After the unexpected event of Xero and Zip’s breakthrough, a number of servants from other higher ranked people began to try and ask about the information about it. They wanted to know about all the specifics. That said, both Zip and Xero were unconscious, and with the day being a few days before the weekly battle, the Donima firm canceled the week's battle to make sure and check Xero for any serious injuries and to see how long he was out.
At the same time, Lord Valmor came out and called all these powers that were pressuring the Null family’s knights and family. Lucifer came out, being someone who knew the details about the Plated Devil’s forging ability, and explained it vague enough to understand but told most if not all the features.
Spirit, Object and Material type creatures could be forged with 30 to 50 hits while any creature could be tempered with 10 hits but a person that has reached a bottleneck, if willing, can take 100 hits similar to what they witnessed, have their bodies and souls forged and force the breakthrough open.
Countless people began to drool for this power, how could they not realize this would allow the forces of anyone who controlled it to constantly have stronger and stronger followers who did not have to worry about bottlenecks as long as they reached the bottleneck level.
That said, three intense powers suddenly exploded in the crowd. King Morgan, Marquess Crost and Francis Donima all stood up and made their point clear, Francis spoke for all three.
“This is your only warning, anyone that tries to acquire this power by force, will pay a steep price!” He said in a grave tone.
There were plenty of powerful people but when a king thinking about his kingdom's military forces as well as inaugurated knight with high potential, the head of the most powerful merchant firm and the man known as the Red Dragon king stood behind the Null family as a large tree blocking the winds, how could these howling wolves dare get even close.
When this was put down many people were stuck as to what to do but could only pull their heads back away from the deathtrap that was attempting to wage war with a dwarven nation and a Marquess family of the Radiance empire.
That said, it was a very beneficial thing to exist, the forging breakthrough. The soul is always weak but this method directly tempered the soul, the stronger the soul the stronger the body so to constantly improve it through brutal methods was actually an eye opener and after discussion it was decided that, as long as a ‘tax’ is paid to the nation as well as a price directly to Zip for the forging, anyone can travel to where Zip is and get it.
Of course, the three treatments all had different prices and all this was slowly discussed on a basic level as they awaited for Zip to wake up.
As for Xero…
***
Taking slow breaths, two and a half days have passed since he fell unconscious, originally he did not move but during the last night, his coma transformed into deep sleep. He began to move around and found a comfortable position but this was a position where he was hugging a very soft, warm and nice smelling pillow.
Xero hugged the soft ‘pillow’ and found that it was much longer than he thought letting him wrap his leg around it to let him feel the soft warmth.
As he found a comfortable hugging position with one of his legs wrapped around the bottom part of the ‘pillow’ while hugging it and with his face in the softest upper part he fell once more into a deep sleep.
Only after a long time, the sunlight began to come in from the blinds. While he was drooling and grinning while mumbling in his sleep the door to his room opened slowly. Very slowly a young girl’s face with long flowing blonde hair appeared.
Univa slowly peeked in to see if he was okay but once she looked at the bed her jaw dropped and her face turned red, then scarlet before almost reaching purple and she suddenly kicked the door in. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO XERO!?”
The suddenly bang of the door as well as the roar like bellow from the young shy girl caused the comfortably sleeping Xero to be startled awake. That said, he had been in deep sleep so he didn’t know what was going on and tightened his hold on what he was hugging for his own safety before he finally looked around.
The first thing he saw were two ‘soft’ mounds of flesh with light, sky blue skin and two dark blue peaks. Xero found that his face had been in between these soft sweet smelling mounds. When he looked up he found a charming face.
“Good morning hubby, did you sleep well?” The charming face asked before lifting her hand to his face and holding it she pulled him, still half asleep, and kissed his lips while a small tongue rolled around invading his lips.
Very quickly Xero woke up with this ‘morning kiss’ and his face turned bright red while his eyes spun. He suddenly found his body was hugging this woman and very quickly he unwrapped himself and jumped away.
“W-Who are you!?” Xero shouted.
“Oh master, how mean.” She suddenly said sitting up pouting. She looked around and found a hair tie and taking it, she grabbed her hair, pulling it into a high ponytail, and wrapping the tie to leave her with a ponytail.
When she let go of the hair Xero suddenly realized who it was. His mind had been muddled when he moved a bit before falling unconscious so he did not see Ashley at the time.
“What were you doing to Xero y-you lewd demon!?” Univa said blushing.
