He Saves Gods as a Man

Author's Note: This excerpt discusses mature and dark themes that might not suitable for younger readers.

This story is a sequel to He Kills Gods as a Man. Although it is "advertised" as a story, it isn't much to the level of a novel, since I only really see story writing as a hobby. Plot holes and inconsistency is bound to happen.

In the prequel, the story introduced a new protagonist, Aaron Hope, an Outer Shadow who, unlike Yeling Mah was born without any powers or Dogmas or abilities, but managed to climb his way up to the level of a SS Ranked Outer Shadow. Though, in my opinion, significantly better written than the Yeling Mah stories, I felt it lacked severely on Aaron's companions. Sigurd got some character development, but the rest of Aaron's Auxiliary Shadows weren't really fleshed out too well. Especially with June Lee Sung, who was briefly introduced.

In this sequel, I hope to address some of the setbacks from the previous story, and to introduce Aaron's team a little more, while also learning some more about Aaron along the way.

---

It was the eve of a new moon. On that night, the gates to an old Ameradan orphanage burst open to reveal a deity who stood for bountiful life. Of fertility and warmth. Of nurturing and kindness.

That same deity who would draw her blades and cut down every orphan in sight.

But not all children had died that night.

One had survived, and would exact his revenge on the deities who had wronged him. Starting with the goddess who started it all.

And it would only continue from there.

Each kill added onto his reputation.

Each god slain made him stronger.

From one's disdain for the impure, did the most impure mortal emerge to walk his path of hatred and bloodshed.

He who killed gods as a mere mortal.

That was how it was. That was how it was meant to be.

Only one had survived that night.

The Jubilee

Three Years Ago

"Alright boys and girls! It's time for another mission! Let's hit the road y'all! Let's show the enemy what the Auxiliary Shadows of the S+ Ranked Dainsleif is capable of!" I banged a roller pin against the back of a pan, the sound resonating throughout the residence.

"Shut up you quack boss!" Bryce shouted from the end of the hall.

Quack boss?!

"Hey! Don't you know who I am?! I'm the legendary God-Eater! The only S+ Ranked Outer-"

"Oh my god! Do you ever stop talking?!" Sarah screamed at me from within her room.

...

I had a scolding from Jun about doing missions alone. I was assigned these Auxiliary Shadows to help me in my missions. If they were just lounging around here in my barracks, they'd be freeloaders.

I was not going to be the one Outer Shadow who had a bunch of freeloaders for subordinates.

There had to be someone who was willing to help me. I went down a floor and approached the next group of Auxiliaries.

I stormed to one of the doors and knocked on it.

"Hey! X8! Let's move!"

Soldier X8. Codenamed "Assault".

A battle focused android developed by Jun Gasket. A machine capable of mowing down enemies and taking down monsters. And not only that, but his heavy armour plating meant protecting innocents and bystanders was a piece of cake.

The ideal battle droid. A testament to Jun's genius.

I apologize, Master Hope. I will not be of any service to you right now. X8's voice vibrated from behind the door.

"What's wrong?"

I am... dying...

"WHAT?! HEY, ARE YOU OKAY, X8?!" I ripped open the door and ran inside frantically, to see a tiny robot surrounded by parts.

"The mufflers I ordered online are running late..." A baby X8 whimpered.

Master Jun.

How drunk were you when you designed this piece of crap?

If I couldn't get X8 on board, I still had a couple more Auxiliaries.

Android Model TX7F. Infiltration Unit and Assassin codenamed "Sigurd". Designed by Jun Gasket to be one of the best (and most attractive) android girls specializing in infiltration, seduction, manipulation, and above all things, assassination. But unlike other assassination droids, Sigurd was special. Her ability to process and discern information and to analytical power was the highest out of everyone under my command.

An ideal well rounded supporter for missions.

"Sigurd! I need your assista-!"

The door flung open immediately, revealing a gorgeous woman in skin tight leather, but the coldest and deadest expression ever.

"Model TX7F ready for deployment. Assassination protocol active. I shall proceed to eliminate all-"

I slammed the door in her face.

"Dainsleif? Dainsleif! Has something happened? Who shall I eliminate?"

Scary. Too scary.

Attractive my ass. Don't go and throw your disgusting fetishes in your creations you moron Inner Shadow!

I moved up the steps and reached another door. A girl was peeking from inside the partly opened crack.

Sarah Ultear. A swordsman from another world. She was known as the Hero of the Cursed Blade, who wielded Ygviil, a legendary sword capable of channeling otherworldly energy. Or something. Ever since she had saved her world and achieved peace (with my help, of course), she joined Jun Gasket's ranks as an Auxiliary on exchange for a lifetime supply of donuts. I'm not kidding. Jun found her so funny, that he decided to throw her into my squad.

I guess the joke was on me.

But as the strongest person in her world, her skills with the sword was no joke. And being accepted into the Black Legion was no joke either.

"Uh... hey Sarah."

"Hi Aaron." Sarah responded.

"So... wanna go to a mission with me?"

Sarah glared at me.

"Are you asking me out?"

Play it cool Aaron. As annoying as she was, she was still a girl with feelings. And a subordinate of mine no less. If I could be a man deserving her respect, I had to be that person.

"Y- Yeah? Sort of...?"

Sarah blushed.

"I- I suppose... I suppose I can indulge myself. Say, do you think blue looks good on me?"

"No."

SLAM.

"That hurt you stupid bitch! Hey! Are you listening to me?!"

"LALALA! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"Why you little..."

Convocatio: Gun Summoning - Draugr D975AX Model 1

I pulled out a handgun from a magic circle.

"Imma blast your door open you little shi-"

"Hey Aaron!" A girl's voice said behind me.

I lowered the gun and turned around to see a girl peeking from the corner of my vision.

She was young, fourteen years old. My youngest Auxiliary. Her hair was tied up by two ponytails which reached her knees. Bright colours made up her outfit, which felt so out of place in an organization called the Black Legion.

"J- June! I knew I could count on you!" I exclaimed, grasping her ankles, causing her to gasp.

"Aww, Aaron, you don't need to make such a big deal out of- um... are you crying?"

I fell to my knees in relief. Even if no one else was fit for the job, June was always there for me.

The Jubilee.

She may not have been the strongest Auxiliary Shadow, but she always made the day so much better. For one thing, she was one of the more normal subordinates I had.

June knelt down in front of me.

"Hey. You don't have to act like that whenever I volunteer to help ya out. I'll always be there for you. So be the boss that we all look up to. Kay?" Jubilee smiled.

A boss they all looked up to.

A boss that June looked up to.

June had come from a poor family. Working as coal miners. In her world, they had a tradition of giving away their children. It was their destiny to leave their parents. The backstory behind her family was a dark one to say the least.

June's mother, who went insane, sold June off to an insane upperclassmen who had been known for abusing his workers. If I hadn't stepped in, she would be living that hell for the longest time.

June wasn't always a ray of sunshine. That day we took her in and was assigned under me, she was depressed and empty inside. But despite this, she wanted to do her best to work under me for the sake of her parents.

In hindsight, it was that desire to honour her parents did she start to warm up to me, as I learned to take care of her and act like a proper boss. I would always cook her meals, and although it was never really that good, June always began wearing a smile on her face.

"It's the thought that counts, Aaron! Any food you make will be the best!"

Even if she wasn't the strongest, or the fastest, or the smartest...

June was my favourite Auxiliary Shadow. She made me want to be the best Outer Shadow I could be.

Her smile and her bubbly personality. Her friendly aura whenever I would lose my patience with certain clients, she would have to be the one to cool down the situation.

No matter what the mission was, she was always by my side.

On the job and off the job.

Every birthday celebration.

Every holiday.

Every day, June wanted to spend time with me, and we would spend the day together.

It would be June who had helped me get over losing Jessie.

In all regards, she was more than just a subordinate. Or an employee.

She was family.

But like all things in my life...

It all had to come to an end.

"Dainsleif! We need to evacuate!" Sigurd shouted at me. She was missing an arm and an eye. Busted up by one of our targets.

"We can still fight! Our mission was to defeat Jekyll! We can't just leave!"

"Bro! Aaron! You literally have no guns left. Even my Uzi can't do shit when the guy's marksmanship is on your level!" Bryce yelled.

Another barrage of missiles and explosions sent our spacecraft crashing onto another surface of the planet.

Dainsleif, my spacecraft hull cannot sustain any more blasts from Jekyll. We must retreat through the Shadows. As we are now, we cannot defeat him. Your combat rating has deteriorated with the loss of your weaponry.

"No! We can't! We-"

"Aaron!" Sarah grabbed my collar.

"Now isn't the time. I get it. Jekyll is a God of Warfare. But even so, you need to know to retreat!"

"But how! How, Sarah! We have no means of escape! Jekyll is keeping the Shadows from manifesting!" I retaliated.

A wave of shouting and arguing rippled amongst the destroyed spacecraft, as X8 tried to fire a blast from one of his operating cannons. The silhouette of Jekyll in the background, dodging the shot. We watched the blast destroy a nearby planet.

"That was X8's last shot! We've got nothing left! Come on, Aaron! Think! We're gonna die here! Once that hull explodes we're finished!" Bryce screamed.

"Shut up! I'm thinking! I'm trying!" I yelled. I was out of mana. Out of weapons.

Out of options.

And the panic was starting to creep in.

"Are you really an S+ Ranked Outer Shadow?" Jekyll asked, as he manifested before us.

"Dammit!" Bryce shouted, firing rounds of his Uzi at the god, but Jekyll deflected it off of his knife and fired his handgun, catching Bryce's arm and causing him to fall back.

Sigurd rushed forward and tried to attack Jekyll, but Jekyll overpowered her, grabbing her head and slammed it into the ground. Jekyll kicked Sigurd away, parts and pieces of her body tearing apart as she skidded to us.

The rest of us rushed forward, but Jekyll held his gun up.

"No funny ideas. We all know... my reflexes are faster."

"Dammit.... DAMMIT!" I growled.

"Aaron." June put her hand on my arm.

"June?"

"Calm down. I know you can figure out a way. You always do. But you need to calm down. Okay?"

"I... I can't think of anything. I can't. Jekyll's unlike any god I've faced before. He's... he's..."

I looked at my Auxiliary Shadows. At Sigurd, who's eyes were losing its light.

They knew the situation. It was hopeless.

Not only were we going to fail our mission, lose our reputation.

We were going to lose our lives.

Everything they had worked for up until this point, down the drain because I just wasn't tactical enough to know the limits of our strength. Of our strength as a team.

June smiled.

"It's okay, Aaron. It's okay to make mistakes." June stood up and walked to Jekyll, her body shining.

"Wait, June, what are you doing?" Sarah asked.

I stared at my subordinate in bewilderment.

"I know what's causing the Shadows from being summoned. It's that rune on his neck." June said.

"Rune...?" I narrowed my eyes, and my heart dropped.

"Those are... those are the symbols of Vala!" Sarah gasped.

Jekyll scowled.

"You are correct. The power that I have... everything has been through Vala. During that night, when I lay dying in that... ah."

Jekyll gave me a look of sympathy.

"You don't need to know about that."

June looked back at us.

"Hey. Aaron. I... for what it's worth, I really enjoyed my time with you. I guess you could say I'm the happiest coal miner girl ever to have been given the honour to work under you!"

"H- Hey... June... what are you saying?" Bryce asked nervously.

"No... Jubilee... I think I know... what your plan is." Sigurd muttered.

I was at a loss for words. It wasn't that I didn't want to say anything... but I just couldn't.

Nothing could leave my mouth.

Shock. Fear. Pain.

There was nothing I could do.

And Jekyll knew that too.

June's eyes flashed, and Shadows began to emerge from the ground, swirling around us. But not around June.

"Magic jamming. I see." Jekyll loaded his gun, pointing it at June's forehead.

"No.... stop!" Sarah begged.

"Only one stays behind to jam my rune. While the rest of you escape. Not bad, little girl." Jekyll said coldly.

"I'll... I'll save you... I'll save you, June! Hang in there!" I choked out, as I stumbled forward, but Jekyll gave me a cold, haunting expression.

"You of all people, should know that you can't. After all... I'm basically you, but better. God-Eater."

My teeth clenched, as X8 held me back.

Master Hope... we need to escape. If we don't go in time, the hull will compromise and the vacuum of space will kill all of us.

"No... NO!" I yelled.

X8 had already forced Bryce, Sarah, and Sig into the mass of Shadows, teleporting them back reluctantly.

I was all that was left. My robot Auxiliary holding me back from saving June.

"Aaron... you don't need to worry. You already saved me. All those years ago!" June mustered one last smile.

I screamed, as the sound of the gunshot rung in my head.

It wasn't the loudest sound.

But its ring in my head would haunt me forever.

And everything had turned red. All the memories I had spent with June Lee Sung.

Flooded my mind.

Cursed Magic Summoning - Thompson Contender

I forced a black grimoire to appear before as I ripped out the break action pistol and loaded two Black Bullets inside.

DAINSLEIF! X8 shouted, trying to grab me, but I rolled out of the way and fired the bullet at Jekyll's face, my arm exploding in black blood.

I watched as the portal closed with X8 in it, leaving just me and the corpse of June along with Jekyll.

Jekyll slashed the bullet in two and rushed in with blinding speed, grabbing my collar and teleporting the two of us away. Moments away from the hull opening up and sucking June's body away.

"Good! Very good! Let's go then, Aaron! Show me just how far you would go against the Spirit of Vala!"

The two of us shifted in reality and landed on the roof of an abandoned village. All the while, I continued shooting and reloading my Contender with Black Bullets. Blood exploding everywhere in my body as I coughed and vomited everywhere.

"GRAAAAH!" I screamed in a feral frenzy. Jekyll rushed forward and slashed at my face.

I couldn't react in time.

But I didn't care.

The blade cut my lips as it entered my mouth, but I bit down as hard as I could. I could feel my teeth buckling and pain arcing into my gums. But I bit down anyway, shattering the metal blade.

My eyes wide like an animal, as I pulled out another Thompson Contender, dual wielding the twin cursed pistols and firing two Black Bullets in succession at Jekyll, connecting with his chest and unleashing a powerful black explosion which sent him back.

Blood exploded from both of my arms.

My entire body was dying. I knew that much.

Every system, from nervous to muscle, to digestive and respiratory. It was all failing.

Every breath I was taking was wet, full of black blood and mucus.

But none of that mattered.

The only thing I could hear was my heartbeat.

But it sounded all too much like the gunshot that had killed the Auxiliary Shadow I loved like a little sister.

Jekyll slammed into a small hut as I fell on my face. But I kept running forward at full speed. Dragging my face across the rocks, cutting it up, but not caring.

I aimed and fired more Black Bullets in a rage. Jekyll retaliated with gunshots of his own. But my bullets were cutting through them with perfect precision, slicing through and embedding themselves into his body.

The healing power of Vala was too much for Noir's siphoning.

Yet I continued firing, tackling Jekyll as we fell through another portal, this time landing inside an old Japanese-like building.

Jekyll kicked me in the chest and fired. I reeled my head back, the bullet grazing and cutting into my cheek. But I lifted my Contender and fired back, catching him on the cheek on the other side of his face.

I slid backwards, as did Jekyll, who breathed heavily.

Blood pouring from his body, and blood pouring from mine.

"Just how much did that little girl mean to you, Aaron." Jekyll heaved.

I lifted my gun.

"Shut the fuck up." I grumbled.

Jekyll lowered his head.

"How important was she. So important that you would go so far..."

Jekyll's body flashed, appearing before me and slamming my forehead with a headbutt.

I flew back and slammed into the side of a pillar. Wood and paper walls collapsed all over me.

"...as to use magic that is too much for a human body to handle... just to kill me?"

"I don't care. I don't care about you at all. I don't care. I want you dead. That's all I want." I yelled, forcing my body to stand.

"I swear... I will kill you. I will... I will kill you! YOU'RE DEAD, YOU STUPID GOD!" I roared, forcing myself forward.

I rushed forward and aimed my gun, but Jekyll caught the barrel. My eyes widened.

"Then do it. Go ahead." Jekyll said, pressing it against his neck. Right on his rune. The most sinister and maniacal smile plastered on his face I had ever seen.

"BASTARD." I roared, squeezing the trigger, but Jekyll flipped backwards, his foot breaking my wrist. A bone ripped out of my forearm as my eyes went wide.

Jekyll flipped again, this time landing a hard kick on my chest and slamming me backwards.

I smashed through dozens of houses, pain exploding in my body and flooding it with agony.

"Hahaha. You're in so much pain that you can't even tell that your forearm has been snapped in half! Silly boy." Jekyll walked forward, his handgun pointed at the house I had demolished.

"Come out, God-Eater. I know this isn't enough to take you down. You are too tough to fall from something like this. GET UP."

My hand shot out of the debris, forcing the rest of my body out of the wreckage. I eyed Jekyll with eyes full of hatred.

I coughed, my vision blurry.

I was losing consciousness.

My body couldn't take any more. It couldn't take anymore a long time ago.

This entire time I was pushing myself well beyond its limits.

This whole time.

I've been fighting on second winds consistently.

I fought all my fights tactically because I knew I couldn't measure up to the enemies I faced. Reality was tough but that was how it is.

Jekyll was unlike any other god I faced. He was tactical and had the superhuman strength of a god.

Yet despite all of these disadvantages, I was forcing myself to fight toe to toe with him. I should have been dead a long time ago.

Every second my heart was beating before this asshole was nothing short of a miracle. I knew that much.

"My wounds have already healed. Yet you will only continue to be damaged further. Just how much did this little girl mean to you?" Jekyll asked.

I made a fist with my other hand.

"Sh- Shut the... fuck up..." I muttered.

Jekyll rushed forward, slamming my head against the side of a mountain face, crushing it.

"I will talk however I wish. You are in no position to give me orders, human."

I tried to move my body, but it wasn't listening to me.

Lightning Magic - Augmentus

Nothing.

So it was true - Jekyll's magic really was dampening mine.

And with my magic being so minuscule compared to his, there was no chance I could use it.

"That little girl didn't look related to you. Yet she, without hesitation, threw her life for your sake. Why was that?"

I clenched my teeth, blood leaking from within the cracks.

"I... I let her die. She was... only a kid. Her mother was waiting for her. Her mother, who had started to heal from her trauma. She was waiting for her little girl to come home. She trusted me to bring her home..."

And I got her killed on duty.

Jekyll raised an eyebrow.

"And for someone like you, even if the relation isn't by blood-"

"It's something stronger. Because there's no obligation to care for one another to that level, it's by choice. And for her sake..."

I pulled out a device from my leg pocket. Uncertainty washed over Jekyll's face.

"What are you-"

"I'll stop at nothing to take you down!" I growled.

I stabbed my thigh with the taser, electricity arcing over me and all over Jekyll's body.

"GRAAAH!" I yelled in pain, biting down on Jekyll's hand, causing him to smash his face into the wall behind me. I aimed the barrel of one of my Contenders to his elbow and fired, shooting bone fragments everywhere as I aimed my other Contender at his throat, firing crazily.

Jekyll soared backwards, more of his life force being drained from the Black Bullets.

"We'll see how long that little defibrillator trick can keep you going, mortal!" The god shouted, spinning around and firing an arc of bullets at my direction.

A helix pattern.

I already memorized its trajectory at first glance.

Easy trick, for someone with photographic memory.

It wasn't just the only thing I had memorized.

This one on one slug fest wasn't just some reckless suicidal rush that I threw myself into.

Everything was for a reason, even in the heat of heartbreak.

I ran forward, bobbing and weaving, intentionally letting some of the bullets land, more pain ripping through my body. But I knew this would happen.

It was impossible for me to dodge all of these bullets without my Lightning Magic spell, so I had to minimize the damage done.

"What-" Jekyll gasped as I closed in, the barrel of my gun aimed right at his rune.

"This. Is. Over." I hissed, but before I could squeeze the trigger, a bright light engulfed us.

Enough. A voice boomed across the distance, causing reality to warp around us.

"What in the-" I gasped, as Jekyll stumbled backwards.

"My Lady. Why are you here-"

It is clear that you do not have the power to defeat this man.

Vala.

The Spirit of Hope.

Vala was here. But how? She was supposed to be dead.

"Have you not watched my battle against the God-Eater? I have been dominating this battle this entire time! He can barely even stand. Another strike to his skull will burst the already swollen blood vessels in his brain."

This is nothing new. The God-Eater has been subjected worse physical conditions in every other fight he has been in. Tearing his body like this proves nothing. I expected the Dainsleif of the Black Legion to be dead by now. However, you could not accomplish this.

Rage swamped my body.

"VALA." I yelled, taking out my Contender and aiming frantically.

"YOU'RE THE ONE TO BLAME FOR THIS MESS. FOR HER DEATH."

No. The death of The Jubilee was not intended. It is for that reason that I came here. Jekyll of Warfare, you killed one of the pawns that I needed to end The Dainsleif.

Jekyll gritted his teeth.

"There would have been nothing to be done with June Lee Sung. She had already joined his ranks."

I took this opportunity to fire another Black Bullet at Jekyll, who was distracted. Shock crept on his face as the bullet soared to his forehead, when suddenly, the projectile stopped mid-air.

Do not interfere with his punishment. Child.

"You-"

A force slammed me into the ground. A bright light manifested before me, forming the shape of a woman's figure. But I couldn't make out her face.

I am not complete. Just as The Akuma is. But even with this small portion of my power, I can end your life easily. Will you play this gamble?

Something told me if she wanted me dead, she could do it.

This wasn't something I could beat through wits alone like the gods.

Vala was beyond the gods, far beyond them in power.

"You... if you wanted me dead you could have done it a long time ago. Right?" I said.

Yes. A mere S+ Rank Outer Shadow wouldn't even survive my aura in my true form. For my resurrection, my presence alone would disintegrate beings less than your so called SS Rank. But you are not my main objective. It is the candidates that I want. Greziak's body was the first. Then it was Woodley's eyes. And I had hoped to see my hand, the hand of battle through this mortal turned god, the Jekyll. Yet ironically, he has failed even more than the two mortals before him.

Fear struck Jekyll's face. And so did mine.

If Vala was truly returned in her full form... just her presence would be enough to incinerate me alive.

I have come for Jekyll. You may return. Consider this, mercy. Mercy from Hope.

I had no complaints.

That day, the Shadows brought me back, and I was put in intensive care.

That fight against the God of Warfare was one of the hardest fights I ever fought.

Skill wise, he had a mastery of gunfighting that rivalled mine.

But added on top of that, he had the Spirit of Hope, Vala, giving him power.

I had suffered from fourteen lacerations.

Jekyll broke seven of my ribs.

I was suffering from extreme internal bleeding from my encounter with him alongside my Auxiliaries. This bleeding would later get critical when I abused Noir's Magic. The level of corruption of my blood had reached critical levels.

Jekyll had broken four of my fingers, my left ankle was sprained, my right leg was broken, which only got worse when I abused my body, pushing it to fight past its limits.

My arms were broken and destroyed, the nervous system was burnt and shredded from my Thompson Contenders.

Even more broken bones lined my body, and dozens more deep cuts and near irreparable burns all over.

And on my face, was now a permanent scar, running down my right eye on the cheek, a cross like mark that looked exactly like Jekyll's.

That day I awoke from the care unit, my body was covered in bandages and casts. I ran my hand over my scar, staring at the mirror.

No amount of injuries inflicted on my body could offset the guilt I was feeling for getting a teenage girl killed on duty, under my orders.

The Worldkiller

Present Day

"Nasty scar that kid has. This is why you should study hard in school, honey." A woman said to her son.

I paused. I didn't realize that I had my fingers on the scar on my right cheek. It would probably have been three years since I got it.

Not a very thrilling memory.

But I had plans today. It was a day off.

BZZT BZZT.

I pulled out my phone. It was a message from one of my Auxiliaries.

"Yo. Where you at?"

Bryce "Uzi" Jones.

Classic Pennsylvania American boy originally from Philadelphia. Jun advised me to spend more times with my Auxiliaries.

"I'm on my way."

I waved at Bryce near Ren Cen, where we made our way to a nearby cheesesteak restaurant.

"How you been, Bryce?" I asked.

"Nothin out of the ordinary."

...

This was awkward.

I rarely interacted with my Auxiliaries outside of duty. In fact, I rarely ever really spoke to them.

I guess the only one I did interact with the most was Sigurd, but she was... a little too intense to be seen out in public.

"Milli City Cheesesteaks eh? Ain't no cheesesteak can top the ones in Philly though." Bryce remarked.

"How do you know it won't be better if you never tried it before?"

Bryce glared at me, his hand vibrating with red energy.

"Ain't no cheesesteak can top the ones in Philly." He said menacingly.

A bead of sweat rolled down the back of my head.

"Ah. You're probably right." I said, quickly. I didn't need this kid to cause another destructive incident like last time. Which was during the invasion of Doctor Destroyer. Sure, Uzi had dispatched all of the Mega Destroids easily, but the nature of his powers were tremendously powerful.

The power to emit a entropic energy that could only be house in the form of a mental construct (his uzi SMG), if left unchecked, was capable of destroying an entire continent.

This was the power of B-Rank Auxiliary Shadow Bryce Jones of the Black Legion.

Even if a Shadow was B-Rank or C-Rank, a member of the Black Legion was still someone to not be messed with. After all, the one Shadow that had gone public with his identity was a C-lister known as Yuyan "The Transplant" Zheng.

And Transplant became an international threat, so much so, that he ended up terrorizing the entire world for several years. Since he was an Outer Shadow to Hakah, there wasn't much the rest of us could do against his SSS Ranked superior.

We sat in the restaurant, as waitresses walked by.

Just us two. Along with a couple of others.

"So what brought this on, boss man." Bryce asked, as the waitress took our order.

"Nothing. I just wanted to spend time with my Auxiliaries."

Bryce's face scrunched up.

"I ain't gay."

"That's not what I meant!" I snapped, eyeing my phone. Suddenly, the cellular device seemed to be the most interesting thing in the building.

"Listen, y'all gotta start putting some respect on my name, you know. There's no bigger honour to be working for an SS Ranked Outer Shadow such as myself. I'm one of a kind, a badass eh? And you know, I kicked an Inner Shadow's ass. What kinda boss you've known can brag about something like that?! Hahaha!" I boasted.

Bryce was silent.

"And besides, there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to get to know more about my subordinates! I'm always with Sig all the time it's almost weird. I got a bunch of-"

Bryce suddenly breathed in sharply.

"Huh?" I asked. Bryce seemed focused on something.

"Bryce, what is it?" I asked.

Bryce remained silent.

"Bry-"

"Zip it, old man. I'm eyeing a bird right now."

A bird...?

I turned around to see what he was so fixated it on, and caught a girl entering the restaurant. She was wearing the most revealing outfit ever, her skirt was so high up I could practically see her underwear. Her brown hair sat elegantly around her shoulders. And her brown skin looked pretty soft.

And I knew right away, the reason why Bryce Jones, the one Auxiliary Shadow I had who never shut the hell up, was so quiet all of a sudden.

Of course there was no way he would be focusing on me.

"Ey bro. You think I can land a shorty like her? She sounds like she don't mind dating a black guy like ya boy." Bryce pointed at himself, then turned to me.

"Need some advice, bruh. Don't you got an IQ of 210 or some shit?"

Blood rushed into my face.

"You hormonal bastard! I was trying to be genuine and you've been focusing on getting laid this entire time?!"

Suddenly, another man, who looked at least six foot five, entered the restaurant and put an arm around her.

"Ey shorty. I'll treat you to something good tonight too." The man's deep voice rumbled.

The girl giggled.

The look of defeat plastered on Bryce's face almost made me feel better.

"What- That damn stud! If only I was taller! I'll show her the power of a true African python-"

"Aren't you like, half African though?" I asked.

"Shut up! Only my first name sounds white! My mom was Scottish, but I'm still a certified member of the hood." Bryce gave me an okay sign, but I rolled my eyes.

So I guess getting to know Bryce longer probably wasn't worth much.

We sat in silence for a while.

"Where Siggie at anyway? Doesn't she usually fit the spot of babysitting your ass?"

"She's at college now." I responded, tracing my finger on the table.

Ever since the ordeal with Bisha, I earned a ton of loyalty points from Jun. I ended up using these points to turn Sigurd into a cybernetic human. Since then, she had been attending college, studying neuroscience. She had a lot of reluctance taking me up on the offer, but after reassuring her I'd be fine without her supervision, she had become a full time college girl. Fulfilling her dreams.

As long as she was happy I was happy...

As long as you're happy, I don't see a reason to be sad. A young girl's voice rung in my head.

My chest hurt.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Well back then, there was Ju-..." Bryce's voice wandered off, after seeing my face.

"Shit. Hey bro. Forget I said anything. Let's change the topic."

I looked out the window.

I knew who he was referring to.

Even all this time I guess some things will never be laid to rest.

Especially not her.

June's smile filled my mind. Her smile.

Her innocent, and smile that was filled with kindness and warmth.

She was one of the very few girls who made me "feel sunshine", if that made any sense.

In many ways, she taught me what it was like to actually enjoy life, despite she herself, was seemingly denied it before she became my Auxiliary Shadow.

I looked at my hands. Which were severely calloused and full of scars from my many years of battle.

Those hands got that ray of sunshine killed. But for her sake...

I couldn't let this weigh me down.

"Ay. Nah nah nah. We're here to enjoy some Cheesesteaks man!" I said, trying to lighten the mood, as the waitress brought our orders to the table.

Bryce picked at his.

"Hmmm...."

Quit analyzing it you cheesesteak addict!

"How's the dating game goin for you, boss man?" Bryce asked.

I smirked, taking a bite of my sandwich.

"Nah. No one catching my eye. You know my type."

"Hell yeah I do. You're about as white as it can get with shit like that. I guarantee you the type of women you're looking for can only be found on the cover of Vogue Magazine."

"Hey! Don't say that! There's gotta be one out there." I replied.

Bryce chuckled.

"Cap. Cap bro. There's no way. Absolute no way someone like that would just appear before you like that. Ain't no way. I bet my left ballsack."

I put my sandwich down.

"Don't bring your ballsack into this conversation! You'll curse my dating life forever! I'm already like, nineteen now. These are my prime years!"

"The fact that you're sounding all heated is about as much proof as I need boss man." Bryce laughed.

BZZT BZZT.

"You stay quiet!" I pointed at my phone.

"And now you're scolding your phone! What kind of badass SS Ranked Outer Shadow are you?" Bryce bawled.

This little shit!

Auxiliary Shadow one on one's my ass!

What kind of boss gets abused by his own workers?!

BZZT BZZT.

"God dammit. What is it???" I grumbled, pulling out my phone.

"Hey Dainsleif. By the way, since you're out on duty, do you mind also participating in a joint mission with one of Loyce's Outer Shadows?" The text read. Jun wanted me to go on a mission.

"Loyce's Outer Shadows...?" I muttered.

Suddenly, a maniacal grin appeared on my face.

"Uhh... boss man, you kinda look creepy." Bryce said, nervously.

I turned to Bryce, startling him and causing him to drop his cheesesteak.

"Dude!" He protested.

"Listen here. I'm gonna be dragging you on a mission. It's a joint one. I'll show you what a real badass I am. None of Inner Shadow Loyce's Outer Shadows go beyond S~ Rank. The respect that these guys have for me, and the superiority I have on them, will surely cement the level of respect you should have for me!" I said, triumphantly.

* * *

"Ah. The infamous sex-crazed lunatic known as The Dainsleif will be my colleague for this operation. How disappointing." A deadpan female voice said, condescendingly.

???

"Ay bro. She just called you a sex-crazed lunatic." Bryce said, clearly not convinced of my badassness.

My face flushed with blood. I already had to deal with Sigurd.

I did not need another.

"Who are you calling a sex-crazed lunatic? Do you even know who I am? I'm an SS Rate. You should be showing me more res...pect.... ah...." My voice drifted off as the figure of a tall woman emerged from the darkness.

The blood in my face was now not the only thing that was flushed.

"Ummm... boss man?" Bryce asked.

"I will address you however I want. Team battles are won through cooperation. Not showmanship. So far your reputation belongs more in the circus than the Black Legion." Vicki Harriet said coldly, as she approached me.

She smelled so good... and her body... that well built body... those thighs and that rack... That pretty yet stern face...

And above all things...

That choppy, primal, yet beautiful silky blonde hair.

"Y- yes ma'am. Marry me ma'am." I stuttered.

"Geh! What the hell?!" Bryce scurried away from me, his face laced with disgust.

Vicki narrowed her eyes, her face murderous.

"Who is this?" She turned to Bryce, who squealed.

"Uzi Rice Jones of the Auxiliary Legion!" Bryce squeaked.

"Can neither of you idiots form a coherent sentence?" Vicki asked.

"S- sorry. I'll try again." I stuttered, clearing my throat.

I will not let my hormones think for me.

Just because she literally checked off every criteria that I was looking for in a woman.

She's just a coworker.

Just a coworker.

Just a -

"Do you mind taking off your clothes." I said, proudly.

The three of us stood still, a breeze blowing past us in silence.

SMASH.

Everything suddenly went dark.

The Millennium Medusa had knocked me out.

I slowly opened my eyes, my head swimming and barely making out the sounds of voices.

"Vicki... you didn't have to wallop him over the head."

I craned my neck to the voice. It looked like a middle aged guy. He also had blonde hair, but it was similar to a buzz cut. He was pretty good looking, and judging from his build, he definitely looked like a vigilante.

"The pervert wanted to undress me. What was I supposed to do?"

My vision had partly returned, to make out Vicki pouting.

Dear gods (both alive and dead) my heart was gonna explode just from seeing this beauty pout.

"Well certainly not do something that warrants even further questioning of your UNITY registration! It's honestly a miracle you even still have your hero license."

"I passed the Ravenwood entrance exam with a world record score. As Lens, I have contributed greatly to the Anti-Cosmic suppression effort. Or would you rather I grew my hair out, dyed it brown, and gave everyone those puppy dog eyes as Lena once did?"

"Oh, he's regaining consciousness. Hey, Uzi, you can come out now."

I sat up, groaning, making out the guy who was talking to Vicki. I recognized his bow and arrow as well as his archer uniform.

Carlton Coleson. The Twilight Bolt.

"What's up." I muttered, glancing at Vicki, who was still pouting.

I quickly looked away before a popped another... you know what I'm talking about.

"Ayo. She just knocked you the FUCK out!" Bryce chuckled, putting his arm around my shoulders.

My face twitched in irritation.

"Vicki. Apologize to him." Carlton commanded.

Vicki started to blush, looking away.

"I apologize that you were not strong enough to withstand a blow to the head."

Bitch...

That blow you gave nearly gave me a god damn concussion.

Hell that blow would have flattened military tanks!

"Ah. Okay. Nah, it's my bad. I let my hormones talking. Er."

Dammit! I only ever get to see people that looked like Vicki in my fantasies!

For Chrissake.

You're the God-Eater.

Unbreakable concentration.

Keep it together.

"What kind of mission are we tasked to do?" I asked.

Vicki's blush and pout suddenly disappeared, her face switching to pure business. I don't know how she was able to do it, but they didn't call her Loyce's Most Complete Outer Shadow for nothing.

"The mission tasked by Master Loyce involves the recruitment, or rather... the awakening of a certain individual."

"A certain individual? Any details?" I asked.

"His name is Constantine Lupin. A current intern to Baja Industries."

"Okay... is that all we need to do? Any context behind this mission?"

"No." Vicki said, with a straight face.

Bryce and I nodded.

"Alright. We'll follow your lead."

A straight face.

Maybe to people like Bryce, or I guess most people. Vicki's ability to control her emotions and her body language was beyond superhuman. She could practically trick anyone. An expert in assassination, that was part of her job.

Anybody... but me.

The slight alignment of her facial muscles, and her subtleties. It's impossible to fully mask it. But she came pretty damn close.

There was definitely more context behind this mission. She was hiding something from Bryce and I.

And if I was going to be a bit more inductive....

She was hiding something from Jun and Loyce as well.

But I wasn't going to tell her that.

I glanced at Bryce.

The Black Legion doesn't take lightly to traitors.

A year ago, there was an Outer Shadow named Galatea, who was suspected for treason of her Inner Shadow. Bishamonten's legendary S+ Ranked Outer Shadow, Shosuke Shiki was dispatched to deal with her. He ended up using his infamous One Strike Kill style on her, amputating her leg.

As for me, I was dispatched to kill traitors as well. Aralia, the Goddess of Destruction, was suspected by the Black Legion for betrayal, and I ended up assassinating her. Her uncle, Bishamonten, was not too thrilled to say the least. Hence the whole incident last year. My body was essentially fucked beyond comprehension after that fight, months in the ICU.

If Vicki Harriet, the Onyx, was suspected of treason to Loyce, one of the Outer Shadows was responsible for killing her. And it couldn't belong to Loyce. I was most likely sent by Jun to join her in the case that was true. A battle between two Outer Shadows that were rated at least S Rank... the collateral would be insane.

I knew Bryce had a history of slipping in and out of war zones. He survived the countless blood filled rebellions back when he was living in America for his people's rights. But this was a different level. If I had to fight Vicki, I guaranteed her cold ass would use a B Rank Auxiliary Shadow Bryce as a hostage. There would be no way he could survive a full power Onyx using her Celestial Scabbard and Obsidian Ordnance at the same time.

At some point in the mission, I had to ditch him. If I ditched him now, it would be too obvious we were on to her. In terms of intelligence, she was Loyce's smartest Outer Shadow. She wasn't an idiot.

Vicki rested her chin in her hands.

"Very well. Shadows. Take us to Sector AF49 of Baja Industries Head Office."

As you wish, Lady Harriet.

A swoosh of darkness surrounded us, the surroundings elongating and changing until we were in an office environment.

Bryce and I still had our casual clothes on, which was a relief, but Vicki and Carl...

"Hey. What about you guys? You guys don't look-"

"Relax, Uzi." Carlton said, as the two appeared from the shadowy mass. Carl had a dress shirt and dress pants on, while Vicki wore a white blouse which acted double as a miniskirt, and black stockings.

Forget that bow wielding moron. Take me as your Auxiliary, Vicki!!!

I shook my head violently.

"Name?" The lady at the front desk asked.

"Selena Harriet. I am part of the Germany branch here on temporary visit."

The lady tapped on her keyboard.

"Ah. Yes. Follow me."

The lady led us into a waiting room, where we sat in a small office environment.

"We will call in Mr. Lupin very soon. Thank you for being patient Dr. Harriet!"

The lady closed the door.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Dr. Harriet? What kind of doctor are you?"

Vicki raised an eyebrow.

"I have a Ph.D. in Micro and Macroeconomics."

Smart. Hot. Tall. Blonde.

She sure was Loyce's most "complete" Outer Shadow...

"Boss man... you're drooling..." Bryce grumbled.

A few minutes later, a young man opened the door. He looked wimpy as hell. Skinny build, borderline mushroom black hair. Glasses.

He reminded me of those guys who would use to comment on June's livestreams back when I tried to take advantage of her cuteness to make some spare change.

"Uh. Have... we met before..." Constantine frowned.

Vicki rose from her seat.

"Constantine Lupin? My name is Vicki Harriet."

"Vicki...? But Sarah said your name was Selena-"

Constantine noticed Bryce, who's hand was still on the uzi he summoned....?!?!?!

"Wha-?! What are you doing?!" Constantine yelped, falling on his ass and scurrying away.

"The fuck? Is it cuz I'm black?!" Bryce yelled.

"NO YOU IDIOT! WHY DID YOU SUMMON THAT?!" I exclaimed, as chaos broke in the room.

Vicki looked at Carl, who nodded, drawing his bow out of nowhere and firing a web, which soundproofed the room.

"So it's true... you have lost your abilities." She said, approaching the kid.

"Hey! That's no way to use your breasts- I mean your skills to recruit someone!" I said.

"Who are you?!" Constantine screamed.

Vicki undid her bun, causing her blonde hair to tumble down her shoulders. Her clothes shimmered, revealing her combat outfit. A sash which partially covered her top along with a shoulder guard, and black combat leggings and boots.

"The- The Millennium Medusa is here?! What- I'm not a villain! I swear I didn't do anything illegal! Don't hurt me! Please!" The kid shouted.

"Vicki. What is going on." I took a step forward, but suddenly, noticed that I wasn't able to move.

Vicki glanced at me, her expression cold as ice.

Obsidian Ordnance - Suppression Rounds

Black orbs floated around me, pinning me to the ground.

"Yo! What kind of job hiring process is this?!" Bryce said, but suddenly, Twilight appeared out of nowhere, knocking Uzi out unconscious.

Vicki turned back to Constantine.

"You are now at a crossroads. If you don't use your powers, you will die. What will it be?"

"What are you talking about?!" Constantine shouted.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?! This kid is 100% a virgin!" I exclaimed.

Vicki pulled out a bow and arrow, taking aim at the kid's forehead.

"If this is truly the state you have been put in, then your existence is little more than redundant."

"I don't know what you want from me!" The kid looked like he was about to piss his pants.

"Remember! Remember who you were. This is not you. This... Constantine Lupin. I am convinced this is not the real you." Vicki said, as the entire room started to swirl with energy.

"I don't know! I swear!"

"The Worldkiller. The man who was supposed to be capable of destroying entire planets with just his punches. Why did he keep you a secret! Why did he take your power away! Why keep someone as powerful as you locked away! The influence of Vala grows stronger. Soon she will surpass the Akuma in power. Surpass Lord Ginga in power! So why... why did Master Loyce keep you a secret!"

"With his punches? What kind of-" I said, before Vicki cut me off.

"Your history may have been erased, but it cannot be erased from my Timeline Anchor ability. I know. I know those who were erased, even through Alogigenesis and narrative powers. I remember. The power of The Worldkiller."

My heart began beating faster, as if it was anticipating something that would skip its beat.

And it did not disappoint.

"The power of the SS Rank Outer Shadow, Great Demon Lord Kon Larum".

The God Eater vs. The Millennium Medusa

"That's enough." I said, the barrel of my Ultimate Draugr pointed at the side of her head.

"Based on the things I've just witnessed, I'm led to suspect you of treason, Outer Shadow Vicki "Onyx" Harriet."

The energy stopped, causing Kon/Constantine to crumple to the ground, probably fainting from the adrenaline of having this blonde hottie threatening bloody murder on a Monday morning.

"I figured this would happen." Vicki muttered, as she eyed Carlton.

Carl quickly drew his bow, but before he could, the illusion of Bryce dissipated.

"Wha-" Vicki's eyes went wide.

"I suspected you were up to something. I already sent Bryce home with a new copy of 2K for the Gamestation 5. The Black Legion doesn't take lightly to traitors. And I for one do not take lightly to those who threaten my Auxiliary Shadows." I said, murderously.

"Vicki!" Carl shouted, but before he could do anything I equipped my Ultimate MP7, loaded with blank rounds, and fired with my underhand, shooting discretely at Twilight Bolt and knocking him out unconscious.

Vicki growled, spinning in the air. I launched several grenades towards Vicki, who dodged them, causing them to explode behind her. The sudden air pressure sucked Vicki in, making her lose balance. I shot forward, Draugr in hand, and fired, catching her in the arm.

"You don't understand the situation, Dainsleif." Vicki snarled, as she leapt backwards, causing numerous people to scream in fear.

"The Millennium Medusa! What is she doing here?!"

"Quick! Evacuate the premises! Signal the alarms and call for the police!"

"She's fighting someone, probably a super villain!"

Super-villain?! Just the other day you were all referring to me as The Hangman!

"I understand the situation, you're conspiring not only against Inner Shadow Loyce, but also Inner Shadow Jun. You're a baaaaad girl."

"Wha- Don't call me that again!" Vicki's face flushed red.

Celestial Scabbard - Herculean Boost, Speed of Hermes, Instincts of Athena

Vicki's body began glowing white.

Truth be told, I never really knew much about Vicki. I knew she was a Reincarnation of a warrior race, but that was as far as background I did on her.

But judging from the way she used her powers, this "Celestial Scabbard" had to involve connecting her body to a celestial realm. And from that realm, it looked like she was channeling a ton of its power to manifest these additional perks.

I had to be careful.

Which I was, obviously.

"Hey Buck. Let's give her a nice surprise. Initiate protocol 'wheezers'."

Always a pleasure doing work with you, Master Aaron.

The earring on my earlobe expanded, releasing a powerful supersonic blast. Vicki had already jolted forward, clutching her ears in agony.

"Gah!" She gasped, smashing through several walls of the office with her boosts compiled all on top of her. Blood was leaking from her ears.

I aimed and fired again, but Vicki had become even faster, darting around crazily around the entire office.

"I anticipated you would try to get in my way. It was a calculated risk... but I don't have a choice. For his sake... for his sake I need all the help I can get to protect him. Even if it means facing Dainsleif of The Black Legion!" Vicki growled, shooting in for another round.

It doesn't take much for me to fully analyze an opponent to the point where I can predict their movements. In Vicki's case, that display of power she used to threaten Kon was enough for me to figure out how she fought.

Her style, though effective, was very very old fashioned. This was the flaw behind being too rigid and strict to your fighting style. And yes, I know, blah blah blah, it's better to be a master of one style than be a master of none (learning multiple styles). But the other extreme, is being too loyal to the style you are fixated on and not learning to adapt. In terms of being a textbook fighter, Vicki is the best of the best. In terms of teaching, there is no better mentor than Harriet. Which was why no one had any doubts as to having her assigned to teach Contingency Initiative operative Matthew Lam the ropes in fighting.

But against someone who fights smart, and can't be defeated in a one and done, (such as moi, kiss kiss lmao), she was at a severe disadvantage.

And I love exploiting disadvantages.

"It's over Vicki. You've lost."

Convocatio Ammunition Summoning - Sedative Rounds

Lightning Magic - Augmented Reloads

I loaded my Draugr with lightning fast speed, then, predicting her trajectory, fired, the sedative thunking into her chest as Vicki slammed into the ground, unconscious.

I stood before the Outer Shadow.

Traitors needed to die.

The Black Legion was not something that could just be publicly disclosed. There was a reason behind its secrecy.

We couldn't afford people going out of their own agenda, and Vicki did just that.

Sure... she was...

Hot.

Tall.

Blonde.

Voluptuous.

...

I aimed my Draugr.

How sure was I that she didn't have a legitimate intention to do what she did?

Dammit.

"Hey. Shiny lady who has been watching us with that bloodlusted expression this entire time. You can reveal yourself now. All the witnesses are gone."

"Mmm...." Vicki moaned from the ground. She was able to fight off the sedative effects of my sedative rounds?! That thing was designed to knock out a damn blue whale!

I stepped on her head as hard as I could, knocking her back unconscious. Forgive me, my beautiful blonde queen.

"And unconscious." I corrected myself.

The figure of a cute, petite woman manifested before me. She was beautiful. There was a no way she was human, but... she didn't look evil.

"I am Rya. Demon Queen Rya, formerly Rya the Great Celestial." Rya said, inspecting me and the now unconscious Vicki.

"Hi. Nice to meet you Rya. So I'm guessing you're affiliated with Mr. Bed Wetter back there?" I asked.

Rya glared at me.

"You will best choose your next words carefully, lest you wish to do battle against the entire nation of Konia."

You would bring an entire Demon Lord army just because I called Kon a bed wetter?! This chick was clearly crazy.

"Sorry. I just meant... the whole thing about him being The Worldkiller... and..."

I took a breath.

"Being an SS Rank Outer Shadow."

Rya regarded me.

"You appear to be the only known SS Rank Outer Shadow in the Black Legion. Is this true?"

"For the longest time that was the case... now I'm not so sure." I said.

Rya walked to the window, her black robes dragging across the ground. Her silver hair fluttering.

"Dark Hexagram. The Joker."

"I'm sorry?"

Rya grasped the folds of her robe.

"That is your alias, in the Dark Hexagram. Six members of the Black Legion who possess unfathomable combat power, rivalling Inner Shadows. Six Outer Shadows who possess the legendary SS Rank. You are The Joker, known for your cunningness and intelligence in battle. As for my beloved Kon Larum..."

Rya knelt down summoning Constantine, who was still unconscious, his head resting on her lap. She smiled.

"Former Apex Primordial Demon Kon Larum... is known as The Knight. Known for his tremendous planet crushing strength."

My heart rate began skyrocketing.

Why would...

Why would the existence of someone like me...

Another SS Rank Outer Shadow???

Why would they keep something like this a secret?

