Difference between revisions of "MVR Round 2 P3"

Revision as of 05:27, 14 June 2021

Long ago, there existed a nation called Iaia, in which the land prospered, crops and resources provided from an unknown pit at the centre of the land known only as the Dungeon. For many years, the people of Iaia lived off of the Dungeon's fruits, for which life energy emanated from the pits to sustain the various crops growing on the surface.

However, one day, the Dungeon stopped supplying the nation with its energy, and soon the nation of Iaia suffered a large widespread famine. Crops would not grow, leading to a decline in food and medicine. Water was not purified, causing a widespread epidemic to plague the land. Because Iaia was secluded from the rest of the world, with little to no connection to the outside, the people of Iaia suffered for years, until one day, a group of seers and priests came together to pray to the gods for salvation and repentance.

For months on end, the priests came together and prayed to the gods, until one day, the goddess Demeter, along with her disciple, Paladin Koloth descended from the heavens to warn the mortals of the true nature of the Dungeon. The Dungeon was a massive labyrinth created in ancient times to house monsters, and as monsters died, their souls would ascend the Dungeon to the surface. However, due to the monsters being impure, they are unable to enter heaven, and so, instead, spread to the surface of the land, their life energy supplying the world through bountiful harvest. Over time, as the nation of Iaia continued using this resource, their numbers continued to climb, but the deaths of the monsters did not, causing a deficit in the life energy supplied to the land. To continue to live, the people of Iaia must descend the Dungeons to kill monsters.

Praising Demeter, the numerous people of Iaia swore their allegiance to the goddess, begging for her to stay and watch over their nation. Taken aback by the sincerity of the mortals, as well as feeling satisfied with the increase in her followers, Demeter decided to stay and watch over the people, tasking Koloth with establishing a Folia Level System after his fellow Paladin, Folianon, the Paladin of Harvest and blessing the mortals with the power to become stronger, and wield magic. Equipping the mortals with a means to fight monsters, soon, many became trained to become the first adventurers of Iaia.

However, as Demeter continued being worshipped, the other gods in the heavens were not happy with the attention Demeter was getting, and decided to descend to the mortal realm themselves to also obtain followers. Realizing the potential for another divine war, Koloth suggested the creation of Legions, groups of humans would choose the deity they want to worship, and the deity may choose those who would be fit to be their followers.

Soon, Legions began to form, with the big three, Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades, Legions being the strongest, and some Legions being smaller than others due to the certain deities being less prominent than others. And for many years, adventurers of these Legions would descend the Dungeon to hunt and kill monsters, becoming stronger and establishing a trade system for monster shards to validate their contributions to the land.

The gods would return to heaven, with the Legions continuing to frequent the Dungeons and to become stronger, until the nation of Iaia prospered by these adventurers. The day Demeter and Paladin Koloth had come down from the heavens became mere folk tales, after centuries of prosperity, and with this, the rise of adventurer legends soon dominated the scribes, such as Leonidas Swallowtail of the Hades Legion, being the only Level 12 adventurer in existence, and Alexander Rosewald of the Aphrodite Legion, the greatest swordsman in the entire land.

R5

Nothing would go wrong, Ben said.

We were going to be fine, Ben said.

I guess he was half right, because the moment we were warped to Folia, we seemed to be on the right course. But then Sammy decided to jinx the whole operation by shouting:

"We good, boys. What can possibly go wrong?"

I glanced at Merrow, as she gazed at the opening of the wormhole, her eyebrows were furrowed. I lived with her long enough to know that whenever she was worried, her eyebrows scrunch up.

I reached out, but hesitated, stopping myself. Even if I tried to say something to her, I wouldn't know the right thing to say. I kept to myself as I brought my hand back down, dissolving into the mist of molecules that were dissipating and reassembling before my very eyes.

"Keep your emotions out of this." Ben said, his one eye reticule kept focusing and zooming in and out.

"I know." Merrow responded.

Ben turned to us.

"One of you is letting their emotions run wild. We need to keep it restrained. Multiversal travel through boom tube technology opens us up to attack if we generate a signal."

Merrow, Deacon, and Ben all gave me a disapproving look. I threw up my hands.

"What?! Why are you guys assuming it's me?!"

Deacon readjusted his sleeves.

"Out of all of us, we all learned to harness our emotions. The most likely people who would fuck up this operation are either you... or..."

Deacon's face paled.

"Great." He muttered, as everybody turned to Sammy, who's hands were inches from his mouth. Knowing him, he was probably biting his nails.

"Sammy..." Merrow put her hand on his shoulder.

"What?" Sammy perked up, jolting to our position.

"What's up? I didn't do anything. I'm taking this mission super serious for once."

"For once?" Deacon yelped.

"I need to make things right. I swear by it. On my life."

"Sammy-" Ben warned him, but Sammy kept going.

"Leah. I owe her that much. And not just Leah. It must be fate that she ended up in Iaia. Or I mean Folia. I've done so much messed up shit in the past, I need to atone--"

"Sammy!" Ben grabbed his ear, his face stern.

"What?!" Sammy snapped, his face contorted in irritation, when suddenly, a boom emitted from our surroundings.

"What the hell was that?!" I yelped. Deacon floated in front of us.

"Sammy's emotions. They've alerted them. Ben, what do you see?"

Ben put his voice encoder away and reached into his new overcoat and pulled out several orbs, each floating around us in a circular hexagonal grid. Sentry Orbs.

The Sentry Orbs all opened up revealing little modules which shot a beam of cyan light from one another, encasing us in a protective field. Then several mini drones were released from each one, dispersing around our vicinity, as Ben's cybernetic eye from his mask glowed a brighter cyan.

Energy Signatures. Ben's voice resonated in our mind.

Two Acolytes, and a much larger aggregate of power coming our way from behind them. ETA: twenty seconds.

Deacon powered up, his hands burst into black and orange flames.

"Acolytes. Do you know which ones they are?"

Ben shook his head.

Sammy spun around, and powered up as well, but I stopped him.

"Don't. Your powers will destroy the orbs around us."

"But-"

"Sammy, you've done enough." I heard myself say, as I instantly regretted it. Sammy sulked and looked down in shame.

"I- Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

Mean. Meaning. Emotions. I love emotions.

A pale face with pure black pupils suddenly appeared in front of me. I froze up, as it cackled, revealing extremely sharp teeth that opened up to swallow me whole.

I tried to lift my hand in response, but I wasn't fast enough. It all happened so fast, but Merrow materialized in front of me, swinging her trident and disintegrating the Acolyte instantly. Swirls of water orbited her as she thrust the palm of her hand forward, unleashing a wide conical blast of Hydropower and knocking the other Acolyte back.

The Guardian is strong. She is too strong for me. The Remnants are protected by their creator's protector.

The Acolyte regrouped with the other, as they began to swirl with one another, sending blasts of darkness our way. Merrow brought her trident up and spun it with lightning flash speed, as blue and green electricity crackled from the Hydropower storm she was brewing.

It was times like this where I was once again reminded of how strong Merrow really was.

I, along with my fourteen brothers always hogged the spotlight, because we were the Remnants of Decen. We were the Remnants of the Paladin of War. This was our story. But even so, I always found myself forgetting that none of this would have happened.

None of this.

Adventuring with my family.

Fighting crime.

Being a hero.

Being the Floating Man.

None of this would have happened if it wasn't from the guidance of Merrow.

It was Merrow who brought us all together so far, and will continue to unite our kind.

During those eight years, we all found developments in our powers and our abilities, becoming stronger and stronger.

But even so, it wasn't like Merrow wasn't doing anything.

After all...

I watched as Merrow leapt into the air, bringing her trident back.

"You two will not lay a hand on Decen's Remnants. By my name, as Guardian Merrow Rivenlight, I will protect the remains of War."

Merrow launched slash after slash, as a massive conical cyclone blasted the Acolytes back.

Merrow returned to Ben's matrix, turning to us, her green hair fluttering wildly.

Out of all of us here.

Merrow worked the hardest.

She was always working hard since day one.

Deacon narrowed his eyes.

"What is that over there?"

Ben turned around.

"There were three signatures."

"You don't mean-"

We heard a yelp, as I instinctively spun to the sound. My heart crawled into my throat.

"Sammy!"

Deacon charged forward, but the figure who had breached our wall grabbed Sammy and leapt back.

Ben took out his gun and aimed, but hesitated.

Because in that split second Ben had drawn his weapon, the figure did the same.

One false move, and this one will return to his body. You're smart, aren't you, Warchild? Will you risk the gamble?

Ben lowered the gun.

I turned to Ben, my eyes wide.

"What are you doing?!"

Ben shut me up.

"This is the third signature. The one that was greater than the rest. I can't do anything against an opponent who is both strategically superior and more dextrous than me."

Merrow and Deacon powered up, with Hydropower and Demonfire respectively, but there wasn't much they could do, with Sammy at gunpoint.

Sammy struggled, but the Acolyte pressed the barrel against his throat.

I possess reflexes far beyond the limits of comprehension. The moment you choose to dissipate your body, my blaster would have already killed you.

"Sammy..." I muttered.

Merrow gritted her teeth.

"What do you want."

The Acolyte looked at the Guardian.

Lord Mogul informs me of a Remnant who is far stronger than his kind. A power level that is so absurd, that it defies imagination. He wishes for this one to be out of the picture for a bit.

A bead of sweat ran down my neck as Ben eyed the Acolyte.

"I know who you are."

A smile crept on the Acolyte's face.

Do you now, Secondborn?

Ben retained his stoic expression.

"Ullr, the Norse God of Archery. Why have you come to interfere? Is the very presence of Samael enough to cripple the Prime Aspect's plot?"

Ullr tilted his head.

Not quite. Unlike the rest of the Acolytes, Mogul has given me the freedom to do things on my own accord. Samael is a catastrophe class even among the catastrophes, far stronger than anyone present. Having him in your little quest would make it too easy. I don't like... easy.

Ben continued. And from the corner of my eye, I noticed a couple of the orbs in the matrix shift, concealed gun barrels aimed directly at Ullr.

"Your motives are childish. They serve no purpose in the grand scheme of-"

They don't. You are correct. As a matter of fact, I was created by Lord Mogul to oppose you, Secondborn. Each Acolyte of the higher ranks is tasked to dispatch a specific Remnant. Of the members in this party, the biggest threats, is Samael, and the Warchild.

Ben's expression didn't change.

"And he believes creating one with more dexterity and marksmanship is enough to defeat me?"

Not just those two. Ullr smiled, as he lifted his foot. To my disbelief, he was barefooted, and wielding a gun with his toes.

What in the hell...

I possess something that you don't.

Ullr spun around, launching a back roundhouse with his leg, and firing, shooting out the orbs that were aimed right at him before Ben could even react. And naturally, since Ben couldn't react in time, neither could us.

Ullr turned back to us, as Sammy was flung around like a ragdoll in the Acolyte's grip.

I possess free will, Benjamin Fong. And my free will says... to get rid of Samael.

Sammy's eyes went wide. And I found myself stepping forward, my emotions getting the best of me.

"What the hell do you mean get rid of Sammy? He didn't even do anything! We're just here for surveillance and getting our hostages back! He isn't going to mess with your plans or Mogul's plans or anything!"

Ullr turned to me with those deadpan grey eyes. Eyes that were so analytical and sharp they almost pierced my soul.

This isn't a matter of Lord Mogul's plans, Fifthborn. This is just who I am. I don't like people who cheat through life, people who breeze through things. Having Samael on your side poses a problem in both power and identity.

"Identity...?" My voice trailed off.

Ullr gave me a sympathetic and confused look.

Oh? You don't know? What Samael really is? To both the people of Folia and to all worlds he has destroyed?

"What are you talking about? Sammy? What is he talking about?"

Merrow stepped forward.

"That's enough. Let go of Sammy. There's no reason to do any of this. You said it yourself. This has nothing to do with Mogul. Just let him go!"

Ullr cut Merrow off.

No. It seems you lot are a bit out of the loop. It's weird. Everybody knows what Samael is. Yet the people who should be the closest to him know nothing about him. Of what he is. What he truly is.

My memories began to race, back in time. Further and further back as I recalled things from our last mission together.

When we arrived in Arman and Rei's high school.

When Odin battled us.

He called Sammy something.

He called Sammy a...

