Aisha POV

Is this the the true feeling of helplessness?

Everytime we clash against each other, he grinds away at my defenses, he thins out my stamina and my life. My fight with Valarie was not this bad, but then again, I was controlled by a demon. It dulled my senses, kept the true sensations of pain away from my mind. I had a fighting chance, I could have won against her. Although right now, I can feel the burns, I can feel the impact of each strike, the very pressure around us is five times the strength of Brynhild's [God's Realm]. It was like I was breathing underwater. This small action hinders my movement and my thoughts greatly as this demonic being eludes me. I cannot feel his presence as he appears out of nowhere, ramming me into the ground or through the trees and bushes. If I was able to block him, he would slither past me with a fury of blows. He has not drawn out his actual weapon, whatever that is.

He pounds me and beats me with his fists alone along with his skeleton hands and demonic wings.

This is my first opponent where I am disheartened. Even with my anger, I cannot do anything against this man. With my rank up and these new traits I obtained from my defeated foes, I cannot respond to this onslaught. I have to use EVERYTHING in my powers to survive and to delay my doom.  

Shadow the Imperator.

Who is this man?

He appears before me again, sending me high into the sky. He wisp through my [Tempest Rage]. [Tempest Rage] is a move where you can unleash sharp wind sickles around you, protecting your body as you can twist your body in a three sixty spin. It can also enhance one's speed. Sadly, the masked man shatters through my move with a thrust of his wings. A single flap from his demonic wings sent me flying across the forest. Not only did it stop my [Tempest Rage], the wind itself slashed at me. My clothes are being torned apart, but I instantly cast [Solar Regeneration] and [Solar Might] to replenish my health and stamina. With solar in its name, I can use the power of the sun to renew myself. This is my seventh time using these two special arts though. I picked up another axe so I can dual-wield. Activating [Piercing Tonrado], I rush at the man. He stands his ground as his skeleton hands grabs my axes, stopping my charge. In that same moment, Shadow was before me as he delivers a punch. As I flew from the force behind his punch, he disappears from my sight. Knowing full well that he plans to continue his assault, I try to find his presence. Futile, but I need to do something! If I could read his presence, I could stop his surprise attacks. I could try to use my senses against him, but he is beyond the norm. I cannot smell him, I cannot see him that quickly, I cannot hear him, what can I do against this monster?! Activating [Regen], [Self Boost], and [Holy Aura], I brace myself. Taking a huge guess, I immediately move my axes above my head. Even though I stopped his punch from landing a huge hit on my head, I was forced against the ground from the sheer weight of his attack. Impressed by my maneuver, he backs off.

This was not a break though.

His skeleton hands at the end of his wings immediately calls out some dark purple flames. In an instant, those two skeleton hands unleash a beam of energy right at me. I stood my ground, swiping my hand in front of me. [Cast Shield]. This summons out a transparent white shield around me. It won't last though. I took the chance to evacuate from my spot, leading my offensive. Or trying to.

As I swing my axes to activate [Dual Strike], he stops it with his bare arm. He unleashes a roundhouse, sending me back. I pull my arms to my face, blocking his elbow. The power from this move alone loosened my grip on my axes. Heck, I feel like my bones cracked under his jab. Suddenly, a strong grip found itself around my shoulders. Being lifted off the ground, his skeleton hands toss me through a tree. Destroying a tree's truck, the wings draw me closer towards him. The masked man headbutts me right in the forehead as I was sent through the forest.

Blood trickle down my face. I grind my teeth against each other, the growing frustation overwriting my discomfort and pity. Despite my disheartened attitude, I will not die and surrender to this being. If he wanted a fight, I will do what I can to fight and survive. Waiting for me, I slowly got up. Earlier, Shadow activated a ton of debuffs. Too many to list. Luckily, [Shadow's Blessing] countered most of these debuffs. Most. [God's Realm], even though it acts as a debuff, is not dispelled. For some reason, every move that Shadow has used, was something that I can do.

But his variation, the way he does it, is... stronger? How? And better yet, why is he doing this? Who is he? Why is he fighting me? What is his goal? How come he knows that I am a champion?