Rya ran her head across Kon's hair.

"I am no match for you, Joker. I know that much. However, a battle between you and my husband. Even if your intelligence and your ability to outsmart your enemies have served you and caused you to reach this far, I don't know how it will fare against my beloved. But it doesn't matter anymore. He is not that man anymore. In exchange for our people's freedom. This was the price he had to pay for Great Demon Lord Loyce Hal."

Rya's face tensed up.

"Joker. You may choose to disregard everything I say. I am not forcing you into anything. But proceed with this. The Primordial Demons cannot be trusted. Especially not him. A being who reached the final stage of evolution. The Ultimate Primordial Demon. There is no limits to what he is capable of. I truly mean that. Do not involve yourself with us anymore. And tell the Millennium Medusa the same thing. There is nothing we can do to protect her precious Yeling from The Akuma. There is nothing we can do for you here. Not anymore."

And on that happy note, Rya and Kon dissipated into a white light.

Ugh. What to do. I guess I should probably just finish her off, but then I would have the body of a well known superhero just lying here. There would be no time to clean up the evidence of a struggle. I'd have to take her out of here and deal with her outside of MC.

I put my hands on her body, a rush of heat swept through me.

Oh god.

Yep. This is just standard procedure.

Yep yep yep.

My hands on her curves is just... standard procedure...

"Put your hands in the air!" Several superheroes had already entered the building. More and more superheroes began entering, and before I knew it, a familiar face appeared.

Defender stared at me. Then at Vicki, who was still lying on the ground before my feet, my hands on her... assets...

"AARON!" Defender roared.

"Shadows! Take me back home!" I squeaked.

Yes, Lord Dainsleif. What of the Twilight Bolt?

I looked at Carlton, who was unconscious, buried in a bookshelf.

...

"Yes, take that idiot in too."

"Aaron Hope! You will explain yourself at once! Hey! Don't resist arrest! Aaron! Are you listening to me?!" Defender rushed forward.

FWWOOMP.

I was carrying an unconscious Vicki Harriet on my back. Standing at the door to my barracks.

Let's see.

There shouldn't be anyone around at this hour.

I already sent Bryce home with his new 2K. The NBA addict would be immersed for hours.

Saki (my "daughter", long long long story) was asleep at this time.

Sig was still at school.

And everybody else was doing their own thing.

I took a deep breath. All calculated.

I opened the door, to be greeted by Bryce and Saki staring at me.

"Uncle Aaron? Who is that?" Saki tilted her head in curiosity.

Bryce's mouth hung open.

"Dude, I knew you had a thing for tall blondies, I didn't think you'd roofie Vicki Harriet of all people."

How the hell were my calculations this off?!?!?!

"What- What are you two doing here? Why is Saki not in bed?! Why are you out of your room?!" I exclaimed.

Bryce shrugged.

"Sakura and Shiki wanted to watch me play 2K, so I hooked up a screen in the living room. And are you really in the right place to be asking questions here?"

Shiki...?

"Ah." Another person eyed me from the corner. He was holding a can of sake.

I awkwardly turned to his direction.

The Devil Monk nervously waved at me.

"Oh- Ohayou gozaimasu... Aaron-san!"

Could this get any worse?!

"Aaron Hope...." A female voice said murderously, as everything began to shake violently.

"EEP!" Bryce yelped, and Saki held back a laugh.

"Angry angry!" Saki said, delightfully.

A familiar storm scent.

Oh boy.

"Um... hey there... Hakah..." My voice trailed away as I set Vicki down and slammed my forehead against the ground, grovelling before the strongest Inner Shadow, hell, the strongest person in the entire Black Legion organization.

"Wait! Hakah, it isn't what it looks like. I swear to all the gods I've killed and haven't killed yet. Also, why are you... here..."

Hakah's smile looked like it was suppressing some serious power.

"Dearie me. Aaron. You're going to break my heart. First you betray me for another woman. Then you're telling me I'm no longer welcome." Hakah said.

Now I didn't have any superpowers that let me detect magical auras or anything.

But even I could tell my next words would dictate whether or not I'd be carried on a stretcher...

Or a deathbed.

"I... uh... Vicki here was suspected of doing some bad stuff and I was gonna dispose of her. You know, Black Legion protocol, but I didn't wanna leave a corpse in MC. Jun has a lot of connections there and I don't wanna ruin it."

(Any further than I have already anyway).

I got to my feet.

"Be- Besides, there's no other girl as pretty as you!" I said, trying to calm her down.

Hakah put a finger to her bottom lip.

"You think so?"

"Y- Yeah. I know so! Haha! HAHAHA!"

Hakah frowned.

"I will let this slide. But what's wrong with me coming to visit you once in a while?"

I glanced at Shiki and Bryce. Their faces were about what I expected.

"Don't you have Inner Shadow responsibilities? You know, this is going to be real awkward for the rest of the Black Legion if they find out about-"

"Oh blah blah blah. You act like I came here for you. I came to see widdle Saki Saki here! Come here Saki!" Hakah cooed Saki, who ran up to her and hugged her.

"Big sister Hakah!" Saki said.

"OH MY GOD! You're so cute! I always wanted a baby sister. Why didn't you tell me she was now under your care?"

"Erm..."

I looked away.

"Uncle Aaron says he doesn't trust himself with kids." Sakura explained.

Hakah looked at me.

"Really? I didn't know you hated kids. I would have thought you would be great with kids, what with your charisma and-"

"Hey, umm, Hakah." Bryce raised his hand, nervously.

"What? I'm just saying." Hakah said, but I got up.

"Wait, boss man. Vicki is still lying here unconscious." Bryce said.

"She won't wake up any time soon."

I stepped onto the balcony, hunched over.

Kids.

I loved kids. At least...

The ones that I knew, were the best.

She was the best.

"What's this?" June asked me, sniffing around. I had gotten home one day after a mission, and bought something with some of my loyalty points.

"It's a gift." I explained.

"A gift?" June tilted her head inquisitively.

"Yeah. For you."

June put a hand to her mouth.

"Wh- Why? I didn't do anything to deserve one."

"It's your birthday, right?"

"Yeah, but why-"

"Where I come from, we give presents to people who celebrate their birthday. So here's yours. I know... your fourteen birthday was a couple of months ago- but given the circumstances, I figured it wasn't a good time to try. But now you've settled in, I kinda wanted to give you something. You mentioned how you didn't have enough room to put your belongings in mission, right?"

June opened the box, and her eyes lit up.

"It's adorable!" She squealed.

I watched as June took out a little knapsack. It wasn't much. But it had bright colors and was basically like a stuffed animal. A bear. For some reason, it seemed to go well with her whole vibe.

Watching June shower that thing with love, the little spark in her eyes as she put it on her bed and gushed over it.

Ever since recovering June from that bastard Dallas, and having her finally open up, I rarely really saw her smile. That smile she once had.

So each time she smiled felt like a little piece of her was coming back.

"Aaron." June said.

"What's up?"

"When it's your birthday, I'll get you something. I promise." June grinned.

But that day never came.

Because during the months leading up to my birthday, we were hunted down by the God of Warfare, Jekyll.

And I remembered, after the ordeal, I had found a note in her room. I remembered how I fumbled with it while my hands were still in heaps of bandages.

There wasn't much written on it, but... it had said that if she had never returned...

She was sorry she couldn't find me a present on my birthday.

She even remembered when mine was, when nobody else did.

"That shrine. It was for an Auxiliary Shadow, wasn't it." A voice said behind me.

I jumped.

"JEE ZUS. Don't sneak up on me like that!" I yelped.

"So you're only alert when on duty?" Hakah asked, sitting next to me on the balcony.

"Shut up." I grumbled.

Hakah laughed.

"May I wager a guess? Why you are so hesitant to look your adopted daughter in the eye. Might have something to do with that shrine?"

I shuffled.

"And what if it does?"

"Bryce told me a lot about it. But he kept a lot of it hidden, even from me, for your sake. No one is blaming you for her death."

My hand clenched into a fist.

"I do."

"You know. We had a conversation similar to this before. A year ago, actually. Do you remember, Dainsleif?"

I looked at Hakah. She was right.

We had a one on one similar to this last year. Except it was almost like the roles were reversed. I was trying to help her.

"I can't say I've really improved all that much, but it's still an improvement nonetheless. Blaming others. Blaming yourself. Blame is still blame. You know? And to me, there was nothing you could have done to save her."

"I was an S+ Ranked Outer Shadow back then. If only I had-"

"Been SS Ranked? I know about Jekyll. He was the God of Warfare, a mortal turned god. His skillset was just like yours. A master gunman who also had magic. But not only that, he was a god. He had the super strength, speed, durability of one. And he also was capable of negating magic. Everything you are, he had. Plus the status of a deity. There are just some people you cannot defeat. No matter how smart or how strong, or how cheeky you are..."

Hakah poked my face, causing me to shrivel away.

"... there will always be one greater. These things happen. In this line of work you do. This life that you live. You walk a fine line with death every time you hold that grimoire of yours. Every time you summon a magic circle and aim your guns at an enemy."

"Says the lady who's literally the strongest entity in the entire Black Legion."

"That's actually not true."

I turned to her.

"That's the worst lie I've ever heard."

Hakah shrugged.

"You can choose to believe me or not. The rankings for a Black Legion Shadow don't give it all away. For instance, there are a couple of colleagues that I know who could put me in some serious trouble if they prepared enough to take me down."

"Didn't you like, cut off Jay Hellion's arm that one time."

Hakah looked flustered.

"Tha- That's a different story. I was still... not okay in the head back then. But what I mean is, there are some Inner Shadows out there who are very very dangerous. Not just in power alone. They say the Inner Shadow Reaper, who practices the Final Circle Style can kill anyone because his attacks literally target a person's soul. And then there's Inner Shadow Evangelion, the new Hinokami. We still don't know how powerful he is. Or... if he's even a human to begin with. And then there's Inner Shadow Loyce Hal. That guy's really bad news."

Loyce Hal...

"Vicki... the Outer Shadow that I brought here. She's his Outer Shadow."

Hakah glanced back at Vicki's body in the living room. Saki was trying to braid her hair, but Shiki and Bryce were yanking her away from the The Unconscious Medusa.

"Hmm."

"She went rogue, against her own Inner Shadow. I don't know why. She was investigating into some guy called Constantine Lupin, who she kept addressing as Kon Larum, the Worldkiller. And to make things even worse, he's apparently a former Outer Shadow to Loyce. An SS Rank."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Loyce has other subordinates outside of the Outer Shadows that are currently to internal knowledge. This is what I meant by him being bad news. And I highly recommend against getting involved with Vicki Harriet and this whole Kon Larum case, if I were you. Before he joined the Black Legion, he was known as an Ultimate Divine Demon Lord."

"Ultimate Divine...?"

"Ultimate, as in the strongest Demon Lord to exist. Divine, as in borderline omnipotent in the worlds he had conquered. They say he had conquered thousands upon thousands of realities, defeating their Demon Lords and Heroes, and making them his subordinates. His power, Alogigenesis, is capable of bending reality completely to his will. And if that wasn't bad enough, he's also an Ultimate Primordial Demon, the final stage of a Primordial Demon. That alone puts him at SS+ Rank."

"Chrissake." I muttered.

Hakah wrapped her jacket around herself.

"To top it all off. He isn't just strong. He's extremely cunning. If there is an Inner Shadow out there who could potentially kill me... it might well be this guy."

I was silent for a while, until Hakah stretched her legs.

"What a bummer. This was supposed to make you feel better, but I sure made it sound more hopeless!"

I sighed.

"Nah. I feel a little better. I kind of have an idea of her circumstances now. Let's head back."

I went back into the living room to see Saki still trying to braid Vicki's hair.

"What happened to taking care of Sakura?" I asked.

Bryce glared at me.

"Ayo. She's your kid. And you have no idea how slippery she can be."

"Stop phrasing it like that! I took her in!"

"Uncle Aaron?"

"Not now, Sakura."

"Uncle Aaron, the pretty lady's awake."

"That's nice. Wait what?"

I turned to Vicki, who's eyes were opened wide. Black and white electricity surrounded her, causing Bryce's game of 2K to topple over.

"Hey! This monitor is expensive!" Bryce protested.

"Bryce! Take Saki somewhere safe!" I ordered.

Shiki and I stood before Vicki, who got to her feet. Her face was feral.

"Where am I." She asked.

I pulled out my Draugr, aiming it at her head.

"Depends. If you cooperate, I might take you to heaven. If you don't, you can consider this hell." I snarled.

Vicki breathed heavily.

"The stakes are too high for me to give up now. I need Kon. Why can't you see that?"

"I don't even know what you're talking about!"

Vicki shook her head angrily.

"Vala... she's coming back faster than anyone could anticipate. He's the key to take her down and she wants him dead! Once he's gone Vala has nothing stopping her from coming back!"

"Who's he?!"

Vicki was going to say something, but bit her lip.

"I can't say."

"You're one indecisive bitch you know that!" I snapped, but before I could continue with the roasts, Vicki had already closed the distance, what looked like Mjolnir in her hand inches away from connecting.

But of course, I knew it never would, because the moment she had leapt forward, Shiki was already there. His One Strike Kill had already stopped its momentum.

Vicki stared at Shosuke, who glared at her murderously.

"Yameru! Vicki! No more!" Shiki said fiercely.

"Outer Shadow Vicki "Onyx" Harriet. Explain yourself." Hakah approached Vicki from behind. I expected Vicki to instantly surrender, but to Shiki and my disbelief, Vicki spun around viciously, trying to swing Mjolnir at the SSS Ranked Inner Shadow.

Hakah stopped the blow with one finger, winds pushing outwards violently.

Vicki clenched her teeth, her eyes wide with determination. Sweat and blood was pouring down the side of her head and body from when she first fought me.

"Vicki..." I said in shock.

"I need to... I need... no one will help me... no one... I can't let anyone know or he'll find out. Master Loyce will-"

"While I am here, Loyce Hal will not be a threat to you." Hakah said.

Vicki slowly lowered her weapon, looking at all of us, then at the chaos all around her.

"What got the Millennium Medusa all fussed about?" Bryce asked, from a distance.

"Yeah. Just tell us, Vick. While Hakah is here, nobody will mess with you." I reasoned.

Vicki hesitated.

"I..."

Hakah sat down.

"Take a deep breath and explain it to us. Who is this person you are trying to protect? Why are you going to such lengths to defy your own Inner Shadow, and to attack me of all people to try to keep his name a secret?"

Vicki closed her eyes.

"Because I know what you will do if I told you."

Hakah narrowed her eyes.

"Tell me. Outer Shadow."

Vicki sighed.

"The person I am protecting... is-"

Yeling Mah.

Hakah instantly sprung into action, storm clouds and winds shielding all of us, purple electricity sparking across the apartment as she grabbed Vicki away from a shining figure.

"Goh goh...?" Hakah's voice trailed away.

What is this... this place... The figure said.

Hakah took a step back, the winds becoming more violent.

"Shadows."

Our Lady. The Shadows surrounded us.

"Transport Onyx, Uzi, Avara, and Devil Monk to my barracks. Prioritize their safety. Dainsleif and I will face this threat."

It shall be done.

The figure regarded the Shadows.

Ethereal fragments from Ginga. You mortals pledge allegiance to the Great Akuma. Meaning... You are the Black Legion.

The spirit creature went after the Shadows, but having already sensed her killing intent, I was already there.

Convocatio - Gun Summoning - Spitfire AX5

I pulled out a highly advanced shotgun from a red magic circle. Taking aim and firing at the figure, who recoiled back.

Specialized projectiles-

"Hey." Hakah's menacing voice quadrupled, materializing before the being.

"Why did you bring up Goh Goh's name. What do you want with him."

My heart crawled into my throat. Old Hakah was back.

The spirit fluttered before us.

The Hinokami... who is no longer bound by the rules of The Dogma of Equivalent Exchange. He is able to tap into power far beyond what he is limited to. Far beyond yours, Last Daughter of Mahyako. Your brother has potential that surpasses even you, the strongest of my enemy.

I nearly choked.

"S- Stronger than Hakah...?"

Hakah gritted her teeth.

"Goh goh was always extraordinary. Even if he couldn't see it himself. No Dogma Holder, especially not one that was from the Dogma's strain, can go beyond Stage Two. But he was able to push himself to Stage Three just from grief alone. And with The Firebird's help, he unlocked Stage Four and his Mahyako Ability of Anarchy. My power to reach Stage Four was from the help of Lord Ginga. If Ginga unlocked Yeling's power, the implications would be-"

Tremendous. A being who can choose to do whatever he wants. Unlike you, Hakah Mah, who is indebted to Mahyako himself, Yeling Mah is free to do whatever he wants because the shackles of the Dogma no longer bind him. A being who surpasses even reason, it will only be a matter of time before Yeling meets Ginga. When that happens, the fate of this world, and many others, will be dependent on an unstable man who murdered his parents for power. This I cannot accept. For this is the opposite of Hope. This is the very manifestation of Despair.

"I know who you are." I said.

Do you, God-Eater?

That voice. That aura. That figure.

It was the same one from three years ago.

"You're Vala, the Spirit of Hope." I aimed my Draugr at her, my gun hand shaking.

A bead of sweat rolled down Hakah's face.

I never once doubted Hakah's power.

But for the first time...

Against a being who's power rivals that of The Great Akuma herself...

Could we really hold her off?

The Spirit of Hope and The Demon Lord

"Our only foothold is that Vala hasn't fully awakened yet." Hakah whispered.

"She seems fully awake to me!" I hissed.

Aaron Hope. You are known for your intelligence and deductive skill. Surely you understand my reasons to destroy the Last Son. Even if the Last Daughter cannot accept it. A world brought down by Despair. It is the opposite of what The Black Legion wants. A threat that far surpassed The Transplant. And even The Great Akuma herself.

Hakah looked at me, her face pale.

I took a deep breath.

"No. I do not." I replied.

Vala was silent. But I continued.

"How sure are you that Yeling would do something like this? You watched us during your slumber. You even watched The Contingency Initiative. Yet you chose to stay asleep, knowing full well what we were planning to do to bring The Great Akuma back. Yeling has no intentions to destroy everything when he is only now starting to realize the value of his life and friends. For a Spirit of Hope, you have so little faith in humanity."

Hakah stared at me.

"Aaron..."

Vala inspected me, like a test subject.

I see. So even the famed Dainsleif of The Black Legion refuses to see things with a clear conscience. I now know what I must do. Unlike The Akuma, I do not require my vessels to manifest just enough to raze this land. I chose to stay the way I was because I believed the only threat was Yeling. But now I know that even the smartest of you would side with Despair over Hope, so much that you would choose Despair over the Akuma herself.

"What? I never said that-"

Enough with you.

Suddenly, a force slammed into me. I smashed out of the walls of my apartment, flung into the city.

"Aaron!" Hakah shouted after me, but Vala intercepted her.

You carry on the will of The Great Akuma's son. I will not spare you either, Hakah Mah.

Hakah growled, transforming into her Chaos Form and releasing a burst of magenta energy, decimating everything in sight.

But Vala rushed through it, grabbing her face, to Hakah's surprise.

The power to generate narrative breaking entropy. The Chaos Form. I remember the Akuma wielding a power like this, passing it onto Mahyako. But it isn't enough to defeat me, even as I am right now.

Vala hurled Hakah into the ground, creating a massive crater.

"Master Jun! Master Jun! This is Dainsleif! We're under attack! We're-"

"Inner Shadow Jun Gasket cannot save you now, child." A voice said, as I turned around.

A tall handsome man, with hair as white as snow, hovered behind me.

I stared at him for a few seconds, trying to figure out what was going on. My brain's gears turning.

No...

No way...

What was I looking at? What was going on?

Inner Shadow Loyce Hal smiled sinisterly.

"Hello, Dainsleif."

KABOOM.

Hakah came flying my way, as she crashed into me. The two of us tumbled down a creek and fell into the water, soaked.

I coughed, trying to catch my breath.

"Hakah! Hey Hakah!" I looked up at Loyce, who stood next to Vala.

"Why are you helping her!" I shouted at the Primordial Demon.

"She's the enemy!"

Loyce tilted his head, his eyes maniacally wide.

"To help the enemy? Do you even know who your enemy is? Secrecy is the foundation of the Black Legion."

"It certainly isn't working in line with Vala of all people!"

Loyce chuckled, as I reached into my grimoire. A black magic circle manifesting before me.

Convocatio - Special Gun Summoning: Thompson Contender

I took aim with my gun, ignoring the pain in my arm and chest.

BLACK BULLET.

I fired a violent black round, the grass around the projectile withering away as reality and life distorted around the bullet.

But to my horror, the bullet stopped midair. Caught in between the fingers of The Demon Lord.

"So this is your infamous... Black Bullets. Thought to violently drain the life force of everything it interacts with. Is this the bullet that you've used to kill so many gods, Aaron?"

My heart stopped.

"H- How..."

How did...

How did he catch a Black Bullet with his mere fingers?!

Not even Bishamonten was able to stop its momentum, barely able to deflect it. And he had the full power of a war that was empowering him as well as an oath that was giving him divine power.

But Loyce...

He stopped it like it was nothing!

I took aim again. Two Black Bullets in a row. This was going to hurt like a mother.

"Don't... Aaron..." Hakah coughed.

I gripped the gun with both hands.

"Hakah... you need to get us out of here. I might be able to land-"

"No. Your Black Bullets won't do anything against Loyce anymore. He's erased the narrative of Noir's magic. You can't beat him anymore."

Erased the narrative?!

Loyce laughed maniacally.

"Now Hakah. It wasn't necessary to give away my secrets so quickly to this boy. He is just fodder in our eyes. A mere SS Rank."

"Hakah, what are you talking about erasing narratives? You mean to tell me that my Black Bullets don't work at all?"

Hakah breathed heavily, glaring at Loyce.

"You knew. You knew that only I was capable of negating your reality warping Alogigenesis. So you sent Vala after me, weakening me. You would go so far as to betray The Black Legion for your own benefit?"

Loyce smiled.

"And what of you to say on betrayal? You tried to help my precious Outer Shadow, Vicki Harriet, betray me. And Dainsleif, you joined her in her investigation on that bumbling fool of an Apex Primordial. That disgrace to his kind. You are correct on your suspicions. I did in fact, erase Kon Larum from history. I took away his powers in exchange for Konia's freedom. But to think that Harriet would even consider Kon as a solution to protect the man she had fallen in love with from Vala. It is quite sickening what Yeling Mah is capable of. His manipulation rivals even yours, Dainsleif!"

I gritted my teeth.

Vala and Loyce.

With Hakah in this condition...

No.

I still had someone. An SS+ Ranked Inner Shadow, just like Loyce.

"Jun-"

"As I said before." Loyce suddenly appeared before me, slamming his knee into my stomach. I vomited blood, falling to my knees. Retching violently.

"Jun Gasket cannot help you. Not anymore."

I coughed.

"Wh- What are you talking about. What the hell did you do to Master Jun?!"

Loyce regarded me.

"I didn't do anything. What has happened to him, was his own doing. Haven't you noticed that Jun hasn't been around as frequently these days?"

"Wha-"

It hit me.

He was right. When was the last time I spoke to Jun? In fact, it was almost like I hadn't talked to him for almost a year. My interactions with my Master had been getting weaker and weaker with each day.

"What happened." I whispered.

Loyce knelt down, his demonic eyes glinting with a white light.

"Let's just say. I am not the only being who is capable of destroying narratives. Kon and you... are not the only Dark Hexagram Outer Shadows still alive. Jun's curiosity got the better of him, when he chose to investigate Dark Hexagram's The Apocalyptic."

The Apocalyptic...?!

There was too much to digest. I had to get out of here. Hakah was in terrible shape. I had never seen someone like Hakah get beat up this badly.

And to know that Vala wasn't even fully manifested yet... to be able to do something like this to an SSS Ranked Inner Shadow...

Vala regarded me.

It will be a matter of time before I find Ginga. And soon, the manifestation of Despair shall be eliminated from existence. And for you, Ultimate Primordial Loyce Hal...

Vala turned to Loyce.

I will soon grant your wish.

Loyce bowed.

"Thank you. Lady Vala."

Loyce dissipated into white sparks, as I had already slowly made my way to Hakah, summoning Shadows of my own.

If Hakah couldn't beat Vala, I stood ZERO chance. I needed to get out of here.

The Shadows were already transporting us, but Vala watched us from afar. Her face starting to gain shape.

Do you remember this same scene, God-Eater. From three years ago?

I stopped, my eyes widened.

Images of Jekyll shooting June in the head flashed in my mind, bringing about an uncontrollable rage deep within me.

Hakah coughed.

"A- Aaron... you don't stand a chance against Vala... You need to run... I couldn't even beat her and I'm an SSS Rank!"

I gnashed my teeth, glaring at the enemy of the entire Black Legion.

The enemy.

Vala.

The Spirit of Hope.

She was the one who started this all. She was the great enemy of The Akuma. The entity we swore our lives to bring back. From The Black Legion and The Contingency Initiative.

It all started with her.

If even Hakah, the strongest Black Legion Inner Shadow in history couldn't even dent her, there was no way I could.

Yet...

I got to my feet, facing the enemy.

I chose to spare you that day. Had you continued fighting Jekyll, you would have died. Albeit, the battle would have been extremely close. But I chose to spare you and not kill you outright, for it wasn't the time. But if you choose to stand before me again, you will once more put your life in a gamble.

"I never forgave you, Vala." I said.

Vala regarded me.

The grudges haunt you to this day. I know you, Dainsleif. From one grudge, did you pile on another. And another. And another. Until your entire identity has been centered over grudges. June Lee Sung was created to destroy you. That was her purpose.

"She was a kid. What do you know about purpose? Have you ever once seen her smile before? Do you even know what she liked? The kind of person she was?"

And you claim to know her more than I do?

"I know more about her than you ever will, you celestial BITCH." I snarled.

I found myself marching forward, rage filling my eyes.

"Aaron! Don't!" Hakah gasped.

Convocatio - Gun Summoning: Ultimate Caliga WA5000MX

I reached into my magic circle and pulled out the massive anti-aircraft rifle, the crosshairs pointed right at Vala's head.

"June Lee Sung. Fifteen years old. She loved seeing the sunset, and collecting stuffed bears. She loved to eat sweets, her favourite food was bungeoppang. Whenever she was upset, she would pout. It would be the most adorable pout you could ever imagine." My bottom lip quavered, my cheeks felt wet.

"She would do whatever it took to make me happy. Learning to cook. Learning to play videogames. She had been by my side. Every time. Every holiday and celebration. I never missed it, because she was always around to remind me. Yet the one celebration that she wanted so badly, was my birthday. Even when she thought she was going to die, the only thing on her mind was to give me a birthday present."

I fired, the round smashing right through Vala's skull. But she had gone intangible, appearing behind me.

Such things are meaningless. For the lack of gratitude you have shown me for sparing your life that day. I will take yours today!

Vala lifted her hand, which began vibrating violently, but I had already spun around, my Draugr aimed right at her forehead, set to shotgun mode.

"They're not meaningless!" I roared.

Convocatio - Ammunition Summoning: Anti-Celestial Bullets

I fired a blast which caught Vala off guard, but she was too fast, having already reacted to it and and her hand going right through my collarbone.

"GRRK!" I spat out blood from within my clenched teeth.

Vala kicked me in the chest, sending me flying through a hill. I created a massive valley with my body, pain arcing over all of my bones. I had to have broken something, but I was in too much pain to tell.

You cannot win. Aaron Hope. And now, you will die.

Vala reached to my face, her hand transforming into claws, but suddenly, my elbow shot up, aiming the barrel of my Caliga at her joint.

"I promised you June..." I muttered. The pain in my body felt so insignificant.

I fired, causing Vala's arm to explode in blue light.

What have you done-?! The Spirit of Hope stumbled back, as I aimed my Draugr at her chest, firing repeatedly while she was still surprised.

Convocatio - CONTINUOUS SUMMONING

"I PROMISED TO BREAK YOU FROM YOUR CURSE." I screamed, my eyes feral.

Impossible! You are a human! I cannot lose to a mere man! Vala shouted, shooting forward, but she was suddenly bombarded by attacks all over.

Convocatio - Grenade Summoning - OCTAGRAM OF DEMONS

Eight clones appeared, all swapping guns rapidly, unleashing a full barrage of hell.

Where was this strength coming from?

I shouldn't have the strength or mana left to fight.

They say when a person is in a state of pure emotion, they're able to tap into something deep inside.

When a mother wants to protect her children, she is able to tap into a wild source of power.

I always thought I had mine fully unleashed from when I was on the run from the gods.

But since meeting June...

June opened something far greater.

Power not just for survival.

But power for the sake of another.

"GRRRAAAAAAAAH!!!! VALA!!!!!" I roared hysterically, rushing forward, two MP7's. One in each hand.

GOD-EATER. YOU DARE CHALLENGE HOPE ITSELF?!

"Aaron... thank you... thank you so much for everything you've done. But... I can't be your Auxiliary Shadow." June muttered.

"Why? I saved you from that dirtbag, didn't I? I'd have to say, working under me has got to be an improvement over being a coal monkey."

"I'm not a coal monkey!" June pouted, but not before looking away.

"I'm... not even that great. There's lots of girls out there like me. And besides... my fate is to be The Jubilee. Mom said so herself. I was created by Vala to kill you. Even if I'm not myself. I... I'm scared... Scared to lose you. Scared to hurt the people I lov-" June stopped herself, her eyes wide and her face had turned red.

But I broke the silence with a laugh, putting a hand on her head.

"Through thick and thin. I will make you mine, June. Because no other person has made me truly smile, but you. You don't believe it? How stupid can you be? Huh? I'll make you see it. I'll do everything I can to make you see how special you are."

I smiled, as June's eyes welled up with tears.

"Even if it means taking down fate. I'll defeat Vala to save you, June."

June Lee Sung.

You may have only been a C-Rank Auxiliary Shadow.

But to me, you would always be my best.

Because it's very rare that I would go to such reckless extremes for the sake of someone else. It went against my philosophy.

But for you.

I would take on the entire world a hundred times over just to see you smile again.

Vala struck me in the face, but to her shock, I shoved my head forward, glaring at her with an animalistic rage.

You monster!

"FUCK YOUR HOPE." I growled, jamming both barrels of my submachine guns against her throat and pressing the triggers so hard my knuckles turned white.

RAT TATATATATATATATAT.

Vala screamed, unleashing an overwhelming telekinetic force which ripped my guns away from my hands and dislocating both my arms. I slid backwards before Hakah, and fell to my knees, coughing out blood.

Enough of these games. I have realized that I am taking you too lightly. I know this now. Human or not. Man or not. You are still Dainsleif of The Black Legion. Your reputation precedes you. So to this end, take this death as an honour, for I will now kill you with the same power I used against the Last Daughter of Mahyako.

Vala lifted her hand, as a blue orb of energy began to manifest, violently pulling reality apart around it like a black hole.

"A- Aaron..." Hakah croaked.

"I don't wanna hear it, Hakah. I don't care if this bitch is beyond SSS. I'm gonna kick her ass. For everything she did to June." I growled.

"I... I know. I'm telling you to get ready."

I turned to Hakah in surprise.

"What?"

Hakah smirked.

"Honestly. Where do you get such monstrous strength from? Jun is one lucky guy to have snagged someone so incredible."

Hakah lifted her hand, summoning another storm. The two of us watched Vala ascend into the sky, the blue reality warping orb was spinning so violently it looked like light itself was being distorted.

"That thing will obliterate us and this entire world. It's a reality destroying attack. If it lands, not just this planet is gone, there's going to be a huge hole in the fabric of reality, causing the universe to collapse in on itself."

"What the fuck Hakah! I'm never inviting you to a single birthday party again!"

"I hope you still have one last spurt of power in the tank. Because I'm going to negate that attack with Susanoo using everything I have left. Once it hits, you go in. I'm trusting you on this."

Hakah turned to me.

"SS Ranked Outer Shadow Dainsleif of the Black Legion. Great Senior to the Auxiliary Shadow Jubilee."

Hakah shot into the air, purple electricity surging around her.

Hakah Mah. You cannot stop me now. Even in this state, the power of a Mahyako Enhanced Stage Four Susanoo cannot kill me.

Hakah unleashed a massive arc of electricity at the Spirit of Hope, a violent mass of dark storm clouds and thunder booming across the entire world. The ball of energy began to dissolve.

You weren't aiming for me-?!

"I know I'm not strong enough to kill you, Vala. I knew that since the beginning. I'm not like my big brother. Power and sacrifice doesn't always come hand in hand. But I will make use of what I have right now, everything I have. To stop you! Isn't that right, AARON!"

My leg muscles flexed, as I blasted into the air, shooting straight to Vala, my eyes wide like a caged beast.

SPECIAL WAR MAGIC

A black grimoire manifested before me.

I no longer had my Black Bullets.

But that didn't mean I didn't have this.

The magic circle had formed. The magic of Noir, the Demon of the Night.

If it took a Demon to take down Hope.

Then I would gladly oblige.

WAR MARBLE.

A black orb appeared. I looked at my arms. I couldn't move them anymore. They were popped out of their sockets and my legs were busted up from that last spurt of strength to leap to the Spirit of Hope.

What can you do, Aaron?! You have no more limbs left!

"THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TO STOP ME. YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THAT." I roared, opening my mouth wide and chomping down on the marble, to Hakah and Vala's shock.

You wouldn't-

I clenched my teeth as hard as I could, slamming my skull against Vala's head and unleashing the power of my spell.

Vala screamed in agony, the War Marble absorbing Vala's essence and Hakah's power, shocking one of my arms back into its socket. Just enough for one last blast.

I moved my hand into a magic circle.

"I hope you get what's coming to you. Because I spent half a second to come up with the name of this new spell that you helped me create!"

Convocatio - Special Gun Summoning

I pulled out a modified Thompson Contender, different from the one that I used for my Black Bullets.

This Thompson Contender glowed blue, just like Vala. At its barrel, a violent blue wind swirled, counteracting Vala's reality distorting aura.

Anti-Hope Magic - BULLET OF JUBILEE

I fired the bullet, which unleashing a massive blue explosion and engulfed everything in sight.

My arm exploded with blood from multiple areas, as I fell back.

"Aaron!" Hakah shouted, forcing herself to fly to my direction and grabbing me by my waist.

"Please tell me she's dead." I muttered.

"No. But it was enough to wound her. We now have a chance to escape. We'll talk more about this later. SHADOWS. TAKE US TO MY BARRACKS."

Our Lady. It will be done.

The surroundings began to elongate as Hakah and I looked at Vala one last time, but not before she was able to give one last word.

She was missing an eye now, from where I shot her. It looked liked the Anti-Hope Bullet really did work.

You will never be able to change the past. You can do whatever you want. Kill me even if it's somehow possible. But you can never bring her back. June Lee Sung will never come back from the dead to smile again!

I gritted my teeth, but Hakah put an arm around me, as we began transitioning into her world.

"Let it go, Aaron. Live to fight another day. We must retreat."

I closed my eyes, realizing this entire time...

They were leaking tears.

"I know." I responded, before everything went pitch black.

Second Origin

Hakah and I collapsed in the living room of an old house. The two of us breathing hard, as my body was wracked in pain.

All the adrenaline had left it, as well as the endorphins, leaving behind the worst pain imaginable.

"Ack! Ugh!" I coughed, choking. My eyes wide in pain.

"UNCLE AARON!" Sakura screamed, crying hysterically as she grabbed onto me and burying her head in my chest.

"Don't die, please! Please Uncle! Please don't die! I won't be bad ever again! I promise!" She sobbed.

"S- Sak... Saki..." I coughed. Even breathing was too hard for me. The edges of my vision were turning dark.

Hakah grunted, pushing herself to the edge of a pillar.

"Yo! What the hell happened?! How did the Black Legion's most powerful Inner Shadow and most powerful Outer Shadow end up like this? Did you guys win?" Bryce exclaimed.

Shiki held Hakah up.

"Hurt." He said.

"They both hurt very much."

Thanks for the clarification, Shiki.

"Shadows! Call TX7F! Call her here! We need her now!" Bryce shouted.

Darkness appeared before me.

From within it, a female voice called out.

"Bryce Jones asking me for help? The desperation of your voice makes me think you're up to something." Sigurd said.

"What?! No! It's not like the other times, I swear."

"I don't believe you. I have class in a few minutes, and your annoying voice is what's keeping me from getting to the lecture hall. Goodbye."

"Aaron's hurt bad! I don't think he's gonna make it! I don't care if you think I'm annoying but please, do it for Aaron's sake-" Bryce shouted.

Suddenly, the sounds of rustling appeared, and the figure of a young college girl emerged. Her shiny black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and flannel replaced what had originally been combat leather. It was a gift all on its own. To let her live a life of her own.

But without hesitation, she had thrown it all away in an instant to come here.

Her face, once the cold deadpan emotionless face of an Infiltration Android, was replaced by a human's. It was a combination of magic and technology, a miracle only Jun Gasket could achieve.

Sigurd- no. Annelise, her human name, rushed forward, panic and concern plastered all over it.

"Aaron! Oh god!" She exclaimed, cradling my head.

"What happened! Don't move." She said, as she injected several cybernetic nanobots into my bloodstream, mending my wounds.

"If I had come here any sooner, you would have died." Annelise buried my head into her chest. It felt warm.

"We were ambushed." Hakah muttered, her wounds healing from her Shakujin Dogma.

"L- Lady Hakah! I- I'm sorry Dainsleif has bothered you." Annelise bowed, but Hakah waved her off.

"No. I came here on my own accord."

Hakah turned to Vicki, who was in the corner, her face downcast.

"We were attacked by the legendary Vala herself. It was revealed that Inner Shadow Loyce Hal conspires with her. He's defected from The Black Legion effective immediately. I... was unable to keep Aaron safe. I'm sorry, everyone."

Vicki clenched her teeth.

"Master Loyce... how could you... Everything you did for our sake... was it all a lie?"

Bryce glared at Vicki.

"You blonde bimbo bitch. This is all your fuckin fault. I swear to god if Aaron dies I will-"

"Bryce." Annelise said, sternly, before turning to Vicki.

"But-"

"Bryce, listen to me-"

"Vicki is the reason we're all in this fuckin mess! And literally no one asked her to take in YELING of all people. Your investigation for Kon Larum has cost us our entire barracks! We're all being hunted by Vala now. You and your stupid faction-"

"BRYCE." Annelise shouted, grabbing Bryce by the shoulders.

Drip. Drip.

We all turned around, in shock.

The Millennium Medusa.

The Bane of UNITY.

Vicki Harriet, the Outer Shadow of Loyce Hal, said to be the most ruthless and cold. Calculating. She was a menace, said to be one of the most terrifying warrior maidens ever to be registered in the Hero Registry of Millennium City.

This Vicki Harriet, who rarely even smiled.

Was crying.

Vicki's teeth were clenched, her bangs covering her eyes as tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped from her chin.

"I couldn't... I couldn't have known. But... I let this happen. I did... All because I thought what I did was best for Yeling."

We were silent, when suddenly, the one person I didn't expect stood up and approached Vicki.

"Outer Shadow Onyx." Hakah said, as she put a finger on Vicki's chin, lifting her head up.

"L- Lady... Lady Hakah..."

Hakah smiled gently.

"So you've been taking care of Goh goh... this entire time, huh?"

"I... I was assigned to... no. No more lies." Vicki wiped her eyes, as she stood up, standing before the strongest Inner Shadow of the Black Legion.

"Yeling Mah... was not supposed to be under my protection."

Hakah stared at her.

"What?"

Vicki nodded.

"Master Loyce... he wanted to kill Yeling. That was the request that Vala had for him. And so he sent Outer Shadow Fenrir and I to capture him alive for Vala. While Fenrir fought off Yeling's comrades, I captured him and brought him to my barracks, where we awaited judgement. But during the journey back... I spent time with him. And it turned out... he was looking for you, Hakah."

Vicki looked away, running her hand through her hair.

"To this day, I can never understand why those of such good heart must be the ones who die. And as I spent more and more moments with the Last Son of Mahyako, I got to know him for who he was. His selflessness to help others. To help me of all people, his own kidnapper. I guess you could say I saw a little bit of Matt in him. Everything he did to get back to you. And on that day, I was asked by Master Loyce to kill him, I did the opposite."

I shifted in Sigurd's arms.

"You rebelled against your own Inner Shadow. You wanted to protect Yeling. Because he reminded you of your student. Didn't you, Vicki."

"I thought Loyce would never know. But how wrong I was. I knew none of the other Outer Shadows would help me. We all owed Loyce our lives. But Yeling didn't deserve to die. So I thought, what if I asked the God-Eater himself for help? Surely, the remarkable things he had achieved wasn't a fluke. But I knew Inner Shadow Jun Gasket would never lead his Outer Shadows into an Inner Shadow war. So I searched. I searched and searched, until I discovered him."

"Outer Shadow Kon Larum, huh."

"If the SS Ranked Outer Shadow couldn't help me... I needed another. Another SS Ranked Outer Shadow. I alone would be no match for either Fenrir or Tourmentus, if they found out that Yeling was still alive."

Hakah sighed, sitting back down.

"Where is my brother, Vicki?"

Vicki looked at her.

"I will take you to him. But... now with Vala..."

Hakah smirked, waving her finger, as purple sparkles shown, covering us with dust.

"What did you just-" Vicki asked.

"My power, one of its effects is to destroy narrative bending abilities. With my blessing on all of you, Vala will not be able to track you down. Not Vala. Or Loyce. I don't know if I'll ever be able to defeat Vala. But I will do my best to slow her down. As for Loyce..."

Hakah smiled at us.

"I trust you all to deal with that idiot."

Bryce's jaw dropped.

"Excuse me?! How the hell are we supposed to beat a guy who can literally warp reality to however he wants!"

"Forget that!" I squeaked.

"What about you?! 'Slow her down'. Do you mean you're seriously gonna fight her again?! She beat the living shit out of you just now!"

Hakah gave me a sad look.

"I know. But as it is... I'm the only one who can last as long as I did against the Spirit of Hope. She's decided to accelerate her return. I know Crassman, Gasket, and Evangelion are still rounding up the remaining Dogma Holders, preparing them to accept Ginga's blessing and revive the Great Akuma. But I fear we may not make it in time before Vala fully reincarnates. If someone is to die slowing her down, it has to be me-"

"No. Stop." I cut her off, struggling to me feet.

"I won't let another person I care about throw her life away for the sake of-"

"Aaron. Do you have any other ideas?" Hakah said.

I gritted my teeth.

"I..."

"Lady Hakah." Annelise stood up.

"Do you truly mean to tell us that you would fight Vala, potentially die, without seeing Yeling again? Your obsession to meet with your older brother was what made you join The Black Legion in the first place. Now you have a chance, with Vicki, but now you would throw it away?"

"I'm not the same Hakah as I once was-"

"Whether you were the old screw loose nutcase that had no friends, or the one who's join my gang of hooligans..." I walked up to her, ignoring the pain in my joints.

"Your brother is still waiting for you. We'll deal with Vala and Loyce in the future. But right now, none of us is equipped to beat her as it is."

Hakah looked at me.

"Aaron..."

"Go, Hakah. Go find Yeling. Let the planning be done by the smartest Outer Shadow in the Black Legion." I grinned.

Hakah scoffed.

"That stupid grin again. Even in the face of absolute doomsday, you can still find the strength somewhere to smile. You are unbelievable."

"Well... it's that or bawling my eyes out that I can't use Black Bullets anymore."

"But."

Hakah put a hand on my shoulder.

"If it wasn't for you, I would have spiralled down into insanity. It was because you became my first friend. So thank you. Thank you so much for saving me, Aaron. In return, I will be your ally. You will have the full power of an SSS Rank Inner Shadow backing you up."

"Never could have asked for more, Hakah. Now get outta here!"

Hakah nodded, before joining Vicki into a portal.

"Feel free to use my house as your temporary base." Hakah said, before leaving us.

I breathed heavily, leaning against a pillar.

"Aaron, you still haven't fully recovered. The injuries you've been inflicted with were life threatening. My nanobots could only do so much for you." Sigurd said.

"Yeah yeah. I know." I grumbled, sitting back on the sofa.

Bryce, Saki, Shiki, and Annelise/Sigurd.

Man were we fucked as we were if our enemy was Loyce Hal.

"Master Dainsleif." Annelise broke the silence, as I looked up, to see her and Bryce kneeling before me.

"What are you orders?"

"Orders...?"

Bryce grimly planted his fist against the ground. I hadn't seen this guy so intense in a long time.

"I don't wanna keep failing you over and over again. Maybe back then, when there wasn't anything going on, I'd blow you off for a game of 2K..."

What kind of reason is that???

"... but seeing you like this. Seeing what the stakes are now. Even if you're some blonde hair obsessed pervert, you had to fight a primal spirit all on your own, one that even beat Hakah in a fight. Because we were too weak to help."

"Bryce, you don't have to-"

"SHUT UP." Bryce snapped, causing me to jump.

"Boss man. You act like you get to control what your friends can or cannot do. Even if you don't want us to get hurt for your sake, it's our right to do whatever the fuck we want to make sure you don't end up dying on us. If you're not gonna let us do anything, then why even have Auxiliary Shadows in the first place? Just do what Shosuke does and don't have anyone!"

"Eh? Chotto matte...?" Shiki said.

"Bryce is correct. We appreciate the gesture of wanting to keep us safe. But you don't realize that we feel the same way. We will find our own paths to get stronger. Even Lady Hakah will. She has entrusted us to do battle against former Inner Shadow Loyce Hal, while she figures out how to halt Vala's resurrection. As extraordinary you are, you are ultimately not strong enough to defeat a Demon Lord who has conquered thousands of worlds. To him, this one is just another one of his conquests."

Sigurd lowered her head, her eyes glowing cyan in the shadows of the living room of Hakah's realm.

"I will return. To Master Jun's armoury. I will request the development of more powerful cybernetic upgrades to my body. The next time we meet, Loyce shall see the power of Master Jun's technological genius through me."

Bryce made a fist, which glowed with red energy.

"I'm heading back to Queens. I'll hit up my boys. I'm going back to my roots. We ain't no one's bitch, and I'll make sure I won't hold anyone back."

I stared at my Auxiliaries.

"You guys..."

Shiki stood up.

"Dojo." He said.

"Dojo...?"

"I go back to the dojo. To improve style." Shiki said, adamantly.

"But your One Strike Kill is probably one of the most dangerous styles already in existence. What else is there to improve?"

"Not enough, Aaron-san. I can still get stronger."

I sighed getting to my feet.

"Then so be it. I will give you all two months. Get stronger by then, and find a way back to Hakah's realm. Throughout your journey, I'll come over and help as much as I can."

Sigurd looked at me.

"What will you do?"

I smiled, putting a hand on the back of my head.

"Ehhh I'm probably gonna take some time off, it's been a long week..." I laughed nervously, causing Annelise to kick me in the face, and Bryce to punch me in the balls.

"TAKE TIME OFF?!" Bryce growled, causing Sakura to laugh.

"You degenerate boss! While we are all working so hard to get stronger?!" Annelise snapped.

"Wait wait wait! Stop that, I can't breathe! And I still need those, Bryce!"

I yanked my subordinates away from me.

"Look. I still need to recover. Unlike you guys, I'm neither a cyborg, or a meta human with the power of like twenty nuclear bombs." I explained.

Shiki scratched his head.

"I human too? Like you."

"Shut up Shiki, not every human has the power to emit 200 quintillion tons of TNT's worth in a single punch."

"Ah. So weak." Shiki frowned.

This unbelievable guy! If he wasn't so hot I would have used my buzzsaw grenades to slice his hair up!

I waved my subordinates and Shiki away, until it was just Sakura and I.

I sighed.

"God, I thought they would never leave."

Now for the real stuff. What we had wasn't enough. Even if I gave them two months of training, there was only so much they could do.

This was a Ultimate Divine Demon Lord we were talking about.

I took a step, but stumbled.

"Uncle Hope... you are sick?"

"No, Sakura. I'm-"

I coughed into my hand, and to my shock, a patch of red decorated my palm.

No way.

Sig had already treated me with those nano machines. Even if they didn't fully get me back to fighting shape, they always fixed me up to a stable condition.

Could this mean...

"Uncle Aaron?" Saki tilted her head at me.

"Ah, nothing a few pills won't fix. But there is a place I'm planning on going. You should come along too."

"Okie!"