"No way." I stammered.

Sammy's face was pale. I wanted to say something nice, or positive, but the shock was too much for me. I guess it didn't hit me at the time because there were so many things happening at once. Odin corrupting Arman. Sammy not doing shit. Kanade and I trying to evacuate everybody.

But now that I remembered it, the more it hit me.

What was that one being in every isekai anime that was feared by everybody?

That was the epitome of fear and destruction?

The ultimate evil that plagued and terrorized the world, the world of warriors, adventurers, mages, and heroes?

I looked at Sammy again, as Ullr finished my thought.

Your team doesn't need Samael. For he is too powerful. I want you guys to do your quest with your own strength.

Ullr pushed Sammy out of the matrix as we rushed forward, but it was too late.

Find your way. Ullr said, as he let go of Sammy, forcing the Remnant to go hurtling out of the spacetime tunnel.

"AAAAAHHH!!!" Sammy yelled, as his voice dissipated into nothingness. We all rushed to our brother, but there was nothing we could do, as Sammy crashed out of the walls of the tunnel and hurtled into the unknown.

Deacon blasted forward to slice at Ullr, but Ullr dissipated into black smoke as his voice also began to fade, but not before delivering one final sentence confirming everything I suspected so far.

Find your own way.

Great Demon Lord Samael, The Devourer of Worlds.

R4

To say that today had not been my finest hour was perhaps the understatement of the week.

Not only did I get separated from the group.

But my identity as a Demon Lord was revealed.

And now, I was free falling from probably a million feet from the sky, plummeting to the ground like the world's first idiot comet.

It's almost like every moment I'm in this place I've plagued with bad luck. Like, come on.

Iaia of all places?

Seriously?

Why would Leah even be here?

How did she even get there?

I opened my mouth to scream like a little bitch, but all the air was sucked out of my lungs from the wind pressure.

Realistically, this isn't a problem. I could easily have just stopped my momentum with Stormbringer. Or I could just dissolve into shadows and shadow jolt to the ground. Or even just teleport there. But Skylar's shackle system was keeping me from using even two percent of my power.

Wait, was it two percent?

Honestly, I wasn't even listening to Ben when he was explaining it.

All that was going on my mind was...

Damn. My past was quite literally coming back to me in my face.

I crossed my arms as I continued falling.

I guess since I'm waiting, I might as well give some explanation. I bet it came as quite a shock to you disgusting anime otakus that your favourite Remnant here is a full fledged Demon Lord. And no. I'm not joking. It's not even a title.

In the land of Iaia, it's what you would expect from a generic isekai adventure cliche.

Adventurers. Heroes. Monsters. Dungeons.

And if you're super into the isekai genre...

Levels. Skills. Magic. Gear.

You can find them all here. They follow a Level system to classify the power of an adventurer. When I was there, the strongest adventurer was a guy called Leonidas Swallowtail. He was Level 12.

To put it in perspective, a top tier adventurer is around Level 8-9.

To advance a level, you need to do something drastic. The people of Iaia called it a feat.

So you can imagine how many wacky adventurers Mister Swallowtail went on to get to Level 12.

And in Iaia, just as there are heroes, adventurers, and good guys.

There are bad guys.

Monsters.

And higher, stronger monsters, called Demons.

And all these demons would, as you expect, typically serve an extremely powerful being called a Demon Lord. Being a Demon Lord has a couple of perks. Like... being feared by everybody as one of the most ancient and primal evils in the world. Having millions of legends and fables written about you.

If you're lucky minstrels might even write songs about how you brought fear and suffering in the world.

In Iaia, there are eight Demon Lords.

Being called a Demon Lord is a huge deal. That's equivalent to being called a god. Except... well, you're not a god. You're a demon... lord...

Even among the Demon Lords, there is hierarchy. Ranks, I guess.

Two of the Demon Lords are considered A rank. Demon Lord Asta of the Inferno and Demon Lord Oberon of the Woods.

Four of the Demon Lords are S rank. Demon Lord Raya Queen of the Succubi (I'm not joking), Demon Lord Ronnegar the Beast King, Demon Lord Weyland of the Machines, and Demon Lord Varus the Great Berserker.

The last two Demon Lords are given their own rank. Special S. This is where things get spicy.

Special Rank S Demon Lords are estimated to be at least ten times stronger than S Rank Demon Lords.

The two Special S's are Great Demon Lord Niki the Annihilator and Great Demon Lord Gamen the Father of Chaos.

Niki in particular, is one of the strongest beings in existence in Iaia. She was the most ancient and oldest of the Demon Lords. As if that wasn't intimidating enough, she's got literal Demon Lord followers. Asta, Oberon, Raya, and Ronnegar all serve Niki after losing to her in a nation-wide war. The thing with Niki was, whenever Niki's nation waged war, it wasn't her nation that fought.

Niki alone was enough to win.

And that was how she beat the other Demon Lord nations. All by her own hands.

Oh, also, she's a loli.

You might be wondering where I stand in the Demon Lord council. Well, I'm considered in between. When I rampaged in Iaia (not too proud of that by the way), the other Demon Lords took notice of my actions, and decided to label me a Demon Lord. By being recognized as one, I was magically gifted the powers of a Demon Lord which was probably what broke the divine seal in me that was suppressing my power to go beyond 75%.

Stronger than the S Rank Demon Lords, but weaker than Niki and Gamen.

So Half Special S?

FOOMP.

Foomp?

I opened my eyes, as I found myself staring at the sky.

Well, sky was probably not the right word for it.

The "sky" was made of luminescent crystal.

I must have accidentally turned on my darkness and phased through all the grounds. And if I phased through the ground, I must be underground.

I looked around my surroundings at the forestry. Several monster bunnies emerged from the shadows and gazed at me inquisitively.

"I'm in the dungeon." I concluded, as I got to my feet.

How deep was I? If there were adventurers here, I shouldn't be too deep. But if there were none... that meant that I was so deep that Iaia, no. Folia hadn't progressed to this floor yet.

I brushed the dirt off my denim jacket.

"Damn." I muttered, as I walked up the rocks and followed a stream.

I inspected the shackle system on my wrist. There were four tattoos. I was guessing those were the layers. Right now I was at Shackle Layer Four. At Layer Four, I couldn't even teleport. But what I could do was phase and use my elemental umbralkinesis at small amounts.

Remember guys. Only remove a layer if it is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. There is a huge discrepancy in your power for each layer you remove.

I thought about the fried buttermilk buns Serah used to buy me back when I was in the Vala Legion. After a good day's work of chores. I could only get those in Iaia.

...and I couldn't get them in the Dungeon.

I looked at my tattoo again.

Absolutely necessary.

I was getting some major cravings.

I hovered my finger over the tattoo.

"Release restraints, Layer Three."

Suddenly my body flooded with power. I felt part of my essence return, filling my body with a fresh surge of strength.

I looked at the sky as two wings sprouted from my back.

Umbral Transformation - Dragonoid Form

I began to lift into the air.

Sweet buttermilk bread! Here I co-

"M- My lord?" A voice appeared from the corner of my vision. I stopped, slowly turning around. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Regis? Elite Four Regis?"

Regis knelt in front of me.

"The old seer Astolfos was correct. Our Great Demon Lord. The Devourer of Worlds has returned to this world. We have slumbered, ever since your departure, Great Demon Lord Samael. Your army and nation, in hiding, but still strong. We continued training ourselves and seeking strength in your absence. When the seer predicted your return to Iaia on the 150th floor of the Dungeon, we all migrated to the deepest depths of the labyrinth, awaiting your return."

From the shadows, more and more demons and monsters emerged. Mages. Orcs. Dark warriors.

Each and every single one of them, the dark and brooding face. Grim and ready for war.

Just like all those years ago when I led them.

Regis turned to my legion.

"Our master has returned from his journeys. For the longest time, we were hiding, avoiding, and hunted. But no longer. Arise, brothers and sisters. Arise. For our master. The strongest, greatest being. The Black Dragon who had brought terror and calamity to Iaia those many years ago has returned."

The legion stamped their weapons on the ground, bellowing in unison.

"Welcome home. Great Demon Lord Samael, The Devourer of Worlds".

I was speechless, as my ranks remained stoic. Regis approached me.

"My lord, is all well?"

I cleared my throat, calming myself down and not making it so obvious that I was in utter disbelief that the huge army that I never asked for all those years ago was still alive even after I left them.

"Yes. But I'll need some time with you in private. Update me on everything."

Regis ordered the legion to return to their barracks.

Regis led me to the throneroom. I tried my best to keep my mouth from hanging open.

The place was beyond elegant.

Elegant sculptures and decor everywhere. Gold trim, and stone pillars lined the entire place, and before me was a giant throne of bones.

Regis gestured me to sit.

"We have kept the throne of Samael untouched for your return. Please, my lord."

"Uh-" I cleared my throat.

"Thanks- er. Thank you, Regis." I sat down, ignoring the pain in my asscheek from the bones.

The Throne of Bones. Made of bones, obviously. But everybody knew who's bones these were. It was made a myth in thousands of old Iaian scribes. Of how the Throne of Bones came to be.

I took a deep breath, reminiscing.

The story of The Throne of Bones was no happy one.

Because those bones...

I remembered that day, when I broke into her chambers. Her chambers that was guarded by her most precious children of the Aphrodite Legion. I had a personal request for Aphrodite, and it wasn't anything to do with love, which she was a goddess for.

It was quite the opposite.

I went to Aphrodite's home for blood.

I closed my eyes, remembering what I told her, after I had left behind a trail of bloodshed.

"For the longest time, you gods have been playing this divine game. Acting like children, and throwing your squabbles and plundering this world in the making. Now, when one mortal has shown to surpass your power, one mortal, who has brought the very heavens to their feet with unstoppable, unavoidable power, has squandered your silly game, you repent. But it is too late, Aphrodite. Just as you had your Legion kill my family in the Vala Legion, I killed your children with my bare hands, your Legion, reduced to impaled bodies. You have angered the one mortal that should never have been angered. You have sealed your fate. How does it feel, Goddess? That you have singlehandedly caused the destruction of your world by The Demon Lord of Calamity, Samael."

That's right.

The Throne of Bones.

Was made of the bones of the children of Aphrodite.

Each member of the Aphrodite Legion had at least one bone taken from their corpse to make up the Throne.

That's what the scribes had written down, the story passed down for generations to come. But to them, it wasn't out of vengeance. The scribes claimed I did it out of my own entertainment.

Why would the story be twisted like I was the bad guy?

The answer was simple.

It's because I'm a Demon Lord.

And that in itself is enough justification to make me the bad guy.

In every story.

I closed my fist, as anger welled up inside me. Darkness swirling around me as I sat on my throne in silence. Even with Skylar's Shackle System set to Layer Three, my immense power was flooding the entire room.

Regis quickly peeked in.

"My lord! What has happened?"

I realized what I was doing and doused the darkness, clearing my throat.

"Nothing, Regis. Why're you here?"

Regis looked saddened that I said that. I guess it was kinda rude of me.

"I- Forgive me, my lord. It was because you requested an update from me. On the state of your nation amidst your absence from Iaia, now Folia."

Regis beckoned one of the guards at the door, and the guard beckoned another forward. Two demon ladies brought me a dark red cloak, and placed it around my shoulders.

"For the longest time, the Demon Lords ruled their nations. When you departed to visit Iaia, the Demon Lords were intrigued. And upon learning of your destruction of the entire lands, and how you fought back all the gods, adventurers, and heroes of Iaia, the Demon Lords realized that the gods were not as powerful as they once thought. Because of that, when you left the world, the other nations decided to invade."

"They destroyed Iaia?"

Regis shook his head.

"No. Iaia was already destroyed by you, the gods were nearing defeat. The first nation to arrive was the nation of Demon Lord Ronnegar. However, there was nothing left for them to rule. Angered by this, Lord Ronnegar threatened us. Your nation. For wasting his time on fruitless efforts."

I leaned forward.

"Huh?! How the hell is this my fault?"

Regis paled. I slowly slid back in my throne. Sometimes I forgot how threatening I was to these people.

"Continue." I said.

Regis continued.

"Ronnegar's nation waged war against us, and there were heavy casualties on both sides. Demon Lord Ronnegar himself, challenged you, Demon Lord Samael, to battle, but you did not come. Insulted, Lord Ronnegar called you a coward. We did not take this lightly."

