In a valley outside of Xia, Miko sat in a meditative position.
Not far away from him was Momo who was watching him intensively.
Floating over his head was a ball of blue light.
Momo stared at the ball of light and watched it slowly turned red.
“Too slow!”
She snapped her fingers and the ball above Miko’s head burst.
“Ugh?!”
Miko groaned as he was blown back.
Momo walked over to him and looked down on him.
“You take too long to switch from water mana to fire mana. I know that they’re opposite in nature, but that’s exactly the reason why they’re perfect for training your mana gathering speed.”
Miko sat up.
“Once the rate you gather mana is satisfactory, I’ll teach you how to create mana reserves in your body. That way it’ll be hard for you to run out of mana during battle.”
Momo said as she helped him up.
“Does he really need that? I mean he could also store some mana in us and use it as emergency reserves. He did it back at Grim City.”
Said Ishma who was looking bored.
“What if he can’t afford to do that? What if he needs to use the mana stored you as well, but even then he still needs more mana?”
Momo asked.
“There can never be too much methods to gather and store mana. The more he knows the better.”
“Well, I’ve never ran out of mana before so I don’t know. If I needed more mana I could just absorb the negative emotions around me.”
“Well, Miko can’t do that yet.”
Momo argued.
Since the two meet the two have clashed on many things regarding Miko’s training.
Momo wanted Miko to be a well groomed all round fighter who could adapt to any situation, while Ishma wanted Miko to be someone who could power his way through any situation with overwhelming strength.
The two wanted him to be great, but they couldn’t agree on how he should be great.
As for the person himself, Miko didn’t care either way. As long as he could suppress the world then it was good enough for him.
“Well, whatever.”
Momo didn’t want to argue with Ishma so she changed the topic.
“You said that you used Deus Malum at Grim City?”
“Yeah. I was pushed into a corner where I was forced to used it twice.”
Miko answered.
Momo was one of the few people that knew what Deus Malum was because Miko told her about it.
Miko trusted Momo with most of his secrets that not even his friends and other family knows about.
In fact, outside of Tia, Ishma, and Regis, Momo knew the most about Miko and was also the one who completely understood him.
She even knows about Miko’s previous life as Logan Cross in full detail.
“So that Jin and Kaido are pretty incredible?”
She asked.
“Yes. Both stopped training themselves for years and was still so powerful. I want to make them my Right and Left hands.”
“Hmm….if they impressed you that much then I won’t complain.”
Momo said as she fold her small arms in front of her chest.
“But you said you only used the 1st Stage of Deus Malum right? Does that mean that you could’ve won overwhelmingly if you had used the 2nd Stage?”
Miko shook his head.
“I can use the 2nd Stage but I haven’t mastered it. So if I had used it against them I would’ve only wasted power. I would’ve won, but because my control of the technique is poor I would’ve wasted a lot of power while fighting them.”
“Now you mention it, what exactly is the power source of Deus Malum?”
Regis asked.
“Ah, I’ve never actually explained it in detail huh?”
Miko said as if he just realized.
He pointed at his chest.
“Inside my soul is a reserve where over 10,000 years worth of negative energy is stored. This negative energy if converted to magic power would be enough to destroy this world 10 times over. No exaggeration.”
“Wait, where did you get so much negative energy?”
Momo asked.
“I can’t say.”
Miko couldn’t say that it was collected by Augustus.
“Anyway, because this power is too powerful for anyone to control, I split it into five categories. These categories correspond with the five stages of Deus Malum.”
Miko lifted one finger.
“The 1st Stage: Dark Apostle is from the darkness category. In order to use it I need to face my own darkness and accept it without any intent of rejecting it at all. Because of this I’ll suffer from having my soul tainted and become close to a True Demon like Ishma and Lucifer. However, accepting my darkness without any rejection whatsoever will lead to my personality to be warped at times and my darkest thoughts running rampant. In return I’ll have control over an immense variety of dark magic of the highest level.”
He lifted up another finger.
“The 2nd Stage: Descendent Of Chaos is from the chaos category. Just like the first stage I also need to face and accept another part of myself. However this time it’s my chaotic nature. This is harder to do than it sounds, because chaos is hard to control much less accept. If I’m successful I’ll gain control over countless chaos techniques and powers, but I’ll suffer from the side effect of having my personality becoming even more chaotic. I’ll be completely unpredictable even to myself.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
He lifted a third finger.