I glanced at Sakura, as she slipped her fingers through mine.

I swore to never look after someone again.

Don't put too many expectations on this one. After all, this was something Bishamonten forced on me before he died.

I can't invest too much value in this reincarnated Avara. The only reason I was doing this was so she wouldn't end up like her predecessor.

So no more young orphans would end up like me.

"Shadows. Transport us to Andropol."

It shall be done, Sir Dainsleif.

Hero Ultear

"Uncle Aaron? What is this place?"

"Andropol. One of my friends is the Queen here." I answered, dragging Sakura by the hand.

"Like those fantasy games you play in secret?"

Blood rushed to my face.

"Y- Yes. Also, please don't say that out loud ever again."

Sakura giggled.

"Uncle Aaron is embarrassed!"

God I wanna get this kid adopted by someone else!

"Hey there, young man! Is that your child! What a cutie! Would any of you be interested in a candy apple?" An elderly man waved at us, holding a red coated apple on a stick.

Suddenly, images of Bishamonten flashed in my mind. The God of War, spraying Red Candy powder in front of me and declaring that he would do everything he could to kill me for what I did to the previous Avara.

I clenched my fist.

"Uncle Aaron! I want one!"

"No. Too much candy is bad for your teeth. Drink some water. Like me."

I pulled out my water bottle, taking a sip.

"Yours is also in my bag."

"Meanie." Sakura pouted, her eyes getting misty.

"Come now. One little candy apple wouldn't hurt! It is, after all, the anniversary of Queen Diana Avarice's ascension to the throne!"

"Ascension...?"

Oh right! It would have been a year since Diana had officially become Queen of Andropol. It was over a year when her powers of the Avarice bloodline fully awakened, but it wasn't until a few months after did she officially get recognized as Queen, properly succeeding her father, Eustace Avarice.

Diana had been through a lot, given the history of her family.

The Avarice bloodline is one of the last bloodlines belonging to Avalon. The other son of the Great Akuma.

Unlike Mahyako's bloodline, the Avalon bloodline strove to bring peace instead, not getting involved with the Akuma's chaos and bloodshed. Which was why they always did their best to ensure only sons would inherit the throne, inhabiting just a single kingdom - Andropol, and having the protection of Nyx, the God of Fortune.

For many many years, the sons of the Avalon bloodline inherited their father's will to become the next king. It was this way for thousands of years.

Until Diana was born as the only child.

The first time in history only a daughter was sired by the King.

Diana was spit on and mocked by Nyx himself, her mother had died from exhaustion - transforming into a Kaiju. Her father met the same fate.

And because of the death of her parents, a little girl who wasn't even qualified to rule was handed over the burden of an entire nation to carry on her frail little shoulders.

It took a lot, but I had managed to help her regain her spark, and because of this, she became the first Queen of Andropol - defeat her monsterized father and laying him to rest.

"Uncle Aaron..." Saki pouted.

"No means no. Your health is important. No candy for you today. Look at me, I eat my vegetables, and I can bench 405 pounds for reps. You want to grow up strong-"

"But I saw Uncle Aaron buying McRonalds takeout the other day at Millennium City in secret."

I choked on my own spit.

"Th- That's not what you think it was. I ate apples. Apple slices."

"You ate a cheeseburger!" Saki's arms were outstretched, putting her face near mine.

"HAHAHA! I thought I recognized that aura of awkwardness and guiltiness from a mile away!" A girl's voice appeared from behind me.

"Ack! Your majesty?!" The old man running the stand stumbled back, falling to his knee.

I spun around, noticing everybody around me had started kneeling.

Diana scratched the back of her head nervously.

"Ehhh hehehehe. You guys don't have to act like that when I'm around!"

"YOUR MAJESTY. QUEEN DIANA EUSTANSIA AVARICE THE THIRD. MAY ANDROPOL BE BLESSED."

I stared at Diana.

"Wh- What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be at the kingdom! Doing Queenly stuff!"

"If I'm supposed to be at the Kingdom, shouldn't you be at Jun's place doing Outer Shadowy Stuff?"

"Don't call it Outer Shadowy stuff. That makes my job look lame!"

I glanced at the object in Diana's hand. It was a crepe.

In fact, her whole outfit was super casual. A white short sleeve dress with blue highlights.

"You- you're wearing commoner clothes? And that crepe... wait a second-"

Diana frowned.

"Am I not allowed to dress casual to a celebration? Besides, you should see what I wear in the bedroom. Haha! Weren't you the one who told me I was too uptight a year ago?"

Holy shit! I did!

I'm the reason she's became like this!

"Uncle Aaron? Why are you facepalming?"

Diana knelt down in front of Sakura.

"YOUR HIGHNESS!" The shopkeeper wailed.

I felt like I just indirectly corrupted the most important person in Andropol.

"So you are Lady Sakura Hope! It is an honour to meet such a beautiful goddess such as yourself!"

Saki giggled.

"You are pretty!"

"Aww! You're so adorable! How have you been? How has Uncle been treating you?"

"Uncle Aaron tells me to stay in my room all day. I watch cartoons."

"What the fu-" I said, before Diana gave me the most disappointed look ever.

"I see. Well, have a candy apple on me! This is a special day. Everybody deserves to have fun!"

"Okie!"

Saki gave me a stinkeye.

Damn kid!

"Diana, weren't you supposed to be accompanied by someone? Like Russel the Virgin?"

Diana looked at me.

"I am. And please don't call my entrusted advisor a virgin again."

"Sorry." I replied a little too quickly.

I glanced at Saki, who was chomping down on her candy apple while the old shopkeeper was panicking, urging Sakura to eat slowly.

"If Russel isn't accompanying you, who is?"

"Oh! You should know her."

"I do...?"

"Yep! I heard from her that you two have quite the history!"

"Quite the history? What kind of history are we talking about." I wiggled my eyebrows, taking a sip of water from my water bottle.

Of course. We all know the legendary SS Ranked Outer Shadow such as moi, would be the best at attracting the ladies.

My charm was unrivalled-

"Don't be shy, Sarah. It's Aaron!"

PFOOOOOOOOOO.

I shot water out of my nostrils, which Diana froze midair, causing the icicles to remain frozen on my nostrils.

"Aaah!! AAAH!!!" I waved my head around, the nostril icicles looking like two really messed up walrus teeth.

"Ugh." Sarah Ultear, another one of my Auxiliary Shadows appeared from behind Diana.

She had undergone quite the wardrobe change since becoming Diana's trusted bodyguard. I almost forgot about her.

She had been assigned to look after Diana in Andropol ever since she had revealed details about Mahyako and Avalon to Jun and I.

Sarah put a hand on her hip. If it wasn't for our history, I would have found her pretty attractive.

She wasn't exactly tall, but she had a very curvy athletic figure.

She had a black robe on, covering a dark military green sports bra (at least it looked like one, hell I don't know what girls wear to this day), and black leggings. Several straps on her thighs housed a couple of knives, and on her back was her big hero sword.

Her straight purple hair was now cut shorter to shoulder length, and her golden eyes were devoid of life.

"If it isn't Black Legion's most annoying Outer Shadow ever."

"I'm not annoying! You're annoying! Hell, why is every girl I meet in the Organization so devoid of life! Why can't my Auxiliaries be a little more normal."

"I'll be normal when you're normal!"

"Ha! you just admitted that you aren't normal! Get owned, bitch!"

I flipped the bird at Sarah, who grabbed my middle finger and began twisting it.

"OWOWOWOWOWOW!" I yelped, as Sarah gave me a cold expression.

"Don't you dare keep insulting me like that. You may be my boss, but that's as far as our relationship will ever go!"

Several people walked by us. We were catching glances left and right, as Sarah kept threatening bloody murder.

"You two are so adorable." Diana laughed.

"NO WE'RE NOT." Sarah and I growled at the same time.

Sakura tugged at Sarah's robe.

"Pretty hero! Come with!" She squeaked.

Sarah's face flushed red.

"Heh?!"

"Yeah, pretty hero. Come with us." I said in a mocking tone.

Hell no if I was going to have to put up with babysitting Sakura the entire time. If I was going down, one of my subordinates had to go down with me.

That was the whole point of having henchmen in the first place!

I looked at Diana.

"Once the festival is over, I want to talk to you about something. Maybe we can arrange a time."

Diana nodded.

"Sure. I'll let my advisors and the Royal Guard know. By the way, is Sigurd with you? What's she been up to?"

"She's been going to college now."

Diana's face lit up.

"So her dream did come true! I'm so happy!"

A smile crept on my face.

"Yeah. I am too."

Seeing Diana happy like that, it honestly warmed my heart. She had been through so much. She deserved only the best.

"Uncle Aaron! Let's go!" Saki tugged at my jeans.

"Alright alright." I grumbled, as Sarah and I walked Sakura down the town, exploring the festival events and decorations, as well as the stands.

The two of us watched Sakura enjoy the festival. Occasionally, I would join in to help her appreciate the view and scenery. Sarah would too.

We continued walking, until it suddenly hit me.

A young man and woman walking together.

With a little child in tow.

In a festival.

My face flushed red, as I looked at Sarah. To my disbelief she was blushing too.

Why the hell was this happening to me?!

"Why are you blushing?!" Sarah exclaimed, exasperated.

"Why are YOU blushing!" I yelped. The two of us looked away.

The festival didn't look like it was going to end any time soon. This would probably be one of the worst moments of my life. Which was saying a lot.

It wasn't like I didn't like her.

It was just...

When I had first met Sarah, she had joined my team on her own accord. It was totally out of the blue.

She was, and is still, the Legendary Hero of the Sword, Sarah Ultear. She was tasked to save her world from the Demon Queen Noir.

Name sound familiar?

Probably because it is. Yes. Noir, as in the one that used to give me my Black Bullets, thanks to Loyce, I now no longer wield it. Thanks asshole.

Sarah was an exceptionally powerful hero. She was created to be one of the most powerful humans in existence in her universe to defeat Noir. But over time, she had discovered that Noir was too powerful. She originally had a hero's mindset - a selfless, people first, optimistic attitude towards saving the world.

But that was the problem.

When you are the most powerful being in the world, it's hard to have allies. Because you would always feel like they were dragging you down. And that was what Sarah had gone through.

As more and more of her allies were killed off by Noir, Sarah was soon the only person who could fight Noir and protect the people of her world from the Demon Queen and her army.

Too strong for allies.

But too weak to protect them.

This was what Sarah had to go through, since birth, to her young adult years.

One day, I found Sarah being hunted down by one of Noir's generals. She had tried to fight Noir in a head to head in a last ditch effort, but was severely injured. Seeing her state, Noir had dispatched her generals to finish her off.

Naturally, I saved her, but instead of getting the usual "thank you, you are amazing, please be my boyfriend" (-- Author Darwin's Note: Aaron is lying, the girls he has saved never once said this --), Sarah gave me the most resentful look ever.

It took a long time for her to warm up to me. In fact, Sarah had been the one to teach me the Convocatio chant - Summoning Magic that was reserved to the Heroes, after she complained that I followed her everywhere with all of my guns and equipment. It didn't require much mana, but it certainly was an extremely advanced technique that supposedly, only the heroes could do. Of course, since I'm naturally a gifted genius (and a stud), I mastered the spell, much to Sarah's shock and annoyance.

When Sarah and I battled Noir's army, it was the first time Sarah had experienced an ally that didn't hold her back. Though she did find me annoying at times (and I found her annoying too), I guess I was to her, a breath of fresh air. We managed to turn the tide, and when it came to finally battling the Demon Queen herself, we fought hard.

But I guess that was when the rift between us had widened even more.

To Sarah, defeating Noir was everything. After all, she bore the grudge of the Demon Queen slaughtering the people she swore to protect. Her allies. And above all else...

Her family.

She wanted to be the one to kill Noir, but it was very obvious she couldn't do it. As powerful as she was, by Black Legion standards, she was only a B Rank. Just like Bryce.

Noir was considered S~ Rank. You heard me right.

To defeat Noir, the only person who could probably guarantee a direct victory would have been the likes of the Devil Monk himself.

When I tried to reason this to her, she hit me. In tears, she had yelled at me asking why I was denying her fate, when in reality, there would have been no way she could win. I let her go a few minutes against Noir, but she was quickly overwhelmed. I stepped in, but even when we were tag teaming the Demon Queen, I found myself having to save her more than actually fighting.

And Sarah knew it too.

Seconds from being killed by Noir, I managed to land the killing blow, and the life sucking essence of Noir ended up being absorbed into my grimoire.

Sarah was absolutely devastated.

But eventually, she came to, realizing her own weakness. And so, she joined my team to get stronger, by learning from me.

Of course, we still never really got along, what with June being the middle man (girl?) to separate us whenever we bickered.

But at the end of the day, Sarah had developed some form of respect for me. As she accompanied me on more operations with The Black Legion, she soon discovered that I was just an ordinary with zero powers. The most basic magic that was akin to a villager's. Not even a single Dogma Bargain to be seen. Yet despite that, I worked hard to fight through thick and thin to get to where I was today.

Sarah and I watched Sakura play with the other kids at the playground.

"How've you been." I broke the silence.

I half expected Sarah to start yelling at me, but I heard a sigh.

"Why didn't you tell me you were forced to fight the Spirit of Hope?"

I paused.

"I..."

Sarah looked at me, her face looked angry.

"Did you think I wasn't important enough to-"

"No. No... because I figured you wouldn't care anyway."

Sarah clenched her teeth.

"I wouldn't care? How the hell could you say something that insensitive..."

"It's true, isn't it? You never join me in my missions. You never help me whenever I needed it. Of all the Auxiliary Shadows, you're never around. Even Bryce that day stepped up to help me fight Bishamonte-"

"Because you tossed me aside to look after Diana!"

Sarah stood up, glaring at me.

"How could you neglect me this much? Did you not say yourself that if I wanted to get stronger I walk by your side?!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WANTED TO GO OFF ON YOUR OWN!"

Sarah clenched her fist. She looked like she wanted to punch me in the face.

"And why do you think I did that? After what you did to me. I was just an excuse to you."

"An excuse?! An excuse for wha-"

"You knew I could never be June. You knew she loved you. And you knew deep down you loved her too, but you could never show it because you thought the age gap was too much. When she died, I let you do it with me. I was happy. But at the same time, I was sad. We were grieving together and to cope we ended up together. And after a few nights we spent together, you never spoke to me again. Whenever you did, it was because you wanted something out of me. So you ask why I treat you so coldly."

Sarah wiped her eyes with a tissue and threw it at my chest.

"You're an asshole, Aaron. A blind asshole who uses people without even caring about repercussions."

"You-"

Sarah looked away.

"Forget it. All of this was in the past. I now know that you're not the type of person to ever change. You can never face your mistakes head on. The only time you do is whenever it blows up spectacularly in your face. I guess my little emotional outbreak counts."

I lowered my hand, looking at Saki, who continued playing with the other kids.

"Sorry." I muttered.

"I don't care." Sarah replied, her eyes and face were red.

I sighed.

"I'm going to speak to Diana soon. I want you to look after Sakura for me. Please."

"As you wish." Sarah walked off without glancing back. I could tell from her body language that she was hiding back a lot of hurt.

For someone so smart, I wasn't exactly very bright with things like this.

I knew what I had done. What we had done.

It's just I didn't have an answer on how to address it.

I walked by Sarah, when suddenly, a wave of nausea rolled over me.

"Ack!" I coughed. Since when were there two suns in this world?

I stumbled, as Sarah spun around, her eyes wide.

"Aaron?"

"I'm fine." I said, as I took another step, but collapsed.

Sarah ran up to me, grabbing my shoulders.

"Hey! If this is a joke to win pity points from me I'm not buying it-"

SPURT.

I coughed black blood, which splashed down my chin.

"Wha... what happened to you...?"

"I'm fine... honestly I am..."

Sarah pressed her hand on my chest, sending a magical current through it and stabilizing me.

"Is this... the aftereffects of Noir's magic?" She muttered.

"I don't know. But I can't use it anymore, for what it's worth. So you don't need to think that I'm rubbing it in your face whenever I fire Black Bullets."

"You can't use it anymore...? You idiot. Now's not the time to be bickering. Your body... it's..."

Sarah sat me up as well limped back to the bench.

I leaned heavily on her. She smelled nice.

"Please don't tell Saki. I'm begging you-"

"I won't. Aaron."

"I'm not joking, I really mea-"

Sarah grabbed my shoulders.

"Aaron. I won't. I know. I know..."

She sighed.

"Aaron, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

KABOOM.

The sounds of fireworks burst in the sky. Sakura climbed up to the top of the playground castle with the other kids, admiring the lights.

"How badly were you injured..."

"In my fight with Vala? I think she shattered a couple of my bones and popped my arms out of their sockets. But honestly, it wasn't anything dire, I swear."

"I meant... ever since we broke up."

"I..."

A tear rolled down Sarah's cheek.

"Aaron... your body... as I was healing you with magic just now. I haven't had the chance to touch it ever since our last night together. But I'm glad I got to touch it tonight."

"You're sounding really creepy, Sarah."

"Idiot. Haven't you ever found it odd that your hair has been greying at your age?"

"It's not greying. It's just a fashion choice."

Sarah grabbed my collar, and forced me into a kiss.

Well.

That shut me up real fast.

"Aaron... please take this seriously for once. I always knew there would be a catch behind incredible power. There was no way someone like you could be this powerful. There had to be a compensation."

"Compensation...? Nah nah nah. You're just overthinking things. I've always bounced back from the worst of injuries. Whether it was you or Sigurd healing me. I was always-"

Sarah ran her hand through my hair, causing a jolt to course through my body.

"When I first met you, you only had a few strands of grey in your hair. Now half your head is basically grey."

"It's... part of the job."

"And if this continues? Aaron. You can't keep this up forever. The rest of us... we're all superhuman. But you're not. No matter how much you train yourself, you have limits. I... I can't bear to see you work yourself to death."

"So you're telling me to just retire? When so much is on the line?"

Sarah let go of me. I didn't even realize she was still holding me the entire time.

"I never once doubted you. I wanted to be with you because despite being human, you were able to do the impossible. You broke my fate. And I'm sure your miracles were what got the rest of us together to be your Auxiliaries."

"Sarah..."

"But because you mean so much to me, that I can't... I can't let you just die. Just like that. Please promise me. And if not me, then promise June. Promise Jessica."

Sarah turned to me, taking my hand.

"Once this threat with Vala and Loyce is over, you hang your guns up for good. And if... if you want to give things another try. I will hang up my sword too."

"You don't have to do that for me, Sarah. A relationship centred on pain is never-"

"It won't be."

Sarah pressed her head against my chest, making my chest swell up.

"As long as we don't make it around that. It won't be."

Ultimate Divine Demon Lord

I left Sakura with Sarah, making my way to the kingdom.

After speaking to Sarah, I kind of had no idea what to do anymore with her.

Yeah, accept her confession dude! You would all say.

If only it was that simple.

Sure she was hot.

Sure she was strong.

Sure she liked me.

But was it something that I could honestly say was the best for the both of us?

Relationships that come from the heat of a moment, or from a moment of passion typically never last long. There might be exceptions, but it had almost always been that way for me.

Something like this had to be healthy. And I had known Sarah long enough to know that this relationship would be out of guilt from both sides.

I looked at my extremely scarred hands.

This lifestyle was killing me. I knew that more than anyone.

I didn't tell my Auxiliaries, but ever since my battle against Bishamonten, I had found myself vomiting blood in the middle of the night and seeing double occasionally. Migraines would wake me up before anything else.

But I didn't want to stop.

If Sarah wanted me to do something I didn't want for the benefit of herself, which was to see me alive and healthy, ultimately, if it wasn't what I wanted, then there was no basis for a relationship to begin with.

Walking to the kingdom felt nice, not everything had to be done with Shadows.

"Outer Shadow Dainsleif." A voice said.

Nevermind.

I wish I had used my shadows.

I stopped before an extremely tall, muscular dude. He looked laid back. As if he was just here to smoke a pack of cigs and head out to beers with his buddies.

Yeah right.

Only an idiot would think that of a person at first glance.

It didn't take a genius to see this guy was capable of some serious firepower, and I knew firsthand who I was dealing with.

I knelt.

"Inner Shadow Slipstream."

Jay chuckled.

"That's a good look on ya. Good to know you know your place still, boyo."

"Geh."

My mouth twitched in annoyance.

Call me boyo again and I'll sic Hakah on your ass!

What was Inner Shadow Jay Hellion doing here?!

"I heard... from my All Seeing Eye..." Jay walked drunkenly, crouching before me until we were face to face.

Even if this dude was a complete douchebag, he was still extremely powerful. An SS~ Rank. He could kill me in seconds if he wanted to. Just like Bishamonten when he was empowered by the war of Millennium City.

"... that you had a lil scuffle with Loyce."

A bead of sweat rolled down my neck.

I didn't dare say anything back.

One false move and I was dead meat. Hakah could spend an eternity tormenting this guy but it wouldn't change the fact that I would already be dead.

"Y- Yes, Lord Hellion. It was a mistake on my part."

"Pfft. Mistake he says. MISTAKE HE SAYS!" Jay spun around with his bottle of liquor.

SS~ Ranked Jason Hellion.

The Slipstream.

A Dogma Holder who had been promoted to an Inner Shadow after achieving the rare Stage Five Suijin. His once superspeed evo had evolved him into the fastest Shadow in the existence of The Black Legion. Far faster than Dagrun. Far faster than Shiki.

If he wanted, he could decapitate every single person here in Andropol in the blink of an eye.

No one would have seen it coming.

Jay went back to me.

"Heard you can't use Black Bullets no more. Should we just take away your SS Ranking? Wasn't those Black Bullets what made you so overpowered in the first place?"

God I wanted to punch this asshole in the face!

Jay tilted his head.

"You know. I once approached an Outer Shadow like this before. His name was Transplant. A C-Rank. He got offended when I said that Hakah was getting banged by a ton of dudes. To the point where he tried to attack me. I almost killed him."

I glared at the Inner Shadow. But I didn't dare say a word.

"Say. If I disrespected your 'new buddy Hakah', what would you do?"

I stayed quiet.

"Not bad. They don't call you the 'bogeyman of the gods' for nothing!"

Jay stood up.

"But you know. We all knew Hakah was the slutty type anyway. What else is new! Oh yeah. How about this."

Jay turned to me maliciously.

"What about her.

"What about June Lee Sung?"

My eyes went wide.

"I heard she got passed around by seven guys when you parted ways with her due to a philosophical spat. Ay. That's real messed up. That's one messed up kid."

"Grrrrrr....." My vision pulsated with red.

"She went and ended up creating an entirely new personality where she accepted the abuse! She even aimed a gun to your face! What a messed up team you got-"

ZOOM.

I blasted forward, in a rage. My body was no longer listening to me. Even if I was facing an Inner Shadow, all sense of rationale had left my muscles as I aimed my Draugr right at Jay's forehead.

But Jay was faster.

Slipstream grabbed the barrel and crushed it with his bare hands, then opened one of his palms.

"Say. Wanna have a bet? Your brand new Bullet of Jubilee. Or my..."

Level 1 Suijin Stage Five - Anti-Life Bullet

Violent teal energy swirled in the palm of his hand. All the blood left my face.

I couldn't stop this.

There was nothing I could do to defend against that!

"Enough. Jay." Another voice said.

I spun around viciously, to see another heavily muscular man. But he carried himself differently.

He was very serious, stoic, and confident. But proper.

Like a military commander.

He wore a long black coat with a buzzcut which was dyed white.

SS~ Ranked.

Inner Shadow John "Reaper" Crassman.

His eyes glowed a cold blue.

"His fate will be sealed soon. His soul wanes from his body - it hangs from a thread."

Jay regarded me, letting go.

Why were there two Inner Shadows here?!

And why were they all going after me?!

"I heard from Jay." John approached me. His aura was terrifying.

Overwhelming.

A trickle ran down my nostril, dripping from my chin until I realized his mere presence was emitting so much pressure... it was causing my nose to bleed.

"You've decided to fight against Loyce Hal. Has Noir's magic corrupted your brain, kid?"

Shit!

There was no hiding anything from these guys.

"Loyce has defected from The Black Legion. He's no longer an Inner Shadow. You guys should know that." I reasoned.

John shook his head.

"You overestimate yourself. Jay's evo also picked up you trying to fight against Vala of all people. How stupid can you be? SS Ranked trash should stay where they are put. This is a warning. Do not go beyond your bounds, Outer Shadow. You don't know what you are getting yourself into."

"What about you guys? Loyce literally joined Vala and you're going to keep going with your search to revive the Akuma? Vala is going to resurrect before the Akuma. Once she does we won't be alive to revive the Akuma in time. You guys should be taking care of Loyce-"

Jay sneered.

"Take care of Loyce? Do you even hear yourself talking, kid? Loyce was an SS+ Ranked Inner Shadow. He would flatten everybody in this Black Legion like a bug if he wanted to. In fact, if he wanted to, he could literally erase us all from existence. The only reason why he isn't SSS Ranked is because the only other SSS Ranked Inner Shadow is Hakah, who can negate his reality warping abilities. John and I? He would destroy us with a single thought."

"Which is why..." John continued where Jay left off.

"... We're here to tell you to call it off. Hakah may be the strongest of us all, and stronger than Loyce, but she is NOT as smart as him. Not even close. No one here comes close to this guy in how cunning and sneaky he can be. I know what you are thinking. You want to weaponize both the Mahyako and Avalon bloodlines together along with their respective armies to do battle against Loyce. But this isn't enough. This isn't even close to enough."

"You don't know what we're capable of. I defeated Bishamonten and was able to fight toe to toe with Vala for-"

John suddenly appeared before me.

I instinctively took a step back, drawing my MP7 and firing a stream of bullets. But John simply glared at me from above, the bullets freezing in place.

"Wha-"

I took out my Draugr and fired.

Same effect.

The bullets were frozen in space.

But it didn't feel like he was using telekinesis...

It was almost as if...

"Even your weapons know better than to pursue this stupid endeavour. They fear me." John said calmly.

This guy was so terrifying that even bullets didn't want to go near his aura!

How broken was this dude?!

"Do you understand now, kid?" Jay leapt off of a step in the staircase near the kingdom walls.

"If Vala wanted you dead, she would have killed you long ago. She was underestimating you like crazy and you still were barely able to hang on. Once she took it serious, she dislocated both of your arms. You were basically dead weight the entire time to Hakah. Stop this now. I'm not gonna repeat myself. Loyce is simply way too much for you to handle."

I gritted my teeth.

"I still have Master Jun."

Jay and John looked at each other.

"He doesn't know...?"

"Doesn't know what?" I snapped.

John regarded me.

"Kid. Loyce has already destroyed Jun. Or actually, his subordinate did."

I dropped my weapons on the floor. The metal clattering on the ground.

"What do you mean... destroyed?"

Loyce had mentioned he was looking into someone called "The Apocalyptic". Judging from the way he phrased it...

"Does this have to do with a Dark Hexagram Outer Shadow named The Apocalyp-?"

"Don't." Jay blasted in, covering my mouth.

"Do NOT say his name."

"Mmf! Why?" I asked.

John sighed.

"Aaron, let me borrow a piece of your soul."

"A piece of my-"

Level 1 Advanced Senkaku - Soul Artifact

My body began shimmering with a black light, as an energy exited it, forming another me.

I watched as fake Aaron walked to the kingdom, greeting the guards, and entered inside.

"I'm here to see Diana. Got an appointment scheduled with the Queen."

"Who the hell do you think you are?!" The guards said.

"I'm Aaron Hope! I'm her friend! I'm just coming to visit her! I'm not gonna do anything weird! I swear! I'm only into tall blondes with a big ass!"

"You are NOT helping your case!"

"Hey! Let me go! Where are you taking me?!"

"To the queen."

"Really? Awes-"

"Of course not you idiot! How stupid are you?! We're throwing you into the jail cell!!!"

"What?!?!?!"

Inner Shadows Jay Hellion and John Crassman stared at the interaction.

"Dude..." Jay muttered.

"How you lost your virginity is beyond me..." John grumbled.

Hey! This is taking it too far!

"Shadows. Take us to my base." Crassman said, as the Shadows warped us into a high tech facility.

"Whoa..." I said.

John Crassman's barracks.

John turned to me.

"I don't normally let outsiders in on my business."

"Ummm..."

Jay leaned in to me.

"He means people who have seen his stuff have never returned alive. Maybe I could help him out with that."

My blood turned cold.

These guys could turn me into a paste if they wanted to.

Jay in particular knew that all too well. And he was taking full advantage of it.

"Come on, Dainsleif. You're not seriously still pissed at my comments about Jubilee are you? Come on. She's dead you know."

I clenched my fist. Jay noticed, smiling.

"Personally, I think it's best to just let you die trying to fight Loyce like the crazy ass you are. Why the two of us were dispatched by Lord Ginga to talk to you is beyond me. Maybe I should defect too. Considering you're just another emotional ant."

You bastard...

Crassman raised an eyebrow.

"Don't bother, Hellion. It looks like we have an unwanted guest."

"Huh?" Jay said, as a female figure emerged from behind me.

How did she get here?!

"Lord Hellion." Sarah Ultear bowed.

"I would appreciate it if you retained the professional reputation of the great Inner Shadows of the Black Legion. By refraining from speaking ill of my boss."

"HUH?!" Jay growled, approaching my Auxiliary Shadow.

"S- Sarah, what are you doing?!" I yelped.

Ultear glared at Hellion, who looked like he was going to turn her into 5 foot 5 inches of dead shish kebab.

"Do you know who you're talking to, little girl?" Jay sneered.

"Yes. I am talking to the great Inner Shadow Slipstream. Who wanted to roofie me by slipping into one of Master Jun's parties. Should I make it public that a thirty six year old man tried to force a nineteen year old girl into non-consensual se-"

"HEY! You wouldn't dare. Do you even know what I can do to you-"

"If I die by your hand, surely, people will be able to piece it together."

John smiled.

"Young lady. You would blackmail an Inner Shadow for the sake of Dainsleif?"

Ultear took off her hood, causing her straight purple hair to tumble neatly around her shoulders.

God she was so hot.

Not that it was relevant. Or anything.

Whatever.

"Not only did he insult Dainsleif, but also the late Jubilee. Both of which I hold dear." Ultear's eyes turned dangerous.

"I am an assassin. I specialize in sabotage. Both in lives. And in reputation. I will break my enemy."

Jay stumbled back.

"Deplorable bitch... you're gonna regret this one day."

Ultear returned with a blank expression.

A rush of relief flooded my body. It wasn't too long ago before my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I was resisting the urge to slug Jay in the face, but I knew better than that. But each attempt at a jab from this guy was making it so hard.

I felt so powerless, but for some reason, my B-Rank Auxiliary Shadow had completely change the tide.

Come to think of it...

Sarah never really revealed much emotion when in the field. The only time she ever displayed anything...

Was when she interacted with me.

Whether it was annoyance, anger, panic, concern.

Or love.

Before I could do anything, Sarah and I made eye contact. The two of us blushed and looked away.

"Damn kids." Jay grumbled, walking away.

"If I was seventeen years younger you'd beg me to be in your pants..."

... time to break the awkwardness.

"Lord Crassman. What was it that you wanted to show us?" I asked, awkwardly.

John spread his hands.

"I don't have Hachi. But what I can do is use this technology to show you exactly what kind of monster you are dealing with."

"You mean Loyce?"

John nodded.

"I have also brought you two here, because if I showed you back at Andropol, Loyce would know."

"He would know? Like, through his Shadows or something?"

"No."

John's eyes glowed in the darkness of the technology filled room.

"He is all knowing. In fact, the Demon Lord known as Loyce Hal is considered nigh-omnipotent".

A lump formed in my throat.

"Th- Then how are we not-"

"How are we not being destroyed? Well, Dogma users are inherent resistant to reality warping abilities. That includes omnipotence. We are also known as reality anchors. The blessing Hakah gave you also has provided you with an anchor. As for why I brought the conversation here, is because I don't sense this anchor on her."

Ultear's expression turned grim.

Oh right... Sarah wasn't here when Hakah had given us that blessing.

"S- Sorry. Aaron. I've held you back."

"Don't say that, Sarah. I'm glad to have you by my side."

Sarah's eyes widened as her cheeks flushed red.

"Erm... I mean as a comrade. I mean an Auxiliary. Yeah. Yeah that's what I meant."

"Oh... of course." Ultear muttered.

Crassman regarded us, fiddling with some controls in the giant room.

"Hm."

"Hm?" I asked.

John's foot twitched, as he suddenly appeared before me. I couldn't even react in time, my eyes wide open.

In his hand was a large sickle, which was raised. He was about to strike me down!

I didn't even have time to produce a bead of sweat, as the blade began descending to my skull.

I imagined it splitting open.

Everything I had done, everything I had worked up until now, down the drain.

All my Auxiliary Shadows, working so hard for my sake. Even Shiki working so hard.

Only to find out I was missing - killed in action by Inner Shadow John Crassman.

And Hakah...

Her only friend... gone forever-

Convocatio - Illium Ygviil

CLANG.

I gasped, as Sarah appeared before me, her face murderously eyeing the blade of John's sickle.

She had summoned her hero sword, intercepting the slash. She was trembling from the effort.

"Grrrk... Rrrrk..." Sarah grunted, her legs looked shaky, as the ground beneath her feet began to crack.

John tilted his head, his blue eyes glinting.

"SUBMIT. AUXILIARY SHADOW ULTEAR."

A wave of fear washed over me, as I suddenly felt the urge to hide.

My hands began shaking uncontrollably. Even the thought of summoning a firearm felt like the stupidest idea ever.

I watched as Sarah's grip on her sword began to loosen.

"S- Sarah!" I said, but Sarah glared at me.

"Shut up... shut up... I... I can't let you die. I will protect you. So just... sit back. And let me... let me protect you for once..."

Sarah began sinking, as she was slowly losing strength. John started to lean in.

"You will die, all because you are trying to protect this man. His life wanes on a thread. As a healer based hero, it should be as clear as day. Your Outer Shadow is dying. Why protect a flower that is on the verge of withering away?"

Sarah's grip began loosening even more, as she sunk to one knee.

"He will live... he will live longer. I will make sure he lives longer... Because I won't forgive myself if I have to watch him die in my arms."

I forced my hand to my side.

Convocatio -

Another wave of fear washed over me. Keeping me from doing anything.

Was it coming from Crassman?!

I stared at the Inner Shadow, who smiled sinisterly.

How was he emitting such a terrifying aura?! It clearly wasn't Senkaku! Was it an evo?

"No..."

It wasn't an evo.

It was coming from himself. That terrifying visage of fear, he was emitting it from his own core, his own soul was forcing out intimidation to the highest levels.

The Reaper.

And if it was directed mainly towards Sarah...

That meant that only part of this aura was affecting me.

Sarah coughed out blood, her teeth clenched, watching as the trembling blade of her hero sword began to sink deeper and deeper until it started to cut her collarbone. A line of red appeared.

She was resisting such a tremendous amount of fear for my sake.

I glared at my hands.

How could I let Sarah shoulder this all alone?

Once this threat with Vala and Loyce is over, you hang your guns up for good. And if... if you want to give things another try. I will hang up my sword too.

Something in me broke.

"You bastard..." I grumbled, forcing my hand to move.

It didn't want to.

But I don't fucking care.

If I didn't do something, someone precious to me was gonna die.

When I had did it with her that night, she knew I was only using her to cover up my guilt. To cope. All this time she knew.

When I threw her away like that... it hurt her so much. It didn't take a genius to see that.

But despite everything I did to her, she was still willing to face an Inner Shadow to protect me.

If I remained a coward forever... I could never make it up to her.

I was gonna lose Sarah Ultear forever.

"GRRRARRRRR!" I roared, forcing my hand up.

Convocatio - Spitfire AX5

A red magic circle appeared, as the form and shape of a demonic looking shotgun appeared in my right hand.

I aimed the barrel to John's face.

"Stay away from my Auxiliary!" I growled, firing a spray of bullets, but John disappeared, zipping backwards with unbelievable speed.

I ran up to Sarah, who collapsed on the ground, trembling from the effort of keeping John's blade from killing me.

I grabbed her and gently cradled her body in my arms, as she continued shaking violently. Her breathing was laborious, mixed with coughing.

"Sarah! Sarah, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" I said, frantic, pulling her into an embrace as she continued trembling.

"A- Aaron..." Sarah mumbled from within the folds of my jacket.

"You stupid girl! Why did you do that?!"

Sarah's body was starting to go slack.

"Why... why wouldn't I...? Pro- protect... the man I fell in love with..." She whispered, as she fainted.

John stepped forward, but I aimed my shotgun at his head.

This was suicide.

I... I had to come up with an escape plan.

I needed to come up with a plan.

Any plan.

Anything!

"You resisted my Aura of Death. Not even some of the Inner Shadows in this Organization are able to do that."

"You-"

John looked at Sarah, who had passed out.

"Your Auxiliary looks like a saint, when she is asleep in your arms. But when she is awake, she eyes daggers at anything she sees, with a face of an assassin."

"What are you getting at?"

John knelt down in front of us.

"I commend you for resisting my aura. But Auxiliary Shadow Ultear resisted the direct force of my aura. For your sake. And you broke through your fear. For her sake."

I stared at the Inner Shadow, his piercing blue eyes ripping through me. It was as if his aura was permanent, a passive one, that could not be shut down.

"You two remind me of my younger days."

Forget Jay.

This guy was just as crazy for almost killing us!

I had to get out of here-

John stood up.

"How badly do you want to defeat Loyce Hal."

I clutched an unconscious Sarah adamantly.

"I was entrusted by Inner Shadow Hakah to deal with him."

"Do you understand that the Dainsleif that is before me will never reach the Great Demon King in power?"

"I... I have to do something...! Even... even if there's nothing I can do... I still have to try."

"Good. You understand that there is nothing you can do. That show of power I had displayed is only 30% of what my aura is capable of. But even so, resisting it shows promise."

"What are you saying?"

John looked at the two of us.

"The two of you show potential to wield it. The art of Chakra. In the face of overwhelming power, the power to bend reality and the narrative of this world. The most important thing is to stay true to oneself. To stay true to your character. A Reality Anchor is only sufficient in resisting its effects, but it will be not enough to fight against a being who weaponizes reality warping to a monstrous level like Loyce. To fight on equal grounds with a reality warper, you need to wield yourself. Do you understand?"

"You're saying I need to keep an affirmation to myself to fight against someone who can potentially end my essence. Is that right?"

John nodded.

"That is correct. Your intelligence compliments your reputation, at the very least."

Jay approached us.

"Whoa whoa whoa. John. Are you serious? There's no way these two lackeys can learn your Chakra techniques. That girl over there passed out just resisting only 30% of your aura."

"No. Not alone, but together, I am convinced there is a possibility. Aaron Hope, a word of advice to you, from a forty two year old veteran such as myself."

John put a hand on my shoulder.

"Cherish her. Because she would fight against an Inner Shadow for your sake despite all the hurt you inflicted on her. She loves you to the point where she would bare her fangs at two Inner Shadows to keep you safe. If it wasn't for her, your journey would have ended just now. I will teach you the techniques that made me an Inner Shadow. But remember that this was only possible because of her."

I turned to Sarah, who had stabilized and stopped trembling.

"Your Auxiliary Shadow, Sarah Ultear, will walk by your side to grow stronger. Don't take her kindness for granted, it is a unconditional love that is very rare in this day and age."

Chakra

Four Years Ago

"A man who can't even wield Intermediate Level Magic, is offering to help me with my quest? What kind of joke is this?" Sarah said coldly.

I remembered standing before her, with my guns and grenades slung on my shoulders.

"Call it volunteering. I rarely get to see a hooded loli in my journeys. It's gonna be a blast. I'm a real party animal." I wiggled my eyebrows.

Sarah made a look that was between disgust and horror.

"I- You-"

I bowed.

"C Class Adventurer, Aaron Hope, at your services. I hope to bring great entertainment to you, Ms. Assassin Loli."

"I- I am not a loli! I have a well developed body."

"Sure you do. Mind showing me?"

SMACK.

I fell flat on my ass, as Sarah glared at me with those murderous eyes. Her hand still raised.

"Do you think this is some kind of game? I don't have time for your rubbish."

"Come on. Lighten up. Life's too short to be gloomy all the time, Hero Ultear."

I got to my feet, taking one of the ribbons that were from the gifts Ultear had received from the village's townspeople which she had smashed up, folding and forming it.

"What are you doing? I told you to throw it away. I don't want it."

"You don't want it, but I do."

"Tch." A shadow was cast over Sarah's face, as she turned around.

"Why do you hate these gifts so much? They're just showing you their appreciation. You're the Great Hero after all." I asked.

"I am no hero. I'm a killer. It's all I know how to do."

"But it's for the sake of the greater goo-"

"How can you say that? How can anyone call me a good person? Just because I'm the strongest human to these people automatically makes me their saviour? I'm forced to kill monsters every day, it's all I know how to do. Every ally I've ever had ends up dead because the enemies I face are too strong. Whether it's a monster or person, I kill them, directly or indirectly. I'm a bane to these people. So the next time you say I'm great, take a good look at me-"

SLIP.

I put the paper crown on her head, causing Sarah to stare at me in bewilderment.

"Haha. That's a good look on ya. Princess Ultear."

Sarah ripped the crown off her head.

"Stop messing with me." She muttered.

"Someone needs a hug."

Sarah spun around, her face laced with murderous intent.

"I DO NOT. NEED. A HUG."

I put my hands in the air.

"R- Relax. I was just kidding."

Sarah looked down, before turning around and walking away. Her fists were clenched, but from the corner of my eye, I could see something that looked like tears run down her cheeks.

Present Day

Sarah concentrated on the match, beads of sweat forming on her forehead and plastering her purple bangs to her skin.

We had to make the match light without magic, mana, evos, or tools. Just with our presence alone.

"Did you get it?" I asked.

"KYA!" Sarah yelped, dropping the match, before giving me a death glare.

"NO AARON. I DIDN'T GET IT."

"That's a shame. Better luck next time!"

"Damn you..."

Sarah grabbed me by the collar.

"Why aren't you doing anything?!"

I laughed waving my hands innocently.

"Come on... obviously the more spiritually adept should figure it out first. In terms of magic and supernatural knowledge I'm like a baby. You know that, Sarah."

"We're supposed to master chakra together. What's the point if it's just me trying to figure it out?"

I put my hand on her face.

"Because I know you will be able to figure it out. When it comes to stuff like this, you're the best." I said gently, causing Sarah's face to flush red.

"I- Idiot..." She whispered, trying to hide her flustered expression.

Jackpot.

"Also because I don't wanna push my body too hard." I blurted out, flatly, causing Sarah's angry expression to return again.

"I figured! You lazy pervert!"

I propped my feet up against the table of our little hut. It was assigned to us from John, after he had us thrown into a random forest in the outskirts of a town. We had no access to magic so Sarah couldn't make a fire whenever it got cold. And if I tried to light a fire any other way, John would know.

We had to use our chakra to do it.

"Ahhh.... so tired." I grumbled.

"You didn't even do anything!"

"Maybe that's why. Did you know, the human body actually gets more tired if they spend the day lazying around?"

Sarah's eye twitched in annoyance, as she continued trying to light the match with her chakra.

"How did I ever fall in love with..." She stopped herself, before turning to me slowly.

I quickly pretended I didn't hear anything, looking the other way.

"Man. I hope the others are doing okay." I said, trying to change the subject.

A look of relief temporarily washed over her face.

"Are you worried about Sakura?"

I pursed my lips.

"She's fine. She's got Diana and the Kingdom protecting her. And Diana is a descendent of Avalon. Should be fine."

Sarah lowered her face, her eyes turning into a glare.

"For someone who was supposed to look after her, you sure are neglecting her a lot."

My fingers slowly balled together into a fist.

"I am looking after her. I taught her to eat healthy and to be happy. And not to kill literal fucking orphans like her degenerate predecessor did."

Sarah exhaled, putting the match down and wrapping herself in her black cloak.

"If you don't have it in you to look after a child, then let someone else do it. Give it up, because clearly you don't have what it takes to look after someone."

"What the hell are you getting at?"

"You know exactly what I mean. In that time that Sigurd and Diana had kept me updated, I heard that all you did was keep her in her room all day while you were out doing missions. When you went out to recklessly fight Vala, did you even once think about what Sakura felt? Even if you don't see her as someone important, she saw you as one. She already lost Bishamonten, as scummy as that Inner Shadow was, he still cared for her like a daughter to the point where he would betray Master Jun and declare war against his faction. If you're gone, she has no one to call her guardian."

I remembered that time when I had first found Sakura... well, she still went by the name Avara at the time.

She was like me.

On the run.

Her little white dress was all torn up, and wolves were chasing her in the woods. Her face was traumatized, terrified. She had lost someone important to her, just like me.

But in her case, there was nothing she could do.

The least I had was a few guns and survival instincts.

But the reincarnated Avara had told me that Bishamonten had her live a closed and protected life.

She went from living a sheltered life, to one that no child should ever have to live in the blink of an eye all because of a grudge I had against the gods.

Hell.

She even spoke funny.

She spoke like a seventy year old lady, because that was the way Bishamonten had taught her to speak. Addressing me as "mortal" and whatnot.

But the more time I had spent with her, she slowly began to reveal her cheerful and playful side. Each time she played and acted like a kid her age, a little part of me felt a bit more warm than usual.

She went from calling me "mortal" to "uncle".

Even if I didn't have the same level of affection to her, she showed me affection to the best of her ability.

It was almost like...

I glanced at Sarah, who avoided looking at me in the eye.

Like Sarah.

You can never face your mistakes head on. The only time you do is whenever it blows up spectacularly in your face.

"I... Look." I said, shifting in the bed and facing my Auxiliary Shadow.

"I'm the absolute worst person to look after someone. I never asked to be Avara's Guardian. Especially when her predecessor was the one who turned me into this fucked up god killing lunatic. Bishamonten had thrown the responsibilities to me out of the blue. There's so much about me that just isn't fit to be a guardian. After all..."

I gripped the edge of the mattress.

"There was June."

Sarah looked at me.

"Aaron..."

"I know I'm not the boss you would have envisioned me to be. I'm far from an ideal boss. I'm only... human. Literally. Maybe to you, an SS Ranking means I'm someone who doesn't make mistakes but I've been making mistakes over and over again and suffering because of it. Even to this day it feels like I'll never get over June. Because it feels wrong. It feels like I robbed her of her chance to be happy. Her mom had just recovered from the trauma and she was waiting for her little girl to come home. But instead of bringing her daughter home, I had to bring back a fat stack of cash that was supposed to 'make up for her daughter'."

I spat on the ground.

"How the fuck could I ever say something like that? To reduce the most important Auxiliary Shadow in my life to money."

"It wasn't your fault. There was nothing we could do. To them it was their tradition. And Master Jun had to honour that tradition. And you too."

"If they really honoured that tradition, why did June's mom throw those bills at me that day? The answer is obvious, even for you, Sarah. It's because she knew that June could never be replaced by anything."

I sighed, standing up from the bed.

"And I knew, you know. I knew back then. I guess it's a little bit of a curse to be sharp. I knew she liked me back then. I know how to read people. I can tell whenever a person is lying just from the contours of their skin and the way their muscles subtlety shift in response to a thought. I knew she had developed a crush on me. Even if she could never have it reciprocated, she never stopped loving me. Instead of loving her back like she wanted, she ended up dying for my sake. The hurt I've put on people who cared for me have had to walk through absolute hell because of the things I do. I don't want Sakura to go through that."

"It's because of that, you need to open yourself up!"

"And what do you know about tha-"

"I know exactly how that feels!" Sarah shouted.

I stopped. Sarah approached me until our faces were close.

"I know exactly how it feels. To walk a life where you feel like you just can't love anyone. Or have anyone to love you back. Because you end up losing them. I've had to live like this for eighteen years. Aaron. It's because you have people that want to die for your sake, to give everything they got for your sake, that you need to cherish them."

Sarah grabbed her bangs, yanking at her hair.

"Jeez! Why are you so stubborn, Aaron? Every person I have worked with has never pushed me to this point. It's always just you! You're literally the most annoying person I have ever met!"

"Wha- What are you saying?!" I squeaked.

Sarah pressed her finger against my chest.

"Do you know what they used to call me back when I was a Hero to my people? They called me the Blank Saviour. Because I always kept a straightforward and blank composure. Both in battle and out. Some people even believed I had no other emotion other than malice. But whenever I'm with you, it's like all of my ugliness that I didn't even know I had just comes out."

