I went back to our room after leaving DK in the armory to recharge, I laid down on the bed and let my weary body feel the soft sensation of the waterbed, that's when I noticed how nice the bed smelled and how stinky I was. I stood up and headed for the bathroom, I removed my clothes and put them all in a basket. I took a cold shower before drowning my body in the bathtub filled with hot water. The sensation was great, how I missed soaking my body in hot water

Though almost half my body is robotic, the parts that still have flesh and skin enjoyed the sensation, I wiped my body with a towel before wearing new clothes I got from the drawer near the bed.

I was sleepy before but after taking a bath, I wanted to just drink hot coffee while sitting on a comfy sofa while enjoying the view outside

I did just that and made myself some hot Barako, a coffee native to my homeland, it was utterly bitter but it's the taste of home

Cynthia also finishing her workout session sat on the sofa in front of me and drinking cold juice

"Hey, come to think of it, I haven't asked you how you were invaded, I mean, the two kingdoms are too far apart... oh, if you're uncomfortable about it, you don't have to answer" I spoke to Cynthia

She shook her head before replying

"The invasion started very subtle, they sent in spies to live all across the Kingdom, it took them a year but they managed to send in a huge amount of highly trained soldiers to blend in amongst the people of Arcadia. After that, during my birthday party, they came in as guests, the King came in with an escort of 20 people, 2 are his son, 1 his daughter and the rest are their private bodyguards. That night, the attack happened, we were all caught off guard, all of the hiding soldiers suddenly attacked and in the most critical places even, we couldn't even counterattack" Cynthia explained

"I see" I nodded my head as I imagined the entire thing play out and honestly, it left a bad taste in my mouth, it happened during Cynthia's very own birthday

The door opened and Brunhilde entered also wearing a workout attire, short tight pants coupled with a bra? I have no idea what's it called

Brunhilde sat beside Cynthia and drank some cold juice from her tumbler

"Enjoying the place I hope" I spoke to Brunhilde

"It's amazing, I couldn't believe it at first when Mrs. Alissa explained that your technology has far surpassed us but seeing all of these?" Brunhilde chuckled

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself" I replied

"I've been curious for a while now, Zeno, are you a half demon? because your eyes are black and glows red" She asked

"No, I'm not a demon, I'm what you can call a cyborg, take a look at the Guardians, the ones you call a golem, to us, we call them robots, a mixture of robots and humans are called a cyborg" I explained, not only to Brunhilde but also to Cynthia

"I see, so you're a half-breed... it must be hard having two different parents" Brunhilde remarked

"No, no, no, no, my parents are both human" I corrected her

"Then, how are you half a robot and half a human?" Brunhilde asked

"Through medical means, Alissa, performed the operation and turned me into a cyborg" I replied

"Wh-what?" Looks like Brunhilde is confused

"You see, human strength isn't our best trait so we tried to combat the Colony or what you call the invaders through other means, which is technology, we developed weapons and robots to aid us in our battle, the robots were naturally more sturdy and more powerful so some people created a new breed of soldiers, the mixture of man and robots" I explained

"I see... I get it, so you're one of those new breeds, am I correct?" Brunhilde nodded, understanding my explanation

"Yeah, but in the end, it all came down luck, ability, and proper use of equipment" I added

"I think I get it now but... did you win the war in your homeland?" Brunhilde asked

"We did, through countless sacrifice... although I never thought I'd end up here, even more, the survival of the previous Alpha Queen's daughters"

"But... if it took you guys so many sacrifices just to win... how will we fair?" Brunhilde grasped the situation I was in

"I know, that's why I'm planning train an elite squad, those who will follow me into the very core of each and every hive in order to kill their queen" I cannot train everyone so I'll train a select few who will help me assassinate every queen... I still have no idea how many queens are out there but I need to take them down

"I see... how about the robots with you?" Cynthia asked

"They are indeed strong however, I need people stronger than them" I replied

"I've already seen them fight... not even father can match up to one of them... just how strong do you need them to be?" Brunhilde asked