Regis looked down.

"We fought with increased vigor, weakening Ronnegar's nation in exchange for our own. The Elite Four, myself included, decided to fight Demon Lord Ronnegar in your stead."

My heart dropped.

No.

Why would they do that? Did they not realize how powerful a Demon Lord was?

"And that is why the other three Elite were not present." I deduced. Regis' sullen expression confirmed it.

"I was the only survivor. Demon Lord Ronnegar kept me alive, telling me that when you return, that I inform you that his challenge remains. Lord Ronnegar then ordered his nation to retract, but not before crushing your nation with his bare hands."

I clenched my fist.

"Where is that mutt now?" I asked, my voice dangerous.

Regis looked at me.

"Euthansia. His domain has increased since crushing us."

"Then it's time I paid him a visit."

I got up from my throne, but not before Regis called me.

"There is also one more thing to know, my lord."

"Yeah?"

Regis sighed.

"The world has changed greatly since your leave. But the land up there, a majority of it is no longer distributed among the Demon Lord Council the same way."

"What do you mean?"

Regis looked me in the eye.

"The Annihilator. The most ancient of the Demon Lords. Great Demon Lord Niki has taken control of 85% of the land. Almost all of the S Rank Demon Lords now serve her."

I gritted my teeth.

Niki the Annihilator.

In terms of raw power alone, hers surpasses mine, by at least five times.

"85%? What about Gamen?"

"Great Demon Lord Gamen controls the other 15%. The lands are split between the two Ancient Demon Lords, with Niki controlling the majority just from her sheer overwhelming power. Demon Lord Ronnegar, although his nation grows greatly through Euthansia, is under the jurisdiction of Great Demon Lord Niki."

Regis pointed at the sky.

"To destroy Demon Lord Ronnegar's nation, will mean declaring war against Great Demon Lord Niki."

R7

They say the greatest of adventurers are those born from the greatest losses.

That was something that Vala, my goddess of the Vala Legion always told Flock and I whenever we went to the Dungeon. And I guess there was merit in that, because one of the most famous adventurers in Folia right now, Calypso Rosewald, had come from great loss.

Her father, Alexander Rosewald, King of Blades, was a great adventurer. He was always part of the Dungeon Expedition, a party of Folia (Iaia at the time)'s top adventurers, who would brave new floors of the Dungeons and clear them. Almost every milestone of humanity was owed to Rosewald and the Big Three Legions. Despite not being part of the Big Three Legions, since he was a member of the Aphrodite Legion, Rosewald was always one to be looked down upon at first glance. But this dude would work hard, from his first day as an adventurer. Until he became so powerful that he could stand with the best.

The reason why the King of Blades was so famed wasn't just because he was strong. There were plenty of strong adventurers. Like Leonidas Swallowtail, the only Level 12 at the time. But Alexander because strong from essentially nothing.

The dude was famous because he stood for the very definition of hard work pays off.

Alexander was a hero. To the people of Iaia, and especially to his daughter. Calypso Rosewald.

Then one day, the dragon came. The Demon Lord Samael, Devourer of Worlds came upon the land.

And took him away.

Rosewald wasn't the only hero who had died to the dragon. Many others did too. In fact, pretty much the entirety of the Big Three Legions were wiped out by a monster that was far stronger than any monster encountered by any adventurer. His power was so frightening that he was dubbed The Black Dragon.

With the Big Three Legions destroyed, much has changed in Iaia. The city was changed to Folia. The current top Legion is now the Venus Legion, with the strongest adventurer now being a guy called Oxar Uxas.

Yeah fuck that guy.

The two of us have a bad history.

"Shun? Are you okay?" Flock asked me.

"Yeah." I responded, stuffing a fried buttermilk bun in my mouth. Those things were addicting.

I turned to the rest of our Legion.

"Better keep up or we'll leave you guys to the monsters. Especially you, Haruka."

Haruka yelped as she clutched onto Nessa's muscular arm.

Nessa glared at me, her eyes murderous.

"You little shit! How dare you scare my Haruka!"

I put my hands in the air.

"She should be scared. Why the hell did you guys even bring her along? She's like. Level 1. She can't even beat a slime. Twenty shards says she can't kill a slime."

"Hoy, Shun. Knock it off." Finn told me, as he nudged my shoulder. I calmed down.

Finn was like the big brother of the Legion. I really couldn't say no to the guy.

Flock turned to us.

"Just a little bit further ahead."

I continued walking, gazing at Flock's backside.

I want to be a great adventurer. Just like Calypso. So I can protect the people I love. And one day, she can recognize my strength.

"You'll never bag that chick if you keep playing chivalrous knight." I muttered.

"Huh?" Flock perked up.

"Nothing." I said.

Flock was the captain of our Legion. Despite being only 15. The kid was dead set on becoming stronger. And he did just that. From hard work, and staying true to himself.

His innate skill, Limit Break, allowed him to surpass his limits in times of need. Because of this skill, Flock has been able to achieve feats that no normal adventurer could achieve. To the point where his accomplishments began piling up similar to Alexander Rosewald.

A lot of people had began giving him names such as Mini-Rosewald. Or the Second Alex.

You just can't not respect the guy for any of it.

A monster appeared from within the shadows, and charged Finn, but Flock rushed in with blinding speed, cutting it open with his sword.

Finn fell backwards, but Flock helped him up.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks Flock."

Haruka rushed to Finn's side to heal him, as we rested near the staircase of the Dungeon.

I walked up to Flock, who was reading a newspaper. Calypso's face was plastered on the front page.

Queen of Knives achieves Level 9. New Rising Star of Folia?

"Give it up Flock." I heard myself say.

Flock continued flipping the pages.

Calypso Rosewald clears the 92nd Floor Boss all on her own. One woman army?

Flock's hands tightened on the edges of the pages.

"Look man. I get it. You want to reach her in power so she notices you. But Rosewald is a monster. Do you know how powerful Floor Bosses are? They need at least eight top level adventurers to defeat. You're talking about a Level 8 adventurer solo'ing something that eight Level 9 adventurers would need to take down. She's on a class of her own. You can't keep destroying yourself."

Flock sighed, but steeled himself.

"Even so. I'm not going to give up. I want to get stronger."

Flock looked at me, his blue eyes becoming brighter. His Limit Break skill activating momentarily.

"Whatever it takes."

"Pfft." A voice echoed from within the deeper parts of the Dungeon. A lanky man with a fur coat approached us with his hands in his pockets. Finn and Nessa unsheathed their weapons.

The man regarded our Legion, then gave Flock a distasteful look.

"You'll never reach Calypso in power. Stop bullshitting yourself. Runt."

"What did you say?!" Nessa snapped as she stepped forward, but before anyone could react, the man materialized in front of her, the palm of his hand at her throat.

"If I wanted to, I could kill your whole Legion myself. In a blink of an eye."

"Laurel. That's enough." Another voice appeared from the shadows, as several figures emerged. Our Legion took a step back, as the more superior Legion of Venus appeared before us.

Laurel let go, giving Flock and Nessa another distasteful glare.

"Learn your place. The best you guys can do is keep the weak fodder at bay. Don't stain our reputation with your garbage Levels."

Finn gritted his teeth, but said nothing, as Flock held out his hand.

"Guys. Don't. It's not worth getting into a fight against someone we can't beat."

I wanted to say something, but Flock was right. There was no way our Legion, even together, could beat Laurel of the Venus Legion.

The guy was a Level 10 adventurer, the Vice Captain of the Venus Legion, and was known across all of Folia as the fastest adventurer ever.

Laurel crossed his arms, as the others filed in.

One of the other members of the Venus Legion, an elf, approached us, shifting his glasses.

"Move." He said, in a very fancy, aristocratic voice.

"Yeah. Sorry for being in your way, Terris."

Terris walked through us, without even looking at us, as the other members of the Venus Legion gave us no bother. It made me mad to the core how these guys could act all high and mighty.

Not only were they the strongest Legion in all of Folia, but they were assholes too. Basically bullies.

No one could mess with them, and no one wanted to mess with them.

Well, until I came along that is.

"Uhh, Shun? What are you doing..." Finn muttered.

I stood in front of Terris, wrapping my hand bandages across my forearm. Terris raised an eyebrow.

"Shun..." Flock said, as he tried to pull me away, but I pushed him off.

The other members of the Venus Legion approached Terris and I.

"Out of the way, scum." One of the members said.

Laurel glared at me.

"Do you have a death wish kid? I wouldn't mind sending Vala the corpse of her child just to get her bearings straight, letting her children get in the way of our divine goddess' will."

I held my ground, as members of my Legion urged me to move aside.

"Dude, you need to move, now." Nessa warned me.

"What's wrong with you?!" Finn yelped, as Haruka turned pale. Flock put his hands in the air.

"S- Sorry about Shun. He's kind of new to adventuring and Folia still. Please don't mind him. We're terribly sorry for-"

I lifted my finger, pointing it at the man at the very back of the group. He was taller than the rest. At least seven feet. Towering. Muscular, and rugged. One who had seen many many many years of battle, and was probably the most experienced adventurer in all of Folia.

The only Level 12 adventurer in Folia as of date.

"You're the Captain of the Venus Legion right?"

The man regarded me with critical eyes.

Laurel irked in disgust.

"How dare you even talk to the King like that. Have you lost all san-"

I held my glare.

"Oxar Uxas. The King of Adventurers. The only Level 12 in Folia. Captain of the Venus Legion, currently the strongest Legion."

My finger turned into a fist.

"Are you him or are you not."

Oxar was quiet for a few seconds. Then his mouth began to move.

"I am."

Suddenly, my surroundings elongated, as I shot forward with blinding speed, faster than anybody in the Vala Legion could react. Laurel caught my movements, but made no attempt to stop me, as he raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

I reeled my fist back and swung it at Oxar's head with all my might, but Oxar held his ground, barely moving, as he stopped my punch with two fingers. The impact of my strike caused a shockwave that blew everybody back. All that everybody focused on, was the wild animalistic expression on my face, and Oxar's expressionless demeanour, as I continued launching punch after punch, kick after kick at the King of Adventurers. Oxar deflecting them with little to no effort.

I launched a back roundhouse kick at the side of Oxar's head, as he deflected my strike, pushing me back. My feet left behind to trails as I skidded backwards, assuming my Hung Gar stance.

The Vala Legion was speechless, as I raised my hand at Oxar.

"King of Adventurers, Oxar Uxas Level 12, I, the Stray Dog Shun Zhang, Level 2, challenge you to a duel."

R7

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Nessa grabbed my shoulders and rocked me back and forth frantically.

"Why Oxar?! Are you crazy? He's the strongest of the strongest. The last guy who tried to fight him ended up getting his head smashed into the ground before the fight even started!"

"That guy was me!" I muttered under my breath.

Oxar narrowed his eyes, as Laurel's face went red in rage.

"Are you insulting our Captain? You're even more irrelevant than a fly to the King."

"Laurel." Oxar's voice boomed in the cave. Everybody stopped in their tracks.

Laurel turned to Oxar, as the King dropped the skull of a monster he probably had slain easily on the ground. Snake like energy picked the drop up and hovered to a Venus member, who looked like an elf mage. Judging from his aura, he was probably just as strong as all the other members of the Venus Legion. Level 9 plus.

"Lead the others to the entrance. Prepare for afternoon training. I shall see to this matter."

Laurel scowled, as he looked at us with disdain.

"This won't take long."

The Venus Legion left, as my allies stared at the two of us.

"Shun..." Finn's voice trailed off, but Flock put his hand on his shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay, Finn. Shun is tough. He'll be fine. I think."

My eye twitched in annoyance by Flock's lack of faith in his own Legion member. Then again, I kind of asked for this. Even if the Vala Legion decided to back me up, there realistically wasn't anything they could do against Oxar.

The highest level member in our team was Flock, who was Level 4. Then came Nessa, Finn, and I, at Level 2. And lastly, Haruka, who was Level 1.

Against a Level 12, and not just that, but a Level 12 who had all of his abilities maxed out from years and years of battle, our chances may well have been in the negatives.

Everybody soon cleared the room, and it was just me and the King of Adventurers.

I brought my foot back, lifting my hand and assuming the stance of Grandmaster Hiiro Hataka of Hung Gar.

