Undisclosed Location
In an untamed land claimed by lost descendants of noble dragons lay a massive red dragon, steady breath releasing bursts of flames into the surrounding airs. The monsters of this land knew to stay clear of this majestic creature. Luckily, the dragon spent most of her time sleeping, only rising occasionally when a particular human dragged a tired, broken body up to receive healing.
This night, highly out of character, Xala suddenly sat up straight, distress and pain in her gaze as she looked toward the south. "Lucius," she whispered in a tongue unknown to man, breath ragged from the pain ravaging her chest. "What pains you so?"
Clang!
The sound of metal against rock drew Xala's attention to the cave's entrance from which an exhausted, bloody red-haired youth trudged. Dried blood formed hard, dark-red scale-like clots around his arms and feet, long, grown out hair, tied in a rough ponytail behind his back.
The youth balanced a makeshift spear made from a broken tooth and some bones on his lap as he took a seat on the hard earth. He grunted a greeting to Xala before immersing himself in meditation, replaying the past battles over and over again in his head while trying to figure out what he could improve.
Xala sighed as she examined the youth before her. Indeed the rate at which humans could change was just too appalling. That little boy who came to this island had transformed into a man in only a few weeks. She leaked a smile as she released a breath of mana from her nostrils.
Hektor let out a moan as the healing stream mended all his broken bones and repaired the damaged blood vessels. He paused his meditation, bowing to Xala as a sign of his gratefulness, then returned to meditation.
Xala sighed once again as she looked to the South. She could tell her friend was not in any danger, but this pain. She could only remember him suffering this much pain and rage at the same time once before. Xala's eyelids jumped. Could he have found out something about her? Was that it? The dragon trembled, suddenly feeling restless, but she could not abandon the duty set out for her.
Xala grumbled inwardly, resolutely settling down to watch the human's progress. Although she could not help him with issues of the heart, she could make the burdens in other parts of his life much less.
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Back at Meilfour, no one was aware of a presence in that very room whose features were twisted with so much rage he had almost become unrecognizable. Clutching his left arm, Rider forced himself to calm down. It was not his place to interfere. He could not interfere.
Above Rine's bar, a massive delegation hovered proudly, the resplendent glow from dazzling robes bright enough to light up the entire town, in turn drawing attention for miles. The winged intruders drew their blades, golden sheens glistening in the moonlight, in stark contrast to the dread the screech of their blades wrought in all who heard them.
The leader of the Adjudicators, the only eight-winged Adjudicator, stepped forward, dropping his cowl to reveal a handsome face befitting a god. Short, Gold-blond hair dazzled the eyes, billowing with the regality of the sun itself. A calm deep voice escaped the lips of that square-jawed angel, "Kashi of the daeben. Do you know your sin?"
Kashi finished the mead in the mug. Upon noticing it was empty, he held it out to Muko, who began absent-mindedly pouring in a fresh cup. While waiting for the cup to fill up, Kashi looked up at the Adjudicator. "Your super-angel hearing must be fried," he mocked with a cold smile. "I already told you: Get your ass down here, get it over with, and scram. I have better things to do with my time than listen to your self-righteous drivel."
"Insolence!" A four-winged Adjudicator roared. "To whom do you think you spe—"
CRUSH!
The world went silent, countless pairs of eyes turning to the shattered mug within the daeben's grip. Many wished to speak, say something, anything, but such was the palpable rage and irritation oozing off the daeben, none could quite get the words out of their throat.
Those familiar with the daeben were the most shocked of all. Although Kashi was known to have rare bouts of anger while engaged in massive battles, no one had ever seen this level of primal rage—the sort of madness he almost could not control.
Kashi listlessly stared at the broken pieces on his palm, then to the red mead spilling off the brown countertop to pool on the ground. He could not help but recall the young woman whose blood dripped off a mountaintop, pooling into a small pond several meters below near a little village.
On that day, 100 Adjudicators flew in the sky, smug grins displaying pride in their achievement.
At the end of that day, 99 beaten angels retreated to the heavens, never to return.
To think these bastards would dare show their faces now.
Taking a breath to clear his head, Kashi angled his hand, so the pieces slid off and onto the countertop. Although every cell in his body screamed out with rage, he forced himself to calm down, taking comfort in the knowledge that no matter how pissed off he was, there was at least one person nearby whose hatred and self-guilt towered over his.
