thought that she had read the mind of the assassin, but little did she know that she had played right to the assassin''s palm as, beneath his black mask, an evil smirk is imprinted on his face. "[Control water]," !!?? [Control water]. A spell that used by a water elemental mage to exercise his/her water elemental magic before entering the mid-tier spells. It''s used to control the water as one''s will. The ices and snows from Sera''s [Blizzard] spell melts when they met the assassin''s [Firestorm] spell. But before the heat made the water evaporates, the assassin used the [control water] to maintain the water at its liquid state and made them float on the air. There, Sera knew that she just got checkmated by the assassin before her. "[Thunder chain]," The assassin used a simple mid-tier spell, the spell is not threatening in normal occurrence, but with countless drops of water floating near her, it''s more than enough to make someone die because of heart failure. Sera closed her eyes as she bears the shocking pain from the assassin''s spell. Just like what she expected, the countless floating drops of water helps the lightning chain to conduct and spread through all direction. Since some part of Sera''s body had got wet because of having contact with the water that surrounds her, the electricity shocked her even easier. It supposed to be so. """ARGH!!!""" Voices that came from the men sent by the Music society mercenary guild that were chasing the sounded from downwards. "Eh?" (Sera) She could feel the pain from the electricity, but it turns out that it''s not as hurt as she imagined. She had clenched her teeth to help her bear the pain even more, but the pain turns out not to the point where she got suffered because of it. Sera opens her eyes and saw that clouds of steam that appear from the evaporated water surrounded her. Since she has a layer of ice barrier made from her ice element aura protecting her body, the heat from the steam doesn''t even bother her. Swinging her sword a bit and sending away the steam, Sera take a peek downwards and saw that dozens of Musin society''s mercenaries lying on the ground, electrocuted. (H-he use the [Control Water] spell with them in his consideration, too? But why? He could just electrocute me and those mercenaries together with the same amount of power without having the electricity power decreased) (Sera) (This... Is he helping me out?) (Sera) Sera stares at the dark sky as her mind got confused. Asking to the beautiful moon, "Who are you? Are you an enemy...? Or an ally...?" **************************** *Sound of a door opened* "You''re finally back, sire," Aquila said in front of the Tarot empire legation''s office. "Aquila, huh. Yes, I''m back," (Slime Tarot) "How did it went?" (Aquila) "Smoothly as we''ve planned," (Slime Tarot) "Good to hear that, sire... Is there something wrong, my lord?" Aquila asked Slime that is staring at the sky with a strange smile. "Hm? Ah! Nothing, it''s just. I met a winter bird across the road. Sadly, the bird''s wings are hurt, and it seems that it hasn''t found the key to go out from its cage and fly freely yet. I''m currently thinking about whether I should help it went out the cage by showing its key, or should I just heal her wings, or let time heals her wings and wait for her to realize?" Slime answered as he stares again towards the night sky. "I see. What a fortunate bird to have your eyes fixated on it. But sadly, setting aside the matter of the winter bird, it''s almost time for your appointment with the Potterland kingdom''s ambassador, my lord. I humbly ask you to prepare yourself to embark outside once more," (Aquila) "Not even a spare of time to rest, I see. Could you please cut me some slack, Aquila?" Slime lazily said "I''m afraid I can''t, my lord. Since you''re carrying the emperor''s and the empire''s good name, I firmly believe that I can''t let you slack your ass here, my lord," Aquila said with a polite tone. "I believe you''re the only subordinate in the world that said he can''t let his boss slack his ass right in front of his boss''s face, Aquila... You know that I''m your superior, right?" Slime couldn''t help but said with a wry smile. "I believe my words are appropriate since I''m a loyal subordinate, my lord," (Aquila) "Sigh. Fine, fine. Let me change my clothes first," (Slime) Chapter 115 - The Nothingness [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ An empty world. A world filled with nothingness. A dimension that could only be described as a prison. A world that despite have nothing inside it. It could be changed into anything at the same time. Anyone might think that it''s a world that is filled with everything at first glance, while only the two people inside the dimension truly know how empty the world they are trapped in is. "Fascinating..." A voice that is filled with immense power and malice, a voice that could make a normal person die because of fear. The voice sounded like it just found something amusing to him. "....." Despite hearing and standing in front of the man that possessed such power, the man that amused the owner of the terrifying voice remains silent and indifferently ignored him. He didn''t even flinch when he heard the terrifying voice. "We''ve battled inside this sealed world countless times, but yet, never even once have you defeated me. Well, you''ve managed to get closer to victory in every battle and you did succeed on surprising me and almost grasp a victory in several occurrences, though," The terrifying voice continued. "....." The man continued on his silence. "You are the only man that has enough courage to ignore me, the demon emperor, to this extent. Even from all of the heroes I''ve encountered, you possess the best spirit, ability, power, and personality that far superior to them-" "I''m not a hero," Answered the man shortly, cutting the demon emperor''s sentence. "For you, yes. But not for everyone else, not for the people near you, not for the world," The demon emperor said with a confident tone, not even irritated to the slightest by the man''s act of cutting his words. "They''re free to see me with whatever perspective they have, I''m me, and I''m the only one who has the right to determine who am I. Not even you, demon," The man said coldly. "Indeed! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Even if we''re trapped inside this seal for another 100 years, I think I won''t ever be bored as long as you''re here, Ren Arken!" Said the demon emperor as he domineeringly laughed. "Say whatever you want, you''re free to stay inside this seal for as long as you want. But I''m leaving," Said Oz as he readies his sword once more. "Is that so? But you never even defeated me here, not even once. You''ll need to defeat me if you want to leave this place," Mocks the demon emperor. "It''s just a matter of time," Oz answered indifferently. "Hm~ You said that you''re the only one who will determine who you are, then who are you, Ren?" The demon emperor asked as his eyes sharpen when he looked at the mysterious man in front of him that despite always losing to him, he''ll feel shivers down to his spine every time he stared at the man''s eyes. After a long time, the demon emperor finally able to catch a smile from the man''s face. With a confident smile and tone that not inferior to the demon emperor''s, Ren answered his question, "I am just a magician," *********************************** "How''s the meeting unfold, my lord?" Aquila asked Slime that had just returned from meeting the Potterland kingdom''s ambassador. "The most obvious outcome, of course," Slime answered indifferently. "Then I believe you''ve managed to achieve all of our aims in that meeting, sire. I''m thinking about praising and thanking you for your great work, but it seems that I''ve lost my interest to do so because of your expression," Said Aquila, commenting his superior that currently has a smug grin on his face. "Y-you... As your superior, I have the authority to fire you from here, you know?" Said Slime with a wry smile. "Ah. I''m sorry, sire. I''m just thinking about it, but it seems that my thoughts unexpectedly came out from my mouth. I can''t help it, I''m an honest and straightforward person, after all. Please forgive me if I''ve offended you in any way, Sire," Said Aquila as he slightly bows his head towards Slime. ".....You''ve offended me in ''every way'' possible, Aquila. But it is true that I''ve really done a great job, because of me, our empire had got another country that admitted our existence. They tried to squeeze some information from me, but sadly they didn''t realize that it had been the other way round since the beginning," (Slime) "It''s the normal outcome since the one they''re facing is you, my lord. But please don''t get conceited because of this, my lord," (Aquila) "You... But well, I''m thinking that I''ll let you off for today as I''m a benevolent boss, so I''m going to the inn to rest for the day," Said Slime as if fleeing from his troublesome underling. "Inn, my lord? Well, it''s indeed is late, already. Have a nice rest, my lord, I''ll catch up soon after finishing the reports," (Aquila) After bidding farewell to his underling, Slime went to the inn where every Tarot staff had reserved for their stay. Since everyone from Tarot has a very similar appearance with that of humans, no one is discriminating against them openly as they''re also known as the heavenly knights that possess tremendous strength and are their savior at the same time. The inn is not far from the legation. After walking for a while, Slime arrived in front of a huge inn that if he''s on the earth, it will be called a ''hotel'' instead. "Hm... This inn looks rather fancy... The legation is quite comfortable to sleep at, but since yesterday Aquila caught me sleeping there already, I don''t have any other choices now, do I?" Slime muttered to himself. After letting out a heavy sigh, Slime entered the inn and quite surprised how high-class the inn is. "Welcome, sire," A woman standing behind the counter next to the stairs welcomed Slime. Inns usually have their restaurant and lodging counter at the same place. But this inn separates the counter of both of it, it means that both of the business had considerably many customers while having it give a premium vibe for the customer. "Um. Excuse me, I''m Slime Tarot from the Tarot empire legation-" (Slime) "Ah! So you''re Mr. Slime. I''m the owner of this inn, Hina Terrance. Nice to meet you," Said the woman behind the counter as she reaches out her hand towards Slime asking for a handshake. At a split second, Slime evaluates the woman in front of him. The woman is slightly shorter than him, her short curly dark purple hair made her gives off a mature vibe. She''s showing some of her skin because of her thin clothes, but despite that, she could still look elegant even with her using those clothes. (Her mana amount and cultivation is not bad, but those eyes...) (Slime) "Yes I am, nice to meet you," Slime accepts her handshake with a smile. "It seems that you''re tired, sire. This is the key to your reserved room. Your room is on the highest floor, the tenth floor of the inn. It''s at the corner, the right side of the inn. It''s the best room we have here," Whispers Hina as she winks towards Slime. (Interesting... But shame, Resting and sleeping interests me more) (Slime) "I appreciate that. Thanks," Slime ended the conversation shortly, took his room''s key, and went upstairs. Following Hina''s instructions, Slime arrived in front of a room with a big ''01'' number imprinted at the door. Looking at his room''s key, Slime saw that the same number is imprinted on the key. Slime opened the locked door and entered his room. "Well, this is unexpected," Slime muttered as he saw the room. Not only fancy, but it''s also luxurious enough that Slime thought that this might be the room that used to host royalties or high-ranked nobles from other countries. It could also be described as a one-floor house. But setting aside the size, all of the furniture is well placed and the room is decorated to be comfortable. It had a huge living room, a kitchen, two rooms, and one big bath. Before doing anything else, Slime throw out his clothes and decided to take a bath first. The bath is installed with a magic heater, a magic tool that is used to heat the bath. Slime is slightly surprised for Grandaria to possess the magic item, but the face of the inn''s owner appeared once more inside his head. (Maybe it''s not Grandaria who possess this... It''s just this inn''s owner is smart and crafty enough to benefit from her connections...) (Slime) Slime thought about other things that just got in his mind, but immediately set all of them aside. "An empty and peaceful mind is necessary in order to enjoy a hot bath..." (Slime) (All of the other things are for the me after the bath to think of...) Chapter 116 - Disturbance At Breakfast [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Tap! Tap! Tap! A sound of steps that came from a pair of traditional sandals sounded throughout the chaotic night. The man is using a robe with gorgeous dragons imprinted on it. He''s Takeda Shingen, the leader of the Musin Society mercenary guild. "Kenzo, stand up," said Takeda with a cold voice. As if he just got splashed with a bucket of cold water, Kenzo raise his body and kneeled in front of his boss. "Boss..." Kenzo called out his boss with an apologetic face and tone. "It''s fine. Tell me what happened," Takeda said indifferently. In front of them, dozens of their men are currently lying on the ground, fainted. "Our men chased them with all they got, but they''re too fast. When I''ve arrived, our men are ready to attack both of the assassins, but they hesitated when they saw both of the assassins seems to be attacking each other," (Kenzo) "Hm? I see... No wonder..." Takeda muttered to himself as if confirming something inside his head. "After that, their confrontation with each other went to another level and all of us suddenly got caught in something like an electricity spell. I could still catch their moves and is waiting for the right moment to subdue both of them, but it looks like I''m too naive and made us lost lots of men. Please forgive my incompetence, boss..." (Kenzo) "Lost lots of men?" Takeda raised a question towards his subordinate. "Yes?" Kenzo asked back as he didn''t seem to understand what his boss is implying. "I don''t think we lost anyone, Kenzo," Takeda said as he shifted his gaze towards his men that are still lying on the ground. (I could still sense the faint electric mana on the air, it seems that Kenzo is not lying by one of the assassins used an electricity spell to end the battle) (Takeda) (But controlling the power from electricity spell is difficult, at most, some of my men should be dead, but it doesn''t seem to be the case. In normal cases, assassins will kill the guards or people who might be a witness and harm them without second thoughts, but this guy spared all of them...) (Takeda) "Interesting..." Takeda mutters to himself as a wide grin appeared on his face. "Boss...?" Kenzo asked as he got confused when he saw the strange expression his boss had on his face. "Kenzo. We''ll be acting like today didn''t happen. Even if the nobles or even the king asked us to find the culprit, we won''t make any move," Takeda commands his subordinate with a strange command. "Wha!? What do you mean, boss-" (Kenzo) "This is my decision, Kenzo. Do you have any objections about it?" A sharp gaze pierced Kenzo, silencing him completely. Kenzo shivers as he lowers his head even deeper. "I understand..." (Kenzo) "Good. This is not provocation for war, but compensation. He''s saying that he had made enough problems for us, he''s sparing our men''s lives as an apology. How interesting..." (Takeda) "...?" Kenzo looked at his boss with a huge question mark imprinted on his face. Looking at his subordinate that still didn''t understand, Takeda sighs as he lost interest in him and has no intention to explain it to him. (Well, this surprisingly gave me a good mood) (Takeda) Takeda looked back at his lying men and said with a cold voice that mixed with his mana, "Now boys, wake up,". Similar to Kenzo''s reaction, they immediately regain their consciousness, and when they saw their boss''s figure, they follow Kenzo and kneeled to Takeda immediately. Looking at how his men had no considerable damage, Takeda got even more interested. (Looks like living in this kingdom won''t be too boring, after all...) (Takeda) ************************************* The morning sun had risen and spread its warmth to the world. Stretching his body, Slime let out a groan. "I guess I''ve been getting too many orders these days. Even though I''m a slime, it seems that my body still gets stiff because of the fatigue. Or is it just because my lazy self is telling me to rest?" Slime muttered as he looked at his hands that transformed from a normal human''s hand into a black liquid. "Well, no matter what the answer is, today is my damn-long-awaited rest. Let''s enjoy this day to the fullest," Slime muttered to himself with a shrug. Using one of the formal suits that he brought from the Tarot, Slime exits his room and went to have breakfast. "You wake up rather fast, Mr. Slime," A woman''s voice suddenly greets him when Slime arrived at the first floor. "I have the same words for you, it seems that this inn''s young owner is rather diligent. Ah! Please don''t misunderstand, I just showing my respect," (Slime) Hearing Slime''s words, Hina happily and cheerfully smiled in response. She looks genuinely happy when she heard Slime''s compliment. "Thanks! You''re quite a flatterer, Mr. Slime," (Hina) "Not a flatterer, I''m just an honest person," Slime replied with a gentle smile. Didn''t want to continue the conversation any longer because of his starving stomach, Slime bid farewell to Hina and went to eat his breakfast. "Please give me a heavy one, I''m starving. I''ll pay an extra if needed," Slime said towards the waitress that approached him. "There''s no need, sire. We''ll prepare your food immediately, please enjoy your drink as we make your breakfast," The waitress politely put an elegant cup, bowed, and left. (Their etiquettes are trained rather well) (Slime) The drink that the waitress gave Slime is milk mixed with expensive honey. Slime could tell it from the smell, but it seems that there are still some other ingredients mixed inside the milk that he didn''t recognize. *Slurp* Slime took the first sip on the milk. "Hm~ A perfect beverage for the morning..." Slime praised with his eyes closed, completely absorbed in enjoying the milk. The milk served is hot but not to the point where it made the tongue burnt, it got heated perfectly where the consumer could enjoy it and have their body relaxed. Just as Slime is enjoying the hot milk and waiting for the breakfast he ordered to come, an unexpected disturbance suddenly happened. "S-sirs!?" A panicked exclaim from the waitress made stole everyone''s attention. "Hm?" Slime shifted his gaze towards the source of the voice, and he saw that dozens of royal guards entered the inn, with just one glance, Slime finished his estimation of the royal guards'' strength, and quickly get disinterested in them. (Maybe in human countries, their strength is rather strong. But still, they''re not even worthy to be compared to the royal guards and royal soldiers of the kingdoms inside our empire. Not to mention the imperial guards and the imperial soldiers.) (Slime) Just when Slime went to enjoy the milk on his hand again, he sensed that the royal guards strangely approached him, and a split second, the royal guards had completely surrounded him. "I wonder what this is about?" Slime calmly asked towards the royal guards with his eyes closed. "Slime Tarot. One of the Grandaria heroes, the next successor of the throne, the princess of Grandaria, Seraphina Grandaria had summoned you. Please follow us right away!" Said one of the royal guards. *Slurp!* Slime indifferently drink his milk and finish it, paying no heed towards the royal guards. "Y-You-" As one of the royal guards about to threaten Slime, the one that seems to be the leader stopped him by raising his hand, signaling him to stop. As the loyal royal guard of Grandaria, he decides to stop and obey his superior''s orders. (Good judgment. If he attacked me, it would have become one of my playing cards. What a shame) (Slime) "Ambassador and the acting consul of the Tarot legation, Slime Tarot. Please forgive my subordinate''s behavior, as his superior, I apologize," Said the one who seems to be the leader of the royal guards. Seeing that Slime didn''t give any sign of responding, the royal guards'' leader smiled a little as he continued. "My name is Reynald Gregory. I''m the captain of the princess''s royal guards," He respectfully bowed towards Slime. (He seems to be rather smart) (Slime) With a thin smile formed at Slime''s face, Slime answered Reynald''s self-introduction. "I believe you knew who am I already so there is no need for any self-introduction from my side, I believe. But, sir Reynald, the inn''s currently preparing breakfast for me. It''ll be insulting and impolite to just leave when they''ve tried their best to please their customer here, no?" (Slime) "I see. Then I believe they''ll be rejoiced to send your breakfast to the princess''s resident. We''ll also pay the breakfast you''ve ordered to the inn twice the price, then this way, it''ll be beneficial for all sides, right?" Reynald answered as he clapped his hand and called a waitress and immediately explain his thoughts without confirming Slime''s permission. "An interesting man... Seems like the princess wants to meet me that bad to the point that he sent someone like you here, sir Reynald. Fine, consider yourself lucky since this milk had given me a good mood. Now lead me to your princess, gentlemen," (Slime) "Then we will, Mr. Slime. I''ll convey my thanks towards the milk later," Answered Reynald, responding to Slime words with a joke. (Let''s see... Maybe this will help me choose what choice I should take for the winter bird...) (Slime) Chapter 117 - Do I Pass? [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Inside a huge mansion that is decorated with elegant white, two figures are facing each other in the dining room of the mansion. Despite the table is huge enough to hold a feast, they''re the only ones eating in the dining room. Slime''s fully aware of the princess''s gaze that is observing and him up. But he pays no heed towards the princess and continues to enjoy his breakfast. "You have a surprisingly large appetite, Mr. Slime," The princess tries to break the silence. "..........." (Slime) Looking at Slime that seems to have no intention to stop eating, Sera continued. "Yesterday, more precisely last night, there is an assassination that occurred at the inn possessed by a Potterland kingdom''s civilian. The victim is Count Cendra from Potterland kingdom, he''s a guest that has a high prestige at his kingdom. Do you happen to know about this matter, Mr. Slime?" Sera mentioned the main point straight away. "........" Slime continues to eat and ignores the princess. "If-" (Sera) "Today''s weather is great, isn''t it, princess?" (Slime (The weather?) (Sera) Sera shifted her gaze towards the window, and indeed, the sky is incredibly clear today. It''s neither hot nor cold, and Sera captured the silhouette of several birds flying happily on the sky. Realizing that she got captivated by the scene, Sera shifted her gaze back towards Slime that is smiling strangely towards her. "What are you-" (Sera) "Did you know, Princess? I heard that food tastes best when it''s still warm," Slime pointed at Sera''s foods with his spoon. Sera once again got her attention manipulated by Slime. She shifted her gaze towards her food. Today''s breakfast is a royal bread accompanied by some fresh fruits and a hot Grandarian tea. Taking a bite of the warm bread and a sip of the tea, Sera realized that it''s been rather a while since she enjoys her food completely. (It''s good. If I don''t eat it now, in several minutes, the bread will get harder to bite and the tea will get cold. Wait, why am I enjoying myself right now?) (Sera) "You... What kind of trick are you playing?" Sera stares dagger at Slime. "I''m not planning anything. I''m just bothered by you who is neglecting the food," Slime answered indifferently. (Not good. He had taken control of the conversation''s flow...) (Sera) "Sigh... So? What did you call me here for, Dear ice princess of Grandaria kingdom? You didn''t force me to come here just to have breakfast with you, aren''t you?" Said Slime with a sigh. "Of course I don''t, I-" At that moment, Sera''s words stopped when she saw Slime''s smile. (This guy...) (Sera) "Y-you... You''re underestimating me, aren''t you?" (Sera) Hearing Sera''s words, Slime answered her question with a smile. "Ice princess of the great, or more accurately, of the former greatest kingdom of Ablux continent, Grandaria kingdom, Seraphina Grandaria. The second child of the queen and is the sole successor of the kingdom since the crown prince that supposed to be the king had miraculously disappeared from the public," Slime) "Despite her personality that the rumors said as cold as ice, the citizens of the kingdom praised her and adores her. Why? Because even though the kingdom is near its demise because the conflict between the royal faction and the noble faction, together with her friends, the princess increase the stability of the kingdom by pressuring the nobles that constantly oppressing the people, helping the people from economic way to protect the kingdom''s dignity," (Slime) Slime took a glimpse of the princess that trying her best to maintain her poker face before continuing. "Not only that, bringing one of the biggest mercenary guilds of the continent to her side and brilliantly protect the capital and the cities near it by combining her constantly increasing army and the mercenary guild. Because of her influence that had even surpassed the queen, people started to call her Grandaria''s queen already," (Slime) "With the appearance of the prophecy about the demons invasion in the near future, the princess and her close friends had officially announced as the Grandarian heroes because of their ascending to the sword god realm. At the same year, they ascend to the sword god realm despite their young age, increasing the credibility of them being the heroes," (Slime) "Because of the sudden increase of sword gods at Grandaria kingdom''s ranks, the Potterland kingdom and the Gracefield kingdom that was about to wage war against Grandaria began to hesitate once more. The war successfully avoided, or more precisely, postponed because of the princess and her friends. But turns out that the Potterland kingdom and the Gracefield kingdom decided to attack with other methods," (E-even the matters relating the Potterland kingdom and the Gracefield kingdom... Just how much of information does he know!?) (Sera) "They attacked indirectly by covering it with the name of making ties with Grandaria kingdom despite having a real intention of taking over the noble faction. But still, the presence of the princess and her friends are keeping both kingdoms from executing their plans, that''s indeed praiseworthy," (That''s not good enough, Sera. You must be relying on your poker face and your pressure as the princess who had accomplished a lot of things and even become one of the great heroes of Grandaria until now. but, it seems you''ve forgotten. There will always be another sky above a sky) (Slime) Slime didn''t hide his smirk as he sharpens his eyes towards the princess. Sera succeed in maintaining her poker face, but she didn''t realize, that another part of her body that only people with plenty of observing skills could see her wavering. (You''re mad. Even though your expression didn''t show it, the power that you''ve trained with your all doesn''t even hide it. You must be mad about the differences in the amount of information we had of each other, but you could have foreseen it if you had carefully researched the difference of our country''s strength) (Slime) Slime saw Sera''s mana with his sharp eyes. (A storm. A cold storm fueled by anger. People tend to get emotional and impatient when someone knew too much about them or correctly guessed their intentions. She might not realize, but the temperature of the room is constantly dropping because of her instability... But it''s fine. There are still rooms for you to grow, and I will make sure you have the time for it. For now...) (Slime) "Hm... but that''s not the only thing that the princess did, isn''t it? She also did other great things with her friends... Since there is a limit of what a princess can do in, and diplomatic methods don''t always work perfectly, then the princess that loved her homeland need to use another identity to accomplish her goals and eradicate those who might endanger the kingdom with both of her hands... As an assassin," Slime''s sharp eyes pierced through the mask that the princess wore on her face. When their eyes met, Sera''s heart trembles in fear for a moment. (No, Sera. You must not give up!) (Sera) "I don''t think I understand what you are saying, Mr. Slime," Sera closed her eyes as she took a sip of her tea to calm her mind. Slime observe carefully at every movement of the princess, despite her heart is wavering and she could feel the clear difference between them, she still managed to maintain her poker face to this extent. (Not bad. It''s not shaking...) (Slime) When people got overwhelmed by pressure, their limbs tend to tremble even if it''s just slightly. But when the princess raises her cup to drink her tea, Slime that had observed her carefully saw that her arm doesn''t tremble. "Hm. I see... But at least 80% of the information I just stated is true, or more precisely, only 80% of the information I stated that you want to admit true," (Slime) Once again, Slime checked on the princess''s reaction, but rather than igniting her anger, Slime''s words seem to make the cold storm that her mana is showing had subsided. (So she finally realizes what I''ve been doing, huh? Good job, I''ll give you some reward for that) (Slime) "Eh?" Sera couldn''t help but exclaim her surprise when she saw Slime shrugged. "I''ve told you everything I want to say, it''s your turn. Since I have more than enough information about you already, it''s time for you who don''t have any information about me to ask. That''s the reason why you summoned me here, to begin with, right?" Said Slime indifferently. "......." Sera seems to hesitate to ask her questions. Looking at her hesitating state, Slime about to give her encouragement, but it turns out it''s unnecessary. Because her next question made Slime realize how much she had improved these past three years. "So? Do I pass your test?" (Sera) (Why...?) (Sera) Hearing Sera''s question, Slime couldn''t help but make a huge grin on his face. "You did! Even more splendid then I imagined! It''s a ruler''s job to avoid emotions meddle with logic, and make the choice that gives the most benefit to your country. You''ve gained my respect, princess. Now tell me, what did you want to know?" (Slime) But even though Slime had great observing skills, he still fails at catching at one emotion that the princess currently has. Complex confusion. (Why... Why does your expression resemble him so much?) (Sera) Chapter 118 - Retaliation [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Are you satisfied with my answers, princess?" Slime asked Sera that is holding her chin as she thinking about something. "Yes, I never thought you''ll answer all of my questions that easily... I heard Alfred asked you some of the questions I asked before, why change your mind now?" Sera asked back. (She decided to stop pretending that she didn''t know that incident, huh...) (Slime) "Hm... You could say that I just change my mind?" Slime answered with a shrug. "The real reason is?" (Sera) "It''s not the right time to give you the information yet, you''ve gotten rather good at this, aren''t you, princess?" Slime praises Sera. It''s a lie. Sera asked more questions than Alfred, but all of Alfred''s questions are included inside her questions. The difference between Slime''s answer towards Alfred and his answer towards Sera is he just gives some new information to her while convincing her that the information is valuable by manipulating his way of talking. Her questions are too common. If she asks more specific questions like how big the Tarot''s military power or does Tarot has any secret military weapon, then even if Slime will not answer it honestly, she will still get far more valuable information than what she just get. The answers that Slime gave her, are some things that sooner or later will be known widely by the world. "We''ve been talking for two hours, already. I''m forced to follow your pace. First of all, I apologize for making you come all the way here, Mr. Slime. Moreover, I even take two hours of your time," (Sera) "It''s fine. It''s not that often for someone to be able to eat breakfast together with the famous beautiful princess of Grandaria kingdom, am I right?" (Slime) "You''re flattering me..." Sera answered indifferently. Or she tried to answered indifferently while a hint of redness still appeared at her cheek. "By the way, Mr. Slime. If I may, can I ask you one last question?" (Sera) Sera asked this not only to change the topic, but she''s also thought about this question before, but somehow she got too absorbed by questioning about the Tarot empire itself. "You, I mean, the Tarot empire. Are you afraid of the demons? No, have you prepared for the prophecy?" (Sera) There is a couple of reasons why Sera asked this question. But the first reason is to see what kind of reaction the man in front of her, the man who is very sharp and intelligent than any nobles or rulers she had met. And the man that gives off a similar aura like the man she adores before. Especially as he is a man who came from a very powerful empire. She wants to know what the man thinks about the prophecy that some of the people said as gibberish and nonsense. But it turns out, that her question gives a much more powerful reaction than she imagined. Slime''s smile and aloof expression disappeared, leaving a terrifying serious face that he never showed before. Sera couldn''t sense people''s emotions as much as Slime, but she could still sense a hint of anger, fear, and resolution from him. "We''re the one who is afraid the most. Since we''re the ones who got attacked and lose our family earlier than the others. While the world is leisurely having fun and fighting against each other, we strive to get stronger to protect our family. Far before the prophecy appear, we''ve known that they will attack again," (Slime) Staring at the distance, Sera saw Slime''s eyes slowly flew away from the dining room. "Even now... We''re still trying our best..." (Slime) ****************************************** "My king, we''ve successfully connected the hell gate connected to the one in my domain," Paimon said as she kneels in front of Demon Oz. "Marvelous! Good job as always!" Demon Oz praised his demonic generals. "We managed to succeed because of your overwhelming amount of mana, my king. We did nothing..." (Paimon) "You''re too humble, Paimon. I don''t dislike that, but I do believe that rewarding someone when he did great is something a ruler need to do, you guys can tell me what you want later," (Demon Oz) """Thank you for your kindness, my king,""" (Lucifer, Beelzebub, Adramelech, and Paimon. "My king, I have a question," (Lucifer) "What is it, Lucifer?" (Demon Oz) "We managed to connect the hell''s gate with the Paimon domain''s hell''s gate, but we succeeded in that because of your enormous amount of mana. But won''t it be dangerous to go there now, my king? We connected with Paimon''s hell''s gate after scanning through the demon world with the help of your mana, they''ll be wary of us and it might be dangerous for you, my king..." (Lucifer) "It''s fine, Lucifer. I understand your worry, but that matter is already handled by Slime, Gurolf, and Gareth," (Demon Oz) "Master Slime, Grandmaster of magic, sir Gurolf, and the royal king of undead, sir Gareth?" (Beelzebub) "Yeah... Gurolf also went to open several gates towards the hell''s gate. Since they attacked us first, it''s obvious for us to retaliate, right? It''s fine, Lucifer. They''ll be too busy to care about us going to Paimon''s territory right now since they''re under currently under a dangerous threat..." Demon Oz stares towards the distance with an evil smirk. ************************************* !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????? "My king! A terrifying aura enough to rival you suddenly appeared out of nowhere!!??" The royal guard of the 1st ranked demon king, Baal, came towards him with a panicked face. "Hm?" Baal slightly raised his right eyebrow. When the royal guard saw his king''s face, he realized that he just made a huge mistake. He said the forbidden words that should never be used when anyone near his king. The one who may surpass or rival the king''s strength is the demon emperor only!!! "I-I-I mean a-a-a terrifying aura suddenly appeared out of nowhere, M-m-my king! B-b-but, of course!! You''re the strongest!!" The royal guard got even more panic. "Hmph! I''ve sensed it too... Indeed, the amount of mana it emits is praiseworthy, go investigate-" Right when the demon king, Baal, is about to issue the command of finding the owner or the source of the terrifying aura, a strange phenomenon occurred. Crack!!! A crack appeared from the thin air in front of Baal''s throne, as if the dimension got ripped. Staying still because of the shock, Baal saw the dimensional rift slowly opened. (A person?) (Baal) Baal saw a figure appear from behind of the dimensional rift, his appearance resembles a human, his hair is long and white, despite his hair''s color, he looks young while his eyes filled with deep wisdom. But one characteristic of his skin''s color made Baal remembered one race of demi-human. It''s green. (A goblin?) (Baal) Baal calmly collects his thoughts while preparing for battle. "Who are you?" Baal''s deep voice that carries an enormous amount of demonic mana asked the figure. "Hm... A throne, a demon with a crown, and a castle, huh..." His way of talking resembles the magician from the old era, and he didn''t seem to be bothered by Baal''s presence. (He didn''t even flinch when he heard my voice...) (Baal) "I am the 1st ranked great demon king of the demon realm, Baal! State your name, goblin!!!" Baal shouted as he musters all of his mana aura. "Hm... What a splendid amount of mana. Ah, please forgive my rudeness, I am Gurolf, the grandmaster of the tower of magic of the great Tarot empire that rules the magical forest of Everdeen. Nice to meet you, demon," Gurolf introduced himself as he bows his head a little towards Baal as a sign of courtesy. But different from the smiling Gurolf, Baal''s eyes suddenly got widened when he heard that the one who opened the rift is from the empire that rules the great magical forest of Everdeen. Baal first considered that the one who appears in front of him might be one of the demon kings that wanted to report him about the infiltration of the human world, but it turns out that his enemy is the one who opened it. Baal knew about their infiltration to the great magical forest of Everdeen that keeps on failing, and the report did mention that an empire had found at the magical forest of Everdeen. They''re the enemies that had hindered his plans several times and had made the demons failed to infiltrate the human world. (But how? They need a gate that could connect between dimensions! Did they stole it from one of the demon kings?) (Baal) "For you to go all your way here, you''re digging your own grave!!!" (Baal) Chapter 119 - Retaliation (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Slime Oz is standing at the balcony of the Tarot empire''s imperial castle. Looking at the empire he''s currently ruling and managing, doubts and hesitance appeared inside his heart as he remembered about his true form. What am I? Why am I here? What should I do? Countless questions that he himself knows that it''s not something that he could solve himself. Realizing that he had fallen to the endless sea of questions and doubts, Slime Oz tilts his head to the right and left to clear those thoughts. "You don''t look worried at all, Ren," A voice suddenly appeared from behind of him. "Of course, everything is going according to the plan," Slime Oz answered. "Indeed..." The voice replied, and they got enveloped by silence for a while. "You liar, when will you admit it?" The voice finally breaks the silence with a hint of annoyance and worry could be heard from him. "As expected of you, huh, Brad. Your senses had improved even far better than before," Slime Oz praised Brad. "Even though I''ve now become the one who lived in the shadows by your orders, my heart is still a hunter. I hunt while understanding the habits, the way of thoughts, and everything about my prey. To exercise that, I always try to understand the nature of everyone in my surroundings," (Brad) "But despite that, you''re the only one I have trouble understanding. As if you''re living with a countless mask, I never understand you. But I believe you, I know that every time you''re helping people, every time you make a promise, and every time you praise someone, you always open your mask and show your sincerity," (Brad) "But now, I think I could understand you even more. Because you got split into lots of clones, you divided your soul to be able to manage all of them at the same time, right? When your real form is still conscious, his soul maintain the balance between you and other clones as he is the one who had the full emotional control," (Brad) "But since your real form had lost its consciousness and we didn''t know where his consciousness is now, all of you had lost your emotional balance and you''re trying your best to replace him, right?" (Brad) "As the original Ren had the ''Master Personality/Dominant Personality'' imprinted on his soul that made him able to manage all of you, the other of him had different traits of his soul, right? And for you, you''re the soul who has the dominant leadership, I don''t know how this happened, but this theory makes sense the most, and I''m convinced of it after having observed all of you, clones for quite a while. It''s must be another effect from Ren''s skills," (Brad) "Answer me, Ren. No, Slime Ren, Does my theory correct?" (Brad) (As expected of Brad) (Slime Oz) Slime Oz praised Brad inside his heart. Brad''s question made them be enveloped by silence once more before Slime finally become the one who breaks it this time. "Will you, will you tell anyone?" Slime Oz asked as he turns his head to face Brad. Brad''s eyes widened as he saw Slime Oz''s expression, he could feel his heart tighten as he saw his lord, his beloved friend''s expression. A smile, but yet, his eyes filled with deep frustration, depression, and confusion. (I see... Not leadership... The reason why he possessed the leadership because he is the part of Ren''s soul that possesses the dominant empathy... He is the incarnation of emotion, but also the incarnation of Ren''s masks, that''s why he got fallen to confusion because the one who maintains the balance had disappeared) (Brad) "Since when? You could''ve told us-" (Brad) "I know all of you will understand, but as you''ve grasped the concept, some of the clones bear the soul that has less emotional control and balance. They need orders to avoid them thinking about themselves too much, I need to bear this alone," Slime stared his right fist, and clenched it. Looking at his friend''s state, Brad got confused about what else to say, what words he should use to comfort his friend. "Thanks, Brad. You knowing this problem relaxed by shoulders a little bit. So thanks," (Slime) "I did nothing..."'' (Brad) (We''ve owed too many things to you, Ren... But you still continue to sacrifice yourself for us... I, as the one who bears this secret of yours, will protect you with my life!) (Brad) As the resolution that silently appeared inside Brad, Slime looked back at the capital. "Aren''t you worried about the battle with the demons? It''s said that the huge war will happen in a half year," (Brad) "It won''t," (Slime Oz) "Huh?" (Brad) "I''ve taken the measures to make them postpone their attack to our world, the heroes in our world haven''t ready yet," (Slime Oz) "Measures? Postpone?" (Brad) "Hm... I see... It seems that Gurolf had finally succeeded in hiding something from you, I need to learn his trick. I''ve made sure that they will get huge damage at their own realm, enough to make them postpone their plans for three years or one year at least," (Slime Oz) *********************************************************** "For you to go all your way here, you''re digging your own grave!!!" Baal shouted in anger. "Die by the holy flame of hell! [Purgatory Flame]!!!" Baal launched his first spell. """My king!!!""" Together with Baal''s first attack, his imperial guards entered the throne room at the same time. The corner of Baal''s mouth slightly curled upwards as he''s certain with his victory. "Hm~ What a splendid spell~" (Gurolf) His voice is so calm that it made doubts to rise inside Baal. But when Baal saw the face of his opponent, he realized that he just made a big mistake by underestimating the opponent before him. Purgatory Flame. Just like its name, the spell is considered a forbidden spell and only the class of a demon king could use it. The spell summoned a flame that contains both dense holy and fire element, together with Baal''s enormous amount of mana, the spell got even stronger. But for Gurolf now, no matter how strong the spell or the attack launched at him right now is doesn''t matter, with a smile filled with confidence, Gurolf laughed. "Naive! It''s not good enough, demon king!" As the purgatory flame entered the dimensional rift, the flame suddenly disappears. !!!??? "How did-!?" Baal exclaimed in the surprise of the scene in front of him. Adding more surprise, another dimensional rift appeared above the imperial guards that had just entered the throne room to help Baal. Baal couldn''t help but curse inside his head. (Shit! That bastard!!!) (Baal) But they''re not the imperial guards of the 1st ranked demon king for nothing, they quickly realized the dimensional rift above them as they attempt to dodge by scattering to various directions. But even though their response is good, the spell from the 1st ranked demon king is still too strong. Boom!!! The blast made a huge explosion inside the throne room and made a quarter of the demonic castle destroyed to bits. Some of the imperial guards died while the other got severe and minor injuries. The outcome is obvious as Baal didn''t hold back at all when he chants the spell. "Hm~ The damage is quite great, but its an area splash type spell, huh... In terms of area damage, it''s superior from Ren''s demon clone hell''s flame spell. But well, thanks for the spell~" Gurolf answered with his usual tone that sounds like the magicians from the ancient era. "But well..." (Gurolf) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Different from Baal''s aura that is filled with malice, terror, and demonic flame element, Gurolf''s mana aura filled with pure mana that contains all elements existed, even the demonic element. But the elements inside his mana combines and exist peacefully and give off a sense of tranquility. The aura is not superior to Baal''s aura, but it could be considered on par, but with different pressure. "Since you attacked me first, then let me show you my spell as well. I''ve desired to try this spell beforehand but I don''t want to give great damage to my world, so let''s see, as the one who is entrusted with one of the Tarot major arcana, ''The World'', I can''t show a spell inferior from yours, right?" Gurolf said as countless colors surrounded him, Baal attempted to chant some protections for himself, his imperial guards, and his capital, but before he could even act. "[Lightning seal]," (Gurolf) The lightning seal sealed Baal''s body before he could take an action. "Please take this gift from me, demon. [Glacier]," Right after chant his spell, the dimensional rift slowly closed. Baal compresses his mana and unleashes it with great power, smashing the lightning seal into bits. But it''s too late, the dimensional rift had almost closed and Gurolf''s figure is nowhere to be seen, but before the dimensional rift completely disappears, Baal heard another word. "[Meteor Storm]" (Gurolf) !!!?!?? Baal got alerted for a while, but- Whoosh!!! As if God had put bestow a curse to his capital, half of Baal''s capital got frozen by the solid and cold ice. "Tch!" Baal clicked his tongue in annoyance. In anger, Baal unleashes his enormous mana aura. The immense heat slowly melt the ice, he knows that it''s too slow, but when he want to chant a spell to melt the huge ice that is freezing his capital, he sensed that several huge objects are coming towards his direction in a tremendous speed. "That goblin bastard..." (Baal) Chapter 120 - Retaliation (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "THAT GOBLIN BASTARD!!!!!!!!" A thunderous roar together with intense heat suddenly appeared, shaking the whole capital of Baal''s kingdom. Different from before, the heat is even hotter than before. The ice that is freezing half of Baal''s royal capital city melts even faster than before. He could melt it and save his citizens easily with one of his powerful spells, but the meteors that are coming towards him swiftly as they split the air, carrying a terrifying moment. Baal''s element is fire, facing several meteors that contain intense heat, great momentum, and a great force, his choices are limited. Baal didn''t become the 1st ranked demon king amongst the 72 great demon king for nothing. For the one who rules at the top, next right just after the great demonic emperor, Baal has the strength to face any opponent. In this case, Baal that had a monstrous power is currently troubled just showed how great Gurolf is in both wit and power. After a long time, it''s the first time Baal felt anger and frustration because he couldn''t do anything to his enemy. (The way he chooses his spells, no, since the beginning he started a conversation with me, he had already started to plan this...) (Baal) "HAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!" The rage inside him burst in a form of laughter. "Interesting!! Very interesting!! Demon King Magic: [Frodora]!!!" Baal shouted as he pointed his finger towards the meteors that are slowly falling towards him. [Frodora] It''s one of Baal''s trump card that consumes a considerable amount of his mana each time he chants the spell. 15 huge fire swords, matching with the 15 meteors'' size appeared above Baal. "I admit. Forcing me to use one of my trump cards could be considered as my loss!! I''ll pay the interest double next time we meet, goblin!!!" Baal unleashes even more of his mana and the 15 huge swords flew towards the falling meteors at tremendous speed. BOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The shockwave coming from the collision is powerful, giving a huge sound of an explosion and a powerful wind that could send a normal person to fly. The huge swords destroyed the meteor together with its momentum, but Bal knew that it''s not the end. "[Demon Barrier]," (Baal) A red barrier made by Baal''s tremendous mana covered his capital completely, but because of the capital''s size, the barrier became thinner as he had used a considerable amount of mana to destroy the meteors. "Tch! Hm?" Baal noticed a change at the barrier. Multiple colors suddenly appeared and reinforce Baal''s barrier. When Baal spread his senses, he immediately knew who are the ones that reinforced the barrier together with him. They''re the generals that had fought together with him for hundreds of years, after all. "You''re all late, fools!!!" Baal let out a harsh scolding. "Please forgive our incompetence, my king. We never thought that there will suddenly be an intruder that even we couldn''t sense. Before we could notice, all of us got trapped by a forbidden curse that forced us to get frozen for several minutes-" (One of Baal''s generals) "I know," (Baal) "Eh?" "I said I knew, and I forgive all of you. It''s not unexpected since the enemy is indeed strong," Baal answered coldly towards his generals that seem to be confused as they usually got scolded every time they made a mistake, and they thought they''ll get a severe punishment because of this incident. (I see... When he first appeared from that dimensional rift, that goblin indeed praised my amount of mana. Does it mean he immediately measures the mana not only me but everyone here too in a split moment?) (Baal) "And he managed to confine my generals with curse spells from such a distance and a short moment, huh. What a terrifying enemy," Baal muttered to himself with a volume that low enough for him only to hear. The debris from the wrecked meteors fell from the sky but blocked by the barrier made by Baal and his generals. But since the barrier only covered the capital, the cities outside the capital, and some other regions got destroyed by the debris of the meteors. Baal stares at his capital, together with his generals, Baal had blocked melted the ice Gurolf summoned to froze half of Baal kingdom''s royal capital. Looking at his capital''s state that had become a mess, Baal accepted the reality. "This couldn''t be described with anything but a defeat, huh..." (Baal) Luckily, his citizens that lived at the capital mostly possess a great amount of mana and born naturally strong, so only several of them died because of Gurolf''s forbidden ice spell. Baal walked to enter his imperial castle that had got half-destroyed, but stop half-way. "Summon our soldiers, Ziegnel," Baal calls out his general. "What should I tell-" (Ziegnel) "SUMMON THEM NOW!! WE''RE-" (Baal) Boom!!!! An explosion cut Baal''s sentence, drawing all of their attention towards the source of the explosion. The gate of the capital had been destroyed, and countless figures, clad in black, bringing the sinister aura of death slowly entered his capital. "Undead!!!" *************************** "Is it really fine for us to enter the demon realm now, my king?" Paimon asked Demon Oz again. She''s still anxious that Demon Oz might get ambushed by several demon kings at the same time. "It''s fine... They should be in great chaos right now," Demon Oz answered indifferently. "This is...A throne room...?" (Demon Oz) *************************** "Strong! They''re too strong!" "What with these undeads!? They move too swiftly!!" "Retreat!! They''re too many!!" "AAAAAARGH!!!!!!" *Sound of Crows* The demons got overwhelmed by the horde of undead that attacked them out of nowhere. Their number is huge, their movement patterns are totally different from the usual undead, and their strength is even stronger than some of the demons. Even though the royal demon soldiers are strong, a sudden attack by a countless undead that fights irregularly is still too much for them. There is a reason why Gareth''s undead kingdom has the greatest military power amongst the other kingdoms under the flag of the Great Tarot Empire. While other kingdoms had summoners on their ranks too, their number is too little as the talent to become a summoner is quite rare. But not for the undead kingdom, summoner class could be considered common for the undead, as every high-ranked undead always have some high-leveled undead servants and undead guards summoned by themselves. Without neglecting other affairs and other military sections they have, Gareth cultivates the potential of the undead summoners his kingdom possesses and finally managed to see the fruits of it. A normal [Baron] ranked undead summoner could summons at most 100 normal pawn undead soldiers while summoning 10 [Rare] ranked undead guards at the same time. But as Gareth trained them and managed to have 200 of the royal undead summoners of his kingdom reached the [Duke] rank, they could now summon even further more than a normal [Baron] ranked undead soldier could. But undead summoners under Gareth is not a normal one, Gareth didn''t train them with ascending their rank as a sole purpose. Gareth skillfully trains them to handle their mana more efficiently so they won''t lose the control of their summoned undead easily and decrease their mana loss. By giving a training routine where they empty their mana every day, they possessed a bigger amount of mana than other undead. And lastly, the reason why the undead moves differently from the normal undead movement patterns is because all of the undead summoners also got lectured the ways to be a general, military tactic and strategies, and skillful martial art movements. The most important thing for an undead summoner is their imagination that will affect how their summoned undead moves. If an undead summoner imagined a summoned pawn undead to slash someone with a sword, they''ll slash it with a simple slash. But if the summoner has considerable knowledge of martial arts and fighting, and knew the specs of their summoned pawn soldiers, they could control their summoned pawn soldiers to move like a skillful fighter. And if their summoning skills are greater, their summoned undead could possess their knowledge of martial arts and move skillfully and independently without having the summoners to exhaust their mind. With the lessons of military tactics and strategies, the summoners could control their army of undead even greater. Not only Baal''s territory but other demon kings'' territories are also in a great pinch because of the sudden attack of the undead. There is also one key to why the summoners could control their undead army more easily without having to watch them directly. They summoned undead hawks that observe each and every battle they fought. Giving the sight for their summoners. At the undead kingdom of the great Tarot empire, Gareth watched how the battle unfold with his eyes as his mouth''s corner curled up a little when he saw the fruits of his subordinates'' hard work. "Let the demons feel the fear of death..." Chapter 121 - First Demon Kingdom!! (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "This... A throne room?" Demon Oz mutters when he saw the back of a throne as he lifts his body up. "Yes, my king. This is my throne room. My hell''s gate is connected with my throne, it''s placed here because this room, this throne room is the safest room in this kingdom," Paimon explained to Demon Oz as she kneels in front of him. "I see..." Demon Oz observes the room as he spread his mana towards his surroundings while having his eyes closed. Paimon''s castle is huge, while not as huge as Oz''s imperial castle, it could still be considered huge if it''s compared to human kingdoms'' castles. The defense of the castle is very strict, even though Paimon had left the kingdom for quite long, Demon Oz couldn''t help but praised their loyalty towards Paimon. The royal castle of Paimon''s kingdom is in the middle of the capital as well, while four military barracks stationed at the four sides of the castle, making strict surveillance around the royal castle. Demon Oz was surprised to see how well-trained Paimon''s subjects are, Demon Oz could sense several presences with strong mana, but none of them seem to have tried to usurp the throne at Paimon''s absence. (I see... It could be said that she is the demon realm''s symbol of peace, huh...) (Demon Oz) "What a good kingdom you have here, Paimon," Praised Demon Oz. Demon Oz''s small praise sent a wave of warmth towards Paimon''s heart. She finally heard the words she hoped to hear from another strong demon.Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #!!-(1)_48672680206978682 for visiting. An acknowledgment. An acknowledgment towards her hardship to make a country of peace, with citizens that have no thirst for war. She had been fighting for hundreds of years to make this kingdom, and she had finally succeeded at making one. But the journey didn''t end there, lots of people oppose her opinion of making a country of peace. Most of the powerful demons that reside at the demon realm harbor a great thirst for war. All of them believed that demons are a race of wars, not having a thirst for battle is like refusing their origin. Knowing that she had lots of enemies, Paimon used her strongest weapon. Her brain. She defeats everyone who openly wages war with her, and defeats them all with the minimal amount of casualties on her side. With powerful generals and outstanding strategy, Paimon ascended as one of the great demon kings of the demon realm. That day, Paimon realized. As she had succeeded in protecting the kingdom and the citizens that she loved, it''s the destiny of the one that ranked as one of the great demon kings to help the demon emperor to conquer the human realm. So that night, under the red moon, Paimon silently whispers her wish. "If only there is, a country of peace, where every race could live happily and peacefully in harmony under a strong and a just ruler. Where the ruler is feared by the world and spread peace towards the world wherever he goes as he bends the line of fate. I''ll give him my everything if he could bend the fate of my people''s and mine..." (Paimon) Little does she know, while the living sleep, the night awake. The silent night heard her silent plead, and Paimon''s body suddenly got covered with countless blue particles. As if got swallowed by the space, the scene in front of Paimon suddenly changed to endless darkness. The darkness suddenly disappears and showed Paimon a certain man. Paimon didn''t know why, but she could feel what the man''s felt and thought. Paimon followed the life of the man, from when he lives at a world filled with no mana until he teleported to the world that should only exist at the fantasy book in his world. Paimon watched how the man built his empire from a scratch and was shocked by how quick his progress is. She needed several decades to build her kingdom, but this man doesn''t even need a half-decade to built a huge empire and he built it at the legendary forest of Everdeen where even the demons fear the forest that possesses countless mysteries. He reason and sometimes force his way out. His absolute confidence, powerful strength, and boundless wit made him convince people to be his ally with ease. As if her wish is heard by the gods, the man spread peace and harmony wherever he goes. Exactly like the kind of man she wished to exist in her prayers. And finally, the man made several clones of himself. Suddenly Paimon''s scene focuses on the demon''s clone. Until his figure suddenly disappears too, leaving a single word. "Come!" Paimon could still remember the scene as if it''s yesterday. "Paimon. Paimon!" Demon Oz''s call finally reached out to the spacing of out Paimon. Finally back to reality, Paimon responds in panic, "Y-y-y-yes, my king!?" "It''s unusual for you to space out, Paimon," Lucifer said in worry. "Are you hungry?" (Beelzebub) "She''s not you, Beelze," (Adramelech) "I-I-I''m fine!" Paimon said with her face slightly flushed in shame. "It''s good that you''re fine, but someone is coming towards here, Paimon, what do you think we should do?" Demon Oz said indifferently. "Someone?" Paimon asked as she figures out the owner of the presence that approaching the throne room quickly. (That is... A chance!) (Paimon) "P-Paimon...?" Demon Oz couldn''t help but call out Paimon with a question mark imprinted on his face. It''s normal for him to be surprised and confused as Beelzebub, Lucifer, and Adramelech felt the same way towards Paimon that suddenly clings to Demon Oz''s right arm. "It''s fine, my king. It''s one of my plans, this will help stretch our options at the demon realm. Please follow my script, my king," Paimon said with her usual calm tone, but happiness is obviously overflowing from her. "Just what kind of plan-" (Demon Oz) Slam! The door opened with a great force, making a loud sound and cutting Demon Oz''s words. But despite the loud sound, the door opened slowly and didn''t break, showing how heavy and strong the materials of the door is. The door slowly opened and finally reveals three figures. Two of them have a huge body, but smaller than Adralemech''s. Demon Oz''s attention focuses on the one in the middle, he looked aged and has a decent body size, but he possesses the most menacing aura than the others. When the three of them saw the sight of Demon Oz and co, they furrowed their eyebrows for a moment, but they approached Demon Oz and co and immediately kneeled in front of Paimon. "Welcome back, your majesty. I hope you''re well," Said the huge demon at the right. "Welcome back, your majesty. But could you introduce us who are those men that are standing together with you, especially the man that you''re holding..." The huge demon at the left openly shows his hostility towards Demon Oz. "Yes, I''m back. Thanks for welcoming me immediately, Thran, Khran, Father," (Paimon) (F-Father!?) (Demon Oz) "Like how you ordered me to, I''ve finally decided on who I will marry, father, and the other three demons are my new companions," Paimon said with a huge smile. Looking at Paimon''s face, the one that Paimon called father stands, and the huge demon at both sides follows suit. "I see..." Paimon''s father mutters as he sizes Demon Oz from up to below. "So it means that you''ll reject Taros'' proposal, am I right, Paimon?" Paimon''s father said with a firm voice that carried a huge pressure. (I see... So he''s one of the reasons why the kingdom could still stay strong without their queen... It''s because the former king temporarily took control of the kingdom, and he''s more than powerful enough to be their protector, huh...) (Demon Oz) "This guy? Is he more powerful than Taros? There''s no way an unknown demon like him is stronger than Taros," Thran that had been showing his hostility towards Demon Oz raises his voice. "Don''t you-" (Paimon) "It''s fine, Paimon," Demon Oz cut Paimon that about to lecture Thran. "What? Do you think you''re stronger than be only because the queen favored you? As the personal royal guard of the former demon king of this kingdom, I, Thran, won''t lose to an unknown demon like y-" Thran mocked Demon Oz. "Lucifer, Adramelech, Beelzebub, stop. He''ll die," (Demon Oz) "Thran, stop, you''ll die," (Paimon''s father) Demon Oz and Paimon''s father said at the same time. "What an interesting fellow you have here, Paimon..." (Paimon''s Father) Chapter 122 - First Demon Kingdom!! (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Lucifer, Adramelech, Beelzebub, stop. He''ll die," (Demon Oz) "Thran, stop, you''ll die," (Paimon''s Father) Demon Oz and Paimon''s father said at the same time. "What an interesting fellow you have here, Paimon..." Paimon''s father said with an interested smile that appeared on his face. Paimon''s father and Demon Oz''s eyes met. "B-but my lord?" Thran protested towards Paimon''s father that warned him and stop his murderous intent that openly leaking. "It seems that you don''t understand, Thran," (Paimon''s Father) Thran took Paimon''s father''s words as a warning that he will get killed by him if he embarrasses him in front of his daughter. But little does he know that he will actually be dead if he fully emits his murderous intent towards Demon Oz. "What do you mean, my lord?" Thran asked once more, confused. "Stupid little brother," Khran said with a heavy sigh. "It seems that you''re going to need to train harder, Thran," (Paimon''s Father) "Eh?" (Thran) "Lucifer, Adramelech, Beelzebub, stand back," Demon Oz called his generals names, giving them the sign to draw their attacks too. (Stand back?) (Thran) "W-what the!?" Thran finally realizes what Paimon''s father actually means by his words. Black feather swords floating above him, demonic fire magic circle ready to shoot below him, and chains that had already manage to completely entangled him without having him noticed. The black feather swords, the magic circle, and the chains disappear after a few seconds as Demon Oz''s orders. "You have great men that loyal to you, I see... What is your name, young man?" Paimon''s father didn''t hide his interest in Demon Oz in the slightest, which made Paimon make a wide smile as she saw the scene in front of her. "My name is Ren, Ren Arken," Demon Oz answered indifferently. "Ren Arken, huh..." Paimon''s father suddenly sharpens his gaze, but yet, Paimon strangely didn''t afraid that he will reject the man she chose, making Paimon''s father furrowed his eyebrows a bit. "You can test whether I have an ulterior motive or not later, could you please introduce me to the ones who are eavesdropping on our conversation since the beginning?" Demon Oz said coldly. Thran and Khran saw the clash of their lord''s majestic aura and Demon Oz''s. They couldn''t help but admit that the pressure Demon Oz is emitting is not inferior to their lord''s that once ranked at the top 3 amongst the demon kings. Thran and Khran have their backs wet because of cold sweats, but they saw that the three demons behind Demon Oz, Adramelech, Lucifer, and Beelzebub standing still with a stern face without showing even the slightest hint of nervousness in front of Paimon''s father which made them instinctively praises them. Paimon''s father finally breaks the silence. "You could still sense their presence even with me standing in front of you, huh..." Praised Paimon''s father. Normal people will have their legs shaking non-stop and have their mind focuses on Paimon''s father alone as their mind will instinctively wary towards him that gives off the greatest dangerous feeling. "Taros. Show yourself," Paimon''s father gives off his command towards Taros. Whoosh! Taros appear together with the other 10 figures in front of the throne room''s door. """Welcome back, Queen Paimon!""" Said all of them, welcoming Paimon back. "Thanks for welcoming me, my dear generals," Paimon said with a warm smile without releasing Demon Oz''s arm. Taros that kneeled in front of the others has a well-built body, red hair, and looked calm and collected. Different from Thran that looked like a musclebrain, Taros looked smart. "You see, I''ve arranged a marriage for Paimon and Tarot before. But it seems that she had found the person she wanted to marry... But since the one she''ll marry will be the king of this kingdom, we must not have a weak king," (Paimon''s Father) Demon Oz could already guess what the old demon in front of him is thinking. (This old geezer...) (Demon Oz) Demon Oz couldn''t help but annoyed. "Taros! Test whether the man Paimon had chosen is strong or not! If he loses, kill him!" Paimon''s father ordered Taros without any hesitation. "As you wish, my lord. I''ll make this lowly incubus know his place," Taros answered indifferently as he stands up. "You bastard-" Adramelech about to explode in rage, but Demon Oz''s unusual voice made him silenced in fear. "Stop. It seems that I''m being underestimated here.. let me handle them. looks like I need to show them what position they''re in," Demon Oz''s tone is so cold that Adramelech, Paimon, Lucifer, and Beelzebub couldn''t help but tremble. Because they know what Demon Oz is about to do. He''s going to show them his ''Hell". A hint of hesitant start to appear inside Paimon''s father when he saw that Paimon suddenly show a scared expression when she heard Demon Oz''s cold words. "From now on, I''ll be the king of this kingdom. And what I need are strong and loyal demons. Since all of you are demons, demons should at least saw a glimpse of hell once, right?" (Demon Oz) Taros had just summoned his demonic sword, but after he blinked once, Demon Oz''s figure suddenly disappeared from Paimon''s side. "Where are you looking, boy?" Demon Oz''s voice suddenly appears behind him. Taros and the other 10 generals shocked as Demon Oz suddenly appeared in the middle of them. (S-since when!?) (Taros) "Now, taste the heat of the true purgatory. [Purgatory level 1, Abaddon]" (Demon Oz) Taros'' scenery suddenly disappears and changed into a huge valley of flame. Sound of flames raging and papers being flipped entered Taros'' ears as his mind started to panic. (This... An illusion...?) (Taros) A huge screen suddenly appeared, and Demon Oz''s figure together with Paimon, Adramelech, Beelzebub, and Lucifer. Demon Oz''s sitting at a majestic throne while Paimon and co stand at his sides. The sound of the flipped pages draws Taros'' attention. As he shifts his gaze towards the source of the sound, Taros saw a demon with a huge pair of bat wings flipping something like a notebook. "Hm... Not a fodder... Not a prisoner as well... I see... I see... They''re just a ''visitor'', is that right, my king?" The demon said as he shifts his gaze towards Demon Oz. ''They'' Hearing those words, Taros finally checks on his surroundings, and he finally realizes that his fellow generals, Paimon''s father, Thran, and Khran had also summoned to this place that resembles hell together with him. "You''re right, Malik. You''re free to do whatever you want," Demon Oz''s voice appeared from the huge screen. "But my king. Before that, this one even has the strength to give me harm. Since they''re only ''visitors'', I think it won''t even affect him. So I''m going to restrict him from doing anything," Malik flicked his fingers once, and countless chains suddenly appear from every direction. """My lord!!!""" Taros, Thran, Khran, and the other 10 generals shouted in worry. "Hmph!" Paimon''s father snorted as he blocked all of the chains with his powerful ice magic and froze the flames in the whole valley, making the hot valley suddenly cold. "I see... You''re powerful... As expected, the first floor is too weak for someone like you... It can''t be helped, I need to confine you forcefully myself," Malik flicked his fingers once more, and the ice that froze the whole valley cracked, and the heat start to appear once more, melting Paimon''s father''s ice. Malik raises his arm and in a blink, Paimon''s father got confined by burning chains. !!??Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #!!-(2)_48725008746343128 for visiting. "Impossible!" (Paimon''s Father) Paimon''s father was shocked by how strong the chain is, but despite he didn''t feel any heat from it, he couldn''t freeze the chains. "You''re strong despite being old. I respect you. Please watch silently from there," Malik said as he shifted his gaze towards Taros and co. "Now, let''s see..." Malik flipped the note papers in his hand once more as he shows a serious expression. "Underestimating the king of hell, mocking the king of hell, threatening the king of hell, standing in front of the king of hell, raising tone in front the king of hell..." Malik mentions all of the things that he considered as a crime, Taros, and co silently watched and hear Malik''s words with trembling legs. "I see... I see... It seems that the king of hell didn''t bear a grudge towards you all. I see... I see... But shame, even if he didn''t, I DO! Zabanies! SHOW THESE CRIMINALS THE TASTE OF HELL!!!" (Malik) Chapter 123 - First Demon Kingdom!! (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Underestimating the king of hell, mocking the king of hell, threatening the king of hell, standing in front of the king of hell, raising tone in front the king of hell..." Malik mentions all of the things that he considered as a crime, Taros, and co silently watched and hear Malik''s words with trembling legs. Taros and co immediately recalled the things they did in front of Demon Oz. Thran''s leg trembles vigorously after he saw how easily Paimon''s father got captured by the demon in front of him. "I see... I see... It seems that the king of hell didn''t bear a grudge towards you all. I see... I see... But shame, even if he didn''t, I DO! Zabanies! SHOW THESE CRIMINALS THE TASTE OF HELL!!!" Malik shouted. Following Malik''s instructions, four figures using a black hood and dressed like a death god appeared from the unknown. "Shit! Don''t be scared! It''s just the illusion magic of an incubus!! Wake up and fight!!" Taros shouted as he ready his sword. "An illusion, huh... Indeed... This WAS indeed an illusion, but, not anymore... You should see and feel yourself whether all of this is an illusion or not..." Malik flicked his fingers again, summoning the countless chains of hell. Even though Taros is strong, his strength is nowhere near Paimon''s father''s strength. He could only barely dodge and block the chains, while the other demons got captured by the chains rather easily. "Damn it all!!!" Taros growled as his calm and collected expression completely disappeared. Whoosh! Right after Taros just landed on the ground after barely succeeded in evading the last chain, the four figures appeared and surrounded him in a blink. "Damn it!" Taros swing his sword with his full force, but one of the figures blocked his sword easily with a saw. "Impossible..." Taros muttered as he surrenders because of the possibility of winning that almost non-existent. The chains finally captured Taros too. The chains suddenly pulled all of them with a powerful force and speed to a deeper part of the valley where the flame rages ferociously. """AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!""" The cry and groan of them entered Paimon''s father''s ears clearly. He tried his best to break the burning chains that confining his body, but rather than getting loose, the chains strengthen the power of the grip. **************************Find authorized novels in , faster updates, better experience, Please click #!!-(end)_48739555515361014 for visiting. Pant! Pant! Pant! In front Demon Oz, Paimon, Adramelech, Lucifer, and Beelzebub, Taros, and co are lying in the ground while soaked in sweat. They checked on their body and looked at them in shock. (I-it''s just an illusion? No, I definitely feel the pain is real, and that Malik and hooded demons are real creatures. There is no way it''s just an illusion!) (Khran) "Kneel, as you''re in the presence of the king of hell," Lucifer said with a deep voice. Thran, Taros, Khran, and the 10 generals suddenly remembered what kind of things they just experience inside the purgatory. They immediately kneeled in front of Demon Oz because of fear towards him and his purgatory. """Please forgive our rudeness, your majesty!!!""" (Taros and co) "Just like what Malik had said, I''d forgive you, he''s the one who doesn''t," Demon Oz said indifferently. Lucifer, Paimon, Adramelech, and Beelzebub couldn''t help but have a wry smile imprinted on their face. Only four of them in this world that knew how terrible the last level of Demon Oz''s hell is. This skill is one of the perks that Demon Oz gets from the dungeon core''s upgrade. He got two options for a new skill, [True Purgatory] or [Satan Transformation]. [Satan Transformation] skill allows Demon Oz to transform into a powerful devil for a short while, but he won''t be able to use that occasionally, so Demon Oz chose the [True Purgatory] skill. [True Purgatory] is a dimensional space that resembles hell owned solely by Demon Oz. The power will increase according to how much prisoners the purgatory has. The prisoners that became the fuel of the hell are called ''Fodders''. "All of you got your torn limbs and wounds healed because you''re just a visitor. You''ll have your limbs gone for real if you entered my hell as prisoners, while the one who entered it as fodder will eternally live at the brink of death and became the fuel of my hell," Demon Oz said with a sadistic smile. Taros and co trembled as he heard Demon Oz''s words. "Anyway, the time you''ve spent inside my hell is only 2 minutes," (Demon Oz) !!!??? "I-impossible..." Paimon''s father muttered as he feels that they had past more than an hour inside the purgatory. "That hell is my own dimension, and it had its own flow of time. By the way, the hell had regard all of you as my comrades. Try checking your amount of mana, even though you just got tortured by them, those angel of punishment also refines the mana foundation inside your body. While the fire of the purgatory will burn even the mana of an enemy, it will strengthen my allies, now, try releasing your mana," (Demon Oz) Taros and co checked on their mana, and indeed, their body felt lighter and their mana got strengthened. Paimon''s father checked on his body too, and he widens his eyes in a surprise at what he saw. "Impossible..." Paimon''s father muttered. His mana that had stopped improving finally break through the bottleneck of the cultivation! (This guy... He might be the key to this kingdom''s golden age!) (Paimon''s Father) Different from the others, Paimon''s father is the only one who didn''t kneel to Demon Oz even though he saw the torture the angels of punishment did towards his generals, he still stands firmly and indifferently in front of Demon Oz without showing any sign of fear. "What a strong and magneficent man you are, Ren Arken. You''ve brought quite a unique man here, Paimon..." Paimon''s father shows a rare fatherly smile towards Paimon. "I''m not as good as you think I am, my lord. You''re also magnificent enough to make even the guardian of hell, Malik, wary of you, my-" (Demon Oz) "Just call me father, Ren. Ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!" Paimon''s father cut Demon Oz''s words and laughed. ".....Yes, F-father..." Demon Oz said awkwardly. (Seriously, so this is the plan you mean, huh, Paimon?) (Lucifer) (I see... So Paimon will bear the successor of the king, huh? It means she''s not the queen!!) (Adramelech) (Since when does my king and Paimon had already in a relationship?) (Beelzebub) "Thanks, father!" Paimon said cheerfully as she clings to Demon Oz''s arm again. "Thran! Khran! We will be preparing for Paimon''s wedding! You, 11 hell generals, go back to your posts and train your new powers! Don''t sully our new king''s name!! And spread the word that the queen is back! And she had brought back to us a new magnificent king!!" Paimon''s father said cheerfully as he leaves the throne room together with Thran and Khran. The 11 generals follow suit and left the throne room too, leaving Paimon, Beelzebub, Adramelech, Lucifer, and Demon Oz alone. "So now what, Paimon?" Demon asked towards Paimon that is still clinging to his arm. "Before that, my king. Is it wise to show them your purgatory and let the purgatory to consider them as allies? Considering we didn''t know much about the demons in this kingdom yet, won''t it be dangerous for you to strengthen them just like that?" (Lucifer) "Is that so? I thought they''re rather good eggs, and Paimon''s father''s strength might even be stronger than the four of us, you know?" (Adramelech) "Yea, I''m itching to fight that old man. I could feel that he''s strong," (Beelzebub) "It''s fine, Lucifer. This kingdom is the only demon kingdom I could trust because it''s the kingdom Paimon had made. I need to win them over no matter how, and since every demon respected strength, I need to show them my real strength to make sure they are absolutely loyal towards me. And it''s also a good opportunity for you guys to search for your army members, right, my dear generals?" (Demon Oz) "Indeed!! I want strong and powerful men!! I''ll have my soldiers became splendid warriors!!" Adramelech shouted with full of vigor. "I think I also want to make a powerful group of elite and have some of the strongest to become my king''s royal guards..." (Lucifer) "I''ll accept anyone who has strength!" (Beelzebub) (I''ll be marrying with my king!!!) (Paimon) "Good, now Paimon, give us a brief explanation about your kingdom," (Demon Oz) Following Demon Oz''s order, Paimon reluctantly release Demon Oz''s arm and gave them a brief explanation about her kingdom. Paimon''s kingdom is called the Ethiresean Kingdom. Just like what Demon Oz thought, Paimon''s father is the former king of the kingdom and was unexpectedly ranked as the 3rd demon king of the demon realm. Paimon explained to Demon Oz and co about the condition her kingdom is in the last time she inside the kingdom, and what kind of specialties and traits her kingdom has. Paimon''s heart shivers in happiness as she could already imagine what kind of future her kingdom has under the leadership of Demon Oz. (The golden age of Ethiresean is coming~) (Paimon) Chapter 124 - End Of The Breakfast [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "I see... If the great Tarot empire is preparing for the prophecy, then our kingdom must prepare too... Did the demons attacked the Tarot empire too before?" Sera asked Slime while she put her hand on her chin as she starts to gather her thoughts once more. "Yes, we did," (Slime) Slime explained to Sera from the beginning of the story, from how Magra the orc asked their help. Slime avoid giving her the details to make sure she didn''t ask too many questions, but Sera caught one thing when Slime told her the story. Slime''s eyes are looking towards the distance as he couldn''t help but feel nostalgic when he tells the story. The memories flowed endlessly making he couldn''t help but think. (Time sure flows quickly, huh...) (Slime) The scenes where Magra ask their help and became one of their brothers. How that small goblin tribe, has become a huge and powerful empire in just a few years. How he and the others search for allies and fought for the magical forest of Everdeen''s peace. (Damn, I start to think that I want to go back now...) (Slime) "Tarot empire must be a great country," Sera''s words brought Slime back to reality. "Eh? Well... Yup, it''s indeed a wonderful one..." Slime said as he finally shows a genuine smile. Sera that finally saw his genuine smile got captivated by it and quickly tilt her head to both sides as if clearing her thoughts. "The empire must have a great emperor. Everyone loves their homeland, but your eyes told me how lovely the days at your homeland is. As if you''re enjoying every second of your life at your homeland, and as if you can''t wait to go back to there," (Sera) "People usually prefer to live in a place where they can have greater relations, greater wealth, and greater influence. Because of people like that, violence, injustice, and oppression spread as people prioritize wealth and power," (Sera) "You know what? I''m aiming to make a country where the citizens will love their country like how you love the Tarot empire. A country where the citizens feel save and could enjoy their days in peace..." (Sera) Sera shifted his gaze towards Slime. Just like a strong storm, her gaze is firm and powerful. Her face showed her strong determination. "Do you think I could make such a country?" Sera asked Slime. Slime''s heart couldn''t help but moved when he saw Sera''s face that filled with determination. (What a wonderful determination... Not only your strength, but you''ve also matured well... I''m glad that this kingdom has a princess like you...) (Slime) "Well, as long as your spirit remains like this throughout your journey, it will. As long as your goal and your determination remain unchanged, anytime you need some help, I might lend you a hand, princess," (Slime) "Really!? That''s relieving to hear!" Sera''s eyes lits as she answered cheerfully. "Yes. I won''t break my promise. But princess, I think you''ve forgotten about the real reason why you invited me for this breakfast because our topic had deviated to several directions, I believe your real reason is to ask whether I am the culprit of the Potterland''s noble..." (Slime) "Ah!" Sera exclaimed in surprise as she had just remembered about that. "Sadly, that night, I''m having a meeting together with the Potterland kingdom''s ambassador. You may ask them directly whether I''m lying or not," Said Slime calmly. "I-I see..." (Sera) "And about the prophecy, let me give you a piece of advice, treat this as my present for the Grandaria kingdom that became the first alliance of the great Tarot empire," (Slime) "The demons will not attack in the next half-year, but they will attack in the next several years. So don''t just focus on the demons, it''s time for the humans to finish the matters amongst you first since it won''t be wise to fight together with someone you can''t trust, right?" Slime said as he shrugged. "Indeed..." (Sera) "Well, Thanks for the meal, princess. I''ll be taking my leave.." Slime said as he stands) "I see... Guards! Escort-" (Sera) "It''s fine, I think I''ll be enjoying a leisure walk on this nice day. So there is no need to send some escort for me, princess. Now, if you''ll excuse me," Slime said as he gives a slight bow towards Sera and left the residence. Looking at the blue sky above, Slime mutter to himself, "Now... What place should I go next..?" ****************************** "How''s the progress, Gareth?" Gurolf''s voice appears behind Gareth. "It went smoothly, I guess it will go all according to his imperial majesty''s plans. How is it on your side?" (Gareth) "Well, I think I just got the short end of the stick. The plan is for me to use my strongest spells to destroy at least one of their kingdom, but it turns out that the rift sends me to the strongest demon of the demon realm, making me exhausted my mana and need to wait for several to recover fully. It''s very troublesome..." Gurolf shrugged his arms as he complains about his battle with Baal. "I see... The strongest demon, huh... So it must be the 1st ranked demon king, Baal, huh... How strong is he?" (Gurolf) "To be honest, if I measure just by the spells and prowess he used in our battle, we might barely win if at least three of our levels attacked him together. But I think he''s far stronger than that, he acts and thinks coldly, I think he''s holding his power back in order to give us the wrong information," Gurolf said as a serious expression formed when he recalled his battle with Baal "It might look like it''s my win at first, but after thinking back, the amount of the presences at the kingdom didn''t decrease even after I summon all of those forbidden spells..." (Gurolf) "Are you sure you''re not thinking too much, Gurolf?" (Gareth) "It might be because I exhausted my mana too much and make a mistake on sensing their presences, actually it is far more relieving if it is like that. But somehow, I couldn''t shake the feeling that they''re trying to make us underestimate them. That''s why I''m checking on you, Gareth," (Gurolf) "I see... In my case, it''s going according to the plan rather smoothly. But it seems it''s impossible to destroy many kingdoms since their elite soldiers and especially the demon kings are too much for the summoned undead," (Gareth) "But the damage the undead gave to their kingdoms are severe. And we''ve cut a lot of the number of their soldiers. It''s all went according to his majesty''s plans," (Gareth) "I see. Good to hear that," Gurolf finally revert to his usual self and show a refreshed smile. "But Gareth, if it''s true that Baal is hiding his strength when he fought you, how powerful do you think his actual strength is?" (Gareth) "Hm... You could say that if my worry is true, then he might at least two times stronger than me in terms of combat prowess," (Gurolf) "I see..." Gareth mutters as he narrowed his eyes. "What is it, Gareth?" Asked Gurolf. "Nothing. I''m just wondering, between the most powerful demon, Baal, and the most powerful undead, who is the strongest?" Explained Gareth. "Hm... You mean that ancient undead dragon, right? I see... I think it will be interesting to watch them fight, but do you know Gareth? There is one thing that bothers me since the beginning of our conversation, no, since a long time ago," Gurolf''s face suddenly went back to a serious one. "What is it?" Gareth responded with the same serious expression. "I couldn''t help but feel strange talking to you with that human form of yours. "...." (Gareth) ****************************** The rumors of the heavenly knights are well known by the whole world. After the appearance of the Tarot soldiers that shows the strength, resembling those heavenly knights, the rumors about the Tarot empire spread widely to every corner of the world. No country didn''t know the sudden appearance of the Tarot empire that form an empire inside the magical forest of Everdeen that everyone feared. Just like a small fire that lits and starts to spread. Following the appearance of the Tarot empire, some forces that had been hiding and acting behind the scenes had decided to appear to the surface. "Lady saintess..." A person said as he kneeled in front of a praying girl. "Yes, I know... Let''s go," The one called the saintess stands. "It''s time to meet and gather the demons," (Saintess) Chapter 125 - Meeting The Old Guardian (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Grandarian moon lake, huh..." Slime stands in front of a huge lake, gazing at the huge mountain across the lake. But despite the scene is overflowing with the beauty of nature, Slime Oz is having a wry smile on his face. (Does that old geezer seriously...) (Slime) "What is it?" Slime asked towards the thin air. "It seems that the Grandaria kingdom''s old guardian, the sword god, Kyron, has truly moved and secluded himself together with the orphanage under him to that mountain over there, my lord," A voice together with a pair of glowing red eyes appear from Slime''s shadow. "Seriously..? What the hell is that old geezer doing..?" (Slime) "Yes, the information is considered valid and accurate, my lord. The winter princess of the Grandaria kingdom always use this route every time she visits the old guardian," Said the "Being" inside Slime''s shadow. "This route? Does she froze the lake to cross over it?" Slime saw that there are still lots of living animals inside the lake, if Sera does indeed froze the lake to cross the lake, the animals inside the lake would have died. "Yes, but she doesn''t freeze the lake to cross the lake, my lord. She usually rents a boat that is owned by the old lady that owned the inn over there, my lord," A shadow of a hand, pointing at a certain direction appear from Slime''s shadow. Slime follows the direction where the wraith that is also a member of the jack of all trades secret order points. There are several members of jack of all trades secret orders that work directly under Slime to both protect and help him get information. The wraith points at a small wooden dock, where only a small wooden boat docked on it. Slime saw the old lady that seems to be the boat''s owner that the wraith mentioned and approached her. "Excuse me, Ma''am. Did you happen to be the owner of this boat?" Slime asked the old lady respectfully. "Ah... What a respectful young man... A young man as polite as you are very rare these days... Yes, I am, young man.." Answered the old lady with a cheerful smile. Slime observes the old lady once more, and some points caught his eyes. Even though her age is definitely old, but her standing pose and her eyes are sharp. It''s not rare for a woman to not cultivate their mana, but the old lady in front of Slime is different. (She''s hiding it huh...) (Slime) (Yup! Definitely!) (Fenrir) (Indeed. It must be the case..) (Reo) (I don''t ask your opinion) (Slime) (Boo!! You''re meanie!!) (Fenrir) (Pfft!!!) (Reo) (Hey! Reo! He meant both of us!!) (Fenrir) (Of course not. Right, master...?) (Reo) Slime let out a small sigh. "You look so lively, Ma''am. You must be a strong fighter in your prime," Said Slime with a smile. The old lady''s eyes sharpen for a slight moment before the old lady made a huge smile and laugh. "I''m always in my prime!!" Said the old lady cheerfully. "So? What business do you have with my boat, young man?" Asked the old lady. "Well, I want to talk about something with the legendary old guardian of Grandaria kingdom," (Slime) "With Kyron!? Who are you, young man?" The old lady asked with a face filled with questions. "Forgive my rudeness for not introducing myself earlier, Ma''am. I am Slime Tarot, the ambassador, the temporary ambassador of the Tarot empire," Slime politely answered. "T-tarot!? You mean that empire where that huge tree exist!?" The old lady asks as she points at a huge tree that soars to the sky, the tree is completely visible even from this distance. "Indeed, Ma''am. So can I know how much is it to rent for your boat?" (Slime) "Hm... Since you''re such a hotshot, you have lots of money, right? So about 5 silver-" (Old lady) "Here," Slime tossed five coins towards the old lady. "E-eh!?" The old lady gasped when she saw the coins in her hand. "G-gold!?" (Old Lady) "I don''t know why you''re hiding your identity, but I hope those coins could at least help you somehow. I''ll return at noon," Slime said as he gets ready to ride the boat. "I would be glad if you prepare some delicious meals for me to eat at lunch, Ma''am. That inn is yours, right?" Slime said as he points at the wooden inn near the dock that not fancy at all. "What a good boy you are," Said the old lady. "Yes, of-" (Slime) "Mr. Slime?" An unexpected voice of a confused girl suddenly appeared out of nowhere. "P-princess!" The old lady exclaimed in a pleasant surprise. "Hello, Miss Rose! How are you? Here, some gifts," Sera gave a box to the old lady. "As usual, thank you very much, princess," The old lady Rose thanked Sera with a warm smile. While looking at the scene that looks like a couple of a grandmother and a granddaughter, the words that the wraith told Slime. He said that Sera usually took this route every time she visits the old man Kyron. (I see... So the information is indeed accurate, huh...) (Slime) "So, what are you doing here, Mr. Slime? And why are you smirking?" Sera asked towards Slime. Her eyes turn into a sharp one when she stares at Slime. (This is getting troublesome...) (Slime) "I''m thinking of meeting the old guardian of this kingdom, princess. If you please, let me excuse myself first," Slime said as he about to retreat and run away from the trouble magnet. "Wait!" The old woman made Slime stop in his tracks. "Since both of you are going towards the same way, why don''t both of you youngsters go together? It''s a man''s job to escort a lady, right?" (Old lady Rose) (Yup! Master''s lost) (Fenrir) (Indeed) (Reo) (Damn it!) (Slime) "I think that the princess-" (Slime) "That''ll be a great idea!" Sera cuts Slime''s words. Slime let out a small sigh as his escape route had disappeared. "Fine.." Slime said weakly. ************************ "So? What are you doing here, Mr. Slime?" Sera asked Slime, filled with curiosity. "That''s my line, Princess. What are ''You'' doing here, for the princess of the kingdom to wander around without any guards or escorts with you, in an age like this, where war could break out any moment, what you''re doing could be described as suicide," Slime said with a slightly annoyed tone. "Well, that''s true... But I am a sword god ranked swordswoman, there is no need for me to have any guards or escorts. And it''s disrespectful to visit the guardian while bringing a crowd," (Sera) (I never mentioned bringing dozens of escorts and guards, dear princess. Couldn''t you just bring two or three sword saint warrior with you? If you''ve brought them, I won''t need to become your rower!) (Slime) (Um... Master? You realize that you''re not saying that out loud, right?) (Fenrir) (Yes, I do,) (Slime) (Oh... Good then...) (Fenrir) Slime let out another small sigh as he continues to row the boat. "So what about you? What are you doing here?" Sera asked once more. "I''m going to meet the legendary guardian of the Grandaria kingdom, of course," (Slime) "Yes, I could see that. I mean what kind of business do you have with grandpa?" Sera asked as she tilts her head slightly. The thought of the word ''Cute'' passed Slime''s mind for a moment, but he removes the thought quickly as he shook his head a little. "I''m curious about the old guardian, and what made him isolate himself to this lonely looking mountain," Slime answered while averting his eyes from Sera''s gaze. "Hm..." Sera''s eyes turn distant as Slime''s question made her remember the pain that had faintly disappeared. The fact that she is the princess of the kingdom that defiled Ren''s honor by saying that he''s an ally of the demons despite he is the one that solely protected the kingdom from the sudden appearance of the demonic army. (Crap! It seems that I''ve landed on a land mine!) (Slime) "Well, anyway, how about you, Prin-" (Slime) Whoosh!! A strong wind blows, bringing unexpected news to Slime. !!! Slime''s face turns serious. ''Enemy, dozens,'' The message came from the Wraith''s magic, while using the wind as the medium, he reported to Slime. "Don''t let any of them alive," Slime whispered to the wind, as the wind carried his message towards the Wraith. Crack! The paddle that Slime used to row the boat hits something hard, and the air seems to be far colder than before. (No, this mana is different from the princess''s... It''s rough and unpleasant) (Slime) Slime about to warn Sera, but she looked prepared as she calmly reaches her sword. Slime and Sera''s gaze met, Slime''s calm smile that seems to have seen through the outcome of what will happen made Sera felt a strong nostalgic sensation. As they nod to each other, both of them prepare to counter their pursuers. "Ice fortress," (Sera) "Meteor bullet," (Slime) Chapter 126 - Meeting The Old Guardian (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "[Ice Fortress]!" (Sera) "[Meteor Bullet]!" (Slime) Both Sera and Slime jumped from the boat and cast their magic. Clank! Clank! Clank! Sera blocked the coming attacks from their pursuers with a wave of her hand. The [Ice Fortress] magic enveloped Sera with a heavy armor that protects all of her body. (Wait, meteor bullet?) (Sera) Instead of defending himself, Slime cast [Meteor Bullet] that was not directed towards the enemy, but towards the frozen lake. The meteor''s size is far smaller than the original meteor that is supposed to be summoned by the magic. (Ah! I see...) (Sera) Sera finally grasped the meaning of Slime''s move. "Now, now... Sixteen Archmage ranked ice mages, huh... This will need some time to prepare. Princess!" Slime called out the princess after analyzing the situation calmly. "Do you have a plan?" (Sera) "I do, just please make sure to defend us from the next wave of attacks. You could do that, right?" (Slime) "Of course! Who do you think am I?" Sera follows Slime''s command and prepare to deflect the upcoming attack. Their pursuers immediately follow up with the next wave of attacks. Dozens of icicles, ice boulders, and ice swords flew towards Slime and Sera. "Hmph! Trying to attack me, the one that been called the ''Winter princess'' with ice magic? What a joke," Sera pointed her [Endless Cold] forward and cast her magic, "[Frost Wall]" A huge wall of solid ice formed by Sera''s magic deflects all of the ice sword saint archmages magic. "Excellent, now prepare to jump back to the boat, princess," Slime said his next instruction after complimenting the princess'' magic. Crack! "[Water Vortex]" (Slime) A tremendous amount of water gushed out from the lake that should have been completely frozen by the ice archmages. The ice archmages got caught off guarded and got trapped inside the huge water vortex cast by Slime. "Let''s go," Slime jumped back to the boat together with Sera as the ice below them start to melt at a terrifying speed. (What a terrifying amount of control... He reduces the size of the meteor but made the heat amass inside the meteor remain...) (Sera) Slime take a peek below and set the meteor bullet he shot towards the bottom of the lake to stop releasing heat when the lake had got warm to ensure the creatures inside the lake could survive. "Water Vortex? If I''m not mistaken, the spell could only last until 20 minutes at most, am I wrong?" (Sera) "Nope, you''re right, princess," Said Slime as he continues to row their boat. "Then are we-" Sera''s words stopped when she saw the water vortex cast by Slime. "H-hey! Are those shadows that are covering the water vortex is part of your spell too, Mr. Slime!?" (Sera) "Relax, even though they didn''t appear from my spell, they''re our allies," Slime answered calmly. "Allies?" (Sera) "Yes, but princess" (Slime) "Y-yes!?" Slime suddenly called out the confused Sera, making her tone to be rather disordered when she answered. "Rather than those sword saints, I believe that you might want to worry about our enemies that are waiting for us ashore, princess," (Slime) "Enemies?" Sera finally regains her composure, quickly spread her aura, and finally sensed the ''enemies'' Slime mentioned. !!?? (F-four sword god ranked warriors!!??) (Sera) "W-w-we should run!" Sera told Slime in panic. "Run where? Even if we run now, they''ll absolutely pursue us, and we''ll be in a disadvantage if we''re attacked when we''re on the run," (Slime) "T-then what should we do? They have four sword god ranked warriors, while on our side, I''m the only sword god ranked warrior while you''re an archmage ranked magician," (Sera) (Why am I blaming him for this? I''m the one that forced him to escort me here and made him caught up in my kingdom''s problem! I''m so stupid!!) (Sera) "Well, you''re not exactly wrong. But still, I have some tricks under my sleeves; it''ll hurt my pride if you underestimate me that much, princess," Slime answered with a wry smile. "S-sorry..." (Sera) "It''s fine. Rather than feeling sorry, I think it will be better if we decide what kind of strategy we will be using when we face them, princess," (Slime) Slime closed his eyes as he attempts to sense the presences of the sword god ranked warriors. "Two fire elemental sword god rank while the other two sword god rank didn''t possess any elements in their body, huh..." (Slime) (H-he could even sense the element affinity those sword god warriors possess?) (Sera) "Their cultivation level is way below you, but still, it won''t be wise to underestimate them. I''ll handle those with no element affinity. Could you handle the remaining two fire elemental sword god warrior, princess?" (Slime) "Y-yes, I think I could.." Sera obediently answered. The panic started to fade from Sera''s heart. Slime''s calm attitude restored Sera''s calmness and made her regain her composure. "But I might need to use one of my ''Endless Cold'' sword''s skills. So you will need to stay away to make sure you won''t get caught on it," (Sera) "Good. Then let''s proceed," Together with Slime''s words, their boat finally arrived at the small dock. Slime got off the boat together with Sera and tied the boat to the dock calmly. "I believe there is no need for the four of you to hide yourselves, no?" Slime''s confident words slightly startled Sera. (He''s taunting them?) (Sera) "Not bad. It seems that the rumor about the Tarot empire is indeed true," A deep voice belongs to a man appeared from the forest. Four people slowly descend from above a tree. (Hm... It seems that Sera and co are indeed a rare talent. Even these men could only reach their level in their 40s) (Slime) "Well, of course. Our training is different from the other nations, after all. Especially from the Potterland kingdom," Said Slime as he shrugged. "......." The four sword god warriors didn''t reply to Slime''s statement. (Bingo) (Slime) (Master, you know what? You taunting them like that might be fun to you, but the princess over there is flooding with cold sweat because of you, you know?) (Fenrir) (The battle of composure is one of the most entertaining parts of a fight, Fenrir) (Reo) (Shut up, Reo! Aren''t you feel sorry towards the poor princess?) (Fenrir) (She''s a tough one, she''ll be fine) (Reo) (Ughh! Just shut up, you old lion!) (Fenrir) (What did you just say, you Grandma wolf!?) (Reo) (Shut it! Both of you!) (Slime) Slime couldn''t help but let out a heavy sigh because of the commotion inside his head. But even though Slime doing it in reflex, the four sword god ranked warriors in front of them caught his action as sarcasm. (He''s underestimating us!) (The sword god warriors) "I was right! just two of us should be enough! Our opponents are just brats that don''t even know what kind of danger they''re in!" (Sword God Warrior 1) "You have some guts to be so calm in front of four sword god ranked warriors, young man. Even though your aura is only at the rank of a sword saint or an archmage," Mocks one of the sword god warriors. "Hm? Well, I knew that the four of you are sword god ranked warriors and were just hiding your aura. if I didn''t know, I wouldn''t be able to know that the two of you are fire elemental warriors while the other two had no element, right?" Slime answered with a shrug. !!?? The sword god warriors got alerted because of Slime''s statement. The situation had changed. If the two of them appear confidently without knowing that the four of them are at the sword god rank, it means that they''re just a couple of young fools. But yet, it turns out that they knew the cultivation rank of the four of them and even their element affinity but still confidently appeared before them. (It means they''re confident of winning!) (The four sword god warriors) Slime saw that the four of them had got wary of them, the smile on their faces had gone, and they wore a serious expression while preparing their weapons. "Now that''s the expression I''ve been looking for. To send four sword god ranked to assassinate me, I''m flattered. The only people that heard the news of me visiting the old guardian were my men, and the Potterland''s ambassador..." (Slime) "It looks like the Potterland''s king fears me that much, enough to sacrifice four of his few sword god warriors, I see," This time, Slime''s provocation and hits the bullseye. "You have no right to defile the name of our king!" One of the sword god warriors dashed towards Slime. (The one with no element, huh, reckless) (Slime) "Reo, I''m borrowing your power," Slime whispered towards the thin air. (Gladly, master) (Reo) Slime lift his right leg and calmly stepped slightly forward. !!!!?? Sera saw the scene unfold with her eyes wide. The sword god stopped his tracks right before his sword touches Slime. Chapter 127 - Meeting The Old Guardian (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "H-how in the world c-could a mere Archmage ranked magician stopped my m-movements...!?" The sword god warrior said haltingly. "I wonder why, heh," Slime said while wearing a mocking smile on his face. "R-release him!" The other sword god warrior shouted and rushes towards Slime. (I see! That''s his plan!) (Sera) The two fire element sword god ranked also ready their sword and prepare to rush towards Slime too, but- "Wha?" Both of them muttered as they can''t lift their legs forward. "I-ice?" They saw that their feet had been frozen together with the ground. "It''s the winter princess'' skill!" Shouts one of the fire element sword god warriors. "Good reading, princess," Slime muttered as he smiles in satisfaction even though the sword of the other sword god warrior is about to reach him too. "Sword skill: [Slaying Assault]!!" Slash! Slash! Slash! Stab! Unlike before, the sword god warrior didn''t get paralyzed before he could hit Slime like how the other sword god warrior did. The sword god warriors smiled when he thought that Slime is done for. But the reality isn''t so kind towards the sword god warriors. "What are you smiling for?" Slime''s voice doesn''t give the slightest hint of pain or hurting even though there is a sword currently stabbing his body. "Huh? Wait, why are you not bleeding?" Asked one of the sword god warriors The sword god warriors finally realized. That they''ve underestimated the archmage in front of them too much. "A-argh! Damn it!" The sword god warrior that had his sword stuck inside Slime''s body finally realized that he couldn''t move his body too! "W-what is this!?" Shouted the sword warrior in panic as Slime''s body that he is stabbing suddenly melts into black matter. (How is it, Fenrir!? Master had just used my skill rather than yours! He''s indirectly telling us that I''m far more reliable to him than you! HAHAHAHAHA!) (Reo) (Hmph! Your skill is disgusting!) (Fenrir) (W-w-w-w-what did you just said!!??) (Reo) (I could easily and beautifully capture both of them! Your [Shadow Bind] and [Shadow Clone] are disgusting! No beauty at all!!) (Fenrir) (Hmph! You just didn''t know the beauty that lies inside the darkness of a shadow!) (Reo) [Shadow Bind] That''s the first skill of Reo darkness skill that Slime used to paralyze the first sword god warrior. While they are distracted, Slime made a shadow clone of himself on himself and has been hiding behind it since the beginning, making the other sword god warrior thrust his shadow clone and got trapped in the same [Shadow Bind] skill. (And he has been planning this since the beginning, huh? So that''s why he keeps on provoking them! So terrifying...) (Sera) The shadow clone Slime made is reverting to shadow because of the sword god warrior''s attacks, but he controls it and made it to capture the last sword god warrior. Slime flicked his fingers and the shadow consume the first sword god warrior that attacked him, sticking both of them and wrapping both of them with shadows. "[Shadow Cocoon]" (Slime) Together with Slime''s words, the shadows finally completely covered the two sword god warrior and trapped them in a huge cocoon made from shadows. (That''s quite a great combo skill) (Slime) (See! You hear that, Fenrir! It''s art!) (Reo) (He didn''t mention anything about its beauty! How could you even call it an art!?) (Fenrir) (Argh!! Shut up!!) (Slime) "Damn it!" Whoosh!! Both of the fire elemental sword gods enveloped their bodies in fire summoned by their mana and broke the ice that froze their legs. One of them immediately charged towards Slime while the other one remains behind and start chanting something. (Long-range type of attack, huh) (Slime) Slime about to prepare a counter towards the fire element sword god warrior that about to use a long-range attack, but before he did. "Hm?" Slime sensed a movement from his back. Crack! "What!? Again!?" The fire elemental sword god that is rushing towards Slime got his feet frozen by Sera again. But this time, even though he had used his sword god ranked power, he just couldn''t get out of the ice. (Good one) (Slime) Whoosh! Sera rushed towards the fire elemental sword god that is about to use his long-range type skill. He could barely finish his skill when Sera reached him. "Tsk! [Blazing Spear]!" Clank! "Shit!" (Fire elemental sword god) Sera easily deflect the blazing spear, freezing it and made it scattered to pieces. "Get some cold," (Sera) Slash! "Ugh!" Whoosh! The fire elemental sword god warrior turned into an ice sculpture. "Y-y-you damned Grandarian princess!" Shouted the remaining fire elemental sword god. "Where is the arrogance you just had just now? For four sword god ranked warriors to get defeated by a sword god ranked warrior and a sword saint ranked warrior, it seems that you have just crushed your life career. Looks like there is no need for me to use any of ''Endless Cold'' sword''s skills," (Sera) "You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned... You damned..." The fire elemental sword god warrior muttered as his face darkened. His expression is getting weirder with each second. "W-what?" Sera got startled by the remaining fire elemental sword god that acting like a mad man. Sera grips her ''Endless Cold'' tighter and decides to kill the man before her. But before she could take the first step. "Eh?" Sera exclaimed in surprise as someone captured her left hand from behind. "W-w-what, w-w-why are you-" Sera muttered as she lowered her head in panic. "Something weird is happening to him, princess. I think it will not be wise to recklessly attack like that," Explained Slime with a serious expression. "Something weird?" (Sera) "Yes. Look at this, [Ice Blade]" An ice sword appeared in front of Slime, and rushed towards the remaining fire elemental sword god. Whoosh! "W-what!? How? His mana... It''s increasing at a terrifying speed..." (Sera) "It is... But he''s not having a breakthrough on his cultivation. This is something else... But whatever it is, it must be bad. Let''s finish him with a long-range spell before he finishes whatever he''s doing, princess. Try to sync with me, princess," (Slime) "Okay," Agreed Sera with a nod "Dear spirits of the old frost, empower and grant me the power of the winter, Capture my enemy, [Mass Ice Prism]" (Slime) "Ice skill: [Endless Royal Ice Spear]" (Sera) Slime summoned a huge ice prism that entraps the remaining fire elemental sword god, while Sera summoned countless ice spears that struck the remaining fire elemental sword god simultaneously. The combination of their spells made their battlefield got frozen and covered with cold mist. (In the end, I ended up using one of the ''Endless Cold'' sword''s skills... But to think that he even knows an ice forbidden magic that I don''t even know...) (Sera) "Did we get him?" (Sera) "......." Slime stay silent as he focuses his eyes on the remaining fire elemental sword god. "Mr. Slime?" (Sera) !? "Princess!! Fall back!!" Slime shouted as he jumped towards the princess. "Spirits of the old earth, Protect me, [Earth Fortress]!" Slime shouted as a small fortress appear from underneath them and covered both of them. Boom!!! The earth fortress shakes and finally crumbled to dust after several seconds. Pant! Pant! Pant! As the earth fortress disappeared, Sera finally could see what had just happened. Except for the ground their standing on, the ground surrounding them became black because of getting burnt. Not only the ground, but the trees surrounding them is also burning, showing how big the scale of the attack that just attacked them. "I''m afraid that we didn''t get him, princess. No, not only him, we didn''t get any of them, princess..." Slime said with a wry smile. "What!?" Sera exclaimed in surprise. "HAHAHAHA!! It''s such a shame, Tarot''s ambassador!! Grandarian princess!! HAHAHAHA!!" A man that has a weird appearance appeared before them. No, rather than a man, his appearance resembles the race who is the greatest enemy of their world. A demon. "Y-you... Who are you? That appearance..." (Princess) "...." Slime observes and analyzes the situation calmly as he ignores the fire elemental sword god warrior that has grown a pair of horns and burning wings. Whoosh!!! The other three figures that had the same appearance with the fire elemental sword god ranked that had just appeared with a demonic form surrounded them from every side. "To think that Potterland kingdom had fallen so far that they even join hands with the demons... It seems that the king of Potterland kingdom had betrayed the humanity," (Slime) "Silence, Tarot''s ambassador," "Temporary, actually," Slime cut in. "Hmph! I wonder if that confidence of yours is just a fluke, or is it a form of stupidity? Can''t you see that the little princess beside you is raining stream of sweats?" Asked the fire elemental sword god warrior. "A fluke? A stupidity? Hmph! Do you think that growing a pair of horns and wings will defeat me? Don''t you know that you had just lost one thing because of you Potterlands joining hands with the demons?" (Slime) "What? My humanity? I''ve thrown that thing for a long time!!" "No, I don''t care about your humanity," (Slime) "Then what?" "My mercy," (Slime) Chapter 128 - Meeting The Old Guardian (4) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Then what?" Asked the fire elemental sword god that had transformed into a demon. "My mercy," Slime''s smile disappeared from his face. "Hmph!" The demonized fire elemental sword god snorted. Slash!! !!!??? "Tsk!" (Slime) (Master!!) (Reo) (Master!!) (Fenrir) "Mr. Slime!" Sera called out in panic towards Slime. It all happened in an instant. The demonized fire elemental sword god slashed one of Slime''s hands. "I don''t need the mercy of a dead man-" (He''s not bleeding? Is that another shadow clone of his? No, I''m certain that his presence resides on that body. But why is he not bleeding?) (Demonized Fire Elemental Sword God) (What are the two of you shouting for? Have both of you forgot what am I?) (Slime) (Ah! Sorry, that intense atmosphere made me forgot it for a second, hehe) (Fenrir) (Indeed... Even though he even mention it in his name...) (Reo) (Reo, lend me your power once more) (Slime) (My pleasure, master!! For him to dare injure our master!! Even though the master is fine, I''m not fine with it!! Let''s show him the wrath of the king of the dark spirits!!) (Reo) "Heed my callings, dear the king of the fallen spirits. Lend me your power and show my enemy the terror of darkness, [Reo Arken]!!!" (Slime) Whoosh!!! "M-Mr. Slime?" (Sera) A black typhoon appeared out of nowhere and covered Slime inside it. The black typhoon sent the demonized sword gods flying while some black winds made a sphere that surrounds Sera and protects her. After some moment, the typhoon disappears together with the black sphere surrounding Sera, leaving Slime that wears black full-body armor while holding a pitch-black staff. Slime looks so majestic that made Sera stare at him in awe. But one other fact made Sera had her eyes wide. "H-his left hand had grown back?" Sera muttered in confusion. "Y-you... What is that power...? And that hand, I''m certain that I had already get rid of that left hand of yours. Who the hell are you!!??" Asked one of the demonized sword god warriors. "I have no obligations to answer. But well, let me introduce myself. My name is Slime Tarot, and I''m a slime," Slime answered coldly. "A slime?" (Sera) "Hmph! Even if you got powered up a little bit, what can you do against four of us!?" Asked one of the demonized sword god warriors arrogantly. "Princess, those four are almost as strong as a demon [King] rank. Can you show me your ''Endless Cold'' sword?" Asked Slime in a whisper. "...." (Sera) Looking at the hesitating Sera, Slime couldn''t help but have the corner of his mouth curled up a little bit. (Well, I''ll also afraid of getting betrayed and have it stolen in such a dire situation...) (Slime) "Trust me, princess, I won''t take it from you. We''re going to need your power when we fight them, and that sword will be the key," Slime ensures Sera. "It''s not that I don''t trust you, it''s just that showing the sword to someone else, especially someone from a foreign country, is a big taboo. But since this is a special case, I''ll let you hold it," (Sera) "No, no, no. All you need is to show it to me," (Slime) "Like this?" Asked Sera as she lifts the sword upwards. "Yup, like this. Fenrir," (Slime) (Roger that, master) (Fenrir) Tap! Slime touched the ''Endless Cold'' sword with the orb of his staff. After the staff touched the sword, the sword shines with pretty blue light and is releasing a tremendous amount of mana. "W-what did you do!?" Sera asked with wide eyes. "I just strengthened it a bit," Slime answered as he winked. (That''s creepy) (Fenrir) (Shut up) (Slime) "W-w-why? H-how could you even do that?" (Sera) "Well, that''s a secret, little princess. And I think we''re running out of time to have a leisure talk, princess. Let''s punish these traitors of mankind first," Said Slime as he ready his black staff. "Well, that''s not wrong. Anyway, I''m glad you''re fine. But please explain to me everything when this end," (Sera) "As you wish, princess," (Slime) (Why don''t you use ''The Defiler Of The Banished, Ataraxia'' staff, master?) (Reo) (Because they''ll realize his identity, you stupid cat!) (Fenrir) "Hmph! Have you finished your last conversation?" Asked one of the demonized fire elemental sword god warriors arrogantly. "Meet our personal demonic army," Continue him with a confident smile. Hundreds of demons appear and surrounded Slime and Sera. "They''re their summoned demons. It looks like they achieved that power because they ascended at the demonic ranks. Are you ready, princess?" Asked Slime in concern that the princess might get scared because of the number surrounding them. Sera could feel a tremendous amount of mana and power that continues to flow towards her from the ''Endless Cold'', somehow she felt the urge to go berserk and try this new power of her. With a confident smile, Sera that has regained her confidence answered Slime''s question. "More than ever," (Sera) "Good," A smile formed on Slime''s face. "Now, let''s finish this quickly, shall we? I have the old guardian to meet with," (Slime) ***************************************** Inside a huge royal palace, a man is kneeling in front of the throne. "Has the plan started?" Asked the man that sits on top of the throne. "It has, your majesty. And it will succeed," Answered the man who kneeled with a hoarse voice. "Are you sure? I heard that the soldiers from the Tarot empire are formidable. The rumors about them were spread worldwide that it even reached my ears several times," Asked the one who sits on the throne. "They are true, your majesty. But it will be fine, as the one that we sent were four sword god ranked warriors that had succeeded to complete their demonification," "A soldier that had gone through a demonification will have their power strengthened at least two folds from their original strength, your majesty. Even if the ambassador of the Tarot empire has some tricks under his sleeves, and could collaborate perfectly with the winter princess, they still won''t be able to defeat the four of them, your majesty," Said the kneeling man confidently. "Then that''s good. Having the princess eliminated will weaken the Grandaria kingdom. While having the Tarot empire''s ambassador eliminated will give us the opportunity to break their relationship with the Grandaria kingdom. If it succeeded, it will allow us to manipulate the relationship with the Tarot empire," (King) "Yes, indeed, your majesty," Replied the kneeling man. "Yes, But! The plan will only proceed smoothly if the ambassador of the Tarot empire who knew too much and the winter princess who had been controlling the flow and hindering our plans lately, die!!" The king shouted in anger as he imagined the face of the princess that had always destroy his plans to conquer the Grandaria kingdom. "The queen of the Grandaria kingdom had almost no power left on that kingdom before that Gracefield bastard took Grandaria, I will take it first!!" (King) "Rest assured, your majesty. We will make sure to kill them. As we demons will never lose to humans," The kneeling man that was just a thin man transformed into a huge man, no, demon. A pair of horns appeared together with a pair of wings. "We will definitely conquer this land," ************************************* "[Frost Giant] [Evil Snowman] [Ice Serpent] [Ice Wyvern] [Frost Guardians]" Clad in her ice fortress armor, Sera summoned her army of winter. Anyone who saw the scene will definitely mutter her glorious name that had spread worldwide. "Damned winter princess," (Fire elemental sword god warrior) While on the other hand, Slime called out his forces of darkness. "Protect and serve your king of darkness, Rise from the old shadows, Darkness skill: [Shadow Servants]" Slime muttered as he tapped on the ground with his staff. But unlike Sera''s summoning, Slime''s summoned creatures didn''t appear immediately. "Attack!" The hundreds of demons rushed towards Slime and Sera under the demonized sword god''s orders. As they have the advantage in number, the demonized fire elemental sword god had a smile formed on his face as he is confident of winning. "Hold your position!!" Sera''s army of ice took the defensive stance. "Reo," Together with Slime''s call, a huge black dark magic circle appears beside him. The miasma of death immediately covered the whole battlefield. "W-what is that?" (Demonized Sword God Warrior) "Let me show you the thing called fear," (Slime) Growl! A growl, the growl is deep and majestic. But just by hearing the growl, the demonized sword god warriors could feel that their legs are slightly trembling. (W-what the hell is that?) (Demonized Fire Elemental Sword God Warrior) ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A roar of a deathly beast. The roar was filled with a tremendous amount of dark miasma that makes even the demon army halted their march. Most of the demons trembled as they saw the figure of the beast that appeared beside Slime. The one who brings death. He''s darkness and death warped in flesh. No demons didn''t know his identity, even those who were just born or just summoned as his name is widely known in the spirit realm. The darkness spirit king. "Rise! And show them the fear of the darkness!" Chapter 129 - Meeting The Old Guardian (5) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ ***Before Slime and Sera attacked*** "Nash! Don''t carry too much or you''ll fall!" A voice of a girl sounded in the forest. "It''s fine, sister Elena! I''m strong, and this training will make me even more!!" Nash replied with a big smile as he carried five big lumbers in both of his hands. "I won''t help you if you get tripped and fell, you know," Warned Elena for the last time. "It''s fine!! This much is easy peasy for- Whoa!" Nash tripped and fell to the ground together with the lumbers. "See? You tripped, just like what I expected," said Elena as she sighs. "You can''t wish for someone to trip, sister Elena! That''s bad!" Nash rebuked without rising from the ground. "I don''t wish for you to trip, but I did warn you that you might trip. That''s a good deed, while you, the stubborn boy who doesn''t listen to my warning is the one who is bad," (Elena) "And stop lying on the ground like that, or I''ll tell grandpa Kyron that you didn''t want to listen to me," Warned Elena. "Oh please! Anything but that!" Nash immediately rise from the ground and gathered the lumbers that fell together with him. "Ugh... You made me remember how that old man punished me by tying me on a tree all day..." Nash said with a wry smile as he shivers. "That''s your fault. No one asked you to secretly stole grandpa''s sword and used it to kill some magic beasts," (Elena) "I-It was just a training! I didn''t plan to secretly steal it and hid it and make it mine! I was just curious how the old man''s sword felt! That''s all!" (Nash) "I believe you are trying to take grandpa''s sword. You must have thought that he won''t notice it, right?" (Elena) "Yeah... Who''ll ever think that the sword will fly itself towards that old geezer!!" Complained Nash. "Well, grandpa is a veteran sword god ranked warrior. So it''s not that surprising, right?" (Elena) "Well... You''re right... Why the hell did I do that anyway..." Nash sighs because of his stupidity. "But Nash. You must be imitating how Ren used to call grandpa ''Old man'' and ''Old Geezer'', right? Drop it, it''s impolite!" Elena scolds Nash. "Ugh... How did you know...? Well grandpa did tell me to stop calling him that, but since big bro Ren called him like that, it sounds cool, hehe," Nash imagined how a big figure Oz must have been. Elena who heard Oz''s name felt a distinct pain inside her heart. (Even though I''m the one who mentioned his name first... I thought I had long forgotten these feelings... Why the hell am I remembering those days....) (Elena) "Sis," Nash called out Elena with a rare serious tone. Hearing it, Elena immediately grasped the meaning of his call and immediately spread her mana softly but widely. "Enemies, eight in number. They''re sword saint and archmage ranked, Nash," (Elena) They nod towards each other and start to continue walking back home slowly. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Some figures dashed towards both of them. "Now!" (Elena) ********************************************* "H-how the hell could the two of you so strong!" Asked one of the demonized fire elemental sword god warriors that had got captured at Slime''s black cocoon once more. Slime had unsummoned Reo and have him back in his consciousness. The lion of darkness that made the demons trembled in fear. "Sorry to make you face reality, but it''s just that you lots didn''t have any chances with us since the beginning," Answered Slime with a shrug. "I-impossible... We even transformed into demons to gain unbeatable power!" (Demonized Sword God Warrior) "Well, humans should strive in a human''s way, depending on things like transforming into a demon will only lead you to your doom," Sera coldly commented. "Ugh... Just kill us already..." Said one of the demonized sword god warriors, surrendering his life. "So? What is your decision, princess?" Slime asked towards Sera. "I have no intention to kill any of you since dying is the very last thing you should do to pay for your sins. But we will still imprison the four of you and you need to tell us anything you know in exchange for your lives. Will you accept that punishment?" (Sera) The four demonized sword god warriors sighed as they finally realized that they had transformed into demons for nothing. They still lose to a mere archmage ranked magician and a sword god, despite having the advantage in number. "Well, good choice, old men," (Slime) "But, the both of you shouldn''t relax yet," One of the demonized fire elemental sword god warriors suddenly said. "Why?" Asked Sera as she narrowed her eyes. "The king dispatched an all-out attack towards this mountain in order to kill all of you in one swoop. There are still other four sword god ranked warriors dispatched by the king in order to kill the old guardian," Explained him. "G-grandpa. He''s in trouble!" Sera about to rush towards the old man Kyron in panic, but Slime''s hand stopped her. "The old guardian is not that weak, trust him, and trust me," Slime said confidently. "I won''t be that confident if I were you. Including us, there are 8 sword god ranked warriors, 50 sword saint ranked warriors, and 100 master swordsman ranked warriors dispatched for this assault. And all of them are elites!" Warned the demonized sword god warrior. "Hm... But I think I''ll stay on my stand. I believe that there are no casualties here other than your allies, you know?" Slime said with a shrug. "What!?" (Demonized fire elemental sword god) "How is it?" Asked Slime. Sera and the demonized sword god warriors got confused as to whom is he talking to. "Successful. No casualties, my lord," The hoarse voice appeared from below. As if Slime''s shadow spoke for itself. (That, is that the thing that surrounds the water vortex cast by him at the lake?) (Sera) "We''ve captured most of them, while we''ve got rid of those who might cause troubles," (Shadow) "Good job," (Slime) "It''s my honor. And my lord," The shadow called out Slime once more. "Hm? What is it?" (Slime) "A sword god and a master swordsman ranked warriors are heading towards this way, there is a sword saint ranked warrior in front of them, it looks like they''re chasing after him. And it seems that the old guardian is heading this way too, my lord," Reported the shadow. "Is that so? Thanks for the information, report the rest to headquarters. Leave several of you in my shadow," Ordered Slime without paying Sera any mind whether she heard his conversation or not. (That should be enough to give her a hint of our empire''s forces) (Slime) (Ah. I thought you were boasting to her, master) (Fenrir) (He was, Fenrir. And don''t comment on it, it''ll make master embarrassed) (Reo) (I''m not embarrassed! And I''m not boasting!!) (Slime) "Hey! Stop it, scary face uncle!" A boy''s voice sounded loud, stealing Slime, Sera, and the demonized sword god warriors'' attention. "Stop following me!" The man shouted as he appears in front of Slime and co and stopped his tracks. Just like the boy just said, the man had lots of scars on his face that made his face looked scary. His gaze stopped at the demonized sword god warriors that had got captured by Slime and Sera. His expression changed from a surprised one to a furious one. "You bastard!!" The man charged towards Slime and Sera as he unsheathes his sword. Slime sighs and ready his staff, but it turns out that he didn''t need to take any action at all. Bam! "Ugh..." The rushing sword saint ranked warrior groaned in pain as a fist suddenly smashed the back of his head from behind. "That''s cheating! You said that I''m allowed to deal with him myself!!" The boys sounded his protest towards the girl that just smashed the sword saint ranked warrior. "He''s about to attack someone else, and you''re slow, Nash! Don''t blame me for your own weakness!" Retorted the girl. "Ugh! Your words are so sharp, sister Elena..." Said Nash as he grasped his chest and acted as if he''s having a heart attack. "Stop exaggerating!" (Elena) "E-Elena?" Sera called out towards the girl. "Eh? Sera? Ah! It''s indeed the date where you usually come to visit!" (Elena) "Yup! I brought you the book you asked me before!" (Sera) "Really? Where is-" As the two girls are having a happy reunion, the sword saint ranked warrior that had just got a direct attack from Elena from behind rose from the ground. "Ah, he''s not dead yet, huh," Said Slime indifferently. "Since it came to this, I''ll use my demonification! I''ll kill all of you right now!!" The Sword saint ranked warrior eats something that looked like a pill. Without any time lag, he suddenly releases a terrifying amount of demonic aura that is much enormous than the demonized sword god warriors had emitted. (I-isn''t this is far stronger than the sword gods'' demonification? How could this even be...?) (Sera) (Shit! He''s going berserk! I need to stop him now!) (Slime) But before Slime could take any action. Slash! "Hm... To think there are quite a lot of people that had resorted to the power of demons... How saddening, how saddening..." An old voice appears in front of the sword saint ranked warrior that was in the middle of his demonification. "The world is indeed in grave danger," Continue the old voice. ""Grandpa Kyron!!"" (Nash & Elena & Sera) Chapter 130 - Meeting The Old Guardian (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Inside the great Tarot empire''s grand palace, wearing the emperor''s attire, Slime Oz gazes at the great Tarot empire''s capital from the window. (This peace... How long could I protect it...?) (Slime Oz) "Ren, the rest had arrived," Aegir''s voice appears from behind the door. "Aegir, huh. Let''s go then," Answered Slime Oz as he opened the room''s door. "Is it serious?" Asked Aegir with a firm face. "It is. It seems that some of this world''s residents had decided to join hands with the demons," Answered Slime Oz. "W-what!? You can''t be serious..." (Aegir) "I don''t. That''s why we need to discuss what stand will we take on this as soon as possible," (Slime Oz) "Indeed..." (Aegir) The both of them walked quickly towards the meeting room, but suddenly, Slime Oz stopped his tracks. "Hm? Ren?" Aegir asked towards Slime Oz that had suddenly stopped walking. Looking back towards the window where he gazes at the capital, Slime Oz resolves himself and steels his heart. "This peace, this world, we''ll protect it with all our might," Muttered Slime Oz as he clenched his right fist. "Hmph! Well, of course!" (Aegir) ****************************************** Slash! The sword saint ranked warrior that about to transform into a demon got slashed into two pieces before he could finish his transformation. !!!??? "Impossible..." The sword saint muttered his last word with wide eyes. "Hm... To think there are quite a lot of people that had resorted to the power of demons... How saddening, how saddening..." An old voice appears in front of the sword saint ranked warrior that was in the middle of his demonification. "The world is indeed in grave danger," Continue the old voice. ""Grandpa Kyron!!"" (Nash & Elena & Sera) Thud! The sword saint ranked warrior fell towards the ground as he lost his consciousness together with his life. (As expected of the old man, he breakthrough such a tremendous amount of mana with his mana alone, while even a sword god ranked like Sera couldn''t take even a step towards him because of the enormous mana that filled with malice) (Slime) (Hm? Why does the scary sword saint guy could have more mana than the four demonized sword god warriors we just captured, master? Doesn''t he supposed to have an inferior power than the sword god ranked warriors) (Fenrir) (If my analysis were right, then the thing that the sword saint ranked warrior ate in order to enter the demonification state is something that forced his body to enter demonification. While on the other hand, the sword god ranked warriors entered the demonification without having their body forced) (Slime) (Huh?) (Fenrir) (I mean, different from the sword god ranked warrior, they just entered the demonification mode without eating anything. Judging by how the sword saint ranked warrior emitted such a tremendous amount of demonic mana after eating that thing, it means that the pill is the thing that stored that immense amount of demonic mana) (Slime) (It looks like that in order to enter demonification mode, you need to have some demonic mana cultivated through your mana system. Since the sword god warriors have enough power and mana to withstand the force of the demonic mana, it seems like they had already trained and absorbed the demonic mana before) (Slime) (And when they fought us, they activated and used the mana they stored on their body and managed to transform into demons successfully. While in the sword saint ranked warrior''s case, he is forcing his body and mana system to accept the demonic mana by making the tremendous amount of demonic mana take over his mana system) (Slime) (Will the sword saint ranked warrior succeed if the old man didn''t slash him, master?) (Fenrir) (I believe he will. And he''ll be able to use that tremendous amount of demonic mana easily) (Slime) (Then wouldn''t it make him far stronger than the sword god warriors? Why won''t they use those pills to produce more powerful demonic warriors?) (Fenrir) (Fenrir... It would be best if you were their leader instead...) (Reo) (I''m not talking to you, bweee!!) (Fenrir) (It might not be a wise idea to do that, Fenrir) (Slime) (Why?) (Fenrir) (Because the sword saint ranked force his body to enter the demonification state, his body will get overwhelmed by the demonic mana, and he''ll die with a terrifying pain not long after because his body won''t be able to withstand it) (Slime) (H-how horrible... Humans really did horrible things...) (Fenrir) (Fenrir!) (Reo) (A-ah! I don''t mean it''s you, master! I mean the other humans!) (Fenrir) (Stop it, you idiot!) (Reo) (E-EHHHH!!??) (Fenrir) (It''s fine, Reo. She''s not wrong...) (Slime) (B-but master...) (Reo) (Her words are true, Reo. Humans are indeed fond of doing horrible things...) (Slime) "Sera! Elena! Are you hurt?" The old man Kyron''s expression warmed as he approaches Sera and Elena. "We''re fine, grandpa!" Answered Elena and Sera. "Wait, why doesn''t he mention my name?" Commented Nash. "Well, isn''t it obvious? The grandpa had decided to abandon you, you naughty boy," (Elena) "W-w-w-w-what? W-w-why? I haven''t pulled any pranks since the last time grandpa scolded me!" Said Nash in panic. "You''re just too loud and annoying. That''s why grandpa decided to throw you away, stupid," Elena continues to tease Nash. "Ugh...." (Nash) Looking at the scene before him, brought a warm smile towards Slime''s face. He slowly shifted his sight from Elena, towards Nash, and finally towards the old man Kyron. (The three of you have changed quite a lot, huh... I''m glad that all of you are well and full of energy) (Slime) "She''s lying! Please tell me she''s lying, grandpa!!" (Nash) "Hm... I guess that might be a good idea, Elena," The old man Kyron said with a smirk. "Ugh... Grandpa!!" (Nash) Sera laughed as she saw the scene in front of her. Sera could feel warmth filling her heart. She could only feel the warmth whenever she is with Alfred and co, the old man Kyron and his orphanage kids, and strangely with the man she had just met recently too. "Well now, could any of you introduce me with that fellow over there?" Said the old man Kyron as he shifted his gaze from Nash, Elena, and finally Sera. Nash and Elena shook their head, the old man understands that it means that they didn''t know who the man standing behind Sera. The old man Kyron saw that Slime is looking at them with a nostalgic smile. "He is-" (Sera) Whoosh! Black shadows once more appeared and gathered near the corpse of the sword saint ranked warrior and the captured four demonized sword god ranked warriors. The old man Kyron holds his sword as he about to slay them, but Sera stopped him as she holds his hand that about to unsheathe his sword. "It''s fine, grandpa. They''re not our enemies," (Sera) "Not our enemies...? Those... Wraiths...?" Muttered the old man as he stared at Slime''s wraiths. "Bring them back with caution. There are still some possibilities that their allies will attack you half-way," (Slime) (He''s commanding them?) (Old man Kyron) "Understood, my lord..." Answered the black shadows. Whoosh! They disappeared together with the dead swords saint ranked warrior''s corpse, and the four demonized sword god warriors. "Those wraiths. They''re under your command?" Asked the old man Kyron towards Slime. "Yes, they are, sir guardian," Slime answered politely. "Who are you...? But before that, have we met before?" The old man Kyron once again asked towards Slime. At first, he still used the warm expression he used when he talked with Sera and Elena, but suddenly- !!!??? (Ugh... This old man...) (Slime) The old man Kyron released his mana and enveloped Slime in it. The mana is so thin and well-controlled that even Sera and Elena didn''t realize it. But despite that the mana that enveloped Slime is thin, it''s filled with a dense murderous intent. (Damn, he indeed got stronger after just a mere three years!) (Slime) (Whew! It''s kinda refreshing to see master get pressured for one in a while) (Fenrir) (Fenrir... But well, that''s not wrong) (Reo) (Y-you two... At least give me some help...) (Slime) (Nope, he''ll realize our existence if we lend you a hand, master. It will be unwise to do so) (Reo) Realizing that Reo''s words are indeed true, Slime didn''t have any choice but to struggle against the dreadful murderous intent himself without showing it on his face to make sure Elena and Sera didn''t saw it. "Hm..." The old man Kyron narrowed his eyes as the man in front of him piqued his interest. !!?? (Impossible! This mana, impossible!) (The old man Kyron) "You, who are you, young man," Asked the old man Kyron as he suddenly got struck by deja vu when he asked the question. "Hm... You could consider me as the winter princess''s bodyguard, old man," Said Slime with a warm smile. The old man Kyron could see some drops of tears on the corner of his eyes. (Y-you are!!-) (The old man Kyron) Chapter 131 - The Offer [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "I see... So that''s what happened, huh..." Muttered the old man Kyron. "Yes, and here I am, a part of his clone that possessed the most similarities with him. Confusing, isn''t it?" Said Slime with a shrug. "Indeed..." The old man Kyron muttered as his gaze went distant. He seems to be sorting out a load of information Slime just told him. (Lucky that the old man didn''t lose himself when he saw you before, master...) (Reo) (True...) (Slime) ******************************** ---A few minutes before--- (Y-you are... Impossible!!) (The old man Kyron) Slime quickly grasped that the old man Kyron had realized his real identity from his mana. It''s not unexpected, rather, Slime is very glad that the old man Kyron realized his real identity in such a short time instead. But- The only one that allowed to know his real identity is the old guardian alone. "The information you just knew is highly classified, sir old guardian. We might need to discuss it in another place," Said Slime politely. He changed the term of ''Old Man'' into ''Sir old guardian". (S-so it means it''s true?) (The old man Kyron) "I-I see... Well indeed, then I guess we need to wait until we arrived at our house. Luckily, we won''t need to clean up the corpses of those bastards thanks to you," answered the old man Kyron as he nods. The old man Kyron understands the meaning behind Slime''s words. There must be a reason why he''s hiding his identity without revealing it to anyone, even Sera and co. And there is also the fact that the name of Ren Arken had been labeled as a demon worshiper. The old man Kyron thought that he will face even more danger if his identity got revealed here. And it seems that he is the only one that allowed to know his real identity. (For these three years, how have you been, Ren? What kind of things had you been through? And even though this kingdom and I had failed you and soiled your name, you still fulfilled your promise and protect this kingdom and the princess...) (The Old Man Kyron) Slime noticed that the old man Kyron''s eyes showed an emotional expression as he stared at him. Slime could feel his heart enveloped with warmth when he saw the old man Kyron''s expression. (Nice to meet you again, old man) (Slime) *Sob!* *Sob!* (What a touching reunion! *Sob!* *Sob!*) (Fenrir) (You''re ruining the moment, though) (Reo) (Shut up!! Try to look at a mirror you stupid cat!! You''re crying way more dramatically than me!!) (Fenrir) (What can I do? It''s too sad..) (Reo) Slime smiled as he hearts the conversation inside his head. (Shut it, both of you. You''ll make me drop a tear too) (Slime) (HWEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! MASTERRR!!!!!!!!!) (Fenrir) (HEY! SHUT UP!!!!!) (Slime) *************************************** *Slurp!* Slime takes a sip of the hot tea Elena made for the old man Kyron and him. As soon as they arrived at the house, the old man Kyron told Elena, Sera, and Nash that he has a business with Slime. The both of them entered the old man Kyron''s room and have their conversation there. After Elena delivered the tea for the both of them, Slime cast a spell at the room that will block any eavesdropping before telling the whole story to the old man Kyron. "So your real body is in an unconscious state for these three years, and it all happened because of the battle against the 10,000 demons?" Asked the old man Kyron. "Precisely," (Slime) "And none of you knew the answer and how to cure it? But how could you, clones of Ren still fine when your real body is in such a state?" (The old man Kyron) "Since my real body had no limiters on its mana, clones like us didn''t get unsummoned because of the lack of mana source. And since each of us has our own mana cultivation in our body, we could still exist even if the mana source from the real body got hindered. In other words, we will only disappear if our real body unsummoned us himself," Explained Slime. "What an outrageous ability..." Commented the old man Kyron. "Well, I can''t deny that," Said Slime with a shrug. "But seriously, except for your appearance, everything about you is identical to the real Ren," Said the old man Kyron as he stared at the white-haired Slime in front of him. "Well, I am a part of the Slime clone. It seems that he makes sure to make me have the original personality of the real Ren Arken. Complicated indeed," (Slime) "True. And to add that you are the emperor of that famous Tarot empire, I guess nothing would make even make me surprised anymore," Said the old man Kyron with a wry smile. "No comment. But old man, the reason I came here for you is about my empire," (Slime) "I''m all ears, young man," Said the old man as he took a sip of his tea. "I believe that you and the kids will love my empire, old man. Will you join my empire?" (Slime) The old man Kyron opened his eyes wide in surprise because of Slime''s unexpected question. "That''s a rather unexpected offer," Commented the old man Kyron. "What makes you offer me that?" (The old man Kyron) "Hm... The first thing is, of course, your strength is more than enough to strengthen our empire. And I heard a rumor that the old guardian had separated himself from the Grandaria kingdom," (Slime) "Seems like you don''t miss a single thing," (The old man Kyron) "And you and the kids are in danger. All sides will try whatever it takes to have you join forces with them, even if they need to take the kids as hostages," Slime''s expression turns grim. "........Indeed... But how about the Tarot empire? Won''t you do the same thing if I refused?" Asked the old man Kyron. "Are seriously asking me that question, old man?" (Slime) "Hahahahaha! Well, your words are not wrong. In fact, I was thinking about where we should go since I also knew that the brats are not safe here. Even though they had grown rather strong, but I don''t want any of them to face any hardship," (The old man Kyron) "Well, I''ll be enrolling those kids at our capital''s magic academy if you allow it. They have a lot of potential in themselves. I''ll be very happy if you accept my offer, old man. And I believe you and the kids will be very happy there," Said Slime. "That might be a good idea. Fine, I accept your offer, Ren!" The old man Kyron said with a huge smile. "Are you sure? I thought that it will be much harder to convince you, though," (Slime) "Well, I''ve done more than I promised. So I have no obligation to stay in this kingdom any longer. And despite the heroic deed you''ve done, the kingdom blindly follows the church''s words and label you as a heretic. I have no business in a kingdom that soiled my successor''s name," (The old man Kyron) "Old man!" Slime is very delighted by the old man Kyron''s positive response. "But, how about Sera?" Slime mentioned the only reason why the old man Kyron hasn''t left this kingdom yet. "Hmph! If she has you around her, I believe that not even the demons could touch her," The old man Kyron said confidently. "I never said that I''ll protect her, you know? I don''t have any obligations to do it," (Slime) "You do have," (Old man Kyron) "Hm?" (Slime) "You''re my successor. So it means that you''ll inherit everything in my possession, even my will. And that''s included the promise of protecting her, and I know you won''t say no towards this old guy''s request, will you?" The old man Kyron said with full of confidence. He''s confident that Slime will not deny his words. (You''re such a kind-hearted man, after all) (Old man Kyron) "You wicked old bones... But well, I guess you really do know me well, old man..." (Slime) The both of them conversed for a long time, it''s already night when they realized. Sera, Elena, and the kids didn''t dare to recklessly enter the old man Kyron''s room. So they waited, while Sera and Elena in another hand wondered just what kind of conversation the old man Kyron is having together with Slime that made them didn''t leave the old man Kyron''s room for hours. (Just how could that guy get to grandpa''s good side so quickly while even princes and nobles from numerous places came and paid no heed by grandpa...?) (Sera) Chapter 132 - The Discussion [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "So? The both of you seems to be having a very fun conversation, what are the both of you talking about?" Elena asked the question towards the old man Kyron and Slime. Her voice is not small, but since the children are making a ruckus while they''re eating their dinner, the sound of her voice couldn''t help but get reduced. But for Slime and the old man Kyron, it''s not just because they have a keen hearing, but because the two girls before them are staring at them with eyes full of curiosity. "Yes, the both of you are talking for hours. I wonder what the both of you are talking about," Sera followed suit. (After they spent two hours inside the room, Elena and I got interested in what kind of talk they''re having. But when we tried to eavesdrop on their conversation, we couldn''t even hear a thing! He must be blocking it with a spell to prevent us from eavesdropping! It means that the conversation is important enough that nobody else may know it!!!) (Sera) (But since it seems very important) (Elena) (We want to know!!!) (Elena and Sera) "It''s not that important. But it''s rather surprising for you to be here at this kind of hour, princess. Aren''t you supposed to be back at the capital already?" Slime calmly responded and attempted to change the topic. "Well, it is. But, it doesn''t matter since I''m currently free and have no tasks or any appointment, so I''m thinking of spending my time here. Do you have any problem with that?" (Sera) "I don''t, just a pure curiosity, princess," (Slime) "But well, I''m also curious about the conversation you''re having with grandpa. Could you tell me what the both of you are discussing?" Sera won''t follow Slime''s plan of changing the topic. (Hmph! I won''t let you off just like that! For you, a foreigner to be having a long conversation with the old guardian of the great Grandaria kingdom, of course as the princess of this kingdom, I need to know what the both of you are talking about!) (Princess) "Hm... Well, sir old guardian?" Slime threw the responsibility to answer towards the old man Kyron. (Ugh... You cold-hearted brat! You think I could easily say to the girl that I consider as my own granddaughter that I''m going to leave this kingdom and go to the new empire that just appeared out of nowhere!? She''ll feel like she''s being betrayed by me, won''t she!?) (The old man Kyron) (Just spilled it already, old man!) (Slime) (You''re so evil, master. To let an old man do such a thing...) (Fenrir) (What an example of darkness...) (Reo) (W-wha!? D-don''t get admired by it, Reo... It''s making me feel more like a villain...) (Slime) "Hm... I''m also interested. So what are you talking about inside your room, grandpa? You seem to be having a very joyful conversation that the both of you only showed up when dinner, after all," Elena backed Sera up. The both of them stared at the old man Kyron with kitten eyes as they beg the old man to spill what kind of thing they''re talking about inside his room. "Ugh... So we... I..." (The old man Kyron) The old man Kyron took a deep breath and decide to tell them. "I''ve decided to take the kids together with me and leave the Grandaria kingdom, princess," The old man Kyron said towards Sera with a firm look. "Y-you what, grandpa? Y-you''re leaving...?" Sera''s voice shook a little her head is still processing the new information she just heard from the old man Kyron, her teacher, her mentor, and the one who she considers as her own grandfather. "Yes... No matter how strong I am, the current Grandaria kingdom is too dangerous for the kids. They''ll keep on facing danger if we stayed here as countless people will always try to challenge me and they might use the kids as hostages," (The old man Kyron) "I believe I''ve already more than fulfilled the promise I made for the kingdom. And now, the kids are more precious to me than this kingdom. While I do love you and this kingdom. But my attachment towards this kingdom had long gone," (The old man Kyron) (Old man...) (Slime) "The only reason why I''m staying at this kingdom is to protect you, if not, I would have left this kingdom since three years ago," (The old man Kyron) (Three years ago... The year of Ren''s disappearance...) (Elena) "B-but, I''m still here, right? Didn''t you say that you''re here because you want to protect me? Does it mean that you''ve decided to abandon me, grandpa!?" Sera asked the old man Kyron as a tear started to drop from her eyes. "No. I haven''t neglected my duty of protecting my beloved granddaughter. I''m not abandoning you, but I''m leaving you with someone I trust, Sera," The old man Kyron said with a kind smile. "Someone... You trusted...?" Sera muttered the words as she tried to process who is the person. "You don''t need to know who he is, but I believe that one day, you''ll realize that all of this time, you, no, all of you have been protected and observed by him. Well, he''s quite an annoying and arrogant brat, you see. But he''ll appear when you need him the best," Said the old man Kyron with confidence. Elena and Sera didn''t take a glance at Slime, their head is filled with the picture of the man that had saved the both of them. The one that always smiles and came out with all kinds of solutions. Ren Arken. "I see... Since you decided this after talking with Mr. Slime, it means that you''re going to the Tarot empire, right?" Asked Sera as she grips the end of her clothes harder. "Yes, you''re right, Sera," (The old man Kyron) "I see..." (Sera) Pat! "Eh?" (Sera) The old man Kyron''s caring hand pats the winter princess''s head. She had been giving her all and tried her best to protect her kingdom. She had removed her emotions towards the corner of her mind for her to able to focus and avoid giving up. And now. She''ll do the same thing she had been doing. Even though the tears are ready to gush out from her eyes, she tried her best to stop them and prevent them from coming out. (It might be hard for me to meet Grandpa, Elena, and the others after this, huh... To lose even grandpa... Did we even still have any chance to face the upcoming dangers?) (Sera) "It''ll be fine. I''ll rush here if anything happened and help you, and even more, you''ll get a piece of bigger good news because of my leave," (The old man Kyron) "A good news?" (Sera) Cough! Cough! The old man Kyron coughed as he gave the signal towards Slime to explain it to her. (Damn... The air is too heavy that it felt very hard for me to say anything...) (Slime) "Well, even though the old ma- the old guardian had officially retired from the action, it could still be considered that the Grandaria kingdom had lost a great amount of military power if the old guardian leave. And since it''s also the request that the old guardian made, we''ve accepted the request and we''ll help with any kind of trouble that the Grandaria kingdom might face," Explained Slime. "Anything?" (Sera) "Yes, anything, princess," (Slime) When Slime said anything, all of the worries inside Sera''s head disappeared in an instant. By anything, it means that the Tarot empire will support any kind of help that the Grandaria kingdom requested even if it meant to go war with another kingdom. And if Sera were to ask the Tarot empire with an understandable amount of soldiers, they''ll also accept it without barring an eye. And since the talk had been made by the ambassador of the Tarot empire and the princess of the Grandaria kingdom while the old guardian of the Grandaria kingdom stands as the witness. The promise was made and is enough to be considered as a contract. It''s a piece of great news that enough to make some of Sera''s tears came out of her eyes because of the joy. "But princess, I guess it''s time for us to discuss the next step we need to take," Slime''s face turned into a grim one as he said the words. "The next step?" Sera also regained her composure and calmed her mind. "Since we''ve dealt with four of the Potterland''s sword while the old ma- the old guardian dealt with the other four. And there are also dozens of sword saint ranked warriors and many great swordsmen ranked warriors," (Slime) "The losses they''re having is big, but we didn''t know yet how big the Potterland kingdom''s forces are. And to add the fact that those who attacked here had demonized themselves and gained even more powerful strength. There is a big possibility that they still have more demonized warriors in their ranks," (Slime) "The possibility of them striking is high, and most likely, the timing they''ll take to start assaulting the kingdom is near," (Slime) "I see, so it means..." (Sera) "Indeed, it means that a war with the Potterland kingdom will be inevitable," (Slime) Chapter 133 - Rise Of The Grandaria Kingdom (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Considering that a battle between sword god ranked warriors could last even for a week, we could assume that the Potterland king hasn''t heard the result of their assault. And when he heard the news, he''ll be in a great dilemma, but I believe that since the beginning, he had already known that war will be inevitable between the two kingdoms," (Slime) "Since he knew that the war will be inevitable, he must have already taken some measures in case if all of us survived, which must be the worst scenario on his part. This time, they must have done something inside the capital, since the queen''s influence is at her lowest right now. I bet they''re doing something as they''ve considered the most influential princess of the kingdom had been assassinated," Slime''s words are grim but somehow he sounded like he''s mocking the plans of the Potterland kingdom. On the first hand, it''s heard like he''s mocking it, but when Sera stared at his eyes, the eyes that filled with anger changed how the words were heard inside Sera''s ears. Whoosh! Once again, a shadow appears from the dining room''s door and stopped beside Slime. The old man Kyron, Elena, and Sera had seen the wraith appeared once before, and they had already known that he''s Slime''s comrade. "What is it?" Slime asked the shadow. !!?? The shadow slowly transformed into a form of a human that wears a hooded black robe and a strange mask. The shadow kneels and started to report to Slime. "The Potterland kingdom had infiltrated the Grandaria kingdom, my lord," !!!??? "They had spread a piece of rumor and managed to successfully grasp a political power to act freely inside the capital by the queen''s order, it could also be said that the queen had stepped down the throne while the prime minister will be taking her position," The wraith continues his shocking report. !!!??? "M-mother did what...?" Sera muttered in shock. "I see... What kind of rumor did they spread?" Asked Slime calmly. "They said that the winter princess had got killed by the Tarot''s ambassador and that the Tarot empire is just using the Grandaria kingdom. But since the princess hasn''t returned to the castle until now, people started to buy the rumor, and even the queen believed it," (Wraith) "I see, does the queen sent some scouts to search for the princess?" (Slime) "They did, but all got massacred by a Potterland kingdom''s sword god ranked warrior," Answered the wraith. "Another sword god ranked warrior, huh... Just how many sword god-ranked warriors did they have in their ranks...? But it''s not unexpected since they must have been plotting this thing since a long time ago, it''ll be easier for you to dispose of those nobles that supported the Potterland kingdom silently," (Slime) "The queen must be drowning in sadness because of the news, and that reason solely had made her gave up what she had been trying to protect until now. It''s understandable, how laughable," Slime snorted. "Eh?" (Elena, Sera, and the old man Kyron) "To be taking advantage of a mother''s love, as expected of the people who join hands with the demons, let''s show them the thing called the imperial wrath," The raging fury inside Slime''s eyes are getting bigger and bigger. (Hmph! You kind-hearted brat!) (The old man Kyron) "So the prime minister is the preparator that had been playing behind the scenes, huh... Interesting... Now let''s play this beautifully, shall we?" Said Slime confidently. (I wonder how Alfred, Sen, Peter, Albus, and Edreale are doing right now... They must be having a headache because of this. I could really imagine how Albus is running towards the trio of half-elves siblings with tears in his eyes...) (Slime) They continued to discuss their plan on facing the current problem that the Grandaria kingdom is facing. After agreeing, the princess continued the plan and headed back towards the capital in silence while secretly guarded by the ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order. While in the other hand... ********************************** "This is not good. There is still no news from Sera, do they really got her?" (Sen) "I couldn''t believe that she got defeated by those Potterlands bastards, but the queen had forbidden us from crossing the Grandarian moon lake to check on her. We can''t defy her orders," Albus clenched his fist in frustration. "Calm down, Albus. She had the ''Endless Cold'' with her. She won''t lose," Peter calmed Albus down. "I''m worried. What if we check on her secretly without the queen noticing?" Edreale voiced her concern for Sera. ".....Maybe-" Before Peter could respond towards Edreale''s suggestion, the door of the ''Red Fall'' mercenary guild''s guildmaster''s room suddenly got opened. *Sound of a door opened* "Phew! Those Potterands had sent even more soldiers towards the capital, it looks like they''re very certain with their win since the prime minister is holding the authority of the kingdom right now. To think that the prime minister will betray us this far, you really can''t judge a person from his looks, huh? Even though he had been absent for a long time because of a sickness... Turns out he''s not different with minister Warren, huh," Alfred indifferently shrugged while there is nothing changed from his attitude. "How could you be so calm, Alfred? Are you not worried about Sera?" Peter commented as he found Alfred''s calmness is kind of annoying as he is currently worried about his sister''s well-being. "Well, of course, I''ll be worried if she''s in danger, but it''s only ''If''" Alfred said with another shrug. "What do you mean!?" Peter lost his cool as he slammed the desk in front of him. It''s quite a rare sight to see the calm and collected Peter lose his cool like that. But Peter''s rage didn''t startle anyone inside the room. "Calm down, Peter. Big bro, from your words, does it mean that you know something about Sera''s current state?" The calm Sen calmly analyzed Alfred''s words and asked. "As expected of my little brother, yup, that''s right!" Answered Alfred cheerfully. "What! Did you sneak into the old guardian''s place?" (Peter) "Nope, it''s just, when I''m looking for intel about the current state of the kingdom. A shadow suddenly appeared beside me, you know?" (Alfred) "A shadow? You''re attacked?" (Peter) "Nope. He told me a piece of information about the princess, and the plan that the princess and the ambassador of the Tarot empire had made," (Alfred) "The princess and the ambassador of the Tarot empire? Does it mean that the shadow that informed you about the information is under the ambassador''s command?" (Albus) "Yup, exactly. Now gather closer, the plan will be started in the next morning, our role will be important in this, especially yours, Peter," Alfred strikes a meaningful gaze towards Peter. "Eh? Me?" (Alfred) ******************************* The night passed, and the morning sun greeted the world as it shone brightly. The Potterland kingdom had called more soldiers into their legation inside the capital, and the prime minister of the Grandaria kingdom accepted it willingly. The queen that thought she had just lost her precious and beloved daughter had fallen to despair and locked herself in her room. The only last hope she had is for her son to someday take over the throne from the Potterland kingdom''s hands, and brought prosperity towards the kingdom. But yet, a surprising chatter broke inside the castle. "That, isn''t that the princess?" "Yes! That cold aura she''s emitting is something that other people won''t be able to imitate!" "Don''t you see that the princess''s personal maid, Mary ran towards her majesty in tears? She''s the only one aside from her majesty that will definitely won''t mistake the princess for someone else, you know?" "Yeah, of course, I know that!" The chatters broke into the queen''s room, and she opened her eyes widely in shock. "Sera... Is alive...?" Muttered the queen. Sera calmly entered the castle as Mary cried because of joy beside her. But just as everyone is celebrating, a group of royal knights under the prime minister''s command surrounds her. All of them are sword saint ranked warriors and archmage ranked magicians. With their swords and staffs ready, they blocked the princess''s way. "What does the meaning of this, prime minister Egan?" Sera calmly asked the prime minister that stands beside the ambassador of the Potterland kingdom. "You''ve died princess. And we''ve confirmed it. Did you have any proof that you''re the princess of Grandaria, Seraphim Grandaria?" The old prime minister asked with a kind tone that filled with malice. "I do have," Sera said confidently. "Hm? Then show-," (The prime minister) "I''m her proof!" Slime''s voice sounded inside the castle together with an earthquake. The royal guards surrounding Sera got thrown towards the prime minister''s direction, leaving Sera alone standing. Step! Step! Step! The footsteps of the two hundred knights of the great Tarot empire that had sworn to protect the Grandaria kingdom''s peace entered the castle and took a defensive stance in front of the princess. "Impossible!! He should have been dead!!" The Potterland kingdom''s ambassador shouted in panic as he pointed his index finger at Slime. "As we''ve promised. We will help the Grandaria kingdom achieve its prosperity and peace. And I''ll add one more thing, we will consider anyone who dares to harm the winter princess of the Grandaria kingdom and the king of the Grandaria kingdom as our foe. No matter which kingdom it is," With a strong statement, Slime officially announced that the Tarot empire is siding with the winter princess and the Grandaria kingdom. Sending the rulers that aimed to conquer the once known as the greatest kingdom of the Ablux continent shivers. "The king...?" Chapter 135 - Rise Of The Grandaria Kingdom (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Peter ascended the throne shortly after the incident with prime minister Egan and the Potterland kingdom''s ambassador. There should be a coronation ceremony for celebrating his ascending to the throne, but Peter decided that it should only be done after they finished defeating the Potterland kingdom at war. With the supports from Slime, Sera, Alfred, Albus, Edreale, and Sen, Peter managed to smoothly balance the kingdom''s power and drag almost everyone into the royal faction. With the great generals of the Grandaria kingdom publicly pledged their absolute loyalty towards Peter, it could be concluded that Peter immediately grasped full control of the kingdom''s military. All the nobles that are proven to support the Potterland kingdom or any other kingdoms, they immediately punished and have their land and their noble rank stripped from them. It''s something that could only be done in this situation where prime minister Egan''s case is still fresh. Looking at how the kingdom''s affair improved significantly after Peter just ascended to the throne made the people and the nobles favored Peter more than ever. The soldiers that watched the scene where the demonification happened on the huge screen summoned by Slime''s men felt a slight hint of fear inside of their hearts. But when they saw their generals appear and killed prime minister Egan they releasing a terrifying amount of demonic aura in an instant, made them recovered their belief. And the fact that their new king is someone that had contracted with the spirit king of wind increases their vigor even more. The soldiers are now couldn''t wait to fight the Potterland kingdom that had join hands with the demons. All of them bear hatred towards the demons as some of their friends, acquaintances, and families had died because of the demonic attack before. The fact that there is a kingdom of mankind that decided to join hands with the despicable demons intensified their will to fight. As the second night after Peter ascends towards the throne arrived, the heroes of the Grandaria kingdom are gathering inside the king''s chamber secretly. As the king''s chamber is not a place for friends gathering, they''ll get scolded by the queen if she saw them, so they decided to secretly gather there as it will be more troubling if Peter is the one who sneaks outside the castle in the night. "Hm? Where''s Sen?" Peter who is already wearing the king''s robe asked. "In the dungeon... Maybe, your majesty," Edreale answered with her usual indifferent tone. "Please drop that your majesty thing, Edreale, I''m still not accustomed with that callings. And I don''t want my friends to be calling me that formally," Said Peter with a wry smile. "No no no, your majesty. That can''t do, we''ll get scolded by her majesty the queen if we''re caught calling you unrespectfully, you know?" Alfred said with his usual frank attitude. "Ugh... At least you guys could call me Peter when there''s no one besides us, Alfred..." (Peter) "Not Chris? Aren''t your true name is Chris?" (Albus) "Well, I think I prefer getting called Peter rather than Chris, and it felt more comfortable to be called Peter by you guys anyway," (Peter) "I see... Fine then. But Sen''s been venturing to the dungeon a lot lately, huh? Is there something happened to him?" (Albus) "I don''t know, maybe he found a girl inside the dungeon or something?" Alfred said with a shrug. "Big bro, He''ll cut your leg if he heard that, you know?" (Edreale) "Well, that''s why you shouldn''t tell him what I just said, Edreale..." Cold sweats start to drop at his back as Alfred saw the corner of Edreale''s mouth is slightly bent upwards, indicating she is imagining doing something terrible. "I''m serious, Edreale. My dear cute little sister, please don''t tell Sen, ''kay...?" Plead Alfred. "Is there something that happened to him?" Peter asked the same question. (Is he mad because I hide my real identity all this time...? I heard that their home got destroyed by some royal knights....) (Peter) "Well, there''s no need for you to worry about him, young king. He''s fine, he loves to kill and slaughter some lives, that''s all~" (Alfred) "I-isn''t that something that we actually should worry about?" Sera that has been quiet all this time couldn''t help but rebuked Alfred''s words. (But well, I think only Edreale and I could understand what that little samurai''s feeling right now... We''re siblings, after all...) (Alfred) **************************************** Inside a dungeon outside the Grandaria kingdom''s territory, a man is standing without any blood or dirt stains visible on his body despite he''s already standing at the 50th level of the dungeon. In front of him is the boss of the 50th level of the dungeon, a huge snake with five heads and powerful magic abilities. Sen holds his katana as he prepares to unsheathe it. When his hand reached the grip, a memory where he first learns the technique he about to use from his dear friend replayed a couple of times inside Sen''s head. With a kind tone, he asked Sen to learn a technique that he thought Sen will definitely able to master and even improve. ''Sen, this is a technique that only you could master. Not even Alfred, or even the sword god, the old man Kyron able to use this technique. This is a sword move that only the two of us could use, but maybe only you could master and improve,'' His words resonated inside Sen''s head. Sen still remembers his tone, his expression, and his soothing aura that made Sen that always been unsociable and been distancing himself from other people could feel comfortable around him. The first time he saw the technique, he felt great awe and admiration towards his dear friend. ''This is a ''One Slash One Kill'' technique. It relies on speed, and it''ll be far more efficient if we took advantage of lightning element'' Lightning element? ''Yes. It''s a rare element that only a few people could have the affinity of it. And you surprisingly had a great affinity towards the element, Sen'' The beast in front of Sen roared with its 5 heads, making a terrible noise. ROAAARR!!!!!!!!!!! "Shut it, don''t ruin the mood," (Sen) Sen took his stance and prepare to unsheathe his katana. His mana covered his body and electricity start to cover the whole of his body. Sen''s hair spiked above because of the electricity, and it changed to white color. ROAR!!!! The giant five-headed snake dashed towards Sen with his enormous body. Without being surprised or scared of it, Sen calmly uses his technique. "Lightning Katana style, first stance," (Sen) ''Since it relies on speed, I call the technique, ''Thunderclap'''' "[Thunderclap]" (Sen) Blast!!! In an instant, Sen cleanly slashed all of the heads of the giant five-headed snake in one slash. The snake didn''t even know Sen slashed it until it could finally feel the pain, all it knows is there is a huge sound of thunderclap coming out of nowhere. Sen sheathes his katana back, and uninterestedly gaze back towards the giant five-headed snake. ROAR!!!! Surprisingly, the five-headed snake didn''t die because of the slash. Each of the fallen heads grew back their body and became five different giant snakes. But Sen didn''t show even a slight hint of surprise or fear. He only took another stance, and ready to unsheathe his katana once more. Different from before, the bolts of lightning coming from his mana aura intensified several folds than before. The bolts of lightning automatically shocked the giant snakes without Sen giving it command, making the giant snakes felt numb. "Lightning Katana style, second style: [Thunderstorm]" Blast! Blast! Blast! Different form before, the technique Sen just used didn''t slash only once but slashed consecutively according to the number of the opponent in front of him. Each slash instantly killed the enemy as a thunder also struck the enemy that Sen slashed. The five giant snakes fell as their heads are torn and their body got burnt into cinders by the thunders. "Even though... Even though I want to show you that I finally succeeded in using and even improving the technique you taught me..." Even though he just won the battle, his heart and his voice are filled with sadness and misery. "Just where the hell did you go, Ren...?" (Sen) Alfred and Edreale sensed what Sen is feeling as they knew he is training the technique Oz taught him every day. And both of them also felt the same thing as Sen did. And with Peter ascending to the throne, the three of them also decided and sworn the same thing inside their heart. To become stronger. (To be able to defend those dear ones to me...) (Alfred, Edreale, and Sen) Once again, inside the dark dungeon, Sen sheathes his sword and seeks other enemies inside the dungeon for him to kill and enhance his techniques... Chapter 136 - The Reunion Of Blue And Black [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Peter, Albus, Alfred, Edreale, and Sen conversed for a while inside the king''s chamber. They talk about the current matter of the kingdom and teases Peter for some more time before leaving the king''s chamber. Sera is the last one who is still inside the room. When she about to leave the room, Peter who realized that this is the rare chance where they could finally converse together as siblings finally decided to take the chance and muster his courage to call out his little sister. "S-Sera!" Peter called out the name of his little sister. Sera stopped her tracks, but she didn''t turn her head around. "I...I always want to tell you... But it''s too dangerous back then, and I couldn''t find any good timing to tell you either. Please forgive me..." Peter asked for forgiveness. Peter and Sera rarely communicate with each other. Even though Peter wanted to talk with her little sister, but somehow Sera is the one who had been distancing herself from him. After hearing Peter''s apology, the little sister finally turns her head back. With a big smile and a tear at the corner of her eyes, she soothes her brother. "Yes, I know, brother. I kind of have a feeling since a long time ago. Thank you for protecting and keeping me safe until now. And thank you for saving our beloved kingdom," (Sera) The image of a small girl that smiled with a carefree smile appeared inside Peter''s head. He felt a slight pain inside his chest when he remembered that smile. "Your welcome, li''l sis..." (Peter) (Even though the one who keeps on protecting you from the shadows is not me...) (Peter) (That carefree smile had long gone... You sure have grown much and experienced a lot, Sera... I''m sorry I could only be at your side after a long time and leaving you striving alone all this time... But now, I''ll definitely help you and become a worthy brother for you!) (Peter) On the other side, inside the headquarters of the Tarot legation, Slime is drinking his coffee as he reads the reports of his underlings. "You don''t seem to be surprised," Alfred''s voice appears from the shadows. "Should I?" Asked Slime without batting an eye towards him. "Well, not really. It''s just that it''s no fun that I couldn''t surprise you as I did to the others," said Alfred as he shrugs. "Really? They shouldn''t be able to get surprised by you anymore, aren''t they?" Said Slime indifferently. "H-how the hell did you know that...?" (Alfred) "Well, that''s how great my information network is, shadow assassin," (Slime) "Shadow assassin, huh? That name''s quite cool," (Alfred) "But well. Until when will you hide your identity like this?" Alfred suddenly asked an unexpected question with an unusually serious expression. "I wonder what you''re talking about," Slime feign ignorance and continues to read the reports in his hands. "Stop pretending. I remember Ren once told me that he had a kingdom that exists of people from several races. But he never told me anything about an empire like that, so maybe at the time he told me about his kingdom, the kingdom hasn''t become an empire yet," (Alfred) "After the sudden demon outbreak three years ago, where 10,000 demons appeared out of nowhere, he disappeared after annihilating all of them and finally the words about the Tarot empire start to appear everywhere." (Alfred) "What a strange coincidence," Despite his indifferent tone, Slime''s eyes start to go distant as he reminisces the journey of Ren Arken that exist inside his head. "Y-you..." (Alfred) Slam!! Alfred grabs Slime by its collar and slams him towards the room''s wall. Slime should be able to evade or blocked it, but he chose to do nothing. And despite in an unusual state of anger, Alfred didn''t use any of his mana and slam Slime with his pure strength. He didn''t use it to make sure the walls won''t break when he slammed Slime to it. (Master...) (Fenrir) (It''s fine, Fenrir) (Slime) Slime saw Alfred''s unusually angry face. His face reddens as his eyes stared Slime''s eyes with piercing eyes. On the other hand, Alfred looked at Slime that shows no will of resisting, and somehow the anger inside him swells even more. "What are you thinking, Ren? You always hid things behind our backs. I know you have secrets, but even though you always helped us, you never let us helped you anything," (Alfred) "I wonder what you''re talking about, sir Alfred," (Slime) "Did you know? How Edreale and Sera cried every night because of your disappearance? How frustrated Sen, Albus, Peter, and I when we knew you disappeared without any traces? I felt very frustrated for the second time in my life! I felt so helpless, and now you came out of nowhere with a new identity?" (Alfred) "You think that it''s cool to be a hero in the darkness and help us without showing the real you? We''ve been searching for you since you lost, and the sword saint lost his light on life because we couldn''t find anything. Edreale, Sen, the both of them are still suffering because they lost you..." The drop of tears starts to fell from Alfred''s eyes. The frank and loose mask of Alfred that was supposed to be a man that never felt anything and always smile finally disappeared in front of Slime. "It has been so hard, losing you without being able to do anything, Ren... And yet, why are you pretending to be someone else...?" (Alfred) Grab! "?" Alfred felt Slime''s hand clutched his right arm that is currently grabbing Slime''s collar. "So what should I do? I can''t show myself as ''Ren Arken'' in this appearance. I don''t even know who I really am, all I know is I have my purpose on coming here," (Slime) "W-what do you mean?" (Alfred) "I''m not even him, I''m not even his clone, I''m just a small part of his clone! How could I come out and suddenly say I''m him when I''m only a part, a personality imitation of him?" (Slime) "Y-you''re not him?" (Alfred) "I''m just a part of his Slime clone. The real body is resting inside the emperor''s chamber, inside a demonic sphere for three years," (Slime) Alfred finally loosens his grab at Slime''s collar. "T-three years...?" (Alfred) "Yes. It''s a kind of a curse. The real body is in a state of coma and anything that enters the demonic sphere will be annihilated into dust," (Slime) "I-impossible..." (Alfred) "It''s not. Because in fact, that is the real truth. But strangely, all of us, his clones, are still alive without anything happened to us. We didn''t get unsummoned and only exist without knowing how could we save our real body," (Slime) Slime explained the whole situation towards Alfred just like how he explained everything to the old man Kyron. The information Alfred just heard overloaded his head as it shocked him. "That''s plenty of reasons that enough for me to hide my identity from all of you. I don''t even know if the real body will have my memories transferred to him or not when he wakes up. So just ignore me, I''m just his moving will that had the pledge to protect all of you, I might be him, but at the same time, I''m not him," (Slime) "........" Alfred got speechless as he heard from Slime. He thought that Ren had been hiding as Slime because of some other reasons. As Ren had always been a figure full of mysteries, Alfred couldn''t figure what made him hide his identity. He thought that one of the possibilities is he hid because he is in danger but he still decides to protect them by hiding his identity and without asking them for help. Looking at the sorrowful Edreale, Sen, Albus, Peter, and Sera pent up Alfred''s frustration for being incapable of saving and helping his first best friend. But as he interacts with Slime, he realized a nostalgic feeling that never disappears whenever he talks with him. In the beginning, he originally planned to just dig some pieces of information that might be useful from Slime while testing whether he is indeed Ren Arken that hid his identity or not. But in the middle of doing that, when he saw Slime''s reaction when he mentioned the past they had, those eyes that are reminiscing the past made him lost his self-control and let out his pent up frustration. The both of them released each other and finally regained their composure. "Sit, I''ll make some drinks, I''ll answer all of your questions so wait here," (Slime) The reunion of the two friends that started with a slam to the wall finally ended up as a warm conversation that got accompanied by two cups of hot coffee. Chapter 137 - Rise Of The Grandaria Kingdom (4) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Humana Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Now, let''s start the war''s first strategy meeting," Peter started the strategy meeting as the Grandaria king. The night before, Slime and Alfred spent their time talking with each other about the things they experienced for the last three years. When they realized, the sun had started to appear as it''s already time for the substitution of the moon''s shift with the sun. "Alfred, you have bags under your eyes," Peter voice his concern for his friend. "Ah. Yeah... I kinda have a nightmare last night. Don''t mind me, just start the meeting already, your majesty," Alfred answered as he yawned. "I see... Then let''s start. We''ll march towards the Potterland kingdom in two hours. We''ll be now reexamining the roles of each army," (Peter) Everyone present nods at Peter''s words. "As we''ve boldly informed the world that we''ll be waging war with the Potterland kingdom, it means that there will be no element of surprise in our attack. And since we don''t know the extent of their prowess as they had obtained the power to demonized their soldiers, we''ll be sending as many soldiers we could," (Peter) "About that, I''ve got some information concerning that," Said Slime. "Really? Please tell us, Mr. Slime. And of course, we won''t take the information for free," (Peter) "It''s fine, your majesty. The fact that you''ll be giving us 40% of the war''s loot is more than enough for us," (Slime) "Is that so? Then how about we''ll give you 50%," (Peter) "No need to do so, your majesty. You can take this information as proof of our sincerity towards the alliance. Anyways, this is the information that our intel had gathered," Slime took out some chess pieces from his pocket and positioned it above the huge map of the Ablux continent in the middle of them. "They seem to be wary of us, so they''ve gathered their royal soldiers inside the capital to protect only their capital, while the soldiers of their nobles are marching towards the haven plain which is the best place to have an all-out war and located right between the Potterland kingdom and the Grandaria kingdom which they believed to be the path our army will march," (Slime) "To use the nobles'' soldiers as cannon fodder, how disgusting," Commented the supreme general. "The royal soldiers inside their capital are about 80,000. While the soldiers of the nobles that are marching towards the Haven plains had reached 250,000 in number," Informed Slime. "To be able to gather intel at such speed, the Tarot empire''s prowess is truly formidable..." Praised one of the Grandaria kingdom''s general, the ''Valkyrie, Emily Beller''. "Thanks for the praise," Slime politely thanked her. "That''s a decent number. How do you think we should proceed, general?" Peter asked the supreme general''s opinion. "Hm... The soldiers of their nobles are not that formidable since they have been in denial with the royal family since long ago, the prowess of the nobles had got reduced forcefully by the royal family of the Potterland kingdom, so there is no need to afraid of their prowess, the only problem is their number," (Supreme General of Grandaria) "But since this time, our king had won the favor of almost all the nobles of the great Grandaria kingdom, we''ve succeeded in gathering 400,000 soldiers for this war. And even the biggest merchant family of the Ablux continent had decided to sponsor the war and cover the war supplies, so I think there will be no need to worry of attacking them head-on, your majesty," (Supreme General) "Well, of course. Setting aside the biggest merchant family title, we have our duty as the nobles of the Grandaria kingdom, and it''ll be a rare chance to fight alongside so many heroes of the Grandaria kingdom, HAHAHAHAHA!" Duke Hugh Renstenor, a merchant and a noble family that had been supporting the Grandaria kingdom for a long time. Their business ran on all sides of the continent. Even though he''s great at business, the duke''s body is huge and well-trained. When the queen is still on the throne, he''s one of the nobles that supported the royal family secretly by providing funds. But since Peter took over the throne, he decided to publicly support the new king and is also trying to make a connection with the Tarot empire. (Despite boasting as a merchant, his aura is not that different from the supreme general... I doubt his humanity...) (Fenrir) (I-I can''t deny that...) (Slime) "Then we''ll be marching them head-on. The plan is to cut down the numbers of their noble''s soldiers first and try to make them surrender as fast as we could. It seems that they only let the royal soldiers to demonized themselves, so our only foe is those who inside the Potterland kingdom''s capital. As their suggestion, the Tarot empire''s army will be our vanguard, the royal soldiers will take the right flank that leads by general Edward, the nobles'' soldiers will take the left flank and will be lead by Duke Renstenor. The absolute command will be in the supreme commander''s hand, Any objection?" (Peter) "Is it fine for me to hold that authority? Isn''t it fine to have Mr. Slime hold the absolute command instead?" Asked the supreme general. "It won''t be a good idea to have me, a foreigner, to have the absolute command instead of the king or the supreme general himself, after all," Replied Slime. "I see... If you say so then..." (Supreme General) The comment the supreme general made is rather unexpected for Slime. In his memory, the supreme general is hostile towards those who don''t come from the Grandaria kingdom. "Any other objections or suggestions?" No one raises their voice to object nor question. "Then you''re free to go back to your own posts and prepare to march," Peter disbanded the meeting. Everyone bowed towards Peter and about to leave the royal palace''s meeting room before a knock came from outside the room. (Master) (Fenrir) (It''s fine, they''re not our enemies. It seems that our odds of winning had increased even more) (Slime) "Your majesty, 34 men and women consist of your former classmates at the Avalon magic academy''s special class request an audience with you, my king," The voice of a royal guard entered sounded from the back of the door. "Let them in," answered Peter. When the royal guard opened the door, the five generals approached and surrounded Peter and prepare in case he''ll get attacked. The supreme general couldn''t help but do so because the people that about to enter the room are geniuses that had entered the sword saint rank 3 years ago. While now, the supreme general could sense the presence of 10 sword god ranked warriors and 4 magic god ranked magicians while the rest are already in the bottleneck of the sword saint rank and archmage rank. !!!?? When the door is opened, they could see the 34 people are kneeling in front of the door. It''s a surprising sight as some of them are the children of the nobles that are in the opposite faction of the queen. "Please let us fight together with you, your majesty. We''re strong, and we also want to contribute towards the kingdom, please let us..." To add even more surprise, the one who said those words are Brandon, the one who challenged Oz to duel three years ago. "Brandon..." (Sera) "All of us rush towards here when we heard you''ve ascended to the throne. Use us," (Brandon) Their lives inside the magic academy are short, but all of them enjoyed their experience there. And the one who gets rid of the special class is the nobles that supported the Potterland kingdom in secret. "We''ve lost our valuable comrade once, let us fight together with you," (Brandon) Everyone at the Avalon magic academy''s special class holds great admiration for Oz. Despite having the lowest rank in cultivation, he is so strong that no one ever defeated him inside the class. But even though he had strength, he''s humble, and that trait attracts people to get friendly with him. After getting defeated once, Brandon occasionally challenged Oz to duel at the training grounds. but despite being his opponent, Oz gave some pointers for Brandon that prove useful for him and had helped him break through to the sword god rank. Peter, Albus, Alfred, Sen, Edreale, and Sera felt a great nostalgic feeling as they saw their classmates from the magic academy. They had lost one of their classmates, and he is the one who had became their target. He had disappeared because of the demons, but yet there is suddenly a kingdom that joined hands with the demons and betrayed humanity. Remembering their friend, they decided that they can''t stay idle. They chose to raise their weapons. "Yes, let''s fight them together," (Peter) Chapter 138 - The Reunion Of The Special Class [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Humana Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Peter dismissed his classmates and instructed them to prepare as the march will start in 2 hours, but it turns out that they''ve entered the capital fully prepared and are ready to march anytime. Some of them conversed with the Grandarian generals and Duke Renstenor and ask the details about how they''ll be marching and other information that they need to know about the upcoming war. Looking at the scene made Peter remembered that his classmates are full of geniuses that came from renowned families. All of them are either the children of Grandarian great nobles or generals, and one of his classmates is the daughter of the supreme general. "Pete- I mean your majesty," Brandon called out towards Peter. "What is it, Brandon?" Asked Peter. He about to say that it''s fine to just call him Peter, but Sera will smack his head if he said it in front of the great generals and Duke Renstenor, so he decided to not say it. "That guy... Had that guy back yet...?" (Brandon) "T-that guy...?" The question is something that he couldn''t answer. Rather than he is in a situation where he can''t say it, he doesn''t have the slightest clue about it, even though he had been searching continuously for three years. Looking at Peter''s face, Brandon''s face darkens. "It''s fine, you don''t need to answer," said Brandon as he leaves the meeting room. After all of them left the special class of the magic academy, everyone took their own respective ways. Some of them take over their family matters, some of them went on a journey, some of them continue to trained themselves, and some of them became adventurers or mercenaries. Brandon is one of the people that became an adventurer. His strength is well known, but the quests he took are those that related to unknown places, missing people, unidentified monsters, and everything that related to demons. Thinking about it, Peter realized one thing. (Y-you''ve tried your best too, huh... In the end, all of us is trying the same thing) (Peter) "What did he say?" Sera asked Peter as she got curious because their expression suddenly went dark. "He... He''s asking about Ren," (Peter) "I see..." Said Sera. She doesn''t look surprised by it. "You''re not surprised?" (Peter) "Well, we all knew about his obsession with Ren. And all of us knew that his obsession came from his admiration towards Ren," Explained Sera. "True," A cute voice appeared from a small figured girl. "L-lady Griselda Lockhart," (Peter) Griselda Lockhart. She is the former classmate of Peter, Albus, Sen, Edreale, Alfred, Sera, and Oz. The one that given the title, the ''Saintess of Wisdom''. The legendary magic god ranked magician, Oxius, declared himself that she has the greatest potential that might surpass even himself. She is one of the rare magicians that managed to enter the sword god rank. her unique magic and her researches are well known not only in the Grandaria kingdom but in the whole Ablux continent. "I met him at the Bareland city. He seems to be searching for clues about Ren Arken, so I accompany him for a while," said Griselda. "Bareland city? The place where Ren disappeared?" (Peter) "Yes, your majesty," He said with an indifferent tone similar to Edreale''s. "Wait. You accompanied him? I thought the both of you are in a bad relationship with each other," Commented Sera. "Well. The one searching for clues about Ren Arken''s whereabouts is not only you guys, you know? Most of us felt that we owed a great thing to him as he doesn''t hesitate to help and give us pointers when we ask him," (Griselda) "Well, our research ends up with getting nothing as a clue, but one thing for sure, we all believed that he''s not dead yet. At first, all of us decided to cut our ties with the Grandaria kingdom as the queen easily announced Ren as the culprit behind the demonic outbreak, even I considered joining hands with the Potterland kingdom, you know?" Griselda said a shocking thing with her indifferent face. "T-that might be dangerous if you really joined them..." Sera said with a wry smile. "And that''s why you need to tell me the truth, your majesty. Do you really know nothing about Ren Arken''s whereabouts? Or even a clue about him?" Asked Griselda as she stares at Peter. Different from a normal person, Griselda has the ability to detect lies and truth accurately. And she is a great military power to have, having her support is like having another Albus or another Oxius. Hearing her words, Sera also stared at Peter with curious eyes. (Well, he did say that I could use this information as I see fit) (Peter) "Actually..." (Peter) Peter explained the only clue about Oz that he had only heard recently from an unexpected source. The one that knew his identity is the loyal guard that had been protecting him since he''s a kid, and Ren Arken alone. But suddenly, the man called Slime Tarot told him that he knew his secrets, it all happened right when Slime told Peter the plan of taking over the throne from minister Egan. "He only said one thing, ''I obtained this information from the man you and your friends had been searching for long''," Said, Peter. "I tried to squeeze the information from him, but since the time is short and we''re in an urgent matter where we need to take care of prime minister Egan and the ambassador of the Potterland kingdom, so I stop pursuing him on that matter, at least until we finished this war," (Peter) "I see... Slime Tarot of Tarot empire, huh..." Griselda and Sera stared at the white-haired man that is talking with an elf that seems to be his assistant. Before they continue their conversation, Duke Renstenor approached Slime and unexpectedly opens a conversation with him. "Mr. Slime, I heard of your achievements and how the Tarot empire had helped the Grandaria kingdom in a lot of ways. As a noble of this kingdom, I need to thank you for that," Said Duke Renstenor as he slightly bowed his head towards Slime. "It''s my honor to support the renowned Grandaria kingdom, Lord Hugh. There is no need for you to bow your head to me for it as I''m doing what the Emperor ordered me to," (Slime) "Is that so? Actually, I''m here to thank you for another thing," (Duke Renstenor) "Another thing?" Asked Slime. "You remember the battle with the demons at the Grandarian capital, Mr. Slime? My son happened to join the fight to protect the capital as I was doing business at the Gracefield kingdom and don''t have enough time to went there. I was in despair when I heard that the Grandaria kingdom had no chance towards the demons, I thought that I''ve lost him, that''s why I need to thank you and the Tarot emperor for it, please let me show you my gratitude," Duke Renstenor bowed towards Slime once more. "I see... Then rejecting your gratitude will be a rude thing to do, your welcome, Lord Hugh. We, the Tarot empire are happy to be able to help. And I think now I know why the Grandaria kingdom is known as a great kingdom of the continent. They had great nobles like you, after all," (Slime) "HAHAHAHAHA! Your words flatter me, Mr. Slime. but since you''re the commander of that battle and even personally joined the fight, it could also be said that my son is saved by you. I need to give a reward to my son''s savior, what do you want, Mr. Slime? How about marrying my daughter here? She''s a bit rough, but she''s a cute and a good girl inside, you know?" Duke Renstenor pulled one of the great generals, ''The Valkyrie'', Emily Beller towards him. "F-father!? What the hell are you doing!" Said the Valkyrie as she kicked his father''s leg. But despite being a general that had great power, her kick didn''t even make Duke Renstenor budge. "I-I don''t think that''s good, Lord Hugh. Let''s just focus on the war before us first, okay?" Slime was finally startled and couldn''t help but make a wry smile because of Duke Renstenor. (I really couldn''t handle this guy...) (Slime) "I see! Then we''ll continue this discussion after the war, HAHAHAHA! By the way, Mr. Slime, when will your army arrive here?" Asked the Duke. "Hm? I think they should be arriving in no time now," (Slime) "The soldiers of the Tarot empire have arrived!!!" A messenger''s voice sounded from outside the castle. Chapter 139 - The One Protecting The Kingdom [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Humana Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "The soldiers of the Tarot empire have arrived!!!" A messenger''s voice sounded from outside the castle. "Seems like they''ve arrived. Care to join me pick up my soldiers, Lord Hugh?" Slime asked Duke Renstenor. "Gladly! I''m curious what kind of army did the Tarot empire sent us!" Answered Lord Hugh in a high enthusiasm. Not only Duke Renstenor, but everyone is also curious about what kind of army the Tarot empire sent to help in the war. At the last time where the capital of the Grandaria kingdom got attacked by the demons, they sent only 6,000 soldiers but managed to turn the tide of the war. Everyone, including Peter, his classmates, and the generals, followed Slime towards the gate of the capital. The soldiers of the Tarot empire waited outside the gate with a neat formation as if they''re already about to march. "T-those... Are goblins...? They''re riding wolves...?" Duke Renstenor exclaimed in surprise as he saw the goblins that have the height as tall as a normal person, and is riding huge direwolves. "As expected, their soldiers are on a whole different level," Alfred couldn''t help but said with a wry smile. A huge goblin riding the biggest direwolf amongst the soldiers approached Slime and co in a hurry and immediately kneeled in front of Slime. "It''s an honor to meet you, Lord Slime. We''ve been sent here by her majesty, Queen Geeta, to support the Grandaria kingdom''s war against the Potterland kingdom. 30,000 royal soldiers of the third royal legion, the Gonthier legion under your service," Said the huge goblin. The goblin''s height is huge that people might mistake him for an orc instead. "Hm... You seem to be a good general as you possessed two Emperor''s Equipment. Name yourself general," Praised Slime. Emperor''s Equipment. Those who have a high standing on the Tarot empire will get some piece of divine equipment that got imbued by the emperor''s skills. Those who have the standing as a king or equal are given a full set of Emperor''s Equipment. Those who have equal standing as the kings are such as Ibra who is the supreme general of the defense legion and the imperial knights, Fedra the supreme general of the empire''s military, Aegir the imperial prime minister, Gurolf the great imperial magician, and Brad the supreme commander of the ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order. Those who ranked lower will only get a divine weapon or a divine armor, while those ranked even lower will get a lower quality of equipment. Having an Emperor''s Equipment is a great honor for them as the people adores those who possess it. "Yes, my lord. My name is Gracius Glemat, As the third royal general of the Goblin Kingdom, I''m granted the honor to wield this ''Abyssal Sword'' Emperor Equipment by her highness, the queen. Do you think I''m qualified to wield this, my lord?" Asked Gracius towards Slime. "If Geeta said you''re worthy, then there is no need for you to doubt it, general. I''m trusting you for splendidly command the army and lead us to victory, general," (Slime) "Thanks for your generous words, my lord," Thanked Gracius. "As expected of Mr. Slime. Even a general greatly respects you to such an extent," (Duke Renstenor) "Well, of course! He is-" Before the goblin general could finish his words, Slime stopped him by only giving a sign to him by lifting one of his fingers. "It''s just that I happened to be the ambassador of the empire, Lord Hugh," (Slime) "Well, anyway, as expected of the Tarot empire''s soldiers, they look so formidable!" Duke Renstenor said with a satisfied face as he stared at the goblin soldiers. "So you''re the general of the army, nice to meet you! I''m Hugh Renstenor! Just a small duke of the Grandaria kingdom!" Hugh Renstenor said with great enthusiasm "Yes, I am! I''m Gracius Glemat! General of the third royal legion, the Gonthier legion! Nice to meet you, Lord Hugh!" Gracius said in the same manner. (They sure have a lot of energy...) (Slime) "So he''s going to take command of your army, Lord Slime?" The supreme general asked towards Slime as he approached them. "Yes, he is, supreme general, Tamerlane. And please drop the lord thing, I''m not a lord, general," (Slime) "I see... Then Mr. Slime. If you''re not going to command the soldiers, where will you be? Or did you have any business and wouldn''t be participating in the war?" Asked the supreme general. "Well, since the army of my empire is going to risk their lives in a war, of course, I''ll be fighting in the front lines together with them. I''ll leave my knights at the legation in case something happened in the capital," (Slime) "You''re really are a kind-hearted man," The supreme general said with a rare smile on his face. "I''m not. I''m just doing my job," Slime said with a shrug. "Indeed. You''ve always been that kind of man since a long time ago, you''re still that strong young man that defeated me at a duel," (Supreme General) "Well- Wait, what do you mean, general?" Slime almost had his tongue slipped. Silence enveloped the both of them for a while as they stared at each other''s eyes. Looking at the surroundings, Gracius had taken the attention of Duke Renstenor and the others so no one should be hearing their conversation right now. (Well, seems like he''s not a supreme general for nothing) (Slime) "Splendid, maybe you''re the real reason why other kingdoms are afraid of attacking the Grandaria kingdom," (Slime) "...You''re not going to deny it?" Asked the supreme general. "Well even if I deny it, you won''t believe it, right? And it''s not like I''m trying to hide it, it''s just that it would be better if they knew about this later," (Slime) "I see... I don''t know what your circ.u.mstances are, but your mana is indeed identical to his. But yours seem to be just a small portion of his, and that made me hesitate. And to add that the fact you''ve never once mentioned the name of your emperor, unlike the other messengers that''ll proudly name their king or emperor, you don''t overpraise the emperor as if you''re embarrassed yourself. Now tell me, who is your emperor''s name?" The supreme general asked Slime with a firm face. "It''s not like I''m trying to hide it. It''s just that no one really asked. Not even the queen or the king asked me about his name while it should be something essential for an alliance between two nations. Anyways your deduction is right, supreme general. Our emperor''s name is emperor Ren Arken, and I am a part of his clone," Slime said with a shrug as he secretly cast a soundproof barrier when he stated those words. "I see... So I was right... But there is still one thing I''m curious about, didn''t you see that the Grandaria kingdom had officially stated your name as a heretic that served the demons? Why are you still helping this kingdom despite getting your name sullied by it?" (Supreme General) "I''m not bothered by it. And Peter had revoked that thing about me being a heretic, though. Even though that made him had a dispute with the church. I''m just purely helping my friends and my empire, that''s all," Said Slime indifferently. "I see... Then until you decided to announce it yourself, I''ll have my mouth shut. You can trust me. And Ren Arken," (Supreme General) "Hm? Call me Slime, please," (Slime) "Since when did you know that I''m a sword god rank?" Asked the supreme general. "Well, you sure hid it perfectly three years ago. I knew that you''re holding back against me, but I didn''t know that you''re this strong," (Slime) "I indeed have hidden my strength back then because I was facing a student, but a loss is a loss. I still lose as a magic god ranked warrior, that''s why I want to thank you. The fight with you helped me greatly improved my fighting style, thank you," (Supreme General) "Then your welcome," (Slime) "And one more thing, if you have anything you need or if you need my help, you can always contact me anytime. Even if it''s some dirty works," The supreme general said an unexpected thing. "I''ll remember that, general," Slime answered the supreme general. The supreme general left and went to prepare his soldiers. (Since when did you won his favor, master?) (Fenrir) (I don''t know. But one thing for sure, it''s a rare sight to see a person with such a strong sense of duty and justice in his eyes. He''s even good at acting and made me believed he''s an arrogant general and just at a sword saint rank...) (Slime) (Indeed... I believe that his strength is close to the old man Kyron''s) (Reo) (Wait, I believe that most people, including the people of the Grandaria kingdom, knew that the great generals of the Grandaria kingdom are only at the sword saint rank. Does it mean that them, hiding their real cultivation rank is a scheme from the beginning?) (Fenrir) (It''s very likely that it is, Fenrir. And it seems that their appearance when Peter boy showed his real identity is something planned before. It seems it''s true if we said that the supreme general had been protecting the kingdom from behind the scenes all this time...) (Reo) (Indeed...) (Slime) Chapter 140 - Rise Of The Lich Sovereign (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ In the realm of the dead, Inside a dark castle, a battle of two undead kings is in commence. Clank! Clank! Clank! "Such strength... Since when do the vampires have these kinds of strength, Vampire king!?" A deep voice asked in anger. "I have no obligations to answer your question, Specter king," Vlad the king of the vampires answered coldly. Clank! Clank! Clank! The battle between two [King] ranked undead are ferocious and intense. Shockwaves and explosions appeared in each collision of the Vampire [King]''s sword and the Wraith [King]''s claws. But the difference in strength is obvious. "Do you know what his majesty will do if you kill me here!?" (Wraith King) Lich Oz and his followers had conquered half of the undead realm. The rest of the realm is inside the personal territory of the undead dragon [King]. Those who live inside his territory must pledge their allegiance to him and do his biddings as his slaves, but they''ll be permitted to feed on his undead miasma and able to become stronger and evolve. "I''ve killed lots of his servants, yet no harm had I experience until now, killing you won''t be a problem," Vlad snorted. Slash! "Y-you filthy vampires..." The Wraith [King] groaned as Vlad managed to land a clean slash towards him. "He had killed lots of my people for fun hundreds of years ago. He''s not a king of mine," (Vlad) "Hmph! How about the king you''re serving now!? Didn''t he killed lots of your people to subdue you too!?" (Wraith King) "Hmph! [Blood Slash]" Vlad smirked as he gives another blow towards Wraith [King] "Ugh...." Groaned the Wraith [King]. "There is no need to compare that tyrant with my king. He''s a man that I''ve put my trust in and who I''ve pledged my life to. Of course, he''s different," Vlad coldly said towards the Wraith [King]. "[Shadow-" Before the Wraith [King] could escape from his shadows, Vlad who is a vampire that excels in blood curses and skills, sealed his movement. "Royal Blood Curse: [Servantism]" (Vlad) "Ugh!!!!!" The Wraith [King] groaned in pain as his movement got restricted by Vlad''s curse. "This battle is your lost, Wraith King. Now choose. Will you serve my king together with me or die?" Asked Vlad. "Fine... I''ll serve that king of yours... He must be much better than that undead dragon if you respect him that much," Said the Wraith [King] weakly. "Wise choice... It''s good that you understand," Said Vlad as he releases the curse. In normal circ.u.mstances, he won''t release a curse that he had implanted in someone who is not his people. But since his king had commanded all of them to don''t force anyone to serve him, he decided that maybe it''s against his king''s will if he used the curse. But it turns out to be a fatal mistake to release the curse of the Wraith [King] in front of him. "Die, fool! [Soul Thief]! Your soul is mine! HAHAHAHA-" Just as the Wraith [King] about to celebrate his win, a sinister voice, colder than even the voice of the undead dragon appear from behind him. "I wonder why you stopped your laugh, Wraith?" Lich Oz''s voice struck the Wraith [King] with fear and terror. "Y-your majesty!" (Vlad) (I-I can''t move!!!) (Wraith King) With a mere touch of his staff, Lich Oz forcefully stopped the Wraith [King]''s skill by activating Vlad''s curse that had been implanted inside the Wraith [King]. "I do not need for those who didn''t wish to serve me, but I do not need for those who can''t even determine which is better for them more. You''re free to do whatever you want with him, Vlad. Kill him or use him as you see fit, his soldiers will be divided fairly amongst all of you. And be more careful, you need to cherish your life more," (Lich Oz) "My deepest gratitude, your majesty. Forgive me for my carelessness," Said Vlad as he bowed towards Lich Oz. "S-so you''re the lich that had succeeded on conquering even the hearts of the stubborn vampires? Won''t you kill me?" Asked the Wraith [King]. "What benefit will I gain by taking your life?" Lich Oz asked the Wraith [King] back. Being asked an unexpected question, the Wraith [King] stay silent at the question given by Lich Oz, he could only widen his eyes, dumbfounded. "Hmph!" Lich Oz snorted before black winds gathered around him and vanished together with him into the thin air. "I see... So that''s what you mean by ''Different'', huh..." Muttered the Wraith [King] softly. "Yes, it''s a shame, but he had ordered me to have you under me. Since it will be a pity to have a [King] ranked undead like you to die needlessly here. I''ll be using you as I see fit," (Vlad) "Do what you want, I won''t resist anymore," Said the Wraith [King] weakly. "I see, good then-" (Vlad) "Yo! Vlad! So you''ve done here, good job as usual," Malistrode the mummy [King] appeared and praised Vlad. (T-the legendary mummy [King], Malistrode!) (Wraith King) "It''s nothing, Senior. I even got the king to help me because I almost got injured because of my carelessness," Said Vlad towards Malistrode with a. shrug. (Wait, injured? Did he mean that my attack just now would only get him injured?) (Wraith King) "So his majesty appeared here just now, huh? Well, even if you got attacked, your divine blood art will still keep you immortal, right? Anyway, how is his majesty when he came here?" Malistrode asked a strange question towards Vlad. "Hm? He looks fine, but he just appeared for a while and return shortly," (Vlad) "I see..." Malistrode muttered as his eyes went distant. "Is there something that happened to the king, senior?" Asked Vlad. "Nothing happened, but there is something weird with him lately. Anyway, drop that senior thing already, it starts to make me shudder, Vlad," (Malistrode) "Well, it''s fun to call you senior, Malistrode. Anyway, I''ll need you to tell me what you knew, Malistrode. What exactly happened to the king?" Vlad pressed the matter even more. "It''s..." (Malistrode) "There is a strange rumor about his majesty getting weaker each day, how come you didn''t know anything about that, Vlad? Even my servants are talking about it," A woman''s voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere. (I-it''s the Arachne [Queen]!!!!) (Wraith King) "Ah, Ursula, huh. Is that so? I did hear about that rumor being mentioned several times, but I paid no heed towards it as his majesty had an enormous amount of power that seems to be impossible to be depleted, after all," Vlad answered indifferently. Ursula Arachne. After subduing Vlad and the vampires, they marched towards the Arachne kingdom and successfully subdued them too. The queen of the Arachnes is known as the invincible queen that even the undead dragon that became the sovereign of the undead realm acknowledged her strength as she is the one that managed to fracture two of his horns. As an Arachne that had a characteristic similar to a spider, different from a centaur which is a half-human half-horse, Arachne is a race that has the appearance of a half-zombie half-spider. But Ursula and her followers train in the way of a warrior, unlike other Arachnes that hunt by waiting for their prey to enter their trap. An Arachne is well-known for its spider web that as hard as steel but as thin as a thread. But not only using it as a trap, but Ursula also made her armor by using her own spider web that is stronger than any other Arachnes by dozens of folds. In fact, the reason why the undead dragon praised and acknowledged Ursula''s strength is that she defeated him in a duel. After defeating the undead dragon, she won the peace she asked the undead dragon and two of the undead dragon''s horns. The undead dragon also gifted her a condensed orb of death mana that he collected from the undead he killed on his journey of conquest. (But although she managed to defeat the dragon king, she couldn''t even land a scratch on our king... Terrifying indeed...) (Vlad) "I also thought like that before, Vlad. But the thing is, his majesty''s strength is indeed decreasing," Said Malistrode with a grim face. "Malistrode," Vlad suddenly ready his sword and activate his [Divine Blood Art]. "If you''re thinking of betraying him because his strength is decreasing, I''ll slay you right here and right now," Vlad said coldly towards his senior that had served Lich Oz far sooner than him. "Hmph! Who do you think I am!? I''m his first servant! And I''m not doing it out of my will! It''s just... The opponent we''re facing in the future... Might be quite a challenge, I''m afraid that I might die and couldn''t protect his majesty anymore..." (Malistrode) "It''s fine. His majesty is very strong. And you''re not the only one who wants to protect him, idiot. As a woman, I also want to protect the man who I wish to be my future husband! I won''t let anyone kill him!" Arachne proudly stated as she clenched her fist. She is currently using her human form as she acquired the skill right after pledging her loyalty towards Lich Oz. "True, even us wishes to protect his majesty," Another voice appeared, and other four figure of darkness appeared inside the dark castle. The Wraith [King] Stared at the figures before him. (So this... This is, the Seven Kings under the new Lich Sovereign... How terrifying...) (Wraith King) Chapter 141 - Rise Of The Lich Sovereign (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ In a world filled with the miasma of death, Lich Oz stared at the realm he''s attempting to conquer from above his grand castle, and analyze his progress with his cold eyes. Gravendath, the world of the undead. Gravendath is divided into five continents. The Southern, Northern, Western, Eastern, and the Central continent. On each continent, several kingdoms existed and were ruled by undead kings. Those who became undead kings possess the greatest strength and bear the most mana of death. Lich Oz had completely conquered the southern continent and the 8 kingdoms above it. Amongst the kings of the southern continent, Lich Oz won over Malistrode, Vlad, and Ursula while he killed the other 5 kings as they strongly reject the idea of serving him. After ruling the southern continent, Lich Oz and his army marched towards the eastern continent and conquered the kingdoms above it together with all of their kings. As the eastern continent is smaller than the southern kingdom in size, there are only four kingdoms on it. Crossing the abyss ocean using a huge ship owned by Ursula''s kingdom that was made by strong Gravendath''s wood that got strengthened by the Arachne''s steel web, Lich Oz encountered several abyssal undead monsters that became the reason why the sea called the abyss ocean. But with Lich Oz''s, Malistrode''s, Vlad''s, Ursula''s, and their army''s strength, they managed to defeat all of the monsters and harvest an enormous amount of condensed undead energy inside the abyssal whales. And since all of the undead obtained the ability to transform into a human form, they cooked the meat of the abyssal whale and ate it. While they don''t really need to eat, they had the urge to eat because they could now taste things other than souls. Looking at his soldiers that seemed to be so happy to be able to eat, Lich Oz decided to make the abyssal whale as the army''s meal supply and allow them to keep and preserve the meats. As the body of the abyssal whale is far bigger than a normal whale on earth, the meat is enough to feed the whole army for a month. Not only the meat, but the bones and skin of the abyssal whale is also a very valuable material that could be used to make high-quality weapons and tools. Lich Oz instructed the Arachnes to make strong armors and weapons from it. Not only the abyssal whale, but Lich Oz also encountered abyssal octopus and titan shark. After facing the abyssal whale that gave them lots of materials and food, the army happily fought the abyssal monsters that used to be feared by the Gravendath denizens. Lich Oz realized that his army had indeed achieved a greater feat of strength. They should be enough to conquer the other continents easily. After arrived at the eastern continent, Lich Oz conquered the zombie kingdom and have the zombie [King] serve him after getting challenged into a duel just like Ursula. After the zombie [King], he marched towards the skeleton kingdom and have the skeleton [King] surrendered after defeating his army. Lich Oz continues his march without any stop as Vlad, Malistrode, and Ursula start to get addicted to wars. Without having Lich Oz join the fight, Malistrode, Vlad, and their army conquered the kingdom ruled by a lich [King] while Ursula and her army conquered the small kingdom of the Dullahan [King]. In a short time, Lich Oz had conquered the southern kingdom and they immediately marched again towards the central continent. Bringing all of his armies, Lich Oz conquered half of the central continent in a day with the seven kings under him. Because of the great chaos Lich, Oz brings, and how he had conquered the southern and the eastern continent made his reputation and the seven kings under him soar and spread wide towards the whole Gravendath. The central continent is huge and has about 10 kingdoms above it, and Lich Oz had conquered five of it while the Wraith [King]''s kingdom is the fifth, Lich Oz had killed the rest of the four kings as they seemed to have their mind-controlled by the undead dragon. After confirming that the Wraith [King] is not under the undead dragon''s mind control, Lich Oz has him to serve under Vlad. "My king... It seems that the Wraith [King]''s army had already gone their evolution too after pledging their allegiance towards you, my king. And after obtaining the ability to transform into a human and to taste the food, they immediately attempt to eat the abyssal monsters meats that we''ve preserved, and it seems that it is true that eating the meat of the abyssal monsters had improved their death mana''s amount and quality significantly," (Vlad) "But after observing my people''s improvement, it seems that the more they eat the abyssal monsters'' meats, the lessens the growth will be. But lots of them managed to rank up and obtain some special abilities after eating the abyssal monsters'' meats," Reported Vlad. "I see..." Lich Oz muttered as he stared into the dark skies with the red eyes from his skull as he''s using his usual Lich form. "Well, I do feel that my strength kind of increased after eating the abyssal monsters'' meat, not to mention that the meat is delicious too," The skeleton [King] warrior that served Lich Oz said frankly. He''s using his human form that is a muscular red-haired man. "So you too, huh, Armando? I thought that it was just my imagination that my strength increased, but it turns out that it had indeed increased. Mine increased for about two folds, how about you, Armando?" Asked Malistrode that still used his mummy form. "Hm.... Three or four-folds, maybe? Well, I ate quite a lot of my portion, maybe that''s the reason," Armando indifferently said. "You sure are a glutton, Armando," Said a lich that looked far ancient than Lich Oz''s lich form. "Shut it, Malacoda. I''m sure you''ve eaten it too, right? The meat is very delicious when it is cooked using his majesty''s recipe. You need to admit it," Said Armando, riled up. "I never said that it''s not delicious, but it is a fact that you''re a glutton as you spent a whole day eating the abyssal whale. In my opinion, eating a small portion and respecting its delicacy is more important. And I''m much more interested in the gourmet that exists in the Ablux continent, it''s said that inside his majesty''s empire, there are sweets called pudding and cake, let''s finish this world''s conquest so that we could eat those sweets!" (Malacoda) "You sweet loving old relic," Armando muttered under his breath. "What did you say!?" Malacoda reacts strongly as five black grimoires appeared from the thin air. "D-don''t get too riled up, old- Malacoda... I''m just joking..." Armando apologized to Malacoda. There is a reason why Armando easily apologizes to Malacoda. Just like Ursula, Malacoda''s name is well-known in Gravendath, or even more. People who heard the name of this ancient old lich will tremble because of the dark story that goes along with his name. As he is the lich that had once rampaged in the southern continent and killed every undead living there thousands of years ago. Even the undead dragon [King] avoids meeting this ancient lich. But how could he end up serving lich Oz? The answer is easy, the bored ancient lich that had been locking himself inside a cave for thousands of years met another lich for the first time. And unlike the other undead that immediately trembled before his presence because of his terrifying mana, Lich Oz politely greets him and invites him to serve under him. It may be just a whim, but until now, Malacoda had been serving Lich Oz loyally with full of respect. But unlike Lich Oz, the other kings serving him are wary of his presence. Their unsure whether the ancient lich will betray their beloved master or not. "Shut it both of you, you''re before the presence of his majesty," Vlad scolded Malacoda and Armando. "Hm?" Malacoda releases his murderous intent towards Vlad. The murderous intent is thick and heavy, but for the current level that the kings serving Lich Oz are, it''s something that they could withstand. "What is the meaning of this, Malacoda? Are you going to betray his majesty here?" Vlad coldly asked towards Malacoda. "Malacoda, we''ve been wary of you since you''ve joined our ranks. Even though you''re infamous for your strength and tyranny, don''t think that you could do things as you wish," Said Malistrode as he released his murderous intent, clashing with Malacoda''s. Lich Oz sighed at the scene in front of him and silently whispered to himself. "Indeed... some sweets are sure nice to ease the soul, huh..." (Lich Oz) Chapter 142 - Rise Of The Lich Sovereign (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ The clashing murderous intent of Malistrode''s and Malacoda''s shakes the whole area. The undead soldiers tremble in face of the terrifying murderous intent of the two. Tap! Tap! Tap! The sound of a staff hitting the ground sounded and several layered of barriers covered the palace, covering the murderous intent inside the barrier. The undead soldiers stationed near the castle were finally freed from the terrifying murderous intent. "Both of you sure know no restrain. Remember that the both of you are standing in front of his imperial majesty. You''ve stressed the soldiers outside the castle too much, it''ll affect them in battle, we still had a long journey ahead of us," Said a figure with an octopus head. "Sauros..." (Malacoda) Suaros, one of the seven kings serving under Lich Oz. He belongs to an undead race called Illithiliches. Illithiliches are originally Alhoons that entered the realm of lichdom and mastered the dark spells and most of the necromancy. Unlike ordinary liches like Malistrode that excels in dark spells and necromancy alone, Illithiliches excels in wizardry, sorcery, psychic abilities, and added with the mastery of dark spells and necromancy that permits them to enter lichdom, the Illithiliches are feared by everyone, enough to make Malacoda stopped his tracks. "No need to be too cautious, Mummy King, Vampire king. I know the best that Malacoda feared his imperial majesty," Another voice suddenly appeared. "Auberon, so you come. Have you finished adapting to your new abilities?" Asked Lich Oz. "Yes I''ve come, your imperial majesty. I''ve finally finished adapting to the magnificent abilities you granted me. And you even gave me the ability to feel just like how a living could, I, Auberon the Wight, once more pledgee my absolute loyalty towards you, my liege," Said Auberon the Wight as he kneels in front of Lich Oz. Wight. An undead who is driven to a life of undead by dark desires ad intense attachment to wars. Wight is an undead warrior that could steal the memories of those he slain and used them to strengthen himself. Wights are feared as they fight like a tyrant and their bloodl.u.s.t couldn''t be compared to anyone. Looking at the scene, a big smile formed on her face as she stared at the one she had set her sight as her only husband. (Truly an assemble of monsters, and to be able to rule all of us peacefully, you sure are a terrifying man, my dear husband~) (Ursula) "You''re not," Sauros suddenly said as if replying towards Ursula''s thoughts. "Y-you Sauros! Don''t peep into someone''s thoughts as if it''s a normal thing to do!!!" (Ursula). "I apologize for my rudeness, Ursula. It''s difficult to remove an old habit. But it still interests me as to how I could never hear the thoughts of his imperial majesty," Said Sauros as he strokes his tentacles as if it''s his beard. "Hmph! Of course, he''s not someone that could be read easily even if it''s you who is trying to read him," Ursula snorted. "Well, that''s true. or else I won''t be here, serving under him with full of loyalty," (Sauros) "Seems that all of you have gathered," Lich Oz''s deep voice resonated through the throne hall. All of the seven kings kneeled and quiet down after hearing Lich Oz''s words, ready to accept any kind of order he''ll give. They are now inside the grand castle of the Western continent that used to be the castle of a Spectre [King]. They''re using the castle as Lich Oz''s temporary castle since Lich Oz''s imperial castle of Gravendath is on the Southern continent. "I have an announcement that I need to tell you, my comrades," Lich Oz''s voice is grim, the seven kings prepared themselves of hearing a piece of bad news when they heard Lich Oz''s words. ''My Comrades'', the word that came out of Lich Oz''s mouth is one of the reasons that the seven kings had decided to follow him to the end of the world. he doesn''t use them as his tools or see them as his underling, he purely considers them as his comrade. But they are currently focusing on the fact that Lich Oz is going to give an announcement that seems to be very important, some of them thought that maybe one of them will be punished because of their misconduct, but most of them thought that it may be concerning the rumor about Lich Oz that is starting to lose his powers. "We''re going to hasten our conquer of this Western continent, and then we''re going to stop our conquest of Gravendath for a while," (Lich Oz) Lich Oz''s words shocked the seven kings. "Why, my liege? We''re already at a good pace on conquering the world. If we stop now, it will take some time before we could reach the same pace once more," (Vlad) "It''s fine. Another kind of danger is approaching us, Vlad. We''ll be stopping our conquer and focus on protecting the Western, Eastern, and Southern continent that we had conquered. A huge storm is coming..." Lich Oz said with a face as grim as his words. "What kind of storm, my liege?" Asked Malistrode. "That is..." (Lich Oz) Before Lich Oz could mention what kind of danger is approaching, the door towards the throne room suddenly opened, and an undead Soldier hastily ran towards the seven kings and Lich Oz in panic and kneeled. Pant! Pant! Pant! "D-Demons!!! Lots of them!!!" (Undead Soldier) !!!!!!!!!!!! "Calm down, soldier. Tell us what do you mean?" (Ursula) "A huge gate had opened at the Wraith [King]''s palace, and countless demons are coming out from it!! The soldiers stationed there are currently battling with them!!" (Undead Soldier) !!!!!!!!!!!! The unexpected news shocked the seven kings as none of them had ever thought that Gravendath will suddenly get attacked by the demons. Not even Malacoda and Sauros that have extraordinary brains foreseen the situation. Sauros stared at Lich Oz with a hint of admiration in his eyes. (Once again, you''ve made me amazed by your brilliance, your imperial majesty) (Malacoda) Lich Oz rarely goes out of the palace to make sure that he would hear every report given by his men. He only read the reports and gave instructions according to the report and only set out when there is an emergency. For Malacoda that ventured anywhere freely whenever he had free time, he didn''t catch any sign of the demons coming. For the demons to open the hell''s gate, it will need a great amount of time, especially if they''re trying to connect it with Gravendath that is filled with a tremendous amount of undead mana across the world. They will also need a tremendous amount of demonic mana, so there is no way that Malacoda won''t sense the demonic mana of a hell''s gate. But this time, he''s clueless about it. (Just how did his imperial majesty know about it...?) (Malacoda) "Hereby, I''ll be sending Malacoda and Malistrode on handling the demons. While the other undead kings should continue and quickly finish conquering the western continent," (Lich Oz) """As you wish, your imperial majesty,""" (The Seven Undead Kings) "P-please forgive my rudeness, your imperial majesty. But I think that Lord Malacoda and Lord Malistrode will need more help to face the demons that appeared at the Wraith [King] palace," Said the undead soldier while trembling. "What do you mean, boy?" Malacoda unleashes his murderous intent towards the undead soldier. "Stop it Malacoda, I never intended to let the both of them handle the demons alone. I''ve called the most appropriate reinforcement," (Lich Oz) "Reinforcement?" Asked Malacoda as he suppresses his murderous intent. "Yes, it''s time for all of you to meet the real king that the seven of you should serve. The throne at the southern continent''s castle was meant to be his throne from the beginning. The prince of Gravendath," Together with Lich Oz''s words, the space beside Lich Oz cracked and a huge, black, and majestic gate appeared from it. The gate slowly opened showing a white-haired man with full-body heavy armor, holding a huge greatsword with his right hand even though it looked very heavy. "Welcome back, Gareth Gravendath," (Lich Oz) *********************************************** Inside the grandest castle of Gravendath, a colossal figure is sleeping inside his treasury as he usually did. But this time, he senses that the world that he had conquered is currently visited by some unwanted guests. Even inside his castle, some of the unwanted guests had already infiltrated the castle. "This smell... The nasty and disgusting smell... There is no need to hide yourself from me, demon," The deep voice of the undead dragon [King] resonance inside the huge treasury. The voice that filled with darkness, enough to make a normal human lost his soul after hearing it. "As expected of the great undead dragon [King]," The figure that had been hiding his presence decided to show himself after having called by the undead dragon [King]. "I don''t remember permitting you and your servants to step inside my castle, BAAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The angry roar of the undead dragon [King] sounded through the whole world, shaking the world together with the souls of those who heard it. Chapter 143 - The Fall Of The Potterland Kingdom (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Don''t get too worked up, Sarathras. I came here to offer you an alliance, care to join hands with me, dear the ancient one?" Asked Baal, the damage from the battle with Gurolf had completely disappeared as if it doesn''t exist in the first place. "Hmph! Even if it''s the dragon king who asks me, I won''t accept his offer if he''s going to make destruction in this or that world! Let alone you, despicable demons!!!" Shouted Sarathras the undead dragon [King]. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You sure didn''t know how to be grateful to the one who helped you kill Galdrod? If I don''t kill him, you won''t be able to become this world''s ruler even after letting the prince run to the human''s world," (Baal) "I never needed your help, to begin with! Even without you meddling, I''ll still kill that shameful dragon!!!" (Sarathras) "Well, He''s the one that was said to have half of the dragon king''s strength. but it''s also a fact that you now had more than two folds of his strength. So your strength could be considered on par with the ancient dragon king, right?" (Baal) "Hmph! If you know that, then don''t provoke me, demon! Even if you''re the one who ranked the first amongst the demon kings, I could still easily kill you myself! Scram!" (Sarathras) "Well, then I''ll assume that you decline my offer. If that is then it couldn''t be helped. We''re going to need to kill you, even if you won''t willingly help us, your corpse will be an extremely valuable resource, enough to strengthen my men," (Baal) "Don''t be too arrogant, demon!!!!!!!!!" (Sarathras) ***************************** "My lord, as our scouts had reported, the Potterland nobles'' army is already waiting for us at the Haven plain. It seems that they''ve camped there since two days ago," Said a wraith towards Slime Oz. "I see, good job as usual. Well, it''s almost time for us to march there anyway. Since the one leading this war will be the supreme general, I think I''ll just follow the flow and make sure everything went according to our plan," (Slime) Not long after the wraith reported towards Slime, the before a battle meeting of each army''s commanders started. It''s just customary and the supreme general will only repeat their plan and formation to make sure everyone understands while giving some encouraging words to everyone. After the meeting ends, Sera that had been trying to suppress her curiosity since the beginning of the meeting finally had the chance to ask Slime about something. "Um... Mr. Slime. A-aren''t you a magician?" Asked Sera towards Slime with a wry smile. "Yes, I am, why?" (Slime) "Then why are you using heavy armor as if you''re going to the front lines? And is that a halbert? Isn''t the magicians supposed to be supporting us from the rear?" Asked Sera. Despite introducing himself as a magician, Slime used black heavy armor and is holding a strange halbert that has a magic orb on its end. Sera remembered that when they first face the demonized sword god-ranked warrior of the Potterland kingdom, Slime suddenly summoned a black full-body armor that has a different design from the one he is using now, but he still fought using staff and use magic to fight. But this time, he literally looks like a seasoned warrior. "Ah, well, my soldiers are going to fight at the front lines, too, so I thought that it will be shameful for me if I don''t fight together with them at the front lines. And this is a specially designed magic halberd made by our empire''s blacksmith, it''s a halberd that has a magic orb so it could also be used as a magic staff. So I could cast magic and fight easily at the front lines," Explained Slime indifferently. (Battlemaniac) (Fenrir) "W-wha...." Sera couldn''t help but get speechless as to how Slime said it without feeling strange about it "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! You sure are a strange man, Mr. Slime!!!" Said Duke Renstenor. "E-eh? Strange...?" (Slime) (See, Reo? He didn''t even notice why he is called strange) (Fenrir) (The strong have no obligation to follow the common sense of the weak, Fenrir) (Reo) (I see... No wonder...) (Fenrir) (Huh? What does that even mean?) (Slime) "I can''t wait to see you fight, Mr. Slime. Now everyone, it''s time for us to march," (Supreme General) ****************************** Both of the armies faced each other in silence. "Dear great and proud nobles of the Potterland kingdom," Sera''s voice broke the silence. It''s had decided that she will be the representative of the army to warn the Potterland nobles to surrender, with a firm voice, Sera called out the Potterland nobles. "It is such a shame for great nobles like you to serve someone who had fallen to the hands of the demons. And even more, you''ve been made as sacrifices to defend them without even lending you their royal soldiers!!" (Sera) At that moment, Slime, Duke Renstenor, The supreme commander, Sera, Alfred, Albus, Edreale, and Sen realized that something is definitely wrong. In war, when the other party giving an offer to surrender, it''s normal for the opposite party to not answer and firmly chose to battle. But the scene in front of them is too strange for them. Even the soldiers showed no reaction towards the princess''s words. Considering the circ.u.mstances, the nobles and the soldiers of the Potterland kingdom that had just ordered to be sacrifices of the royal family were supposed to be greatly displeased with the royal family of the Potterland kingdom. But yet, none of them even flinched in response to Sera''s words. Just like a creature all of them knew and frequently met in a dungeon or a tomb. (Just like an undead) (Sen) "Surrender to us! We''ll-" (Sera) Whoosh! The sound of an arrow flung towards the air captured Slime and co''s attention, but it''s not a normal one. The speed of the arrow caught Slime and co off-guard. Sera immediately summoned her ''Endless Cold'' sword and about to use one of the skills of the legendary sword, before realizing, that even if she cast it now, it''s already too late. (Shit! I''m too careless!) (Slime) Slime gritted his teeth as he took one of his cards and about to threw them, but he too realized that it had already too late for it. Not only Slime, the others that saw the scene also gritted their teeth But at the same moment, together with the sound of an arrow that had pierced its target, the voice of duke Renstenor sounded beside the princess. "Fall back, your highness," Duke Renstenor pulled the princess back with a huge force, forcing her to retreat, while at the same time, the arrow in his hands disappeared. It changed into something big. Into a huge figure with six arms. Each arm holds a sword and strikes towards the duke. But with only a snort, Duke Renstenor unsheathes his sword, and gathering his massive mana, he blocked the strike from the six swords with a single slash. Everyone looked at it with wide eyes as the duke is only at the sword saint rank, but that strength is definitely not a strength that a mere sword saint rank has as the ground shook together with the sound of an explosion that appeared because of the collisions of the swords. "Not bad-" The figure about to retreat after failing to kill the princess and Duke Renstenor, but it turns out that it won''t happen unless he spills some of his blood. !!!!!!!!!!!!! A great alarm suddenly rings inside his head as seven cards boosted with a dense amount of mana dashes their way towards him perfectly aiming at the destination of his fall. Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! He could block six of it, but not the last one as it''s too fast for him to be able to block it. The card stabbed right at his ribs, but before the figure could even groan, another alarm rang inside his head. !!!!!!!!!!??? The supreme general''s figure suddenly appeared behind his back. The strike he made with his sword is merciless. With both speed and strength, the supreme commander is about to end the life of the six-armed figure that is obviously a demon. But the sensation he felt is not the feeling he''s expecting as the sound of swords colliding made the supreme commander''s eyes even colder. Boom!!!!!!!!!!! A huge blast appears as the supreme commander''s strike is blocked by another figure. Another demon. "For you to be able to corner a demon [King] like this, you have my praise, humans," (????) Chapter 144 - The Fall Of The Potterland Kingdom (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "For you to be able to corner a demon [King] like this, you have my praise, humans," The demon that appeared between the six-armed demon wears an attire befitting the title of a demon [King]. But without paying any heed towards the demon, the supreme general parry the demon [King]''s sword away and make another slash. The strike is even faster and heavier than the one the demon just blocked. Boom!!! Another sound of an explosion sounded. The demon indeed got caught off-guard, but he still managed to block the sword with his giant claws. Looking at the piercing cold stare of the supreme general, the demon could feel his guts warning him into retreat. While the supreme general''s sword and the demon''s claw are pressing against each other, a huge figure appeared behind the demon and about to finish off the two demons'' lives. "Gusion!!!" The demon shouted in panic. Before duke Renstenor''s greatsword could reach them, red magic circles appeared beneath the two demons. Whoosh! "Huh? They vanished?" The duke Renstenor exclaimed in surprise. "They teleported," Said the supreme commander, answering duke Renstenor''s question. As an old demon is standing behind the two demons [King]s that had just battled with the supreme general and duke Renstenor. Slime witness the battle of the supreme general and the duke Renstenor in awe. The supreme general''s battle strength might not as strong as the old man Kyron, but his battle senses are at the same level. And duke Renstenor''s explosive power also surprises Slime. Despite being a sword saint ranked warrior, how could he manifest such a power? (No wonder the old man trusts him greatly) (Slime) "You''re strong. For someone who is not even mentioned inside the prophecy, you could still harm a demon [King]," Said an old demon. Slime could feel the great hostility from him. His old eyes stare towards Slime and co with a pair of eyes that filed with disdain. "Then maybe demon [King]s are just not that strong, to begin with," Responded duke Renstenor with a fearless smile. "Hmph! Such arrogance! Halphas! Malphas! You''ve disdained the honorable name of demon [King]s! For you to lose to such weak and lowly humans, how humiliating!" Scolded the old demon as the same red magic circle that teleported the two demon [King]s before him, appeared once again beneath them. "You''re saying that, but aren''t you fleeing yourself?" Mocks the supreme general. "It won''t be fun if I finish all of you now. You may say what you want, but the truth is just that-" Boom!!! A thunder suddenly struck the old demon, even though the sky has no dark clouds. In other means, "Mr. Slime..." The supreme general muttered as he saw Slime holding his magic halberd. "Did it hit him?" Asked Alfred. "The strike connects to them, but it seems that it''s not enough to finish them," Answered Slime. "Well now, supreme general. You might want to prepare to command the army now. Cause it seems that our plan of having the nobles'' armies retreat and proceed quickly might have failed greatly," (Slime) "Is there still a chance to have them surrender?" Asked Albus. "Shame, I think that it won''t happen, Albus. I think they''re not in the state of mind control. Can''t you feel it, since that old demon appeared, there is an enormous amount of undead mana enveloping this region?" (Slime) "T-they''re undead?" Asked Alfred. "Yes, they''ve been killed and got zombified. Seems like he has dressed them properly, he must make a barrier to suppress the undead mana in the air. It might be a forbidden spell since zombies shouldn''t be able to withstand sunlight. Wait, don''t tell me..." Slime suddenly senses another thing in the air. Not only Slime, but the others also had their hairs stood on their end. Before, it''s an enormous amount of undead mana that was released into the air, but now, a tremendous amount of demonic mana also starts to leak from the enemy''s armies. "Soldiers!! Prepare for battle!!!" The supreme general''s order resonated throughout the battlefield. The soldiers ready their swords and wait for the next orders, but not the goblins of the Tarot empire. RRRROOOOAAAAARRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Slime didn''t know, whether they reacted towards the supreme general''s voice, or towards the dense demonic mana in the air. But all of the enemy''s troops roared like a beast, and their figure followed to transform into beasts. The Grandarian soldiers start to break cold sweats when they saw the horrifying spectacle. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The goblin army lead by General Gracius Glemat thumped their weapons towards the ground. Their strength is genuine as the sound of the thumping defeats the roars of the opposition. Slowly, they stole the attention of everyone while all of them slowly walked towards Slime in an organized formation. "My lord, let us break their pace. It will also help us brings back the Grandarian soldiers'' morale. One order from you, and we''ll eradicate those beasts shortly, my lord," The general asked for permission towards Slime in a very polite manner. "General, as I''ve said before, you are the commander of the army that represented our empire, while the one holding the absolute command of the whole army is the supreme general of the Grandaria kingdom. I believe the military rule of the Tarot empire applies in all of the kingdoms, ain''t it, general?" (Slime) "Y-yes, my lord," Gracius approached the supreme general and asked him the same question. "Indeed, we''re lucky to have the Tarot empire''s support. Please do so, general Gracius. Please lead the march, but we''ll start after the enemy start to march towards us first," (Supreme General) "But it seems that they have no will to march towards us, though," Commented Alfred with a shrug. "It''s fine. it''s a normal rule applied for lower-ranked undead or demons. They''ll either wait for the order of their master or attack when triggered. Seems like their master had ordered them to stay idle and wait for us to attack, so Al- Mr. Albus," Slime called out Albus. "Is it time?" Asked Albus. "Yes, let''s open the war," Slime ready his magic halberd. "Tell me when you''re ready, it''ll take some time to cast a huge spell," (Albus) "It''s fine, I''ve engraved the circles underground," (Slime) Tap! Slime tapped his magic halberd towards the ground, and several huge magic circles appeared. Albus''s eyes opened wide when he witnessed the spectacle. "HAHAHAHA!! You must explain to me what you just did when we''re done here, Mr. Slime!!" Said Albus as he laughs and summons several huge magic spells just like Slime''s. "Let''s match our timing, now!" (Slime) BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! BOOM!!! Rain of fireballs, thunders, meteors, and lightning struck towards the demonic armies. The spell is powerful, but Slime knitted his eyebrow as he saw his spells, and Albus''s spells hit the demons. "It killed less than I thought, huh... But well, at least we achieved our goal," Muttered Slime. Their spells indeed managed to kill about 1/10 of the demons'' army. RRROOOOAAAARRR!!!!!!! The demons roared and charged towards Slime and co as they got enraged because of the spell cast by Slime and Alfred. But suddenly, the ground underneath the demons shook. "Earthquake?" (Slime) "[Spike Stone Desert]" The voice of the "Saintess of Wisdom" Griselda Lockhart sounded. Countless stone spikes appear beneath the charging demons, reducing their number even more. (Well, seems like her title of "Saintess of Wisdom" isn''t for nothing) (Slime) "Gracius, orders," Slime called out Gracius. "Attack Formation 1!!!" Gracius the goblin general shouted the orders, and in a short moment, the soldiers immediately formed a neat V formation and ready their weapons. "My lord," Gracius called out Slime in concern as all of the goblin soldiers ride on their wolves. "Ah, it''s fine. [Create undead: Undead horse]," A huge skeletal horse rises from the black magic circle and bows towards Slime. "N-necromancy...?" (Supreme General) "Yes, it is. Ah, you might have some negative views towards the undead, but trust me, they''re far more docile than demons. As there is an undead kingdom under the Tarot empire," Slime stated a surprising fact for Sera and co indifferently with a shrug. "I-I see..." Muttered the supreme general with a small nod. "Well, let''s start the show, shall we?" Slime jumped to the undead horse''s back and said as he ready his magic halberd. Despite being a magician, Slime''s figure looked exactly like a great warrior. His stance, his vibes, and his gaze fueled the spirit of the others. "Since Mr. Slime is a magician, let me accompany you as magicians are fragile, you see," Alferd suddenly appeared, riding in a royal warhorse. Slime about to rebuke and say, I don''t need your help, but people will question since when did they get close so he refrains himself to do so. "Then us too," Sen approached together with Edreale with the similar royal warhorse that Alfred used. The other Avalon magic academy special class'' ex-classmates seem to want to join at Slime''s flank too even though it could also be considered as the most dangerous role to play. "Feel free to join the fray, just don''t hold us back, okay?" (Slime) Chapter 145 - The Fall Of The Potterland Kingdom (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Amazing..." Muttered one of the Grandarian soldiers. The Tarot empire''s goblin army marched like an arrow with Slime act as the arrowhead. In mana cultivation, magicians and swordsmen have a different system of mana flow. While those who could manifest the power of both magicians and swordsmen in the same time is called a dual cultivator. But different from a dual cultivator, Slime didn''t have any swordsman''s cultivation. For magicians, there are several spells that existed that could enhance their strength. But most of them drop the spell as it doesn''t benefit them much as they mostly use long-range spells in battles. So those who use strengthening magic are usually those soldiers that strengthen their body with magic too. Looking at Slime, who don''t even possess even slight swordsman mana but still fight in the front line and killed countless demons with strengthening magic alone is an amazing feat that made most of the Grandarian soldiers admire him. But not only Slime, the supreme general, and Duke Renstenor secretly awed by the strength of the goblin army. (Even though they''re goblins, they fight, coordinate, and make decisions far better than the soldiers in our kingdom. Their battle prowess is in the level of the imperial guards'' elites of an empire. Does all soldiers of the Tarot empire as strong as them...?) (Duke Renstenor) Different from the usually weak, cowardice, and disgusting goblins that had been inside the mind of the soldiers until now, the goblin soldiers of the Tarot empire are strong, fearless, and admirable. The Grandarian soldiers'' morale risen to the peak as they saw the Slime and co fought. While the others are smiling as everything went right according to the plan, one person is gritting her teeth and is clenching her fist strongly as she kills several demons in each slash. (If Duke Renstenor didn''t pull me back, I would''ve died) (Sera) In frustration, Sera gather her mana and released a big wave of ice mana, freezing all of the demons surrounding her. (Keep it together, Sera! It seems that I''ve become too arrogant even since I entered the sword god rank, how shameful...) (Sera) The fact that she almost died and got saved by Duke Renstenor made frustrates Sera, but she''s not the only one who is frustrated. (If Duke Renstenor isn''t there back then, Sera would have died) (Slime) With his eyes getting colder and colder in each strike he made with his magic halberd. Slime leisurely kills every demon that enters his attack range. (Isn''t I came here in order to protect them? What the hell am I doing? How dare those demons, if that arrow had even hit a strand of her hair, I won''t bestow them any mercy) (Slime) (Master...) (Fenrir) With his eyes that getting colder in time, even the demonized soldiers felt a chill on their spine when they saw Slime''s piercing gaze. Adding that several demons fall in each strike of his, Slime looked far scarier than the demons. Alfred notices that something is wrong with Slime, and he knew that it happened after Sera almost get killed. But Alfred stays silent. (Not only you, Sera, Ren. All of us, frustrated in the fact that they almost killed Sera while we couldn''t do anything to save her. Me, Edreale, Sen, Albus, and our other classmates are feeling the same thing) (Alfred) Wielding only a knife, Alfred couldn''t simultaneously kill several demons in one strike like Slime, but together with Edreale who also wielded knives like him, they jumped down from their horses and dashes and kills the demons at a terrifying speed. Not inferior from Slime''s pace, Sen killed even more demons than Slime in each slash of his katana. The soldiers of the Grandaria kingdom saw how unwavering and powerful the march lead by Slime. The most amazing thing is how there are still no casualties on Slime''s flank despite being in the most dangerous role. The supreme general smiled as he tries to absorb the brilliance of the goblin army. their strength is genuine, their teamwork is unbelievable, and their confidence and morale are constantly at the peak. The supreme general could see how much the soldiers trust their general, their comrades, and Slime. "Now it''s our time, prepare to attack!!!" The supreme general shouted the order. With Slime and the goblin army destroying the demons'' pace and formation, the demons who are in the corner of the battleground and those who are afraid of Slime and the goblin army will try to pass them and flee. As the number of demons remaining is still a lot, but their number had greatly reduced by Slime and the goblin army, leaving the supreme general and the remaining army to act as the net and steadily kill the rest of the demons that had their formation destroyed. "Spread!" Gracius shouted the next order. As they had gone past the demons, the goblin soldiers spread to a horizontal line, and the goblin soldiers and the Grandarian soldiers sandwich the rest of the demons, attacking them from both sides. Alfred about to follow the goblin soldiers and continue to kill the rest of the demons, but Slime, that had been beside him from the beginning didn''t turn his horse around. (R-Ren?) (Alfred) Slime slowly walked forward with his undead horse. Alfred could feel the anger and the resolution in his back. Looking at that back, Alfred too, once again, turns his horse around and follows Slime''s steps. Sen and Edreale saw Slime and Alfred continue to walk forward, without needing to exchange any words, they follow Slime and Alfred. Brandon and the other classmates from the special class also saw and followed Slime. Albus and Griselda are magicians so they''re stationed together with the supreme general in the back rows, separated from Slime and the goblin army. As Sera is positioned next to Gracius, she followed Gracius and went to sandwich the demons before realizing that her friends are gone. (Wait, where are the others?) (Sera) ********************************* "Where are you going, master?" A deep and hoarse voice asked his master. His figure is huge, and he''s emitting a powerful presence, on par with the undead [King]s. He''s the undead guardian summoned by Lich Oz long ago when he first arrived at Gravendath. The undead guardian, Aloisius. "Are you worried about me, Aloisius?" (Lich Oz) "You''re the one who created me, your safety is my utmost concern, master," Aloisius the undead guardian kneeled and said in a polite manner. "I see... I''m not going anywhere, Aloisius. The undead [King]s, my comrades are going unto battle, I believe they''ll end up in triumph. But," (Lich Oz) "But?" (Aloisius) "But it seems that there is someone who needs me on the other side. His strength is only a part of ''us'', after all," (Lich Oz) "What do you mean, master?" Asked Aloisius. "Just see," (Lich Oz) ******************************** "Don''t look so surprised, demon. It''ll make it more obvious that you''re losing," Mocked Slime. "Hmph! For you who don''t even know me, the great 11th rank Demon [King] Gusion, let''s see how long would that brace act last!" Shouted the old demon. "11th rank Demon [King], Gusion. 62nd rank Demon [King], Valac. And the 53rd Demon [King], Caim," Slime indifferently state the names of the demons in front of him. "H-how did you??" Valac the six-armed Demon [King] asked in a panic. "As I''ve said before, don''t look so surprised, demon. It''ll make it more obvious that you''re losing," The cold words and the pair of cold eyes startled Caim and Valac as a drop of cold sweat fall from their forehead. "Hmph!" (Gusion) Tap! Gusion tapped the ground and eight huge demonic magic circles appeared surrounding him. "Rise, my [Demonic Guardians]," (Gusion) Following his words, huge demonic creatures appeared from each magic circle. But before the demonic creatures could completely appear from the magic circles, Slime''s figure suddenly disappeared from Gusion''s sight. !!!!??? Boom!!! "Hm?" Slime furrowed his eyebrows as his strike towards Gusion got blocked by Valac. (His speed and strength increased? How?) (Slime) Slime raises his left hand and points his index finger towards Gusion. !!!??? "[Fireball]," A fireball in a point-blank range. Boom!!! Another sound of an explosion sounded. "You''re quite stubborn," (Slime) "You damned bastard..." Gusion swore. His beard got burnt and from his ragged appearance, he clearly got some damage because of Slime''s attack. ROAR!!!! The huge demonic creatures that appeared from the magic circles roared in anger. "Sigh... I guess this won''t end soon..." (Slime) Chapter 146 - The Fall Of The Potterland Kingdom (4) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ ROAR!!!! The demonic creatures that appeared from the demonic magic circles roared, sending powerful winds from their roar alone. Whoosh! "Need some help?" Asked Alfred as he suddenly appeared behind Slime. Slime just smiled without answering him. Whoosh! "Hm? What just-" Alfred asked in confusion as both of them suddenly got teleported to the middle of Brandon, Griselda, Sen, Edreale, and co. "You''re too reckless, Slime Tarot," Commented Griselda. (Teleportation. She knows how to use spatial magic?) (Slime) Spatial magic has always been the most mysterious element of magics. It needed something more than just knowledge and talent. Slime got the urge to squeeze her for answers about it immediately, but he managed to suppress his curiosity. !!!?? A huge fireball suddenly flung towards Slime and co at a terrifying speed. (Shit, is it the summoned demonic creatures'' doing?) (Slime) Slime ready his halberd and about to cast a spell to block it and the others ready their weapons to block the attack too, but- "[Fire Barrier]" A familiar voice sounded behind Slime, and a thick fire barrier suddenly appeared and blocked the huge fireball launched by the demonic creatures''. "Albus!" (Alfred) "That''s dangerous, Alfred! Mr. Slime!" Scolded Albus. "Don''t get so worked up, Albus. We won''t die because of that~" (Alfred) "What are you saying? those demonic creatures would have shred you to pieces if Griselda doesn''t teleport you here!" Albus continues to scold Alfred. Looking at Albus made a small smile formed at the corner of Slime''s mouth. (Seems like his attitude got bigger together with his body, huh) (Slime) "Sir Albus, Miss Griselda," Slime called out to the two young magic gods of Grandaria kingdom. "Could you and the rest handle the demonic creatures?" (Slime) "H-huh?" (Albus) "We could, but those demon kings won''t just let us be, right?" (Griselda) "It''s fine, I''ll handle them myself," Answered Slime indifferently as he ready his halberd once again. "Yes- eh? What? Wait! Mr. Slime!" (Griselda) Whoosh! "Damn, here we go again," Muttered Alfred as he saw Slime dashes. He immediately followed him. Edreale and Sen saw Alfred following Slime and followed him. "W-wait! Alfred! Edreale! Sen! Ugh, Albus, can''t you please control your friends!?" (Griselda) "B-but they''re your friends too!" (Albus) Once again, Slime dashed towards the demon [King]s at a high speed. But the demonic creatures won''t be that easy to pass. "Hmph! [Shadow Clones]" Slime snorted as eight shadow clones dashed from his shadow towards the shadows of the demonic creatures. All of the shadow clones put their hands on the ground and shouted. """[Shadow Bind]!!!""" The demonic creatures got frozen for a while, but as expected it won''t be easy to bind all of them with mere shadow clones. And to add that Slime''s mana is not enough to hold such gigantic creatures. But he''s got all the time he needs. Whoosh! Slime got through the demonic creatures right before the shadow binds breaks. Once again, he swung his magi halberd with even greater force than before. Boom!!!!! But once again, it is blocked by the six-armed demon king. "You lowly human!" Roared Valac as he parries Slime''s strike and manages to make Slime pushed back. "Hm?" Slime realized something is strange and jumped back as he reanalyzes the situation. (His strength keeps increasing... Why?) (Slime) !!?? "I see... So that''s the reason why you send those demonized pawns of yours first, huh..." Muttered Slime. (The mana excluded by the demonized soldiers when they die made the air filled with demonic mana. As demons are creatures that feed their strength from demonic mana, their power got weaker when they''re in this world where demonic mana is almost non-existent...) (Slime) "And now that the air is filled with the demonic mana, they''ve regained their original strength, huh... This might be bad..." Slime couldn''t help but make a wry smile. (Master, you should use us) (Reo) (Yes mas-) (Fenrir) !!?? Boom!!!! "Ugh!!!" Valac suddenly appeared behind Slime and struck him from his right side. Slime managed to position his halberd to block the strike, but the overwhelming force of Valac''s strength overpowered Slime''s stance and made him flew because of the force. Slime skillfully land and about ready his stance once again, but just right when his feet touched the ground, another figure had waited to strike him from behind him. With an evil smile worn on his face, Caim strikes Slime with all of his might. "DIE!!!" (Caim) (Sh*t...) (Slime) Boom!!! Slime ready for the impact of the strike as he had already positioned his halberd to block the strike, and sure that he will get blown once again. But the impact he''s waiting for didn''t appear. ??? "Y-you... Who are you..." Caim asked the samurai before him. He tried to strike with all of his might, but the man before him still managed to block and withstand the power, and even starting to overpower his sword. (Sen!!) (Slime) Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! "Hm?" (Slime) (The clouds... This is...) (Slime) "I''m asking who are you, human! State your name!" Shouted Caim. Sen doesn''t answer Caim''s question and jumped back while sheathing his sword back to its sheathe. "Hmph! You arrogant, human-" (Caim) "[Thunderclap]" (Sen) Slash! A single slash together with the sound of a thunderclap. A slash so fast that Caim couldn''t even react to it. Click! Sen sheathes his sword back. "W-what, what just happened *Cough*" Blood gushed out from Caim''s stomach and his mouth as he cough. "D-damned... Hum...." (Caim) Thud! Caim fell to the ground and became a lifeless doll. !!!!??? "Sen!" Slime shouted as he ready a card to throw. Valac appeared behind Sen with an unexpected speed and about to strike Sen with all of his six swords. Sen finally show a shocked expression as he quickly reaches the sword and about to unsheathe it, but- "No. No. No. You can''t do that, you know? He''s my cute little brother, after all," Alfred''s voice suddenly appeared behind Valac. !!!??? Slash! A single cut. A clean cut. Valac''s head got disconnected from its body by that single strike, and both the head and the body fell motionlessly towards the ground. Thud! Another figure arrived at the scene with her usual expressionless face as she observes the situation and finally sighs. "Sorry, li''l Edreale. We''ve finished them too quickly so there''s no left for you, eh, there''s still that old demon, though. I forgot," said Alfred with a shrug. "..." Edreale stared at Alfred for a while before shifting her gaze and ignore him. "I-ignoring me, huh... that''s mean..." (Alfred) "Alfred, Sen, Edreale. He''s very dangerous, don''t let your guard down," (Slime) "Said the one who recklessly charged towards three demon kings alone, huh. But well, at least you don''t ask us to retreat while saying he''s too strong despite being a mere archmage rank magician, right?" said Alfred with a shrug. "Yeah, well, it seems that if I don''t empower myself a bit more, I''ll end up being a nuisance, huh. Lend me your power, [Ren Arken]," (Slime) Dense dark mana suddenly surrounds Slime, making a black typhoon of death mana. After a while, the typhoon dispersed leaving Slime with a strange black armor different from the one he is using before, and a huge black greatsword replaced his magic halberd. Alfred, Sen, and Edreale saw the scene with a shocked gaze. "T-that is...?" (Alfred) "Hm? Just another card under my sleeves," Slime answered indifferently. "Then I think you need to use all of it. Or you''ll lose, I believe you know that, right, human?" Gusion cut in their conversation. "Indeed... But shame, I think that this is the last card I possess, demon," said Slime with a wry smile as he finally realized how tremendous the demonic mana leaking out from Gusion right now. "You have such strength, you would be able to save the other two demon kings when we fought them just now, why don''t you save them?" Asked Slime. "We don''t need useless fools like them to bear the name of a demon [King]! And their treasures, territories, and castles will be my bonus of winning this war, after all. There are lots of things I could gain from their death, and of course, from yours too, humans," (Gusion) "You filthy demons," (Edreale) "Hmph! [Demonic Knights]!" Snorted Gusion as he summoned six demonic knights clad in red full-body battle armor. "As expected of Gusion the summoner, you sure have a lot of demonic monsters that you could summon..." (Slime) "Hm? You know my nickname. Then did you also know the difference between the top 20 demons [King]s and those below?" Asked Gusion. "Hm?" (Slime) Tap! A single tap to the ground. But by that single tap, Gusion had just shown how great his strength is, and the reason why he still has such confidence facing Tarot''s and Grandaria''s armies alone. "A-are you kidding me...? J-just how many could he summon...?" (Alfred) Tens. Hundreds. Thousands. Tens of thousands of demonic magic circles appeared surrounding Gusion. "Behold, the personal army of Gusion the great summoner," (Gusion) Chapter 147 - The Fall Of The Potterland Kingdom (5) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Behold, the personal army of Gusion the great summoner," Gusion spread his arms as he boasts the summoned army of his. Tens. Hundreds. Thousands. Tens of thousands. There are lots of high-ranked demons while the rest are mid-ranks demons. Their ranks start from [Baron] ranked to even the [King] ranked demons. (Master... Their number is too many, your mana won''t be enough to even kill half of them) (Reo Arken) (Indeed... I would probably manage to maintain using your power for thirty minutes at most, but with this much of number, I would need to use Fenrir''s power too...) (Slime) (Your body won''t be able to bear using our powers at the same time, master. You''re just 1/10 part of the original master''s slime clone, after all) (Fenrir) (True... But if I don''t use it, to defeat an army-) (Slime) (Master! Calm down! You mustn''t lose your calm!) (Fenrir) "Support the ambassador!" The voice of Gracius the goblin general sounded like thunder together with the sound of his dire wolf''s howl. The sound of the army''s footstep approaching slightly soothes Slime''s heart. (Ah... Forgive me, Fenrir. Since I was the part that bears the emotions of the old me. I still got too used to working alone, you see. I forgot, that I''ve lots of comrades now) (Slime) "I''ve heard the report from the wraiths, my lord. So they''re the summoned demons of that demon [King]?" Asked Gracius as he approached Slime with his dire wolf. "Yes, you''re right, general," (Slime) "Seems like you''ve gotten more human than before, Mr. Slime," The supreme general voice appears as sudden as his appearance. "What does that mean, supreme general?" Asked Slime as he furrowed his eyebrows. "You have shown more emotions. I thought you''ve lost that thing over there, before," The supreme general pointed at Slime''s chest. "Ah! I see... Haha, I always have emotions. It''s just that I don''t show it. Anyway, you''ve dealt with the demonic army rather quick, supreme general. As expected of the Grandarian kingdom''s mightiest sword," (Slime) "It''s all thanks to your empire''s soldiers, they gave me lots of insights. Your goblin general gave me lots of insights into war tactics. But it''s rather a shame," (Supreme General) "Why?" (Slime) "Well, it''s a shame that after we tried our best to eliminate all of the demons at the back, and here you seem to call even more of them," Said the supreme general with a slight smile on the corner of his face. "Hahaha! Sorry for that. It just that my existence attracted lots of people, including demonic armies," Slime shrugged. "Yes, indeed. And it seems that one of those who attracted with you might need your attention and your apologize, young man," (Supreme General) (Someone?) (Slime) "Mr. Slime," Sera''s voice appeared from behind of him. Slime could clearly see that she''s not in a good mood and that the reason is because of him. "Princess..." (Slime) "I won''t comment with how you went against what we had planned. But if you want me to forgive you," Sera continue to walk and passed Slime and the supreme general. "Win this war," (Sera) "Well that''s my goal from the beginning. But, indeed, let''s not prolong this war any longer," (Slime) "Sir Slime," The supreme general called Slime, signing him that he should be the one who gives the march command. "Give out the command, sire," (Gracius) After killing all the demonized soldiers, the supreme general immediately rushed towards Slime''s aid together with the army. They saw Slime''s battle with Gusion and he fought magnificently as a warrior despite he''s a magician in an archmage rank. They also saw how Slime became the tip of the arrow formation when they first stab into the demonized army formation and how he fought as a great warrior. His black armor that was drenched in blood and his figure that still standing mightily raised the soldiers'' morale magnificently. "Hm?" (Slime) A white magic circle suddenly appeared before Slime and Griselda the saintess of wisdom popped out from it. (Teleportation...) (Slime) "What are you waiting for, Mr. Battlemaniac?" (Griselda) Slime raise his black greatsword that replaced his halberd because using Reo''s power as a small grin appeared on his face. "All of you know which one our target is, right?" (Slime) Everyone that is at the magic god and sword god ranked nodded. "Good, then CHARGE!!!!!" (Slime) Just like before, the goblin army stands at the forefront of the formation. With their mighty direwolves, the goblin soldiers swiftly and fearlessly charge lead by Slime, the Supreme General, Gracius, Sera, Alfred, Sen, Edreale, Albus, and the other alumni of the special class. "Hmph!" Gusion snorted as he ready his staff. "We can''t let him finish his chant!" Shouted Slime. "Understood," Without wasting any moment, the supreme general dashed towards Gusion at a terrifying speed. Despite a dozen of [King] ranked summoned demons guard him, the supreme general easily slip in and arrived in front of Gusion. "Die, demon- What?" Red chains suddenly appeared from red magic circles on the ground and entangled the supreme general. "Hmph! You think I''ll fall to the same trick twice- What!?" Gusion shouted in surprise as the supreme general in front of him suddenly disappeared from his sight. "Impossible! There''s no escaping from the [Demonic Chains]! How did-" (Gusion) Just like how the supreme general disappeared, Slime, Alfred, Sen, and Edreale suddenly appeared from all four sides of Gusion. "How did..." (Gusion) "Well, we have a super rare card in our side, after all," (Slime) Of course, the one teleporting them is the ''Saintess of Wisdom'' Griselda Lockhart. While mumbling some things, she teleported the other sword god classmates to the backs of the [King] ranked demonic creatures. "Ugh... Asking for the impossible..." (Griselda) Alfred, Sen, and Edreale used their killing move to Gusion without any hesitation. "[Thunderclap]" (Sen) "[Assassination]" (Alfred) "[Swift Slash]" (Edreale) With a winning grin, Slime finally used the card he has been refraining himself from using. "Grant me the power of the eternal winter, [Fenrir Arken]" (Slime) Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! "I-Impossible..." Gusion muttered as blood came out from the corner of his mouth. "My lord... My lord... Help me... My lord..." Gusion muttered as he pleads to the sky. (Had he lost his mind?) (Fenrir) "Lord Marbas!!!" Gusion shouted with all of his might. "What is he-" (Alfred) "Hm?" (Slime) Boom!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "W-what is this!?" Alfred shouted as he, Edreale, Sen, and Slime suddenly got flown backward. A huge blazing gate fell from the sky. Looking at the huge gate, Gusion became rejoiced as if his savior just arrived from the heavens. He hugged the blazing gate while tears gushed out from his eyes. "Lord Marbas! Hail lord Marbas! Hail lord Marbas!" (Gusion) "Ready yourself, whatever comes out from that gate is definitely not good news..." Said Slime as he ready his greatsword. Creak!!! The gate slightly opened and a hand holding a huge staff appeared from inside the gate. Tap! The staff touched Gusion. "I-impossible..." Edreale muttered in shock. "Thank you for your kindness, lord Marbas! Thank you for your kindness, lord Marbas!" Gusion kneeled in front of the gate. Creak!!! The gate got opened even more and a tremendous amount of demonic mana gushed out from the demonic gate. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "S-such power..." Slime couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise. Finally, the gate fully opened after a while, revealing a huge demon that has an appearance similar to a human, except for the pair of horns at his bald head, and his horse legs. Huge staff on his left hand, a huge greatsword in his right hand, and a gorgeous golden crown above his head. The mana and the murderous intent gushed out from the gate is something that Slime and the others never once encountered. Even the supreme general has some cold sweats on his back and he could feel that his steps are so heavy. Whoosh! Slime threw all of the cards in his possession in reflex. "Hmph! *Tap!*" With a single snort and tap of his staff towards the ground, all of the cards Slime threw fell towards the ground motionlessly except for one card. The joker card. "Interesting..." A corner of Marbas''s mouth got curled up as he saw the joker card approached him. The special effect from the joker card is random, but as Slime remembers, they are always powerful. Whoosh! The card transformed into flames and formed a dragon. Roar!!! The flame hits Marbas directly as Marbas seem to not even attempt to block it. "HAHAHAHAHA!!! Marvelous!!! To think I could feel some pain in this world!!! HAHAHAHAHA" Marbas laughed heartfully. Together with his laugh, Gusion''s smile got even wider and Slime and co could see an army approaching from inside the demonic gate behind Marbas. The laughter of Marbas seems to make them even more bloodthirsty, while it strikes terrors towards Slime and co. (Damn! Damn! Damn it! If this goes on, we''ll die!!) (Slime) (Master!!!) (Fenrir) "Yea, I know!" Slime gripped his greatsword with a great force as he prepares himself to attack Marbas with the remaining strength he had, but before he could take a step, another huge gate fell from the sky. Boom!!!! "Hm?" Marbas furrowed his eyebrows as the gate in front of him is not a gate he knew. The gate is black and emits dense death mana. Creak!!! As the gate slightly opened, a tremendous amount of death mana equal or superior to Marbas''s mana gushed out of the gate, together with a deep voice that filled with dense death mana. "Forgive me, it seems that I arrived a little bit too late..." Chapter 148 - The Fall Of The Potterland Kingdom (6) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Forgive me... It seems that I arrived too late..." The voice that appeared from the black gate is so deep and sinister that those who heard his voice could feel their soul shudder. Creak!!! The black gate got opened even wider, revealing the sight of a lich, wearing a black emperor''s robe. With a crown of black and gold on top of his head and a huge black staff on his right hand, the lich emitted a tremendous amount of death mana. "Undead?" Marbas muttered as he knitted his eyebrows. "Slime, Grandaria''s Magic god''s Successor, Grandaria''s princess, Saintess of Knowledge. Use your strongest barrier," Lich Oz. !!!!!!!!!!!!! Slime, Albus, Sera, and Griselda immediately cast their strongest barrier to defend themselves and their army. "[Dark Barrier]," (Slime) "[Ice Defensive Fortress]" (Sera) "[Earth Fortress]" (Griselda) "[Flame Fortress]" (Albus) Sera''s, Griselda''s, and Albus''s magic fortresses merged together, forming a huge fortress in front of their army to withstand whatever impact will come from the battle of Lich Oz and Marbas. Different from the others, Slime''s dark barrier covered their whole army. "Hmph! [Demonic Lightning Spear]" Marbas cast a huge demonic lightning spear, aiming for the magic fortresses made by Sera and co, but- "[Bone Bullet]" Lich Oz shot a bone bullet. Boom! "Ugh!" (Marbas) The [Demonic Lightning Spear] got destroyed by Lich Oz''s bone bullet and pierced Marbas''s left hand. Marbas never thought that a mere [Bone Bullet] spell could manage to hurt him. Filled with rage, Marbas''s veins became visible on his head and his neck. "It seems that you''re not here to help me, undead. Who are you?" Marbas said with an unexpected calm voice. "I''m the master of Gravendath''s King," Lich Oz answered casually. "Hmph! Don''t try to fool me, lich! Sarathras Have no master!" (Marbas) "Well, he''ll soon kneel before me too. But the one I mentioned is not Sarathras," said Lich Oz coldly. Tap! Lich Oz tapped his black staff towards the ground, and dozens of huge skeletal hands appeared from underground, shaking the ground around it. Pointing at Marbas, Lich Oz coldly said, "You should hear it from your friends yourself when they return with grief. I have no interest in conversing with you," With a single wave of his staff, all of the skeletal hands rushed towards Marbas in terrifying speed. "Hmph! How arrogant you- What!?" Marbas tried to counter it with a spell, but his body suddenly got paralyzed as he could feel his mana flow got paralyzed by something. (Shit! That damned [Bone Bullet] from before...) (Marbas) Boom!!!!!! The punches from the huge skeletal hands sent Marbas flying towards his army on his back like a bowling ball, and destroyed the gate together with it. "Now you..." Lich Oz shifted his gaze towards the fully healed, Gusion. "Impossible! T-to be able to hit lord Marbas and even destroyed the Hell''s gate..." Gusion muttered in shock. Lich Oz sized up Gusion with a piercing gaze. Gusion could feel his soul shudder as he stared at Lich Oz''s red light eyes. "I see... Despite having a strength that could be on par with the ranked top 5 demons, it seems that you have a weak heart... What a shame, but at the same time, what a blessing for me..." (Lich Oz) "Hmph! What do you even know! [Arcane Demonic Summoning]!" Gusion shouted as he tapped his staff towards the ground, but- "W-what did you do!?" Asked Gusion in confusion as he couldn''t summon any of his magic circles. "Curse. Just like what I did towards the demon [King] Marbas, I inflict a curse on my [Bone Bullet] spell that will paralyze those who got hit by it. But for you, you see, I have the ability to give lots of curses towards those who fear me," (Lich Oz) "C-curse? F-fear?" Muttered Gusion as his legs started to tremble. "They''ll lose their ability to use mana, the ability to walk, and will slowly surrender themselves to death..." Lich Oz''s voice felt like the voice of a death god in Gusion''s ears. But just like what Lich Oz said, Gusion could feel that his legs that been trembling ferociously for a while, start to lose their strength, making him fall towards the ground. Following his legs, he could feel his whole body lost its strength as his consciousness start to fade. "H-how could... T-this great Gusion..." Before he could even finish his sentence, Gusion''s consciousness faded and he breathed his last, surrendering towards the god of death. "[Summon Undead]" Following Lich Oz''s words, several death knights rise from the ground clad in their black armor. "Take his body," Ordered Lich Oz. The death knight nods and went towards Gusion''s corpse and brought him to the undead world through the death gate. "Stop it, he''s an ally," Slime said towards Alfred that had once again ready his knives. "A-ally?" (Alfred) Slime approached Lich Oz as several doubts run in his mind. "Why are you here, Lich? I won''t die as my main body is at the imperial palace, you don''t need-" (Slime) "You won''t die, but not those behind you," Lich Oz cut Slime''s words. "I may be the incarnation of our original''s cold personality and emotions, but do not forget. As cold as I may be, all of us, including me, have the same people we want to protect," Said Lich Oz as his red glowing eyes shifted towards the sky. Following Lich Oz''s gaze, Slime looked above towards the sky. !!!! (Griffin... Demon''s familiar, demonic hawk... Wind Jade Falcon, it''s druid''s familiar... Don''t tell me... All of the clones are watching me?) (Slime) "We always watched you, and it''s not strange for me to help myself, no?" (Lich Oz) "Indeed..." (Slime) "Anyway, I''ll be taking Gusion''s corpse to improve my soldiers'' strength before giving it to the demon to have him take his summoning skills. I''ll be going now before the others get more confused," Said Lich Oz before entering the death gate. With a single tap of Lich Oz''s black staff towards the ground, the death gate closed and unleashed black clouds that covered the whole gate and disappeared towards the nothingness. "W-who is that, Mr. Slime? Is that undead one of the Tarot empire''s forces?" Asked the supreme general as Slime could obviously see his forehead that wet because of sweat. "Yes, he''s part of the empire," (Slime) "I-I see... As expected of the mighty Tarot empire. I couldn''t imagine how much military power your empire has. Even I''m not sure whether I could stand 30 minutes against that undead before..." Said the supreme general with a wry smile. "Well, he spends his days battling at the undead world, so it''s not that surprising, I guess?" (Slime) At this time, Slime''s thought focused on the information Lich Oz just gave him. (So all of them are observing me from the distance with their own abilities, huh... But since my strength is limited, I couldn''t sense any of them until now...) (Slime) (Despite having their own tasks, they still spend some of their strength to protect Sera and co, huh... As expected of me...) (Slime) (Okay, setting aside how disgusting master is when he just praised himself, himselves? Please, is it just me, or do these clones thing and the fact that there are lots of masters are very confusing?) (Fenrir) (It''s fine, Fenrir... I thought the same thing...) (Reo) (Right!? Thank goodness you share the same thought!!!) (Fenrir) (No, I''m just kidding. I heard from the master''s previous life''s memories, that dogs are actually more stupid than cats) (Reo) (WHO SAID THAT!!!???) (Fenrir) (Please... Just shut up, already...) (Slime) ************************ "You''re back, dear my handsome and mighty lord," Ursula welcomed Lich Oz back when he arrived from Terra, the human world. "Ursula? Why are you here?" Asked Lich oz. "Well, since I conquered the part that given to me, I immediately went straight to here to report my glorious victory. But since my lord turns out to be out, I decided to wait for him as to how a loyal vassal and a woman should do," Answered Ursula with a wide smile. "I see... As expected of you, Ursula. You never cease to impress me, you''re a very great ally to have," (Lich Oz) Ursula shivers as she''s trembling because of the excitement she had after getting praised by Lich Oz. Her face got red as embarrassment and excitement hit her hard at the same time. "U-Ursula...?" Lich Oz called out towards Ursula that is trembling with his head down. "Y-yes, my lord... Thanks for your compliment," Ursula said with a small voice. (Hm... I should really make a distance with her... If this goes longer, it seems that I''ll really become her prey...) (Lich Oz) "Ah! By the way, my lord. What will you do with the demon corpse that death knights just brought in from the gate?" Asked Ursula. "It is a precious resources, Ursula," (Lich Oz) "Precious resources?" (Ursula) "Yes, let''s strengthen all of you even more," (Lich Oz) Chapter 149 - The Fall Of The Potterland Kingdom (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "You lowly demons... Even if I die, this world will never lend you, villains, a hand!!!" Sarathras roared as he''s currently bound by huge chains and his body got stabbed by several huge swords, bounding him to the ground, and restricting his movement. "Shame... You could''ve been a great ally... Truly a shame, Sarathras..." Baal''s voice echoes in the huge castle as his followers stay on guard around him. ROAR!!!!!!!!!! Sarathras''s roar is fearsome enough that the huge castle vibrated and the floors and walls cracked because of it. Sarathras tried his best to unleash himself from the chains and swords binding him, but it turns out it''s all end up in vain. Baal let out a big sigh. "There''s no need for you to waste your energy like that, Sarathras. These are the five demonic generals that had accompanied me in battles for hundreds of years. Their strength is on par with the top 10 demon kings in my realm," Baal said with full of confidence. "Ugh..." Sarathras groaned as he still struggles to break free himself from the shackles while bearing the intense pain. Looking at Sarathras, Baal let out a big sigh. "Since it seems that you''re that eager to die, let me grant you that wish of yours!" Baal draw his demonic sword and about to slash Sarathras''s head with it, but- "[Necromantic Flame]" (Malacoda) Boom!!!! Boom!!! Boom!!! Boom!!! Boom!!! Boom!!! Six green flames suddenly dashed and exploded at Baal and his five demonic generals, catching them off their guard. The damage is rather significant, and Baal detected that the flame is embedded with some kind of curses. "Shit... WHO DARES TO ATTACK M-" (Baal) Whoosh! A skeletal figure clad in majestic armor suddenly appeared in front of Baal at a terrifying speed. Baal could see his eyes are filled with hatred towards him. "I do," (Gareth) "Y-You are-" (Sarathras) BOOM!!! ********************************** As the battle between the demonized nobles soldiers ended. Slime and co marched forwards towards the capital of the Potterland kingdom. As the citizens of the Potterland kingdom heard the news of how those nobles and their soldiers got demonized by the royal''s orders, they supported the alliance of the Grandaria kingdom and the Tarot empire to punish the Potterland kingdom royals. The citizens make way for the army of the alliance, they''ll even donate some food and rations for the army. Even before the case with the demons, the citizens have been long displeased with the king of the Potterland kingdom. They tend to raise taxes, exploit some citizens who can''t afford the tax to manual labor, and support the corrupted nobles. For the citizens of the Potterland kingdom, having the wicked and corrupted Potterland kingdom royalties removed are a blessing. There''s nothing more frustrating than having an unfair and corrupt ruler that only thinks of himself. in five days, they completely surrounded the royal capital of the Potterland kingdom. But in contrary to Slime''s expectation, the Potterland kingdom surrendered themselves without giving any fight with their royal army. It turns out that all of them got brainwashed by Gusion''s summoned demons to make them docile, except for the foolish king of the Potterland kingdom. When the crown prince of the kingdom regained control of his mind, he immediately grasped the situation and drive his men, and take over the throne and replace his father. He immediately commands his generals to surrender peacefully towards the Grandaria kingdom and the Tarot empire. While slightly nervous, the crown prince faces Slime, the supreme general, and Sera alone. "I, Edrich Potterland, As the crown prince of the Potterland Kingdom, hereby declares that the Potterland kingdom surrenders towards the Grandaria kingdom and the Tarot empire. We''ll even accept if the Potterland kingdom were to become a vassal country of the Grandaria kingdom or the Tarot empire," (Potterland kingdom''s Crown Prince) "But with one condition, you''re forbidden to forcefully abduct, capture, or even the citizen of the Potterland kingdom," said the crown prince. "Strange, it''s the first time for me to hear a condition from a country that had just lost a war," (Slime) "T-That is..." The crown princes planned to say that all of them will rebel if they got persecuted and harmed, but Slime''s piercing gaze enveloped the heart of the inexperienced crown prince with fear. "But well, since it seems that the crown princes that will soon take over the throne of this kingdom don''t look like a fool that would join hands with demons like the previous king, I''ll give you my word that we won''t harm your citizens as long as they don''t harm us first," (Slime) And on that day, the Potterland kingdom officially surrendered towards the alliance of the Grandaria kingdom and the Tarot empire. Slime said to Sera that the emperor of the Tarot empire decided that he will let the new king of the Grandaria kingdom to chose what kind of fate the Potterland kingdom will have in the future. After considering together with the ministers and his friends, Peter decided that the Potterland kingdom will be a vassal kingdom of the Tarot empire, which is something that truly unexpected. "I see, it''s indeed a wise choice. After getting into such chaos, the Grandaria kingdom will need a lot of time to recover and re-establish the kingdom''s stability. Having a vassal kingdom might be beneficial as supply and military sources, but if the Grandaria kingdom took it now, it will only make things worsen and could end up making the Potterland kingdom that is in much more chaos than the Grandaria kingdom collapse, which would lead to the rise of lots of other problems," (Slime) "Well, I believe our emperor will be very pleased to hear the news. I hope the alliance between our countries could last forever, your majesty," Slime said towards Peter inside the royal palace of the Grandaria kingdom. ******************** Potterland''s new king, Edrich Potterland is a bit surprised with the outcome. He remembered the stare of the ambassador of the Tarot empire that made his heart enveloped in fear. But he knew that being part of a great emperor with boundless military power meant that his kingdom will at least be safe from other countries'' attacks. Inside the royal palace of the Potterland kingdom, King Edrich is waiting for the envoys of the Tarot empire that will pick him up to meet the Tarot empire''s emperor. He knew that today there will be someone picking him up as suddenly an envelope appeared above his throne when he wakes up this morning. "You need to bring at more guards, your majesty," Said the royal captain of the Potterland kingdom''s royal guard. "No. It will make them question our trust in them. The Tarot empire had been saving lots of people without taking anything. I believe in them, being a part of their empire might be a fortunate outcome for us," (King Edrich) "Aren''t you''re going to go with me? With you, the strongest sword god ranked warrior of the kingdom beside me, why should I be scared of anything, Lexus?" King Edrich tried to calm his royal guard down. "But, your majesty-" "Your majesty, the envoy from the Tarot empire have arrived," The voice of the royal guard that protects the king''s working office suddenly appears from behind the door. "Really? Let them in," said Edrich cheerfully. The guard opened the door, revealing Slime, wearing a black suit that is unfamiliar in this world. "Morning, your majesty. I''ve been tasked to escort you towards the imperial capital to meet the emperor," Slime said as he bowed towards the young king. "I see, then when shall we go?" (Edrich) "Yes, as you wish, your majesty," (Slime) The both of them went outside the palace while being escorted by the imperial guards, but king Edrich couldn''t help but get confused as there is no carriage or horses as the message mentioned that he doesn''t need to prepare anything as the ride will be prepared by the Tarot empire. "Lord Slime, where is the-" (King Edrich) Suddenly, several cries of birds sounded loudly from the skies. "T-That is... A Griffin??" Lexus the captain of the royal guards couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise as he saw the legendary magic beasts slowly landed in front of them. The royal guards immediately draw their swords and go in front of the young king to protect him. A Griffin. It''s a powerful magic beast that could defeat a sword saint-ranked warrior easily. It''s said that one of the heroes of the old age tamed a griffin and fought together with it. "Relax, men. They''re part of the empire," (Slime) Chapter 150 - The Potterland Young King And The Great Tarot Emperor (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Relax men, they''re part of the empire," said Slime as he tries to relax the royal guards of the Potterland kingdom. Slime approach one of the griffins with his right hand and the griffin docilely bowed its head as it let Slime pat its head. Looking at the scene made Edrich and his royal guards got their mouth wide agape. "A-As expected of the Tarot empire... To be able to tame such a mighty magic beast..." Edrich the new and young king of the Potterland kingdom muttered in awe. "Don''t be too surprised just by looking at a friendly griffin, young king. As I am tasked too, I''ll be showing you more great things about the Tarot empire. Now, let''s go," said Slime as he hops above one of the griffins. "R-Ride the griffin...?" Muttered Edrich as he''s half excited and half scared. "H-How could you ride on it before I do, Lexus!?" Edrich commented towards his most trusted friend, the captain of the Potterland kingdom''s royal guards. "E-Eh? F-Forgive me, your majesty... I got too excited..." (Lexus) After gulping once, Edrich mustered up his courage and hop towards the griffin. The sensation of the smooth feathers of the mighty magic beast beneath him is addicting. The feeling of satisfaction of riding such a mighty beast filled Edrich and Lexus. "Well now, let''s go then," Following Slime''s words, the griffins flapped their huge wings, sending strong winds towards the surroundings. "Y-Your majesty..." (The Royal Guards) "Well, please take care of the kingdom while I''m away, okay?" (Edrich) "I''ll be borrowing your king for a while, we''ll be back before the sunsets. Well, have a good day, men," said Slime as the griffins start to fly before dashing towards Tarot at a great speed. The griffins flew above the skies until they''re not visible to be seen from the surface. Since the young king is already at the sword saint rank, while the captain of the royal guards has already entered the sword god rank realm, the strong winds don''t really bother them. Rather than bothering them, the first experience of flying excites them. Slime couldn''t help but smile as he saw the face of Potterland''s new king and the captain of the Potterland kingdom''s royal guards filled with smiles. Slime requested for only three griffins, one for him, one for the Potterland''s king, and one for the one he trusted the most. It''ll be best if there are only a few people that attend the meeting between these two countries. The griffins flew at their highest speed, reaching halfway towards the magical forest of Everdeen in just two hours. Slime didn''t need to command the griffin because the griffin he''s riding has its thoughts linked with him. The griffin is one of Oz''s clones too, after all. *Griffin''s Cry* The Griffin Oz suddenly let out a huge cry. "W-What happened?" Asked Edrich. "It''s fine, just wait and see," (Slime) They entered a sea of clouds for a while, blocking their view. But suddenly Edrich and Lexus sensed several presences approaching them, there are dozens of them. Edrich and Lexus immediately ready their swords. "Stop it, they''re Tarot''s aerial guards," (Slime) (Aerial guards?) (Lexus) Several minutes after that, they eventually left the area that filled with clouds that had been blocking their views. Lexus and Edrich could finally see all kinds of flying creatures surrounding them, while each of them carries a full-armored elf above them. "Greetings, my lord. I am the captain of the 3rd squad of the aerial guards, Sergeant Elvan Gransinkel. We''ve been informed that your highness will be coming, we''ll be escorting you until you reached the imperial city," said the one wearing a gold armor respectfully towards Slime. "Understood, we''ll be in your care, Sergeant," (Slime) "Yes, my lord!" Elvan answered enthusiastically. Edrich and Lexus realize that every elf holds a bow as their secondary weapon, while each of them holds a different type of primary weapon. Their type of rides must match their primary weapon. Those who became a close-range aerial fighter used a powerful ride, while those who focused as archers and mages ride an agile one. The squad has 17 men, consisting of 6 Archers, 6 mages, and 5 melee fighters. As magic beasts and demihumans have a different type of mana cultivation from humans, Edrich and Lexus couldn''t really guess what their cultivation rank is. But one thing they know is all of them emitted the vibe of seasoned soldiers. (From their mana aura, they''re at least at the [Count] rank, but it looks like their battle skills could easily on par with a [Duke] ranked magic beast, or similar to Sword Saint ranked warrior... And this is just one ordinary guard squad...) (Lexus) "We''ll be entering the Elvenheim kingdom soon, my lord," Said the Sergeant. "Let''s slow our pace a little," (Slime) Following Slime''s orders, the griffins and the elven aerial guards slow their pace. Edrich and Lexus who heard the conversation between them couldn''t help but be confused. "Where is the kingdom?" (Edrich) There are no kingdoms or even a building they could see, only the wilderness. But right when Edrich about to ask Slime, he suddenly felt a sensation of hitting a bubble or a foam all across his body. The feeling is rather pleasant, but he could feel that it''s made from a dense amount of mana. Edrich shifted his gaze towards Lexus, and it seems that he felt the same thing. But as he observes Lexus a little bit longer, he saw that Lexus is making a strange expression. It''s as if he''s surprised or amazed by something as his mouth is widely opened. Erich followed Lexus''s gaze, only to make the same expression as Lexus did. "I-Impossible..." Erich muttered under his breath as his mouth got wide open just like Lexus. "Welcome to the elven kingdom of the Tarot empire, Elvenheim," (Slime) Erich and Lexus got stupified by how advanced and magical the elven kingdom is. Every city of the kingdom is surrounded by huge and mighty walls loaded with canons and protected by huge guardian ent that replaces the walls pillars. Guards stationed at the walls and those who at their patrol shift work seriously according to their job. Unlike the usual elven kingdom, the Elvenheim kingdom of the Tarot empire isn''t made by trees alone. there are several buildings, but all of them are built above a tree, while the magic tower of the elven kingdom is a huge iron tree. Every tree is connected, the branches are constructed into some small and big bridges that are neatly connected to other trees. There is no one walking on the ground, except for the farmers, the ranchers, and their livestock since the plants that they farm and served as the livestock food could only grow nutritiously when is planted on the ground. The lords of the kingdom live at the huge trees, while the castle of the Elvenheim kingdom stands tall as the biggest tree that made from various type of magical trees. One of the many special traits of the Elvenheim kingdom is that the citizens lived together with their houses. Their house could clean themselves, do their housework, and even protect themselves since their house could be considered as their familiar too. The royal capital of the Elvenheim kingdom is even more glamorous and beautiful, making Erich feel that his royal capital pales greatly in comparison. "The walls of the Elvenheim kingdom, whether it''s the city walls or the royal capital''s walls, they don''t serve to protect from ground attacks alone. Since the structure of the kingdom''s buildings grew far above the ground, it made the buildings that stand above to be too vulnerable and exposed. That''s why all of the walls are equipped with a system that will make the walls unleash a tall barrier above the walls, protecting the skies of the kingdom, and since the Tarot empire itself is covered by dozens of layers of barriers, one of it could sense ill intent, so it''ll be best if you don''t do anything bad," Slime warned Edrich and Lexus. "I-I''ll keep that in mind..." Answered Edrich. "Then let''s continue, that''s our destination," Slime pointed at the gigantic tree, the divine tree. "The divine tree, Yggdrasil..." (Lexus) "Yes. It''s the proud asset of the Tarot empire, and one of the biggest sources of our defense and structural system. Now let''s go, we can continue sightseeing after we finished the meeting with the Tarot''s emperor," (Slime) Chapter 151 - The Potterland Young King and The Great Tarot Emperor (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Slash! "Phew, that was rather exhausting," Muttered a young man with a blonde "Hero Lian," A girl wearing a priestess''s attire called out towards the blonde young man. "It''s time for us to depart," Continue a red-haired girl dressed like a knight. "I know, lord Saintess, Clara, let''s speed up and meet our fellow heroes at the Grandaria kingdom," (Hero Lian) ********************************* The territory of the Tarot empire is so wide, they finally crossed the Elvenheim kingdom''s territory after flying for three hours in high speed before the walls of the great empire capital of the Tarot empire could finally be seen. Edrich and Lexus saw how grand and mighty the wall is, and it''s inscribed with lots of runes while every guard, knight, and soldier wandering the capital city emits a powerful aura. As it''s the imperial capital, most of the ones who lived inside the imperial capital are nobles or aristocrats of the empire. All of them are great figures, not only the inhabitants, but the soldiers, knights, and guards that could get stationed inside the imperial capital are all exceptional and strong figures. Even every building inside the imperial capital is made glamorous and luxurious showing how good the economy of the empire is. No matter who Edrich saw, they''ll all have smiles on their faces, he can''t even discover any of the Tarot citizens that look like suffering in its economy or in poverty, showing that the nobles of the Tarot empire govern justly unlike the rotten and corrupt nobles at the human kingdoms. As Edrich observes and once again got amazed by how great the Tarot empire is, several figures appeared surrounding them. Riding griffins and clad in heavy golden black armor, they emit an aura far more powerful than the elven guards that just escorted them here. "Greetings, thanks for your hard work of escorting them here, sergeant. We''ll be the one taking over and escort them towards the imperial castle from here," Said the one that seems to be the captain of the squad. "My pleasure, we''ll be going back towards our post then. It''s nice to meet you, my lord," The Elvenheim aerial guard squad captain bowed towards Slime. "Nice to meet you too, Sergeant," Answered Slime. After the elves return, the one that just spoken towards the Sergeant approached Slime. "Greetings, my lord. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Zeldnir, the captain of the 5th squad of the imperial aerial guards of the Tarot emperor, tasked to defend the imperial skies from any kind of attack. We''ll be escorting you towards the imperial city, my lord," Said the imperial aerial guard captain. "I see, we''ll be counting on you," (Slime) "Yes, my lord," answered Zeldnir with a bow. Every imperial aerial guard squad consists of 20 men, there are a total of 50 imperial aerial squads tasked to patrol all over the empire. Different from knights that are also a group of elites that powerful at both defending and attacking, guards focus on defensive skills and formation. The imperial city of the Tarot empire is huge, the buildings didn''t build too close to each other and are neatly laid out. There is still some greenery left inside the kingdom, making the imperial city pleasant to look at. And there three additional things that made Edrich and Lexus even more awed. The imperial magic tower soared towards the sky, emitting a dense amount of mana from various elements. The world tree that so huge and far more magnificent when looked at from a closer view. And lastly is the imperial palace that would make all kings and emperors of the world felt envy, Edrich couldn''t help but feel greatly inferior and poor when he saw the imperial palace. The magnificent architecture, the pillars and every part of the palace obviously used precious materials, the beautiful runes that decorated and protect the imperial palace, and the powerful imperial guards that protected the palace. The griffins slowly descend towards the ground in front of the imperial palace''s gate. When they reached the ground, Edrich and Lexus immediately jump off their griffins as Slime did. When looking at the gate from the ground and from a closer distance, the gate felt even more majestic and mighty. Erich couldn''t help but have cold feet as he saw the imperial palace and its gate. "The King of The Potterland Kingdom has Arrived!!!" Announced the captain of the imperial aerial guards that escorted them. Following his announcement, the imperial palace''s gate slowly opened, revealing the beauty of the imperial palace of the great Tarot empire. There are four guards that guarded the gate, two huge orcs, and two majestic centaurs. When the gate fully opened, Edrich could finally see that the imperial guards had all gathered and make way for him. All of them came from various races. "Your majesty, let''s go, the emperor is waiting," said Slime as he indifferently walked and lead them. Following Slime, Edrich, and Lexus walk towards the imperial palace. Some of the imperial guards send friendly smiles towards Edrich and Lexus while some send some unfriendly glare. It''s normal since they came from a kingdom that had just war with the empire, and to add that their kingdom join hands with the demons that had destroyed lots of the imperial guards'' homelands. But the one who is panicking the most is Lexus. As he sensed the strength of the imperial guards, he couldn''t help but be shocked when he sense that most of them have the same amount and density of mana as him. (If this ends up badly, his majesty and I will die!!) (Lexus) Walking in the middle of various races like this made Erich felt like he''s in a fairytale. Like walking in the middle of the crowd of the old fantasy heroes. He couldn''t help but get amazed at how all of the races live peacefully with each other in the Tarot empire. The garden of the imperial palace is quite large, after walking for a while, they finally entered the entrance of the imperial palace. *Gulp!* Edrich and Lexus once again got flabbergasted as they saw how beautiful the interior of the imperial palace. Golds, Silvers, Mythril, and lots of other valuable material became the material of the decorations, walls, and even the pillars. Not only the imperial guards, but even the maids and the butlers came from various races. But the thing that surprised Lexus even more is that even the maids and the butlers have their mana equal to at least the great swordsman-ranked warrior. (Why the hell did the old king provoke this kind of country!?) (Lexus) They finally arrived in front of the throne room. Edrich and Lexus could feel several strong mana aurae that far stronger than both of them from beneath the huge door. Their mana capacity alone exceeds the double of Lexus''s, and to add that there are several of them that possess that kind of strength. More sweats started to pour from Lexus''s forehead. "Your imperial majesty, the king of the Potterland kingdom had arrived together with his captain of royal guards," Said the imperial guard that guards the throne room''s door. "Let them in," a voice answered from inside the throne room. Edrich is rather surprised with the fact that the voice of the Tarot emperor would be filled with so much youth. (Maybe he''s an elf, elf have a long lifespan, after all) (Edrich) The imperial guards slowly opened the throne room''s huge door. When the door got widely opened, it finally revealed the powerful figures inside it. Edrich''s gaze immediately focuses on the person sitting on top of the throne. He''s a brown-haired young man, wearing majestic golden-black armor and a beautiful golden-black crown above his head. Despite being so young, his charisma and demeanor made him befit the throne he''s sitting at. The golden-black throne itself is so majestic and gorgeous. Edrich couldn''t help but feel even more inferior towards the young emperor before him. Surrounding him is a goblin wearing a luxurious mage attire, a goblin with an attire befitting a prime minister, two soldier goblins, one centaur, one dwarf, one lizardfolk, one orc, and one kobold. All of them are emitting heavy pressure despite doing nothing, Edrich and Lexus couldn''t help but sweat profusely because of it. Looking at how nervous Edrich and Lexus are, Slime Oz couldn''t help but let out a small laugh. "Greetings, King of the Potterland kingdom. Welcome to the great Tarot empire," (Slime Oz) Chapter 152 - The Potterland Young King and The Great Tarot Emperor (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Greetings, King of the Potterland kingdom. Welcome to the great Tarot empire," Greet Slime Oz. "I-It''s an honor to be able to meet you, your imperial majesty. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Edrich Potterland, I''m the crown prince of the Potterland kingdom that will soon take over the place of my foolish father as a king," Replied Edrich as he bowed. He''s still feeling nervous being surrounded by so many powerful figures, and despite his young looks, Slime Oz''s charisma made it felt natural for him to sit on the throne. "The honor is mine, my name is Ren Arken, I am the emperor and the founder of the Tarot empire. Setting aside my identity, how is your journey towards here?" Asked Slime Oz. "It''s wonderful, your imperial majesty. I keep on getting fascinated and amazed by the great Tarot empire''s beauty and greatness for every second," Edrich answered honestly. "Hahahaha! Really? I''m glad to hear that. By the way, it looks like you have a great comrade on your side, King Edrich," Slime Oz suddenly mentions Lexus the captain of the Potterland kingdom''s royal guards. "Y-Yes, he''s Lexus Lamber. He''s the captain of my royal guards, and is my proudest and most trusted comrade," (Edrich) "I see... He is indeed a good one... I could see his great loyalty towards you as he''s thinking about every possibility that might help you escape this place with his life as the cost if anything happens here, after all," Slime Oz said as his eyes gaze sharply towards Lexus. "W-Wha..." Lexus couldn''t help but shivers when he saw Slime Oz''s piercing gaze. It''s as if his eyes could see everything about him with a single glance. "It''s a good trait and a wonderful job for a royal guard to do, but it is also to remember that in making an alliance, it is necessary to show the sign of trust towards the other party so that the alliance would be able to last long, Mr. Captain of the Royal Guards," Advised Slime Oz. "P-Please forgive him for his foolishness, your majesty. Lexus! Kneel!" Edrich instructed Lexus as he apologizes to Slime Oz. "It''s fine, King Edrich. What he just did is something that praiseworthy. The fact that he''s ready to sacrifice himself for your safety is enough to win my favor and respect," said Slime Oz with a gentle smile. "I-It''s an honor to be praised by you, your imperial majesty. But please let me apologize for showing such a rude attitude towards you," Lexus apologized as he kneels. "Apology accepted. If it was in normal circ.u.mstances, we would have you eat breakfast and serve you with our finest culinary and service first before starting the meeting. But since there are tons of things the Potterland kingdom need to do to rebalance its current state, I think it won''t be good if I make you stay too long here, so let''s go straight to the topic," (Slime Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty," (Edrich) "Before that, let me introduce you to the other kings of the great Tarot empire. Starting from the one beside me, this is the great prime minister of the Tarot empire, Aegir Cobblestone. He used to be the king of the goblin kingdom, but that position is now taken over by his sister-in-law," (Slime Oz) "The next to him is Magra Doomhammer, the king of orcs. Firenze Darkworth, the king of centaurs. Razor Ravenclaw, the king of kobolds. Fedra, the imperial supreme general. Ibra, the imperial knights and guards supreme commander. The imperial magic guardian of the Tarot empire, Gurolf. And lastly, the king of beastmen, Talak Dragonborn," Slime Oz introduces each one of them. "It''s a great honor to be able to meet all of you," Edrich bowed towards all of them. "Nice to meet you too, young king," (Aegir) "Now, let''s officially start the meeting. Gurolf," Slime Oz called Gurolf. Tap! With a single tap of Gurolf''s staff, blue particles slowly gather from the throne room''s ground and form a screen that showed the world map of the Ablux continent. "Now, let''s officially start the meeting," (Slime Oz) ************************************** Inside the royal palace of the Elvenheim kingdom, Azaline slurped the royal tea in front of her as she''s reading a book with a serious expression. "What? He''s not the king!? Whoa! That''s a good plot twist," She suddenly exclaims in surprise which made the maids and her friend jumped in surprise. "Your majesty, Forgive my rudeness, but his imperial majesty, the emperor is currently crossing over our kingdom together with the king of the Potterland kingdom. And you''re also invited into the imperial meeting, are you sure it''s fine for you two to stay here and read novels along the day?" A man''s voice appeared behind Azaline, he is the prime minister of the Elvenheim kingdom that handles most of the kingdom''s affairs. "If you''re that worried, you can replace me and meet the emperor yourself, Reindell," Azaline replied indifferently. "Your majesty... Are you really sure you don''t want to meet him?" Reindell asked once more. "..............." Azaline remain silent. "She won''t," Azaline''s friend that is sitting before her answered in her stead. "I see... Then I''ll inform the messenger as so, are you going to attend the imperial meeting, Queen Geeta?" Reindell asked Geeta that is calmly drinking her royal tea before Azaline. "I won''t be attending the meeting too, Reindell. Sorry," said Geeta with an apologetic smile. *Sigh* "Fine, then let me excuse myself," Reindell bowed and left. "Whoa... You sure have it tough here, huh..." (Geeta) "Yeah... He usually goes around saying I am the candidate of the empress and things about an elf''s dignity and stuff... Working together with a 1400 years old man sure is rough..." Azaline sighs. "Luckily my prime minister gave up on asking me to meet clone Ren after a week. But it couldn''t be helped! It''s very painful to meet his clones! They''re not him!" said Geeta angrily. "True... It''s not that my feelings have faded, but it''s just that something is lacking from his clones. Even if his slime clone resembles him that much, I still couldn''t sense his presence inside of him... Ugh... Talking this always makes me want to drink, sis..." (Azaline) "Me too, sis... I wonder when will he wake up..." (Geeta) *Sigh* The both of them sigh together. Losing Oz made the both of them even closer. There used to be an awkward atmosphere whenever they''re together, but now, their relationsh.i.p.s are to the point where they tell each other''s problems and stories. They used to be fine with interacting with just Slime''s clones, but as time flows, they couldn''t help but realize that it felt like they''re only interacting with Oz''s shadows. The fact that they couldn''t meet him directly and couldn''t help anything to make him wake up pains them. "Gurolf said that he''s in a state where his soul got trapped in other dimensions. We''re either need to try using the hell''s gate and death''s gate or find someone who could use a spatial magic," (Geeta) "But we wouldn''t know when will we succeed. Ren, when will you go back...?" (Azaline) ************************************* "World invasion!?" (Edrich) "Yes, and not only ours, but they''re also trying to conquer the other worlds like the undead world. Not only your father but there are actually lots of other kingdoms that are also manipulated by the demons," (Slime Oz) "Eradicating the demons and those who helped them is our top priority. One of the reasons for this imperial meeting is to officially accept you as a part of the empire and to inform you about this," (Slime Oz) "The world is in great danger, I even couldn''t say that the Tarot empire is at a safe state, either. We''re constantly get attacked by demons at our southern territory where the undead kingdom exists," (Slime Oz) "And since you''re a human and you''re the only human king that kingdom had decided to join hands with us, there will be a lot of operations that will be based on your kingdom," (Slime Oz) "For becoming part of the empire, you only need to obey the imperial orders, pay a small tax, and exert your forces for the empire''s good. For now, we''ll give you our greatest support to make the Potterland kingdom regain its balance and even further improve your economy and military," (Slime Oz) "For starters, let''s remove the corrupt nobles and ministers of your kingdom first," (Slime Oz) Chapter 153 - The Adventure of The Elf Queen and The Goblin Queen (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Let''s start with removing the corrupt nobles inside your kingdom first," Slime Oz said confidently. "L-Let me apologize beforehand, your imperial majesty. But I don''t hold that much authority enough to be able to remove the corrupt nobles since most of the corrupt nobles have big authorities and are helping each other," said Edrich. "It''s fine. We''ll take advantage of the fact that you''ve become a part of the empire. You only need to give us the names of those corrupt nobles, and we''ll give you the imperial orders written in the form of a letter. Any resistance they make will be handled by my men that I will send there," (Slime Oz) "T-That will be great, your imperial majesty! Thank you!" Edrich once again thanked him as he kneeled. "It''s fine. I''ll also send a military instructor to help improve your military prowess and station some of my imperial knights inside your capital. They will help you make your own elite royal knight orders," (Slime Oz) "Once again, thank you for your generosity, your imperial majesty," (Edrich) (Accepting the offer to become a part of the Tarot empire is sure a right choice! Not only that the kingdom will be able to regain its balance sooner, but it''ll also even become more prosperous and mightier than before with the Tarot empire''s help!) (Edrich) (They''ll send us their knights and a military instructor? Is that mean that they''ll try to improve our soldiers until they''re as strong as their soldiers!?) (Lexus) Edrich and Lexus start to imagine the future of the Potterland kingdom under the Tarot empire''s wings. They could already imagine how prosperous and safe their kingdom is under the support of the Tarot empire. The fact that they''ve been worrying about the fate of the Potterland kingdom under the government of the Tarot empire made their stomach aches felt kind of funny. But their worry is not something new or even something strange. Usually, when an empire or a kingdom successfully wins a war and conquers the opposing kingdom, and absorbs them into their territory, the upcoming fate of the defeated kingdom would be only poverty and misery. Crazily high taxes, crazy demands of resources, torture and persecution towards the citizens, the limitation of the military, and much more things usually make the defeated kingdom fall to demise until even the citizens of the defeated kingdom fall to depression and decide to end their lives. Edrich and Lexus had been worrying about those things since their kingdom''s fate will be decided by the Tarot empire. At first, they thought their kingdom will end up like other kingdoms that got defeated in war and end up being lost in history, but it seems like they will rise on it instead. "I, Edrich Potterland, hereby officially declare my absolute loyalty towards you, Emperor Ren Arken," Edrich swore his allegiance towards Slime Oz as he kneeled. Following Edrich, Lexus also kneeled and say, "I, Lexus Armight hereby swear my absolute loyalty towards the great emperor of the Tarot empire, Ren Arken. I''ll be your sword and your shield whenever you wanted," "Good. It seems like I''ve finally won your trust and favor. Rise, I accept your loyalty, I''ll be accepting great things from both of you. But I''ll need the both of you to train yourselves too, we need to increase your strength, so I''ve prepared a special instructor for the both of you," (Slime Oz) "A special instructor?" (Lexus) *Door Opened* A figure opened the imperial palace''s throne room''s door, revealing an old man holding a wooden sword. "The imperial sword guardian of the great Tarot empire has arrived," Announced the imperial guard. "Y-You are... The mighty sword god, Kyron!!!" (Lexus) ********************************* "Phew! The story is so fun! Where did you get these kinds of stories?" Asked Azaline with full curiosity. "Hohohoho, I''m good at picking up good stories, after all," Geeta proudly brag. "Well, I can''t deny that. A pirate that best friends with a king, huh... That''s rather unique... Their adventure makes me want to take an adventure too," said Azaline. "True... It''s fun to look at our kingdoms and the empire, but going out and look for some thrill might be fun~" (Geeta) *Knock* Knock* The sound of knocks could be heard from the outside of the royal chamber. "Your majesty, it''s time for the daily reports," said one of Azaline''s maids. "I''ll be right there in a moment. Geeta, would you like to help me? It''s too boring if I hear it alone," Asked Azaline. "Seriously... It''s about your own kingdom, you know...? But well, I''m too free, after all," (Geeta) "Said the one who let her prime minister do all of her work," said Azaline sarcastically. "Hey!! I''ve done my part quickly, okay? That''s why I could have this much free time!" (Geeta) "Fufufufu! I''m just joking, let''s go," (Azaline) They walk towards the Elvenheim kingdom''s royal throne, as the queen of the elf kingdom, it''s obvious that Azaline sits at the throne while Geeta sits at an honor guest''s sit. "Now that everyone had gathered, we''ll be starting the daily report of the kingdom," said Reindell as he holds a lot of report papers in his hands. "The first report is about the city''s walls'' barriers. The report stated that it had successfully been installed on every wall. The barriers are made to be as strong as the walls, so they would be able to withstand dozens of dragon''s charge or breath. With the help of the world tree, the wall also get the trait of self-recovery, so as long the damage inflicted towards the wall is less or the same as the recovery rate, the wall will never break," (Reindell) "That''s great! I really couldn''t stop get amazed by our researchers and technicians," Azaline said in awe. "Indeed, I''m shocked myself. They also installed magic cannons, magic catapults, and the magic giant crossbows at the royal capital''s walls. There is also a request to put some of them at the other cities walls, it will cost a little, but it won''t affect the kingdom''s funds that much, will you approve it?" asked Reindell. "Yes, I approve it," Azaline answered immediately. "Okay, I''ll send them the message soon. Next, it''s about the royal aerial guards that scouts the Elvenheim skies and some part of the Tarot empire. It''s said that there are more encounter with flying demons than before, it''s an official request of the imperial guards'' captain to send some men to investigate the matter, your majesty," (Reindell) "Send them, and tell them this might be a good opportunity to team up the imperial soldiers, knights, and guards to join into one party to train their teamwork and coordination in case of great emergencies," (Azaline) "Noted, next, it''s a letter from Duke Elv-" (Reindell) "Next," Azaline answered without hearing Reindell''s words into the end. "Good," said Reindell as he throws the letter and flicked his hands, and the letter suddenly got burnt into ashes. "That duke... Is that the guy that has been trying to court you at that time?" Asked Geeta. "Yeah... He''s been a great bother these days. It''s very annoying... Even though I''ve straightforwardly said that I have no interest in him... I even said that there is already someone in my heart but it seems that he still doesn''t give up to the point that it''s annoying," said Azaline as she sighs. "I see... Aren''t you popular, queen Azaline~" Teases Geeta. "Stop it. Aren''t you the same? I believe there are more men in your kingdom that try to court you," (Azaline) "Of course not, none of them brave enough to try," said Geeta with a shrug. "I-I see..." Azaline could only reply with a wry smile. "The next report is from our researchers'' post at the world tree, Yggdrasil. They''ve successfully made a better magic potion that could replenish both mana and heals any kind of sickness, negative statuses, and it could even heal a torn limbs. The precious resources it needs is only the water that squeezed from the world tree''s leaf, while the rest of the ingredients are from our usual elven potion," (Reindell) "That''s great! I would like to order some for my kingdom!" said Geeta. "Of course, I''ll give a discount for you," (Azaline) "It''ll be a great source of income for us when we''re allowed to make ties with other kingdoms outside the magical forest, your majesty. It will be better if we could make more special products that only exist inside our kingdom, it''ll help us improve our economy even more," (Reindell) "Indeed, we''re going to need to discuss it more with the others, I''ll keep that in mind, next," (Azaline) "The next is... T-This is!!!" Reindell suddenly shows a shocked expression as his hands trembled as he read the report. "W-What is it, Reindell?" (Azaline) "I-It said that the scouts have found your royal mother!!!" (Reindell) Chapter 154 - The Adventure of The Elf Queen and The Goblin Queen (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "I-It said that the scouts have found your royal mother!!!" (Reindell) "M-My mother!?" Both Azaline and Geeta stands up when they heard the unexpected news. "Yes, this is a report from our scouts that we''ve sent towards the eastern continent. They said here in the report that your mother was riding a huge owl when they spot her, but when they about to chase her, other huge owls attacked them, making them to lost track of your mother," (Reindell) "I-I see... The eastern continent, huh..." Azaline suddenly looks like she''s in deep thought. "Azaline, you better don''t do anything rash. Even if the Ren right now is only his clone, but if you do anything rash, you will still get scolded by his clones and get scolded again when he wakes up, you know?" Warned Geeta. "I know that... But... Sorry, Geeta. But it looks like I couldn''t help but do something rash, right now..." (Azaline) "Reindell, could you handle the kingdom affairs for one week without me?" Azaline suddenly asked an unexpected question. "M-My queen... First, I like to say that it won''t be a good thing to do something as reckless as that as we haven''t got a piece of solid information about the situation on the eastern continent. But since it will be impossible for me to stop you, let me ask you this, would you need the imperial knights to assist you?" Asked Reindell. "Thanks, Reindell. I''m glad to have a prime minister like you... But no, I alone would be enough," (Azaline) "But if something happened towards you, the emperor will have my head hanged, so it might be best if you bring at least two or three imperial knights with you, your majesty. Even if you''re far stronger than a normal man, there might still some enemies that could harm you," said Reindell strictly. "Ugh..." (Azaline) "It''s fine, I''ll keep her safe," Geeta intruded. "Y-You will!?" (Azaline) "Yeah... I can''t let my best friend die in an unknown land, after all. I''ll accompany you. Just, Reindell, please tell me men that I''m accompanying Azaline, okay?" said Geeta. *Sigh* "Fine, I''ll tell them. Remember to go there fully equipped. There will be only miserable end waiting for those who not prepared," Warn Reindel. "I know, we''ll prepare some things before departing," (Azaline) ****************************** "Seems like you have won the Potterland kingdom''s new young king trust completely, huh... As expected of the great emperor of the Tarot empire," said Aegir with a grin. "Shut up, he''s the most important piece for our next plans, after all. He and Peter will be they to widen our empire ties with the outer world. We''ll now be able to further improve our kingdoms'' economy by selling their products to the other kingdoms," (Slime Oz) "Well, that''s true. All we need to do is to wait for the other countries'' reactions. Then we''ll be able to determine which one ally and which one enemy," (Aegir) "True. But the flames of war haven''t ceased yet. We''ll be going to war again soon, which one of you want to send their army?" Asked Slime Oz. But the outcome is something that not unexpected for Slime Oz. *Sigh* "If every one of you raises your hands, it will only make me more confused... And Aegir, you''re not the king of the goblins, only Geeta could make the call so your voice won''t count," (Slime Oz) "Yeah, the goblin kingdom had taken the spotlight in the battle with the Potterland kingdom too. You need to share the opportunities, sir Aegir," Complained Talak. "Fine..." (Aegir) "Well, I believe that everyone will get their turns since there will still be lots of battles in the future. But the order of the turns is from those who joined the Tarot empire first. So it will be the orcs and the elves, any objections?" (Slime Oz) "Well, if you''ve said so, then we''ll patiently wait for our turns, your imperial majesty," said Firenze respectfully. "By the way, how is Gareth? Is he still handling the affairs of the undead world, Gravendath?" Asked Aegir. "Ah... Yeah, he''ll be back soon, I guess," (Slime Oz) ********************* "Y-You are... Gareth!!!" Sarathras''s surprised voice resonates loudly inside the huge castle. "Y-You bastard..." Growled Baal as he holds his chest that just got slashed by Gareth. "Are you fine, Sarathras?" Gareth''s deep voice sounded inside Sarathras''s head. "That voice! That''s definitely you, Gareth! Why did you come back!?" Asked Sarathras. "Lots of things happened, and I made up lots of strong friends. We''ll talk later, let''s teach these demons some lessons first," said Gareth as he slashes the chains that restrained Sarathras, releasing him from being shackled to the ground. "Gareth... Once again, I owe you... Even though I-" (Sarathras) "It''s fine, I know what you did and why you did it, brother. Sorry for showing up too late," (Gareth) "You dare to ignore his majesty-" One of Baal''s royal general about to dash towards Gareth and Sarathras, but- Slash! "Don''t intrude such an emotional reunion. You demons do need to learn one or two things about the manner," Malistrode suddenly appeared behind him and easily behead the general''s head. The great generals under Baal are not weak, it''s just showed how strong Malistrode is. The other generals stood in shock when they saw one of their fellow generals got killed so easily by the mummy [King]. "Tsk! He got careless!" (Baal) "Yup, you too, boy," Malistrode''s voice suddenly appears behind Baal. "Damn-" (Baal) "Now, now, now. It''ll be best if you stay quiet since it will only make you feel pain more if you talk too much," Malacoda''s sinister voice entered Baal''s ears. "I-I can''t move my body!? A curse!?" Shouted him in rage. "Yup. A huge wound inflicted by the undead, the wound filled with so much undead mana makes me can''t help but make a curse on it," said Malacoda as he shrugged. "My king!!" The generals immediately assemble towards Baal, protecting him from all sides. "Hmph! Fools! [Death Flames]!" Several grey flames appeared and dashed towards the approaching generals. But Baal''s demonic generals are not weak, they manage to block the spell, but some wounds seem to be unavoidable. "Not bad, not bad. But now that I hold captive your leader, what will you do?" Malacoda maliciously aims his staff towards Baal''s head as he asked the demonic generals. The demonic generals could only stand while trapped in dilemma in what they should do. "Hmph! What a fool, to challenge an undead in an undead world that is filled with an infinite amount of death mana is something that could be considered a very foolish thing to do! To think that you''re a high- Ugh!" Malacoda suddenly got thrown back by a great force that sends him flying backward. Boom!!!! A hell''s gate falls from the dark skies. Unlike before, the gate quickly opened, revealing four figures. "Baal, it seems like your plan this time had failed," said Marbas. "Indeed... How shameful..." Baal couldn''t help but mutter. "[Demonic Absolute Barrier]," A woman''s voice appeared, followed by a huge red sphere that enveloped the demons and the hell''s gate. "Samigina..." Baal called out towards the 4th ranked demon [Queen]. "We should retreat, for now, it looks like the undead world had obtained a great military power on their side... Let''s enter the-" (Samigina) Boom! Gareth slashes the [Demonic Absolute Barrier] with his greatsword. "No matter how much you tried, you won''t be able to destroy it, undead. It''s called the absolute barrier not for noth-" (Samigina) Boom! Boom! Gareth pays no heed to Samigina''s words and keeps slashing as death mana gathered around him as if giving him their support. Before suddenly- Crack! "I-Impossible!!!" Samigina said in shock. Gareth didn''t waste any time and immediately dashed towards Baal and co, but- Clank! His greatsword got blocked by an invisible barrier. "Hm? I see... It''s a combined barrier, huh?" (Gareth) "Indeed. You''re truly strong, undead. Just wait, I will definitely make all of you pay for injuring me!" said Baal before he completely disappeared with the other Demon [King]s. "I guess that''s the end of the job, huh..." (Malistrode) "I won''t forgive them... For them to dare to injure me like this... I''ll definitely make them pay if I meet them again..." Malacoda said as he seems to hold a grudge because having sent flying by the hell''s gate seem to hurt his pride. "Malacoda... Well, you can do whatever you want if we meet them again, let''s go back and report to his imperial majesty first," (Malistrode) Chapter 155 - The Adventure of The Elf Queen and The Goblin Queen (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Are you ready, Geeta?" Asked Azaline. "Anytime~" Geeta answered cheerfully. Both of them had used their best gear and the necessary supplies they need for their journey. The journey towards the Eastaria continent won''t be easy since there is only a little information about the continent. The ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order hasn''t finished making the layout map of the continent either. It is said that the eastaria continent is vicious while not as vicious as the magical forest of Everdeen back then. As the elves got rewarded the bird king and the birds serving him as familiars they may make a contract of just like the goblins and the direwolves, as the queen of the elves, Azaliine make a contract with the sky king directly. "Where do you want to go, young Azaline?" Asked the bird king. "I want to go to the eastaria continent, could you bring me there, Corvus?" Azaline asked the Sky King. "The eastaria continent, huh... That''s a rather dangerous place you want to go. What are going to do at the eastaria continent?" Asked the Sky King. "I''m going to find my mother," (Azaline) "I see... Then it seems that I have no choice but to help you go there. I''ll make sure you could go there and go back here safely," said Corvus the sky king. Corvus is a name given by Azaline to the Sky King since he has no name. She was about to give him a cute name, but since it wouldn''t be funny if a great and mighty Sky King like him got called "Sunny" or "Sally", he gave him the name "Corvus" instead. "Let''s go, Geeta," (Azaline) "Corvus. Could my Altira ride on you too?" Asked Geeta as she points to her huge direwolf. Just like Aegir''s, Geeta''s direwolf, Altira is three meters tall and five meters long. Even if the sky king''s body is gigantic which is about 10 meters tall and 12 meters long, having Altira ride above him will make his stamina drop greatly as Altira is obviously very heavy. "Don''t tease me, young goblin. I know that he possesses the ability to transform into a smaller form. Most of the high-ranked magic beasts possess the ability to at least transform into a smaller form," Said Corvus the sky king. "Hehe~ You got me there, come on, Altira," (Geeta) *Poof* The direwolf transformed into a grey small puppy and jumped to Geeta''s head. "as usual, I''ll be counting on you, Reindell," (Azaline) "Yes, you can count on me. May you have a safe journey, your majesty. Remember to retreat in case if it''s too dangerous, and request help if you''re in a pinch. I''ll fly my way towards your direction if you gave the signal," said Reindell. The signal Reindell mean is elven alarm magic that had been used by noble elves since the old ages. Every royalty has a pendant that if they pour their mana into the pendant, the pendant will make the alarm inside the royal palace rings and send the coordinate of the royal that in danger through the pendant. "I will, Reindell. Thanks..." Thanked Azaline as she could help but feel emotional as he saw the figure that had become her fatherly figure. "Now, let''s go, Corvus," (Azaline) Corvus the sky king slowly flew towards the sky before completely disappeared through the clouds. Looking at the Tarot empire from above, Azaline and Geeta felt a strange feeling inside their hearts. "Why does it felt so sad even though it''s not like we''re going away from here for eternity and not going back?" Asked Geeta. "I feel the same thing too... It looks like we''ve got very attached to this place now..." Answered Azaline. "True..." (Geeta) Both of them look at the citizens, their smiles, the laughter between the guards and soldiers that happily do their job together, the young elves that cheerfully run and play all over the place, it is truly a peaceful and heartwarming sight. "It''s truly a wonderful place... No wonder we got so attached to it... I wouldn''t get enough of this sight..." (Geeta) "Yeah... Such peace..." (Azaline) "This place used to be filled with terror... Each day filled is with the feeling of unease and fear... It won''t be strange that the battle of life and death happened if my tribe meet your tribe before there is Ren. The concept of peacefully coexisting with the others have never existed inside our minds back then," (Geeta) "True... Even two different tribes or villages could battle against each other in order to rule or loot each other," (Azaline) "Well, this place got called the magical forest, not for nothing. This place is huge and filled with lots of valuable resources. The trees, the magic beasts, the stones, and even the ground are magical and unique. And the west, the east, the south, and the north have different traits, it''s not strange that every race want to reign supreme and take control of everything," (Geeta) "Indeed... to be able to unite all of the races to peacefully coexist and even make such a great and powerful empire in such a short time, Ren is truly something out of the world," (Azaline) "True. He is even more magical than the magical forest of Everdeen!" (Geeta) "Well, I can''t deny that. Even we, the beasts, respect the great emperor. Normal sovereigns would have us beasts became food, slaves, or treat us even worst. Even though we''ve attacked the empire once before, the emperor is still generous enough to treat us beasts with respect, it''s a great reason enough to make all of us beasts ready to give our lives for him," Corvus the Sky King suddenly intruded the conversation. "True..." (Azaline) Azaline and Geeta couldn''t help but once again remember the figure that the both of them respect, admire, and are attracted to as their heart couldn''t help but once again remember the longing that they''ve been trying to forget. They continued their conversation until they finally exit the magical forest of Everdeen. Before long, the Grandaria kingdom started to be seen from afar. "I''ll be increasing my speed, hold on," (Corvus, the sky king) ************************************ Inside the huge palace of Gravendath, all powerful undead are currently gathering inside the throne room. "So they managed to flee, huh..." Lich Oz''s voice resonated inside the throne room. "I''m ashamed, even though I''m right there, I let them flee, your imperial majesty," Apologized Gareth. "It''s fine, Gareth. It''s not your fault, if it''s only the three of you that fight with them seriously until one side of you completely dies, it will give us unwanted casualties. You could say that the outcome is within my expectation," (Lich Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty," (Gareth) "Let me apologize too, your imperial majesty. I got too carried away and failed to land the finishing blow because of my arrogance," Malacoda unexpectedly apologized towards the Lich Oz. "Indeed... You may take what happened as a lesson, Malacoda. But you''ve become a great support for Gareth, good job," (Lich Oz) "It''s my honor to help you, your imperial majesty," (Malacoda) "Now, you. Undead dragon, Sarathras. First of all, let me congratulate you for escaping death from the demons'' hands, it''ll be a great shame to have a powerful undead dragon like you that have a noble heart to die by the hands of the demons," (Lich Oz) "I''ll pass the pleasantries and will ask you straightforwardly, will you serve and obey me, undead dragon, Sarathras?" Asked Lich Oz. Of a sudden, the temperature inside the huge castle got extremely dropped. None of the sides have even unleashed their mana and murderous intent, but the temperature had got extremely dropped by the intense atmosphere alone. "I don''t know how you made Gareth served you as I haven''t asked him yet, and neither had he told me. But I don''t like the fact that he''s serving a mere lich like you," (Sarathras) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not just the other undead Kings, even Gareth unleashed his murderous intent in response to Sarathras''s rude words against Lich Oz. "Dragon bones, aren''t you getting too c.o.c.ky just because most of the undead soldiers are afraid of you?" said Malistrode sinisterly. "Another word and I''ll kill you, you know?" (Ursula) "Don''t act tough like that even though you just got saved by us, young bone," Malacoda said as he''s obviously triggered by Sarathras''s words. Everyone unleashed their murderous intent and is ready to slay the undead dragon if he says another rude thing about their emperor. Even the undead imperial guards that are not as strong as the Undead [King]s ready their weapon in response to Sarathras''s words. "I won''t tolerate any rudeness towards my master, Sarathras. If you dare-" (Gareth) "Drop it all of you," Lich Oz''s command made all of them stop releasing their murderous intent immediately. "Now. Let''s spar, undead dragon, Sarathras. It seems that I would only able to win your favor if I defeat you in a fight. Now, come, I''ll make you kneel in no time," (Lich Oz) Chapter 156 - The New King of Gravendath [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "W-What kind of strength is that...?" asked Sarathras as he''s lying flat on his belly on the ground. Lots of his bones got broken while his opponent, Slime Oz, stood without any injury that could be seen on his body. "That flying skulls... Are they your skills...?" Sarathras asked weakly. "Indeed... I thought I could absorb a summoning skill or something similar, but it turns out that these floating skulls became the ones that appeared instead," said Lich Oz. There are five skulls floating around Lich Oz, one with an element of death, one with an element of toxic, one with the demonic element, one with the fire element, and one with the ice element. "But it looks like they''ve become rather overpowered..." (Lich Oz) Each skull possesses a half amount of Lich Oz''s mana and is capable to unleash lots of forbidden magics independently. Lich Oz could command them to battle together and became a small army where the death element skull and the demonic element skull continuously summoned undead and demons, while the other skulls continuously chant powerful magic towards the enemy. There are also five black grimoires floating around Lich Oz, the grimoires are filled with the list of magics that Lich Oz could use without the need of chanting. The battle between the undead dragon, Sarathras, and the Lich sovereign, Lich Oz are magnificent and intense. They''re fighting inside the barrier made by the combination of the other undead [King]s barriers as their fight will cause great destruction without their barriers. The undead [King]s watched closely the way their master fought. And how he planned the battle to proceed according to his will since the start of the battle. "But well, are you satisfied yet, undead dragon, Sarathras?" Asked Lich Oz. "Indeed... Your power is genuine... And unlike Baal, I didn''t sense any disgusting malicious intent from you either. And since Gareth and the other undead seems to trust you deeply too, then so be it, I''ll trust you too," (Sarahtras) "Then are you willing to serve under my wings, undead dragon [King], Sarathras," Asked Lich Oz. ".....I do... I, Sarathras, hereby swear my allegiance towards you, your majesty," Sarathras swore his allegiance as he kneeled before Lich Oz. "Good..." (Lich Oz) Suddenly, the voice of the prompt that has been long gone appeared once more inside Lich Oz''s head. [The undead dragon [King], the former [Ruler of The Undead World, Gravendath] , Sarathras, had sworn his allegiance towards Ren Arken [Lich] [King] ] [The title of the [Ruler of The Undead World, Gravendath] will be now passed towards the master of the undead dragon [King], Sarathras] [Will you accept it? (Yes/No)] Lich Oz paused for a moment before finally answering. "I''ll pass the title to my dear comrade and the one that should have been possessed the title since the beginning, Gareth Gravendath," (Lich Oz) "M-Master..." (Gareth) [The title [Ruler of The Undead World, Gravendath] will be now passed towards the new ruler, the rightful ruler of the undead world, the descendants of the old undead gods, Gareth Gravendath] [The undead world''s acceptance towards the new king is 100%. A bonus will be given towards the new king, nobles, soldiers, and their master] Suddenly, a dense amount of death mana surrounds Gareth, Lich Oz, Sarathras, and the rest of the undead [King]s, making a huge black tornado. The great amount of mana entered their body at a great speed, but the sensation felt good as if they''re drinking a mana potion. They could feel their power is increasing at an intense speed, as if the infinite amount of Gravendath''s death mana is now entering their body, increasing their mana capacity, density, and power at an insane speed. "Whoa! Whoa! This is my first time experiencing a thing like this!!! Magnificent!!! Truly magnificent!!!" Malacoda''s joyous shout could be heard by the others. After several minutes, the black tornado finally fades, revealing Gareth, Sarathras, Lich Oz, and the rest of the undead [King]s. All of them had just obtained new skills and some changes on their undead form. Gareth''s bone became thicker, stronger, and darker. Malacoda''s hair got even longer while his left hand suddenly holds a huge black bone staff. Ursula''s strong body got even stronger and harder. Everyone got a boost on their strength and some new body skills and some even got a weapon. Even Sarathras that was completely beaten up because of the fight with Lich Oz got completely recovered and became even stronger. His bones became black-reddish colored and his size got even bigger. But for Lich Oz, there is nothing changed in his appearance. It''s just that his floating skulls got even bigger in size and are unleashing even more death mana than before. (Don''t tell me they absorbed all of the death mana that should be absorbed by me...) (Lich Oz) "That''s rather unexpected. Being the ruler of the undead world sure not something that simple..." (Lich Oz) "Nothing like this happened when I became the ruler, though," said Sarathras. "Really? Strange... I wonder why...?" (Lich Oz) But just when Lich Oz about to go into deep thinking, another prompt appeared. [The undead world, Gravendath had now under the rule of the emperor of the Tarot [Empire] [Dungeon] ] [The undead world, Gravendath will now be recognized as a part of the Tarot [Empire] [Dungeon] ] [Growing an additional World tree, Yggdrasil [Death] ] Suddenly, the huge sounds of the earth crumbles and cracks sounded all over the world. Whoosh!!! A huge black tree appeared in the middle of the Central Continent of Gravendath. The black tree continues to rise to the skies until even its branches couldn''t be seen from the surface because of the black clouds. The black world tree is as huge as the world tree that grows at the Tarot empire at the human world, Terra. All of the undead got their mouth wide agape when they saw the black world tree. Even Lich Oz got surprised by the unexpected outcome. "I-It''s growing..." Ursula''s voice finally broke the silence. Following Ursula''s gaze towards the small black tree in front of the huge palace that suddenly grew about 10 meters above, they could see that various black plants suddenly grew in the undead world. There are very few plants that could live at the death lands of the undead world, Gravendath. Most of them could only have branches without having any leaves, let alone fruits. The black plants continue to grow one by one, filling the deadlands of the undead world, Gravendah with black plants and trees. As if the world knew that those who served Lich Oz had obtained the ability to taste food, it now let the world be filled with trees and plants that would give them fruits to eat. Even if the undead does not need to eat, they''ve always been curious about taste as they didn''t have any tongue. And even if some have, they don''t have the taste buds to taste. "Magnificent..." Lich Oz silently rejoiced as he saw the sight before him. "Hm?" When Lich Oz shifted his sight towards the undead [King]s that strangely got so silent suddenly, they saw all of them are kneeling towards him. "We are all indebted to you, your majesty. No, the undead world is indebted to you, your majesty. We are very thankful to you for bringing life towards our death world. Please accept our gratitude... We''ll obey all of your orders and continue to loyally serve you for eternity..." said Malistrode. "I don''t even do anything, though. Well, if that how you feel then I''ll gladly accept it even though I didn''t do anything and didn''t plan any of this. But with this, there will be much more things that we need to do. We need to dispatch our men to research and classify the plants, they will be a great resource for us," (Lich Oz) "As your command, your majesty," (Undead Kings) "Gareth, you''ll be governing this world too from this moment. I''ll be helping you from here for a while, but you''ll be handling most of the works from now on," (Lich Oz) "Undead kings and queen, it might be not a joyous announcement for all of you. But from now, you''ll all become great dukes and great duchess, all of you are no longer kings and queens in the title since the title of the undead king of Gravendath will be taken by Gareth only. Your territory and authority will remain the same, or even increase, it will be only your title that change, is there any objections?" Asked Lich Oz. "Then what are you, my lord?" Asked Malistrode. "I''m the emperor of the Tarot empire that existed in the human''s world, Terra. It might be late, but my real name is Ren Arken. All of you will in the direct commands of Gareth, I wish all of you could get along well," (Lich Oz) Chapter 157 - The Adventure Of The Elf Queen And The Goblin Queen (4) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Whoa~ Eating snacks above the clouds sure gives a special sensation, huh~," said Geeta as she eats snacks while enjoying the winds. "Geeta... Just how many snacks did you bring here...?" Azaline asked with a wry smile. "Lots~ It''ll be a long trip, after all~," said Geeta as she continues to eat. "Well, that''s true, though..." After looking at Geeta for a while, Azaline''s stomach seems to be reacting too as Geeta''s face looks so happy to the point that she''s melting. Approaching Geeta, Azaline steals some of Geeta''s snacks. "H-Hey! My snacks!" Geeta reacted towards her stolen snacks. "Give me some, you brought a lot of snacks enough to eat snacks for three whole days, after all," (Azaline) "Well, that''s not wrong," said Geeta as she takes other snacks out. What they''re eating are snacks made inside the Tarot empire, with Oz''s knowledge of the previous world, he gives the recipes and ideas of snacks and foods to those who run a food business to try making it. And that''s the origin of the potato ch.i.p.s, french fries, chocolate balls, and other earth''s foods appearance in this Terra, world of humans and demihumans. The reason why Geeta could bring that many snacks is that both of them are using a spatial backpack that only kings, nobles, and higher-ups of the Tarot empire could possess since the production is still limited. After dismantling and studying the hell''s gate, Gurolf and Thydal are working at making spatial tools, like teleportation gates and spatial pockets and backpacks. "I wonder if they could make a time machine in the future~" (Geeta) "T-That would be difficult..." (Azaline) "I think so too~ But well, It''s had been just around five hours after we left the empire, but why did I miss it, already?" (Geeta) "True... It''s fine, Geeta. I feel the same thing," (Azaline) "The eastaria continent..." Geeta muttered as she stares towards the distance. "The eastaria is the only continent that has no humans lived there, only demihumans and magic beasts are allowed to live there," The Sky King suddenly said. "Allowed? By who?" asked Geeta. "By the guardians of the eastaria continent," (Sky King) "The guardians?" (Azaline) "Yes, the guardians of the Galmo''ore," (Sky King) "Who are they?" Asked Geeta. "They are the majestic Owlfolks. They''re demihumans that could transform from a human-like form into a huge and majestic owl form. They''re formidable as both warriors and magicians," (Sky King) "Are they that strong?" Asked Azaline. "Yes, young Azaline. You better don''t underestimate them. I lost all of my comrades on my journey to the east, after experiencing such a defeat, I flee towards the west, and decided to settle inside the magical forest of Everdeen that filled with dense natural magic, magic beasts, and magical fruits and resources that could help me gain more strength," (Sky King) "But even with my current strength as one of the beast kings and even after getting empowered by the emperor''s blessings, I couldn''t help but still shivers whenever I remember the Owlfolks of the eastaria continent," The Sky King''s eyes gone sharp as he mentions the Owlfolks once more. "Why?" (Azaline) "This is a personal choice of mine, young queens. If we meet any of the Galmo''ore guardians, we''ll immediately flee back towards the empire in high speed, is that clear?" Asked the Sky King grimly. "Y-Yes... But can you at least tell us why?" (Azaline) "The fact that they are huge owls might not scare you, but when you saw them fight above the air, you''ll then see and realize the real terror of having an aerial battle with the Owlfolks..." (Sky King) "That strong...?" (Geeta) "Yes, little queens. I almost died in their hands, after all. They''ve defeated me in not even a minute. I''ve seen myself how the guardians of Galmo''ore flew towards an army of thousands of other bird magic beast clans with only a dozen elite fighters in their ranks, and end up victorious!" (Sky King) "If it''s just facing their armies with two or three of their guardians, I''m still confident with my chance of winning. But if there are more than three guardians, or facing the king of the Galmo''ore kingdom, it will be the best and wisest choice to flee with all we have, little queens," Said the Sky King firmly. "I-I see... To think that there are such beings that could make you as wary as this..." (Azaline) "Oh, you don''t understand the terror of their claws, young elf. It''s far more traumatizing than looking at the demons. Why did you think that there are no humans that could make even a kingdom there? It''s because none of them could survive and make it back! And the one who is in charge of eradicating human intruders is the hero of gold, Leoz Thunderbeak!" (Sky King) "There is no one who could flee from his grasp, except me! I am the only one in history who managed to flee from getting killed by him! I still remember the horror of being chased by him, but luckily I came from the clan that specializes in speed! I still remember that day, Hohohoho! Thinking of it makes my blood boils!" The Sky King started to laugh as his eyes gone sharper as he''s emitting a faint murderous intent. "Y-You''re warning us to flee, but why does it seem that you''re eager to fight them once again?" Asked Geeta. "Well, I lost from them in the past when I was still very weak, young goblin. My strength is not even 2% of my current strength. All I could do back then was to flee as a single soldier of their army would have easily killed me back then," (Sky King) "But if I let my desire for battle take over, it will endanger the lives of the both of you. As I am Azaline''s guardian, I need to protect her with my life. And to add that the both of you are the empresses candidate, I won''t be able to face his imperial majesty if I let the both of you die," (Sky King) "So remember, young queens. If in one in the million cases four guardians of Galmo''ore intercepted us, and if the situation is impossible for us to flee together, then the both of you need to try to flee yourselves while I stall for time, is that clear?" The Sky King''s warning is loud and clear inside the elf queen''s and the goblin queen''s ears. They could imagine how strong and fearsome the guardians of the Owlfolks are just by hearing the Sky King''s tone. "Understood," (Azaline and Geeta) "Anyways, hold on, I''m going to speed up even more," (Sy King) *************************** "Are you sure that young Potterland king is trustworthy?" The voice of the old man Kyron that seems to have regained most of his vigor appeared. "I do, he has good eyes. What? Are you having some trust issues with the Potterland kingdom because of the war?" Asked Slime Oz. "Hm... Maybe so," answered the old man Kyron as he shrugged. "How is his expression when he first arrived?" (The old man Kyron) "Just like your expression back then, old man. Whoa~ You seem to have a great time being here, huh," Commented Slime Oz as he saw the magnitude, density, and amount of mana emitted by the old man Kyron. His face is showing far more confidence than he used to have, Slime Oz immediately realized how strong the old man Kyron is. "HAHAHAHA! I thought that my strength had reached the peak! But it turns out that I got lots of insights from watching the imperial soldiers'' fight and get a huge boost just by eating the foods here! I think I could fight an army single-handedly right now," The old man Kyron said cheerfully. "Y-You battle maniac old bone..." Slime Oz could only make a wry smile as he heard the old man Kyron''s words. (But seriously... He might even as strong as the kings of the empire now... This old guy surely is a monster...) (Slime Oz) "Don''t even think about it, Ren. That old guy had even defeated this big guy over here~" said Ibra as he tapped at Fedra''s shoulder. "Y-You... You don''t have the right to say that! Didn''t you lost far sooner than me!?" Fedra exploded as he mentioned that Ibra too had lost against the old man Kyron. "W-Wha- You defeated Ibra and Fedra?" (Slime Oz) "Well, having a new power makes me want to test it, after all. Your friends surely are strong like monsters, young lad..." (The Old Man Kyron) (N-No no no no no, seriously, aren''t you the real monster here...?) (Slime Oz) Chapter 158 - The Holy Empires Hero Party (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Hero Lian, we''ve arrived," said one of the knights. "The great Grandaria Kingdom, huh..." Muttered the blonde young man that was called by the people as the Hero Lian. "Hero Lian, let''s go, we need to go meet the kingdom the Grandaria kingdom," Said a girl clad in a priestess attire. "Roger that, lady saintess," (Hero Lian) ************************* "The hero is going to visit us?" Peter asked the supreme general that had just informed about it too. "Yes, your majesty. But it''s still a wonder what purpose they have on coming here, we should try to disclose all important information, especially about the Tarot empire," said the supreme general with a grim expression. "Indeed... The hero, huh..." (Peter) Despite Peter, Sera, Albus, Alfred, and Edreale are also called the heroes of the Grandaria kingdom and officially declared by the churches themselves, these heroes that the supreme general mentioned are the heroes that came from the holy empire, the center of all churches around the world. "What about their knights? Should we hide them in our barracks or inside the royal palace?" Asked Peter as he realized how grim the situation might be. "It might be the best to hide them inside the barracks since the hero will need to be recognized as a royal guest and might stay at the capital for several days, your majesty," (Supreme General) Their concern is obvious and normal. There are no countries that are more hostile towards the demihumans other than the holy empire. Their strong belief in human supremacy ran deep inside their blood and their brain to the point that the knights are permitted to slay any demihumans and magic beasts they encounter. Anf if the holy empire''s men meet the knights of the Tarot empire... The flame of wars will once again rage on. "Then lead them towards the-" (Peter) "Your majesty, the heroes of the Holy Empire had arrived," The voice of the messenger sounded beneath the royal palace''s throne room''s door. "It''s fine, I''ve told my men, beforehand," (Supreme General) "I see... As expected of the supreme general of the kingdom, but supreme general..." Peter deliver his message and question with his eyes.. "Well, indeed. If that truly happens, we''ll fight with all of our might. It might be a good chance to show the Tarot empire where our true loyalties lie at, after all," (Supreme General) "Good," Peter muttered as he let out a sigh out of relief. "Let them in!" (Peter) The royal guards opened the royal palace''s throne room''s door slowly, revealing 7 figures beneath it. All of them are clad in expensive equipment. Peter and the supreme general could feel the strength from all of them. (The blonde young man is the strongest one, huh...) (Supreme General) The supreme general''s eyes immediately set on the blonde young man, Hero Lian. (I see... The party of heroes, huh?) (Peter) Peter''s eyes went sharp as he observes and sizes up the heroes before him. His demeanor and aura had completely become that of a formidable and fearless king. Learning from Slime Tarot, he had taken some example of becoming a good ruler and leader. And one of the biggest rules, especially when one is a sovereign of a country. Is that you must not be underestimated. As the party of the heroes arrived at the center of the throne room, they kneeled to show respect towards the king of the kingdom, except for one man. He''s wearing a holy knight''s armor. (He must be a member of the Holy Empire''s holy knight, huh...) (Peter) "This is a rather great palace! It might be good enough for me to live in!" He arrogantly announced as he observes the throne room. The royal guards immediately draw their weapons as they heard the man''s words. But as the royal guards, they wait for the king''s or the supreme general''s orders despite greatly angered. "What? Are you trying to defy the holy empire-" !!!!!!!???? Before the man finished his words, a tremendous amount of murderous intent appeared together with the heavy words of the Grandarian king. "Sheathe your weapons, men," Peter''s command immediately heeded by the royal guards as they immediately return to their original positions. "W-W-What is- Isn''t Grandaria kingdom had become a weak kingdom...?" The man muttered the words towards himself, but it''s obvious that everyone inside the royal palace heard his words. "Shame. It seems like the Holy Empire''s intelligence is not as great as I heard it is. As it is obvious that it won''t be impossible for us to defeat the Potterland kingdom that had joined hands with the demons in less than two weeks if we''re truly weak, seems like I don''t need to be that wary of the Holy Empire, after all," Provoked Peter. He had gotten even bolder after looking at Slime Tarot''s way of action as the Tarot empire''s representative. "Y-You..." The holy knight of the Holy Empire wants to draw his sword, but he''s trembling too much as it takes all of his focus to just remain standing because of the tremendous amount of murderous intent unleashed by Peter. "Sir Ibran," The blonde young hero suddenly cut in without even shifting his gaze towards the holy knight called Ibran. "H-Hero Lian..." (Ibran) "Just to inform you. I won''t save you if they decided to kill you here," Without any murderous intent leaking from him, the one called Hero Lian warned Ibran the holy knight. But that words are more than enough to destroy Ibran''s pride as he followed the others and kneeled. (Hm... Good one) (Peter) Peter draws back his murderous intent. "Please apologize for my comrade''s misbehavior. It is truly an unbefitting behavior to show towards the ruler of a friendly nation. We will punish him as harshly as we could later, your majesty," The tone and the words chosen by the Hero Lian felt like they came out from the mouth of an experienced high noble or a king. The charisma and aura emitted a pressure befitting a ruler. "I''m thankful for your help. If you didn''t cut in back then, my men would have beheaded him. You have my thanks," Thanked Peter. "I''m thankful for your mercy, your majesty. It might be too late already, but please let us introduce ourselves. As embarrassing as the name may be, but we''re called the party of heroes of the Holy Empire. I am Lian Extalen, the one chosen as the leader of the party, it''s such an honor to meet a heroic king such as you, your majesty," (Hero Lian) "I see... It''s such an honor to meet you too, Hero Lian," (Peter) At that moment, something clashed between Peter and Hero Lian. It''s not their murderous intent, not their mana aura, not their words, but only their eyes. Right at the moment, their eyes met, it''s as if they''re standing at a battlefield with their swords unsheathed. Not only staring at each other, but their swords clashed against each other to the point that they could feel the heaviness of each other''s blow. Both of them are sword god-ranked warriors, one is a hero while one is a king. Their battle is intense but both of them are still holding back. With each other''s lives at stake, they continue to battle while holding back to make sure their opponent couldn''t gauge their real strength before they finally ended up in a stalemate with each sword pressed against each other''s neck. "You seem to be an interesting man. Entertain me, young hero," (Peter) ************************************* "The party of heroes of the Holy empire!? Why did you just notify me now!? You should''ve told me before they arrived!" Sera''s angry voice sounded inside her royal chamber. "Wait a moment, Sera. Calm down, girl," Alfred''s voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Sera shifted her gaze, and Alfred, Sen, Edreale, and Albus suddenly already arrived inside her room. (Having sword god and magic god ranked friends is sure troubling... It''s impressive that they could just appear out of nowhere without getting noticed by the guards and the maids, but it didn''t mean you can just appear inside my room!!!) (Sera) "We''ve heard the news too, seems like the hero party of the Holy Empire visited the royal palace," (Albus) "How about the Tarot empire''s knights?" Asked Sera as she''s aware of how hostile the Holy Empire is towards demihumans. "It seems that the supreme general had instructed some of the soldiers to notify them and invited them to a spar with the soldiers inside the barrack, they won''t find them easily there," said Alfred as he shrugged. "I see... Then it''s good... Seriously, the party of heroes at this finally peaceful times...? Just what kind of trouble is heading this way, this time?" (Sera) Chapter 159 - The Druid And The Owlfolks (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ ---2 Months Before The War With The Potterland Kingdom--- At the Eastern continent, a man clad in a black-green robe walked in the endless forest. With a face full of joy because of the dense mana of nature surrounding him, he continues to stroll around without any specific direction. "This place sure is only filled with forest, huh... Not bad~" Praised the man. The man is one of Oz''s clones, the druid. All of Oz''s clones have their own job with Slime Oz as the center replacing the original Oz. But since each clone is connected by Oz, his deep slumber made the connection between each clone got disconnected. But that doesn''t bother them since they could contact each other through magic, and it''s still easier to locate each other since they share the same soul, to begin with. Holding a wooden staff in his right hand, Druid Oz climbed a tree and take a bite of its fruit. The fruit is similar to apple in taste, but it''s a little bit sourer and harder to bite. "Hm~ But unlike the magical forest, the fruits here are just normal fruits, huh~" (Druid Oz) While he''s busy finishing the fruit he''s eating, trouble suddenly appears as if chasing over him. "Which kingdom did you come from!? Answer me!" A young girl''s voice suddenly appears from above together with the sound of swords colliding. *Clank!