"I've gotten stronger, Venus footstool."

Oxar retained his composure.

"Come."

I blasted forward, as I leaned back, delivering a chained Shadowless Kick at Oxar's face, then flipped around, turning the shadowless kicks into 360 spin kick variants. I was moving at ultrasonic speed, with Hiiro's demonic agility, but Oxar continued deflecting them with little to no difficulty.

I brought my foot back and assumed my Wing Chun stance, delivering a combination of chained punches and grapples, climbing up Oxar's massive upper body frame, but all my attacks were once again blocked by this guy.

I leapt into the air, as I switched my style once more.

Shockwave Style

I spun around violently, launching a volley of roundhouse kicks at Oxar's head.

Consecutive Vacuum Arcs

Oxar shot forward. He was making his move.

I brought my arms up to block his strike, but I was too slow, as Oxar managed to catch me in the jaw, launching me into the walls of the cave and crumpling to the ground.

I breathed heavily, ignoring the possibility that my jaw was broken. Oxar towered over me.

"Shun Zhang. The Stray Dog of Folia. Level 2 Adventurer. Yet your true power places you at Level 9."

Oxar picked me up by the neck and launched another punch at my midsection, knocking the wind out of me as I fell to my knees.

"But you are still not strong enough for my goddess."

"I don't..." I grimaced, as I struggled to my feet.

"Care about that. I want my brother back. If it means beating you to prove that, then so be it."

Oxar regarded me with no emotion.

"Many have told me this. The Queen of Knives vows to become stronger to avenge her parents. Her hunger for strength has given her name as one of the strongest swordsman in Folia history. You are not the only one who seeks power."

"Hiiro..." I muttered.

"Where are you man..."

Hiiro, the Oni who has been providing me with the added boost in technique, skill, and speed, suddenly went super silent in my first fight against Oxar. We had lost to him, despite using Hiiro's Hung Gar to its fullest. Since then, I had been drawing from his power, but had never been able to enter that mode again. The Wicked Oni.

In other words, Hiiro was embarrassed that his technique was useless against Oxar.

"It is finished." Oxar said, as he grabbed me by the face and slammed me against the ground, knocking me unconscious.

"What did I tell you man?!" Finn exclaimed, as Flock helped me to the med bed. Well, I guess at this point it became known as the Shun bed. Since I was the most frequent user. Vala put her hands on my back as she healed me and updated my skills.

"Tsk." Nessa muttered, as she walked off.

I said nothing as the rest of our Legion trickled off, leaving just me and the goddess alone in the med bay.

"I'm guessing you unlocked a new skill when fighting the King." Vala said, as she continued updating my skills.

"I was trying out a new technique."

"Your Oni still hasn't awakened yet?"

"Nope. Still silent."

Vala was one of the few people who knew the truth of who I was. She knew what I was truly capable of, and my circumstances regarding Wen.

"Did you find a way to force Hiiro to come back?" I asked.

Vala shook her head.

"Your Oni needs to make that decision himself. You can't force things on people, Shun. Even if it is your brother you are talking about."

Vala finished, as she held out a green holographic display of my skills.

Shun Zhang "The Stray Dog"

Level 2: Class Focus - Unarmed Martial Arts

"Still Level 2. Maybe a slight stat change in your skills. Your speed went up to Rank D for what it's worth."

I smirked. "Okay. What are my real stats then?"

Vala invited me over to the couch as I sat next to her. For a goddess of wind, freedom, and movement, she sure was a couch potato.

"The Folia Level system measures your strength based on your progress from Day One of being in this world, to you as of now. But because you aren't from this world, the Divine Soul created two sets of information to describe you. As for your real stats..."

Vala unveiled a second hologram. This time, it was red.

Shun Zhang "The Red Beast"

Level 9: Class Focus - Unarmed Demon Martial Arts

"No change, huh." I muttered.

Vala closed the display.

"It isn't a matter of how many fights you're in. To Level up, you need to do something grand. I don't think getting beat up by Captain Oxar of the Venus Legion counts as something grand."

"Thanks. I feel so much better."

"On the bright side, you are technically the strongest child of my Legion."

"I don't give a shit about that." I grumbled.

"The person who deserves that title should be, and is currently Flock."

I glanced at the little busted up window of the med bay, as I watched Flock help Haruka with the laundry. Her face was bright red. How Flock didn't realize that Haruka had a crush on him was beyond me. Either he was unbelievable stupid, or unbelievably dense, or just the absolute pinnacle evolution of a virgin.

Vala rested her chin on her hand.

"It's sweet that you acknowledge Flock."

"Why wouldn't I? If it wasn't for Flock, I wouldn't have any of this." I spread my hands.

"I wouldn't have such a family here in the Vala Legion. Fun days to spend with these guys in the Dungeon and being an adventurer. I owe so much to Flock yet he never asks for anything in return."

I wasn't just saying things out of my ass. Flock was the reason why I wasn't still killing and murdering martial arts masters for Boss Luk in the Red Circle Gang. Flock gave me a reason to continue living again.

Maybe it's true that you don't have a say with how your life goes. But it isn't all bad, right? I mean, I got to meet you.

A smile escaped me.

Every single person here in the Legion was thanks to Flock. For the longest time, the Vala Legion was the smallest and most neglected. Vala herself, was nearly forgotten by the mortals, what with big names like Venus, Osiris, Dionysus, and Apollo floating around. When a deity is forgotten, they disappear. No funeral. No life support. No meds. Nothing. Gone forever.

That day Vala picked up Flock, he had been her only Legion follower. Despite being a one member Legion, Flock worked hard, and gained recognition amongst all of Folia as the underdog.

Taking on quests and accomplishing feats that otherwise would have been too much for an adventurer his level.

Killing the Hydra singlehandedly to protect Nessa despite being a Level 1 adventurer at the time.

Taking on the Dionysus Legion, all twenty six members, and somehow winning to keep Apollo from banishing Vala.

Entrusting Finn with being his trusty swordsmith, despite Finn's controversial past.

And saving Haruka from the slave trade of the Maru Legion.

"If anybody is going to be a hero in this story. It has to be Flock." I told Vala, as I left the med bay.

That day, I followed Flock around the plaza. We had to go magic item shopping for Finn, and then visiting the Guild to cash in on our earnings. Also the guild lady really wanted to see Flock.

We continued walking, when suddenly Flock stopped at a crowd of people who were around a large board. It was the Level board, which displayed adventurers who recently levelled up. Depending on how famous the adventurer was, the crowd could be enormous.

Kind of like today.

"I wonder who it is."

A member of the crowd scoffed.

"You really need to ask?"

Flock barged his way through to see the picture of a beautiful woman with long silver hair. A doll like face that looked incredibly focused. Almost as if she was in combat mode 24/7. Those eyes. No doubt about it.

"The Queen of Knives recently defeated the floor boss all by herself. Do you know how hard it is to kill one in a team?!" A voice said, excitedly.

Obviously.

The Dungeon is comprised of floors. Each floor contains a boss. And typically killing the boss requires a squad of the most elite adventurers. At least eight.

Two tanks.

Two healers.

And four damage dealers.

To know that Calypso Rosewald killed one all by herself, really speaks volumes. Calypso was a knife fighter, meaning she didn't specialize in high defence like tank-based adventurers. Meaning her agility was just that strong enough for her to evade the attacks of the boss.

Judging from how there was chatter all over Folia, Calypso's reputation probably shot up sky high. As if it wasn't already. I guess that was probably what allowed her to ascend to Level 9.

Of course, I didn't care.

The one thing I did care about... was Flock.

Flock's face was pale, as he looked at Calypso's image.

"Hey man..." I tried to reassure him.

"Don't compare yourself to her dude. It's just a recipe for disaster. That's like trying to compare yourself to Arnold despite being a toothpick."

"I don't even know who Arnold is."

"Oh. Uh..." I stammered. Shit, I forgot I was in Folia.

"I'm just saying. Calypso isn't normal."

Flock clenched his fist.

"I know that. But it's not going to stop my goal to become stronger. So I can stand by her side one day."

Oh boy. This again.

Ever since Flock got saved by Calypso that one time, he had been dead set on catching up to her. I guess that's nice motivation. The only problem was. He was trying to catch up to Calypso Rosewald. The greatest swordsman in all of Folia.

Might as well run for mayor next.

But no matter how crazy it seemed, fate seemed to pair those two together a lot. Calypso constantly running into Flock. Saving him. And Flock being trained by her to use his sword.

...

Must be nice to have a harem.

If only Flock realized that.

Flock and I walked off, as we made our way to the guild.

"Flock! Oh!" The lady quickly hid behind the counter. Flock tilted his head in confusion.

"Hey Reins. I wanted to cash in the shards I collected with my Legion today!" Flock said, as I narrowed my eyes at her reflection from the other side. She was frantically checking her makeup.

My eye twitched in annoyance.

"Ah! Well, good work today Flock!" Reins took in the shards and handed Flock a bag of gold.

"Thanks!" Flock said, as he put his hands behind his back.

"I was wondering if we could talk."

"Sure!" Reins said a little too quickly, as she beckoned him into her office.

"Can I come too?" I asked.

Reins face flashed with disappointment.

Wow.

Flock and I sat at one end of the desk.

"What was it that you wanted to ask about?"

Flock pointed at the book that was on the table, a picture of a goddess who looked. Uh. Well. Erm.

"I want to know more about her. Astarte."

"OH!" I yelped, as Reins face flushed red. And I'm not talking about embarrassment.

Reins rushed inwards and grabbed Flock's collar before anybody could react.

"Why?! What happened! Did something happen to you? Why would you go there!"

Reins put a hand on her face.

"I know boys would come across her pleasure quarter at some point in their lives. And you are coming to that age. But you're still not allowed!"

Flock began to panic.

"No! It's not like that! I promise. Please, Reins, you need to listen to me!"

Reins calmed down as she sat back in her seat. But her energy was now completely lopsided. I could sense she was still incredibly pissed off.

"What do you want to know?"

Flock looked at the book.

"Her Legion. What are they like? How strong are they?"

Reins put her hand under her chin.

"I would say they are a pretty strong Legion. Infamous for taking down monsters... among other things..."

"Other things...?" Flock's voice trailed off.

"They bang every guy they see." I replied to Flock, as Reins' face flushed red again.

Reins continued, after taking a deep breath to calm her nerves.

"Their captain, Fae, is Level 6. She specializes in the broadsword and the scythe. Recently, she took part in the expedition to clear a recent floor. In terms of combat skill alone, she ranks among one of the best adventurers. Unfortunately, her voracious personality is less than favourable."

"Her personality's fine by me." I admitted, then quickly regretted as Reins gave me a dangerous glare.

"Sorry." I muttered.

"Okay." Flock said, as he got up and bowed to Reins.

"Thank you so much for your time. I'll see you soon!"

Reins smiled at Flock.

"Keep at it, Flock! You're one of my favourite clients after all. Just... please be careful around Lady Astarte's Legion. Especially Lady Astarte herself. Please promise me that."

Flock stammered like an idiot. "Y- Yes. I'll look out for her. I promise."

The two of us left the guild, but not before making an unfamiliar turn.

"Umm, Flock? This isn't the way to the Legion house."

"We're not going there." Flock replied.

"Umm... do I want to know why?"

Flock looked at me.

"I want Haruka to be truly free from Lady Astarte. Even if it means negotiating with her in person."

"You do realize what we're doing is going against Vala's wishes right."

Flock looked down.

"I know. But... when I see a girl in trouble, I just can't stand by and watch. That's how I was raised by grandpa. I will save someone. A person. A demihuman. A god. It doesn't matter. Everybody has the right to be saved."

I sighed, as I stared at the sky.

"Well, we are going to the pleasure quarter. So I can't imagine it'll be all bad." I said.

Flock's idea of a disguise was wearing a red robe. He held out another one to me.

"You too, Shun."

"Like hell I'm wearing that."

Flock turned back to the guards, who were stationed around the outer perimeter of the Legion home.

"When I was here last time, the Legion members brought me to Lady Astarte's chambers through this entrance. When I escaped her, I ran down a corridor and ended up in the prisoner room where they were keeping their victims. Once we find Haruka's brother, she can finally be free."