“This is where it becomes dangerous not only for me but for the world. The 3rd stage is called Insanity King and it’s from the Insanity category. To use it I’ll need to lose my sanity, and I mean really lose it. I’ll need to let go of everything and just go bat shit crazy. Alsi, I need to mix the first and second stages and create a new power.”
“A new power?”
Ishma asked.
“Insanity Magic.”
“Wha?!”
Insanity Magic. This phrase shocked Momo because there no such type of magic.
“It’s like this. I need to mix darkness and chaos together and create pure madness. I then need to somehow bring that madness under control and find a way to manifest a new form of power from it.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
Said Regis.
Miko nodded.
“It is. Once I unlock this stage then I’ll suffer from episodes of insanity at no fixed intervals. I’ll become truly insane. The more insane I become the stronger Insanity King gets. In fact when I reach this stage I’ll be presented with two paths.”
He paused and then continued.
“Overcome my insanity and push forward, or get consumed by it and turn into a monster that threatens the very existence of the world.”
“That sounds too dangerous. I would prefer you stop training this technique before it reaches that.”
Miko shook his head.
“It’s already too late. I’ve used the 1st stage and already been tainted. There’s no going back anymore.”
“….I see. Then what happens if you’re able to overcome the insanity?”
“Then I’ll move to the 4th Stage: Malevolent Paragon which belongs to the malevolent category. Once I reach this stage I’ll transcend the realms of humanity and become an unique being. I don’t really know the details but I’ll be able to absorb power directly from the world and add it to my own strength. Also I’ll apparently wield power on the same level as a chief god like Zeus and Odin.”
“And the 5th Stage?”
“That…..I don’t know. Other than the fact that I’ll become a peerless evil being. The name for the fifth stage is Wicked (Evil) God Satan.”
“Satan?”
Miko nodded.
He thought that it was quite fitting that the last stage is named after the adversary of god, since this technique was meant to surpass god.
“……….”
Momo silently pondered Miko’s words.
‘If he every lose sight of himself, I’ll stop him even if I have to kill him.’
She thought.
‘If it comes to that, I’ll just kill myself and accompany him in the after life.’
Such a thought casually appeared in her mind.
“Then lets talk about that prophecy you mentioned.”
Miko had told Momo everything that happened in Grim City including the prophecy.
The full prophecy that mentions him being betrayed by Hina, Sora and Ace.
“Are you going to tell me to kill those three?”
Miko asked.
Momo shook her head.
“Even though it would be the best thing to do if we consider your life, but I’m not so cruel to tell you to do something that could kill you emotionally and mentally. However, I want you to be careful. Also if I see any signs of them betraying you I’ll kill them myself.”
“Do what you wish, but I will never kill those three because of something as stupid as a prophecy.”
Said Miko.
At the sametime in the Secundus World.
*Boom!*
There were several explosions occurring in the southern section of the world.
There, was an azure and purple haired boy who looked around the same age as Miko.
This boy was Rin Dragna, Rouge’s grandson and trump card to counter Miko.
He was running up a mountain with a silver blade in his hand.
*Boom!*
An explosion came from near the peak of the mountain and Rin saw countless boulders fall towards him.
“Heh.”
He smirked confidently and placed his sword in front of him while he ran.
The boulders continued to fall towards him as he ran upwards.
Just as they were only a few meters away from him, he halted.
“Demolition Arts: Exploding Cut!”
He swung his sword a bright red light flashed forward.
Immediately after every single boulder had a red line through it.
*Boom!*
The boulders then split into two and exploded.
A huge dust cloud covered the mountain peak as small pebbles rained down.
“Hm?”
That’s when Rin realized that a red line was on the mountain itself.
“Shit!”
*BOOOM!*
Before he could react the mountain exploded and he was blown away where he crashed into some bushes near a valley.
“You messed up and overextended the range of your attack.”
Someone walked up to Rin and spoke.
“This isn’t like you, Rin. Is there something distracting you?”
It was Rouge.
“Grandfather….”
Rin quickly sprung to his feet and put away his sword.
“I heard that he returned.”
“Who, Miko? Is that why you were out of it earlier?”
Rouge sighed.
“Look Rin, I know I encouraged you surpassing Miko earlier but that was before I knew what he was. You don’t need to dedicate yourself to surpassing him anymore. In fact I prefer if you could befriend him.”
