After a day extra of training for Kanbe, he finally was going to use the river to go to Crelens quickly. It seemed counterproductive, but turned out to be faster due to the monster attacks on the roads. As monsters and bandits loved to attack poorly defended wagons and a big entourage would cost more than getting a trading ship to carry the hero, the river path turned out to be the best possible.
But after so many incidents that had happened, the guard was on high alert. An archlich, a wyvern, and an oversized Koi fish: Three dangerous monsters causing incidents near Argeares. That made the entire guard to start considering whether there was someone invested in killing the hero early, and was trying to use monsters to end the hero as a way to cover tracks.
It was a sound idea, as the chapel of Namika would try so, after all the last hero drove them to obscurity, and many necromancers hated the hero as most heroes loved hunting necromancers.
And that was without counting the fact that the king didn't trust the prophecy, and was against the idea of helping the hero. It was natural for some prophecies to fail, with the vast amount of prophets and oracles that lived in Terra, but most of the noble faction believed that the prophecy was true while the royal faction denounced this as a ploy of the church of Zerax.
All of this was a wonderful power fight between the noble faction and the royal faction. For Grandine, this was a perfect situation for her to prepare things for the return of her father. And so, she had been pushing things to first kill the hero and second put bigger distrust between the nobles and the royals.
As all of that had been unfolding, Grandine (or better said, Caroline) had been preparing for the destined day as she settled as the new archbishop. But now, she was in her own room in a massive longship from a noble family known as Teriaquille.
The room itself was basic, a bed, a mirror, a desk, a wooden seat, and a wardrobe. The walls and floor were made of wood, like all the ship, but enchanted to withstand fire, thunders, and physical damage.
And so Grandine was sitting on her bed, as she couldn't (and wouldn't) sit on the wooden seat that had signs of being about to break due to being used by someone clearly with more than a few extra pounds.
But Grandine herself wasn't alone. Nigredo had been teleporting in and out of the ship, as she had been one of her retainers ever since she was a young girl, while no one ever truly noticed her. And now, Nigredo was in the room with a wide smile as she looked at Grandine. It seemed like she had to report something to Grandine.
"Well, Nigredo. Do tell me what you have done." Grandine said, with a smirk on her face.
"Oh, well. First, the Magic Corp has been warned. But by what I heard in the hacked comms I have, it seems like Moriarty is planning to do the same thing. Seems like the legendary mastermind is going to be in our side." Nigredo said, as she smiled widely, while her ears perked up.
"Good. This way, we have more opportunities. From my side, all the attempts of eliminating the hero have been... A failure. Yeah. A half-measure at most. The archlich got too careless, and got wiped out, the wyvern caught a bad case of sudden death due to the Barbarian Hero... And the Koi King got wiped out by the guard. But well, I made my alibis so no one can blame me. So damage control is already done, but do run a few more protocols of damage control just in case." Grandine said, while she pouted.
"Understood, Lady Grandine. Oh, by the way, Prince David is going to kill the king. Or so he plans to do so. I'd love to assist him... After all, the king is no longer useful, and he's starting to catch onto Sumeragi's identity. Of course, having David Junior as a king would be a big issue for us. So I left things to chance, and just pushed the killing contract onto Mina. If she's as good as we feared, we might see her prowess. If not, then we must investigate what happened to Legadonia and her Sunken Guardians." Nigredo said coldly.
"Is it because the king stopped me from joining the hero party?" Grandine asked, curious about her retainer's thoughts.
"In part, yes. He dared to call you a mere snake. But as much as I'd love to get my claws in his throat, I believe that Mina will do enough. She was good enough to catch Lord Sumeragi by surprise, and she took one of his arms. So why not use her, to acquire more data while dooming her future. Lord Evan would have been more... sadistic. But caution is advised when dealing with unknown variables." Nigredo replied coldly.
"Okay, but he shouldn't die too quickly. Also, do try to keep the younger child alive. If possible. In case of father being reborn in a trash body, he might want to transfer his soul onto a better body. And for now, we haven't found a good enough vessel. The best we found was Prince Edward. In fact, if King David must die... Do try to make sure that Mina kills the hero along the way. This way, father can use this to his benefit to torture that bitch while becoming the new king of Elstivia." Grandine said.
"Also, I got a report from Yusu. She found the Rebirth Hero. That hero has two special skills, so she's considering capturing him, so when Lord Evan returns she can deliver her and we can use her as a retainer." Nigredo said, just before she took a deep breath.