The only problem was... if Fae or any of the Legion members ever caught up to us, we were done for. Flock was no match for Fae, and as if that wasn't bad enough, Fae wasn't the strongest member of the Legion.

The strongest member of the Astarte Legion was Selene. Or Vitra Astarte. A Level 8 claw fighter.

Fae may be the Captain of the Legion, but Selene was Astarte's best. She didn't care about leading. All she cared about was finding men, fooling around.

Then killing them.

You might be asking how I know this. Well...

Let's just say it isn't my first time in the pleasure sector. It was all part of my training to develop mental fortitude and resistance to other people's charm skill. But of course, when I tried to explain it to Vala, she walloped me over the head anyway. No one in the Legion believed me either. Not even my boy Flock.

We did pretty well. Flock dragged me along as we made it through the outer perimeter and ended up inside the building.

We walked across several corridors, as we hid behind pillars whenever a Legion member walked by us. They were gossiping about something.

"Dibs on Flock whenever I get my hands on that adorable bunny."

"No! You can't have him. He's mine."

"What did you just say, slut?"

The sounds of fighting then filled the air. Flock's face was white in terror, as if the thought of losing his virginity was the last thing he wanted.

I wanted to slap him in the face for being so ungrateful.

"Hey! You two. Cut it out." Another voice broke up the fight, as the sounds stopped.

"I thought we agreed that we would be sharing the Rising Star whenever we captured him. If I find out any of you devoured my little Flock, I will personally introduce you to my torture chamber. Just like what I did to Fae."

The two voices quieted down.

Flock began to breathe heavily, his hands on his lips.

"Selene!" He whispered.

Yeah. No shit that was Selene. Who else would be able to shut everybody up just by talking? No other member of the Legion was as frightening as this lady. It's kind of difficult to get a hard on when you're fearing for your life. Unless you're into that.

We continued sneaking around until we reached the prison.

"Okay. Let's find Komi and get out of here!"

"I don't think so, little Flock." A voice appeared behind us. It was a Legion member.

Flock unsheathed his sword, but the lady licked her lips instead.

"Would you strike a woman, Flock? Isn't that against your code?"

Flock hesitated, as he assumed his stance.

"I don't want to do this. Komi doesn't belong in Lady Astarte's prison. We're setting him free."

"But isn't that a little selfish of you, Flock? Komi is our goddess's prized possession, second to you of course. If you take him away from our Lady, she will be sad. And we can't have that."

"Komi is a person! He's not a possession!"

"Enough of this." The lady said, as she closed in to strike Flock, but Flock dove out of the way. More Legion members took notice to their conversation and began coming our way.

The woman swung her sword again, but Flock dodged it.

"Run!" He shouted at me, as we booked it.

"You have nowhere to go. In here, you are all our goddess' possession."

We ran across hallway after hallway, as we tried to lose the crowd, but more and more Legion members took notice, until we were finally cornered.

"My my." A voice appeared from the numerous members who had surrounded me. It was Fae's, as the Captain approached us. Then put her hand on Flock's face.

"To know Folia's Rising Star has come to our chambers on his own accord. I have to say, it makes me very happy indeed."

Flock shrivelled away from her touch, as Fae tilted her head.

"And so shy too. If you share my bed, I promise I will make you more accustomed to our ways. In here, boys become men."

"Sign me up." I blurted out loud, as Fae raised an eyebrow.

"Ah. The Stray Dog." She said, unimpressed.

"Lady Astarte has also taken an interest in you, but not in the way she has for Flock. You both will come to her chambers. After our goddess has had her fill, Flock will be ours."

"Eep!" Flock yelped, as Fae laughed in response.

"Oh, my dear Flock. You are so adorable."

"No. Flock will be mine." Another voice appeared from the crowd, as Fae's face irked with disgust.

"Selene. I thought you said we were going to share our prey."

The members parted ways for Selene, as she approached us, her red claws fully extended like a succubi.

"I changed my mind. Flock is all mine. Unless you all want to fight me for him."

Fae was silent, as Selene rushed in to grab Flock. Flock tried to dodge, but against a Level 8 adventurer, Flock was no match for her, and was overpowered quickly. I stepped in, but the members all rushed forward, their weapons pointed at me.

I contemplated fighting them all at once, but that would reveal my power to Flock. And I couldn't do that.

Fae looked at me.

"Stray Dog. Since you have decided to intrude on our premises already, I guess I might as well bring you to our goddess."

So Flock was being held prisoner. And I was being brought to Astarte's chambers.

Any normal guy above the age of 14 would have been excited, but personally, the thought of Flock in Selene's torture room was more than enough to ruin the vibe. I needed to get to Flock quickly, but there wasn't much I could do. If I tried to escape, Flock was dead. If I tried anything funny, Flock was dead.

The doors opened, to reveal an extremely attractive woman wearing a silk garment. Her silver hair was tied back as her purple eyes illuminated the room. That was about as far as I could describe her appearance, because my eyes were automatically glued to her chest.

"My goddess." Fae bowed, as she shoved me forward.

"The Stray Dog was caught infiltrating our home, along with the Rising Star. But..."

"Selene has him?" Astarte asked. Her voice was so smooth and hot. I could feel blood rushing to my face. What the hell happened to all the mental fortitude training I had done?!

"I apologize my Lady." Fae said.

"It's fine." Astarte said, as she approached me.

"I would like to be alone, with the Stray."

Fae bowed and left the room, as the doors closed, locking itself, as I found myself in the chambers of the goddess of love.

Astarte turned around and walked back to the window, looking along the distance.

"Uh." I stammered, as I found myself unable to make a coherent thought.

"So is this some kind of foreplay?"

Astarte gazed at the city of the Pleasure Sector.

"Come here." She beckoned me forward, as I stood next to her.

"What do you see?" She asked.

"Breas- I mean buildings." I replied.

"It is a beautiful sector. The pleasure sector. Men and women live to reproduce. That is in our nature. And because of this, the feeling of pleasure is natural, and is not a sin."

"Y- Yeah." I muttered.

"But surely you know, that this sector was not always this way."

"Yeah, because of the Black Dragon, right? Destroyed the whole lands and stuff."

"The Demon Lord Samael, destroyed all of Iaia, and sent many gods back to heaven. It was from the ruins of Iaia and the Big Three Legions did Folia came to be."

"You don't seem at all pissed off that Demon Lord Samael destroyed your brethren."

"Oh dear, surely not. The other goddesses are so lacking in their charms. For I am superior to them, in beauty, and in my Legion. Their destruction means nothing to me."

I was going to point out that the Venus Legion was still pretty much stronger than hers. By a long shot, actually. But I wasn't gonna say anything. I needed to get back to Flock as soon as possible.

"There is a reason why I find you interesting, Stray Dog, but not for reasons you believe." Astarte turned to me.

"You are not attractive. You lack sex appeal, even to a goddess of sexual nature. You have little desire to pleasure a woman..."

With each incoming insult, I could feel my heart race in annoyance. Like, I really don't need the goddess of love telling me I have no chances with women. Thank you very much.

"But even so. You have attracted my attention. Not many can achieve this. Do you want to know why?"

"Wh-"

Astarte touched my face, as a current ran down my spine. Her face was... angry? My heart began to race. Why was she mad? How the hell did I piss off a goddess of love?!

"Your face. It reminds me of him. It reminds me of the Demon Lord Samael."

R4

"To the stations! The Great Demon Lord has arrived to raze this world! Calling every Level 9 and above adventurer to the stations! This is a SSS Tier Threat!" The voice boomed across all of Iaia, as I walked forward. Darkness and wind swirling around me, uplifting buildings. Shops. Stores all around me. The same ones that I once visited with my family with the Vala Legion.

"Bastard!" A Level 11 adventurer of the Zeus Legion shouted at me, as he brought two swords back to slice at my head, but my eyes flashed, sending a massive blast of wind from Stormcaller his way. The force was so great that his body disintegrated from the attack, leaving behind bones just from the wind pressure.

I will take this world. I said, my voice ancient and tripled, as I lifted my arm, slowly.

Aphrodite was the first. Bring me all of them. Bring me the gods. They shall all kneel before the might of Demon Lord Samael. I have been angered. I have lost my family to their divine game. A Demon Lord stands for oppression. I shall oppress your divine will with absolute. Undisputed. Power.

UMBRAL AEROKINESIS - STORMCALLER: FALLEN TEMPEST HEARTBEAT.

The gods came down that day. The first goddess who tried to face me, was Astarte. A goddess of love.

"Demon Lord, you have chosen to oppress the heavens. By harming my children. I shall show you no mercy."

Astarte called in her Legion members, but I snapped my fingers, causing them to slam into the ground with my Umbral Gravity spell.

"Such... immense... power... my lady... forgive me..." One of the members muttered, her hand outstretched to Astarte, who was bound by my black chains that I had summoned to pin her down. Astarte could only watch in horror as I stepped on her child's skull.

"No... don't kill him. O fierce deity..." Astarte muttered helplessly, as she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched her most loyal followers be slaughtered right before her.

I approached Astarte, as my body was already smoking, transforming into the Black Dragon.

Astarte looked at me, but not with eyes of despair. But with eyes of vengeance.

"I shall never forgive you, Demon Lord. Even if the heavens forgive you, I shall always resent you for what you have done today. You will never find love. That shall be your curse."

I brought my talon up, ready to strike down the goddess, but not before a boom echoed from the skies, as dozens of apparitions filled the air.

Gods.

Come. Gods of Iaia. Join Lady Astarte in your final moments. I said, as I turned my back on Astarte.

"To the stations! The Great Demon Lord Samael has arrived to raze this nation! Calling every high ranking demon to the statio-"

I flicked my hand, as the demon instantly went up in flames.

"Bring me Ronnegar!" I roared, as I extended my dragon wings, darkness pooling from my body and engulfing all of the trees.

"You are nothing to Lord Ronnegar!" One of Ronnegar's elite shouted at me, but I glared at him, lifting my hand and pointing a finger at the monster. Immediately, darkness left the tip of my finger and transformed into a massive black beast.

Umbralkinesis 450%: Black Maw

The beast devoured the elite in one bite, as all of Ronnegar's forces backed off. But this intimidation didn't last long, as soon, I stood face to face with Ronnegar's entire military force.

One against twenty seven million followers of Demon Lord Ronnegar.

"Well well well. If it isn't Sammy the World Eater. How have you been, little nerd?" Ronnegar said, as his servants pushed a chariot before me. Ronnegar himself was sitting on the golden throne, wearing a golden fur coat.

Ronnegar stood up, as his nation knelt before him.

"Are you here for revenge? This never would have happened if you had the guts to face me so many years ago. Back then, I thought. This would have been quite the match. The King of the Beasts against the Devourer of Worlds. But now, I have gotten stronger. While you were being a coward, my nation grew, as did my power."

Ronnegar spread his hands, as his people chanted.

"All hail the King of the Beasts. Ruler of Euthansia. Demon Lord Ronnegar!"

I clenched my fist.

"So you didn't even bother to mention how you attacked my nation? My people fought valiantly for me. Yet you slaughtered them knowing full well they were no match for you."

Ronnegar raised an eyebrow.

"The choice to leave was yours alone, Samael. If anything. It was your fault your people died!"

My anger began to well up.

I left because of my pain. I left because I couldn't take it anymore. I left for the same reasons why I showed up here in the first place. To punish myself for what I did to Leah.

I was supposed to be here to speak to Leah one last time.

Yet here I was trying to negotiate with delusional scum.

My body began to emit more darkness, flooding the land.

"Well, since my people fought so valiantly against you, maybe it's time I returned the favour. Regis tells me it took you two days to destroy a majority of my nation, right?"

"Ooh. Scary. What are you going to do? Turn off the lights and give my nation a scare?"

Ronnegar's army laughed, but they weren't going to find this funny soon.

"Yeah." I said, as I held out my hand.

480 percent. LIGHTS OUT.

Suddenly, the entire place went pitch black. Even if it was in the middle of the day with the blinding sun, the darkness I had just engulfed the land was enough to block virtually any source of light.

"What is this? Our torches... the darkness is consuming its light!"

"Don't fall for Samael's tricks! He's still no match for Ronneg-"

The voice cut out abruptly, as the sounds of munching and tearing overwhelmed the entire land.

Ronnegar turned to me, his face in disbelief.