"You've already compared their strength to people you know... I knew it... it will be hard however, we still have one of humanity's strongest ability with us"

"Intelligence? magic? your Technology?" Brunhilde tried to guess

"Wrong, it's the most basic one, the ability to adapt" I pointed out

"Ability to adapt?" Brunhilde tilted her head

"Yes, I can't really explain it so I'm going to show you instead, one of the Guardians will keep on training with you and with time, you will be able to defeat them. We will soon develop a training room (After scrapping more materials from Mirigai) we will equip that room with cameras that will observe your training, we can then see your shortcomings with the aid of those cameras" I explained

This was the norm for every base, so Mirigai should also have a training room, all we need to do is remove the tiles that can absorb shock and hope that the cameras are still intact. As for the program, Alissa can make one in just 5 hours.

"Cynthia, let's go take a bath" Brunhilde sniffed herself and looked at Cynthia who was also sweaty from the workout

Cynthia also sniffed herself and her face turned red from embarrassment, actually they smell like jasmine, a natural woman's scent but I don't want to tell them that, they'd think I'm a creep or something

They both stood up before running to their rooms

I can only sip my coffee and go back to enjoying the view

'Zeno, Zeno, can you hear me?' Alissa's voice emanated from my built-in radio located on my left ear

'Loud and clear, what's up' I asked

'I'm currently working on the DK's very own energy wings, once activated, it will propel you up and help you stay a lift as long as it has energy'

'Oh, I didn't know my personal armor had that extension'

'Yeah, apparently it was still in its experimental stage but it was completed during the war with the King'

'Oh... shame'

'I know, so anyway... I need coffee, I'm too lazy to go out, please make me one'

'Sure'

I got made her favorite hot coco, too bad we don't have those tiny marshmallows. I entered her lab and gave the coffee to her, I tried not to look around since she hates it if I secretly look at the 'Gifts' that she will give me, according to her, it spoils the surprise but she already told me what it was

I returned back to the sofa and watched the scenery change, from a dense forest to a beach, maybe I was more tired than I thought because my vision started to blur before finally falling asleep.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The two women was done taking a bath together and wore a cotton white shirt with 3/4 jeans, they walked out of their rooms with their hairs wet and towel dangling on their necks

They both wanted both headed for the living room to enjoy a hot drink after a bath, once the room opened, they were greeted with Zeno's peaceful sleep. Cynthia quickly walked over and stared at Zeno's face who was deep in slumber

"He's really tired huh" Brunhilde sat on the opposite sofa, she spoke to Cynthia but only loud enough for Cynthia to hear

"Yes, he fought such powerful creatures we've never seen... not only that but the pressure of fighting all those monsters alone... I want to help him in any way I can but I can only take on the weaker ones" Cynthia sighed as she sat beside Brunhilde

"Hey, cheer up, Zeno trusted us with the weaker ones, he believes in us which is why he can confidently fight the stronger ones with a peace of mind. I too want to help and I understand your feeling of being unable to but he presented us with the opportunity of being trained, we must grasp this opportunity" Brunhilde patted Cynthia's back

"Yeah... oh! I'm going to get something in my room" Cynthia stood up, realizing something, and ran back to their room

Brunhilde stayed behind, waiting for the water to boil

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Cynthia soon returned with a blanket and an old model of a camera by Konnan

"What's that?" Brunhilde asked curiously

"Alissa called it a camera, according to her, it flashes a light that captures the image seen through this camera's eyes" Cynthia explained

"Capture? you mean you're going to trap Zeno inside that camera?" Brunhilde questioned

"No, only the image, what we see in front of us" Cynthia sat on the sofa and held the camera with both hands, she looked at Zeno through the camera's view finder and pressed the shutter button.