"Hm. Which special skills?" Grandine asked, pondering over how useful the boy would be.
"Skill absorption is one of them. It seems to be of high quality, as it is an evolving type. She still is checking out all of them, but the possibility that the hero has Unlimited Ceiling is extremely high." Nigredo replied.
"That special skill and Skill Absorption is an OP combo. She doesn't have special skill limits, and she can absorb skills. And we don't know what Rebirth Hero skills are. Yusu must not risk herself. Contact that psycho, Jack Mcgyvin. He is from the Mcgyvin family. Third generation since Dan Mcgyvin, the godslayer, but their psychotic ideas and innovation seems to be part of the family. And his family and the Macgyvin have worked together ever since Dan and Peter created the godslayer brand Mcgyvin and Macgyvin. In theory, he should be able to capture the hero. And make sure he knows that it's a capture request." Grandine said with a serious tone.
"And what amount of money would be fitting to give him?" Nigredo asked, as she tapped her forehead.
"Three gold coins. If we raise it too much, Jack will be cautious about who we are going after, and he'll raise it up even further once he notices that he's after a hero. If we lower it too much, Jack might try to find a better seller and discover that he got the Rebirth Hero. Then he'll sell us off for the reward, and we will have a loose end." Grandine replied calmly.
"Understood, then I will get ready." Nigredo said, as she circulated mana all across her body.
In a flash of blue that came out of her body, Nigredo was gone. It was clear that she had teleported away, and she was nowhere to be found.
And so Grandine just took a deep breath, as the ship moved towards Crelens to transport the hero to meet the king and receive the next quest he would have to face.
***
In a far away time, way beyond the present, in a ruined castle where there laid countless corpses of soldiers who fought bravely against the one now sitting in a ruined throne made of gold... There laid a single blue haired warrior, with pale skin, a scar on his neck, black eyes, a toned body.
This warrior was wearing a golden armor with blue stripes, which resembled the nerves of the body, and a white cloak. He was wielding a blue sword that had a clock shaped guard, which had the hands in a perfect horizontal shape, as it released mana. Sitting on the throne, there was a young boy with blonde hair, fair skin, who had a golden right eye and a blue left eye, as he was smirking at the warrior. This boy was wearing a blue and dark blue choir dress, with the gloves of the same pattern, a dark blue cape, and a black shoulderguard on his right shoulder.
"So, Haseya. Do you think you can defeat me alone? How many times you tried to save them by sending droves of corrupt guards at me? Saving the heroes is impossible, as everything ends eventually. Zerax's foolish plan ends today, and the hunt of the god of false light begins today. So, I give you a choice: Will you work with me, and become a living retainer of mine, or will you die, and become a Sunken Guardian?" The young boy said, as he smirked at the blue haired warrior, with a calm tone in his voice.
"My choice will not be one you dictate, Evan! My choice is that the light will prevail, and you shall be sealed! Your wrath is not needed! Disappear forevermore!" Haseya exclaimed, as he prepared to face Evan.
"Alas, that is not what shall happen. After all, my wrath is absolutely required. This corrupt world needs to change, and Zerax's corruption shall be burned away. Because if I can even change a single dot of the future life of the children at that orphanage, and they carry on my memory, that shall be enough proof of my existence. Not as a fabled villain, but as a person. But, I shall admit one thing: I respect your bravery, Rebirth Hero. Instead of just fighting one last time when faced against certain death, you walk onwards unto death. If you had appeared in the godslayer era, I believe we would be good friends. Or, at least, acquaintances." Evan said, as he got up from his throne, while mana covered him.
"I have to defeat you. One last fight to the finish! The other heroes will be the ones who fix this world! And we agree in one thing: If our companions remember us, and we manage to change a single dot of their future life, then that shall be enough proof of our existence! My spirit of defiance against your method will be passed along to the other heroes!" Haseya said, while he smiled widely, as his hands trembled.
Evan simply scoffed, but Haseya could see him smile warmly at the words of Haseya, as several thunderbolts came out of his body and struck the blue haired hero. But Haseya managed to dodge them, and charge forward against Evan, while his sword radiated a bright light.
As Haseya got closer to Evan, the boy smirked as countless hands of earth came out of the floor and bound the hero. Once the hero was bound, dark and chilling chains made of pure darkness reinforced the binding.
"A shame, you got strong. But alone you can't even consider hitting me, Earth Binding and Dark Chains will bind you. Of course, you shall break free in no time. But by the time you free yourself from my bindings, you are dead. Fire Spell Variation: Flashfire." Evan said, as his hand was covered in mana.