"Stop thinking and focus, or else you're dead." He appears past my sight, punching me in the gut. Air was stuck in my throat, my body lurched forward. He dashes after me, dragging me across the ground before he hurls me up towards the sky. "Unless you have the time to do so, then do it. If you can do both, then do it. But when an enemy is on your ass, you don't waste your concentration on the little things! They will seize the moment." 

Ignoring the amount of pain in my body, I quickly patch myself up. I have not damaged this man in anyway whatsoever. I already spent a third of my chi already. I have spent a fifth of my mana as well, testing to see if my magic spells can penetrate through his armor. My health is fine, but this man... 

"Fuck off!" I stopped him from getting another successful sneak attack. He backs off, firing a beam from his finger. I sidestepped away from the blast, but I can feel the intense heat on my skin. It did not burn me, but it had negative effects on me. Even if I had [Shadow's Blessing], it seems like the perk did not protect me from the effects of Shadow's attacks. Or was there something else to this?

"Stop thinking. You can't think and fight against me." Shadow interrupts me once again as he punches me in the gut. I leaned forward, but he sends an uppercut right under my chin. This definitely broke my concentration and destroyed my focus. Falling onto the ground, I mustered whatever logic I had left to heal my head. Using something to do it with, I regain my vision, thoughts, and then felt the intense pain coursing through my entire body. Even if I can keep up my heals and renewals, I can't do it forever. Hell, give it another twenty minutes, I am screwed.  

Shadow stands in his spot, shaking his head.

"What the hell is with this damn world? This [God's Realm] of yours is cheap. Nothing of my caliber. Hell, it seems like this world is a joke."

World? Catching on to his hints, I opened my mouth.

"You're not from this world?"

"Should have been a dead give away. Although it is a bit unfair for you to declare such a questopm when you haven't answered my question." Before he does anything, I might as well state my thoughts before he beats the living hell out of me.

"You hinted it on purpose. You can read my mind, so you can easily find the answer. If you can read my mind, then it should be obvious that you are a divine being." There are only a few beings out that can read someone's mind. The only ones I can name off the top of my head are divine beings. 

Yet the man scoffs.

"Divine being? They are NOT the same as my former occupation and reputation." He glance at his hands. "This world is an inferior version to what I have dealt with. The gods of this world puts my gods to shame. Even the powers of the divine beings in this world cannot be our equals."

The same lingering question looms over me. 

Who or WHAT is he? 

"IF you want to use this sort of logic, then figure out the answers for yourself. Why do you think I am fighting you right now? Till you give me a decent answer, I will continue the beat the living hell out of you." I felt a volley of savage cuts, his sudden appearance forcing me back. What did he just do? There are cuts all over my body. The cuts left a burning sensation that made me hiss. Knowing full well that I will be distracted by this pain, I instantly heal my wounds. At the corner of my eye, I twist my body sideways, escaping the thrust of his sharp knife like hands. With an upward flick, those hands smacked me in the chest, dealing a good amount of damage. I cough at the impact, darkness covering my vision. Shadow was upon me, unleashing a devastating blast of energy onto me. Pumping most of my chi around me, the raging flames surround me in an instant. Teleporting away, I felt the intense heat eating at my flesh. Or threatening to. Casting every heal and immunity against this burn, I am panting like a dog. Sweat runs down my skin as my body yearns for rest. My bones are shaking, my head is throbbing. My chi is dangerously low. I could swap my chi with mana, but I am waiting for the right moment to burn it all away.

"You are still holding back." Shadow reads my mind, shaking his head in disapproval. "What will happen when you fight against someone of my caliber? Do you really want to restrain yourself?" 

Frustrated at this asshole, I yell at him. "Do you think I know everything?! I am still getting use to this!"

"You think I care?" The masked man empowers himself with his own mana.