It wasn't ugliness...

I knew exactly why.

"Do you hate it?" I asked, causing Sarah to stare at me.

"Hate... hate what exactly?"

I took her hand.

"The way I make you 'ugly'. Because to me, seeing someone who has always been so devoid of life lose her cool is pretty adorable." I chuckled, a warm feeling rushing in me.

Sarah's eyes widened, a blush coming through.

"I... I..."

I turned around, stretching my arms and resting the back of my head against my hands.

"I feel a lot better now, getting to talk this out with you. I guess you're the only one I've ever really felt that I could lay this out all on the open. You don't overanalyze it like Sigurd. You don't turn it into an excuse to get laid like Bryce. And... you don't distract me from the problem... like June."

Sarah lowered her hand slowly.

"As annoying as you are... I'll tell you how it is, it's only because I..."

Sarah squirmed.

"I lo... lov-"

FLICKER. FOOSH.

The two of us turned quickly to the match, which had lit up in flame.

My jaw hung open.

"What did you do?! Sarah you're amazing!" I rushed to the match and put it on the wood shavings and firewood, blowing against it to form a fire. The heat wrapped around us like a blanket.

"Grilled meat! For the first time in ages! No more of that shitty fruit you bring back home!" I laughed.

Sarah sat next to me, pouting.

"Don't call it shitty fruit! I tried really hard to pick the best ones."

I stuck my head into the flame, causing Sarah to yelp.

"You idiot! Don't put your face so close to the fire!" Sarah yanked me back as I fell on my ass.

I grinned.

"I don't care if I'm an idiot. Not when I have Auxiliaries like you to bail me out of trouble."

"That just makes it more of a pain for me!" Sarah grumbled.

I warmed my hands against the flame.

So that was why John got us to do this. We were questioning his intentions at first.

Why it couldn't have been me alone.

There was only one Auxiliary Shadow I had who, not only got me to feel this way, but to also get her to feel this way.

Love, pain, acceptance, fear.

Chakra was based on strong, controlled, and conquered emotions.

Something I could never achieve by myself.

"If that's the case..." I muttered, as I reached deep within myself.

Think about her.

This won't be my grave. I choose my fate by cherishing the people most important to me.

To the end.

I opened my eyes, unleashing a wave of chakra which lit all the candles in the room, flooding the hut with a warm light.

Sarah stumbled back.

"How did you figure it out so fast- from just watching me once-?!"

I turned to one of the candles, funnelling and channeling my chakra, causing the candle to glow brighter and brighter.

Suddenly, the candle went out as I collapsed to one knee, breathing heavily.

"D- Damn. That's insane."

I looked at my hands, which were shaking.

Chakra...

Something that didn't require mana to figure out. It was dependent on one's soul. Their emotions. Their feelings.

It was purely psychological. And its implications were many. I could see how John could be so powerful with chakra.

He only had access to Senkaku as his Level 1, which wasn't even an Akuma Grade.

But he was still able to reach the level of an Inner Shadow. Now I knew why.

"So this is chakra, huh."

Sarah knelt in front of me, inspecting my hands. Her face looked downcast.

"I guess even something like this would be easy to figure out for you, huh."

"What are you talking about?"

Sarah gritted her teeth.

"Am I really not useful..."

"Sara-"

KABOOM.

I quickly rushed forward, grabbing Sarah in an embrace as the two of us tumbled into the forest night sky.

"What was that?!" I exclaimed, spinning around to see three figures in the moon sky.

They all wore combat gear. One was holding a sword. The other a spear. And the last, the one in the middle, was barehanded.

"Chakra. I knew I felt it somewhere." The one to the left said. He turned to the guy in the centre.

"What do you think, boss?"

The man in the centre glared at me.

Damn! Did releasing that Chakra alert them of our position or something? John didn't seem the type of person to miscalculate like this.

Meaning...

This was a good test for me.

"Don't call me boss. I am not your boss. I came to eradicate those who oppose Lady Vala. I am simply following her orders. As simple as that."

"S- Sorry."

The one to the right glared at Sarah, gripping her sword.

"The female companion is a Hero."

Mr. Fisticuffs looked at her.

"A Hero...?"

"Yes, Commander. I will dispatch this one."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Lackeys of Vala? So I guess she really has gone desperate, sending C-listers after us!" I sneered.

SHOOM.

The girl blasted to me in the blink of an eye, her sword inches from decapitating me, but Sarah had already intercepted it.

The two struggling to get the other to yield.

"Interesting. You have the same eyes as me." The girl whispered.

Sarah returned with a deadly stare.

"The eyes of a murderer." The girl smiled evilly, as the two skidded back.

FWOOP.

The man in the centre swung his fist at me, closing the gap.

I narrowly dodged, leaning back.

Convocatio

SPIT. SZRRUK.

"Urgh!" I grunted, my eyes full of surprise.

Shit! I didn't have magic here! Meaning I had no access to my guns!

"FOR VALA." The fist fighter glared at me, closing in.

I slid backwards, landing on my back and spinning, knocking him off balance, but the other guy with the spear was in the air, about to jab at me.

I rolled, dodging five consecutive slashes before watching as the man launched a punch at my direction.

I raised my forearms to block the strike, but I felt something crack. Pain arced up my arms as I slid back, slamming into the face of a tree.

I leaned forward, trying to regain my balance.

My arms hurt like crazy.

That blast alone left me shook. My legs were trembling and I felt like throwing up from my nausea.

My body was telling me to run. Its instincts were telling me that unarmed, with no magic, I had no chance against this guy.

This guy... who wielded Vala's power...

That blue light.

It felt familiar.

"You sure are gung ho on killing an unarmed man." I said, as I dodged another strike from the man, and a jab from the spear guy.

"Bastard... this is all I have now. Don't mock my reasons." The boss growled, blasting behind me and unleashing a devastating punch.

I evaded it, but the shockwaves of the punch managed to ripple through me as I fell back, and the guy with the spear managing to land a jab which caught me under my collarbone.

"GRRK!" I spat blood out, but went low, kicking him in the stomach and causing the spear guy to be blown back.

The boss leapt on top of me, his fist cocked back, but I already figured him out.

Sure he was fast.

Normally speed, enough of it, would be enough to blitz through anybody.

But I had already been used to fighting people who far surpassed me in speed and strength.

This guy didn't even come close to them.

I grabbed his arm and used his momentum to dislocate it, causing the man to grunt.

I kneed him and pushed him away.

"Oh man oh man." I chuckled, putting my hands on my hips, as the man began unleashing a tremendous flurry of punches, the shockwaves decimating the trees everywhere.

"You sure are easy to figure out!"

"Shut up! How are you able to dodge my punches! I'm far faster than you!"

I caught his wrist and unleashed a punch of my own, which caught him in the side of his face and slamming him backwards.

"Because you're just fodder material. And you keep this up you might as well reveal all your private lil fantasies! It didn't take that long to figure out your style. But now I've also figured out who you are."

The guy with the spear's eyes went wide.

"You're shitting me."

I laughed, bouncing on the balls of my feet.

"Vala's lackeys. Or should I say. Her vessels. She's getting real desperate, to sic her hounds on me when they haven't even been fully matured yet. When your trump card is still an infant, such as Mr. Bossman over there, the last thing you wanna do is send em to the sticks like this! Is she that scared of me? I'm just a lil ol human after all!"

"I SAID SHUT UP." The boss roared, but I stopped his momentum with a front kick, which slammed into his chin.

The man stumbled forward, causing the spear guy to be plastered with shock.

"Boss..."

"I will defeat you! It's all I have left!" The man yelled, blasting forward with supersonic speed, but I kept dodging. His swings becoming more and more wild and reckless.

All the while, I was still able to land blows of myself, pummelling him.

"From Stormwatch to this. If you can't even beat C Ranked Transplant, what makes you think you can beat SS Ranked Dainsleif? In your dreams, idiot!" I sneered, jumping into the air and dodging a kick, as I spun and landed a roundhouse of my own, catching him in the side of the head.

The vessel slammed into a tree, sliding to the ground.

"Even with that stupid Spirit of Hope amplifying you up. Not in a million years will you even be able to beat me in a fight.

Former Stormwatch Squad Leader

Joseph "Guardian" Greziak".

Demon Ultear

If this was a test, I had to use chakra.

Somehow.

But the problem was...

SLAM.

I darted to the side, narrowly missing a punch from Greziak that nearly decapitated me.

There was no time to prepare anything!

Greziak unloaded more combinations at me, which I began dodging. But for some reason, the guy was getting faster and faster.

And it wasn't helping that Spear Guy was assisting him with that extremely sharp spear.

SLICE.

I leapt back, the blade had left behind a mark on my face.

I gritted my teeth, stepping on the blade face and spinning, landing a kick on Spear Guy before blocking another punch by Greziak.

I smashed into the ground, the breath knocked out of me.

I couldn't keep blocking his strikes like this. Each punch from this guy felt like sledgehammers at 200x gravity.

Without my weapons, or shadows, or magic, I was only surviving by reading their movements.

But there was nothing I could against a guy who was getting faster and stronger as he fought.

Joseph shot forward with unrelenting pursuit. There wasn't even enough time to catch my breath, as I darted around the battlefield.

"Face me coward! All who serve the Akuma shall die!"

"I'll face you when the playing field is even, you broken bastard!"

"Excuses for the cowardly!"

Greziak launched an axe kick. I leaned to the side, but suddenly, Joseph sidestepped, his fist cocked back, and his eyes staring daggers at mine.

"FUC-" I yelled, as Greziak managed a direct hit to my face.

I spat out blood violently, while Spear Guy took advantage of this and closed in, stabbing his spear and impaling me in the side.

I coughed even more blood, before grabbing the shaft and lifting the whole guy into the air.

"What the- how is he so strong?! He has no powers!"

"RAAAAAR!" I roared, slamming him into the ground where Greziak was, but he dodged, aiming his fist and slamming it against my side. I felt a rib crack as I was flung violently, smashing through a tree and landing into the dirt.

I tried to get to my feet, but my side and my face felt like they were being boiled.

My vision pulsated with red, as I watched Greziak approach me.

"Transplant was a monster. You have the gall to call him a C-Ranker when you are barely keeping up with me."

"That's because I'm unarmed you idiot! And you're getting faster and faster."

"I don't have that ability."

"Bullshit!" I yelped, as I dodged another onslaught of strikes from Greziak.

It had to be bullshit.

I was overwhelming him earlier.

There was no reason that I would be struggling...

"I'm not lying." Greziak appeared before me. Since when did he close the distance? I completely could not even see it, even when I had predicted it.

He had to be getting faster! It was either that... or...

"You're getting slower." Joseph said, as he threw a hook at me. I leaned back, but Joseph pushed forward, elbowing me in the chest as I felt another bone crack.

I flew backwards, smashing through more trees until I ended up in the open of a wide field.

I coughed into my hand, staining it with red.

I'm getting slower...?

My stamina was always top notch. It was trained to be Olympic level. Peak human physical conditioning.

There should be no reason it was my stamina.

I got to my feet, but suddenly collapsed, as my vision became blurry.

I clutched my head. I was seeing double.

No.

This...

This couldn't be.

Aaron... please take this seriously for once. I always knew there would be a catch behind incredible power. There was no way someone like you could be this powerful. There had to be a compensation.

Was this the limit of what I could do?

I knew my body was suffering from the extreme load I was putting on it, but...

It couldn't possibly be failing now.

I still had so much to do!

Joseph launched a one two combination at me, so fast that I couldn't even process it.

My head snapped back from the force of his attacks, rattling my brain as I stumbled.

I had to regain my bearings!

I needed a weapon. Anything.

As I was right now, it was physically impossible for me to overwhelm Vala's vessel.

I leapt to the side, grabbing a handful of dirt, and sprayed it at Greziak, who dodged it.

"Tricks like that won't work on me! I've spent years battling tricksters from the Contingency Initiative!"

"Contingency Initiative?! Who the hell do you think I am!" I snarled, as I darted around, trying to evade Greziak's devastating onslaught of punches.

I couldn't keep this exchange up.

I was completely on the defensive here, and from the periphery of my vision, I could make out Spear Guy making haste to my position.

Once he joined in, I was dead meat.

I had to use it.

Chakra.

But as I was right now, it would take too long to concentrate.

In the heat of battle, I had to call upon it instantly.

ZOOM.

Joseph appeared before me, as my eyes went wide.

His fist was cocked back all the way, and I knew he was aiming to crush my skull with this strike.

This entire time, he had landed blows on me indirectly. I did my best to lean away from them, but even so, he definitely inflicted massive injuries to me.

This one that was coming my way...

Was going to be life ending.

No amount of offsetting was going to save me now.

"GRRRARRR! DO IT THEN YOU BASTARD!" I growled, laughing maniacally.

My life.

I got to choose how I went out.

"I will! I will end you. This was all your fault. Realmwatch's destruction. Vis's destruction. All of this was your fault. YELING!"

Yeling?!

This bumbling moron thought I was YELING?!

In what universe would you mistaken a 6 foot Caucasian male

For a 5 foot 7 unstable Asian midget?!

"AAAARRRRR!" I yelled in frustration.

SLASH.

Suddenly, a familiar female figure landed on the ground before me, her black robe, torn but fluttering in the air. Her hero sword extended.

"Raaaah.... Saaaraaah..... Ultear! I knew you were gonna come and save me. I wasn't like screaming or anything." My yell died down, as Sarah turned, her face unimpressed.

"Yes. Very good, Mr. Dainsleif. I am so proud to be your Auxiliary Shadow."

Greziak zipped backwards, a hand on his head.

"RGGHH... you... you've created this mess, and now you force others to bail you out! Look what you've done to everyone around you, Tidalflame. Even your own Squad Four has died because of your antics with the Transplant!"

"What the hell are you blabbering about?" I snapped.

Sarah shouldered her sword.

"Sarah. I don't have the resources to take them out. I'm leaving this to you-"

"I'm sorry, but the Hero has her hands full." The female sword wielder said, as she clashed with Sarah again, causing her to stumble back. Blood came out of her gritted teeth as her eyes were wild.

"Sarah-"

The lady kicked Ultear in the abdomen, sending her flying back into me. I caught her and skidded to a stop, arms wrapped around her tiny waist.

"Yo. Come on, Ulti. I at least have an excuse for not doing so hot, but you still have your Hero blessing. You should be able to-"

Gasp. Gasp.

Sarah heaved, trying to get to her feet. Her leggings were torn, revealing her bloodied legs. Her stomach was bleeding, and blood was racing down the side of her head.

Her laboured breaths were creating a fog.

"A- Aaron... this lady... she's..."

The sword lady brandished her sword, smiling evilly.

"Greziak may be our leader. But he is not the strongest. He is only here to keep me in check. But now that our mission has been changed to kill all those who oppose the Lady, I need nothing to hold me back. That means I can kill to my heart's content. Of course, you would never realize the folly in trying to hold someone like me off, God-Eater. But this Hero does."

What was she talking about?

Sarah stumbled, her leg buckling. I caught her.

"Sarah. We have to retreat."

"Aaron, I need to protect you. You're the weak link now, without any of your abilities. And now your worsening condition. You're in no shape to fight."

"And you're doing real great yourself, Miss Hero. I say you slice the ground and make a distraction. We run for it."

Sarah glared at the lady, her sword raised.

"A Hero does not retreat."

"Well, we're technically retreating since you're backing up."

Sarah looked at her feet, her face shocked.

"Gah!" She irked.

Lmao.

This girl was such an airhead.

"Is this what has become of the Blank Saviour? One who is so easily flustered by this bumbling fool? I did not take you as the type to give into lovey dovey thoughts, Saraia Ultear."

Saraia?

Sarah grimaced.

"I am not attracted to this idiot."

"Your deteriorating resolve says otherwise."

CLANG.

The girl slammed her sword against Sarah's, who started to buckle.

"Aaron! Retreat! Now!" Sarah gasped.

Greziak appeared next to Sword Lady, but was stopped by her, who gave him a piercing glare.

"You will not interfere with this any longer. Saraia is mine to kill and mine alone."

"I am your commanding officer-"

"You are merely a gnat with title only. There is no reason for me to be shackled anymore. And for Saraia, I will stop at nothing to see her dead."

How convenient. They were fighting amongst each other.

I eyed the branches above me, rock in hand.

It didn't take long for me to calculate its trajectory. And now they were perfectly positioned.

I aimed, when suddenly, the Sword Lady spread her hands.

"Why must you be so cold to me? You would show more emotion to that man than your own little sister?"

I stopped, staring at Sarah, who's teeth were clenched. Her hands trembling at the hilt of her sword.

"Sarah?"

The girl tilted her head.

"One was destined to be a Hero. The other was destined to be a Demon. That was what it was supposed to be. But why was it that the more apathetic ended up becoming the good, while the kind hearted sister ended up serving Noir? Why is that, Saraia?"

Sarah yanked me out of the way and stood before me, shielding me from the vessels of Vala.

"You're not Sarina anymore. You aren't."

The younger Ultear smiled evilly.

"I will always be your little sister. You will always live with that guilt. But of course, your guilt can never top that man's. You ended up getting me captured by Noir, but I lived. And became stronger. Awakened. While the God-Eater got his little sister figure shot in the head. Hahaha!"

Sarah trembled, forcing herself in front of me.

"I will put you out of your misery, Sarina. Please wait for me." She muttered.

"No you won't. I'm not suffering, big sis."

"You aren't Sarina! There's no way you could be my younger sister! The little girl who always sat on that same chair, waiting for me to braid her hair. You aren't her!" Sarah growled.

"Look at you. In so much pain. But not enough to turn to the God-Eater for support. Because others will always have it worse than you. After all, your image is a Hero. Your only purpose is to kill and slay the bad-"

"Shut up, kid." I said, causing Sarina to turn to me.

"Excuse me?!"

"I said shut the hell up, you ignorant brat." I grumbled, pulling Sarah aside by the shoulders.

I walked forward, putting an arm around my Auxiliary Shadow.

"Not enough pain? Others have it worse than her? Did turning into a Demon rot your brain as well? Since when was suffering a contest?"

"It most certainly is! Aaron Hope. You have suffered a great deal, far more than Saraia-"

"Blah blah blah. Get off my dick already, you idiot demon." I spat, marching forward.

"Aaron, don't. My sister... when she was serving Noir, she was considered S Rank by Black Legion Standards. With Vala, I don't know how far-"

"I am rated SS." Sarina smiled darkly.

My heart stopped.

Another SS Rank?!

Since when did this become a SS Ranking bargain sale?!

"See now. I was always the more powerful sister. But I always was humble about it. But Saraia here couldn't accept it. Being the elder one, yet being weaker. So so weak. That when it was time for our purpose to be revealed, our role in our world. She prayed to the gods to become the Hero. Even though it was supposed to be for me. I let it go. I let her be the Hero. But once she became a Hero and I became a Demon, all of a sudden, she changed her mind. Can you believe it? All because she couldn't accept having a younger sister far stronger than her!"

Sarah fell to her knees, her bangs hanging low and covering her eyes, which I could tell were leaking tears.

"Stop... stop Sarina... please stop..."

"You wanted a younger sister to be weaker than you so badly, that you would step into the realm of darkness just to become stronger. And the more I watched you defile yourself, those evil eyes that had the false title of Hero written all over it, the more Noir hated me for being so kind. The more you pushed yourself, the more Queen Noir tortured me, until one day, I awakened. And so, when I say that your hardships, your struggles and your suffering is unjustified, this is what I mean."

The Demon Ultear spread her hand.

"You brought this all upon yourself. You deserved it. I show no ill will towards Aaron Hope. His suffering and his pain, they all came from things that were out of his control. But YOU. SARAIA ULTEAR. YOU BROKE ME. SO DON'T YOU DARE ASK FOR SUPPORT FOR YOUR PAIN. YOU DESERVE IT ALL."

Sarina smiled at me.

"What say you, Outer Shadow Dainsleif? Your precious 'Sarah', what she really is. She is a walking inferiority complex. Surely you've seen it yourself. The way she berates herself for not being useful enough to the point where she considers herself being thrown away at every single inconvenience. The way she beats herself up when she compares herself to your unfathomable talent. Forget this pathetic Auxiliary Shadow. You still have TX7F, X8, Bryce, and many more. This one never shows up by your side, anyway. Let me deal with family."

I looked at Sarah, who was sprawled on the floor. Her legs covered in blood and dirt, and her tears dripping over it.

This was probably the first time I had seen her in such a fragile, and vulnerable state.

And it hurt a lot to see someone who always kept her composure break down and cry like this.

"Ah. God. What a pain in the ass you are." I grumbled, as I knelt down and put my arms around her.

Sarah stopped sobbing, as I brought her closer.

Damn.

For someone who was strong enough to snap me in half, her body was really slender.

"Hey. Stop crying. There's no need to cry, Sarah." I said gently.

"It's ruining your reputation as my most sharp tongued Auxiliary Shadow."

Sarah sniffled.

"No. I... I've always been like this. From the beginning, I've always craved concern. Attention. I'm not useful enough to you, served me right to be thrown into patrol duty. To be neglected and thrown away-"

"Who said that? Who said you deserved it?"

"..."

I made a fist, my knuckles cracking as Sarah turned around slowly.

"Whatever. If you want me to get violent, then you've got your wish, you stupid girl."

SLAM.

"Wha-?!" Sarina gasped.

"What did you do? Aaron!" Sarah grabbed my shoulders, as blood flung out of my mouth from where I had punched myself.

"DAMN! I DIDN'T KNOW I PACKED SUCH A KILLER PUNCH!" I laughed.

"You idiot! Why did you punch yourself?!"

"You're the idiot! I punched the one who said that you deserved to be thrown away!"

Sarah's face froze.

"Aaron-"

"I promise you. I won't ever be so insensitive again. You know. For someone sooooo smart like me. I should have seen it a mile away. How ironic it is."

I stood up, closing my eyes.

"How ironic of me to neglect someone so important to me. This entire time, you were in so much pain and I didn't even notice. Instead, I assumed you were just someone who didn't like me and found me annoying. When it turned out you were just another one of my fangirls."

"Why you little- are you trying to make me mad?!" Sarah yelped.

"But even amongst my many fangirls..." I made a fist, which suddenly began vibrating with a white light.

"... you're quickly becoming my favourite!"

"Chakra?! That chakra signature was coming from you?! But you're not supposed to have any powers!" Sarina choked.

I shot forward with ridiculous speed. This level of speed...

It felt like I was using my Augmentus spell, but it was more than that.

Everything was enhanced.

Like my soul itself was overflowing with power, strengthening my body down to the very last atomic bond.

"This is bad! Get out of there, Sarina!" Spear guy shouted, as he tried to intercept me.

But I grabbed the shaft of his spear, snapping it in my grip.

"What the hell-"

I put my hand on his neck, hurling him with strength I never knew I had.

"He's wielding Amplification Chakra?! Since when was he able to do that?!" Spear Guy shouted, as he flung into the air.

"BASTARD" Joseph Greziak growled, throwing a punch that caught me in the cheek, but I resisted, forcing my head to face his.

"How-"

"Bad luck for you. Didn't you overwhelm me because you had Vala strengthening you up? Well, right now, it feels like my very soul is about to burst. I feel real amped up to kick your ass now."

"I won't lose!"

Greziak unloaded another flurry of punches, but I relaxed my body, flying through it fluidly.

The analytical power I had before I was able to use Chakra.

And now the physical power of Chakra control.

I wasn't usually the type of guy to really enunciate my style.

But yes.

There was a style I followed whenever I fought.

With Chakra, it felt right to address my style formally.

And for this little bitch, who had been toying with me while I was unarmed, he finally got his reward.

A SS Ranked Asskicking.

TRIGRAMS

ONE GUN

COMBINATION STYLE

I held out my pebble, positioning it under my thumb and cocking it back.

I aimed the pebble at Greziak's forehead, concentrating my chakra and my ki into a single point. The rock began to glow a vicious white.

DEAD EYE.

I flicked my thumb, as the pebble slammed into Greziak, shooting and blasting his body through dozens of trees and through the side of a mountain face.

"Impossible!" Sarina stumbled back, but I was already there.

"That's my middle name, kiddo." I smiled crazily.

"He's... you're too fast! You're too... this is unfair!"

"Too unfair?! Kid, you don't know unfair. Didn't Spear Guy and Greasy Greziak just double team an unarmed me not too long ago? And you were picking on your B Ranked older sis the entire time knowing full well the gap in your strength. Now I've got a powerup, you're scared shitless."

"This isn't over! It's not! I'm a SS Rank too! I'm-"

Sarina tried to swing her sword, but I blocked the blade with my forearm, which was glowing white with ki.

"Tough titty, demon kitty. I just discovered something. Chakra, since it's an extension of your soul, is dependent on your self. Meaning how much willpower, isn't that right? Here's a little quiz. How much willpower do you think a guy, who's had to fight extraordinary beings as a regular ass dude with ZERO powers, has? Hm? A guy...

"With no evos..."

I backhanded Sarina, as she slid back, trying to dart around with speed that I never would have been able to keep up with, but now being able to outpace.

"No Dogmas..."

Sarina swung her sword, but I chopped it in half.

"And no inherent abilities."

"Stay away! Stay away!" Sarina screamed.

Convocatio - Advanced Summoning

A highly advanced and more developed red magic circle appeared before me, shattering something in the forest.

"You... you're using Chakra instead of mana to call upon magic?!"

I pulled out my Draugr, as two additional projections appeared before it, giving the appearance of three guns pointed at Sarina's head from one hand.

ASURA'S PENALTY - ULTIMATE DRAUGR CERBERUS

I fired the Draugr, three bullets shining white with Chakra catching the Demon in the chest and sending her into the ground with a huge

BOOM.

Sarina crashed into the ground, a massive crater getting larger and larger. Sarina's eyes went wide, coughing out blood, as I approached her, summoning another magic circle and pulling out my Caliga.

I smiled evilly.

Convocatio - Advanced Ammunition Summoning

"No..."

Anti-Hope Chakra Bullets

A bullet appeared before me, automatically loading itself into the anti-aircraft gun. My muscles flexed under the weight of the enormous rifle. The barrel aimed at Sarina.

"One round of the Destreum Caliga rifle was enough to vaporize the cosmic entity Knull, who was the size of Jupiter. I wonder how powerful a Destreum Caliga Rifle which has been greatly enhanced by Chakra is. Wanna be my test subject, little missy?"

"NO!!!" Sarina screamed, flying away.

"I swear. I swear I'll get you for this! In Lady Vala's name! I SWEAR!"

I lowered my rifle, as both weapons dissipated into their magic circles.

"You... you let her go..." Sarah said, bewildered at my newfound ability.

"Yeah." I said, as I turned to her, a breeze causing her bangs to flutter with the wind.

"She's your sister. So she's your responsibility to bring back. That is gonna be my order to you, Auxiliary Shadow Ultear. Save your sister from herself."

"But..."

Sarah looked down.

"I don't even know how to use chakra. Not like you. I'm not strong enough to face an SS Ranked threat. I'm nothing."

"Dumbass." I said.

"What?"

"I said you're a dumbass. Would you give it a rest already? Calling yourself weak. If you keep doing that you're gonna be weak for real. Besides."

I put my hand on her head, slowly sliding it down the side of her face.

"You were the one who figured out Chakra first. You were the one who lit that match on fire, remember? It was only because of that did I know how to use Chakra myself. And that day, when you faced Inner Shadow Reaper for my sake, it was because of your persistence that he decided to teach us in the ways of Chakra. And it was you who taught me Summoning Magic and the Convocatio chant. Since that day, Summoning Magic has been my most used spell. Check out my profile on Master Jun's database. It was through you that I gained access to my Black Bullets. If it wasn't for you, my... no. Our journey would have ended a long time ago. So give yourself a little more credit."

I walked up to her.

"I wouldn't get you to do this if I didn't think you could do it."

"How can you be so sure?"

I brought her closer.

"I dunno. I tend to have high hopes for people who I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Sarah's face flushed red.

"Wh- What are you saying?! At a time like this?!" She said, nervously.

"Okay. I guess I wasn't clear."

I leaned in and kissed her, then pulled away, a stupid grin on my face that I knew she always hated.

"When Vala is defeated. I'm hanging up the gloves for good. So if you're fine with it. Once this is all done and over, let's throw a huge ass party.

"And get married."

Sarah's eyes were wide, plastered with shock, surprise... and well... shock.

"This... this is a really mean joke, Aaron..."

"What joke? I'm not joking."

"With someone like me? You heard from my little sister. I'm nothing but inferiority complexes. I insulted you. I spoke ill of your name and abandoned you. I accused you for leaving me. And... And..."

"Slow down. We literally just got back from a battlefield. Let's tackle it one at a time. You're looking at the smartest Outer Shadow in the whole Black Legion after all!" I said proudly.

Sarah looked away.

"I've... I've hurt you. I accused you for leaving me."

"Yet you came back and saved my hide multiple times."

"I have severe inferiority complexes."

"And I have severe PTSD."

"You're... You're a far more competent fighter than me! Even though I have a Hero Blessing!"

"And despite that, you still were able to teach me Summoning Magic and Chakra Control."

"My baggage... my sister... and-"

"We can fix it together."

"And... and..."

Sarah gripped her black robe, wrapping it around her face to hide her blushing.

"I'm not... blonde... or tall."

"Pfft. HAHAHAHA!" I laughed, throwing my head to the sky.

"What's so funny!" Sarah exclaimed.

"What, you think if a girl isn't blonde or tall means I don't find em attractive?"

"But you never shut up about liking tall blonde girls! I heard you were head over heels for Outer Shadow Vicki Harriet!"

I chuckled, crossing my arms.

"You're not wrong. She is a literal bombshell in my eyes. Perfect ten. Twenty out of ten."

"I knew it." Sarah pouted, turning the other way.

"But you know..."

I wrapped my arms around Sarah, embracing her from behind.

"Jessica wasn't blonde either. She had blonde highlights later on when we were dating. Just because I prefer them like that doesn't mean I don't find you attractive."

Sarah was quiet.

"And you know. It isn't just looks for me. Sure, I like attractive pretty girls. Who doesn't? I'm a dude and I have hormones. But even if there was a girl out there who was blonde and tall and had the most perfect curves ever..."

"Gross...!" Sarah grumbled.

"... I still consider them incompatible if I don't agree with their personality. Or who they are. Who do you think defeated Vicki and drew a gun to her head when he found out she tried to threaten Bryce?"

"..."

"And with you, you have it both. I know, there are things we still disagree on. You want me to stop fighting, even before the Vala threat is over, right?"

"... yes." Sarah muttered.

"Well too bad. I will never stop fighting for the things I care about. But... you know, not every relationship is perfect. The whole point is that we're together through thick and thin. That's why they're called partners. So Sarah. Will you walk with me till hell freezes over?"

"Does it have to be that dramatic?" Sarah put a hand to her mouth, letting a small giggle through.

"Hell yeah it has to be. You're going out with the legendary SS Ranked Outer Shadow. Aaron Hope. The most annoying Outer Shadow in the Black Legion! What did you expect?"

Sarah took my hands.

"Then... I expect a kiss."

"At your request, Princess Ultear."

Sarah frowned.

"I don't even remember how long ago it was when you last called me that."

"Four years ago. When you threw the paper crown on the ground I made for you. Pretty rude."

"If you made one for me again, I'd still throw it on the ground. It makes me look silly."

"Silly suits you. After all, silly is me."

Philly Boy

"Oh. You two lovebirds actually survived." John said, nonchalantly while cutting his fingernails.

"YOU THREW US INTO AN AMBUSH?!" I shrieked, grabbing the Inner Shadow by the collar and shaking him frantically.

"Stop it, you idiot! You're going to get us killed!" Sarah yanked me back as I growled like a dog.

"Congratulations on scratching the surface of Chakra control. But your understanding is still limited."

"What exactly is Chakra?" I asked.

John inspected his hands.

"It is you."

A vein appeared on my forehead.

"Thanks for that superb clarification. What's next? The floor is made of floor?"

John regarded the two of us.

"You will need to continue honing down your understanding of chakra if you wish to do battle against Loyce. But I'm afraid this is as far as I can assist you. Even I do not stand a chance against The Great Demon King."

"When you mean Demon King, do you mean Inner Shadow Loyce Hal is a Demon Lord? Like Noir?" Sarah asked.

"No." John said, brushing her off.

"When I mean Demon King, I mean he is the King of Demons. All Demons. Underworld Demons. Demons of your world. His own kind - Primordial Demons. And even Demon Lords. He is without a doubt the strongest Demon Lord in existence, to the point where many of his subordinates who aren't listed as his Outer Shadows in the database are Demon Lords themselves."

I stared at John, remembering Kon.

"Kon Larum... he was..."

John nodded.

"Kon Larum, the Worldkiller, is also a Demon Lord. He was. In fact, he was one of the stronger ones, being an SS Rank. But even he was not enough. Loyce has conquered thousands upon thousands of worlds. He has defeated Heroes and Demon Lords alike, forcing them to be his subordinates. Demon Lord Frey. Demon Lord Leon Valentine. Demon Lord Erafil. And Hero Tourmentus of the Dual Cleavers. It doesn't matter which side you are on, if you are not on Loyce's side, he will force you to be. That is the nature of the strongest Primordial Demon in existence."

I gulped.

"You mean to say..."

"Even if you are able to resist his Alogigenesis. That is just one of many countless prerequisites. It is not just just his strength, his power, and his intellect. His followers themselves are extremely powerful. One of which, as you know, has now impacted Inner Shadow Jun Gasket greatly."

"Master Jun won't go down easily. I don't believe it."

John rested his chin on his hand.

"Believe what you wish. But know this. Not even Loyce can withstand his new subordinate without some form of safety netting with Alogigenesis. In terms of destructive potential, he borderlines SSS Rank. His ultimate weapon. An anafabula, anti-narrative."

My heart felt like it was going to drop.

"We will figure it out." Sarah said.

"Master Jun is SS+ Ranked for a reason."

John tilted his head.

"That is true. Jun Gasket surpasses me in power. We shall see if he truly cheated the death of his character."

I had the utmost faith in Jun.

He couldn't have lost so easily.

But...

Sigurd had gone to him for upgrades.

I needed to check on him. I had to.

"You are thinking about checking on your Inner Shadow, aren't you?"

"How in the flipping hell did you know that?" I yelped.

John smiled.

"Your chakra."

Damn you!

"Okay, well what about it." I grumbled.

"I would advise you to check on your other Auxiliaries instead. If you went to Gasket, if it is true that the anafabula has gotten him, you may be susceptible to the same conditions he did. And unlike that supergenius, you don't have the means to find a loophole out of it."

"So I just have to leave him to die?"

"Were you not the one who said you had the utmost faith in your Master?"

My blood boiled.

"Aaron." Sarah put her hand on my arm.

"He is right. We are not equipped to deal with the anti-narrative abilities of this creature. We should check with the others first. We just need to have faith that Sigurd will be fine. She's not an idiot. She knows what she's doing."

I calmed down.

"Alright."

I looked at John again.

"I... Thanks. I guess."

John waved me off.

"Move along, kid. I have other things to do. I hope you two lovebirds enjoy your time together."

Sarah and I blushed.

"G- Gah! You insufferable lil...."

I turned around angrily.

"Shadows. Take us out of here."

Sir Dainsleif. Lady Ultear. To where shall we transport you?

Other Auxiliaries eh.

I guess we'll start with him.

"Take us to America, Earth 142 Kappa Sigma. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the home of Bryce "Uzi" Jones."

"Wait." Sarah tugged at my sleeve.

"What?"

Sarah leaned in close.

"C- Can we... visit the touring places first...?"

I stared at her.

"Huh?"

Sarah put a hand on her mouth.

"Sorry! I... It's just my first time going. I've only heard about Philadelphia from Bryce..."

Oh I see what was going on here.

She wanted to go on a date.

"Yeah, sure."

Sarah looked away, but I could tell from her body language that she was excited.

I had to say.

I never imagined taking a literal fantasy Hero on a date in Philadelphia.

Sarah had changed into summer clothes, and it was probably the first time I had ever seen her in something other than her warrior outfit.

"Do I look weird." Sarah muttered.

"Nah. I'd smash." I blurted out, causing Sarah to flush red.

Shit! What did I just say?!

I clutched my head.

What was going on with me? I hope this was just a temporary thing.

How could a baller like me act awkward at times like this?

"Uh. Erm... Let's... check out the landmarks!" Sarah said.

"Y- Yeah." I stuttered, as Sarah dragged me around like a dog on a leash.

It felt weird being dragged around everywhere after so long.

It used to be the other way around, me dragging Sarah and my Auxiliaries everywhere to my antics, much to their annoyance.

Seeing Sarah happy like this made me feel bubbly inside.

We visited numerous tourist sites. Landmarks. Shops, where Sarah grabbed me by the wrist and brought me everywhere, her eyes lit up with a light I never knew she ever had.

I saw Sarah eyeing a few small bird ornaments, which hung on a stand.

"Something catch your eye?" I asked.

"It's a shame." Sarah frowned.

"What is?"

"These little birds. They remind me of an avian species that used to perch on the sides of my house when I lived with Sarina. They were long extinct."

"Ah. Damn."

"Ugh. I wish it was in the form of a hair-clip." Sarah ran a finger through her purple hair, causing me to stare at her.

The Sarah Ultear I had always known never really put much thought into her accessories or her appearance. Maybe it was because she was naturally so beautiful.

But seeing her like this felt like I was witnessing a completely foreign side.

"I'm gonna use the bathroom. I'll meet you outside." I said.

"Okay."

I watched as Sarah walked off.

"Buck. You there?"

Always, Master Aaron.

"How would I go about converting one of these ornaments into a hair clip? Would welding work?"

Unfortunately, the high heat will distort the shape of the ornaments, as well as ruin the coloured finish.

"What about glue?"

Highly unlikely, due to the tensile forces that are involved in a hair clip.

Damn.

Sarah's smile flashed in my mind. The way she talked about her time with Sarina, and the hurt she was carrying.

A way for her to remember the good old days.

"How hard is it to manufacture one of these yourself?" I asked.

Given your expertise in precision crafting, it will be very unlikely you can-

"My expertise at the moment. Let's make a quick stop at the library. I'm gonna teach myself how to craft. Tell me what tools I will need and I'll see what magic I can do to substitute."

Very well, Master Aaron. But even at your above average learning rate, crafting something this precise will require many hours of practice.

"It'll be worth it. Just trust me, Buck." I smiled.

I walked off to meet with Sarah, when suddenly, I noticed some graffiti in the alleyway.

THE SCARLET UZI.

The Scarlet Uzi? Were they talking about Bryce?

I smirked.

This guy must have been the talk of the town. Given his powers. He must have been an icon in his world's Philly.

I continued on my way, when suddenly, something caught my eye.

I turned to the side of the graffiti, to see extra words written beneath it.

TRAITOR TO HIS PEOPLE.

FAKE BLACK WANNABE.

HE DON'T REPRESENT US AT ALL.

LOCK THIS FUCKER UP. NOT OUR BROTHERS.

I studied the graffiti grimly.

Bryce...

I knew there was a lot of animosity in this day and age when it came to race.

And I also knew that as a Caucasian male, I had to watch the things I would say. After all, I would always give off the impression of an undertone even when I didn't mean it.

Yeling and his people suffered from racial discrimination in New Ulysses. And I knew Bryce, along with his people suffered it to an extremely violent degree. Senseless beatings from police and society. Senseless violence to even people who weren't even affiliated with crime in the first place.

To not just judge someone from the colour of their skin, but to have to accept that this was a social norm.

It could make someone like me, someone who was a privileged enough to watch it from a distance, angry.

I could not even begin to imagine what it must have been like for these guys.

Bryce had told me that in his neighbourhood, he fought alongside his companions to protest against the police and the government, leading to an all out brawl because the police had been revealed to falsely accuse residents of crimes they never committed, all because of the colour of their skin.

This brawl, and the need to protect his people was what allowed Bryce to unleash his extremely devastating powers.

As a demon to the Police, Bryce told me he had become the hero of Philly, by defending his, what he described as "brothers" from the law, so much so, that the discrimination had been reduced significantly.

But judging from the way all the graffiti had lined him up, it was not consistent with what Bryce was telling me.

"Aaron! Look at the view! Kalidas never had parks so beautiful before!"

By the way, Kalidas is the name of the fantasy world Sarah came from. It was ruined by the countless battles between Noir's army and Ultear.

"Want a better view?" I asked.

"What?" Sarah said, when suddenly, I appeared underneath her, lifting her whole body up as she sat on my shoulders. Her legs dangled on my collarbone as Sarah yelped.

Light Magic - Invisibilis

"Aaron! Stop! This is embarrassing!"

"Come on, there's no one around here. I casted a light magic spell. No one can see us."

"S- Still! This is-"

Sarah paused, staring at the view.

"It's so high up..."

"Yeah. Being 6 foot has its advantages!"

"This is more than 6 foot! Careful, you're going to drop me!"

"I'm not gonna drop you. You're super light, for someone so superhuman."

Sarah rested her hands on my head. Her scent was mesmerizing.

"I never knew the world could be so beautiful." She mumbled.

"Weren't you in Andropol for the past year? Surely Diana showed you some beautiful views."

"This is different. America... modern society. It feels different, so beautiful and clean, and advanced. It's different."

"Oh yeah? You should check out Amerada's Philadelphia. Or Outer Shadow Ernest Wang's version of America. It's nothing but potholes."

"What's a pothole?"

"Say what now."

Sarah peeked from above me, her face upside down from my point of view.

"A pothole."

"It's like a big hole on a road."

"A road? Like those pavements you travel on with your bike?"

"Yeah. Surely you've seen a road before. Come on. Bryce or Sig never shown you one before?"

"I know what they are. I'm not familiar with all the intricacies of modern transportation. Come to think of it, why is it that you never pilot the bigger vehicles?"

"You mean a car?"

"Yes."

"Erm..."

I'm sorry, Sir Dainsleif. In terms of threat level on the road, you may well be SS+ Ranked. The shadows had once told me, as I had roped them into a mock driving test since none of my Auxiliaries dared sit in the same car as me.

I shrugged.

"I'm just too good to drive a car is all. You know. I'm too much of a badass to be seen driving a Civic."

"Hmmm. Your magical signature is giving off signals similar to a liar."

"Quit using magic to expose me! So I can't drive a car! Sue me! I bet Bryce doesn't know how to drive!"

"Wait! Stop moving around! I'm gonna KYA!"

I slipped on a patch of grass, as Sarah tumbled on top of me, our faces so close that I could feel her breath.

"A- Aaron..."

"Um... er..."

"Is... is the light magic spell still up?" Sarah asked, quietly.

"Y- Yes." I said.

Sarah put her hands on my face.

Why the hell was I sweating?

I did this kind of thing with Sarah before.

But for some reason, even the thought of it was making my chest hurt like crazy.

"W- Wait... I..."

VROOM.

"Yo! Who said I can't drive!!!!" A kid's voice broke the silence, as Sarah screamed, smacking me in the face and getting off of me.

I summoned my Draugr, spinning at the sound of the voice.

It was coming from a car.

"You-" I said, as the window rolled down, revealing a young African American kid behind the wheel. He lowered his sunglasses.

"Wow. So Ultear and Aaron? Never woulda expected that kinda thing. I always thought you woulda made Vicki your girl, boss man."

Sarah looked like she was about to explode. She was sprawled on the grass, stumbling back and summoning her sword.

"BRYCE." She snarled.

"WAIT!" Bryce yelped.

"I just got this car! Don't bust it up while I'm still tryna pay it off!"

Sarah was giving me silent treatment, sitting in the back with her arms crossed.

"Come on, Ulti. Are you still mad at me?" I asked her.

"..."

Bryce chuckled.

"Damn, boss man. You fucked up big time. She ain't even talking to you!"

"This was your fault you half Scottish brat!"

"HUH?! I wasn't the one who decided to start banging in the park!"

"Don't phrase it like that!" Sarah yelped.

Bryce calmed down, putting his hands back on the wheel.

"Whatever. But damn. It's been a while, Sarah. How you been?"

"I... Nothing out of the usual."

"Yeah?"

I glanced at Bryce. I didn't notice it, but there were new scars along his arms.

"I take it you've been training, Bryce?"

"Me? Yeah. Fo sho. Yeah."

This guy was such a shitty liar.

"Those scars-"

"From training." Bryce cut me off.

"Just training."

He wasn't very convincing.

Those scars, judging from the way they still looked fresh, it had to have been recent. And the way they were angled suggested that Bryce had been attacked by multiple people wielding different weapons.

Chains.

Brass knuckles.

I narrowed my eyes.

And gunshots.

Bryce was hiding something.

"So... what kinda training were you doing?" I asked.

Bryce swerved, as I nearly hit my head against the side window.

HONK.

"Just... going back to my roots is all. Like I said. It's in my roots do I grow the most."

"Huh. Never thought you were the type to make puns."

I looked at his wounds again, but Bryce caught me staring.

"Ay! Relax, bossman. Ya boy's got this covered. My homies in the hood respect me. Here in Philly, I'm known as The Scarlet Uzi. Here in my hometown, ain't no police mess with my boys."

I thought back to the graffiti on the wall.

If he really was respected, why would there be so many words of hostility on that wall?

"Y- Yeah. You're right. I mean, you're the Black Legion Uzi after all." I laughed, covering up my doubt.

"Hell yeah. Ay. Listen, I'd love to show you around my neighbourhood, but... um..."

"Is it because Sarah and I are white." I joked.

Bryce clutched the steering wheel.

His body language was clearly telling me he wasn't okay.

Nothing about what he was doing here was going smoothly at all.

"I'm... taking y'all to my grandma's. Uh. It ain't safe being in my neighbourhood."

"You know you could-" My voice trailed away, as I noticed his hands beginning to glow red.

"Oh shit!" Bryce yelped, nearly rear ending the car in front of him and slamming on the brakes.

The guy behind him also braked with a screech, but we ended up having our car being rear ended instead.

"Sarah-" I said, as I turned around, but Sarah was already gone, sitting on the ledge of the divider with her head resting on her hand.

Damn, she was fast.

Bryce rubbed his head.

"Shit... ayo. Bossman, you good? Let's get out first. I gotta deal with this."

"Your car..."

"Don't worry about it." Bryce said, as we hopped out, to see the person from behind us step out.

"HEY. YOU TRYING TO START BEEF OR SOMETHING?!" The guy yelled, at Bryce, who scratched the back of his head, taking out his driver's license and documents.

"Heyo. It's my bad. Let's exchange info. Here's my lic-"

SMACK.

The place went silent, as Bryce's card and papers flew onto the ground, strewn everywhere.

Sarah and I watched grimly.

We knew better than to butt in, this was Bryce's business and he would never let us interfere.

"I don't need to see yo license to know who your FAKE ass is, you wannabe black bitch. How dare you show your face here again after everything you did to us?!"

"I'm not here to start any beef, I swear on my mama's life. I'm here to get some training in, you know? Get that work in. And I'll bounce. Swear on my mama's life."

That same insult again.

Wannabe Black.

Could it be that they knew Bryce was half Scottish?

Bryce had once told me that his name, Bryce, was not a "black name". It was Scottish, which was a name that his mom, who was Scottish named him. And though his mom was Caucasian and his father was fully African American, Bryce ended up looking a lot more like his father.

"You come ANYWHERE near my wife and kids and I'll fuckin kill you. Got that, Uzi Bitch? And if you try it, I don't even care if you tough out here..." The man leaned in close to Bryce.

"I'll shoot your ass up." He sneered, showing Bryce his firearm, which was tucked in his pants.

I half expected Bryce, who was always so energetic and reckless, to say something back, but to my shock, Bryce simply got to his knees, picking up the documents.

"S- Sorry." He muttered.

"Yeah. Don't show your face again. You real lucky, boy. If it been anyone else from the hood they'd put rounds in your scummy ass without hesitation. But I'm not about that life anymore. I'm trying to get my shit together. So I can provide for my family, in the midst of the bullshit the feds are putting us through now. Thanks to your 'help'."

The man drove off, and from the shotgun seat, I saw his wife flipping the bird to Bryce.

"Get the fuck outta Philly! We don't want you here!" She shouted.

Bryce put his license back in his wallet, and tossed the documents into the car.

"The damage ain't too severe. He got a warped license plate and I just have a few nicks on my rear bumper. I'll drop you both to my grandma's. I got some stuff I gotta do."