There was a short flash before a photo of Zeno popped out and fell down the floor from a slot underneath the lens, Cynthia picked it up and blew at it for a few seconds before viewing the photo and revealing a satisfied smile, she proudly showed the photo to the curious Brunhilde

"Wow, their special items are really amazing" Brunhilde commented

"Indeed" Cynthia replied as she wrapped the blanket around Zeno's body

"Huh... he has jet black hair huh... also... isn't it a bit long? should we cut it for him?" Brunhilde observed Zeno

"Yeah, we should talk about that once we're done with our mission" Cynthia replied

The two women drank coffee before leaving and returning to their room

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up to an alarm from Guardian 3

"Officer Zeno, ten minutes till arrival, please prepare" Guardian 3 advised

"Thanks" I replied as I stretched my body, I looked on my lap and found a blanket, a yellow blanket. Only Cynthia has a yellow blanket

I stood up after folding the blanket and heading towards their room, I knocked on the door and was greeted by Brunhilde, she was wearing a nexus armor that was customized for her, Cynthia was also wearing her nexus armor and was only fixing her hair.

"Thanks" I smiled as I handed over the blanket

"It's nothing" Cynthia received the blanket with two hands

I headed for the Armory and wore DK, strapped Silver edge on my back along with my M4 before hanging Azazel on my waist

'Can everyone hear me?' I spoke in the frequency that both Brunhilde and Cynthia's nexus armors are connected to

'Cynthia here, I can here you... ah, how? here, press this button and speak' I heard Cynthia's reply

'Hello? Hello? can you hear me? wow! this is amazing!' Brunhilde was excited and amazed

'Guardian 1, I hear you loud and clear' Guardian 1 also replied

'Guardian 2, Roger sir, Awaiting command'

'Guardian 3, Roger sir, Awaiting command'

'Guardian 4, Roger sir, Awaiting command'

'Guardian 5, Roger sir, Awaiting command'

'Alissa, I can hear ya'

'Alright, Cynthia, does your Kingdom have a magic circle that can detect any objects that land within?' I asked Cynthia, I don't want to make the same mistake with Lea

'Yes, we do' Cynthia replied

'Okay then, Guardian 3, rise altitude and stop within the Death altitude'

'Command received, All passengers, please hold on' Guardian 3 replied as we ascended

'Everyone else, head over to the hatch' I requested

After a few minutes, the windows outside started showing crystallization, indicating that it was utterly cold outside

Everyone except for Alissa and Guardian 3 is now gathered within the hatch, there were seats near the hatch and I requested everyone to sit down and strap themselves

'Guardian 3, are we above the Arcadia Castle?'

'Yes sir'

'Then, nosedive'

'Roger'

The ship started descending, like a meteor crashing.

'Guardian 3, use the thrusters to slow down our descent when I give you the signal'

'Roger'

"We are now reaching, 2000 meters above sea level" The ships own AI announced

"1500"

"1000"

'Do it'

'Roger'

"500"

The ship started to slow down

"450"

"300"

"100"

"90"

"85"

"60"

The ship stopped at 60 and the hatch opened

I ran and jumped down, Guardian 1 and two followed behind me

'Guardian 3 land the ship and immediately use the cloak'

'Roger'

I used the thrusters to slow down my descent, I landed on the ground, in the center of a garden of roses. Guardian 1 and 2 however, left a pit when they landed beside me, guards, were alerted and in an instant, we were surrounded by 4 armored men holding pikes

'Brunhilde, Guardian 4, Guardian 5, Protect Cynthia as Cynthia proclaims her right to the throne in front of the masses'

'Got it'

'Roger'

'Roger'

"Let's go!" The thrusters on my back pushed me forward as I knocked out two of the guards who were in my way

Guardian 1 took down one of the guards while Guardian 2 knocked the other one out, I kick the door open and looked left and right

'Hallway to the garden, clear' I spoke out

'Roger, escorting VIP' Guardian 4 replied as they walked out of the ship

Cynthia was in the middle of Guardian 4 and 5 while Brunhilde was behind them

Guardian 1 and 2 entered the hallway and each faced the left and right corridors

'Cynthia, where to?' I asked

'Left'

"You heard her, let's go" Guardian 1 advanced, I followed behind him, he stuck close to the wall and stopped before the turning point, I reached him and placed my hand on his shoulder

I slowly walked forward and was instantly attacked, I blocked the spear with Azazel while Guardian 1 proceeded to break the spear in half, I moved forward and punched the man unconscious.

