Inside the master bedroom of a large villa were two beautiful young women laying amongst red roses. The inside of the room was lit by only candles, casting an ethereal glow inside the room.

The air smelled of perfume and flowers. On one side of the room was an empty table with two chairs pulled out. On the table were two empty plates which signified that a very romantic date took place minutes before.

A trail of flowers and pieces of underwear and two dresses led to a bed—the bed where two maidens embraced.

“—Are you ready?”

“Mm.”

Nodding her head, the young woman lying on the bed spread her legs. Her purple hair was sprawled out messily and her clothes thrown roughly to one side, leaving her with only her bra(which was seemingly pulled down in a hurry).

Her spine arched when she felt warmth enter her lower body for the first time in her life. The warmth wiggled, as if to scrape out the folds inside of her. Her body arched with each tug and each poke. It felt slimy and weird but very pleasurable.

She tried holding in her voice but was unable to.

“Aaaaaaah~” she clutched her partner’s hair, pushing her head harder into her body as if to fuse the two together.

Her partner suddenly stood up, much to her disappointment.

Her partner travelled up her body, licking her thigh, her bellybutton, her hands and her chest until her partner ended up face-to-face with her.

“Relax, okay? I’ve done this before so I won’t hurt you.”

“…Okay.”

She suddenly felt something slim going into her lower body. Another similar object entered her.

Her partner’s two fingers moved up and down, in and out as if in a rhythm. The waves of pleasure was sent through her spine.

“Y-Your Highness!”

“Call me Siana. No one else is around so you’re not my maid now.”

“Y-Yesh, p-please go f-f-faster….”

“Oh, my. I never imagined that the cute and innocent Kalda would be such a pervert asking for sexual requests. But okay.”

“!”

Siana twirled her tongue around Kalda’s areola before taking it into her mouth. She gently licked the tip of Kalda’s nipple while pulling the nipple with her lips, careful not to poke with her teeth.

Her fingers also didn’t stop scraping Kalda.

Kalda twitched relentlessly, pulling on Siana’s arm so that she doesn’t stop.

“A-Almost there!” Kalda could feel a wave of pleasure coming.

She pushed her hips up in an attempt to get to that pleasure faster.

Just a little more—

Knock, knock—

-Your Highness, a letter came for you.

The romantic mood vanished.

Kalda felt empty when Siana pulled her fingers out. Warm air escaped her honey cave and the juices stained the towel underneath her.

“….” She fell back onto the bed with her legs still open like a frog on its back.

Siana covered herself with a sigh.

“Sometimes I loathe being born as royalty. I can’t even have a few hours privacy,” Siana muttered to herself, “A letter from whom?”

-From Your Highness’ fiancé.

Kalda hurriedly lifted herself off the bed hearing that.

“You’re engaged…!?” she screamed in a whisper.

Siana held up a hand for Kalda to shush.

“Why couldn’t this wait until tomorrow?”

-Uhm, well, I thought you’d like to know what it says as soon as it came. From what the messenger said, the Young Master wants Your Highness there tomorrow at the earliest. Should I bring it in?

Siana rubbed her temples, “No. I’m busy undressing so slide it under the door.”

The servant did as she said before walking away.

“I thought you said that there’s no reason for you to marry since you’re the seventh princess!” Kalda shouted, not caring if anyone finds out that she’s in Siana’s room.

“I have to survive somehow, Kalda,” Siana picked up the letter, “Looking pretty as a low-ranking princess won’t secure my future. Thus, I’ve turned to marriage. I have an education at a prestigious academy so I can take care of my husband’s territory or his businesses in his place. Mingling with nobles to build connections is also not that hard.”

“But won’t your marriage mean that we’ll have to stop being lovers…?”

“….”

“S-Siana…?” Kalda got worried when Siana went silent.

“I’m doing this to make sure I’m financially sorted for the future. You must’ve seen what happens to girls—especially ones in nobility—who don’t get married before 25. They end up with the first person who sends a letter to their household for marriage. The majority don’t desire marriage with a woman who has nothing to offer in that marriage. The few who show interest are either poor nobles trying to leech off high-class families or widowed men who desire only a woman to warm their bed at night.