Ashley grinned and stood up, without shame to have her beautiful curves, breast and her bubble butt exposed, and looked down at Univa. “Of course, I was doing what any wife would do, sleeping with my husband. You, ‘little’ girl, are just master’s second wife.” She said grinning triumphantly.
“L-Lewd! A-Also you are his familiar! Not his wife!” She said.
Ashley grinned, “Master’s ring for me is on his right hand. I am bounded with master and even after death we will not be split as we will both descend to hell together and live happily together until the end of time.” She said with glee on her face.
Univa’s face turned to one of great anger but Xero was confused.
The next words crushed Univa though, “It’s not like a ‘small’ curveless brat could properly satisfy master anyway.” Ashley said.
“AHH~!” Suddenly Univa shouted and suddenly grabbed Ashley’s breasts, “This is just useless meat! S-Stupid! Lewd! Succubus!” She shouted and ran out only a few words were caught as she ran out, “... I will get bigger and more beautiful for sure and hundreds of times stronger!!”
Ashley grinned triumphantly as she turned to Xero, her breasts bouncing around at each step.
“Now master, where were we?” She said grinning as she bent over the bed to crawl.
“Eh? Eh! R-RETURN TO YOUR SEAL!” Xero ordered.
Ashley frowned as her body shined, “Boo~! Master is boring!” Her voice echoed as she was pulled back into her seal.
Only when she was finally back in her seal did Xero breath a deep sigh and lean against the wall, exhausted already from the ‘energetic’ morning wake up call. What he didn’t expect though was when he licked his lips, he tasted that faint sweet taste that lingered on his lips.
Instantly Xero blushed and shook his head before quickly putting on a shirt and whipping his lips to forget what happened so that it doesn’t affect his thoughts.
That said, what happened already got spread as Univa had been shouting when she went down.
When Xero reached the dining room, Hilda and Void were grinning, “So it was the familiar that took his first time.” Hilda joked.
“Nothing happened.” Xero said.
Void rolled his eyes at Xero’s words, “Right, just a deep kiss with tongue.” Void said.
Xero blushed greatly and very much wanted to punch his brother at this moment but he suddenly saw Univa. She was glaring at him with pouted cheeks. As for next to her, Meldie was blushing while fidgeting with her fingers while silently mumbling.
“G-good morning.” Xero said a bit awkwardly.
Univa snorted, “Yes, it probably is a good morning for you.” She said coldly.
Meldie looked up blushing, “G-Good morning X-Xero.” She said stuttering and clutched her hands before getting up and seeming to determined for something. “I-I prepared some food for you, I-I had Ashley t-teach me magic cooking and made some herbal soup.” She said grabbing his arm and pulling him to the seat next to her.
Univa was wide eyed and glaring at Meldie but the little halfling didn’t look her way so that her shame would not take over.
Xero smelled the fresh smell, he knew that she went out and picked them fresh. With a smile he pet her head making her blush, “Thank you Meldie.” He said.
She clutched her hand fighting the pleasure and gathered her courage but the head rubbing was very affected making her stutter even more. “X-X-X-Xe-ero!” She squealed. It shocked him but he stopped his hand.
“Yes?” He asked.
“C-C-Can I h-have a kiss!?” She suddenly asked closing her eyes.
“What!?” Univa said in shock.
Hilda raised a brow and grinned, “Ho~!” she exclaimed at the little love comedy act that was going on. “Hey kid, give her a kiss, she built up so much courage to ask, for a shy girl it's quite an achievement.” Hilda said.
“Ah! Eh~!” Xero exclaimed looking at Hilda and then back at Meldie. She had her eyes closed waiting for him.
On his other side, Univa’s gaze was stabbing into his back making this even more stressful but Xero finally decide to just go with it and turning slightly to Meldie, he grabbed her hip making her yelp and pulled her face up slightly with his other hand and kissed her on the lips.
Without realizing, he mimicked what Ashley did to him and used his tongue to invade Meldie’s lips for a short moment, licking her tongue with his and separated.
Amazingly, the kiss on the lips hadn’t been Meldie’s objective, she wanted just a kiss on the cheeks and the result of the stimulation caused her to faint from the shock of having her first kiss stolen by Xero but her face had a large blush while she was smiling.
“Wow kid, you made her faint from the bliss and shock. Good job.” Hilda gave him a thumbs up while having a wide grin on her face.
Univa in the other hand was fuming. “MMMMMNNNNN!” With an extremely pouty face, Univa suddenly stood up and rushed out before a roar from Tryus was heard and a strong wind began to blow.
“Ah~! Kid, drink the soup quick and go after her. An angry maiden shouldn’t be left like that.” Hilda said.
