Ain didn't pursue the matter further. He was not interested in the Tribune - this one time, he would forgive their interference, and if they were smart they would realize this and lift all sanctions. Ain wasn't hopeful however; Demons weren't known for their outstanding intelligence.

The Pit Fiend was Agon's doing, and Ain's thoughts were all directed towards him. Agon - they called him the Holocaust King for a good reason. Back in the ancient days, Agon was a Half of Human and Demon heritage. The legend goes that Agon went to the Human Academy of Enlightened Arts, where he learned a great deal about Magic and used that knowledge to advance understanding of Source Magic to terrifying levels. Back then, he was a maniac for theory - but he too eventually reached the Pillars of Creation and comprehended Laitia - the Pillar of Purification.

He and His Legion - the Worldburners - then went on to burn much of the Fae Realm to the ground. Even the Human Realm suffered. But, for some reason, Agon disappeared from the world not that long into the war, and Ain had always assumed that someone put him to a well-deserved death.

However, something still didn't seem right. Creating Pit Fiends only served the purpose of war and waging war in the modern era was unfeasible, especially with the inoperability of the Ancient Gateways. When the Calamity Lord slaughtered the Gods, it was their final, dying act to create the Realm Barrier and this has delayed total war until the construction of the Gateways.

Then the Realm War began in earnest.

It didn't make any sense to create Pit Fiends now - there was no one to fight. When it came to Teleportation magic, Ain would be surprised if there was anyone still alive who knew more than he did - manipulating Space was his specialty. And even he would be hard-pressed to find a way to transfer an entire army from one Realm to the other.

The more Ain thought about it, the more he became aware of the one common point where all these questions converged: the Shadow Realm.

Ain was told that the Gateways became inoperable when the Shadow Realm appeared. Considering the fact that the Realmbreakers' purpose was to fight the Undying in the Shadow Realm, it made sense that the only useful application for Pit Fiends would be in that regard.

Just what was the Shadow Realm? Ain did not believe the definition that it was a Realm made by dead Gods. That idea was ridiculous. The Calamity Lord erased them from existence - he extinguished their Sources and removed them from the Pattern. That was the only way to kill them. The remaining few Gods all fled to the God Realm, and closed themselves off. What today people called 'Gods' were simply stewards of the Principles the True Gods charged them with protecting and upholding. It was just as unlikely that one of them died and created the Shadow Realm.

Ain sighed, as he approached the temporary Syndicate Mansion. The Shadow Realm didn't matter; Ain promised to the Pit Fiend that it would be avenged. Whatever purpose Agon had in mind for it did not matter. This was the bond between warriors - friends or enemies, it did not matter. That was the first thing Ain learned about the Sword: Those who seek it, seek a perfect ideal and their actions in life cannot ever taint the ideal of the Sword itself. In a way, it could be said that they all had pure, sacrosanct spirits, and their actions in life were merely the result of the Logos - Fate itself. Whether they become villains or heroes, it is not entirely up to them to decide this. Therefore, when a hero meets a villain who walks the same path, he must show respect, for there is a certain camaraderie there - an unspoken understanding that they are all just leaves blown about in the wind, heading towards the same goal.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

When Ain opened the front door to the Mansion, he was stunned by what he saw. The foyer was packed full of people. And they weren't all hopeful Syndicate Factionites. Many of them had insignias belonging to other factions - Realmbreakers, Raveners, Elites, Tribune and Sentinels. Others had different types of insignias, unrelated to the Calamity Lord Academy, and they were all older individuals - they looked to be in their early thirties.

The shouting was oppressive, Ain couldn't even hear his own thoughts, nor could he follow the conversations in their entirety. Snippets here and there.

"We came first!"

"I have already made a deal!"

"There is no time!"

"Stop bickering!"

Def stood on the top of the stairs leading to the second floor, and his eyes gleamed with greed. Troma, next to him, saw Ain enter and his complexion was entirely white. He pulled at Def's sleeve, trying to get attention.

"What is going on here?" Ain asked, speaking softly and calmly. And yet his voice carried like the roar of dragons. Even the air vibrated.

Silence quickly fell in the room and dozens of head simultaneously turned towards Ain.

A Ravener stepped forward. He wore a military jacket with tassels adorning his shoulders. A miriad achievements, badges and brooches were attached to the jacket, on each breast, and the insignia on his shoulders had a platinum border.

"Lord Ain, we request use of your teleportation chamber. Whatever you need, in terms of finances, manpower, materi--"

"No." Ain's gaze lifted up to the stairs where he saw Def, but the goblin had disappeared. Ain understood, in that moment, what this was about.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Pashel, the Ravener representative who tried recruiting Ain and Senon, stepped to the other Ravener's side. There was a tone and mannerism of deference towards the other, older Ravener.

"I don't think I can make it any clearer than I already have," Ain replied, eyelids dropping halfway to closed. Even glared at by dozens of powerful demons, he radiated a refined air of majesty and, more importantly, inexorable peril.

"We have a Writ from the Academy. You have to give it to--" the older Ravener spoke, but was once again interrupted.

"I don't care if you came with the Calamity Lord's Edict. My answer doesn't change," Ain said.

Some of the demon's gasped at Ain's blasphemous words - the Calamity Lord's Edict was an inconceivable thing that they all respected and obeyed - but most of the demons already heard of Ain, and his lack of 'tact'.

"A great war is coming, you have--" the Ravener tried again.

Ain snorted. "Not without my teleportation chamber, it isn't."

The Raveners looked furious. Pashel looked at his comrade - likely a superior officer - and gulped. His expression was easy to read: He was really hoping this wouldn't escalate into a physical confrontation.

The demons also heard of Ain's power. Although most assumed that the details were embellished, seeing him in person, their opinions quickly changed. One doesn't stand there, like a brandished sword ready to decapitate all of them if they didn't have the power to back that up. Ain, in their eyes, was defiance incarnate.

"But the Human Realm has already invaded us, Lord Ain!" a Realmbreaker yelled, as he approached.

Ain blinked. "I am sorry. What did you just say?"