My fiancé is quite easy to please. He’s from a very wealthy family so I won’t have to worry about my future. Still, I’d prefer it if he doesn’t send dinner invitations during such odd hours.”

‘She… didn’t answer my question at all…’

Siana threw the letter on a nearby table after she was done reading it. She headed towards her closet.

Kalda stared up at the ceiling while laying sprawled halfway off the bed. Today was supposed to be special. The two had only been kissing and touching each other during these past few years. Today was supposed to be their first day as lovers and sexual partners. Siana even said that she was planning on announcing their relationship to everyone soon.

Kalda reached down her body with her hand. She touched the place where Siana’s fingers penetrated her. It certainly felt better when the one you love touches you there.

“Please leave my room, Kalda.” Siana said while gazing out of the window, “I need to get some sleep.”

“You’re just kicking me out…?”

“That’s an order.”

Kalda frowned.

She stood up from the bed, picked up her clothes and approached Siana. She tried to kiss Siana’s neck but Siana pushed her away gently without looking at her.

“I need to sleep. Please go.” Siana walked past Kalda, towards the bed. She threw the bedding on the bed on the floor and took out new bedding from a closet.

She covered the bed with the duvet and pillows, all while ignoring Kalda.

“…..”

Kalda could only silently leave the room just as Siana told her to.

….

…

◇◇

How strong do you think a Hero can become?

Stronger than 9 star powerhouses?

Marcus von Berkley and the rest of the Great Nobles, Justice and his comrades in the Testaments, and the dragon lords fit under this category. The dragon lords might be classified as 9 star powerhouses but that doesn’t mean that the Great Nobles and the Testaments are equal to them.

The star system is just a convenient method that was created to rank individuals of power. The discovery of hologram cards helped the nations of Diacree decide who fits into which category. It starts at 1 and goes all the way up to 9.

Levels(1-100) aren’t the deciding factors in who fits in what category.

Why is that?

Well, putting aside the difference in experience points and talent from person to person, useless classes like Farmer and Villager(among countless others) exists which complicates matters. A hypothetical level 100 Villager couldn’t hope to stand up to a level 10 Sword Saint.

The reason for this is that skills, weapon arts, magic spells and body techniques exist. Picture a level 10 Sword Saint with maxed out weapon arts and skills capped at their levels facing off against a level 100 Villager armed with the power to cut down a tree in 40 swings.

The balance of power will be off. That’s why classes matter, not just in PvP but also a game’s system as a whole.

As mentioned before dragon lord is beyond the level of a mere 9 star powerhouse. They’re an evolution of a regular level 100 ancient dragon—which is the second strongest variant of dragons—that started over with all its power carried over to level 1. They basically went through a second phase upon becoming dragon lords.

This is one of many reasons why dragon lords are so feared.

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They are the gods of the mortal realm.

What about Heroes?

Where do Heroes fit into this Star system?

Just like dragon lords, heroes are well above the level of a 9th star powerhouse. Of course, this level is well beyond that of the dragon lords. That’s only if every hero will be on the level of the peak Promethius from the Demon Human War or Luke from the endgame arcs.

It's unknown why Promethius could reach level 101. Some say his wife was the only person to know the truth.

People believed that Melis helped him achieve that level. Though that claim has no evidence to back it up.

Of course, the humans almost lost even with that level of power. He died before he could actually kill Arsnoria. Luckily, the Demon Army was so weakened that they couldn’t continue the war. Several decades of carnage and suffering ended when Promethius died.

Luke was the only known hero to have successfully slain a Demon Monarch in the game.

Perhaps he’s the one most likely to attain the same level of power as peak Promethius.

Why was Arnold suddenly thinking about levels in the midst of battle?

Well, that was because the person in front of him defied all common sense and the game’s logic.