“Ah! Okay.” Xero said as Hilda stood and took the little halfling.
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Xero grabbed the bowl and tipped it into his mouth drinking everything in a few gulps before getting up and running outside. “Edge!” Xero called.
“Yes master!” He said and came out but unlike before where it was a perfectly common looking longsword, it had completely evolved. Made of black metal, it had several blue gemstones on the hilt and had a red grip.
The evolution was caused by Xero himself advancing himself. Similar to the familiar, the Flying Spirit Sword was even more connected, being directly connected to Xero’s own soul and rests inside his body causing him to be forged along with Xero as well and grow along with him at each turn.
He did not have time to think of it as he jumped on Edge and flew up seeing the large Sapphire Dragon turn into a dot very far away already. “Tryus is really fast now.” Xero said shocked, “Let's go Edge!” Xero said.
“Of course master!” He said as he turned them both into a blur.
***
“Ahhh! That idiot!” Univa said venting on the forest.
A rumbling came from the dragon that made a vein appear on Univa’s forehead as she turned her glare to the dragon that was the source of the rumble. “You are quite indecisive towards your mate.” Tryus said sending a telepathic message.
Some dragon types that can become lesser dragons at level 31 still can’t speak but they are as smart as humans, they develop telepathy as a form of communication but they are still not so strong that they can humanize and properly speak the human tongue.
“S-Shut up!” Univa said.
“Your mate worries for you.” Tryus says and turns to look at the sky as Xero appears flying in a circle and soon diving before stopping.
Univa’s face was burning because of her Familiar’s words but she breathed deeply and glared at Xero, “Why did you come after me!?” She asked coldly.
“Because I was worried you would do something without thinking.” Xero said the first thing that came to his mind.
She pouted and walked over to him and stomped on his feet, “Mind your own business!” She shouted.
Curiously enough, Xero felt the stomp, even after it created a small crater under his foot and cracks all over, but there wasn’t much pain. Univa noticed this and even infused her dragon aura and stomped again causing a large explosion under Xero while his face paled.
“OUCH!” He shouted taking his foot away, “W-what was that for!? I was just worried.” He said.
Univa pouted, “Who asked you to worry about me!?” She said.
Xero put his foot down slowly and looked at her serious, “Do I need someone to tell me to worry about you when you’re my fiance?”
“T-That i-is you just doing as my father promised! He forced you to marry me after all!” She said.
“That is true but it’s not like I was against it either. If I was I would have argued against it. We aren’t like our first year in school, I-I kinda… you know… l-like you a bit.” Xero said scratching his cheek and looking away as he said that, his face bright red.
Univa looked his way, a bit teary eyed, “J-just like?” she asked. “D-does that mean you love Meldie and why you kissed her b-but not me?” She asked
Xero instantly felt an impending doom at this landmine like question. His answer could mean many different changes to his life, still he knew that not answering was the worst thing to do so biting the bullet he said, “I-I like you, i-it's the same for Meldie, Hilda explained that she just wanted a cheek kiss and I misunderstood. W-we haven’t spent so long for me to say I love both of you, but just like my family you're already important to me.” Xero said.
She looked at bit sad but she smiled, then she clenched her fists and looked at him, “Close your eyes and don’t open them!” She ordered.
“Eh?!” Xero said shocked.
“CLOSE THEM!” Univa shouted.
Xero was shocked but with a nod, he shut his eyes. He stood there for a moment when he suddenly felt two hands touch his face and a soft feeling on his lips and a very sweet smell from a fragrant perfume. When the feeling was gone, Univa had her back turned to Xero and said, “T-tomorrow you will spend time w-with me since you say we didn’t spend enough time! Y-You got that!” She said.
Xero just nodded and muttered, “O-okay.”
She quickly ran to Tryus and jumped on his back never looking at Xero as Tryus took flight. A rumbling came from Tryus as he chuckled all the while, Univa on his back was violently blushing while covering her face but even so her lips were arched in a curve.
Xero just watched her leave blinking as he licked his lips like he had done in his bedroom and tasting a sweetness on his lips.
***
Opal was in her garden with Zilch while some water fairies were giggling and making a small cloud in front of the baby, watching him try to grab the magically formed cloud in awe.
A gazebo had been made in the middle of the garden allowing Opal to be surrounded by the flowers while having a small path to the house and a path near the house.
After a while a knight walked over and kneeled, “I am sorry to disturb you Mistress, ‘he’ is at it again.” He said.
“My my~! What is it this time?” She asked.