"Hey. Listen, Bryce. If you need-"

"I told you, Aaron. I'm good. Aight? I'm fuckin good!" Bryce snapped, glaring at me.

Sarah instinctively put distance between Bryce and I.

"You will speak to your senior with respect. He is your Outer Shadow." She said, her voice hostile, as her hand was in the midst of summoning her sword.

Bryce eyed us.

"Yeah. Whatever."

The rest of our drive, Bryce tried to change the subject, bringing up his pride of Philadelphia. From its history, to its important landmarks and as well, of course, his national treasure: the Philly cheesesteak.

"Listen up. If you go to Japan and have their ramen, and you come back to the States, don't you notice it doesn't taste the same? Same thing. You come to Philly and try our cheesesteaks and go back to Millennium City? It don't taste the same! We're number one! Always! Philly, no matter what world its in, will always have the best cheesesteaks."

"Yeah, you're right. Sarah and I tried some earlier and it was honestly pretty great. I have to say, out of all the bullshit that comes out of your mouth, you weren't lying about the cheesesteaks in Philly."

"Yeah! Wait, what do you mean bullshit."

"Ah! Just keep driving!"

Sarah was silent the entire drive, her arms crossed as she looked out the window, as if she was scanning for hostiles with that scary, empty and blank expression.

The Blank Saviour had returned!

I was gonna tell her to lighten up, but quit.

This was just how Sarah was.

I couldn't just tell her to act like she did whenever we were alone, when she was around others (no offense, Bryce).

We finally arrived. The place looked pretty run down and small, but something about it felt really "homey".

"Aight. You'll be staying with my grandma's. If you wanna get in touch with me, I'll come visit by here sometime and I can give you some updates."

"Alright."

The three of us approached the doorbell, when suddenly, something seemed off.

"Why are you hiding behind Sarah?" I asked.

Bryce peeked from behind Sarah, who looked annoyed.

"Don't worry about it. I'll do the talking. Just press the doorbell."

"What kind of introduction is this?" I asked.

"Shut up and do as I say!"

"You dare..." Sarah spun around, her eyes glinting with a murderous light.

"S- Sorry! Look. Just trust me on this!" Bryce yelped.

My finger hovered over the doorbell.

Sarah tensed up, ready to strike, when suddenly, the door flew open, revealing an old chubby lady.

"TYRELL! OH MY BABY!"

"What the-" I screamed, scrambling back, as Sarah materialized before me, her sword about to decapitate the sweet old grandma.

"Stop! Grandma! Those are my friends! And Sarah, put that thing away!" Bryce yelled, getting in the way of the two.

I grabbed Sarah by the waist, yanking her back.

"Calm down, Sarah! You're not seriously thinking about cutting down an old lady, are you?!" I said.

After a few minutes of settling down, Sarah and I sat down on the couch next to each other, while Bryce stood in the corner of the living room.

From the kitchen, granny was humming a little tune in the background.

"My grand baby Tyrell's come home! Didn't I tell you, Tevin? Your son always comes home the hero!"

Bryce looked away.

"Your name's Tyrell?" I asked, quietly.

"Y- Yeah. That was the name my Pop wanted to give me. But Ma wanted me to go by 'Bryce' as her dying wish. Pop had to honour it. To grandma, I've always been known as Tyrell. Also, don't bring up my Ma to her. She don't like her one bit."

Grandma Jones came in with a tray of fresh baked goodies.

"These are peanut butter cookies. Tevin loved to eat these when he was little. And so does Tyrell!"

"Thanks, ma'am." I said, as I took one and tried it.

It was incredible.

The flavour completely overwhelmed my taste buds.

"Whoa! It's good! Sarah, try some!"

Sarah scooted closer to me and took a cookie, tasting it. She put a hand to her mouth.

"In- Incredible!"

Grandma Jones laughed.

"Awww.... you two look so happy together. Why don't you have a wife, Tyrell?"

Bryce choked.

"I... I don't need one."

Grandma Jones narrowed her eyes.

"A handsome man like you?"

"Geh."

Bryce leaned off the post.

"Gran. My friends, Aaron and Sarah need a place to crash. Do you mind lending them a place to stay for a while?"

"Of course! I'd gladly help with their wedding!"

Sarah coughed, her eyes wide.

"Not that!" Bryce snapped.

"I meant they need a place to live."

"Oh! Dear me! I certainly am getting quite old for my age!" Grandma Jones hobbled to the door.

"This here is Tevin's old room. You can borrow it for the time being."

"Thanks." I said.

"Um... Mrs. Jones?" Sarah asked.

"Yes dear?"

"Where would I sleep?"

Grandma Jones tilted her head.

"Why, with your man of course? Where else would you sleep?"

"Gah!" Sarah stared at me, her face turning into a tomato.

"Relax." I whispered into her ear.

"I'll just sleep on the bed and you sleep in the closet. It'll work out in the end."

"You scum! How dare you make me sleep in the closet!"

"Fine, we'll sleep together."

"No!" Sarah clenched her lips tight.

Grandma Jones chuckled.

"How you two remind me of my younger days. Tyrell, I am so happy you finally brought back friends! I always thought you were too popular to be able to make friends, what with being the Hero of Philadelphia and all! Why didn't you offer them to stay with you?"

"I... uh... well, you know! Since I'm so popular, my house is just way too big ya know? And I got way too many fans. So many shorties after me, ya feel me?"

"Oh you silly goose! I'm so glad you're doing well. I truly am."

"Hel- Heck yeah I am! Haha!" Bryce put his hands on his hips, striking a mighty pose.

"The Hero of Philadelphia. Your grandson. Expect no less, Gran!"

Grandma Jones clapped.

"My hero." She smiled, as Bryce continued laughing nervously.

"Well! Duty calls! Gotta bounce! Ay. Don't let those two off your sight, ya hear me? I'm counting on you, Gran!"

"For you, Tyrell? Always."

Sarah and I watched Bryce leave the house, hopping in his car, and driving off.

Settling down in the little room felt so strange.

It wasn't the first time I shared a room with a girl. I've countless times have gone to sleep with Sigurd watching over me. Though that kinda stopped when I learned that the entire time, she had me on surveillance.

Whether I was sleeping.

Whether I was in the bathroom.

Whenever I was jerking one out (I'm not kidding).

But sharing a room with Sarah felt so weird. Maybe it was because I had basically proposed to her. Wouldn't that make her my fiancee?

Suddenly, sharing a room with this girl felt like it had a completely different meaning.

"Aaron."

"AH! Y- Yes?" I asked, nervously, watching as Sarah stepped out of the shower room, she was wearing pyjamas.

The Hero, Sarah Ultear, was wearing pyjamas.

She looked so adorable.

"I want to talk to you about something."

"I swear to god I didn't know the Light Magic spell wore off so fast."

Sarah became flustered.

"Not that, you moron! I wanted to talk about Bryce. Didn't his conversation with his grandmother seem strange?"

"Of course."

"Then why didn't we-"

"Confront him? Do you really think that would be the best move right now?" I asked.

I sat down on the bed next to her.

"It's as clear as day that Bryce is hiding something. The way he is lying about being a Hero to these people, when it's so clear that they don't respect him at all. But he kept up that act, and his grandma believes it. If we confronted him about it, what do you think his grandma is gonna feel?"

Sarah's face turned sullen.

"I... I never realized. I apologize."

"It's fine. But... I am very curious now. Up until now, Bryce was always this kid who never left his room and played NBA 2K all day on his Gamestation. I didn't think his circumstances were like this."

Sarah yawned, but suddenly put her hands to her mouth in embarrassment.

"I- I'm not tired!" Sarah said.

"You don't need to force yourself. I can take it from here. Just go to bed."

Sarah gave me a suspicious look.

"You're... not going to try anything while I'm asleep are you."

"Wha- What kind of things were you imagining I would do?!"

Sarah's face turned guarded, as her mouth contorted into a pout.

"I won't do anything. I swear. Okay? I'm just gonna stay up later than usual."

Sarah reluctantly slid into her covers, still glaring at me.

"Just go to bed! Jeez! Why do you have such low expectations about me?"

I watched as Sarah fell fast asleep. I turned around and left the room, sitting in the living room.

"Oh my! Still awake? Where's your beloved?" Grandma Jones sat next to me.

"She's asleep already."

"I see!"

I studied Bryce's grandmother.

As far as I could tell, she was from his father's side. She gave off a warm, sweet, and fuzzy feeling.

"Let me get a good close look at you. Someone who's a friend of Tyrell is bound to be incredible!"

"Uh, sure."

Grandma Jones gently turned my head to face her as she narrowed her eyes.

"Dear lord! Where did you get those scars?"

"Umm... well..."

"Did she do this to you?"

"Huh?"

Huh? What?

Grandma Jones suddenly turned serious.

"Who... who are you talking about?"

"Her, of course."

Her?

Don't bring up my Ma to her. She don't like her one bit.

I had to risk it. If I could get an idea of Bryce's circumstances, I had to.

"Are you talking about Tyrell's mother?"

Grandma Jones looked at me with an incredibly serious expression.

"I pray to the lord. Every time my precious Tyrell goes out there. Under her care. I was so glad he was raised to be a strong young man like his father. If it wasn't for his mother, the poor boy's life would never have been so terrible."

"What did... Tyrell's mother do? What is she like?"

Grandma Jones let go of my face.

"What is she like..."

Suddenly, the room felt dark and cold.

As if the warm, fuzzy and homey feeling that once filled the atmosphere had turned into dread.

"She was simply put...

"A monster."

Tyrell Jackson Jones

Four Years Ago

"WHY AREN'T YOU TAKING ME IN!" Bryce shouted after me.

"From what you told me, seems you got a lot of purpose here." I replied.

Bryce ran forward and spread his hands, stopping me in my tracks.

"I'll be one sick Auxiliary Shadow! There's no going back for me. Imma be the biggest baller ever and represent my home. This is the big break I needed!"

I regarded Bryce.

"Last warning, kid. Get outta my way before you regret it."

"Is it because I'm black? Huh? You'd gladly take in a white person wouldn't you! White! Asian! That little Korean loli got in. The bitch just turned fourteen!"

I grabbed Bryce by the collar, lifting him up with freakish strength.

"Whoa- wait. Calm down bro. Chill out!"

I brought Bryce closer to me, my anger overflowing.

"Don't you dare make this about race." I snarled.

"If it ain't about the colour of my skin then why? Why won't you let me join, man?!"

"Do you think this is some kinda game? That I'd let you be my subordinate just so you could flex to your buddies in your hometown?"

"No! No dude! But-"

I let go of the kid.

"We're gonna fight."

Bryce blinked.

"What?"

"You heard me. In four seconds, I'm going to tell you now. I will draw my gun out. In those four seconds, you're gonna fight me with everything you got. Or you will die."

"A fight eh? Hell yeah. Let's scrap, big man. I'll show you the power of the Scarlet Uzi!"

Bryce's eyes flashed red as he put his hand on a stop sign, the metal crumbling away with red energy veins.

Within two seconds, the shape of an Uzi SMG formed, as he aimed the gun at me.

"You still got two seconds. Two seconds for me to KICK YOUR ASS!"

SLAM.

I grabbed Bryce by the back of the head and smashed him into the curb of the road. Blood trickled down the side of his head as his face was full of surprise.

"What the-?! How did you-?! Why you little..."

Bryce aimed his uzi and fired wildly, but I dodged the blasts easily, having already predicted his movements just from his body language.

Convocatio - Gun Summoning: MP7

I summoned my own SMG, firing the bullets at Bryce's direction. The bullets hit his own SMG, causing him to drop it.

"What the hell?! How did you shoot those bullets so accurately?!" He yelped, as I rushed in relentlessly, pressing the barrel to the side of his head.

"Checkmate."

Bryce's face contorted in annoyance.

"I ain't done." He growled, summoning his Uzi again and firing, but I slipped through his attacks and pressed the barrel to his chest.

"Checkmate."

"You slipped through that in such a close range?!"

I ignored Bryce and swept my leg, causing him to fall on his back, aiming my submachine gun and pressing the barrel to his forehead.

"Checkmate."

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!" Bryce yelled, his voice full of frustration.

"Checkmate."

Another attempt made by Bryce.

"Checkmate."

"Checkmate."

"Checkmate."

"Checkmate."

Within the span of ten minutes, I had "killed" Bryce one hundred fifty seven times.

Bryce breathed heavily, as I put my MP7 back in its red magic circle, having not even broken a sweat.

"Nah. This... this is bullshit. You're using powers! There's no way you were just using a SMG to beat me like this. It's impossible. No way."

"I don't have powers. I just have Elementary Level magic."

"BULLSHIT. THERE'S NO WAY. I'M THE HERO OF PHILADELPHIA."

"Stop. I'm sick of your shit, kid. If you don't leave me alone, I will actually press the trigger for real and kill you. Let Philly find another 'Hero'."

"Please dude! I'm begging you man. Take me in! I don't have anywhere to go!"

"The Hero of Philadelphia has nowhere to go? Sounds sketchy to me."

Bryce pursed his lips.

"What do I have to do to prove it to you? If I don't go with you... I'll..."

Bryce's hands fell dejectedly.

"I can't stand it. I can't stand being in Philly for any longer."

"But you made it sound like they admire-"

"I just can't! Okay?! I can't! I... I don't wanna stay here any longer. I promise I'll be useful. Please, Mr. Hope. Mr. Bossman."

"Do not call me Bossman."

Present Day

"You- You're going to Bryce's neighbourhood? I will come along. Someone must protect-" Sarah said.

"I can handle it."

Sarah didn't look too happy.

"Please?" She muttered, her face downcast.

I hesitated. What was I doing? After all that speal we had gone through, yelling at each other and arguing about abandoning one another. Here I was doing it again.

"Aw. Who am I kidding. Come with me, Sarah. Let's figure out what this dumbass is up to." I held my hand out.

Sarah took it, smiling.

"Thank you. Dainsleif."

The entire time we were in Bryce's neighbourhood, Sarah had her hand up, ready to summon her sword.

"Relax, Sarah. You do realize that the people here are normal humans, right."

"Bryce tells me his neighbourhood is infamously known for gang wars and guns."

"If any kind of thing like that breaks out, you could take them without your sword, Sarah."

Sarah put her hand down reluctantly.

"I- I suppose."

I chuckled.

"What's so funny!" Sarah snapped.

"Nothing. It's just whenever you do things like this I find it so adorable."

Sarah was about to say something, but stopped.

"Sarah?" I asked.

Sarah knelt down, picking up a card.

"Bryce Jackson Jones?" She said.

"What? Let me see." Sarah handed me the card.

This was Bryce's driver's license. Did he drop it on the way to his place? I better give it to him asap. But I didn't want to summon any Shadows considering we were out in the open.

We continued walking.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed an elderly man trying to push a big crate to the top of a ledge. I hoped he was doing it safely, because that thing looked like it easily could have weighed 100kg.

SLIP.

"Holy shit!" The man yelped. My eyes widened as I tried to close in, but Sarah was already there, holding the crate up with one hand.

The man stared at Sarah.

"Dayum! Where the hell are YOU from?"

"I am from a world known as Kali-"

"CALIFORNIA! YOU KNOW THE GIRLS THERE! HAHAHA!" I put my hand on her mouth.

"Mmf!" Sarah protested, but I leaned in.

"Don't give away your identity like that! Bryce is as close to a superhuman they've seen. We can't go showing your power like that."

Sarah and the old man managed to get the box up.

"Thank you, young lady." The man said.

Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"You will not shoot me for intervening with your task?"

"SARAH!" I yelped.

Why did I bring her along?!

"She didn't mean it like that! I swear! My girlfriend is a little... wonky in the head at times!" I begged profusely, but the man chuckled.

"Ah you white kids. Always so scared to offend us. Don't worry about it. All good. All good."

"Sorry. I just don't know how to go about things, you know. Given the history." I said.

The man tossed a rag over his shoulder.

"No. We don't do that here."

"What?"

The man walked to his garage, where a sick looking car was inside. It looked like an old model, maybe in the 90's?

"White. Black. Asian. Mexican. What does it matter? We don't stand for what the police do to us, but we ain't fighting for the reason to target a race. We gotta be better. Here in Philly, it don't matter what colour your skin is. I for one, judge you based on what you bring to the table. Right here in these streets? It's all about respect."

Respect.

The man continued.

"That young lady saved me just now, that's what I call something that deserves respect."

I studied the surroundings.

"Is this view... shared amongst everybody in Philadelphia?"

The man shrugged his shoulders.

"Ay. I speak for myself. But respect is a thing you gotta earn, and of all the boys who's wheels I been fixing for forty years, its always been this way. It's all about respect in Philly. We don't mess with you if you respect us and we respect you, ya feel me? None care if you white or black."

"What of the gangs?" Sarah asked.

The man began working on his car.

"They gon get what's coming to them. I don't like them feds much, but I certainly got no respect for people who be causing trouble to families. Let em rot in jail."

I thought back to what Bryce had been going through.

The "Wannabe Black" insult that people were throwing at him, it certainly felt inconsistent with what that guy was saying. But judging from the way he talked and the way he carried himself, it was clear he was telling the truth.

And that included the people he included in that statement.

"So. What brings you two in Philly? Y'all don't seem to be from around here."

"Uh. We're here to visit a friend."

"Yeah? Someone I know?"

"Err...."

I ran my hand over Bryce's license, taking care not to drop it, when suddenly, a wave of nausea rushed over me.

"Grrk!" I stumbled, as my hand suddenly twitched, dropping the card onto the ground.

Sarah jolted forward and caught me.

"Thanks." I whispered.

"Aaron... we need to talk after this."

"It was just a stumble."

"No." Sarah's eyes turned adamant.

"This is not just a stumble. This is serious."

The man raised an eyebrow at the license on the ground.

I quickly scooped it off the ground.

"So. Tyrell's your boy, eh?"

"Huh? Yeah. Yeah..." My voice trailed away, hoping for the worst.

The man certainly didn't look too pleased. His whole body language had shifted, almost like a 180.

"Tyrell Jackson Jones... eh. That one is a tricky one."

"How so?" I asked.

"Hmmm." The man put a hand to his chin, as if he was deep in thought.

"He's not too loved in Philly. Given what he's done. Tyrell never told you?"

"I... I was always under the impression that he helped you guys rebel against the police. That was as far as he told me."

"Rebel... that's... a very big understatement."

The man gestured us inside.

"Come come. If you two wanna listen to an old man ramble a bit."

Sarah and I sat down inside the garage. The old man came back with some beers.

"Eh. Y'all old enough to drink?"

"Ya."

The man handed me a bottle, then turned to Sarah.

"What about you, young missy?"

Sarah reached out, but I grabbed her wrist.

"N- No.... she can't hold her liquor."

Sarah gave me a pout.

The man sat down and held his hand out.

"The name's Deion Washington, by the way."

"Aaron Hope. My girlfriend there is Sarah Ultear."

We shook hands.

"So... we actually came here because we were interested in Bryce- I mean Tyrell's background. He kind of just... left us in the blue with a lot of things."

"Well, considering all he told you was that he was part of the Great Police Revolt he must be hiding a lot from his friends."

"He's actually a good kid." I said.

"I know." Deion responded, putting the bottle on the plastic table.

"I know Tyrell is a good kid. But I guess it's for that reason he's in the situation he's in now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one thing, his name. 'Bryce Jones'. The name Bryce was given to him by his white mama. As you probably know, he's biracial."

"I know that. His mother was Scottish, right?"

"...I guess you could say that."

Deion gazed outside.

"Even when Tyrell was young, he was mocked by his classmates for being part white. So much so, that he would do anything to prove to his brothers that he was as African as he could be. To this day, he tries so hard to be black, it even makes an old dog like me cringe. But then again, some of us were happy the kid embraced his black side."

I could imagine.

"When Tyrell joined in our rebellion, he was one of the most passionate of us. Always marching into the front lines, even withstanding tear gas for his brothers. There was no other kid with a bigger heart than Jones, that was for sure. We all respected him, to the point where he was given the nickname 'The Hero of Philadelphia' after he had hijacked a cop car and shielded the defenceless children n mothers from police gunfire. To drive right into the line of fire like that, hell. We hadn't seen someone with bigger balls than that ever since his Pop, Tevin.

"But one day, things changed for the kid. I'm assuming you know about his little 'gift'. During one of our raids, Tyrell was tryna fight back a bunch of cops who were arrestin a bunch of our brothers who did no wrong. It was just one black kid against seven fully grown white men. It was a one sided slaughter, and while we tried to stop em, the rest of the police were keeping us out. They was tryna make Tyrell an example for the rest of us, about what would happen if we went against the white man.

"One of the police called it. Made the call. 'Open fire on the crowd' he said. They raised their guns at us, and many of us booked it real quick. But some of us chose to stand our ground. If we ran at a time like this, things would go back to the way it was. We being discriminated against. Those of us who were innocent being locked up for shit we didn't even do. Tyrell... he wasn't happy about that. When the cops began shooting at us, Tyrell watched our brothers fall. One by one. Each one pushing him over his limit, just a bit, but enough. And on that night, we saw it."

Deion leaned closer, his hand making a gun gesture.

"The Scarlet Uzi. A red demonic power that even to this day, no one has been able to explain. Tyrell wiped em all out. Every last cop. But he didn't stop with just that. Tyrell marched on over to the police station and massacred them all. Not a single white man that Tyrell encountered escaped that night. He left behind a huge trail of blood in his midst."

Sarah and I were silent. Stunned.

Bryce...

Why didn't you tell me about all of this?

Deion continued.

"But you see. Tyrell never stopped killing. Even when the next morning came, he marched over and hunted down every cop he could see. That night was truly traumatic for the kid. That was when bounties began being posted everywhere for his arrest. 'The Scarlet Uzi' became a symbol of terror to the white peoples. Some of us were with him. After all. He was a brother! He fought back against the white man, protecting us like a Scarlet Angel! But... some of us weren't. We were divided. After all, it was because of what Tyrell did, he had become a mass murderer, painting us as a race of vengeance. He was killing for our sake. And because of what he done, the police were terrified. They began to take it out on us. The allegations and arrests became worse. All because Tyrell thought he was helping us out."

"So Tyrell... his actions had ended up causing the police and feds to double down on you guys?"

Deion nodded.

"Perhaps to the kid, what he was doing was justice. But in reality, what he was doing was no different than a jacked up gang member. He was takin lives. I don't care if he be taking white lives black lives. Any colour lives. They are lives nonetheless. You ain't helping your race by piling up bodies. This was something the kid could never understand. But."

Deion looked at us.

"One day, he stopped."

"He stopped?" I asked.

"Yes. One day, Tyrell stopped. You see, though we was divided, the part of our community who supported The Scarlet Uzi, joined and rallied behind him to take on the police and the law. To them, Tyrell was a symbol of vengeance. An arbiter for the black peoples. And so, with every expedition Jones went on, they rallied with him. They stood with him. Until one day. Tyrell stopped. He told them he didn't wanna kill no more. He told them that the hatred he had for the white peoples was something he could not keep holding on to. Hearing that was a shock. The people who supported him were betrayed to say the least. After all. He had already rallied so much. His reputation with the police could not have been worse, and the feds were all over us like hounds. And while the big mess he made only ever escalated, Tyrell dropped his name. He decided to roll with his white name. Bryce. Bryce Jones. Not even a Jackson in there. Just Bryce Jones.

"And he disappeared. Never to be seen again. That symbol of hatred and violence that had caused our people to be discriminated even more, just left. Without even accounting for the things he had done."

The day was getting late. After a few drinks, I accidentally let slip that I owned a bike.

"Ay! Bring your bike over to my shop some time, kid! I'll hook you up with the most fire mods!"

"You got it, Deion!" I shouted back.

Sarah and I walked down the beat up trail.

"Aaron."

"Yo."

"It's getting worse."

I looked at Sarah, who clenched her teeth.

"The backlash. From your many years of pushing your body."

"I... I'll be careful next time."

"We both know that this isn't something that can be avoided by being careful. You're dying, Aaron... and with you wielding Chakra like this - it's an extension of your soul. By wielding more of Chakra like this, you're putting even more strain on your body than before. If you continue with this, your lifespan is going to be reduced even more... I... I don't know if I can-"

"Sarah." I put my hands on her shoulders.

"Just wait for me. Wait until the threat is over. I refuse to die before this threat is over. I promise you. Once Vala is gone and Loyce is defeated, I will stop entirely. We can live our lives together without ever holding a weapon again. But right now, I need to do this. They need the God-Eater."

Sarah breathed out.

"First you. Now Bryce keeping secrets. Unbelievable, you two! Since when was secrecy something that was practiced even amongst a team of Auxiliary Shadows!"

I put my hands in my pockets.

"This whole Bryce issue really bothers me. I can sort of see why he would keep this kind of stuff a secret from his grandmother."

Sarah gazed into the distance.

"Even Bryce has demons he must conquer. But..."

Sarah smiled.

"I'm glad to know that I got to know this side of him. Up until this point, I always imagined him to be the epitome of laziness. I never got to know the struggles and tribulations behind his past, and his present. If we can help him overcome these hurdles, we can walk together with renewed vigour."

"He just needs to see that he isn't alone. We're here to back him up. No matter what."

"Ay! Shorty! Wanna have a good time!" A man's voice called out to Sarah in the distance.

Sarah's smile melted.

"What." She muttered.

A man was waving at her, as I put my arm around my girlfriend.

"Hey man! Sorry, she's taken!" I shouted back.

"What you just say, white boy? Where you from, taking this shorty around for a stroll at this time of night?"

Several men began to surround us.

Sarah's eyes flashed murderously.

"It be best to not anger me, residents of Bryce's homeworld." She seethed.

"What'll you do? Come on. We're just gonna teach this white boy some manners is all!" One of the gang members waved his gun, a Draco, at me.

"In these ends we run the hood. I'm from a gang, muhfugga. What you on boy?" The gang member aimed the barrel at my head, when suddenly, a white slash appeared, severing the barrel in two before anyone could react.

Sarah glared at the man, her straight purple hair fluttering in the wind.

Convocatio - llium Obsidios

The glint of an obsidian blade shined in the night sky, as Sarah flew in with devastating speed, kicking back the guy who was antagonizing me with tremendous force. She then proceeded to unleash a barrage of knife slashes at the rest of the attackers, cutting their barrels up in the blink of an eye.

In terms of speed, Sigurd was the fastest Auxiliary Shadow I had. And Sarah was the tankiest. But Sarah's speed was still nothing to scoff at.

As the Hero of Kalidas, her main weapon was her sword - Ygviil. But after having adapted her style to be more fierce, she began to call upon the power of darkness and incorporated assassin elements into her arsenal. This included numerous knives, kunai, and caltrops.

"No one fucks with us!" Another gang member rushed in, but Sarah effortlessly dodged the onslaught of her attackers, weaving through their attacks and deflecting their gunfire with the edge of her knife without a single shred of hesitation.

"How is she so fast?!"

"She's just a girl. We can take her!"

"Fuck her. Aim for the white boy. She won't do shit if we catch her weak ass boyfriend!"

One of the guys aimed his Draco at my face and fired several bullets.

Convocatio - Ultimate MP7

I pulled a SMG out of a red magic circle, and fired bullets of my own, perfectly splitting the attacker's airborne bullets in half.

The guy stared at my smoking barrel.

"What the fuck kinda sorcery is this?! They're both monsters!"

The gang backed up.

Sarah held out her magic knife, while I aimed my submachine gun at the gang.

"An SMG? We got ourselves a Scarlet Uzi Wannabe!" One of the guys growled, shouldering his gun.

"So now that Half Scottish Fake Bitch has his white boy fans to come over and invade our turf?" Another said, his voice dripping with animosity.

"Let's make em an example. I heard the Wannabe Black boy came back recently. Let's send em these two bullet riddled white kids as a present."

"We ain't no one's bitch. Not even yours!"

Sarah gripped her knife.

"Your bravado will be your undoing." She said, as she stepped forward, when suddenly, one of the guys stopped moving.

Sarah hesitated.

"Something is off. Aaron, stay close to me."

A chill suddenly went down my spine, as time seemed to slow to a stop.

I grabbed Sarah by the waist and dove out of the way, narrowly dodging a frightening red streak which decimated the guy before me.

I watched in horror as the gang member fell back, blood exploding from his chest.

"Fake... Black... who gon be talking shit about me like that... of course it be one of y'all. But you ain't wrong. I ain't one of you. I'm something worse. Way fuckin worse." A demonic voice said from behind, as Sarah quickly stood before me.

"Who... who is that?" I gasped, as the creature got to its feet.

"He wanna be black so bad. He wanna represent them so bad! But mama raised me to be a killer. Using me to stand for these people's rights? I'm fuckin dead. HAHAHA!"

It looked like a man.

But he was covered in a steaming red aura.

And his teeth...

They looked almost like...

"Fangs?" Sarah whispered, as the man marched forward, tilting his head and smiling crazily, kneeling before the man. The blood that was gushing from his wound began to rise, as the creature opened his mouth, letting the blood in, almost as if he was devouring his essence.

"Tastes like shit. Bout as much as I figured. Y'all be shit talking bout me long enough, your blood be running brown."

The creature laughed crazily, turning to the rest of the gang.

"Shit! It's him! Kill him! Light him up before he kills another one of us!"

ZOOM.

The guy who had his Draco aimed at the monster suddenly froze, as blood exploded from his neck, entering the creature's mouth.

"Gotta eat. These shit talkers don't hit hard. I need some quality... BLOOD."

The creature spun to my direction and leapt in.

My muscles twitched, but suddenly, my legs buckled, nausea flooding my body and causing me to stumble.

I had a pretty good feeling of who this was.

But I didn't want to accept it.

It couldn't be...

Sarah intercepted the monster with her knife, trembling from the effort.

"It's strong... really strong!" She seethed.

"Good. I like your blood. Imma hit you up first, shawwwwwwty!" The creature smiled evilly.

Sarah kicked the creature away, but the monster darted around, leaving behind a trail of red electricity.

Sarah also dematerialized, blasting away in a blur, as the two clashed in supersonic speed, rushing around all over the street.

"What the fuck is that?!" I exclaimed, grabbing one of the survivors, who looked like he was about to piss himself.

"Let me go... let me GO!" The man yelled frantically, running off.

"He's here. He's back.... what the FUCK." Another survivor said.

"We... we can take him... we can... remember what he did to us! Remember what he did!"

I watched as Sarah clashed with the monster again.

And to my horror, all of my suspicions confirmed it.

"Shawwwtyyy you looking fine... you showed me yo knife. Ion got a knife of my own. But how bout I show you something else." The monster hissed sinisterly, as he held out his hand.

Red energy swirled in the palm of his hand, taking shape and forming a familiar submachine gun.

Sarah's eyes went wide.

"B- Bryce...?!"

KABOOM.

Sarah smashed into the pavement, coughing out blood as a monsterized Bryce shot in, with his uzi in hand, firing several bolts of red energy at her.

Sarah deflected the shots, but her movements had become dulled.

She was hesitating, hesitating to cut down a fellow Auxiliary Shadow.

"Ion know what made you wanna come out to the streets at this time of night. And ion know where the fuck that chick came from. Even if she a monster like that thing over there, she's not gonna hold out for long. No one ever does." One of the survivors limped to me. Blood was leaking down his face, but he had his hand clasped on it so tightly, as if he was trying his best to hide it from the creature.

"You gotta get outta here. ASAP. That right there... that right there is the reason them lil black kids don't even wanna come out to play no more."

I gritted my teeth, watching Sarah fend off a feral Bryce Jones.

"Cuz that thing right there... is the former Hero turned Devil of Philadelphia.

Tyrell Jackson Jones.

The Scarlet Uzi"

Humans vs. Demons

"Bryce! Stop this!" Sarah shouted, as Bryce continued firing bolts of vicious red energy at our direction, decimating everything in its vicinity.

The guy who had warned me of Bryce had long since gone, leaving just Sarah, Bryce and I tangling in the streets of Philly.

If what was said about Bryce was true, we had to wrap this up before the police got here.

Sarah deflected more blasts from Bryce, when suddenly, Bryce leapt on the ground and went in close range, much to her surprise.

"Gotcha. Shawty." Bryce smiled evilly, his hand had protruded claws.

"What?!"

Convocatio - Turricalum DS34's

Four red magic circles surrounded Bryce, revealing the newest version of the DS Sanctuary Military Grade sentry series.

They were heavily improved from the previous version, capable of changing its size and shape more fluidly.

The DS34's closed in, creating a red energy net which flanked Bryce in every direction.

"Nullification Protocol." I commanded the sentries, as energy instantly ripped out of Bryce's body.

Bryce fell to his knees as the orb of DS34's lowered him down.

Sarah breathed heavily.

"What happened to Bryce... his body..."

I tended to Sarah's wounds.

"Are you hurt?"

"Not significantly... I just wish I could have put up a better fight..."

"Don't beat yourself up about it. There would have been no way you could have won."

Sarah looked offended.

"You're saying I'm no match for Bryce of all people?"

"Uh. Well, not exactly."

I walked up to Bryce, who's face was pointed straight to the ground. His dreadlocks covering his face.

Aspectum - Focused Radar

A red magic reticule appeared in my vision, scanning Bryce's magical signature.

"As I thought. His current state puts him as high S+ Ranked."

Sarah stared at me.

"That's... that's impossible! That would put Bryce on the level Shosuke Shiki!"

I glared at the kid. It was impossible.

For Bryce, as he was.

"What is your name. I know you're not Bryce." I asked the creature, who chuckled sinisterly.

"I am Bryce. The one and only, homie."

"The Bryce Jones I knew would fight for his people. Not hurt them."

"Oh yeah? You think so?"

Bryce stood up until we were face to face. And now that he was standing still, I could make out his features a lot better.

His eyes were bloodred, like mine. But it was an unnatural red.

His dark brown skin looked cracked with red energy, lines of red power streaking down it like arcane tattoos from a Dogma User.

And those fangs...

It reminded me of...

She was simply put...

A monster.

"A vampire!" Sarah gasped. Bryce bared his fangs at us, causing rolls of discomfort to ripple in my body.

"Pop raised me to be human. But Ma raised me to be just like her. All I'm doin is living up to my instincts is all. Ain't that a god damn crime! Huh?! Ain't that a crime."

Bryce slammed his fist against the matrix barrier.

"Not allowed to be black. Not allowed to be a vampire. Fought for these people and now I'm considered a bane to Philly! How the fuck is a vampire gonna live amongst his own food, huh? But of course, ol' Tyrell wanted to stay here. All cuz he wanted to be just like Pop! Wannabe black this. Wannabe black that. Of course I'm a fake! I ain't even a god damn human!" Bryce cackled.

This entire time...

The Bryce Jones we knew, the one who served as my Auxiliary Shadow...

Was Tyrell Jackson Jones.

The real Bryce...

"Make no mistake. If it ain't for Tyrell, I woulda killed y'all a long time ago. Ion give a fuck about this racial war. I jus want BLOOD is all. But what I can't accept, is this dumb kid using ME as a symbol of justice to fight and represent the people. Who said I was okay wit him neglecting Ma? Huh? Who said I was okay wit it?!"

Bryce slammed his fist against the barrier again.

"Give it up, Bryce. You can't break this. It was designed to nullify your powers and contain threats like you." I said.

"I simply hate it here. The way they treated my Ma like some kinda monster. Of course she gonna eat humans. She's a god damn VAMPIRE. Youse be talking all that shit about discriminating another just cause of the way they look. Then you've got double standards for someone like my Ma. To make it worse, you've got Tyrell here, SUPPRESSING ME."

BANG.

"MAKING ME A SYMBOL FOR THE SAME PEOPLE WHO DISCRIMINATED MY MA. AND ME."

BANG.

"EQUAL RIGHTS?!"

SMASH.

"RESPECT?!"

CRUNCH.

"FUCK KINDA BULLSHIT IS THAT?! HUH?!"

I stumbled back.

No way...

How was he breaking through the barrier?!

Convocatio - Illium Ygviil

Sarah summoned her Hero Sword, as Bryce ripped the DS34's apart, glaring at us evilly.

"Live every day bein discriminated by another. Live every day watching YOUR name bein used to represent the same people who spat on yo loved ones! AND YOU TELL ME. IF THIS SHIT IS JUSTIFIED."

Bryce blasted forward, but Sarah intercepted the vampiric Bryce with her sword.

"DYSON SPHERE PROTOCOL." I shouted at my sentries, which lined a large perimeter of the neighbourhood.

The two clashed violently, unleashing a shockwave which decimated everything within the radius that the DS34's had created.

Even with the new Dyson sphere protocol the DS34's were designed to enforce, which was capable of controlling the full force of a super nuclear bomb...

These two Auxiliary Shadows were putting immense strain on them.

Red trails of energy began to burn into her.

"Grrk! Snap out of this, Bryce! This thing is controlling you!"

"CONTROL?! Tyrell's been CONTROLLING ME!"

SLASH.

Bryce cut into Sarah, who's eyes went wide. Blood came out of her chest, as Bryce stuck out his tongue, catching some of the droplets. His body began glowing with red energy.

"This is good blood. I will enjoy sucking you dry, shawty."

I lifted my Draugr, but I couldn't bring it in myself to shoot down my Auxiliary Shadow.

But if I didn't...

Sarah was going to die.

There was no way she could fight toe to toe with an S+ Rank as a B Rank.

"Bryce... can't you see what you're doing to us? Do you really want us to fight?" Sarah seethed, as she slid back.

Bryce darted forward crazily.

"TYRELL. You're referring to TYRELL. Not BRYCE. I AM BRYCE."

Bryce brought his claws back, when suddenly, Sarah caught the blow off the edge of her sword. Her body began glowing silver.

Gates of Ygviil - AWAKENED LUNA ARC

Bryce flew backwards, his face shocked, as Sarah brought her foot back and unleashed a devastating slash which caused the vampire to explode into blood at his midsection.

The wind from Sarah's slash smashed into me like a shockwave, as I flew backwards violently. The DS34's caught me before I could hit the pavement and seriously injure myself.

"I see. So this entire time... your hatred has been shackles on our friend. This entire time. It's now clear."

Sarah clashed with Bryce again, but her body began to glow even more.

Ygviil's glow became so bright that sparks and electricity arced all over it.

Gates of Ygviil - LUNABOLT

KABOOM.

Bryce flew backwards again from a thunderbolt which smashed into him. He regained his bearings, trying to slash at Sarah aggressively, but it was as if she had completely closed the gap that she had before.

How was a B Ranked Auxiliary Shadow able to keep up with an S+ Rank?!

Wait...

"HAHAHA!" Bryce laughed maniacally, but Sarah dodged and retaliated with a back swipe with her sword, the sheer shockwaves of another unleashed Luna Arc cutting into the vampire violently.

Sarah was wielding Chakra to amplify herself!

"Bryce... I will save you from this! Wait for me!" Sarah shouted, as she brought her sword up.

Gates of Ygviil - LUNABLADE SLASH DANCE

Sarah moved at hypersonic speed, unleashing a torrent of silver slashes at Bryce.

"Ion need SAVING. BITCH!" Bryce growled, as he rushed in, dodging each slash with ruthless speed.

Master Aaron. Buck's voice resonated in my mind.

"Buck?"

Auxiliary Shadow Ultear is in danger. This vampiric state of Auxiliary Shadow Uzi has surpassed S+ Ranking.

My heart dropped, as I watched Bryce clear the storm of blades, his face inches away from Sarah's.

In his hand, the barrel of his Uzi was glowing a fierce red.

"Who the hell do you think you are. Pretending you real familiar with me. Bitch you weren't even familiar with Tyrell. You only act like this when it convenient with you!"

Bryce fired, but Sarah deflected the blast with a knife she summoned in a split second.

"That isn't true!"

"It isn't?! This entire time I been watching the world through Tyrell's eyes. How many times you shown up through em, huh? You ain't NEVER been on his side. On anyone's side!"

Bryce's aura became even more violent, emitting tremendous pressure that was causing the traffic signs around me to warp.

This wasn't Chakra.

Or magic.

This was something supernatural.

Sarah was blown back, as she gritted her teeth, but before she could regain her senses, Bryce had closed in, slashing with his claws and blasting with his uzi, all the while, sending taunts her way.

"Dainsleif was hesitating shooting his boy. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't even think about tryna fight Tyrell. But you'd go as far as to amplify yo own self with Chakra to fight me off. You don't care bout TYRELL. You care about AARON. You'd stand yo ground against a GOD because you're protecting yo man. Not because you wanna save Tyrell. Am I wrong?!"

Bryce roared, as his uzi suddenly began to change shape, rippling with darkness and bloodred demonic energy, until it formed the shape of a massive sword.

Sarah hesitated, as she clashed with Bryce, his sword trembling against Ygviil.

"Don't you dare accuse me for being selfish! As much as this hurts Aaron, it hurts me just as much to see you like this!"

Bryce smiled, his fangs in full view.

"Tyrell ain't waking up any time soon. Once I kill you, he will never return ever again. The last time I did something this, he left Philly like a lil BITCH."

The last time he did something like this?

Meaning this wasn't the first time Bryce had killed someone in Tyrell's body?

I couldn't make Sarah be the next victim. And I couldn't bear to see Sarah do the same to Bryce.

These were my subordinates.

They weren't supposed to fight each other like this.

"Stop!" I shouted at the two Auxiliary Shadows, but stumbled. My vision was becoming blurry.

"HAHAHA!" Bryce laughed, as he flew backwards, hovering until his body was right in front of the moon. His body began transforming, revealing a dark black cloak with red accents. The bloody red aura became a violent mist, releasing a wave of energy which was corroding everything within its vicinity.

Sarah landed on the ground, her eyes wild.

"You have me mistaken, Bryce. It isn't like I don't care about you. I will use force if necessary to snap you out of this. This is just who I am. And if you had gotten to know me more, you would know this more than anybody!"

Cosmic Moon Magic - LUNA FORM

Sarah's straight purple hair began fluttering, as a white energy swirled around her, turning her hair silver.

They were going to kill each other.

Two of my precious friends were gonna slaughter each other!

I couldn't...

I can't lose another Auxiliary Shadow.

I can't let another repeat of what happened to June happen to Bryce and Sarah!

A wave of emotion flooded me, as I felt the aura of Bryce's form scatter and dispersed around me.

"I SAID. STOP." I roared.

"My dear, Dainsleif." A voice said.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Who- What-" I spun around.

It wasn't just me who had stopped. It was everything.

Sarah and Bryce, charging at each other. One in her Luna Form, and the other in his Vampire Form. Frozen in time.

"What is this..." My voice trailed away.

"Such extents that you would go to, so you could bring me down. I am flattered. Truly flattered."

I spun around, standing before a tall man in a black jacket. His snowy white hair seemingly glowing in the night sky.

But I recognized those evil, devilish, and crafty eyes anywhere.

I pulled out my Draugr out of instinct, but Loyce's eyes flashed, and to my disbelief, the entire firearm disintegrated to dust.

Loyce walked past me, studying Sarah and Bryce, who were suspended in mid-air.

"A Hero and a Vampire. Both now S+ Ranked. They really have pushed themselves for your sake. They were B-Rank not too long ago. And for the longest time, it was always just The Devil Monk and you who had attained such a rare rating."

What game was Loyce playing?! I thought Hakah had said he wouldn't be able to pinpoint us.

If he wanted to... he would have killed us by now.

He easily could have.

Loyce's eyes glittered.

"Show me your power, God-Eater."

I glared at him.

"I'm no match for you. I know that more than anything."

Loyce tilted his head, smiling evilly.

"Come. You showed no hesitation when you battled Vala. Why are you so afraid."

Loyce's voice suddenly appeared behind me.

"Tell me why, Aaron Hope."

I blinked, realizing that the entire time Loyce had been talking, he had already moved behind me.

He...

He forcefully... somehow redirected my attention, even though I was staring straight at him.

What kind of a monster was he?!

I spun around, re-summoning my Draugr and firing, but Loyce caught the bullet with two fingers.

"Heh."

"Grr...."

Fuck it.

I'll entertain you for just a bit.

I reached deep inside, remembering the feelings I had for Sarah. For June. For Bryce and all of my Auxiliary Shadows.

No.

Dig even deeper.

Images of Will and Nora flashed in my mind.

The days I spent training with Will, going on runs and lifting weights to become stronger.

The days I spent with Nora, learning how to take apart things, creating traps and gizmos to become smarter.

If it wasn't for everyone in my life, I could never become who I was today.

Everything was a matter of growing. To use each experience and adding it on to my power.

I glared at Loyce again. He had his hands in his pockets, and he looked calm, laid back.

It must have been nice to be born at the top of the world.

Some of us had to put in unfathomable amounts of work to reach even a fraction of that.

But it ain't no excuse.

I felt something inside me begin to bubble out, expanding and overflowing just like that time with Sarina Ultear.

ASURA'S PENALTY

Two avatars projected from out of my soul, each holding a Thompson Contender in their hands.

I pulled out two Thompson Contenders myself from within two blue magic circles.

TRIGRAMS THIRTY SIX HANDS COMBINATION.

This was the absolute strongest I was at.

ADVANCED ANTI-HOPE MAGIC: BULLET OF JUBILEE - THIRTY SIX FOLD

I fired a barrage of anti-hope bullets at Loyce, who disappeared, zipping and dodging them.

"CHASE EM DOWN." I roared, as the bullets changed trajectory, chasing after the Great Demon King.

I brought my hands up in a cross.

Use Chakra instead of mana.

I was limited to how much mana I had. But my willpower. My soul.

This was something that I could control. With years of pushing my body past its limits.

I had to have an unbreakable will.

Advanced Convocatio - Turricalum GRAND FLEET.

Hundreds of DS34's suddenly manifested around the battlefield, red magic circles filling the sky with a brilliant red light. Emerging from each one, a cross shaped military grade sentry.

"MAXIMUM SIPHONING PROTOCOL."

White particles exited Loyce, who raised an eyebrow and studied the palm of his hand.

"Stealing my power to fuel yourself? Interesting fighting strategy."

I blasted forward, my body flooding with energy from my Chakra release, and the stolen power from a Demon Lord.

If even Chakra wasn't enough to match the overwhelming gap in strength....

Then I had to borrow your power.

And close that gap with force!

Loyce smiled, swatting his hand, but the mirage dissipated.

The Ultimate Divine Demon Lord turned around, but there was nothing behind him.

"What-?" The Demon Lord's eyes momentarily looked confused.

I was right behind my clone. I never used my clone to move behind him.

I had to pull out all the stops, this included reverse psychology.

ASURA'S PENALTY - ULTIMATE CALIGA CERBERUS

I pulled out a massive rifle with both hands, as did my two astral projections on either side.

The three of us pointed our barrels at Loyce, firing.

The Demon King exploded into a white starburst of energy.

"Contain him! SUPERMASSIVE DYSON SPHERE PROTOCOL!" I shouted at my sentries, as hundreds of them surrounded Loyce, containing him within a large matrix.

I leapt back, breathing hard.

Please work.

Alogigenesis - Divine Comedy

Of course it didn't!

The sentries began to glow with power. A white, blinding glow from within the Dyson sphere.

I swallowed a lump which was forming in my throat.

Master Jun's Dyson sphere technology. It was something he had developed to harness 100% of the energy of entire universes.

If Loyce could break out of this...

That meant he had power which could destroy entire universes!

Transinfinite Power Overload.

KABOOM.

I flew back, as from within the smoke of the explosion, the figure of the Demon King emerged. He was glowing with a fierce white aura which was completely overwhelming my Chakra aura from my astral projections.

"Ack!!! GAAAH!" I yelled, as my projections dissipated.

Loyce laughed.

"Is this all the Legendary God-Eater can offer?"

I brought my hands together.

The sentries that hadn't overloaded compacted into a disk shape, latching themselves onto Loyce's body.

"Miasma Protocol!"

The disks began injecting Loyce's body with deadly venom.

"Ah. This strain, if I recall correctly, it was a venom developed by Inner Shadow Jun Gasket."

So even poison didn't have an effect on this guy.

No matter what strategy I came up with, it was all useless if this guy was immune to practically everything.

"Giving up already? Truly disappointing. I expected a better performance. Am I just not interesting enough compared to Vala that you would be so taken into despair? I can read people too, just like you, Dainsleif."

Good.

I was expecting that.

I clenched my fist, as the hundreds of Anti-Hope bullets I had fired circled back, slamming Loyce in the back.