· Level 5

· Class – Unknown

· Stats – unavailable

· Threat Level – Golden Slime

The game ranked Kalda as dangerous as a Golden Slime(which was one of the weakest monsters in the game). The hologram card already had the feature to detect a threat level but Arnold never used it before. He could guess just fine with all the people he’d faced so far.

Despite what was shown on the hologram card, she displayed raw power equal to that of a level 80 Legendary class combatant.

“I’m being betrayed by my own knights.” Kalda calmly swung her war scythe as she turned to look at all the knights.

“They do not serve you, Kalda,” said Sceptim, “They are under my command. I serve Her Majesty so they are loyal to her.”

The knights hit their chests with their fists—which echoed across the gigantic hall—in agreement.

“I see.” Kalda’s scythe vanished, “They have made a grave mistake by interfering. No matter. It will be easier to ascend to a greater level of strength with them as my fuel.”

A translucent barrier surrounded Kalda.

Sceptim suddenly went “Oh, no”.

Arnold looked at Sceptim in confusion.

Arnold was about to ask what’s going on but Sceptim yelled.

“Cover your ears! Hurry before her voi—”

His voice suddenly vanished. No, it was like being underwater or screaming into a pillow, with most of the sounds being blocked out.

Only Arnold seemed to have heard what Sceptim said.

Sensing a premonition come over him he whispered into the wisp:

“Cover your ears, Tanaera.”

-“Okay.” She didn’t even question why she had to do it.

-One morning the rain fell down on my head, the cold embraced my soul.

-And then a light showed down upon me, when sorrow almost engulfed me whole.

‘Singing?’

Two knights suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Blood flowed out of the gaps of their armor and helms and into the air. The blood gathered above Kalda’s head in a ball-like shape.

Some sort of blue energy flowed downwards, onto Kalda.

Arnold realized why Sceptim shouted for everyone to cover their ears.

But what’s going on? Is Kalda the one doing this?

Can’t be. Her mouth wasn’t even moving.

-The light, my hope, smiled at me and offered a helping hand…

Even more knights fell on the ground. Blood also flowed out of the gaps in their armor, same as the previous victims.

One of the giants suddenly clutched its neck before its eyes bulged and its head exploded. No sound was made when it fell down.

So that’s what’s been happening, thought Arnold.

He could hear the voice but he wasn’t affected by it. Maybe Oriel’s fecal matter is too strong for any mental attacks to penetrate it?

Is this even magic?

Arnold looked over at Sceptim. Sceptim was holding a necklace in his hand and chanting something. Arnold couldn’t exactly hear what he was saying since that voice was the only sound he could hear. Even subtle movements, like dragging his armored boots across the floor, were muffled out.

Taking all this into account…

‘It’s something related to sound.’

Arnold grabbed the greatsword and charged at Kalda.

He swung the sword with all his power but it was repelled by some barrier.

The other knights took out their weapons as well and charged at Kalda like a swarm of bees. That same barrier stopped their attacks effortlessly.

The knights fell down one by one with each verse.

Arnold fell back since too many of the knights were attacking Kalda. It was useless for him to follow their example so he just fell back.

“Can you hear me, Lord Arnold?”

Sceptim’s voice suddenly came from his side as he was watching the knights attack Kalda. He turned to Sceptim.

“Why can I hear your voice?”

Sceptim held something up.

“This necklace can surround its user in a cloak that shields you from magical effects. It’s not strong enough to repel spells but it can repel a lot of things related to mind attacks.”

“I see. What’s going on? Why is everyone dropping like flies? From what I’ve just seen, it looks like something goes into their heads causing it to explode.”

“You should know the truth behind Kalda’s soul power. It doesn’t just allow her to nullify any spell thrown at her. She can manipulate all energy how she sees fit. Everything has some form of energy. She can either control it or destroy it.”

Arnold looked at Kalda. Her dead eyes were staring back at him as the voice continued to sing.

“…The singing… She’s using sound to kill everyone.”

“Precisely. How can you tell? I was just about to say that.”