“He brought a small flower and is slowly using magic to spread its petals and from that making more of it’s kind grow and float into the sky. He wants to make the flowers float here and ‘rain down his love to you’.” He said.
Opal sighed and thought a moment before she thought a humorous idea, “The archers and mage have been needing good moving targets for accuracy training, get them prepared in the watchtowers and have them train shooting down the flowers.” She said calmly.
The knight bowed grinning, “Understood Mistress, I shall convey the order to the captain.” He said and turned on his heel and ran off.
Opal let him go and asked one of the fairy to watch and tell her when the knights would be starting. When she returned, Opal picked up Zilch and walked to the front and saw flowers slowly spinning over the wall but had yet to pass, but had formed a cloud that only now started to move but as they did, finger sized bullets of fire shot up. As for arrows, these were blunted and shot them while some mage cast spells to control their trajectory after going too far and to retrieve the arrow in the air before it landed on the city.
Soon, something like a fireworks show started, much to the knight’s hate and rage. The flowers were made by magic so when the fire bullets hit them they explode like a small firework. Because the town’s folk had gotten used to the many attempts, they just took some pleasure in the next attempt.
The fist of the knight clenched as he infused his voice with sound magic. “My dear Opal! Please come out! I have prepared a very special flowers for you. A Starry Opal Rose flower only for you. Even if it shines with the light of a million stars, it does not surpass your glow.” the knight shouted while kneeling, “Please come out and accept my love!” He said resounding his voice.
Some merchants even chuckled, the knight having long since become a joke in the city.
That said, their eye moved up and suddenly paled as they saw a large bird fly over them like a blur, the knight too occupied holding a beautiful shining navy blue opal colored rose with many petals with white dots shining like stars.
The bird landed outside the Lord’s Plaza on the road to the south gate. From it, the city’s Lord landed with a smile on his face, as he was finally home. His feet landed on the ground and he looked around, admiring the progress of the small village turned town already. He will have to name the city as soon as the town reached 1000 occupants during the end of year census count were all the citizens will be counted or as best as possible.
As he took a step forward, he suddenly looked up and saw flowers being shot in the air and his smile waned as he looked down at the entrance to the lord’s manor. A man stood kneeled with a beautiful blue rose. The man was quite young and made him think that some kind of suitor for his only daughter was trying to court her. Although he did not like the thought, since he was many times more jealous and dotting of Nadir than any of his boys since she is his only daughter. The feeling he felt might or might not have been about him but he was sure something must have happened with Opal.
That said, the next words that came out of his mouth in the strangely silent plaza caused countless gasps as they had seen Nil’s arrival.
“Opal my love! Please follow me to my loving humble abode, this filthy place is simply beneath your splendor and beauty. A pathetic husband that only recently could provide you with still mediocre level comfort as well as his dirty hands that constantly defiling a beautiful gem such as you. Not only that he leaves you with his children alone while he simply travels aimlessly giving no regards to your need of a loving chest to lay you gentle face. Come and we can make a family of beautiful children unlike the weak talentless brats he forced you to birth!” The knight said.
GRRRR!
At this time a very large shadow covered the knight while the sound of a stomp stopping behind him shaking the ground and from his feet everything within a 20 meter range was covered in a layer of frost.
A cold, colder than the coldest winter the Lurian empire ever felt, covered the entire plaza. The cold was so intense that the fireballs being shot out were extinguished by the cold itself and in the sky, the cold killing intent was so powerful that slowly, stormy snow clouds began to form as the frozen ground slowly spread.
“R-run!” Someone suddenly shouted and all the commoners began to run.
The knight felt the cold finally but when he opened his eyes, he found that the flower in his hand was freezing and breaking into shards in his hand until it was left empty. “What!?” He said and turned around. What he saw caused him to freeze in fear.
Standing behind him, face hidden in the shadow of a several meter tall, twenty meter long, massive wolf that was baring its fangs. An immense amount of cold emotionless killing intent was coming off the man in front of him to the point that all his features were dulled while his eyes that started down seemed to glow in the shadow of the beast.
“So~...” Nil said in a very slow manner while from his body and mouth, smoke from freezing air was coming from inside him, “... This is what made me feel my wife’s anger.” He said.
The knight was trembling like a rabbit, one that knew he would never have a chance to escape. “W-who are you!? D-do you know! I am from thGHA!”