The cluster made of mana, which had formed in Evan's hand, ignited and with a terrifying heat struck Haseya. With all of his preparation, Haseya's armor managed to protect him from the heat equal to half the temperature of the sun, Haseya managed to break free and strike Evan once. Or so he thought, as his sword was stopped by an invisible force that prevented it from moving one inch forward.
"Nothing can block Levitation, you ought to remember it. You can only push forward. I did give you the choice, and you choose self-destruction. This is why I can't trust anyone to rule this land. You all have self-destructive impulses when it comes to governance, and you don't notice them until it's too late. A failure of the sentient mind, it only recognizes that you are self-destroying yourself once it's too late and the act is being done, and one I should fix with proper education to the populace. But before that, it's time to kill you." Evan said, as black flames sprouted from his left hand and engulfed Haseya, with a sad look in his eyes.
As Haseya was being burned, he considered that there was no way that mere guards could even drain a sliver of Evan's mana. The heroes and the allied troops of the world had done a siege on Crelens castle for at least a week, and Evan still had mana and stamina to spare... As if he had a reservoir of food and water for several years, but that was impossible in Haseya's mind.
"You know, it was a good idea to do a siege on me. Until you remember a couple of things. First, I have a joke item known as Eternal Fountain of Water. A water bottle that never is empty, due to a paradox caused by the enchantments of a forgotten god. Second, I have an item known as Ultimate Grocery Store. By paying with a few mana points, I can have all the food I need. That, and the mana potions the king had, means one thing: I have food for several thousands of years. Of course, I made it seem like I didn't eat by going to eat to the bedroom while I had Noche making a decoy of me in the throne. So while you all ate dried meat, and a few fruits, I had a bona fide feast each day at my disposition. For next time, forget about doing any siege. I will stall you, you idiots, and then I will have better corpses. Death by exhaustion is exactly the best method for getting excellent quality in a corpse. If there's one, that is." Evan said, while his smirk grew wider, as he went to sit down on the throne.
"Eeeeevaaaaan! Damn you, you monster!" Haseya exclaimed, as he rolled in the ground due to the black flames that were burning his body.
"By the way, since black flames eat mana... I suppose your rebirth trick is no longer usable. If I do understand it correctly, from my dear spies, your ability is to be born again once you die and then jump back in time. Cinmos must be rather livid about it. You literally pulled his Magnum Opus, and made death your bitch. And he's the God of Death. But in case it does work: Please, tell me next time we meet. If that's how it works, probably I'll know once I acquire the World Administrator but eeeh... Who knows. Maybe you are hopping from a doomed timeline to another. After all, multiverse theory is quite the sour bitch." Evan said as he summoned a massive burger.
This burger had lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, garlic, a carrot turned into fine strands, sliced olives, cheddar cheese, gouda cheese, bacon, ten thick patties, chili paste mixed with a ketchup that smelled as if someone had added chili, onions, garlic, and several other spicy things. And Evan started eating, as Haseya was burning, without any care in the world while watching the Rebirth Hero squirm.
"You know, I rather prefer clean kills. But after what you have done to my plans? This is the least you deserve. And we both know you don't stay dead for long. So I will just enjoy what I can enjoy most, knowing the excruciating pain you are going through while I am eating a good burger. And both of us know that your last meal has been dried meat, a bit of beer, and an apple. Someone should have warned of the consequences of keeping the doctor at bay, maybe that way you would have eaten a banana instead of an apple." Evan said, just before taking a bite of the massive burger.
The hero couldn't speak much, due to the ever-growing flames that started covering every single inch of the hero's body, but Evan enjoyed his screams while he was eating. Haseya's last view was Evan eating the burger, while he was burned to ashes.
***
Back at the present, in a small room of an inn in Andving, Haseya woke up without their armor. It had been a nightmare due to his last death, the number 269, against Evan. The room itself was simply a room with a sturdy bed, a wardrobe, and a mirror. The walls and floor were made of wood, but Haseya knew that the wood itself was of the tree he was in (as most buildings in Andving were made inside trees and not out of trees), but it was due to the thick tree he was in.
"Another nightmare with the last death. I thought that this wouldn't happen. Seems like either my soul data, as Evan called it, is sent back in time, or it's sent across dimensions. I would have preferred to not learn that. Either way, I suppose that he chose not to keep me this time. Or that, or he didn't want to risk a rebirth as one of his retainers, as I could have been way too much after the mods. Either way, just 18 years more in preparation for Evan. I acquired two new skill trees, and I still have four years. Shame I can't share any data of the future to the other heroes, as a payment for the ability to be reborn each time I die. I got close this time. Last one, Prometheus punched my head in." Haseya said, as 'he' pondered the situation, while opening 'his' status window to check his stats and skills.
