Sunlight slipped in through his eyelids. The cool surface sensation made him reluctant to get up from the comfort of the soft, cloud-like mattress. The cold morning air also began to enter the small room through the wide open window. On a large mattress that almost filled the room, lay a young man fast asleep. The young man had a handsome face and very pale skin. His blond hair was unkempt, drenched in sunlight. Dressed in plain beige pajamas, the young man continued his unpretentious sleep without any disturbance.

He slept so soundly that he didn't realize that someone else was watching him sleep. That person was a tall, charming teenage girl. She had smooth tan skin and a plump body. She had black hair in a bop style that covered her left eye. She had red pupils and a black sclera that made one recognize where she came from. She was wearing a purple tunic with golden triangle motifs. She also wore a dark purple skirt with a golden stripe on the hem that almost covered her legs.

She had been standing there for several hours, waiting for the young man to wake up. But as expected, he finally opened his eyes. Showing both eyeballs that looked like beautiful jewels. He was pensive for a while until he finally realized where the girl was.

"Awake, champ?" She asked to giggle. "You've been sleeping for a week you know?"

The slightly heavy, mature-sounding feminine voice made his heart skip a beat. It was a melodious voice and made him lose his mind when he heard it. However, he soon realized and became aware of the owner of the voice. He focused his entire gaze on the girl. At first glance, the thing Ezigio noticed the most was how tall the girl was. She was so big that it made him a little uneasy about how much of an asset she was. Just by standing there, the girl made him feel small and intimidated. But after he noticed something strange about her eyes, he finally got a clue as to her identity.

"Those eyes... are you Hazel's relative?" Ask him spontaneously, he immediately cursed his carelessness as he immediately smelled trouble.

Suddenly, a chill began to sweep over his body. It was the same feeling whenever he sensed Hazel's presence, though weaker. The girl was looking at him sharply with a mischievous expression on her face. But after a while, she stopped and smiled warmly at him.

"You should have known from the start, right?" She said in exasperation. "Are all these clues not clear enough for you?" She asked innocently while pointing at her own face.

Her words made Ezigio think for a moment. There was no one with Hazel's eyes and physical features in the city other than his relative. That was strongly supported by the fact that the color of a person's eyes in this world was greatly influenced by the color of the energy in their body. Ezigio tried to see the girl's energy color, the result was almost the same. Unlike Hazel's energy which was very dense, dark, and uncontrollable. This girl was much more controllable and brighter in color. Finished with his observations, Ezigio could conclude that this person might be one of Hazel's family. He was torn between feeling safe and threatened. He had fought one of them and lost in the end, then he woke up to be greeted by his relatives.

'Does she know? Is she angry that I just fought with her relatives?'

"By the way, good fight, buddy" She praised sincerely. "I didn't even know if there was someone who could corner my uncle to that extent."

Ignoring that significant change in mood and expression, Ezigio was stupidly silent in his stupidity.

'She knows.'

But instantly, a spark of memory flashed through his head, an event that could be considered very strange to him. It did not take long for him to quickly put together that piece of memory. His face immediately paled, and his eyes widened and shook in disbelief at what he had seen. Someone had kidnapped his (self-proclaimed) rival.

"Your uncle, Hazel. What just happened to him?! He disappeared into the portal, do you know anything? You saw it too, didn't you?"

The more he remembered the more panicked he became. Ignoring his current state, Ezigio tried to get up with all his might. He wriggled towards the wall behind him and tried to use it as a support. But amid his efforts, the girl suddenly sat on the bed. She reached out her hand and lifted the confused Ezigio onto her lap carefully.

"Just now I wanted to ask you the same thing." She said with disappointment. "I don't know anything about it."

"Is that so..."

But soon, discomfort and itching interrupted his concentration.

Ezigio began to feel that there was something wrong with his body, so he immediately did a brief scan of his current body. He was missing some implants and sensors embedded around his heart. But most of his organs seemed to be in excellent condition. That was a relief considering Hazel had just given him a nuclear blast packed in a fatal punch. It was a miracle if his organs hadn't turned to mush or ash. He also couldn't complain about how they were taking care of him, he could only wonder about that…

Ezigio sought to build his body into a simulacrum of the Angel of Judgment. Although at one point he managed to get the desired result through implants as well as body modifications. The problem of energy efficiency haunted him throughout his journey. He was just a mortal who had been given a few advantages, not an oracle blessed with many pleasures and many blessings. Despite often feeling deprived, Ezigio always tried to be grateful for what he had been given. But that didn't mean he never pursued opportunities if they were in front of his eyes.

