MVR Round 2 P3

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.

Demon Lord Samael.

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. Asta of the Inferno and Oberon of the Woods.

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

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.