I walked forward and opened a door, I was now in the main hallway, to the center on my right is a stair leading up, to my left is a large door

'Cynthia, I see a door in front of me, a stair to my right and a huge door to my left'

'Stair, head straight after two doors and you'll see the door to the throne room' Cynthia replied

'Alright, be careful on your way now'

The doors to my left opened as 4 Knights entered and tried to attack us

"Go forward officer, I got this" Guardian 1 remarked before charging towards the 4 Knights

I followed Cynthia's instruction and climbed up the stairs, there were two guards but I kicked one and slammed the other to the ground, I kicked the door open only to find 4 more guards that I had to knock down.

I opened the door and was greeted by two more guards, only they wore a black armor unlike the others who wore silver.

"Halt, who are you?" One of the blackguards asked

"Princess Cynthia's knight" I replied

"Jack?" He replied

"Jack is dead, I'm her new Knight, I'm here to help her reclaim the throne"

"Then death to you!" One of the blackguards attacked while the other one stopped and kneeled

The blackguard thrust his spear but I dodged it shot a punch aimed at his chest, he managed to dodge by the skin of his teeth but he couldn't dodge the kick aimed at his ribs, blood flowed down from his helmet as he kneeled down before falling down to the ground

"I am Lancer, a royal blackguard, my Loyalty is to the princess!" The other guard proclaimed

"Good, wait here, the princess will be arriving shortly, I'll have a little chat with the little uncle" I kicked the door open

The room was quiet, on the throne was a fat man with long golden hair that reached up to his neck, he wore a golden armor with a lion as its design coupled with a red cape

"Hello asshole" I greeted him

"Who are you?"

"I am but princess Cynthia's knight" I replied

"Cynthia? I sold her to a slave trader, did she manage to hire a poor knight with the money made from selling her body" The King laughed like a pig

"Oh? Keep laughing, this the last time you'll ever be able to do so"

"Arrogant, GUARDS!" The King shouted out

The two rooms on each side opened and 5 Black guards entered holding a shield and a sword, they formed a 10-man line in front of the King

"I am here to reclaim the throne for the princess, those who do not wish to die, move away now, I do not wish for any needless loss to the princess' warriors" I warned them

The Guards looked at each other but in the end, they still stood firm.

"Those who are still loyal to the old King, please move away" Cynthia appeared behind me and announced

"Ha! The Bitch really lives!" The King kept roaring out, laughing like a deranged hyena

"Brothers, he is not our King, lay down your arms, it is time that we uphold the oath we recited in front of the old King" Lancer also tried to convince the others

"HAHA, LOYALTY? OATH? please, look at the blackguards, they managed to fuck so many royal ladies ever since I became the King there's now way they're going back to being priests that can only love their wives!" The King laughed

"What?! DID YOU?!" Lancer shouted, asking his 'Brothers'

4 of the Blackguards walked forward and turned around, they slowly walked backwards, towards our side while holding their shields up making sure that they won't be attacked

"Brother Lancer, I knew of it but I swear that I remained faithful to my wife" One of the Knights answered Lancer

"I see, then my Brothers, it is time we fight for the Princess" Lancer held his spear with both hands

"Sorry but, we got this, protect Princess Cynthia instead" I replied

Guardian 1 and 2 walked forward and stood beside me, they pulled out a small rod that released a powerful energy which formed a sword, their energy swords

I unsheathed Azazel

"Last warning, if you don't want to die, move away and stop protecting the jackass" This is my last warning

One Knight moved away

"KILL THE DESSERTER!" The King shouted

The knight that moved away was about to be stabbed but I pinched the sword that almost cut through his back