"Sorry, Muko-san. I'll pay for that," Kashi apologized to the mertian, who only nodded in reply. The daeben placed a portrait on the table as he turned his attention to the glorified chickens in the sky. "If you know anything about me, then you know what this can do. Razznik escaped your pursuit for years until he was strong enough to waste one of you."
Kashi's eyes narrowed, lips curled up into a sneer as he threatened, "He could not teleport. I can. With my growth rate, care to test how long I need to run till I can slaughter you, bastards?"
"WHO!?—"
"I will not repeat myself," Kashi growled, bunched brows revealing he had reached the end of his patience. "Five seconds. Get your asses down on the ground and finish your business in five seconds." Kashi's eyes narrowed. "Or you can wash your necks and wait." A maniacal grin spread on the daeben's face, the ferocity in his eyes not losing out to Kira's at her angriest. "Did you know? Apparently, I'm a Dimensional Artist now. Eventually, I will find a way into that dimension you all hide in."
Kashi's voice dropped to nearly a whisper; his next words meant not for the world, but one particular man in that room. "At that time, I swear it. Not one Adjudicator will remain on the face of the earth."
"Insolent!" That four-winged Adjudicator roared. With a sharp swing of his sword, three scintillating beams of light smashed down at the daeben.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The spectators watching from afar shuddered at the ensuing massive explosion. The walls of Rine's Bar burst to tiny smithereens, unable to withstand the enormous impact. Many shook their heads.
How the mighty had fallen. The daeben overestimated himself.
This was the expected outcome.
"FIVE!"
Just as opportunists had begun planning how they could benefit from the daeben's demise, a single voice broke the silence. Smoke and dust cleared to reveal a bloodied silver-haired halben, hand raised high above his head, a mocking grin on his face as he fell to his knee.
"Bastard who doesn't know his place." The four-winged launched three beams, grinning as he imagined the outcome. At the height of his happiness, however, his expression quickly turned sour as three silhouettes suddenly appeared at the beams' pathway.
Shoko, Absalon, and Jade simultaneously screamed, "FOUR!" as with mocking grins, they unleashed their strongest skills against their respective beams.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Unable to withstand the impact, their attacks were crushed like glass under a hammer before they were sent crashing to the ground, bloodied bodies too weak to move.
The Adjudicator, visibly enraged, signaled two Adjudicators to his side. With a swing of their blades, over ten beams tore straight for the daeben.
"Y'all Can Rightly Fuck Off!" CyanidePilgrim roared, as with a burst of energy, he charged right at a beam. The other GuildMasters did not slack off, auras bursting through the sky as they retaliated with their strongest attacks. Mitrhe, PsychFanGirl4ever, HulkMagnet, Nyte, and Blade joined them, meeting the remaining beams with their attacks, despite being several shades weaker than the other powerhouses.
BOOM!
No great reversal occurred.
All ten combatants crashed into the earth, the last five coming off far worse. The pain from the attacks was far too much for these individuals who, to get closer to the strength of those at the top, had increased their pain threshold to 90%. However, before they passed out, they managed to squeeze out, with a mocking grin, "...Three."
The lead Adjudicator locked eyes with Kashi, even as several more Adjudicators unleased their attacks. With the leaders all wiped out, the only ones left were the regular foot soldier.
Or so it should have been.
Kiiing!
A lone silhouette jumped onto the counter, bow drawn to the hilt. Innumerable silver petals formed from mana burst out, making a beeline for several beams. Amidst the explosions, countless arrows crashed against the remaining rays, fired at speeds imperceptible to the human eyes.
Leila dropped to a knee, eyes steady as she watched the beams continue in their path. All her attacks had managed to do was slow them down a notch. Kashi's hardened glare never left the lead Adjudicator's even as blinding light assault the edges of his vision.
Just as the Adjudicator's lips were about to curl up in a triumphant smirk, the edges of both men's vision dimmed out as several figures who blotted out the bright lights. This time, it was Kashi's lips that turned up in a proud grin as he beamed proudly at the Maggots who threw themselves at the weakened light rays, unashamed to gang up three to one to deal with these death rays.
