Kaiser was a demon in human flesh. Those who opposed him often found themselves incinerated by the flames of hell.

That's why being chased at the threat of burning to death felt disgustingly ironic.

It started very abruptly. Kaiser was confronted by a group of bounty hunters after his head, and after killing every last one of them, their boss came looking for revenge.

Everything has been normal so far. The number of times he has gotten into this exact situation exceeds two digits. Kaiser was an infamous outlaw, of course, and many wanted the money he was worth.

Usually, they are all ignorant fools who tried to bite more than they could chew. All vastly weaker than him.

Now, it might've been the other way around.

Kaiser swiftly sent a wave of flames without offering a word. That's the part where they screamed to death, so he turned his back to leave.

That was a fatal mistake.

“I'm not dead. You are,” the bounty hunter said, sending a current of fire.

By instinct, Kaiser spun and raised his arms to defend himself. His forearm turned red, and the nails elongated, turning black and sharp like the claws of a beast.

Physically durable and highly resistant to fire and heat, those were the arms of a fire demon.

“You bastard, I will kill you!” Kaiser was enraged and recklessly charged forward, drawing his sword.

His appearance changed completely. The robe he wore fell off. With a horn growing backwards into the hair and a black pattern of turtle shell covering the face, seemingly reaching the arms that were exposed by the short-sleeved clothing, he had the appearance of an evil imp. A demon.

A dark gray mist was emitted from Kaiser's body, leaving a trail in his wake as it wafted.

Clank.

Two swords clashed with tremendous momentum.

Equal in strength, they entered a state of deadlock. Only now did Kaiser have a good look at his attacker.

He was a youth of similar age. His body was built like a knight, with broad shoulders and a strong core. There was a red aura, almost indistinguishable from the hair and eyes of matching colors. Although Kaiser didn't have an inferior build, he found himself unable to push forward.

On the contrary, he was actually pushed back.

Considering how the attacker didn't accumulate any momentum and didn't even draw his weapon at first, it was safe to say Kaiser was at a massive disadvantage in terms of strength.

He decided to change his approach, coloring the black pattern red.

“Fire Sword!”

Fiery orange flames coated the sword, emitting an intense heat.

“Using fire against me?” He scoffed. “That's a first.”

The red aura flowed out to the dao the attacker wielded, absorbing Kaiser's flames. He was then kicked in the gut and blasted several meters into the air.

Up until this point, Kaiser had never lost before. Everywhere he went, he could overwhelm his opponents with ease. It didn't matter if the enemy was a strong mercenary or even a mage; he would win regardless.

He had started to believe in his own invincibility, becoming bolder with each passing day.

That's why it was a first. The first time Kaiser felt pressured. Scared.

Me, scared? He laughed at his own thoughts. There is no way he would be scared of anyone!

“Had your fill? Good, because I will get serious now,” he taunted, transforming his body red.

A storm of fire erupted, with Kaiser at the center. It swirled fast, scorching the ground and buildings. The extreme temperature started to affect people in the vicinity, and the firestorm grew rapidly larger within minutes.

Kaiser felt the resistance of the red-haired bounty hunter. He absorbed flames and momentarily changed their directions to halt the flow, but nothing helped against the current Kaiser, who pushed with raw emotion.

Caring for nothing, he ignored everything and tapped into greater power than ever before. The orange flames burned hotter and hotter, turning blue.

“People will get hurt at this rate!” Although the red aura protected him, the bounty hunter still feared for the safety of others.

“Like hell I care! Just quietly die!”

It should be natural, as Kaiser was not just a rogue wanderer but a notorious criminal. He caused destruction wherever he went, robbing and killing those he didn't like. He was as ferocious as a beast, with great strength to match.

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And now he turned out to be more powerful than he himself had ever realized. Kaiser laughed as he regained his confidence, not stopping to think of the collateral damage he's causing.

He roared in laughter, assured of his victory. Lost with only the bounty hunter in mind, Kaiser had failed to notice the giant water vortex generated from behind his back until it hit him.

Falling down from the powerful momentum of water, the blue flames were extinguished completely. The current slammed at Kaiser's back, but his regeneration quickly healed this wound.

“Damn it, so there were two of them.”

Casually walking to the bounty hunter's side was a girl with blue hair and the same mysterious aura, this time colored blue.

Now that there were two of them, the pressure they exuded doubled. Even the arrogant Kaiser had no choice but to feel cornered.

“Cyrus, don't fight by yourself!” The girl admonished the bounty hunter—Cyrus—with a serious expression.

“But he isn't that strong, Marina! It's a bit dangerous to the surroundings, but he uses fire, and his form is amateurish at best.”

“No means no. Going after the legendary evil was already a reckless decision, but challenging him alone would be suicide. I'm sure he hides his fangs, ready to strike.”

Marina eyed Kaiser with caution and hostility, which perplexed him. It felt personal, even though they had never met before.

Moreover, he was never called a 'legendary evil' before.