"What did you do."

Hunt them down. Every single one. Tear them apart. Consume them. Take them into the darkness. I said, as the Shadow Beasts of Tsukuyomi tore apart Ronnegar's nation in seconds.

Within a mere two minutes, I had reduced Ronnegar's army to a mere ten percent.

I closed my fist, as the darkness returned to my body, as did the millions of wolves and beasts that were making a quick meal out of Ronnegar's people.

I began to ascend into the air, as Ronnegar's forehead veins began to pop. His face turned red in rage.

You wanted this fight, Ronnegar. Remember this. Remember it well. You asked for all of this. You asked to do battle against Demon Lord Samael. Now I am here to grant your wish, after all these years. I hope you're ready.

Ronnegar grabbed his fur coat and ripped it away, as he blasted into the air, powering up. Golden armour burst from his skin as horns appeared across the sides of his head.

"My nation. My people that I spent so long commanding and building. Torn away. You shall pay with your life, Samael. There is a line that mustn't be crossed. And you crossed it with an S Class Demon Lord with the might of a Level 877, far beyond the Level 710 you displayed in Iaia. This will be a mistake you won't live to regret."

Then make me regret it. I replied, as I instantly closed the distance between me and Ronnegar before he could even react.

"Wha-"

I held out my palm and struck him in the chest, sending him smashing into a nearby mountain.

"This is impossible! I am stronger than you by at least 167 Levels!" Ronnegar growled, as he tried to attack me again, but I disappeared, materializing behind him and striking him in the back with a kick, sending him hurtling into the ground and creating a city sized crater.

Ronnegar shot forward again, but I caught his fist with my hand effortlessly, the shockwave rumbling the entire land. My face was sinister as I looked down at Ronnegar, who was staring at me in disbelief.

"I am... stronger... than..."

Wind began to swirl around me as I mixed Stormcaller with Ignis. My dragon wings growing as wide as two school buses.

Umbral Transformation: Dragonoid Form. This is a transformation that has ascended the Black Dragon that I used in Iaia. You're not the only one who got stronger. The power I displayed was back before I was recognized as a Demon Lord. When I turned into a True Demon Lord from recognition, I became stronger. Level 877?

I tightened my grip as Ronnegar howled in pain.

How miniscule.

I began to squeeze even harder as the massive firestorm above me began to focus in on Ronnegar.

"Wait. I can make things right. I can... I can..."

Ignis and Stormcaller, 350%.

I brought down the dark tornado down on Ronnegar as his body began to disintegrate. Ronnegar's voice trailing away as he began to slowly die out. But not before giving me one last threat.

"You... you... won't get away with this... Demon Lord Samael. Great Demon Lord Niki still rules these lands. She shall set sights on you eventually. When that day comes and you do battle against the Ancient Annhilator, you will regret ever messing with the Demon Lord Council."

I watched coldly, as the fires and winds of the firestorm fully devoured Demon Lord Ronnegar, killing him and flooding the rest of his nation in flames.

"If the other Demon Lords want war, then I'll give it to them. Just like how I destroyed your people, Ronnegar. But I have other things to do. I will never stoop to the pettiness of a Demon Lord. Or a god. Because this time, I'm doing this knowing full well of what I am."

I looked at my hand, as I felt my surroundings burn away from the dark fires of Ignis, leaving behind a burning catastrophic wasteland all around me as I hovered in the air.

"I'm a Remnant of Decen. And I gotta make things right with the girl who's life I ruined. I don't have time to relive old mistakes."

I shot into air in supersonic speed, as I looked at the world below. The nations that were controlled by Niki and Gamen. Then one nation in particular, secluded from the rest.

Iaia.

No. Folia.

From the clouds and my vision, I could see the markings on my wrist, Skylar's Shackle System.

Restraints Layer One.

I was fighting at a fraction of my power. Which was probably why when I defeated Ronnegar, I wasn't in True Dragon. I was in a Dragonoid Form, which was a half transformation.

"Leah." I muttered. She couldn't see me like this. First as the Black Dragon. Now as a Demon Lord.

The plan was to find Leah, but I never thought far enough as to what exactly I should have done. I expected Ben to come up with a plan, but then I got separated. And to make matters worse, the nation of Demon Lord Samael was still around, waiting for my return. I had told them to stay put. Because I couldn't risk my people being harmed any further.

With Ronnegar dead, there ought to be commotion amongst the Demon Lord Council. I left virtually no survivors in his nation. It wasn't even a fight. I dominated the guy not even at 100%. My Lights Out spell killed 90% of his people, then the Ignis Stormcaller combo killed the remaining 10%. But I guess there was always the chance one survivor or two made it back alive to inform everyone of my return.

I descended from the skies as I landed on the plains, far from Folia, but still on the way there.

This was bad. I was already at Layer One. Skylar told us to only release one layer if it was an emergency. And I released three at once.

I looked at my markings again, commanding the shackle system to return to Layer Four. I could feel my power bottlenecked again. If I wanted to get to Folia, I had to disguise myself. This was a job for Hooter's Form Sammy.

I transformed into my Hooter's Form (fully clothed, unfortunately), and made my way into town.

My vision momentarily changed. Subconsciously, since everything looked so similar to how it was back then. I clutched my head as everything changed.

"It doesn't matter if he has potential to be a Demon Lord. He hasn't done anything wrong. Prejudice may be a thing out there, but in the Vala Legion, we welcome anybody. That's the definition of family."

The adventurer stood up and put distance between the guard and me.

"Samael is part of the Vala Legion, along with Wolf, Serah, and Jude. I swear by it, that Sammy has a place in Iaia."

"Are you sure you can handle the responsibility of this potential Demon Lord?"

"Yes." The adventurer responded, putting a fist against his chest.

"By my name, I will welcome Sammy with open arms. By the name of my goddess. Vala, Sammy is a part of our Legion."

That adventurer accepted me, despite knowing my past. Knowing my power and my potential for destruction.

I owed everything to him, and when Aphrodite's Legion took him away, it was what drove me into a frenzy that destroyed Iaia and several of its gods.

His name. I would never forget it.

Level 5 Adventurer.

Henry Flock.

Of the Vala Legion.

R7

I ran across the corridor, trying to find Flock. Astarte had let me go, but not before issuing me a warning.

"I can't explain it. But your resemblance to the Demon Lord is uncanny. Looking at your face makes me extremely upset. But I will take your word for it, that you are not indeed the same Demon Lord who killed my children in front of my very eyes, then proceeded to burn down my Legion home those many years ago. However, you are not welcome in this sector. I don't ever want to see your face again."

I made my way to the balcony, overlooking the entire city, and found Flock cornered at the edge. He was battered, bloody, and breathing hard. But he was still on his feet.

Facing him, was Fae.

"'You have spunk, Flock." Fae said, as she spun her scythe. Flock blocked it, but the force sent him hurtling back.

"You shouldn't even be able to fight toe to toe with me as a Level 4, but here you are."

"Let Komi go!" Flock said, as he charged forward, but Fae kicked him in the midsection, sending him back again and bending the railing.

I ran forward, but was intercepted by a group of Legion members.

"Fae is fighting Flock." One member said.

"Wait your turn."

I don't mind. I'll just mess all of you up in the meantime.

My hands clenched into fists as I felt Hiiro's demonic power surge through me. I brought my foot back and lifted my hand.

"Hung Gar. Shun Zhang."

"Yaaaa!" The members shouted as they charged me, but I kicked the first legionnaire, sending her flying and knocking down her comrades as I spun around and launched a punch which shattered the shield of another Legion member. Her eyes wide in disbelief.

"How-"

I dropped her with another punch, then went low with consecutive leg sweeps, sending more legion members into the air.

One member leapt at me, but I launched a side kick which blasted her backwards. Her armour buckled from where my foot connected as she coughed up blood.

"Is he really Level 2?"

"Doesn't matter. He has no place here. In our Legion home, Lady Astarte gives us strength."

I brought my arms up, as I traced a circle on the ground.

Shockwave Style...

I spun around, my leg raised as I delivered a punishing slash with my foot.

Charged Vacuum Arc

The arc blasted into the ranks of the Legion members as everybody flew backwards. Some hit the pillars, some hit the edges of the door. Others smashed into the walls as I lowered my leg. Facing me were dozens of unconscious legion members, as the remaining forces powered up.

"For Lady Astarte!"

I roared, as I charged, delivering punch after punch, kick after kick, as I fought back the remaining members of the Legion. The occasion knife slash got through and streaked my shirt, but I continued fighting.

Within minutes, I defeated everyone, as I turned back to Flock, running in his direction. Flock was holding his own against Fae using his Limit Break skill, but judging from the blue smoke that was leaking through his shirt, he was at his limit. Fae wasn't looking anywhere near defeated either, but it was clear the fight wasn't easy for her.

"Unbelievable. You shouldn't... even be standing..." Fae gasped, as Flock raised his sword.

"I won't back down. No way. Not until Komi is free."

"Then you will join him in Selene's chamber."

Flock and Fae charged again, clashing. Both gritting their teeth.

"Every person is entitled to live their life. Surely... you would realize that, Fae." Flock seethed, as he began to lose ground. I wanted to step in, but I remembered what Astarte told me.

You can live your life however you want. But do not interfere with my precious Flock. I will allow no woman to have him. And I will certainly not let the Red Beast corrupt him. Should you not heed my warnings, I will crush the Vala Legion.

Fae pushed Flock back, overpowering him. Even with Limit Break, Flock was fighting at a Level of around 5 and a half. It was still nowhere close to Fae's power. But even so, Flock wasn't backing down.

Fae glared at Flock as she slashed down, then kicked Flock away.

"I used to think that way too. Don't you think I used to think that as well? Every day in Selene's chamber? Her torture on me when she realized Lady Astarte made me Captain and not her. I could no longer tell the difference between pleasure and pain. The truth is Flock, we don't get a say in how we live our lives. We are what the world wants us to be. Not what we want. Komi will always be Lady Astarte's property. As are you. And me."

Fae slashed again, as her attacks began to become wild. No longer composed.

Her emotions were getting the better of her.

Fae desperately swung with her scythe, but Flock dodged again and closed in, pinning Fae to the ground.

"I will never betray Lady Astarte. I will never make her sad. Because even if I have no say on how I live my life, Lady Astarte has given me a place to belong and a home. Even if it hurts. I will always be her loyal follower. And so will Komi."

Flock pushed her deeper into the ground.

"If that's what you believe, then why are you crying?"

Fae gasped, as Flock stood up.

"Why are you having such a hard time convincing yourself? Maybe you're right. Maybe fate is what drives our lives. But that doesn't give us a reason to do the wrong thing. Even if we're not in control, we still have a moral obligation to retaining our humanity. If we turn a blind eye on what's right, that makes us no different from the monsters! That's what it means to be an adventurer."

"Shut up!" Fae growled, as she clashed with Flock again.

"You were trapped in Selene's torture chamber for half a day. I was trapped in her chamber for years. You have no right to lecture me about anything! I can't trust anyone but my goddess. All the pleasure in this world. All the times I've shared my bed with the men in the pleasure sector. It's always been just that. Just pleasure. But you... you have a family. You have everything!"

"I'm not lecturing you, Fae..." Flock began to lose the struggle, as he skidded back.

"If you want to trust someone so badly... then why don't you start with me?!"

Fae hesitated, just before dealing with the finishing blow.

Flock regained his composure.

"Trust me, Fae. I know now how much you've suffered. It doesn't have to be this way. You can still live a life that is out of your control but have a smile on your face. Just take that first step."

"How dare you..." Fae muttered, her eyes leaky as she tried to swing again, but she dropped her scythe.

"That's enough. I've... lost my will to fight you anymore, Flock."

Flock held out his hand.

"Fae..."

"No." Fae said, as she picked up her weapon and turned her back on him.

"Just... leave. Leave me be, Flock."

I rushed forward and stopped Flock from hitting the ground.

"Flock..." I said.

"Shun, are you okay?"

"Am I okay?! Dude your armour is completely shredded!"

"Fae..."

"She's lost her will to fight. Let's head back to the prison and find Komi."

"I want to talk to Fae one more-"

"No. You can't do no more, Flock. We need to go, befor-"

"I can't believe it. Fae actually let the Rising Star go. Someone needs to be disciplined again." Selene said, as she dragged her claws across the wall, creating sparks as she had a malicious smile on her face.