He pondered for a while and decided to relieve some unnecessary stress.

Ezigio looked up so he could see the girl's expression. Her facial expression turned faint and her eyes began to dim. All sorts of theses and speculations slowly began to fill his head. Even though he was not in the best of shape and had just recovered. Ezigio was completely paralyzed in both mind and physical form. He could not think of the most plausible thing about what happened with Hazel and could not investigate, at least not in this condition. The only hope he had was that this girl could at least help him, even if it had to be a bargain.

"Uh... miss? Can I ask you something, this won't take long?"

A ray of light came back to life on the girl's face.

"Hmmm, of course, you may! After all, you are one of us now. Uncle left us the responsibility of taking care of you. From now on, you are under our protection."

"Uh, what?"

Dumbfounded, confused, and also in disbelief at what he had just heard. Ezigio was petrified and could not think of anything. His mind was flooded with a sudden burst of information at an inopportune time. Trying to swim in a sea of oil, Ezigio realized that his progress did not make sense.

First, he was brave enough to provoke Hazel with the corpses of his relatives that he randomly found. Somehow he could call it bravery if it was pure stupidity. Secondly, he felt quite proud of his ability to corner Hazel even though he felt otherwise. He felt that the tyrannical monster who proclaimed himself as the Hunter was too rash in his fight like he was holding something back. Hazel was not known as a fighter who was arrogant and overconfident with his opponents, at least that was what he concluded. All the notes and observation videos Ezigio had watched told him that Hazel was the type of person who truly hated his opponents until they died. That could mean that Hazel would immediately try to kill his opponent without any preamble.

If he could deduce correctly, Hazel was walking cancer that could hardly be killed.

But after the battle, Ezigio knew that the Hazel he was facing was far different from his analysis. Someone seemed to have played with his brain and intentionally severed some wires. If it had been that easy, the reason why Hazel was so much 'softer' would still be an annoying mystery. But if he thought about it, what would happen if he actually fought with the real Hazel?

'It's best not to be too rash.' Was the natural thought coming from someone who had just done a little prank, poking a sleeping demon bear with a wooden stick.

"Earlier, uncle left a trail marking you as his property. After all, it's better than living without your face and eyes took away, right?"

"Ah"

For a moment, Ezigio reflexively tried to feel his face. But the lack of arms to do so slapped him right in the face.

'How could I forget?

"So, what favor do you want?" Asked the girl, waking up the dreamy Ezigio.

Not wanting to take any chances, he tried to take the approach that was safest for him.

"First, may I know your name? I'm Ezigio, a Professional Hunter." He explained confidently, trying to make a good impression.

"Liana Dyrafel, I am the current leader of the Dyrafel family."

"Alright, Liana. I need your help to take me somewhere north of Brenkas City. I also need some information about what happened while I was asleep."

Ezigio had expected some hesitation or even rejection from Liana, but what he got was the most unpleasantly wide mischievous grin.

"Sure, why not?"

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****

"Oh, my lord."

Grunting in annoyance, Ezigio tried to make himself as comfortable as possible in Liana's arms. There was nothing wrong really, after all at the moment he was exactly helpless without any limbs. The main problem was...

"Liana, can you carry me any other way? This huge asset of yours is choking me," he grumbled uncomfortably. "Besides, do you think it's necessary to carry me like this? It's rather... embarrassing."

Ezigio was being carried like a teddy bear, and he could do nothing about it.

"Hehe, there's no need to be embarrassed. Ezigio is one of us now anyway." She said and ignored Ezigio's constant squirming. He could sense that she was sniffing his hair and starting to behave strangely. Since he did not want to create a more awkward atmosphere, Ezigio would just ignore him.

"Ugh, alright. Then, I'll ask you a few questions."

"Of course! There's no need to hesitate to ask, just let me know your curiosity!"

"Alright...?"

After a bit of conversation, Ezigio managed to convince Liana to take him to her base. It was located far across the tundra of death that stretched to the ocean. It was located near Siberia which was now turned into a frozen wasteland of black sand.