“If she can control any form of energy then that means that she can use even sound as a weapon. Sound is a kinetic energy source that travels in waves in the air. It’s like water travelling down a pipe. The only difference is that sound can flow in any direction. It can even go through most objects. The distance and other objects that produce sound determines how much of the sound is heard and by how many people. She robbed this palace of its natural sounds, even taking away voices, so that she can be the only source of sound. Thus…”

There are no obstacles stopping her from killing everyone.

“A truly terrifying soul power. This is why the people of our kingdom feared this woman.”

“Tell me, Sceptim… Is this the limit to her power?”

Sceptim shook his head.

“She can take, control and… destroy energy sources. All of this is made possible by three forms. Her first and second form fluctuates between the first two. The third form is destruction of matter itself. Nothing can stop her once she reaches that level of power. Even touching her can disintegrate you. See the blood coming out of her victims?”

Arnold looked at the corpses.

“I’ve only seen her do this once before. I’m certain that she’s absorbing their energy to ascend to her second form. This wouldn’t have been necessary if she wanted to use the first one at full power.”

“So she can’t use the second form without some sort of energy source?”

“Yes.”

‘Aura is also a form of energy… If she needs energy to ascend to her second form, then…’

Arnold began walking towards the barrier surrounding Kalda.

“What are you doing?”

“Your knights are dying out there but you’re standing here watching how it happens.” Arnold said while glancing back.

“…I am powerless in this situation.”

“I know. I’m powerless as well. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t stop her from killing others.”

Their discussion ended.

Arnold approached Kalda. He unleashed every ounce of aura inside of him, which created a dome around Kalda’s barrier.

The sounds of the world suddenly returned to how they were before. Similarly, Kalda’s voice became muffled within Arnold’s aura dome. The knights—who were dying like flies—looked around in confusion.

The blood of the dead that was flowing upwards dropped on the ground.

All of the knights then looked at Arnold who was unleashing all his aura. He wasn’t using his aura to attack. In fact, he was giving it to his enemy.

How many of these knights would’ve had to die just to satiate Kalda?

Kalda continued singing even though no one was affected but it.

Arnold could feel his aura being drained rapidly.

‘It’ll take a while for all my aura to be used up but that doesn’t mean that I should just stand still and let it happen.’

Giving her his aura is merely a temporary solution.

“I want all of you to get ready for what’s about to happen next,” Arnold spoke loudly, “It’s admirable to give your lives to save your queen, however, doing so meaningless is just that… meaningless. You would save no one, only help the enemy. Sacrificing yourself to save someone else is idiotic.”

Just like Luke and Arthur. The Luke from the DLC nearly died several times trying to save people. The danger wasn’t always something like demons or catastrophic magic. It was sometimes even stupid things like saving someone who fell off the side of a mountain but managed to grab onto a small side cliff.

That was what frustrated players about Luke’s story. They had to save people, even in stupid situations. Despite doing those tedious tasks, Luke became a hero recognized throughout the entire continent.

Be that as it may, Arnold’s stance was the same: Sacrificing yourself for someone else is idiotic.

That’s quite funny. Isn’t Arnold doing the same thing?

The moment his aura runs out is the moment he’ll be left defenseless.

What was the point of saving one person?

Would he have done the same thing even if the palace, the ring, and the quest weren’t the rewards?

Arnold closed his eyes for a brief moment and scoffed.

‘I’m only doing this for the artifact and the palace. There’s no point in thinking about what ifs.’

He opened his eyes.

Kalda stopped singing.

‘She stopped taking my aura? No, it seems that she’s unable to absorb any more aura.’

Her body was surrounded in a purplish aura.

Arnold broke the dome of aura. He used more than half of his aura in just a minute.

Luckily, the demon lord form multiplies his aura by a significant amount. If he was in his base form then he would’ve lost most of it by now.

Sceptim approached Arnold.

“I’ve met and fought many aura users throughout my century long endeavor across hundreds of worlds. None of them have showed such mastery over their aura. Is this exclusive to blue aura users?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re able to mend your aura into a shape you desire. That shows that you have true mastery over your power. Conjuration with a power used for combat… I never thought I’d see the day… It’s quite remarkable seeing such an impossible feat.”