Shit!

"Flock, we need to run. Let's go-"

"Rising Star and Stray Dog of Vala Legion. I heard my sisters were unable to stop you. How unsightly. How our goddess' legion have disgraced her name. I will keep our honour. By destroying the Stray and devouring the Star."

Flock and I stared at Selene in terror for a split second, before I steeled my nerves.

"Run Flock. I'll take Selene."

Flock's eyes widened. "No you can't! Are you crazy?! She's Level 8! You're only a Level 2! Even together we can't-"

I assumed my wushu stance.

"There's something I need to tell you Flock. For the longest time, I've been hiding my power."

"Wha- What are you talking about?"

"In terms of what I can really do, I will show you. I'm sorry to everyone for keeping this a secret. Shockwave Style. Vac-"

SWOOSH

Selene instantly closed the distance with blinding speed.

"Wha-" I gasped, as Selene gleamed at me sinisterly.

"Level 8? I'm not any normal Level 8. I'm the strongest member of our Legion. Don't take me so lightly, Stray Dog!"

Selene slammed me in the side of the head as I smashed into a wall, crumpling to the ground.

"Shun!" Flock shouted, but Selene instantly materialized before Flock, swinging her claw, but Flock blocked it with his sword. Sinking to the ground.

What the hell? Was she really Level 8?! She was moving so fast I couldn't even register it.

Either she wasn't Level 8, or Vala was bullshitting me the whole damn time about my true Level.

I got to my feet.

"HEY!" I shouted, as I ran forward, delivering a flying side kick, but Selene grabbed my leg and slammed me into the ground.

Flock tried to swing back, but Selene wove out of the way and slashed him across the leg. Flock fell to one knee, before Selene kneed him in the chin and sent him flying backwards. I table kicked myself back to position and delivered a flurry of kicks and strikes at Selene, but Selene dodged them easily.

"True power? Kind of disappointing, isn't it? You just embarrassed yourself in front of the Rising Star. I might as well play with you too, Stray Dog. This will not be the most regretful thing you've done today." Selene broke through my technique and slashed at my chest as I stumbled back, only to have another kick fling me into a pillar.

I heard a crack, as my side flared in pain.

"Hiiro you piece of shit." I seethed, as I got to my feet.

"Wake up!" I growled. But Hiiro said nothing.

Screw it. I can't use his technique at full capacity, but 85% of Hiiro's Hung Gar was still better than my shitty Shaolin Wushu, or my bootleg Wing Chun that I probably ripped off from every Yip Man movie in existence.

I rushed forward to join Flock, as we tried to pressure Selene. It was not enough. Selene kicked Flock away, and began dodging my low blows.

"Doesn't matter how many styles you have, kid. I've fought monsters and adventurers. You're nothing but a Stray."

Selene slashed at my face, but instead of reeling my head back, I rushed forward even more. Selene's face flashed with surprise.

"Haven't you heard?" I growled from the pain, as I brought my fist back, smashing it against her face with as much force as possible with an overhead right. The force was so great that the windows shattered. Selene flew backwards and smashed into another wall. We sure were wrecking Astarte's place.

"There's no heaven for Stray Dogs. I got nothing to lose." I said, as I rushed in, delivering a chained Shadowless Kick combination at Selene's face as she was unable to register the movements.

"I can't see your blows, but it doesn't matter." Selene said, as she took my best shots, then hit me in the chest with an open handed strike. I fell backwards.

"I possess the ability to fight beyond my Level." Selene said.

"What the fu-" I muttered, as Selene slammed me in the face again. And again. And again.

Oh. So I guess Flock wasn't the only one who could go beyond his limits. But Selene's skill wasn't like Flock's. Flock could theoretically keep fighting beyond his level infinitely as long as his feelings last. It was one of the reasons why Flock was so popular amongst the gods. He was the best bet against the Demon Lord.

With Selene, it looked like she could only fight at a max two levels beyond her current power judging from how painful her shots were. Meaning she was fighting at Level 10.

What the hell was this bullshit ability?!

I fell to my knees, as blood leaked from my face. Selene made a coy sound that would have turned me on, if I wasn't seconds from passing out in pain.

"Red fireworks. My lady. Forgive me for I have sinned. I made another man bleed today." Selene's smile began to grow and grow into a very unsettling length.

Oh god, I was gonna die.

Selene brought her claws down, but was intercepted by Flock, who was breathing heavily despite being drained from his fight with Fae.

"Little Flock, I don't want to hurt you too much yet. Why don't you be a good boy and wait over there."

"No way!" Flock seethed, as his eyes began to glow a brighter blue.

"Wait, Flock! You can't!" I yelped. Flock didn't know he had the Limit Break skill. Vala had kept the ability a secret from most of the gods and pretty much all of Folia because of our frickin broken it was. But there were caveats. He couldn't use Limit Break multiple times a day, or his body would blow up.

"I won't let you hurt him, Selene!"

"Dammit Flock now isn't the time to be a white knight!" I exclaimed, as Selene's face darkened.

"That's enough. I've had it."

Selene picked up Flock by the sword and lifted the kid into the air, flinging him away.

"All I wanted was some quality time with you, Flock. But I see you're not being cooperative. Most of my men are not. I guess you're no different after all."

Selene began to walk to Flock menacingly, as Flock couldn't get back up. He probably broke something.

"From here on out, I'm taking this serious."

"FLOCK!" I yelled.

Suddenly, an orange explosion lit up against Selene's back. Selene stumbled as voices appeared from the corner of my vision.

"FLOCK! SHUN!" Finn shouted, as he, Nessa, and Haruka emerged from the ruins. Trailing behind them was Komi.

Selene turned to our Legion as Nessa and Finn helped Flock up.

"How can you be so stupid!" Nessa exclaimed, as Flock stared at the ground.

"Komi. Deserves to live."

Haruka put her hand over her mouth as she tried to attend to Flock. Her face was red.

"Flock... you went to all this... for me?"

Flock smiled, through his wounds.

"Yeah."

Haruka blushed even more, as it was mixed with gratitude.

There was still one important thing.

"Guys. I'm right here. I'm injured too." I grumbled.

"Oh!" Finn said, as the Legion joined me to heal my wounds.

Flock stood before his Legion.

"We're leaving. Komi deserves to live his life."

Selene clenched her fists.

"You do realize, that I can't allow that. I will destroy your Legion myself."

Nessa and Finn powered up, but Selene was not fazed. If she really was fighting at Level 10, realistically, there was no way any of us stood a chance, even together. We needed to get out of here.

Selene then looked at Haruka.

"My dear Haruka." Haruka hid behind Flock.

"Don't be so scared. You were always so special to me. The first girl who I tortured who refused to cry."

Haruka gripped Flock's armour so hard that her knuckles turned white. She wasn't able to look Selene in the face but I could tell all of those years of being tortured by her was coming back. She was straight up terrified. Not to mention that this sadist and monster tortured her brother too.

"Screw this." I grumbled, as I brought my fist back.

"I forgot how much of a bitch you are, Selene. Thanks for reminding me how much I wanted to kick your ass." I said.

Selene tilted her head.

"Sour mouthed as always, Stray. But there isn't anything you can do."

I brought my foot back. If Hiiro wasn't going to lend me his wisdom, I'll have to do things my way. Just as I always have.

Shockwave Style: Ultimate Funnel Strike

I swung my fist as hard as I could at Selene, who took the attack standing still. The wind pressure blasting the cement and concrete in its vicinity to pieces.

"Was that it?" Selene asked.

"Pretty much." I responded, honestly.

"Then that was a poor choice of final words."

Not really, as I picked up Haruka and Komi and bolted to the big gaping hole I had created in the wall. The rest of the Legion followed, as Selene looked at us.

"I'm not letting you get away-"

Selene suddenly paused, staring at something from afar.

Flock noticed too.

"Wha- What is it?" He asked.

Selene backed up in terror, as she stumbled.

"Th- This isn't over. Do you hear me, Vala Legion? The Astarte Legion will have Flock and Komi. Even if it is the last thing we do."

We made our way out of the pleasure sector, as Haruka and Komi kicked off of me and ran to Flock. Typical.

We continued running back to the Vala Legion. No doubt Lady Vala was pissed off at us. But whatever. I'd deal with an angry Vala over Selene any day.

Vala wasn't too thrilled about Flock and our expedition to Astarte's Legion. She immediately gave Flock the billowy pillowy treatment.

"Flock! By the gods! How could you worry me like that!" She screamed, as she knocked Flock to the ground.

Flock managed to escape through Vala's hair.

"Komi. He's now free. My Lady. I promised you. I promised I would protect your Legion."

"No Flock. It isn't just my Legion. It's our Legion. We built it from the ground up, when I thought I had nothing left. When I gave up on humanity, you saved me."

Vala put her hand on Flock's face.

"You're an idiot. And I'll punish you later. But... you're the reason I have a Legion again."

Flock smiled.

"And you're the reason I have a purpose. So thank you, my Lady. For all these gifts you have given me. I don't care if you're the least worshipped goddess. In the end, you will always be the greatest to me."

Haruka also rushed forward and knocked Flock to the ground, sobbing.

"Flock. I... I don't... I can't..."

Flock wrapped his arms around her.

"Together. We'll always look out for each other, Haruka. No matter what your past is. No matter who you were before. You will always have a place here. That's what it means to be family."

My head twinged.

That's what it means to be family.

That's the definition of family.

"It doesn't matter if he has potential to be a Demon Lord." I muttered. My eyes suddenly wide as I heard myself say it.

I stared at my hands.

"Wha- What did I just say?"

I looked at my reflection.

My wild spiky hair, tinted magenta at the ends. I looked so tired. Maybe that was why. Maybe that was why what happened next happened the way it did.

SEVENTHBORN.

I stumbled back, as Vala noticed me.

"Shun? Are you alright?"

"Yeah." I waved her off.

"Okay... but I have to talk to-"

"Yeah. Later." I replied quickly, as I rushed to my room and slammed the door.

I placed my hands on the desk and stared at my reflection. My magenta eyes, were turning bloodshot.

"Who's there..." I huffed.

DOES IT MAKE YOU UPSET?

"Does what make me upset."

YOU KNOW. ZHANG.

I clenched my fists.

"Selene." I muttered.

I lost to Selene. A mere adventurer who was supposed to be one level below me. I was supposed to be Vala's secret weapon. Her powerhouse. But I got absolutely handled and rocked by a member of the Astarte Legion.

"Why did I lose..."

BECAUSE YOU ARE WEAK, SEVENTHBORN. YOU WILL NEVER BE STRONG ENOUGH.

"I will be!"

NO. YOU WILL NOT. YOU RELY ON THE JAPANESE DEMON FOR POWER. THOSE WHO RELY ON OTHERS FOR STRENGTH ARE MEANINGLESS.

"WHO ARE YOU!" I yelled at my reflection, as an apparition appeared behind me. His body was like that of an orc, but much bigger, much more ripped.

And his face.

Scarred beyond comprehension. His eyes so red it made the Ruby Dragon look like Uncle Boxton's Strawberry Cakes.

I never met this man before.

But for some reason, my bones felt like jelly.

"Wh- What are you..."

The being smiled sinisterly, as I felt like I wanted to curl up into a ball and die. I felt like calling Vala over, but I didn't.

I had a feeling even Lady Vala was no match for this being.

A QUESTION LINGERS. ASK IT.

My mouth moved for me.

"Why are you calling me Seventhborn?"

The being tilted its head.

BECAUSE YOU ARE THE SEVENTH CHILD.

My heart turned to ice.

"What are you talking about. Wen is my only bro-"

THE STEEL PALM IS THE EIGHTH. REMNANT OF DECEN, YOU HAVE LIVED YOUR LIFE IN IGNORANCE. AND THAT HAS COST YOU YOUR STRENGTH.

I looked at my hands again. I wanted to argue, but all my life, I was weak.

He was right.

"What do you want from me."

YOUR STRENGTH. IT IS SO POOR.

"I KNOW it is. What can I do to get stronger then? How strong do I have to be for Venus to acknowledge me?!"

The being eyed me.