Haseya smiled widely as 'he' saw that 'he' had acquired a new passive known as 'Immunity to Curses' from his last cycle. 'He' was a step closer to defeating Evan, but even with the staggering amount of special skills he had... 'He' still didn't manage to kill Evan. Even after using Jia Yeon's strategy, 'he' still was unable to finish him off, and that was frustrating the blue haired hero.
'Each cycle, I die when fighting against Evan or his subordinates. In my first cycle, I died at the hands of his undead army. In the second, Nigredo cut my throat. And during the third, Rubedo broke all my ribs. Each death has been one small step closer. But I am still so far away from killing Evan. But why he took four years to prepare? It went all so smooth... But he wouldn't even need it. Also, his undead were weaker than the ones appearing in the stories. Could it be he paid a cost for reincarnating in this world as the Dark Lord with all of his items, and the chance to become stronger? Or a side effect of a deal with Namika? If so, that means that I have to locate Evan during those four years and kill him. It should be easier with all the passives I have. It's a shame I can only carry on the special skills, and the knowledge, I acquire during each cycle. Being limited to seven skill trees has been devastating when my enemy has way more skills to use.' Haseya thought to himself, as 'he' took a deep breath, and got ready to start the day.
The blue haired hero walked to the mirror, only to see that his body was now a female. She had the same look, until she saw her curves. Haseya now was a voluptuous woman, with an E cup chest, and a rather womanly body. This made Haseya look surprised at her body, this was a first for the Rebirth Hero, but also was terrifying for her.
"Did the black flames affect the soul data? Unless... Due to the hardships caused by them... This has been the price. Agh, that means I must not die when hit by the black flames. I am used to costs like being unable to move for an entire day after rebirth, but this time it's a heavy cost." Haseya said, as she looked at her new figure with the help of the mirror.
Haseya decided to check her wardrobe, as usually there was an outfit she could use inside it, and found a blue and black cropped top, a pair of jeans, black transparent stockings, and black stiletto heels.
"Shit. I have never used heels. Either way, I need to find Rei. The sooner I find a hero, the better. The Magic Corp will try to get me as one of their agents, or something worse now that I look like this. Luckily, my affinity to mana is 100% and my bones have been reinforced with mana. Few people do have this affinity to mana, but most are 80% and get the same." Haseya said, as she got changed into the outfit she found, and managed to walk outside the room with the heels. 'Muscle memory, thank you. That and Mental Musculature will help me remember how to walk in heels.' Haseya thought to herself.
As Haseya walked out of the room, she noticed where she was just by the strong fragrance of Clary Sage, Jasmine, Lavender, and Ylang-ylang. She was in the known escort club of Evelle's Scent, a reputable inn by the populace as they have comfy beds and all... But by the rich, it was known as the biggest escort club anyone could find in Terra.
'Okay, calm down. You were at Evelle's Scent. Maybe just as an individual seeking to sleep! Or you are just rich enough to come here to make deals!' Haseya thought to herself, as she was panicking.
Then she saw another girl, a wolf beastkin, with tanned skin, wolf ears and tail, black eyes, and long black hair. This woman wore the same outfit that Haseya was wearing, if one didn't notice the steel collar she had on her neck, and it seemed like she was just waiting out of the room.
'Okay, goodbye to my hopes. This time, I was an escort. I suppose that my skill tree didn't appear until now, otherwise I'd be a little girl and not an adult, and my parents were pretty poor until I acquired the skill. I guess I accepted a deal to help them out pay the bills. I don't have a collar after all.' Haseya thought to herself, as she was sweating due to both the scents and her worry, while she tried to keep her composure.
Then a shot could be heard, and just a few seconds later, the collar broke into many pieces. Haseya looked surprised, because the escort club wouldn't be destroyed until eight years later in a war, but quickly summoned her sword to defend herself.
As she walked carefully, going towards a circular set of stairs, looking around the area, she saw a tall man with short and spiky red hair, white skin, black eyes, a scar on the bridge of his nose, and with an extremely toned body.
This man was wearing a brown cowboy hat, blue shirt, dark blue jeans, a pair of brown cowboy boots, and he was wielding a rifle that looked like a Winchester lever rifle, with a mana gem engraved on both the firing pin and the lever. The first gem was a ruby, and the second gen was a sapphire.