Criminal nicknames were given by the governing kingdoms for the crimes enacted, or by society itself for impressive criminal feats. Kaiser was called The Slaughterer, Mad Demon, and many more, but none were as impactful as the way Marina referred to him. There was no logic in giving this nickname to a criminal, as it would glorify them, and that would go against any kingdom's wishes.

He might have the qualifications for such a title, or so Kaiser felt, but he had never done anything to acquire this sort of reputation.

“For the protocol, I only attacked him since he started throwing flames at me for no reason after killing those guys. I only defended myself.”

“So you weren't their boss?” Kaiser inadvertently asks Cyrus. He was sure that Cyrus was the boss they called for when they died.

“No. Why would you think that?” he replied, looking puzzled.

“Ah,” said Kaiser dumbly. “So there was no need to attack you. Then I will go now.”

“Hold it right there!”

He was about to leave peacefully, but was stopped by the battle-ready Marina.

“Don't you dare try to deceive us! You are embodying the power of fiends, the Elemental Master of Fiends. Even through countless generations, our families have yet to forget the powers you possessed as you inflicted terror upon the world. I have no idea how you returned, but we will stop you before you regain your powers, Malevolent One!”

Marina positioned herself against Kaiser. Drawing a whip, she assumed a peculiar battle stance.

“We are doing this together,” she asserts.

“I know.” Cyrus took a stance besides Marina, his dao drawn.

Kaiser winced. “You two are crazy.”

Not only did they shamelessly gang up on him despite being so strong even by themselves, but the reason was also a boatload of bullshit. Malevolent One? Elemental Master of Fiends? Spouting nonsense with confidence doesn't make it logical. Kaiser was clueless as to the meaning of the terms, not that he cared.

That girl with her weird blue hair talked about him having a beef with their ancestor or something similar. Clearly, she was mentally ill and delusional, and so was Cyrus, who looked as if everything Marina said was logical. That was the only conclusion he could draw.

Thus, Kaiser decided to stop talking. He was angry at being persecuted for something he didn't do, much more than at those who were after money or rightful retribution.

Clearly, he had never heard of the concept of karma.

And like that, the 1 vs. 2 had started—

“Catch me if you can, crazy bastards!”

—not.

Using a wall of fire to cover their vision, Kaiser grows demonic wings and soars to the sky.

“You coward!” Marina yelled at him from below.

“Crazy woman!”

He was clearly disadventaged, so escaping was the only option left. It's been a while, but it wasn't something. Being by himself, one could quickly deplete their energy were they to fight too many opponents, though it rarely happened as Kaiser grew older.

Unfortunately, his two pursuers were too capable.

They enfolded themselves in orbs of red and blue auras and chased after Kaiser in the air, leaving trails of their respective colors in their wake.

Kaiser had flown for days on end.

Although he was slower, Kaiser had the edge in terms of stamina, so he was able to stay mostly ahead.

But it was of little use. He had been caught up to twice already, barely saved by petty tricks, and both Marina and Cyrus recovered fast. Worse still, the two improved their stamina management, and the next time they caught him, Kaiser knew it would be the last.

“Just a little farther... dammit...” Words barely came out as he breathed heavily.

They had reached the northern region, a land of everlasting winter and ice. It was a place no one could populate due to the extreme cold and dangerous beasts lurking everywhere.

Kaiser lost speed and energy as he battled the blizzards and hailstorms that weighed him down. The deeper he progressed in the north, the more violent the weather, and after a week of flying with barely time to sleep and eat, Kaiser had finally reached his limits. He fell on the icy ground.

“If you thought we'd give up just because it's the north, then you are sadly mistaken.”

“But it did provide excellent training. We have improved a fair bit, haven't we? The others will surely be surprised.”

The cold numbed his body, unlike the two, who were protected by their colored auras. Kaiser felt hazy and couldn't even differentiate who was saying what.

Just hearing that there were others as ridiculous as those two made him laugh dryly. He had no idea where all those powerhouses suddenly popped out from, but he didn't like it at all.

“Crazy bunch, they are worse than me...!”

Worse than the Mad Demon is quite an insult, even worse, as they saw him as the worst evil, the Malevolent One. Marina didn't want to waste time any longer and purge Kaiser once and for all.

With a sharp twist, the whip in her hand is sent at Kaiser with powerful momentum, easily surpassing the speed of sound.

Crack.

The tip of the whip hit Kaiser in the stomach with vicious accuracy. It penetrated the skin and tore the flesh, leaving an opening for the organs to spill out along with a gush of blood.

Kaiser collapsed immediately. The sharp pain was amplified by the numbness throughout his body, and all strength in his legs was lost.

“Let's go.”

“You are really cruel, Marina. I'll be having nightmares for months now.”

Were they saying anything else? Kaiser could no longer hear them beyond the wind raging at his ears. He coughed blood, only perceiving flying rays of color, leaving him for dead.

I'll remember this, he vowed in his mind. I will make sure to take my revenge on both of you monsters and chase you like a wolf hunting rabbits until I eat you!

But he could barely think straight between the numbing cold and the burning wound.

Guttered like an animal, the Mad Demon sucked his last breath full of resentment and hatred.

He lost consciousness, expecting it to never surface again.

It was then that the black pattern turned blue.