* *Clank!* "Answer me!" The young girl''s voice once again sounded. Since her voice seems to be in danger, Druid Oz jumped to look at the situation, only to get his eyebrows furrowed. "Owls?" Druid Oz couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise when he saw four huge owls fighting above the sky. But one strange thing is that the claws of the owls are using some kind of blades that could fit into their legs. The blades are well-made and are sharp. Despite using their legs, they skillfully use the blades and fought intensely. "You imbeciles! Answer me!" The voice of a young girl once again sounded, and Druid Oz finally realizes that the voice came from the cornered huge owl. "T-This is..." Druid Oz realized that there are unfamiliar mana emitted from the three huge owls that are attacking the huge owl girl. (Demonic mana!) (Druid Oz) As time goes on, the huge girl owl got even more cornered and she got more blows landed on her body from the three huge owls attacking him. (They''re demonized, she''s in trouble) (Druid Oz) "Run over here!" Druid Oz''s voice sounded, and the keen hearing of the huge owls definitely hear his voice. Hearing that voice, as the girl owl is at a pinch, she couldn''t help but take that last stroke of hope as she dashes as quick as she could towards the source of the voice despite she''s totally unfamiliar with the voice. "Wise choice, little girl. Let me handle the rest," Druid Oz ready his staff as the girl owl dash towards him. Tap! Right when the girl owl about to enter the forest from above, Druid Oz tapped his staff towards the ground while spreading his mana towards the surrounding trees. "Capture them," Druid Oz silently whispered towards the winds. With that sole command, the forest heed Druid Oz''s command and went to action. The huge trees moved and attacked the three huge demonized owls with their branches, and entangle them. The sudden attack and ambush from the surrounding trees caught them off-guarded. Causing them to get caught by the huge trees, but as they''re demonized and have their strength greatly boosted, they''re still struggling to get released by the branches entangling them. "Oops! Not that fast, [Sleeping Toxic]" Druid Oz released purple mist from the tip of his staff. The demonized owls that inhale the mist immediately get into a deep slumber. But there is a reason why it''s called sleeping toxic. It''s called sleeping toxic because those who didn''t wake up by the toxic in 2 minutes, will continue their sleep into an eternal slumber. "That should do," Druid Oz tapped his staff once again towards the ground, and the trees finally withdraw their branches, their branches got replaced by their roots that suddenly took the three huge owl bodies, while three trees took each one huge owl, burying them and entangling them inside the ground with their roots. The huge owls will become their new source of nutrition even if they wake up. (Hm~ Transforming into them might be useful in the future. Their body is strong and powerful, it might be even better than transforming into a griffin) (Druid Oz) "Now, where is the little owl I just saved?" Druid Oz shifted his gaze and search for the dashing owl that passed him just now. He searches for a while, but the one he found is rather unexpected. "I-It transformed...?" (Druid Oz) The owl had transformed into a little girl that should be around 10 years old in age. She has beautiful white hair while her ears are definitely an owl''s ears. (She''s greatly injured...) (Druid Oz) "Just what kind of mischief did you do to the point that those huge demonized owls injure you this much, little owl?" Muttered Druid Oz as he points his staff towards the little girl''s head. "How disheartening to see a little kid as you got wounded like this..." Druid Oz stared at the little girl as green particles appeared from the ground, and slowly gather at the little girl''s wounds, healing them at a high speed. "Heal her, dear forest. And may one day she became the one who will heal thee," *************************** Her name is Charnia Galhala. She is the second daughter of the great king and queen of the Galhala kingdom. Raised as a noble Owlfolk, Charnia grow as a beautiful and gracious kid. But as beautiful and kindhearted as she is, her parents had a lot of enemies, resulting in lots of people pursuing her life too. She usually got tightly guarded by her sister and three of her personal guards appointed by her father. Her royal sister is her target and her inspiration. She admires her greatly, and she vowed to herself that she will become like her sister when she''s become an a.d.u.l.t. Just like her sister, she learned every common knowledge the royalties need to know, she learned manners, she learned how to fight, and she learned how to use magic. But as she''s still a kid, there''s a limitation of how she could train and what she may learn. There are fighting techniques and magic spells that are still too dangerous for her to learn as she might not use them wisely or still couldn''t use them safely. But those limitations didn''t prevent her to continue learning. She''s brave and has a little rebel personality. She silently watched the fighting techniques used by the soldiers of the kingdom, and silently steal books of advanced magic for her to learn. When she thinks it''s safe, she sneaked out of the palace and tries to practice the fighting techniques and the magic spells from the books she stole. She''s overjoyed when she successfully uses the fighting techniques the soldiers'' used, but when she about to start to practice the magic spells from the books she stole, three unknown figures appeared behind her. But she''s not weak, she decided that if she can''t flee, then they might just serve as her target to train the things she just learned. But as just how always be, the three Owlfolks before her are not the same as those Owlfolks that had attempted to assassinate her before. They''re stronger, faster, and more ruthless. The young owl soon realizes that she couldn''t win, so she dashed as fast as he could, running from the three demonized Owlfolks that are chasing her. But she''s still exhausted because of the training she just had. She could feel her wings felt numb and her sight start to feel hazy. She shouted and asked who are they, hoping that they will respond and stall some time. But it turns out to be vain. They continue to attack and she desperately blocks their strikes as tears started to drop from the corner of her eyes. Every strike landed on her body are hurt, at that moment, she finally realizes something. This is what a real battle is. But just when she about to surrender her life, a voice containing the last hope of his life appears out of nowhere. "Over here!" Despite she didn''t know who the owner of the voice is, she dashes in the direction of the voice as fast as she could. But her wings failed her and she fell before she could even flee and went back towards her kingdom. And there, the little owl lost her consciousness. "Heal her dear forest, and may one day she became the one who will heal thee," Chapter 160 - The Druid And The Owlfolks (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ !!!!!!!!! Charnia opened her eyes in shock, the memories of her getting attacked and pursued by the three demonized Owlfolks rushed into her head, making her heart rate increase at a high speed. Tap! She could suddenly feel a huge hand tapping on her head. The hand is warm and comforting, making her heart rate slowly return to its usual pace. "Calm down, child. You''re fine," said Druid Oz with a smile. As Druid Oz is a total stranger to Charnia, she couldn''t help but feel cautious and wary of him. But she soon realizes that the wounds she got from the three demonized Owlfolks before she fainted are already disappeared. (Did this guy heal me?) (Charnia) "Excuse me, who are you?" Asked Charnia. "Hm~ You can just call me Ren, child. Nice to meet you," said Druid Oz. "Ren... Never heard that name before, which kingdom do you come from?" (Charnia) (Hm... What kind of identity I should use... Well) (Druid Oz) "I don''t belong to any kingdoms, child. I live in nature, like this," (Druid Oz) "I see... So you''re an outcast, huh... My sister had told me about outcasts, but this is the first time I ever meet one directly..." (Charnia) "Outcast..." Druid Oz muttered to himself with a wry smile. "Do you want to escort me back to my kingdom, Ren?" Charnia asked Druid Oz with a tone similar to a command. (This kid...) (Druid Oz) "They''ll pay you greatly for saving me!!!" Persisted Charnia. "Kingdom, huh... Where is this kingdom of yours, child?" Asked Druid Oz. "You didn''t know about the Galhala kingdom? Ah... I see... So outcasts didn''t know about the kingdoms, huh...?" Charnia muttered to herself. "....." Druid Oz tried to restrain himself from rebuking Charnia''s statement. "Then come with me! We''ll give you a place to live! You''ll also get lots of rewards and delicious food, for saving me, you know!?" Charnia continues to offer Druid Oz to come with her to her kingdom. (This kid... Who did she think she is? She might be giving me those offers, but in the end, I bet she is just afraid of getting attacked by some demonized Owlfolks again. But well...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz could see that there are some tears at the corner of Charnia''s eyes. The reason why the tears haven''t fall yet is that she''s trying her best to make sure the tears won''t fall. (She must be afraid after experiencing the danger of death... What a strong kid... Well, I need to search for more information about this eastern continent anyway, so let''s accept this kid''s offer) (Druid Oz) "Fine, I''ll escort you, child," Answered Druid Oz. Hearing Druid Oz''s words, her face lightened up as a huge smile appeared. "You will!?" (Charnia) "Yes, I will. What is your name, child?" Asked Druid Oz as he patted Charnia''s head. "Charnia! Charnia Galhala!" answered Charnia in great enthusiasm. Just as Druid Oz thought, she''s greatly nervous and scared to go home alone. After experiencing such terror last night, she couldn''t help but get a slight trauma of going alone. "I see, nice to meet you, Charnia. Now, let''s go. Your family must be worried," (Druid Oz) "True, let''s go," said Charnia as she nodded and transformed into a huge two-meter-tall owl. ".........." (Druid Oz) "What? Why don''t you transform to your owl form too?" Asked Charnia innocently. (I see... She doesn''t realize that I''m a druid, huh...) (Druid Oz) A druid is a creature of nature just like an ent. But different from ent, druids have the form of a human and have the ability to transform themselves to any magic beasts they''re compatible to transform. But in Druid Oz''s case, as he''s a druid clone that possesses a tremendous amount of mana, he could transform into all magic beasts, but with one condition, he must ever kill the magic beast and absorb the magic core to be able to transform into it. The reason why Druid Oz stays silent is that he''s controlling the roots of the trees that are entangling the demonized Owlfolks underground to stab their hearts and take their magic core. After a moment of silence, Druid Oz finally finished absorbing the mana from the magic core of the demonized Owlfolks. (Now disintegrating the demonic mana... Done. Let''s see what kind of owl I''ll be transforming into...) (Druid Oz) Unlike Charnia that transformed into an owl immediately without any prior changes in her surroundings, in Druid Oz''s case, countless green particles suddenly gush out from the ground and enveloped his whole body. The green particles are consist of dense nature mana, making the plants and the flowers surrounding them grow and bloom at a crazy pace as if they''re congratulating Druid Oz''s transformation. The shadow of Druid Oz slowly grows bigger before finally stopped until it''s 4 meters long. The green particles suddenly disperse and disappeared to the thin air, revealing a huge and mighty owl. Charnia looked at Druid Oz''s transformation in awe. It''s the first time for her to see such a grand transformation. And Druid Oz''s owl form is as huge and mighty as her royal father, with his size, he could easily apply as the captain of the royal guard of the Galhala kingdom. (Hm~) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz raises his wings as he tries to get familiar with this new form of his. The body is huge and strong, the wings are mighty enough to fly at high speed for 10 hours straight, and his claws are strong enough to chop a tree. The outcome is obvious since Druid Oz is at the [King] rank of the race, so any form he takes will be also at the [King] rank of the race. But different from any other form he had used before, he could feel the strength of the Owlfolk''s body. (Seems like I just hit the jackpot) (Druid Oz) (The wings alone are already better than the griffin. Not to mention the stamina and the overall strength of the claws) (Druid Oz) "Whoa!!! Are you a royal descendant of a certain kingdom, Ren?" Asked Charnia with her sparkling eyes, but soon those sparkling eyes turn into a sad ones. "I see... A royal descendant that became an outcast, huh... You must have a harsh childhood..." Muttered Charnia in a low voice as her eyes once again got teary because imagining what kind of childhood Druid Oz had gone through even though it''s completely different from reality. (What a kindhearted child, but no, I did not experience any throne usurping drama, child. Don''t look at me with those eyes as if I''m a prince that ran from my kingdom because my father and mother are killed by my uncle that usurped the throne) (Druid Oz) But without giving any reply, Druid Oz just answered Charnia''s imaginations with a smile. "I see... Let''s go, Ren... My kingdom will definitely make you happy..." Said Charnia in a sad tone. (Just show the way already, kid! And stop talking it''s your kingdom, wait, don''t tell me that she''s somehow truly a bigshot?) (Druid Oz) "Now, let''s go! Lead the way, Child!" said Druid Oz so that Charnia would stop with her wild imaginations. "Okay! Make sure you keep up with me, Ren!" (Charnia) The both of them flew to the sky and dashed towards Charnia''s kingdom, Druid Oz is rather unexpected with how fast Charnia''s flying speed is. (She must be talented. Her mana is only about at the [Count] rank, but she''s capable to fly at 50% of my full speed, she''ll definitely have a promising future) (Druid Oz) "Your speed is praiseworthy, child!" (Druid Oz) "You too, Ren! Even most of the royal guards couldn''t match with my speed!!!" (Charnia) (But well, flying with this Owlfolk form is very comfortable! It''s much more stable and strong than the Griffin form, I think I''ll be using this form often) (Druid Oz) Unlike the magical forest of Everdeen that doesn''t have any barren land inside of the forest, there are lots of barren lands with dead soils on this Eastaria continent. But there are strange scents inside the barren lands. Demonic mana. (I see... The demonic mana dominated the nature mana consisted inside the soil, killing most of the living organisms inside the soil. But unlike magic beasts, microorganisms couldn''t survive if they''re contaminated with the plague-like demonic mana... Resulting in the soils of this land dying... But the problem is...) (Druid Oz) "It''s infecting the other soils... This problem might lead the Eastaria continent to get burnt by the flames of wars..." (Druid Oz) Chapter 161 - The Holy Empires Hero Party (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Dear hero king of the great Grandaria kingdom, once again, let me apologize on behalf of the rudeness of my comrade... Let me introduce myself. I am the saintess of the Holy Empire, Elvira Aloisia, it''s a great honor to meet you, your majesty," The lady priestess kneeled before Peter graciously. Every move of her is captivating and elegant, giving the sense of innocence and pureness, but as a king, it is not something that Peter need to prove their worth "It''s nice to meet you too, lady priestess. As you''ve known, my name is Chris Godwinston Grandaria. It''s a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to be visited by the honorable priestess of the Holy Empire," (Peter) "The p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e is mine, your majesty," (Saintess Elvira) "Now let''s not beat around the bush, shall we? Tell me, why did the hero party of the Holy Empire visit me?" Asked Peter fearlessly. "As you''ve known, the world is under the danger of the invasion of the demons, dear hero king. And there is a prophecy, that I alone had seen in my dream, is the great invasion of the demonic army together with their demon kings, and the most dangerous thing is..." (Saintess Elvira) "Is?" Asked Peter. "The revival of the demon emperor," The saintess answered with an expected question. Yes. Peter had expected the answer to came out from the saintess''s mouth. Peter had discussed the topic with Slime Tarot before, and not only Peter, most of the rulers of the kingdoms and empires had somehow foreseen the same possibility of danger. It''s impossible for the demons to suddenly go on making destruction and attack Terra without any specific reason. Nobody will attack if they don''t have any chance of winning. According to history, the demons got a huge blow when the demon emperor got sealed by the heroes even though they pay the price with their lives. After getting defeated in every battle they fought after having the demon emperor''s lost, the demons got even more disordered, resulting in their retreat towards their demonic realm. Then there is only one reason why they''re once again invading this world. They must be confident with their strength, and one of the biggest possibilities of it is... (The demonic emperor to free himself from the shackles of the old heroes'' seal...) (Peter) "I agree with the demonic invasion since the Grandaria kingdom had just experienced the battle with the demons ourselves. But for the thing about the demonic emperor, without any disrespect, lady saintess, but as a ruler, I can''t blindly trust such a piece of important information with a dream as its source," (Peter) "It''s fine, your majesty. It''s a reasonable thing to do as a ruler, it''s as expected for a heroic king like you," (Saintess Elvira) "Indeed. Then what is your purpose in telling me this information? Don''t tell me that you came all the way here only to give me that information, dear Holy Empire''s hero party?" Asked Peter with sharp eyes. "As you''ve known too, your majesty. Currently, there are lots of self-proclaimed heroes all over the world that the church doesn''t even know their names. We''re going to search and recruit all of the real heroes, not the self-proclaimed heroes. And coincidentally, the Grandaria kingdom has the most people that are listed as the real heroes inside the prophecy, your majesty," (Lady Saintess) "The prophecy, huh..." Peter muttered towards himself with a low voice as he starts to calculate the most beneficial outcome of this conversation. "Yes, your majesty. Personally, the heroes I saw inside my dream are also the heroes from your kingdom, your majesty. I saw your face, the winter princess''s face, the magic god''s face, the samurai''s face, the bard''s face, the aloof darkness''s face, Hero Lian''s face, and a shadow," (Saintess Elvira) "A shadow?" Asked Peter. "Yes, I couldn''t see his face, but somehow, all of us normally talked with him in a friendly manner inside my dream," (Saintess Elvira) (I see... A shadow, huh... Since the aloof darkness is obviously that Alfred, then it looks like the shadow is no other... Than Ren...) (Peter) "Then I believe that the reason for your visit is to recruit us, ''The heroes'' of the prophecy, no?" (Peter) "Yes, you''re right, your majesty," (Saintess Elvira) "But as you''ve known, I am the king of this kingdom, I can''t easily leave this place. And my men that you asked are all precious to this kingdom, I can''t afford losing even if it''s only one of them," (Peter) "But, your majesty-" (Saintess Elvira) But tell me, what will you do after recruiting all of these ''Real Heroes of The Church'', then I might reconsider sending my men," Peter cut in saintess Elvira''s words. "We''re going to destroy the seal according to the old ritual, your majesty. With the strength of all of the heroes, we''ll definitely able to destroy the seal together with the remains of the demon emperor before he could completely be revived," (Saintess Elvira) "We knew that the heroes must be very valuable to your kingdom, that''s why the church will give a compensation towards the Grandaria kingdom," (Saintess Elvira) "And that is?" Asked Peter. The more Peter observes the saintess before him, the more he realizes how dangerous she is. Despite all of the pressure Peter gave her, she indifferently faces it without even flinched a little. The fact that she''s smart enough to answer every question that came out from Peter is impressive and praiseworthy. "The first one is gold, I don''t know the exact number, but the Holy Empire will compensate the Grandaria kingdom with gold and ores," (Saintess Elvira) (Hm... That''s good enough) (Peter) "And then, we''ll be deploying some holy knights to guard the Grandaria kingdom permanently-" (Saintess Elvira) "No, we don''t need them," Peter once again cut in. "Eh?" Saintess Elvira couldn''t help but exclaim in surprise. (So that could make her surprised, huh) (Peter) Not only Saintess Elvira, even the Hero Lian, and the other heroes are shocked by Peter''s refusal. Everyone knows how strong and mighty a holy knight is, kingdoms could easily give lots of their treasures and golds in order to bribe the church to post some holy knights in their kingdom. The holy knights are mighty enough that if an attacking kingdom heard the news of the kingdom they''re attacking possessed a holy knight guarding their kingdom, it will make them reconsider attacking the kingdom and might even cancel the war. The fact that the Grandaria kingdom that just got attacked by the demons and have war with the Potterland kingdom rejected the offer of having some holy knights protecting their kingdom that should be at a vulnerable state shocked and confused Saintess Elvira and the others. "I-If I may know the reason, your majesty?" (Saintess Elvira) "Yes, I''ve lived inside this kingdom disguising myself for most of my lives, and all holy knights inside this kingdom I knew are so corrupted that they often extorted my people''s money. Since they''re strong and have the powerful church behind them, the people are too scared to retaliate, resulting in me to step in and fought with some holy knights of your church," (Peter) When Peter declared his first reason, he could saw Saintess Elvira pinching herself on her t.h.i.g.h. But despite pinching herself with that much power, her expression remains the same on the surface. (I see... She must be regretting trying to trick a king that thinks about the people before anything else, huh...) (Peter) "You..." Growled the holy knight inside the Holy Empire''s here party. "So rather than having the holy knights here, I prefer for the compensation to be just focused on resources. You might think that it looked like a greedy decision for a king, but as you''ve known, my kingdom had just finished a war, and we''re currently in short of resources because of the attack from the demons," (Peter) That''s a lie. The Grandaria kingdom is currently stable because of the help of the Tarot empire. They almost did not lose any of their soldiers in the war and all of the war needs and expenses are all covered by the Tarot empire. And the Grandaria kingdom even got the share from the Potterland kingdom''s loots, so the Grandaria kingdom is currently at a great surplus. "And even if you want to say that if we''re in a pinch, we may ask the church for help, then you could just drop your offer. You might didn''t know this, but I''ve cut off the Grandaria kingdom''s relationship with the church," (Peter) !!!!!!!!!!!!! The members of the hero party were shocked when they heard the surprising news. Cutting off the relationship with the church is the same as declaring war with the church, and if the church had declared war towards a kingdom, the other kingdoms allied to it will follow suit in order to get some benefits. "C-Cut off...?" (Saintess Elvira) "I see... Seems like your prophecy didn''t tell you this, lady saintess," (Peter) Chapter 162 - The Holy Empires Hero Party (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "C-Cut off...?" (Saintess Elvira) "I see... Seems like your prophecy didn''t tell you this, lady saintess," (Peter) "The church demands lots of things towards the kingdom, Lady Saintess. And they often ask for bribes for their help to defy the citizens. Don''t you get it? Not because of me, but the citizens had grown tired and had lost their trust towards the church, that''s more than enough for me to cut my ties with the church," (Peter) "I couldn''t stand for the church to meddle with the royal and political affairs of the kingdom too, after all. As you''ve known, I''ve removed all of the corrupted nobles and officials of the kingdom, and after discussing with my ministers, the church is believed to be 80% corrupted, so it''s already more than enough reason for me. So don''t consider me as a king that serves your church, Lady Saintess," Stated Peter fearlessly. The silence inside the throne room dropped the temperature and hold great pressure. The members of the holy empire gritted their teeth towards Peter''s words, but they can''t rebuke or deny it since his words are true. If it''s in normal circ.u.mstances, they will admire him and praise him for his words that no king would say for his people. But now, they''re currently the representatives of the church, hearing those words couldn''t help but make them grit their teeth in humiliation. "I understand your meaning, your majesty... I''ll contact the empire and try to request more resources as compensation if you accepted the offer. Forgive me for my ignorance of the church''s state inside your kingdom, your majesty," (Saintess Elvira) "It''s fine, Lady Saintess. I will need to discuss your offer together with my ministers since this is a great decision to make, you may take some rest at the royal castle for several days until I make the decision. Make yourself comfortable, dear heroes of the Holy Empire," With a single clap, royal maids came inside the throne room and escorted the hero party. It''s the end of the discussion, with Peter that played the conversation right under his palms. But suddenly. "It might be disrespectful of me, your majesty. But I heard that the hero king of the Grandaria kingdom is a great fighter and loves to fight," Hero Lian suddenly spoke that shocked even his comrades and Saintess Elvira. "Hero Lian?" (Saintess Elvira) "You-" (Supreme General) "It''s fine," Peter cut in the Supreme General''s words. At this moment, Saintess Elvira could suddenly saw the change in Peter''s and Hero Lian''s eyes. Hero Lian''s eyes shone with a yellow light, while the hero king of the Grandaria kingdom shone with a green light as they once again confront each other''s gazes. "Do you want to spar, hero? To make it more fun, how about having a bet with me?" (Peter) ***************************** "Whoa~ As expected of the hero king of Grandaria, to challenge a spar towards the great hero of the Holy Empire, how fearless~" Alfred casually said as he played his knives. "That stupid brother..." Sera couldn''t help but sighs as she grows worried for her brother. "It''s still felt strange whenever you called him brother..." Sen suddenly said which made Sera shocked and embarrassed at the same time. "W-We''re family so it''s normal for me to call him that, right? S-Sen... You rarely talk, but your words always have a huge impact whenever you talk..." said Sera with a wry smile. "I don''t mean to, though," Answered Sen indifferently even though he just made Sera embarrassed and afraid of calling Peter ''brother''. "Sen~ You surely are heartless~," said Alfred as he holds back his laughter. "Yes, you are too heartless, Sen. Stupid to be more exact," Edreale suddenly voice her discontent with Sen. "You have no place to say that, Edreale," Sen gives Edreale a strong reply. "W-What is happening here...?" Albus that just arrived at the location asked as he saw the two expressionless siblings stared at each other sharply. "Stop it you two~ It''s going to start soon, let''s focus," Alfred stops his goofy attitude and sharply observes the battle that about to begin. The battlefield between the great hero king of the Grandaria kingdom and the Hero Lian is at the huge royal training grounds of the Grandaria kingdom. Knowing that the hero king is about to spar with the here of the Holy Empire, all of the bigshots of the Grandaria kingdom gathered to watch, and to make sure that even if the king loses, there are no people that will dare to spread the outcome in order to harm the king''s reputation. Everyone left in the Grandaria kingdom is only the loyal nobles, generals, and officials. They all gathered when they heard the news of the spar, the great generals, the royal knights, Duke Renstenor and his friends, and most of Peter''s classmates from the magic academy''s special classroom. Even someone that shouldn''t be at the place is watching the place from a rather close distance. Disguising as one of the nobles, he smirked as he saw the Holy Empire''s hero party. (Hm~ Their strength are not bad, but it''s not enough to be called the ''Hero Party''. It''s just a party of high-ranked adventurers) (Slime Tarot) (The one that possessed enough power to compete with Sera, Peter, and the others are only that blonde guy who is about to fight with Peter, and the Lady Saintess) (Slime) "I will be the judge, are both parties ready?" Asked the supreme general that acts as the judge of the battle. "Ready," (Hero Lian) "Anytime," (Peter) "That Peter, not bad~ He''d become a great king. As expected of the great hero king of the Grandaria kingdom," Praised Slime. "Then, start!" (Supreme General) *Clank!* Peter and the Hero Lian immediately dashed towards each other and collided their sword at a high speed. Peter usually fights with heavy armor, but since the Hero Lian didn''t use one, so he followed suit and only used light armor. Despite their strikes against each other are quick, the nobles, generals, and the officials of the Grandaria kingdom that saw the battle haven''t impressed yet. They often see a high-leveled battle training between the knights of the Tarot empire and the generals and high-ranked soldiers of the kingdom, after all. So all of them knew, that these exchanges of strikes between the hero king and the hero are just a form of greetings. (How fearsome. Even the officials and the nobles of the kingdom understand the flow of a high-leveled battle. Different from the other kingdoms, here, the nobles seem to didn''t have any noble faction that opposes the royal faction) (Saintess Elvira) (They all come here not to see the loss of the hero king, but to support him and to gauge the strength of their possible enemy, which are us. And to be able to keep up with this fast-paced battle, all of them are high-ranked in terms of cultivation strength too... What is this kingdom? The information I read didn''t mention any of this!) (Saintess Elvira) Not only the Saintess Elvira, but all of her comrades inside the Hero Party are also shocked by the high-ranked generals, officials, and nobles that gathered. The weakest of them are only at the master swordsman rank, while most of them are already at the Sword Saint rank, while the Sword God ranked warriors are not few. (Well of course you''re shocked, Dear Lady Saintess. Do you think I''ll let the old man join my empire without making sure the Grandaria kingdom safe? I make sure to train all of the soldiers and nobles and give them fruits that could help boost their cultivation. I even let them watch and spar with my knights to hone their skills, senses, and to make sure they familiar with such a high-leveled battle) (Slime) (So in short, you''re currently a small pack of wolves, trapped in the middle of a lion den) (Slime Tarot) Slime makes an evil smirk as he continues to observe the battle between Peter and the Hero Lian. "Tsk!" Hero Lian clicked his tongue as his sword once again got skillfully parried by Peter. Hero Lian''s swordsmanship is by no means weak. He''s an expert in terms of swordsmanship, but somehow... "My swordsmanship is ineffective against his..." Hero Lian muttered towards himself in a voice that is low enough to make sure that the others didn''t hear it. As the battle goes on, they start to get even fiercer, faster and give a stronger blow against each other. The exchange of blows between sword god-ranked warriors is strong enough that they make a sound of an explosion and send powerful winds every time their swords collided. But as the fight gets more intense, the one who is holding the upper hand is getting more obvious too. "What''s the matter, Hero? Shouldn''t you start to make turn the tables of the game?" (Peter) Chapter 163 - The Holy Empires Hero Party (4) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! The battle between the hero king and the Holy Empire''s hero gets more intense as time goes on. As more intense the battle becomes. The one who is holding the upper hand got more obvious too. Slime Tarot observed the battle from a safe distance, Hero Lian''s sword style is attacking, he skillfully attacks and strikes towards any part that showed a sign of weakness or unguarded. But that strategy didn''t work on Peter. (I think I should call him by his real name by now, but calling him Peter is far more comfortable, though) (Slime) Peter''s fighting style is impenetrable defense with powerful and unpredictable counterattacks. His impenetrable defense frustrates Hero Lian, and his unpredictable counterattacks made the Holy Empire''s hero and afraid to attack too much. Slime could see that the Holy Empire''s hero is racking his brain to find the strategy on how to break Peter''s defense. While Peter on the other hand is calmly observing the Hero too. Slime chuckled. "He completely controlled the flow of the battle, huh," (Slime) "Remember that we have a deal, Hero Lian," Provoked Peter with a tone that indicates his confidence in winning. "Yes, I remember, your majesty," Answered Hero Lian as he continues to attacks. (Peter. You might have become a great king in such a short time, but this time, you miss the thing that you should have not. It''s true that as a king, you need to see through the risks that might fall into your kingdom, but it''s also necessary to not just look at someone''s real intention, but towards what he needs) (Slime) (Because you only let your kingdom and your friends enter your shield, you''ve completely missed it) (Slime) "The hero''s desperate call for help," Slime muttered in a low voice. Clank! Clank! Clank! Their bouts got even intense as they start to use their element. The hero king used the wind element, while the hero used the holy element. Both of them have their own advantages, making the fight even fiercer. But despite their battle getting fiercer and sent much stronger shockwaves throughout the surroundings, none of the Grandarian officers, soldiers, or nobles stepped back. They just put on their barriers and continue to watch the battle unfold. But the Holy Empire''s hero is not called a hero for nothing. Despite he almost got cornered by Peter before, he started to adapt to Peter''s irregular strikes and blocks and could now predict some of Peter''s counterattacks trajectory. But as the battle goes on, both of them seem to get too absorbed with their battle. The battle gets even more intense to the point that they started to use their full power at the battle. "Albus," (Sera) "Roger," Replied Albus as he chants a powerful barrier surrounding the Hero king and the Holy Empire''s Hero battlefield so that they won''t harm the spectators. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Each of their bouts makes a sound of an explosion. Sera tried to call her brother to take him back to his senses but it''s no use. They''re too absorbed in the battle against each other. "Seriously, you too... Even though I''ve decided to not enter the stage, this time..." (Slime Tarot) Peter and Hero Lian collided once more before jumping back and chant their strongest strike. Their faces are full of smiles, completely absorbed by the excitement of the battle. "[Steel Wind Strike]!" (Peter) "[Crusader''s Strike]!" (Hero Lian) Peter unleashed a powerful wind elemental strike, while Hero Lian used a powerful holy elemental strike. If both of the strikes collided and they continue the fight, both of them will definitely injure themselves. Alfred let out a small sigh as he about to enter the stage and knock out the both of them, but another man appeared in the middle of the two before him. "[Shield of Flame], [Shield of Darkness]" Slime appeared in the middle of Peter and Hero Lian and cast a shield of flame to block Peter''s wind elemental attack, while shield of darkness to block Hero Lian''s holy elemental attack. The fire elemental shield absorbs the wind elemental strike and got stronger, while the holy elemental strike absorbs the impure shield of darkness and disappeared after dissolving the shield "The both of you sure need to learn self-restraint," Said Slime with a wry smile on his face. As he just regained his right mind, Peter finally realized what he had done. At the battle against the Potterland kingdom, he needs to stay at the castle to stabilize the kingdom, so he didn''t get any chance to fight and strive together with his friends. Fighting the Hero Lian somehow made him vent up his frustrations for not being able to fight alongside his friends, making him got too absorbed with the fight. "Forgive me for showing you such an unsightly side of me, Sir Slime," apologized Peter. "It''s fine, your majesty. It''s a rather exciting and inspiring battle anyways," Answered Slime with a shrug. "That idiot, what is he doing there?" (Sera) "You are?" Asked Hero Lian. "It''s an honor to meet you, dear hero of the Holy Empire. I am Slime Tarot, an official of the Tarot empire," Slime Tarot indifferently greets the Holy Empire''s hero and introduces himself. Even though Peter and the others had tried their best to not mention anything about the Tarot empire since it might spark a seed of conflict with the Holy Empire, but on the other hand, Slime easily introduced himself to be an official of the Tarot empire without showing any sign of concern. The reason why he didn''t introduce himself as the ambassador of the Tarot empire is that he is no longer the ambassador of the Tarot empire. Since the beginning, he is just a temporary ambassador that will only take care of the first step of the embassy, but since now they have a mutually friendly relationship with the Grandaria kingdom, and since the embassy could now stand on their own, Slime gave the position to a noble from the tarot empire to make sure he could make any moves freely. "I see... Nice to meet you, sir Slime," Greeted the Hero Lian. The saintess and the heroes of the Holy Empire knew that Peter and the other avoid talking about the Tarot empire and didn''t even give them any chance to mention about the topic. They know the reason why they don''t want to mention about the Tarot empire in front of them since the hostility of the Holy Empire towards the demihumans is known by everyone. But the fact that the Slime Tarot appeared right before them without showing any sign of fear made them confused. Saintess Elvira observes Slime carefully, she observes him from his shoes, his clothes, and the last his face. !!!!! Their eyes met. "Interesting..." Slime muttered as he saw Saintess Elvira''s face that got pale as soon as their eyes met. As Slime Tarot is just a small part of Slime Oz, he is linked towards Slime Oz. As Saintess Elvira tried to dive into his mind using her ability, she ended up diving into the imperial capital of the great Tarot empire, and only ended up in horror because of the countless terrifying presences there. "W-What did you-" (Hero Lian) "I believe you''ve lost the bet you agreed on, Hero Lian. You need to be true to your promises," Cut Slime. "L-Lost?" Asked Hero Lian as they didn''t know what the outcome is since their blows got blocked by Slime Tarot. "Your holy elemental strike has the ability to pierce and pulverize anything it went through, while in the other hand, the Grandarian King''s wind elemental strike sent a countless amount of wind blades that formed a single line," (Slime Tarot) "In case that your strikes collided, your holy elemental strike would pulverize his majesty''s wind elemental strike and vanishes. But that''s where you lost. If I didn''t block his majesty''s strike with the fire barrier before, the leftover of the wind blades that your holy elemental strike didn''t manage to pulverize would have shred you to pieces, young hero. Am I wrong, lady magician?" Slime asked towards the magician of the Holy Empire''s hero party. "Y-Yes... You''re right..." Answered her shyly. "I see... So I''ve lost..." Muttered Hero Lian in lost. "Yes, you are. But it''s fine, you''ve lost to the right person, young man," (Slime) "W-What did you mean?" Asked the hero. "I noticed your desperate calls, so you can relax. ''We'', will take over from this point," (Slime Tarot) Chapter 164 - The Mystery Of South (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ At the southern part of the great Tarot empire, the kingdom is filled with immortals. The kingdom of death. "Now, let''s see..." Muttered Lich Oz that gazes the kingdom from above. The green land had gone even greener with some black trees grew on some points of the territory too. The rich death mana released by the undead kingdom''s people boosts the land''s rate of decomposition, making the land possess more organic matter inside it. The increase of organic matter increases the prosperity and the growing speed of the Grandarian trees that needed lots of nutrition. So rather than killing the plants and the animals because of their death mana, they actually made the land more fertile, giving the animals and the magic beasts more food. Because of the death mana, there are also some huge black trees that grow at some point in the undead kingdom. They usually unable even to grow to 1 meter because of the lack of death mana in nature, the increased amount of death mana made their survival rate high, and let them grow tall, giving rare fruits that never seen before. Because of their presence, the land of the undead kingdom had become an irregular land that produces irregular products. They possess lots of valuable resources that only exist at the undead kingdom, which makes the undead kingdom ranked the top amongst the other kingdoms. Different from the other kingdoms, the undead kingdom''s residents obviously have undead citizens. They have no need to eat or sleep. But since they could now taste foods that had been their biggest d.e.s.i.r.e, the biggest amount of imported products of the undead kingdom are foods of the other kingdoms. The hierarchy system in the undead kingdom is amongst the most unique inside the Tarot empire''s kingdoms. Since every high-ranked undead has its own summoned undead, most of the high-ranked undead have their own summoned army that could protect their residence day and night. Some of them sent some of their summoned undead as a laborer while the rest for protection and guards, while the others focus on making them their military power. Since the undead kingdom possesses the highest military power, even normal citizens could have dozens of summoned undead if they ranked up or trained, so the biggest source of income of the undead kingdom is as mercenaries or adventurers. Requests, missions, and quests at the mercenary guild and the adventurer guild are one of their primary source of money. Their client mostly came from the other kingdoms, such as the elf kingdom, the beastmen kingdom, and the other kingdoms. Since low-leveled summoned undead is just soulless pawn soldiers, there is no need to be scared of their safety, and they usually came with lots of numbers but at a low cost. Low-ranked merchants that wanted to go to a faraway place that might be filled with a sudden danger usually hire these cheap but many undead mercenaries. Just with a small cost, they could have 60 undead pawn soldiers with 5 mid-ranked summoned undead soldiers to guard them day and night along the way. And the undead has the advantage when it''s come to a battle in darkness, so their safety is mostly secured. "They''re endless..." Muttered Lich Oz as he stared at the southern gate of the undead kingdom. There is a reason why the undead kingdom hasn''t spread and build more outer cities in their southern part. It''s because the attack of the demonic armies never stopped. There is a huge barrier that keeps them away from the huge walls, the undead pawn soldiers then will be summoned by the summoners and slay them from outside the barrier, while the archer guards and the magicians will kill them from inside the barrier. The kingdom could still go on peacefully without even bothered by the attack of the demonic armies since they''re a war race, they didn''t afraid of death. But one of the reasons why the citizens didn''t bother by it is because their defense is impenetrable. The forest of Everdeen is very vast, and the southern region is one of the most dangerous places. The reason why Slime Oz hadn''t instructed any command to explore and expand towards the southern region is that there are several unknown presences that existed in that direction. It''s unknown whether they are demons or something else, but Slime Oz could feel their hostility towards the empire. Slime Oz had once embarked towards the southern region with Brad and the others and destroyed all of the Hell''s gate they encountered, but it still didn''t stop the coming of the demonic army. "Letting those unknown presences there will only leave us unsure all the time, it''ll be best to check on who are they and what do they want. If they''re friendly then we negotiate with them, if they''re hostile then we''ll kill them, what a perfect task for me," Lich Oz chuckled. Everyone at the Tarot empire knows all of Oz''s clone forms, except the Slime clone since the Slime clone is used to substitute the real Oz. In the undead kingdom, Oz''s figure is similar to a god as Gareth often overpraises him too much in front of his people. "Your imperial majesty, your orders," Gareth asked as he kneeled towards Lich Oz, and the others behind him follow suit. "We''re going to advance and look at what kind of creatures keep on spawning those demons to attack us. Give me some of your lowest rank soldiers, and some summoners, Gareth," (Lich Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty. But why the lowest rank? Are you going to sacrifice them?" Asked Gareth. "What do you think I am, Gareth? Do you think I will sacrifice them just because they''re at the lowest rank?" (Lich Oz) "F-Forgive me, your imperial majesty," (Gareth) "I''m just going to help them rank up a little bit, gather all from the royal guards, the royal soldiers, and the royal knights, this will help them grow," (Lich Oz) "I see... As you wish, your imperial majesty," Gareth immediately instructed his generals to gather the low-ranked soldiers. The Tarot undead kingdom has 5 strong generals under Gareth, their strength is similar to the undead kings of Gravendath. The undead kings had now become undead dukes, but their authority and power didn''t decrease, it got increased instead. There is only one trouble amongst the new undead dukes. "Whoa~ The king of the Gravendath kingdom is sure formal and stiff, huh~" Ursula leisurely comment about her king as she stretched her arms in her human form. Ursula''s human form is gorgeous. Her hair became orange-colored, her skin is glowingly white, and she is about 188 cm tall. She persistently insists that she''s going to follow wherever Lich Oz goes despite already knowing that he is just a clone. Since it seems that they can''t convince her to stay in the undead world, Lich Oz finally surrendered and let her accompany him. "Ursula, he''s your king. The lower ranks will imitate you if you behave like that," Lich Oz warned Ursula. "It''s fine, Your imperial majesty~ They won''t hear me~" Replied Ursula as she doesn''t even bothered by Lich Oz''s warning. (S-Since when did she became like this...) (Lich Oz) (I will definitely take your heart, your imperial majesty~ If I could follow you wherever you go, then it''s just a matter of time~) (Ursula) After several minutes, Gareth returned and reported to Lich Oz, "Your imperial majesty, the soldiers are ready," (Gareth) Lich Oz and Ursula followed Gareth towards the royal barrack of the undead kingdom and saw the army they''re going to use to advance towards the south. "Is this them?" Asked Lich Oz. "Yes, your imperial majesty. They''re 32,000 in number. They''re all the lowest rank soldiers. 8,000 archers, 3,000 cavalries, 14,000 light-armored soldiers, 5,000 heavy-armored soldiers, and 2,000 summoners," (Gareth) "Hm..." Lich Oz approached the soldiers as he observes them with his sharp eyes. Even though they''re called the lowest rank of the undead kingdom, they''re by no weak. To be able to enter and accepted as a royal knight, royal guard, or royal soldier itself is a great feat. But the royal ranks have numerous ranks. To be ranked at the lowest rank must put them under pressure and frustration even if they''re undead. If Lich Oz made them ascend from their current strength and skill, they''ll ascend in their ranks amongst the royal ranks, and will also give those who ranked below and above them a motivation to improve themselves. (But to think that even the lowest rank is at these level, no wonder the undead kingdom is the most powerful military kingdom amongst the others) (Lich Oz) "Now, soldiers. Ready to spread fear?" Chapter 165 - The Adventure Of The Elf Queen And The Goblin Queen (5) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ After flying for several hours at tremendous speed, Azaline and Geeta could finally see the land of the Eastaria continent from the distance after passing the pacific ocean. Just like the rumors they heard before, the Eastaria continent filled with untouched vast forest. "Young queens, We''re descending. There are lots of sensory barriers above the skies made by the Owlfolks to sense if there is an aerial attack coming towards their kingdom. My size will make them alert, so we need to go on foot from here," said the Sky King. "I see... Okay, Corvus. Thank you for your hard work," Thanked Azaline as she ready herself for a tough journey. As they descend to the ground, Corvus transformed into a small bird and flew towards Azaline''s head. "Even though I''ve transformed into this small form, I could still use some of my magic and skills, young queens. I''ll try my best to not become a burden along the way," Said Corvus the Sky King with an unexpectedly high-pitched voice that similar to a child. "Pfft! Corvus! I never expected that the one that transformed is not only your form but your voice too!" Geeta covers her mouth as she tried to not laugh at the mini-sized Sky King. "How rude! My voice became like this because my vocal cords got smaller too every time I transformed into this small form!" Protested Corvus the Sky King. "Pfft! Yet you called yourself the ''Sky King''..." Geeta continued to laugh as she heard the Sky King''s voice. "Y-You ugly goblin and your rude mouth... No wonder his imperial majesty forget about you..." Scoffed Corvus the Sky King. "W-W-W-What did you say, you stupid bird!? W-W-W-Who forgets whom!? Say it once again if you dare!!!" Geeta replied furiously. "Stop it, you two. Corvus, don''t mention Ren''s name like that, not only Geeta, it made me felt sad too," Azaline cut the fight that about to begin between the Goblin''s queen and the Sky King. "I''m sorry..." (Corvus the Sky King) "And Geeta, don''t ridicule Corvus''s voice, he''s my familiar, remember?" (Azaline) "Hehe~ Sorry, but I couldn''t help but laugh since his voice at this form completely ruins his ''Sky King'' image~ Sorry, Corvus," (Geeta) "It''s fine. I''m sorry too, young Geeta," Corvus the Sky King apologized towards Geeta too. Geeta still has the urge to laugh when she heard Corvus''s voice again as she is fighting with herself to not have the corner of her mouth curled upwards. Azaline noticed it and could only let out a sigh as she looks at her best friend. "It''s fine, Corvus. Your voice is cute. Now, where should we go? Um... Corvus?" Asked Azaline. "Ugh... The damage towards my pride as the Sky King for getting called cute is surprisingly high... But since it''s my master that said it as a compliment I couldn''t even get angry... *Sigh*" Corvus muttered towards himself as he emitting a depressing aura. "Azaline... You sure have no mercy..." Said Geeta as she tapped at Azaline''s shoulder. *Cough* *Cough* Corvus cleared his throat as he about to explain about the way, but he''s completely clueless that his child-like cough felt so adorable to Azaline and Geeta. "At my last journey towards this continent, this is the place where our battle commenced. So I myself never even take a glimpse of the Owlfolks'' kingdom. But back then, our leader only said that we should go east and we will meet the nearest Owlfolk kingdom," (Corvus) "I see... Then let''s go, we can''t leave our kingdom too long, after all," (Azaline) Following Azaline''s words, they departed to the east. The forest isn''t filled with many dangers as how the magical forest of Everdeen used to be. But it''s normal since the reason why Everdeen forest is called the magical forest is that the very dense amount of various mana elements resides inside the land, growing countless valuable and strengthening plants that made the magic beasts residing inside the magical forest become stronger too. The strengthening plants got eaten by the herbivores, the strengthened herbivores got eaten by the carnivores and the strengthened carnivores that have a dense amount of mana element died and return the mana towards the land. The cycle goes on and made the magical forest of Everdeen filled with dangerous creatures despite holding lots of unimaginable valuable resources. The dangerous magic beasts that have higher intelligence than usual magic beasts are the reason why people avoided the magical forest despite having countless valuable resources. Azaline and Geeta encounter some magic beasts like the Ectra Python, Jade Falcon, Goblins, and Giant Tarantula, but they don''t possess any high intelligence or even special elemental mana inside their body like the magic beasts at the magical forest of Everdeen did. They only fight with brute force and some normal skills they had, which made them a feast for Azaline, Geeta, and their familiars. "I never know that we''re so lucky to be born and live in the magical forest of Everdeen..." Geeta muttered as she remembers the goblin that attacked her and Azaline a few hours before. They attacked them, but since Geeta is also a goblin, she didn''t want to kill them, but they can''t even communicate or even understand her words. Since the goblins keep on attacking them, they didn''t have any choice but to kill them in defense. "I used to consider the forest to be hell. We goblins are very weak, even the discrepancy between our best warrior''s strength and an orc''s strength is very different. We need a [Count] ranked goblin to manage to kill a [Viscount] ranked Orc, that''s how weak we used to be," (Geeta) "Since we didn''t know any martial arts back then, all we knew is fight with brute force, while using a weapon is our biggest advantage. Luckily, my brother and his friends ranked up rather quickly. We finally manage to survive even if there are lots of things that happened. We became stronger after we got the direwolves became our familiars, but still, we still considered the magical forest is still hell," (Geeta) "Every month, there will always casualties because of an attack. Every month, we will always get attacked by other magic beasts. It''s an unstoppable war to survive. But after looking at that goblin before, their body is so small, with their strength, they won''t even survive an hour inside the magical forest, and they couldn''t even communicate with each other which is one of our greatest weapons..." (Geeta) "The hell turned out to be a paradise instead... Well, it is a paradise for us now, though," Geeta shrugged. "True. The magical forest gives lots of benefits to its inhabitants. That''s why the humans feared the forest, well we feared the forest too, though. But we''ve experienced that because the thought of unity between the other inhabitants never crossed our mind since all of us are strong, and none of us wants to share the valuable resources of the forest," (Azaline) "You''re not wrong, but you Elves still looked the same whenever you were born. It''s somehow saddening to see that my fellow race to be that weak and fragile..." Muttered Geeta as she imagined that the goblins across the world are all similar to the goblins she just met before. Not knowing what to reply, Azaline hugged Geeta from behind for a while. "Let''s change the topic, shall we?" Said Azaline. "Yup, I wonder what the Owlfolk kingdom looks like~" Geeta returns to her cheerful mode. But as they continued their journey, several malicious presences suddenly appeared from behind them. The malicious presence is emitting a disturbing familiar aura that made cold sweat drop from Azaline and Geeta''s face. Azaline and Geeta stare at each other and nods towards each other. Azaline ready her bow while Geeta unsheathes her sword. The malicious presence approached them slowly from above. They''re emitting demonic mana just like the demons they fought before. Azaline is not concerned with their individual strength, since she could sense that their individual strength is not that powerful. But the problem is... Their number... Keeps on increasing... "Young queens..." Warned Corvus the Sky King. "Yes, Corvus... Should we consider fleeing by riding you, Corvus?" Asked Azaline. "They''re weak, and it seems that they''re not approaching us because they''ve sensed us. It looks like that they''re just coincidentally flying in our direction. What about hiding?" Asked Corvus. "Yes, let''s-" Before Azaline could agree, suddenly a loud and creepy cry sounded above them. "W-Wha!?" (Geeta) A huge demonized bird suddenly appears above them without them noticing, only able to grit their teeth and ready themselves, Azaline grips her bow strongly as she remembers her mother. "Die!!!" (Azaline) Chapter 166 - The Adventure Of The Elf Queen And The Goblin Queen (6) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Die!!!" Shouted Azaline as she shoots a rain of arrows with her bow towards the rushing demonized birds. It''s, of course, not ordinary shots of arrows. It''s enhanced arrows shot by a [Queen] ranked queen elf that masters all techniques of the bow and a spell master, and using the most delicate bow that got enhanced with several imperial cards. The bow didn''t need any arrows since the arrows are formed by Azaline''s mana. The rain of arrows killed all of the rushing demonized birds, but it''s not the time to relax yet since countless more will be rushing towards them soon. "Let''s go! Hop!" Geeta called towards Azaline and pulled her hand to hop above Geeta''s direwolf, Altira, which had transformed into her original size. "Go! Altira!" (Geeta) Altira runs as fast as she could. Her speed is by no means slow, and with her high agility, she swiftly passed the trees at high speed. "They''re getting closer! Didn''t you said that the Owlfolk have lots of sensory barriers on the Eastaria skies!" (Azaline) "Yes! But it looks like that this region is no longer under the control of the Owlfolk kingdoms! The last time I went here is about 20 years ago, after all!!" (Corvus, The Sky King) "Ugh... Geeta, go towards that mountain, there must be a cave there, we could easily fend them off as long as they''re in the ground!" said Azaline as she pointed at the mountains on the east. "Okay~ Let''s go, Altira!" (Geeta) Geeta and Azaline rushed towards the mountains by riding on top of Altira. Azaline cast every strengthening and support magic to enhance Altira''s body more robust. Boom! Boom! Boom! The horde of demonized birds chased after Azaline, and Geeta shots countless spells towards them, but all of them got blocked by Azaline''s magic barrier. Since it''s the magical barrier cast by a [Queen] ranked royal elf, none of the demonized birds'' spells managed to hurt them. After several dozens of minutes of high-speed riding on top of Altira, they finally arrived in front of the mountain. Azaline planned that if the demonized birds could not keep up with Altira''s speed, then it might be best if they just outrun them. But since they''re flying in the skies without having any trees hindering their move, they could easily keep up with them. "Tsk! We have no choice, let''s go!" (Geeta) As Azaine said, there is a cave at the bottom of the mountain where the river starts to flow. They immediately entered the cave, hoping that demonized birds won''t follow them. "Take position," (Azaline) With Geeta and Altira acting as the vanguard while Corvus, the Sky King, and Azaline are acting as the rearguard, they waited for their enemies to enter. "Birds usually avoid getting inside a hole where they can''t use their wings even if their prey is weak, so the possibilities for them to enter the cave-" (Azaline) Before Azaline could even finish her words, a vast demonized bird-type magic beast entered the cave and rushed towards them with its legs since its wings are restricted. Its eyes are red, its form felt somehow distorted, and it''s giving out a disturbing squeak. Quickly regained her sense, Azaline immediately shot several mana arrows towards the demonized bird, sending it outside the cave before it could get close to Geeta and Altira. "Didn''t you just about to say that birds usually didn''t want to enter places where they can''t use their wings!?" (Geeta) "I-It should be!! But it looks like these demonized birds didn''t because they''re demonized!! I could only feel blood l.u.s.t from them!!" (Azaline) "Well, if it comes to this, the option left for us is only to hold on," said Geeta as she ready her greatsword. "Let some of them pass if your mana is running low, Azaline. I''ll take care of them as you replenish your mana," (Geeta) Geeta and Azaline had trained and went to raid dungeons together for a long time. Their teamwork is amongst the best in the Tarot empire. After four hours of continuous shooting, Azaline finally runs out of mana and takes a moment to rest while Geeta and Altira face the demonized birds head-on with only Corvus, The Sky King, backing them up with long-range spells. "Azaline... Why do I think that there is no end of them?" Asked Geeta with a wry smile. "M-Me too... Did you know anything about this, Corvus?" (Azaline) "I don''t! I never encounter any demonized magic beasts such as them when I went here before!" (Corvus) The pile of a corpse inside the cave had gotten big, but every time it blocked the entrance, the demonized birds will bring them out and continue to force themselves in. The strength of each demonized bird is not significant. Three mana arrows from Azaline could kill a demonized bird, while Geeta only needs a single blow. The problem is the unstoppable number of the demonized birds that keep on entering the cave. Even if Geeta and Azaline are at the [Queen] rank, and their familiars are all at the [King] rank, they''re not immortals. (If we stay inside the cave, we could take turns resting for several minutes to rest and drink mana and stamina potion, but there''s no sign of those demonized beasts will stop attacking, it might be dangerous since we didn''t know until when will we be able to hold on...) (Geeta) (But if we went outside, Altira and I will be at a disadvantage since we are melee fighters. Even if I know some spells, it won''t be enough to even reduce their huge number...) (Geeta) "Argh!! I don''t know what to do!!!" Geeta shouts in frustration. The four of them could technically survive fighting nonstop for 2 days before completely wear out from not eating and drinking. But if they continue to take turns to rest and eat, they could even survive for a week of fighting, but it''s only if the factors such as their mental state and other factors are disregarded. "Ugh... who will ever think that I will be using this before I could even find my mother..." Muttered Azaline towards herself as she takes out her tribe''s royal alarm for help. (There are approximately twenty thousand demonized outside, or it could be even more... We''ve killed about 4,000 of them in 4 hours... So we will need to fight for another 20 hours, but it''s only if the number is exactly as I thought it is... Their number could be even more... There''s also a possibility of them calling out their comrades since we took so much time on killing them... There''s no choice!) (Azaline) As Azaline ready herself to use her royal alarm, a sound of a vast explosion suddenly appeared from outside the cave. "W-What is that?" (Geeta) After the explosions, the demonized birds that have been entering the cave and attacking them nonstop suddenly stopped entering the cave. Geeta and Azaline spread their consciousness to sense any presence outside. !!?? "T-This dense nature mana presence..." (Geeta) "No doubt, it''s him..." (Azaline) Azaline and Geeta stared at each other as their face lights up, but in a split second, they suddenly trembled as another thought enter their minds. (H-He will definitely scold us!!!) (Geeta and Azaline) "I see... So it''s his majesty''s druid clone! How lucky we are!" (Corvus, The Sky King) As if responding to Corvus''s words, the grounds of the cave shook, and massive roots appeared from the ground and dragged the piled-up demon corpses underground, burying them. After the corpses disappeared, they finally saw a figure clad in a green robe staring at them with a kind yet scary smile. "H-Hi, Ren... T-Thank you for saving us... S-Sorry, I can''t help but accompany Azaline, b-but it''s not her fault though! Her mother is-" Geeta immediately apologized and soon got fl.u.s.tered, but before she continues. Pat! Pat! Suddenly a warm hand covered her head. Azaline closed her eyes too as she prepares herself to get scolded, but suddenly a warm hand covered her head just like Geeta, followed by a soft sigh of relief. "Are the both of you okay?" Asked Druid Oz with a gentle voice. "Yes... Luckily..." Answered Azaline with a small voice. "Is there any scar or scratch from the demonized birds?" Asked Ren once again. "N-None..." Replied Geeta with a trembling voice. "Good. The both of you are strong, but you''re still lacking the sense of life-threatening battles. This will be a good experience, sorry for being late," said Druid Oz with a gentle voice as he releases his pat. As the warm hand disappeared from their heads, Azaline and Geeta opened their eyes and saw the familiar and relieving face that they could always depend on. Druid Oz examines their dirty clothes and their body that covered in sweat. Gripping his wooden staff, Druid Oz turns his back and stared at the demonized birds outside. "You''ve anger a wrong opponent, how unwise, silly birds," (Druid Oz) Chapter 167 - The Galhala Kingdom (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ ---2 Months before the war with the Potterland Kingdom--- "Are you sure this is the way, child?" Asked Druid Oz towards Charnia. "Yes! Come on! You gonna love my kingdom! You''ll be rewarded with lots of things!!" said Charnia enthusiastically as she flies even faster. Rewarded handsomely. That''s what Charnia had indeed said. (That little kid...) (Druid Oz) "For you to dare to kidnap the royal princess! Kneel, peasant! Give her back!" Shouted a girl clad in heavy armor harshly towards Druid Oz. Before they even reached the kingdom, they''ve encounter Charnia''s sister and dozens of the royal guards. "S-Sis... He is my-" (Charnia) "I know, I know. It''s fine now, Charnia," Cut Charnia''s sister. Charnia''s sister had the same white-colored hair just like Charnia which made Druid Oz recognize her to be Charnia''s family. Charnia''s sister and Druid Oz''s eyes met, a silent and short battle of gaze happened between them. Charnia''s sister''s eyes are sharp, but nothing could get through Druid Oz''s eyes. With a smile, he dives inside Charnia''s sister, breaking through her strong act, which made her trembled for a moment. "I said kneel! Give back my sister and kneel, or face the consequences!" Shouted Charnia''s sister. Druid Oz indifferently transformed into his human form while casting a transforming spell at his ears to change it into owl ears. Without answering, he pushed Charnia, telling her to approach her sister. "B-But... You''ll get-" (Charnia) "It''s fine," said Druid Oz with a gentle smile. As Charnia approached her sister, the Owlfolks clad in heavy golden armor that surrounded Druid Oz immediately charged at him, restricting him from moving. (Resisting here will make me lose my opportunity to get lots of information... The ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order must have infiltrated this place too, but looking at the kid''s sister, it seems that they won''t get much useful information...) (Druid Oz) "Gently please, I won''t resist," said Druid Oz as one of the royal guards tied his hands, while the other took his wooden staff. Letting his hands be tied, Druid Oz suddenly felt an intense pain in his neck, before finally losing his consciousness. ****************************************** !!! Druid Oz wakes up in a small room with a simple bed while the room is separated from the outside by iron bars. Druid Oz could know that the iron bars are made of magic iron and are embued with several spells just by one glance. (Strengthening, huh...) (Druid Oz) "Hm?" Druid Oz realized that he couldn''t move, his head and hands are restricted inside a pillory. "What a great reward for saving a kid..." Druid Oz muttered in a small voice. (Now, should I wait or should I break my way from here... This pillory seems to be restricting me from using any magic, but my feet could still make a magic circle to use [Flower Warp]... What should I do...) (Druid Oz) Suddenly, the door of the prison got opened, and Charnia''s sister suddenly rushed to in front of Druid Oz''s cell. Her face looked panicked and embarrassed, looking at her face, Druid Oz let out a relieved sigh. (It worked, huh... Good job, little kid...) (Druid Oz) Charnia''s sister forcefully opened his cell and approached him in a hurry. "I-I''m very sorry, Mr. Ren... I-I thought you are my little sister''s kidnapper... I was so panicked so I thoughtlessly ordered the royal guards to restrict you... Please forgive me..." Charnia''s sister bowed and apologized to Druid Oz in panic. "It''s fine, it would be nice if you could release me from this first, but well," Druid Oz muttered as he easily gets himself out from the pillory. "Is Charnia fine? Ah, she''s a little princess, I forgot. Is her highness fine?" Asked Druid Oz. Charnia''s sister is surprised when she saw Druid Oz easily release himself from the magic pillory of the Owlfolks, but before she could even think of a comment for it, Druid Oz had asked a question first. "Y-Yes! She''s fine and healthy, and we''re very grateful for it, Mr. Ren! Charnia had told us everything, it''s very shameful of us to thoughtlessly capture and imprison the savior of the kingdom''s princess... We''ll definitely pay you back handsomely for our rude actions... I''m very sorry...." Charnia''s sister once again bowed towards Druid Oz. "Ah... It''s fine, I''m not that hurt, anyway," said Druid Oz as he stretched his body. "It might be late, but please let me introduce myself. I am Charnia''s sister and is the first princess of the Galhala kingdom, Claria Galhala. It''s nice to meet you, Mr. Ren," said Claria as she extends her hand towards Druid Oz. (Looks like the Owlfolks have good manners) (Druid Oz) Accepting the handshake, Druid Oz answered, "My p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, your highness. This humble one is called Ren Arken," "I see. What a mysterious yet beautiful name. Now if you may, please let me lead you to the castle," (Claria) "Ah, before that," (Druid Oz) *Flick* Druid Oz flicked his hands, and green particles appeared, covering himself. After a while, the green particles disappeared, leaving Druid Oz completely clean and several flying flowers. "I can''t let myself enter the castle in such a filthy state, could I? Luckily the royal guards did not take my clothes off," (Druid Oz) "Y-Yes..." Claria muttered as she''s still surprised by the scene. "Now, please lead me to the royal castle, your highness," (Druid Oz) Claria leads Druid Oz towards the surface of the Galhala castle, for of course one reason. Saving a princess of a kingdom is a great deed, one could immediately get a noble rank for doing so and still get other huge rewards. So their first destination is, of course, the throne room. To meet the king and queen of the kingdom. They don''t actually go too far since Druid Oz got imprisoned at the royal prison of the kingdom that exists under the royal castle. "The king personally ordered that he wants to meet you, Mr. Ren. Please enter," said Claria as they arrived in front of the throne room''s wooden door. But even though it''s made from wood, Druid Oz knew that it must be a very valuable wood. It''s carved and made in a very ancient and beautiful design, while several jewels are embedded in some parts of it. "I heard you''re an outcast, so I''ve told my royal father and mother about it, so there is no need to be nervous, Mr. Slime. They will definitely treat the savior of their daughter''s life kindly," (Claria) (Seems like the king and queen of this kingdom are kindhearted people. But shame, good people always get the short stick) (Druid Oz) "Nice to hear that, your highness. It''s fine, I''m ready," Answered Druid Oz with a smile. "Good then, let''s go," Claria slowly opened the throne room''s door. Druid Oz walked to the center of the throne room accompanied by Claria, the both of them kneeled before the king and queen when they arrived in front of the throne. The king and queen are using an owl mask on their faces, so Druid Oz couldn''t see their faces. "This is the one mentioned by Charnia to be her life savior, father. His name is Ren Arken," said Claria. The king and queen aren''t emitting any murderous intent, but Druid Oz could feel significant pressure just by their presence alone. Inside the throne room, there are only the royal guards beside the royal family. It seems that this is just an informal audience between the king and his daughter''s life savior. "So you are the one mentioned," said the king as he rises from his throne. "Yes, your majesty, answered Druid Oz. "I see..." Replied the Galhala king as he started to approach Druid Oz. "Rise, warrior," said the Galhala king when he arrived in front of Druid Oz. Sweat starts to gather at Druid Oz''s back as he''s afraid that his cover might get blown. He''s using his druid magic to transform hir ears into owl ears to be able to blend with the Owlfolks, after all. Following the Galhala king''s order, Druid Oz rise. The Galhala king''s body is gigantic, his body is very muscular while Druid Oz''s tall is just 3/4 of his. "You are..." (The Galhala King) Druid Oz started to think what kind of escape plan he would use if his cover got blown, but suddenly. Tap! Both of Druid Oz''s shoulders got tapped by the Galhala king''s hands rather powerfully. He could feel the slight pain from the Galhala king''s powerful tap. "THANK YOU, WARRIOR! THANK YOU!" (The Galhala King) Chapter 168 - The Galhala Kingdom (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "THANK YOU, WARRIOR! THANK YOU!" The Galhala King thanked Druid Oz with an unimaginable loud voice. Druid Oz got off guarded and stumbled because of the sudden loud voice from the Galhala King, but the Galhala King caught his body and hug him with a greater force than the tap at his shoulder before. "U-Ugh..." Druid Oz tried his best to not let his groan out as he continuously heals his body and cast a strengthen spell on it. "Dear, stop it, you don''t want to kill our daughter''s life savior before we could even pay him back for his deeds, right?" The Galhala Queen called out towards the Galhala King. The Galhala Queen''s voice is elegant yet powerful. Powerful by means that people could sense her intelligence and charisma just by hearing her voice. Hearing the Galhala Queen''s words, the Galhala King immediately stopped his actions and release Druid Oz. "I-I apologize, forgive me, Mr. Ren. It''s a bad habit of mine," Apologized the Galhala King as he returns to his throne. "I-It''s fine, Your majesty," (Druid Oz) (You stupid king... You almost broke all of my bones!) (Druid Oz) "Once again, I''m sorry for showing you such a disrespectful side of me, warrior. My name is Reanadra Galhala, what is yours, dear my daughter''s savior?" Asked the Galhala King. "This one''s humble name is Ren Arken, your majesty," Replied Druid Oz politely as he once again kneel before the throne. "I heard that you''re a royal outcast, but it seems that you''ve good manners that even better than some of the nobles. I won''t ask any details about you being an outcast, since if you''re one of my enemies, you would not save Charnia, you will kill her and ask for reward from my enemies instead," (Galhala King) "I knew this day will happen, so I''ve assigned lots of guards to guard and follow her. It turns out that she''s smart enough to fool all of them, but stupid enough to get almost killed by the enemy," (Galhala King) "I''ve heard the full story from Charnia, she said that you defeated the demonized troops that chased after her, and even healed her that in the brink of death to the point that her scars could no longer be seen. Charnia won''t lie on this kind of thing, so it must be true, that''s why, Ren Arken," The Galhala King once again rises from the throne. "For healing, saving, and escorting my daughter safely back to this kingdom, and for defeating the demonized troops, you''ll be rewarded handsomely for this. Despite being an outcast, it seems that you have a decent amount of knowledge and manners, so there is no need for me to worry about granting you this," (Galhala King) "Ren Arken, as the king of the Galhala Kingdom. I, Reanadra Galhala, grant you the title of ''Viscount''! I will definitely give you a huge land for the reward, but I will need to discuss it with my ministers first before granting it to you," The Galhala King suddenly stated a surprising statement that left Druid Oz dumbfounded. (V-V-Viscount!? This sudden!?) (Druid Oz) "The title and the land are only for escorting my daughter back, for healing her and bringing her back from the brink of death, I will reward you with 400,000 Galhala gold, 5,000 Adamantite armors, and Adamantite weapons for your future army, and you may take any 2,000 royal soldiers from the Galhala Kingdom," said the Galhala King. Even though the Galhala Queen is wearing a mask, covering her face, Druid Oz could still feel that she''s rather surprised with the Galhala King''s words. Not to mention Charnia''s sister that is kneeling beside Druid Oz, she''s staring at his father with her mouth wide agape. It''s normal for her to get surprised. The rewards the Galhala King just gave Druid Oz are far more than just ''Rewarded Handsomely''. He usually just give a nobility title for a reward or maybe an enhanced magic weapon if it''s a great deed, but in Druid Oz''s case, he gives almost all the things needed to be a great noble of the kingdom. (F-Father... The ministers will definitely complain when they heard this..." (Claria) At the moment, Druid Oz didn''t simply get overjoyed for the reward he just gets from the Galhala King. The reason for his journey towards the Eastaria continent is not to become a noble at an Owlfolk kingdom, after all. And whenever there is a carrot provided, there must be a destination the Galhala King wants him to go. (I see... The Galhala King is not just brawn, after all... If not, he won''t be emitting such great pressure and charisma indeed...) (Druid Oz) !!?? (W-What is he doing!) (Claria) Claria got fl.u.s.tered when she saw Druid Oz rise and stand straight, staring right into the Galhala King''s eyes. "Such in-" One of the royal guards transformed into his owl form, but immediately stopped when he saw the Galhala King raised his hand. Without paying them any heed, Druid Oz slowly shifted his gaze from the Galhala King. He observes the queen, the royal guards stationed inside the throne room, and lastly, towards Claria. "What are you doing?" Whispered Claria towards Druid Oz, but Druid Oz remains indifferent. Finished observing everyone, Druid Oz once again crossed his eyes with the Galhala King. The eyes of the doting father had disappeared, only the eyes of a powerful king remained. "It seems that your enemies are not present here, your majesty," Druid Oz suddenly said a strange statement. "Hm? And why did you say that?" Asked the Galhala King. Druid Oz could feel that the Galhala King is currently smiling as Druid Oz piqued his interest even further. "None of them, give off the scent of being my enemy, after all. You see, this flower is called Alianza," Druid Oz suddenly took a blue flower from out of nowhere. "This flower has the ability to discern the enemies of those who hold the mother flower. Those who hold any negative emotions towards the mother flower will have the flower turn red when they touched it. But luckily, it seems that no one here has a negative emotion towards you, your majesty," (Druid Oz) "And how did you know that?" Asked the Galhala King. "Ah! I''m sorry, I have the habit of giving flowers to those who I''ve met. I''ve put the mother flower at your pocket, your majesty, while I also put the other flowers at the others present in this room," (Druid Oz) All of them checked their pockets, and they realized that there is indeed a flower in their pockets. The queen and Claria found one inside their pocket, while the royal guards didn''t even realize that they''re holding the flower in their hands. "What a magnificent skill you have, Ren Arken, no, Lord Ren. But what is your purpose for showing this to me?" Asked the Galhala King. Everyone inside the throne room got cold sweat on their back. But it''s normal since they don''t even sense or perceive any movement of Druid Oz approaching them or when did he put the flowers on them. If he is a killer, they would now be lying on the ground, dead without having able to resist. "I like generous kings and lords, but an extraordinary reward such as the reward you gave me is more like a trap. Normal people will get overjoyed without catching any ulterior motives, but not me," Druid Oz confidently said. "An ability to heal and the ability to defeat the demonized troops alone, I believe that is what you want, your majesty. But it''s still a possibility that the princess is just hallucinating and unconsciously exaggerate the story, and that''s why I show you this. I believe that you will send me in some expeditions and battles to prove it while rewarding me a territory will be the leash that you will put on my neck. Isn''t it true, your majesty?" (Druid Oz) "I see... You''re very sharp indeed, Lord Ren," the Galhala King continues to call Oz with the term ''Lord'' to assume that he had officially become a noble of the kingdom. "So does it mean, you refuse to serve under me?" The Galhala King asked Druid Oz, but this time, he used his enormous murderous intent to force the deal. !!!!!!!????? ([King] ranked, huh...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz realized that Claria trembled slightly in face of her father''s powerful murderous intent, with a single flick of his fingers, a barrier covered her, protecting her from the murderous intent. "It''s not that I''m defying or disrespecting you, your majesty. As this is the proof," Druid Oz take another blue flower. "The flower..." (Galhala King) "Yes, I am not your enemy, your majesty. But I could help you take down your enemies," (Druid Oz) Chapter 169 - The Galhala Kingdom (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Seems like you favor him greatly," said the Galhala Queen towards the Galhala King. Druid Oz''s audience with the Galhala King had ended, and Charnia''s sister, Charnia, got ordered by the Galhala King to help Druid Oz know more about the kingdom and its nobility system. "Indeed..." Replied the Galhala King as he remembered Druid Oz''s answer. I''m here to show you what you wanted to see, your majesty... "The problem we''re facing... I thought that we won''t be able to go through it without having big casualties on our side... But looking at him, I couldn''t help but have hope once more," (The Galhala King) "He''s strong enough and kind enough to save Charnia, he''s smart enough to know my intentions, and he''s manly enough to refuse to have his pride stomped and get manipulated even if it''s a king that pulled the strings from behind. How could I didn''t get fascinated by him?" (The Galhala King) "In my 80 years of ruling as a king, he''s the first one to dare to stand before me and able to make me drop a sweat. What do you think, is it fine if I make him Claria''s future husband?" The Galhala King asked his wife''s permission. "It''s her right to choose his own husband. We have no right to choose for her. But, I''ll try mentioning the topic in front of her," (The Galhala Queen) *********************** The Galhala kingdom capital is almost the same as Tarot Empire''s Elvenheim kingdom. There are buildings built above trees, while most of the buildings are built on the ground, even though they are not organized as beautifully as the Elvenheim Kingdom. Those who lived above trees are nobles and high officials, while normal citizens lived on the ground. "So this will be my temporary resident..." Muttered Druid Oz as he stared at the three stories tree mansion. It looked kind of old, but Druid Oz could see that they still take care of it despite no one living inside it. "It''s the mansion of a deceased general of the kingdom. He''s a hero of the kingdom, and is the king''s best friend," Explained Claria. "I see... How did he die...?" Asked Druid Oz. "He died protecting our kingdom from enemy''s invasion. He died together with all of his soldiers. The enemy kingdom''s soldiers are 100,000 in number, while he only brings 20,000 with him. The battle ended with no survivors from both parties..." Explained Claria as her face started to darken. "....It seems that he''s a good and great man... What a shame to lose such a great general like him..." (Druid Oz) "......" (Claria) Druid Oz saw Claria got absorbed in herself, maybe thinking about the so-called great general who was the owner of the mansion before him. Slowly, Druid Oz climbed the stairs, carefully observing the patterns and the carvings of the fence. The old mansion is designed and decorated in such an ancient and unique way. There are carvings similar to runes, but Druid Oz couldn''t sense any mana from it. Druid Oz left Claria standing in the middle of the road as he entered the old mansion. *Sound of door opened* "It looks rather comfortable..." (Druid Oz) As Druid Oz expected, the old mansion is cleaned daily that he could see every piece of furniture isn''t have a speck of dust above it. "Ah!" Claria returns to her senses as she heard Druid Oz closed the door. "Eh? Lord Ren?" Called Claria as she rushed towards the old mansion. "Whoa... This couch felt good..." Muttered Druid Oz as he sits on the couch. The house is three stories, the first level consisted of the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. The second level and the third level are filled with rooms, a personal training room, and a working room. (I should finish my matters here before they give me the land...) (Druid Oz) *Sound of a door opened* "Lord Ren?" (Claria) "I''m here, princess," (Druid Oz) "W-Why did you left me at the middle of the road?" Protested Claria. "You seem to be so absorbed in your thoughts, so I thought it would be better if I left you there until you regain your senses," Replied Druid Oz indifferently. "B-But..." Claria couldn''t find anything to reply to Druid Oz''s words. "Since you''re here to let me know more about the kingdom, may I ask some questions, princess?" Asked Druid Oz. "Y-Yes, you may," (Claria) "When will approximately the king give me the land he promised, and where will it be?" Asked Druid Oz as he stands, walked to the second floor, and stared at the Galhala kingdom''s map that tacked on the wall. "I-It should be at least 1 month from now, Lord Ren. And from the place, since my father gave you this mansion owned by his old friend, he might be intending to give you his land too," Answered Claria as she followed Druid Oz to the second floor. "And where is his land?" Asked Druid Oz. "It''s here, at the west side of the kingdom. It''s a medium-sized territory, the territory prospered greatly when the general ruled, but since the King has not found an appropriate replacement since the general''s death, the territory''s prosperity start to decline," (Claria) "I see..." Muttered Druid Oz as he saw a small library on the second floor. "Well, thanks for the information, your highness," Answered Druid Oz. "Is there anything I could help you with again, Lord Ren?" Asked Claria. "Then if you may, can you tell me about the demonized beasts I faced before?" Asked Druid Oz as he stared right into Claria''s eyes. Just like before, Claria felt like Druid Oz dive into her mind when their eyes meet each other. Claria immediately averted her eyes. "I-It''s not a secret, though. They''re-" (Claria) Just when Claria about to explain about the demonized birds, a sound of the main door opened suddenly sounded. "Hello? Ren?" Charnia''s voice appears from downstairs. "C-Charnia? What are you doing here?" Asked Claria as she went downstairs. "Huh? What are sis doing here? Where is Ren?" Asked Charnia once again. "I''m here, kid," Respond Druid Oz as he went downstairs too. "Ren!" Charnia rushed towards Druid Oz and jumped to him. "I''m so sorry!!! If I know that my sis will imprison you at the royal prison, I will never lead you to the kingdom!!!" Apologized Charnia as she glared towards Claria. "W-What? It''s your fault for running away from the kingdom, to begin with! All of it will not happen if you didn''t do that in the first place!" (Claria) "But father will never meet Ren if I didn''t run from the kingdom!" (Charnia) "But- But..." Claria got lost for words. "But, Ren. I heard everything from the royal guard, why did you do that at the royal throne room?" asked Charnia. "Hm?" (Druid Oz) (Ah... She must be asking about what I did inside the throne room, huh...) (Druid Oz) "I''m just doing what your father wanted to see, I mean, have been wanted to see," (Druid Oz) "I-I see... I don''t really understand, but father seems to be very satisfied and cheerful after meeting you, and seem to be secretly discussing something with mother," (Charnia) "You''re still too young to understand it, kid. Focus on learning more and growing first, and don''t ever run away from the kingdom anymore," said Druid Oz as he patted Charnia''s head. On the way towards the mansion, Claria had explained everything about the nobility system inside the Galhala kingdom. Different from other Owlfolk kingdoms, the Galhala King is wise enough to able to let not only those who are strong and powerful but smart people with lots of useful skills and leadership to become noble. A magic beast or demihuman kingdom usually let only those who have powerful strength be able to become nobles, as their thinking is still primitive, they worship those who have great strength and neglect those who only have a smart brain without any brawn. The Galhala King made the system where those who are able to make good strategies, great in negotiations, great in making schemes, and other things that concern intelligence, hoping that there will appear someone with the complete set. He''s searching for someone who has powerful strength, great intelligence but has the guts to stick to his justice. Of course, it is in order to have an ally he could depend on. Druid Oz could already conclude that there are many internal and external problems currently running in the Galhala Kingdom. Staring at the library upstairs, Druid Oz decided that he need to know everything about the Eastaria Kingdom first. (Now... Time to fill the holes I''m missing...) (Druid Oz) Chapter 170 - The Mystery Of South (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Your imperial majesty, shall we advance now?" Ursula called towards Lich Oz. "Indeed... Let''s go now, give summoners the instructions as I''ve said before," Replied Lich Oz. After reading the military reports of the demonic attacks, all of the reports mentioned that in every demonic attack, there is always a demon acting as the general, standing behind while the demons marched towards the undead kingdom. And when the demons failed, he will leave and go back to the south. Capturing the so-called general is one of the options, but there is a risk that he might didn''t have the ability to communicate. And even if there are several spells that could read the opponent''s memory, most of the demonic beasts are abnormally crazy and didn''t have any brain inside of their body, making the memory reading gives no result because of it. So Lich Oz used the suggestion of the army''s general. He''s the general with the lowest rank amongst the other generals. Lich Oz realized that the reason why he''s at the lowest rank is because of his low ability to fight head-on, unlike other generals. He''s a spellcaster ghoul, he has no ability to wield a weapon so he could only use magic, but magic and being a ghoul contradict each other, making his progress in magic to be hindered. But still, despite all of the obstacles, he managed to reach the [Count] rank with his own ability which is praiseworthy. And he is able to become one of the royal generals because of his high intellect His suggestion is to send the summoned skeleton pawn army summoned by the summoners advance and follow the demonic general. with 2,000 summoners, each of them summoned 50 pawn soldiers which is the lowest type of summoned undead that they could summon. All they need is to chase the demonic general, while they summoned a bird-type summoned creature that they could use to scout from above. Even if they''re considered the lowest rank summoners amongst the royal army, the weakest of them are at least at the [Baron] rank, they could summon and control two summoned creatures that have the same rank as them, they could control 500 pawn soldiers as they want, and could summon unlimited pawn soldiers as long as they have the mana. The army marched and followed the pawn soldiers slowly from behind while the summoners keep track of where the demonic general and the army of summoned pawn soldiers are. The pawn soldiers are consist of low-leveled skeleton cavalries, skeleton soldiers, skeleton archers, ghouls, and zombies. They followed the single order of [Kill the demonic general] and continue to follow the demonic general. As long as the summoned could see where the demonic general is through their flying summoned creature, their pawn soldiers will also able to locate where the demonic general is and could continue to pursue him. Lich Oz could actually sense where the demonic general is, and the location of the presence that the demonic general is going to report to. But he''s going forward with the general''s plan to observe the military plans of the undead kingdom too. As all of them are undead, there are no problems or obstacles that usually occur at living armies such as fatigue and ration problems. But they still bring ration as it boosts the undead army''s morale since all of them could now taste foods and had grown fond of eating. (But I hope none of them will grow fond of eating humans or other races...) (Lich Oz) One of Lich Oz''s greatest concerns is for the undead of the undead kingdom to taste humans or other races and got fond of their taste, making them transform into mass murderers and leading to other big problems. But according to Gareth, the taste of humans or other races is considered to be not delicious since they are not cooked. And because of the skilled chefs appearing across the kingdom, they are appealed more to chocolate fondue and pudding rather than a human. And it''s true since Lich Oz could see some people playing chess while eating pudding and drinking coffee. (It''s lucky that we''ve able to spread the taste of earth''s foods before the undead have a taste of a human) (Lich Oz) "Now, let''s see these mysterious creatures of the south..." (Lich Oz) "We''ve found the demon, my liege," Reported the leader of the summoners towards the ghoul general. "Your imperial majesty," (Ghoul General) "It''s on your call, general. I''ll only be an observer today," Replied Lich Oz. "Y-Yes, your imperial majesty," Answered the ghoul general as he kneels. He knew about Lich Oz and who he is, and he even holds a great amount of respect towards him as he could be considered as the savior of the undead race. But he''s scared of the one standing behind him. Ursula. He had heard all of the information about Ursula, and now that he met her face to face, the sheer pressure alone made him felt like his head crushed. Her presence alone made him want to kneel and beg for forgiveness, he remembered all of the reports about the strength and brutality of the Queen of Arachne, Ursula. "Rise, continue," (Lich Oz) (I need to show to the imperial majesty my capabilities!) (Ghoul General) The ghoul general firmed himself as he bows once towards Lich Oz and stands tall as a general. He held his staff tightly as he asked the leader of the summoners. "What did you see?" Asked the ghoul general. "The demonic general we chased is reporting to a huge demon. The size of the huge demon is ten times of the demonic general, approximately 30 meters. There are countless demons surrounding him, they''re similar to the demons that attacked the kingdom, general, but..." reported the leader of the summoners. "But?" Asked the demonic general. "But we should be able to see the huge demon from here because of its height, but why can''t we see anything from here?" (Leader of Summoners) "Indeed... I''m questioning it too..." Replied the ghoul general. He readies his staff and chants a spell to his staff''s orb. The black orb of the staff starts to emit a shining white light that the other undead found uncomfortable with. "I hope you''ll show me the truth, [Orb Of Light]" (Ghoul General) The Ghoul General''s staff suddenly shoots a small orb of light. The orb of light quickly flew towards the direction of where the huge demon mentioned by the leader of the summoners was supposed to be. After flying for about 200 meters, it suddenly explodes as if it hits a wall. "A barrier?" (Ghoul General) The invisible barrier scattered because of the orb of light, revealing a huge demon sitting in the middle of the forest. The huge demon stared right into the ghoul general''s eyes, sending him chills. "I see... A high-ranked illusion barrier, huh..." (Ghoul General) "But why didn''t any of us, the summoners sense the barrier?" Asked the leader of the summoners. "Since it''s an illusion barrier, there must be no sensation of hitting a barrier since the mana barrier only distort the image of the inside of the barrier without any use of guarding it against an attack from outside," (Ghoul General) "The reason why my orb of light explodes when it hits is that the element of light and the demonic element contradict each other. The orb of light that absorbs the demonic illusion barrier mana explodes when it reached the mana of light couldn''t bear the demonic element any longer," (Ghoul General) "Good analysis," Praised Lich Oz. "T-Thanks for the praise, your imperial majesty. It''s still nowhere near your level, your imperial. majesty," Answered the Ghoul General. "Now, what will you do, General?" Asked Lich Oz towards the Ghoul General. "...I have a plan," (Ghoul General) ************************** ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The huge demon roared, sending powerful winds in the direction of his roar. In average person''s ears, it''s just a terrifying roar of a huge demon. But for the other demons that served the huge demons. It means war! The countless demons surrounding the huge demon rush towards the direction where Lich Oz and the undead army standing. But when the demonic army traveled for just 50 meters, the countless demonic creatures got greeted by countless undead pawn soldiers. The 2,000 summoners keep on summoning pawn soldiers and send them to battle with the approaching demons. The opposition''s number is about 200,000 with various battle prowess. "Now, it seems that there is no need for me to join the fight," (Lich Oz) Chapter 171 - The Mystery Of South (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ ROAR!!!!!!!!!! Hearing the huge demon''s roar, the army of demons rushed towards the summoned undead pawn soldiers even furiously from before. But unlike what they thought it will be, they are the types of undead that could be killed in just one strike, but the undead pawn soldiers skillfully evade their strikes and smartly counterattacks. This is the strategy that the Ghoul General came up with. When the demons got startled by the undead pawn soldiers'' fighting skills and got absorbed in killing them, they will unintentionally gather at one point. That''s his aim. "Fire," Instructed the Ghoul General. With one instruction of the Ghoul General, the magicians chant their destructive spells while the archers shot with their magical arrows. Since the ones fighting the demons are just pawn soldiers that could unlimitedly be summoned by the summoners, they don''t have to worry about unintentional friendly fire. The destructive spells of the magicians are effective for both the demons and the pawn soldiers, but the magical arrows are only effective against the demons, so the undead pawn soldiers got the advantage to kill the demons that lose the ability to move because of the rain of magical arrows. The magical arrows are enhanced with poisons, while some of them are installed with explosive magic. The poison is deadly, but since the demonic mana inside the demons will give some kind of immunity toward it that will halt the poison''s effects, but the poison also has a paralyzing effect that made the demons lose their ability to move. The undead pawn soldiers could now kill the demons easily, but some of the demons have tough skin that the undead pawn soldiers have the trouble of killing. Just by the combo of the magicians'' bombarding of spells and the archer''s continuous rain of magical arrows, the demons got their number easily reduced to half of their original number while the rest of them got paralyzed and injured. "Advance!" (Ghoul General) Hearing the Ghoul General''s order, the undead cavalries rush towards the battlefield with their undead mounts, advancing towards the demons. They easily slashes their way and killed all of the demons along the way. They rush in a solid formation, leaving them paralyzed and injured demons with no gap to take advantage of. The cavalries only marched once and split into two groups, rushing back towards the army at the back. Each of them has two pawn soldiers riding together with them that ready to jump themselves towards the demon to protect the cavalries, making no casualties at the cavalries'' side. After the undead cavalries arrived back at the formation, it''s now time to start the raid. (Excellent plan, what is left is only the huge demon and the remaining injured demons) (Lich Oz) ROAR!!!!!! The huge demon once again roared in anger as his demons got easily slaughtered. "Advance," Ordered the Ghoul General. The army marched slowly towards the huge demon. The huge demon slowly rises as he ready himself for battle. The huge demon looked like a demonized Godzilla. Its red scales looked like it''s harder than any armors, his sharp teeth looked like numerous guillotine blades, and his claws are as big as pillars. But even if he has such terrifying form, it won''t even make the army of undead flinched. "Split," Ordered the Ghoul General. Following the Ghoul General''s command, the undead cavalries once again depart. They split into four groups and went to four different directions of the huge demon. After advancing and approaching the huge demon a little more, the Ghoul General ordered his army to stop. "Kill him" (Ghoul General) Once again, the undead archers and undead magicians bombarded the huge demon with magical arrows and explosive spells. The heavy-armored soldiers stand at their position in front of the archers, summoners, and magicians while the light-armored soldiers continue their advance. But unlike before, the light-armored soldiers didn''t advance with a neat formation, but in a free formation with just a single order. "Evade and attack," The light-armored finish up killing the remaining demons that could still survive but still get paralyzed by the poisons and continue to advance to the huge demon. With the cavalries acting as a decoy and distraction, the light-armored soldiers advance to attack and finish the huge demon, the heavy-armored soldiers guarding the rearguards, while the archers, magicians, and summoners will support them from behind. The summoners summoned all of their high-ranked summoned creatures to guard the rearguard''s right and left flank, while keep on summoning pawn soldiers to advance to the huge demon to keep it annoyed and disturbed. The bombarding of magical arrows and spells deplete the huge demon''s health quickly. The huge demon''s horn shines as he got furious by the damage he sustained from the bombarding. Boom!!!!!! The huge demon shoots a demonic beam towards the cavalries, but the cavalries avoided it rather easily with their high agility. With the cavalries circling in four groups and from four different directions, and the light-armored soldiers scattering and slowly advancing towards the huge demon, the huge demon got confused on which one it should kill first. But before it could decide which one to kill first, the damage he received from the bombarding of the magical arrows and the explosive spells are too big already, while the poison from the magical arrows started to take effect, paralyzing the huge demon, making it fall to the ground. The cavalries and the light-armored soldiers immediately rushed and advance to the finish of the huge demon. With a single groan, its scales that fell from the huge demon transformed into summoned demons. (I see... So those demons attacking the kingdom came from these huge demons'' scales... Every time his scales fell, it transformed into an army of demons... What a terrifying yet useful ability...) (Lich Oz) But even though it''s unexpected that the demonic scales transformed into another horde of demons, the undead cavalries and the light-armored undead soldiers quickly recovered and slaughter all of the summoned demons quickly. With the summoned pawn soldiers supporting them and sacrificing themselves whenever they''re in number, reduce their survival rate, leaving only some that got injured. The huge demon was once again left alone as all of his summoned demons easily and quickly got slaughtered by the army. They mercilessly slash and strike at the vulnerable and paralyzed huge demon, and after a few minutes, the huge demon finally died. The scars on the huge demon''s corpse unleash green drops of blood. When the undead soldiers touched the green blood, the blood unexpectedly got absorbed by their mana, which surprises Ghoul General too. "General, gather all of the undead near the huge demon corpse," Instructed Lich Oz. "Yes, your imperial majesty," (Ghoul General) Under the Ghoul General''s command, all of the undead armies gather near the huge demon''s corpse, and all of them sense strange abnormalities when they stand near the corpse. Their body slowly regain their vigor, they felt like they slowly and steadily become stronger, their mana capacity became larger and thicker. The huge demon''s blood flew and gather to them, but disappeared when they touched it as if they absorb the blood. "This is a new way of strengthening that we found when the demons invaded the undead world. Demons'' are a creature that filled with a condensed amount of demonic mana. And when they die, their corpse and blood that filled with condensed demonic mana slowly return to nature, dissipating into the air," (Lich Oz) "We, undead, have unexpected compatibility between our undead element and demonic element. The demonic element will get attracted with our undead element, while our undead mana devour the demonic mana of the corpse that start to dissipate into the air," (Lich Oz) "It will take some time for our magic core to process the absorbed demonic mana, but it will strengthen us a lot when our magic core complete on processing the demonic mana," (Lich Oz) "You could also absorb the huge demon''s corpse, and since the huge demon seems to be a summoner type, the summoners might be the ones who have the highest possibility of obtaining a new ability. Take your time on absorbing it," Explained Lich Oz. Lich Oz slowly observes the summoned demons that got summoned by the huge demon. There are lots of them, but the number is not what concerns him. "Well, whether they work together or not, they will be a good nutrition for the army," (Lich Oz) Chapter 172 - The Mystery Of South (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Such a huge demon, how did he even come here?" Asked Ursula as she observes the corpse of the huge demon. "Since it''s unlikely that there is a hell''s gate huge enough to let this huge demon pass, it seems that he''s summoned through teleportation magic or summoning magic but..." Lich Oz continues to observe the corpse of the huge demon. The huge demon has the strength and ability of a raid monster that usually acts as the last boss of a dungeon. His threat level could be considered at the [King] rank considering the number of the summoned demons he could summon just by dropping his scales. But why does there are such a huge demon in the southern part of the magical forest of Everdeen? At the last time when they destroyed all of the hell''s gate located at the southern part of the magical forest of Everdeen, they did not encounter any huge demon such as this one. "Interesting..." muttered Lich Oz as he continues to ponder with the little information he has. "Amazing!" Exclaimed the Ghoul General as he absorbs the Huge Demon''s corpse blood. Unlike the other undead that is also undergoing the great experience of strengthening and leveling up. The Ghoul General showed the biggest improvement as Lich Oz could see that he''s surrounded by a dense amount of demonic mana that profusely entered his body. His weak skin starts to develop scales and became harder, his usual hunched back start to straighten, and the amount of demonic mana and undead mana inside his body increase at an unbelievable speed. "Looks like we''ve found a promising one, your imperial majesty," Muttered Ursula as she stared at the Ghoul General that is surrounded by a typhoon of death and demonic mana with an interested smile. "Yes, he just found a great breakthrough to ascend his current rank. He''ll definitely obtain some useful abilities," Replied Lich Oz. But as expected, the other demonic beings that allied to the deceased huge demon won''t just stay idle and wait until the Ghoul General and his army finished absorbing it. "You may take your time absorbing the huge demon''s corpse," said Lich Oz as he shifted his gaze to the direction where another huge demon is approaching. Lich Oz could sense that there are 4 demons remaining that have the same strength as the deceased huge demon, the other three didn''t show any sign of movement while the one Lich Oz''s looking is rushing towards them at an unusual speed. "Shall I finish it?" Asked Ursula as she ready her weapons. "No need. We''ll let the army kill and absorb the enemies themselves. For now, let''s just stop him from his tracks first," (Lich Oz) Lich Oz gather a great amount of dark mana on the tip of his staff and finally chant the grand spell, "[Prison of Death]" Boom!!! Huge shackles fell from the sky, shackling the approaching demon''s head and feet to the ground. Following after... Boom!!! A huge cell fell from the sky, falling right at the approaching huge demon''s location. "That might be enough," muttered Lich Oz as he approached the imprisoned huge demon. "Hm?" (Lich Oz) The huge demons take a form of a huge bull with a demonic gorilla''s body and have a huge tail that resembles a lizard''s tail. The unusual combined parts of several magic beasts in one magic beast are usually referred to as a ''Chimera''. (Don''t tell me, they''re experimenting on making huge chimeras on this land? No, they make them at the other realm, while sending them here to see their abilities, huh...) (Lich Oz) (Then there must be magic helping them to observe these demons... There seems to be nothing in the skies, then it means...) (Lich Oz) Lich Oz stares deeply at the huge demonic bull''s eyes. "[Death''s Gaze]" (Lich Oz) ***************************** Inside the abyssal world, the world of demons. Several top-tiered magicians under the wings of the top 10 demon kings are observing the chimeras they''ve made in their lab. "Who is that?" "Is that the undead that forced lord Baal back to the demon realm?" "Impossible! There''s no way that lord Baal got defeated by such a weak Lich!" "But he single-handedly shackled our chimera!" "Hmph! Look at that! He''s blankly staring at our chimera! Just like a fool-" [Death''s Gaze] !