Carlo, Krystal, and Ava rejoined the group.

I and Iris stood before them as though my recent brutal beatdown of Sean Blackwood hadn't unfolded just moments ago.

"Alright then!" Iris exclaimed, her smile bright and welcoming. "Now that the challenging part is behind us, let's proceed into the Shield!"

She gestured grandly toward the colossal main entrance of the Shield. "Ladies, follow me, while the gentlemen follow Vice Captain Mordred. Everyone needs to go through processing before entering Necropolis."

Iris scanned the group, "Any questions?"

A girl who looked about fifteen tentatively raised her hand.

Iris arched an eyebrow, "Yes, Miss..?"

"Artemis Fray," the girl replied calmly, her voice carrying surprising maturity for her age.

Ah, so this is Damien's sister. And the boy beside her must be her twin brother, Apollo

Both had wavy obsidian-black hair. While Artemis's smooth locks cascaded down her shoulders, Apollo had swept back his hair.

They shared the same golden eyes, each with a distinct gleam.

Artemis's eyes sparkled with intelligence and mystery, while Apollo's held a lazy look, hinting at mischief beneath the surface.

Both were slender and their outfits were also a study in contrasts. Artemis wore a simple white shirt and grey slacks under her grey winter coat, whereas Apollo donned a flashy red shirt and green pants under a winter coat woven with gold thread.

Truly flashy indeed.

However, the unmistakable family resemblance was apparent.

While their skin was fairer compared to their older brother, the twins exuded the same elegance and beauty as Damien.

The memories of that day resurfaced once again.

I pushed them back down.

"What would you like to know, Miss Fray?" Iris asked.

Artemis gestured toward the distant mountain. "I saw a huge air carrier heading toward that mountain. Is there something special about it?"

"Ah," Iris smiled. "That, my dear recruits, is the Tomb. An entire mountain carved hollow to serve as the resting place for deceased Deathwalkers."

Her chilling description sent a wave of uneasiness through the recruits. Artemis looked visibly concerned but quickly composed herself.

Iris's eyes sparkled as she surveyed the group. "Anyone else have any questions?"

This time, no one spoke up.

"Follow me, ladies!" Iris commanded cheerfully, leading the female recruits toward the entrance of the Shield.

The guys were left with me, casting wary glances in my direction. Some looked outright terrified.

I sighed, "I'm not going to eat you guys."

With a sweet smile, I added, "Come on! Follow me, my hearty lads!"

With that, the guys followed me into the Shield.

*******

"This is the processing room," I announced, gesturing toward the expansive area filled with white pods.

Then, with a deadpan expression, I added, "Now strip."

Surprise rippled through the recruits.

"Wait. What?" Carlo's incredulous voice cut through the confusion.

"Yep," I confirmed, "Take off all your clothes and enter the pods buck naked. Your entire body needs to be scanned. Trust me, it's nothing weird."

"Unless you want to be permanently disabled," I added with a sinister smile.

The recruits shifted awkwardly but slowly began to undress. Some still looked uncomfortable.

I rolled my eyes. "If you're very shy, you can remove your clothes after entering the pods."

With this assurance, the nervous ones looked relieved and entered the open pods

Soon, many of the recruits were unclothed and standing near the pods.

I couldn't help but notice the variety of physiques. Carlo's sculpted body stood out, while Apollo's physique, though delicate, had a hidden strength reminiscent of my own.

Others had massive, rippling muscles, and then there were the hopelessly scrawny ones.

Yeesh.

And yes, my eyes wandered, but I didn't pay much attention to their manhood.

Why look at longswords when I already possess Excalibur?

Anyway.

After everyone had entered the pods, I sat down at the main control table and called out to Minerva.

"Are they all ready to be processed?" I asked.

"Yep. I must say, most of them look quite fine," Minerva's smooth, cold voice echoed in my earpiece. "Especially Carlo," she purred.

I rolled my eyes again. "Begin processing."

"Sure. And don't worry, you're still my favorite Deathwalker," Minerva teased.

"I didn't ask to be your favorite," I sighed.

"Proceeding with the processing of the recruits," the AI confirmed. "Oh, and their uniforms are ready."

"Understood. Send them."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Several thumps followed as many Deathwalker uniforms were shot into the lockers behind me from the Workshop. Since there are a lot of recruits, processing will take some time.

The memories of that day swirled in my head. Damien's request echoed in my mind.

"Take care of my siblings."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I guess it's time you guys know what happened.

Flashback time.

*******

Two years Ago

"Shit, that hurts!" I leaped backward, clutching the bleeding stump where my right arm used to be.

Grimacing, I glared at the abnormal daemon that had just severed my arm below the elbow.

Its body, like Asphodel's, was made of twisted, glossy black roots, but it had six long arms with sharp tentacles for fingers.

Unlike its eerie counterpart with the nightmare-inducing smile, this daemon had a featureless black face, smooth enough to almost see my reflection.

Taking deep breaths, I used Haema to stop the bleeding and temporarily seal the wound.

Just my luck to run into an abnormal right as I became an intermediate C ranker!

Is the world messing with me?

Two blood tentacles surged from my back with an intense burst of ardor. One of them seized a fallen dagger, serving as a makeshift replacement for my severed arm.

The daemon tilted its head and attacked, lashing out with its sharp tentacles. I jumped back, deflecting the strikes with my daggers. Sparks flew as the white blades clashed violently against the black tentacles, but it wasn't enough.

A tentacle pierced my right leg, and two more drilled through my torso.

I fell to my knees, my daggers dropping to the ground. The sounds of battle around me faded as the abnormal daemon approached, tentacles flailing, ready to eviscerate me.