Leila let out a proud grin as the Maggots crashed to the earth, each more wounded than the last. Turning her gaze to the hovering idiots, she muttered. "Two."
The four-winged Adjudicator whose cheeks had begun to hurt from all the face-slapping, snarled with rage as he zipped down at the daeben in a brilliant beam of light. He reappeared next to Kashi, sword seeking the daeben's throat.
Despite the imminent threat, Kashi still did not take his eyes off the lead Adjudicator.
When the four-winged Adjudicator saw how Kashi ignored him, his rage finally overtook his sanity. Ignoring prior orders, his sword suddenly turned red as it rushed at the daeben's throat.
The lead Adjudicator's expression finally changed when he saw the red hue, and a hint of panic appeared in his eyes.
'Shit! This bastard was about to get them all killed!'
However, the four-winged Adjudicator was way too fast! There was nothing the lead Adjudicator could do to save the daeben's life.
CLANG!
Everyone's stared wide-eyed at the red blade that trembled a millimeter away from Kashi's throat. Besides the daeben, a figure's arms shook; the tiny dagger in his hand all that stood between the red blade and the daeben's exposed throat.
"Who the fuck are you!?" the Adjudicator roared, having lost all semblance of holiness to rage.
"Me?" Shadow murmured. He licked the blood flowing down from his lips, emotionless eyes regarding the Adjudicator. "I am his Shadow." The assassin blinked as if suddenly recalling something. "Ah, also..." A small grin spread up his lips. "One."
"Bastard!" With an enraged roar, the Adjudicator's left palm slammed against Shadow's chest. The assassin coughed up large volumes of blood as the force sent him careening into several tables. The tables burst to pieces beneath his weight, clearing a path until he came to a halt in a crumpled heap.
BOOM!
With the assassin gone, the unimpeded sword should have pierced the daeben's throat. But at that pivotal moment, two spherical concentrations of mana, one black, the other blue, suddenly exploded against the Adjudicator's exposed face, sending him spinning several times in the air before crashing unceremoniously against the floor.
Likewise, the blade spun several times before piercing tip first into the counter right in front of the daeben.
Behind Kashi, Kira closed her open jaw, red eyes glaring at the lead Adjudicator. Her lips curled upward, revealing a snarling toothy grin. Beside her, Hogosha spoke for both of them as he growled, "ZE—"
"Wait!"
The spectators could not close their gaping jaws as the lead Adjudicator, with an irritated expression, descended to the ground.
"HA!" No one knew who started it, but the second the Adjudicator's right foot touched the ground, a Maggot let out a burst of laughter. The laughter spread like a fever as the left foot joined its brother on the earth.
The remaining Adjudicators could not stay airborne with their leader on the ground. So, with faces green, like they had been forced to eat piles of cow manure, they descended to the earth one after the other, bunched brows and trembling hands revealing their excessive grief, unwillingness, and rage.
The Maggots did not care for their feelings as they roared out with raucous, triumphant laughter, the pain they endured proof that they had indeed forced the heavenly beings to the ground against their will.
The Lead Adjudicator approached the daeben, his expression a mask of otherworldly holinesses, the laughter of these plebeians beneath a god like him. He stood in front of the daeben, brow raised as he scolded, "Your guild members do not know how to write the word 'Fear.' See that you do not regret it in the future."
The Adjudicator's words caused the Maggots to turn silent. The casual pressure he exuded was light years beyond anything the four-winged Adjudicator had.
Kashi smiled, motioning to Muko, who placed a new mug in his hand. Kashi's smile widened into a knowing grin as he swirled the contents within. "Have you ever heard of a maggot being afraid of anything?" Casting a proud gaze at his guildmates, he calmly pronounced, "We are Maggots. We do not fear Death. We do not fear Strife. We do not fear Hunger."
Meeting the Lead Adjudicator's glare, Kashi said, "To a Maggot, the world is its buffet. Whether you be the weakest creature hiding under the ground or the proudest angel claiming the heavens and looking down upon the earth, the one universal truth is you shall one day return to the earth where we shall be waiting to feast upon you."
Kashi's grin widened, eyes taking on a dangerous glint. "Hora, look where you stand right now. You tell me: Does it make sense for us to fear food?"