Haseya couldn't see what the man had shot at, due to an awkward angle of the stairs, but she was sure that the owner of the establishment was dead. She only needed to run away, as she recognized the man with the gun, and find Rei.
'Jack Mcgyvin... Shit. Who paid him to get here and shoot the owner!? He doesn't get any job if it doesn't pay one gold minimum. He's focused on returning the Mcgyvin family to the status it had with their companions back in the godslayer era. Someone must be really angry at the owner. But one more difference between this timeline and the rest of them.' Haseya thought to herself, as she saw Jack using the lever to expel the shell of the bullet and reload from below the lever, while looking for an exit.
"Where's Haseya!? I ain't having this bullshit of using an item on each of the escorts. So if she doesn't come out in a minute, one escort gets shot in the leg!" Jack exclaimed, as he looked around the room.
'Ah, he's seeking me. Why? I should be just a normal escort by now. Not like I checked my status sheet. But I should have the swordsmanship skill tree. I can't take him on, but I could try to win time.' Haseya thought to herself, trying to ponder a solution.
Jack scanned the lower floor, he didn't find Haseya and that made him just scoff, while Haseya was trying to find a way to drop from the second floor of the inn. But after a couple of minutes, Metallican entered inside the inn as he aimed at Jack.
"Jack Mcgyvin. Shame you had to pull this out. You could have always flipped to our side." Metallican said with his mechanical voice.
"I ain't a traitor. Either way, I don't know what my mom could have seen in you before finding pops." Jack said as he aimed at Metallican.
"Your mother had better taste before, then. Shame she wasn't an agent." Metallican said as he prepared an attack with the bracelet he was carrying.
"But she was. Remember Kaede, the superior agent you slept with before becoming a manager? She's my mom. Pops flipped her, fool." Jack said, as he smirked, while aiming his rifle at the bracelet.
"No way." Metallican said, clearly surprised by the reveal, while his bracelet started shining brightly.
"Oh. And she's not the only one. She weights 70 kgs now, around her 90's. A shame that pops loved moonshine so much. He kicked it with cirrhosis, like a dwarf, and even the doctor had to ask if he was a dwarf due to the autopsy. Also, we flipped her brother too. He managed to own a few shops in Baalfira, without you idiots ever knowing. He did weight over 100 kgs, the fatass of my uncle, until he died due to a heart attack while he was eating noodles and choke on them. Good death, all in all. Better than the one you are seeking. If you shoot, I will kill you with my rifle. So, how about we lower the weapons... I get Haseya, and I leave?" Jack said, while keeping his rifle ready to shoot at Metallican's bracelet, while Metallican gasped.
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Haseya was looking at the exchange, weirded out due to how messy it seemed from her position, but chose to use the chance she was given to jump out of the window. With a loud cracking noise, Jack saw how Haseya started running away without her heels.
"Shit. Stand aside, I go after her. I don't want beef with the Magic Corp, not for 3 gold coins. It's a lot of money, but this is an open job. If other mercs have heard of it already, you better pray it's me the one catching her. The client doesn't grab lawful people for this job, unlike the pavilions, so you can guess that all sorts of creeps will go after her." Jack said, as he rushed to go after Haseya, while Metallican blocked the path.
As Haseya was running away, she saw several thugs using leather armors and helmets made of leather and cheap iron pieces. Different sorts of close range weapons, like axes, spears, and swords were aimed at her. But the Rebirth Hero simply summoned her sword, and charged at one of the spear wielding thugs.
The thugs never expected such a move, a froze for a second, and that was what led to Haseya being able to decapitate one of the thugs quickly with her sword. The sword slashed through the leather and the iron pieces with no difficulty, as if there was no armor, to deliver the desired effects.
"Normal rarity weapons against me? One did expect too much of me, and the rest are looking down on me!" Haseya said, as she ran away while the thugs were stunned due to the sword's power.
As Haseya was running away, she was being watched by a pale vampire lady who had red hair, red eyes, a scar made by a gunshot in her throat, and a feminine and motherly face and body. This woman was wearing a red gothic dress that not even nobles would use normally, a pair of red heels, and a red hat with a crimson veil that covered her face. In one of her hands, she held a red umbrella that was opened to protect her from the sun rays, and in the other she held an open fan which covered her mouth.