"You do." I glared at him. He could have killed. He could have done it so many times. A merciless enemy would have ended this farce in a manner of seconds. I learned from my past engagement. If they haven't killed me yet, it is because they enjoyed it, or they are purposely doing this for some reason. Valarie fought me because of my mom's plan. My knights would fight me to teach me. Leilatha tried to kidnap me to save me. Or fulfill her desires, leaning more on that reason than the first one. Valarie fought me again to save me from my own demon...

"Good, you're learning." Learning? 

"You're teaching me?" 

"Is that your answer to my question or is that a question?" Shadow clicks at my response.

"I don't know!" Like lightning, he was on me. I barely had time to defend myself as he looks down at me. Dark lightning erupt from his body, hitting everything around us. Small streaks of lightning zoom past my arms, hitting me in the chest, two at the legs, and one in my left shoulder. My chi armor did not stop his magic. How come? The pain was too much for me as I lost my concentration. Lowering my guard, he punches me in the gut as I reeled over from his fist. The force behind his punch sends me through the air as I crash onto my side. Feeling the scorching pain from where the lightning struck, I eye at the wounds. There are holes where the lightning has touched. No. His lightning PIERCED through my body. Luckily, the one at my chest missed any of my important organs. Casting all of my healing abilities, I close the gaps. As I force myself onto my feet, the electricity and heat from his lightning still course through me. It affects my movements in a weird way. My fingers can barely form a tight grip around the handle of my weapons as I felt numbness come and go. My body twitches time to time.  

"I wonder how your pals are." I froze. Is he... No. He can't. Fear and rage renews my movements. Staring with malice and intent to stop him here and now, I know that I have been reluctant to use this one ability.

My own chaos magic. But if he is hinting at what he may do in a few seconds, I cannot hesitate. I know I am not ready to use this magic just yet, but I have to use it. I might regret it if I don't. Tossing my own fears for this new found power of mine, I brace myself. Opening my mouth, I usher these words.

"[Summon Chaos Armor]." 

My entire being was engulfed by purple flames. My body feels a great surge of energy flowing through me, but at the same time, I can feel my mana being sucked out of me. It was fueling my transformation. As the flames disperse from around me, I lock onto the masked man. I would take my sweet time to reflect on this transformation, but I will be wasting these precious moment against Shadow. I appear before the man, slamming my new chaotic axe at him. He stands his ground, his hand holding the blade. The area around us shattered at our engagement. The ground cracked at our collision, the air is extremely heavy with pressure as energy ooze and burn the nature around me. I divert energy around my weapon as he coats himself in his own mana shield. His shield hugs his body, yet a good amount of it leaks off of him. Acting like a living flame, his extra mana collides against my own energy leaking out of me. Instead of the dark purple energy he used, his mana was a dark red hue. He disappears and reappears to my right. With my helmet, I can see him. His [God's Realm] did not hinder my thoughts and my movements, giving me freedom. This armor amplifies my senses, giving me the ability to see his movements. I swing my other axe at him. He blocks with his wings as he empowers his hands with red energy. He tries to stab me, but I turn my body at the last second to avoid his stab. I ram my elbow towards his face, but he tilts his head to avoid it. I try to hook his arms with my own, but he teleports away.

Slamming the ground with my axe, I unleash a shockwave. [Earthshaker]. A move that shatters the ground to disrupts one footing and balance. With my armor, it transform the simple move into [Chaos Earthshaker]. This move still does the original effects of [Earthshaker], but it adds a blast of my energy through the ground. Like lava erupting out of a volcano, my dark energy burst out of the cracks, targetting Shadow. The man teleports across the field, summoning multiple energy spheres all over the field. These spheres quickly fire a blast of energy at me. Echoing [Cast Shield], a stronger and thicker shield wraps around me. It blocks most of the shots, but I know that the main threat was above me. I can hear him. Shadow prepares a beam above me, releasing it when I look upwards. Swiping away my shield, I use my bare hands against his beam. Forcing my heels against the ground, I grasp the raw energy with my outstretched hands. Because of this armor, I did not feel the intense heat from his blast. Instead, I absorb or nullify his magical beam. He stops his assault, waiting for my counterattack. 