The Adjudicators paled, hearts shaken by an unfamiliar feeling. Only now did they understand that they'd been playing the wrong from the start. They were not the predators here. These weaklings, these weak bastards who were not fit to hold a single feather on their wings, were the real predators.
The Maggots did not just view the Adjudicators as enemies. They viewed the entire world as FOOD! What level of madness is required for a man to view every living thing in this world as FOOD!
To the spectators outside, the daeben's words were akin to ringing a massive Gong of War! What did it mean when he saw the entire world as food? Did it imply he wanted to eat everyone in the world? No, of course not!
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This was Kashi nakedly declaring to the entire world that he was coming for them. He would conquer everything in this world! Nothing. No being—god, hume, or otherwise—was too great to be conquered.
Of all those present, the most affected were the Maggots lying within the rubble.
Peals of proud laughter erupted once more as the fallen Maggots cheered and whooped, not caring how pathetic they currently looked.
'F*CK! That was too Fucking Awesome! Our Guildmaster is too Fucking Awesome! That's right! Who cares if y'all are currently flying around, strutting around like motherfucking madonnas of the skies. Just you wait! We will bring you to the ground and chow you down!'
Creepy_Dudette, who had temporarily blacked out from the intense pain, woke up in time to catch Kashi's last phrase. She did not understand where the pride in her chest pooled from. That's right. No matter how badly life beat them down, rather than fear, or wallow in grief, even if they were the weakest things in existence, they just had to remember what it meant to be a Maggot, here or in the real world. Wiping tears from her eyes, she roared with enough might to stun the world into silence. "I AM A MAGGOT!"
Next to her, Mitrhe roared, "A Maggot Does Not Fear Death!"
Syèl glance at Shoko. Bright smiles lighting up their faces as they collectively bellowed, "A Maggot Does Not Fear Strife!"
CyanidePilgrim, PsyoniousPH, Just Matt, Paragon4x, and DogFighterPro clenched their hands. Swept up by emotions beyond their control, they collectively screamed out, "A Maggot Does Not Fear Hunger!"
Leila lazily sat on the counter, eyes beaming with pride. A soft smile spread on her lips as she asked, "What do we eat?"
The Maggots roared collectively, "The World!"
"The beasts on the ground?"
"FOOD!"
"Fishes in the ocean?"
"FOOD!"
Raising her voice, Leila flashed a mocking smirk at the Adjudicators. "...Angels in the Skies!?"
"FOOD! FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!"
Forcing herself to her feet, Leila raised her hands, standing tall on the counter, voice pounding into the hearts of those present. "Who Are We!?"
Following her lead, the Maggots forced themselves to their feet, the weaker ones helped by the strong. "We are Maggots!"
Leila pointed at the Adjudicators. "What are they!?"
"FOOD!?"
"Who are We!?"
The earth trembled as the Maggots stomped against the ground in unison. "We Are Maggots!" Without needing Leila's prompting, the Maggots turned to the Adjudicators, power in increasingly stronger voices as they screamed, "You Are Food!"
Repeated chants of "We Are Maggots!" "You Are Food!" echoed out for miles, the incessant voices growing stronger with each roar. The collective belief in something so primal, yet so powerful, birthed a strange phenomenon. With each chant, mana seemed to squeeze out of the daeben. These strands of mana mixed, forming several tiny shoots that burrowed into the defenseless Adjudicators.
If someone looked closely, they would see that these tiny shoots resembled squiggling maggots. The Adjudicators, caught unprepared, scratched, and clawed at their arms as they fought to rip these tiny beings from their bodies. Although these things did not harm them at all, they itched terribly, tiny bites akin to being stabbed repeatedly by thousands of needles.
No one knew who first broke out in song at the pitiful sight, but soon the Maggots were singing with reckless abandon,
"Haha! We may be Maggots but yay we are Hopeful,
You kill one of us, Er' we'all be chopping you,
We may be Maggots but yay we are Hopeful,
Ouch! Those are Maggots in yer veins!"
Back at the counter, Kashi's eyes widened with surprise. Even he had not expected something like this to happen. Damn, this world kept surprising him with new possibilities. Not bothering to hide his grin, he turned to the Lead Adjudicator. This guy was obviously on a different level. The little mana maggots all burned to nothing when they neared him. "What now?"
"Now," the Lead Adjudicator's eyes flashed with malice. "You pay the price for your sins."