Just as the tip of the tentacles reached my face, I felt a sudden spike in temperature. A powerful bolt of fire passed right by me and struck the daemon, causing it to erupt into flames.

As the daemon frantically flailed its burning tentacles, five sharp rods of solid darkness materialized above it, pinning it to the ground.

"Hey, Mordred!" a familiar voice greeted me from behind. "You need a hand?" Damien came up beside me with a smug smile, his sword wreathed in a blazing inferno.

I heard a groan from my other side. "Damien! I swear that joke is getting old!" Iris grumbled as she propped me up.

Her blue eyes glowed, and another set of black rods rammed into the daemon's body, immobilizing it.

However, Iris frowned. "That's odd. Why is it still moving? I was sure I pierced its chest."

"That's what I did as well," I winced. "I gave the video feed and my observations to Minerva, and she came up with a hypothesis."

"Oh? And what is that?" Damien asked, curiosity evident in his raised eyebrows.

"The heart moves around the body. Makes it hard to pinpoint the bloody thing," I replied.

"Why didn't you say that before?" Iris asked, flicking her fingers. Numerous spikes of darkness materialized above the trapped abnormal daemon and fell upon it.

The daemon's body suddenly convulsed as one of the spikes found its mark.

"Let's get out of here, shall we?" Damien suggested and started to back off from the now-still daemon.

I was about to follow him and Iris when a terrifying chill enveloped me and something grabbed my leg.

I looked down, and my blood ran cold. It was a black tentacle of the daemon.

With a powerful tug, the daemon pulled me toward it just as it exploded in a ball of darkness.

"MORDRED!" Damien's panicked voice echoed as darkness filled my vision. The wailing of the wraith erupted from the lingering darkness, rushing toward me.

A feeling of despair overwhelmed me as I saw the wailing crimson smoke come at me. Is this how my life ends? As a monster that would be burned to ashes? What a horrible end.

So I closed my eyes, bracing for my imminent transformation into a wraith. I just hoped that Damien and Iris would immediately destroy me.

However, nothing happened.

The grip around my leg unraveled, and I dropped onto the cold snow.

A presence stood before me.

"This is going to suck," a familiar voice remarked. The wailing of the wraith was silenced, replaced by the grunting of a man in pain.

I immediately understood what happened, and despair washed over me.

Opening my eyes, I saw Damien standing before me as if shielding me.

And he was changing, to my utter horror. His body convulsed, and black veins appeared on his skin.

He had taken in the wraith.

"DAMIEN! NO!" I yelled, rushing toward him with my remaining arm outstretched.

"STAY BACK!" Damien's voice echoed above the sounds of battle as he turned around and faced me. His eyes were turning red, and his nails were starting to elongate and blacken.

He clutched his chest and was clearly struggling.

Somehow, he is still holding off the wraith's influence that is taking over his body.

Despite his warning, I continued to move forward.

"No! Mordred!" Iris yelled, grabbing my arm to hold me back.

"But he hasn't turned yet!" I protested, a desperate hope blooming inside me.

Iris shook her head, devastation in her eyes. "His will is strong, but he won't last long," her words shattered the fragile hope within me.

"She's right, Mordred. It's too late for me," Damien grunted, his voice strained with pain.

The black veins continued to spread across his skin, his eyes turned completely red, and he unleashed a blood-chilling roar. Clutching his head, his nails transformed into claws.

"I probably have about five minutes before I go full wraith mode," he looked at me with mad resolve in his eyes. "Burn me, Mordred."

I blinked, shocked. "What?"

"Burn me, you blithering idiot, before I rip your guts out!" he yelled in frustration.

"But why? Why save me?" I asked, my voice cracking with despair.

"Why would I hesitate to help a friend?" he asked back, giving me a pained smile as his teeth turned into fangs.

He turned to Iris, "Look after him, will you?"

Iris nodded resolutely, "I will. Let me put you to rest."

Damien shook his head. "No. It must be Mordred. If I am to go down, I will go down in a blaze of glory ignited by the High Prince himself!"

His declaration steeled my resolve. I took a deep breath and looked at him, "Do you have any regrets, Damien Fray?"

Damien chuckled, "I have a lot, Mordred. But my greatest regret is that I won't be there to witness you leaving this wretched place and see my siblings again."

"Ah, yes," his eyes lit up with realization. "Mordred, Iris, I have a request," he struggled as his transformation progressed.

"I have two younger siblings, Artemis and Apollo. They are twins and are condemned to the Shield when they turn fifteen."

He looked at us with completely red eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. "Please look after my siblings."

After he said those words, he doubled over, letting out an unholy bestial scream. "Quick. I'm out of time!" he yelled desperately at me.

My left hand shook as a blood tentacle took out a spark glove from my bracelet, and I donned it.

"Goodbye, Damien," I choked out.

He gave me a final smile. "It was an honor to meet you both."

I snapped my fingers, and immolating blue flames quickly enveloped the now-transformed Damien.

He and the wraith let out a combined scream of pain that would haunt my dreams for as long as I lived.

Despite the horrific pain from being burned alive, Damien grinned as the flames consumed his body and face. As we watched in shock, he gripped his sword and charged at the nearest daemons with a defiant yell.

His laughter and the screams of the wraith echoed in our ears as Damien Fray was completely enveloped by the blue flames.

His clothes burned away, his skin melted and vaporized, and his bones charred. But he didn't stop his final assault until the deadly flames consumed his very being.

As the burning remains of the still-standing Damien Fray turned to ash, the final wails of the wraith died down.

I broke the stunned silence. "What just happened?" My voice was filled with shock and grief.

Iris placed a hand on my shoulder, a sad smile on her face.

"It's like he said, Damien went out in a blaze of glory."