On the woman's left ear, there was a sort of earpiece that had an amber that released a small amount of mana. That earpiece was a communicator, an item that allowed teams to communicate with each other like if it was a set of walkie-talkies, and Nigredo's voice was coming out of it while the vampire woman was on one of the branches of a tree building.
"Yusu, are you checking out how good the Rebirth Hero is? Or has Jack managed to capture her? We sent so many thugs as fodder, in case the Magic Corp was going after her, and to ensure we got the correct individual." Nigredo's voice came out of the earpiece.
"Yes, but the fodder is crap quality. But it seems she doesn't have skills. Well, unless the Rebirth Hero skills. She summoned a sword that is probably above uncommon rarity. So the fodder will be beyond useless against her. But her speed is unusually high for someone with level 1, so the possibility of special skills is high. I'd say she's a threat level 4. But maybe I am just putting it way too high." Yusu calmly said, while covering her mouth with the fan.
"That's high. A threat level 4 should be answered with a squad of undead back in the godslayer era. But better to overestimate than to underestimate. Usually, all individuals have a limit between one special skill and eight. Only people like Lord Evan had eight. Be careful. A threat level 4 could be an issue when we have to wait." Nigredo said, with a concerned tone.
"Well, a good chance to gauge how the Magic Corp will act and how they will cooperate." Yusu said coldly.
"Probably they'll stupidly jump into the situations we told them not to, but they won't know it until it's too late. So, let's see if getting Jack Mcgyvin was a good choice." Nigredo said.
"Okay." Yusu coldly replied, while watching the chaos that was unfolding.
As Haseya was running, both Metallican and Jack ran after her. One tried to deter the other from catching her, and the other was Jack looking at her right heel.
After two minutes of intense pursuit, Jack stopped and took aim while Metallican didn't notice him.
And then a shot was heard, it came from Jack's weapon and it struck the right heel of the stiletto heels Haseya was wearing.
"Got you now, girl." Jack said with a smug grin.
Haseya tried to keep running, but it led to her falling to the ground due to having her right heel broken. A loud crack could be heard, and Haseya screamed in pain: A bad fall had dislocated her right ankle.
Metallican ran to her side, only to be shot in the shoulder by Jack and forced to take cover inside a building, while Jack moved towards the hero.
"You shouldn't have tried to run, gal. The client wants you alive, so further damage than this is not going to pay my bills. Luckily, the client is close by and you scared my competition. Killing one of them in record time made them retreat. Luckily they don't have to pay a penalty for failing an open job." Jack said while grabbing Haseya by her hair.
"Who asked you to capture me!?" Haseya said, while trying to get away.
"That'd be me." Yusu coldly replied while walking towards Haseya.
"Yusu, of the Meiji Saga? A Sunken Guardian!?" Haseya asked, surprised by the speed of the Sunken Guardians to go after her.
"Yes, it is a joyous occasion for me and my siblings. We may have another sibling soon. But not before the return of Lord Evan." Yusu coldly replied, once more, while closing her fan.
"I thought Nigredo would come and fetch her. Either way, 3 gold coins for this lass? That's not a proper payment. She's a hero, I will have the world after me." Jack said while smirking.
"But it was a payment for the open job. Would you have taken it if it was a closed job, and told you everything?" Yusu said, while she stashed away her fan.
"Never. Going against the Magic Corp is a delight, but I made way too many enemies with this. The elves will skin me alive, for this job alone." Jack said, as he scratched the back of his neck.
"That's why it's an open job. No one would. But she's dangerous for my lord. Also, I believe the heroes would do better without an escort hero. She's a beauty. If she's a good girl, instead of the Sunken Guardian project... We could keep her as an escort." Yusu said, while grabbing Haseya by the face, as she smiled at Jack.
"Escort and a blood pack, right? Damnable vampire!" Metallican said as he shot a massive fire blast from his bracelet at Yusu, who didn't notice him.
As the blast struck her clothes, said clothes absorbed the fire blast and released some steam. This made Metallican look surprised at Yusu, he never could have expected a vampire to carry such strong equipment.
"Lord Sumeragi learned well from his father. Unique item, Báthory's dress. Immunity to fire, thunder, and the sunlight, alongside a sturdiness comparable to a mythril armor. The veil gives me the same immunities and immunity to illusion and charm spells. So... How about you take the hint, and leave... sir Metallican? Gem Wielders never were popular for a reason. Their costs for equipment were worse than the costs of a gun." Yusu calmly said, as she pointed with her sword at Metallican.