“That’s impossible.”
Rin immediately reply.
“There’s no way he and I can be just friends I can tell just from looking at him.”
“An instinctive feeling huh?”
Rin nodded.
“Fine. If you feel the need to compete with him then do it. However, never do anything that could result in the two of you killing each other. I don’t want our two branches going at each other’s necks right now.”
Rouge looked away from Rin and gaze in the distance.
“Especially when we have guest like these coming.”
Back at the Primus World.
Nero who was training Luka, suddenly looked in the distance.
“Oh? They got here faster than I expected.”
Nova who was training Hina and Sora also stopped and sensed something.
He narrowed his eyes and spoke to Hina and Sora without looking at them.
“Things make get intense in the future. Brace yourselves.”
At the northern tip of the Silver Continent, a little over 1000 miles away from the Dragna Kingdom.
A gigantic dragon shaped fortress was on the shore of a beach.
Sitting not too far away from it was Alec Dragna.
He was on tablet using a complicated program.
“Why do I have to perform maintenance on the base?”
He mumbled to himself.
“Stop complaining. It was your turn to tune it anyway.”
Kirika walked up beside him and said.
She had her sword on her hip and gave Alec with a sharp gaze.
“Fine, fine! I’m doing it!”
Alec turned his back to her and started focusing on tuning the base.
Kirika sighed when she saw how upset he was to be forced to do his work.
“You know, if you had just taken things seriously I wouldn’t need to be this strict.”
“Sorry, but after meeting that person the world seems insignificant as it is.”
Alec answered as if mumbling.
Kirika opened her mouth to say something but she suddenly sensed something approaching.
“They’re here.”
She said while placing her hand on her sword.
“This is going to be troublesome isn’t it?”
Alec put away the tablet and said.
He looked in the sky and saw something quickly approaching.
It was a gigantic flying ship.
The ship had countless cannons on it, had black and purple sails with a seven headed horned snake, it had a golden dragon as the figure head, and the words “Kill Thy Weakness” on it.
“As overbearing as ever.”
Someone appeared beside Kirika and said.
He was dressed quite sharply in a gray suit and wore glasses that hid his bright blue eyes.
He had purple and azure hair that was cut short and well groomed.
He gave off the expression of a scholar as he stood there.
This was Alec and Kirika’s grandfather and leader of the Tertitus Branch, Alexus Dragna.
“Do you think a fight might break out?”
Alec asked.
“Who knows.”
Alexus stared at the approaching ship.
He could see someone standing on the figure head facing the wind without budging.
They were dressed in a black and purple military uniform with gold buttons.
He had black gloves on his hands which had eyes on the back.
His purple and azure hair blew in the wind as his sharp eagle eyes locked on to Alexus.
This person was the leader of the Quintus Branch and leader of one of the most powerful and most feared Militias in the world, the Underworld Snakes, Andreas Dragna.
“He needs to chill with that intensity he’s giving off. This isn’t the Beast Continent, so he can act a bit human.”
Said Alec.
“Under no circumstances are you to say that to him. There’s no telling what he’ll do.”
Kirika warned.
“He’ll kill him that’s what he'd do.”
Alexus said with indifference.
He stared at Andreas until he moved his gaze to somewhere else.
Alexus followed his gaze and saw he saw something bright traveling through the sky.
It was a star.
Even though it was still daytime there was a shooting heading towards them.
But this shooting star wasn’t simple.
It was pink in color and was extremely large. It was almost as big as a country.
“Tch. The annoying one is here.”
Andreas cursed.
“As usual she doesn’t care about order. I mean 4 (Quartus) should come after 3 (Tertitus), not 5 (Quintus).”
Alexus said as he stared at the person who was standing at the front of the star.
She was a beautiful woman with azure and purple hair and looked like a teenage girl.
She was dressed in a bright colored jeans, a dark top which revealed her flat stomach and for some reason an unbutton floral kimono that was used as an overcoat.
This was the leader of the infamous vigilante organization, Star Rose, and the Quartus Branch, Echo Dragna.
“Oh? The wild animal and the book worm are here already.”
Echo mumbled to herself with a bright smile as she stared at her cousins.
Alec looked at the three branch leaders and couldn’t help but smile.
“Miko, you’re gonna have your hands full with these guys.”