SCHLICK!
The songs immediately died. The Adjudicators, freed from their torment, needed all of their willpower not to attack the hateful Maggots. Still, they did not hide the sneer on their lips as they grinned at the massive golden sword pierced through the daeben's heart. However, the Adjudicator's eyes soon revealed looks of confusion as Kashi, despite having a sword stabbed through his heart, did not show any sign of being in pain.
Kashi looked from the sword in his chest to the Lead Adjudicator, who gripped the hilt with a sardonic grin. Sneering, the daeben spat, "Stop with the pointless posturing. We both know you can not kill me. You would not have bothered coming with such a pointless delegation if you could."
Gripping the blade, Kashi snarled, "I know how you bastards work. When you receive a kill order, you send a two-winged chicken. When he fails, a four-winged chicken takes his place. Only after the four-winged chicken fails do you appear with the full troupe as a show of force." Pulling the blade out of his chest, Kashi ignored the blood pooling on the floor as he taunted. "That you have come with your entourage to start with means you are either bored as hell, or you want to scare me into submission."
Kashi's eyes narrowed. "Cut the bullshit. You can't kill me. I can't kill you. My guild will never submit to fear. Get your punishment done, then get out."
The Lead Adjudicator's expression finally changed. His cheeks turned red, and his nostril flared, livid with embarrassed rage. "I do not have to listen to this." With a snap of his fingers, seven short daggers appeared and stabbed into the daeben abdomen. He grinned as Kashi winced slightly. "This you will not be able to endure. The highest level of pain, even worse than that experienced during the Out-of-Body Training. That will be your punishment."
Kashi raised a brow. "Just that?"
"Just that? Act tough while you still can." The Adjudicator snorted. "But you are right. Indeed that alone is not enough punishment. We will also be permanently damaging your core." At Kashi's confused expression, the Adjudicator patiently explained, "We will make it so you only gain about 5% of the EXP you normally would gain. Your body will dispel the remaining Experience Points to the world. In short, you'll need to kill twenty times more to get the same amount of EXP."
"This is the best you guys could come up with?" Kashi's lips curled up into a mocking smirk. "Are you trying to make the beasts of this world go extinct?"
"Shut up." With a snap of the Adjudicator's fingers, the smirk on Kashi's face died.
Veins bulged under the daeben's skin, eyes turning red as he accidentally crushed the mug between fists clenched so tight, blood seeped out from points where his nails dug into his palm. Kashi doubled over, clutching his stomach as he struggled to fight the pain racking every cell in his body.
Bloodied teeth ruefully chuckled as Kashi suppressed multiple groans that threatened to escape his lips. This fucking bastard really undersold it! This was at least ten times worse than the Out-of-Body training punishment! It felt like someone had exposed his raw nerves and was now running blades across the surface. Just gently scraping off tiny layer by tiny layer, sections of the nerves themselves.
Kashi, unable to bear the torment, nearly fell over, but at that exact moment, a set of dainty hands wrapped around him then helped him to his feet. Fierce blue eyes glaring at the Adjudicator, Lunette wrapped Kashi's arm around her shoulder, shaking feet fighting against his weight as she helped him stand tall.
Drifting in and out of consciousness, Kashi noticed the aqua-green hair fluttering in his face. He turned to the woman whose stubborn eyes refused to give up as she held onto him tightly despite him leaning heavily onto her. His gaze traveled down her small, pointed nose to a set of pink, tightly pressed thin lips.
Despite the immeasurable pain, the corner of his lips rose into a small smile for some reason.
That small smile froze when he turned to meet the Adjudicator's gaze. To his shock, the Adjudicator did not have his eyes on him but instead on Lunette, unmistakable greed flashing in his eyes. "Y-" he did not get to finish his words as with another sharp burst of pain, he fell unconscious.
"Finally found you," Ignoring Kashi, the Lead Adjudicator declared with a triumphant grin. "Do you still recognize me?"
Lunette frowned, brows bunched together. "I have nothing to do with you, Justin-san... No, should I call you Vanzuela?"
"Good. Good!" The Lead Adjudicator beamed, a joyous expression showing his acceptance of the name. "It's good you remember me. That will make this much easier. Come with me. You are meant for greater things than playing house with these fools."