The Knight nervously looked back and saw the sword, centimeters away from his back, he immediately ran behind our side. I broke the sword, they might not have seen it earlier but I switched to speed the moment I gave them their final warning

"What the?! Impossible, mages!!" The King roared out and 5 men came out from the door to the right

"Commence enhancing!" The King ordered

The 5 men chanted as the weapons of the 5 knights glowed red before a blazing fire covered each of them while their shields glowed yellow

'Alissa you getting this?' I asked Alissa who was watching through a camera on DK's helm

'Yeah, I've heard of this from Cynthia but this is my first time seeing one' Alissa replied

'Alright'

I will proceed with caution

"Brothers! protect the Princess!" Lancer shouted out and the knights formed a line in front of the princess with their shields held up

'Guardians, Brunhilde, your jobs didn't change' I announced

'Roger'

'Roger'

'Alright'

"ATTACK!" The King shouted out

The Knights with enhanced weapons headed straight for me, two of them faced Guardian 1 and 2 while the other three headed towards me. One Knight slashed his sword downward but I moved to the side cut off his arm, I didn't stop there and grabbed his head with my right arm before raising him up. He kept shouting, kicking me with his feet as he kept hitting my arm with his only hand.

Energy gathered around my right gauntlet before releasing a gamma blast that made the head of the knight exploded, blood splattered, pieces of brains were scattered everywhere. The Knight fell down to the ground and lifelessly collapsed

The other two knights were fazed, they nervously raised their shields up

'Strength' I spoke to Lilith

'Switching... complete'

I moved forward and grabbed the two shields, I forcefully took it away from their hands before tossing it to the side, now without their shields, they shouted out in fear before trying to run away but they were blasted away by fireballs.

"Tch, a bunch of bitches, useless, Mages, make it rain!" The King pointed

'Lilith, back to speed'

'Switching... complete'

"Brothers, use your own spells!" Lancer commanded

The Knights chanted and each of their shields gave off a white glow

"Sir Knight, our shields won't be able to take their magical attack for long" Lancer advised me

"Got it" I nodded

Five fireballs headed straight towards us, all of their trajectories was predicted and I slashed 3 of the fireballs, Guardians 1 and 2 took care of the other two. The thrusters on my back ignited and pushed me forward, I stabbed one mage before turning around and beheading the other, I pulled out Silver edge and killed off two mages on my right. One was left, he stumbled back, he cast a spell and it exploded in my body

It didn't hurt, honestly, it was so pathetic that it can't even compare to Astarotia's flame

'Lilith, damage report' I asked

'0.1% damage'

'Wow that's really pathetic'

I grabbed the mage by the head with my right arm before punching his stomach, my strength was too much and I punched all the way through his back. I toss him to the side and headed for the King

"NO!" He shouted out before pulling a lever beside the throne, a trap door above opened and a 10-foot monster made out of stone fell down, a golem

I grabbed the Kings head

"GO AHEAD, KILL ME! WE'LL SEE WHAT THE GOLEM WILL DO TO YOUR PRINCESS!" He laughed hysterically

"Guardians!" I commanded

Guardian 1 and 2 slashed off both of its legs, the Golem collapsed and tried to prop itself up with its arms but were also slashed off by the two guardians

'Sir' Guardian 1 asked me through the radio

'Strike fear into the King' I responded

Guardian 2 stabbed the chest and pulled off its core while Guardian 1 tore off its head and raised it up like a trophy

"W-W-W-W-Wait!! You want the throne?! take it!! please let me live!" He tried to negotiate, I looked at Cynthia

Her eyes, they were dark, she had no pity left for this man, I can see that she wants to tear him to pieces but her promise with her parents keeps her from doing so

I sighed and pulled the King by his hair

"Lance, go get us a carriage, this Kingdom needs to see that the princess has returned" I spoke to Lance

"Yes, sire!" He ran off

"As for all of you, tell all of the Guards, soldiers, and mages that the princess is back, form an escort party, make sure that the carriage the princess will use will be protected"

"YES SIRE!" They all replied before storming off