I leaped at the man, activating [Piercing Tornado]. With my mana bursting out of me, the purple flames mix in with my spins, enhancing the danger and power of [Piercing Tornado]. Coating my weapons in my purple flames, I unleash a fury of cuts, stabs, and slashes at Shadow. I made sure to buff myself with these three abilities I obtained from the fallen orc: [Buff, Buff, Buff], [Fearlezz Gaze], and [Berzerkerz Wrath]. This greatly improves my melee swings, buffs my agility, strength, vitality, and gifts me with regenerating stamina. We dance around the forest, Shadow evading most of my vicious swings with a twist of his body or a quick sidestep. It was frustrating to see this man evade every one of my moves with simple movements. When Shadow used his arm as a shield, he moves that same arm to parry one of my swings. Does everyone have impenetrable armor? 

I unleash [Dual Barrage], unleashing quick slashes and stabs at the man. He stands his ground and evades each strike with ease. I can see clones, after images, of his body as he casual dodge [Dual Barrage]. Enraged by my feeble attempt, I unleash energy waves out of my blades. Upon impact, they send out an explosion. Shadow sliced through one of them using his arm. The other wave blew up at his former spot. He teleported away. Knowing that I would pursue him, he counters with one of his own energy waves with a swing of his arm. I swing an energy wave in earnest, our two energies raging against each other. An explosion rips through the air, lighting the entire area. This could have blinded me for a few seconds. The helmet protects my sight as my eyes are locked onto the masked man. Charging at me, I swing my weapons at him. He snakes past my strike, ramming me away from my spot. I slide against the ground, feeling the impact through the armor.  

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Tapping into the temporary abilities of dawning chaos armor, I conjure up a light purple javelin made of my own mana. This threathens my mana pool, but if this hits, he will feel the sting of my [Chaos Javelin]. I know that [Light Javelin] and [Dark Javelin] unleashes a large blast once it hits its target. Based on on the element, it can definitely disintegrate the enemy. Chaos is the mix of the two, so surely, this ability has twice or three times the effect and damage. Once I throw this, it will lock onto him. If he teleports or try to outrun it, the javelin will still stay on his tail. Standing in midair, he rubs his chin. There are no signs of fear. He wants me to throw this.  

He will surely destroy my javelin. Even with this power up, I stood no chance against him. He IS a divine being. 

"Your call if you want to throw it. But your mana pool is hitting its threshold. You are going to lose that form soon enough."

So he can read everything from my mind to my abilities? Who was the idiot to summon such a strong being into our world? I just toss the [Chaos Javelin] right at him. The moment I let go of my javelin, I notice movement at the corner of my vision.

Esta? 

What is she doing here?! My heart froze for a moment, watching her appear in my peripheral vision. Despair crept into me, screaming to protect Esta with everything I have.

Even if I have to die.

"Goddamn it!" I teleport from my spot, standing before the elf girl. She froze at the sight of my armored self, squeezing her staff in her hands. Of course she's scared, she doesn't know that I am in this armor. However, I commanded her, "Esta, stay close to me! Now!" Hearing my voice, she hugs me. Shadow was still up in the air. Mustering my remaining mana and chi, I cast two spells. One of them is [Cast Shield], but this was a backup just in case my primary spell failed to protect Esta. [Grand Shield] was a stronger shield to handle dangerous spells like my own [Chaos Javelin]. It eats a lot of my mana though. As the tip of my chaos javelin hits Shadow, the man grabs the very tip of it with his bare hand. This was the first time I saw someone hold a magical javelin at bay. The eruption of chaos energy flow out of the javelin though, destroying the area around Shadow. Life was being burnt away, turning into death. The very ground erodes, turning into lifeless soil. Standing my ground with my shields in place, I can feel the impact of my own magic against us. I can taste my own blood in my mouth, my insides crying in agony. I coughed, feeling blood flow out of my lips. Shit. I hold my shield till the explosion dies down. Every ounce of my strength is being used to protect Esta, yet as every second past by, I can feel my life leaving me. Esta could not see my dire state, but she did heal me and grant me a small boost that aided in my endeavor. Once the air was clear of my chaos magic, I fell to my knees. My armor disperse from my body, showing my terrible state. My physical wounds got patched up, but the lack of mana and chi in my body was threatening me though. You cannot use magic to heal this issue. Most of the time, people would leave one sort of energy as their reserves. Without any energy in your body, you could die. I know Esta was calling out to me, asking if I was fine, but my eyes are on the monster who was holding my javelin at bay still.