"Is that so?" Lunette's eyes held an innocent look. Cocking her head to the side, she playfully mocked, "What are we to do? I am one of those fools now?"
Vanzuela turned green, looking like he'd just swallowed a fly. "Do not test me." Looking at the drooping daeben with disdain, he gestured, "How about this? Come with me, and I will stop this idiot's punishment. I will even fix the damage I've already done."
"I refuse." Lunette shook her head.
Vanzuela frowned. "Fine. I suppose some negative feelings are to be expected considering first impressions." With a welcoming smile, he gestured, "How about this? It might be against the rules, but I'll gift that idiot with some power-ups that'll make his conquering fantasy much easier to realize."
"Don't need it," Lunette refused. "Kashi is strong. He will make his dream a reality all by himself. He does not need your help."
Vanzuela turned livid, patience running thin. "You refuse to sacrifice yourself for your guildmaster? I suppose that is the limit of your faith?"
"It's not faith," Lunette muttered. Eyes beaming with strength, she declared, "It's Love!"
"Love?" Vanzuela's expression turned ludicrous, staring at the little figure with mock disbelief. Covering his mouth, he could not stop the laughter that poured out as he mocked, "Love!? Has your brain been fried since we last met? What do you think you know about love? What does some—"
"Indeed!" Lunette interrupted, eyes blazing with fury. "I am not sure I know what love is myself. But I do know this: I am happy when he is happy; I cry when he is sad; I get jealous when he talks to others more than he does to me. I want to help him fulfill his dreams, and I want him to notice me. I want to get into his head to know what he thinks! I want to punch him when he ignores all the signals I give him! I want to steal a cupid's arrow and stabbed into his chest if that's what it'll take!"
The songstress turned red, evidently embarrassed by her outburst. Still, with strength in her voice, Lunette stated, "I do not know what love is. But if what I feel isn't called love, then what is it called?"
"I see," Vanzuela muttered, eyes holding no small amount of disdain. "That Rumaki bastard did something unnecessary." Glaring at the daeben in her arms, he suddenly got an idea. He to Lunette, flashing a knowing smile. "Does he know?" At Lunette's stiffened expression, he threw his head back in laughter. "You claim to love him, but you haven't told him your biggest secret!?" Eyes narrowing, he said, "I'll make this simple. Come with me willingly, or I will spill your secret."
Lunette bit her lips. Raising her head, she met Vanzuela's gaze, and a lone tear streaked down her eyes as she weakly squeaked, "Fine."
"Haha! I knew you would see reason!" Vanzuela guffawed triumphantly. Holding out his hand, he ordered, "Now Come! We have much work to do."
Lunette looked at the outstretched hand and shook her head. Wiping the tear that dripped down her cheeks, she said, "You are right. If I truly love him, I would not hide anything from him regardless of the outcome." She stared lovingly at the man in her arms. "Thank you for teaching me to love. For teaching me what it's like to want to be loved." Biting her bottom lip, Lunette raised her head, gaze resolute. "No more secrets." She took a deep breath as she declared. "The truth is, I Am—"
WHOOSH!
The rest of Lunette's words died in her throat as a hand clamped heavily on her mouth. She looked up to see Syèl's stern gaze, yellow eyes holding within them warmth and pain she could not understand.
"That's enough," Syèl whispered. "Not like this. You've done enough."
Lunette, who had expended all her willpower on those words, nearly crumpled to the floor. Shadow appeared next to her, taking Kashi from her arms. He nodded to Syèl, who had buried the crying girl's head in his chest. Although she acted tough, her existence's harsh reality and the expected outcome should the world find out were too much for anyone to bear.
Wrapping the girl in his arms, Syèl turned to Vanzuela, naked hatred, rage, and explosive killing intent pouring off of him in waves. For the first time, the world was once again introduced to the true face of Grim-Reaper Syèl. Even though they were in a game world where death was impossible, everyone present raised their hands to their throats as if spurred by an ancient primal instinct to protect their lives.
Burning yellow eyes fueled by the cries of the girl in his arms glared at Vanzuela. "The people I hate the most in this world are those who make innocent girls cry. If you do not get out of here this instant, I promise you. One day, I will be the last thing you see."