Taken out of his room, Ezigio and Liana walked out through an extremely long hallway. He had already been taken through this hallway for 20 minutes and there was still no sign that they would be coming out soon. The hallway was wide enough for someone like Liana to move around freely. It was built of what looked like dark blue bricks with black cement. The lighting in this hallway was good because so far, Ezigio had not found any light crystals that dimmed or stopped working on the ceiling of the hallway.

'For a hallway, this place is well maintained.' He thought while holding the two lumps of fat on top of his head.

Being uncomfortable, Ezigio finally decided to extract some more information while he was with her.

"Hey, Liana. Where exactly are we?"

"Currently at the Dyrafel family's main residence. To be precise, we're at Ashura's flying fortress."

"The flying fortress you said!!?"

A colossal flying ark with buildings on it was how people described the flying fortress.

Ezigio felt as if his mouth could fall off at any moment when he heard that. He could not imagine the cost involved in building a fort, let alone a flying one. Flying fortresses were not a new thing it had been around for quite some time. About a few tens of years ago, humans managed to create a kind of technology that broke the development of transportation significantly. However, the cost of building it could only be borne by a large corporation and a rich superpower.

'How rich is that person?!!!' He asked himself until he finally remembered what kind of person he was referring to.

The fact that he was currently inside a flying fortress, made all the noises on the wall make sense. At a glance, he could hear the roar of the engines that roared cruelly and loudly just to keep this fortress in the air. He didn't feel any vibrations from the machine that might have been counteracted by a good counterbalance and dampening device.

'So they were hiding here all along, huh? You're really sneaky, Hazel.'

On second thought, putting them here was both a genius and risky idea. Not many people wanted to deal with flying fortresses for several reasons. It was usually based on the stereotype that flying fortresses were usually owned by large corporations or belonged to the government or military. Their flying fortresses are usually equipped with many weapons of monster destruction that can easily level a city in no time. But for some ignorant people, robbing a flying fortress containing valuable cargo is an idea that sounds tempting. Many bandit or terrorist groups get their resources from the unlucky flying fortresses they manage to loot. Despite having a wide variety of weapons, it only took a few Kuroners specializing in long-range attacks to knock one down.

But really, having one for yourself is an admirable feat.

"But well, I guess being here is better than lying in the ruined streets."

According to the information he got from her, nothing that seemed too interesting happened after the battle. After being soundly defeated, Ezigio was discovered by a spy from the Dyrafel family. Because Hazel had previously marked him, Ezigio's life was spared by those who had intended to finish him off for personal reasons. Although they were angry because they thought that Ezigio was the main cause of Hazel's disappearance, they also had little respect for his achievements. No Kuroner had ever cornered Hazel to the point where she had to use her battle mode other than their current leader, Liana. Ezigio questioned the abilities of the big girl who was carrying her at the moment, he was slightly interested in her for a moment. The party in question was probably also interested in Ezigio's abilities because from earlier, she always stole glances at Ezigio while occasionally smiling strangely. She was exactly like a mutt in heat.

'It's not going to go too smoothly.'

"Hey, Ezigio... why are you being so adamant? I mean, there isn't or has ever been anyone who came out alive after a fight with an uncle."

The words that came out so easily slapped Ezigio instantly.

"I don't know, I'm confused about it myself. But, if I can be honest... I just see Hazel as a wall that I have to cross." Answer as it was, he had no other reason than that.

If indeed the way to reunite with Polvkrat was with Hazel's help. Ezigio was sure that if it had a deeper meaning it was also twisted at some point. He wanted to possess Hazel in the true sense. Having a slave with nuclear power was a perfect convenience. With Hazel's power, Ezigio was sure that he could find many solutions to the problems he had so far. However, he was currently just a man with an almost impossible dream.

'Indeed, it feels very difficult to do so. Not until I manage to achieve a better form of judgment.'

"You're trying to enslave him, aren't you? Although it sounds wrong, it is indeed the only way to exploit his power. Our people are often used as mediums or living batteries by sick people. We were born with a bomb inside us and depending on how big the bomb is, controlling it will be even more difficult."

"Born with advantages, huh."

"If you are born a Dyrafel, you only have two choices. Resign yourself to the situation and let the bomb inside you explode, be taken advantage of by your enemies for being too naive and die, and take control of the bomb for yourself without interference from others.