As Metallican seemed to be leaving, a holy turret appeared in front of Yusu. The vampire had to jump out of the way, while she saw Sho charging at Jack, as Rei grabbed Haseya and helped her up.
"Killing heroes is not our objective. You'll be paid at a better time, Jack. But for now, allow me to deal with this boy. I suddenly got an urge to bite him." Yusu said, with an enraged tone, as she summoned her fan and aimed at the holy turret.
As Jack nodded, and moved away from Sho while throwing a cylindrical container to the ground, a smoke bomb, to make a smokescreen to get a chance at running away from the area.
"Finally we meet, Yusu Vi Argentum. The mistress of blood, the chef of the Black Flame Devil." Sho said, while preparing to charge at Yusu, as he summoned a dagger made of a dark material akin to steel, with a pommel and handle made of wood and leather.
"Oh, you know me? What a delight! I love drinking from cute boys who are knowledgeable." Yusu said, as she shot a dagger made of blood to the turret. The shot managed to disable the turret in one go, as it pierced through the turret.
"Of course I do! You killed my parents!" Sho exclaimed as he glared at Yusu.
"Oh! Now I remember! That escort girl and her boss! Their blood was delicious, especially after adding the blood of their trusted bodyguard. Have you come to take revenge, little boy? I was merciful with them. Had Lord Sumeragi found them, you'd be dead by now. They tried to make their own escort club, and take Lord Sumeragi's girlfriend. They got off quite well, if you tell me. They fed me for two long years, and you have a beautiful girlfriend. An annoying one, though, but that's just a matter of perspective." Yusu said, as she was clearly smiling, while Sho charged at her.
Sho had the same AGI stat compared to Yusu, but he noticed quickly that she was way faster than expected, as Yusu parried and dodged calmly all of his attacks and with far more strength than she should have.
"You noticed. Same agility, different result. Why? Thank Lord Evan for this. My agility factor is 1.6. Just like the rest of physical status. Adding so many growth boosters and hormones, with a liquid filled with mana, led to this wondrous body! A shame the old host of this corpse can't see it in action!" Yusu said excitedly, as she was surpassing Sho in finesse and strength, as she pushed Sho away with her strength.
And the remaining thugs charged at Yusu, clearly angry by her actions, only to be slashed in half by Yusu as she smiled widely. A wide slash that seemingly left herself open, which Sho used to charge and try to stab her with his dagger. But as soon as Sho got too close, he was pushed far back by a tornado coming out of Yusu's fan.
"Oh, well. You know. Sending fodder is never good for their health. So how about you leave? Oh, wait! You can't! You are outclassed, and like your skills... You are half of what you should be!." Yusu said as she smirked deviously.
Sho gritted his teeth, as he was going to get up, while Yusu just made her sword disappear and a purple cube floated above her. Sho knew exactly what Yusu was going to do, and tried to charge at her until the purple cube shot a small laser that pierced his right leg. With one leg pierced by a very small laser shot, Sho could only fall as Yusu was teleported away by the cube.
***
In a very dark room, which no human could see inside, with a velvet carpet covering the floor, a couple of wooden chairs made of what would be Italian maple and a round table made of the same wood. Nigredo was sitting in one of the two chairs, the one facing the north part of the table, waiting for Yusu excitedly.
Yusu appeared inside the room in a purple flash, and calmly sat down in the other chair, while she smirked at Nigredo. As Yusu did that, Nigredo summoned a few cards with representations of Sho, Rei, Haseya, Jack, Metallican, and Kanbe.
"So, tell me, Yusu. Who is the one I should be more aware of?" Nigredo asked, while smiling at Yusu.
"This one, without a doubt, is the worst threat." Yusu said as she grabbed Jack's card.
"Interesting. Not a hero. But a Mcgyvin." Nigredo said with an interested face.
"He's not going to take it softly that we sent him to capture a hero for just three gold coins. It's a fortune, but the risk is way too much. No one would take this sort of job. He'll want revenge for that. And he's a loose end. This ended up being a half-measure due to Sho's interference. Lord Evan would be fuming if he knew that. If there's one thing he hates, that's a half-measure. Even if it's to acquire information." Yusu said, as she looked sternly at Nigredo.
"Hmmm. We can always fix that issue. After all, his sister has an incurable disease. And since it's a disease that comes from the incapacity of using mana, that means that panacea won't save her." Nigredo said, as she smirked widely, while looking at the other cards.
"What are you planning?" Yusu asked with a curious face.