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All of the mages that stared at the Lich''s eyes froze on the spot. Just like a mannequin, all of their body became stiff, and their eyes lost the sign of a soul living inside their body. The gaze of death. Gazing right into a high-rank undead''s eyes is taboo for any living being. Anyone who crossed their sight with the high-ranked undead will lose their minds and lost their soul together with it. And just like that, the mages controlling the chimeras sent their souls to Lich Oz easily. ***************************** "Hmph! Fools!" Lich Oz snorted. He grabbed the ten demonic souls that appeared before him, and feed them to his staff. But when he about to go back to the army, the huge roar of the huge demonic bull surprises him. ROAR!!!!!!!! "He''s not dead?" Lich Oz approached the huge demonic bull once again. (Don''t tell me, he doesn''t have any living soul? Does every artificial chimera''s that way?) (Lich Oz) Lich Oz pondered once again as he organized the pieces of puzzles inside his head. (I see... No wonder the blood release some mana of death, if my hypothesis is right, then the huge demon''s magic core must be containing an unbelievable amount of death mana...) (Lich Oz) Lich Oz went back to his army, and luckily, it''s almost time for the army to absorb the magic core. "Should we absorb the magic core too, your imperial majesty?" Asked the Ghoul General. "Yes, absorb all of it," Answered Lich Oz. all of the soldiers touched the magic core, and just like what Lich Oz guessed, the magic core of the huge demon did not just emit a terrifying amount of demonic mana, but it also releases a terrifying amount of death mana. (I see... So that''s the other reason why they entered the realm of death... To gather the rich undead mana in order to make a monster like this..) (Lich Oz) (If they made more of these types of huge demon, it will definitely be a great disaster) (Lich Oz) Poof! A small undead owl appeared in front of Lich Oz. "Send the message to Slime for me," Ordered Lich Oz as he gives a small note that had been written with magic. "Now, let''s see how it goes..." Lich Oz observes his army once more. Even though they''re sharing the huge demon with 32,000 people, Lich Oz could sense that their power had greatly increased for at least twice their usual strength. After waiting for a while, they finally finished absorbing the demonic core. In the undead world, if they want to absorb the opponent''s strength, they need to eat its magic core with their mouth since their body is already filled with a dense amount of death mana. And even if it''s normal magic beasts, they still need to eat the magic beast''s magic core manually, unlike the case with the huge demon before them. To be able to absorb the strength of such a powerful demon without having any need to eat them rawly gives them a great sense of satisfaction. Most of the demons also have their body transformed into stronger and harder, some even grow scales, some have their claws get bigger and sharper, while some got bigger in size. All of them got stronger just by absorbing one demon, but the one who went through the biggest transformation is the Ghoul General. His body became stronger than before, his mana density and capacity had increased more than twice the original, and his body got slightly bigger. It looks like he had obtained some new abilities too. He''s now on the verge of breaking through into the [Duke] rank, if he had absorbed the demon alone, he would be on the verge of ascending to the [King] rank right now. "What a great sight to behold, all of you seem to be far stronger than before," said Lich Oz as he stared at his army in satisfactory. "Do you want to continue to fight?" Asked Lich Oz. """YES!!!""" All of them answered with full of vigor. "I see... Then," With a single flick of his fingers, the huge cage and shackles trapping the huge demonic bull disappeared. "Time to fight your second opponent. General, I''ll be hoping for another great result," (Lich Oz) "I''ll try my best to not disappoint you, my liege. [Summon Demonic Undead]" (Ghoul General) Five different demonic undead with different forms appeared before the Ghoul General. They have all of the advantages that undead and a demon holds, the immortal life and the abnormal strength and abilities. "Seems like you''ve really obtained a very useful ability," (Lich Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty. I''ve luckily obtained several useful abilities that I hope will be useful on serving you," (Ghoul General) "Excellent. Then show me, general. Kill the demon," (Lich Oz) Chapter 173 - The Galhala Kingdom (4) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "I see..." Druid Oz muttered as he closed the book he just finished reading and went to the wall where the map of the Eastaria continent was tacked on. Per Druid Oz''s request, Claria and Charnia left him at the house alone so that he could do some research about the Eastaria continent from the books inside the private library of the late general. Claria notifies Druid Oz that they will come to pick him up once more if there is an important thing for him to do or if the king called him again. The Galhala kingdom is located in the western part of the continent, even though the Ablux continent is bigger than the Eastaria continent, the Eastaria continent is still huge with about 15 kingdoms and empires inside it. (So... I''m currently here, huh...) (Druid Oz) The western part of the Eastaria continent. There are 3 Owlfolk kingdoms and 1 Owlfolk empire surrounding the Galhala kingdom, while the Galhala kingdom and the neighbor Owlfolk empire have several war histories with most of the wars won by the Galhala kingdom. "But the books here are too limited, I need to find more information about the continent, especially about the Galhala kingdom..." Druid Oz muttered as he remembered the thing he found inside the library. The late general''s diary. The part that made Druid Oz wary the most is the part where he mentioned the evil prime minister Allomere. "According to the diary, the most suspicious person is that prime minister Allomere... But-" (Druid Oz) Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! A powerful knock appears from the house''s main door. (Hm? Ah... I''ve spent more than 4 hours reading, huh... It''s already dark outside) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz stared at the skies above from the window as he went downstairs, but when he about to open the door. Bam! The door got forcefully opened, but the one Druid Oz saw is not Claria nor Charnia. It''s an army with fully-equipped soldiers, standing before the house. "Ren Arken, by the command of the Prime Minister, you''ll be captured for abducting the princess of the kingdom and for taking advantage of her innocence for your own benefits," Stated one of the soldiers. "The Prime Minister, huh..." Muttered Druid Oz. At that short moment, Druid Oz runs his brain quickly as he calculates every move he could do, and consider which one is the most beneficial for both him and the Galhala Kingdom. (If I resist and flee, it will raise more suspicions and will only further stain my name, while the Galhala King''s and Queen''s name will also get sullied by my actions. The prime minister might say they got utterly fooled by an outcast and got taken advantage of which will give a bad outcome) (Druid Oz) (Trying to reason with these soldiers will not be a wise decision either. To serve the wicked prime minister means that they''re filled with self-minded people. It will only be a waste of time...) (Druid Oz) "My only option is to get confined in a cell once more, huh..." Muttered Druid Oz as he sighs. Druid Oz helplessly gets along with the arrestment of himself. The soldiers kind of surprised when they saw the well-built man inside the late general''s house kindly accept the arrest. They lead him to the same cell as before, which is the royal prison located under the royal castle of the Galhala Kingdom. But unlike before, this time, he didn''t get his arms, legs, and head confined like before. They only put a huge iron magic bracelet at both hands of Druid Oz. "Well, at least there is a kinder treatment than before," Muttered Druid Oz as he shrugged and lay on top of the bed. "Now, what should we do... Spying at what currently happening inside the royal throne room might be interesting..." Muttered Druid Oz as an evil smile appeared on his face. The magic bracelet put on his hands is meant to restrict him from using any mana, and transforming to any form. But since the beginning, the soldier that put on the bracelet to Druid Oz didn''t realize that Druid Oz covered the layer between Druid Oz''s skin and the bracelet with a thin wooden branch. "This should make it," Druid Oz summons a branch and transform it into a key that suits the huge bracelet''s lock. As he thought, the bracelets got opened rather easily. "How clever, prisoners will think that it will get easy to get break the huge bracelet since it didn''t restrict one''s hand, unlike handcuffs. But actually, it''s made from a fine magic iron, and its function is not only to restrict the flow of mana, but it''s also absorbing mana from it, huh... But what will they do with it? Making the prisoners weakened by having its mana absorbed? Or..." (Druid Oz) "Or could it collect information from the collected mana...?" (Druid Oz) (Well, luckily I didn''t have contact with the huge bracelet directly... Now, let''s have a peek at what''s going on...) (Druid Oz) With a single flick of his hands, five different insects appeared in front of Druid Oz. He summoned a spider, a bee, a mosquito, a beetle, and a mantis. "Now, let''s pretend to sleep, shall we?" Druid Oz take a sleeping posture on the bed and closed his eyes. As he closed his eyes, fice different view appeared inside his mind. As if monitors from CCTV''s or drones'' cameras, the senses of the summoned insects transferred right into Druid Oz. (Now, let''s get out from this freakin'' prison first...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz ordered his summoned insects to leave the prison as he navigates them. As the summoned mosquito could fly faster, it slips through the prison''s door quicker, followed by the summoned bee, summoned beetle, and summoned mantis, while the summoned spider arrived last. (I think summoning the spider is a wrong decision (?)) They finally regroup, what''s left is to go to the royal castle''s throne room. Druid Oz let the summoned bee fly and take a peek from a gap at the castle''s windows. Since he remembers the window of the throne room, he''s going to check on the situation from there. (If I''m not mistaken, it''s about here...) (Druid Oz) As the bee arrived at a window and take a peek inside, Druid Oz could see the Galhala King is sitting on top of the throne with the Galhala Queen beside him, while two old person with a huge body stands before him with five other middle-aged men. The old person and the five people behind him use an attire befitting a minister of the kingdom. But since it seems that the window is chanted with a soundproof barrier, Druid Oz couldn''t hear anything from the bee. They seem to be having a normal conversation. "Well, trying to hear with a bee that perceives sound from its body is already hard to begin with," (Druid Oz) Druid Oz finally let the other summoned insects advance towards the throne room. Unlike the other summoned insects, the summoned spider needs to be extra careful since he''s the only one who didn''t have the ability to fly. But with Druid Oz''s control, the spiderman jumps and travels in the air using his web just like a spiderman. "Now that''s cool," (Druid Oz) The summoned mosquito, summoned beetle, and summoned mantis arrived in front of the throne room''s door earlier than the spider. And as they invade the throne room from the gap under the throne room''s door, Druid Oz could finally hear the conversation between the Galhala King and the Galhala Queen. "That''s relieving to hear, Allomere. Now tell me, what is the real reason for your visit?" Asked the Galhala King. (He''s inside the throne room until this late? It''s about 6 pm already!) (Druid Oz) "I heard from the captain of the royal guards that you seek for an audience with me," Continued the King. (Ah... So he went back to the throne room because the prime minister seeks an audience with him, huh... I thought he stayed inside the throne room all day long...) (Druid Oz) "Yes, your majesty. Forgive my insolence, but I''ve heard the announcement that you''ve granted a noble title to a man who saved your daughter from the demons, is that right, your majesty?" Asked the prime minister. "Yes, it is right," the Galhala King replied confidently. "Yes, I just ordered my knights to confine him inside the royal prison," the prime minister stated towards the Galhala King with an indifferent expression and tone. It took quite a time for the Galhala King to process the prime minister''s words. "Y-YOU WHAT!?" Chapter 174 - The Galhala Kingdom (5) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Y-YOU WHAT!?" The Galhala King shouts as he questions the prime minister with a voice that similar to a roar. Druid Oz couldn''t filter the sound like the one who hears it is his summoned insects, while the sound gets transferred right into his mind, he could only bear the pain as he saw everyone inside the royal throne just slightly flinched while the prime minister didn''t even flinch by the Galhala King''s roar-like voice. "As I said, I ordered my knights to confine him inside the royal prison. Please understand my concerns, your majesty. It is very dangerous for you to easily accept and even grant a nobility title to someone that background we barely know, your majesty. It will greatly threaten the royal family, and might greatly threaten our kingdom," Replied the prime minister, unwavering. Druid Oz could see his cold eyes filled with cold calculation, his wavering eyes are too deep for Druid Oz to dive in, he could not guess what the prime minister is thinking. "Y-You... Did you know about this, Kludd?" The Galhala King asked one of the ministers that stands beside the prime minister. *Sigh* The man called Kludd sighs. "Please forgive my insolence for saying this, your majesty... But this time, I need to agree with the prime minister about this matter... It might be very dangerous for the royal family, especially your daughters if you put so much trust towards an unknown person, your majesty... Please understand my concern..." The minister, Kludd, replied to the Galhala King as he bows deeply and begs for the Galhala King to reconsider accepting Druid Oz easily. Unlike the prime minister, Druid Oz could see his eyes filled with sincere concern for the Galhala King. *Sigh...* "I understand and could feel that you''re doing because you are concerned for me. But I can''t mistreat someone who saved my daughter from death just because we couldn''t prove that he saved her. And to add that Charnia had clearly stated that he is the one who saved her, so isn''t it''s more than enough to prove it? Or did both of you didn''t believe my daughter?" The Galhala King made a firm stance at his belief towards Druid Oz. "I-It''s not that, your majesty..." (Minister Kludd) "There is a possibility that the princess got brainwashed by magic, your majesty," The prime minister continues to pester the validity of Charnia''s words. (I see... He didn''t want the Galhala King to have a new unknown ally that he hasn''t even meet... The number of rewards that the Galhala King gives me showed how much trust the Galhala King holds towards me, it''s enough reason for him to be so wary about me...) (Druid Oz) "You mean you didn''t believe with my daughter, Allomere!? As her father, I will be the first one to realize if she''s under a brainwashed spell! if I didn''t realize that she is brainwashed, let alone the others!!" The Galhala King once again roared. "I see... You''re indeed right, your majesty... Forgive me for my unthoughtful words," the Prime Minister, Allomere, finally apologized towards the Galhala King. *Sigh* The Galhala King let out another heavy sigh. "I know how concerned the both of you are, but I''m willing to bet on my name for his credibility. That''s how much I trust him," Answered the Galhala King firmly. As they are having their conversation, Druid Oz had sent his summoned insects to get near the prime minister and the other ministers. Firstly, he uses the summoned mosquito to climb one of the ministers behind the prime minister and minister Kludd, ordering him to make a small magic circle. Druid Oz could summon and grow plants within his spell list to wherever he or his mana could touch, he actually could summon plants by using his summon insects as a medium, but it''s difficult to maintain the precision of the summoning if he summoned it from the summoned insects, so he makes magic circles where he could give a precise amount of mana for the spell. "Now, time to see which side this minister is on," (Druid Oz) With a single flick of fingers, a small Alianza flower grew inside the minister''s pocket. but surprisingly, the blue flower inside the minister''s pocket shined a blue color. Druid Oz controlled his summoned mantis to the prime minister''s feet and made the same magic circle. After the magic circle is made, Druid Oz summoned an Alianza flower in the same manner as before. But surprisingly. The color of the flower isn''t the one he predicted it will be. (It''s blue? Does the king throw the Alianza main flower away? No, I could sense it from inside his pocket, he hid it behind his mantle... So... Does it mean the villain is not the prime minister, Allomere?) (Druid Oz) "If you''ve said so, then I have no other option but to trust him as well, your majesty. But if something happened to the princess Claria or princess Charnia..." (The prime minister, Allomere) "It''s fine, Allomere. I saw the man with my own eyes. I trust him as well, Charnia and Claria will be fine," The Galhala Queen suddenly join the conversation. Unlike when the Galhala King tried to convince him, the Galhala Queen''s words seem to be more convincing for the prime ministers and the other ministers. "I know your huge affection towards Charnia and Claria, but you don''t need to worry, Allomere. As their father, I will sacrifice everything to keep them safe," (The Galhala King) "If you say so, your majesty... I considered both of them as my own granddaughter... Please forgive my overprotective behavior..." The prime minister, Allomere, finally bowed towards the Galhala King. (W-What is this... Isn''t he just a doting grandfather?) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz got shocked for a while but regained his senses not long after. He ordered his summoned insects to climb the rest of the ministers, and just like the prime minister, Allemore, minister Kludd also has a blue-colored Alianza flower. (Another blue? Then do the enemies the Galhala King mean are the enemies outside the kingdom?) (Druid Oz) Suddenly the throne room''s door got fiercely opened. "Grandpa Allomere!" Charnia''s voice suddenly appeared after the throne room''s door got opened. She did not hide her angry face as she approaches the prime minister, Allomere. "Why did you do that to Ren!? Where is Ren!? Why- Buhh!!" Claria blocked her little sister''s mouth as she started to angrily shout towards the prime minister, Allomere. "Grandpa Allomere, where is lord Ren? He is the savior of Charnia, And I''ve confined him once before because of my short thinking, it will be too much to confine him again, grandpa, could you please let him out?" Claria tries to negotiate with the prime minister, Allomere. "So the both of you also trusts him greatly, huh..." (Prime minister, Allomere) "Bhwah!" Charnia finally gets free from Claria''s hands. "Of course!! Ren saved my life from the demons and healed all of my scars, after all!!" (Charnia) Druid Oz ordered his summoned spider, summoned mantis, summoned, mosquito, and summoned beetle to check on the rest of the ministers. Since their attention got stolen by Charnia and Claria, the ministers didn''t realize the summoned insects climbing their body despite the size of the summoned beetle and the summoned mantis are rather big. The summoned insects quickly carve the magic circles on the ministers'' clothes, and quickly summoned the Alianza flowers. But the result shocked him. One of them is light blue, but the rest of them... (There are three traitors! Did the prime minister and the Galhala King know this? No, wait, what is happening?) (Druid Oz) The blood-red Alianza flowers slowly burn, leaving a scent that Druid Oz will never ever able to forget. "Demonic mana!" (Druid Oz) Charnia and Claria approach the prime minister and minister Kludd, which automatically makes them approach the rest of the three traitor ministers too. (Shit! I need to go before it''s too late!" (Druid Oz) Druid Oz summoned his wooden staff from the ground and- The royal magic cell got smashed into bits. The royal guards that guard the royal prison immediately rushed, but they''re no match for Druid Oz. Druid Oz knocked them out before they could transform into their huge Owl form. (Please make it...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz transformed into his huge owl form and dashed towards the throne room at a high speed as he monitors the situation inside the throne room. "Princess Charnia, you sure have beautiful hair," said one of the traitor ministers as he approaches Charnia. "Thank- Ugh!" (Charnia) The traitor ministers suddenly transformed into huge owls, while one of the traitor ministers caught Charnia under his claws, and the other also tried to catch Claria, but her high agility helped her to evade it. "Charnia!" (The Galhala King) "Don''t move! Or the royal princess will die!" Chapter 175 - The Galhala Kingdom (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Don''t move! Or the royal princess will die!" Threaten the traitor minister as he holds Charnia under his claws. One of his claw approach Charnia''s neck, showing that he is serious on killing her. "Don''t even think of transforming into your owl form if you want the princess to survive!" Said the traitor minister. "Minister Kalud! Do you know what you''re doing!?" The Galhala King question the traitor minister. "I do! This is the reason why I''m here, after all!" Minister Kalud replied in a rather creepy way. His eyes wandered from right to left as his body begin to distort. Not only him, but the other traitor ministers also have their huge owl body start to distort. Red scales together with terrifying red demonic mana start to appear from the traitor ministers. "Y-You..." The Galhala King stared at their breathtaking demonification in shock. "Kalud, is this truly your real intention? You used to adore the king so much and love his children as much as I am, tell me, which one is your true self?" The prime minister, Allomere, question minister Kalud with the same unwavering eyes and stance. The pair of eyes that had turn warmer when he saw Charnia and Claria coming had regained their coldness. "I have no obligation to play in your mind games, prime minister, Allomere! Now, Galhala King!! If you value your daughter''s life more than yours!! Kill yourself with that sword!!" The minister Kalud that had transformed into a demonic form shouted towards the Galhala King. His strength had indeed skyrocketed, even if the Galhala King or the prime minister, Allomere, could wound him in a short time, they still couldn''t kill him which will only threaten Charnia''s life even more. "Reno!!!" The Galhala King called one of his most trusted aid, the captain of the royal guards, Reno. "Y-Yes, your majesty," replied the captain of the royal guards. "Behead me!!!" Ordered the Galhala King firmly. "B-But your majesty..." (Reno) "Aren''t you my sword that will follow every order I give you!? Now, behead me!!!" Ordered the Galhala King with a firmer voice The captain of the royal guards gripped his sword hardly as he approaches the Galhala King. "Don''t even think of doing anything stupid, lowly guard! If I thought you''re planning something suspicious, the princess'' head will fly!" Threaten the demonized minister Kalud. Cold sweats start to profusely run behind the backs of the prime minister, minister Kludd, the Galhala King, the Galhala Queen, and Claria. "Dear..." (The Galhala Queen) "It''s for our daughter, my love. Please continue watching over them, take over my position for a while before-" (The Galhala King) Slash! Suddenly the captain of the royal guards beheads the Galhala king''s head before he even finished his words. Looking at the sight, the demonized minister Kalud laughed heartfully, but the prime minister caught the small tear running under his and the other demonized ministers'' cheeks. (Tears?) (Prime Minister, Allomere) Slash! Another sound of slash unexpectedly appeared, following the sound, countless pink flower petals suddenly appear from every part of the royal throne. "I-Impossible..." (Minister Kalud) "W-What is this?" "What is happening!?" "Flower magic: [Garden of Illusion]. And combined with [Flower Prison]. What a shame dear allies of demons, I have no intention on letting the one I saved die that easily, and of course, not his father too," Druid Oz''s voice appear from behind the Galhala King that had his head beheaded by the captain of the royal guards before. But unlike what they''ve seen, the Galhala King''s head is still intact! Realizing the situation had turned in their favor, the prime minister, Allomere, immediately transformed into his owl form and dashed towards the demonized minister Kalud that is confined by the [Flower Prison]. He immediately beheads the demonized minister Kalud''s head as he shouted, "Arrest the others!" His shout made the others regain their composure, the royal guards immediately transformed into their owl form, but before they could arrest the rest of the demonized ministers, the Galhala King and the captain of the royal guards had dashed towards the two demonized ministers first with their unbelievable speed. The Galhala King beheaded the demonized minister in the same manner as the Prime Minister, Allomere. Since their body is confined inside the [Flower Prison], they could easily kill them since Druid Oz let the pink flower petals covered the demonized minister''s whole body except for their heads. "Die, you bastards-" (Captain of the Royal Guards) As the captain of the royal guards about to behead the last remaining demonized minister, his claws suddenly got entangled by hard vines. "This is?" (Captain of the Royal Guards) "We need one alive to interrogate, captain," said Druid Oz. "I-Indeed..." The captain of the royal guards regains his composure and suppresses his anger after he heard Druid Oz''s words. "L-Lord Ren..." (Claria) "R-Ren!!" Charnia shouted as she jumped towards Druid Oz''s arms. (Um... Kid, this is not the best place to do this, you know?) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz could feel the gazes from the others, especially from the prime minister, Allomere, that is staring at him with his cold gaze. "Lord Ren, you once again saved Charnia, no, you even saved me and my whole family this time! You have my utmost gratitude, I will definitely reward you handsomely for this," said the Galhala King as he transformed back to his human form. "It''s my honor, your majesty," Answered Druid Oz. "So you''re the one that his majesty mentioned," The prime minister, Allomere, suddenly said. "Y-Yes, it seems so, lord prime minister," Replied Druid Oz politely. (I wonder why but I couldn''t help but get pressured by this old man. Why does it feel like I''m stealing his granddaughter away from him!?) (Druid Oz) "I see..." Muttered the prime minister, Allomere, as he sized Druid Oz up before staying silent once again, making the atmosphere awkward. (Is that it!? Really!? Could you please say something else!? Anyone?!) (Druid Oz) "Thank you, for saving us again, Lord Ren," Thanked Claria as she approached Druid Oz. (Thank you, Thank you, Claria!) (Druid Oz) "It is my p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to be in your service, your highness," (Druid Oz) "You''re sure very humble, Lord Ren. I wonder if-" (Claria) Whoosh!!! Powerful winds together with a tremendous amount of demonic mana suddenly gushed out from the remaining demonized minister that got confined inside Druid Oz''s [Flower Prison] and form a demonic sphere around him, cutting Claria''s words. The red terrifying mana is so dense and filled with so much malice as it started to make Charnia feel suffocated. But before Druid Oz could chant a barrier for her, a grey barrier suddenly appeared, guarding Charnia against the intense demonic mana. "Grandpa..." Muttered Charnia. "It''s not time for you to shine yet, buttercup. Just rest there," said the doting grandpa gently. Unlike Charnia, everyone else inside the royal throne could bear with the intense demonic mana as they all have barriers. Druid Oz saw that some of the royal guards and ministers look struggling, while the prime minister, the Galhala King, and the Galhala Queen didn''t even flinch as they didn''t even chant a barrier to guard against the demonic mana. Druid Oz looked at his side and saw that Claria is just a bit pressured by the amount of demonic mana since this might be her first time, but not only her, Druid Oz could see that the captain of the royal guards is a little bit struggling with it. (So Claria has the same strength as the captain of the royal guards, huh... Not bad) (Druid Oz) Crack! Crack! Crack! The demonic mana typhoon suddenly shoots several shadows outside the royal throne room. The others though that it''s just shooting around randomly, but not Druid Oz. (It is looking for people to hold captive!!!) (Druid Oz) Tap! Druid Oz tapped his wooden staff to the royal throne room''s ground, and ten beasts appeared from ten different magic circles. "Chase them!" (Druid Oz) Following Druid Oz''s command, they immediately dashed towards the shadows outside the royal throne room. Looking at what Druid Oz just did, the Galhala King and the prime minister, Allomere, quickly understand the meaning of his actions. "Quickly! Help the beasts chase over the shadows! Protect the citizens!!" (The Galhala King) Wasting no time, as the only magician, Druid Oz ready his magic as he''s the only one who could attack the demonic sphere from the distance. Since the sphere looked like it''s still in the progress of forming something, Druid Oz chose to use a long spell that will annihilate it in one go. But. "You... The hero of cards... For you to interfere with my business again... How insolent... So this time you use flowers... Then let me use mine!!!!!!" A sinister voice filled with malice shouted from inside the demonic sphere. A huge blackish-red flower appears under Druid Oz and Claria. Druid Oz knew that he has no time to evade, but he could still save Claria. Druid Oz kicked Claria with a decent amount of power, enough to send her away from the demonic flower''s reach, and chant a single spell before finally captured by the demonic flower. "[Thorn of Malavama]" (Druid Oz) Chapter 176 - The Imperial Military Meeting (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Now, let''s start," Slime Oz''s words resonate inside the military meeting room. "Yup! Let''s start! It felt like it''s been a very long time since we could assemble in such a full team!" Fedra enthusiastically said with his loud voice. "Fedra, you''re too loud. We''re in a formal meeting here, could you please show an attitude befitting the supreme general of the imperial legion?" Commented Ibra. "Hohohoho, Ibra. It seems that having more than thousands of subordinates had made you feel that you''re a bigshot, huh? Don''t you remember that not long ago, we''re still hunting with spears and bows to survive hunger?" (Fedra) "Since we used to be in such a state, we should be thankful to Ren- his imperial majesty that had given us our new life by taking this meeting seriously!" Scolded Ibra. "Fine, fine. I''m just joking, I humbly apologize. Please forgive me your imperial majesty," said Fedra as he bowed his head towards Slime Oz. "Hahaha! It''s fine. There is no need to be so formal when there''s only us here," said Slime Oz as he let out a small laugh. "But I agree with Ibra, you''re too loud, Fedra," Brad continue the topic. "That''s what shows his great spirit, Lord Brad! Great spirits emit strength, isn''t it right, Lord Fedra!?" Replied Magra with a voice as loud as Fedra. "Hahahaha! That''s right!" (Fedra) "Lively as usual, indeed..." Muttered Talak with his folded arms as a grin appeared on his face. "Okay, let''s mute them for a while, *Flick*," said Gurolf as he flicked his fingers. "It seems that the imperial head magician keeps on getting stronger each day, how terrifying..." Commented Gareth. The voice of Magra''s and Fedra''s laugh suddenly disappeared from the room, restoring the serenity of the room. Fedra and Magra seem to didn''t realize that their voice got blocked by a small soundproof barrier surrounding them, making them the only ones who hear their voices, but they could still hear others'' voices. (How merciless...) (Slime Oz) "Crafty as always, as expected of the lord head imperial magician," Praised Firenze, the king of centaurs. "I think it''s time to get into business, your imperial majesty," said Thydal as he took a peek at his pocket watch. "Indeed, please start, Ren," (Aegir) "Okay, then let''s officially start today''s military meeting," declared Slime Oz as he takes a single king chess piece that size slightly bigger than usual, and put it on top of the world map on the table. The place Slime Oz put the piece is right at the location where they''re sitting, right now. The imperial capital city of the Tarot empire. "As you''ve heard, the holy empire had started to make their moves. They''ve sent their ''Party of Heroes'' to the Grandaria kingdom to recruit Sera, Peter, and the others. The direction they''re taking is obviously going towards the hostility of our empire," (Slime Oz) "As we''ve agreed before, the next war spotlights will be given to the elves and the orcs. But Azaline had absent for several meetings and the messenger said that she''s not in her castle, so if she still absent until the time for war has come, we''ll let the Lizardfolks take over their role, any objections?" Asked Slime Oz. """None,""" "Then let''s continue," said Slime Oz as he took six golden-black pawn pieces, five bishop pieces, one knight piece, and one rook piece, and put them in front of the big golden-black king piece. The pawn pieces represent the imperial soldiers. The bishop pieces represent the imperial guards. The knight piece represents the imperial knights. the rook piece represents the imperial magicians. While each piece represents 100,000 unitd. "The imperial forces will remain idle inside the imperial capital city. The other imperial kingdoms are allowed to help and support the Elf kingdom and the orc kingdom for your kingdom''s interests and businesses," (Slime Oz) "I see... So as long as the elf kingdom and the orc kingdom approved it, we could join the battle too, right?" (Aegir) "Yes, Aegir. But you''re the prime minister of the empire, you have no need or obligation to join ANY battle," (Slime Oz) "U-Ugh... Could anyone help me from being enslaved in this prison...?" Aegir grumbled under his breath. "We understand that we should make a mutual agreement first with whether ef kingdom or orc kingdom to join the fray, but where is Azaline? I haven''t seen Geeta for a long time too, where are they?" Asked Fedra as he shifted his gaze from Slime Oz to Aegir. It seems that Gurolf had removed his barrier when Fedra had stopped being too noisy. "U-Um..." Aegir immediately shifted his gaze upwards as he didn''t know what to answer. "Brad," Slime Oz immediately called out Brad as he is the only one who knows every movement of the people inside the Tarot Empire. *Sigh* Brad let out a small sigh. "They embarked to the Eastaria continent together with the sky king," Brad suddenly stated a piece of shocking information. "Eastaria?" Asked Slime Oz. Slime Oz had already asked Brad several times before, but as the one who knows where his little sister-in-law is asked him to don''t tell Slime Oz first. "E-Eastaria continent!? And did you let them go, Lord Brad!? Why did they even go there!?" Asked Thydal with a solemn expression. "Yes," (Brad) "Geeta said that she is going to accompany Azaline save Azaline''s mother," (Aegir) "H-How this could be... The Eastaria continent is filled with so much danger! You know about the Owlfolks of the Eastaria continent, don''t you!?" (Thydal) "I know. I''ve sent 30 of my personal elite units to tail both of them. I''ll be monitoring them, and if something indeed happens, I''ll notify Ren''s druid clone immediately as he''s also investigating the Eastaria continent," Answered Brad indifferently. "B-But.." (Thydal) "Brad. If anything happens, immediately notify not only my druid clone but also me. We''ll send the imperial soldiers to back them up immediately," (Slime Oz) "Why didn''t they tell us?" (Fedra) "Yea, they should''ve told us," (Ibra) "It''s fine. They must have their reasons for not doing so. Not let''s continue," (Slime Oz) "My estimation rate for the holy empire to attack us is about 80%. We could just stop them before the war broke, but the war is necessary for us to show our strength to the world. But you can''t underestimate the holy empire''s strength, they had 5 vassal kingdoms under them, surrounding their empire," (Slime Oz) Slime Oz put a white king chess piece with the size same as the one on top of Tarot''s map, together with five white king chess pieces with original size on top of the map surrounding the holy empire. "It means that we''ll be fighting one of the biggest forces of the world, and you could also say that this time, our opponent is the most crafty, malicious, deceptive, and strong," (Slime Oz) The Ablux continent has the size almost the same as the Asia continent, which is roughly 40 million km square. The magical forest of Everdeen is located in the southern part of the continent, and its size is 1/6 of the continent. The Grandaria kingdom and the Potterland kingdom are the nearest kingdoms to the Tarot empire. In the Ablux continent, there are 23 kingdoms and 4 empires excluding the Tarot empire. With 5 kingdoms under its banner, the holy empire''s strength and influence are well known all across the continent. "We''ve our ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order spread all across the world, gathering information about the world. All of the information regarding the holy empire will be given to all of you by Brad. Read it, and you''ll realize that it is not an exaggeration to say that we''re against a formidable opponent," (Slime Oz) "Indeed... According to my intel, the holy empire had several aces in their ranks. They have powerful artifacts, powerful holy knights, miracles, and it is said that there are still lots of mysteries of their strength," added Gurolf. "I agree. I''ve seen the record given by the ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order," (Ibra) "Which record?" (Fedra) "The one when the ''party of heroes'' arrived inside the Grandaria kingdom''s throne room. I believe that Gurolf had also noticed that the rude fool wearing a holy knight attire is bringing several magic artifacts while his sword is enchanted with powerful spells," (Ibra) "Exactly," (Gurolf) "I also felt rather uneasy when I saw them. That hero... He is hiding something..." (Talak) "I believe it''s not just something. He seems to be hiding lots of things. How interesting..." (Firenze) Chapter 177 - The Imperial Military Meeting (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "I believe it''s not just something. He seems to be hiding lots of things. How interesting..." (Firenze) "Whatever he''s planning, I''ll leave it for my clone to handle it. There will be no use of baseless assumptions, after all. Now, tell me how many active soldiers available on your kingdoms," (Slime Oz) Following Slime Oz''s orders, Gareth and co put their chess pieces on top of the map. On top of the Lizardfolk kingdom''s map, Talak puts only 3 pawn pieces, 1 knight piece, 2 bishop pieces, and 1 rook piece. On top of the Orc kingdom''s map, Magra puts 5 pawn pieces, 1 knight piece, 4 bishop pieces, and 1 rook piece. On top of the Goblin kingdom''s map, representing the absent Geeta, Aegir puts 5 pawn pieces, 1 knight piece, 5 bishop pieces, and 1 rook piece. On top of the Centaur kingdom''s map, Firenze puts 3 pawn pieces, 1 knight piece, 3 bishop pieces, and 1 rook piece. On top of the Kobold kingdom''s map, Razor puts 4 pawn pieces, 1 knight piece, 4 bishop pieces, and 1 rook piece. On top of the undead kingdom''s map. As the one possessing the title of the most powerful military kingdom of the Tarot empire, Gareth puts 8 pawn pieces, 3 knight pieces, 7 bishop pieces, and 3 rook pieces. And representing the absent Azaline, Slime Oz put 4 pawn pieces, 1 knight piece, 3 bishop pieces, and 1 rook piece above the elf kingdom''s map. Each piece represents a hundred thousand units, summing a total of 78 pieces, 7,8 million active units. "What a great force we have here, huh!" said Ibra proudly as he stared at the world map. The huge world map is built especially for the imperial military meeting room. It is made from the best quality of paper and ink. With the detailed investigation from the ''Jack of All Trades'' legion, the world map that includes almost all of the places in the world had been made. It could be the most detailed and accurate map all across the Terra world. "It is a great thing to have this many soldiers. But as it is in chess, in war, it is not about the number, but about the tactic. A fool could have 100 pawns, but against a smart general with 10 pawns, the fool will still lose," (Brad) "Nice words, Brad. As Brad had said, we still always need to take caution and prepare for the worst. Remember, every life of our soldiers is precious. If we could battle without losing any lives, it will be the best," (Slime Oz) "As what we''ve agreed before, the elves and the orcs will be the main player of the battle against the holy empire, so prepare your men, Magra. In Azaline''s case, you could cooperate with the prime minister of the elf kingdom. And from now on, all kingdoms are free to make political ties between other countries besides the Grandaria Kingdom and the Potterland Kingdom. You may make your own plan and take your own steps for your kingdom to make friendly and mutually benefitting ties with other countries," (Slime Oz) "That will be great... I''ve been waiting for this," said Talak as he stared at the world map. Talak''s Kingdom, the Lizardfolk Kingdom, does not consist of Lizardfolks alone. They have lots of beastmen races joining their ranks. "True... It will be a great thing to broaden our influence towards the continent," Muttered Firenze. Just like the Lizardfolk Kingdom, the Centaur Kingdom also consists of various demihuman races, not only centaurs. They take in the denizens of the forest such as dryads, cyclops, halflings, and much more. They let the races that have a small population join their nobility rank as well. Unlike Kobolds and Elves that have a huge population, centaurs and lizardfolk didn''t have that many populations since their fertility rate is rather low. But it did not mean that they are weak since their small number is compensated by their strong and skillful body that possesses many strong and unique skills. "So? I believe that the holy empire is not the sole reason for our military meeting today since we won''t need to gather in this imperial military meeting room if you''re not going to show us something. What is it, Ren?" Asked Aegir. Aegir''s words are true. The distance from the other kingdoms to the imperial capital city of the Tarot empire could even reach 500 km, that''s the biggest reason why it had become so rare for them to gather like this other than because they''ve become busier as kings who govern their kingdoms. If not meeting virtually using the new magic technologies, they usually send messengers or bird messengers to give the report to the Slime Oz. "Indeed... The real reason is because of this," Slime Oz pointed at the southern side, and his finger slowly moves further until it reached the Southfilia continent. "The southern side, huh.." Muttered Talak as he put his fingers at his chin. "I''ve sent some scouts myself, but there are too many demons lurking around there, even though I believe that we''ve handled the demon in that area a couple of times already. And it is the place where the emperor subdued the magic beast kings and killed the remaining demons together with the demonic slime king commanding them, so there should be no demons left there. How strange..." said Razor the king of kobolds. "Precisely. Since we''ve destroyed all of the hell gates at the southern part, the possibilities of some hell gates remaining are small since the dungeon core didn''t sense any demonic object or demonic being at the south part where the dungeon core recognizes as the empire''s territory. It means that the demons come from the far south, the desert, or maybe more further where the volcanic mountains existed," (Slime Oz) "We should take control of the whole forest and make the dungeon core recognize the whole area as the territory of the Tarot empire as soon as possible so that we could detect any enemy attacks," (Slime Oz) The imperial dungeon core of the Tarot empire that existed inside the treasure room had taken the form of the magical forest of Everdeen. It''s like a 3D map since its huge form completely shows the miniature size of every detail of the magical forest of Everdeen. The imperial dungeon core gives every small detail for the territories that it recognizes under its influence. It shows even every movement of the citizens of the Tarot empire. The citizens or the one the imperial dungeon core recognize as someone who had pledged allegiance towards the emperor have their body colored as blue, those who didn''t have but hold no hostility or harm towards the empire and its citizens colored as white, while those who hold hostility will be colored as red. Other than being a 3D high-technology map, the imperial dungeon core could also summon some creatures, things, and items by paying with the acc.u.mulated dungeon points that could only be seen by the dungeon''s administrator, but the rich points had almost gone because of summoning the world tree, Yggdrasil. "But that is not the only possibility. All of us knew that there is Southfilia continent, but no one had gone there because of the danger that the magical forest of Everdeen holds, and the danger of the extreme weather when we sail to cross the ocean," (Slime Oz) "It''s not impossible that the demons came from there," said Slime Oz as he pointed at the Southfilia continent. "Indeed... I''ve also ordered my men to postpone the plan on investigating and gathering information of the Southfilia continent since my undead summoners'' summoned creatures always disappear from their radar every time they sent them there without knowing the reason why, so I considered that the area of the south far and further on is too dangerous," (Brad) "I see... If Lord Brad had stated such a thing then it might be very dangerous there..." Muttered Thydal as he stroke his long beard. "So even the Tarot''s shadow guardian is wary of the south, I see..." Teased Gurolf. "True. That''s why I hope the magic guardian could take the honor to investigate the south area with his wonderous magics in my stead," replied Brad. "Hohoho! I''m too busy researching and inventing new strong barriers, magic artifacts, and cultivating powerful magicians that could protect the empire and the emperor. So I think I''ll pass, Brad," (Gurolf) The two of them laughed as their eyes glared at each other. (It''s rather rare to look at them like this) (Slime Oz) "Since the south is too dangerous, we can''t just let the undead kingdom handle it alone. And it will be far more dangerous if this continues. My Lich clone had already investigated with some soldiers Gareth lent him, so I''ve seen the situation myself, and that''s why I''m declaring," (Slime Oz) "We''ll begin the conquest of the southern area of the Everdeen magical forest and conquer it including the Southfilia continent," (Slime Oz) "YES! I''ve been waiting for THIS!" (Fedra) Chapter 178 - The Calamity In Eastaria Continent (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] "[Thorn of Malavama]!" (Druid Oz) Huge black thorns appeared and thrust the demonic sphere from the royal throne room grounds. But just like the demon inside the demonic sphere, Druid Oz also has a blackish-red flower below him, ready to devour him. "Die!" shouted the voice from inside the demonic sphere. The blackish-red flower turns into a form similar to a huge venus flytrap and ate Druid Oz. "Ren!!!" (Charnia and Claria) But. "You''re sure not easy to kill, huh, magician... You''re dangerous indeed..." said the sinister voice. Flower warp. It''s Druid Oz''s ability to teleport to a place where he had planted his flowers. But unlike spatial teleportation, [Flower Warp] has several conditions. (The flower needs to be fully-bloom, I need to focus on the place where the flower existed but it''s not the biggest problem. The biggest problem is that it drains lots of nature mana every time I used it...) (Druid Oz) "Who are you, demon... You know me...?" Asked Druid Oz as he furrowed his brows. "Yes, yes. Of course... You''ve made so much trouble for us, after all..." Answered him. Slowly, the demonic mana that surrounds the demonic sphere starts to dissipate. Slowly, the being inside the demonic sphere reveals himself as the demonic sphere begins to fade away. A small boy, wrapped in a red cloth. His eyes are filled with malice, his expression and presence are like the incarnation of evil itself. With his blonde hair and his red eyes, he looked just like a foreigner with rare eyes at the first glance, but when Druid Oz see that expression and the aura he''s emitting. "You... You''re not one of the 72 demon kings, aren''t you...?" (Druid Oz) "Me? Of course... They''re too noble... arrogant... foolish... I am not like them. Let me introduce myself, dear, our mortal enemy. I am Quarta. A new demon king. And we will bring this world into far greater darkness..." (Quarta) "N-New... Demon King...?" Muttered Druid Oz in shock as it''s the first time he heard such statement. (Technically speaking, his strength is on par or maybe stronger than the Demon Kings at the 65th rank below... But it''s impossible... New demon kings...? What is...) (Druid Oz) "What a pleasant thing to see your doubtful and confused face, magician," the self-proclaimed new demon king Quarta suddenly said. "You... What are you... What are all of you planning...?" (Druid Oz) "And why should I answer that question of yours, magician? Well, it will be fun if you know about it, but the master will definitely be mad since you''ll definitely interfere and destroy his plans. I''m so sorry, I can''t tell you anything," said Quarta as he shrugged. "T-The ''master''...?" Druid Oz muttered as he stared at the demonic boy before him. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! You''re missing a huge thing, here, magician! The extinction of this world... It''s coming... The flame of hell will soon consume and devour this world as well!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" As if he just lost his mind, Quarta laughed heartfully as he slowly floats into the air. Whoosh! The prime minister, Allomere, dashed and slashed the head of the demon called Quarta in a flash. His move is skillful and precise, but... !!!??? "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Not so easy, Owls!!!" Mocked Quarta as he once again laughed heartfully. Druid Oz clearly saw Quarta''s head got slashed by Allomere''s claws, but once again, just like when Druid Oz used the [Thorn of Malavama] spell to kill him, it is as if Allomere''s claws slashed a void of nothingness. Not even a single scar or wound could be seen on Quarta''s body. (Instant Regeneration? No, then Teleportation? But it''s too fast, there is no way I didn''t catch and sense any movement or any strange mana fluctuations if he did use the spatial magic... Then...) (Druid Oz) "Don''t any of you realize, already? The amount of demonic mana floating in these sacred lands of the Owlfolks? Well, I guess it''s enough self-introduction. Farewell-" (Quarta) Just before the self-proclaimed demon disappeared, Allomere, The Galhala King, The Galhala Queen, Claria, and Druid Oz once again attempted to strike him to at least make him leave the place with a scar. !!!!??? There''s no communication. No signal or hint gave towards each other. But at that moment, they have the same thought. The Galhala King, The Galhala queen, Allomere, and Claria slashed every part of the self-proclaimed new demon king, Quarta. While Druid Oz. "I-Impossible... The demonic mana..." (Quarta) Druid Oz isolates the entire castle with his nature mana and cleanses all of the demonic mana that existed inside it. By spreading his summoned roots across the royal castle, Druid Oz built a barrier without the self-proclaimed demon and the Owlfolks noticed. "While you''re busy showing off and blabbering nonsense, I''ve finished analyzing your skills and your presence, demon. There are no strange movements, no unusual mana fluctuations, and no signs of runic or magic circles used," (Druid Oz) "The reason why there are no strange mana fluctuations is that the demonic mana didn''t even move since the beginning. You''re not teleporting nor warping. That body of yours is just an illusion. That''s why-" (Druid Oz) Tap! With a single tap of Druid Oz''s staff, countless steel vines appear from below him and thrust all of the points on Quarta''s body which didn''t get slashed by the Galhala King and the others. (They must be roughly assuming the same thing as I am, it''s very fortunate that they are very experienced as they read the flow of the battle in such a short moment) (Druid Oz) Crack! One of Druid Oz''s vines finally hits and breaks something. "You bastard..." Swore Quarta as his face and body parts start to distort. "It seems that your real body is that magic core alone. And an artificial one even less. Yet you''re proclaiming yourself as a new demon king?" Mocked Druid Oz. "I see... As the master stated... You are indeed dangerous..." Quarta that just starting to distort and fading suddenly stopped distorting. The body that is just an illusion steadily regenerated. (H-He didn''t die?) (Druid Oz) "Your observing skills are terrifying indeed, but the way you proceed on making a plan that goes very smooth according to the image inside your head in such a short moment is far more terrifying. No wonder you''ve managed to hinder the destruction of this world for so long, magician," Praised Quarta. "...." Without answering, Druid Oz''s head once again drills back in quick-progressing thinking. Numbers of equations and possibilities appeared inside Druid Oz''s head at a magnificent speed and are getting eliminated one by one in the same manner. "The way you cold-headedly think and plan in every moment... And that pair of eyes..." Quarta slowly approaches Druid Oz. Claria, Allomere, and the Galhala King tensed up when Quarta approached Druid Oz. But at that moment, Druid Oz finally realized the puzzle he''s been missing. The demonized Owlfolks. The number of demon kings the real Oz had killed. The meeting with the demon emperor. "Baal," (Druid Oz) "Hm?" Quarta''s eyebrows flinched when Druid Oz stated the demon king''s name. "Baal. The ranked 1 demon king. Isn''t he the one you called master?" (Druid Oz) "Hm~ What made you think so?" Asked Quarta as he regained his poker face. "Nothing special. The strength of the demon kings is quite different from the one written in the history books and doc.u.ments. They are supposed to have more strength since the difference between a normal magic beast and a demon being is significant, to begin with," (Druid Oz) "As a summoner I know, the strength of my summoned beast and my comrades are similar to the demon kings I''ve killed. But it didn''t make sense since the records said that it needs 4 or 5 normal [King] ranked magic beasts to be able to fight on par with a demon [King]," (Druid Oz) (Indeed... How idiotic... There is no way that I could kill the demon [King]s that easily while holding back... The thought crossed the original''s mind once, but I don''t remember arriving at this conclusion yet. But I didn''t know whether Slime, Demon, Lich, and the others had arrived at this conclusion too or not...) (Druid Oz) (Indeed...) (Druid Oz) "They might be just clones..." (Druid Oz) (But it still hasn''t answered the real objective of the demon emperor yet. That feeling when meeting him, now that I think about it, the hostility that the rank one demon king, Baal emitting from the recordings Lich sent me...) (Druid Oz) (Ugh... I didn''t have enough data. Slime holds the most data and information so I''ll just report it to him and let him conclude the conclusion since our thoughts are the same...) (Druid Oz) "You... Are made by him, don''t you?" (Druid Oz) "And your purpose on going here is the same as mine... It''s to uncover the seal of the demon emperor, isn''t that right?" (Druid Oz) Chapter 179 - The Calamity In Eastaria Continent (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "You... Are made by him, don''t you?" (Druid Oz) "And your purpose on going here is the same as mine... It''s to uncover the seal of the demon emperor, isn''t that right?" Druid Oz asked Quarta who is finally covered in wounds. "I''m afraid I have no obligations to tell you, Magician. I think my visit is more than enough to report. My master will hear and will definitely make you regret interfering with our plans all this time, Magician," Quarta''s image started to distort. But of course, the Galhala King, Druid Oz, and the others won''t let him flee that easily. Once again, they attacked Quarta simultaneously, but. Clank! Clank! Clank! A red metal barrier suddenly appeared and covered Quarta''s body just like armor. The barrier is strong, but it still got cracked after getting attacked simultaneously by the Galhala King, Allomere, Galhala Queen, Claria, and Druid Oz''s steel vines. "Fufufufu! Do you think I''ll let you kill me that easily?" said Quarta as his image starts to fade away. As if he''s getting absorbed by a black hole, Quarta''s body slowly transformed into a dark matter. "I hope we''ll meet again someday, Magician. But next time, you''ll be killed by us," (Quarta) "Then tell your master this. I. Will definitely stop all of you, even if it costs my life," (Druid Oz) "Fufufufu! Then let''s meet again, Magician... At the fateful battle with the world at stake..." said Quarta as he finally disappeared into the thin air. "J-Just what is that demonic being...?" (Claria) "He said that he is a demon king," (Captain of the Royal Guards, Reno) "He''s not one of them," Druid Oz answered with a small voice. "Eh?" (Captain of the Royal Guards, Reno) "Ren?" (Claria) Whoosh! Dozens of shadows suddenly entered the royal throne room from the broken windows. "W-What is it this time?" the Captain of the Galhala Kingdom''s royal guards once again transformed into his owl form. "Fill me in," (Druid Oz) "Hm?" (Galhala King) "There is dense demonic mana covering almost the whole continent, and countless sightings of demons all across the continent, your imperial majesty. The threat of the demons that appeared in this continent is far more threatful than the one we''ve faced before," said one of the shadows. "The reason is?" (Druid Oz) "Unlike the other cases, the demonized beasts here didn''t transform into a demon by their will. Inside this continent, there is a demonic plague running amok, your imperial majesty. A single scar from a demonized creature could infect a beast or person and transform it into a mindless demon. It is highly recommended for you to retreat to the empire," Advised the shadow. "That dangerous, huh... Is there one of us who got infected and transformed into a demon?" (Druid Oz) "Luckily there is none, your imperial majesty. Since all of the members you brought here are undead, the demonic infection has no effect on us since our magic core keeps on devouring the surrounding demonic mana," said the shadow. "I see... Then that''s a piece of good news. If what you just said is true then, for now, secure the perimeter and isolate those who seem to be infected. Leave five of you to follow my shadows, order the summoners to summon their pawns, and make them defend the outskirts and the kingdom walls," Ordered Druid Oz. "Orders received," Answered the shadow as it immediately disappears into the air together with the other shadows. "It seems that you''ve lots of secrets, Lord Ren," said prime minister Allomere as he transformed back to his human form. "And so do all of you, am I right? You don''t seem to be surprised by the encounter with the demons, after all," Answered Druid Oz indifferently. "Well, of course. We need to know all of the information to be able to protect this kingdom, Lord Ren," Answered the prime minister. "Stop it, Allomere. Even if he''s full of mysteries, he''s not our enemy, Allomere. If he''s our enemy, he wouldn''t rush here just to save Charnia and us, won''t he?" Cut the Galhala King. "I know. I''m not cornering him. I''m thankful for you to help us and once again saved Charnia without having her hurt, Lord Ren," said Prime Minister Allomere indifferently. "He said so but he''s very grateful just as I am, Lord Ren. He never thanked anyone so the fact that he thanked you just now meant that he''s sincerely grateful, please understand," (The Galhala King) "It''s my p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to be able to help," Answered Druid Oz with a slight bow before he suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. "Lord Ren? Is there something wrong?" Asked the Galhala King. "My summoned beasts are calling," said Druid Oz as he rushed outside the royal castle. When Druid Oz get out of the castle, his summoned beast had waited patiently in front of the royal castle with some corpses in front of them. "This is..." (Druid Oz) The beasts approached Druid Oz and let Druid Oz pets them. When Druid Oz pet them, the memories of his familiars entered his mind. The image of them killing the summoned demons before they were able to hurt any of the Galhala kingdom''s citizens appeared inside Druid Oz''s mind. "All of you did a great job," said Druid Oz. After petting them for a while, he called them back, unsummoning them from this realm. "T-This is... Don''t see, Charnia," Muttered the Galhala Queen as she saw the burnt corpses on the ground as she immediately covered Charnia''s eyes. They are Owlfolks that are in their owl form. It''s unknown whether they are the citizens of the Galhala kingdom or from the other kingdoms, but there is one thing for sure that all of them now know. The Eastaria continent is in great danger. "That self-proclaimed demon king before. It seems that he summoned these infected demons to spread the demonic plague inside this kingdom. It''s lucky that we managed to prevent it from happening... If not..." (Druid Oz) If not... The Galhala King and the prime minister, Allomere stared in the direction where Druid Oz''s looking. "If not... There is a huge possibility there will be lots of casualties..." (The Galhala King) "Lord Ren... I''m very grateful for what you''ve done... But could you please tell us who you really are?" Asked the Galhala King. "My name is real, I am Ren Arken. But I''m not an outcast, your little daughter assumed that without letting me saying anything about myself, to begin with," (Druid Oz) "Eh? You''re not an outcast?" (Charnia) "I''m not," (Druid Oz) "Indeed. I heard that shadow serving you called you ''your imperial majesty'' when he reported to you, after all," (Allomere) "Who are you, Lord Ren?" Asked Claria. "I am the emperor of an empire located inside the magical forest of Everdeen, the Tarot Empire," (Druid Oz) "A-An emperor!? Inside the magical forest of Everdeen!? Impossible! That legendary forest is filled with too much danger to be able to even make a kingdom inside it!" (Claria) "Trust it or not, but it does exist. And I''m the emperor, the clone of the emperor actually. Well, I''ll give you the details about my empire later, all you need to know is I have no malicious intent when I helped your daughter," said Druid Oz towards the Galhala King. "Hahahaha! I know that even if you don''t tell me that, Lord Ren! I see... No wonder you''re strong, intelligent, and brimming with so much charisma. So you''re an emperor, huh? What do you think, Allomere?" Asked the Galhala King towards the prime minister, Allomere. "Hm... It''s hardly believable, but the way the demon talked to him, it seems that you''ve faced demons for quite a long time, Lord Ren. Not only facing them, but you''ve also hindered or even crushed their plans. Thinking logically, it''s impossible for you to achieve such a feat alone. And it seems that you''re not a person from the holy church, so at least I don''t think he''s lying," (Allomere) "I see... Well, if the prime minister had said that much of you, then it means you''re definitely not an enemy, HAHAHAHA! And it seems that my queen also has a great feeling about you, Lord Ren! Then that''s settled!" said the Galhala King carefreely as he loudly laughed. "Now that I''ve told you my real identity, could you please explain to me now, your majesty. About the situation and the danger the Eastaria continent had been facing..." (Druid Oz) Chapter 180 - The Calamity In Eastaria Continent (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "This is delicious!" Exclaimed Druid Oz as he munched the meat of the served fish. "Hahaha! Of course, it is! The torrent Arganian fish is a food praised and adored by everyone in the Eastaria continent!" the Galhala King proudly stated as he loudly laughed as he usually did. "You''re quite a glutton, huh, Ren?" Commented Charnia as he saw Druid Oz munching the meat at a fast speed. "A magician needs to fill their stomach in order to replenish their mana, dear child. So for a great magician like me, I need to eat a lot in order to replenish all of my mana used in the battle before!" (Druid Oz) "Charnia, Lord Ren has saved your life two times. Don''t bother him and let him eat his fill," Scolded the Galhala Queen. "Fine, mother..." (Charnia) "But really... This spectacle is rather something..." Muttered Claria as she saw the scene in front of her. Because of Druid Oz''s eating pace, it seems that the Galhala King''s hidden barbaric personality got triggered as it looks like he''s competing with Druid Oz who could eat the most Torrent Argania fish. "Dear..." Muttered the Galhala Queen as she saw his husband''s behavior with a sigh. Since the situation has calmed down, the Galhala Queen invited Druid Oz to further continue the discussion at the dinner since all of them haven''t eaten yet. Druid Oz hesitated since he was afraid he didn''t know the proper table manner of the Owlfolks, but after getting slightly forced by Charnia, Claria, the Galhala King, and the Galhala Queen, he finally surrendered and accepted the offer. Allomere refused to eat together, saying that he will re-check the kingdom''s ministers and verify whether they are their allies or not. They try to slightly force the prime minister into joining the dinner too but he smartly escaped from the grasp of the terrifying Galhala royal family. "Whoa! That''s quite a feast!" Exclaimed the Galhala King with a refreshed look. He looks just like a full middle-aged man as he closed his eyes as if he''s savoring the sensation of bliss. "T-That''s a rather unsightly behavior I''ve shown you, please forgive me," Druid Oz bowed towards the Galhala King, Claria, and Charnia. "Hahahaha! It''s fine, Lord Ren! It''s been so long since I enjoyed eating carefreely like this! You have my gratitude!" said the Galhala King as he loudly laughed. "Yes, it''s our joy to see that you''re enjoying the food served by our kingdom, Lord Ren. But for you, dear. If your weight increased by even a pound, you''ll be sleeping in a different room. You''ll just break the bed, after all," (The Galhala Queen) "D-Dear! Please don''t do that! I''ll fly across the kingdom tomorrow to burn some fat!" said the Galhala King in panic. "And neglect your duty as a king?" (The Galhala Queen) "U-Ugh..." The Galhala King g.r.o.a.n.e.d as he couldn''t think anything else. "It''s the usual thing for both of them, Lord Ren. You see, Father had fallen heads over heels for mother, after all," said Claria with a whisper. "I see... Well, that''s a good thing, don''t you think?" (Druid Oz) "Well, it''s true that because of that he will not take any mistress or concubine, though... And it''s kind of funny too to see him like this," said Claria as she smiled at the sight of her father gettings scolded by her mother. "And your highness, there is no need for you to call me Lord Ren. You could just call me Ren," (Druid Oz) "B-But you''re an emperor of an empire!" (Claria) "It''s fine! I''m just a clone. And the empire is not in this continent, after all," (Druid Oz) "It''s fine, sis! Even I called Ren, Ren!" (Charnia) "I''m not as tactless as you, little girl," (Claria) "What did you say!?" (Charnia) "Now, now. There is no need for you to be angry, child," said Druid Oz as he pats Charnia''s head. "Now, let''s start to continue our conversation before, shall we, Lord Ren?" said the Galhala King. "Indeed. Let''s continue, your majesty," (Druid Oz) "The truth is, the reports of the demons'' appearance had appeared from the scouts since two months ago. They first spotted and commence battle with them at the northern side of the Eastaria continent," (The Galhala King) "There are only several encounters with the demons until now, and it had been just a single or mostly three demons that appeared. But despite their small numbers, since it''s demons, I ordered a thorough military investigation about it, and also shared the report and my ideas to the neighboring countries," (The Galhala King) "But the problem is..." (The Galhala King) "The problem is...?" (Druid Oz) "There are several countries who refused to help with the investigation in their area, and after a month of investigation, Allomere and I agreed to conclude that the demons appeared because of the forbidden demonic rituals formed by a neighboring country," (The Galhala King) "And the reason is?" (Druid Oz) "The point of the appearance always at the same as before, and after confining one of the demons that have seemed to be a former human, we believe that it is a citizen from the Balhol empire," (The Galhala King) "I see..." (Druid Oz) "We''re thinking of gathering more legit proofs to share with the other kingdoms and empires in order to attack the Balhol empire and force them to stop their demonic research, but..." (The Galhala King) "But?" (Druid Oz) "We started to get occasionally attacked by the demonic forces. Sometimes, the demons who attacked us were just demonic pawns, sometimes they are demonized magic beasts, some times they are an army of demonized Owlfolks," said The Galhala King as his expression darkens. "I see..." (Druid Oz) (Well, it must be a nightmare...) (Druid Oz) Getting attacked by the demons that have a similar appearance as us is terrifying enough to make a shock attack, especially for Owlfolks who hold dear their fellow race. (Again, huh...) (Druid Oz) But not only the Galhala King''s face, but the others also shows how a nightmare it had been. But for Druid Oz... He could understand and imagine their pain, but he felt nothing inside. (It seems that my, no, our emotions started to fade as our real heart isn''t existed in this body, huh... I wonder if the other clones felt the same thing...?) (Druid Oz) "Luckily, the warriors of this kingdom are strong, so defeating the demons are not a threat at all, but..." (The Galhala King) "But the real threat is that those who got injured started to get infected and got transformed into a demon, huh..." (Druid Oz) "Precisely... Since then, we''ve been trying our best to focus on defense without having any of us getting injured or wounded by the infected demons..." (The Galhala King) "I see... That''s also the reason why I got confined when the first time the first princess met me bringing Charnia. And that''s also the reason why she immediately checked whether she got injured or not, huh..." (Druid Oz) "Yes, you''re right, Lord Ren. We''ve called back all of our wandering guards and only leave our scouts to check if there is an attack so that we could still react quickly, but their safety is our priority," (The Galhala King) "Have you tried asking help from the other kingdoms?" Asked Druid Oz. "We have. But there is still no reply from the kingdoms that had to make an alliance pact with us. It seems that they''re also experiencing the same thing as our kingdom did," (The Galhala King) "That... Means that the continent is in a great threat, huh..." Muttered Druid Oz. "Yes, but after that attack from that self-proclaimed demon, we''ve now a reason to request help from the guardians," (The Galhala King) "The guardians?" (Druid Oz) "Yes, the guardians. The guardians of Galho''ole, they are the most powerful warriors who protect the whole Eastaria continent. All of them have at least the same strength as Allomere and mine," (The Galhala King) "Well, of course! Grandpa used to be the leader of the guardians, after all!" said Charnia. !!?? "C-Charnia" (Claria) "It''s fine, Claria. I about to tell Lord Ren about him too, after all. Yes, Allomere used to be the leader of the guardians and I am the vice leader. Well, I retired since I need to inherit the royal throne of this kingdom, but it turns out that Allomere also retired and want to follow me to this kingdom and became the prime minister here," (The Galhala King) "And there is also another person from the guardians who followed us, he is-" (The Galhala King) "The late general, General Avlantine..." (Druid Oz) Chapter 181 - The Calamity In Eastaria Continent (4) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "The late general, General Avlantine..." Druid Oz muttered the name of the late general of the Galhala Kingdom. "S-So you knew..." (The Galhala King) "Yes. When I try to fill up myself about the Eastaria continent from the small library on his house, I found his diary and read about your majesty''s, prime minister, Allomere, and the late general''s journey... Forgive me for reading it without your consent..." (Druid Oz) "No, it''s fine. It''s not a secret and the reason why I asked you to live there, for the time being, is that I hoped you will give found that diary and read it. But who ever thought that you will read that book on your first day," said the Galhala King with a wry smile. "Well, I immediately got imprisoned in the same prison as before after reading inside that library for a couple of hours, though," said Druid Oz with a shrug. "HAHAHA! Please forgive Allomere for that, he doesn''t mean harm," (The Galhala King) "So? What did you think about the contents of the diary," Asked the Galhala King. "....." Druid Oz stays closed his eyes and say silent for a while as he once again organizes the puzzle pieces inside of his head. "In my opinion, the diary is not completed, he died before he could write the whole story. It''s whether something happened that he can''t write it, or he''s tired of writing his diary, but the highest probability is... He died before he could complete it... Am I right?" Asked Druid Oz. "And what leads you to that conclusion?" Asked the Galhala King. "At first, as to how the diary stated, the late general is suspicious about the prime minister, Allomere. He said that he caught some suspicious actions from the prime minister, so he''s going to find for more evidence whether this old friend of his is going to bring unwanted danger to the kingdom before he''ll report it to you," (Druid Oz) "The diary stopped at that point, so at that moment, I also got my doubts with the prime minister, Allomere, and trusted the diary, and I haven''t realized yet that the diary is still incomplete," (Druid Oz) "Well, Allomere indeed has the character and personality that more than suitable to be a villain, though- Ouch! What is it, dear?" The Galhala Queen strikes the Galhala King''s stomach with her elbow. "It''s inappropriate to talk behind your friend like that, you''re a king, dear," Scolded the Galhala Queen. "Ugh... Sorry..." Apologized the Galhala King as if he''s a kid that just got scolded by his mother. "Ah. Please continue, Lord Ren," said The Galhala King. "Since I got my doubts, it''s right at that time that the prime minister, Allomere, instructed the soldiers to capture and imprison me at the royal palace, again," (Druid Oz) "C-Could you please don''t say ''again''... It made me feel bad... Please forgive me, R-Ren..." said Claria with a wry smile. "Ah, I''m sorry. I was just teasing you, please forgive me, your highness," Druid Oz apologized indifferently. "You..." (Claria) The Galhala Queen slightly laughed when she saw Claria''s reaction. "Continuing. Inside the cell, I got too curious with the prime minister, Allomere, and I thought that he might scheme for something towards the kingdom so I summoned these little friends of mine, *Flick*" Druid Oz flicked his hands, and his summoned insects appeared above the table. "Whoa!!" Claria shouted as she jumped back when she saw the summoned insects. "Sis... How pathetic... And you say you''re a general?" (Charnia) "Shut up, stupid Charnia..." said Claria as she pinched her little sister''s cheeks. "Ah... I indeed saw them inside the royal throne back then, so it''s really you, huh...?" Muttered the Galhala King. "Yes, your majesty. I summoned them and used them as my eyes and ears in order to see the situation inside the royal throne room. I also engrave some magic circles on the ministers'' clothes and summoned the same flower I gave you before," (Druid Oz) "The Alianza flower..." Muttered the Galhala King as the flower that could discern between enemies and allies of the one who holds the main flower entered the Galhala King''s mind. "Precisely. Since I knew you''re holding that flower behind your robe, I summoned the flowers at the ministers to determine whether they''re hostile towards the kingdom or not," (Druid Oz) "But when I summoned the flower at the prime minister, the color turns out to be blue. At that time, I became sure that the diary is incomplete, and that the matter with prime minister Allomere is just a misunderstanding. And that''s also the time where I realized that the ministers behind the prime minister are hostile towards the kingdom," (Druid Oz) "So you rushed towards the royal castle''s throne room because of that, huh... If you didn''t come back then, they might have killed Allomere and me by threatening us with Charnia''s life, once again, please let me thank you, Lord Ren," said the Galhala King as he slightly bowed towards Druid Oz. "P-Please don''t bow your head, your majesty. I just did the thing that other people will also do, it''s nothing special," (Druid Oz) "Heheh! You''re too humble to point that I can''t believe that you''re an emperor of a foreign empire," (The Galhala King) "You could just take it as the humility of a sovereign. But..." (Druid Oz) "But?" Asked the Galhala King as he saw Druid Oz furrowed his brows. "If my deduction is right, then the late general is killed by someone in this kingdom, right after he clears his misunderstanding with the prime minister, Allomere, right? Since you know about the diary so the both of you must have known about his doubts too. I believe the reason why he said that the prime minister''s actions are suspicious is that he''s trying the kingdom from the shadows which is the misunderstanding of the late general, and when the late general is investigating it, he found another case with another person and died because of that, am I right?" Asked Druid Oz. "I-I never thought you would be able to conclude all of that just by deducting based on the limited information you have, Lord Ren... It''s such a shame that I can''t have someone like you under me... But yes, your words are true, because of that, our friend, Avlantine, died," (The Galhala King) "Since the three of you came after retiring from being the guardians, the suspects that the late general thought as suspicious is must be members of the guardians too since if it''s not, he would be able to process and investigate it without having to secretly investigate it from the shadows..." (Druid Oz) "Y-You even knew about the suspects... Lord Ren... You might even more of a genius than Allomere... Even Allomere needs weeks to be able to arrive at that conclusion..." Muttered the Galhala King. "Y-You flattered me, your majesty..." (Druid Oz) "But your words are true. Allomere also stated the same thing, and my wife and I believe that his words are very logical and make sense. We''ve warned the leader of the guardians about this before, but we still haven''t found out who the real culprit who is the cause of the late general''s death until now..." The Galhala King''s face darkens as he remembered the face of his old friend. "I see..." Druid Oz once again dives into his deep thoughts. !!!?? "Galhala King," (Druid Oz) "Hm?" (The Galhala King) "The guardians... The suspect is one of the guardians... And you''ve warned the leader of the guardians... Galhala King. Do the guardians didn''t know about the appearance of the demons in the Eastaria continent?" Asked Druid Oz. "I don''t know, I''ve sent some mail birds to sent my warning towards the guardians, but there is no reply until now... Geez... They sure lost their sharp- Lord Ren, what do you mean...?" Asked the Galhala King as his expression stiffens. "I believe the prime minister Allomere also thought the same thing as I do, Galhala King. As the guardians of the Eastaria continent, I believe the guardians spread their wings across the continent and oversee it day and night to make sure no danger or catastrophe will fall towards the continent. But if the guardians didn''t know about the appearance of the demons despite the obvious appearance of the demonic mana then..." (Druid Oz) "Then...?" (The Galhala King) "It''s whether the culprit behind it is the guardians, or the guardians are also under the same danger as this kingdom..." (Druid Oz) "Guards! Call Allomere here! I need him now!" (The Galhala King) Chapter 182 - The Calamity In Eastaria Continent (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ The royal guards rushed and summon the prime minister, Allomere by the king''s command. And without wasting any time, Allomere heed the call and entered the castle''s royal dining room. "Allomere, we need to discuss it now," said The Galhala King. The Galhala King stares at his wife and gives her a sign. "Charnia, Claria, let''s leave the boys here to have some talk, shall we?" said The Galhala Queen. "Heee~ Why, mom? I still want to talk with Ren~" said Charnia as she clings herself to Druid Oz. "Charnia, it''s an a.d.u.l.t''s matter. Let''s go," said the Galhala Queen. Tap! "I''ll play with you later, girl. I promise, now go follow your mother''s words. Child who doesn''t listen to their parents'' words will get eaten by the spirit of darkness, you know?" (Druid Oz) "Really!? It''s a promise, okay? If you break it, I''ll make sure my father will smack you!" Threatened Charnia. "Yes, girl. Now go," (Druid Oz) "Claria," (The Galhala Queen) "Me too? But I''m a general-" (Claria) "Now, just come," (The Galhala Queen) "Fine..." Replied Claria as she is obviously didn''t want to leave the discussion. Looking at how close the royal family of the Galhala Kingdom towards each other made Druid Oz felt warm inside of his c.h.e.s.t. (So there is still some feeling remaining inside my c.h.e.s.t, huh...? How assuring to know that...) (Druid Oz) "So? Why did you call me here?" Asked the prime minister, Allomere as he takes a seat. "It''s about the guardians," (The Galhala King) The Galhala King explained about Druid Oz''s deduction and that he has the same thought as what the prime minister had thought before. And just like how the Galhala King reacts, the prime minister, Allomere, is also surprised with how fast and accurate Druid Oz''s deduction is. "You''re really are surprising, Lord Ren. You and I might be able to get along more than this stupid king and I," (The Prime Minister, Allomere) "W-What? Stop mocking me as a fool, Allomere," (The Galhala King) "But you are. You''re the reason why I retire and become your prime minister so that you won''t get fooled by other kingdoms, after all," said Allomere as he crossed his arms. "U-Ugh..." (The Galhala King) "Well, getting back to the topic, what you just thought is true, Lord Ren. I also thought the same thing, but there is not enough evidence despite I''ve been investigating it for months," (Allomere) "It will be easier for me to gather evidence and complete the puzzle if I could go and search for it myself, but there is so much that I need to do as the prime minister since I can''t let depend on the king, so all I could depend is on my subordinates," (Allomere) "But one by one, my subordinates that had gone closer to the truth about the case disappeared as if they got swallowed by the earth. One by one, my subordinates died despite being an elite warrior, to the point that I stopped the investigation," (Allomere) "Indeed... It''s too risky to lose them too..." (Druid Oz) "But because of the appearance of that demon just now, we now have a valid reason to send our warriors to seek the help of the guardians. We could also continue the investigation there, and if we use the power of that flower of yours, Lord Ren. We will be able to capture the culprit sooner. May I ask for your assistance for this?" Asked the prime minister Allomere as his manner towards Druid Oz had become to change. (He had become more friendly to me, huh... What a good piece of news...) (Druid Oz) "I will try my best to help. One of my reason for going to this continent is to investigate whether there is also a demon appeared on the Eastaria continent or not and to fend the demons off if I could," said Druid Oz. "Good! Then we''ll send our warriors tomorrow!" Stated the Galhala King. "Now that we finished about that topic, you came from the Ablux continent, aren''t you, Lord Ren? And since you''re an emperor of the empire located in the legendary magical forest of Everdeen, it means that you''re not an Owlfolk, aren''t you?" Asked the prime minister, Allomere. "Ah... Indeed... Actually, *Flick!*" Druid Oz flicked his hands and the owl ears above his head disappeared. "I am not an Owlfolk, I am a druid. But this body is just a clone, my original body is a human. So you believe my story, prime minister?" (Druid Oz) "It''s hardly believable, but you have no reason to lie so I decided to believe in your story. And besides that, your strength, charisma, and intellect had proved your ability as an emperor, so I guess that is enough. But you''re a human? Did you make a human kingdom inside the magical forest?" Asked the prime minister Allomere. "No, it''s an empire filled with demihuman and beastmen race. I believe that it won''t be a good idea to have a human kingdom inside the magical forest considering how greedy humans are despite being a human myself. Does Owlfolks have a bad history with humans?" Asked Druid Oz. "Almost all races did, but I personally didn''t hold any enmity against humans since every race has their own shares on greedy bastards. But to think that you, a human, could rule the demihumans and the beastmen who constantly have war with each other is another unbelievable story. But somehow, hearing it from you made it sound very believable," (Allomere) "True! If I heard that story from someone else, Lord Ren, I would definitely think that he''s crazy! HAHAHAHA!" (The Galhala King) "The both of you think too highly of me," Replied Druid Oz. "Well, since we can''t help but wait until our messengers bring back the reply from the guardians to organize our plans. How about you tell us your stories at the Ablux continent, Lord Ren?" Suggest the Galhala king. "Hm... I''m also interested..." said the prime minister. "It''s not that interesting, though..." Replied Druid Oz with a wry smile. "Hearing a tale from a human emperor who rules demihumans and beastmen at the magical forest of Everdeen, even the old stories about the heroes will pale in comparison, Lord Ren," said the prime minister, Allomere. (Ugh... Smart-ass''s words are indeed filled with pressure, huh...) (Druid Oz) "Well, then from where should we start," (Druid Oz) Clap! Clap! "Bring us our wines!" The Galhala King clapped his hands and ordered his servants. Time goes by, and in the morning, the Galhala KIng officially made the order and picked some of his elite warriors to travel to convey the royal message towards the guardians. He carefully picked those and make a balanced team that should be able to face any unpredicted danger. As time flows, Druid Oz got closer to Charnia, Claria, The Galhala King, Prime Minister Allomere, and the Galhala Queen. As he''s placed before, he''s placed at the late general''s house. Each day, Charnia will come to have fun and ask Druid Oz to play with her, Claria will come and discuss military tactics and lots of other things together with Druid Oz. Not only his daughters, but the Galhala King also occasionally visits Druid Oz together with prime minister Allomere to discuss the kingdom, the continent, and drink together. The journey to the guardians'' secret hideout is far, it''s said that it will need more than 1 week for the warriors to reach there. So it will be about three weeks for them to arrive back at the kingdom to give the reply from the guardians. At the time being, Druid Oz summoned all his beasts and let them roam around inside his huge temporary house, and continue research his nature magics and about the continent. Druid Oz gathers all of the legends, tales, and reports that might consist of a hint about the location of the demon emperor''s seal. (The heroes surrender their lives to seal the demon emperor and split it up to make sure that he will not survive even he got free from the seal, huh... It''s a plausible strategy indeed... The demons have no idea where the seals are because it''s hidden all over the world, but once they found out about it...) (Druid Oz) "Well, there''s no use of thinking about it. All I could do now is try my best to research the seal that got hidden in the Eastaria continent and find it. Sorry, Slime. But this is all I could report for now," Muttered Druid Oz as he sent his familiar to carry a scroll to deliver his message towards the Tarot empire. Time once again goes by, but unlike the Galhala King''s hopes, the reply he''s hoping to come did not come as he hoped... Not a reply filled with the hope of saving the Eastaria continent together with the guardians. The news that arrived could be said as the clear fact, that the Eastaria continent is in great danger... Chapter 183 - The First Great Battle At The Eastaria Continent (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ *Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!* "Ren!! Let''s play!!" Charnia''s voice appeared from behind the door in the morning. It''s already about 8 AM, and of course, Druid Oz had woke up since hours before. "Gor. Open the door," Druid Oz instructed one of the magic beasts that became his familiars. It''s a mountain gorilla that could shrink its size to the same size as a human. It had the ability to control plants and trees around him and make wooden golems to attack his enemies, while his real size is about 10 meters above. "Morning, Gor!" said Charnia cheerfully. "Hoo! Hoo!" Replied Got as he cheerfully nods. "This place is filled with magic beasts as always, huh~ So fun~ What should we play today??" Charnia asked Druid Oz''s familiars that had gathered in front of her. It had been two weeks since the Galhala King sent the Galhala Kingdom''s elite warriors to seek aid from the guardians. But until now, there are still no messages or signs given from the elite warriors the Galhala King had sent, not even a single mail bird got sent to the kingdom. Druid Oz had a bad feeling from the beginning, but there is a reasonable reason why there is no mail bird arrived at the kingdom, which is because the distance between the guardians'' secret hideout and the Galhala Kingdom is too far from each other. So to divert his attention, Druid Oz devotes himself to search for the fragment seal of the demon emperor that got hidden in the Eastaria continent. But since if he wanders the Eastaria continent himself, if the Galhala kingdom got attacked and experiences trouble, it will be too late for him to help. So because of that reason, Druid Oz summoned all his familiars and all of his magical beasts he could summon. He used his summoned insects to sweep and search across the continent, and since there are still threats for them to get attacked by other magic beasts or a demon, Druid Oz sent the insects in a group. The insects travel in groups of hundreds and sweep through every part of the forest, the reason why Druid Oz used his summoned insects is that they could infiltrate even a kingdom easier than a big magical beast. Since a magical beast will get killed immediately if it got seen inside or even near a kingdom. And Druid Oz''s summoned insects are also magical beasts from the Everdeen forest that he tamed and capture, they have powerful abilities and powerful venom. The strength of them in hundreds is enough to take down a big magical beast. And because of their familiar contract with Druid Oz, their intelligence got highly boosted as well. The big magical beasts such as Druid Oz''s direwolves, frost lions, wind jade falcons, mountain gorillas, and griffins patrol the kingdom and protect the Galhala kingdom''s citizens from the demons and help their soldiers. It''s been years since Druid Oz take them and made them his familiars at the magical forest of Everdeen, they now had children and are at quite a number. The one playing with Charnia is the magical beasts'' children, while Gor the mountain gorilla is Druid Oz''s private assistant because he has the highest intelligence from the other magical beasts. Druid Oz left some of the a.d.u.l.t magical beasts in front of his house, their task is to guard the house and to help Druid Oz when there is trouble near them. Druid Oz had informed the Galhala King and the prime minister of the Galhala Kingdom about this, and both of them are shocked when they saw the highly intelligent magical beasts of Druid Oz. And even though they''re not an actual familiar since no matter how strong a magician is, they could only have a very limited amount of familiars. But since Druid Oz is a druid that is loved by the magical beasts and the nature itself, the magical beasts that pledge their allegiance to Druid Oz got a small black flower tattoo on their body and automatically became Druid Oz''s servant. Druid Oz shows them his magical beasts'' strength and asks their permission to let them help patrol the outskirts and defend the kingdom. They have powerful bodies and with their intellect, they''re even more formidable than normal magical beasts. The Galhala King and the Prime Minister announced Druid Oz''s magical beasts that will be patrolling the kingdom throughout the whole kingdom to make sure no one will give harm them. The citizens and the guards are confused at the first time, but after meeting the friendly magical beasts that help them guard their villages and cities, all of them became friendly towards Druid Oz''s magical beasts too, and give them lots of food which made Druid Oz worried for his magical beasts'' diet. "Pardon my intrusion," Claria''s voice appeared not long after Charnia started to play with the magical beasts'' children. "This place is rowdy as usual, huh," said Claria as she stares at Charnia playing with the small magic beasts'' children. "Having a holiday, general princess?" Asked Druid Oz as he continues to read the book he''s reading. "Well, something like that. It won''t be good to force my body to patrol, after all," (Claria) "Wise decision," (Druid Oz) Claria once again looks at the late general''s mansion that is currently filled with all kinds of magical beasts. "But I still couldn''t help but get amazed every time I see this scenery, huh? [Druid''s Servants] isn''t it?" Claria asked the skill that let Druid Oz have so many familiars. "Yes, it is," (Druid Oz) "But is it that easy to tame them, though? Even if you''re a druid, those magical beasts are high-ranked magical beasts that are powerful and formidable even at the magical forest of Everdeen, right?" Asked Claria. "Well... We basically ruled the whole- almost the whole of the magical forest of Everdeen, including the magical beast''s kings that ruled the magical beasts. So it''s easy for me to tame those who are not even magical beast king," Replied Drudi Oz indifferently. "M-Magical beast king!? T-That''s the first time I heard it..." (Claria) "Just like other kingdoms, they''re the kings and have soldiers and citizens under them. The difference is that they don''t make houses like us," (Druid Oz) Druid Oz finally closed his book as he stared at the magical beasts that are roaming around his house. "I only intended to take a sample of every rare magical beast inside the magical forest of Everdeen and to try out how many I could tame with my [Druid''s Servant] skill. But it turns out there are so many, and I stopped taming and unsummon them all from this realm, since they will follow me wherever I go because of that skill, and it turns out that their number increased in even a crazier number because they''re mating inside my familiar realm..." (Druid Oz) "Unsummon them?" (Claria) "Yeah... It seems that this skill of mine could make them live in a certain dimension that is formed because of my skill. Just like a familiar that could you summoned and unsummoned, when you unsummon them, they will disappear and got teleported into a certain dimension that your soul or your skill just made," (Druid Oz) "I-I see..." (Claria) "And when they''re inside you, their source of food is from your mana... I finally understand why I felt like my mana keep on draining... So it''s because of them, and their number that keeps on increasing..." Muttered Druid Oz as he stared at his hands. "Well, they could freely hunt here and feed themselves or get fed by the citizens, so I finally regain my original amount of mana. That''s why I decided to summon them all. And it turns out that they''re very useful for me to laze around as well," said Druid Oz as he gives a thumb up. "R-Ren... I couldn''t say anything since your magical beasts are greatly helping the kingdom... But looking at how their master is lazing around inside the mansion is somehow irritating..." (Claria) Druid Oz had lots of strong magical beasts that serve him by the strength of the [Druid''s Servant]. Their number is small at first, but after three years of mating, all of them got increased into quite a number. The magical beasts serving Druid Oz right now: -211 frost lions -78 wind jade falcons -50 mountain gorillas -43 griffins -76 flame fox -44 Ectra Pythons -980 infernal mosquitos -870 frost bees -430 Electric Tarantulas -283 Bedrock Beetles "How rude, I''m waiting for my shadow servants to return. Ah! Here they are, I''ve been waiting for your report," said Druid Oz as he said towards the thin air before him. "Yes, your imperial majesty," A deep and scary voice appeared before him together with a black shadow that slowly makes a form of a wraith. Chapter 184 - The First Great Battle At The Eastaria Continent (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Yes, your imperial majesty," A deep and scary voice appeared before Druid Oz together with a black shadow that slowly makes a form of a wraith. "How is it, any casualties on our side?" Asked Druid Oz. "Casualties?" (Claria) "None, your imperial majesty. We''ve managed to scout them without having them noticed. As you''ve said, there is an army of demons stationed at the far south of the Eastaria Continent," Reported the Wraith to Druid Oz. "Their number?" (Druid Oz) "For now, it''s still 10,000 in number, your imperial majesty. But since the demons that attack the Galhala Kingdom''s outskirt villages came not from the south, but the east side instead," (Wraith) "I see... They''re splitting their army, huh...?" Muttered Druid Oz as he put hold his beardless chin. "What do you mean, Ren?" Asked Claria as she can''t comprehend what Druid Oz means. "Your highness," The wraith politely bow towards Claria. "Y-Yes, nice to meet you," Answered Claria awkwardly. She''s slightly startled by the friendly behavior of the wraith in front of her. It''s the first time she saw an undead greeting someone. "Don''t be too surprised. All of my subordinates have high intelligence and are friendly. Even the magic beasts are like that as well. Now Zero, fill her the details," Instructed Druid Oz towards the wraith called Zero. "Yes, your imperial majesty," (Zero the wraith) "The details?" (Claria) "Yes, princess Claria. The other ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order members that went here together with his imperial majesty is ordered to check whether there are demons stationed at the southern side of the Eastaria continent," (Zero the Wraith) "His imperial majesty is concerned that the origin of the demons is from the Southfilia continent. Our empire is constantly get attacked by the demons from the southern side of the magical forest of Everdeen, after all. But since the undead kingdom is the kingdom with the strongest military power, we could defend from their attacks without having any casualties until now," (Zero the Wraith) "And because there is indeed an army of demons at the southern side of the Eastaria continent, it means that the probability of his majesty''s prediction, which is the demons came from the Southfilia continent had become higher. But since we''re ordered to execute espionage without taking the risk of getting known, the information we got from the Eastaria''s continent''s southern side is limited," (Zero the Wraith) "I-I see..." (Claria) "But the demons attacked not only from the southern side, but they also attacked the outskirt villages from various sides... So you know what this leads into, right, princess?" Asked Druid Oz. "T-The attacks are decoys and they''re preparing for a huge attack somewhere we didn''t know... Is that what you mean, Ren?" Asked Claria. "Exactly," (Druid Oz) "W-We''ll be in a great danger if what you''re saying is right..." (Claria) "The Galhala King is still waiting for the response from the warriors he sent towards the guardians'' secret hideout. He''s putting his hopes on the guardians to help us in this peril. But somehow..." (Druid Oz) "Somehow?" (Claria) "Somehow... I have a bad feeling that they won''t come..." (Druid Oz) "W-Why? On what basis are you..." Claria stopped her words when she saw Druid Oz''s grim expression. "The Galhala King, The Prime Minister, and I suspect that there is a traitor amongst the guardians. But now that the time flows and there is still no single news came from the warriors your father had sent, I started to doubt that thought," (Druid Oz) "W-What do you mean..." (Claria) "The traitors, what if there are lots of traitors amongst the guardians? What if the new leader after the prime minister is the one who is the traitor and managed to take over the guardians and made them join hands with the demons? What if they have killed the warriors your father sent there?" (Druid Oz) "Y-You''re being too pessimistic!" Retorted Claria. "Well, that is, the worst scenario indeed. But that is the problem, General Princess. Since things never get so well, we should ready to face the worst scenario. Gor," Druid Oz called Gor, the mountain gorilla that had become his personal assistant. Gor spread and put the Eastaria continental map on top of the table. "I''m still confident that I could help the kingdom if what we''re facing is just a mere demon army. The problem is, what if the kingdoms around us that never reply to our messages anymore had all get demonized? What if not only the kingdoms around us, but the whole continent had got infected and get demonized? And not only that..." (Druid Oz) "What if the guardians who are as powerful as your father and the prime minister got demonized? Just how powerful they will be? These thoughts made my suspicions towards the guardians increased several folds," (Druid Oz) "W-We should tell this to my father!" said Claria as she stands up. "No. Your father is still waiting and hoping for help from the guardians to come. I can''t break his hopes... Well, you could say that we should have at least one person that still believes in these guardians of yours. If anything, I want you to consult about this to the prime minister, Allomere," (Druid Oz) "To grandpa?" (Claria) "I believe he had the same suspicions as I am. And since he knows about this kingdom far more than I do, he will be able to make several countermeasures that I won''t be able to come up with. I''ll continue to look for information together with my shadow servants and my familiars and notify all of you if danger is coming. But well, you don''t need to go now, there is no danger coming here right now, I''m monitoring all of them with my summoned insects so it''s fine," said Druid Oz as he asked Claria to calm down. "I-I see..." Replied Claria as she sits back. "Ah. Gor, how understanding..." (Druid Oz) Gor approached them and put two cups of hot chocolate on top of the table. He''s acting just like a butler, a gorilla butler. "T-Thankyou, Gor!" Thanked Claria. Gor smiled as he gives a bow, and go back to play together with Charnia and the baby magic beasts. "T-This is? W-What a good fragrant it''s emitting..." Asked Claria as she sniffs the hot chocolate. "It''s called hot chocolate. It''s a drink from my empire, some of the magic beasts also loved it because it''s sweeter than tea," Explained Druid Oz. "I-I see..." (Claria) Claria slowly takes a sip from the hot chocolate and has her eyes sparkling in response. "D-Delicious! H-How did you managed to make it? Did you bring the ingredients together with you?" Asked Claria with sparkling eyes. Her owl ears twitches in excitement when she asked it. "Ah... I''m a druid, after all... *Flick*" Druid Oz flicked his fingers and a small cocoa tree grows beside the couch. "I-I see... How convenient..." (Claria) "By the way General Prin-" (Druid Oz) "Claria!" Claria cut Druid Oz''s words. "E-Eh?" (Druid Oz) "Call me Claria! You promised to call me by my name! But even though you''ve made me call you Ren, you keep on calling me General Princess this, General princess that! That''s unfair!" Protested Claria with a pout. Her owl ears that appear from her beautiful long blonde hair twitch in anger. "I-I apologize... T-Then, Claria," (Druid Oz) "Yes!" Replied Claria with a big smile as she takes her hot chocolate cup. "Why are you sitting next to me? Isn''t it will make it harder for us to communicate and look at each other...?" Asked Druid Oz. "Isn''t it fine? It''s more comfortable to sit side to side rather than sitting front to front, after all, ~" (Claria) "I-Is that so..." (Druid Oz) Druid Oz felt awkward suddenly while Claria continues to enjoy herself as she drinks the hot chocolate slowly. "A-Anyway. How do my magic beasts doing? What are the citizens'' and the soldiers'' thoughts about them?" Druid Oz attempted to break the awkwardness that he felt alone. "They''re great! Not only that they''re super friendly, but they''re also super strong!! How did you even get them? Well, you''ve told me before, though... The level of the magical forest of Everdeen''s magic beasts are indeed different with the usual magic beasts," (Claria) "Is that so?" (Druid Oz) "Yes! Their strength is exceptional! And since they''re intelligent, they could kill the demons even easier!! having even just one of them defending a village is enough to make the whole village felt safe, you know? The level of magic your familiars uses is too strong!! Those frost lions... Not only their magics are strong, but they also could use lots of other spells!" (Claria) "I-Is that so...? Well, they''re already considered exceptionally strong inside the magical forest of Everdeen. And their strength got boosted several folds after becoming my familiars, so I guess it made them even stronger...?" (Druid Oz) "Having you here surely made the kingdom felt safer, Ren..." (Claria) "Eh?" (Druid Oz) Claria suddenly leans at Druid Oz''s shoulder. "Ren... Will we be able to survive the upcoming wars...?" (Claria) Claria''s voice felt sad and gives off a hint of fear. Druid Oz could felt her body slightly trembling when she leaned on him. Claria is a general. She is a general and also a sister. She never shows anyone her weak side, whether it''s to her people nor her sister. As a general who had gone through the battles with the demons lately, Claria has a clear image of how fearsome the battle the Galhala kingdom''s facing. "This kingdom... Will this kingdom survive...?" Asked Claria as a teardrop fell from her eyes. Tap! "Eh?" Claria''s eyes widened as she could feel Druid Oz''s warm palm on top of her head. "It''s fine. As long as I''m here, I won''t let any of you get into harm. This kingdom... I''ll definitely protect it, you can just trust me," (Druid Oz) Druid Oz''s words return the courage that started to fade from Claria''s heart. But what she felt isn''t like before, she felt like the courage that filled her heart right now is even greater than before. Another teardrop fell from her eyes. But this time, it''s not a tear of fear and frustration. It''s a tear of joy that came because of the relief she felt inside her heart. "Thank you... Ren..." (Claria) Chapter 185 - The First Great Battle At The Eastaria Continent (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Another week had passed, but yet, there is still no single news from the elite warriors the Galhala King sent to the guardians'' secret hideout. As he''s getting restless, the Galhala King summoned all of its high-ranked retainers, including the generals, margraves, dukes, and counts of the kingdom. But of course, even though Druid Oz had sent his magic beasts and ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order to protect the whole kingdom, the prime minister said that it won''t be good to have him there since the topic might get shifted towards him. Because of Druid Oz''s strength, there will be lots of nobles that will try to make a good relationship with him. And there won''t be some that will want to make him their son-in-law. Knowing that Druid Oz patiently waits inside his house as he continues to monitor the movement of the demons and continue to search for the demon king''s hidden seal with his summoned insects. Druid Oz deliberately commands 100 of each insect to stay and focus on breeding to increase their number and speed up the search, while the rest of the summoned insects went outside the kingdom to do various tasks. Because of the [Druid''s Servant] contract, Druid Oz could see what his summoned insects saw through their eyes, but even so, it''s hard for his brain to capture all of the information, so Druid Oz usually only look at one of the summoned insects from each group. If there is something that worthy to report, the summoned insects will make a link of telepathy towards Druid Oz and show him what it saw. "Hm?" Druid Oz. Druid Oz is currently looking at one of the summoned insects group and saw four demons are wandering near one of the Galhala kingdom''s outskirt villages. "Finish them," (Druid Oz) The group of summoned insects Druid Oz''s monitoring is a group of 100 infernal mosquitos. Even though they could immediately die if they got attacked by a spell or if they got a hit, their agility is terrifying. And together with their boosted intelligence because of the [Druid''s Servant] skill, they got even harder to kill. And since most of the demons use fire magic, the infernal mosquitos won''t die since they''re immune to fire. They could evade spells and hits easily and their damage came not only from their blood-s.u.c.k.i.n.g skills but also their fire magic. When they suck a beast''s blood, they plant a kind of saliva inside the wound and let it went inside the body of their prey, and after several seconds. *Boom!* "Good job," (Druid Oz) The demons that got ambushed by the infernal mosquitos exploded. One infernal mosquito is terrifying enough, let alone 100 of them. But they are not immortal, after that attack, the group lost 7 of them. That''s the reason why Druid Oz let some of the insects continue breeding at the ceilings so that they could replenish their number easily. Since, unlike his other magical beast familiars, the summoned insects are easier to die. "But well, it turns out that the number of the newborn greatly overwhelms the number of the death, though..." said Druid Oz with a wry smile. The most number of the summoned insects that died each day is 40, while each species could lay 400 eggs a day. Unlike the other summoned insects, the Electric Tarantula is the hardest one to control. Even though they could survive a day without any of them dying, they only continue their tasks of surveying the land after they finish eating their prey. They''re a great glutton and they could finish a corpse of a demonized Owlfolk in just three hours. Even though they''re also under the contract of [Druid''s Servant], they''re still difficult to control because of their power and their powerful beastly instinct, just like the bedrock beetles. But unlike the glutton Electric Tarantula, the bedrock beetles eat just once a day. The only problem with them is that they travel very slowly, and they don''t really like to travel using their wings. "Really, all I could rely the most on are only the infernal mosquitos and the frost bees," (Druid Oz) The frost bees are stronger and smarter than the infernal mosquitos. They could kill a demonized magic beast with only three of their warriors or eight of their workers. And unlike the other summoned insects, the frost bees had their queen. The queen is tens times stronger and smarter than all of them. I could just give an order towards the queen, and she''ll be the one who lays out the plans and give the orders towards her workers and warriors. Since the size of the frost bees is about 5 inches while her queen is about 10 inches, they''ll need a huge tree so I grow them a huge tree in the house''s backyard. But it turns out that the colony they made is not the same as the usual bees, they kill the tree and make the whole tree their house. The huge tree''s inside got dug by the workers and they live inside the huge tree and made it their colony. But they still produce honey called frost honey, their honey is one of Druid Oz''s sources of income here at the Galhala Kingdom. Not just it''s cold and delicious, the dense amount of mana inside it enhances the mana cultivation of those who ate it. And not just the honey, the bees are loved by the citizens because that the flowers that they harvest pollen and nectars from will have their plants grow faster and have their fruits grow with good quality. When a frost bee worker gathers nectar, it will inject their cool fluids towards the soil that will soften the soil and make it cooler, making the roots of the plants easier to gather water and other nutrients in their form of thanks. "Somehow... The Galhala Kingdom is getting along rather too well with my familiars, to the point that they even thought of them as their own pets, aren''t they...?" (Druid Oz) Not only the frost bees but the other magic beasts are also treated very kindly by the citizens. The guards will play together with the frost lions and the flame foxes after they finish the day, and hunt some food for them. Druid Oz couldn''t help but feel weird since he could see and feel what his familiars went through. *Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!* "Ren!!!" Charnia''s voice appeared after the sound of knocking. "Gor," Druid Oz ordered Gor to opened the door. It''s already evening, they usually come to the house and let Charnia play in the morning or afternoon until night. But today, they seem to have lots of agenda since they could only come in the evening. (Charnia must be having her princess lessons, while Claria must be attending the military meetings of the kingdom since she is one of the highest-ranked general...) (Druid Oz) "Hello~ Let''s play!!!" Charnia greeted with a very cheerful face. Druid Oz could feel the resolution in her eyes to has great fun together with the small magic beasts. "Evening, Ren," said Claria as she enters the house and immediately approaches the sofa where I am sitting. "Yo, Claria. How is it gone?" Asked Druid Oz. "It''s going smoothly. Mother and grandpa easily persuade father about the possibilities you mentioned. So we decided to start taking countermeasures of the worst-case scenario which is we fighting the whole demons in the Eastaria continent alone. The other nobles and generals seem to believe our words too since what you mentioned are very convincing," Said Claria as she indifferently sits next to Druid Oz. "I see... That''s good to hear," (Druid Oz) "But we''ll still send another group of elite warriors with less number than before just to scout. In the end, we couldn''t help but still have some hope that the guardians will help us, Ren. But this time, the goal is to have them scout there, their lives are put as priorities, they''re instructed to retreat immediately if they sense any danger," (Claria) "It''s fine. It''s not like I ask you to don''t hope anything from the guardians. My goal is to minimize the shock if it turns out that the worst-case scenario would actually happen," (Druid Oz) "I see... Well, we decided to intensify the training of the kingdom''s warriors. The other generals hoped that you and your magic beasts will participate in strengthening the soldiers," (Claria) "I see... Well, I''ll need to go then. My goal is to make the Galhala Kingdom strong enough to fight against the whole continent, after all," (Druid Oz) Chapter 186 - The Early Guest [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ The next day, Claria went to Druid Oz''s house very early in the morning without bringing Charnia with her. "Morning, Claria. It''s rare for you to come here so early. Where is Charnia?" Asked Druid Oz. "That girl is still sound asleep so I came here alone," (Claria) "I see... Then come in," Druid Oz kindly welcomed Claria to his house. But something is strange. (Hm?) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz caught that Claria''s face is slightly flushed. (Did something happened? But it seems that it''s not a bad thing, though) (Druid Oz) "Are you already continuing to monitor your familiars since this early?" Asked Claria as she saw Druid Oz stared at the Eastaria continent''s map with a great focus. "Um... Well, I have no many things to do anyway. Ah. Thanks, Gor," (Druid Oz) As usual, Gor brings the hot chocolate, but today, he strangely brings three hot chocolate cups with him. (Three? I-Is there someone else here!?) (Claria) Druid Oz notices Claria looking at the three hot chocolate cups with a face full of questions. "Ah. The third cup is for Gor. He also enjoys drinking hot chocolate. Have you taken breakfast yet, Claria? The breakfast is ready," (Druid Oz) "I see... I-I haven''t," (Claria) "Then good. Let''s eat together then," (Druid Oz) *Clap!* *Clap!* Druid Oz clapped his hands and several small wooden golems steadily walked towards their direction. The golems brought some dishes on top of their hands and put them on top of the table while the rest of the golems continue to walk towards the magic beasts'' children that are playing with each other. "W-What are they?" Asked Claria. "They are wooden golems I made, they''re convenient for bringing things and other simple things. They''re Gor''s direct subordinates," Explained Druid Oz. "Now, let''s eat. Kids! Stop playing and let''s eat as well!" (Druid Oz) Of course, there are no Owlfolks kids or human kids inside the house. Druid Oz''s words are meant for the small magic beasts that are playing with each other cheerfully. The wooden golems put their breakfast on the floor, and following Druid Oz''s command, they obediently eat their breakfast and stopped playing. "T-That surely is a rare sight to behold..." (Claria) "Sit, Claria. Let''s eat," (Druid Oz) "O-Okay," Following Druid Oz''s invitation, Claria approached the couch and sits. Right next to Druid Oz. "T-This is?" Asked Claria as she saw the dish in front of her. "It is a Fiery Bird''s egg omelet. It''s one of my empire''s dishes, try it," (Druid Oz) "Hm... D-Delicious!" Exclaimed Claria as her eyes shimmer because of the dish''s delicacy. The omelet vanished from the dish in a blink, looking at Claria''s joyful expression made Druid Oz ate the omelet slightly faster than he usually did as well. "F-Forgive me. It''s just that the foods and drinks you gave me here are always delicious that it made me forget my self-composure," said Claria as she wipes her mouth with a handkerchief. "That''s a good thing to hear," (Druid Oz) "Hehehe! Eh?" Exclaimed Claria as she stared at the rare sight before her. "Oi... I can''t move, you know...?" said Druid Oz towards the magic beasts'' children that climbed all over his body. "Full made you sleepy again, huh...? Sorry, Claria. It seems that I pampered them too much," said Druid Oz with a wry smile. "Pfft! Looks like they love you very much, Ren," (Claria) "I don''t know that... Oi! You guys! I''ve made your bed so go sleep there! I''m not your bed!" Druid Oz attempted to drive them away, but the attempt ended in failure. *Sigh!