Loyce's eyes were full of surprise, as I launched forward, completely dropping the fake act of giving up before the Demon King.

Advanced Grenade Summoning - DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND

I tossed out numerous grenades, which formed spectres on the ground. Twenty four of them in total.

Advanced Convocatio Gun Summoning - Ultimate M134

Each clone summoned a mini-gun, firing a massive barrage of bullets point blank at former Inner Shadow Loyce Hal.

I leapt into the air.

Summon it again.

I had to.

I got nothing to lose.

ASURA'S PENALTY - TRIGRAMS THIRTY SIX HANDS

Two spectres projected from my soul once more, as my body became flooded with a fierce blue soul aura.

Unlike my spectre grenades, these spectres were special. They were comprised entirely out of Chakra.

Meaning whatever weapons they were wielding also fired Chakra - far deadlier than anything I ever weaponized thus far.

In this state, I was capable of inflicting three times as much damage as I can.

But it wasn't just that.

Loyce looked up and struck me with his fist. Only it wasn't me.

"The one in the centre wasn't you-?!" Loyce asked.

I shifted my real body to be on the left, giving the illusion that the real one was in the centre.

I guess even Demon Lords had stereotypical views of an Asura Avatar.

Each one of us pulled a Thompson Contender from a blue magic circle, pressing the barrel into Loyce's bullet riddled body.

BULLETS OF JUBILEE

Loyce flew backwards violently, his body mangled as the clones dissipated. However, he managed to get to his feet, skidding back.

I landed on the ground, assuming my Trigrams stance. Each one of my spectres gripping their Contenders.

I planted my foot firmly onto the ground.

Advanced Lightning Magic - COSMIC AUGMENTUS

Electricity surged in my body as I blasted forward, as did Loyce, as we started a hypersonic exchange.

Loyce's hand ignited on fire as he chopped at me, but I leapt out of the way, each one of my six Thompson Contenders retaliating with Anti-Hope Bullets.

"Good. Very good." Loyce laughed, as he continued striking me, but I was consistently swapping places with my spectres, and each time countering with a shot from a Contender.

Loyce flew back, as I blasted forward, my teeth clenched viciously.

"Thank you for that demonstration." Loyce put his hand up, as I suddenly went motionless in the air.

Demonstration?

What the hell was he talking about....

Loyce smiled evilly.

"Say, Dainsleif. You never struck me as the type of person to reveal his cards in a temporary encounter like this. Aren't you at all concerned that I now know what you are up to?"

I stopped, the realizing dawning on me.

He was right.

I practically revealed almost all of the new things I had added onto my arsenal!

This never would have been something I would do.

How could I make such a stupid mistake?!

Loyce removed the effect, as I crumpled onto the ground.

"How... what did you do?"

Loyce regarded me.

"Your character. The narrative of who you are. One so overly cautious. Aaron Hope is someone who had been denied the love of a family and was sent to an orphanage. Although he was weak, he was protected by his foster brother and foster sister. When they were taken away from him, the fear and guilt manifested an overly cautious assassin's mindset. One who would be on the run for many years, pursued by beings no mortal should ever be pursued by. But by some miracle, he had survived. Through wits and instinct, you had outsmarted the gods who came after you."

Loyce knelt down in front of me, his face stricken with a sick sense of amusement.

"But what if Aaron Hope were no longer cautious? What would an Aaron Hope be like if he let his overwhelming emotions take over that overly calculating brain of his? Well. That would be an Outer Shadow who ironically throws his life away while simultaneously berating others for doing the same."

I stared at the Demon King.

My character...?

Loyce's mouth twisted into an evil smile.

"To twist your narrative is child's play to me. I have done battle against beings far beyond you, capable of changing entire realities and conquering them, for eons. At some point, it means nothing."

"If... if you could do that... you could kill us all! Without even trying. Why are you doing all this?"

"A number of reasons."

Loyce stood up.

"Many I don't feel like telling you yet. Above all though, you could say my awareness is a curse. Because of this cursed knowledge, I quite look forward to how strong you all can get. I want my last moments to be quite simply.... extraordinary."

I gritted my teeth.

Hakah... she had given us that blessing. It was supposed to make us immune from Loyce's passive abilities. Why was he able to get me to act so irrationally at a time like this?

"Ah... John Crassman. Your Chakra techniques are certainly quite interesting. I always thought it would be the Akuma and Vala who could resist Alogigenesis. But it seems now that even humans like Aaron can resist it too. But just barely."

This Chakra technique...

Was that the reason? Did learning Chakra overwrite the blessing Hakah had given to me?

Loyce turned to me.

"Get stronger, God-Eater. I like your progress. But as you are now, you will not be able to kill me. You will be the one to die first. Your body is deteriorating, and by wielding Crassman's techniques, you are only accelerating your inevitable demise. You will always be fated to die."

I clenched my fist.

"I'll stop at nothing to see you defeated. For everything you did. To Master Jun. To everybody here."

"Oh? Well, we will see. It seems you hold an insurmountable rage against me without knowing a single thing. Perhaps in time you may slowly see the bigger picture. When you bring the barrel of your gun to my head, I guarantee...

"You will beg me for another way to end this story."

I blinked, as Loyce disappeared, and time resumed to its normal flow.

The wild winds from Sarah and Bryce's forms once more shunting immense pressure my way.

I promised Sarah I would come back for her.

But was this promise something I could keep?

Loyce had done something to me. I was acting more irrational...

I clenched my fist.

No.

I can choose to see things in a better lens. This was my choice.

I glared at the two.

Chakra was no longer an option for me right now until I figured out a way to channel it properly. As it stood, I could only call upon it as a trump card, otherwise it would burn out whatever life I had left.

As for my regular arsenal...

I could still rely on the preparations I made during the year of break I had.

"Buck. Initiate Protocol Wheezers."

Acknowledged, Master Aaron.

My earring expanded, unleashing a supersonic screech, causing Sarah and Bryce to clutch their ears.

"Enough. I'm done with the two of you bickering. Y'all are giving me a god damn headache."

Sarah coughed, clutching her ears.

"Aaron! What are you doing?! Stop that, it hurts!"

Bryce rolled on the floor.

"GAH! You stupid crack job! Imma kill you!"

I stood before my Auxiliary Shadow.

"Go ahead and try. I kicked Tyrell's ass already four years ago. I'll kick yours now. Get your ass ready, you horny vampiric clown."

Bryce glared at me.

"The fuck you just call me?! You wanna die! All I gotta do is kill someone close to Tyrell and this body is all mine!"

I chuckled.

"Damn. You and Tyrell ain't that different."

"The fuck you just say?! How are we the same!"

Bryce rushed forward.

Right hook inbound.

In a quarter of a second.

I leaned back, letting Bryce's momentum push him forward until his neck fell right against the barrel of my Draugr.

My eyes glinted evilly.

"Ain't it obvious? You're both DUMB AS BRICKS!"

I fired, as Bryce flew backwards, his eyes wide, blood gushing from his neck.

"You're slower than Ultear! I don't care if you're SS Rank. I can beat your ass just by blitzing you!"

"By rushing behind me, right?" I asked, as I spun around, barrel pointed right at Bryce's forehead.

"How did you-"

"Ain't that hard. Considering you gave everything away in your fight against Sarah."

BANG.

Bryce flew backwards, another torrent of blood gushing from his forehead.

Bryce leaned back forwards, his wounds regenerating instantly.

"Why you lil- what the fuck is it now?!" He exclaimed.

Convocatio Grenade Summoning - Octagram of Demons

Eight spectres stood before the vampire.

"Come on... come on, Mr. Vampire! I'm right here! Catch the Aaron!"

"YOU MOCKIN ME FOOL?!"

Bryce roared, blasting forward with lightning fast speed and blitzing through, but the spectres dropped smoke grenades everywhere, obscuring his vision.

Aspectum - Full Radar

"You think smoke can keep you away from me?! I'll kill everything here!"

"You'll 'kill everything here'?! Are you stupid or something?" I laughed.

From my vision spell, I could see Bryce getting angrier and angrier.

"Come on, dumbass, do you need a hint? Aren't you a vampire or something? How come a human is more familiar with vampire physiology than a damn vampire himself? You're a treat, man. A real treat. Forget S+ Rank, and forget trying to beat Sarah, you don't come close to her. You're better off as a Shadow Minion!"

"YOU SUNAVABITCH! IMMA RIP YOU APART AND SUCK ALL THE BLOOD OUTTA YOU!"

"Hey, you dumbass! I'm up here. Can't your nose sniff out the blood of a measly human?"

Bryce turned to my direction, but it was already too late.

"Blitzkrieg Protocol."

The DS34's entered turret mode, their lasers aimed right at Bryce and fired relentlessly as I drew another magic circle.

Convocatio - Predator Launcher VX

I fired six Predator explosive orbs, which began chasing after Bryce.

"I'm faster than yo bullets at this range!" Bryce laughed, as he dodged the gunfire and the orbs, appearing before me.

"And now you gon die. Dainsle-"

KABOOM.

I stood calmly before the vampire as more and more of the Seeker Orbs smashed into his back, exploding on contact.

I grabbed Bryce by the neck and stepped on one of my DS34's, hovering into the air.

Convocatio - Ammunition Summoning - Silver Bullets

I pulled out a unique cartridge, loading it into my Draugr and pointed it at his heart.

"Try anything, and I press the trigger. As you know, I also have the ability to enhance my reflexes with Augmentus. Do I have it active? Do I not? You feel lucky, dipshit? Let's gamble. The stakes? Your life, kid." I said, menacingly.

Bryce gritted his teeth.

"Why you..."

SWOOSH.

Sarah suddenly appeared behind him, Ygviil raised.

Cosmic Sun Magic - FINAL HORIZON

I grabbed Bryce by the neck and forced him to face my girlfriend, who's sword was glowing bright with a golden light.

Sun Magic was something that Sarah could wield, but the drawbacks was the significant decrease in speed.

But with me holding and distracting the kid, it was free game for her.

I won't let you die Bryce, no. Tyrell.

You're my Auxiliary Shadow.

Loyce's words didn't make me lose faith.

It made me more amped up instead, to make sure I walk with my comrades and act as their proper Outer Shadow.

I won't die. And neither will you guys.

"Let me go! You bastard!" Bryce shouted.

"Release our friend, you fiend!" Sarah growled.

"TYRELL WILL NEVER COME OUT. I WON'T LET HIM! I CAN'T LET HIM FORGET ABOUT MA!"

Bryce roared, thrashing, but I used every ounce of strength I had to keep him from escaping.

All the while, Sarah's Sun Magic was forcing the vampiric aura to escape him.

"MA! MA! I CAN'T LET YOU FADE AWAY! I WON'T LET YOU!" Bryce cried out, as a photo fell out of his jacket.

I glanced at the photo, momentarily distracted, as Bryce took advantage of this and elbowed me in the side. I vomited blood as I clutched my stomach. Sarah rushed forward, grabbing me.

"Aaron! Are you okay?!" She said, as she turned around to see Bryce glaring at us.

"This ain't over. This far from over."

Sarah tried to go after him, but turned back to me.

"A- Aaron... Bryce-"

"Let em go. We'll get him. We will." I coughed. Bryce definitely broke a rib. My side felt like it was on fire.

Sarah floated down, princess carrying me.

How embarrassing!

But for once, Sarah didn't care about that. Her face was sullen.

"Bryce... Bryce said that I was never there for him. Or for anyone. I... I didn't know... Or rather, I should have known. I'm... I'm really sorry." She muttered, but I took her hand.

I wasn't gonna bullshit Sarah and say she was.

She really wasn't there for any of the other Auxiliaries. Or rather she was indifferent to them. The only one she cared about really, was June.

But this was not a reason to beat herself up.

"Well. Now is a good time to start, Sarah. Because right now, Bryce... no. Tyrell Jackson Jones needs us. He needs his friends."

Sarah put me down on the ground as I picked up the photo.

It was a picture of a young Bryce and a white woman. She looked Scottish.

"Bryce's mother?" Sarah knelt beside me.

There were many things that I had learned about Bryce in that standoff.

Yet despite that, I still had more questions.

This photo was a lead.

Eliza Hellsing

"Yo!!! What's up y'all!"

Sarah froze at the door, her face was a mixture of shock, surprise, annoyance, and disgust.

"Sarah? Who's at the door?" I asked.

"A moron." She muttered.

"A what?"

I walked up to the door, only to see a familiar idiot.

"Geh!"

Bryce raised an eyebrow.

"What's gotten into you two. Y'all be acting real strange."

Bryce leaned closer, his voice reduced to a whisper.

"Did you two... do the deed?"

"WHA- HOW DARE YOU." Sarah exclaimed, grabbing Bryce by the collar of his shirt and shaking him. I tried to pull her off Bryce as if I were restraining a feral hound.

"Tyrell? Is that you?" Grandma Jones said from upstairs.

"Yah! Just visiting my friends for a bit. We gonna bounce soon, though. So don't worry about baking any more peanut butter cookies!"

"Are you sure? No peanut butter cookies?"

Bryce paused.

"Um... maybe I will stay for a few minutes."

Bryce sat down on the couch, propping his feet up on the table.

"Y'all. We need to have a serious talk."

Sarah and I leaned in, concerned.

Bryce took a deep breath.

"We. Need. To. Get some cheesesteaks together!"

A vein popped on the side of Sarah's head.

"I uh... think I'm gonna pass." I said.

Bryce scratched his head.

"Listen. Y'all really be acting strange. No cap. Did something happen last night?"

"Bryce..." Sarah sat closer to him, causing Bryce's face to flash uncomfortably.

"Did anything strange happen to you when you woke up this morning?" She asked.

Bryce stared at her, his face a little disgusted.

"Uhhh..... no? Was something strange supposed to happen? You didn't sneak in to my hood did you?"

Sarah gave me a grim expression.

So Bryce really did revert back to normal when he escaped that day.

And not only that, he had fully healed from his battle against us, and lost all of his memories from that night.

"Listen." Bryce scooted away from Sarah, obviously weirded out by her sudden concern for his safety.

"I get it. You guys had sex. Y'all don't need to worry about me. I know I'm a virgin and probably gonna stay that way... forever..."

I had to restrain Sarah again before she could "Illium Ygviil" Bryce's ass.

"No dude. That's not it. Forget it." I shook my hands.

"Sarah and I are just gonna do some sightseeing and stuff around Pennsylvania. Call it a date." I grinned.

Sarah blushed beside me.

God she was so adorab-

"Yoooooo hook me up!" Bryce put an arm around my shoulders.

"Umm say what now?" I asked.

"Come on. I got my ride ready. All waiting on you two. We don't need no tour guide, when you got the greatest expert in Philly right here!"

I closed the door to my room, as Sarah sat on the bed, her knees huddled under her chin.

"Erm... you're not mad are you?" I asked nervously.

"No. Why would I be mad?" Sarah said.

That expression on her face was definitely anger!

Sarah shuffled her feet, the sounds of the blanket rustling in the ambient atmosphere of the room.

"The team... doesn't like me do they." She whispered.

"I wouldn't say they hate you."

"You know what I mean. Bryce... when I tried to support Bryce he acted as if what I was doing was out of place. As if he was used to me being distant. I know I didn't have much history with the rest of the Auxiliary Shadows but... now when they need support the most I'm the least qualified person to lend them a hand."

As much as I wanted to tell her this wasn't true, there was still some degree of validity in her point.

After all, Sarah had been a no show for many years ever since we broke up. It was my fault, for avoiding her, but even missions that were Auxiliary Shadow exclusive, I rarely saw Ultear being deployed. In terms of activity, Sigurd was the most active, then it was Assault (X8), Bryce, and lastly, Sarah.

To be less active than Bryce of all people was definitely saying a lot.

I was going to say something, when a knock interrupted us.

"How long are you two gonna be flirting?! Let's go already y'all!"

A look of annoyance flashed on Sarah's face.

Bryce took us everywhere on the outskirts of Pennsylvania. While Sarah and I had took a look on the outskirts of Philly itself, it took an actual resident to really know where the sweet stuff was. All the while, Bryce was a fountain of energy.

We stopped by a coffee shop and lounged for a bit.

"Wow. I didn't know you drank your coffee black, Sarah." Bryce observed.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"I mean, wow. We knew each other for years but there's still a lotta things I don't know about you. Guess it takes being together with Aaron again for you to open up."

Sarah put the cup down, her face downcast.

"I... It's not that. I didn't mean to..."

Bryce perched his arms around an empty chair, completely oblivious to Sarah.

"I drink my coffee with like two shots of Jack Daniels."

I leaned in, giving Bryce a scowl.

"Bullshit. You have the worst tolerance for alcohol."

"Oh yeah? I bet I have a better tolerance than YOU."

"HUH? I'm the god of liquor, you idiot!"

Bryce jammed his face close to mine.

"Who do you think you're talking to?! I'm the Scarlet Uzi BOY. Pop didn't raise no bitch to lose to a bottle of liquor! And didn't you completely ruin Outer Shadow Rollo's daughter's birthday party cuz you couldn't handle a cheap Crown Royal ripoff?"

Sarah stared at us.

Come to think of it, almost all the antics I had been involved in, Sarah would never have known. She had spent most of her time locked away ever since June's passing that she had missed out on so much.

While Bryce, X8, and Sig were in the loop (unfortunately) with my delinquency, Sarah was not.

"You did something like that? I always knew you were a troublemaker when you dragged June along to play pranks and she had to play the role of a tired wife." Sarah said.

"Oh boy. Where do I even begin. That's right, you weren't around back then." Bryce laughed.

"So there was this time, where Aaron tried to introduce Auxiliary Shadow Holly Wilson to gambling because the guy who ran the casino was a major pervert! And that time when Aaron and Master Jun tried to sneak into Inner Shadow Hakah's room to steal underwear. And that time when Aaron advertised the 'Sixty Nine Strike Kill Style' in Shosuke's Japan, and somehow it actually took off! People thought the style was legit and was comparing it to Shosuke's One Strike Kill style!"

"Hey! What are you doing! Don't go and spout all of that shit in front of Sarah dude! You're making me look like a complete idiot!"

Sarah laughed, as Bryce and I froze.

"Wait... Sarah is... laughing?" Bryce asked.

Sarah stopped, realizing what she had done.

"I... I am..." She said, a look of epiphany washed over her.

Bryce smiled.

"Dayum. You should smile more, Hero Ultear. That's a good look on you."

"R- Really?" Sarah asked.

"No shit! Pretty shorties gotta smile more. That's how you snag yo men."

Sarah looked at me, her eyes momentarily sparkling.

"See?" I said quietly.

"No one here dislikes you. You just need to open up more."

"How's things going over here, everyone?" A lady asked us, as she approached our table.

"Ah. We good, miss. All goo-" Bryce made eye contact with the server, his smile melted.

I narrowed my eyes.

"Bryce?"

Bryce was frozen in surprise, staring at the server as if he had seen a ghost.

The lady had flowing brown hair, and a kind smile.

But I could tell instantly why he was so dumbfounded.

The lady looked exactly like that photo in Bryce's jacket that night. But there would have been no way.

Bryce's mother was supposed to be dead.

"Umm... sir? Is something wrong?" The woman asked.

"I... Sorry. This is gon sound strange. But what's yo name?" Bryce said, his voice cautious.

The lady smiled.

"No no no. It's not strange at all. I'm Eliza."

Bryce's bottom lip quivered.

"Would your... last name happen to be... Hellsing?"

Surprise flashed on Eliza's face.

"How did you know? Have we met before?"

Bryce clenched his fist from under the table.

I put my hand on his shoulder, as Bryce turned to me. I shook my head.

"We saw your name on the Employee of the Month plaque. Recognized you right away with your quality service. Here's a tip." I smiled, handing her some extra cash.

Nice save, Aaron.

Photographic memory always came in handy, especially in times like this. Whenever I entered a new environment, I was able to subconsciously memorize every detail, and with every detail, I could build upon it by analyzing each detail and forming mental notes. It was a skill I had developed during my great run from the gods from what seemed like an eternity ago.

"Ah! So that's where you got it from! That's so sweet of you guys!"

We waved the waitress goodbye as we left.

Bryce walked ahead of us, his hands in his pockets. His tall, scrawny figure casting a long shadow across the sunset.

"Ma... why did that woman look exactly like Ma? And her name... it's exactly like hers..." His voice trailed away.

"Yo Bryce..." I said, as Bryce looked at us.

"I... I gotta be alone. Don't worry about it. I got it all cover-"

"We have every reason to worry about it, Bryce." Sarah said, as she stopped Bryce right in his tracks.

"Are we not a team? This entire time, I admit I haven't been there for you, or anyone in the Black Legion. I was selfish and chose to keep my secrets. But if we are to move forward and grow strong enough to help Aaron defeat Demon Lord Loyce, we must be open with our situations. We must be better."

A breeze flew past us, blowing against Bryce's dreadlocks.

Bryce was silent, gazing at us with an expression that was so out of character for him.

The sun was setting, casting the entire place with a orange and purple light.

The ambient sound of the city buzzed in the background, but it was like we were the only ones in the spotlight.

"You... you can't. I can't."

"Why not?" Sarah asked.

"Because I don't wanna hurt you guys!" Bryce shouted.

His voice echoed across the park.

I watched Bryce pull at his dreads.

"You guys.... you guys, it's because you're my homies that I don't wanna end up fucking up and getting y'all hurt! And don't give me that shit Aaron that you can kick my ass. I know. But the very act of me tryna fight you guys... I can't accept it! I won't!"

Bryce inspected his neck.

"You know. I woke up last night, to see blood on my shirt."

Uneasiness flooded my body, as Bryce turned to us.

"Something is wrong with me. I know that more than anyone. Sometimes I go to bed and I wake up with my own blood or someone's blood all over me. Sometimes my Uzi is summoned. And sometimes... this other thing, this sword lies on the ground, slowly dissolving. And you know the fucked up part? Sometimes I can taste blood in my mouth. On my canines."

Bryce ran a finger over his teeth.

"I know what it is, but I don't wanna confirm it. I gotta do this alone. I don't wanna drag y'all-"

I walked up to Bryce and punched him in the face, sending him flying backwards.

Bryce fell on his ass, clutching his cheek.

"What the hell is this?! Discrimination!"

"Aw shut the hell up already! Would you give it a rest already with your discrimination bullshit?!" I yelled at my Auxiliary Shadow.

I knelt down and grabbed Bryce by the collar, glowering at him.

"You wanna keep playing the victim like this? Then I'll make you a victim for real. You've known me long enough to tell that I HATE people who do things like this. Throwing themselves away and hurting themselves, destroying themselves to DEATH thinking that'll solve everything for the people they hold dear."

"You don't understand!" Bryce shouted back.

"You wouldn't possibly understand! A power that you can't even fucking control! An animal. A MONSTER is living inside me. It wants to kill and slaughter everything! How can I put you guys through this kind of shi-"

"WE ALREADY KNOW." I yelled.

Bryce stared at us.

"What...?"

"We know. We know you're half vampire, Bryce. Your mother, Eliza Hellsing. She was the wife of Dracula, right?"

Bryce's expression was full of shock.

"How... how did you know?"

"That night. That night you attacked us. You fought Sarah in your vampire state. He claimed he was the real Bryce, and that you, Tyrell Jackson Jones, had been suppressing him this entire time. Forcing both halves of you to forget about her. To forget about Eliza. We couldn't stop you and you got away. That night, when we got home, I did a bit of digging myself. That woman in that photo was your mother, Eliza Hellsing. She was the first wife of Dracula, but when she was turned a vampire, her power was ruthless and tremendously powerful. Surpassing even her husband.

"Seeing that Eliza had surpassed him, both in power and ruthlessness, Count Dracula had to do something because such a power was too much for his wife, and so he forced her to forget about him entirely. And by doing so, the Vampire Eliza had been suppressed into a psychological hidden personality, going into a deep slumber for thousands of years. By the time she had awoken, that personality had been long since buried, and the age she was brought up to became this age. Wasn't it?"

I pointed at Bryce.

"An amnesiac Eliza must have met Tevin Jones, and at some point, they had a kid, and that kid was you. Eliza's curse of being part rampant vampire had been passed down to you."

"HEY! You two! Hands up in the air!" Several voices appeared, complimented by sirens.

A cop car had pulled up, with several policemen stepping out.

Bryce regarded them.

"Shit." He muttered.

The policemen approached us.

"Who hit first. Assault is a serious crime."

Sarah stepped forward.

"There is no reason for this. It was just a disagreement between-"

"I hit first." Bryce said.

"Bry-" Sarah turned to Bryce, shocked.

"Wait. I recognize you! GET ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW." The cop shouted, as he ripped out his radio.

"REQUESTING BACKUP."

Several other cop cars had appeared, slamming Bryce to the hood of the car.

"Wait, officer. This isn't true. Bryce wasn't the one who hit me first, I did-" I tried to reason, but one of the officers pulled me aside.

"No. This one has history. That's a super criminal known as The Scarlet Uzi. I don't know how he resurfaced after going in hiding for so long. I'm glad you two are safe."

"That's not it at all! Let him go!" Sarah shouted, but I grabbed her arm.

"We can't interfere. We'll make the situation worse" I said.

"They're arresting Bryce for a crime he did not commit!" Sarah protested.

"And what will you do, Sarah? Slaughter everyone?!"

Sarah tried to resist me, but I held on to her with an iron grip, causing her eyes to begin watering out of frustration.

"He..." I watched as Bryce gazed at the distance, his face full of defeat.

Bryce gritted his teeth, as more and more officers surrounded him. One of them used their batons and struck him by the leg, as suddenly, a huge crowd surrounded us.

Bryce continued getting beaten by the police. Their batons striking his legs, arms, and back. Blood splattered on the ground, but Bryce didn't fight back.

"Let me go! Aaron!" Sarah begged me, yanking at my arms.

"THAT'S HIM. THE SCARLET UZI." A resident said.

"Finally, them cops are doing something right! Arrest that sunavabitch. Not our people!" Another one shouted.

"Give that faker a death penalty for all the people he killed!"

Bryce looked all around him, as the crowd had become massive.

One person spat at his face, as the cops dragged him to the car.

"DON'T COME TO PHILLY EVER AGAIN, YOU WANNABE BLACK!"

"KILL HIM."

"Bryce... is this really what you want?" I asked.

Bryce looked at me as he walked by me.

"Right now, I don't even know what I want anymore." He muttered.

Sarah's hands were clenched into fists.

"This is wrong! It's all wrong... Aaron..."

I tightened my embrace around her. I could feel her trembling in my arms.

Sarah turned to me, tears in her eyes.

"I can't stand this! I can't watch them beat our friend while doing nothing..."

"I know. I know..." I muttered, as Sarah buried her head in my chest.

We had to help Bryce.

But I didn't know what to do.

This was how this world did things. As messed up as this was.

If we revealed out power and attacked the police, this would only make things worse for not just Bryce, but the people who cared about him, namely, his grandmother.

The last thing I saw was Bryce's bloodied expression of defeat as he was pushed into one of the cars. The police drove off, as a wave of cheering erupted.

The same people who were discriminated by these authorities were cheering for Bryce's arrest.

The same people who had once crowned Bryce as the "Hero of Philadelphia".

And the same people who Bryce had referred to as brothers.

* * *

"A kid? Me? A little rude, don't you think? Do you think I look that old?" Eliza giggled, as she served me a cup of coffee.

"I didn't mean it like that. It just seemed that Bryce had seen you before somewhere last time we were here." I explained.

I had told Sarah to stay behind today. She insisted to come, but I told her that she instead prepare for any battles by practicing her Chakra control.

If I needed backup, I would inform the Shadows to transport her to my position immediately.

Eliza put a finger to her chin, thinking.

"I can't say he looked too familiar. But... forgive me if this sounds... offensive..."

Eliza leaned closer.

"Don't you think the name 'Bryce' sounds a little too... I dunno... 'white'?"

If this was Tweeter this woman would have been torn to shreds and fed to the wolves!

"It's a Scottish name, isn't it?" I asked.

Eliza nodded.

"Yup. It's a cute name. I'm Scottish myself, you know? It's funny..."

"What is?"

Eliza laughed, running her hand through her hair, the same way Bryce would run his hand through his dreads whenever I made an idiot of myself playing NBA 2K.

"I always thought about naming my first baby 'Bryce', if he ever turned out to be a boy. It's a really cute and adorable name."

"Haha. Oh yeah?"

Eliza put her hands on her cheeks.

"Yes! Ah... but then I'd have to find a man... a..."

Suddenly, a look of uncertainty washed over the waitress, as she paused.

"My man..." She muttered.

"Miss Hellsing?" I asked.

Eliza snapped out of it.

"Oh! I forgot what I was going to say! Oh my gosh, how embarrassing! I'm sorry you had to see that, Aaron."

"No worries." I reassured her.

This confirmed it.

I don't know how Eliza had come back from the dead, but this was clearly Bryce's mother. Whether or not she remembered it, her subconscious was trying to break through with a memory of her husband, Tevin.

There were many questions I had, but unless Eliza was able to access these repressed memories, I might as well be trying to scale a vertical wall.

I opened the door to Grandma Jones' house.

"I'm home." I said, before catching myself.

Home?

This wasn't my home...

"Welcome back." Sarah said, greeting me. I walked up to her and kissed her.

Wait.

What the hell was I doing?!

Since when did I get reduced from the legendary God Killer to a house husband???

"How was Chakra training?" I asked Sarah, as I sat down.

"Difficult. However its implications are too much to count. The way you wielded your Chakra was as a substitute to mana and as an extension of self, comparable to an Asura God. It enabled you to tap into the Advanced variants of your spells. In my case, the way I wield my Chakra is through amplification of my physical abilities. But this makes me believe that Chakra can be wielded in different ways beyond the methods we've used..."

I caught myself gazing at Sarah.

I never imagined myself falling for her. She was far from my ideal type.

I loved tall blonde girls. The wavier her hair the better. The more flirtatious the hotter.

Yes sir! I am indeed a man of culture.

But Sarah was only five foot five, and had purple hair that sat neatly. At first glance, you wouldn't imagine she was nineteen, hitting twenty years old soon. You'd think she was still a high school girl. I don't even remember the last time she cracked a joke, or if she understood what sarcasm was.

I watched as Sarah ran her hand over the edge of the table. Her hair lost its grip against the edge of her oversized hoodie, as it tumbled against her side.

"Aaron."

"Uh! Huh? I wasn't staring at you or anything." I stammered.

Sarah gave me an irritated expression.

"What? I wanted to ask you about... wait. Staring? Staring at what exactly?!"

I quickly tried to change the topic.

"What did you wanna ask about? Ask away, Hero Ultear!"

"No. What were you staring at?"

"Don't worry about it."

"I have every reason to worry about it! You've been giving me lecherous eyes ever since you came home, you pervert!"

"As your Outer Shadow I order you to forget about it!"

"You're acting like a senior Shadow now of all times?!"

I coughed into my hand, looking away.

"Erm... I thought you looked really cute in that baggy hoodie and stockings. I didn't think such an outfit would look so good on you is all." I muttered.

Sarah's face flushed red.

"I... I thought it would make me less... curvy."

"Curvy? What's wrong with that?"

"My curves cause men to gaze at me with that disgusting look, especially when I am in my battle garments." Sarah mumbled, embarrassed.

Well...

She wasn't wrong...

She had practically the perfect cup size and hourglass figure...

And I'm pretty sure if you didn't have a fetish for thighs, you would once you got a sight of hers.

We were silent for a few seconds.

Fuck! This was so god damn awkward!

What happened to being the smooth stud of an Outer Shadow in the Black Legion?!

I was never this awkward with Jessie.

What was it about Sarah that made me act like a complete idiot?

Sarah sighed, sitting next to me on the table.

"Aaron, are we really going to let Bryce be imprisoned like this?"

"I don't know. I really don't. I just don't know how Bryce's version of Amerada... I mean America does things. And it isn't just that. When it comes to race, it's always such a sensitive topic. I feel like this is a battle that ultimately, it has to be Bryce to fight. It's not a matter of honour or anything, but there's significance behind Bryce being the one to break this cycle, not us."

I inspected my hand.

"I'll do my best to support him. But if he chooses to stay in prison and not fight, it's his decision. Choosing to get up and fight, I can influence him and persuade him, but ultimately it's a decision he will make on his own."

Sarah took my hand, running her finger over the scars on my palm, causing a current to arc up my body.

"They said that Bryce had killed his own people. After witnessing that vampiric personality of his, I could understand where part of the anger came from. But I am not convinced Bryce is a bad person. I will never be convinced that he is. He will be the most annoying person ever, but I will never wish something like this to happen to him. When I watched one of the Philadelphia residents spit in his face, I was so angry... I was so upset... not just at the people, but at how helpless we were. We were watching our friend get brutalized by the same people he always bragged about, who he called were his brothers. It makes my heart hurt."

"Feeling's mutual."

"That vampire mentioned how Bryce was trying to repress memories of his mother... when in actuality that wasn't true. Bryce remembered Eliza, and it looked like he so desperately wanted to see her again. Perhaps if we introduced Eliza to Bryce's monster side, perhaps we might be able to solve part of the problem."

"I spoke to Eliza today. And I can confirm this is the woman who was Bryce's mother. The question now is how are we gonna get her to remember Bryce. There's also the question about how she ended up alive again after Bryce had claimed she had died."

We sat in silence.

KABOOM.

I jumped, in surprise, as Sarah shielded me, summoning Ygviil and aiming the sword all around.

"Stay behind me." Sarah hissed.

"Yep yep." I said, as I reached my hand out.

"What's all the ruckus? Are you two being naughty at night?" Grandma Jones asked.

Both of us flushed beet red.

"No!"

Grandma Jones narrowed her eyes.

"What is that in your hand, Sarah dear? I can't see too well in the dark. My poor old eyes."

Sarah's eyes went wide.

"I..."

There was no time for this!

Convocatio - Ammunition Summoning: Blank Rounds

I loaded my Draugr and set the firepower to "extremely non-lethal", took aim, and fired a blank shot which knocked Grandma Jones out cold.

"What did you do?!" Sarah yelped.

"There was no other way!"

"No other way?! You shot Bryce's grandmother!"

"With a blank round! Forget it, just focus on the situation."

We ran outside, to see chaos strewn all over.

From the distance, I could make out a large fire.

"What's going on?!"

One of the citizens ran up to us.

"What are you two doing?! Run for it! Something broke into the prison in Philly! The prisoners are all loose and they've lost their minds! You gotta get out of here!"

"Someone broke in?!" I asked.

"Don't say I didn't warn you! Some crazy lady... monstrous strength. Fangs and all. Was definitely not a human!"

"SHAQ! QUIT CHATTING AND HOP IN!" Someone shouted at the guy, as they pulled up in a truck. The guy turned to us.

"Y'all gotta find a way outta here! Everybody's scrambling!"

And on that happy note, the guy drove off.

Sarah put a hand on my arm.

"A crazy woman with monstrous strength... could it be..."

I clenched my fist.

Fangs and all, huh?

"Buck. Call the Shadows and summon the Warpath Battlebike. We're headed to the prison. It's high time we paid a visit to someone."

Very well, Master Aaron.

A mass of darkness appeared, as the form of a highly advanced and decked out military grade motorcycle appeared. I hopped on, as Sarah got on at the back, wrapping her arms around my waist.

I flicked a few switches on the bike, as several machine guns popped out from the sides.

"Hope these things can handle silver bullets. Let's go."

I floored the accelerator, as we drove to the direction of the chaos.

The Devil of Philadelphia

By the time we got there, we were already too late.

I swerved, braking as dozens of inmates blocked our entrance.

Their eyes were red, and their fangs dripping with blood.

"They've been converted." Sarah said.

"Umm... you guys wouldn't mind letting us through by any chance?" I asked, sheepishly.

"NO MAN SHALL PASS. NONE SHALL REACH OUR LADY." The inmates said, their voices robotic, yet demonic.

"Figures." I grumbled.

"Aaron, get down." Sarah advised, as she brought her hand back.

Convocatio - Illium Kunai

Several throwing knives appeared in her hand as she threw them with deadly accuracy, pinning them all down.

"Umm... Sarah?"

"What is it?"

"You didn't kill them, did you?"

"No. I don't think so..."

What kind of Hero kills first and asks questions later?!

I drove into the prison, making my way past more and more inmates trying to stop us, barricading the entrance.

These guys... they're already dead.

At this point, they may as well be blood puppets.

I warmed the barrels to the guns on my bike, as I began firing.

RATATATATATATATAT.

The zombified inmates collapsed, as we continued barging our way through, driving through the fire.

Cosmic Moon Magic - Luna Wings

Aspectum - Huntsman Radar

The bike became surrounded with the hologram of translucent angelic silver feathers protecting it from the heat, while a red magic circle appeared before my right eye, tracking down Bryce's location.

Come on Bryce.

Please be okay.

More and more inmates began getting in our way, as the barrels of the Warpath's machine guns started to overheat.

"Damn!" I growled. I had to save my mana. I couldn't summon the DS34 Sanctuaries just yet.

Convocatio Gun Summoning - Ultimate MP7

I put one hand on one of the handlebars, as I aimed my SMG and began firing left and right.

Sarah grimaced.

"We must be nearing Bryce's location. I will deal with the ones that have breached your distance."

Convocatio - Illium Talachord

Sarah summoned a large whip, which began glowing with Moon Magic.

Inmates dissipated into white light as Sarah lashed out with the whip at wide range, while I picked off the ones at a distance with my submachine gun.

We continued our raid, until we reached the cell, where Aspectum had locked on to Bryce's location.

I stopped and got off the bike.

"Sarah, I need you to hold off the inmates. If possible... try to avoid killing them if any of the inmates are still alive."

Sarah turned to me.

"Are you sure you don't need me to defend you in case anything happens?"

I glared at the cell room.

This was definitely a trap.

"I'm going alone. Bryce needs his boss. I'm counting on you to make sure I can have this opportunity to talk to him. One on one."

Sarah watched as I made my way to the room.

"Aaron." She called out.

I turned my head to see Sarah from the corner of my vision.

"Please bring Bryce back home. He's one of us."

I stepped into the room, to see a familiar kid, who was bound to his chair in chains.

His head was downcast. There were fresh new wounds, from recent thrashings, no doubt from the inmates he was forced to share the prison with.

I remembered all the times I had been with Bryce.

It was almost always jokes between him and I.

We were either goofing off or playing on his Gamestation. Whenever he did show up in missions, it was always a blast with him.

Maybe it was because we were having so much fun did I not realize his circumstances.

It was because I was too ignorant to try to understand my own subordinate.

This wasn't because of Loyce.

This was something I should have done a long time ago.

As his superior and Outer Shadow.

"Auxiliary Shadow Uzi." I said.

Bryce didn't respond, his eyes empty and staring at the ground.

"Acknowledge." I repeated myself.

No response.

"I SAID ACKNOWLEDGE. UZI."

Bryce lifted his head, his dreadlocks partially covering his sunken eyes.

"Hey. Bossman." Uzi muttered, weakly.

I gritted my teeth.

"Are you at all aware of the circumstances you are in?" I asked.

"Yes." Bryce responded.

"And you're gonna remain here? While chaos spreads around you? While your own brothers are being killed left and right?"

Bryce shook his head.

"They ain't my brothers. I was... stupid to think I could be one of them. Just because of the colour of my skin. It ain't just the colour."

Bryce looked at me.

"They was right... you know. I did kill em. I killed the people I thought were my brothers. Even if it was that other me... their deaths was on my hands. I couldn't disobey my blood, ya know."

"I didn't think the Philly Boy I always knew would be so spineless." I said.

Bryce didn't respond with his usual retort.

"You think I don't wanna be on the front lines, supporting em?" He seethed, as he shifted in his chains. His orange jumpsuit was also stained with blood.

"My pop always taught me that it wasn't enough to just sit there and stay outta trouble. If a brother is in danger, he always put his life on the line to stand with them. Whether it was from gangs. Whether it was from the police. Whether it was against the law that persecuted his people. It don't matter. To him, brotherhood was everything. That's what it meant to be a man."

Bryce spat at the ground, staining it red.

"Even when Ma had her episodes... Pop never stopped being himself. He put his life on the line to protect his brothers from Ma's onslaughts. But he could never harm her. He died protecting his wife."

Bryce's expression was full of rage, but under that rage, I could make out the hurt inside.

"And I couldn't bring it in myself to hurt her either. Coz even if Ma was a murderer, that was her vampire side. That was what the people of Philly don't understand. My Ma... I knew her best, after my Pop. They don't know that my Ma loved to sing me songs before I went to sleep. They don't know how much my Ma worried about me being bullied for being half black. They don't know how hard my Ma worked in that coffee shop to make sure she could buy me clothes. They don't know."

Bryce glared at me.

"They just saw Ma as a monster. A vampire. I gained their respect that day for protecting them from gunfire during the Great Police Rebellion. But that day it all went out the window. When Ma had caught wind of what was happening in the hood. She begged me not to go. 'You may have Tevin's blood, but you have mine too!' She said. 'It doesn't concern you!' She begged. 'Please, stay here by my side'. When I went on a murder spree to avenge my brothers, my Ma discovered I had awakened my vampire blood. I gave into my vampire blood because I thought the white men deserved to die. I was just a kid. Of course I would think that.

"What do you think a mother would do, if she found out her little boy was in danger? I had become a monster just like her. I had become another Dracula. No one could stop me. I thought what I had become was a Hero, but in reality I had become the Devil of Philadelphia. And so, like the protective mother she was, she decided to give into her vampire blood that she hated so much. Eliza Hellsing herself stepped into the battlefield to protect whoever put harm my way. But to her, her twisted side, her idea of whoever put me in harms way... was the brotherhood. Because to her, it was the influence Pop had put on me that forced me into the situation I was in. I chose to stay in the hood. I chose to accept Pop's side over hers. She hurt not just the police but also the people of Philly."

I was quiet, listening as Bryce continued letting it all go.

This was no longer about me.

This was something I, as Bryce's superior, had to be open to.

So I could be there for him when he needed the most.

And this was the time.

"They told me that my Ma had to die. They cornered her, you know? Chains. Clubs. Knives and shanks. And guns. But that thing that had taken control of her was not Ma. They were mad at the wrong version of Ma. I did what any kid woulda done. I stood my ground for Ma and fought back. Seeing my Ma beaten up and bloody... that night, the real Bryce showed up. Not Tyrell Jackson Jones. Not even Bryce Jones. Bryce Hellsing, the son of Eliza, and the indirect son of Dracula. I killed and killed and killed. All the while, Ma watched her little boy turn into a monster just like she used to. The monster she feared had manifested through her son. That was when I realized it, and Ma's tears brought me back. I stopped fighting and told my brothers. I told em 'no more'. As the Scarlet Uzi. I told em any more threats to my Ma I would never forgive. This was the last chance they got unless they wanted to see the beast again. It didn't stop em though."

Bryce summoned an Uzi from one of the scrap pieces of the ground.

"Would you believe it. The gun that one of my brothers had used to accidentally shoot the human version of my Ma's head... would be an Uzi? Tch. A fuckin Uzi of all things. Couldn't have been a Draco. Couldn't have been a Glock. Couldn't have been an AK. It had to be a gun that my Pop always had carried around to protect my Ma. That gun was used to end her life."

I said nothing, as Bryce chuckled, gripping the gun in his hand and letting go, causing the firearm to clatter on the ground.

"I wanted to kill em. Myself. Not as a vampire. As a vampire I had an excuse. But as Tyrell Jones. You know? He shot my Ma. But at the same time, he was scared. I had no idea what to do. Stand for a brother like my Pop would have? Or avenge my Ma for her sake? This was no longer an issue about whether or not I was black or white. This was about who's parent I had to choose to support. And I couldn't possibly make that choice. So I ran away."

Bryce looked at me, tears running down his cheeks.

"I ran. I ran away from my world, chasing after you so I could escape. They knew me as Tyrell Jackson Jones. But I didn't want no part of this no more. None of it. So I decided to throw it away. I became Bryce because even if I resented being a monster, I had no choice but to use that name. Coz I couldn't face it again."

I knelt before my Auxiliary Shadow.

"So... when you chose to train in response to the threat of Vala... you came here..."

Bryce clenched his teeth.

"Yeah. The beast needed to come back. I had to remember the trauma. Because right now, I am just name only... I thought that if Tyrell Jackson Jones was useless... at least Bryce Hellsing would be of use. Fat lot that did. Look at me now. Locked up, shit on by everybody here in Philly. I'm fucked up."

Bryce chuckled.

"Hero of Philly my ass. I'm just a corny fake wannabe black at the end of the day. Too scared to use my white side. Too phoney to be accepted for my black side. Sorry, bossman. I just ain't worth it to be your subordinate. You were right, four years ago. I never shoulda been in the Black Legion. Not for someone so amazing as you. SS Ranked and shit. You don't even need superpowers to kick divine ass. I had the full powers of a vampire and I still fucked everything up."

KABOOM.

KAKAKAKAKAK.

The sounds of shouting and chaos erupted in the background, as I heard the sounds of inmates yelling and shooting at their zombified colleagues. Eliza was still nowhere to be seen.

I could easily have tracked her down.

I could easily have killed her.

But this was not my fight.

This was something that had to be fought by someone else.

This wasn't about me.

Maybe I was acting irrationally. Maybe it was true that Loyce had changed the narrative of who I was.

At the moment, this felt right.

But that person, the person who was meant for the job, was sitting in front of me completely defeated by the guilt of his past, and the crushing weight of holding a reputation that was never there in the first place. His jump-suit covered in the blood of his beatings, and his face completely drained of the energy he was known to have.

Bryce was always someone who smiled and always went about his day with an unparalleled and distinct energy. Even if it was chaotic at times.

He always bragged about Philadelphia to everybody in the Black Legion. So much so, that even Sarah of all people knew about it.

To Bryce, it seemed that Philadelphia was his pride and joy, and being a Hero there was practically his identity.

But...

"Bryce. What about me makes you think I'm so amazing?" I asked.

Bryce scoffed.

"Do you even need to ask, Bossman? You defeated Bishamonten, an Inner Shadow. You fought toe to toe with the Spirit of Hope, who overwhelmed SSS Ranked Hakah Mah of all people. You were able to take on literal gods with nothing but guns that could easily be acquired from the hood. You fought and defeated the Devil Monk. You outsmarted Doctor Destroyer. You killed Takofanes, Kigatilik, and Therakiel with regular ass firearms. And you nearly beat Gigaton completely unarmed. Do I need to go on?"

"You think someone who kills people is amazing?" I said.

Bryce frowned.

"What? No! That ain't what I'm tryna say."

"In my opinion, I think someone who takes pride in ending lives is the least amazing type of person. There's nothing to brag about killing someone."

I walked up to Bryce and placed a photo on the ground.

It was the same photo that he had dropped that night, the one with him and his mother.

"Do you wanna know who I think is more amazing than me? A man named Tevin Jones. Someone who didn't kill, but stood for what he believed in. Killing in itself is nothing to be proud of. It's the act at which you would go to such extents. For self defence, or defence for people you care about. Tevin Jones fought against the law because they falsely arrested the people in his neighbourhood. Gangs who wanted to shoot up innocents... Tevin would march onto the front lines along with his brotherhood to make sure the streets wouldn't be filled with fear.

"And above all things. The extent that man would go to, to make sure his wife and kid was safe. This was a man that made him respected in Philly."

Bryce clenched his teeth.

"I ain't like Pop."

"You're not. Because you're also like your mother as well. Eliza Hellsing would go to the extent of accepting her vampire side just so she could protect her child. I spoke with her. The way she would run her hand through her hair just like you would whenever you laughed. Same mannerisms. Same habits. She was kind and sweet. I can read people, Bryce. It's a skill I've long since acquired when I was really young, and have practiced for many years. I can tell when someone doesn't enjoy taking lives. And Eliza Hellsing hated violence. So can you imagine the level of love she had for you when she decided to step into the front to save you?"

Bryce's face leaked tears, as I continued.

"Maybe it's true that you're not the Hero of Philadelphia you wanted us to believe. But this..."

I spread my hands.

"This is your second chance. The vampire that had caused Eliza Hellsing to die that night is now running rampant in Philadelphia again. It isn't a matter of who's worthy or who's worth being anyone's subordinate. I can't tell you how to live your life, but... I of all people know that the people of Philly aren't looking for some white guy to save them. They're looking for someone like YOU."

I got up, summoning my Draugr.