How?

"I will admit that your chaos energy is different from the norm. Even I have some issues dispelling this attack." Shadow stated. What? Unable to comprehend his comment, a new hue of mana ooze out of him. It was black. Just watching it come out of him made me shiver. Esta hugs me tightly, frightened at the masked man. I guess she is feeling the debuffs. Watching with interest, Shadow's body was coated in this dark energy. He slowly force his fingers around the javelin, trying to crush it. My chaos javelin did not lose its shape, determined to pierce through the man's hand. Hearing a slight chuckle from him, Shadow pumps more energy out of his body. Specifically, he directs his mana towards the hand holding the javelin at bay. Once there was a heavy coat of it around his hand, he finally crush the javelin. After he destroys my javelin, he returns back to normal. He looks at us, shaking his head at me.

"Pay attention to your surroundings. When you're fighting, be mindful of your surroundings. You should have notice her presence and got her out of the area."

"I-" Before I can say anything, my body stiffens at my attempts to finish my sentence. Once again, the lack of energy in me was nonexistent. I need to stay awake though... He'll kill me... and Esta. Fighting this restlessness, I try to stand before him. Wavering greatly, he shakes his head once more. He points a finger at me, muttering something. My conciousness finally takes over as I fall into darkness.

Or so I thought.

Opening my eyes, I awake to this new environment. There was nothing fancy about it. There's only darkness. Is this hell?

"This is your mind. You're not dead." I turn around to find Shadow sitting on some rock that wasn't there before. He was leaning against it, looking right at me. "For a champion, you really lack a lot of experience." Before I can state anything, a familiar voice appears in this strange space.

"And you think she can handle someone of your caliber?" Chaos. Turning around, I see her step out of some portal. I was expecting to see her appear in her pajamas, but she was in battle armor. Heck, it was tight over her body as if the armor was alive. It forms perfectly over her body revealing all of her feminine beauties. As I continue to stare, there was some slight dread washing over me. The armor seems to be moving slightly here and there, trying to figure out what to do. I have to say, when Chaos is actually serious and wearing something like this, I can't help but awe at her form. Thinking about it, was my armor like that?

"Something like it." Chaos answers, reading my mind, "But... Shadow, why did you attack my champion like that? Can't you be civil about talks and ask for a meeting with me?"

"You should know why I did it." As these two start their own conversations, they did not bluntly explain why Shadow attacked me. And with that being said, he did it intentionally... Does he know how much trouble he gave me!? "I know I gave you such troubles, but you needed it. And you still need more experience."

"Of course my champion needs it, but you beating the hell out of her doesn't help her that greatly."

"Actions speak louder than words." Shadow did not show any mercy towards me, being blunt and stern, "If a champion of this caliber fights against a true champion, Aisha will lose. Battle experience is one thing, but knowing yourself is very important. You need to evaluate yoruself. Know what to do, when to do it. Yes, you're a human, and you won't execute things perfectly, but you can do a lot better than what you did."

"I stood no chance though..." I retorted. There was no way I could stand against him though. Turning to Chaos, I ask her, "Who is he? And who is the idiot who summoned him?!" Pausing, the two beings looked at one another. Shadow just lift his shoulders, gesturing Chaos to do as she please?

"Shadow the Imperator... also known as Shadow the Malik. You do not need to know the full details about his entire history, but let's just say that Shadow is special in his own way. He gained a notorious reputation for doing what he did in his own world..." Gazing at Shadow, he nods his head in approval. Extremely curious about this man, Chaos continues on, answering some of them at a time.

"One of the divine beings thought it would be good to summon someone of our caliber into our world. We have done it countless of times, but we did not expect this man to be the results of it. The summoning process is not too hard although certain conditions must be met. However, Shadow is... an outlier. And the divine being died for such foolishness."