None of the Summoned here had any illusions as to what the halben meant. He was not talking about some in-game character death. He was talking about murder. Real-life execution! They turned their gaze to the girl crying in his arms. What secret did she have that would make the usual laughing and joking Syèl threaten to murder a man in real life?
Although initially shocked by the killing intent, Vanzuela eventually shrugged it off. So what if some brat threatened him? As an Adjudicator, he had to deal with many real-life criminals who used the game world as a place of contact. If he retreated every time he was threatened, he would not have a job left. He had even dealt with some assassins hired by top organizations! Who was this stinking little brat? Snorting, Vanzuela reached for Lunette. "Since you refuse to come willingly, I guess I must resort to force."
GRAB!
"That's enough out of you!" a deep voice growled, carrying within it deep-seated hatred and rage.
Vanzuela paled, unable to pull his arm free of the hand that tightly gripped it. His gaze traveled up the arm to just in time to see a pair of gray eyes transform to a pair of red and green orbs, carrying within them enough killing intent to wipe out several countries over. "Rider! What do you think you're doing?"
Rider's gaze only burned hotter as his hand squeezed the arm, sounds of breaking and cracking, causing chills to run down the spines of everyone present. Who the hell was this new guy now!? Was the daeben acquainted with anyone normal!?
"I am permitted to interfere in certain cases." His voice turning to a sinister growl, Rider stated as he released his grip, "Such as a higher-being such as yourself breaking the boundaries of his assignment and assaulting innocent civilians."
Vanzuela's expression turned bitter as he yanked his broken arm to his side. Glaring at the mortal world's strongest being, he cursed. "Do you think you're some hotshot now just because you got some power? We're the ones who picked you! You dare turn against us!"
"Irrelevant," Rider spat, clenching his fist. "If you want to spend the next decade constantly reconstructing your destroyed body, go ahead and reach for the girl again."
Fuck! Vanzuela inwardly cursed! Everything was going wrong! All his plans, right from the beginning, had met with one wall after another. First were the Maggots' unexpected rebellion, then Lunette's refusal despite facing all the expected scenarios where she should have accepted. Now, this thousand-year-old demon had appeared!
All of it! All these were because of one person alone. The binding force behind all these, despite having done nothing himself, was the blasted daeben!
Snorting with rage and discontentment, Vanzuela flicked his fingers, recalling the daggers embedded in Kashi's stomach. In truth, the only punishment was the reduction of his EXP gain to 5% of its original. And although the process hurt a little, it was only for a brief moment and was more akin to a hefty punch than the pain the daeben was currently going through.
Genaco usually reserved this pain level for the serial killers and murderers that came into the game world to meet up with their associates. As well as the sick perverts who, thinking it's fine because it was a game world, preyed on defenseless young people to fulfill their depraved fantasies.
Although dissatisfied, Vanzuela knew this was one fight he could not win. Snorting with rage, he turned his back to the daeben who had begun to wake. "We leave."
He took to the air, his counterparts ascending with him, faces gloomy from the day's events. They were the mighty Adjudicators, feared wherever they went! Since when was it their turn to retreat in defeat!?
"...W-wait."
Vanzuela frowned, looking down to see Kashi weakly pat Shadow's shoulder. Understanding the daeben's intention, the assassin released his hold, letting the daeben stand on his two feet.
Kashi rested a hand on the counter, grimacing as the pain slowly abated. He glanced at Syèl, noting the still weeping Lunette in his arms. He wordlessly turned to Shadow, nodded appreciatively at Rider, then took in the faces of everyone in the room.
A small smile spread as he looked up at the figures floating above. "You guys can't leave like that."
Vanzuela frowned. "Don't push your luck."
Kashi's brow rose, grasping his chest with a mock-hurt expression, "What? I just wanted you guys to know you forgot something."
"What?"
Kashi's expression suddenly turned hard as stone as he spat, "Your life!" Before anyone could react, a familiar red sword appeared in the daeben's right hand, which had, at some point, completely dragonified. All the mana and ki in the daeben's body instantly channeled into the dragonified arm, nearly shattering it to pieces, but at the last second, everything burst out as Kashi flung the sword at Vanzuela.
Three sonic booms rang out as the sword left Kashi's hand. Yet despite the blinding speed, Vanzuela simply tilted his head to the side as the blade zoomed past, only managing to scratch his cheek in the end. Tapping the blood, Vanzuela let out a sneer. "Pitiful."