"Of course, it goes without saying. I am still your comrade. And comrades exist to support each other. So I'm most definitely not going to let you die to that vampire. So you can quit trying to sneak up on us, Eliza."

I turned around, aiming the barrel to Eliza's forehead.

The woman smiled evilly.

"Oh dear. You are quite a sharp one, aren't you."

Bryce stared at the vampire Eliza.

"Ma....? No. You ain't Ma."

Eliza glared at her son.

"And you are not Bryce Hellsing. Where is my son, mortal boy."

"Blitzkrieg Protocol." I said, as the DS34's that I had summoned before entering Bryce's cell unveiled themselves, pointing their lasers all over Eliza.

"One false move, and they'll start blasting." I warned her.

Eliza regarded my sentries.

"Do you really think Silver Bullets will kill me?"

"Well... I was kinda... banking on that..." I grumbled.

Eliza laughed sinisterly.

"That might work on lesser vampires. But not one that has received the full love and affection of the Lord of Shadows. My beloved Count Dracula."

The fuck kind of bullshit was this?

"You realize what this means, don't you, mortal boy?" Eliza's face suddenly got real close, her fangs open and ready to chomp down on some Aaron Hope.

I leaned back, firing my Draugr in shotgun mode. The Silver Bullets embedded themselves into Eliza's face, but she reached out, grabbing my shoulder and lifting me up.

"Gah!" I gasped, as I closed my fist.

The sentries came together and fired a spray of bullets at the vampire. Eliza dropped me as I took aim with my Draugr, shooting off Bryce's restraints.

I ran up to Bryce and got him out of his shackles.

"Rise and shine, Uzi. Let's kick some ass."

Bryce coughed, rubbing his wrists.

"I'm still injured, dude." He grumbled, leaning against me.

The sentries continued firing, swamping Eliza in a flood of white light and gunfire, when suddenly, they stopped.

"Huh? Did the DS34's jam?" I said.

The smoke cleared, revealing Eliza smiling maniacally. Her body was pulsating with a red energy, the same one Bryce always wielded with his Uzi, except branches of it had completely flooded the barrels and crevices of each DS34 Sanctuary, causing smoke and sparks to come out of each one.

"Do you always like fighting with those toys of yours, Dainsleif?"

"Dainsleif? How the hell do you know my code-"

Eliza raised her head, revealing a symbol on her neck.

"Hehe." Eliza sneered.

Bryce gulped. "Yo... Aaron... isn't that...?"

I gritted my teeth, flashbacks to our battle against a familiar God of Warfare that had costed me one of my precious Auxiliary Shadows.

"Vala!"

I glanced at Bryce, putting an arm in front of him and weaving another magic circle.

Convocatio and Augmentus - Fast Casting

Electricity surged through my body, my senses dialling up.

Convocatio - Grenade Summoning: Subzero Cryogrenades, Gun Summoning: Dual Draugrs

I tossed several ice grenades at Eliza, while pulling out two Draugrs and firing at the projectiles midair, causing the chain reaction of the bullet's friction against the metal to ignite, shooting ice and steam simultaneously around the vampire.

Convocatio - Ultimate Caliga

I pulled out my anti-aircraft rifle, firing, as Eliza smashed through dozens of walls.

Bryce and I gave chase.

"You do realize you're shootin my MA RIGHT?!" Bryce growled at me.

Wait until he found out what I did to his grandmother!

"Shut up! You're both immortal as shit! There's no way she'll die from a Caliga round if even Silver Bullets aren't enough to kill her!"

We reached the edge of the building. Inmates were everywhere, as Sarah was zipping around the entire place, leaving behind a supersonic silver streak, dispatching any fully converted inmates. But there were too much, even for the Sword Hero.

"There's still people down there!" Bryce said, as he jumped down, summoning his Uzi and firing at the ground to slow his fall.

"Yo! Get away from the converted ones!" Bryce shouted at the inmates, who stared at the kid.

"You! It's your fault!" One of them roared at Bryce.

"No! I swear it isn't! It's-"

SMASH.

Bryce's eyes widened as Eliza closed in, her fist connecting with his stomach.

Bryce flew backwards, smashing into a concrete column.

"Bryce!" I shouted, as I aimed my Draugr and fired, but no matter what I was doing, Eliza had regenerated just as fast.

None of my guns were effective against someone who could heal exponentially faster than Transplant.

I leapt down, scaling a wall and running forward when suddenly, my heart exploded in pain.

"GRRK!" I choked, blood spluttering from the crevices of my clenched teeth.

My whole body was wracked in pain, as my vision doubled.

Now wasn't the time for my body to fail!

"Are you the fools who have been speaking ill about my son?" Eliza asked, her voice dangerously cold.

The inmates took a step back, their knives drawn. Some of them managed to steal the firearms of deceased prison guards, but it was pretty clear their weapons did not stand a chance against the wife of Dracula.

One of the inmates clutched his knife.

"I got a kid at home. I'm not gonna die in this prison, and I'm certainly not gonna die from some crazy bitch like you." He snarled, but Eliza grabbed him by the neck, lifting him up.

"Pity. Your child will grow to hate my kind."

"STOP." Bryce growled, firing bolts of red energy which caused Eliza to stumble back.

Bryce aimed the steaming barrel of his Uzi at Eliza.

"I won't let you hurt these people, Ma."

Eliza narrowed her eyes.

"You dare rebel against me? Make no mistake. You are not the Bryce Hellsing that I gave birth to. You are merely the byproduct of my pathetic human half and that excuse of a sperm donor."

Bryce breathed hard. One of his eyes was permanently closed, but he struggled forward. One of his arms was bracing the other, which was holding the SMG to his mother's head.

"You... you're damn right I ain't. I ain't no monster. I ain't like you. My Ma is Eliza Jones, the one who fell in love with the greatest man in Philly. Tevin Jones. If you wanna kill these guys, you gotta kill me first!"

"Make no mistake. BOY." Eliza closed in, slamming Bryce in the stomach again as his eyes widened, coughing out blood.

Eliza struck Bryce by the head again, causing him to slide backwards.

"Kid!" One of the inmates said, but stopped himself, as he turned to his colleagues.

Eliza approached the inmates, who were frozen in fear.

"Fuck! This bitch is a monster! Is she the one who turned our boys into those zombies?"

"We're finished. We can't get out of this..."

"My wife... my wife was supposed to be waiting for me. I can't go out like this!"

"Fear. Fear is what makes your blood so rich with nutrients." Eliza licked her lips, when suddenly, a rock struck the vampire in the back of the head.

"The fuck did I just say..." Bryce muttered, as he struggled to his feet. Blood was pouring from his head, staining his dreadlocks with a crimson shine.

"You gotta kill ME first, before you kill my brothers." He snarled.

Eliza scowled, turning to her son.

"YOUR brothers? Did these men not viciously assault you the entire time you were imprisoned? Did these people not spit in your face and speak ill of your name? The same people who wished the death of your precious Eliza Jones so many years ago? The same people who defended the man who had shot me to death that night?"

Bryce stood before Eliza, his gun hand trembling.

Eliza smiled.

"You are afraid of me, just as much, if not, more than the people you are trying to defend. Because you understand just how powerful I am. And how weak you are. Without Bryce Hellsing, you are nothing. You feed off the remnants of my son's power."

Bryce turned his head slightly.

"I'll distract her. I got my friend to fight back the ones converted. You gotta round up the survivors and escape!" He hissed.

"Are you stupid, Tyrell? What the hell are you gonna do against that thing?!" One of the inmates snapped.

"Elijah is right. You're still... you're still injured during your last beating. We gotta escape together."

Bryce glared at Eliza, who's body began rippling with even more power.

"I... I ain't one of you. I'm a monster, just like that woman. I know that now. If one person's gotta stay behind and slow her down, it's gotta be me. I can't keep letting our brothers get killed."

The inmates stared at Bryce, but Bryce returned a grin.

"I may not be one of you. But I'm still Pop's kid. And I know if it was Pop in this situation he woulda done the same. Just like he did many years ago."

"Tyrell." One of they inmates said, putting a hand on Bryce's shoulder.

"Don't die on us. We're trusting you on this. You slow her down, but if she's too much for you, you bounce, got it? Once we return to Philly, we'll tell all our boys in the hood. We'll round up everything we got. And we take her down together."

Bryce gritted his teeth, as the inmates ran for the exit.

I clutched my side, as more blood leaked out of my mouth.

"Foolish boy." She said, as she closed in and pummelled Bryce viciously, causing his Uzi to go flying out of his hand.

More and more combinations landed, as I could only watch helplessly, my body not responding to me.

And as I watched my Auxiliary Shadow be beaten by yet another lackey of the Spirit of Hope...

More and more of my old memories of June facing Jekyll in a hopeless standoff flashed in my mind.

Of Jekyll beating June senseless.

But the little 15 year old girl, a mere C-Ranked Auxiliary Shadow, refusing to go down for our sake.

"Stop... this..." I croaked, forcing my body to its feet.

"I can't watch another Auxiliary Shadow of mine die to Vala!" I whispered.

SMASH.

Eliza struck Bryce in the face with her fist, but suddenly, Bryce stood his ground. Blood leaking and dripping from his face and pouring on the ground.

Yet Bryce continued standing his ground, his body in full view, shielding me from the Vampire Countess.

"Blah blah blah." Bryce grumbled, tilting his head as his eyes turned blood-red.

"It's gonna take a lot more than that to take me out, you BITCH."

Bryce's hand transformed into a claw, slashing at Eliza, who leapt back.

"How dare you." Eliza's eyes went wide with rage.

Bryce smiled, as the red energy started to swirl around him. His canines became longer and longer, as he widened his mouth, revealing a set of fangs.

"I heard you loud and clear, Bossman. You don't need to worry about no more Auxiliaries dying. Cuz for yo sake?"

Bryce roared, his orange jumpsuit transforming into a black sleeveless trench coat, fluttering wildly with his demonic red vampire aura.

"I'll show you how a real Devil of Philadelphia does things."

Bryce aimed his uzi with one hand, as his other suddenly manifested a sword.

Both hands, wielding their respective weapons and pointing them at Eliza in a cross style.

"You wanna see Bryce Hellsing? HUH? Well what do you know. I wanna see Eliza Jones."

Eliza blasted forward, but Bryce had already dodged, as he grabbed Eliza and slit her throat, causing blood to explode from her neck.

Eliza spun around and reached out with her claws, but Bryce aimed his uzi and fired a violent red starburst, slamming her back.

"I'll show you Bryce Hellsing. But I'M the one in control!"

Bryce and Eliza clashed, as Buck's readings went off the charts.

Within that span of their clash, Bryce's combat rating was going up.

From B Rank.

To A Rank.

To S+ Rank.

I stood before the transformed, awakened, vampiric state of Bryce Hellsing. I couldn't comprehend what my eyes were looking at.

Tyrell Jackson Jones.

The son of Eliza Hellsing, the Vampire Countess.

And the indirect son of Dracula.

Bryce smirked, realigned both sword and gun. His black cloak fluttering in the wind. His dreads had now gained a demonic red highlight.

Auxiliary Shadow Uzi.

Black Legion Rating:

High Tier S+ Rank.

Familial Bonds

Eliza and Bryce clashed again, their battle viciously tearing the prison apart from the sheer force of their attacks.

Eliza slashed at Bryce with four of her six tendrils, who deflected it off of his sword and retaliated with blasts of his Uzi. The red bolts of energy created craters on the ground.

"Bryce! We have to move the fight!" I shouted, ignoring the pain in my chest.

This stupid body!

Bryce noticed the damage around him, but this moment of hesitation would prove costly, as Eliza managed to cut his face with her claws.

Bryce gritted his teeth, the claw marks regenerating instantly, as he aimed his Uzi, but Eliza had already managed another blow on his stomach, the kick smashing Bryce into the ground and crashing through the walls of the prison.

The Auxiliary Shadow landed outside.

"Damn bitch." Bryce grumbled, as he barely intercepted Eliza's attacks.

Eliza began unleashing more and more combos with her claws at lightning fast speed.

Eliza Hellsing. Or more precisely, Eliza Dracula. The wife of Vlad Dracula, the Lord of Shadows and King of all Vampires. She has proven an effective pawn in this game of divine chess. A voice resonated in my mind.

"Vala!" I growled, clutching my side.

Liver failure. Spontaneous internal bleeding. Multiple brain aneurysms. As you speak, you are gambling your life away with each battle you choose to partake in. Your body is dying with every time you exert yourself physically. The fragility of it is akin to a decaying old man. Do you really think you can defeat me?

I watched as Bryce and Eliza fought viciously, but Bryce was starting to lose ground, as he had realized their collateral was damaging Philly.

I took a step forward, but was overwhelmed with nausea and dizziness.

Sarah Ultear believes she is holding you back. Tyrell Jackson Jones believes he must become stronger for your sake by accepting the darkness of his heritage. Annelise Scarlett would install cybernetic implants into her body which will inevitably cause her to stray from her path of humanity, all so she could support the Outer Shadow she admires so greatly. But in reality, it won't be any of these Auxiliary Shadows who will perish. It will be their fragile, mortal, powerless, human Outer Shadow. The irony, that the person that is truly the weakest, would be the highest ranking Shadow in this tag team of fools who support Despair.

Shut up...

You don't know the half of it, Vala.

I have no intention of dying.

There will be a cure. I know it.

I just have to hold out until I find it.

KABOOM.

Bryce slammed into the ground, as Eliza hovered in the air, her aura becoming tremendously violent.

Bryce's red glow started to fade, as he struggled to his feet.

Eliza looked down at Bryce condescendingly.

"To wield my power. To use my son as a weapon. Yet somehow... you look even weaker compared to my human side's beloved."

Bryce glared at the ground, blood dripping from his mouth.

"What?" He snarled.

Eliza closed in and slammed her fist against Bryce, then grabbed him and flung the Shadow into a mass of trees as he crashed into the urban neighbourhood, levelling a house.

"Tevin 'The Machine Gun' Jones. That was his name. Each time my human side threw her arms around that man, it filled her with joy. I watched from deep within the subconsciousness of Eliza Jones. How she admired that man. For he was strong. He had willpower. He was humble. He had brotherhood and he was loyal. Yet you..."

Eliza blocked a strike from Bryce's sword using one of her tendrils, as it crumbled to dust.

"Shit!" Bryce yelped. Eliza grabbed Bryce by the throat, lifting him up as I watched my Auxiliary begin retching.

"...you... Tyrell Jones. Unlike Tevin, your frail, and thin appearance is the definition of weakness. Your self proclaimed 'brothers' reject you. You ran from your hometown. And you hide behind my son's power. Lady Vala has shown me a lot about you. You dare dream about inheriting your father's legacy? You dare call yourself brave, and a 'hero' to these people? You can never live up to Tevin's name. And you won't ever be of any use to your Outer Shadow."

"Hey bitch." I said, as Eliza paused, turning to me. The barrel of my Draugr was pressed against her skull.

"You wanna keep talking shit about my Auxiliary Shadow like that? I've seen hookers be better mothers than you."

Eliza snarled at me with an animalistic rage.

"How dare you, mortal boy! Do you know who I am?"

BANG.

Eliza flew back, her head exploding in blood, before regenerating.

But I dove out of the way, dodging tendrils of spiked blood before retaliating with a clip of MP7 SMG bullets.

Eliza skidded back, creating a shield of blood.

"Bryce is the bravest person I ever met. Don't YOU dare act like you knew hi-"

"No. Aaron." Bryce forced himself to his feet, his dreadlocks plastered to his face, leaving behind bloody spots on his skin.

"She's right. I ain't nothing like Pop. No matter how hard I work, I won't ever be like him. I know. I don't have the genetics to be physically jacked and strong like he was. I don't got that humbleness he had that made Ma fall in love with him. I don't got his charm. And I don't got his brotherhood. I ran away from my responsibilities instead of facing them head on. I left behind a huge fucking mess with the police and had these people pay for it. If anything, I've fucked my Pop's legacy. I know that more than anyone."

"Bryce..."

"But you know what? It ain't enough to make me stop fighting for what I believe in." Bryce stepped forward, shouldering his submachine gun on one shoulder.

"They can call me a wannabe black all they want. And you can call me a failure all you want! But for Aaron's sake, I'm gonna keep fighting. I'll take you down and get stronger and stronger."

"Stronger than me?!" Eliza cackled.

"I am the Queen of all Vampires! I surpass even Dracula himself! In terms of power, I am SS Ranked! This entire time... I simply was playing with my prey. But if you want to continue spouting such nonsense, Tyrell of Philadelphia, then I won't hesitate to unleash the power that Lady Vala had recognized!"

Shit! So she really was just messing around!

I didn't have a choice, I had to use it.

I turned to Bryce, who gritted his teeth.

"Like hell I'm gonna let you!" Bryce transformed into his Vampire Form once more, blasting to her direction, but Eliza's violent blood aura blew him back.

"A mere hybrid borrowing his vampire half is no match for a hybrid who has fully been consumed by hers. Even amongst our kind, there exists a hierarchy. Someone such as you, a being that is ranked even lower than a fledgling, is no match for a worldeater! To someone like me, I don't just feed off of the blood of my victims, but from the very life force itself. Meaning any vessel that contains life is food for me. Humans. Animals. Monsters. Every organic being fuels my essence."

I looked at my body, which began to fade. My very life force was being channeled into Eliza.

I had to stop this before she became SS Ranked for real!

I aimed my Draugr, when another wave of dizziness hit me.

"Gah!"

My body was already dying. Eliza siphoning my life force was seriously not doing it any favours.

"I SAID STOP." Bryce roared, pushing right into the aura. But his body began cracking, blood spurting from his wounds as he tried to force his way through the tremendous power difference between the two vampires.

"You are no match for me!" Eliza cackled, as she completed her transformation, flying into the sky and manifesting two wings. Eliza then struck Bryce, causing him to smash into the ground with a huge

BOOM.

I breathed heavily, falling to one knee.

Bryce wasn't getting back up.

Was this seriously... all I could do?

All I could do...

I glared at Eliza, who continued ascending, her aura turning the moon red.

"I am Eliza Hellsing. The first bride of Dracula that had inherited his blood. The strongest vampire in existence."

"Get off your high horse already..." I muttered.

Eliza raised an eyebrow.

"Lady Vala tells me you are also SS Ranked. Would that not make you the same level as me? But thus far, you have been nothing. You are even less than that pathetic human lying on the ground."

My blood boiled.

"Don't you dare call your son a pathetic human! Are you not his mother?!"

"His mother?! MY son is the vampire Bryce Hellsing. Trapped in that pathetic mortal boy. But even if he manifests..."

Eliza smiled evilly, tilting her head.

"I would kill him all the same."

My heart stopped.

"What. The fuck. Did you just say?" I said, my voice dangerously quiet. But I knew she heard it with her superhuman hearing.

Eliza's smile widened.

"Oh. Did I not make myself clear? I would kill him all the same. After all. It is in our nature to consume. That is the order of the vampire way. Bryce Hellsing has power greater than mine. It is the choice I have made to consume him before he ever gets the chance to kill me. After all, if he escapes, then that would mean he would take the throne of the strongest vampire. That I cannot allow. It is almost a blessing that he has not taken over Tyrell's body. What a pathetic excuse for a child. But that is good news, in its own way."

My blood began boiling and boiling and boiling.

I never knew my parents.

Not even the faintest memory.

I bounced from foster home to foster home, from orphanage to orphanage, until I ended up with Will and Nora.

And even if I did know what it was like to have a foster brother and foster sister...

I could never have the chance to know what it was like to have a mom.

I could never experience that feeling of warmth and love.

Sometimes I would feel jealous of people going back to their families.

And whenever someone would complain about their parents, some part of me always got mad. After all. They were complaining about something I never had. They would never appreciate the precious blessing of experiencing the love of their parents.

Eliza glanced at Bryce's unconscious body.

"Perhaps it is better to consume him now. His value... was a wast-"

WOOSH.

Eliza's eyes widened, as she came face to face with me.

"How-"

My body had instantly closed the distance, glowing white with Chakra.

"Calling your own son a waste. I already had low expectations for you, Eliza. But you somehow made them even FUCKING lower." I whispered, as I summoned my Draugr, jamming it in her mouth and firing.

Eliza's head exploded into a starburst of blood, which began arcing towards me, but I summoned two MP7's in each hand, firing in a spiral and pushing her away.

"YOU DARE STRIKE ME?!" Eliza yelled, unleashing a wave of blood energy at my direction.

"YES I WOULD." I retaliated.

Advanced Fire Magic: FIRE GOD IFRIT PILA

I laced my SMG's with a highly complex magic circle, causing a violent flash fire to blaze through the darkness. I squeezed against the triggers, unleashing a torrent of flame and gunfire to blaze outwards and ignite the blood, causing a massive red smoke cloud to billow outwards.

I closed in throwing my MP7's away and swapping into a Caliga in each hand.

ASURA'S PENALTY

My soul began expanding even further, ripping and tearing apart at my body and generating two spectres on each side.

TRIGRAMS THIRTY SIX HANDS COMBINATION

The barrels of six Ultimate Caligas were pointed straight at Eliza, who was still blinded by the blood cloud.

ULTIMATE DESTREUM CALIGA CERBERUS

I began unleashing a barrage of anti-aircraft shells at the Vampire, as I watched the Countess explode into blood, but each time she reformed, another explosive shell blew her apart again.

Again and again and again.

"Why did you beat the kid from school up?" Nora scolded Will, as I welcomed them home.

"Hmph. Because he was talking bad things about his mom. Why else?" Will grumbled.

"That's not a good reason to do that! It's because you beat him up did his friends join in and I had to bail you out! We both got detention you idiot!" Nora exclaimed.

"Was that why you guys were late coming home today?" I asked.

Will put a hand on my shoulder.

"Forget about Nora. If you wanna learn one thing from me, learn this. There's no worse person in this world, than someone who takes things for granted. I HATE people who don't realize the good things they have, and to make it worse, talk bad things about it. I hate it so much I would rip them apart even if I end up in juvie!"

"STOP!!! Oh my god, you give me such a headache sometimes Will!" Nora said.

KABOOM.

"Enough!" Eliza shouted, slicing all barrels of my Caligas with an arc of blood, as she gained shape.

"What can you do? Whatever attack, whatever weapon you wield, I regenerate. You cannot kill me!"

Eliza formed thousands upon thousands of spikes in the air.

"A power to end all of humanity. To be able to easily destroy entire civilizations and planets. That is what The Black Legion classifies a SS Rank to be. How can a mere human who wields manmade weapons be capable of such destruction? You dare bare your teeth at-"

Convocatio: Turricalum Grand Fleet

"Large Magnitude Nullification Protocol." I said, as the red aura and spikes of Eliza Hellsing suddenly dissipated.

"What did you do?!" Eliza exclaimed, glaring at the hundreds of DS34's that had now surrounded her in a massive sphere matrix.

Asura's Penalty

I brought my arms out, as two pairs of projection arms sprouted from my back, glowing blue with Chakra.

Thirty Six Hands Combination

I leapt on one of my DS34's leaping from it with immense speed and appearing behind Eliza. I summoned my Draugrs, aiming six of its barrels in shotgun mode and firing at Eliza's back.

"Gah!"

Eliza spun around, attempting to use her blood spikes, but nothing came out.

The Draugrs were designed to be semi-fast firing.

But at times, they were not fast enough.

And when a weapon took too long to fire, there was a way to bypass that.

I dropped my Draugrs, as they fell to the ground, dissipating into a magical haze.

Instantly, I pulled out a set of MP7's in both hands.

I took aim, six SMG barrels aimed right at Eliza's face as I fired relentlessly until the entire clip emptied.

"DAINSLEIF." Eliza snarled, rushing forward, her regeneration had been nullified from my DS34's protocols, but she was still incredibly sturdy.

There was still a way.

I dropped my MP7's and reached forward.

Advanced Light Magic

False Legacy

I summoned a Draugr, aiming at Eliza's face as she rushed in with blinding speed, swatting the gun aside.

Only I was never there.

Not anymore.

False Legacy was a highly advanced variant of the False Sword spell.

In addition to warping the photons of light in a higher radius, my body was shunted from the sheer speed of the photons, momentarily shifting in space behind her.

The perfect fake-out.

Eliza looked confused, hunched over from rushing forward so quickly.

"A mirage...?!"

"Buck! Anatomical Tensile Vulnerability Analysis!"

Affirmative. Marking all high tension muscle fibres.

My vision lit up with red holographic reticules as I and my spectres aimed our MP7's.

Convocatio Ammunition Summoning - Explosive Rounds

RATATATATAT.

The bullets lodged themselves against the muscles of the Vampire Countess, regions that normally would have been resistant to my attacks, now weakened by being stretched and in tension.

When an object is stretched, their ability to resist perpendicular forces get reduced tremendously. This was because the perpendicular forces act as an additional load to the tension. I knew Eliza's speed was far beyond mine, even when I had completely infused my body with Advanced Electricity Magic.

But this speed meant incalculable momentum.

KABOOM.

Eliza spat out blood, in complete shock as I lowered my submachine guns, six barrels smoking from their entire clip being emptied.

"Bastard!" Eliza spun around, but I had already swapped weapons again, the barrels of six Caligas aimed at both of her elbow joints. Both of her sides. And the remaining two barrels at her skull.

BOOM.

Eliza flew backwards, as I leapt on another DS34, shunting myself to the top of the sphere and summoning my Ironsight, set to missile launcher mode, and fired a barrage of missiles at Eliza, who smashed into the ground, her body smoking and steaming.

"I will... kill..."

"Parallel Precepts: Kinetic Siphoning Protocol."

SHHK SHHK.

I pressed the barrel of my Draugr to her forehead, firing over and over again, forcing the Queen of Vampires back onto the ground. Eliza tried to get up, but she had lost her strength, siphoned away by my DS34's along with her blood aura.

I knew what I had wasn't enough to take her out.

But I didn't care.

"Bryce Jones I could understand." I said, coldly.

BANG.

"But Bryce Hellsing? Your blood son?"

BANG. BANG. BANG.

Eliza's head smashed into the ground over and over again.

"I was being a nice guy. I wanted to let Bryce have his moment to take you down."

BANG. BANG. BANG.

My Draugr ran out of ammo, but I threw it away, summoning a new one with my free hand, firing and keeping the pressure on.

"But I've had it. You're not worth saving."

I sneered.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

I dropped my Draugr, as the magazine and gun clattered on the ground, summoning yet another one.

"Aaron..." Bryce muttered, having already regained consciousness. He was staring at me with horror.

"What are you doing to my Ma..."

I smiled maniacally, firing over and over again.

"She will die. Without her regeneration. If I keep doing this over and over again. She will die."

BANG. BANG. BANG. CLATTER CLATTER.

"Stop... stop! Aaron! I don't want my Ma to die dude! You have to sto..."

Bryce's voice faded away, as I found myself completely lost in a rage. There was nothing I could do to stop it.

My emotions were running rampant, and so was my Chakra.

I hadn't realized it, but this entire time, the aura of my spectres had become more and more violent, and the aura of my Chakra had become far more aggressive than it was when I had first manifested it.

The whole point of wielding Chakra was to manage one's emotions.

But now mine were completely out of control, and with my own soul leaking out and overflowing like this, I was no longer able to stop myself from giving into my psychological instincts.

I see.

So even after everything I had been through...

I was still as irrational as ever.

Frustration and anger that had accumulated over the course of my nineteen years being alive. It never went away.

"Why does everybody want to have parents so bad?" I remembered a kid in our orphanage had once asked.

"Are you stupid? Do you not want parents?" Will had said, causing an argument to break out.

Nora had to yank Will away, and after they had calmed down, I confided in the two.

"Would having parents really solve all of our problems?" I told them.

"I'm sure it'll be better than rotting away here with these idiots." Will grumbled.

Nora sighed.

"It's not something that can be answered easily I think."

I raised an eyebrow.

"But... having parents, isn't it because it's right that we want them so bad?"

Nora shook her head.

"No. It's not a matter of right or wrong, Aaron. It's a matter of what your heart feels. Every kid, deep down inside, wants it in their heart. They want to have parents. That's what I think."

"I don't get it." I frowned.

Will slapped me in the back.

"She's talking about love, my MMO gamer brother!"

"Love? Like the kissy kissy love Trish has with that man when she sneaks off during her breaks?" I asked.

"No." Nora responded, putting a hand to her chest.

"It's the kind of love thats different. Ah... its so hard to explain! I guess you just sort of have to feel it for yourself to understand. It's sort of like... a longing I guess. When I see someone in our orphanage get adopted, and that part of me that feels sad. That's what it means to me."

Will nodded.

"When you lose control over something... If someone as smart as Nora could lose her cool about something, it probably means a lot to her."

Nora gave Will an annoyed look.

"Why am I an example."

"Because you're the best example. You're the smartest kid in this entire orphanage, maybe the entire country of Amerada! You're considered a brain child, aren't you? Don't you have the intelligence of a... umm... you knee varsity student?"

"University, Will. And a brain child that is considered too much of a freak to be adopted, for your information." Nora grumbled.

I laughed, causing Will and Nora to stare at me.

"Aaron? What's so funny? I knew it! That MMO with all those Japanese cartoon girls really has ruined you, man!" Will exclaimed.

"No! No... I was just thinking. From how you explained it... wouldn't that love... wouldn't I have that love for you guys then?"

Nora and Will both blushed at the same time.

"What... what are you saying?" Nora stammered.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know. What you described is kind of how I feel about you guys. It's why I don't mind not being adopted. As long as I'm with you two, I'm already happy."

I grinned.

Will sniffled, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"That innocent smile. Don't ever change, dude!"

Nora looked dumbfounded.

"No! I don't want to be paired with this muscle brained idiot! No!!!"

"Too bad! We don't have anyone else! It's just the three of us!" Will retaliated, as he chased Nora around the bunk beds.

I didn't want to lose them. They were the world to me.

Because I saw them as family.

When I lost them, it was so traumatizing, that even when I had killed Avara and months had passed, I would randomly burst into an emotional mess, bawling my eyes out alone in the dark alleyways of god knows where.

I had no one left to protect me.

Will was no longer there to fight off the bullies and scary people.

And Nora was no longer there to come up with a plan.

Everything that these two had done for me, I had to do myself.

I had been denied the life of a loving family, and now I had been denied my life with Will and Nora.

And though I had survived, living and fighting and gaining a name for myself, seven years later...

I could see, bright as day, in this moment, that I never really moved on.

I continued laughing maniacally, pushing and shoving Bryce aside with tremendous force, causing my Auxiliary Shadow to go sprawling on the ground.

"AARON! STOP! PLEASE DUDE!" Bryce begged me, but nothing he was saying was getting through to me.

My Draugr ran out of bullets again, as I threw it to the side to summon another magic circle, but nothing came out.

My vision became blurry, as I vomited blood, falling to my knees, but from the blood that was spilling out of my mouth, the most vicious and insane grin plastered my face. I dragged myself forward until I was on top of Eliza, tilting my head.

This bitch didn't deserve to be a mother.

This woman didn't deserve to have a kid.

A parent's job is to care for their child.

So no more kids would end up like me.

I slammed my fist against Eliza's face with what little Chakra I still had.

Eliza sputtered out blood.

"You... you monster..." She muttered.

SMASH.

SMASH.

SMASH SMASH SMASH.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!" I laughed, my mind was completely gone.

I was completely gone.

Did it matter anymore?

Images of my past with Will and Nora flashed in my mind.

The two people who meant so much to me, taken away.

Did anything matter?

Did living matter?

What was the point of living this life... if I was just going to suffer?

Out of anything in this world...

Out of anything...

Tears raced down my face as I continued laughing, punching Eliza in the face over and over again. Her blood spraying on my Black Legion combat vest, which was torn from our battle.

I just wanted to be with Will and Nora again.

They were waiting for me on the other side after all...

What was keeping me from going over there...

SWIFF.

A pair of arms wrapped me at my midsection, as I froze.

Cosmic Moon Magic: Full Clarity

A rush of relaxation flooded my body as I suddenly lost all of my strength, collapsing and keeling over.

The anger and pain that flooded my mind had suddenly flushed away, as everything no longer glowed with a red tinge.

"Aaron... it's okay. It's okay now. I'm here." Sarah muttered, as she brought her head closer to mine, resting her chin on my shoulder.

I stared at the sky, my breathing ragged.

"Where... Sarah..." I whispered, as Sarah tightened her embrace from behind.

"Your emotions. They went out of control, and with the sheer amount of Chakra you were channeling, it overwhelmed your mind. I... I caught a glimpse of your thoughts as I tried to bring you back." Sarah said, as I fell over, my head bouncing on her lap.

Sarah smoothed my bangs. I suddenly felt incredibly tired, the energy had completely drained from my body. And from the sky, the moon shone with a silver light, illuminating a beautiful girl's face. Her straight, silky semi-short shoulder length purple hair brushed against my face, revealing a scent of lavender which calmed me down. Her yellow eyes seemingly glowing in the night, yet somehow radiating with concern for my wellbeing.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

I really did lose control. And I ended up hurting Bryce.

"I... got consumed... fuck... what have I done..." My voice cracked.

"Shhh... it's okay now. It's okay, Aaron. Just... sleep." Sarah ran her hand through my hair, calming me down, as everything began transitioning to black.

Philadelphia Maverick

The shrine of the God of Hope.

Part of the Geisha District in Jaos, Amerada.

It was where everybody would routinely go once a year to place their blessings to the god and wish for something for the new year.

I remembered going twice, both times were high school trips.

The first time was with my late girlfriend, Jessica Lane.

"What wish did you make, Jessie?" I asked.

Jessie grinned, putting her good luck charm against her chin.

"Hehe. Secret!"

"No fair! I told you mine!" I protested.

"You chose to tell yours to me!"

"Because you asked!"

"Doesn't mean you had to! You're so silly, Aaron." Jessie poked my nose, causing me to flinch.

"Your wish was to have people in your life who care about you. So stupid. I'm right in front of you, you know! How rude!"

I blushed.

"Erm... well... I kind of meant family."

"We can be family. If we get married. And have kids."

I choked on my drink, as Jessie laughed hysterically.

"The look on your face! Oh my god you're so cute. Listen, Aaron. As long as you have the awesomest girlfriend in the world by your side, you won't ever feel lonely again. There is no bigger honour, you know! Going out with someone as awesome as me."

Jessie probed my arms with her elbow, giving me a mischievous grin.

"Better start putting some respect on my name!"

I began pouting, causing Jessie to stretch her arms at the horizon.

"Such high maintenance. Hard to imagine what you'll be like once the Jessie effect gets to you. After all, the longer you stay with me, the more like me you'll end up! Ah... screw it. I'll let you know what I wished for."

Jessie turned around, smiling.

"My wish... was for your wish to come true."

* * *

The second time I visited Jaos, I was dragging a pail of gasoline in one hand, and a crowbar in the other.

Slung over my shoulder was an AR-15 assault rifle, MAC-11 submachine gun, and dozens of grenades and magazines. Strapped to my thigh was a Desert Eagle.

I marched to the top of the shrine and doused the entire place with the liquid, igniting it as I glared at the blazing orange flame.

To the god who refused to listen to my pleas that day, who refused to save Jessica from killing herself.

I gave them a chance.

I offered my own life to them.

But they spit in my face and turned the other way.

"YOU DARE DEFILE THIS LAND." The God of Hope boomed from above, as I pulled out my Desert Eagle and took aim, shooting relentlessly at the god, who descended, deflecting my bullets and emitting a wave of force which threw me to the side.

I crashed into a statue of the god, and fell down the stairs, but I gripped one of the steps with my free hand so tightly, my nails cracked.

"Grrrrr...." I growled, as I forced myself to my feet, taking out my AR-15 and chucked a flash bang at the god, shooting at the deity with everything I had.

But realistically, there would be no way I could win.

I had no plan that day.

For once, it was me on the offensive, with no plan, just rage fuelling every action I made, laced with recklessness.

And the god overwhelmed me. I remembered losing all of my firearms and grenades, clutching just my Desert Eagle in one hand, my crowbar in the other, and facing the god in the flaming inferno.

Blood and sweat raced down my body, and I was suffocating from carbon monoxide.

"To the mortal who has defiled my shrine. Who has bared his teeth at the gods. I shall be the one to end your existence. Your very being is an insult to the gods. Prepare for your undoing, Heretic."

The god raised his sword, but I deflected it off of my crowbar, glaring at him menacingly.

"You-"

BANG.

I fired at the god's face, the bullet deflecting off of his skin, as the god punched me in the face.

But I continued pushing forward, to his disbelief, smashing the side of the crowbar to his head with so much force, I sent the deity flying backwards.

"How did you do that?!" The god exclaimed, as I rushed forward, ignoring the fact that my clothes had caught on fire, illuminating my bloodied and menacing figure, shrouded in flames.

I dragged my crowbar against the ground, creating sparks. I aimed my handgun and fired relentlessly at the structures around the god, causing it to topple on top of him, as I blasted forward, letting the god impale me in the shoulder with his sword. I jammed the barrel into his mouth and fired over and over again.

This would be the first time I had experienced it.

Something that had later been known as my Frenzy Mode.

It was sort of like a berserker rage, but not quite, because my brain had been accustomed to thinking fast, thinking at high volumes, consistently and for long periods of time. I was just simply too tactical to give into feral rage.

So when I was pushed to the edge, I would enter a frenzy, a calculated frenzy, where I would ignore all defence, but still execute the same tactical offensives I always did, only at a far more aggressive intensity.

The last time I had experienced this Frenzy Mode was against Jekyll, when he had shot June in the head.

I never thought that I would lose my cool again like this.

"...not like Jessica or June. I wish I could be of more use to you. How did I ever fall in love with such an idiot, reckless, egotistical, childish, and prone to causing mischief. Yet I would go to such lengths for your sake." I heard a girl's voice say, as I gained consciousness.

Where was I?

It looked like a ceiling light...

My head was resting on something soft and warm...

From the corner of my vision I could make out a girl's face...

Sarah?

"I need to become stronger... for you. You've suffered enough. But I just don't know what to do. Even with Chakra control... I sometimes feel like I can never measure up to your standards as a companion. Much less your life partner. I suppose now I understand what it's like to be on the other side. To be the burden this time."

I reached out and clapped my hands on her face.

"Mmf!" Sarah yelped.

"What in the world are you blabbering about, you silly girl?" I croaked, as I shifted my body up, only to have my head bounce on the underside of something round.

Two round things.

"Umm... Sarah? You wouldn't have happened to be giving me a lap pillow-"

"KYA! What are you saying, you fool?!" Sarah screamed, slapping me in the face and scurrying away like a rabid animal.

The back of my head bounced on the mattress.

At least it wasn't concrete.

Sarah had her hands around her chest, as if I was some perverted grandpa who was eyeing her.

"You... when did you regain consciousness?!"

"Don't worry about it."

I rubbed my temples.

Ah. Right.

That night...

"Where's Bryce... he's probably super pissed at me." I muttered.

"He was." Sarah got off the bed and pretended to regain her composure, but it didn't take any advanced deduction techniques to tell she was flustered.

"But... I talked to him and he understood the situation. We're planning a course of action right now, and we could really use the advice of a seasoned war veteran. Leave this to Bryce. While we speak, he has been trying to get everyone on our side."

We sat in silence.

So Bryce was managing fine at the moment.

I noticed Sarah was fidgeting; she must have still been embarrassed with being caught rambling on. I had told her to hold off the inmates while I went to get Bryce out of that prison. Something must have happened then that affected her. Either way, it didn't sit right with me to see someone like her beat herself up like that. Just like how Eliza had talked down to Bryce.

Each one of my Auxiliary Shadows was special, and precious to me.

"You're not a burden, you know that right?" I said.

Sarah closed her eyes.

"I'm... the weakest of your Auxiliary Shadows now. Bryce's new vampire form places him on a similar level to Dracula. And I couldn't... I couldn't even save a single inmate that night. Even the ones who's soul, their magical signature crying out for help... they were consumed before I could do anything."

Sarah clenched her fist.

"A Hero who can't even save. Perhaps... my younger sister was right about me."

"So you're saying being weak makes you useless to me?"

Sarah gritted her teeth.

"What about me is useful? Everyone has now gotten so strong. So powerful and so reliable. Yet... yet I've barely changed. You can say I now have the ability to control my Chakra, but a mere amplification boost can easily be countered. And now I've let you give into your rage, and the darkness of your past. I couldn't help either you or Bryce. I might as well be-"

"A C Rank Auxiliary Shadow? Like June was?" I asked.

Sarah's eyes widened.

"N- No... No! I didn't mean it like that."

I sighed, getting to my feet.

"Y'all are such a handful." I chuckled, brushing my hand on her face.

"Since when did I ever rank the people who I care about in terms of usefulness? What kind of scum do you take me as?"

I glanced out of the window.

I could hear shouting outside.

"We can talk more about this, Sarah. But for now, I'll leave you with this. Don't ever think that you aren't useful enough to be with me. Don't even quantify it. Don't ever put yourself down."

I put my fingers under her chin, grinning.

"It doesn't look cute on you. When you're happy is when I'm happy. When you're sad is when I'm sad."

"I... I don't get it..." Sarah frowned.

"What I'm saying is, if you're ever happy, then laugh. Laugh as hard as you can. And I will laugh even louder. But if you're ever sad and feel like crying, then I'll cry with you. Wanna see a 19 year old grown ass man bawl his eyes out?" I joked.

"That's creepy." Sarah muttered.

"Exactly. And I will cry my heart out with you."

I held out my hand, generating a red magic circle.

"And if you really wanna measure up your usefulness to me, then take a good look. This Convocatio spell. You taught me that."

"You could have easily learned everything I showed you on your own, considering you're a genius." Sarah pouted, bringing her knees to her chin.

"I doubt I would have the same nostalgia though. Maybe if you hadn't taught me Summoning Magic and overall magic mastery, the way I wield my Chakra may have turned out different."

A flicker of light appeared in Sarah's eyes.

"Aaron..."

I placed my hand on the door.

"As I said. We'll continue this conversation. If your heart wants to. If you ever want to continue it, I will gladly sit down with you to talk it further. But right now, we're here for Bryce. Can you do that?"

Sarah wiped her eyes.

"Yes. Without question."

* * *

"WHY IS HE HERE." Someone shouted, as Bryce stood his ground before his neighbourhood.

"He's a killer! He's harbouring a killer in his body!"

"You can't trust him!"

A huge crowd had gathered. It was a lot worse than I expected. Bryce had saved those inmates that day, but it didn't seem to have helped his reputation one bit.

"People are running rampant in the streets. Brothers. The Police. They've been turned into those mindless things because of this kid's Ma!"

Bryce clenched his fist.

"It's because it's my Ma that you guys need a powerhouse like me! If you guys fight her you'll be slaughtered!"

"We don't need yo help you wannabe black! Get out of Philly, it ain't yo home no mo to protect!"

Several rioters grabbed empty liquor bottles and threw them at Bryce. But Bryce simply stood in his ground, taking the hits, as one glass shard cut him right under his eyes causing him to bleed.

More and more people surged forward, but Bryce took out a piece of paper and threw it on the ground before them.

The people paused.

"What is that?"

"No way... isn't that...?"

"It's a warrant. Or more precisely, it's the consent I gave to the law to legally banish me out of Philly forever. I know I ain't welcome here. And I ain't here to make no mo amends."

Bryce knelt on one knee, lowering his head. The crowd was uneasy, but it was as if the mood had entirely changed.

"I caused all of you trouble cuz I didn't understand what it meant to support a community. I was torn between my Ma's side and my Pop's brotherhood. Trying so hard to be like both parents when they was so different. I ended up causing a huge ass mess in the hood that I would die for. To this day I still feel sad cuz my Ma died. But even if my stance on protecting my Ma's human side still stands, it don't mean I would throw away my Pop's side!"

Bryce slammed his fist against the concrete ground, causing his knuckles to begin bleeding.

"I ain't here to make you all forgive me. I know I don't deserve it. But I'm here to protect you all from my mess. Cuz it's my responsibility. So I beg you all. Please. Please let me march into the front lines as I did when I was still Tyrell Jackson Jones. Please let me be the Scarlet Uzi for yo sakes one more time."

Bryce looked up, determination filling his eyes.

"We gotta protect our hometown. Even if you don't like me, you have to admit it's true. Zombies and vampires all over the place. Some of em even armed. It's scary as shit out there. But we all chose to stay behind. Why? Why would we glare at the devil in the face like this? Ain't it obvious? It's cuz even in the midst of danger we'll fight to the end."

Bryce got to his feet, summoning his uzi. The crowd still appeared hostile, but they were no longer as aggressive.

Some were looking at Bryce with adoration.

"We don't bow down to no racist police. We don't bow down to no discrimination. We don't bow down to nothing that hurts our people. That's what brotherhood means.

"My Pop. Tevin Jones. "The Machine Gun". I know I ain't nothing like him. But if there was one thing he drilled into me when I was young, was the fact that even if all hell breaks loose, I ain't ever forgetting my roots. And my roots are here. Here in Philly. Pop isn't here no more to lead us to riot against the demons of this world that hurt our people. But even so, I'm here..."

Bryce gripped his submachine gun tightly.

"Not to represent y'all. But to let everybody know that I'm standing with y'all. That's what you all mean to me. And when it's all over, I will leave. Because I know if I stay I'll only make it worse. Some of y'all want me dead. I know that more than anything. The first day I came back to the hood, I got jumped. Then I got shot at. But I'd take it. I'd eat those shots cuz I know I deserved it."

Sarah and I watched from a distance. Everybody was silent.

Bryce...

Bryce left the paper on the ground, as he slowly turned around, walking away.

Bryce walked to the direction of the chaos, far far away. Uzi in hand.

Bryce...

I know I can't stop you anymore. But...

Is this really what you want?

"Where are you going? Are you seriously going to fight that army all on your own?!" A couple of shouts erupted in the crowd.

But Bryce ignored them, raising his fist.

"I'll keep Philly safe. Y'all don't worry about it."

"Hey." I said, as I approached Bryce from behind.

"You forgot about your own boss man. And a literal Sword Hero at your disposal. This is your last chance, you know."

Bryce gave me a grateful look.

"Thanks. But I won't be needing your help. This is something I gotta do alone."

Sarah was about to say something, but she stopped herself.

I looked at Bryce.

"Are you sure about this, Bryce? Your mom is Low Tier SS Ranked. And each one of her underlings alone is B- Rank, according to Sarah. Together, this threat borderlines Mid Tier SS Rank. That's the level I was at when I fought Inner Shadow Bishamonten. I really don't think fighting alone is a good idea."

Bryce raised his hand.

"It ain't a good idea. But it's necessary. When a man decides to commit to something, he's gotta see it through. Ain't that right, bossman?"

I tried to hide my uneasiness, but I was really not doing too hot in that department.

I couldn't afford to see another Auxiliary Shadow die.

But with Bryce, this was different.

This was something he chose to do. And I couldn't interfere with that.

"Let me know if it gets too much for you, Bryce. If anybody else interferes with this battle, believe me, Sarah and I will be there to instantly back you up. Got it?"

Bryce nodded.

"See you once I've dealt with my mess."

Sarah and I watched Bryce from a distance, as the converted humans approached Bryce from the crevices of Philly that had long since been abandoned.

"Only one?"

"One chooses to defy us? Alone?"

"He is alone."

Bryce took a deep breath, as he reached into something into his pockets.

It was a bandana, with the words

"Machine Gun Jones".

My eyes widened.

This must have been Tevin's bandana.

More and more vampire fledglings crawled from the rooftops and alleyways, the count increasing from dozens, to hundreds.

Bryce wrapped the bandana around his face, covering his mouth like a mask.

"Gotta look out for my brothers. That's what Pop woulda done." Bryce muttered.

Sarah gripped my arm.

"I don't like this, Aaron."

"I know. But we need to trust in him. We gotta believe in Bryce." I said, adamantly.

Bryce summoned his uzi, taking aim. His eyes flashed red, as he faced the legion of vampires.

"I AM THE SCARLET UZI." Bryce shouted at the horde.

"And if you want Philly, you gotta go through me!"

The vampires screeched, rushing forward, as Bryce unloaded a barrage of red energy blasts.

The horde began being repelled by Bryce's onslaught, but from the corner of his vision, more vampires had emerged from the darkness.

They leapt in, as Bryce spun around, his eyes wide.

"Shit!"

Bryce took a step back and unleashed a spray of blasts around himself, generating a swirl of destructive firepower which disintegrated all the of the vampires in a radius.