"Don't sweat over the details." Shadow cuts Chaos off from there, bouncing off the rock to stand before me. "Know that I had no intentions of killing you from the start, but I will lecture your sorry excuse of a fight." Towering over me, he says, "You had a choice of running away or not. Know that there are times when you can fight and times when you can't. Every enemy you encounter will give you a certain atmosphere about them. Yes, there are times when they can hide it really well, but with that new trait you picked up, you felt the fear course through your body. Even in our fight, your body was still telling you to run, but stubbornly, you refuse such thoughts and feelings. This is your first mistake, not listening to your gut and instincts. Secondly, you blindly went up against me. There are times when you need to observe and retreat from a dangerous opponent. You had the abilities to do so, don't deny it."  

"You think-"

"Think about it girl." Shadow cuts me off, "You have fought against so many tough opponents, you have not approached them with caution. You have not used your wits, your cunning, to counter against these outrageous beings. If you continue your reckless behavior, you will surely die. You rely on this power, but you have not grasped it entirely. Reflect on this fight to better yourself."

"I don't have the battle experience! You think I am a seasoned warrior like you? A god?!" Frustrated at him, the man just scoffs at my excuse.

"God? Me, a god? Please. I fought and killed gods as a demigod." What? He laughs, "Your world is messed up. They make it into a game. A pathetic excuse of a game. Demigods are nothing like my caliber or anyone in my world. In my dimension. They have five times the power of what your divine beings are. And the gods here are nothing compared to the gods of my time. They won't last a few seconds against them. Chaos, maybe, but not against the Chaos I know of. She, too, is a trickster... and unpredictable. Although I would say the Chaos I know of is a bit more serious than... your Chaos."

"Your world is a bit too serious, but I take no offense to it." Chaos rolls her eyes, "Besides... She's sexier than me, so I don't mind at all."

"Ignoring such talks, you fought me to get in touch with Chaos, but why did you fight me? You have nothing to gain from it-"

"Girl, I already told you why I fought against you-"

"Help isn't cheap. Everyone wants something out of it." I countered his statement with a true fact. Everyone has motives behind their actions. Yes, they can get something out of it, but what does Shadow gain from this? I, a lowly champion with a small amount of battle experience, cannot give this malik any credible value. He walks away, leaning back against the rock. He folds his arm, giving his response.

"Because I can." Slightly agitated by his simple and short reply, Chaos jumps in.

"Despite my disapproval of such a fight, you do need some experience. Hopefully, in the next few days, you can gain that when you... bump into certain individuals. Good luck." With that being said, the world turns to complete darkness.

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Chaos POV

Dismissing my champion, I was surprised that this man seeked her out. Well, I was hoping he would come to me in my world, but I am guessing that my other divine beings banned him from the realm for now. Seriously... the idiot who summoned this outrageous danger has doomed us all. Aisha does not need to know the complete details about this man for he is literally an embodiment and knight for the Devil King known as Satan. Especially a malik. This occupation is extremely rare since it is a combination of a devil and demon. Yes, these two are different entities entirely. In a sense, they are the same. Wicked, essence of evil, tormentors, damnations, beings of the dark side. Demons are common. Even in this world, they are the foot soldiers, tormentors of hell, common beings of evil. Yet devils... they have names. They are the chiefs, the warlords, the higher beings of high status- overlords in a way. Shadow, he is of both status. And coming from that world, he has the reputation. I should not dive too much in thought about his history though... It is rather sad and grim. He has been betrayed and empty because of his blindful loyalty. 

He is the same as the black knights. Although I think Shadow can thankfully say that he will not make the same mistakes again, not after all of his ordeals. 

"I thank you for keeping my history a secret Chaos." Shadow turns to me, seeing through those dark wrappings, "Aisha does not need to worry about my own mission and my own history. I don't need sympathy. Not even from you." Aren't out harsh? Getting a bit serious though, I glared at him.