"Heh, I guess the saying about being born with a silver spoon in your mouth doesn't apply. In that case, a silver knife might be suitable."

Having a conversation with someone who was related to a rival was a hassle. Although he sometimes feels guilty for his behavior, there is nothing he can do to fix it.

'However, there must still be some things I can do to help them. At least I can return the favor.'

"But hey. I think Hazel made it through all that successfully, didn't he? He lived in a human society that was... Do you know? Cruel well."

Liana's steps began to slow down, the already awkward atmosphere becoming worse. There were many traces of sadness on her face that were difficult to express. Despite her gloom, she still forced a genuine smile.

"You know, Ezigio. Among the other Dyrafel, Hazel... is the most meritorious."

"Huh, isn't her mother who is the most meritorious? I mean, isn't she the one who defeated the Abyssal Dragon?"

"You're right, but I mean the one who did the most for us. After her departure, one by one the elders began to simply disappear, completely disappearing from this world. Those humans... the only thing that prevented them from touching this family, was Vernera." She lamented listlessly, her voice beginning to shrink as she uttered the name.

"After her passing, Uncle Hazel took the leadership of this family on his initiative. It took him a few years to really take hold of the family. Many of us at the time rejected him because he was... disabled."

"Disabled? How can he be handicapped and stronger than all of you?"

Liana stopped walking and looked at Ezigio in both eyes. It was the gaze of someone filled with realization. It did not take long for Ezigio to realize the intent of her gaze. He might not know exactly about Hazel's relationship with his family, but they certainly respected him. So, surely some of them should know a thing or two about their leader. But after seeing Liana's reaction, it looked like the reaction of someone who felt lied to.

"That's how great uncle is..."

"Well...?"

Liana finally came to her senses and understood what she was thinking. How could a Dyrafel with only two hearts have greater strength than those with three? All this time she had only respected him for his strength and the service he had done for her and her family. She never thought about how Hazel with all his flaws could precede her. Hazel once told them that he was strong because he was special and different from them. However, every Dyrafel knew exactly that Hazel was only trying to comfort them. The pieces of memory that had been lost slowly gathered together into a clear picture. Why had none of them ever spoken or thought about this?

Frozen in silence, Liana couldn't think of anything else she could think of.

"How..."

Ezigio on the other hand felt both strange and surprised by the information he received. As soon as he investigated, he discovered something that could be considered a breakthrough. Liana, a normal Dyrafel with no abnormalities, had two additional heart-like organs beating rhythmically. The organs had different sizes and functions. First, he was able to deduce that one of them functioned to pump energy throughout the body. Secondly, he also thought that of the two, the largest one was the one that served as the core of the energy reactor. So after that observation, Ezigio could conclude that Hazel was indeed lacking the small one.

Looking at the energy circulatory system of the pumping heart. It looked like a simplified circulatory system with as much simplicity as possible. It covered her entire body, making energy control even easier. It was hard to imagine how someone could channel such thick energy using only his circulatory system. But unfortunately, that person existed and posed a real threat.

Ezigio knew that if someone had a weakness, then they would have an advantage somewhere. He could take the example of blind people, they lacked the ability to see visually. But most of them are unique in that they have better sensory abilities and sensitivity in terms of touch. He even met a blind person who could echolocate very easily.

"He managed to survive in that harsh human environment with all his shortcomings. We, on the other hand, live behind protective walls in comfort... but still complain a lot."

"Well, he's really tough."

Liana resumed her steps after that, feeling a little guilty and upset at the same time. For now, Ezigio felt no need to interfere further with their personal matters.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity. Ezigio could finally see the sunlight coming from the distance. He also began to listen for the sounds of the crowd that might be waiting for him ahead. Using the power of his eyes once again, he detected many people waiting for him out there. This made him feel bad, he was worried about what kind of reaction he would get from those people.

Coming out of the hallway, Ezigio was treated to a sight that he found quite gripping. There were about 20 girls dressed like Liana with the same physical features. They all seemed to have been waiting for his arrival with curiosity.

'Lord, what do they eat to get that big? It's just me but are most of them that slender?'