Bryce leapt onto a set of stairs, climbing to a roof and continued firing.

But I could tell, as someone who had been in well over thousands of gunfights.

Bryce was losing ground.

"Is this... is this how it's really gonna end?!" Bryce shouted, as he leapt onto another rooftop, pursued by thousands of vampire fledglings, former citizens of Philadelphia who were killed and turned to serve Eliza Hellsing.

Sarah gripped her sword, but I put my hand on her forearm, shaking my head.

One of the vampires leapt from a guardrail, shooting to Bryce's location and grabbing his waist, hurling the Auxiliary Shadow onto the ground.

Bryce smashed into the concrete, blood running down the side of his head as he spun around, firing another spray of red energy blasts at the attackers, fending them off, barely.

I watched as Bryce scurried away, trying to find any kind of foothold, but he was completely, and hopelessly surrounded.

"Dammit... what should I do...?!"

"What can I do..." Bryce muttered, as he examined his hands, his determination returning on his face.

"FINE THEN. BRING IT ON." Bryce yelled, throwing his uzi aside, channeling his red energy in its rawest form. The blood red aura raced up his arms as he roared, rushing forward and grabbing one of the fledgings by the skull and slamming it into the concrete, causing the whole vampire to disintegrate.

"I ain't going down!" Bryce swept his hand, unleashing a devastating storm of energy which disintegrated more vampires, but several managed to breach his offensive, one managing to kick him in the chest and sending the Auxiliary Shadow hurtling backwards with tremendous momentum.

Bryce slammed into the side of a beat up truck and collapsed, breathing hard and clutching his side.

Bryce coughed, as the vampires closed in, pummelling and beating the kid from every direction imaginable.

"OUTTA MY WAY."

A red explosion blew them back. From where he stood, a pool of blood had formed, as Bryce staggered forward, breathing heavily, before collapsing to one knee.

"He is on his last legs."

"He believed he could stand up to us alone."

"He is a fledgling, like us. He is not special."

"We will tear him apart for Lady Eliza. Yes."

"We will take over Philadelphia for our Lady."

"He is finished."

Bryce's eyes widened in rage.

"I'm not don-"

SMASH.

One of the vampires kicked Bryce in the chin, as I watched him soar into the sky, smashing into a tree and knocking it over before crumpling to the ground.

Every Black Legion operative was powerful in their own right.

They had the potential to easily take over the world if they wanted to.

SMASH.

Bryce slid backwards, withstanding dozens of chain swipes from former members of the Philly gangs.

They had the power to kill everyone in their world if they wanted to.

Bryce spun around, shooting at hordes of enemies who were in the air, their dust caking him as another vampire appeared from the corner of his vision, tackling him to the ground and pummelling him relentlessly.

Bryce could have destroyed this whole army easily... but he didn't.

No matter how much the people of Philadelphia scorned him, he upheld his father's sense of brotherhood to protect them.

And from one orphan to another, I knew just how important family was to people like us, people who were denied it.

"The heir to Count Dracula's blood is so disappointing." One of the vampires slammed Bryce in the face, but Bryce turned to him, his eyes full of fury.

"To hell wit Drac's blood. I'll unleash only just enough to take you all out. I won't ever let my rage destroy Philly!"

SHOOM.

Bryce blasted the vampire away, staggering forward. His body was bloody and bruised.

Though he had destroyed a lot of the converted, hundreds more took their place.

His Uzi had long since been discarded, and his eyes were trailing with red energy.

He was on his last legs.

"If you die, there is no penalty. It will only benefit Lady Eliza. She will continue being the strongest of all Vampires. All chances of that title that you once had will be gone." One of the vampires said.

Bryce crossed his arms and unleashed a red energy wave, yelling.

"I told you. I don't care."

Bryce blasted forward, yelling a battlecry as he slammed his fists wildly at the legion of vampires, his own brethren.

Wild red arcs of energy erupted in the army, as a large hulking man slammed Bryce into the ground.

"Bryce!" I couldn't help myself from crying out.

Bryce grabbed the man's hand, trying to pry it off, but the man was too strong, as he lifted the Auxiliary Shadow into the air.

"Where is your vampiric strength? You dare rely on only your vampiric aura to fight us... are you underestimating the superiority of vampires over humans? Fight me as a vampire, Bryce Hellsing!" The man snarled.

"M- My name... is..." Bryce choked.

My hand hovered by my side, ready to summon a magic circle.

"BRYCE... JONES." Bryce roared, his fist glowing red as he unleashed a titanic uppercut, shooting a beam of red light into the sky and splitting the very heavens apart.

The man yelled, soaring into the sky as a sonic boom changed the entire climate of Philly, causing a red thunderstorm to manifest in the sky. Dark clouds covering the entire town as red lightning flashed in the sky, striking the ground behind Bryce and illuminating his body with a demonic red shadow.

"Even if its people hate me..."

Bryce stepped forward, crushing the ground, as his body began emitting a powerful blood red aura.

"Even if my name is spit on in the streets..."

Bryce picked up a piece of wood on the ground, the wood transforming into a large sword.

I watched as Bryce breathed heavily, his blood-red eyes glowing in the dark.

KRA-KOOM.

Sounds of thunder and lightning surrounded Bryce Jones.

"Philly is still my home. And I... Bryce Jackson Jones..."

Bryce raised his sword to the entire legion.

"WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY MY TOWN."

Two hours earlier.

"Bossman. Ultear." Bryce said to us, as we made our way to his neighbourhood.

"What's up." I responded.

Bryce turned around.

"There's... a whole army of em. A whole army of converted humans that are wrecking havoc in my hometown. It ain't just the civilians. People outside the hood. Police. Kids. Mothers and fathers. It's everyone. They're all dead and have been turned. I ain't gonna ask no one to fix this mess I've caused."

Sarah blinked.

"Wha- What are you saying, Bryce? Each one of these converted is at least B- Rank. There's at least several thousand of these converted rampaging around. That's like an entire army of Transplants! We need all the numbers we can-"

"No."

Sarah raised her hand to say something, but stopped, as Bryce chuckled.

"Ion need you of all people to gimme any pity points, Miss Ultear. This is my fight. My battle. I ain't gon let you two steal my glory."

I grabbed Bryce by the collar.

"What the hell did I tell you? How many times am I gonna repeat myself? I can't stand people who do these thin-"

"You say that. But didn't you do something similar?" Bryce glared at me.

I paused.

"No allies. Nothing. You chose to fight the gods, after Jessie's death. And you didn't even have no powers. Just a bag full of choppers. You of all people should know why I'm doin this."

I slowly let go.

"I..."

Bryce put on his black varsity jacket. On the left side of his chest was an eagle. On the back, the words written in green text

L II SUPERBOWL PHILADELPHIA EAGLES CHAMPIONS

"Gotta... represent. We always roll with the Eagles, you know. Haha." Bryce laughed.

I stood before Bryce, as Bryce raised an eyebrow.

"Uhh, what are you doing?"

Convocatio - Gun Summoning

I reached into a red magic circle, pulling out a submachine gun.

Ultimate MP7

I aimed the barrel to Bryce, who grimaced.

"If you're serious about this, then prove it to me, Auxiliary Shadow Bryce Jones.

"We're gonna fight.

"I, SS Ranked Outer Shadow, Dainsleif, challenge you to a duel."

A breeze blew past us.

"Four years ago, I did something similar. This was to show you what it meant to be an Auxiliary Shadow to The Black Legion. I showed you some mercy. All I did was aim my gun to your face and call it a win. But this time, I'm gonna hurt you for real."

My chakra aura rolled outwards of my soul in waves, giving off the feeling of wrath and fury and bloodlust in a wide radius.

"Bryce Jones. Up until a few weeks ago, you were always hiding in your room, refusing to go on missions. Someone doesn't magically get to where I am just because they want to. How badly do you want this? How badly do you wanna go against my orders and throw your life away for some pointless battle?"

Bryce clenched his teeth.

"Nothing about this is pointless. How could you say that?"

"Then defeat me, Bryce Jones. Let's see how badly you want it!"

Bryce reached out and summoned his Uzi, swirling with his vampiric red energy which clashed against my chakra.

"Don't bother lying, Bryce." I said, as our clashing auras caused the entire place to shake violently. Wind swirling around us viciously.

"I can read people. And right now, you're fuckin terrified of me." I snarled.

"You're damn right." Bryce replied, his eyes glaring needles at mine.

"I'm terrified of you. Who wouldn't be. But this fear ain't enough to stop me. If it means taking on someone like you so I can protect these people, then that's what I'll do! Pop... no. This ain't about my Pop no more. This ain't about what he would want. This is about what I want. And I."

Bryce stepped forward, his aura piercing through mine.

"I WANNA PROTECT MY HOMETOWN."

Bryce's fangs protruded out of my mouth as he roared a primal roar, slamming his fist before me as I leapt back, rocks and debris flying around violently, as Uzi took aim, firing a barrage of red energy blasts at me.

Present Time

KRAKOOM.

Bryce zipped forward, red electricity trailing off of his body, as he alternated between sword slashes and uzi shots, clearing wave after wave of vampires.

"COME ON. YOU CALL YO SELVES VAMPIRES?!" Bryce taunted the legion, as he bared his fangs manically, unleashing a ear drum bursting sonic roar at a large radius.

Sarah stepped in front of me and blocked the blast with her own magical aura.

"Aaron... Bryce's aura has changed. I have a bad feeling about this."

I watched Bryce grimly from the distance, as Bryce's attacks became more and more aggressive. His swings had become wider and more akin to a berserker.

"HAHAHA." Bryce laughed, as he shot into the air, taking aim with his uzi as red storm clouds surrounded him, the occasional flash of red lightning ripping the concrete ground apart.

"Come on. ESGEDDIT."

CHOOM CHOOM CHOOM.

Bryce fired three blasts of energy at the horde, each energy cone the size of a twister.

Legions of vampires vaporized left and right, but as Bryce continued his onslaught, more of the town was being ripped apart.

One vampire appeared from behind him and struck him in the back with a crowbar, as dozens more lit him up from the front with their firearms.

Bryce's body folded and snapped back violently, but to their horror, the young Hellsing leaned back forward aggressively, blood trickling from his wide grin.

"Good... very good. Y'all gon keep me real entertained. I love it when they don't know their place."

The legion stumbled back.

"No... it's him."

"We woke him up!"

Bryce Hellsing grinned evilly at the horde of vampires.

"Wuz gud. YOUNG BOULS. BRING ME TO MA."

"Kill him!" One of the vampires screamed frantically, but before anyone could react, Bryce had instantly closed the distance, grabbing the vampire by the face and launching forward, using him as a shield and dragging the edge of his sword against the numerous bodies he was going through.

Electricity and thunder boomed around the son of Eliza Hellsing, as Bryce raced and zipped across the entire region with frightening speed, clearing a thousand vampires easily in the blink of an eye.

"Protect Lady Eliza!" Another vampire shouted, as the whole legion leapt upon Bryce.

But Bryce cackled, spinning like a deadly top and unleashing a blood-red tornado of slashes which reduced every vampire that was caught into it into a red mist.

"It's pulling us in!" A vampire screamed frantically, trying to hang on for dear life.

"He's killing us!"

Sarah grabbed onto me before I could be swept away by the fierce winds.

"That monster from that night! Bryce has lost control!" Sarah shouted at me.

I said nothing, as I watched the twister subside, leaving behind nothing but disintegrating bodies, ash, blood, and destruction rain down from the sky.

More thunder and red lightning boomed, as the figure of a boy wielding a sword in one hand, an uzi in the other, walked forward menacingly.

His dreadlocks were tied back in a bun, but several strands fluttered wildly in the wind.

His blood red eyes full of killing intent.

His Philadelphia Eagles varsity jacket stained with blood and vampire dust.

The horde of vampires had been reduced significantly.

I couldn't believe it.

Bryce had cleared almost 75% of a SS Rank Threat all on his own.

This was an achievement that could only have been achieved by the upper echelon of Outer Shadows, much less an Auxiliary Shadow.

Fighting off a horde of vampires like this was akin to storming the realm of Takofanes seven times in terms of endurance and straight grit.

"Bryce Hellsing... my dear son." A woman's voice said, as the vampires moved out of the way, revealing a woman in an elegant black dress walked forward. Her brown hair was combed neatly, flowing to one side, and a black rose decorated it on the corner of of her head.

"Ma..." Bryce smiled.

"Look at the strength I gained. Look how strong yo boy got. I took em all out. And I ain't done. Send em more my way. Imma chop em all down. Cuz yo son is that amazing. Aren't you proud? Ma?"

Eliza smiled evilly.

"Mmmm... yes. That is a problem indeed."

The smile melted on Bryce's face.

"What?"

Eliza approached her son, running her hand across his dreads.

"Did you really think I can tolerate having a son that could potentially become stronger than me?"

Bryce's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Ma... you know I ain't fuck with no jokes. You ain't being no joker at a time lik-"

FLICK.

Bryce flew backwards violently, slamming into a telephone pole and knocking it over, causing a shower of sparks to rain from above.

Bryce put a hand to his forehead, his eyes full of betrayal.

"Ma... what are you doin?!"

Eliza tilted her head, putting a finger to her chin and smiling maniacally.

"Why... killing you of course. By drinking your blood until nothing is left. I am not eager to give up my throne to another. You were simply a byproduct of my human side and Tevin's lovemaking. I never asked for a child. But by drinking your blood, I will further cement my position as Queen of the Vampires."

Bryce clutched the side of his head.

"What did I tell you... what did I tell you?! She wanted to kill us the entire time! That thing isn't our mother!"

Bryce's head twitched, as he began choking and retching, falling to his knees.

Bryce...

Sarah's grip on my arm became tighter.

"Sarah... we can't interfere."

"I can't... I hate this... I hate this!" Sarah held back tears, as we watched our friend rip himself apart. His two unstable halves fighting for control.

"Everything... everything I done...! Why...! Why Ma! Why?!" Hellsing screamed at his mother. Eliza closed in and launched an uppercut, sending Bryce into the air.

SHHK.

SHHK SHHK SHHK SHHK SHHK.

Scarlet red spikes ripped into Bryce, as Eliza's aura manifested, generating hundreds of blood red projections outwards.

"My children. My true children, exist to feed me. For a Worldeater such as myself. I am so powerful, that even my beloved Vlad Dracula feared my power and sealed me away. But it was too late for him. For I had already absorbed his power. I killed my own husband for power. What's keeping me from killing my own son?"

Bryce coughed out blood, as the vampire legion around him began cheering, worshipping Eliza and getting on their knees.

"Do... do whatever... Tyrell... Ion care no more... I'm finished." Bryce Hellsing muttered, as he closed his eyes.

"No... No! What the hell are you..."

Bryce Jones' voice faded away, allowing Eliza to slam her son into the ground.

Bryce's head conked on the ground. But his wounds were no longer regenerating.

I watched the kid retch, trying to get to his feet, but he was severely injured.

I stepped forward, but Bryce stopped me.

"STOP."

"Bryce! That's enough! You've done enough!" I shouted at him.

"There's no way you can fight anymore! Bryce Hellsing is gone! Your mom is here, she's SS Ranked, and with her army of B- Rank Vampires no less! Where you're standing, you're back to being B Rank Auxiliary Shadow. You don't stand a chance against Eliza!"

Bryce breathed in and out.

"Don't matter."

"What?!"

"It don't matter. Whether or not I got Hellsing's power. I'm still Bryce. And this bitch..."

Bryce aimed his uzi at Eliza and her army.

"This bitch is still in my Ma's body. I gotta free Ma and save my town. That don't change. B rank or S+ Rank. I ain't giving up."

Eliza smiled.

"Very well. You heard him, Dainsleif of the Black Legion. Your Auxiliary Shadow wishes to continue his futile efforts to defend his precious hometown of Philadelphia. You honoured his wish. Now you will see to it to the end, just like him."

Bryce clenched his teeth, as the entire horde of vampires closed in.

An entire horde of monsters that were individually equivalent to Yuyan Zheng in power.

Raced to finish off Bryce Jones.

But Bryce stood his ground, lowering his bandanna face mask until it sat on his neck like a scarf.

"Come on. COME ON THEN. I AIN'T NO BITCH. I'LL PROTECT PHILLY TILL I DIE."

The vampires raced forward, when suddenly, a wave of gunfire rippled across the crowd, mowing them down from behind Bryce, who stumbled, startled.

"Wha-"

VROOM.

VROOM VROOM VROOM.

"You ain't taking our hometown." A man's voice said, as the barrel of a shotgun blew the head off of one of the vampires who was about to kill Bryce.

Deion Washington stood before Bryce, shotgun in hand, as the headlights from hundreds of dirt bikes and ATV's lit up the entire army.

Hundreds of Philly gang members got off their bikes, bats and clubs and firearms in their hands. They were all wearing bandanna face masks.

"Rule over Philly?"

"Ain't no one taking our town."

"Philly is ours! Bitch!"

"D- Deion... what are you doing here? Go back to your shop! It ain't safe here-" Bryce protested, but Deion smacked Bryce in the head.

"Stupid ass kid. What in all hell were you thinkin rushing into the front lines alone like this? Just cuz you got some fangs n shit and you think you can take on an army all on yo own?"

Bikes and 4x4's raced down the hills, in hordes, as more and more Philly citizens leapt off the vehicles, guns in their hands.

"Light em up! We're taking back Philly!"

A fresh wave of gunfire erupted, mowing down even more vampires, who were blown back by the sheer force of the bullets.

Several Molotovs, tear gas grenades, and riot bombs were launched, causing more vampires to screech in pain.

"What is this?! The son of Eliza has brought human reinforcements?! Was he not shunned by his people?!"

Bryce got to his feet, as one of the gang members approached him, eyeing his varsity jacket. I recognized him immediately.

He was one of the inmates Bryce had protected back at the prison.

"Eagles fan? You know you gotta be diehard to be supporting a team that hasn't won no superbowls since 18."

"Shut the fuck up. We roll with the Eagles or we die." Bryce grumbled.

The gang member chuckled.

"Good man."

Bryce looked uneasy.

"I... I did this so none of y'all would be involved in my mess. Pop woulda-"

"Tevin would never go into the shit alone. If you tryna be like our Leader. You doin it all wrong."

Bryce stared at the gang member.

"What? But, the brotherhood-"

"Boy. If you gotta question yourself like this, you don't understand a single thing about brotherhood. We ain't looking for yo protection, kid."

The gang member propped his AK47 on his shoulder.

"We looking for someone who will stand with us. Cuz right now? We letting you know we stand with you. Look around."

More and more engines revved, the vehicles behind Bryce had rallied, more and more accumulating on the other side until an entire army of Philadelphians gathered. Weapons, grenades, and vehicles ready.

"Police. Monsters. Vampires. Rival gangs. We stick together. Yo problems become our problems. Respect works on both ways. Even back then, when you protected our women and kids from gunfire, we knew right away. One of us said... 'that one right here, that one right here is definitely Tevin's kid'. And we all agreed."

The man put his hand on Bryce's shoulder.

"We standin with you, Tyrell. So stand with us. We gon take back our town."

Bryce closed his eyes, as he faced the legion of vampires with a renewed vigour. Bikers, gang members, former inmates, and ordinary citizens. Everyone who wished to protect their home, rallied behind him.

The headlights of the uncountable vehicles and barrels of thousands of guns aimed behind the Auxiliary Shadow, who gripped his uzi.

Deion handed Bryce a wire spiked bat, which Bryce took.

KRA-KOOM.

Rain and thunderstorm winds battered the battlefield, but Bryce and the people of Philadelphia were unfazed.

"You ain't taking our home. I ain't the only one protecting it. We all are." Bryce muttered, as his teeth began growing longer again, but this vampiric power was no longer Bryce Hellsing.

Its chakra signature was fully Bryce Jones.

"You want Philly?! You gotta get through us!" Bryce shouted, as he raised his bat, the people of Philadelphia yelling a battlecry and charging.

The vampires roared, charging as well.

The Battle for Philadelphia had started.

A True Hero

Chaos erupted in Philadelphia.

Gunfire ripped the entire city apart, as Philadelphias chucked Molotovs everywhere, leading to fires all over the place.

Bryce turned to his mother, red energy pulsating from both his Uzi and Bat.

"My boys against yours. Now I can take you on personally."

Eliza glared at Bryce.

"Without my son fuelling your vampiric powers, you are nothing more than a fledgling. What can you do?"

Bryce slowly lifted his father's bandanna, wrapping it around his forehead.

"Imma whoop yo ass. And bring my Ma back. My REAL MA."

Red electricity burst from Bryce's body, as he closed in, unleashing a shockwave from his footsteps.

But Eliza was faster, a spider net of blood projection spikes chasing down Bryce from every angle imaginable.

Bryce leapt to the side, swinging his bat wildly, unleashing a red arc which disintegrated the projections, but Eliza went in close, striking Bryce with her palms and sending him flying into a trailer.

Eliza shot in, but was intercepted with a barrage of red energy blasts. She blocked them, before slashing to his direction.

"I will end- what?" Eliza gasped, as Bryce slipped past her attacks in one fluid motion, pressing the barrel of his uzi to her throat and firing.

Eliza flew upwards and slammed into a telephone pole, as Bryce breathed heavily.

Those movements...

Those were the same movements I executed when I fought Bryce four years ago.

"Come on. Show me what the Queen can do! And I'll do you better!" Bryce taunted Eliza, as Eliza emerged from the debris, her eyes menacing.

"You will regret this!"

Eliza charged again, slashing at Bryce's chest, but Bryce took advantage of her momentum, bringing his bat back and slamming her in the side of the head.

Eliza slid backwards violently, crashing into a store.

"How... how are you able to keep up... even if you predict my movements I am too fast-"

Bryce opened his mouth, as a red mist exited his fangs.

"Those vampires didn't taste too great. But I guess you ain't that smart. All you ever had to do was rule with overwhelming power. No strategy, just power. That's just how we vampires did it fo centuries, am I wrong?"

Eliza scowled, rushing forward, but Bryce was getting faster and faster, slowly keeping up with Eliza's movements.

Eliza impaled Bryce with her spikes, but Bryce grabbed Eliza by the shoulders and slammed her head against his, causing the Queen to rock backwards.

Bryce aimed his barrel and fired a titanic energy blast, sending Eliza into the sky, but Eliza propped herself, regaining her bearings and shooting in, clashing her webbed projections against his bat. The shockwave blowing everything back.

"Your movements... your habits... they've changed. This was not how I raised my son! These are not the movements of a vampire!" Eliza seethed.

Bryce gritted his teeth, smiling.

"It ain't. It's from someone who I admire even more than my own Pop. Someone who damn near killed yo ass!"

I stared at Bryce, who pushed Eliza back.

Those movements...

They weren't perfect, but the foundation was there.

This entire time... when I was gone, he wasn't just wasting time... he really was training. With whatever he had at the moment.

Those were my movements.

"Grrr.... then I suppose there is no need to hold back then."

Bryce charged, but Eliza held out her hands, emitting a tremendous force which pushed him into the ground, forming a massive crater.

"Come to me, my brethren. Serve your Queen one last time."

The vampires who were battling the Philadelphias stopped fighting, and rushed to Eliza, as the thousands of fledglings knelt before the Queen.

"As you wish, our Lady." They said in unison, as red strings of energy exited their bodies, entering Eliza.

"She's pooling their blood into her body! Bryce! Stop her!"

Bryce took aim with his uzi, firing a barrage of blasts, but a red energy barrier deflected them all.

Eliza smiled evilly at her son, her eyes glowing brighter and brighter red.

"Tyrell Jackson Jones. Without my son, you are just a B Ranked Auxiliary Shadow. I will stomp you like a bug." She said.

I couldn't even perceive her next movements, as Eliza blasted in and grabbed Bryce by the face, slamming him through dozens of buildings.

"TYRELL!" Several Philadelphians shouted. Eliza dragged Bryce to the distance, smashing him through buildings left and right.

"YOU ARE NOTHING." Eliza taunted, throwing Bryce as I watched the kid slide on the pavement.

Eliza laughed crazily, as she spread her arms.

"Do you want to know the nature of my powers? Tyrell Jackson Jones? The true nature of my powers?"

Bryce could barely even get up.

One could argue that he was technically superhuman, but there was no evidence behind any signs of superhuman endurance or durability.

It was a miracle he was even conscious.

Someone who had spent ages cooped up in his room, playing video games for years...

This was the type of person who was being inflicted life threatening injuries.

If I didn't do something...

Another Auxiliary Shadow was going to be taken from me!

I stepped forward, but Bryce glared at me.

My hands were clenched so hard they were trembling from the effort.

Eliza continued laughing.

"Each person's essence adds to my strength. Be it vampire. Be it human. Any form of wildlife. Where there is life... there is power. And I will siphon ALL of the life from this world. Not just Philadelphia. Not just Pennsylvania. Not just America."

Eliza's body began glowing, as trails of red snakes began forming around her.

My eyes widened.

No way.

"I will absorb the life force of this entire planet. The stronger my opponent is, the stronger I become. THIS IS WHY I AM SS RANKED." Eliza laughed hysterically, when suddenly, a red bolt of energy knocked her straight in the forehead.

"Heh?"

Bryce lowered his uzi, the barrel smoking.

"Blah blah blah. Are you finished with yo shit? I'm not dead am I? At the end of the day, you don't care bout everyone else. You just want me. Don't that mean I'm ultimately the one you gotta absorb?"

Eliza clenched her teeth.

"You dare mock me?!"

Eliza grabbed Bryce and slammed his head into the ground, then lifted his body and hurled him into another building, beating him relentlessly.

"Why... won't... you... FALL?!" Eliza screamed at Bryce, who clutched her arm, smiling, his eyes wide and wild. Blood coated his entire face, but his grin was was unsettling.

"Of course not, you dumb bitch! You literally just revealed yo trump card in front of me! By doing that, you just screwed yo-self over!"

"What are you talking about?!" Eliza roared, slashing at Bryce's chest and punching him in the face. Bryce's head snapped back, but he looked over at her from above, aiming his uzi and firing a massive energy bolt which slammed her back.

Eliza launched a projection his way, which embedded Bryce by the shoulder, but Bryce grabbed the projection and snapped it off.

His wound instantly began regenerating.

"I... I get it..." I muttered.

"Get what?" Sarah asked.

"For once... for once Bryce is fighting smart."

Bryce raised his fist to me.

"I don't understand..." Sarah said.

"This entire time, while Eliza was boasting about her abilities, she was boasting about his abilities too. Bryce is, after all, Eliza's son. In other words... all he has to do to keep up with Eliza is..."

Bryce chomped down on the projection, the blood fuelling his aura and causing it to become more wild.

"You get stronger than your opponent by absorbing their essence. I get stronger than my opponent by absorbing their essence. So in the end, it's just a matter who absorbs more! Right?!"

Eliza reeled back in disgust.

"You... repulsive child!"

Bryce blasted forward.

"COME ON THEN. HIT ME WITH MORE OF YO ATTACKS. I'LL CONSUME EM ALL."

Eliza screamed.

"I won't lose to a mere child! I am the Queen of all Vampires! I've reigned for years!"

Bryce and Eliza clashed. As Eliza landed more hits, the flurry of blood was absorbed by Bryce, making him stronger and stronger.

Eliza summoned a gargantuan wolf out of pure blood energy, which surrounded Bryce, but Bryce opened his mouth, consuming the entire construct.

Eliza impaled Bryce with a massive lance causing blood to explode everywhere, but Bryce grabbed the hilt and broke it off, the whole projection being absorbed into his body, as he closed in and smacked Eliza in the head with his bat.

Eliza slammed into the ground, creating projection after projection, all the while, Bryce absorbed each one.

"You ain't that bright. Guess it runs in the family. I'm pretty stupid too." Bryce snarled, tearing apart Eliza's assaults one by one.

"But one day, I met someone. He changed me. Cuz unlike us, he was just a human. A mere mortal. But despite that, he was able to take down beings far beyond you could ever imagine."

Eliza summoned a set of claws, but Bryce spun violently, tearing it apart with his bat.

"This person fought with smarts. With wit. No matter how mismatched it was... no matter the odds. He rose to SS Rank from sheer will, hard work, and determination! For his sake, I'll step up my game and be better. YOU HEAR ME AARON?! ON MY LIFE. I'LL BE BETTER."

Bryce yelled to the sky, generating an overwhelming fiery red aura which broke the storm in the sky.

The red light flooding the entire state of Pennsylvania.

"Amazing..." One of the Philadelphians said, shielding their eyes from Bryce's power up. Everybody watched him from a distance with Sarah and I.

"I AM THE BEST! I AM!" Eliza screamed, as Bryce ascended into the sky, his arm emitting a gargantuan red energy construct of an eagle.

"The more it means to me, the stronger the projection." Bryce muttered, as the eagle screeched in the sky, loud enough for the entire city to hear.

Bryce began to descend, faster and faster, the talons of the eagle ripping the sky apart.

"If it wasn't for you, my Ma wouldn't have to suffer. If it wasn't for you, the people in Philly wouldn't have to suffer... if it wasn't for you, my Pop wouldn't have died!"

Eliza screamed, generating as much spikes as she could, but Bryce absorbed them all, the eagle growing bigger and bigger, flying to her like a fighter jet.

"I always lived my life thinkin there was a motive behind everything. But you ain't got NO MOTIVE. You exist just to kill and destroy! You ruined my mother's life! You're irredeemable, Eliza Hellsing. Pop tried his best, but he was just a man. Now that responsibility falls on me. Cuz I got yo blood. I gotta be the one to do it. Ma... just hang in there."

Bryce reeled his fist back.

"I'll set you free!"

TRICK PLAY

SB 52 PHILLY SPECIAL

"Come and get it bitch! This is the power of my city!"

SCARLET EAGLE

Bryce yelled ferociously, as Eliza screamed in defiance at the inevitable.

KABOOM.

The entire city exploded in a blinding white light, as Sarah shielded everyone and the explosion.

Cosmic Moon Magic - Great Luna Wings

The entire city shook violently, as Sarah buckled, blood ran down her nose as I clutched her waist, stabilizing her.

"I'm fine... I'm fine..." Sarah gritted her teeth, using everything she had to contain Bryce's overwhelming power.

"Holy shit!" Several Philadelphians yelped.

"It's like a god damn nuclear strike!"

No...

Not even close.

I watched the explosion ravage everything within the bounds that Sarah had made. Sarah was using Cosmic Level Magic. The highest level of magic in the multiverse, wielded only by gods, divine beings, Heroes, Archmages, and only the top mages in existence.

And Bryce's Scarlet Eagle was borderline overloading the spell.

I had my doubts from Buck's analysis. But this cemented it.

His Scarlet Eagle could easily destroy the entire planet... if not... at least the Solar System of his universe if a direct impact were to be delivered.

Bryce Jones had defeated an SS Ranked threat all on his own.

The smoke cleared, as everybody stood still. Tense. We were all staring at the silhouette. Whether or not the one who was standing victorious was ours.

And from the smoke and ash, a familiar Eagles jacket emerged.

As a heavily injured and tired Tyrell Jackson Jones weakly raised a fist in the air.

Cheers erupted amongst the people of Philadelphia, as everybody ran up to Tyrell, hoisting him on their tired and worn shoulders. People began revving their engines, shooting to the sky and laughing.

"He did it!"

"He protected our home!"

Deion smiled next to me.

"If only Tevin could see his son right now."

"Yeah."

Deion looked at Bryce, who was clearly still fatigued from his battle, but he had the biggest smile on his face, shocked at how surreal the situation was.

The people who had scorned him, yet the same people he worked his life to get respect from, were now flooding him left and right, showering him with praise and gratitude for protecting Philadelphia from the clutches of Eliza Hellsing.

After cleaning up the city a bit, the people of Philadelphia agreed to take a rest for a few days, before regrouping to do a more thorough cleanup of the battle. There would be tons of paperwork and court hearings, but it would be a challenge for another day.

Tons of people thanked Bryce, asking for his autograph. Bryce looked super awkward, laughing nervously as he signed autographs and shook hands with the people of Philly.

Ironically, this was something he always bragged about, but now that it was happening to him for real, it was as if he had no idea what to do.

Sarah noticed my tensing.

"Aaron?"

"I'm fine."

Sarah glanced at the corner, and realized what was going on.

She nodded at me, as we waited for the crowd to disperse.

Eventually, it was just Bryce, Sarah and I.

"Man... today was a long day. I don't even feel like getting some cheesesteaks..." Bryce stretched his arms.

"After all that and you're still thinking about cheesesteaks?!" Sarah exclaimed, yanking at Bryce's ears.

"Ow! What the hell are you? The S&M Hero?!"

"I don't know what S&M is but it sounds rude." Sarah grumbled, turning away.

I looked at Bryce.

"So you're ready for what's next. Right?"

Bryce sighed.

"Y- Yeah."

We approached the site of the major battle, as I undid my Invisibilis spell, revealing Eliza sprawled on the ground.

She was staring at the sky.

But her eyes were no longer blood red.

The woman that was lying dead on the ground, dying, was the real...

Eliza Jones.

"Bryce... Bryce my dear Bryce is that you..." Eliza croaked.

Bryce ran up to his mother and took her hand.

"Ma... Ma, I'm here... I'm..." Bryce's voice cracked, as he put her hand to his face.

"My... what a handsome young man... you've become... but in the end, you are still my baby boy..." Eliza smiled, tears running down her eyes.

I turned to Sarah, but she shook her head.

"No amount of Cosmic Magic can bring back someone who is already dead."

Bryce fell to his knees, holding his dying mother in his arms.

"Ma... I can't watch you die again... there's gotta be a way to... to..."

"Bryce... you said the same thing as last time. You would even go so far as to betray the trust that you had gained in that town for my sake... Somehow it made me happy and sad at the same time."

Bryce clutched his mother's hand.

"I... I'll do it again! I'll do it again if it means seeing you... seeing you..."

Eliza's eyes were losing their light, but she took her other hand and ran it through Bryce's dreadlocks.

"No. No more... these are your people... please don't hurt them anymore because of me... you need to let me go..."

"I can't... I just can't... Ma..."

Eliza managed a weak giggle.

"You look just like your father. You're even wearing a football varsity jacket and his old bandanna. It's almost like a telescope to the past..."

"No, I'm nothing like Pop. Pop was big and strong. He stood for his brothers and was... was..."

"Not in appearance, my dear boy. But you have his smile. You have his loyalty. It was one of the many things I admired about him. How he would overcome any obstacle for my sake. Just like you did when you fought my other half. Although I have to say... I wasn't a fan of all your foul language."

Bryce managed a weak laugh.

"I... I just wanted to sound cool. Ya know... like Pop."

"You are already plenty cool. The coolest hero Philadelphia ever had!" Eliza smiled, as Bryce pressed his head against her chest.

"Ma... I don't wanna lose you again..."

Eliza gave her son a sad look.

"Bryce... I am already dead. I was dead for a long time. What the Spirit of Hope is doing with my body... is forbidden. I cannot be allowed to breathe this air... my very existence is taboo."

"We can figure it out! My friends... my friends are extraordinary people! Look I can introduce you to em! This... this is Sarah Ultear! She's one of those fantasy heroes you see in those fantasy books! She can wield a sword and fight monsters real good! And she can use magic! And... and... this here is Aaron Hope! He's the greatest gunman in the world! I swear on ma life there ain't a single person who can shoot as well as him! He... he's my inspiration and... and..."

Eliza smiled.

"To see you with such amazing friends... is more than enough for me to be happy."

"But I'm not! I'm not happy! I can't accept this... I can't!"

Bryce bawled like a baby. He never cried openly because he always put his reputation first.

This was the first time I had ever seen him open himself up like this.

"It's okay to cry, my dearest Bryce... in the end of the day, you're still my little boy after all." Eliza said, soothingly as Bryce buried his head into her shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.

"You always wanted to be like your father, isn't that right?"

Bryce clenched his teeth.

"Y- Yeah... Yeah I do..."

"What do you think your father would have wanted?"

Bryce closed his eyes.

"To make you happy. And... at a time like this... to make sure you rest properly with him."

Eliza smiled.

"Your father is waiting for me on the other side. He and I put so much love into you... it breaks my heart to see you cry like this. Be happy for us. Smile for us. And keep being the hero Philadelphia looks up to."

"Y... Yeah..." Bryce sniffled.

"And that goes for... the other side too. For my dear Bryce Hellsing."

Bryce's eyes widened.

"When I... when I was in my vampire state... you..."

Eliza stroked Bryce's hair.

"Yes... both my vampire side and me... we both looked after your vampire half. But he never knew. Eliza Hellsing trained him to be a warrior. But the reason why he held so much warm memories... to the point where he would fight to make me proud, was because... of the love I gave to him. As a son. I'm... I'm so sorry that my vampire half had said those things to him."

Bryce clutched the left side of his chest.

"He... he knows. Deep down. Even if he's no longer a part of me. I'm sure he knew."

Eliza put her hands on Bryce's face.

"I'm so proud of you. My dearest Bryce Tyrell Jackson Jones."

Bryce put a hand on hers, as Eliza slowly began to dissolve, the rune dissipating into the wind.

"Rest well. Ma."

* * *

The next few weeks consisted of rebuilding.

We visited Bryce's grandmother first.

"Oh, my dear Tyrell!" Grandma Jones threw her arms around Bryce.

"I heard EVERYTHING! You fought a big bad lady and saved the town! You're incredible! I always told Tevin his son would come home a hero!"

Bryce chuckled.

"It's nothing too crazy, Gran."

Grandma Jones put a hand to her chin.

"Really now?"

"What?"

Grandma Jones leaned closer to Bryce.

"This would be the first time you're so modest. You're usually so hyperactive and energetic whenever you over-exaggerate."

Bryce stared at his grandmother.

"Over-exaggerate... you mean to tell me you... you knew this entire time...?!"

Grandma Jones smiled.

"I will leave it to you to decide how much I know. But I'm glad the true Hero of Philadelphia has finally returned home after so long! It was so scary out there! I woke up after some tall white boy shot me in the head with a rubber ball! Then there were monsters everywhere! I was praying to the Lord every day that you would be safe! I'm so glad you are!"

Bryce glared at me.

"Hah? What do you mean a tall white boy shot you in the head, Gran?"

The colour washed from my face.

"Ah! Don't worry about it. It was just her imagination."

Bryce growled, a fang slowly protruding from his mouth.

"A- Anyway... um... we came to pack our things. It's been a rough ride these past few weeks! But we gotta go." I desperately tried changing the subject.

We departed, as we visited the streets of Philly.

"AYO! My man Tyrell!" One guy shouted at Bryce.

"The CHAMPION of Philly's here! Come and see, kids!"

Bryce waved nervously.

Sarah laughed in her hand.

"So popular, Bryce!"

"Shut up, Sarah." Bryce grumbled.

"Ay. Ty- Er. I guess Bryce." A man stood before us.

He was holding some documents and a card.

A driver's license?

"Who are you?" Bryce asked.

The man bowed his head.

"I... I'm the guy who rear ended you a while ago. I know I probably said some fucked up shit that day. I ain't asking for yo forgiveness. Might come off as a clout chaser after you saved all of us from that vampire crisis n everything. But I just wanted to say I was outta line and I'm sorry. Um... I'll admit full fault for the rear end accident. My license and insurance documents."

Bryce smiled.

"Ay. My man. Don't worry about it. My license is... NOT HERE?!"

Sarah facepalmed, as I took his card out of my pockets.

"Hey. Dumbass of Philly. You dropped it like, a while back ago. I never got the chance to return it since you always ran off. And then you got your ass arrested."

Bryce blinked.

"Oh shit!"

Bryce and the man exchanged contact info and shook hands.

"Ay. Whenever you come back to Philly, please. Come visit me and my family. We'll be holding a big barbecue at my place with all the boys from the hood. All drinks and food on me."

Bryce frowned.

"But... I'm banished from Philly effective-"

The man raised an eyebrow.

"What you on, anyway?"

Bryce stared at him.

"But... I handed y'all that paper..."

"Oh. A bunch of us took turns stepping on it."

Bryce choked.

"Took turns... stepping on... my warrant..."

The man laughed.

"Why the hell would we banish a brotha from the hood? What you gonna do outside of the hood? Live with them white folk and not get to eat some authentic Philly cheesesteaks that you won't shut up about?"

"I..."

The man put his hands on Bryce's shoulders.

"You're our Hero. Bryce. We will always welcome you back. We have so much to make up to you for. For everything we done and said. I know it ain't gonna be easy. And I know a lot of us, I myself included, probably don't deserve yo forgiveness. But we promise you. We will back you up no matter what."

The man winked.

"After all, that's what brotherhood means in the city of respect. Ya know?"

The next stop... a familiar bike shop.

"Whoa... what are these changes?!" I asked, as Deion showed me the newly upgraded Warpath Battlebike.

The Philly Special.

"Just some extra things for yo bike. I noticed there were already a ton of mods preinstalled. I figured they was of sentimental value to ya. So I didn't touch em. But I did add this sick paint job."

On the side of the bike, was the logo of the Eagles.

LII Super Bowl.

And an artist's rendition of Bryce performing the Scarlet Eagle.

"Whoa... that's some sick artwork." I said.

Bryce leaned in.

"Umm... isn't that me?"

Deion clapped Bryce on the back.

"Hell yeah it is! Wait until you see the actual mural itself in full scale! It's in the heart of Philly. Better head there quick. Place gets crowded fast!"

Bryce, Sarah, and I made our way to the heart of Philly, to see hundreds of people taking photos at something on the wall.

My eyes widened, as I instantly recognized it.

It was the same wall that had the graffiti with Bryce's nickname scribbled over it along with other profanity and provocative insults.

But it had all been cleaned and brushed away.

Replaced with a large scale incredible artist's rendition of Bryce performing his Scarlet Eagle attack.

Bryce's Eagles Varsity Jacket fluttering in the wind, and the eagle emitting a heavenly light, cast across the entire horizon and lighting the entire scene with a sunset crimson.

And written in large letters...

TYRELL "BRYCE" JACKSON JONES

THE HERO OF PHILADELPHIA

THE SCARLET UZI

Bryce gasped, as I turned to him. To my disbelief, tears raced down his cheeks.

"Pop... I did it... Your son is finally a hero..."

Sarah smiled, leaning in and taking Bryce's hand.

"Yes. Yes you did, Bryce. From one Hero to another. Congratulations."

The next day, we set off. I rolled my bike to the edge of the city and summoned my Shadows.

Sarah took my hand as I turned around to see Bryce standing at a distance.

"You... don't have to come with us if you don't wanna. You can keep training, you know." I told Bryce.

Bryce shook his head.

"Ultimately, this was for yo sake. You haven't forgotten, Bossman? Two months. We got two months to get stronger. So we can fight Loyce."

Oh yeah.

I totally forgot about that!

"Hey." Bryce said.

"What's up?" I asked.

"About that duel. You held back didn't you?" Bryce looked annoyed.

"Of course I did. If I went all out I woulda KICKED YOUR ASS." I grinned.

Bryce spat on the ground.

"Hurt me for real? What the hell happened to that? I knew there was no way you woulda lost a gun fight of all things!"

I chuckled. But Bryce still looked pissed.

"I lost that duel. Why'd you let me go anyway?"

"I figured it was your fight in the end."

Bryce pouted.

"Bullshit. You did some weird ass calculation in yo head didn't you? With your 210 IQ or some shit."

"Nope."

"I knew it! You di- wait. What did you just say?"

I turned to Bryce, smiling.

"I didn't do any calculations. I didn't even think it through. I just let you do it."

Bryce blinked.

"On a whim...? The overly cautious Aaron Hope, the God Eater. The SS Ranked Dainsleif. The most tactical Outer Shadow in the history of the Black Legion Organization, made a decision on a whim?!"

"Yep."

"Are you stupid? What the hell woulda happened if I died?!"

I shrugged.

"Woulda been an awkward night for all of us."

Bryce sighed.

"We definitely ruined ya. Didn't we."

I laughed.

"Nope. The opposite really. I've learned to put some trust in my Auxiliary Shadows. Back then, I was so scared of losing you guys. When I lost June, I was so scared of taking care of yet another person... that I would rather have done missions on my own. And if I ever did rope someone along, even someone as formidable as Sig... I made sure she did stuff well within the range of her capabilities. I gaged the strength of each and every one of my comrades. But what's the point of having allies if I don't put some faith in them?"

"Aaron..."

I tilted my head, looking at the city of Philadelphia. The repairs were still going on, but the sun cast such an amazing light on the view.

Sarah really was right.

It was an incredible sight to see.

"I'm proud of you. Both of you." I put my hand on Sarah's head, causing her to blush.

"I get to brag to the rest of Master Jun's Outer Shadows about the fact that I got two Auxiliary Shadows that surpass S Rank. What a lucky guy I am! HAHAHA!"

"I knew it. You wanted to use us to show off." Sarah grumbled.

I turned back to the Shadows, who were waiting for us.

All three of us.

"Hey, Bossman?" Bryce asked.

"Sup."

"I wanna change my Black Legion codename."

"Oh yeah? Realized 'Uzi' sounds cringe yet?"

"Wha- It ain't cringe! That name goes hard as fuck! But... I wanted to change it to something else."

"And what's that?"

Bryce smiled, putting a hand to his heart.

"He wasn't a bad guy. He wanted to make Ma proud at the end of the day. I guess... he wasn't the real villain of the story."

I said nothing, as the Shadows began warping us to the next adventure.

Bryce clasped his father's bandanna, which was now wrapped around his shoulders like a scarf. He was also wearing his Eagles varsity jacket again, and strapped on his back, was the bat that Deion had given him. It had all the signatures of the people of Philly in the battle.

"From now on... I wanna be known as Auxiliary Shadow Hellsing."

I smiled.

"Sounds badass. I like it. Let's get it updated in the database when we get the chance."

--- END OF PART 1 ---

EPILOGUE

(Unknown POV)

"So. It really is him, isn't it." Someone in the shadows said.

The mark of Vala was imprinted on his hand.

We were watching a replay of a man who was fighting toe to toe with our Mistress.

The Lady of Hope.

Vala.

What he was doing was supposed to be impossible.

Lady Vala had power that is strong enough to kill Great Demon Lord Loyce Hal of all people, and surpass Hakah Mah, a being who was supposedly the strongest Black Legion operative in existence.

Yet this man had inflicted a permanent scar to her right eye, completely cutting it off. Because of this, she had been in hiding, incapable of processing that a mere mortal had marked her face.

"Yes. There is no doubt. I used my eyes to match it up. There's no doubt about it. That's the same kid who survived that massacre in the orphanage ages ago, and killed Avara."

I narrowed my eyes.

Unbelievable.

He...

He had survived.

That same kid...

"I'm surprised that kid managed to get so strong without becoming a god like you."

I slammed my fist against the table, causing everybody to become extremely uncomfortable.

I should have been happy.

He made it out alive.

He fulfilled my last wish, before Vala had brought me back.

But why was I so unhappy?

Well.

The answer was obvious.

I ran my hand over the scar on the left side of my face. It looked identical to his, from when we had clashed.

He was one of the very few mortals who had nearly defeated me in a fight. I had no idea where his sudden titanic boost in power came from that day, but it had triggered when I killed that little girl.

He must have loved her a lot.

But that little girl was what was keeping me from carrying out our mission.

It had to be done... it had to.

But above all else, now that I knew that the boy who I loved so long ago was still alive... this was even more of a reason that I couldn't let him go.

No matter how much he meant to me.

How precious he was to me...

"We leave at sunset. Do not be late, Jekyll." The man said, as the rest of Vala's vessels left me alone in the barracks of an unknown and unnamed, classified world.

"Aaron... Hope..." I muttered, running my hand over the kid's face on the screen.

I can't let you live.

I'm sorry.

And it hurts a lot to have to say this, much less do it.

But...

She can't see me like this. She doesn't know.

She doesn't know I ended up like this.

And if you ever find out who I am, then without a doubt, you would try to get her in on it to save me.

Because I know you more than anyone else in this plethora of worlds. After all, I lived with you and knew you since you were very little.

Those days in the orphanage whenever you and I would play and you would look up to me like how a little brother would look up to his big brother.

Those days when we worked out at the playground whenever Trish wasn't watching.

And whenever I defended you from bullies.

But there is no saving me from Hope itself.

It makes no sense.

And so I have to kill you.

Even if she ends up hating me...

She needs to live her new life ignorant of what has happened to me. And you.

Nora must never know.