* Druid Oz let out a sigh. "Well, isn''t it fine. Let''s all of us take a brief rest as well, I guess?" (Claria) "Eh?" (Druid Oz) As coincidentally Druid Oz''s left shoulder is uninhabited by any of the magic beasts'' children, Claria took the opportunity and seize it first and leaned. "C-Claria?" (Druid Oz) "....." Claria didn''t reply to Druid Oz''s call. "Kukukuku..." Gor let out a strange laugh as he stared at Druid Oz and Claria. "Kukukuku..." (Gor) Somehow, Druid Oz felt like he could understand Gor''s words. Maybe it''s because of the [Druid''s Sevant] skill that he could interpret what Gor''s saying. ''The master is such a guilty man, huh~'' (W-What am I guilty for!?) (Druid Oz) "R-Ren..." Claria suddenly called Druid Oz''s name with a small voice. "Hm?" (Druid Oz) "A-Actually... Yesterday... When we''re having the big conference with all of the nobles and generals of the kingdom..." (Claria) "My father declared an unexpected thing..." (Claria) "An unexpected thing?" (Druid Oz) "Y-Yes..." (Claria) "H-He declared that you are my fiance... And will be the next r-ruler of the kingdom..." (Claria) (W-WHAT!? F-FIANCE!?) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz is too speechless to be able to reply to Claria as he''s still trying to process whether he heard it right or not. "B-But of course... Some of the nobles o-opposed it... But after reconsidering how much you''ve helped the kingdom lately... I-It''s said that the last decision will be left for me to choose..." (Claria) "So that''s the reason why I come here this early. I want to tell you, Ren," Claria lifts her head as she stared at Druid Oz right to his eyes with her face flushed red. Druid Oz could saw the determination from the general princess''s eyes. "I-I love you. S-So, not only for the kingdom, I-I personally, want you!" (Claria) (I see... As you''ve said, Gor. Maybe I am guilty...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz recovered his composure as a faint pain lingers inside his c.h.e.s.t. With a serious face, Druid Oz faced Claria. "Claria. I''m overjoyed for your words. But as I''ve told you, this body is only a clone, while my original body is still in a state in the middle of death and alive," (Druid Oz) "Yes, I know," (Claria) "This is just a clone, but yet, the reason why I could behave just like a normal person and could still stay conscious without the original body is that the original''s soul split several small pieces of it and grant it to the clones like me," (Druid Oz) "But the reality won''t be so kind to let the other clones and I linger in this world and replace the original for that long. The soul inside our body, is slowly returning to the original body. Because of that reason, this artificial personality and emotion will slowly disappear. What you''re seeing is nothing more than a mirage, an illusion," (Druid Oz) "It won''t be that long since I completely lost all of my emotions. Sadness, happiness, and other emotions that are crucially needed by a living being, let alone love. Do you understand? I don''t-" (Druid Oz) "I know!" (Claria) "Eh?" Druid Oz was slightly fl.u.s.tered by Claria''s response. "A-At least I know you''re thinking that, I guess. Since one time you''ll smile when you saw things, while at the other time you will furrow your brows and suddenly look like you''re feeling guilty of something," (Claria) "I know you mean that you said that you might have no emotions anymore in the future. I know you mean that there might be no future for you with anyone since you don''t even know the original you will be alive or not. But if there is no future with the original you, why can''t I at least spend my time with this form of you!?" (Claria) "Don''t you understand!? I''m not the-" (Druid Oz) "You''re wrong! You''re here, aren''t you!" Claria holds Druid Oz''s hands as she stared right into Druid Oz''s eyes. "Ren Arken. Even though it is just a small fragment of his soul that is residing inside this body. But you''re here, aren''t you!? It''s not just about the soul and the emotion! But the memories! Isn''t it''s the one that will continue to fill the gap of the remaining soul!?" (Claria) "Then what is different from you and the original!?" (Claria) Claria''s words are like a great tsunami that hits the city filled Druid Oz''s concerns. It completely washed it clean, and destroy all it encounters. It''s the question that not only Druid Oz, but a question that resides inside all of the clones inside the other clones. The question about their existence. The question about their feelings. The question about the reason why they exist and who are they. Are they Ren Arken? Or are they just his shadows that have no right to make any emotional decisions? It''s a matter that they have been avoiding to think. No- They''re too scared to think about it. Even though the magician is an expert when it''s about the psychology of the others and could easily comprehend their thoughts, it seems that comprehending the feelings of his own self is still a task too difficult for him to accomplish. "Y-You''re right... Seems like there is still a room for me to improve..." Druid Oz scoffed at his own pathetic state. "Since it''s shameful for my pride if a woman to take a lead in my stead. Then Claria Galhala, *Flick!* Druid Oz flicked his fingers, and a small tree appeared from the ground, breaking the wooden floor again, and a beautiful wooden ring appeared right at the top of the small tree. Druid Oz took the wooden ring, and hold Claria''s hand. "Are you fine with me?" (Druid Oz) "Yes!" (Claria) Chapter 187 - The Spar With The King Of The Galhala Kingdom (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "The quality of the Owlfolk''s soldiers is truly a great sight to behold, huh..." Praised Druid Oz as he observed the training of the royal soldiers at the royal castle''s training grounds. "Hahahaha! They''re the kingdom''s pride and joy, Lord Ren. We always try to maintain the quality of our warriors, after all!" Replied the Galhala King enthusiastically. "Indeed... I could see that," (Druid Oz) "By the way, Lord Ren," Galhala Queen''s voice suddenly appeared behind Druid Oz. "Y-Yes!?" Replied Druid Oz in surprise. "That wooden ring Claria''s wearing, I believe it''s from you, correct?" (Galhala Queen) (I-Is this a mother''s instincts!? H-How fearsome...) (Druid Oz) "Y-Yes... Y-Your majesty..." Answered Druid Oz weakly. "Fufufufu! Then I believe she had told you about the engagement my husband had set for you, I suppose?" (Galhala Queen) "Y-Yes... Your majesty..." (Druid Oz) "The judging from her flushed and cheerful expression, and the wooden ring she''s wearing, I believe it means that you''ve gladly accepted the engagement, correct?" Asked the Galhala Queen as her smile gets wider than before. "Y-Yes, Your majesty..." (Druid Oz) "Fufufufu! What joyous news... Then Lord Ren- No, Ren. You should just call me mother from now on, you know? Fufufu!" (Galhala Queen) "A-As you wish... M-Mother..." (Druid Oz) (What is this...? This is so nerve-wracking!!) (Druid Oz) "What!? So you''ve accepted the engagement, Lord Ren!?" Asked the Galhala King with his usual loud voice. "Y-Yes..." (Druid Oz) "Isn''t it such great news, dear~" (Galhala Queen) "HAHAHAHA!! What a great piece of news indeed!! I''m very glad that you agreed to it!! HAHAHA!! I was just thinking of- Ugh!!" (The Galhala King) The Galhala Queen suddenly strikes the Galhala King''s abdomen with her elbow, causing even a strong man like Galhala King to groan in pain. "Oh my, dear. It seems that you''re kind of unwell, are you okay?" Asked the Galhala Queen as if nothing happened. "J-Just what did I do wrong...?" Asked the Galhala King, dumbfounded. "Fufufufu! I wonder what, dear~," Replied the Galhala Queen as she''s emitting a terrifying pressure towards the Galhala King with her smile. After accepting Druid Oz''s proposal, with a flushed face, Claria left Druid Oz''s house and went back to the castle to prepare for the battle training of the royal soldiers and the nobles'' soldiers. But since then, Claria had been avoiding Druid Oz as she didn''t even want to look at Druid Oz. Her face will redden and she will turn her head away whenever she encounters her. (I know she did that because she''s embarrassed... But to be avoided after proposing is somehow... Hurts... And I don''t even know what the other clones will do to me once they saw what I just did...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz let out a heavy sigh. "Please don''t be sad, Ren. I believe Claria is just shocked that you actually accepted it. That girl, maybe because of us, she couldn''t help but make a tough act. She''s overjoyed by the fact that you, the one who she finally opened her heart with, accepts to be engaged with her," Comforted the Galhala Queen. "Y-Yes, I understand, your majes-" (Druid Oz) "Mother," Cut the Galhala Queen. "Y-Yes, m-mother," (Druid Oz) "Then you should call me father starting today too!! HAHAHAHAHA!! I believe Allomere will be very furious when he heard this news, HAHAHAHAHA!!" (Galhala King) (Y-You sure looks like you''re having fun, Galhala King...) (Druid Oz) "Hm... Seems like some of the nobles finally arrived. Ren, let''s spar a little bit," The Galhala King suddenly invited Druid Oz to do something unexpected. "Spar?" (Druid Oz) "This kingdom is filled with strong warriors, I believe most of the nobles of this kingdom are able to be on par with the guardians in the terms of strength. There are lots of people that are curious about you, but after I stated I''m going to marry you with Claria, there are still lots of people that doubt your abilities and accomplishments, thinking that I just exaggerating it," (The Galhala King) "With this spar, they will at least saw a portion of your strength. But of course, I won''t be holding back, HAHAHAHAHA!!!" said the Galhala King. "Y-YOu just want to fight, aren''t you?" (Druid Oz) "HAHAHAHA!! That''s not wrong! Now come on, the fight will be a good experience for the royal and noble soldiers as well. I hope you won''t be holding back against me, though. I''ve explained to them about your identity, so there is no need for you to attempt to hide it. Fight with your all! HAHAHAHAHA!!" said the Galhala King like a battle maniac. "N-Noted," (Druid Oz) *Clap!* *Clap!* "Attention!!!" Galhala King''s voice resounded throughout the whole royal training grounds. "Make space!! I!! The King of the Galhala Kingdom will spar with the emperor of the Tarot empire who is also my future son-in-law, Ren Arken!! Once again, make space!!" (The Galhala king) Hearing the Galhala King''s announcement, everyone quickly makes space. "F-Father?" Exclaimed Claria in surprise. "Whoa! The king will be fighting with the rumored emperor?" "This will be interesting!" "Who do you think will win?" "I don''t know, I never saw the so-called Ren Arken at all. I only saw his familiars before, they helped my territory a lot when we''re fending off the demons," "Yes! Those frost lions of his helped my territory too! I flew here as fast as I could to be able to see just what kind of person that able to tame such powerful magic beasts and with such a number as well! He must be so strong!" "Of course! If he''s not, our battle maniac king won''t accept him as his son-in-law!" "But, does the general princess even want to be with him? Druid Oz and The Galhala King went to the middle of the training grounds still with their human form. "Wait! Ren!" Claria shouted as she approached Druid Oz. Her face reddens with every step she took, but she still takes the steps and approached Druid Oz. "Even though it''s my father you''re going to fight, I-I hope you''ll win! I''ll be rooting for you! So win! And don''t get hurt, okay?" said Claria as she holds Druid Oz''s hands. """Whoa!!!"''" The nobles and the soldiers exclaimed as they saw the strong and mighty general princess of the kingdom is acting like a maiden in front of Druid Oz. Some of them cheer but some of them curse on Druid Oz since Claria is considered as a goddess by most of the soldiers and nobles, especially the young ones. "If you said so, then I will," said Druid Oz as she c.a.r.e.s.ses Claria''s cheeks. """WHOA!!!!!""" The cheers and the curses got even more intense as they saw Druid Oz''s c.a.r.e.s.s made Claria''s face completely red. "Then I''ll be going," (Druid Oz) "Wait!" (Claria) !!!?? "Fufufu! How bold of you, Claria," (The Galhala Queen) "W-What just..." Muttered Druid Oz as the sensation of the soft lips is still lingering on his cheeks. With a face as red as a tomato, Claria runs in the direction of her mother, leaving Druid Oz to stand there, dumbfounded. "BOO!!!!!!" The cheers disappeared, and only the curses remain because of it. (Seems like I''ve completely become an enemy of all Galhala Kingdom''s men, huh) (Druid Oz) And suddenly. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "E-Eh?" (Druid Oz) A terrifying murderous aura that surprised even the strongest nobles appeared from Druid Oz''s sparring opponent. "It seems that my daughter''s heart had completely fallen for you, Ren..." said the Galhala King as his expression and his aura are different from before. Druid Oz firmly stands before the mighty murderous aura. The enormous aura that color as red as blood soared to the sky. And slowly, the red aura became a sphere, circling the Galhala king. Whoosh! The muscular body of the Galhala King disappeared. It transformed into a huge owl clad in golden armor, golden claws, and a golden helmet. "Before accepting you, you''re going to need to show your worth. O'' emperor from a faraway land," said the Galhala King with a pressure befitting the powerful king of a mighty Owlfolk kingdom. "Gladly, *Tap!*" Druid Oz replied as he tapped his feet slightly to the ground. suddenly countless vines appeared from the ground together with countless green particles. The vines slowly surrounded Druid Oz and form a sphere, slowly, the sphere expanded. Unlike the mighty and powerful vibe, the Galhala King''s transformation emitted. Druid Oz''s transformation looked elegant and mesmerizing. Whoosh!! When the sphere of vines and green particles disappeared, the plants that exist in their surroundings grew slightly, as if they''re looking and welcoming Druid Oz''s transformation. As if they''re rooting at the druid who is part of their family of nature. The nobles and the soldiers stared at the rare sight with wide eyes. Unlike the Galhala King, Druid Oz''s Owl form used magic wooden armor, magical wooden claws, and a magical wooden helmet only. But the mysterious runes decorating them made the Galhala King aware to not underestimate it. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! To have such a wonderful form!! Here I come!! Future son!!!" (The Galhala King) Chapter 188 - The Spar With The King Of The Galhala Kingdom (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Druid Oz observed every little movement the Galhala King made. Looking at them made Druid Oz curious about the strength of the other guardians since the Galhala king''s and the prime minister''s strength is almost on par with the Tarot kings and queens. But Druid Oz saw the strength of the Galhala king and the Galhala''s prime minister only for a while, he doesn''t have enough data about their strength, so that''s made Druid Oz also eager to spar with the Galhala King to measure his strength himself. "Here I come!! Future son!!" Announced the Galhala king. "Yes!" (Druid Oz) Druid Oz expected the Galhala king to dash towards him with a terrifying speed and his terrifying strength, but- "Advanced Wind magic: [Swift White Falcon]!" Shouted the Galhala King. !!!??? *Whoosh!* A huge falcon made of wind magic appeared before the Galhala King and dashed towards Druid Oz. "Oh my, seems like your father won''t be holding back at all, Claria," (The Galhala Queen) "Ren..." (Claria) (Magic!?) (Druid Oz) "[Wooden Stronghold]!" Shouted Druid Oz as black trees appeared before him and formed several walls. The white falcon hits the black tree walls and destroys some of them. "HAHA!! HAHAHA!! Not bad!! Advanced Fire magic: [Fire Nova]!!!" (The Galhala King) A powerful flame nova hits the black tree walls Druid Oz summoned and melts it, finally destroying all of Druid Oz''s black tree walls. "[Vine Spikes]" (Druid Oz) Several vine spikes appeared from underground, aiming for the Galhala King, but the Galhala King evaded all of it with ease. With a face full of smiles, the Galhala King couldn''t wait to see even more of the Druid Oz''s strength as he finally dashed towards Druid Oz with his terrifying speed that most of the people who present couldn''t even catch his movement. (Finally going for a close-quarter fight, huh?) (Druid Oz) Their claws collided with each other. "Hm... So you''re not just an ordinary magician, huh? To be able to block my attack without using magic, you are sure strong, future son!!" Stated the Galhala King. "You too, Galhala King! I never thought you''re capable of using those powerful spells!" (Druid Oz) Druid Oz is aware of Claria''s proficiency in the wind, water, and fire magic, but since the Galhala King is more like a warrior-type, Druid Oz thought that he''s a close-quarter fighter type, and he maybe could use some wind magic. So when Druid Oz saw The Galhala King unleashed such powerful spells consecutively, it almost caught him off-guarded. But on the other hand, the Galhala King is surprised with how Druid Oz blocked his swift strike with such ease. *Clank!* *Clank!* *Clank!* *Clank!* *Clank!* They dashed towards each other, and their claws collided against each other countless times in terrifying speed. "Whoa! As expected of the king! He''s on a whole different level!" "Well, of course! The king is one of the strongest guardians back then together with the former leader of the guardians, the prime minister, Allomere!" "But that druid, he''s fighting toe to toe with the king!" "Yeah! It''s unbelievable! No wonder the king accepted him to be his future son-in-law! And no wonder the general princess''s heart fall for him!!" "Oh my, it had become slightly noisier than before, it seems. And it seems that your father is started to get too much fun from this, it will get dangerous so we''re going to need this. Magicians, on my command," The Galhala Queen called the royal magicians of the Galhala Kingdom. "[Royal wind barrier]," (The Galhala Queen) Following the Galhala Queen''s words, a huge sphere barrier of wind surrounded the battlefield of Druid Oz and the Galhala King. The Galhala Kingdom''s royal magicians strengthen and maintain the barrier to make sure it won''t break. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! MORE!!!! Lightning magic: [Lightning Spear]" Shouted the Galhala King like a maniac. But unlike a usual lightning spear, the spell isn''t summoned a lightning spear that will dash towards its opponent. But rather, the Galhala King got enveloped by a lightning aura and becomes the lightning spear himself. (Tsk! He''s increasing his speed!) (Druid Oz) The Galhala King''s speed got doubled, increasing the difficulty for Druid Oz to block his attacks. "Oh my, seems like my future son-in-law is forced to get into defensive by your father," (The Galhala Queen) "It''s fine. Ren... Won''t lose..." Said Claria with full of confidence as she stared at the fight intensely. "Oh my... It seems that my daughter had completely fallen in love with him~," (The Galhala Queen) "What happened, future son!? Is that what you got!?" Provoked the Galhala King as he strikes Druid Oz with terrifying and powerful attacks. Druid Oz is aware of how monstrous the strength of the Galhala King is. It''s not just because of his [King] rank, but it''s also his judgment skills, fighting skills, and countless experience. Druid Oz had the experience of fighting in a Griffin form so he''s familiar with the aerial combat of a bird-like form. Even though the Owl form he got is several times more powerful than his griffin form, he still got overwhelmed by the Galhala King, showing how strong the Galhala King is. The Owl form of the Owlfolks is one of the strongest forms he could transform since not only its strength and speed, its body could also surprisingly compatible to use several spells, unlike his other beast forms. And the compatibility of the owl form with magic is what excites Druid Oz. (I might be get overwhelmed in close-quarter combat, but in magic, I won''t lose!) (Druid Oz) "Not yet! [Fireball]!" Druid Oz seizes an opening and strikes the Galhala King using the [Fireball] spell as the booster. *Boom!!!!* "Whoa!!" "H-He managed to push back the king!!" "S-So powerful!!" The soldiers and the nobles who watched the scene praised Druid Oz in admiration. The strength of the Galhala King and the prime minister, Allomere are well-known and admired by the whole kingdom since the both of them are former high-ranked guardians. "To be able to land a hit to me... That fireball, it''s rather unexpected... As expected of my future son..." Muttered the Galhala King as he rises back. The mark from Druid Oz''s strike is imprinted on his armor, showing how powerful it is. The Galhala King''s armor is not a normal one. It''s made by the best material found in the kingdom, and was made by the greatest blacksmith of the kingdom. Since when an owlfolk transform into an owl form, their human form''s clothes got stored in their skill, their owl form''s armor also got stored into their skill when they transformed into their human form. "HAHAHAHA!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! It''s been a while since I felt this!! Let''s-" Before the Galhala King could even finish his words, the voice of a person who he could never retort to appeared. "Okay, I guess that''s enough for the spar," said the Galhala Queen as she removed her wind barrier that protected the audience. "Eh?'' (The Galhala King) "Phew! I''m glad there is the Galhala Queen here..." said Druid Oz with a wry smile as the fight with the Galhala King had exhausted him. "It''s just a spar, dear. We''re currently in the middle of danger because of the demons, we can''t let your battle maniac habit made one of you got injured badly or even die," Scolded the Galhala Queen. "Ah... Y-Yes, dear..." Replied the Galhala King as he regained his senses and transformed back into his burly human form. (H-He''s completely leashed when he''s together with her wife, huh...?) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz watched the Galhala King got scolded by the Galhala Queen with a wry smile as the sight made him get even more hesitant to have a wife. *Tap!* "Hm?" Druid Oz turns his back as he felt a finger touched his back. "Good job! It''s amazing that you could land such a direct hit towards father! As expected of Ren!" said Claria as she gives a thumb up towards Druid Oz. It''s her usual cool but cheerful expression. But suddenly, her kiss on Druid Oz''s cheeks appeared on Druid Oz''s head. "W-What is it? S-Say something, I-Idiot..." said Claria as her face once again flushed. Druid Oz grins. *Pat!* Claria felt the warm hands on top of her head. "I see... I did well, didn''t I? Let''s keep on doing well together and make sure this kingdom safe together, shall we?" (Druid Oz) "Yes!" (Claria) Chapter 189 - The First Battle At The Eastaria Continent (4) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ After the spar with the Galhala King ends, lots of nobles and soldiers swarmed Druid Oz drowning him in praises. Since Druid Oz had gotten engaged towards Claria, the well-respected general and princess of the kingdom, most of the generals and nobles had dropped the thought of making him marry their daughters. While some of them still offered Druid Oz to take their daughters to be his mistress or concubine, they all got refused by Claria in Druid Oz''s stead. Because Druid Oz displayed his strength at the spar with the Galhala King, all of the soldiers, generals, and nobles had come to respect and admire him. All of them had accepted the fact that Claria had fallen to a strong person befitting to be the man of the great general princess of the Galhala Kingdom. After the commotion ends, the combined training finally started. Druid Oz was quite shocked and impressed when he saw Claria proficiently lead the combined training. It turns out that even the generals and strong nobles of the kingdom fear and respect the general princess. Under the education of both the Galhala King and Queen, Claria managed to be a great princess and general loved by all of the citizens of the Galhala Kingdom. Her beauty, strength, leadership, and knowledge are well-known throughout not only the kingdom but to the other kingdoms and empires of the Eastaria continent as well. While in the other hand, Charnia is training together with the magic beasts'' children. Druid Oz''s role in the combined training is to let his strong familiars be the training partner of the soldiers to test their formation. Druid Oz thought there will be a huge gap of strength between the royal soldiers and the nobles'' soldiers, but it''s not. Each noble house has its own strategy and fighting style, but their strength is not that far from the royal soldiers. Druid Oz saw the Galhala King conversed with the other nobles, he''s not like a king talking to his servants, but it''s like a soldier talking with his comrades. He''s laughing and conversing joyfully while still put some formality for the soldiers to see. But Druid Oz could feel the kinship that describes the great solidarity of the whole kingdom. Not only the citizens, but even the nobles and the royals have a beautiful relationship with each other. "What a beautiful country this is..." Muttered Druid Oz as he suddenly missed the Tarot empire and his other comrades. "Of course, it''s a country my family had been protecting throughout our lives, after all," Replied Claria as she appeared beside Druid Oz and watched the soldiers train together. "Indeed..." (Druid Oz) (They''re not rotten like a country filled with humans. This kind of country...) (Druid Oz) "This kind of kingdom... I will make sure it won''t befall to any harm," (Druid Oz) ********************************* "*Phew!* That was tiring," Muttered Druid Oz as he lay his back on the sofa. "Now, let''s see how much they''ve got," Muttered Druid Oz as he stared at the Eastaria continent''s map on top of the table. Druid Oz reestablish his connections with his familiars and instructed them to report in for any important things. Until this moment, even with the number of his summoned insects that keep on increasing, Druid Oz could only investigate thoroughly up to 6% of the continent in search for the demon emperor''s seal, while his summoned insect scouts idly wait in several points and surrounded the Galhala Kingdom in a radius of 100 km, ready to report if an enemy or army is going to attack the Galhala Kingdom. The current enemy is troublesome since the demons attacking them are infected by some kind of a demonic disease that could transform anyone who got even a scratch by it. Druid Oz couldn''t let any of his familiars get even a single scratch from the demons, so he''s taking the safest measure. Since the number of summoned insects is increasing at a terrifying pace, Druid Oz used them the most since they could swarm and feed the demons at the same time. Druid Oz''s other magic beast familiars'' task focuses on guarding and protecting the Galhala kingdom while some of the summoned insects attack some of the demons outside the region as well. Druid Oz''s magic beasts somehow could resist the demonic infection and won''t transform into a demon even if they''re injured. (That might be the effect of the [Druid''s Servant] skill) (Druid Oz) Other than his summoned insects, Druid Oz also possesses some undead from the ''Jack of All Trades''. They hold powerful strength as individuals, but Druid Oz''s focus is on his summoners. Druid Oz had been instructing them to summon their undead pawn soldiers as much as they could daily to guard the Galhala Kingdom''s perimeter. The summoned undead pawn soldiers will dig the ground and bury themselves in the ground, waiting for the order to come out and fight. The first reason is for a surprise attack, while the other reason is to not scare the citizens of the kingdom. There are already about 300,000 undead pawn soldiers buried all across the outer region of the kingdom, while 50,000 are kept by Druid Oz inside a near cave to be an active army used to ambush the demons that get near the perimeter. Since the soldiers Because of the number of demonic corpses that keep on increasing, the undead under Druid Oz''s command had been devouring their demonic mana and keep on getting stronger each day. Not only getting stronger, but the undead summoner could also replenish their dark mana quickly and continue to summon the undead pawn soldiers, and increasing their forces. Druid Oz also sent some of his summoned insects to scout into some kingdoms near the Galhala kingdom. And finally, one of the groups managed to enter a kingdom near the Galhala Kingdom. The Simalia Kingdom. "I-Impossible!" Druid Oz exclaimed as he saw the scenes transmitted from the summoned insects'' eyes. The group of blood mosquitos Druid Oz sent didn''t found any life inside the kingdom. The houses are still intact, only the kingdom''s castle that is in a terrible state. The fact that not only there is no life, but there are also no corpses as well terrified Druid Oz. "Did they evacuate? No, if they want to evacuate, they must have asked the Galhala King for help..." (Druid Oz) Druid Oz tries to think of any other possibilities as he instructed his summoned insects to go further to investigate, but the result remains the same. No life and no corpses were found. "Don''t tell me..." Druid Oz muttered to himself as he hoped that the worst-case scenario he''s thinking is not happening. Different from human countries, the Owlfolk countries could exist and stand firmly without having any relations with other kingdoms or empires. There is no need for businesses since their regions have more than plenty of resources for them to be self-sufficient. Because of that, conversations between kingdoms happened only once a year or even in several years. That is the reason why the Galhala king and the prime minister, Allomere didn''t really matter the fact that the other kingdom isn''t answering their call and messages since most of the kingdoms are not really friendly towards each other. The prime minister, Allomere might have the same thought as Druid Oz that passed his head, but it seems that he set that matter aside, focusing on the kingdom''s internal strength. But the problem is not about how and why the Simula kingdom got wiped out and have no people or even corpses inside the kingdom. The problem is... "Just how many citizens had got transformed into a demon... Just how many more demons had appeared from all of those citizens..." Druid Oz muttered his fear. If the kingdom had 400,000 citizens, then it means that the demons had gotten 400,000 demons into their ranks. And it''s only if the Simula kingdom is the only one who got wiped out by the demons. What if the other kingdoms had gotten wiped out by the demons as well? Just how many demons had gathered in their ranks? It could be one million, it could be even more. If they transformed even half of the continent into demons, just how many demons will it be? "Should I request for backup...?" (Druid Oz) Chapter 190 - The First Battle At The Eastaria Continent (5) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ A month finally passed after the first elite warriors of the Galhala kingdom sent by the Galhala king embarked on their journey towards the secret hideout of the guardians in order to notify them about the demons and to ask their back up. And at the same time, it had been a week since the second squad of warriors got sent with a different mission, which is to investigate the disappearance of the first squad before them. Unlike the first squad, the second squad keeps in touch with the kingdom every day, following prime minister, Allomere''s orders. Since their priority is to investigate, they proceed with full of caution and refrain from being hasty. It''s just a matter of time to see what they will find, so Druid Oz decided to continue to instruct his summoned insects in the search for the demon king''s fragment of seal and to investigate the other kingdom near the Galhala kingdom. Druid Oz present at the training grounds to train the Galhala kingdom''s soldiers once every two days, but Druid Oz takes the opportunity to train his familiars every day as well. His magic beasts that standby at the capital will help the soldiers train and improve their fighting strength as well. In this short while, the number of Druid Oz''s infernal mosquitos and frost bees had broken through 2000, while the Electric Tarantulas and Bedrock beetles had reacher 800 in number. Druid Oz had been feeding them lots of his mana to improve the speed of their reproduction so that he could spread more of his summoned insects to the Eastaria continent. His magic beasts had increased in number as well, but their offsprings are still cubs so Druid Oz couldn''t rely on them yet. After looking at the state of the Simalia kingdom, Druid Oz got even sure that he needs to make sure of the improvement of the Galhala kingdom''s soldiers. They didn''t know the actual number of the demons inside the Eastaria continent, there is still no clear reason found about how the demons entered the Eastaria continent. And to add that the strong guardians of the Eastaria continent still couldn''t be contacted, if they add the possibilities of the strong guardians to be demonized and joined the demonic ranks as well, it means that the Galhala kingdom needs to urgently increase their strength. (I don''t know why... But this feeling that telling me that the worst-case scenario will be the one that turns into reality keeps on haunting...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz had been monitoring the battles across the Galhala Kingdom from the eyes of his familiars. The demons that attacked the villages are still just demonized magic beasts, with only dozens of actual demons acting as their superior. Druid Oz couldn''t help but feel that those attacks are just decoys. (We can''t keep on defending...) (Druid Oz) As Druid Oz continues to contemplate what action should he take, the amount of information he had is still not enough to choose an accurate option. "*Sigh!* I''m stuck, should I discuss this with the prime minister? Hm?" Druid Oz suddenly realizes there is a pair of round eyes staring at him at the opposite side of his sit. "C-Charnia!? Since when did you enter?" Asked Druid Oz, surprised, as he didn''t sense her presence at all. "It''s been about 10 or 20 minutes before. Ren is so absorbed in staring at the map so I didn''t want to bother. And since Ren''s face when he''s deep in thought is interesting, I couldn''t help but keep on staring," said Charnia as her round eyes continue to gaze at Druid Oz. "I-I didn''t sense you at all... Seems like I got too absorbed in my thoughts, huh..." Muttered Druid Oz as he about to slightly massage his forehead. But before he could touch his forehead, a warm and smooth hand suddenly touched it and started to massage his forehead. Together with a faint fragrance of orchid that suddenly entered his nostrils, the familiar white-haired girl entered Druid Oz''s view as he shifted his gaze above. "That was surprising, Claria..." said Druid Oz as he stared at his fiance. "Ren... I''m happy that you''re trying your best to ensure the safety of this kingdom... But please don''t overdo it..." said Claria with full of concern as she continues to massage Druid Oz''s head. As if Claria''s warmth got conveyed directly to his heart, Druid Oz could feel his head and his heart got warmer as the tension he''s keeping inside his body is starting to relieve itself. "I''ll take on your advice..." Replied Druid Oz. "Stop!!!!!" Charnia suddenly jumped towards Druid Oz. "C-Charnia?" (Druid Oz) "C-Charnia!? What are you doing!?" Scolded Claria. "From now on, I forbid sister from touching Ren!!" Charnia suddenly said an unexpected thing with a pout. "E-Eh? Why?" (Claria) "You''ve been getting too close with Ren these days! And I''m the one who met Ren first and I''m the one who invited him to this kingdom, you know! Even though you imprison him the first time you met him, why did you be the one who gets to marry Ren!?!?" Charnia shouted her protests. "E-Eh...?" Druid Oz took a longer time to process Charnia''s words. "Fufufufu!" Claria let out a laugh that was similar to her mother''s as she holds my arm. "It''s all because I''m older than you, Charnia. If you''re old enough, you might be the one who will marry Ren first. Wait when you''ll older, and you may become Ren''s second wife," Claria suddenly decided Druid Oz''s second wife without his consent. "Ugh..." Charnia''s face got red in anger. Looking at Charnia''s face, Druid Oz pats her head. "Let''s take a walk outside, shall we? I''m thinking of having a stroll to refresh my brain," Druid Oz proposed the idea that crossed his mind to stop Charnia''s anger. "We never take a stroll together with the baby cubs yet before, aren''t we? Let''s show the baby cubs the capital city," (Druid Oz) Hearing Druid Oz''s invitation, Charnia''s expression changed in a split second. "Yes!" Answered her cheerfully. "Let''s go then," (Druid Oz) Bringing the baby cubs, Druid Oz, Charnia, and Claria walked together in the capital city. Druid Oz alone is already stand out enough to invite the attraction of the surroundings, adding Claria and Charnia holding both of his arms, and the baby cubs following them, they completely draw everyone''s attention. "Is that the rumored fiance of the princess?" "Ah~ How lovely those baby cubs are~" "So that''s Ren Arken, huh..." "A-All of those magic beast cubs are his familiars?" "Good afternoon, Princess Claria! Princess Charnia! Lord Ren!" "Good afternoon, general princess!" "Good afternoon, general princess''s fiance!" Everyone''s attention is drawn to them. A mighty foreign emperor, walking with two princesses on each side, and tens of cute magic beast cubs walking together with them, the sight felt like an image from a painting. Everyone greets Druid Oz, Charnia, and Claria. Some of the people pet the magic beast cubs and give them food, and some sent their good wishes towards Druid Oz and Claria, hoping they will give the kingdom a mighty successor. Druid Oz, Charnia, and Claria kindly answer and reply to their greetings. While at the same time, the Galhala Queen and the Galhala King watched the scene from the top of the royal palace. With their sharp eyes, they stared at their daughters walking together with Druid Oz and the magic beast cubs. "The sight sure felt like a painting, that Ren. His existence truly felt like a miracle..." Muttered the Galhala king. "That''s unusual for you to say such poetic words, dear," (Galhala Queen) "S-Shut it..." (Galhala King) "But indeed... Looking at them warmth my heart... It made me look forward to their future..." Muttered the Galhala Queen as tears started to appear at the corner of her eyes. Looking at her daughters smiling joyfully together with the citizens made her about to cry in joy. "True... It made me feel glad for surviving until now... If Allemore saw this, he must be making a flood of tears because of Claria''s and Charnia''s smiles, but he will be biting his sleeves in anger because of the sight of them holding Ren''s arms," said the Galhala King with a small laugh as he imagined the figure of his old friend. "Fufufu. That''s true. This peace... I hope-" (The Galhala Queen) "Something''s wrong," The Galhala King suddenly cut the Galhala Queen''s words. "W-What happened, dear?" (The Galhala Queen) "Ren''s complexion changed. He sensed something," (Galhala King) The Galhala Queen focused her eyes and saw that Druid Oz is closing his eyes, and the magic cubs are roaring and howling to the west side of the kingdom. !!?? The eyes of Druid Oz, the Galhala King, and Queen met. The Galhala king and queen are surprised at how Druid Oz could sense them, but they''re more focused on what he''s about to say. "Enemies. Danger," (Druid Oz) Chapter 191 - The First Battle At The Eastaria Continent (6) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Is that the rumored fiance of the princess?" "Ah~ How lovely those baby cubs are~" "So that''s Ren Arken, huh..." "A-All of those magic beast cubs are his familiars?" "Good afternoon, Princess Claria! Princess Charnia! Lord Ren!" "Good afternoon, general princess!" "Good afternoon, general princess''s fiance!" (I-I guess I chose a made decision...) (Druid Oz) "Yes, good afternoon," Druid Oz answers everyone''s greeting with a kind smile as he let out a heavy sigh inside his heart. With Claria and Charnia holding both of his arms, and the magic beasts'' cubs that keep on climbing his back, Druid Oz couldn''t even take his time to stabilize his state of heart. (And to add that terrifying gaze from afar...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz had sensed the piercing gaze coming from the direction of the royal palace. His eyes are itching to shift his gaze towards it to check, but since he thought it will only invite more trouble, he decides to refrain from doing so. "But, I guess this is not that bad either, huh..." Druid Oz muttered as he stared at the two girls beside him and the people of the Galhala Kingdom. "Good afternoon~" (Charnia) "Good afternoon, sir Valta," (Claria) Charnia and Claria kindly answer everyone''s greetings, and the citizens happily greet and give food to them and the magic beasts'' cubs. But right when they''re enjoying themselves, a news Druid Oz wish to never come or at least not now appeared. (A warning, from the infernal mosquito groups... East?) (Druid Oz) "Hm? Ren? What happened?" Asked Claria as she felt Druid Oz suddenly stopped walking. (The enemies are not far, and it seems that this will be their first big attack. We need to respond quickly) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz finally shifted his gaze towards the gazes coming from the royal palace. And there, their eyes met. Druid Oz finally confirmed that the gazes from the royal palace came from the Galhala King and the Galhala Queen, and without wasting any time, Druid Oz warns them. "Enemies. Danger," (Druid Oz) After looking at Druid Oz''s mouth movement, the two gazes disappeared in an instant. "Enemies?" Asked Charnia innocently. "What do you mean, Ren?" (Claria) "Claria, notify the soldiers, prepare to battle. The demons are coming from the east, they''re coming straight to the capital. They will arrive here in two hours at the earliest," (Druid Oz) Without questioning anything, Claria followed Druid Oz''s words trustingly and transform into her owl form before dashing to notify the Galhala Kingdom''s soldiers. "Sister! Wait!" Charnia transformed into her owl form and followed Claria. Druid Oz didn''t have time to stop Charnia since she dashed out before he could say anything. Letting our a sigh, Druid Oz commanded the magic beasts'' cubs to go back to the house, instructed Gor to watch over them, and commanded his familiars that standby at the capital to gather at the east side of the kingdom. *Tap!* Druid Oz tapped the ground with his wooden staff as he muttered: "Flower Warp," In a split second, Druid Oz arrived at the Galhala Kingdom''s east wall. The soldiers guarding the walls jumped in surprise when Druid Oz suddenly appeared on top of the wall, but they soon realize the identity of Druid Oz as all of them had attended the training at the royal training grounds, and the face of the general princess''s fiance is too famous for them to didn''t know him. "L-Lord Ren!" Called out one of the soldiers. "Notify the soldiers to grab their weapons and prepare for battle," (Druid Oz) "Eh? Why?" Asked the soldier. "Demons. They''re coming..." said Druid Oz as he stared at the distance with sharp eyes. With a single thought, Druid Oz commanded a group of his summoned insects to infiltrate their bodies and assassinate them one by one. The thought of assassinating the commander at one crossed Druid Oz''s mind, but if he does so, it will be more troubling if the demons retreated because of it. By controlling his summoned insects, the number of the demons is getting reduced every second. Since the walls of the Galhala Kingdom are made with a rare material that could only found on the Eastaria continent, Druid Oz is confident that they would be able to defend the kingdom easily as long as the number of the enemies didn''t surpass 200,000. Druid Oz sent 500 infernal mosquitos and 500 frost bees to reduce the number of the advancing demons. In just 10 minutes, 5,000 of the demons had fallen. But even so, they continue to advance towards the capital without minding the reduction in their number. "Lord Ren! We''ve notified all of the soldiers" Said the soldier that Druid Oz instructed to notify the other soldiers. Druid Oz turns around and roughly counts the number of the soldiers on top of the east walls right now. (Only about ten thousand, huh...) (Druid Oz) Ten thousand are a great number enough. It''s the number of soldiers stationed in the east barrack. Since there is a huge barrack near every wall of the capital city, defends became easier since they could come to the attacked side faster. The strength of the Galhala Kingdom''s warriors is praiseworthy, but looking at the soldiers before him, an illusion of their families holding them from behind them made Druid Oz hesitant. (I didn''t want to let any of them die...) (Druid Oz) But the enemies this time are fearsome, just a single scratch could make any of them got transformed into a demon. And it means that a single scratch means death. Druid Oz clenches his fist as he saw the faces of the soldiers. The faces of the soldiers at the Galhala Kingdom aren''t the same as the faces of the soldiers at the human kingdoms. At the human kingdoms, most of those who became soldiers are filled with arrogance and annoying looks, but here, their faces radiated with kindness and solidarity. Maybe the reason is that the Galhala Kingdom is famous as a kingdom of strong warriors, or maybe it''s because Druid Oz had become too close with the people of the kingdom, Druid Oz already felt guilty for having them need to fight the demons. "REN!!" The loud voice of the Galhala King appeared from the distance. Together with Claria and an army of soldiers with their owl form clad in golden armor, the Galhala King dashed towards where Druid Oz is standing "How many of them?" Asked the Galhala King. "They''re coming with 80,000 demons, they will arrive in two hours at the earliest," Replied Druid Oz. "I see... I brought 40,000 warriors with me, I guess this should be enough," said the Galhala King as he commanded a general to take command of the soldiers. The capital city of the Galhala Kingdom is huge, and because of its size, there are about 300,000 royal soldiers ready to be mustered. But even so, the Galhala King only brought 40,000 soldiers with him. (It means he''s that confident with the strength of his warriors, huh... ) (Druid Oz) "I''ll assist you with what I could. Some of my summoned insects are reducing their number. Their number would be about 60,000 at most when they arrived here," (Druid Oz) "Y-You reduced their number by 20,000 with your familiars!? And how did you able to know the march of the demons that fast anyway, Ren?" Asked the Galhala King. "Hm? I commanded my summoned insects to patrol at the 100 km radius of the kingdom so that we won''t get caught off-guarded by a demonic march. I thought that if we rely on the patrolling guards, it will be the end if they got killed and got transformed into a demon," Answered Druid Oz indifferently. "Ha-HAHAHAHA!! As expected of my future son-in-law!! Our kingdom is greatly indebted to you, Ren. Giving you Claria is still not enough to express our gratitude to you," said the Galhala King with a great laugh. The soldiers are still confused and not convinced that there will be an army of demons advancing towards the capital since the patrols said they didn''t say anything before. But since the Galhala king seems to believe Druid Oz that much, they decided to believe in his words as well. "Well, of course, I believed in you, Ren. Claria and I will take command of the soldiers, please assist the battle as you see fit," said the Galhala Kingdom as he gazes at the distance. Just like an accurate prophecy, the army of demons marching towards the capital finally appeared at the distance just like Druid Oz had said. The soldiers roared in excitement as the words of the general princess''s fiance turns out to be true. "SOLDIERS!! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!!" (The Galhala king) Chapter 192 - The First Battle At The Eastaria Continent (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "SOLDIERS!! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!!" The Galhala King''s loud voice resonated throughout the whole east walls. "Shoot!!" (Claria) Following Claria''s command, the archers shoot the arrows towards the demons, the magicians shoot their spells, and the other guards shoot the ballista and catapults installed on the castle''s walls. Rain of arrows, spells, and boulders hits the demons, reducing their number. The Galhala King present only to observe directly the attack from the demons with his own eyes since they are attacking his royal capital directly, he wanted to see how the demons attacked and to see how his daughter lead his warriors. As the one holding the supreme command, Claria gave out accurate instructions to the soldiers, and the soldiers followed her words obediently. Druid Oz could feel a great trust the soldiers have towards Claria. As a punishment from the heavens, the demons keep on getting bombarded with arrows, explosive spells, and boulders by the soldiers. After the third volley shot by the soldiers, the demons had lost for about 10,000 in their ranks, leaving 60,000 demons left. The demons attacking them are demonized magical beasts and several genuine demons that seem to come from the demon realm. Since there are no demonized owlfolk joining their ranks, so all of them are attacked from the ground. Until now, the demons would only attack the outer cities of the kingdoms with at most 4,000 demons. So as Druid Oz saw the 80,000 demons advancing towards the capital city, he became even sure than before. (They''ve finally raised the flag of wars upon us...) (Druid Oz) "Warriors! Launch attack!!!" Claria''s command resounded through the whole east walls. *Whoosh!* 10,000 royal Galhala warriors clad in royal golden armor flew high to the sky, and in a split second, they make a long curve and dashed towards the demons advancing towards the walls from the skies. This is one of the reasons why the strength of the Owlfolks is fearsome. Not only their overall strength that is already high enough, but all of them are also aerial soldiers that could freely fly to the sky and attack from above. Without being able to resist, another 10,000 demons got swiped by the strike of the 10,000 Galhala warriors. And when the Galhala warriors flew again above, the soldiers at the walls started to bombard the demons with arrows, explosive spells, and boulders again, leaving the demons no chance to even get near the walls of the kingdom. (So they rally between melee attacks and ranged attacks, huh... It''s indeed a strategy very suitable for the Owlfolk kingdom to use...) (Druid Oz) Because of the overwhelming strength of the Galhala soldiers, the demons got left with only 10,000 demons in less than 30 minutes. But without minding their number, they continue to advance towards the walls as if they''re having a suicide. "Warriors! Halt!" (Claria) Following Claria''s command, the 10,000 Galhala soldiers flew back and wair for the next command. "Looks like I brought too many soldiers with me indeed..." said the Galhala king with a satisfied smile. As the army of demons continues to approach the walls, the commander of the demonic army finally entered their view. It''s a 3-meters demon with blazing fire enveloping it. Judging from the look in its eyes, Druid Oz believed that the demon''s intelligence is as low as the other demons under him. "Fire!" (Claria) Another volley of arrows, spells, and boulders reduced the number of demons even more. But as if it didn''t have any fear, the demon''s commander continues to approach the walls with its army that had reduced to a mere 3,000 in number without showing any sign of fear. "Fire!" (Claria) This time, the volley of arrows, spells, and boulders finally killed all of the demons. But all of the arrows, spells, and boulders threw towards the demon commander got easily blocked by its wall of flames. "100 men! Advance!" (Claria) Following Claria''s command, 100 Galhala warriors flew to the sky and dashed towards the demon commander. Looking at the sight, the soldiers thought that the time for their victory cry finally appeared, but. *Whoosh!!!* A flame of walls even more powerful than before appeared, sending the Galhala warriors flew in all directions. The demon commander isn''t advancing towards the capital without fear as if it''s going to suicide. But it seems that the order it received is indeed a suicide mission. The demon commander gathers the walls of flame and absorbs the flames to its body. And just like a walking lantern, the demon commander''s body shined. "Stop," said Druid Oz as he stopped Claria that about to take on the demon commander. *Tap!* With a small tap of his staff towards the ground, vines appeared from the ground below the demons and strangled all of its limbs. Knowing that it had become impossible for itself to approach the capital even further, just like a bomb that about to explode, the demon''s body shone even more. The soldier strangely looks at the demons, but the Galhala King and Claria finally realized what the demon commander is about to do. "Take cover!!" (Claria) "Get down!!" (The Galhala King) "Now!" (Druid Oz) Following Druid Oz''s words, four frost lions suddenly appeared from the ground, surrounding the demon commander. And before the demon commander could explode itself, Druid Oz''s frost lions froze the demon commander and its surroundings, preventing the demon commander from gathering more heat and exploding. "Good job, guys," Druid Oz praise the frost lions. And as if they heard Druid Oz''s praise, the four of them rub themselves with each other as if saying a good job to each other. "A-As expected of Ren''s familiars, they''re so strong indeed..." said Claria. Druid Oz''s familiars are high-ranked magic beasts, the highest of them are at the [Duke] rank, and it seems that because of the battle with the demons, it won''t be long before one of Druid Oz''s familiars breakthrough the [King] rank. Just like Druid Oz''s other familiars, the frost lions are one of the strongest magic beasts in the magical forest of Everdeen. Not to mention their physical strength, their ability to cast high-leveled ice spells are even more terrifying. And to add the fact that they travel in groups made the frost lions even deadlier. Druid Oz thought that it''s lucky that the original Oz didn''t meet any frost lion or other high-leveled magic beasts when he first arrived at this world. "We won!" One of the soldiers breaks the silence with its victory cry. Following the soldier the other Galhala soldiers roared and cried, celebrating their outstanding victory. The walls are unscathed, there are no casualties, only the 100 Galhala warriors that got sent flying by the demon commander got injured by its flame, but none are dead. It''s nothing less than a great victory. "Thank you, Ren. Without you, we wouldn''t know the demons are advancing here. Once again, you saved the kingdom again," Thanked the Galhala King as he pats Druid Oz''s back. "It''s my honor to be able to help, your majesty," Druid Oz humbly replied. "HAHAHAHA!! You should just call me father already, Ren!! Soldiers!! Let''s celebrate the victory!!" said the Galhala King cheerfully. """YES!!!""" Replied the soldiers with full of vigor. One by one, the soldiers approached Druid Oz and express their gratitude towards him, saying that there will be lots of their comrades will die if he didn''t notify the kingdom about the approaching army of demons. "Aren''t you a popular one?" Teased Claria as she suddenly appeared behind Druid Oz. "Not like I wanted to be one, though," Replied Druid Oz weakly. Looking at Druid Oz''s weary state because of the soldiers, Claria couldn''t help but chuckle. "They''re just expressing their gratitude to you, isn''t it fine? Come on, let''s go home," said Claria as she pulled Druid Oz''s hand. Druid Oz and Claria left the east walls to the soldiers stationed there to clean up and went to Druid Oz''s house. "*Phew!* Looks like today went well," said Druid Oz as he let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah... How is it? Does the strength of this kingdom''s warriors impressed you?" Asked Claria. As a general of the kingdom, her warriors are her pride, and she''s eager to hear Druid Oz''s praise of them. "Indeed... Their physical strength is high enough and added with their ability to fly faster and more agile than even other magic beasts made them even stronger that it felt unfair," (Druid Oz) "Fufufu! Of course! But not all kingdom''s warriors are strong as them, okay? They are that strong because my father and I trained them painstakingly!" said Claria proudly. "By the way Claria," (Druid Oz) "Hm? What is it?" Asked Claria. "Why are you here. Isn''t it''s time for you to go back to the royal castle?" Asked Druid Oz as he saw that the sky and long dark outside. "Eh? Ah! My mother instructed me to stay here starting today. Since there are lots of rooms here too, and it will be easier for you to notify me if there is another demonic army advancing towards the kingdom she said," (Claria) "H-HUH!?" (Druid Oz) Chapter 193 - The Attack From The Demons Main Army (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Another three weeks passed. Once every three days, the demons will send an army of 100,000 towards the capital city, and the battle will commence. The demons continue to attack from the east, and they keep on sending powerful demon commanders that ready to self-destruct in their every attack. But even though they attacked the capital city with an army, the villages and cities at the Galhala Kingdom''s outskirts are also constantly get attacked by tens or hundreds of demons. But with Druid Oz''s familiars and the noble''s soldiers collaborating, they successfully guard every city and village of the Galhala Kingdom. Every morning, Claria will patrol to each wall to look at the soldiers. To make sure they could arrive quickly every time there will be an attack, the soldiers no longer trained at the royal training ground, and train at their own respective barrack''s training grounds. With Druid Oz''s summoned insects looking out the kingdom, they could ready for any battles at any time. Druid Oz will notify the kingdom whenever there will be an attack, letting the soldiers be prepared beforehand. The casualties at the Galhala kingdom''s side haven''t passed 10 in number, but that''s not the problem Druid Oz and the Galhala King are concerned about. "The question is until when will we hold out like this, huh..." Muttered the Galhala king. Because of the large-scale attacks that the demons had been launching towards the Galhala Kingdom, the Galhala King once again summoned all of the generals and nobles of the kingdom to discuss about what action the kingdom will take. Since there is no internal strife of power inside the Galhala kingdom, the Galhala King could calmly open the current state of the kingdom to the nobles without hiding anything. "The house of Liamore are ready to march and face the demons, my king. With your order, my soldiers will immediately march and slay those demons" said one of the nobles. The demonic cores inside the demons are precious. They could be used to make magical weapons, armors, and items. And not only that, they are used for other purposes as well. The demonic mana residing inside the magic core could also serve as a source of energy to power up a magic ship or a golem. Because of that, the nobles are even eager to fight the demons and obtain their magical cores to strengthen their territories. "I''m glad to hear that, Duke Liamore. But we haven''t confirmed where the demons made their base. Since it''s too risky to send a scout, we''ll be waiting for the result of my future son''s familiars'' investigation," Replied the Galhala King. "I see. So Lord Ren is the one investigating the base of the demons, huh? That''s reassuring!" said one of the generals. The Galhala Kingdom has 5 generals, and Claria had just become the supreme general by the Galhala King''s decree two weeks before. Since the other generals knew how competent and strong Claria is, they gladly accept her as their superior. "Indeed. The general princess''s fiance never failed our expectations, after all," "True. I still think that he should take one of my daughters to be his mistress, though," "You need someone in the same or at least near the general princess''s caliber to be able to get close to him, you know?" "Well, indeed..." "Now, going back to the topic," said the Galhala King as the nobles started to chatter with each other because Druid Oz''s name got mentioned. "It will be just a matter of time before he found the base of the demons. So for the first advance, I will appoint Duke Liamore and Duke Mollan to handle and command the first attack on the demon''s base. Are there any objections?" (Galhala King) """None!""" "Then please prepare your warriors as fast as you could. The other nobles could feel free to give aid towards the dukes, the royal army will also send some of our warriors to aid your attack," (The Galhala King) ************************************ Even though the number of the summoned insects got increased much more than before, there are also much more casualties on them because of the battles with the demons. With Claria''s help, Druid Oz could understand the map of the Eastaria continent even better since Claria used to go outside the kingdom when handling some of the kingdom''s external affairs. And since Claria is now living together with Druid Oz at the late general''s house, she could help Druid Oz every time she didn''t look after her soldiers. And after searching painstakingly for days, Druid Oz finally found out where the demons are. "This is..." Druid Oz muttered in shock. "What is it, Ren?" Asked Claria. "I found it," (Druid Oz) "You found what?" (Claria) "The demons'' base... They are at the Griftania empire''s imperial capital... I caught a glimpse of a horde of demons there... But I couldn''t see anything more since my summoned insects died because of the intense demonic mana at that place... But I''m sure it is... They are at the Griftania empire''s imperial capital!!" (Druid Oz) "I''ll go tell father and mother!" said Claria as she rushed outside the house and transformed into her owl form before flying towards the royal palace. "She''s sure diligent, huh..." Muttered Druid Oz with a wry smile. "Now... Let''s continue the scouting..." Druid Oz closed his eyes. He had lost 30 infernal mosquitos that scouted the imperial capital of the Griftania empire because of the terrifyingly dense amount of demonic mana running on the air. So this time, he''s going to transfer a part of his mana to help the next squad of infernal mosquitos and instruct them to cover themselves in a fire barrier that they could make. "Now proceed," (Druid Oz) Druid Oz commanded the next squad of infernal mosquitos to enter the imperial capital of the Griftania empire. After a while, the scene of countless demons idly standing and staring at the imperial castle entered Druid Oz''s view. "That number... It''s more than hundreds of thousands... And the one holding the absolute command must be residing inside that imperial capital, huh..." (Druid Oz) Druid Oz instructed his infernal mosquitos to enter the imperial palace, but when they about to get near it. !!?? "They died!? What is that red-colored wall... Is that a barrier...?" (Druid Oz) "Tsk! I guess I''ll try sending a group of frost bees next," (Druid Oz) With the remaining infernal mosquitos of the second group''s member, Druid Oz observes the army of demons inside the imperial capital. "They have not demonized magic beasts or Owlfolks..." (Druid Oz) The demons that are standing idly outside the imperial castle of the Griftania empire are obviously demons coming from the demon realm. They didn''t have any characteristic of any beasts, and the thick demonic mana they''re emitting is definite proof of their identity as demons. But something bothered Druid Oz. A normal demon usually has an intelligence higher than a magical beast, but the demons that are waiting outside the imperial castle of the Griftania empire are just staring at the imperial castle with an absent-minded look as if they are brainwashed. Druid Oz tries to command another group of infernal mosquitos and kill one of the demons using it. But after the demon died, a shocking sight caught Druid Oz in surprise. "T-They''re eating it!?" (Druid Oz) The other demons in its surroundings immediately jumped and devour the demon that Druid Oz''s infernal mosquitos just killed. They pushed and brutally struggle with each other to eat the corpse of the demon that just got killed. And after they finished eating the corpse, they went back to their position and continue to stare at the imperial castle of the Griftania empire. The corpse of the demon that Druid Oz''s infernal mosquitos just killed vanished, not even a trace of blood and a single bone could be seen. Looking at the scene, Druid Oz shocked, relieved, but breaks a sweat as well. It means that the reason why the kingdoms he investigated before didn''t have any corpses on them is that the demons that attacked it ate the corpses to the point that they didn''t leave a single bone or blood. And at the same time, it means that those kingdoms'' citizens and soldiers didn''t turn into a demon as Druid Oz worried before. But at the same time, Druid Oz sensed that the demons that just ate the corpse got the demonic mana inside them increased slightly. And after taking another look, Druid Oz realized that the strength of the demons here is on a whole different level. "This will be a hard fight indeed..." (Druid Oz) Chapter 194 - The Attack From The Demons Main Army (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ On the day Claria notified the Galhala King and the prime minister, Allomere about the location of the demon''s base, the Galhala King immediately send envoys to inform the kingdom''s nobles about the information. The whole kingdom reacts quickly. Not long, dozens of message birds went back, bringing the replies from the nobles, and all of them conveyed their will for supporting the kingdom, and to give their personal troops. But the next day, as if the demons know that their base''s location got leaked, Druid Oz jumped in shock as he saw the number of demons that about to approach the Galhala Kingdom. "I need to notify everyone! It''s a surprise attack!" (Druid Oz) It''s still dawn. Druid Oz acts quickly. "Hm? Ren? What happens? Want to sleep together?" Asked Claria with a sleepy tone. "The demons are advancing with an army with number several folds bigger than before, I''ll go notify your father and the others," said Druid Oz with a gentle tone as he gently wakes Claria up. "Uh... O-Okay..." (Claria) . . . . . After waiting several moments, Claria finally able to process Druid Oz''s words, and she immediately stands up. "I-It''s not the time to be dozing off!!!" Claria went out of the house, transformed into her owl form, and dashes towards the royal palace. When Druid Oz arrived at the royal castle, he saw that the Galhala King, the Galhala Queen, and the prime minister, Allomere had already wake up. "A-All of you are awake..." (Druid Oz) "What happened, Ren?" Asked the Galhala King as he realized Druid Oz sensed something. "The demons. They are coming with a great army. Roughly 400,000 in number utmost. I believe they will ignore the other cities and come straight to the royal capital just like before!" (Druid Oz) "I see... So that''s the reason why we can''t sleep well last night, huh...?" (Galhala king) "Can''t sleep?" (Druid Oz) "Yes. You can say that this is the hunch of a ruler, Ren. As usual, thanks for your early warnings," said the Galhala King as he about to ask the guards to summon his generals. "Wait, Galhala King. The number of the demons coming is greater, but it''s not the real problem that I''m concerned with," said Druid Oz with a stern face. The Galhala King, the Galhala Queen, and the prime minister, Allomere are slightly shocked by Druid Oz''s unusually anxious face. Druid Oz had always brimmed with confidence and calmness, but yet, this time he''s kind of losing his cool. "And the real problem is?" Asked the Galhala king as he narrowed his eyes. "They''re coming with their main army. At least a part of their main army. These are not demonized magic beasts or Owlfolks or anything else. The demons that are coming towards here are genuine demons that came from the demon realm. Please don''t let your guard down," Warned Druid Oz. "I see... If you''ve said that much, then it means that the kingdom is indeed under such great danger. Allomere, tell all of the generals to join hands this time, and muster all of our warriors to the east walls. Sent some scouts as well," (Galhala King) "Consider it done," Answered the prime minister, Allomere, indifferently. "I''ll be taking control of the defense strategy myself, please don''t let Claria out. Just tell her I want her to learn from my tactics, and don''t let her go into the battlefield as well," said him before he left. "An overprotective one as usual, huh... But since he said that much, it means that he believes your words completely, Ren. The enemy this time must be so dangerous, that''s what you mean, right?" Asked the Galhala King. "Yes. I''ll be waiting at the east walls first and try to stall their time here and ready the cards I''m going to use. Mother, please make sure Charnia didn''t do anything reckless," (Druid Oz) "I won''t take my eyes off Charnia, thanks for being a great ally of this kingdom, future son-in-law," said the Galhala Queen as she pats Druid Oz''s soldiers. "It''s my p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e, now if you permit me, I''ll take my leave first," Druid Oz transformed into an owl form and dashes towards the east walls. (This time, there is no room for handicap. I''ll use all of the things I have!) (Druid Oz) "Ren!" (Claria) "Claria, wait a minute, I need to summon my army," said Druid Oz as he transformed back to his druid form. Druid Oz raises his staff and gathers an enormous amount of nature mana towards his staff. Countless amount of green particles gathers at his wooden staff and shone a dazzling green light together. After thinking that he gathered enough mana, Druid Oz chants his spell. "Druid Summoning: [Treant Army]!" Druid Oz shouted the spell, and thousands of green magic circles appeared outside the east walls. From each magic circle, trunks slowly appear and keep on getting bigger. Countless trees suddenly grew at that barren side, and unexpectedly for Claria and the other soldiers, the trees grew limbs. They rise from the ground and walked. "Whoa! What are they!?" (Claria) "They are my army of treants. I could only summon 2,000 of them for now, I''ll be sending 500 to stall and test the strength of the demons, and you can use the rest as a shield and sacrifice at your disposal," said Druid Oz as he slightly pants. "I see... R-Ren, are you okay?" Asked Claria, concerned. "It''s just that summoning that lots of them consumed a great amount of nature mana. But it''s fine, my mana will be fully recovered when the demons come so you don''t need to worry, Claria. I''ll just rest for a while," said Druid Oz as he sits at on top of the walls. "Isn''t it would be better if you rest at a safer place? I-It''s not like you''re a bother to the others, it''s just that you might get caught off-guarded if we suddenly got attacked..." (Claria) "It''s fine. You can just focus on our warriors and our defense. You''re the commander of the battle, aren''t you?" (Druid Oz) The word ''our'' turns out to give a big impact on Claria as her cheeks slightly reddens when she heard it. (O-Ours... Somehow... It felt like...) (Claria) But Claria recovers quickly and regains her composure. She understands the danger of the current situation, so without wasting any more time, Claria once again checks on the soldiers that already on stand by at the east walls. (This is not the time to get fl.u.s.tered, Claria! You can ask to be pampered by Ren after the battle finished, for now, as a general princess, you need to be focus!!) (Claria) "Prepare all of the ballista and the catapults! Magicians! Archers! Into position!" (Claria) Claria swiftly commanded the soldiers and they get into position quickly because of it. Not long after, the rest of the royal soldiers finally arrived together with all of the generals of the kingdom at the east walls. Just like at the first time the demons attacked, the Galhala king and the prime minister, Allomere come to the walls to witness the battle while this time, Charnia is being watched by the Galhala Queen personally a the royal palace. "Claria! Ren! We''ve brought the soldiers!" (The prime minister, Allomere) "Claria!" The Galhala King called out Claria as he transformed into his human form. "Yes, father?" (Claria) "For this time, the one commanding the fight will be Allomere. I want you to witness Allomere''s tactics and improve yourself better," (The Galhala king) Even though the reason behind the order is because they are worried about Claria''s safety, Claria captured the Galhala King''s words with a different meaning. "A-Am I still too weak...?" Asked Claria as she lowered her face in disappointment. "No. I didn''t mean that. If you''re too weak, then the other generals won''t accept you to be their leader regardless it''s me or Allomere that recommends you. You..." The Galhala King stared at the distance where the army of demons will be coming. "You will see the reason why Allomere asked to command the army himself soon..." (The Galhala King) Chapter 195 - The Attack From The Demons Main Army (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "You will see the reason why Allomere asked to command the army himself soon..." said The Galhala King with an unusually serious face that he rarely shows to his daughters. Claria is slightly surprised at her father''s unusually serious face. Usually, even if they are having a hard battle, her father will still have a broad smile on his face as he expresses his trust to his comrades. But this time, Claria saw how his father stared at Druid Oz that is taking a rest with his eyes closed. (F-Father...) (Claria) Claria saw a hint of his father''s pessimistic side. When the Galhala King shifted his gaze and saw Claria''s face, he realized that he had just shown a face that he shouldn''t show his daughter. But since she had seen it anyway, the Galhala King decided to tell her his thoughts. "Claria, remember that spar I had with Ren?" Asked the Galhala King. "O-Of course... It''s the most intense spar I ever saw other than your spar with grandpa Allomere," (Claria) "That day, I realized his strength. You see, I used to doubt Ren''s words about him being an emperor," (The Galhala King) "E-Eh?" (Claria) "Even though I heard his story, it still felt unbelievable. But after I fought him and saw the glimpse of his strength, I realized that he''s not lying. His strength is genuine, and if we fight for real, I''m not sure who will win. Well, you''ll definitely support his win, though," Teased The Galhala King. "T-That''s..." Claria blushed. "It''s fine. After that moment, I realized. There must be a reason why the mighty emperor that rules the Everdeen magical forest sends his clones throughout the world. Actually, I don''t really care about anything other than our kingdom. But..." (The Galhala King) "After facing the demons ourselves, I finally realized. The world is facing a grave danger, and that guy, that Ren, is venturing outside the forest, outside his empire to prevent it. At that moment, I got even sure, he really is an emperor," The Galhala King stared at his bulky hands. "If it''s me, all I''ll think is protecting and strengthening my kingdom. But he''s wandering the whole world, lending his hands to everyone. You could say that I finally felt inferior to someone," (The Galhala King) "Father..." (Claria) "That''s why. Claria, I''m asking you to support him who put the whole world on top of his shoulders. And if one day, our kingdom falls into a situation that we will definitely fall... I want you to run together with him to the great forest of Everdeen..." (The Galhala King) The Galhala King said his words as if he''s going to lose his life soon. His words ache Claria''s heart. She didn''t want it, if they want to run, then she wants to run together with her whole family. "Remember, I''m a king. I will never run," Like a clap of thunder, the Galhala King''s voice and words are powerful and firm. His confidence regains in his eyes, and a broad smile started to reform on his face. "That''s right, Claria. No matter how an idiot he is, he''s still a king. He has the duty to die together with the kingdom. Well, as the prime minister it means I will need to die too, though. But it''s fine, I''ve lived my portion fully," The prime minister, Allomere''s voice suddenly appeared behind Claria. "G-Grandpa!" (Claria) "Whoa! You''re using your old armor, I see!!" Commented the Galhala king. The prime minister, Allomere is using a red full armor in his owl form. The sharp blade installed on his beak and his claws look menacing, and his sharp eyes made people who saw it forget his age. "The former leader of the guardians, Allomere, ready for duty," said the prime minister with a chuckle. "Hm... Should I use my old armor too?" (The Galhala King) "Don''t. Your task today is to look after Claria and the others. And Claria," (Prime minister, Allomere) "Yes?" (Claria) "This will be the first time you saw me leading a great number of soldiers, ready to be impressed," The prime minister said words filled with confidence that the usual calculating and pessimistic prime minister mode of his won''t ever say. "So all of you had gathered," Druid Oz suddenly joined the conversation. "Hm? you''ve done with your rest, Ren?" Asked Claria as she touched Druid Oz''s left cheek gently. "Yes, I''m already fine," (Druid Oz) "Hm... You''re quite bold, aren''t you, Claria? Hahahaha!!" (The Galhala King) "E-Eh?" Claria immediately retrieves her hands with a red face. "Well, Allomere. Don''t fight with Ren here, we''re going to battle with the demons after this," said the Galhala King towards the prime minister, Allomere as he looked like he''s ready to kill Druid Oz anytime. (W-Why the hell is he staring at me as if I deceived her...? It''s the Galhala king who started all of this in the beginning! Blame him! Not me!) (Druid Oz) "Well, I''ve finished measuring the strength of the approaching demons," (Druid Oz) "Whoa! As expected of Ren! So? What did you get?" Asked the Galhala King. "Their strength is about four times stronger than the demons that attacked us before. This is a part of their main army, but they are the weakest ones," (Druid Oz) "T-They''re the weakest one?" (Claria) "Yes. The strongest demons in their main army should be around eight times stronger than the one that attacked us before. I''ve tested their strength with my treants. They have magicians and archers in their ranks, please take that into account," (Druid Oz) "Noted... So you''re the one who summoned those tree monsters below, I believe. As expected of you, I guess. I''ll be looking forward to your support, Ren," said the prime minister as he left to talk to some of the soldiers. "When will they arrive here, Ren?" Asked the Galhala King. "They''re marching at a slower pace than the demons before. They should arrive here in 4 hours. You can ask the soldiers to relax at least for three hours, I''ll notify you if they suddenly increased their pace," (Druid Oz) "I see... Then I''ll be counting on you," (The Galhala King) They waited, and just like Druid Oz''s words. After four hours, the big army of demons finally entered their view. "The demons spotted!!! They''re coming!!!" Shouted one of the scouts as he flies back. "In position!" (The prime minister, Allomere) Unlike the Galhala King''s loud voice, the prime minister, Allomere, gives his command with his usual tone and volume, but it seems that he used wind magic skilfully to spread it to the whole soldiers as it felt like he''s talking at their side. The soldiers quickly take their position, and when the sight of the demons at the distance got clearer, some of the soldiers finally have cold feet. "T-They''re marching... In a formation..." Yes, the demons are marching in a neat formation. Unlike before, this time, there are also archers and magicians in their ranks. "Don''t fret. Don''t be scared! We''ll win," (The prime minister, Allomere) Just like a wave of warm water drowning their cold feet, the prime minister''s words bring back their confidence. Yes, they are the warriors of the great Galhala Kingdom that is famed for their powerful warriors! They won''t let the demons get defeat them! Druid Oz watched the demons that are approaching from the distance as the fight of his treants with the demons appeared in his mind. Druid Oz''s treants are 8 meters tall with explosive strength. Druid Oz sent 500 of his treants to the demonic army, and could only manage to kill roughly 9,000 of them. (They''re sure acts more strategically and more intelligent...) (Druid Oz) "But well, the one leading the army at our side is also not an ordinary one as well, though... I guess I''ll just let him control the big picture of the battle and just fill in my part perfectly, I guess," Muttered Druid Oz with a wry smile. The demons had got even closer, and their huge number finally visible to the prime minister, Allomere. With a pair of cold and calculating eyes, the prime minister that used to be the leader of the guardians let out a fearless smile. "Ren!" Called the prime minister, Allomere. (It''s my turn already, huh) (Druid Oz) "Roger," Druid Oz takes his stance. (Now, army of demons, let''s start our battle...) (Druid Oz) Chapter 196 - The Attack From The Demons Main Army (4) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ (Now, army of demons, let''s start our battle...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz gathered a huge amount of condensed mana for his staff. Druid Oz had been planning to be the one to open the battle since the beginning, but before he could suggest it towards the prime minister, Allomere, it seems that the sharp prime minister had realized it and had been taking it into account since the beginning. (I guess I shouldn''t be surprised?) (Druid Oz) "Now, let''s remove those dangerous-looking magicians of yours, shall we? [Man-Eating Trees, Nubian]" (Druid Oz) An earthquake suddenly occurred, but it didn''t bother the soldiers of the Galhala kingdom''s soldiers since they knew it''s the effect of the general princess''s spell. But not just the Galhala kingdom''s soldiers, the earthquake didn''t stop and hesitate the march of the demons as well. (Well, that''s a piece of good news) (Druid Oz) The demon magicians wore hooded robes, and their faces are covered with a mask. There are about 5,000 magicians at the demon''s ranks, and that''s the place where Druid Oz summoned his man-eating trees. The demon magicians quickly realized the surging nature mana underneath the ground, and all of them jumped and attempted to run from the place unlike the demons that attacked the capital before, the demon magicians tried to dodge and evade to prolong their lives. But of course, it''s futile. Five 20 meters tall trees emerge from beneath them, each root of the trees is thick and big with spikes all over it while the branches formed a huge mouth together with the other branches. Just like a ghost tree appearing from a horror movie, the terrifying tree captured and ate all of the demons around it. Unlike the death mana, the demonic mana is the natural enemy of nature mana. Even though there are lots of people that hold the wrong concept of nature that brings life is the enemy of death, but in fact, death and nature''s life are two processes in the same cycle named life. Since the death of a tree, the death of an animal, or the death of an insect, it will become nutrient towards the ground, and with the miracle of nature, it became another life. But different from demonic mana, demonic mana is the incarnation of chaos and destruction which is the direct opposite of nature mana. As demonic mana is the great enemy of nature mana, the man-eating trees madly attacked the numerous presence that harboring a great amount of demonic mana which is their biggest enemies. As the appearance of the huge man-eating trees caught the demon magicians off-guarded, the man-eating trees didn''t let their chances leave and take and consume as much as demon magicians they could eat and kill. And since the man-eating trees have the same strength in both defense and attack, they are the biggest threat for the demon magicians. Not to mention that they blocked the spells the demon magicians unleashed towards them, most of them got killed right when they just gathered the demonic mana on their staff. Since the man-eating trees kill those who are under their zone to attack and points that hold the greatest amount of demonic mana, the demon magicians that needed to gather their demonic mana to one point when they chant their spells got killed right before they could unleash their spell. In just a while, the 1,000 demon magicians already got killed by the man-eating trees that are wreaking havoc in the demon''s ranks. "As expected of Ren. His attacks are merciless and powerful indeed... Hm?" The prime minister, Allomere suddenly noticed something as he''s praising Druid Oz''s spell. Support finally appeared after 4,000 of the magicians had died because of the man-eating trees. They are demons with huge built, holding huge weapons, and with explosive power, they destroy the branches of the human-eating trees. But since it seems that they are the ace of the demonic ranks, their number is just 100. But even so, they''re still having trouble killing the man-eating trees that got bigger every time they devour a demon. Two of the man-eating trees had got destroyed, but the remaining man-eating trees had now grown to 30 meters tall. Their attacks got even fiercer and powerful, and at the same time, their defense got even stronger. As Druid Oz''s chuckle at how too overkill the man-eating trees are since they had now killed about 80% of the demon magicians, and he doesn''t even count the other demons that tried to assist the demon magicians. But as he chuckled, the three huge man-eating trees suddenly got enveloped in a blazing red flame. The man-eating trees writhed in pain and groans in agony and got burnt into ashes after a while. "I see... It won''t be that easy, I guess..." (Druid Oz) "W-What is that? J-Just who killed those trees...?" (Claria) "It must be their commander. Seems like they brought another monster here," said the Galhala king with a chuckle. "Indeed, I guess this is not the time to get overconfident. I guess I''ll open another card in my sleeve. Druid''s Servant command: [Summon]" (Druid Oz) Following Druid Oz''s words, a huge green magic circle appeared before the east walls. "Come, my familiars!" (Druid Oz) All of Druid Oz''s familiars appear from the magic circle. There are several reasons why Druid Oz is confident in bringing them. First, his familiars are all powerful magic beasts that could use powerful magic spells. Their role is to support the magicians and bombard the demons with the explosive spells they could chant and reduce the number of the demons, and get ready to face the enemy''s commander. Second, his familiars won''t get infected and transform into a demon. Unlike the soldiers of the Galhala kingdom that will get infected and transform into a demon if they got even a scratch from the demons, Druid Oz''s familiars are immune to it. And together with the treants before them, acting as their shields, the safety of his familiars is determined. And since Druid Oz could also unsummon them whenever they''re in grave danger, he has no worries. After several moments, the demons regained their formation and continue their march towards the Galhala kingdom''s royal capital. Because of the sudden attack from the huge man-eating trees, there are now several holes at their ranks, and there are only about 2,000 magicians left at their ranks. At that brief moment, both parties stared at each other as the demonic army marched and the Galhala kingdom''s army patiently wait for the perfect time to attack. But before the demons even entered the attacking range of the range soldiers, the prime minister, Allomere suddenly sounded his absolute command. "Open fire," (The prime minister, Allomere) And just like before, the voice of the prime minister appeared at everyone as if he''s right beside them, making all of the range-type soldiers fl.u.s.tered and immediately launch their attacks towards the demons. It''s still about 200 meters before the demons entered their attacking range, but following the prime minister''s orders, the soldiers already started firing their attacks towards the demons. And following the order as well, Druid Oz instructed his magic beasts to start launching their spells. But contrary to the expectation of the soldiers, all of their attacks reached the demons! "H-How did..." "H-How could..." Haering the commotion that started to spread amongst the soldiers, the prime minister, Allomere, once again give out a command, "Continue fire," "That is Allomere''s skill. Since he''s very proficient in wind magic, he could boost the strength and range of the archers and magicians or even the boulders thrown by the catapults. I don''t remember the detail that he explained to me, but in short, he''s making this happen by using wind magic. Isn''t he great?" (The Galhala King) "Grandpa''s amazing!" (Claria) (I see... So he''s using wind magic and personally boosts the strength of the projectiles unleashed. But he will need to accurately determine the right amount of power the boost the wind magic gives... That''s dope, old owl!) (Druid Oz) "Well, can''t let him shine alone, aren''t we?" (Druid Oz) Druid Oz''s mountain gorillas unlocked their limiters and transformed into their huge body. 50 gigantic gorillas that height surpasses 10 meters appeared before the east walls. With their peculiar skill, they summoned huge boulders before them and threw them into the demons. The flame foxes bombarded the demons with fire magic, the frost lions use ice magic, the wind jade falcons use wind magic, while the direwolves and the ectra pythons waiting to ambush the demons when the melee combat starts. (It seems like we''ll win this tower defense game''s level) (Druid Oz) Chapter 197 - The Attack From The Demons Main Army (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Amazing... As expected of grandpa..." Muttered Claria in awe as she caught the glimpse of the prime minister''s wind magic pushing the arrows and boost its strength. But the one the prime minister''s controlling and boosting isn''t just the arrows, but the spells, and the boulders thrown by the catapults as well, making Claria praise him in awe. The demons had reached Druid Oz''s treants, but they had lost 100,000 of them. But at the moment right when the first bout between Druid Oz''s treants and the demons started, another command sounded from the prime minister. "Time to attack," (The Prime Minister, Allomere) Together with the prime minister, Allomere''s command, the troops flew above with the prime minister leading all of them at the top. The sight of eighty thousand Owlfolk warriors flying above somewhat inspiring and epic. "Split!" (The Prime Minister, Allomere) Following the prime minister''s words, the army split into three parts. Two parts of the army circled the demons, attacking from both of the demon''s sides, while the prime minister and the rest attacked head-on. Without having to communicate with each other, Druid Oz supported the prime minister, Allomere''s strategy. "[Entangle]!" (Druid Oz) The treants that had fallen suddenly spread their roots and fallen branches 10 times wider than before, entangling the demons near them. 300 of the treants had fallen because they entered the formation of the demonic army and got attacked from all sides by the demons. But it''s all part of Druid Oz''s plan. "Attack!" (The Prime Minister, Allomere) Following his command, the golden warriors of the Galhala Kingdom charged towards the demons from their right, left, and front. And with Druid Oz''s support, more demons got killed in their first attack. But the demons this time are not the same as the demons that used to attack them before, they have demonic archers and magicians. The remaining demonic archers and magicians launched their attacks towards the Galhala kingdom''s warriors, but- !!!?? "Wind barrier?" (Druid Oz) A huge wind barrier covered all of the demonic magicians and the demonic archers, blocking all of their attacks. Because of the barrier, the explosive spells launched by the demonic magicians ended up hitting themselves. "HAHAHAHAHA!! That bastard... He''s having fun!!" (The Galhala King) But as the army lead by prime minister Allomere is holding the momentum, a powerful beam of fire suddenly shot towards the prime minister. "Tsk!" The prime minister clicked his tongue as when he dodged, some of the warriors behind him got hit by the fire beam. "What is that?" Asked Claria as the fire beam shocked her. "....." Unlike before, Druid Oz didn''t reply to her as he narrowed his eyes, searching for the culprit that shot that firing beam which is definitely the demonic commander of the demonic army. (If the prime minister got shot by that beam just now without using any barrier, he''ll definitely die...) (Druid Oz) And not only Druid Oz. Claria, The Galhala King, and the prime minister, Allomere, himself also realized it. "Retreat!" Commanded the prime minister towards the Galhala kingdom''s warriors. (That one... He''s too dangerous!) (The Prime Minister, Allomere) The prime minister realized that he''s lucky to be able to dodge the attack from the demonic commander just now. He realized that there is a great amount of dense demonic magic coming towards his direction, and in reflex, he dodged to the right. The prime minister saw how the armor wore by the Galhala Warriors that fallen couldn''t withstand the fire beam and got easily destroyed by it. (The range of the attack is not that far, but the destructive power is dangerous) (The Prime Minister, Allomere) The Galhala warriors stopped for a while at the east walls once again as the range attackers launched their attacks towards the demons nonstop. Even though the attack from the demonic commander is surprising, quickly, the prime minister put the demonic commander''s spell and other unknown skills he might have in his plans. "Attack!" Once again, he commanded the warriors to attack. Following the prime minister''s words without any doubt, the warriors of the Galhala Kingdom followed the back of the prime minister, ready to sacrifice their lives for the kingdom. "Split!" the prime minister let out the same command as before, but this time, he dashed forward at a faster pace than the soldiers behind him. The prime minister''s sharp eyes scanned through the army of demons, searching for the demonic commander that is hiding his presence amongst the demons. And after getting near to the enemy''s ranks, the prime minister, Allomere, finally located the demonic commander. The demon has a normal size that is the same as the other demons under him, but his immense murderous intent that he''s trying to suppress couldn''t defy the prime minister''s eyes. "So there you are," said the prime minister with a scoff. The demonic commander realized that the prime minister noticed that he''s the demonic commander, and about to take action, but- "Too late! [Wind Emperor''s Barrier]!!" (The prime minister, Allomere) Following the prime minister''s words, a huge green wind barrier surrounded the demonic commander alone, restricting him from doing anything. The wind pressure inside the [Wind Emperor''s barrier] is terrifyingly high. Even though the demonic commander uses a fire element that holds an upper hand towards the prime minister''s wind magic, the green wind barrier is made by a dense amount of wind mana that is whirling inside the barrier with a terrifying speed, restricting the demonic and fire mana that the demonic commander wanted to use. The barrier is a complicated spell that needed a large amount of mana and focus, leaving the prime minister vulnerable. But for the prime minister, his vulnerability serves as his first goal of his. As the demons around him got their attention at the prime minister- "Kill all of the demons!!!!!!" The Galhala warriors attacked the unfocused demons and could kill them without worrying about the terrifying attack that might get launched by the demonic commander. But of course, it is not the only reason why the prime minister used such a mana-consuming huge barrier that soared to the sky like a green pillar. The second reason is to notify a person about the location of the demonic commander "Target set. Now I understand why the Galhala kingdom is feared," said Druid Oz with a chuckle. "What do you mean, huh? It''s not only because of Allomere, of course! I''m also one of the reasons why the kingdom is feared!" Protested the Galhala king. "Quick. I''m running out of mana," The prime minister, Allomere''s voice appeared beside Druid Oz and the Galhala King as if he knew that the both of them are having a conversation while he''s trying his best to maintain the barrier. "Well, sorry for that. Let''s win this thing, [Thorn of Malavama]!!!" Shouted Druid Oz. And just like the time when Druid Oz battled with the self-proclaimed demon king that appeared at the royal castle of the Galhala Kingdom, black huge thorns appeared at where the huge wind barrier placed by the prime minister. The prime minister witnessed how terrifying and strong the [Thorn of Malavama] is as the demon commander got pierced by the huge black thorns without having any chance to resist. (The wind barrier is a part of the reason why the demon commander couldn''t resist. But considering the timing and how the huge thorns pierced the demon commander in an instant, even I wouldn''t be able to dodge it... And the terrifying strength of it... The demon that appeared inside the royal capital must be very strong...) (The Prime Minister) The prime minister could actually dash and fight the demon commander alone, but it will take too much time to kill it and the warriors will get into a disorder because of it. Considering the possibilities, the prime minister trustfully depends on killing the demonic commander on Druid Oz. "Well. Luckily, Ren surpassed my expectation. It''s not that I''m surprised but... I guess it''s time to support his marriage with Claria as well... I doubt there will be a candidate that could even stand at the same level as Ren, and I couldn''t wait to see their children as well..." (The Prime Minister, Allomere) "Prime Minister!" Called one of the soldiers. "Ah! I can''t believe I got too absorbed in my thoughts in the middle of battle. Well, let''s end this thing quickly first," (The prime minister, Allomere) (The next is the demonic base... I wonder will this body hold out until then...) (Druid Oz) Chapter 198 - The Reunion Of The Three Imperial Figures (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ With the recent battle with the part of the demon''s main army, the kingdom takes two days of brief rest. But not for the high officials such as the royal family, and as well, neither do Druid Oz. "We''re going to split up our forces. With the mountain of magic cores we received from the battles with the demons, we''re not short in money, and we''re not capable of making more magic items than before as well. After giving the nobles that had been supporting us the most the magic cores, they managed to strengthen their warriors as well," (The Galhala King) "They''re by no means weak, but since they have suggested that they''re going to attack the demonic base themselves, it will make them dissatisfied and felt that the royal family didn''t trust them if we refuse them, that''s why we''re going to split our forces, which is into several waves of attacks," (The Galhala King) "The king, the queen, and I had discussed that it would be the best decision considering the minor role the nobles had been lately. And since if we''re taking the lead too much this time, it will break our trust bond and at this rate, they''re going to underestimate the strength of the demons too much," (The Prime Minister, Allomere) "And after discussing it, we decided that we need your input in this decision, Ren. Since from every person in this kingdom, no, continent, I believe that you''re the one that understands the gravity of the situation the most, please give us your opinion," said the Galhala Queen with her usual smile, but this time, her smile is emitting a different vibe which made Druid Oz felt slightly pressured. All these times, the queen had been only standing beside the Galhala King with her gentle smile and occasionally join in whenever the Galhala King had crossed the line or forgot himself. But this time, the Galhala Queen is joining the meeting herself, at that time, Druid Oz finally realized. Most nobles in this kingdom believed that even though the Galhala King present himself as a musclehead that only believes in strength and justice, he''s secretly a genius at the same level as the prime minister as it''s impossible for the prime minister to withstand and maintain the balance of the whole kingdom himself. Even though the prime minister is extremely capable himself, to be able to gauge and guess all of the opinions and thinkings of all of the nobles and generals of the kingdom are impossible even for Druid Oz. Since the list menu of tasks that the prime minister needs to handle and think about because of the musclehead king of the Galhala Kingdom is very many, maintaining the good moods and favor of all of the nobles as well is of course with a doubt could be considered as an impossible task. But since the Galhala King''s muscleheadness is irrefutable, then there must be another figure that had been maintaining and considering the mood of the kingdom''s nobles. Druid Oz had been suspecting the Galhala Queen for a while, but she''s too pressuring, and the fact that she''s always pushing the topic of Druid Oz and Claria''s marriage made him didn''t want to let the queen enter his mind. But since Claria had enough negotiation and scheming ability as she''s well respected not only amongst the generals but with the nobles as well, it clearly shows that she''s not a musclehead like her father. It means that she inherited the ability to negotiate and scheme from her mother. (For Charnia... Rather than musclehead, she is more like an airhead for me, though... If she heard I said that, she''ll definitely nag me and pout...) (Druid Oz) "Um... Ren? Well, you must still be surprised about the scary side of the queen. Even if you have expected it, it''s still surprising, isn''t it? I know that feeling very well, Ren," said the prime minister, Allomere, as he nods his head. "Oh my, I wonder what do you mean by my scary side, Allomere, fufufufu!" The queen laughed. Even though her eyes are laughing as well, there is a special aura emitted from her that made both the prime minister and me shiver. "I-I mean the spectacular side of you, my queen... P-Please, forgive my slip of tongue..." Apologized the prime minister. (But emitting it''s a slip of tongue is like adding fuel to the fire, don''t you think...?) (Druid Oz) "Well, I''m sorry, Ren. Even though I told you to call me mother and decided to consider you as my own son, I still hide things from you. But it can''t be helped, because of my ''great'' husband, I can''t let others know about this side of mine, after all..." Apologized the queen. "HAHAHAHA! Of course! I know I''m great!!" (The Galhala King) (That''s not a praise, musclehead king...) (Druid Oz) "I-It''s fine, mother... I''ve expected it as well, but it''s just that expecting it and seeing it directly is different. But it''s fine, I don''t really felt betrayed or anything since I understand your situation," Replied Druid Oz with a gentle smile. Hearing Druid Oz''s reply, the Galhala Queen''s gentle smile return as she let out a small sigh of relief. "It''s lucky that I, no, the kingdom, could have such a caring and respectful son-in-law like you, Ren. Please marry Claria quickly and replace my husband as fast as you could," (The Galhala Queen) "HAHAHAHA! Of cour-D-Dear!?" (The Galhala King) "Um... That''s..." Druid Oz got confused with how fast the topic changed. "Anyways, let''s go back to the main topic. We need your input in this matter, Ren. Please give us your thoughts," said the Prime Minister, Allomere, as he returns topic to the main topic. Druid Oz exhales a great amount of breath as he regains his composure. He''s thanking the prime minister inside his mind for saving him from answering the queen''s words. "Personally, I would like to avoid having any unnecessary casualties on the kingdom''s side, but considering the situation, it''s the wisest decision. I''ve roughly measured the strength of the demons and the soldiers of both the nobles and the royal family. And I agree in sending two waves of attacks on their demonic base," (Druid Oz) "So you agree with our decision?" (Prime Minister, Allomere) "Yes, I will definitely suggest the same opinion if you were to ask me how the kingdom should attack the demonic base. Since it''s a demonic base we''re talking about, the more the information we could get, the more the success rate of the attack will increase," (Druid Oz) "In these past few days, I''ve been trying several things to infiltrate and I had been trying to trigger any kind of traps or magical traps on their base, but it had been futile. My summoned insects couldn''t last too long in the capital of the Griftania empire because of the dense amount of demonic mana," (Druid Oz) "And because of that, we''re going to need two waves to attack, huh... If Ren agrees with it, then I believe it would be the right call," (The Galhala Queen) "But I need to add one thing, please tell the nobles to use everything they have. Tell the leading nobles to not lead the army themselves and try to obtain the most fame or something similar. Let the generals and the soldiers do their portion and use their best armors and weapons. No need to hide anything, the battle will be fierce, and since we still didn''t know how many traps and unknown dangers are ahead, it would be best to prepare a great number of sacrificial pawns such as golems or anything similar," advised Druid Oz sternly. "Noted. Sacrificial pawns, huh... It''s a strategy that is very not the king''s way of fighting, but for this time, we need to take into account everything and use every tactic we could use, I''ll inform the nobles that had been using golems for their battles, thanks for your input, Ren," (The Prime Minister, Allomere) They usually call Druid Oz ''Lord Ren'', but since they have grown closer in every day and every meeting, they started to call him ''Ren'' without adding ''Lord'' for formality. Druid Oz didn''t really bother by it, but the whole kingdom considered that act as how the royal family and the prime minister had accepted Druid Oz as the general princess''s partner. "Once again, thanks for being here, Ren," The Galhala king unusually thanked Druid Oz. "It''s my p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to be able to help," (Druid Oz) Chapter 199 - The Reunion Of The Three Imperial Figures (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "By the way, Ren," The Galhala Queen suddenly called out Druid Oz. "Hm?" (Druid Oz) "Will you join us in the next meeting? You have been avoiding the meeting lately, is there any problem going on?" Asked the Galhala Queen. "Ah... I''ve been wanting to ask the same thing for a while, glad the queen mentioned it. Is there any reason why you didn''t want to go to any meeting lately, Ren?" Asked the prime minister, Allomere, as well. "Yea, considering the amount of help you''ve contributed to the kingdom, I believe all of them had accepted your existence now, Ren," (The Galhala King) "Um... It''s not like there is any problem... It''s just that, their gazes... It seems that I couldn''t really stand their gazes, I guess...?" Answered Druid Oz with a wry smile. Every time there is any conference of a military meeting of the kingdom, when there is Druid Oz present, the nobles and generals will give Druid Oz various kinds of gazes. Some of them gave him a curious gaze, some of them gave him a gaze filled with scorn for taking away the general princess, while the rest gave him a gaze that made him felt like he became their prey. The queen and the prime minister, Allomere, could roughly understand what Druid Oz meant by his words, but for the Galhala king... "HAHAHAHA! That''s not good, Ren! You must be able to withstand any kind of gaze if you''re a ruler!!" said him enthusiastically. "Dear..." (The Galhala Queen) "*Sigh!*" (The Prime Minister, Allomere) The prime minister, Allomere, and the queen could only let out a small sigh because of the insensitivity of the Galhala King. "Well, anyways. Let''s conclude the discussion. Then all of us agree to let the nobles handle the first wave of the attack while ordering them to use sacrificial pawns to trigger the traps first. For the second wave, we''ll be attacking them with our full force, we''ll commence our attack in three days. Your approval, your majesty?" The prime minister, Allomere, reluctantly asked for the approval of the Galhala King. "Yes! I approve of your strategy!! Whatever strategy that the three of you come out together must be the best one, after all!!" The Galhala King laughed heartfully. "Then, since my stupid husband had approved it. Let''s call it a day and rest. Ren, please have some rest. You and Allomere had been working so much these days. Let yourself get pampered by Claria and rest," said the Galhala Queen as she winked her left eyes towards Druid Oz. "S-Stupid!?" (The Galhala King) "Y-Yes... I-I''ll take your words, mother..." (Druid Oz) While at the same time... (Why the hell are you staring at me with such deadly eyes, old owl!? Blame the queen! Not me!) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz couldn''t help but shiver as the prime minister, Allomere, staring daggers at him because of the Galhala Queen''s words. Of course, Druid Oz has no intentions of doing anything to Claria, but it seems that the Galhala Queen''s words had given the prime minister a misunderstanding. "Well, I''ve decided to agree and support your marriage with Claria as well. Let''s quickly wrap the problem with the demons and hold your marriage as soon as possible," The prime minister, Allomere, said a rather unexpected thing. "Fufufu! So the overprotective and doting grandfather had finally shown his consent~ How wonderful~" (The Galhala Queen) "HAHAHAHA!! True! True! I can''t wait to see my grandchildren!!" (The Galhala King) (Do I don''t even have any right to sound my opinion here...?) (Druid Oz) When the meeting finished, it is still afternoon. But somehow, Druid Oz felt like his body is already filled with so much fatigue. (Does yesterday''s battle fatigue finally showed up now...?) (Druid Oz) Transforming into his owl form, Druid Oz flew to his house. Some of the familiars he stationed in the backyard of the house as the ''vigilant'' group of the capital are playing with each other, some of them are training with each other, while the rest of them are having a rest. When Druid Oz get near to the house, they sensed Druid Oz''s presence and went to the front of the house, waiting for him. When Druid Oz arrived and transformed back into his Druid form, his familiars get near to him as all of them asked him to pet them. Looking at the scene, Druid Oz couldn''t help but smile as the behavior of his familiars soften his heart and soothe his mind. (Nature is great medicine for both mind and heart, isn''t it...?) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz spends his time leisurely petting and satisfying his familiars that had been facing dangers ever since they get summoned to the Galhala Kingdom. It''s a miracle that Druid Oz hasn''t lost any of his familiars yet, and of course, he doesn''t have any intention of losing any of them since the beginning. Different from the summoned insects, his magic beast familiars are intelligent and each of the individuals has their own personality. Unlike any other wild magic beasts that roam around the forest of the Eastaria continent, Druid Oz''s magic beast has a solid kinship. They''re intimate towards each other and protect each other, it''s not only amongst their species, but every familiar are intimate and protect each other. Maybe it''s because all of them are Druid Oz''s familiars that they made all of them had a sort of connection towards each other, but the scene of how they''re harmoniously live, play, and train each other made Druid Oz remember about the Tarot Empire. There are still some small fights that occasionally occur around them, but those who fight with each other will reconcile and get even closer than before. Druid Oz felt like he''s watching over some elementary kids fighting with each other. After finished satisfying the magic beasts, Druid Oz thought that it''s now time for him to pamper the cubs. But when Druid Oz raise his body and was about to walk towards the main door of the mansion, the figure of a girl holding a cub of a frost lion in her hands entered Druid Oz''s view. She''s staring at Druid Oz with full of smiles as she gently c.a.r.e.s.ses the frost lion''s cub on her hand. "C-Claria..." Druid Oz muttered the name of the girl. "Welcome home, Ren," said the girl with a big smile. The scene made Druid Oz felt warmth envelopes his heart, but at the same time, fear and anxiety covered it as well. But different from before, this time, he decided that he''ll become the temporary replacement for the original Oz. Since he also bears the soul of the original Oz, then it means that all of his actions are also the actions that the original would take, so rather than cowering and running away from reality, it would be best if he takes to fulfill his role perfectly. "I''m home," (Druid Oz) Just as Druid Oz slowly walks and approaches Claria, Claria suddenly got a sudden attack from a small figure that dashed towards her head. "C-Charnia!?" Claria exclaimed in surprise. "What with this ''newlyweds'' atmosphere!?!? I don''t like it!! I don''t like it!!!!" Protested Charnia. "W-What are you saying!?" said Claria as a hint of redness start to appear on her face. "Now, now. Let''s enter the house first," said Druid Oz as he stopped their fight and lead them to the mansion. When they arrived at the mansion, There are two frost lions and two direwolves standing near the mansion''s main door like bodyguards, while Gor greets them from inside as if he''s the butler of the mansion. This time, there are four female mountain gorillas that serve as Gor''s subordinates. With his hands, Gor gives a sign that he''s going to make some food for them. With a nod, Druid Oz claps and takes the attention of the magic beast cubs that are playing with each other. Each species of the magic beast cubs eat has their huge bowl where their food will be put as they''ll eat together. By eating together like that, they learn to share with each other, and get closer with each other. "So? Why are you here, Claria?" Asked Druid Oz. "What? Am I not welcome here?" Claria asked him back. "Well, it''s not that you''re not welcome here. But aren''t you supposed to be at the barrack and supervise the soldiers? We''re going to war, after all," said Druid Oz) "I''m having a free day. There are other generals that had already taken over my position to supervise their training. So I''m having a day off," (Claria) "I see... Then we''re on the same boat. Let''s rest together today," Chapter 200 - The Reunion Of The Three Imperial Figures (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Now this is a bliss..." (Claria) As the orders of the Galhala Queen and the Galhala Queen, Druid Oz and Claria take a day''s rest and relax at the mansion. They''re now resting and enjoying their time together, sitting at the couch that Druid Oz put on the balcony of the mansion while gazing at the capital city from the balcony. Looking at how the citizens and the children of the kingdom are still walking around the capital leisurely with big smiles on their faces made them satisfied. It means that they have succeeded in protecting the kingdom. The couch is a couch made by Druid Oz, since the frame is made from the woods of Druid Oz''s summoned tree, Druid Oz easily made the couch just by commanding the woods to bend itself. Druid Oz made a big couch that has its backrest adjustable. The cushions are made from lake lamb''s wools, making it very comfortable to sit at. And since the wood of the couch''s frame is still alive, Druid Oz made use of the dull branches to give the couch the ability to provide massage. With her head resting on Druid Oz''s shoulder, Claria is enjoying the bliss of the massage, Druid Oz''s shoulder, and the warmth of his hand. (I''m melting~ I''m melting~ It would be even more blissful if...) (Claria) Even though this rest day would be a great opportunity for her to get closer to Druid Oz, her little sister won''t let her monopolize Druid Oz alone. "Hehe~ Hehe~ Roasted fish..." (Charnia) With her head on top of Druid Oz''s l.a.p, Charnia is in the middle of dreaming she''s eating a delicious roasted unknown fish that Gor or Druid Oz made. Looking at how her little sister is sleeping with such a blissful face, Claria could only let out a small sigh. Not to mention that the magic beast cubs are all sleeping while cuddling with each other in their surroundings. (I guess this is already more than enough, huh...) (Claria) "Claria," Druid Oz called Claria with a gentle voice. "Hm?" (Claria) "Promise me one thing," (Druid Oz) "Promise you?" (Claria) "Yes. I need you to remember. I''m just a clone. And the other clones are not different from me since we share the same soul. So if I disappear, you should ask for protection from my other clones," (Druid Oz) "W-What are you saying?" Asked Claria as she is somehow anxious because of Druid Oz''s sudden words. Hearing Claria''s response, Druid Oz made a small smile for a while before staring at the distance with a grim face that made Claria felt anxious as well. "Nothing. It''s just that... I''ve been getting a bad feeling lately... A magician''s hunch, this might be the first time I''m hoping it would be wrong..." (Druid Oz) ******************************* The day of their rest went very fast. After relaxing on the couch for about two or three hours, they do some other fun activities together with the magic beast cubs, making them even closer. At night, Charnia nags her mother to sleep at Druid Oz''s mansion as well. After getting her permission, she joyfully reports it to Claria as she is able to have a sleepover. (How did it come to this...) (Druid Oz) Currently, Druid Oz''s arms are being used as living pillows by both Charnia and Claria. (In this situation, I wonder should I be happy or not...) (Druid Oz) Being able to get close with the two princesses of the Galhala Kingdom to the point that both of them wanted to sleep together with him is something that probably no one could accomplish. But the hellish argument between the two princesses before they finally agree for the three of them to sleep together made Druid Oz felt too fatigued that he couldn''t even feel he''s a lucky guy for being in this kind of situation. Even though Claria had become quite bolder lately, she''s still not as bold as Charnia that clings to Druid Oz and nagging him to let her sleep in his room. After arguing for about fifteen minutes, they finally agreed for the three of them to sleep in the same room. And here they are, sleeping as they use Druid Oz''s arms as their living pillows. (And this girl... Even though she had slept quite a long time in the afternoon... She really is a heavy sleeper, isn''t she...?) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz let out a small sigh as he decided to sleep, but of course, even though he''s spending the day resting, he''s still monitoring his summoned insects that are still surveying the parameter. He monitors all of the groups, the group that is searching for the fragment of the demon emperor''s seal, the group that is standing idly circling the Galhala kingdom, and the group that is watching over the Griftania empire''s capital that is now had become the demonic base. Before sleeping, Druid Oz thought of sending another group of his summoned insects to infiltrate the Griftania empire''s imperial castle, but as he''s monitoring them, something bothered him. (I-I can''t focus...) (Druid Oz) The nice fragrant emitted from Claria that is using his right hand as her pillow entered his nostrils. Druid found the fragrant pleasant, but at the same time, it''s awaking something bad inside him. (Self-control... Self-control... Self-control...) (Druid Oz) "Ren, you''re awake...?" Claria suddenly called out Druid Oz. (S-She''s awake!?!? T-That surprised me...) (Druid Oz) "Y-Yes, I''m awake..." (Druid Oz) "You can''t sleep too...?" Asked Claria. Her voice is somewhat smaller than before. "Y-Yes, It seems so... You too?" (Druid Oz) "I see... Me too..." Answered Claria with a smaller voice. (She can''t sleep...? Even though she had been just fine all this time, I guess she''s just trying to distract herself from the upcoming danger, huh...) (Druid Oz) "Is there something bothering you?" (Druid Oz) "Nn..." (Claria) Unlike the usual brave and dependable general princess, Claria looked small and timid. The facade she usually uses crumbled as Druid Oz could see the clear anxiety on her eyes. In reflex, Druid Oz draws his right hand that Claria uses as her pillow and draws Claria closer, letting her head rest at his c.h.e.s.t. "E-Eh?" Claria exclaimed in surprise at Druid Oz''s surprising action. "Will you tell me what''s bothering you?" Asked Druid Oz as he embraces Claria''s body with his right hand, giving her a sense of security. (What the hell am I doing...) (Druid Oz) "I guess what mother said to me is right," Claria mutters to herself with a tiny voice. "Hm?" (Druid Oz) "N-Nothing!" (Claria) (Mother?) (Druid Oz) "It''s just that..." Claria reaches Druid Oz''s shirt and grips it. "Claria?" (Druid Oz) "I have been getting scary dreams lately..." (Claria) "Scary dreams?" (Druid Oz) "Yes... I keep on getting long dreams of a terrifying war. You getting killed. And even though the kingdom, my mother, my father, Charnia, and grandpa survived safely. At the end of the dream, I couldn''t find you," Claria grips Druid Oz''s shirt even tighter as if she''s making sure he won''t go anywhere. Hearing it, Druid Oz chuckled. "What are you saying, silly. I''m here, Aren''t I?" said Druid Oz as he embraces her even tighter. "I''m here. Well, even though this is just a clone, I ensure you that even if this body disappears, the soul will still remember you. My other clone will rush here to accompany and protect you and your kingdom. So you don''t need to feel anxious about anything," (Druid Oz) "Nothing bad will happened to us," (Druid Oz) Druid Oz''s words felt convincing as it destroys all of the doubts and anxiety inside Claria''s heart. But not Druid Oz''s. To Claria, his words are a guarantee. But for Druid Oz. It''s nothing more than a prayer. *************************** Their rest day was quickly over. At the morning, they have their breakfast together with Gor and Druid Oz''s other familiars. After finished breakfast, Charnia returns to the royal palace to continue her princess training, Claria continues her duty of supervising the soldiers and there is also the royal meeting that she needs to attend as the supreme general of the kingdom as well. While for Druid Oz, he once again refuses the invitation of attending the kingdom''s royal meeting. Since he believes that the meeting will still go smoothly with the presence of the Galhala Queen, the prime minister, and Claria. This time, he wouldn''t just stay idle inside the capital, monitoring his familiars and his summoned insects. This time, he''ll go on his own feet. Chapter 201 - The Reunion Of The Three Imperial Figures (4) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "I guess going with this group should be enough," Druid Oz muttered as he observes the group of magic beasts surrounding him. Since the information that he could obtain by relying on his summoned insects is limited, Druid Oz decided that he''s going to need to scout the demonic base on his own. But of course, reducing some of its numbers before the kingdom''s army clashes with them is also inside his agenda. That''s why Druid Oz gathered some elites of his magical beasts. Druid Oz gathered 5 frost lions, 5 direwolves, 4 wind jade falcons, 2 mountain gorillas, 3 griffins, 5 flame foxes, and 4 ectra pythons. They are the group that is considered the strongest amongst their kin. Gor was supposed to join as the strongest of the mountain gorillas, but Druid Oz tasked him to protect the magical beast cubs, and the capital in case something unexpected happened. The number Druid Oz gathered is already more than enough. Since Druid Oz''s main aim is to scout any magical traps and barriers that surround the Griftania empire''s capital, the small number he''s bringing is the best option. "Now, for the insurance," Druid Oz tap his mansion''s door with his wooden staff, leaving a big green magic circle on it. But after several seconds, the magic circle disappeared as if it entered the door. "Time to go," Druid Oz muttered to his familiars. Responding to his words, his familiars bowed. This time, Druid Oz didn''t transform into his Owlfolk form. He''s using his frost lion form. By using the frost lion form, it would be easier for him to travel at the average speed of his familiars. Without wasting any time, Druid Oz and his familiars dashed to the forest with the demonic base as their destination at a great speed. Even though their speed isn''t as fast as the Galhala kingdom''s warriors, the difference is just a small gap. There is also one additional reason why Druid Oz brought the strongest of his familiars with him. All of them had already entered the [Duke] rank, and because of the intense battles with the demons, they must have acc.u.mulated lots of experience points. *************************** ---Inside the Galhala Kingdom''s Royal Palace--- "Your majesty, Lord Ren''s currently entering the forest together with his familiars at a great speed. Should I send some of the royal guards to tail him and guard him if something happened?" Asked one of the closest aides of the Galhala King, the captain of the royal guards, Reno. "Leave him be. His familiars are strong, and he''s stronger. He must have something inside his mind, I guess that is the reason why he refused to join the royal meeting... Allomere," The Galhala King unusually wears a serious expression as he called out his best friend, the prime minister, Allomere. "The direction he''s heading is the demonic base. From what he said before, his insect familiars could not enter the Griftania empire''s capital that had become the demonic base, leaving him unable to determine and give us accurate information that we could rely on," (The Prime Minister, Allomere) "Judging by his pace, it seems like his objective is not that alone. But as you''ve said, he must have something in his mind. He''s not the type of a person that will do reckless things, after all," (The Prime Minister, Allomere) "So he decides to scout the demon''s base himself because he couldn''t obtain accurate information that we could rely on, huh... It''s a piece of good news for the kingdom, but I guess I couldn''t be happy with that. Even though he''s strong, it still worries me, Reno, don''t let Claria know about this," The Galhala King warns the captain of the royal guards to not let the general princess know about it. "As you wish, my queen," answered the captain of the royal guards with a bow. "It''s not strange for you to worry, dear. You''re not the only one," said the Galhala King as he stares outside the royal palace''s window. "Indeed... But let''s continue worrying later and focus on the royal military meeting in front of us first. After the royal meeting finished, we could continue this discussion again," (The Prime Minister, Allomere) "True. Reno, on second thought, sends five royal guards to tail him. They''re to guard him with their lives if his life is in danger," The Galhala King changed his decision. "As you wish, my king," The captain of the royal guards immediately left the room to gather his subordinates. "A king''s intuition, huh..." The Galhala King muttered towards himself as he stares at the cloudy skies. ********************************* "Hm... I found our first target," (Druid Oz) Druid Oz has his infernal mosquitos surrounding the Griftania empire''s capital. Since they couldn''t enter the imperial capital, Druid Oz could only use them to observe the capital from outside and to monitor the demons that left the Griftania empire. In other words, the demon''s scouts and the pillage groups. The demonic scouts consist of about 10-15 demons that monitor the surrounding of the Griftania empire, while the pillage groups consist of 100-200 demons that are tasked to pillage and hunt magic beasts surrounding the empire. Druid Oz had sent some of the summoned insects to follow the pillage groups his summoned insects had encountered, They search through the kingdoms and kill anything living. They''ll kill any magic beasts they encountered, eat their magic cores, and return to their demonic base. But since his summoned insects are too small, it seems that the demons didn''t consider them as their food. But even if they do, the summoned insects'' agility is high enough that they would be able to flee easily from the demons. But even so, Druid Oz continues to tail the pillage groups, hoping that they might lead him to a village filled with other demihumans or other Owlfolks. If he found out that there are some survivors, he will immediately instruct his summoned insects to kill the demons or even instruct them to self-destruct to save the survivors. "Let''s go!" Druid Oz changes directions as he dashes towards the direction of a certain pillage group that is wandering at an outskirt village of the Griftania empire''s territory. Their number is 150, it''s a little bit many, but they''re still a perfect experiment subject for Druid Oz and his familiars. Unlike the demons that attacked the Galhala kingdom''s capital before, the pillage group doesn''t consist of the main army of the demonic base. They only have five high-ranked demons that act as the leaders of the group. (Now, time to close our distance) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz instructs one of his infernal mosquitos to make a magic circle at the ground below the high-ranked demons. The infernal mosquito injects his mana towards the magic circle, and a small green flower appears from it. After several moments, two additional infernal mosquitos gather near the magic circle and inject their mana towards the flower as well. After injecting their mana for several minutes, the flower slowly blooms, indicating the death of the high-ranked demons is getting near. And when the flower fully blooms. "[Flower Warp]," The five high-ranked demons that are observing their subordinates that are searching through the village for a survivor got caught off guard. The five of them suddenly lost their head. The frost lion bites off the high-ranked demons'' heads, separating them from their bodies, killing them on the spot. Still, in his frost lion form, Druid Oz commands his familiars, "Go!" With that single command, the killing spree started. Druid Oz leads his familiars and dashes towards the group of demons in front of them. The appearance of Druid Oz and his group is too sudden and made the demons got caught off guard. Without letting them regain their senses, Druid Oz uses one of the frost lion''s big ice magic spells. [Ice Prism] Together with the other frost lions, Druid Oz froze 50 of the demons in front of them in one spell. The flame foxes and wind jade falcons throw out their spells as well, while the direwolves, griffins, ectra pythons, and the mountain gorillas charged to the demons'' ranks. And in just 5 minutes, Druid Oz and his familiars wipe out the 150 demons easily, leaving not even a single one alive. Chapter 202 - The Reunion Of The Three Imperial Figures (5) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Druid Oz and his familiars continue to hunt for the demons'' pillage groups for about two hours. They have wiped out seven pillage groups, and now, they''re in the progress of wiping out the eight pillage groups at a certain city near the Griftania empire. It''s a group bigger than before, with 300 demons inside it, and 10 high-ranked demons commanding them. With the same tactic, Druid Oz uses his summoned insects to summon his flower warp, and warp him and his familiars behind the high-ranked demons to caught them off guard. And just like before, they succeeded in assassinating the high-ranked demons. But unlike before, currently, Druid Oz is using his mountain gorilla form. Druid Oz unleashes the limiter and transformed into a 15 meters tall gorilla, and slaughters the demons with his powerful arms. (I guess turning into a mountain gorilla is great as well!) (Druid Oz) "I-I guess I should not transform into the mountain gorilla form at a city..." (Druid Oz) Druid Oz had finished his portion, while his other familiars are on the verge of finishing their part. But this time, an unusual thing occurred when Druid Oz''s familiars finished killing the last remaining demons. The flame fox and the frost lion that killed the most at the battles are currently surrounded in a dense amount of mana, making their body glows in red and blue light. (T-Their rank is ascending!!!) (Druid Oz) "I''ve been waiting for this!" Druid Oz shouts in excitement. The mana surrounding his two familiars got even denser, and red particles covered the flame fox while blue particles covered the frost lion, making a sphere that enveloped both of them. Slowly, the sphere gets bigger. And after a while, the sphere dissipates into the air, leaving the two familiars with a bigger and stronger body. "The [King] ascension..." (Druid Oz) But for a magical beast, they usually experience a change in their body. Their size gets bigger and some new characteristics appeared. The frost lion that was just 2 meters tall before is now 5 meters tall and 8 meters long, its white mane got even thicker than before, giving off a majestic aura from it. Its gaze is sharp, and the air got frozen just because of its breath. The flame fox that was just 1 meter tall before is now 4 meters tall and 7 meters long. The most eye-catching change it experiences is its tail that was just 5 is now 7 in number. The number of a flame fox''s tails indicates their strength and their rank, which means that the flame fox has really ascended to the [King] rank. The beautiful red body of it got several black tattoos on it that seem to be some kind of magic mark, Druid Oz could sense a dense amount of fire element gathered on them. (Hm... Now that they''ve ascended to the [King] rank, I wonder if they could now talk just like the other magic beast [King]s at Tarot...) (Druid Oz) "Master. Ah! I''m talking!" A deep voice similar to Reo''s voice appeared from the frost lion. "Y-You could talk!" (Druid Oz) "I-I could!" Exclaimed the frost lion as his eyes indicate his surprise as well. "Ah. I could speak too," The voice that comes out from the flame fox is a voice of a m.a.t.u.r.e lady. "I see... So entering the [King] rank enables you to speak, huh..." Druid Oz muttered to himself as he holds his chin. "Try talking again," (Druid Oz) "Talk, talk," (Frost lion) "Talk, talk," (Flame fox) (Why talk, talk...?) (Druid Oz) "I see..." (Druid Oz) When the both of them speaks, there is a sign of mana coming out from their mouth. (So there is a kind of magic circle in their tongue or somewhere inside their mouth that enables them to speak, I guess?) (Druid Oz) "Hm~ My voice is sure great to hear~" The flame fox seems to enjoy her own voice. "Isn''t my voice kind of scary...?" The frost lion seems to not be that happy with his voice. "It''s fine, your voice is not that scary, um... I guess I need to give the both of you names, huh...?" Druid Oz mutters as he''s puzzled what he should call them. "Names! We''ve been waiting for this for so long!" (Flame Fox) "Indeed... The master never gives any of us names except for master Gor," (Frost Lion) Druid Oz knew that all of his familiars have considerably high intelligence. But it seems that he forgot to take into account that because of that, they might feel envious because he gave Gor a name. (T-Turns out it bothered them... But if I give all of them a name, it will be hard even for me to remember it... In the first place, making up a name is difficult enough already...) (Druid Oz) "Well, forgive me for that. I''m going to give your names now so isn''t it fine?" (Druid Oz) "Yes! Please give me my name, master!" The flame fox happily circles around Druid Oz as she asked for her name. "Hm... For you, It''s... Flamia!" (Druid Oz) "Flamia..." (Flamia) (What... Did she dislike that name...?) (Druid Oz) "I like it! Flamia! Flamia!" The flame fox jumped as she seems to be very excited about her new name. "How about mine, master?" Asked the frost lion as he approached Druid Oz. Unlike the flame fox, he approached Druid Oz in an elegant manner. The way he slowly walks when he approached Druid Oz felt majestic, befitting the title of the lion [King]. (As expected of a lion, the king of the forest, I guess?) (Druid Oz) "For you... Your name, will be Frostion," (Druid Oz) "Frostion..." (Crap... Now that I think about it again, that name is way too uncreative....) (Druid Oz) "What a good name indeed... Frostion... The king of frost... Magnificent..." The frost lion muttered his name proudly as he seems to be very satisfied with it. (Oh, he likes it. Then it''s all good, I guess?) (Druid Oz) As Druid Oz wondered whether should he think for the other magical beasts their names as well or not, a great idea struck his head. "And the both of you! Since the both of you have become a [King], hereby, I grant you the permissions to give your kin their names by yourself!!" (Druid Oz) (So basically, I left it all to them to make up the names for their brethren! A great idea isn''t it!?) (Druid Oz) "I see... So it''s my first task as a [King]... I humbly accept your order, master," (Frostion) "Hm... I should think of beautiful names, I guess..." (Flamia) "Well, now is not the time to think about their names yet. We still have the demonic base to scout" (Druid Oz) After giving both of them names, Druid Oz let them test their new strength and skills since they might get some new useful abilities and skills that might assist their scout towards the demonic base. *Boom!!!* *Boom!!!* The raw strength of the two of them increased for about five folds from before just by entering the [King] rank. A single strike with their claws releases enough force to blow out several trees. But their increase in strength is still within Druid Oz''s expectation. Since Druid Oz had gauged the strength of the Tarot empire''s magical beast kings, he knows that each of them has powerful strength individually. Rather than their raw strength, Druid Oz is more interested in what kind of new abilities they obtained. "Hm... Now, this might be useful for our scouting..." Muttered Druid Oz as he stared at the scene before him. Frostion the frost lion and Flamia the flame fox got several new skills. Most of the new skills that they could use as their new aces are mostly forbidden magic. But there is a skill that Frostion obtained that might be a perfect skill for the scouting. "So this is the ice golems made by my spell: [Ice Golem], huh!" (Frostion) Dozens of four meters tall ice golems stand in front of Druid Oz. (Hm~ This turns out to be more fruitful than I expect it would be...) (Druid Oz) Chapter 203 - The Reunion Of The Three Imperial Figures (6) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ He has completed one of his objectives which is ascending one of his familiars into the [King] rank if he could and turns out, his luck didn''t betray him and there are two familiars of him that ranked up instead. And now, it''s time to clear his main objective which is scouting the demonic base. With the same trick as before, he used his infernal mosquitos to form a magic circle and use his [Flower Warp] to warp him and his familiars to a place near the Griftania empire''s imperial capital. (Now, the first one is to check on the strength of the guards inside that barrier of miasma) (Druid Oz) Since the imperial capital of the Griftania empire that had become the base of the demons is surrounded by a very thick amount of demonic mana that had formed a kind of barrier, Druid Oz''s summoned insects couldn''t last long inside it. And because of it, he couldn''t test the strength of the guards that are guarding the place. He had tried to make some of his infernal mosquitos self-destruct themselves as a form of experiment and kill some of the demons inside, even though the target dies, it still didn''t give any useful information for Druid Oz about the strength of the demons. And because of the demonic mana barrier enveloping the Griftania empire''s imperial capital, the sight of his summoned insects is hindered, and he couldn''t get a clear view of the inside. Let alone seeing the inside of the imperial palace. "Frostion," Druid Oz called out the new frost lion [King], Frostion. "Yes, master," Frostion nods as he understands what his master wishes him to do, and immediately chant a spell. "Attack those guards," Druid Oz pointed to the two demons standing at the gate of the imperial capital. "As you wish," (Frostion) With his thoughts, Frostion controlled his ice golems to attack the two demonic guards. Without wasting any time, the ice golems rush at the two demonic guards as fast as they could. But with their huge and heavy body, their speed is limited. After a while, the ice golems finally get near the imperial capital''s gate, and the demonic guards noticed their presence as well. The demonic guards seem to be a humanoid ones since they have two legs and two humans as well, while Druid Oz couldn''t see their face nor their skin since they''re equipped in full-body armor. The two demonic guards raise their ax but they didn''t move any closer to the ice golems to attack them, nor did they take a step retreat. They just take their stance while continuing to observe the ice golems. The golems didn''t have any consciousness so they don''t really understand what the demons are doing. They only live and follow the command of their master, which is, "Kill the two demons over there," One of the ice golems charged into the demonic guards and strike it with its huge fist. *Boom!!!* But of course, the demonic guards didn''t lose that easily. One of them takes the blow with a defensive stance and receives considerable damage, while the other. *Slash!* The other demonic guard attempted to chop the ice golem''s hand that entered the demonic barrier of the demonic base, but only managed to make a slightly big crack on it. Druid Oz saw a hint of surprise from the demonic guard''s reaction, but it didn''t stagger. The other demon that blocked the blow from the ice golem didn''t stay idle and immediately support his ally. He takes the opportunity and slashes at the ice golem''s arm that had cracked, chopping it off. But since it''s a golem, it didn''t feel any pain and continue to strike them with its remaining arm. But different from before, the demonic guards used another plan to defeat the ice golem. The both of them evaded in time and strikes their ax towards the ice golem''s remaining arm that entered the demonic barrier, but. (Their ax stuck? No, it''s a part of their plan) (Druid Oz) Their ax got stuck in the ice golem''s hand, and they pull it with all of their force. Forcing the ice golem to completely enter the demonic barrier. *Slash!* *Slash!* The demonic guards destroyed the ice golem''s feet, forcing it to fall, but when they were about to strike its head that had gotten into their reach. *Crack!* The ice golem exploded itself, giving off frost winds to the surroundings. The demon guards jumped back when the ice golem''s head cracked in a whim, but the explosion still gave them considerable damage. The both of them have one of their arms frozen, and even though they tried to melt the ice with fire magic, the ice won''t meltdown. Without waiting for another moment, the other four ice golems continue what the dead ice golem left behind. Unlike before, the four of them charged towards the demonic guards together since the first one attacked alone because of Frostion''s order to make Druid Oz gauge the strength of the demonic guards easier. And he succeeded. Druid Oz is astonished by the battle that got unfolded before him. (The strength of the ice golem is surprisingly high, but the demonic guards aren''t weak either) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz believed so since when the battle started, there is a thing that bothered Druid Oz the most. (The demonic guards didn''t attack the ice golem first because it''s outside the demonic barrier) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz managed to think of two possibilities from the sight he just saw. The first one is that the demonic guards couldn''t get outside the barrier because their source of strength is the demonic mana barrier enveloping the imperial capital. (But considering their strength, it might not be so. The demonic mana barrier might boost their strength, but leaving it shouldn''t pose a problem for them...) (Druid Oz) The second possibilities are that the demonic guards got an ''order'' from their master. "''Kill anyone who enters the barrier'', huh... If it''s that, then that order must be coming from ''that'' demon..." (Druid Oz) The image of the self-proclaimed demon king that appeared at the Galhala kingdom''s royal palace appeared inside Druid Oz''s head. (Well, I wouldn''t know unless I entered that imperial castle, though. But the chances of that demon inside the imperial castle is high...) (Druid Oz) As the ice golems entered the imperial gate, the two demonic guards are no match for them and got defeated quickly. But soon after, other demon guards with the same appearance as the two demonic guards appeared to take over the position of the dead two demon guards. The other demonic guards that are wandering around the imperial walls also gathered and defeat the ice golems together. Just like before, the ice golems explode themselves when they''re about to die, taking the lives of some of the demonic guards together with them. But there is still no response from the horde of demons that are staring blankly at the imperial castle. (I guess they will only move if the one inside that imperial castle ordered them to, huh... I guess I have no choice but to take a peek inside as well...) (Druid Oz) "Wait here," Druid Oz instructed his familiars as he transforms into his infernal mosquito form. (With this form, I shouldn''t be detected just like my other infernal mosquitos. But well, there seem to be no traps, I guess I just need to take a peek at the inside of the imperial castle and take a strategical retreat...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz prepared his warp spell in case of something unexpected happened. Gathering his mana to make a small mana barrier that will protect him from the dense demonic mana, Druid Oz approached the imperial walls. (Time to go!) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz attempted to infiltrate the demonic base from above the walls, but when he gets into contact with the demonic barrier, an unexpected thing occurs. *Whoosh!* "Eh?" Druid Oz''s beast transformation spell got revoked, returning him to his Druid form, forcing Druid Oz to land on top of the imperial walls. And suddenly- (Shit!) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz saw the sight of the horde of demons staring at him. The demons that have been staring in the imperial castle''s direction all this time are staring at him. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (M-Murderous intent!) (Druid Oz) All of the demons emit their murderous intent together with their demonic aura as all of them rushed towards Druid Oz''s direction. "Shit! This is bad!!" (Druid Oz) In a split second, Druid Oz jumped back from the imperial walls, and his familiars that had been waiting idly rushed to his side immediately. "Frostion! Flamia!" (Druid Oz) "Yes, master!" (Frostion) "Roger!" (Flamia) Frostion summoned 15 ice golems to guard their back, while Flamia blocked the imperial walls with her flames. "[Flower Warp!]" (Druid Oz) Chapter 204 - The Reunion Of The Three Imperial Figures (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14?? Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ *Pant!* *Pant!* *Pant!* (If I didn''t warp us immediately, we would have become dead meat...) (Druid Oz) The millions of demons that are inside the imperial capital rushed at Druid Oz like they are in a crazed state. The sight made Druid Oz got covered in a cold sweat. "Oh yeah, I need to check the situation," (Druid Oz) Druid Oz closed his eyes as he restabilizes his breathing and connects his consciousness with one of his infernal mosquitos. He is worried that his mistake might trigger the demons to left the imperial castle and charge towards the royal capital of the Grandaria kingdom instead. But it turns out that they return to their usual position as if nothing happened. "Luckily they don''t pursue me... Well, maybe it''s because I warped back to the kingdom, huh...?" (Druid Oz) Druid Oz warped back to in front of his mansion door. Since he had made a big magic circle that he could trigger anytime to summon a fully-bloomed warp flower. *Sound of a door opened* "Oh! Gor," Druid Oz greeted Gor that opened the door for them because he sensed their presence. (Before I warped to the first pillage group, there are several Owlfolks tailing me. Judging from their skills, it seems that they are from the royal guards. Did the prime minister or the Galhala king sent them?) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz sensed their presence before he warped together with his familiars, but of course, he lost their presence after warping to the first demons pillage group. (Well, they will immediately return to the capital after losing me, so I guess it would be fine) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz let out a small relieved sigh after looking at the mansion''s door and about to enter the mansion. But when his right leg stepped inside the mansion. "Hm?" (Druid Oz) 10 figures, clad in black, suddenly appeared behind him and kneeled towards him. But of course, Druid Oz recognized them since their attire and the masks they are wearing indicate their identity as a part of the ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order. But there is something else that bothered Druid Oz the most. (They are not the members I brought here...) (Druid Oz) "Forgive our intrusion, your imperial majesty. We brought urgent information for you to hear," Said the one that seems to be the leader of the squad. "I''m all ears," (Druid Oz) "The queen of elves and the queen of goblins, lady Geeta and lady Azaline, are getting attacked by a horde of Owlfolks at the west. 20 of our men are assisting them, but it seems that they are in a pinch. We have heard your report of the infection demons that could transform a person into a demon by a scratch from an infected one and avoids getting into a risky position, but the queens might be in danger since they didn''t know it," "Azaline and Geeta are in this continent!?" Druid Oz voices his surprise. "Yes, your imperial majesty," Answered the shadow as he kneeled. "Then there is no time to waste, lead me to the place," said Druid Oz as he transformed into his Owlfolk form. "As you wish," Without wasting a moment, the 10 members of the ''Jack of All Trades'' clapped their hands, and 10 griffins appeared from above, picking them up. "Let''s go!" (Druid Oz) The eleven of them dashed towards the position where Geeta and Azaline are. Since the ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order always has their position reported daily, the squad that is escorting Druid Oz towards Azaline''s and Geeta''s position knew where Druid Oz is at from the squad that Druid Oz brought together with him to the Eastaria Kingdom. (The Galhala Kingdom is the nearest kingdom from the west side of the Eastaria continent, so Azaline and Geeta shouldn''t be that far) (Druid Oz) Along the way, the captain of the secret order filled Druid Oz with the current situation of Azaline and Geeta. (So they entered a cave for shelter, hoping that the demonized birds won''t enter it, huh... Well, that''s wise since fighting at an open field will only make them at a further disadvantage) (Druid Oz) "How long since they have entered the cave," (Druid Oz) "three hours, my liege," "Then they must have exhausted already, let''s fasten our pace!" (Druid Oz) The eleven of them fly towards the place where Geeta and Azaline are, and after flying for about an hour, they finally arrived at their destination. "They''re inside that mountain cave, your imperial majesty," Reported the captain of the secret order as he pointed at the mountain at the distance. Druid Oz focuses his eyes and saw that there are tens of thousands of demonized birds surrounding it. They seem to be taking turns entering the cave. "Obviously," Druid Oz had been following the pace of the ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order''s griffins, so he couldn''t use his full speed. Since he didn''t know where the exact location is, rushing forward alone won''t do anything. But now that he knows where Geeta and Azaline are- "I''m going forward," (Druid Oz) "Yes, my liege," *Whoosh!* Druid Oz flies at his full speed. Druid Oz caught the glimpse of several men clads in black robes slowly decreasing the number of the demonized bird-type magic beasts from several points near the cave. But since they lack explosive strength, and the number of the demonized bird-type magic beasts are too many, their speed is too slow. !?!?!?!? Druid Oz unleashes his enormous mana as he prepares a big spell. "[Man-Eating Trees, Nubian]!" (Druid Oz) Following Druid Oz''s words, three huge magic circles appeared in front of the cave, summoning three 20 meters tall ferocious trees. Sensing the lots of demonic beings surrounding them, the man-eating trees immediately went to action and kill the demons around them. Because of the appearance of the man-eating trees, most of the demons have their attention on them. But there are still some of the demons that are waiting for their turns to enter the cave where Azaline and Geeta are. Transforming into his Druid form, Druid Oz chant his spell, "Scram, birds. [Fire Storm]!" Dozens of fireballs appeared before Druid Oz and rushes towards the demonized birds surrounding the cave, giving out explosive sounds. "Hm?" (Druid Oz) When Druid Oz descended to the ground and entered the cave, the entrance is blocked by a big pile of demon corpses. "Hmph!" (Druid Oz) Druid Oz gathered his mana on his staff and tapped his staff towards the ground. The ground shakes, making the whole cave tremble, and suddenly huge vines appeared from underground, enveloping the piles of corpses, dragging them underground, and burying them. With the piles of demons disappeared, the two familiar faces finally entered Druid Oz''s view. Their clothes are battered, and fatigue is all written on their faces. Looking at the sight, Druid Oz felt anger, worry, and relief at the same time. "H-Hi, Ren... T-Thank you for saving us... S-Sorry, I can''t help but accompany Azaline, b-but it''s not her fault though! Her mother is-" Geeta immediately apologized and soon got fl.u.s.tered, but before she continues. Pat! Pat! Suddenly a warm hand covered her head. Azaline closed her eyes too as she prepares herself to get scolded, but suddenly a warm hand covered her head just like Geeta, followed by a soft sigh of relief. "Are the both of you okay?" Asked Druid Oz with a gentle voice. "Yes... Luckily..." Answered Azaline with a small voice. "Is there any scar or scratch from the demonized birds?" Asked Ren once again. "N-None..." Replied Geeta with a trembling voice. "Good. The both of you are strong, but you''re still lacking the sense of life-threatening battles. This will be a good experience, sorry for being late," said Druid Oz with a gentle voice as he releases his pat. The thing that worries Druid Oz the most is if any of them gets a scar, and gets infected by the demonic infection. He hasn''t found anything that could cure or even stop the infection of the demonic virus, so the thought of them getting infected had been haunting his mind, making him very anxious. As the warm hand disappeared from their heads, Azaline and Geeta opened their eyes and saw the familiar and relieving face that they could always depend on. Druid Oz examines their dirty clothes and their body that are covered in sweat. Gripping his wooden staff, Druid Oz turns his back and stared at the demonized birds outside. "You''ve anger a wrong opponent, how unwise, silly birds," (Druid Oz) Chapter 205 - The Familiars Having Fun [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14?? Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "You''ve anger a wrong opponent, how unwise, silly birds," Druid Oz''s voice is deeper than his usual voice, giving the obvious hint of his anger. Green particles gather around him, bringing life to the surroundings. The faint lights the green particles emit when they gathered with each other look so beautiful that Azaline, Geeta, and Corvus forgot they''re still in the middle of battle. Unlike the three of them, the demonic bird-type magical birds didn''t get stunned by the beautiful scenery. they give off a creepy cry and continue to charge towards Druid Oz. But before they could even get near to the cave''s entrance. *BOOM!* The man-eating trees gathered in front of the cave entrance, preventing any of the demons to enter it. They faithfully guard the entrance and let their master transform. Of course, Druid Oz''s transformation isn''t long. The reason why more green mana particles are gathering surrounding him isn''t because of his transformation into his Owlfolk form, but because he''s engraving his summoned wooden armor that he made as his Owlfolk form''s armor with several enchantments. This is one of the aces he has under his sleeves. The Owlfolk form that already has high stats would get even stronger after getting the boost from the engraved enchantments. After several moments, the green mana particles disperse and disappear into the thin air, revealing Druid Oz''s Owlfolk form clads in a wooden armor. The wooden armor is carved and formed beautifully and gives off elegance. "T-That''s his owlfolk form...? How beautiful..." Azaline muttered. "It''s beautiful, but..." Geeta muttered with a wry smile imprinted on her face. Even though the scene is beautiful, the anger Druid Oz''s back is emitting completely ruined it. Azaline, Geeta, and Corvus only got stunned for a while before they shudder because of the suppressed murderous intent of Druid Oz. "Take a rest, back me up when you''ve recovered," Druid Oz said shortly as he dashed towards the army of Demonized bird-type magic beasts. "Wait-" (Geeta) "There he goes. He really cares deeply about the both of you, I see..." Teased Corvus. "Shut it, Corvus. Geeta, let''s take a rest and recover quickly so we could back him up. Well, if the battle hasn''t ended yet when we did, though," (Azaline) Geeta and Azaline sit and lay their back to the cave''s walls as they drink their mana potion and stamina potion. "Well, since you, young queens, are resting. I guess I''ll go and assist the emperor outside, I''ve been itching to wreak havoc as well," said the little Corvus as he rushed outside the cave and transformed to his original huge size. When he arrived outside, he saw the sight of Druid Oz piercing through the ranks of the enemies, killing anyone he passed. Looking at his figure made Corvus unconsciously release his murderous intent. "My liege! Let me assist you!" Corvus called out his master as he''s excited to be able to battle with him. Corvus rushed and follow Druid Oz''s back. With his huge and powerful body, just like Druid Oz, he killed every demonized bird-type magic beast he passed in the same manner. With a huge grin, Corvus enjoyed the battle to the fullest. (H-He''s a big battle maniac, isn''t he?) (Druid Oz) As Druid Oz made a wry smile because of Corvus, the two familiars that had been residing inside him had become restless as well as they wanted to enjoy the battle too. (Master! Let me out! I want to fight too!) (Frostion) (Me too, master!) (Flamia) (Ah... I forgot about you lots) (Druid Oz) "Corvus, greet your junior [King] beasts. Frostion the frost lion [King] and Flamia the flame fox [King]," said Druid Oz as he summoned the both of them in the middle of the air. "[King]!?" (Corvus) "Nice to meet you, sky king!" (Flamia) "Greetings," (Frostion) Flamia and Frostion greet Corvus as they immediately chant their own spells to be able to fly. Flamia uses her magic to make a fire tornado below her, preventing her from falling. While Corvus continuously freeze the thin air, making his own footing above the skies. "As expected of the mighty emperor. Nice to meet you, juniors! Hope you won''t drag us down!" (Corvus) "Well, of course!" (Frostion) "No need to worry about that!" (Flamia) Flamia and Frostion let out a grand spell and kills hundreds of the demonized bird-type magic beasts, trying to convince Corvus about their strength. "Not bad," Corvus chuckled. "Well, I guess it won''t be fair if we have fun ourselves. Let''s call out the others as well!" Druid Oz gathered a vast amount of mana and a huge magic circle appeared on the ground. "Come! Let''s have fun, my familiars!" (Druid Oz) Following Druid Oz''s call, all of his familiars, including all of his summoned insects that had been waiting idly inside the capital appear from the huge magic circle. The sight of the hundreds of powerful magic beasts and magic insects is so beautiful that Geeta and Azaline that had taken a peek towards the situation outside the cave once again got dumbstruck by the beautiful scenery. Since all of Druid Oz''s familiars are immune from the infection of the demonic virus, they fight wholeheartedly without having the need to worry about transforming into a demon. The magic beasts that had been fighting together for quite a long time had grown quite a teamwork. The griffins and the wind jade falcons let some of the flame foxes, direwolves, frost lions, and ectra pythons that couldn''t fly hop on top of them. Looking at how Druid Oz and his familiars had turned the tables of the fight, the members of the ''Jack of All Trades'' secret order rushed to their side and aid them to take offensive steps. When Druid Oz first fight the demonized bird-type magic beasts, their number is about 20,000, and now, in less than fifteen minutes, Druid Oz and his familiars had killed about 19,000 of them, leaving only 1,000 left. "Let''s finish this quickly," Druid Oz commanded his familiars. But suddenly. "Let us join the fray as well!" Azaline''s voice entered Druid Oz''s ears. "Yes! We can''t let you have all of the fun!" Continued Geeta. "Took the both of you rather long," (Druid Oz) "Well, I need to eat some snacks to be able to completely recover, after all!" said Geeta cheerfully. (S-Snacks?) (Druid Oz) "I shouldn''t have waited for you to finish your snacks," said Azaline as she let out a sigh. "Don''t say that, Azaline. Even though you ate my snacks as well," (Geeta) "Well, I do, though..." (Azaline) "Um... You guys. If you don''t go and battle with some of the demons already, my familiars will finish all of them first, you know?" Reminded Druid Oz. "Ah! That''s right! Let''s go, Azaline!" Geeta rushed towards the remaining demonized bird-type magic beasts while riding on one of the griffins. "Wait, Geeta! Geez... By the way, Ren," Azaline about to say something to Druid Oz. But when she is about to voice her thoughts, she hesitates and the words just won''t come out. "Azaline?" (Druid Oz) "I-It''s nothing," said Azaline as she rushed towards the direction where Geeta just went to. (What is that about...?) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz pondered about what Azaline just about to say to him, and what is her reason for hesitating like that. But after a while, Druid Oz shakes his head. (There is something more important to think about right now) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz takes a glance at the army of demonized bird-type magic beasts and shifted his gaze towards where they''re going. (The secret order members said that they''re going towards the west. They are going towards the Ablux continent?) (Druid Oz) "Are they going to start their invasion towards the other continent...?" Druid Oz muttered as his thoughts processes even faster. (But it seems that there are no demonized members of the so-called guardians of this continent. And if they''re really going to attack the Ablux continent, the number of the army they sent is questionable) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz attempted to make a conclusion, but it turns out that the amount of information he possesses is still too limited. He could only make several predictions that he himself didn''t sure about the percentage of its accuracy. "I still can''t read it... What are you planning, self-proclaimed demon king?" (Druid Oz) Chapter 206 - The Holy Empires Hero Party (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14?? Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Inside the Tarot embassy in the Grandaria royal capital, two figures are having a rendezvous meeting. "So? ''I noticed your desperate calls. We, will take over from this point''. What do you mean by saying that? Are you sure you didn''t want to discuss this with Peter as well?" Asked Alfred as he crossed his hands and leans his back towards the wall. "Do I even need to answer you for those questions, Alfred?" Slime asked Alfred back as he takes a seat at his office seat. Even though he''s no longer the ambassador, he still has his own office since no matter how small part he is, he''s still a part of the emperor. "Well, hearing you answer it directly won''t be bad, Ren," (Alfred) "Because of Peter''s position, he didn''t realize it. For the others, they lack experience and the eyes to discern such things. But for you, I believe you will definitely notice it," (Slime) "That hero doesn''t really try to hide it, after all. But well, that''s why his desperation is very obvious. So what about it? You called me here not just to confirm whether I noticed it or not, right?" Asked Alfred. "Yes," said Slime as he stands and faces the window outside. With a narrowed eyes, Slime Tarot stares at the royal castle that currently has the holy empire''s hero party resting inside it. "Since the beginning, he has no intentions of hiding his strength. He intended to go all-out since the beginning, but when he lost, what appeared on his eyes are not frustration from losing, but a hint of relief instead," (Slime) "So you mean there must be a reason why he''s relieved by his loss, huh..." (Alfred) "Yes. It seems that this holy empire isn''t as holy as its name. There are several possibilities. But first, we could conclude that Peter being stronger than the hero is something that benefits the hero by the way he reacts before," (Slime Tarot) "And since Peter won the bet, it had given us the upper hand. It may be one of the reasons why the hero is relieved when he knew he lost the fight. Well, he does look kind of unpleased by the fact that he lost in the end, though," said Alfred with a shrug. "Exactly," (Slime Tarot) The bet the hero and Peter made is not a very big bet. If the hero Lian won, Peter bet that he will agree to the holy empire''s conditions without having any need of compensation, but if the hero loses, he will need to agree with anything Peter asked him to do. The weight of both bets is evenly heavy, and the others take the hero Lian''s bet as a form of confidence in his skills. But for Alfred and Slime... "He''s trying to make a way to flee from the holy empire''s grasp or something similar, is that what you''re thinking?" (Alfred) "Yes. As expected, you''re very sharp. In normal circ.u.mstances, Peter would have noticed it as well. But because his priority as the king of the kingdom is to protect the kingdom from harm, the Hero Lian from the holy empire that is considered as a possible threat for the kingdom is grouped into the possible enemy''s faction inside his head. Well, it doesn''t mean what I just said is true, though," said Slime as he shrugged. Hearing Slime''s words, Alfred snorted. "We''ve known each other for quite a long time already, so it''s normal for us to know what he''s thinking to this extent. But the bet he made is an attempt to make that hero join our side, right? Then isn''t thing going rather smoothly?" (Alfred) "Well, it is," Answered Slime indifferently. "Then why did you called me here...? They''re having a welcome banquet at the royal castle for welcoming the holy empire''s hero party, there are lots of good foods there, and shouldn''t you be present there as well? Sera and Edreale won''t let you be if you didn''t at least show yourself up a bit, you know?" (Alfred) "It won''t be good if someone from the Tarot empire that is widely known as the nonhuman empire, right?" (Slime) "Saying so after showing yourself in such a manner at the fight between that hero and Peter before... Are you trying to piss me off...?" said Alfred with a wry smile. "Well, Alfred. What do you think the holy empire is planning by gathering the so-called ''true heroes'' from all over the world?" Asked Slime as he turns his back and stares straight towards Alfred. Looking at Slime Tarot''s serious face, Alfred removes any emotion on his face as he reprocesses his thoughts. "I still couldn''t grasp their motive, I doubt they sincerely gathered us solely for fighting the demons. And I couldn''t believe the ''prophecy'' that saintess girl is saying. Everything felt fake, they must be planning something," said Alfred as he holds his chin. "Yes. I am confident to say that the holy empire a hundred percent remain hostile towards any demihuman countries, especially my Tarot empire. And after knowing that the Grandaria kingdom that possesses lots of powerful ''true heroes'' allied with the country of occults, I don''t believe they will easily take a friendly stand with the Grandaria kingdom," (Slime) "Indeed..." (Alfred) "So the friendliness is just a front. The saintess doesn''t seem to be a bad egg, and the hero seems to trust her as well. But I didn''t know about the others, well, the holy knight in their party has clearly shown his hostility, though," (Slime) "By taking the strongest fighters, the aces of the kingdom, it could be also said as they''re attempting to take the strength of the kingdom itself. Now the possibilities are two," (Slime) "Whether they''re going to make us join our side or they will try to dispose of us, huh..." Muttered Alfred as he understands the meaning of Slime''s words. "Exactly. But if they sincerely need the strength of all of you to fight off the demons, then the possibilities of them trying to dispose all of you could be eliminated, leaving a single option. But rather than attempting to make you join their side, I believe it would be ''forcing'' you joining their side," (Slime) "Forced, huh... Blackmail, brainwashing, threats, and hostages. Considering our opponent is a force that experts in hiding their dirtiness, it''s not surprising if they do that. I guess I need to prepare some countermeasures for all of those possibilities..." Alfred immediately made some plans to prevent their side to get forced into a disadvantage by getting blackmailed or brainwashed from the holy empire''s side. "By saying this, do you happen to know something I don''t, Ren?" Asked Alfred. "Well... I heard a rather disturbing rumor, you see..." (Slime) "Rumor?" Asked Alfred as he narrowed his eyes. "Yes, a rumor. About the holy empire''s ''hero summoning'' ritual. I haven''t determined whether it''s the truth or not, but it seems that it''s their real hidden aces," (Slime) "Hero summoning ritual?" (Alfred) "The heroes of the other world," (Slime) **************************************** Inside the royal castle of the Grandaria kingdom, the high officials, nobles, and high-ranked soldiers of the kingdom gathered to attend the banquet hold by the king to welcome the Holy empire''s hero party. Of course, almost all of them still hold suspicions towards the Holy empire''s hero party. All of them know about the hostility the Holy empire holds towards demihumans. And since they are on friendly terms with the Tarot empire that consists of demihumans and magic beasts, all of them believed that the Holy empire didn''t come just to be friendly with their kingdom. But since their king has decided to hold a welcome banquet for the Holy empire''s hero party, they couldn''t help but show the hospitality of the kingdom towards them and make sure they could protect the kingdom''s good name. And since it''s an official one, everyone comes in formal attire. *Clap!* *Clap!* Hearing the sound of the clap, everyone stopped chattering between each other and shift their attention towards the direction of the sound. "Everyone, first of all, thanks for being present here. As you all have known, we''ve honorable guests who came from a faraway land. The famous hero party of the Holy Empire. I hope with this occasion, we could make a friendly stand with the Holy Empire as well. Now, *Clap!* *Clap!*" (Peter) Following Peter''s claps, the royal servants and maids entered the hall, bringing the food and drinks for the banquet. "Let the party begin," (Peter) Chapter 207 - The Welcome Banquet (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14?? Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Where is that two... What the hell are they doing...?" Sera sweeps through the crowd with her eyes, searching for the two figures that should be present in the welcome banquet as well. "Sera," Edreale suddenly called out her name. "E-Eh? Ah. What is it, Edry?" (Sera) "You''re being too restless," Commented Edreale indifferently towards Sera''s strange behavior. "A-Am I?" Asked Sera with a wry smile. "Yes, you are. Your expression is wasting the beautiful dress, how about squeezing some smile?" (Edreale) "E-Even if you said so..." (Sera) The welcome banquet is a rare formal party, and as a royal princess of the kingdom, it''s obvious that Sera has to use a dress that she rarely use. Even though she doesn''t really like wearing a dress, she''s still curious about what ''that'' certain guy thought about her wearing the dress. "Does this dress even matched me? I think I suit armor more than a dress..." Muttered Sera as she stares at the light blue dress she''s wearing. "You look good on it. No need to feel so insecure about it," Edreale attempted to calm the restless Sera. "I see..." Sera finally calms down as she let out a sigh of relief. "Now that I think about it, you''re really are gorgeous in dress, Edry," said Sera about how her best friend turns out to be strangely beautiful in dress despite being expressionless. "And you seem to be rather used to using a dress too," (Sera) "I''m a bard, after all. I used to get invited into some noble weddings and other formal events where they need a bard to entertain," (Edreale) "I see... And that flute is," Sera points out at the flute Edreale is holding at her left hand. "Yes, I''m going to perform here as well, of course. I''m a bard, after all. Since I can''t accompany you because of performing, you should try taking the initiative and talk with the others, Sera. Towards that wimpy hero that has been staring at you since the beginning for example," said Edreale as she left towards the corner where some bards are performing. "Wait, Edry! Geez... How heartless..." Sera curses Edreale for leaving her alone for performing. "And why did she call him wimpy...? Who is she comparing him with...?" (Sera) (But well, this is a welcome banquet for them. Since Peter is busy with the other nobles, I guess I need to act like a proper princess and at least greet them gently) (Sera) After collecting her resolve, Sera approached the Holy Empire''s hero party that seems to be conversing with each other. Since the banquet had just started, the nobles only give some formal greetings towards the hero party, but they are still hesitating on talking to them casually. Since they might be the future enemy of the kingdom, the nobles are afraid that having a friendly conversation with the hero party might displease the king''s party and the other nobles. (It will help to break the ice as well) (Sera) "Greetings, Holy Empire''s heroes. I''ve heard of your great names, does the food here pleases you?" Sera takes the initiative of starting the conversation. The other nobles saw how the winter princess initiates the conversation with the Holy Empire''s hero party and get slightly surprised. "Of course. There are lots of foreign delicious foods here, your highness. And to be able to be graced with the presence of the bearer of the ''Endless Cold'' as well, it''s a great honor," said the Hero Lian with a smile as he slightly bows towards Sera. (So he knows about the sword... But well, it''s not unexpected for the Holy Empire to know about it) (Sera) Sera felt that his smile indicates something else, it may be a provocation, or may be just a form of a test just like how Slime Tarot did to her before. But whatever it is, Sera won''t be as careless as she did before. Face a strong front with a strong front, taking a defensive stance without retaliating could be taken as a form of weakness. As a royal princess of the Grandaria kingdom, she can''t let a person from another country capture her action as a form of weakness. "Oh my, it''s my p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e. To be able to get praised by the bearer of the ''Holy Sword'', it''s a great honor," Replied Sera with her usual smile. Even though Sera had gotten warmer towards people because of Oz, Edreale, and co, it doesn''t mean that the special ability that gave her the glorious title of the ''Ice princess'' won''t disappear that easily. It''s her natural ability, ''The ice princess''s majestic cold aura''. The saintess and Hero Lian that met her eyes felt like they''re in the middle of a snowstorm or a blizzard. The coldness emits towards them which is a potential enemy of the kingdom, just by the gaze alone, they could understand. They''re being warned. ''Overstep the boundaries, and you''ll be left frozen'' Looking at it, Hero Lian chuckled as the gaze managed to make him shivers down to his spine for a moment. "It seems that you really are connected by blood with the Grandarian king, your highness. I believe you might already know me, but still, please let me introduce myself. I am Lian Edingald. An honor to meet you," (Hero Lian) "Yes, it''s a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you as well, hero Lian. And not only you, but it''s a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of meeting all of your friends as well. I hope all of you could enjoy the banquet," Replied Sera with a smile. Some of the nobles that saw Sera taking the lead to talk with the Holy Empire''s hero party finally decided to approach them as well. Conversing with them, and maybe taking some valuable information from them might be useful for the kingdom, and it would give the king a favorable impression about them as well. Sera smiled as she''s happy her plan succeeded rather easily, but she sensed a gaze staring at her from a certain person for quite a while now. (The lady saintess, huh... I wonder what she wants... Well, she doesn''t seem to be a bad person...) (Sera) "Is there something wrong, lady saintess?" Asked Sera with a gentle smile. "A-Ah! It''s..." After getting startled for a moment, Saintess Elvira''s eyes suddenly shone as she stares at Sera like a fangirl meeting a celebrity. (It''s? Eh?) (Sera) "It''s an honor to meet you, hero of ice, Seraphina Grandaria! That coolness! That majestic aura! I''m a big fan of yours! Please help us save the world from the cruelty of the demons!!" Saintess Elvira excitedly approached Sera''s face as she holds both of Sera''s hands. "E-Eh!?!?" The unexpected turn of events is too much for Sera to process, making her head freeze out. She''s prepared to face hostility, sarcasm, and war of words with the Holy Empire''s hero party, but it turns out that she got a sudden ambush by an unexpected factor instead. "L-Lady saintess...?" Hero Lian called out the Lady Saintess that rarely loses her cool. (E-Even that guy is surprised!? W-What is this!? E-Edry!! Help me!!!) (Sera) "I-It''s nice to meet you too-" as Sera answered the lady saintess with a wry smile, a sudden familiar voice steal the attention of the whole room. It''s a song. The voice singing it is no other than Sera''s best friend, Edreale. Her voice is smooth and beautiful. The sound of the lutes, gittern, and harps form a perfect harmony that matches perfectly with Edreale''s voice. The song is slow, unlike the usual bard songs that are filled with energy, the song they''re playing is heartwarming. "So this is the famous bard hero, her voice is even more beautiful than the rumors," Muttered Hero Lian. "Her voice is so beautiful, no wonder she''s so famous. And to think that she possesses not only beautiful voice and face, she possesses great fighting abilities as well, how blessed..." Saintess Elvira muttered as she let go of Sera''s hands and closed her eyes to enjoy the song played by Edreale and the other bards. (Well, it''s Eldry, after all. And this song...) (Sera) A smile formed on Sera''s face as she closed her eyes as well. (It''s a song that Ren used to sing when he''s staring at the night sky alone) (Sera) "It''s where I left my soul~ where my origin lies~ where my soul resonates~ from where I learned warmth~ Raised on the gentle hands~ how to live and love~ my childishness hiding place ~ when the world''s too much~" (Edreale) Chapter 208 - The Welcome Banquet (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14?? Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "What song is that, Ren? It''s the first time I ever heard it," Asked Edreale as she approached Ren that is staring at the beautiful moon on top of the academy dormitory roof. "So it''s you, Edreale. I thought it''s Alfred, the both of you really have a similar presence, aren''t you?" Replied Oz with a chuckle. "Mu... It''s not a compliment, isn''t it?" (Edreale) "Of course it is. I''m complimenting your stealth ability, you know?" Replied Oz with the same smirk that he usually has. Looking at the smirk on Oz''s face, Edreale couldn''t help but wonder. ''Why does such an evil smirk matches the moon so well?'' "So? What brings the famous bard on top of a lonely roof?" Asked Oz as he didn''t even take a glance towards Edreale a single time. (The way he seems like he''s not interested. It''s irritating...) (Edreale) "I''m just bored," Replied Edreale with a slightly annoyed tone. "W-Why do you sound like you''re annoyed because of something? Ah... Are you about to gaze at the sky alone as well? Did my presence ruin your plan?" Asked Oz as he was slightly fl.u.s.tered in how the expressionless Edreale shows a slight hint of annoyance in her tone. (He finally takes a look at me) (Edreale) "No. I got interested in the song you''re singing just now. Stop changing the subject," (Edreale) "Ah... Was it that obvious?" (Oz) "A bit. I''ve known you for quite long already, after all," (Edreale) "As expected, just like Alfred, you''re sharp. Sen is also sharp, but he couldn''t guess people''s feelings like the both of you yet-" (Oz) "Stop changing subjects," Edraele cut Oz''s words as she pinched Oz. "O-Okay, I''ll tell you, it hurts, Edreale," said Oz with a wry smile. "It''s a song from my homeland," said Oz as he once again gazes at the moon. Edreale shifted her gaze from the moon back to Oz''s face. But somehow. Rather than getting fascinated by the beauty of the full moon, Edreale found herself couldn''t take her eyes off the rare expression Oz had on his face. "Homeland?" Asked Edreale. "Yes. My homeland," (Oz) "Do you want to go back there?" (Edreale) "Hm... That''s a hard question... Now that I''m here, I realized that I''ve changed quite a lot. I''ve become bolder, stronger, and I tend to forget how I always use dirty tricks to impress people before," Oz stretches his arm above as if he''s trying to grab the far away moon. "Do I want to go home, huh...? I started to think that I might be able to be something else if I return there, but even so, I don''t even know how to go back there," said Oz as a wry smile formed on his face. "You don''t know how to go back?" Asked Edreale as she tilts her head. "Hm... It''s whether I don''t know and I can''t. But I would like to believe the former. Now that I think about it, why am I even here, I wonder...?" Oz further stretches his hand as Edreale felt like he''s getting pulled by the moon. "Why am I here... Who brought me here...? That teleportation device shouldn''t be able to teleport me to such an abnormal coordinate..." (Oz) "Device?" Asked Edreale as she heard a foreign word. "Ah... It''s nothing. Forget it. It''s just a muttering of a slightly homesick guy. Anyway, do you want to learn that song? You''re a bard, after all," Oz once again changed the subject. Since it would be just a long and nonsensical story if he tells Edreale about how he teleported from another world, he thought that it would be better if he just changed the subject and teach her the song that he just sang before. "Yes, teach me," (Edreale) But Edreale is s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e and sharp. Just like Oz''s words, Edreale is sharp just like Alfred. She noticed that Oz once again changed the subject because of some reason. (So the song that he had been trying to avoid to tell me is less important than what he just muttered...) (Edreale) Edreale is curious about what it is, she wanted to know more, but at the same time, she''s slightly afraid. As a bard, everything including the people around her is an element that she could describe in her song. And she usually describes them according to their presence. Alfred is a shadow, a warm shadow. Sen is a hard-steel sword. Albus is a sofa. Sera is winter. But for Oz, his presence is the first time she had trouble describing. (He''s like a void) (Edreale) A nothingness. Something that could easily disappear, but it wouldn''t be strange if it even disappears since it''s questionable whether it exists in the first place or not. "Edreale?" (Oz) "Yes," (Edreale) "Are you alright? You seems like you''re spacing out," (Oz) "It''s nothing, It''s just..." (Edreale) (I hope I could enter that void...) (Edreale) ******************************** (She remembers, huh...) (Slime Tarot) "Ouch!" (Slime) Suddenly, Slime received a surprise attack from behind. "What are you doing, Alfred...? Aren''t you supposed to join Peter and Sera rather than wasting your time kicking me from behind?" (Slime) "I believe it''s my duty as the eldest brother to give a sort of punishment towards the guy who made my cute li''l sister sad for more than three years, though. But well, since I''ve achieved my goal, I guess I''ll go and join them and squeeze some information from those ''heroes''," Alfred said before he once again used his stealth skills and disappear into the darkness. Hearing Alfred''s words, Slime remembered how in his memories, he sensed Alfred''s presence, but the one who appeared was Edreale. Alfred was supposed to didn''t know about the song that Edreale sings. But then, judging from Alfred''s behavior, the answer is only one. (So that presence is really him, huh... That damned stalker bastard...) (Slime Tarot) *CL.A.P!* *CL.A.P!* *CL.A.P!* As Edreale finished her song, thunderous applause resonated inside the royal castle of Granadaria kingdom. "It might not be good if I appear together with Alfred, I guess I''ll just observe them from a distance for a while," Muttered Slime as he erased half of his presence and blend with the crowd. **************************** Edreale''s singing managed to steal the lady saintess''s attention for a while, but after it finished, saintess Elvira applause and praise Edreale for the magnificent performance cheerfully before once again grabbed Sera''s hand. "As expected of the famous heroic bard! Does the story about how you''re the one who gathered all of the Grandaria heroes members, your highness!? I always wait for the stories about your party''s adventures! I even heard about the stories from when you''re still in the magic academy!" (Saintess Elvira) "Eh?" (Sera) (I''m the one who gathered the others?) (Sera) "The golden king! The prodigy fire magic god! The aloof shadow! The master of swords! And the beautiful bard! It must be fate that gathered all of the great figures like you in one kingdom! I heard how your heroic leadership gathered everyone!" (Saintess Elvira) Hearing Saintess Elvira''s words confused Sera. "W-Wait, I''m not the one-" But just as Sera was about to straighten the misunderstanding, a figure appeared out of nowhere. "Well, of course, lady saintess. There is no other princess that would be able to rival our princess''s charm, charisma, and leadership. And because of it, all of us decided to join hands and make the kingdom prosper together!" Alfred said cheerfully as he raised a glass filled with wine above. "A-Alfred!?" (Sera) Alfred just smiled and give a meaningful wink towards Sera. (W-What does that mean...) (Sera) "The legendary darkness, Alfred! *Cough!* *Cough!*" Saintess Elvira finally realized how hyped she got and coughed as she regains her original composure. "Forgive me for showing you such a disgraceful side of me, your highness. Nice to meet you, Lord Alfred. I''ve heard the heroic deeds you''ve achieved in the Grandaria kingdom, it''s an honor to meet you," said Saintess Elvira as she slightly bows. "The honor is mine, lady saintess. Your beauty is just like what the rumor mentioned," Answered Alfred as he responds with a bow as well. "So you''re the famous ''darkness'' of the Grandaria kingdom, Lord Alfred?" Hero Lian joined the conversation after regaining his composure from getting shocked by the unexpected behavior of Saintess Elvira. "Yes, I am, dear blessed hero of the Holy Empire, Lian Edingald," Replied Alfred. But different from when he replied towards Saintess Elvira, Lian felt something different when he saw Alfred''s smile towards him. (This guy, he''s different from the Grandarian king) (Hero Lian) Alfred sticks out his hands. "It''s nice to meet you, hero," (Alfred) Chapter 209 - The Welcome banquet (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14?? Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Looking at Alfred sticking out his hand, offering a handshake, Hero Lian doesn''t have any choice but to accept the handshake even though he''s wary with the person before him. He couldn''t read any of the Grandarian heroes, but for Alfred, his presence alone had made him wary. His smile that obviously just a mask and the way he''s not trying to hide the fact of it''s just a mask is making him restless. As a swordsman, Hero Lian picture himself on a battlefield with Alfred. But even though they''re on a battlefield, Alfred is still full of smiles, but yet he still couldn''t find any opening. Is it confidence? Is it a farce? Is it a feint? Is it a double feint? (It''s too difficult) (Hero Lian) Hero Lian soon gives up on figuring out Alfred''s intention and accepts the handshake. "It''s nice to meet you, hero," At the moment Alfred''s and Hero Lian''s hands met. !?!? !!!!!!! "Y-You, guys..." (Hero Lian) (Excluding the saintess, it''s three, huh... But-) (Alfred) At the moment when Alfred unleashed his murderous intent, three figures immediately rushed to Hero Lian''s side. One of them pulled him, one of them grabbed Alfred''s hand and the last one points her knife on Alfred''s neck. "W-What was just..." Muttered Hero Lian in confusion. Alfred unleashed his murderous intent in just a moment and immediately retrieved it back. "Ah... Please forgive me, It seems I chose the wrong joke to use. But well, it''s a good performance. As expected of the hero party of the Holy Empire, you react- I mean, some of you reacts quickly," Alfred unleashes his usual sarcastic joke. "Please forgive my companion''s behavior. He tends to make an overboard joke, you see," Sera apologized with a slight bow. "I-It''s fine, your highness. No one''s hurt anyway. But..." Hero Lian looked at his surroundings. The nobles and soldiers didn''t seem to sense the murderous intent that Alfred unleashed for a moment before since they''re looking at the group with an expression filled with questions. "Well, isn''t it time for you to withdraw that knife of yours, Holy Empire''s best assassin, Anne Corla?" Asked Alfred without having his smile disappeared. "You''re dangerous, Alfred the darkness. Your presence risked Lord Lian''s life," Muttered the Holy Empire''s most renowned assassin, Anne Corla. Alfred had finished his research about the Holy Empire''s hero party members'' information before he arrived at the welcome party banquet, with the intel from his mercenary group that he sent to search for the information about the hero party, he managed to roughly grasp the information of all of them. (Anne Corla. She''s a former criminal captured by the Holy Empire. But her life that should be ended by a death sentence got saved by the Hero Lian, and ended up serving him and protecting him by entering his party... Her skills are great, as expected of the Holy Empire''s best assassin, but well-) (Alfred) "I recommend you to buy a new piece of knife, Miss Anne. It seems that your knife is broken, you see," said Alfred as he leisurely turns around and faces Anne the Holy Empire''s best assassin even though her knife is pointed right in front of his neck. As an assassin, Anne that got startled by how Alfred suddenly turned around strikes his neck in reflex. (Shit! I killed him!) (Anne) But even though she''s sure she had killed him, she felt something is strange. She didn''t felt her strike got connected. (Did he dodged it?) (Anne) "Well, I would be more than glad to give you one of my knives if you want, though," (Alfred) "Knife?" (Anne) (Eh!? Since when did he do this!?) (Anne) Anne couldn''t hide her shocked expression when she saw her knife had turned into dust, leaving just the handle. No one saw what really happened except for one person. "It seems that your skills are even more exceptional than what the rumors said, Lord Alfred. It would be very reassuring to fight together with you," (Saintess Elvira) (It seems that the honorable saintess is my natural enemy, huh... Well, even our element attribute is the opposite of each other... But then the Hero Lian is my natural enemy as well, I guess) (Alfred) Alfred''s element is a dark attribute, even though people tend to mistake dark element and undead element as the same attribute, it''s actually two different elements. While the undead element comes from the realm of the undead and has summoning as one of its strongest points, the dark attribute enhances the wielder with powerful strength and unique abilities. But unlike the other elements, the dark attribute that is the same as the undead attribute is considered as a forbidden element to cultivate. But in Peter''s era as a king, that kind of forbids has already been removed. In the first place, dark attributes got forbidden by the world because of their limitless strength. The dark attribute has the ability to manipulate the other attributes except for the light attribute, it has the ability to manipulate the space, and there are still lots of mysteries concerning the magic as well. "And you seem to have a wonderful pair of eyes, lady saintess, while for the others..." Alfred shifted his gaze towards the remaining two people who didn''t move even though they sensed his murderous intent. (Their strength should be at the same level as the others...) (Alfred) There are three people who make a move when Alfred unleashed his murderous intent. The first one is the woman that just got her knife destroyed by Alfred, Anne Corla, the Holy Empire''s best assassin. The second one is the one who pulled the Hero Lian, their mage, Luciana Estella. (The rumors about her reason for following the guy called Lian are vague. But judging from how she pulled him without giving another thought means she''s not an enemy, huh... While for the last one...) (Alfred) Bruce Liamborg. The one who is called the strongest spear-wielder in the Holy Empire. He''s the one who grabbed Alfred''s hand before. (His nickname is the Blazing Spear, he looks plenty rough and slightly sharp, but he''s giving an aura of a musclehead as well, so there''s no need to worry about him, I guess... Now for the other two...) (Alfred) The Holy Empire''s hero party has 7 members. With the Hero Lian as the leader, 6 left. The ones who make a move to aid the Hero Lian are three people, while even though Saintess Elvira didn''t look like she''s making any move, she''s ready to chant a barrier to deflect any attack Alfred unleashed. Two left. (The first one is the idiotic holy knight that made a ruckus at the castle... I will be more than glad to behead his head myself, but I can''t take a reckless decision since the opponent is the Holy Empire) (Alfred) (That idiotic holy knight is obviously the Holy Empire''s brainwashed minion, while for the remaining one is...) (Alfred) Ludicia Trudica. The last member of the Hero Party. She''s wearing holy knight attire as well, but her eyes are vacant. As if she had given up on the world. No. (As if she''s brainwashed... If Ren''s words are true, then the two of them are the ones that I need to be aware of, I guess...) (Alfred) "The others seem to have wonderful abilities as well. It would be my honor to be able to fight together with powerful figures such as all of you. Once again, please forgive my overboard joke before..." Said Alfred with his usual smile. Of course, the Holy Empire''s hero party noticed how insincere his smile and his words are as he''s not even hiding his insincerity. "And for miss Anne, please forgive me about your knife. Do you like to take one of my knives to replace it instead?" Asked Alfred, but of course. "Thank you for your consideration. But I have enough spares," Anne refused. "I see, then that''s good but yet a shame," Replied Alfred ambiguously. (A-Alfred... You''re ruining the mood that I had painstakingly made... But he''s right) (Sera) Sera silently curses how unexpected Alfred''s course of actions is, but at the same time, his actions made her realized. (This is not the time to act friendly, this is a beginning of a battle itself) (Sera) "Forgive for my lateness, even though I''m the host and this party is made for you, it seems that I got too absorbed with my conversation with the ministers. And it seems that my best friend has bothered you as well, please take these special wines made by our kingdom as a token of apology," said Peter as he approached the group together with Sen and Albus. "Your Majesty," (Hero Lian) Chapter 210 - The Welcome Banquet (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Forgive for my lateness, even though I''m the host and this party is made for you, it seems that I got too absorbed with my conversation with the ministers. And it seems that my best friend has bothered you as well, please take these special wines made by our kingdom as a token of apology," said Peter as he approached the group together with Sen and Albus. Behind Peter, six maids carried trays with seven glasses filled with wine. "Your Majesty," Hero Lian greets Peter with a small bow. "Please take your time and enjoy the food and the drinks. These are my token of apology, the Grandarian Shalon, one of our finest wines. Please enjoy it," (Peter) Following Peter''s words, the maids approached the Holy Empire''s hero party and offers them the wine. Most of them accepted it and took the wine except for Ludicia Trudica, the woman that also wears the holy knight''s attire. "It''s delicious!" (Saintess Elvira) "Glad to hear you like it," replied Peter, satisfied. "Indeed. It''s delicious," Hero Lian praised the wine as well, and no long after, the others that drink the wine praised the delicacy of the wine as well. Since the Holy Empire focuses on their religion, military strength, and education, they don''t really have any special foods and drinks. Their wines are all imported, and the wines that are made by the Holy Empire''s citizens are only at a decent grade and didn''t have any special traits. "Glad to hear that. Now Hero Lian, Lady Saintess, if you may, please follow us," (Peter) "Follow you?" (Hero Lian) "Yes, to continue where we left off," said Peter as he started to walk to a certain room together with Alfred, sen, Albus, and Sera. "Lady Saintess, is it fine?" Hero Lian asked Saintess Elvira as he grabbed her hand since she was about to follow them without any question. "It''s fine. They don''t look like they''re going to give us any harm, after all," said the Lady Saintess without any doubt could be seen inside her eyes. "I see if you say so then. Lucy, Ludicia, Bruce, wait here, we''ll be back in a while," said Hero Lian as he follows Peter and the others together with Saintess Elvira. From the royal great hall, they went to the king''s study where the king does his works. The royal guards that saw them kneel when Peter and co pass, and the maids and other servants bows. Saintess Elvira and Hero Lian notice how the servants, guards, maids, and butlers of the castle seem to have their satisfaction towards the royalties on top of the bar. They are full of smiles and greet Peter and co with sincere admiration which showed how good they are treated. (So the rumor about the young Grandarian King is a tyrant is false, huh...) (Hero Lian) The two royal guards that guard the king''s study opens the big door and welcome them. "Go and enjoy yourselves together with the others in the great hall," (Peter) "It''s fine, your majesty. Our duty is to guard this room with our lives," (Royal Guard) "Is that so? Then you may take some rest after your shift is finished, I''ll have your wage increased for this year," (Peter) "T-Thankyou very much, your majesty!" Both of the royal guards kneeled as they thanked Peter. "Aren''t you so generous, Peter~ Even though you''re usually-" (Alfred) "Alfred, we''re in front of our guests," Scolded Sera. "Let''s quickly finish this, shall we? I''m hungry," (Albus) "I also want to finish this quick-" (Peter) As all of them entered the king''s study, a presence suddenly appears from inside the room. "Well, I want to finish the discussion quickly as well. Let''s just start, shall we?" (Slime Tarot) "M-Mr. Slime!?" (Sera) "Why are you here...?" Asked Peter as he shifted his gaze towards the two royal guards that were supposed to be guarding the room. "W-We swear we didn''t know, your majesty! We''ve been guarding the room all day but yet we didn''t saw him entering the room at all!" (Royal Guard) "It''s fine. We''re talking about this guy anyway. We''re glad for all of the helps you''ve given us, but barging into the king''s study is still too much Mr. Slime," said Peter with a sigh. "Slime Tarot..." (Saintess Elvira) Saintess Elvira and Hero Lian stared at Slime with wary eyes as they remember the time when he deflected both the attacks of Peter and Hero Lian in the middle of their battle. (Slime Tarot... The former ambassador of the Tarot Empire that stationed in the Grandaria Kingdom... As expected, he''s harder to read more than Alfred the darkness...) (Hero Lian) Hero Lian knew that the strength of the man called Slime Tarot is not to be underestimated. But no matter how many times he checks on his aura, he couldn''t help but get confused. (He''s not a magic god nor a sword god, but yet he could deflect both of the Grandarian King and my attack in such ease? Does such a thing even possible?) (Hero Lian) As if he sensed Hero Lian''s confusion about him, their eyes met. At the time their eyes met, Hero Lian''s body immediately shivers. His piercing eyes felt as if he could see everything about him. Looking at the eyes of Slime made Hero Lian remember the day he first met Saintess Elvira. "I didn''t barge in, though. I infiltrated it when no one is inside, so it shouldn''t count. Anyway, rather than continuing this, how about we start the discussion first, your majesty?" said Slime as he shrugged. "Indeed..." Replied Peter as he sits in his study''s chair. "Let''s start, Hero Lian, Lady Saintess. After discussing with my comrades, we''ve decided to agree to help the Holy Empire''s plans on opposing the demonic force," (Peter) "You will!?" Saintess Elvira asked the Grandarian King as her eyes gleam with hope. "Yes, but with one condition," said Peter as he raises his index finger. "One condition?" (Saintess Elvira) "Yes, for one condition. If you fulfilled this condition, I''ll be more than glad to agree with your terms," (Peter) "And that condition is?" Asked Hero Lian. "We''ll decide after hearing what is the Holy Empire''s plan on ending this turmoil. Of course, I wouldn''t want to have my precious comrades get exposed to countless dangers without knowing the plans ourselves," (Peter) "Give me the detailed plans, and we''ll be the ones to judge whether the plan makes sense or not. That''s my condition. Is there anything you want to add as well, Mr. Slime?" (Peter) "Hm... I don''t," (Slime) "Then I guess-" (Peter) "If Mr. Slime didn''t have anything to add, then may I add one thing, Pete- your majesty?" Alfred suddenly cut Peter''s words. "A-Alfred... You''re cutting the king''s words..." Sera scolded him once again with a sigh. "It''s fine, Sera. What is it, Alfred?" Asked Peter as he noticed that Alfred may have noticed something that he missed. Both of them have become the leaders of the Red Fall mercenary group for three years, and both of them know each other well. Peter had realized about Alfred''s sharpness in noticing undetected things since the time they''re still in the magic academy, but after working together with him for three years, he got even sure of how sharp and keen Alfred''s eyes are. Because of that, Peter knows very well how important Alfred''s thoughts are. "I want to hear another thing as well. Rather than the Holy Empire''s plans, I want to know ''your'' plans, Hero Lian," Alfred''s eyes shone when he mentioned the word ''your'', and with his sharp eyes, he noticed a slight reaction in Hero Lian''s face when he mentioned it. But different from the Hero Lian, Saintess Elvira didn''t even flinch when he mentioned it. (Does she didn''t know about it... Or does she know but she''s just too formidable that she didn''t flinch...) (Alfred) Alfred got distracted for a while as he''s trying to seek the truth from Saintess Elvira''s reaction, but after a moment, he immediately drops the thoughts as his current target is Hero Lian. "I noticed your calls, and I noticed there''s something that you wanted to convey to our king and us. I''m afraid that if you continue to stall the time and delay the timing of telling us your true objectives, then it might be too late to do so, Hero Lian," (Alfred) Of course, it''s just a lie. Even if Hero Lian didn''t tell them what is his plans here, it won''t be too late. It''s just a manner of words Alfred used to corner the Hero Lian. (The one who got officially ''Worshipped'' and ''Baptized'' as a hero. The wielder of the holy sword, Lian Edingald. Now, tell me your secrets) (Alfred) Chapter 211 - Reinforcements (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ Not long after Azaline and Geeta joined the fight together with Druid Oz''s familiars, the bird-type demonized magic beasts finally got wiped out. But even though the demons are defeated, Druid Oz still couldn''t feel at ease. (They are heading towards the Ablux continent...? By the crazed state they are in, they won''t feel exhausted even if their muscles got torn apart, so they might succeed in crossing the ocean. But 20,000 demons won''t just-) (Druid Oz) As Druid Oz continue to process his thought, he realized one thing. (Are they trying to spread the infection towards the Ablux continent as well...?) (Druid Oz) Cold sweats started to gather at Druid Oz''s forehead. Even if there is only 1 percent of the demons that managed to successfully arrive at the Ablux continent, as long as they managed to give even a scratch towards the habitants of the Ablux continent, the demonic infection will crazily spread at a terrifying speed. (In this place where the habitants are the Owlfolks that possess the ability to fly, several countries still got wiped out by the demonic infection. The state the Galhala Kingdom is in is without a doubt, a miracle) (Druid Oz) "Luckily I met Charnia early and managed to join hands together with the Galhala Kingdom. If I don''t-" (Druid Oz) As Druid Oz is in the middle of praising his luck, the trees from the forest gave him a signal that they sensed a powerful presence heading towards his direction at a terrifying speed. "A visitor. And he''s heading right to me, huh..." (Druid Oz) *BOOM!!!* Suddenly one of the man-eating trees got destroyed in pieces. "What happened?" (Azaline) "New enemy?" (Geeta) Azaline and Geeta react quickly as they saw a figure dashing towards Druid Oz at a terrifying speed. Druid Oz calmly observes the approaching figure and when he grasps a clear image of him, Druid Oz widened his eyes in surprise. One of his worst scenarios turns out to be true. *BOOM!!!!!!!!!* ""Ren!!!"" The figure crashed towards Druid Oz, making a big sound of an explosion and sends powerful shockwaves to the surroundings. The leaves and branches of the surrounding trees got sent flying because of the powerful shockwaves. "You. Who are you?" Asked Druid Oz as his eyes became sharper. Azaline and Geeta got relieved when they saw Druid Oz managed to block the strike with a huge wooden shield, but when they saw the figure that attacked Druid Oz, the words of warning from Corvus the Sky King resonated inside their mind. "Are you a guardian?" (Druid Oz) Druid Oz noticed that the eyes of the owlfolk before him are still shining with consciousness. He''s not crazed by the demonification, but without a doubt, judging from his appearance, he''s already got demonized. (Blackish-red claws, red skin, and a head that looks like a combination of a demon and an owl. Without a doubt, he''s already demonized. So an infected one that already got demonized could still possess a consciousness?) (Druid Oz) "Once again, Are you a guardian?" Druid Oz asked the owlfolk before him once again. (His strength is far behind the normal soldier''s strength, and that golden helmet it''s using, his appearance matches with what I heard from the prime minister, Allomere) (Druid Oz) "I have no obligation to tell you. You need to die," The demonized owlfolk pulled his claws that got stuck in Druid Oz''s summoned wooden shield, and free himself. But when he gathered more mana on his wings, it had become too late. "That''s a shame, I don''t have any intention of dying yet. Try not to kill him, Azaline, Geeta," (Druid Oz) "Roger!" (Geeta) *BOOM!!!* Geeta that suddenly appeared above the demonized owlfolk strikes him with her big greatsword combined with her tremendous strength, sending the demonized owlfolk crashing to the ground. Druid Oz couldn''t help but be amazed at how a big strength she could muster despite having such a slender body. "Azaline!" (Geeta) "On it!" (Azaline) Azaline shots a dozen of magical arrows, sticking the demonized owlfolk to the ground with the powerful magical arrows. Azaline possessed restricting and paralyzing arrows that could be used to restrict an opponent as well, but the magic arrows she shot towards the demonized owlfolk are her usual ones. "It won''t be good to waste the good arrows, after all," (Azaline) With its body got stuck to the ground because of the magical arrows, the demonized owlfolk couldn''t break free or even move. And even if it managed to break through, all of Druid Oz''s familiars had already gathered at the ground, growling and threatening it with their own ways, ready to shred him to pieces if their master ordered them to. "Calm down, guys. We need to question him, it would be-" (Druid Oz) Once again, Druid Oz got signals from the surrounding trees. But this time, rather than a powerful presence dashing at a tremendous speed, it''s an army of demons and demonized magic beasts coming from the south and north. (A pincer attack. There are about 10,000 at North and 7,000 at South. And they attack in such a great timing) (Druid Oz) "Prepare formation," Druid Oz ordered his familiars, the man-eating trees, Geeta, and Azaline as he observes the skies and the surroundings. "Ren?" (Azaline) "So you''ve been watching us from the start, huh... It''s my miss to think that I''m the only one that spies on the opposition, I guess. [Earth Bullet]" Druid Oz sent an [Earth Bullet] towards a direction of a certain tree. *A bat''s shriek* It''s a bat. To be more precise- (It''s familiar. And a bat, huh... Typical for a demon...) (Druid Oz) "Ren, lots are coming," said Geeta as she sensed the countless presence approaching them from the south and the north. Even if they run, getting pursued will be more difficult. But they don''t need to run, Druid Oz has his [Flower Warp] magic. By unsummoning all of his familiars, he could warp together with only Azaline, Geeta, and the rest of the man-eating trees and arrive at the Galhala Kingdom. But if he teleports. (There''s a possibility that they will cross the continent. My main body and the other clones should be witnessing this fight and they must have noticed the same thing as I did. But stationing the troops at the east side of the Ablux continent without getting noticed is difficult and will take a long time...) (Druid Oz) "Geeta," (Druid Oz) "Yes?" (Geeta) "Azaline," (Druid Oz) "Hm?" (Azaline) "Exhausted yet?" Asked Druid Oz as he tapped the ground and other four man-eating trees appeared from the ground. "Of course not!" said Geeta as she raises her greatsword. "We could fight, there will be trouble if we don''t, right?" Asked Azaline as she knows there is a reason why Druid Oz didn''t decide to retreat. "Yes. But remember, don''t get even a scratch. The demons here have a sort of demonic virus infection here, a scratch, and you''ll transform into a demon after a while," (Druid Oz) "T-That''s not good. I don''t want to be a demon," (Geeta) "True. Being as ugly as a demon is not something I want. We''ll retreat and rest when we''re tired. No need to worry, Ren," (Azaline) "Okay. My familiars will guard the both of you when you''re tired. Since the demonic infection didn''t affect my familiars, the both of you don''t need to worry about them," (Druid Oz) "Okay!" "Okay~" "My liege, what about me?" Asked Corvus as he approached Druid Oz. Since Corvus the sky king is not Druid Oz''s familiars, Druid Oz is unsure whether he will get infected or not. And if he did get infected and transform into a demon, it will be a great disaster considering his powerful strength. "Focus on maintaining your barrier armor, I''m not sure whether you''ll get infected or not. It''s better to prevent taking an unnecessary risk, Corvus," (Druid Oz) "As you wish, my liege," said Corvus as he bowed his head towards Druid Oz. He''s still in his mini bird form as he''s conserving his strength after the fight, looking at him made Druid Oz want to say he''s cute, but it might hurt his pride as a king so he prevents his mouth from letting the word out. "Then, let''s prepare for the second wave," (Druid Oz) But once again, as the demonic army was about to enter their view, Druid Oz, Geeta, Azaline, and the others sensed a big number of presences coming from the East. But this time, they''re not demonic presences. "Who are they?" (Geeta) "Another enemy?" (Azaline) "No," Replied Druid Oz as a smile formed on his face. "They''re on our side," (Druid Oz) Chapter 212 - Reinforcements (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Who are they?" (Geeta) "Another enemy?" (Azaline) Azaline and Geeta are worried that if they got attacked from three sides at one time, it would be a great danger for them even if the both of them are [Queen] ranked. "No," Replied Druid Oz as a smile formed on his face. "They''re on our side," said Druid Oz as he stared at the upcoming army from the east. "On our side?" Azaline follows Druid Oz''s line of sight and after a while, the sight of thousands of owlfolk flying in a high speed clad in beautiful golden armor. "That''s... owlfolks...?" (Geeta) With the speed of the owlfolks, they approached Druid Oz at a higher speed than the demons that are marching towards them from the north and the south. "Ren! We''ve come to help!" Claria''s figure entered Druid Oz''s sight as she slowly descends in front of him and transforms into her human form. "Claria, aren''t you supposed to be in the middle of the conference with the nobles and the generals?" (Druid Oz) "There are father, mother, and grandpa attending it, so it will without a doubt proceed smoothly even if I''m not there. I''ve heard the report from the royal guards that father sent to tail you," (Claria) "So it''s really is his doing, huh..." said Druid Oz with a wry smile. "What are you even thinking, battling with armies of demons alone!?" (Claria) "I''m not alone, though... You don''t need to be so worried," (Druid Oz) "Even so, it''s dangerous! I know you''re strong, but it''s still dangerous! And..." Claria suddenly stopped her sentence midway. "And?" (Druid Oz) Claria suddenly grabs Druid Oz''s hands and grasped them tightly. "It made me feel useless. Please stop keeping me in the dark, tell me, and ask for my help. I''m the general princess of the great Galhala Kingdom, you know? You should rely on me more!" (Claria) "Claria..." (Druid Oz) Like a battering ram, pounding its way through the impenetrable fortress Druid Oz had made, like how he had experienced several times before, once again, her words give him a big impact. As a magician, locking the heart, showing a farce, using a facade, mastering bluffs, equipping countless masks, and lots of other trickery and lies are skills that he needs to master. The man called Oz might be a genius man that could excel in almost everything, but he still lacks humanity. The thing to be a human, to have a heart, it''s a foreign region that he never once entered. He never had the chance to do so in the previous world, everything is a performance, everything is a way to prove himself as a magician that could make the impossible become possible. And in this world, he still occasionally look at everyone near him with the same subject. Sometimes they are an accomplice for a performance. Sometimes they are only an audience. Just like a pandora box for him. At first, he that has grown bored of earth seeks to have fun and search for new audiences for his performance. But as time goes along, he realized that he has rarely used any trick and do any performance in this world. Fighting with swords, bows, and magic. A fantasy world with kingdoms, magic beasts, and wars. He realized that he got too immersed in this ''RPG-like'' world. He got too fond of it and got fond of new things as well. And to add how he''s now got split up into dozens of clones, his personality starts to crumble, he felt like his humanity that is b?r?ly there, to begin with, started to fades. "S-Stop right there!! Stop holding his hands!!" Geeta suddenly appeared in the middle of them, separating Druid Oz''s hands from Claria''s. "Yes! Stop holding Ren''s hands!" (Azaline) Druid Oz stared at the sight before him. The elf girl and the goblin girl that had accompanied him since his first arrival in this world. He always knows that they have a feeling for him, but he''s afraid. As for how people always fear the things they do not understand and could not comprehend, the magician is afraid of the foreign feeling of getting fond of a ''living'' being. He always believes that it is always his fate to not get too involved in other people. He couldn''t picture himself being together with them, they''re from different worlds, leaves from different trees, to be with the other side, one will wither. Not only him, but the people around the magician felt the same thing as well. The ''grey'' world the magician is living in, and it made them too afraid to cross the line to him. Geeta, Aegir, Azaline, and the others, all felt the same thing. Realizing that they came into a silent agreement about it, the magician didn''t think much about it and decide to continue their ''fixed'' distance. And now, a girl had stepped the line for the first time. (No, it''s not the first time, I guess) (Druid Oz) Maybe it''s just her being less sharp than the others in reading the atmosphere, but even so, her reactions and responses towards the lines Druid Oz has drawn always waver his thought. (I guess I''ve been thinking too much) (Druid Oz) His b?r?ly exist humanity that he felt start to fading after splitting into clones, started to grow even bigger than he possesses in the beginning. (How arrogant of me to think that I could read everything) (Druid Oz) At the first glance, it looks like a man that doesn''t want to hurt people near him since he didn''t know when he might die since the original body is still in an unknown state. But in the other glance, it might be just a man running away from something he couldn''t understand and comprehend in fear. Afraid of taking risks that might come from crossing the lines in a relationship. Afraid of hurting and getting hated. (Did my soul got turn into a child as well, I wonder?) (Druid Oz) "Why should I!? He''s my fiance! I''m permitted to do anything I want! And who are the both of you anyway!?" Rebutted Claria strongly. "W-We are..." (Azaline) "We''re... We''re... We''re his fiances too!" (Geeta) "That''s a lie! He never told me anything about that! And your reaction is suspicious!" (Claria) "Ren! Explain it to her!" Azaline that couldn''t muster the embarrassing words like Geeta did decide to vent her emotion at Druid Oz directly. "Well, I''m afraid we won''t have much time to talk right now. I''ll answer all of your questions later, but for now," Druid Oz summoned his wooden staff again. "We have some demons to kill," (Druid Oz) Hearing Druid Oz''s words, they realized that they got too immersed in their own world. When they focus on their surroundings, they realized that the demons are indeed had gotten near. (I guess I need to make sure this guy won''t break free first) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz tapped his staff to the ground, and dozens of strong roots appeared from underground, bounding and restricting the demonized owlfolk that they just captured and bury him underground. But Druid Oz makes sure to make several small holes to make sure he won''t die because of the lack of oxygen. With the demonized owlfolk got buried underground, Druid Oz''s magic beasts finally could focus on the upcoming enemies as they start to split up and form a defensive formation. "Claria," (Druid Oz) "Yes. The royal guards that tailed you reported in a hurry that you''re facing an army of demons and my father immediately commanded the royal guards to help the royal army. I brought 5,000 soldiers with me," (Claria) "I see..." Druid Oz stared at the army of owlfolk that started to descend to the ground with their owl form, ready to fight anytime. All of them stared at him with trust and seem to be willing to accept any order Druid Oz gave them. "Our kingdom is indebted with you since you''ve helped us face several turmoils already, and all of them knew about it. It''s not strange for them to look up at you, Ren," said Claria proudly as she''s satisfied that her fiance is admired by the royal guards and soldiers under her. "I don''t know how to respond to that, but I guess ''I''m glad'' should be enough. Split the army into two, we''re going to counter their pincer attack with another pincer," (Druid Oz) "Okay, I''ll lead one of-" (Claria) "No, you stay here, Claria," (Druid Oz) "Eh?" (Claria) "Ask two competent leaders to lead, I want you here," (Druid Oz) Chapter 213 - Reinforcement (3) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Okay, I''ll lead one of-" (Claria) "No, you stay here, Claria," (Druid Oz) "Eh?" (Claria) "Ask two competent leaders to lead, I want you here," (Druid Oz) "Eh?" (Azaline) "Ren!?" (Geeta) "W-What do you mean by that?" Asked Claria as she holds her cheeks that started to reddens. "Just as I fear, there are some guardians that got demonized into demons. They are quite strong, and the one leading the two demonic aerial forces this time might be the demonized guardians as well. I want the three of you to face them," (Druid Oz) "A-Ah... I see... That, huh..." (Claria) "Yes, go and tell the soldiers," (Druid Oz) "Okay..." (Claria) (Did I do something wrong?) (Druid Oz) "Not different from usual, huh, *Sigh!*" Azaline suddenly muttered as she let out a heavy sigh. "*Sigh!* True... Now I feel sorry for her," Geeta followed suit. "Hm? What are both of you talking about?" (Druid Oz) "Nothing~ It''s girls-only talk~" (Geeta) "Yes, it''s nothing," (Azaline) "Is that so? Then let''s get focus for a while. I''m getting tired, I want to go back, take a hot bath, and eat," said Druid Oz as he transforms into his owl form. "Whoa~ So you''ve gotten the owlfolk''s owl form too now! That''s dope!" (Geeta) "Since that''s an army of owlfolks, then you must be staying at an owlfolk kingdom, aren''t you?" asked Azaline. "Yes, I do," (Druid Oz) "As expected of his imperial majesty! You even managed to befriend the owlfolk! And made a princess of the kingdom fall- *Bfft!*" Azaline closed Corvus''s mouth that had transform into his mini-sized bird. "I see... I want to look at the owlfolk kingdom myself. Let''s finish this quickly, I guess," said Azaline as she drinks a mana potion and ready her bow. "Want some?" Asked Azaline as she offers a mana potion towards Druid Oz. "No, it''s fine. I''m in the middle of a thick forest, my mana regeneration is increased for several folds already so it will be hard for me to run out of mana," (Druid Oz) "Is that so? Ah. Here they come," (Azaline) The flying demonized bird-type magical beast army starts to enter their view. They''re flying towards their direction at a normal speed, and Druid Oz expected, the ones leading the armies are demonized owlfolks with the same guardian helmet that Druid Oz saw before. "Impossible. I don''t want to believe this... To think that the guardians would get demonized as well..." Claria couldn''t believe the sight since as an owlfolk, the legends of the guardians had been passed down to every kid, while the ?du?ts, the soldiers, and the nobles all adore the guardians. Their powerful strength, their noble presence, and their glorious achievements in protecting the continent have been a story that had become a tradition to pass on. If the people heard about the news about the fall of the guardians, it will make them greatly lose their hope and sense of security. "Even so, for now, you need to accept the reality and proceed forward, Claria. We''re still unsure whether all of the guardians had transformed into a demon or not as well. There is still some hope," Druid Oz attempted to comfort her. "Yes, I know... I know," Claria gripped her sword tightly as she continues to stare at the demonized owlfolk. "Corvus, is that a guardian as well? Just like the one that we just captured before?" Asked Azaline. "Yes, my queen. The one that his imperial majesty and you both young queens just captured are without a doubt a guardian as well, but his rank must be a low one since his strength couldn''t be compared with that two that is approaching us," (Corvus) "I see... So how should we play, Ren?" (Geeta) "The three of you will face the two guardians, I will set it up, while Corvus and my familiars will lower their number, and the warriors from the Galhala Kingdom will finish them with their march from behind of them. Could you guys do that?" (Druid Oz) """Of course!""" "Miss owlfolk princess, try not to slow us down and become a deadweight, ''kay?" Provoked Geeta as she ready her greatsword. "That''s my line," Claria replied unwaveringly as she transforms into her owl form. "Then that''s good. Make sure to not get hit by my arrows," (Azaline) "I won''t!" (Claria) "Here they come, prepare for battle!" (Druid Oz) """Yes!!""" Druid Oz''s plan is simple, rather than having the two demonized guardians have a match a duel with either Claria, Geeta, or Azaline, it would be better if it became a 3 vs 2 fight. And to do that, all he needs to do is to lure the two demonized guardians to get far away from their army. (But to lure them, I don''t really need to do anything, I guess. If my guess is right) (Druid Oz) "They''ll be coming right to me," (Druid Oz) Just like the guardian that dashed to him alone before, it''s clear that the command they got is to kill Druid Oz. If not, then they won''t be sending the army that they''re going to send towards the Ablux continent to attack him. (In short, they''ve concluded that I''ll definitely hinder their plans and have decided to get rid of me as soon as possible, huh...) (Druid Oz) And just like what Druid Oz guessed, the two guardians immediately dashed towards Druid Oz''s direction when they spotted him. But without making the slightest move, Druid Oz remains calm. *BOOM!!!* The two guardians that dashed towards Druid Oz attacked him from two different sides, ignoring the others and only focuses on getting rid of Druid Oz. And that''s their blunder. Before the guardians could get near him, Geeta and Claria blocked their attacks, preventing them from touching Druid Oz. "Good, I''ll leave this place to the three of you," said Druid Oz as he slowly flies in his owlfolk''s owl form. "Okay~" (Geeta) "You can leave it to us," (Azaline) "Careful," Unlike the others, Claria continues to show her concern for Druid Oz despite knowing his strength. And without her knowing, that behavior of her irritates both Geeta and Azaline. "Yeah. Let''s go, Corvus," Replied Druid Oz as he flies together with Corvus the sky king, and dashed towards the army of demons together with his other familiars. "Yes, my liege," (Corvus) But of course, the two demonized guardians won''t let him go that easily. One of them immediately dashed to chase Druid Oz, but suddenly- *Whoosh!* Two magical arrows suddenly pierced his body. "Tsk!" The demonized guardian clicked his tongue as he avoided the other magical arrows that were about to hit him. The arrows shot by Azaline are precise, quick, and powerful, making it hard for the guardian to dodge it and end up getting hit by several magical arrows again. But of course, Azaline and Geeta know that the damage given is not enough to defeat the demonized guardian yet. "Smash!" Geeta that appeared behind the guardian swings her greatsword towards the demonized guardian with her powerful strength, sending the demonized guardian crashing to the ground, but this time, it''s not the same as the demonized guardian before. "Did she get him?" (Claria) "No. That demon blocked it," Answered Azaline as she narrows her eyes. What Azaline''s focusing her sight on is not on the demonized guardian, but towards the strange expression her best friend has. (Geeta is shocked? That''s!?) (Azaline) Azaline spotted claw marks on her armor. "Claw marks...? Geeta! Are you okay!?" Azaline calls out in worry. Druid Oz did Warn them not to get even a scratch from any demonized demon since they might transform into a demon because of the infection, after all. (Why did he order us to battle with the guardians in the first place then!? The opponents are the legendary guardians of this continent! Get a single scratch and we might turn into a demon! Doesn''t this felt like he''s asking the three of us to die!?) (Azaline) Azaline strongly protested inside her heart, and at the same time, she mocks her own self for not realizing this since the beginning. "I''m fine! It''s just a scratch on the armor! It didn''t even break the-" As Geeta rubs the part of her armor that got grazed by the demonized guardian, she felt something unexpected on it. "T-This is?" (Geeta) Chapter 214 - Reinforcement (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "This is...?" Geeta exclaimed in surprise. Woods slowly appear from inside her armor, covering the parts that got grazed by the demonized owlfolk. Geeta, Azaline, and Claria didn''t question what kind of magic made it happened, it is just that it was the form of Druid Oz''s worry that surprised them. (So even if their attacks destroyed the armor, the wood will replace it, huh... Just when did he do this...?) (Geeta) "I see... So he''s worried, after all. I wonder when did he manage to do that, but I guess it''s meaningless to think about it, huh..." said Azaline as she once again ready her bow. The fact that Druid Oz made such a protective system in worry is enough to heighten her fighting spirit to the peak. "Overprotective, isn''t he?" (Claria) "True, but I guess we don''t really have the leeway to have a conversation, right now," (Azaline) "Indeed..." (Claria) *Boom!* The demonized guardian that got sent crashing to the ground by Geeta gets up and shot a firebolt spell towards Azaline. Claria and Azaline''s senses are sharp so they immediately notice it and evaded the spell easily. "Let''s regroup!" (Azaline) "Okay~" "Agreed," Just like what Druid Oz intended, the two demonized guardians that had tasted the strength of Azaline, Claria, and Geeta decided that they won''t be able to defeat Druid Oz if they didn''t defeat the three of them first. Because of that, the two demonized guardians regroup just like Azaline, Claria, and Geeta. But of course, the demonized guardian that got sent crashing to the ground by Geeta is wounded. He''s greatly wounded because of it, but it doesn''t mean he''s no longer a threat. Azaline and Claria witnessed the scene while Geeta experienced it beforehand how the demonized guardian that she land a clean strike managed to take advantage of the momentum to graze her armor with its claws. "They''re strong," (Geeta) "Yeah. Their decision-making, their battle-senses, and their raw strength, no wonder the guardians are feared in the Eastaria continent..." (Azaline) Right at the moment Geeta''s greatsword touched the demonized guardian''s armor, he immediately realized that he just got careless and will definitely get sent crashing to the ground judging by the great momentum of Geeta''s strike. Knowing that, he bends his body forward, raises his lower body, and stretches his legs, aiming to give Geeta a slash from his claws by taking advantage of her strike''s momentum. (Even though Geeta might look like an airhead, she''s actually smart, that shock in her expression is not just because of the magic wood that appears from her armor because of Ren''s magic, but she''s also surprised by the quick reaction of the guardians...) (Azaline) "Are you scared, now?" (Claria) "Of course not-" (Azaline) *Whoosh!* Claria suddenly dashed towards the two demonized guardians in her owl form without waiting for Geeta that is also a melee-fighter like her. "Wait!" Geeta immediately chased over her. (That stupid girl! That two damned owls are very strong! You''ll get- She''s damned fast!!) (Geeta) Claria''s speed is fast, with her strong feet that enable her to make a fast leap, boosted by the powerful wings of the owlfolk, her speed is easily two folds or even faster than Geeta. Without getting startled, the two demonized guardians expressionlessly dashed towards Claria in response. But still, Claria''s dash is faster than them. But even so, they determined that Claria recklessly rushing towards them alone is an advantage for them. It''ll help them eliminate one of their three targets. *Poof!* !?!?!? "Wha!?" (Geeta) Not only Geeta and Azaline, but Claria''s actions also surprised the two demonized guardians as well. (S-She transformed into her human form!? And that sword...) (Azaline) *Slash!* *Slash!* *Slash!* In a split moment, Claria made the two guardians get a considerable loss. The demonized guardian that already got damaged by Geeta before lost his legs and got a single slash, while the other demonized guardian lost one of his wings. "She transformed into her human form to evade the attacks from those demons, huh..." (Azaline) The demonized guardians that had calculated Claria''s speed ready their claws that had been installed with powerful blades and position them to collide with Claria''s claws while the other demonized guardians position them to behead Claria''s head, but it turns out their calculated position became their downfall instead. The huge body of her owlfolk''s owl form suddenly transforms into the human form, letting Claria easily evade the attacks, and at the same time, she slashed the two demonized guardians that are wide open after having their attacks evaded, and transform back into her owl form. (That strike, it''s Ren''s dance-like style of swordsmanship...) (Azaline) Claria''s slash while spinning, allowing her to give two blows in one swing without having her momentum gone. That swordsmanship technique is something that she imitates from Druid Oz when he''s having his personal morning training. She always observes all of Druid Oz''s beautiful techniques when he''s training himself, other than getting fascinated by him, she also observes all of his moves, thinking that it might be useful for her as well. "Whoa! Not bad, owl girl!! I won''t lose, though!! [Herculean Slash]!!!!!" (Geeta) The two demonized guardians that got an unexpected severe damage from Claria haven''t managed to regain their balance and composure unluckily need to face Geeta''s powerful strength. *BOOM!!!!!* Again, Geeta''s powerful strength sends the two demonized guardians crashing to dozens of trees. But it''s not the end of their attack. "Sorry, but this is the end! [Arrows of Judgement]!!" (Azaline) Azaline shoots four magical arrows towards the two demonized guardians, sending two magical arrows to each demonized guardian. But even though it''s called [Arrows of Judgement], the size of the arrows easily surpass a spear. (This should confirm our victory) (Azaline) *BOOM!!!* A big explosion suddenly appeared from the direction of the blasted demonized guardians, burning the trees around it. (An explosion?) (Azaline) "D-Did that skill of yours have that kind of perks?" Asked Geeta as she is readying her greatsword again. "No, my [Arrows of Judgement] deals huge damage, but it won''t make such a big explosion. Did they self-destruct themselves...?" Azaline muttered as she couldn''t shake off the uneasiness she''s feeling. "As expected, huh... But judging from the tension of the atmosphere, it doesn''t seem that they''ve taken the self-destruct route, though..." said Geeta as a wry smile formed on her face. And suddenly- "Careful! They''re coming again! They''re not dead yet-" (Claria) Two figures bigger than before suddenly rushed towards them at a terrifying speed that doesn''t match their size and appearance. (That''s the two demonized guardians from before... Does getting to the brink of death triggered them into going berserk!?) (Claria) "Tch!" Claria clicked her tongue as the two berserk demonized guardians dashed towards her at a terrifying speed. It seems that the two of them are holding a grudge towards her for being the primary reason for their loss. *Whoosh!* Claria managed to evade the combined attack from the demonized guardians once again by using the same trick as before. By transforming into her human form and positioning her body quickly with her high agility, he managed to evade the berserk demonized guardians and get the opportunity to deliver a counterattack. But, unlike before. *Crack!* (M-My sword broke!?) (Claria) "I-It broke!? Just how much stronger did their skin become!?" (Geeta) As Claria strikes the two berserk demonized guardians with her sword, her sword got broken and shattered into pieces. (This sensation... It''s as if I''m striking a lump of magic adamantine ore... Just how many times did they got strengthened because of getting berserk!?) (Claria) Because of the berserk state the two demonized guardians entered, their bodies got bigger for more than two folds, their skin gets even redder, thicker, and stronger than before, while their agility got increased into two folds as well. (That''s a damned big boost they just got!) (Geeta) "We need to retreat!" (Claria) Since Claria failed to deliver her counterattack because of the unexpected toughness of the berserk demonized guardians'' skin, the two berserk demonized guardians easily stabilize themselves and change their directions to chase over Claria once again. "Tsk!" Claria clicked her tongue in response to how boosted the berserk demonized guardians get. She got chased by the two berserk demonized guardians while getting bombarded with magic spells, dodging all of the spells took all of her focus, leaving her no room to counterattack. "Azaline! I''m gonna use it!" (Geeta) "Okay!" (Azaline) (Use it?) (Claria) Geeta raised her hand above, but something strange is in her raised hand. It''s a card. "Major arcana activate, [The Strength]!" (Geeta) Chapter 215 - Geeta The Strength [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Tsk!" Claria clicked her tongue in response to how boosted the berserk demonized guardians get. She got chased by the two berserk demonized guardians while getting bombarded with magic spells, dodging all of the spells took all of her focus, leaving her no room to counterattack. (I guess I have no choice, I need to use it!) (Claria) "Azaline! I''m gonna use it!" (Geeta) "Okay!" (Azaline) (Use it?) (Claria) Geeta raised her hand above, but something strange is in her raised hand. It''s a card. "Major arcana activate, [The Strength]!" (Geeta) Following Geeta''s call, the card on her hand disappeared, while at the same time, a big blue card appeared on the Ground below Geeta. The card shone with a shining blue light. "Owl princess! Here! Azaline! Cover!" (Geeta) Without any doubt, Claria immediately dashes with all of her might towards Geeta''s direction. With the help of Azaline''s cover, none of the spells that the berserk demonized guardians sent towards Claria were able to hit her. All of them got blocked by Azaline''s magic arrows. (Her accuracy is beyond compare!) (Claria) "I don''t know what you''re planning, but I leave it to you!" said Claria as she finally flies past Geeta. "Okay~ Just remember to pay me with lots of delicious owlfolk''s snacks later, ''kay~" (Geeta) With Claria passing Geeta, the closest target before the two berserk demonized guardians is Geeta. Realizing that, the two berserk demonized demons immediately changed their target and dashed towards Geeta. Before getting into melee range, both of them sent the spells that they used when they''re chasing Claria before. But strangely, Geeta didn''t bother to dodge it, and Azaline didn''t shoot any of her magical arrows to block it either. "W-What are you doing!?" (Claria) "Hehehe~ Not that easy big owls~" (Geeta) A pillar of blue light soars to the sky, surprising Claria and the two berserk demonized guardians. The light comes from the big blue card below Geeta, with the pillar of light with Geeta in the middle of it, Geeta''s figure completely gone. But at the same time, the projectile magic chanted by the two berserk demonized guardians got blocked by the pillar of blue light. It all happened in a split second. *BOOM!!!