"Are you trying to kill her? Are you trying to toy with her feelings? You could have talked to her-"

"It's best to learn now. A fight can prove all of her problems compared to such talks."

"She will be disheartened- she already was-"

"Then she needs to get over it. With her current tasks, you think she'll breeze through it? No. She must be prepared. If she can breeze through it, so be it, but I won't tolerate failure when she does bump into a challenge. She cannot lose to anyone. You know this better than anyone. Death knights are her mortal enemies right now, but what about other factions who want to seek revenge for what her family has done? Or their lust? Greed? Sins are still present in this world, and they will surely target Aisha with or without true reasons. Have you seen the trouble she has already attracted?"

"I don't you to lecture me what I already know." I let out a low growl, fiercly looking at him, "Why help her? You can just keep your mouth shut and just focus on your own goals like you stated some moments ago." Hypocrite... Then again, Shadow do and does as he please. Actually, everyone's a damn hypocrite at times. 

"Our goals are aligned. Why do you think I seek you out?" He did not flinch at my glare, returning his own gaze at me. I cannot see past his own bandages. "We shall assist each other as such. I will offer some help to Aisha now and then. If everything goes as planned, then she'll be a force to be reckoned with."

"I believe that she will with or without your presence or guidance. She was already on that road-"

"I doubt it. She hasn't reflected on herself. She hasn't improved in the slightest from what I have seen. She got captured again by such a folly, almost lost her skills again, was losing a fight she could have easily won if she adapted on the field... She has not changed. A champion reflects the divine being, you know..." Enraged by his words, I lunged at him. It was swift, effortless. I was right next to him. My hand would have pierce through his body if he didnt grab my wrist in time. The armor around my wrist snarls around his hand, but he ignores the armor's bites. "You should tutor her a bit more. Hell, if you were that concerned about her, you should have intervened before our engagement." I was showing a side that I hate revealing to anyone. Rage and anger. Also, irritation.

"I was preoccupied with my own fight. You should know that. For an ally, you're an asshole."

"Can't blame me for being stuck here." He toss my arm away, "Your brothers and sisters are idiots for wasting my time. I will surely punish them for wasting my time."

"No objections to it." I flex my hand, the armor returning back to its normal shape around my wrist. "You spoke to General X, didn't you?"

"Yes. While we chat with Aisha, General X was with me in the living world. I am slightly... impressed that she, he, whatever General X classify itself as, is a reincarnated soul of the twenty-fourth century. She has an experienced mind with a fair amount of dos and don'ts. Twisted logic at points, but like me, she thinks I gave her a good whooping. Being in the area, General X did what Aisha should have done. Should have sticked to the shadows, observe, watch what I can do. Assess the true powers I have and figure out where I lie in the ranking system. Determine a course of action even when shit hits the fan- General X knows how to wage her battles and when not to. She was set on doing whatever she must to protect Aisha, when the time comes, and find a way to pin me down until reinforcements would arrive. Honestly, I personally asked her to whip Aisha into shape. General X also agreed with how Aisha lacks the experience and the things I already listed."

"Can you blame her? You think she's a veteran like you two? She's still a young woman- someone who is still growing. You two have seen countless of battles on different levels. She was a sheltered-"

"I know her history. Doesn't change anything. I might be a bit lenient if she wasn't on the path that she is on now. I only came out of nowhere to help her improve now before its too late." Shadow walks by me, saying, "I lost too many people because of my arrogance and my reservations. Do not let this happen to your only champion. And ultimately, do not let your emotions get the better of you." I try to ignore the last part, but obviously, as divine beings, we can read our thoughts rather easily. Well, apparently with Shadow, it is one sided. Even if I am higher than him in this world, he can still hide his thoughts from my mind reading. Frustating. How come he is this strong... 

"Don't envy my powers. It's evil." He states. 

"Even if it is, I definitely more of it. It'll take some time on my end though..." Regaining my former glory will be an uphill battle. I just started though, slowly getting back my actual domain within the realm. Can't believe the divine being who resided in my place...