They whispered to each other while occasionally stealing glances at her. Trying to ignore them, Ezigio tried to recognize the fort's surroundings first. He was currently in a field surrounded by several buildings similar to flats. They also used the same bricks as the ones in the passage, except that these ones were slightly larger. The field he was observing had purple-colored sand that looked visually moist. Looking towards the sky, he realized that the sun was almost at its peak.

Suddenly, she felt a chill creep up her prosthetic spine. Liana suddenly began to tighten her embrace to the point that Ezigio could feel his ribs begin to bend.

"All of you! What are you doing here? Hurry up and go hunting!" Liana shouted suddenly which made Ezigio's heart almost jump out.

In a short time, the crowd of girls soon disappeared from his sight. They immediately went towards their respective destinations both in groups and individually. Some were walking towards the gate that he could guess was the exit gate of this settlement. While others decided to do some cleaning around the neighborhood. But there was one thing that made Ezigio's eyes bulge hard.

'T-they could lift the Corundum ball so easily?!!!'

The Corundum sphere was simply a large-scale ir-filtering device shaped like a black sphere as big as an average adult human, it was also equipped with purple nets. It was known for weighing up to half a ton and was relatively difficult to carry due to its large size. But here she was, watching a Dyrafel lift the orb without using any body reinforcement. The girl did seem to have some difficulty in carrying it, but she continued her work and moved the orb somewhere. Once again, Ezigio was reminded of who he was dealing with.

"Now, Ezigio. Where exactly is this base of yours located?"

Looking back at Liana, Ezigio noticed a change in attitude and a stern expression on her. She gave off the same aura as a housewife with three children. He could not say that he did not expect such an attitude. Her title as the leader of the family should have been the main cause for her attitude and aura. But at the same time, it also felt like a little girl who wouldn't lend her toys to her friends

"You don't mind if only I take you there?"

"Oh, of course. Please, after all, I was the one who asked for your help in the first place."

"Yes! Then please cooperate, Ezigio. "She said cheerfully with a smile.

Seeing her again cheerful and not lethargic made Ezigio feel a little relieved. He would never know how deep his understanding of them was. Looking at the girl's wide smile, he could feel what events would happen if he misstepped. It was the smile of someone who put her trust in him. It was not hard to imagine what kind of horrible things she could do.

Thinking of that, Ezigio felt a shiver run down his spine.

Sensing something was wrong, Ezigio reflexively tried to see the girl's energy flow. All the energy present in her body flowed into the center of her chest where it gathered into one. The sight of the two organs cooperating with each other was something cool to him. The reactor heart would pump the pumping heart with energy which would then be channeled throughout her body efficiently. Looking more clearly with his eyes, the reactor heart seemed to draw energy from the user's life force. It wasn't a strange sight considering that was how the Kuroner got their energy.

Feeling familiar with the scheme, he immediately tried to install several layers of magical protection for himself. Ezigio was grateful that there was still a little energy left in his body. It soon turned into a golden protective layer that enveloped his body. After a while, some changes began to appear. Liana's body began to enlarge slightly and her muscle mass increased significantly.

Then her body also began to be covered with maroon plates that were arranged in such a way. It grew underneath her clothes but since she was holding Ezigio, the boy could feel it. His hands began to harden because of the scales that began to cover them. His body continued to transform into what could be called a demon incarnate.

A pair of black bull horns grew on his head, while a pair of spiked bat wings tore out from his ruined clothes. His body was covered with an array of protective plates that covered almost his entire body, except for his face. His palms and feet were now transformed and had spiked aspects that were very useful in gripping things. Not much had changed about his face except for his cheeks which were covered in a layer of sparkling black scales. In the end, a black coat that appeared out of nowhere covered her curves.

"Well, now we can go."

"Wait a minute, I'm not ready yet-"

Without any prompting, Liana leaped into the sky violently. Hugged tightly, Ezigio felt that his soul was about to leave his body when she jumped. Using her wings, Liana immediately flew toward the designated location.

"I wonder if uncle will let me marry you? "Liana whispered for no apparent reason.

Ezigio could not listen to anything but the strong wind blowing in his ears. Feeling that it was not worth it to stay awake during the trip, he decided to put himself to sleep.

Every time his wings flapped, it created a thrust that slowly increased his speed to near the speed of sound. Maneuvering like a jet plane, the two of them soon disappeared towards the horizon in an instant.