I FIND YOUR BRETHREN TO BE INTERESTING. NO MATTER HOW THEY STARTED. NO MATTER HOW THEY END UP. THEY ALL SEEK STRENGTH OR POWER IN SOME FORM. THEY ALL WALK THIS PATH.

"What are you talking about?!"

The being held out his hand, and made a fist.

ALL THE REMNANTS OF DECEN SEEK POWER.

The being then moved across the room.

THE JAPANESE DEMON FOUGHT OFF MY ACOLYTES QUITE WELL. BUT HE ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH. AS FOR HOW STRONG YOU WISH TO BE, ALLOW ME TO GIVE YOU A DEMONSTRATION.

I watched as my surroundings changed, and soon before me, stood a boy who looked similar to me in appearance.

"Who is that."

The being didn't answer, as the boy walked into the open. This place... looked like Folia. But at the same time, it didn't.

Suddenly, air began to swirl around him, until a massive tornado formed. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

He was created a huge cyclone that was uplifting the entire city with minimal effort.

THE FOURTHBORN STANDS AS ONE OF THE STRONGEST OF YOUR KIND.

I watched as everything went into chaos. People screaming.

"What is that monster..."

The vision ended as I fell to my knees before the man.

THE STRONGEST BEING YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED IS CAPTAIN OXAR UXAS OF THE VENUS LEGION. I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, SEVENTHBORN. LEVEL 12 IS FAR FROM THE CAPABILITIES A REMNANT CAN GENERATE. I WILL NOT HAVE OUR CONFRONTATION BE ONE WHERE I BATTLE AGAINST A MERE LEVEL 9. IT WILL BE NO DIFFERENT THAN SQUASHING A BUG.

The man began to dissipate as I held out my hand, trying to stop him.

"Wait! Come back! Who are you?!"

The man smiled.

I AM PRIME ASPECT MOGUL. YOU WILL FIND ME AGAIN. BUT IF YOU SEEK STRENGTH, LOOK INTO THE BOY'S PAST. LOOK INTO THE PAST OF THE DRAGON.

R7

"So um. When are we going to the library?" I asked, as I handed Haruka the drying cloth. Haruka began scrubbing the window in her little maid outfit.

She wasn't my type. But I would've been lying if I said she didn't look absolutely frickin adorable.

"I'm so sorry, Shun! I still have a lot of errands to run today. We can always visit the library this afternoon!" Haruka frowned, as if she had just committed the biggest crime in Folia. I had to put my hands up and wave like a madman to keep her from beating herself up.

"Nah! No. Not at all. I just wanted your help to research something. It's super important."

"Super important?"

"Yeah. Super duper important. It'll help Flock."

Haruka's little cat ears perked up.

"Help Flock?"

A small smirk escaped me.

Damn she was so easy to manipulate. I'm such an asshole.

Haruka decided to turn up her housework up a notch. I helped too. A bit. Not really.

After breaking my fifteenth vase, I was told to sit outside while Haruka finished cleaning. Everybody else was away at the Dungeon. Flock was training with Calypso. Vala went to the casino to blow this week's income as usual.

I knew I shouldn't have been thinking it, but my hands tightened around the bandages.

I was too weak.

I was supposed to be a secret weapon.

I was okay with Flock taking the spotlight. I was okay with it. I was okay if all the girls fell in love with him, and he would be immortalized as the hero of Folia when we do battle against the Demon Lord again. But still.

The least I could have was being the secret powerhouse. The guy who was secretly the best.

My knuckles turned white, as I remembered Selene completely annihilating my technique. The same Hung Gar that Hiiro used to take down a bunch of masters. The Shockwave Style that I spent years developing. I was so proud of it. It was my own unique style.

And it wasn't enough.

I couldn't even defeat Selene, who was Level 8.

If what Mogul said was true, and that the strength I needed to aim for was beyond Level 12. There was no way in hell I could ever achieve that.

A tear ran down my cheek.

Baba always abused me for being useless. One with no direction in life.

In my native language, the term was fai chai.

Baba always hit me when I was little, burning my hands on the stove. So much that whenever I use them now, at age sixteen, I get blisters. Forcing me to wear these hand bandages everywhere I go like some edge lord.

I stared at my reflection from the window.

Wen was part of the Venus Legion. Venus was keeping him from me, telling me I needed to reach my potential and worth to her before she could even introduce Wen.

And I couldn't even put the fault on that sex obsessed maniac, because I knew for a damn fact that Wen would have wanted the same thing.

Shun. I have decided to break all ties with the Zhang family. You are all too weak. I have outgrown even you, dai goh. If you want to find me, then you need to show me that you are worthy.

"Mo ban fat." I muttered.

"Hm?" Haruka peeked in front of me.

I choked on my own spit as I leaned sideways.

"Shun! Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I lied. "Let's go to the library now."

Haruka shifted on her feet.

"Actually, I was thinking we could go visit the plaza and the shops."

Huh?

Plaza?

Shops?

With a girl?

What did Hataka-sensei always tell me whenever a girl invited us out? Did it have an ulterior motive? It had to.

I inspected Haruka.

Her face was red. She was blushing.

Hataka-sensei. If you're there. Your one and only disciple has made it. Shun-dono is getting lai-

"I wanted to get something for Flock..." Haruka said, her voice quiet.

My deadpan expression returned.

"Oh. Yeah. Sure." I muttered, as I got up and opened the door.

"Cat girls first."

Haruka bowed and skipped out of the door as I followed her.

Haruka really liked going out. But then again, since she spent her whole time in Selene's torture chamber, I guess going out was basically a luxury for her. After everything she and her brother went through, she deserved to have a vacation every single day. But even so, Haruka chose to do all the chores in the house.

She claimed it was because she felt indebted to Flock for saving her life. Flock tried to tell her many times that it was okay and he would help out, but Haruka insisted.

Normally, Haruka would go out with Nessa, who was a former member of the Astarte Legion, but Nessa and Finn were busy in the Dungeon training to get stronger. Flock really amped them up when word got out that the Rising Star fought Selene of the Astarte Legion and lived to tell the tale.

"Shun! Shun! Look!" Haruka beckoned me to a stand, as I went up to it.

"It's-"

"Mochi." I replied, as Haruka stared at me.

"H- How did you know what that is?"

"I used to eat mochi a lot back in Nara. Nakatanidou was the shop I used to go to when baba wasn't around. I don't think you've heard of-"

"Shun... you were from Japan?"

"Shit." I grumbled. I wasn't supposed to share any of this. I knew Haruka was a foreigner, and many people knew I was too. But they all would just assume I was from China. Since, you know. Zhang.

But I grew up in Japan.

Haruka smiled.

"Do you think Flock will like mochi?"

"Only way I can imagine him not liking it is if he has a wheat allergy, to be honest." I replied.

Haruka giggled, as we bought a small bag. I took the bag as Haruka made her way around town. Seeing her happy felt good. I guess I could see why Flock loved helping people out.

It almost made me wish I wanted to stay here longer.

We continued walking, when suddenly, something caught my attention. I don't know if I was just tripping, but those pictures on the Level board...

There were four names written on it. And four pictures.

Three boys and a girl. The girl was super hot. But that wasn't what caught my attention. Okay. I lied. Maybe a bit. But...

The other three...

Haruka noticed me staring and walked up to the board.

"Shun, they kind of look like you!"

I narrowed my eyes.

Benjamin Fong achieves Level 2. Earns title TWO HANDS.

Deacon Chow achieves Level 2. Earns title CHAOS BRINGER

Thomas King achieves Level 2. Earns title RUMBLER

Merrow Rivenlight achieves Level 2. Earns title WATER PRINCESS

"They..."

Then it hit me.

Seventhborn.

My eyes went wide, as my mouth hung open.

"R- Rem..."

Haruka put her hand on my elbow.

"Shun? Do you need to sit down. Let's just go home. You look like you're about to be sick!"

"N- No. We need to go to the library. Come on." I urged Haruka, dragging her to the library as she yelped.

Benjamin. Deacon. Thomas.

All three of them reached Level 2. At the same time.

How long did it take for me to reach Level 2? It almost felt like a year.

Levelling up is a huge huge task. Most people would take a long time to level up. Oxar Uxas took three years to become Level 10. And Calypso Rosewald took an entire year to go from Level 8 to 9. And she was Calypso. Every day was her doing the impossible.

These guys were no doubt the Remnants Mogul was talking about. I wanted to ask Mogul more, but he never appeared again. The only thing he told me to do, was research the Demon Lord Samael.

We arrived into the library, as I immediately pulled out every book I could find about Demon Lords from the shelves, throwing them onto the desk as Haruka stared at me.

"Shun? What are you researching?"

I slammed my hands on the table.

"The Black Dragon. All we know right now, is that he was a Demon Lord who terrorized this land before it was Folia. I need to know all about him."

Haruka tilted her head.

"I suppose these books may help. But there are many things about the Demon Lord that aren't written in the scribes."

"Why?"

"Because such knowledge should be locked away." Haruka responded, her eyes were sunken.

"Can you share-" I stopped myself. Haruka's eyes were turning teary, as I realized I was pushing her too hard.

"It's uh. Okay if you don't wanna share." I said, as I sat back down.

Haruka smiled at me.

"Thank you Shun. But... very few people know. They all see the Demon Lord Samael as a monster. But I know for a fact, that there doesn't exist a being who simply was born to hurt others. I can't believe that. My grandfather taught me and my people that."

I looked at Haruka.

"You were from Japan right?"

Haruka nodded. "Yes. But, maybe not from the same Japan you were from. Perhaps a different region. But..."

Haruka put her hand on the page of the book that was open, showing The Black Dragon terrorizing the lands, breathing black fire and battling the gods.

"Do you think a dragon cries, Shun-sama?"

I stared at the page.

"I... don't know."

Haruka petted the picture, as if Demon Lord Samael was sitting on the book in front of her. She was so gentle, it almost made me want to melt and run to her. I felt a twinge in my heart, something that I guess I never experienced in a long time.

Motherly love.

"Legends always told, that the Demon Lord Samael came upon the land and destroyed everything, but I know for a fact that the story is not true."

"Why do you say that?"

Haruka sighed.

"Because grandfather knew this so called Demon Lord. Before the destruction."

I gasped.

"Wait. Your grandfather knew the Black Dragon? How?! How did he-"

A tear ran down Haruka's cheek as she gasped, trying to keep her sobs in check.

"Lady Vala has had a Legion before us. There was a reason why for a time she forsaken all of humanity. It wasn't because she hated them. It was because she couldn't bear to lose any more children of her Legion. Either losing them through death, or through seeing them walk a path they could never return from."

Haruka put a hand on her breast as she wiped her eyes.

"My full name is Takuya Haruka. My grandfather was Takuya Kogure. The Wolf. He was a Level 5 adventurer in Vala's Legion, along with other members of the Legion. And there was one member, he was not an adventurer. And he was shunned by everyone at the guild, because he was deemed far too powerful. His name was Samael."

I dropped a book that I was holding.

"Samael... was part of the Vala Legion?"

Haruka smiled.

"Grandfather always told me stories of how Samael had wanted to start a new life. He would try to do chores. And do his best around the household. He would avoid violence. Avoid fighting. He would always try to crack jokes to make everyone happy. Grandfather told me to live like how Samael used to live. To make others happy, and help. No matter the circumstances.

"Then one day, the goddess Aphrodite approached Lady Vala, and demanded she turn over one of her adventurers. The Lady Aphrodite wanted him because she had fallen in love, and refused to believe that the boy she loved was under the possession of Lady Vala. When Lady Vala said no..."

Haruka closed her eyes.

"Lady Aphrodite sent her Legion after Grandfather and his comrades. Everybody was supposedly killed, but Grandfather miraculously survived. It was then did he witness a monster reawakened."

"Samael avenged everybody. By attacking Lady Aphrodite."

Haruka nodded. "Demon Lord Samael was awakened through pain and rage of the loss of his family. He vowed to destroy Aphrodite's entire Legion. But he didn't stop there."

"He went on to fight all of the gods and their Legions." I deduced.

Haruka fingered her pendant.

"The attack from Lady Aphrodite, even if the goddess was destroyed by Demon Lord Samael, the damage was done. Grandfather would have recurrent flashbacks to that day. And one night, he died from shock."

"What happened?"

Haruka looked at me.

"He received news. That the Demon Lord Samael was returning to this world."