"What do you plan to do in the meanwhile? You can't exactly start fights left and right. I mean, even if you can stop the Grand inquisitors, you should not mingle about in the living world." The Grand Inquisitors are a branch of their own within the divine beings. These individuals will stop any unfair fight. Specifically, unfair fight of a being lower than the actual divine being rank. So if a Celestial or something of equal status, or higher, were to fight against a rank thirteen warrior, the Grand Inquisitors will stop the high being. These Grand Inquisitors are good at their job, stopping almost everyone from abusing their powers. They are also the police when divine beings have issues with one another and try to start a fight with each other unconditionally. Even I might have some issues with them, to an extent. 

But Shadow can wipe them out. Unknowingly for most beings below the divine ranks, these Grand Inquisitors will do whatever they can until they lose too many of their soldiers. They have a certain code for certain individuals who tend to pose a problem for them. Most will not exceed the 'Code: Red.' Code: Blue and Code: Yellow tend to be the usual ones. For Shadow's case, he goes beyond the norm. The Grand Inquisitors gave him a new code, one that befits his actions.

Code: Death.

When he killed the divine being who summoned him, they quickly send out Code: Yellow. This means to take caution when fighting against him. In a few minutes after that code was sent out, it turned to Code: Red. Code: Red allows the divine beings to target Shadow without any restraint. Three divine beings, two of high caliber, went to assist the Grand Inquisitors in killing him.

All of them died in their confrontation with him.

Code: Death - a new code just for Shadow.

To avoid him and NOT to engage. They are terrified of him to the point where they locked him out of the realm. All of the divine beings know for damn sure not to trust this monster...

Although he seeked me out specifically. And he KNOWS of my plans. My future goals. He is a valuable ally and a threat at the same time. But I can guess why he came to me... Like he said, the Chaos goddess in his realm is the same as me. We both scheme, we are evil and right in a way. The balance of all life...

"I'll behave myself. I won't let anyone know that we made a deal, and I will not dwell to much in the living world. These are not my people. Once I leave, I will have no attachments holding me back."    

"How about Aisha? You went through the trouble to give her one of your personal lessons."

"You just want to hear my reasons just like her. Like I said-"

"Can it." I fold my arms against my chest, "Even if you're a prick, you can at least shed some light behind this action." Shadow paused for a bit, contemplating on this little bit of information. He turns away from me. Thought he was going to walk off, but he gives off a very... gentle response.

"I... adopted a young girl under one of my lives. She, too, was like Aisha. But I was not stern with her. I was soft like how you lot are with Aisha. When a terrible incident happened, something out of my predications, she shattered. Everything she had was destroyed before her. She tried her best to protect what she cherished. When I was not there, she was powerless, helpless to stop the deaths of her loved ones. She lost her home, the place where we called home. It took months for her to recover. Maybe a year or two, before she came out of her shell, and I seasoned her into one of my best warriors throughout my times... Aisha has dealt with despair, but not the ultimate form of it. She does not need to know the full sting of it when she has the power to stop it."

I stood there, looking away from Shadow's back. Right... The painful sort of situations that will eat away at us. The emotional scars that will forever be stained in the heart. I can feel locked memories flood my mind, forcing the burning tears to back off. My heart beats a bit faster, recalling those fleeting times. Where I was truly happy and life was not a game. Cursing at my own stupidity for questioning Shadow's motives, the man laughs at me. He peaked over his shoulder seeing my troubled state.

"It's good that you show some shred of humanity. The Chaos I know of would just scoff at me and say, 'Pain is a natural thing for balance in life. All life must feel it.' I think I like you a bit more compared to that scheming harlot. She loves discord too much. You just want to correct the unjustice that coats this world. At the least, you act like humans more than true gods." Shocked at his compliment, I chuckled at it. 

"And you aren't bad... for a monster. A malik."

"I am nothing like my creator and master." The man slips out of this empty space as I head back to my realm. Hearing those last words though, I fear what will happen if any other divine being tried to summon a god or devil here. If Shadow is a true demigod, what damage could a god do in our world. I shudder at the thought, but I know that I will slowly take back what was lost.

I will undo the wrongs of this world one way or another.