“Be… quiet!” Nil said as he suddenly grabbed his neck and with his right arm, he lifted the man, in full very heavy armor weight a few hundred kilos, off the ground as if lifting a sack of rice. “I do not care where you come from, what your backing is or whatever you want to say. You condemned yourself the moment you made a move upon my wife to steal her from me and I caught you, a weakling who does not even have the power to fight me, insulting my family and me.” he said slowly his breathing getting more rough.
BANG!
Suddenly his fist turned into a blur and pounded the knights gut through the armor. The chest armor was greatly dented and covered in small cracks.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Countless punches bombarded the man's armor until it completely destroyed. The man’s face was purple already and foam was forming.
At this time, four groups appeared. One from the Dark Holy Order, one from the Dark Ice Order, another from the Light Ice Church and the last from the Knights Order.
Nil’s eyes suddenly turned to the commander knight of the Knights Order. The knights order was a type of temple for the Warrior Gods of Honor, as such, all knight orders have a ‘priest’ and ‘commander’ who act as the top ranks in it.
The head priest of all the church were here, Madrid had long left after the church had been set up but when the head priests that were all level 50s saw the state of the young man in Nil’s hand and the sheer rage emanating from Nil, already knowing what had happened since the young knight had become quite ‘famous’ in the city for trying to steal the lord's wife while he was away and constantly insulting their family.
“Sir Nil, please hold back your fists. It would do you no good to become enemy with the Harvest Goddess’s church.” The Dark Holy high priest said.
Nil’s fist froze as his eye turned to the Priest who felt a shiver down his spine. He was, obviously, unafraid but such pure killing intent couldn’t be brushed off easily of course.
“What did this trash want with my wife?” He asked.
“This has always been the way of their church, anyone with a harvest type spirit that can bless the land and help improve the land are ‘seduced’ by a knight and taken to their church, usually in a northern empire where ‘they will be of better use’ as they say.” The Dark Holy Priest said.
“WHAT!?” He said his hand closing around the knight’s neck more forcefully before he swung the man smashing his head against the floor. “Speak trash, what blasted reason did you even dare to think about my woman!?” Nil roared.
He coughed before grabbing his own neck and spat some blood. “I was getting tired of trying to woo that old hag. I’m glad you appeared, now I can get my superiors to send someone with ‘stronger means’ to take that bitch without me having to marry her.” He said.
As soon as his words left his mouth, Nil’s right leg flew against his chest with immense force shooting him like a cannon into the Lord Manor’s wall.
“Commander, if you were in my place, how would you torture this bastard!?” Nil asked.
The commander laughed while scratching his chin, “Ah~! How would I? My honor being tarnished to such an extent would not be satisfied with a simple 100 hit whipping. Even if I skinned him alive and put him in a pit of boiling salt water I would be unsatisfied. Only by slow torture of public humiliation and hanging him alive as a warning to others who want to try the same thing would satisfy me.” the commander said.
“Sir Nil, please do not do anything that would compromise your citizens as well.” The Dark Ice High priest said with genuine worry for him.
“If I do not deal with this until I am satisfied, I would be haunted by my injured pride and never take a step higher. Commander, have the merchants clear the front gate of any stands. Clear the entire front area of the gate and build a high platform. Then prepare a whipping post and a Crucifix as well as five hundred kilos of stone meant for stoning.” he said.
“Sir Null! This is going to far! Crucifying him might even make you be called a heretic by the Harvest Order!” The Dark Holy high priest said in shock by how far Nil had lost his mind.
Crucifying someone meant condemning them to the worst holy punishment.
Although the three church were against it, the commander and Priest nodded in approval and voiced their agreement. “Ahahaha! Lord Null! There are few men among nobles with such a strong will to even condemn a church knight. This is how a man should do to regain his honor.” The commander said.
“Indeed, a man’s pride and honor is his will to live. A man who loses his honor can only live a pitiful life without the right to call oneself even a human let alone a man.” The priest said.
Nil was not in the least bit happy to hear any of their words, that said, he kept in his heart the worry the high priests had for him, “I shall not go back on my word, he dares try and woo my woman, I want to see what the Harvest Church will do about it.” Nil said and walked to the hole in the wall before grabbing the man by the neck. “You had better pray to the goddess to be merciful with you damned soul, because I will not be!” Nil said and sent one final punch to his face knocking him out. He then used a few spells commonly taught to mercenaries who catch live prisoners to seal their strength and magic.
He then told the knights to strip him of all his armor and tools as well as check his teeth in case he has a fake tooth with poison and rip them out. He paid one of the church for an identifier to check his body for anything dangerous on the inside but did not care about the familiar. Finally he had him thrown in jail before finally entering his home to see his wife.