* As if the two berserk demonized guardians got smashed by an invisible thing, the two berserk demonized guardians suddenly got buried to the ground. Claria that had been staring at the scene in focus shocked as she couldn''t catch anything with her eyes. The two berserk demonized guardians just got smashed to the ground with a very powerful force that made them get buried for more than ten meters underground. And before she notices, Geeta that supposed to be in the middle of the blue pillar of light is now standing beside Azaline. (Since when did she?) (Claria) Claria shifted her head and saw that the blue pillar of light that got emitted by the huge blue card on the ground had disappeared together with the card. "Here, your snack," Azaline take out a chocolate bar from her spatial bag and gave it to Geeta. "Thanks~" Geeta took it and immediately ate half of it in one bite. "Guess that settled it then. The guardians are stronger than I imagined..." (Azaline) "True. I guess Corvus''s words are true, after all. It''s not like I don''t believe his words, though," (Geeta) (She''s strong! Without a doubt, she definitely did something towards that two demonized guardians. And I couldn''t catch her movements at all... So this is the people from Ren''s empire...?) (Claria) Claria is still shocked by the unexpected end of the berserk demonized guardians. And to add that Azaline and Geeta acting as if nothing special happened made her realize how strong both of them are. "Yeah. I guess it''s time to go help Ren and-" Just as Azaline is about to finish her sentence of helping Druid Oz and his familiars as she raises her head to see how the battle''s situation, the scene of countless corpses falling from the skies like a rain surprised her and made her stop her sentence. Following Azaline''s and Geeta''s line of sight, Claria widened her eyes in surprise. "R-Rain of corpses?" (Claria) "I guess he won''t need our help, after all..." said Geeta with a wry smile imprinted on her face. "Yeah..." (Azaline) The demon''s corpses fall from the sky, crashing to the trees and the ground. The scenery should be very horrific, but for the three of them, what catches their attention is not the rain of corpses, but the figure that gracefully descends to the ground on top of the sky king, Corvus. "Looks like the three of you had finished your battle as well," said Druid Oz as he jumps off Corvus''s back. "Of course~" Geeta proudly raises her greatsword. "Corvus. The guardians'' strengths are as strong as you mentioned them, that''s very surprising," (Azaline) "Of course, my queen! To be able to defeat those guardians that even got a further boost in their strength, as expected of the queens of the empire!" (Corvus) "Geez~ Aren''t you getting too good at flattering, you little birdy~" (Geeta) "Well, the battle unfold as what I expected it to be. It''s a good exercise for your tarot major arcana card as well. And the battle gave me a good estimate of the opponents we will be facing in the future as well, good job, all of you," Praised Druid Oz. Unlike Corvus''s praise, Druid Oz''s praise deals huge damage towards the three girls'' maiden hearts. Even Geeta blushed when Druid Oz praised them, forcing her to look at the other side to hide her embarrassment. "Hmph! Sending us to such a dangerous situation right after saving us..." said Azaline as she weakly punched Druid Oz''s ?h?st. "Thanks..." Azaline muttered in a very small voice, but of course, Druid Oz managed to hear it. Looking at Azaline''s cute reaction made a smile imprinted on Druid Oz''s face. "O-Of course we do! You better give me lots of snacks and food later!" said Geeta as she approached Druid Oz as well. "Yes, yes. I''ll give you delicious food when we arrived at my home. Good job, good job," Druid Oz pats the heads of both of them. "Hehehe~" Geeta openly show her happiness because of the pat while Azaline blushed even more while a big smile could clearly be seen on her face. Claria watched the three of them from behind. She wanted to approach Druid Oz and get pat by him as well, but somehow, her legs freeze and she couldn''t muster any strength to move forward. It felt strange, all this time, she always been the one who takes the active role, taking any steps to be closer to Druid Oz as a romantic interest. She never stops taking a step because of embarrassment, and she believes that she still won''t stop because of it in the future. But this time, as she saw the scene before her, she felt something different. It''s a strange sensation, a strange feeling. It''s the first time she felt it. The loneliness that haunts the heart. It hurts, she didn''t like it. Even though she doesn''t really got discarded by Druid Oz, she still couldn''t shake off the feeling she''s feeling. The fear of rejection. In short, an inferiority complex. The first girl is an elf, and not just an elf, she''s a queen. Despite coming from the race that is famous in the world for its beauty, she''s a queen. Her slender body, her elegance, her noble vibe, and her beauty is genuine. Not only that, her skills in the bow are incomparable. On the other side, even though she''s a goblin, her beauty is not inferior to the elf queen. And judging from how Corvus the sky king mentioned her, she must be a queen as well, the queen of goblins. Even though the vibe she''s emitting is not as noble as Azaline, her cheerful and frank attitude gives off a different charm. And Claria witnessed her strength with her own eyes as well. (The both of them are perfect matches for Ren. They''re as magical as the others) (Claria) In Claria''s eyes, the man called ''Ren'' is someone that is far greater than her grandpa and her father that she had been admired since she''s a child. Looking at such a heroic figure that turns out to be similar in age as she made the pure girl easily fell in love with him. But now that two more suitable heroines than her appeared before her, she couldn''t help but feel that she''s not suitable to be at his side. (I guess I''m not-) (Claria) "Claria," A gentle voice entered Claria''s ears, clearing the disordered thoughts inside her mind. "Let''s go home," said the voice as he extends his warm hand. "Yes!" Chapter 216 - [Bonus chapter] The Elves And The Eastaria Continent (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ The battle with the demons in the western side of the Eastaria continent end up in a smooth victory. Under Druid Oz''s direct command, the Galhala Kingdom''s warriors felt the same sensation as if they''re under the direct command of the prime minister, Allomere. Since Druid Oz and his familiars took the attention of all of the attacking demons, enables the Galhala Kingdom''s warriors that attacked the demons from their back to finish them quickly. The demons are clearly felt threatened by Druid Oz''s presence, and their primary command from their master seems to be the command to kill Druid Oz which made the demons keep on coming towards Druid Oz and his familiars, making it''s easier for the Galhala Kingdom''s warriors to kill the demons from their backs. The formation Druid Oz made with his familiars is similar to an impregnable fortress. Not even one demon could pierce through the defense and the attacks from Druid Oz''s familiars, just passing through the man-eating trees are already considered great luck for the demons. As if he''s playing a tower defense game, Druid Oz made the formation to make sure they would be able to kill any demon that gets near them. With the melee combatant familiars split into two groups, one group guarding the circle of man-eating trees, while the other group focuses on making a killing spree outside the circle. The familiars that use their projectiles focus on attacking from inside the circle with the man-eating trees and the mountain gorillas protecting them from the demons that managed to get through the circle. The Galhala Kingdom''s warriors saw the scene in awe as they saw the scene clearly how every demon that gets near the circle falls down and dies. When they return to the kingdom, the Galhala king, the Galhala Queen, the prime minister, and even the other nobles are waiting for their return. Just by looking at the expression of the Galhala Kingdom''s warriors, they knew immediately that it''s another big victory for them. It turns out that since the meeting had ended, one of the nobles that saw the glimpse of the royal warriors marching in an army asked the Galhala King what''s happening which made the Galhala King explains how he sent some of the royal guards to tail Druid Oz and that he seems to be getting attacked by an army of demons. Hearing that, the nobles that were about to leave to prepare for the match towards the demonic base tomorrow decided that they want to wait for the return of the general princess''s fiance. They didn''t know when, but all of them have a great feeling that Druid Oz will return with a great victory just like how he always did. They think that looking at his victorious return will raise their morale and optimism in the next battle, so they decided to wait. And their prediction turns out to be right, the glorious return of the general princess''s fiance looks very glorious as all of the warriors behind him are full of smiles. The capital''s citizens happily greet them as they saw the army and believe that the general princess''s fiance must have brought another big victory. But even so, they still couldn''t help but get curious about who are the two beauties behind him. The nobles wanted to hear what happened, but since tomorrow is the important day not for just the kingdom, but for the continent as well, they decided that they need to go back to their territory to prepare for tomorrow''s march. And since they already saw what they wanted to see, they could now return and prepare for tomorrow full of satisfaction and high spirits. "I see... That''s unexpected. The thought about they''ll go and send some demons to cross the continent never passed my mind..." Muttered the prime minister, Allomere. The Galhala King, The Galhala Queen, and the prime minister immediately realize what the demons'' intention is. "Should we station an army to protect the borders?" Asked the Galhala King. "But dear, I don''t think we would be able to keep the kingdom completely safe if we station our royal army there. We need to keep the full power of the royal army to make sure the elimination of the demonic base in our second wave''s march," Refuted the Galhala Queen. "It doesn''t need to be our men. If I give my words to the nobles and tell them the circumstances that Ren just told us, they''ll definitely accept it without a second thought," The Galhala King unexpectedly gives a sound argument. "Indeed... If we ask them, then that might-" (The Galhala Queen) "There''s no need to, lord mother, lord father," (Druid Oz) "Geez... There''s no need to add ''lord'' in that, you know?" (The Galhala Queen) "Why Ren? Considering the circumstances, your familiars are a very valuable power that will be needed in the upcoming battle whether it''s a defense or an attack one," (The Galhala King) (H-He''s unexpectedly thinking about this thoroughly...) (Druid Oz) "I''ll station my men there, there will be no need to worry. I''ve sent my words. But before that, may I ask you some questions?" (Druid Oz) "Yes, ask me anything," (The Galhala King) "Does your kingdom have any bad relationship with elves?" Asked Druid Oz. "Hm? Elves? None, though," Answered the prime minister as he tilts his head in question. "I see.. Then that''s good," (Druid Oz) "Why did you ask?" (The Galhala King) "I''m going to station my elves men then," (Druid Oz) ******************************** "I''ve come as you ordered, your imperial majesty," said Reindell the elf kingdom''s prime minister as he kneels before Slime Oz. "Yes, forgive me for calling you so suddenly in such a busy day," (Slime Oz) "It''s nothing, your imperial majesty. I have dependable subordinates that helped boost my work significantly so I don''t really have much work to do, your imperial majesty," (Reindell) "You''re as humble and dependable as always, I hope my prime minister is as reliable as you," (Slime Oz) "Oi! I''m dependable too, okay!" Protested Aegir. "You praised me too much, your imperial majesty. Lord Aegir is far wiser, stronger, and dependable than me. May I ask what brings you to summon me here, your imperial majesty?" Asked Reindell. "I have a request for the elves," (Slime Oz) "A request?" (Reindell) "Yes. I want you to station your men at the west border of the Eastaria continent. My druid clone reported that the demons with infection are struggling to pass the ocean to spread the demonic infection to the Ablux continent. It will greatly hinder our plans and risk our empire''s safety if they managed to cross the continent. There''s no need to station too much of them, you may use your sacrificial pawns as you see fit," (Druid Oz) "Understood. I believe my queen will definitely comply with the request with a big yes immediately after you asked, so I will be accepting your request as a direct command on behalf of my queen. When do you need the army, my liege?" (Reindell) "As soon as possible," (Slime Oz) "I see. That''s a foolish question, I guess. We''re talking about the risk of endangering the whole continent, after all. I''ll gather my men at once, how should we proceed, your imperial majesty?" (Reindell) "Ah... For that, your men will-" (Aegir) "I''ll teleport your men myself," Gurolf''s voice suddenly appeared out of nowhere. But no one is surprised, not even Reindell. Even though he didn''t know what kind of technique or magic the empire''s grandmaster magician is using, there''s still no sign of surprise on his face. *Whoosh!* A white magic circle appeared behind Reindell, and Gurolf with his staff appeared from it. "You can rely on my new-found magic for that, Reindell," (Gurolf) "Gurolf... At least let me say that line..." (Aegir) "Lord Gurolf... Is that teleportation magic?" Asked Reindell. "Yes, interested? Hm... Indeed... I guess you''ll be able to learn the magic, it''s surprising how compatible you are with it..." (Gurolf) "I am, please do teach me, lord Gurolf," (Reindell) "I see... Then how about this. I''ll teach you the magic if you and the elves take over the Eastaria continent''s battles and help Ren''s Druid clone, deal?" (Gurolf) "Deal!" (Reindell) Chapter 217 - The Elves And The Eastaria Continent (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "So?" (Azaline) After finished explaining and reporting to the Galhala King, the Galhala Queen, and the prime minister, Allomere, Druid Oz, and the three girls went to Druid Oz''s huge mansion to rest. When they first arrived, Azaline, Geeta, and Corvus are surprised because of the sight of the mansion. The magic beasts that are Druid Oz''s familiars are guarding the mansion, and when they approach the mansion''s door, a mountain gorilla wearing a butler uniform welcomed them. Inside the mansion, a small girl is playing with lots of magic beast cubs, but since Charnia is cute, Azaline and Geeta get along with her rather quickly. And after sorting out the rooms and taking some rest, they''re all having dinner. "Hm? Is there something wrong, Azaline?" (Druid Oz) "This is your home, right, Ren?" (Azaline) "Yes, it is, though?" (Druid Oz) "Then what is that girl doing here!?" Asked Azaline as she points her index finger towards Claria. "Well..." The answer that Druid Oz had prepared inside his mind beforehand suddenly disappeared. (Shit! What should I answer, what should I answer...) (Druid Oz) "I''m his fiance, so we live together. I''m here to protect him and to service him. As the princess of the kingdom, I need to make sure he''s happy and satisfied with his stay, after all," Replied Claria as she calmly continues to eat the food that got prepared by Gor the mountain gorilla butler. Hearing Claria''s reply, Azaline couldn''t help but misunderstand some of her words and got flustered. "S-s-s-service!? H-He don''t need such a thing from you!! And he''s more powerful than anyone in this world!! He won''t need protection either!! And this mansion has enough protections since all of these powerful magic beasts are here!! And fiances aren''t supposed to live together with each other, to begin with!!" (Azaline) "Isn''t it fine? We''re going to live together after we''re married, after all. Why are you so bothered by it?" (Claria) "T-That''s... Because the both of us are his fiances as well!! Right, Geeta!?" (Azaline) "Zzzzzzz" (Geeta) """S-she''s fast asleep...""" Geeta is already sleeping as most of the foods on the dishes in front of her had already gone into her stomach, and now, she''s sleeping soundly from eating Gor''s delicious food. (She''s more carefree than before, isn''t she...?) (Druid Oz) "If the two of you are Ren''s fiance as well, then why it looks like there is so much distance between you?" (Claria) After returning together with Druid Oz to the kingdom, Claria realized that Azaline and Geeta are keeping their distance from Druid Oz, and Druid Oz is keeping his distance from them as well. As if there is an invisible line between them, no one seems to be taking a step forward to cross it. Azaline''s and Geeta''s feelings for Druid Oz are true, while Claria didn''t know whose feelings are stronger, but she believes that both of them do love Druid Oz. But even so, she doesn''t understand why is such an invisible line is drawn between the three of them. The feelings of jealousy and fear of her ''Ren'' loved other women and forgetting her is a feeling that Claria already admits in her heart. But even so, she knows that a person like him won''t be able to get tied down just by one woman, and she''s not bothered by him having more wives in the future as long he could still have time with her. But somehow, looking at the scene before her, she couldn''t help but get annoyed and worked because of it. "Answer me, why is there so much distance between you?" (Claria) "T-That is..." Azaline seems like she couldn''t answer the question. "He''s always trying his best in protecting everyone, and despite of that-" (Claria) "Claria," Druid Oz unexpectedly cut Claria''s words. "E-Eh? Yes?" (Claria) "I''m grateful for your feelings, but this problem is my fault. And, could you please let me have some talk with Azaline?" Asked Druid Oz with a gentle smile. ".....Fine," Claria stands up and leaves the dining room to went to her room. "Ren..." Azaline muttered Druid Oz''s name. "Y-" Druid Oz was about to reply but when he saw her face, his voice stopped. Looking at Azaline''s face, Druid Oz immediately stand up and went to her side. While Geeta continues to sleep, the smart Gor lifts Charnia that also slept after imitating Geeta''s way of eating up, and went to Charnia''s room to lie Charnia on the bed. "Forgive me, I guess I''m too late," Druid Oz apologized as he patted Azaline that have tears pouring from her eyes. "Yes, you are!" Azaline shouted in reply as she jumped to Druid Oz''s bosom and punched his ?h?st. "It''s all my fault, it''s my fault. I''m too scared, and I don''t want to lose anything. Forgive me, for acting like I''m going to disappear, for making all of you worried," Druid Oz apologized as he ??r?sses Azaline''s hair gently. "No... We... I''m at fault too... Even though I know you''re in such pain, I got too scared and make a distance between us as well..." (Azaline) "It''s fine. It all happened because I made such a blunder, after all," said Druid Oz as he continues to ??r?ss Azaline''s hair. Suddenly, Azaline hugs Druid Oz even stronger. "Azaline?" (Druid Oz) "Promise me," (Azaline) "Promise you what?" (Druid Oz) "Promise me that you won''t disappear. Promise me that you will live together with me and the others. Promise me that you will make all of us happy forever, promise me," said Azaline as she''s still at Druid Oz''s bosom. Azaline realized that Druid Oz stopped ??r?ssing her hair for a moment after she asked that promise, but not long after, he continues ??r?ssing her hair with the same gentle touch. But- "I will," (Druid Oz) Druid Oz''s tone is firm and resolute as if he''s trying to reassure Azaline that he will definitely fulfill the promise. Azaline felt that her heart got enveloped in warmth for a moment. But after a while, she started to get uneasy. Druid Oz''s tone is indeed firm and resolute but at the same time- (It felt like a prayer) (Claria) Just like when someone promised to return from a battlefield where lots of people will die. Just like when a father promised his children that everything will be okay and that he will handle everything. That there''s no need to worry since he''ll be the one who carries all of the burdens. "It''s fine. I''ll fulfill my promise, no matter what is the cost," Added Druid Oz as if he sensed the sudden uneasiness inside Azaline''s heart. "Nn," Azaline slightly nods as the uneasiness in her heart started to fade away. The hug continues for a while, for about 5 minutes or more. After Druid Oz felt that Azaline had regained her composure, Druid Oz lifts her up and put her back on the chair. "I got hungry again after all of that, I guess I''ll finish what remains," said Druid Oz as he continues the dinner and eats the remaining food on top of the dining table. "True..." Azaline answered as she felt quite hungry as well after crying that much. They continue to eat for a while, and after finished, as if Gor could sense that they have finished dining, Gor suddenly appeared to clean up. "He really is a butler, huh... Gor, isn''t it? You''re so dependable!" Praised Azaline. Responding to Azaline''s praise, Gor gives her a graceful bow and continues to clean up the dining table. "Just how did you train him to be like this, Ren?" (Azaline) "Hm... I don''t really sure... I never really taught him anything about being a butler, he just imitates me when I clean up, cook, and do other stuff. But one thing is for sure, he''s hard-working and loves to learn, though. So I doubt there might be other mountain gorillas like him," said Druid Oz as shrugged. "I see... What a stroke of great luck to have such a familiar..." Muttered Claria as she shifted her head towards Corvus that is lying unconsciously on the floor after eating several plates of fish dishes. (I wonder if Corvus could do any housework...) (Azaline) "Well, I guess that''s it for tonight. Let''s have some rest. I''ll lead you to your room, and put this sleeping beauty on her bed along the way," said Druid Oz as he lifts up Geeta''s body in a princess carry. "True, I''m getting sleepy as well. I guess I''ll go have some sleep," (Azaline) Chapter 218 - The Endless Battle [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ The day after the welcome banquet, the Grandaria King announced that the Grandarian heroes will embark on a journey to end the demonic crisis according to the prophecy. It surprises the people, but all of them cheered as it turns out the heroes from their country are real heroes that exist in the church''s prophecy. Even though they don''t have a good impression about the Holy empire and the church, the fact that their country''s heroes are being well-known throughout the world is very reassuring and makes them proud. Saintess Elvira and Hero Lian are a little bit reluctant when they heard it, but since it seems that Peter won''t be changing his decision, they decided to accept his decision and travel with the rest of the Grandarian heroes without him. All of them had heard the plans of the Saintess Elvira and Hero Lian, and after hearing it, all of them agrees to embark on a journey to stop the demonic invasion and prevent the resurrection of the demon emperor. They have solid information, they have the prophecy divine ability, and they have powerful members that they''ve sent to accomplish this quest. The thought of bringing an end to the demonic invasion just with the Tarot empire alone crossed Peter''s mind once, but thinking that the Grandaria kingdom might suffer more losses if he chooses that path, Peter decided that going along with the so-called ''prophecy'' might be the best course of action. The Grandaria kingdom don''t really need the rewards of compensation from the Holy Empire as the tradings between the Tarot Empire and the Grandaria kingdom has been going very smoothly, but since the demonic invasion and the revival of the demon emperor will definitely give a huge threat for the kingdom, preventing it would be the wisest move to take. They will embark on their journey the next morning, and their destination is the beastmen empire, Gramaezan. "A journey, huh... The last time we had one is..." Edreale tries to recall when is the last time they have a journey together. "It''s when we''re trying to search for Ren. We never had any other adventure together ever since," (Sera) Azaline and Edreale are currently lying around on the bed of the royal chamber. Since the both of them got too exhausted from the welcome banquet last night, they''re too reluctant to part away with the bed even though it''s already 7 AM. "An adventure, huh. Those were the very fun and happy days of us..." Muttered Edreale as she recalled the adventure she had together with Ren and co. "At night when we''re camping at a forest because we didn''t manage to arrive at a town or even a village, I''ll be singing, Alfred will be laughing and teasing Peter, Sen will polish his sword, Sera will be stealing glances on Ren-" (Edreale) "I don''t!" Rebuked Sera strongly as she couldn''t even remember how many times she did that before. "And Ren. He''ll make delicious food for us, cracking jokes that would make even Sen and I laugh, and secretly went to a distance to practice when we''re asleep," (Edreale) "Edry... Stop it... You''ll make me cry..." said Sera as she covers her face with her pillow. "Sorry, Sera. It''s just that... It was my happiest memories that I couldn''t stop recalling it..." Edreale raises her hand above as if she''s trying to reach that memory of hers. As if she''s trying to rip off the space and time to go back to that moment. "True... We were all kids back then, aren''t we?" (Sera) "Yes. You''re the haughtiest and most annoying kid of the party," (Edreale) "E-Edry... Saying that without even having a slight change in your tone is kind of hurts... Please don''t make me remember the embarrassing ones..." said Sera with a wry smile. "Hehehe. Sorry. But you know what, Sera?" (Edreale) "Hm?" (Sera) "I have a great feeling. He''s coming. At a powerful speed, stronger than before, and he''ll bring more of his weird tricks again. And when we''re in danger, he''ll definitely show up," (Edreale) "True... Somehow, it feels like it would really happen..." (Sera) ******************************** Inside a certain dimension that no one knows. A huge dimension of nothingness. A dimension that despite its tremendous size, there are only two men inside it. For countless seconds, countless minutes, countless hours, countless days, countless weeks, countless months, and countless years are being spent just to battle inside it. Inside it, following the sound of explosions and slashes, single laughter could be heard. It''s a voice filled with malice. A voice that heard like it came out from a terrifying dragon. The voice came from the one using a black grand robe, his figure is big, but his bearing emits an air of a sovereign. Before him, there''s a person, using the attire of an earth''s magician, dashing from a certain point to another, chasing over the source of the evil laughter. And suddenly- *Slash!* *Sound of a drop of water fell to the ground* !?!?!?!? It''s a drop of blood. A drop of blood fell to the ground. The drop didn''t come from the magician. "Fufufufufu... Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!" Despite being hurt, the evil laughter didn''t disappear, but got even bigger than before. As if he''s enjoying the pain that he felt and the blood that drips out of his body. "It''s a great leap!! A great plan!! For hundreds of years, you finally managed to hurt me, magician!!!!! Even if we''ll fight for more thousands of years, as I expected before, I won''t get bored!!!!!!!" The source of the evil laughter rejoiced. "That gaze of yours, that movement, that plan, and the way you memorize all of the moves I made along with our countless battles!! You''re really are the best, Ren Arken!!!!!!!" The man points at the magician with his index finger in an exaggerated manner, but- "Shut it," The magician answer coldly as he once again dashed towards the man with his magic cards. "How mean. If the term of ''friend'' is considered by the amount of time a certain person spent with the other person, then it could be said that I''ve become your best friend since quite a while ago, no?" (Demon Emperor) "As if," Oz answer in the same cold tone as he sent several strikes towards the demon emperor again. But the one that had memorized the battle is not Oz alone, the demon emperor had also grown accustomed to Oz''s attacks, and without showing any sign of having difficulty, the demon emperor blocked and evades Oz''s attacks. But even so, the man before him is the legendary magician of earth that had also made a big footprint in another world. He had finally landed a blow towards the demon emperor, and since the demon emperor had finally got a wound, he definitely won''t let such a chance of winning slip away that easily. Oz threw a deck of cards towards the demon emperor at once at a terrifying speed, leaving no room to run. But of course, the demon emperor easily blocked it with his stacks of demonic barriers, but at the same time, Oz disappeared from his position and teleported to behind the demon emperor with one of his Joker cards. "I won''t fall to the same trick, magician!" Shouted the demon emperor as he summoned another demonic barrier behind him, but- "I never use the same trick twice as well," Answered Oz as he once again teleported above the demon emperor with another joker card, but when he was about to throw another joker card towards the demon emperor. "Too easy!" The demon emperor that possesses an unbelievable amount of mana and powerful strength takes Oz''s joker card head-on. Since he had already applied two demonic barriers in active, he couldn''t make the third one because of the skill''s restriction, so the demon emperor made a defensive sphere by controlling his tremendous demonic mana manually and takes on Oz''s joker card. The joker card is the strongest ace of Oz, even though he first thought that the effect is random, Oz had started to grasp the real ability of the joker card. The joker card that went to the demon emperor transforms into a powerful red demonic beam that he once used towards Oz. The explosion is bigger than before, and Druid Oz that experience the attacks from the demon emperor firsthand knew how powerful that attack is. "Is he dead?" (Oz) *Slash!* "Tsk!" Oz clicked his tongue once before his head split from his body and fell to the ground. "Fufufufu! HAHAHAHAHA!! That''s fun," said the demonic emperor that had scars all over his body because of Oz''s attack, but not long after, the wound disappeared as if they''re not even there in the first place, and his clothes got to return to the way they used to be before the battle as well. "Aren''t you getting too hasty lately, Ren?" (Demon Emperor) "I guess so," Answered Oz as his head slowly return to its original position. "Take your time, this space''s time runs extremely slower than the real world. You won''t be able to leave this space unless you kill me, and I couldn''t let myself getting killed voluntarily either. And why are you getting so hasty lately?" (Demon Emperor) "Hm... It might be just my imagination, but I could feel it," (Oz) "Feel what?" "The people in that world. They''re calling me... I need to return soon," Muttered Oz as he stared at the distance. "I see... Then you''re going to need to kill me real quick then," Chapter 219 - Bad Luck Or Good Luck? (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ After finished having dinner, all of them went to their respective rooms to take a rest after the long battle they just have with the demons. Even though Druid Oz don''t really need to sleep and he could stay wake up by replenishing his stamina with his mana, but since he didn''t know whether this clone body of his will recover or not if something happened because of the constant use of mana, he''s been giving the body some sleep daily. But even though he''s sleeping, before he sleeps, Druid Oz still continues to monitor the progress of his summoned insect familiars that he ordered to search through the Eastaria continent to find the demonic emperor''s seal fragment. With the information that he got from the Slime clone, he knew that they''re going to need to find that demon emperor''s seal fragment as soon as possible before the demons found it first. There are several possibilities of what the demons will use the demon emperor''s seal fragment for, but whatever it is, it will remain as a great threat for not only the Tarot empire but the whole world as well. That''s why, as the one entrusted with the Eastaria continent, Druid Oz is trying his best to recover the demon emperor''s seal fragment before the demons have their hands on it. But somehow, Druid Oz couldn''t help but shake the terrifying possibility of the demons in the Eastaria continent already possess the demon emperor''s seal fragment. Druid Oz thought that they might already possess it, that''s why they''re sending the demons to the Ablux continent now since they''ve already achieved their goal here. The reason why the demons came to the Eastaria continent and wage war with the kingdoms and the empires inside it is in order to search for the demon emperor''s seal fragment, and to strengthen and increase their number. Druid Oz is sure with that deduction of his, that''s why he''s trying his best to search for the demon emperor''s seal fragment with his summoned insects. But Druid Oz still believes that the demons are still not found the demon emperor''s seal fragment yet because they still sent their army to search through some locations since they won''t be ordering their army to do so if they have found the demon emperor''s fragment, Druid Oz continues to spread his summoned insects to search through the Eastaria continent. It will take a long time since a continent is huge, but that''s also the same for the demons, that''s why for now, all he could do is just continue to use his summoned insects to search and keep on letting them increase their number in the same time to constantly increase the speed of the search. After monitoring the search for about forty minutes, Druid Oz''s consciousness started to fade and he entered a deep slumber. "Ngh..." Druid Oz let out a small groan as he wakes up, his muscles felt sore, and there seems to be some weight on his shoulders and on top of his body. (What is this warmth?) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz slowly opens his eyes and found out the surprising and dangerous situation he is in. Azaline in his left, Claria in his right, while Geeta is lying on top of him. "S-Since when...? Why... did it become like this...?" Muttered Druid Oz as he''s having a hard time processing the scene before him. *********************** ---Last Night--- After going to their respective rooms, Druid Oz slept for 1 hour, but not the three girls. "E-Eh...? You... What are you...?" (Azaline) "Y-You too... What are you...?" (Claria) Azaline just that realized what an embarrassing side she just show towards Druid Oz and how she one-sidedly blame him is unforgivable, so she wanted to apologize to Druid Oz, while at the same time, she''s curious what he''s doing after what just happened, and whether it''s time for her to take a step or maybe several steps forward between them as well. While on the other hand, Claria is also embarrassed for how she loses her composure in front of Druid Oz and thought that she would like to apologize to him and maybe spend some time together chatting with each other as well. But when they walked out of their room and went to Druid Oz''s room, the both of them coincidentally meet each other instead. ""Ah..."" Looking at each other, they immediately realized that they''ve come to in front of Druid Oz''s room for a similar reason. "About what I said in the dinner... Sorry... I overstep the line... It''s the matter between you and Ren, I should have read the atmosphere and didn''t say anything about it. But I got carried away by the mood and said such insensitive things, please forgive me," Claria apologized as she bows her head towards Azaline. "I-It''s fine... We... Got even closer because of what you said as well," (Azaline) (Ah... I don''t know whether I wanted to hear that or not...) (Claria) "I''m sorry as well. I said such rude things to you because of my jealousy. Anyway, we never have a proper introduction to each other, aren''t we? I''m Azaline Elvenheim, the current queen of the Elvenheim kingdom. Nice to meet you, general princess. You can just call me Azaline," Azaline stretches her hand forward, offering a handshake. "I''m Claria Galhala, the general princess of the kingdom. Nice to meet you, Azaline. You can just call me Claria as well," Answered Claria with a kind smile as she accepts Azaline''s handshake. "It''s kind of weird talking like this here, let''s enter together, I guess?" (Claria) "True, let''s go," (Azaline) But somehow, they''re thinking of having a conversation in Druid Oz''s room, and as if it''s a custom, the both of them erased their presence and entered in stealth-like thieves or ?ssassins as if it''s natural. But when they entered the room, it turns out someone had defeated them and have taken the headstart over them. (Geeta!!!) (Azaline) *********************** Druid Oz inhales a deep breath to stabilize and regain his composure, but when his heart is about to stabilize, his keen ears couldn''t help but capture the sounds of the three beautiful girls'' breathe. (T-This is not good... I need to go away... But how!?) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz''s mind once again entered a state of turmoil. He tried to shift his gaze to another direction, but wherever he shifted his gaze to, it will end up in one of the three girls'' sleeping faces. (Calm down, Ren Arken! Calm down! I need to... Calm down...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz decided to close his eyes again and inhales a deep breath and attempt to stabilize his mind and heart once again. After regaining some of his composure, Druid Oz started to think about how to go away from this perilous situation. If he carelessly moves, one of them or all of them might wake up, and he''s not sure what is the right reaction to give them. But as he''s thinking about his escape plan, the question of how did they managed to enter his bed without getting him noticed started to take over his mind. (Did I let my guard down too much? But didn''t this happened with Edreale before...?) (Druid Oz) "Now''s not the time to think for that, should I use a clone and switch position with it...? What is this... Why do I felt kind of reluctant to do so...?" (Druid Oz) Just as Druid Oz is getting troubled by the options that appeared in his head, the most worst-case scenario suddenly occurs. The sound of footsteps suddenly get near the room''s door, and not long after, the door of the room got opened. Druid Oz that got too absorbed in what course of action he should take in that situation failed to notice the sound of the footsteps as his keen ears are too focused on the breathing sound of the three beautiful girls. "Ren! This is not time to sleep! The noble army is marching-" The Galhala King stopped his words midway as he saw the scene inside Druid Oz''s room. "E-Eh?" (Druid Oz) "Oh my..." The Galhala Queen that came together with the Galhala King and the prime minister, Allomere, covered her mouth with her hand and let out a surprised voice even though her eyes seem to be not surprised by the scene at all. "HAHAHAHAHA!! How bold! How great! Three great beauties in your arms in one night, as expected of Ren! HAHAHAHAHA!!" The Galhala King laughed heartfully as he spits out misunderstandable words with his loud voice. But on the other hand, Druid Oz is getting goosebumps because of the terrifying aura leaking from the Galhala King''s company. "Seems like you''re enjoying your time, Ren..." Chapter 220 - Bad Luck Or Good Luck? (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "Seems like you''re enjoying your time, Ren...." The prime minister, Allomere''s voice is deep and sound terrifying. His eyes are staring daggers at Druid Oz as if he''s ready to kill him at any second. "T-This is... I can explain- Not really, though... Wait, Lord Allomere, I didn''t know how this happened in the first place," Druid Oz tried to calm the prime minister, Allomere, down in panic. "Uhm...? Morning...?" Geeta muttered as she slowly opens her eyes. "Ah... Morning already...? Good morning..." (Azaline) "Good morning..." (Claria) The three girls in their pajamas slowly raise their bodies as they''re still half-asleep and still couldn''t comprehend the current situation. "E-Even though you''ve already had my granddaughter... You still lay your hands on the other two beautiful girls..." (Prime Minister Allomere) "T-This is!?" (Geeta) "Magic?" (Azaline) "I know you''re not an ordinary man, but you''re only permitted to marry Claria alone!" The mana around the prime minister gathered ferociously, sending strong winds to the surroundings. The mana surrounded him, indicating that he''s ready to transform into his owl form in any second, but suddenly- "Allomere, take a deep breath, will you?" The Galhala Queen stopped the prime minister as she tapped his shoulders. "Y-Yes, my queen," The prime minister, Allomere immediately stopped his tracks, and the tremendous wind mana that had been sending powerful winds to the surroundings, making a mess to the room, finally disappeared as well. (H-He stopped... As expected, the Galhala Queen is so powerful!) (Druid Oz) "As you can see, it seems that Ren didn''t know anything about this. Then it means that the ones responsible for the scene we''re seeing are the three girls including Claria, isn''t that right, Claria?" The Galhala Queen asked Claria that is still in the process of recovering her soul from the land of dreams. "Hm? Mother? Yes... It is... Eh? Why are you here...?" Claria''s eyes slowly got wider and her consciousness slowly restored. And after observing the scene, she immediately remembers how she and Azaline decided to sleep together with Ren as well just like what Geeta did. "Oh my... You''re blushing so much, dear. How adorable," The Galhala Queen happily said as she approached Claria and pats her head. "M-Mother...? W-W-Why are all of you here...?" Asked Claria with her face flushed because of the embarrassment. "Fufufufu! We''re tired of waiting for all of you so we decided to come here ourselves, and it turns out to be the right option to chose. I got to see such an adorable scene because of it, what a good day~" Muttered the Galhala Queen as let out a small happy laugh. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! True! Allomere, you should stop being too overprotective already!" (The Galhala King) "Hmph!" The prime minister replied to the Galhala King''s words with a snort. "But Claria," The Galhala Queen suddenly approached Claria''s ears. "Even if you''re sharing him with the others, don''t forget to make sure your position is in his heart. A war amongst women is fierce, you know? Be his first night partner and he''ll never forget you," Whispered the Galhala Queen in a small voice. (I-I could hear it, though...) (Druid Oz) "M-Mother!?" (Claria) "Oh my, your face got even redder than before. Sorry, I''m just teasing you because you''re too adorable Claria. Now, Allomere," (The Galhala Queen) "Yes, my queen. Ren, we need you to be present before the march to make sure the morale of the noble''s army. The presence of the kingdom''s current hero is necessary to boost the soldiers'' morale, and there are lots of them that had started to adore and even worship you amongst the soldiers. That''s why we came here to make sure you''ll arrive before the march," (The Prime Minister, Allomere) "I-Is that so?" (Druid Oz) "But there''s still some time before the march, so you may take your time to take breakfast and flirt amongst yourself first, it''s fine! HAHAHAHA! We''ll be waiting outside, the foods made by your gorilla butler are outrageously delicious, Ren! You should lend him to me for a while sometimes!!" Said the Galhala King as he left the room. Not long after, the Prime Minister, Allomere, seems like he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back and followed the Galhala King. For the Galhala Queen, she warmly stared at Azaline and Geeta for a while and give a mysterious wink towards Druid Oz before she left the room. (He''s going to eat Gor''s food again, isn''t he?) (Druid Oz) "So... Can any of you explain to me what happened...?" (Druid Oz) ".........." (Geeta, Azaline, and Claria) Azaline and Geeta that had regained their consciousness got their face reddens as red as Claria. Not to mention that they got seen by the king and queen of the Galhala kingdom which made them even embarrassed. "So the truth is..." (Azaline) (It looks like they made quite a ruckus... just how could I didn''t sense them...?) (Druid Oz) "I-I''m sorry, Ren. I''m thinking of having some night snacks with you, but looking at you sleeping made me sleepy as well, and I couldn''t resist the temptation of the bed..." (Geeta) "Snacks? Well, anyways, nothing actually harmed anyway, let''s go have breakfast first," said Druid Oz as he left the bed. "Okay~" Geeta answered happily as if everything that just happened had completely replaced by breakfast in her head. While in the other hand, Azaline is still embarrassed because of what happened, and she couldn''t comprehend how herself in the night before could easily lie next to Druid Oz in the bed. "H-How embarrassing... I never thought I would be that shameless... Even if he''s just a clone, to sleep with a man before marriage is..." (Azaline) "A-Azaline... Let''s not think about it too much..." (Claria) "Okay..." (Azaline) When the three of them arrived at the dining room, Druid Oz saw the scene of the Galhala Queen and the prime minister, Allomere, elegantly drinking a coffee, while the Galhala King is too engrossed in eating a big serving of pasta. "F-Father..." Claria couldn''t help but get embarrassed because of her father. (As expected... That king is completely got conquered by Gor''s food...) (Druid Oz) "Ren, can you please teach my maids the way to make this unique drink? The relaxing fragrant and the addictive bitterness of its taste, this is nice," (The Galhala Queen) "I''ll send the ingredients and the tutorial on how to make it to your maids later, your-" (Druid Oz) "Mother, Ren," (The Galhala Queen) "M-Mother..." (Druid Oz) (M-MOTHER!?!?!?) (Azaline and Geeta) Druid Oz is reluctant on calling the Galhala Queen''s mother as she wishes since there are Azaline and Geeta present, and it might cause an unnecessary problem between them. (Explaining would be very tiring... That queen must be doing this on purpose...) (Druid Oz) "Fufufufu..." The Galhala Queen let out a small laugh as she take another sip of her coffee. "L-Let''s have our breakfast quickly... Gor," Druid Oz called Gor, and without wasting any time, Gor that had prepared the breakfast for Druid Oz and the three girls skillfully brought four dishes of omelets to the dining table. "Yes! Eat! Eat" The Galhala King cheerfully said as he take a mouthful of pasta into his mouth. (Eating pasta for breakfast, huh... If he''s eating it at a moderate amount, it won''t be any problem. But I believe that four empty dishes beside him are the portions that he had finished alone, isn''t it? But again, an owlfolk body is different from a normal human''s so there''s no need for him to worry, I guess?) (Druid Oz) "O-Ouch!" The Galhala King suddenly shouted in pain as he felt a distinct pain in his waist. "Please remember that you''re the king of the great Galhala kingdom, dear. It would be a piece of bad news to have a king that forgot his own position, don''t you think?" (The Galhala Queen) "Y-Yes, dear..." (The Galhala King) In a split second, the Galhala King ceases his barbaric eating and takes an elegant posture befitting a king, and continues to eat the pasta with a good table manner. But, it won''t last long. "Whoa!! The gorilla butler''s food looks so delicious! Bring me more! Bring me more!" Geeta cheerfully said as she finish the delicious omelet in a split second and asked for more food towards Gor. "HAHAHAHA!! Looks like you''re quite good, girl!" (The Galhala King) "Of course! I''m confident in my appetite and eating speed!" (Geeta) "I see!! Then let''s have a match with me!!" (The Galhala King) "Challenge accepted!!" (Geeta) And in such a short moment, the breakfast that was supposed to be brief and peaceful changed into a battlefield between Geeta and the Galhala King. Chapter 221 - The Before Battle Speech [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ *Sigh!* "Why with that long sigh, Ren?" Asked the prime minister, Allomere, in response to Druid Oz''s long sigh.. "Ah, the prime minister... It''s just, I suddenly felt pretty much exhausted even though I''ve taken a rather long sleep last night..." (Druid Oz) Hearing Druid Oz''s weak voice, the prime minister let out a small laugh. Druid Oz and co are currently flying towards the outer gate where the noble soldiers have gathered and will march from. (What are you laughing for, huh? You''re one of the reasons why I felt this exhausted, you know?) (Druid Oz) At breakfast, Geeta and the Galhala King have an eating conquest for a while before the Galhala Queen halt the contest by pinching at the Galhala King''s waist. In the middle of the breakfast, the prime minister, Allomere, discussed the upcoming battles with Druid Oz, while the Galhala Queen keep on pestering him to tell her the details of what happened last night. "It must be hard on you, huh. Sorry for asking for your ?ssistance too much, Ren. It''s just that in this kind of situation, having everyone high in spirits is a priority. Rather than having the soldiers marching with gloom and stern face on their face, it would ensure the citizens if they march with a big smile and high spirits," (The prime minister, Allomere) "Well, I could understand that," said Druid Oz as he stared at the citizens of the Galhala Kingdom below them. Since their group consists of the Galhala King, the Galhala Queen, the prime minister, Allomere, and the General Princess as well, they easily gather the attention from the citizens below. Not to mention there are dozens of royal guards escorting them, the citizens immediately know that the royal group is going towards the noble army that is waiting at the outer gate. The citizens cheer and greet them in high spirits as if they''re looking at heroes that are passing through the place. (What am I? A decoration? A trophy?) (Druid Oz) "Ren," The prime minister once again called Druid Oz. "Yes?" Druid Oz shifted his gaze and realize that the prime minister, Allomere, is having a more serious face than before. "Tell me your honest thoughts. Will we win?" The prime minister asked Druid Oz as if he had a bad feeling about the upcoming battle. "I''m not a god, so I don''t know what the future may hold. But one thing is for sure, we can''t lose. We can''t afford to lose," (Druid Oz) Looking at Druid Oz''s face, the prime minister chuckled. "I wonder how you''re always managed to come up with a satisfying answer," (The Prime Minister) "I consider it as one of my greatest talent," (Druid Oz) "Is that so? Well, you''re not wrong. We can''t afford to lose... Not only for the world nor the continent. For our kingdom, for our families... We must not lose," (The prime minister, Allomere) Looking at the prime minister, Allomere, Druid Oz couldn''t help but admire the prime minister that cares about the people so much. Maybe it''s because he''s the former leader of the guardians that protect the continent, but even so, people like him that made Druid Oz felt that pushed Druid Oz''s motivation. (There are people like him, like the Galhala King, like the Galhala Queen, and the others. There are lots of kind and good people in this world, huh... I guess that''s why I couldn''t help but want to protect the world as well, huh...?) (Druid Oz) "And for that ''talent'' of yours, I''m looking forward on looking it in action once again," (The Prime Minister) "Y-Yes," (Druid Oz) Druid Oz thinks of several possibilities, but nothing is really clear so he removes the prime minister''s words from his current thoughts, thinking that it is just a manner of speech. After several minutes of flying at full speed, they finally arrive at the outer gate of the capital. As if looking at the arrival of a great hero, the nobles and their soldiers loudly cheer Druid Oz and co. "The general princess''s has come!" "The great hero has arrived!!" "Hero! Welcome!" "Future King! Bless our fight!!" "We''ll definitely return with a great victory!! Wait for it!!" The soldiers and the nobles cheer in high spirits. "T-This is..." (Druid Oz) "Bear with it. Their morale will raise to the ceilings with this," (The Galhala King) "Ren, try to raise your hand," said The Galhala Queen. Following the Galhala Queen''s advice, Druid Oz raised his hand with the intention to reply to the cheers with a wave, but- "................." Right after the moment Druid Oz raised his hand, the place got enveloped by a deadly silence. "The future king of the kingdom will be giving us the before battle speech!! Anyone who disturbs the silence will be given a severe punishment!!!" Announced a Galhalan warrior that seems to be one of the nobles that will be participating in the battle with his soldiers. (B-Before battle speech? No one told me this... What is this, a prank? Wait... That old owl... So this is what he means by looking forward to my ''talent'' once again...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz stared at the soldiers and the nobles, and it looks like they''re looking forward to his speech so much as their eyes are brimming with respect towards him. (Ugh... Their expectations hurt... But well, seems I can''t let them down here, I guess?) (Druid Oz) Standing on top of the castle gate, Druid Oz take several steps forwards as he stared at the eyes of the soldiers of the Galhala kingdom''s nobles. Just by looking at the eyes, one could learn several things from the person since the eyes could reflect a person''s heart in times. (Well, of course. Lives will be lost in wars, after all. There''s no knowing whether you''ll be able to return home to your loved one or not, and there''s no knowing whether you''ll be returning intact or not) (Druid Oz) The battles with Druid Oz that have no casualties could only be considered as miracles. In normal circumstances, a battle with a large number like this would easily have thousands of casualties. (And it seems like avoiding battles would already be impossible at this point) (Druid Oz) Even if Druid Oz joins the battle, there will still be casualties, and if he joins every battle, the soldiers and the nobles will grow dependant on him, and there will only be trouble rising from that point. Druid Oz is aware of those possibilities, so what he could only do right now is following the prime minister, Allomere''s, scheme, and give a motivating speech towards the noble soldiers. "Brave warriors of the kingdom," (Druid Oz) Druid Oz''s using the same technique as the prime minister, Allomere, but since he''s not as skillful as him, and the wind magic he could use is limited, all he could do is spreading the voice vastly with the wind magic. "Truth be told, I''m never fond of wars. I believe there is no actual reason that could justify a war, or blood to be spilled," (Druid Oz) "But men, sons, husbands, fathers. The only just reason for us to unsheathe our sword is when our loved ones are exposed to danger. When we need to protect them, even if we have to spill some blood in exchange," (Druid Oz) "And now, the time has come. When you march towards the enemy''s base, remember that if you fail, if you suddenly cowers, if you failed to kill and behead the enemy before you, the enemy will behead you and your family after that," (Druid Oz) "And also remember!" Druid Oz increases his tone. "If you decided to die to bring several enemies together with you, your family in your home will also be sad! Their lives might be saved, but not their heart!! So live!" (Druid Oz) "Live! Fight! Don''t die! True warriors don''t aim for just a half-baked win! Fight! Win! Win not just by winning the battle! But by returning to home with a victorious smile, and getting welcomed by your family!" (Druid Oz) Raising his staff above, Druid Oz finishes his speech. "Let''s kill those demons, and celebrate the victory with some booze, men," (Druid Oz) Chapter 222 - The March Of The First Wave Army [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ The nobles and their soldiers cheers as their morale raised to the peak because of Druid Oz''s before battle speech. With a satisfied smile, the prime minister, Allomere, approached Druid Oz. "It seems that you''re not lying about that talent of yours, Ren," (Prime Minister, Allomere) "Of course, you sly owl. But I would really appreciate it if I got an early notice about giving a before the battle speech, though," Answered Druid Oz sarcastically. "Don''t be mad, Ren. It would be a good experience as well, don''t you think. But well, we all appreciate the fact that you''ve raised the morale of the soldiers to the peak. We''ll definitely reward you handsomely for it, Ren," (Prime Minister, Allomere) "Handsomely, you say..." (Druid Oz) "Well, it''s time for the command to march," (Prime Minister, Allomere) Following the prime minister''s words, the Galhala King walked forward and stared at the eyes of the soldiers with his sharp eyes. His big figure felt so majestic and admiring that Druid Oz couldn''t help but admire the Galhala King''s back as well. (I guess in times like this, he does look like a great king, huh...) (Druid Oz) "Ren, did you just think something rude about father?" (Claria) "O-Of course not, I''m just admiring his majestic back," (Druid Oz) (Is that woman''s intuition? No, daughter''s intuition? How scary...) (Druid Oz) Different from Druid Oz''s use of motivating words, the Galhala King didn''t use a long sentence. "This is a command, WIN!!!" With his powerful voice, the Galhala King ordered his soldiers to win the upcoming battle as he raise his sword. Even though it is heard like a simple and unreasonable command, it sends shivers to all of the soldiers as they interpret it into a different meaning. ''We will definitely win!'' """""AS YOUR COMMAND!!!"""" The warriors of the noble faction answered the Galhala King''s command with full vigor. "March!!" Shouted one of the leading nobles, and the army finally march towards the demonic base. Druid Oz observes the marching army, and a small smile formed on his face. (So they follow my advice, after all) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz advised that they will need sacrificial pawns that could be used to check on traps and help increase the number of the army. Since it''s a demonic base, they wouldn''t know what kind of traps might lie ahead, and sacrificial pawns like golems could be used for lots of purposes and strategic plans. Following Druid Oz''s advice, the nobles that participate in the first wave march towards the demonic base managed to gather some owlfolk golems in their army. They are golems with a form of an owlfolk form in their owl form. Their size is about 3 meters tall, and their strength is decent. "Those golems could be gathered because of the countless magic cores we got from the demonic attack with you, Ren. If there''s more time, they could have gathered more than double of that number, but I guess it can''t be helped," said the prime minister, Allomere, as if he could read what Druid Oz is thinking. "That''s plenty. Those golems would help them in any battle strategy whether in attack, defense, or retreat. But it''s the first time I saw such golems, looks like the magic technology of the kingdom isn''t that bad, after all," (Druid Oz) "Of course! It''s just that using golems to fight while cowering behind them is not the style of Galhalan warriors! That''s why our nobles usually only use it as a defense system of their territories and their residence, they will only appear when they''re under attack and their soldiers are taking too much time to mobilize," (The Galhala King) "The royal castle didn''t use it?" (Druid Oz) "We have strong warriors in the capital, what use those golems would be here?" (The Galhala King) (So the reason why there are no golems in the capital is that the king didn''t like its existence in the capital, huh...) (Druid Oz) Druid Oz couldn''t help but make a wry smile because of the Galhala King''s reason. "I know what you''re thinking, Ren. Just leave that musclebrain be," said the prime minister with a sigh. "I-I see..." (Druid Oz) "Well, what''s left is to prepare for the second wave attack, we''re going to prepare the royal army, Ren. You''re free to do anything you wish now," (The Prime Minister, Allomere) "Noted," (Druid Oz) The Galhala King, the Galhala Queen, and the prime minister went to the royal castle to prepare for the second wave of attack towards the demonic base. The possibility of the second wave being needed is still unknown, that''s why preparation is absolutely necessary in case of emergency. "They''ve gone, huh..." (Druid Oz) Druid Oz stared at the noble army that have gone to the distance. Even though they march by flying, they still have a neat formation as it would smooth the change of formations. the supply convoys are brought by dozens of the owlfolk soldiers while flying, while some secondary supplies are brought with a carriage on the ground. It''s a measure made in case of the supply team brought by the flying team lost the supplies because of any reason. From the look of it, the prime minister, Allomere, and the Galhala king seem to trust the nobles that are leading the first wave attack. Judging that they don''t look that worried, it means that the army commander must be capable. (Since wars are the Galhala King''s virtue, since he''s not worried at all, it means that it would be fine. I guess having a commander that knows exactly when to retreat is very useful in this kind of battle) (Druid Oz) "So? What are we going to do now?" (Geeta) "We''re going to- Wait, you''re not going to prepare the second wave warriors with the king and queen, Claria?" Asked Druid Oz towards Claria as she''s just standing idly waiting for what Druid Oz will do just like Geeta and Azaline. "I''m not going to be a part of the second wave, after all. It''s said that this time father will be the one leading the army instead," (Claria) "I-I see... So the Galhala King will be leading the army personally, huh... That''s unexpected..." (Druid Oz) "Since the first wave will be taking quite a while, I guess I''m going to help for your quest," Druid Oz shifted his gaze towards Azaline and Geeta. "Our quest?" (Azaline) "Why are you forgetting it for!? We came here to search for your mother, remember!?" (Geeta) "A-Ah! That''s right! I completely forgot about it for a moment," (Azaline) "Don''t just forget your main objective, would you...?" (Druid Oz) "How did you know?" (Azaline) "I''m observing the imperial capital and the other clones as well, so of course I know. But the information you have is way too limited, let''s go back to the mansion first," said Druid Oz as he tapped his staff, and a big green magic circle appeared below him. "Get close, we''re warping towards the mansion," (Druid Oz) Following Druid Oz''s order, the three girls get near Druid Oz. "Wha- You don''t need to link your arm with him! He''s my fiance!" Claria protested towards Geeta that linked her arm with Druid Oz''s. "Isn''t it fine? I''m his fiance as well anyway. And I met him earlier than anyone, I believe I have enough privilege to do this," (Geeta) "Then I''m- Wha-" Claria that about to grab on Druid Oz''s other hand, Azaline got ahead of her and linked her arm with Druid Oz''s first. "I met him first as well! You''re the last so you need to back down!" (Azaline) "U-Um... Girls...?" (Druid Oz) "It might be bad if we suddenly got warped to a different place from you, right?" (Geeta) "Just warp us already, Ren!" (Claria) "O-Okay..." Druid Oz tapped his staff to the ground, and in a split second, their scenery changed, and they arrive in front of the mansion. *Sound of a door opened* As if he could sense the arrival of Druid Oz and the three girls, Gor opened the mansion''s door and welcome Druid Oz and co to the mansion. "Gor, prepare some drinks," (Druid Oz) Gor answered Druid Oz''s command with a bow and went to the kitchen. "We''ve arrived, it''s fine to let go of my arm already, you know?" (Druid Oz) "W-Well, it''s true, isn''t it...?" said Azaline as she reluctantly let go of Druid Oz''s arm together with Geeta. "Now, it''s time to match our information. Before the second wave attack, we''ll try to search for Azaline''s mother whereabout," (Druid Oz) """Okay!""" Chapter 223 - The Elf Queens Mother (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ As the army of the Galhala Kingdom''s noble soldiers is marching towards the demonic base, Druid Oz, Geeta, Azaline, and Claria decided to use the time they have right now to search for Azaline''s mother. "So you knew your mother here from a report that a scout submitted here... How come the scout knew about her?" (Druid Oz) "He has been working for my family since I was a kid, so he''s amongst the people that knew exactly how my mother looks like," (Azaline) "I see... So the chances of him mistook someone else as the queen should be slim. The report mentioned that she saw the sight of your mother riding a huge owl, and then they got attacked by other huge owls, huh..." Druid Oz muttered the limited amount of information they have about Azaline''s mother. "Scouts... Did you sent your soldiers to go so far as scouting the Eastaria continent, Azaline?" (Claria) "No, we didn''t send our scouts, but our scouts sent their familiars towards this continent after letting it flying for several days in constant speed. We''re gathering information about the continent, and it''s not only my elf kingdom, the reason why there are some ''Jack of All Trades'' members here is that they''re gathering information as well, right?" (Azaline) "Yes, you''re right. I did give Ibra the command to gather information from every place in the world. Information is very important, after all. But I see... I guess we could conclude that the huge owl your mother is an owlfolk, while the owls that attacked the scouts and are chasing your mother are owlfolks that got demonized because of the demonic virus... I guess this scenario makes sense the most," (Druid Oz) "True, I agree," (Claria) "Indeed... So she''s getting chased by some demonized owlfolks... Geeta, could you please stop eating your snacks and start using your head as well?" Azaline commented on Geeta that is hearing the discussion in focus while eating potato chips. "I am thinking, and I can''t stop eating. Thinking makes me hungry so I need to think and eat at the same time," Replied Geeta as she continue to bring more potato chips to her mouth. (Did she''s such a glutton before, I wonder?) (Druid Oz) "According to the report, in which side of the continent did the scouts saw your mother, Azaline?" (Druid Oz) Azaline closes her eyes in response to Druid Oz''s question as she tried to remember the contents of the report given to her by Reindell. "Hm... If I''m not mistaken... They''re at the east side..." (Azaline) "I see... Looks like she''s in the place where my summoned insects haven''t reached yet... Wait," Druid Oz suddenly stopped. "What is it, Ren?" (Azaline) "Ren?" (Claria) "If they saw your mother riding an owl that is an owlfolk, then there might be a kingdom or empire that still survives this demonic attack!" said Druid Oz excitedly. But even though Druid Oz gave such an excited reaction, the three girls before him didn''t understand why he''s getting so enthusiastic because of it. (Ah... I haven''t told them about the state of the kingdoms that my summoned insects have visited, huh...) (Druid Oz) "So..." (Druid Oz) Druid Oz explained to the three girls how he sent his summoned insects to search for the fragment of the demon emperor''s seal, and how he''s scanning through the whole Eastaria continent with them in hope that he found the demon emperor''s seal that is hidden in the Eastaria continent. Druid Oz himself isn''t sure about the possibilities of the fragment to exist in the Eastaria continent. But from the fact that there is the demonic base located in the Eastaria continent, Druid Oz believes that the reason why they are in the Eastaria continent is not just because they wanted to spread the demonic virus and make the whole continent into demons, but instead, they''re looking for the fragment of the demon emperor''s seal as well. But along the way, Druid Oz also scanned through the kingdoms and empires that his summoned insects met along the way, but until now, all of them are empty without even a single soul is living inside them. There are only a group of demons that are not a group of demonized owlfolks or demonized magic beasts, but an original demon that came from the demonic realm. "I-Impossible... To wipe out every life in a country..." Geeta that got surprised because of the story, stopped putting potato chips into her mouth. "Not even a single corpse remained...? Did all of them transformed into a demon as well!?" Azaline asked the worst-case scenario that Druid Oz had thought of before when he first stumble upon the scene as well. "No. They ate all of them, and only a small part of them turn into demons. But still, they became the nutrition for the demons to get even stronger and formidable. There are lots of blood, but no corpse could be found," (Druid Oz) "............" Azaline, Geeta, and Claria imagined the horror of the scenes that got described by Druid Oz. But Claria suddenly widened her eyes as she remember something. "How about the noble soldiers that are marching towards the demonic base, right now? Will they be able to win? If the demons could wipe out a kingdom in such a manner, then would they even stand a chance against them!? Not to mention that they got stronger after eating all of those people too!" (Claria) Claria''s fear isn''t wrong. Considering how the kingdoms that Druid Oz found with his summoned insects got all of the lives inside it massacred, then the strength of the demonic army must be powerful. It''s normal for a general princess like her to worry about it. But at the same time. "I believe it''s something that you shouldn''t ask as the general princess, don''t you think so, Claria? You must have faith in the soldiers, and it''s not like the demonic army are invincible. The reason they got annihilated must be because they suddenly got attacked by the demonic army that has a hundred thousand demons from the demon realm marching towards their kingdom just like we had experienced before," (Druid Oz) "The demons suddenly attack with a huge number while sending their elites amongst the ranks, and not to mention that those who got even a single scratch would change into a demon as well because of the demonic infection," (Druid Oz) "In our case, I luckily able to notice the march of the demons early and the kingdom faced the demonic army in a prepared state. Not to mention we have your father and the prime minister, Allomere, that was a former guardian as well. The difference in strength and amount of information we possess is something that those kingdoms that got annihilated didn''t have, so you don''t need to worry. The strength of our kingdom''s soldiers are not weak, as the general princess, you should know that best," (Druid Oz) "True... Sorry for losing my composure..." Claria apologized as she quickly regain her composure and realize how her words are inappropriate words for a general princess like her to say. "It''s fine, Claria. It''s normal for you to react like that, it''s admirable since it defines how much you care towards your people and your soldiers," Azaline soothes Claria. "Yes, Claria, admirable," (Geeta) "Thanks, Azaline," (Claria) Looking at the three girls before him, Druid Oz couldn''t help but ask himself inside his head. (Just since when did the three of them make up with each other) (Druid Oz) The scene where Claria argues with Azaline and Geeta in the dinner still sticks inside Druid Oz''s head as he could clearly remember how terrifying a quarrel between women is. "But well, that is right. But back to the topic, this is a piece of good news. If Azaline''s mother really is living together with owlfolks in a certain country on the east, the Galhala Kingdom will be able to gain one ally country to face the demons on top of the Eastaria continent," (Druid Oz) "True. But how should we make sure of it? Are we going to scout there ourselves?" (Geeta) "No," (Druid Oz) After reconsidering for a while, Druid Oz decided to send three of his griffin familiars to go to the east side of the Eastaria continent and search for kingdoms or empires that are located there. "We''re going to use my familiars.. Since it will take too much time if I use my summoned insects. I''ll send my griffins this time," (Druid Oz) Chapter 224 - The Elf Queens Mother (2) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight''s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ---------------------------_-----------------------_-----------------------------_-------------------------_-----------------------------_------------------------------------------ "So what''s left is to wait for your familiars to found a city or a place filled with people, huh...?" said Geeta as she stretch her arms and take out another snack from her spatial bag. (Just how many snacks did she put inside that bag anyway?) (Druid Oz) "Well, that''s right. There''s nothing left we could do. Since we''re going to need to standby here so that we''ll be ready in case of emergency, we can''t venture there ourselves, and we wouldn''t even know how many days will it take for the search to bear some fruits," (Druid Oz) "Well, that''s true, isn''t it~" (Geeta) "How about sending my warriors to help on the search? It would fasten the progress if we do so," (Claria) "We can''t. Since you''re a very important figure of the kingdom, it would be bad to have you endanger your kingdom''s soldiers to help a person from a foreign country, wouldn''t it? Even if it''s someone that came from Ren''s empire that had helped the kingdom several times, it still won''t be good for the soldiers," Answered Azaline as she shakes her head. "Ah. How about sending Corvus? He''s strong and fast!" (Azaline) "And what if that strong and fast Corvus got ambushed by several strong opponents and end up being infected?" (Druid Oz) "Ah... It would be very troublesome if he got infected and entered the enemy''s rank indeed..." (Azaline) "Corvus, you''re useless!" (Geeta) "Eh...? How did it become my fault...?" (Corvus) "But well, it''s not like we''re really out of options. They should be arriving in no time now," said Druid Oz as he let out a small grin on his face as he stare at the mansion''s door. "They?" (Claria) Right after Claria''s question, sounds of knocks from the mansion''s door could be heard. "Yes, them. Gor, let them in," (Druid Oz) Accepting Druid Oz''s command with a graceful bow, Gor approached the mansion''s door and opened it, revealing two Galhala kingdom''s royal guards and five hooded figures. "Pardon our intrusion, lord Ren, general princess," The two royal guards bowed. "Yes, what do you need?" (Claria) "These five elves stated that they are the escorts from the elf kingdom under the Tarot empire and that they''re ordered to meet you, lord Ren..." "T-The five of you are-" (Azaline) !?!? The five elves opened their hoods as they kneels before Druid Oz and Azaline, revealing their long ears and beautiful looks. "Your imperial majesty, the emperor. Your majesty, the queen. We''ve come per the order of the prime minister. We''ve sent to deliver you a message and to serve as your shield, sword, and messenger along your quest in this continent. I''m Aeson Ravatumal, the squad leader of the black ops tasked to stay with your shadows," said the elf that seem to be the leader of the group. "I see... So Reindell sent you here..." (Azaline) "S-So they really are your guests, lord Ren! We''re troubled whether they are lying or not. There''s no one that has dared to lie of being your acquainted, but we''re still doubtful. But since they''re wearing unusual equipment, we decided to determine whether they are lying or not after letting you meet them!" said one of the royal guards nervously. The two royal guards seem to be nervous as they''re facing the famous fiance of the general princess that had saved the kingdom and achieved numerous achievements in such a short time. And they''ve seen Druid Oz in action at the time the royal castle of the Galhala Kingdom got attacked by the self-proclaimed demon king before. *Sigh!* Claria let out a sigh because of the unprofessionalism the two royal guards of her kingdom are showing. As the general princess tasked to monitor the warriors of the kingdom, including the royal guards, she couldn''t help but compare the two royal guards and the five fine elven warriors from the Tarot empire before her. "Yes, thanks for escorting them here, men. I''m grateful," (Druid Oz) "Y-Yes! Then we''ll be taking our leave, lord Ren! P-Please excuse us!" The royal guards bowed and left the mansion. "So tell me, what''s the message Reindell asked you to deliver?" (Druid Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty. According to the prime minister, the prime minister and the emperor had come to an agreement to have our kingdom help to resolve the problems in the Eastaria continent and help the quest of the emperor and the queen," "With the permission of the emperor and the imperial prime minister, we''ve brought the elven soldiers to the Eastaria continent with the help of the imperial head mage, lord Gurolf. We''re building our base near the shore at the west, considering it''s not inside the territory of any country," "I see... So you came by teleportation," (Druid Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty. The prime minister also told us to deliver you a message that he has prepared some soldiers for you and the queen to dispatch according to your will. Feel free to command them," "Eh? Really? As expected of Reindell..." (Azaline) "As expected of Reindell, he''s very thoughtful. Then let''s not beat around the bush. How many soldiers are available, right now, Aeson?" (Druid Oz) "30,000 royal soldiers of the third royal legion of the kingdom, the Nirvana legion, your imperial majesty. Your orders," (Aeson) "Yes, I need them to investigate the east side of the Eastaria continent. Search for a country that has a sign of living inside it. Does the jack of all trade''s reports entered Reindell''s hands as well?" (Druid Oz) "Yes, your imperial majesty. They diligently report and update us with the situation in the Eastaria continent," (Aeson) "Good. Judging from your reaction, it seems that you heard about the information as well. Then do you knew concerning the demonic virus spread by the demons in this continent?" (Druid Oz) "Yes, I''m aware, your imperial majesty," (Aeson) "That''s good. Then I''ll leave the investigation and strategy everything to you lots, this will be a good opportunity to see the Elvenheim kingdom''s military operation capabilities. I''m looking forward to your reports," (Druid Oz) "Don''t embarrass me, okay? Show Ren how great our elven kingdom is," said Azaline as she tapped on Aeson''s shoulders. "We will try our best to fulfill your expectations," (Aeson) And in the next moment, one of Aeson''s subordinates disappeared from in front of them and rushed to report the new information and orders from Druid Oz towards Reindell. His speed surprised Claria as it startled her how high the skill of Azaline''s elven kingdom''s black ops member is. (He left without the squad''s leader''s orders. As if he could read the leader''s intention just by his silence alone, huh... So they''re an order that works especially in shadows, huh... But these elves came from the ) (Claria) On one hand, Claria couldn''t help but feel jealous of the high spec black ops squad of Azaline''s kingdom. Since there is no such thing as a black ops secret order in the Galhala kingdom, they usually pick some royal guards to be their personal royal knights that handle some of their private affairs. But looking at how Azaline''s Elvenheim kingdom brought to have a formal secret order, she couldn''t help but get envy from comparing her personal royal guards and Aeson. But on the other hand, Claria also got mesmerized by how Druid Oz looked like a real emperor in front of them. The majestic aura he''s emitting when he''s talking to them, and how the five of them seem to hold him in high esteem. It made her happy to know the man she fell in love with is a great man that is also admired by the people surrounding him and is a person that his subordinate looked up to. It''s not uncommon for a subordinate to look unpleased and do their tasks with a look of discontent. But in Aeson and his subordinates'' case, Claria could feel how the five of them are eager to follow any kind of command Druid Oz gave them, and they''re having a look that seems to be saying that they''re going to use any means to fulfill the task Druid Oz gave them and will do their best to impress him. "Dazzling, isn''t he?" (Azaline) "Eh?" Claria that has been mesmerized by Druid Oz''s look got startled by Azaline''s words. "Ren. When he changed into his emperor mode, he''s dazzling, isn''t he?" (Azaline) "Yeah... Well, that''s true..." (Claria) "That back, that shoulders... How many lives does it shouldering I wonder...." (Azaline) Chapter 225: Entertaining The Two Queens [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight¡¯s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª After sending out the orders to investigate the east side of the Eastaria continent towards Aeson, Druid Oz crosschecks some of the information and the situation of the elven army with Aeson¡¯s group for a while. Aeson and the other elves leave the mansion as well to relay the new information and do some other miscellaneous tasks ordered by Druid Oz after getting dismissed. ¡°Hm? Where¡¯s Claria?¡± Asked Druid Oz as he couldn¡¯t spot Claria that supposed to be standing next to Geeta. ¡°She left,¡± (Geeta) ¡°She left?¡± (Druid Oz) ¡°Yes. Looking at the dazzling back of a certain someone made her couldn¡¯t stay still and left to check her kingdom¡¯s warriors,¡± (Azaline) ¡°I-Is that so¡­? Then that¡¯s good, she must be anxious about the noble soldiers that are marching towards the demonic base. It would be a good distraction for her,¡± (Druid Oz) ¡°So? What should we do now?¡± (Geeta) ¡°Hm¡­ How about we go sightseeing in the Galhala kingdom and relax ourselves a bit? I believe that Claria is not the only one who is feeling anxious right now, after all,¡± said Druid Oz with a gentle smile. Even though Azaline had been trying her best not to show it on her face, she¡¯s actually feeling very anxious about the result of the expedition towards the east side of the Eastaria continent. It would be great if they could find her mother, but there¡¯s a big possibility that she¡¯s not there, and there are also some worst scenarios that she didn¡¯t want to think of. But of course, Druid Oz and Geeta had realized this from the start. Geeta had some ideas to cheer her up, but she believes that the most efficient thing that could cheer Azaline up and give a big impact on the anxiety on her heart is to get cheered up by the one she loves. *Sigh!* Azaline let out a sigh. ¡°Even though I¡¯ve tried hard to hide it¡­ So the both of you noticed it, huh¡­?¡± Muttered Azaline as the mask she¡¯s using to hide her anxiety start to crumble. ¡°Well, I¡¯m your best friend, after all~¡± (Geeta) ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it?¡± (Azaline) ¡°Hm¡­ But if I notice it because I¡¯m your best friend, then I wonder Ren notice it as your what~¡± (Geeta) ¡°W-What are you saying, Geeta. Too close!¡± Azaline brushed off Geeta that is approaching her face with a teasing smile as she stole some glances towards Druid Oz. ¡°What do you think, Ren!¡± Geeta decided to ask directly to Druid Oz. ¡°Hm¡­ I wonder¡­¡± Druid Oz let out a vague answer. ¡°Geez~ Can¡¯t you come up with a better answer? Can¡¯t you see Azaline¡¯s emitting an aura filled with disappointment? But well,¡± Geeta suddenly grabbed one of Druid Oz¡¯s arms. ¡°W-Wha- Geeta?¡± (Azaline) ¡°Of course~ No matter what he says, Ren is mine, though~ I met him first, after all~¡± (Geeta) ¡°G-Geeta, how unfair¡­¡± Azaline gritted her teeth as she couldn¡¯t retaliate on Geeta¡¯s teasings since she¡¯s too embarrassed to do the bold things that Geeta could do. ¡°Don¡¯t blame it on me. Blame it on Ren, he¡¯s the one that didn¡¯t come up with a good answer, after all~ Hehehe~¡± said Geeta as she further clings to Druid Oz¡¯s arm. ¡°G-Geeta¡­¡± (Druid Oz) ¡°You sure enjoying it, aren¡¯t you?¡± (Azaline) ¡°Of course~¡± (Geeta) ¡°Hm¡­ A good answer, huh¡­ Then how about this,¡± (Druid Oz) ¡°Eh?¡± Geeta exclaimed in surprise as Druid Oz suddenly approached Azaline. ¡°The reason why I noticed you¡¯re anxious is it? Well, of course, it¡¯s because you¡¯re my queen of elves, I need to be at least capable to notice the true expression beneath the elf queen¡¯s mask to be able to get Reindell¡¯s approval, isn¡¯t that right, my queen?¡± said Druid Oz as he pats Azaline¡¯s head. *Phoosh!* Druid Oz felt like steams gushing out from Azaline¡¯s head for a moment, and when he take a glance below his hand that is petting her head, her face is beet red. Druid Oz tilts his head as he tries to lift his hand and is about to hold her forehead to check whether she has a fever, but Azaline holds his hand with both of her hands, forcing it to remain on top of her head. ¡°T-Thank you,¡± (Azaline) ¡°W-Whoa¡­ As expected of Ren¡­ He turns the table rather quickly¡­ Azaline will definitely forget about her mother and anything else after this¡­¡± (Geeta) ¡°I won¡¯t!¡± (Azaline) ¡°Hehehehe~¡± Geeta let out a laugh, but even though she¡¯s happy for her best friend, she also felt envious and jealous of Druid Oz¡¯s words towards Azaline. Thinking that eating some snacks would relieve her from those complicated feelings, Geeta take out her spatial bag and was about to take out some snacks but- ¡°Eh?¡± Geeta exclaimed in surprise as Druid Oz suddenly holds her hand. ¡°And of course, the queen of the goblins is my queen as well, isn¡¯t that right, my queen?¡± Different from Azaline, Druid Oz attacked Geeta¡¯s defense with a smirk and put his hand on top of Geeta¡¯s head as he pats her. ¡°W-what are you doing? Hands off! I want to eat my snacks!¡± said Geeta as she weakly tried to brush off Druid Oz¡¯s hands. ¡°Oh my, isn¡¯t the force you¡¯re using to brush my hands off are too weak, Geeta? Isn¡¯t the queen of goblins supposed to have the same strength as Aegir?¡± (Druid Oz) ¡°S-Shut up!¡± Replied Geeta as her face flushed the same way Azaline¡¯s does. ¡°Fufufufu! Geeta¡¯s reaction is even cuter than mine~¡± Azaline finally gains an opportunity to tease Geeta back. ¡°Ugh¡­ Just you wait, Azaline¡­ But¡­ In other thought, this is nice¡­ Again, again¡­¡± Geeta holds Druid Oz¡¯s hand on top of her head as she refuses to let that hand leave. The warmth and the gentleness emitted from the tender stroke warm and eases her heart, the feeling had made Geeta addicted that she forgot about her embarrassment. ¡°And she recovers from the embarrassment so quick! Geeta, formidable¡­¡± (Azaline) ¡°Now, now. Since this is a rare chance, how about going sightseeing around the Galhala kingdom? It will be a nice and refreshing experience to observe the country filled with people that occasionally transform from human form into huge owl form, right?¡± Suggested Druid Oz. ¡°Hm~ That¡¯s a good idea! Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s try some Galhala foods as well along the way!¡± Geeta immediately suggested food-related visits immediately. ¡°I¡¯m interested as well! That¡¯s a good idea!¡± Answered Azaline with full of smiles. Just like what Geeta had thought, Azaline got temporarily forgot her worry about her mother as her heart is currently filled with the happiness she gets from the attention Druid Oz is giving her. But even so, the one that is currently got her heart filled with happiness is not Azaline, but Geeta as well. Even though the both of them got embarrassed by Druid Oz¡¯s words at first, those words bring extreme happiness to the both of them as well. Even though his manner of words is slightly roundabout, the meaning is clear. It means that since they are his queens, or in other words, his wives, it¡¯s normal for him to at least notice the feelings that they are trying to hiding. But currently, the magician that is also trying his best to hide his real expression from getting revealed ends up didn¡¯t notice another thing. The fact that the both girls also realized the hidden expression he¡¯s having. (Now that I think about it, his words are way too roundabout. Fufufu¡­ Well, he¡¯s not the type that could easily muster up that kind of cheesy words, after all. It must be the best form of sweet words that he could muster at that time~) (Azaline) (Hm¡­ Ren¡¯s words are too roundabout, and because his hand is patting my head, I couldn¡¯t really see his expression. But well, I can¡¯t really saw his face because I¡¯m too embarrassed to face him directly as well, though. But as expected¡­) (Geeta) (He must be embarrassed as well!) (Geeta and Azaline) ¡°W-Why are the both of you looking at me like that?¡± Asked Druid Oz as he stared at him with a wry smile. ¡°¡±Nothing~¡±¡± (Azaline and Geeta) ¡°H-Huh?¡± (Druid Oz) The three of them end up sightseeing around the Galhala kingdom, visiting every part of the kingdom while riding Corvus. ************************************* Inside the imperial palace of the great Tarot Empire, Slime Oz is crouching behind his desk. ¡°R-Ren? What happened? Stomachache?¡± (Aegir) ¡°N-No¡­ It¡¯s fine¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­¡± said Slime Oz as he raise his body and continue to sit at the desk and once again hold up his pen. ¡°Hm? Your face is kind of red, Ren,¡± (Aegir) ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t mind me,¡± (Druid Oz) ¡°I-Is that so¡­?¡± (Aegir) (That damned Druid clone¡­ Saying such embarrassing things¡­ The next time I saw him, he¡¯ll burn!!) (Slime Oz) Chapter 226: The Grandarian King And The Slime [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight¡¯s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Begriazar Kingdom The Begriazar Kingdom is a kingdom with a huge territory located on the east side of the Ablux continent that consists of wonderous beastmen from several races. Because of the tight security and the hostility between the Begriazar kingdom and other human kingdoms, there is not much information that existed in the records. The Begriazar kingdom, or the kingdom of beastmen, is ruled by a lion race beastmen royal family that had been sitting on the sit of the beast kingdom for hundreds of years. At the battle with the demon emperor, the king of the Begriazar kingdom that famous for hating humans joined the battle for the sake of the world, and to protect his family. With his powerful strength, he greatly contributed to the sealing of the demon emperor. -Legend of the Ablux Continent book, Grandaria library, Capital of Grandaria ****************************** ¡°Hey, I heard that her highness the princess and the other heroes of the kingdom are going to join the Holy empire¡¯s party of heroes to a quest,¡± ¡°I heard that too. Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. Isn¡¯t that a great deal! It means that our kingdom¡¯s heroes are actually world-class level heroes, right!¡± ¡°But even so¡­ Doesn¡¯t it worrying¡­?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It means that our kingdom¡¯s guardian will be away from the kingdom, right? Even if we just won the recent war and the new king had brilliantly made the country regain its stability, doesn¡¯t it will be very dangerous if we suddenly got attacked when the heroes are away?¡± ¡°True, true. It will be definitely reassuring if at least the princess stays. It¡¯ll give us old guys more motivation to work as well if we could see such beautiful princess every day,¡± ¡°You old perverts should just shut your mouths. But you¡¯re right¡­ It¡¯s worrying¡­¡± ¡°No, no, no! Why should we? We now have the heavenly knights that saved us from the recent demonic attack stationed in the kingdom, right? The Tarot empire¡¯s knights!¡± ¡°Ah! You¡¯re true!¡± ¡°But wait, doesn¡¯t the Holy empire believe in human supremacy? What if they have a dispute with the heavenly knights from the Tarot empire?¡± ¡°No matter what happened, the heavenly knights of the Tarot empire saved us from the demonic attack. And their ambassador, I mean ex-ambassador is the one who helped King Chris take over the throne, right?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. even if it¡¯s the holy church itself, I¡¯ll take the Tarot empire¡¯s side if they get into a dispute with the holy empire. I believe we won¡¯t be standing here without their help both at the demonic attack and the war against the Potterland kingdom, after all,¡± ¡°But well, there must be a reason why our new competent king agreed to let our heroes join with the Holy Empire¡¯s party of heroes. And it is also said that the king was supposed to be joining them as well, but he refused. He must be staying behind because he¡¯s worried for us!¡± ¡°I see¡­ That competent king must have some other plans. But a journey towards the beast kingdom, huh¡­ I hope that the princess and her comrades will be able to return harmlessly¡­¡± The people of the Grandaria kingdom are currently livelier than usual. Most of them get out of their house to hear more news about the rumor that had been circulating nationally. At the time when the holy empire¡¯s party of heroes entered the city, they¡¯re pleasantly surprised because such famous people are entering the kingdom, but after quite a while, they couldn¡¯t help but get worried. The Holy Empire¡¯s absolute principle is human supremacy. Demihumans and other races other than humans could only be considered slaves or livestock in their eyes. Those beliefs of the holy empire are spread all over the holy church that exists in almost all human countries in the continent. At the time Peter announced the decision of the royal court in cutting off the ties between the kingdom and the church, the people is slightly surprised, but they¡¯re also relieved as well. It¡¯s not uncommon for the officials of the church to do unreasonable things towards the people. The healing service the priests offer has a rip-off price, the holy knights love to extort the people, and the bishops love to poke their noses into the political affairs of the kingdom. And since the people of the Grandaria kingdom have their own heroes for them to worship, and with the arrival of the heavenly knights of the Tarot empire that saved them from the demonic attack, the citizens of the Grandaria kingdom couldn¡¯t help but hold a bad image of the holy church and the holy empire because of the contrast between the holy empire¡¯s holy church and the Tarot empire¡¯s heavenly knights. ¡°Does the reaction of the citizens are within your expectation as well, Ren?¡± Peter stared deep right into Slime Tarot¡¯s eyes. There is no murderous intent on it, but there¡¯s a hint of complicated emotion inside it. In response to the Grandarian king¡¯s question, Slime Tarot just give off a smile that made Peter even more difficult to read what he¡¯s thinking. ; ¡°Of course not, even I¡¯m not capable to achieve things to such extent,¡± (Slime) ¡°Hmph!¡± Peter snorted. Staring at the Slime¡¯s unfathomable eyes that deepness couldn¡¯t be measured, Peter got even more sure. (As expected. This feeling of frustration because of looking at someone that I could never imagine surpassing. No wonder he gives off a nostalgic presence. They turn out to be the same person, after all¡­ Well, it¡¯s not like the thought never crossed my mind before¡­) (Peter) ¡°So you really are Ren, huh¡­¡± Peter let out a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes. ¡°I am. Sorry for keeping you guys in the dark, I understand how much I have made all of you worried¡­¡± said Slime with an apologetic smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Answered Peter as he gives off a smile. He had decided to accept the fact that the Slime Tarot from the Tarot empire before him is his best friend that disappeared several years ago, Ren Arken. At this time, Sera and the others had agreed to go towards the beast kingdom. The result of the negotiation between the Grandaria kingdom side and the party of heroes of the Holy Empire is for the heroes of Grandaria Kingdom to follow the party of heroes towards beast kingdom according to the guidance of the prophecy except for Peter that decided to stay for a while at the Grandaria kingdom to ensure the stability of the kingdom and to give the ministers his guidance and plan for the future so that the country could still develop without his presence. As Peter went to the king¡¯s study to make up some plans and to take care of his load of paper works, it turns out that there¡¯s a faint presence of someone inside of the study. ¡°But I¡¯m glad that you finally tell me. But I need to admit that it¡¯s kind of nerve-wracking to think that there is someone bold enough to enter the king¡¯s study without getting noticed by my royal guards. There are even two royal guards that abilities I trust stationed right in front of the king¡¯s study. You really ruin my confidence in them¡­¡± said Peter with a wry smile imprinted on his face. Even though he believes that it¡¯s normal since it¡¯s his friend, Ren that did that, he still couldn¡¯t help but show his bitterness on how his trusted subordinates¡¯ abilities turned out couldn¡¯t be that helpful in front of this friend of his. ¡°You should just train them even harder. Other than you, I¡¯ve only told Alfred,¡± (Slime) ¡°I see¡­ That Alfred, his way too unexpected that I couldn¡¯t even notice his strange behaviors towards you¡­ To think that such things happened to you, I¡¯ll try my best on my end together with the magician guild to research that condition of yours, Ren. But it¡¯s still unknown whether they could find anything from it, I¡¯m sorry,¡± (Peter) Slime had already told Peter everything about what happened after Oz¡¯s solo battle against the army of demons and the state of his real body currently in. He originally thought that Peter¡¯s reaction will be as huge as Alfred¡¯s, but it turns out that he didn¡¯t do anything as such. (He truly has obtained the demeanor of the great king, huh¡­) (Slime) ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m the one who should apologize. I hid all of these towards all of you for so long,¡± (Slime) ¡°Your reason is clear, and despite hiding your identity, you still show yourself and helped us countless times. You even fulfill your promise of helping me become the king, after all,¡± (Peter) ¡°Well, I know you must be tired of waiting anyway,¡± (Slime) ¡°True. But Ren,¡± Peter walked around the room and stopped in front of the window as he stared into the scenery outside. ¡°What is it?¡± (Slime) ¡°I know you might have realized. But I believe that both Edreale and Sera already have suspicions about the identity of Slime Tarot¡­¡± (Peter) ¡°¡­.I know,¡± (Slime) ¡°Then. I believe that you should tell them in the near future. Before they do anything rash. But well, anyway, let¡¯s get into the main point, shall we? So what is the plan?¡± said Peter as the complicated feelings inside his eyes dissipated. ¡°As expected of the brilliant king, you noticed my intentions clearly,¡± (Slime) Chapter 227: The Restless Night [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight¡¯s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª It¡¯s in the middle of the night, the sky above the Grandaria kingdom¡¯s capital had become dark, and the beautiful moon radiates its warm light as if giving blessing towards the world. But somehow, for several people inside the royal castle, they¡¯re feeling restless despite the peaceful and beautiful night. ¡°Something¡¯s weird¡­¡± said Sera as she rise up from her bed. ¡°Can¡¯t sleep?¡± Asked Edreale that has been writing something in her notebook. ¡°Yeah¡­ Writing new songs? Poem?¡± (Sera) ¡°Yup. But I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to make something good tonight,¡± said Edreale as she closes her notebook and stared right into Sera¡¯s eyes with her usual emotionless face. ¡°I see¡­¡± (Sera) Even though tomorrow is the day where their party will embark towards the beast kingdom together with the party of heroes, she couldn¡¯t help but feel kind of restless even though she should be having a rest for the travel. ¡°Something bothering you?¡± Continued Edreale. When Edreale asked her that question, she unconsciously flinched a bit. Even though it¡¯s just a simple question, and she isn¡¯t really thinking about anything currently, but the face of two people suddenly appeared inside her head. One of them is the person that had saved her lots of times before, both mentally and physically. While the other person is a person from another country that had saved their kingdom from a perilous state. Both of them have the same mysterious bearing that is completely identical to each other. And to add that she¡¯s having the same reaction on her chest whenever she talked with them is making her even more confused. (Don¡¯t tell me¡­ The both of them are¡­) (Sera) ¡°Sera?¡± (Edreale) ¡°Y-Yes!?¡± Sera jumped out in panic as Edreale¡¯s face suddenly appeared closely in front of her face. ¡°Is there something bothering you?¡± Edreale gives off the same question as before. Even though she knew that there must be something bothering Sera by judging from her reaction just now, the fact that she still asks her again shows how much she appreciates their friendship and how she¡¯s concerned about her but still know that she should only meddle with Sera¡¯s privacy if she allows her to. (She saw right through me, huh¡­) (Sera) ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ Going to the beast kingdom tomorrow, somehow made me think some unnecessary things¡­¡± (Sera) ¡°I see¡­¡± (Edreale) After that sentence, a moment of silence enveloped both of them. They have become best friends and had leaned towards each other, but it doesn¡¯t mean that they didn¡¯t have any secrets from each other. (It would be strange if I suddenly said that I suspect Ren and Mr. Slime to be the same person, right? Wouldn¡¯t she be worried that my mind gone nuts!?) (Sera) ¡°Me too¡­¡± (Edreale) ¡°I see¡­¡± (Sera) ¡°Eh?¡± Sera exclaimed in surprise towards Edreale¡¯s unexpected response. (W-What does that mean? Does it mean that she thought that Mr. Slime and Ren is the same person like me? But I barely ever saw the both of them talk with each other, though? Did they talk with each other when I didn¡¯t see them?) (Sera) ¡°You¡¯re feeling uneasy too?¡± (Sera) ¡°Yes,¡± Edreale gave an immediate reply. Even though Edreale¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change much, Sera notice that her eyes went clouded after she answered ¡®yes¡¯ towards her. It¡¯s been quite a long time since they¡¯ve become friends, and since they are the only girls inside their circle, they¡¯ve become close best friends. (I see¡­ Well, this time the quest might be a long time, isn¡¯t it? The last time we had such a long adventure with a small group is when Ren is still together with us, isn¡¯t it¡­?) (Sera) The both of them had grown accustomed to each other¡¯s habits, even though there is the same person that exist inside their heart, rather than colliding and dragging each other down, the both of them chose the path where the two of them could stand together with the person they love. And since the person they love¡¯s location is currently unknown, they could comfort each other and try to fill the gap inside their heart with each other since both of them are feeling the same pain inside them. (Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve been busying myself with the kingdom¡¯s affairs. Helping Peter- big brother Chris to stabilize the kingdom and other stuff. It helped me to forget the worry inside my chest. But how about Edry? Since we¡¯re definitely feeling the same way, could writing songs even fill the gap inside her chest?) (Sera) Sera take another glance towards Edreale, and somehow, she could finally see the sadness hiding inside that expressionless face. Even though her expression is always the same, Sera realizes that Edreale¡¯s eyes represent her emotions greatly after getting much closer to her. Looking at such expression of her best friend, Sera¡¯s chest tighten as an act of strange courage suddenly appeared inside her. ¡°Edry¡­ Are you thinking about Ren?¡± (Sera) Both of them considered that name taboo. Not only for the both of them, for Alfred, Sen, Peter, and Albus, that name is something that shouldn¡¯t be mentioned in front of them. Only when it¡¯s at the right place and the right moment that they may mention that name. Since the owner of that name had given too much impact on them, it¡¯s painful for them to didn¡¯t know anything about him. They didn¡¯t know his current situation, they didn¡¯t even know whether he is alive or not, and even if he¡¯s alive, they couldn¡¯t offer him any assistance. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Answered Edreale as an unusual sad smile appeared on her face. ¡°Edry¡­¡± Sera immediately rise up and hugs that best friend of hers. As they hug each other, they could feel each other¡¯s warmth. Even though it¡¯s not the warmth that they dreamt to feel, the feelings of care from their friendship seem to transfer to each other from that warmth. As time passes, their tight chest finally starts to loosen. They didn¡¯t know who shed a tear first, but after they separate from each other, they saw that both of them have a pair of swollen eyes. ¡°¡±Pfft!¡±¡± (Edreale and Sera) Looking at the unusual swollen eyes of each other, the both of them burst into laughter together. They¡¯re best friends. But since both of them are the type of people that rarely talks about the heavy things weighing inside their heart. It needs a lot of preparation and time for them to be able to share the things that worry both of them. And because of the sudden burst of tears and laughter, they¡¯ve finally reached the rare moment where they feel like they could share with each other everything they thought without hesitating. ¡°It¡¯s been very long since we saw him. I don¡¯t really understand with my own feelings, my I believe that I don¡¯t worry about his wellbeing since you know how he is,¡± (Edreale) ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡± The image of Oz holding his cards as he smirked appeared inside Sera¡¯s mind. ¡°I think¡­ This is the feeling of longing¡­ I heard the term in lots of poems and songs, so this is how it fees¡­ It¡¯s unsettling and uncomfortable¡­¡± said Edreale as she clenches her fist in front of her chest. ¡°Well¡­ You¡¯re right. It¡¯s not a pleasant thing to feel, isn¡¯t it?¡± (Sera) ¡°Yup,¡± Edreale nods. ¡°But, Edry,¡± (Sera) ¡°Hm?¡± (Edreale) ¡°Did those feelings of yours get even worst after Mr. Slime from the Tarot empire came here?¡± Sera decided to ask her directly. ¡°Yes,¡± Edreale responds with an immediate reply. ¡°I see¡­¡± (Sera) (So she does feel the same way¡­ But she never initiates a conversation with him unlike when we¡¯re together with Ren¡­ I wonder why?) (Sera) ¡°The vibe he¡¯s emitting, the way he talks, the way he walks, the way he smirks, the way he dominates people in conversation, the comfortable feeling when he¡¯s present, and the feeling of being protected whenever his presence is near. Everything is the same, but somehow¡­¡± (Edreale) ¡°Somehow it¡¯s scary,¡± Sera complete Edreale¡¯s sentence as she thought exactly like the same thing as her. ¡°Nn. I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m just looking for his replacement, what if it turns out that they¡¯re a different person, and if it¡¯s him, why does he keep a secret of his identity. And if we know about his identity, will he disappear from us once again?¡± (Edreale) Everything that Edreale mentioned had passed through Sera¡¯s mind as well. As if the both of them are twins, it seems like they have been wondering and worrying about the same thing. But hearing Edreale¡¯s words, an unexpected emotion surged inside Sera. (I don¡¯t know why¡­ What is this¡­ Anger? Why am I angry?) (Sera) Sera contemplates for a moment, and she finally calms down. (I see¡­ I¡¯m mad because that idiot made my best friend hurt like this, huh¡­) (Sera) ¡°Edry,¡± (Sera) ¡°Hm?¡± (Edreale) Sera gritted her teeth as an unexpected idea appeared inside her head. ¡°Wanna try looking for the truth together?¡± (Sera) Chapter 228: Ambush In The Castles Garden (1) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight¡¯s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Hm¡­ That turned out rather anticlimactic¡­ I¡¯m sure he¡¯s going to make a strong reaction like Alfred did, though¡­¡± (Slime Tarot) After discussing and relaying the important things he wanted to convey towards Peter, Slime attempted to slip out of the royal castle stealthily like how he entered the place in the first place. (Well, It¡¯s supposed to be a good thing, though. I guess I shouldn¡¯t get too bothered about it) (Slime) As Slime passed the guards and was about to leave flee towards the royal garden, Slime sensed a presence of a figure standing idly there. (Oops! I guess I need to take a detour-) (Slime) ¡°Sir Slime Tarot of Tarot Empire. I know you¡¯re there. Show yourself,¡± A melodious voice entered Slime¡¯s ears as he stopped in his tracks. ; ¡°¡­¡­¡± Slime decided to stay silent for a while as he decided to observe the situation first. (That is¡­ The saintess from the Holy Empire, huh¡­? Is what she¡¯s saying is a bluff, or does she actually notice my presence?) (Slime Tarot) ¡°I know you¡¯re there. There¡¯s no need for you to hide from me,¡± Once again, Saintess Elvira spoke out. She¡¯s staring into the beautiful moon with a mesmerized expression, but her eyes are emitting a strange light. ¡°¡­What a coincidence to meet you here, lady saintess. Are you here to enjoy the beauty of the night as well?¡± said Slime as he decided to show himself up since it seems that his presence had already been noticed by the Saintess Elvira. Hearing Slime¡¯s voice, the lady saintess strangely turns her head in an exaggerated manner as her expression lights up. (Huh?) (Slime Tarot) Slime Tarot flinched as the expression Saintess Elvira is wearing is not the one he¡¯s having inside of his mind. Her eyes widen and her pale face suddenly changed as if she¡¯s a blooming flower. As if she didn¡¯t expect that Slime will actually appear before her. ¡°Lady saintess¡­?¡± (Slime) ¡°Yes! Ah!¡± The lady saintess appeared as if she suddenly remember something, and her expression immediately changed into her usual dignified and graceful appearance. ¡°What do you mean by enjoying the beauty of the night as well? I believe that people who are about to enjoy the beauty of the night won¡¯t be wandering around the royal palace stealthily, though?¡± Saintess Elvira snorted. (Even if you snort now, it won¡¯t make me forget your happy expression when you saw me, you know that?) (Slime) ¡°Some people just have their own preferences regarding enjoying the beauty of the night, lady saintess. Just like how I love to enjoy it stealthily, aren¡¯t you enjoying it by waiting for a certain someone¡¯s presence as well?¡± (Slime) ¡°You sure know how to joke, Sir Slime. But unfortunately, even though it¡¯s true that I¡¯ve been enjoying the beauty of the moon, my main objective by coming here is to wait for your presence,¡± said Saintess Elvira as she closed her eyes. (What a farce, even though you¡¯ve surely spilled the beans by showing that happy expression before, it¡¯s plainly obvious that you yourself didn¡¯t even expect that I will actually come out here) (Slime) ¡°I see, then I hope you¡¯ll meet that person you¡¯re searching for soon, lady saintess. Have a good night- Hm?¡± Just as Slime is about to leave, a delicate hand caught his right wrist. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m sorry, lady saintess. But if other people saw us in these circumstances, it will very much tarnish your reputation as the holy-¡± (Slime) ¡°Three years ago,¡± (Saintess Elvira) ¡°Eh?¡± Slime flinched and stopped his sentence as he heard Saintess Elvira¡¯s words. ¡°Three years ago, the army of 10,000 demons that appeared should have destroyed several cities and killed countless lives,¡± (Saintess Elvira) (She¡¯s talking about the deed the original body did¡­?) (Slime) ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it as well. I heard that it¡¯s a rather young hero that sacrificed himself to kill those demons. I couldn¡¯t help but admire that young man, it is such a shame that I won¡¯t be able to meet him¡­ Directly¡­¡± Slime Tarot got even bewildered as he saw the expression the Saintess Elvira is wearing on her face. It¡¯s an expression filled with various kinds of expressions. Anger, gratitude, sorrow, and other types of emotions seem to be conflicting with each other. Slime Tarot had confirmed before that the Saintess Elvira should not be able to read his mind, but somehow, those pure eyes of the holy saintess seem to be prying into his mind and heart. ¡°What are you¡­?¡± (Slime) ¡°I saw the scene. In the dream, I saw the scene where the demons cruelly surrounded a city, killed the men, ravaged the women, and ate the children,¡± The dignified voice of the lady saintess weakens and her voice became hoarse as she remembered the scene inside her dream. (A dream? A prophecy?) (Slime) ¡°I firmly believe that it¡¯s a prophecy delivered by the god about the appearance of the demons. But even though I told the church and the empire about it, they set aside the topic easily just by saying that it¡¯s too far and that we should be focusing on our own defense instead¡­¡± (Saintess Elvira) *Drop* A tear started to drop, and as if the lid that was supposed to block the tears got broken, the lady saintess¡¯s tears started to fall profusely. ¡°Since then, the nightmare had been haunting me ever since. The cries of the children, the women that are crying for help as they got ravaged by the demons, and the despaired cries of the men that saw their family¡¯s fate¡­¡± (Saintess Elvira) ¡°But¡­¡± Saintess Elvira suddenly raised her face as she stared right into Slime Tarot¡¯s eyes that started to waver. ¡°As if the gods answered my prayers, another dream appeared. Different from before, this time it¡¯s the scene where a young man, surrounded by thousands of demons, standing proudly without showing any sign of fear as he holds firm his staff,¡± (Saintess Elvira) (S-She saw me?) (Slime) ¡°I remember his face, his build, his hair, and his smirk. As he summoned some powerful beings to fight together with him, the intense murderous intent he emitted that made the demons waver felt so warm that I could still feel the warmth until now, but!¡± Saintess Elvira grips Slime¡¯s right hand even tighter with both of her hands. ¡°At the end of the scene, rather than a victorious cry or a prideful joy for achieving the glory of protecting the world from the threat of the demons, all I saw from him is that lonely back as he said three words with a self-mocking tone as he stared into his right palm,¡± (Saintess Elvira) (What a fool) (Slime Tarot) ¡°What a fool,¡± (Saintess Elvira) ; ¡°¡­¡­¡± Slime Tarot lost words as he couldn¡¯t think anything to respond to Saintess Elvira as she just stared at her with a surprised expression. ¡°Ever since that day, I¡¯ve been searching for the identity of the one that saved us from that army of demons that day. And I learned that his name is Ren Arken and the fact that this kingdom issued him as a heretic that conspire with the demons once back then. I¡¯m so angry for that at first, but it seems that the current king is a dear friend of him and he had also erased that issue and cleared his friend¡¯s reputation,¡± (Saintess Elvira) (So she knew that much¡­) (Slime Tarot) ¡°It seems that you¡¯re interested very much in this person named ¡®Ren Arken¡¯ as well, lady saintess. But it seems that you never mentioned that name in front of the Grandarian King nor his comrades, may I know why?¡± Slime is finally able to launch a question towards the lady saintess. ¡°I have been taught tact and consideration, I know that he is an important and dear friend for them. I don¡¯t want to end up opening an old wound inside their heart, after all¡­¡± (Saintess Elvira) ¡°I see¡­ You¡¯re a kind-hearted one, aren¡¯t you, lady saintess? Then tell me, why did you decide to tell me about this? Did you perhaps think that I might know about that certain person?¡± (Slime Tarot) ¡°It¡¯s because!¡± Once again, Saintess Elvira holds Slime¡¯s hands tighter as her face got even closer to Slime¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s because¡­ That back of yours seems to be showing the same loneliness as that person¡¯s back¡­ And the both of you have a similar presence¡­ I just¡­ If that person is you¡­ I just want to say thank you¡­ Thank you¡­¡± (Saintess Elvira) Tap! ¡°Eh?¡± (Saintess Elvira) Saintess Elvira widens her eyes because of the sudden warmth emitted from the palm above her head. *Sigh!* ¡°I might not be that person, but I believe this is what he will reply to you. Your welcome, I believe your desperate prayers must be the thing that pushed me into action, that¡¯s why, thanks for your prayers, lady saintess,¡± (Slime) Slime¡¯s words are not a bluff nor an act. In that sentences, Saintess Elvira notice that it¡¯s the words that came sincerely from him as the smile on his face currently is giving off a different vibe from the usual ones. That sincere smile on Slime¡¯s face made Saintess Elvira that is looking at his face from a very close distance got mesmerized by it. ¡°Mr. Slime-¡± (Saintess Elvira) Just as Saintess Elvira was about to say something, suddenly Slime let go of her and jumped back as another figure appeared before her. ¡°Hero Lian!¡± (Saintess Elvira) Chapter 229: Ambush In The Castles Garden (End) [ Name: Ren Arken Age: 14 Race: Human Strength: 400,000 (+4,300,000 [Mana]) Agility: 500,000 (+7,300,000 [Mana]) Vitality: 1,000,000 (+10,200,000 [Mana]) Mana: ~~~ Spiritual: ~~~ Intellect: 700, 000 Unique Skills: -Magic cards -Appraisal -Evil gaze -Strengthen -Leap -Basic magics -Magic mastery -Grimoire of death -Real Clone [Heavenly Slime] -Eye of Wisdom -Sword God -Fenrir Arken -Reo Arken -Predator of the sky -Wild Beasts Skills -Knight¡¯s soul -Defiler of the banished, Ataraxia -Slime Soul Diversion -Slime technique: Split -Tarot Emperor -Master of The Dragon King, Atlas] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C_¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª *Slash!* It¡¯s a fast and swift slash, but with a composed look, Slime Tarot evaded the sudden attack coming from beside of him rather easily as he freed himself from Saintess Elvira¡¯s grip, and jumped backward. ¡°Hero Lian!!¡± Saintess Elvira shouted the name of the figure that suddenly appear before her with his sword unsheathed. ¡°Are you okay, lady saintess?¡± Asked Hero Lian as he stands in front of Saintess Elvira firmly as if trying to block her from Slime¡¯s view. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ I-It¡¯s not like you think, we¡¯re just-¡± (Saintess Elvira) ¡°Well, well, well. It seems like your friend here didn¡¯t get taught manners and tact like you as well, lady saintess,¡± (Slime) ¡°What are you plotting, Slime Tarot. What kind of business do you have with the saintess?¡± Asked Hero Lian sharply. ¡°My, my. Aren¡¯t you an overprotective one, young hero? You should know that hasty men are not popular with women, don¡¯t you agree, lady saintess?¡± Slime continues to provoke Hero Lian in a frivolous manner. ¡°If you think that I¡¯m going get easily provoked by you, then you¡¯re wrong, Slime Tarot. This is your last chance, now tell me, what business do you have with Saintess Elvira!?¡± Hero Lian raised his voice higher. ¡°Hm¡­ What should I answer, I wonder¡­ What kind of business do a man and a woman could have in the middle of the night like this, Hero Lian? I believe you must have something in mind,¡± (Slime) Unlike before, Slime¡¯s provocation seems to make through Hero Lian¡¯s mind as he immediately rushed towards Slime. ¡°You bastard!!¡± (Hero Lian) ¡°Oops!¡± (Slime) Fueled by his anger, Hero Lian immediately entered his full-power fighting mode, making him dash into Slime with a terrifying speed. His aim is to knock Slime Tarot out with the hilt of his sword, but as he is about to strike him, another voice belonging to Slime Tarot appeared behind him. ¡°Careless is the biggest cause of death on the battlefield, don¡¯t you agree?¡± (Slime) !?!?!?!? Hero Lian immediately jumped and retreated to his original position in reflex. He could feel his body shiver when he heard Slime¡¯s voice that is filled with murderous intent. (Just, what did happened¡­?) (Hero Lian) ¡°Confused?¡± The second Slime Tarot that appeared behind Hero Lian asked with a smirk as he tapped the first Slime Tarot¡¯s shoulder that Hero Lian was about to strike with his sword¡¯s hilt before, and- (I-It¡¯s a shadow?) (Hero Lian) The body turns out to be a clone made from shadows, and as if it¡¯s originally part of it, the shadows that formed the clone slowly merged with the shadow beneath the real Slime Tarot¡¯s feet. ¡°Shadow magic¡­¡± (Saintess Elvira) Hero Lian had seen Slime Tarot¡¯s strength when he first appeared between Hero Lian and Peter to stop their fight when they got too carried away by the fight. He knows he¡¯s strong, even though the mana aura he¡¯s emitting is weaker than the Grandarian king, Peter, Hero Lian knew that he should have some aces beneath his sleeves that made him even stronger. But there is only one thing that made Hero Lian feel very uncomfortable before Slime Tarot. (The feeling as if he had seen through me, and the fact that I could not comprehend anything beneath those eyes of his is frustrating¡­ I guess as expected of the Grandarian king to be able to befriend this kind of person¡­) (Hero Lian) ¡°You should know that you¡¯ve died once, Hero Lian. Don¡¯t you think you should be even wiser by now?¡± (Slime) ¡°Hmph! Even if you strikes me back then, I would have blocked it easily,¡± Hero Lian snorted. ¡°Really? Then I guess that my ¡®words¡¯ had given you much more damage than my strike, seeing that you retreated that far just because of my mere ¡®words¡¯ not because of my strike,¡± (Slime) ¡°You¡­ Eh? Saintess?¡± Hero Lian couldn¡¯t help but call Saintess Elvira with a confused tone as he saw that Saintess Elvira had walked towards Slime Tarot and stood before him as if she¡¯s trying to protect Slime Tarot from him. ¡°Stop it, Hero Lian! I¡¯m the one who called him here, and he¡¯s here without having any malicious intention to me! If you launched another attack towards him, it will look as if I¡¯m trying to set him up,¡± said Saintess Elvira strongly towards Hero Lian. ¡°Eh? You¡¯re the one who called him here?¡± (Hero Lian) ¡°Yes, I am. Is that a problem, Hero Lian?¡± (Saintess Elvira) Hero Lian got silent for a while as he¡¯s trying to process the new information that he just got. In the past, along their journey, Saintess Elvira will always tell him everything about her plans and everything that she was about to do as she knew that he¡¯s worried about her. But this time, he went to search for her as she¡¯s not in her room and she didn¡¯t say anything about meeting a person from the Tarot Empire at the royal garden of the Grandarian Kingdom. Since she didn¡¯t say anything, he thought that she might be in trouble, and he end up immediately concluding that she¡¯s about to get harmed by the man from the Tarot Empire. ¡°But you did not tell me anything¡­?¡± (Hero Lian) ¡°I believe I have no obligation to tell you everything I¡¯m about to do, though, Hero Lian,¡± Answered the Saintess Elvira calmly. ¡°W-well that¡¯s true¡­¡± (Hero Lian) (What is this¡­ The mood got so awkward right now that I don¡¯t know what to do¡­ What the hell is this, a fight between a couple? Why the hell do I feel like I¡¯m the one trying to steal the hero¡¯s girl?) (Slime Tarot) ¡°I see¡­ I guess it¡¯s a misunderstanding from my side, sir Slime. Please forgive my rudeness for attacking you out of nowhere,¡± said Hero Lian as he sincerely bowed towards Slime. (As expected of a hero, huh. He¡¯s fast in admitting his mistakes) (Slime) ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine, Hero of the Holy Empire. People have their own perspectives, and it¡¯s in some way is my fault as well for not noticing how the others might interpret what I¡¯m doing with the lady saintess. Since it¡¯s not your fault alone, let¡¯s drop this matter,¡± (Slime Tarot) ¡°Indeed¡­ That¡¯s a very wise way of thought indeed¡­ Thank you for your generosity, sir Slime,¡± (Hero Lian) ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t mind it, hero. Making the hero hold a good impression of me will only give me and the Tarot empire benefits, after all,¡± answered Slime with a shrug. ¡°Let me apologize for his rudeness as well, Mr. Slime. If I knew it would lead to such a misunderstanding, I would have told all my comrades that I¡¯m going to meet you here to avoid misunderstandings. It seems that my misjudgment has almost given you harm, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Apologized Saintess Elvira as she bowed her head. ¡°I-It¡¯s fine, lady saintess. You don¡¯t need to apologize to such an extent. It¡¯s partly my fault for meeting a delicate lady in such a middle of the night, it¡¯s normal for people to hold some suspicions. You don¡¯t need to apologize since rather than harm, getting the opportunity to enjoy the moon together with a holy beauty could only be considered as a great benefit in my side, after all,¡± said Slime as he gives a graceful thankful bow. ¡°Fufufufu! What an eloquent tongue you have there, Mr. Slime,¡± (Saintess Elvira) ¡°Thanks for the compliment. Anyway, it seems that my exchange of blows with Hero Lian had made quite a commotion,¡± said Slime as he stared at the nearby castle walls, lights from the torches had lits together with sounds of footsteps that must come from the royal castle¡¯s guards. ¡°T-The guards¡­¡± (Saintess Elvira) Having a person from the Tarot Empire entering the royal castle of the kingdom without any official notice will give quite a commotion, knowing that, Saintess Elvira and Hero Lian couldn¡¯t help but get slightly panic because of the scene. ¡°You need to, eh?¡± As if Slime Tarot is part of the night¡¯s darkness, shadows gathered around him and started to envelop his body except for his face. ¡°Tonight is quite fun, I guess I need to express my gratitude for showing me an interesting sight. Let¡¯s meet again in other days, lady saintess, brave hero,¡± (Slime) *Whoosh!* The shadows dissipated to the thin air together with Slime Tarot, leaving only the Hero Lian and the Saintess Elvira standing at the royal garden of the Grandarian kingdom. ¡°That¡­ [Shadow Warp], huh¡­¡± (Hero Lian)