In turn, Kashi cocked his head to the side, eyes innocently blinking at the Adjudicator's words. "Huh? What do you mean? I was only returning the sword to its owner."
Vanzuela's eyes suddenly trembled. He turned around to see that four-winged Adjudicator from earlier, staring back at him wide-eyed, the sword buried in his forehead, giving him a comical look.
"B-Boss. Save meAAAAH!"
Meilfour shivered as the sword shattered to pieces. These pieces then tore into the angel, shredding his wings as they looked to dig into his flesh as much as possible.
Down on the ground, Kashi watched this scene with morbid fascination. This was the second time he bore witness to this scene, and just as he thought, he enjoyed it as much as the first time.
The Deletion Protocol—as ruthless as it was effective.
The Deletion Protocol would first cause immense pain to its target before completely erasing them from the world. What's more, since there was no soul left to resurrect, there was no way to revive someone destroyed by the Deletion Protocol.
How poetic that the Adjudicators' greatest weapon was also their sole weakness.
Kashi's grin widened. 'You bastards pushed me. Last time, Razznik did the courtesy of not telling the world your weakness. Unfortunately, you touched my reverse scale. Let's see how you deal with this.'
Those around Kashi shivered at the bloodthirst in his eyes.
Syèl could not help but shake his head. 'This fucker! Everyone's already forgotten about my cool moment.' He looked down at Lunette, who had long since stopped crying, gazing from the disappearing Adjudicator to the daeben, eyes morphing to stars filled with evident pride! "Haish," Syèl shook his head with a wry smile as he released Lunette.
He took a step back, disappearing just in time to hear the daeben mutter, "And then there were ninety-eight..."
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Crazy Heads Apartment.
Secret Genaco Compound.
Shoko... Ah, no, Saeko hesitated, fidgeting slightly in front of a certain room door. She raised her hand but then froze in place. Biting her lip, she quickly turned around, rushing for her room.
BAM!
"Ow!" Saeko winced in pain as she looked up from the rock-hard chest she had slammed into. Her eyes met with the dark, empty pools of Mato Suzuki, his expressionless gaze causing chills to run up her spine. Indeed, no matter how you looked at it, this was not the same person as Kashi. Not by a long shot. Muttering an apology, she made to move past him, but she was suddenly held in place by a vice-like grip.
Saeko winced. "What gives!?" She began to scream, but the words died in her throat when she saw the warm smile on his face. "S-Suzuki?" When Suzuki calmly stared at her, she tried again, disbelieving her voice, "K-Kashi?"
Kashi, Suzuki, whoever it was merely said, "Maggots do not fear strife."
"Maggots do not fear strife," Saeko parroted. Indeed, what the hell was she so afraid of? She raised her head, giving the young man a thankful nod as she returned to the room door. To her shock, just as she knocked on the door, it slid open as if it had been expecting her. She flashed one last look at Suzuki then walked in.
Back in the hallway, Suzuki's expression suddenly dimmed. Eyes returning to their neutral state, he said to no one in particular, "Do not make me do that ever again. Next time pay back your debts yourself." Suzuki wore his headphones, immersing himself in a world of music as he made his way to the Gladiator Virtual Training Hall.
Meanwhile, Saeko took a deep breath as she walked into a room devoid of even the barest of furniture save the virtual pod sitting silently in a corner. Steeling herself, she walked past the empty room to the balcony where a certain lean, silver-haired young man rested against the railing, gentle breeze licking his wavy bangs.
Saeko leaned on the railing next to him, eventually mustering the resolve to turn to face him. "You said we would talk."
Taiga lazily smiled. "Mm-hmm."
Saeko waited, but when he did not speak further, she bit her lip. "Sorry, this was stupid." She turned to leave.
Just as she was about to leave the balcony, "Henri." Taiga's voice caused her to halt in her steps. She turned to him, chest tightening as he said, "Henri is the only person I have ever loved." His voice reduced to a whisper, strained to the extent that it seemed the wind could steal away the words if she did not pay close attention. "Henri and I... She, she saved me from hell."
Taiga took a deep breath as he stared listlessly at the setting sun. "For that, I killed her with my own hands...."