‘It’s really easy, though.’

“Would it be a bother to ask you to duel with me sometime?”

“I’m only taking the palace so I won’t be staying long.”

“I understand but…” Sceptim suddenly went silent.

“But what?”

“Never mind.… I feel that it’s too unwise of me to blurt things out without thinking of the persons involved.”

“Is that so…”

The two silently stared at Kalda whose body was radiating a strong purple light.

Going back to his world means using the Yorm Branch.

The hard part was explaining to everyone where he got the palace from, where he went all this time, and why he missed an entire semester of school. The last part will have to be sorted out with his parents.

‘Marcus won’t be happy.’ thought Arnold with a sigh. ‘Well, Luke is their new trophy boy so they should pressure him into making them proud.’

His childhood was filled with him trying to impress his parents. It became tedious having to study hard and to win every academic award somewhere down the road.

Luke will now have to do everything he can to uphold the family name. That responsibility doesn’t belong to Arnold anymore.

King Arnold von Penston. It had a nice ring to it. Did alternate Arnold’s city become a kingdom that he ruled independent from the empire? Or maybe he bowed down to the Emperor just like all the other kings?

No. If that was the case then he would’ve prioritized the empire’s safety over the soldiers fighting in the frontlines. Anyone bound to the crown has the duty to protect the imperial family. Arnold didn’t follow this rule. Instead, he prioritized the people who fought for the emperor.

Was that not something only brave men—nay—heroes would do?

Arnold looked up at the palace’s 300ft ceiling. The particular area he was looking at had artworks of angels and devils engaged in battle. The devils bit off the angels’ wings and devoured them piece by piece.

This particular artwork probably implies that “Evil always triumphs”.

‘Good versus evil. Right versus wrong.’

The barrier surrounding Kalda shattered like glass at that moment.

“Here she comes, Lord Arnold.”

“Yeah.”

‘I can probably use two more martial skills.’

What will he do once he loses all his aura whilst in the midst of battle with such a powerful foe?

There was no god who will give him a blessing.

He only had the power of a demon lord by his side.

Arnold looked back at Tanaera.

If his aura runs out then he’ll have to rely on “that” to help him.

The purplish light emanating from Kalda vanished.

Her hair was a radiant cyan and her only clothes a dress made up of her own energy. Her war scythe looked the same but she had removed the chain.

They won’t have to worry about her using long-range attacks at least.

Arnold removed his helmet.

Kalda narrowed her eyes, “Wipe that smirk off your face. Why do you smile even in the face of death?”

Maybe he was smiling because his death was mere moments away.

This feeling was familiar.

He felt it that time when he was almost assassinated as a child.

But why would anyone smile when they know that their death is assured?

The answer is simply: Warriors are their happiest when they get to fight with all their might. It doesn’t matter if they win or lose, so long as they get to use the power they’ve been honing since the first day they picked up a sword.

“You’ll have to kill me first if you want me to fear death.”

If Oriel wants to fully awaken then he’ll have to lend Arnold a helping hand. Arnold will force him to if need be.

It’s a risk Arnold is willing to take.

He threw the greatsword aside and took out the demon sword. His once silver hair became completely white and his pupils vanished when his eyes became completely black. A blue tattoo-like mark appeared over the left side of his face.

Kalda looked down at her hand and opened and closed it a few times.

She muttered, “To think a human possesses this much energy. It brings me closer to my perfected form.”

She then looked back at Arnold.

“Arrogance from the weak is such a pitiful thing to see. You are no different from the demigods I’ve killed.” Kalda suddenly levitated off the ground, “You jeopardized my initial plan to ascend to my full power with the help of these knights but that’s fine. I can still kill the two of you.”

Sceptim suddenly stood in front of Arnold.

“You’ll have to go through me if you want to cut off his head, Kalda.”

Saying so, Sceptim burst forward, meeting Kalda’s attack in mid-air.