"Because you were always away from the labs, unlike me, you don't know how to heal the chronic mana leakage disease. But I do, as I was in the labs for a long time with Lord Evan while he tested how I was doing. And the solution is simple: Infect the individual with the vampire virus. They'll die, at first, but due to the virus exceptional capacity of adapting the body and making it more receptive to mana mutations... Well, it fixes the issue." Nigredo replied, while she smirked, as Yusu looked surprised at Nigredo.
"I see. That has its logic. But that means you are going to make me produce blood to infect her, no?" Yusu said as she looked surprised.
"Nope. I got the ideal blood for her. A recently deceased noble vampire. You know how powerful the mutated vampire virus is. It's a 100 percent success plan. Of course, if we add a bit of growth booster alpha... Let's say a drop... That will make her a noble vampire. I have a vial of growth booster alpha, the rest is in the hands of Prometheus. You know how Lord Evan would never trust any of us to hold his chemicals. So either is in his inventory, or in Prometheus. Or, in this case, both." Nigredo said, before sighing.
"That will make Jack happy, and make sure that the Mcgyvin family stays quiet. Without counting the effects of the noble vampire boosts in her, she'll essentially skyrocket the influence of the company in the underground. That could be the perfect path for them to be back to what they used to be in the godslayer era." Yusu said, while smiling at Nigredo, as Nigredo nodded.
"Then who is next? Who is the most dangerous individual right after Jack?" Nigredo asked.
"This one, undoubtedly, is going to be a problem as a hero." Yusu said as she grabbed Rei's card.
"She makes herself look stupid, but after what we have seen... It's clear that's just her fucking with us. Killing her won't be easy, as she's making lots of big friends. The usual sneak in and crush her throat won't work." Nigredo said, as she frowned, while Yusu just took a deep breath.
"Wouldn't it be better to utterly crush her dreams, and make her suffer for her insolence? It's doable if we put our back into it. We just have to drag her into our ground, and then have her messing up with the church of Zerax. The moment that happens, we can get Robin involved and see her popularity and connections burn bright. And once that happens... We can get close to her and crush her neck." Yusu said, as she considered the idea with a wide smirk.
"I should remember that you are as vicious as Lord Sumeragi and Lord Evan. How scary. Well, it's doable. But the question is: Is it worth it? Killing a hero right now is asking for all the world to go after our necks." Nigredo said, as she smirked at Yusu, while Yusu shrugged.
"Then why not waiting until we can do so well? Preparing it might take a while, but if we do it over time... We can call it in." Nigredo proposed, as she tapped the table with one of her fingers.
"Good idea. I suppose that Sho and Metallican won't be issues. Am I right?" Nigredo said, while showing both the Sho and Metallican cards.
"Indeed. As long as Veltian is in trauma due to Evan, and the executives don't get cocky. Otherwise, Metallican can be trouble. A slightly annoying one. If Veltian ever recovers, he might be the first to send Metallican after us. That bitch boy needs to stay traumatized. I suppose Rubedo can ensure that." Nigredo said, as she scowled.
"And later you say I am vicious. When it comes to Lady Grandine, you don't pull any stops. Rubedo is an exorcist, so why don't you set things so an exorcist checks the area. Maybe a devil worshipper appears as an agent of the corp." Yusu said.
"Good idea, that will remind Veltian of what it means to mess with a Von Aegilard. After all, their story is told in fear and paid in blood and suffering." Nigredo said with a cold gaze, as a sadistic smile formed on her mouth.
"You are absolutely right, sister. Now, let's go for the real threats. Kanbe and Haseya. Kanbe is an unknown for me, so I may be overestimating him. But Haseya? She's lucky and a threat. And she's close to Rei now. Her potential to raise our issues is untold. And we can't deal with her right now. She'll be with Rei. This makes our work a lot harder." Yusu said, with a scowl on her face.
"Kanbe was checked out by Lady Grandine. Heavenly Defiant attacks. He's a threat. Without a doubt. But touching him is burning our hands in a pyre. Our attempts have the guards in alert, if the hero plays it well... The king may be convinced into believing that a dark lord is already setting pieces by the actions we have taken. At this rate, it'll be impossible to avoid the influence of Zerax's church on the king. And I rather prefer a foolish king than a competent one working with them." Nigredo said coldly.
"And Haseya is in a similar situation thanks to Rei. We can't handle directly the threats. Our attempts may get the king to cooperate with Katas, just because we have chosen our side when trying to make sure that the elven king couldn't extort Elstivia. If we had Prometheus, we could just barge in and kill them all at once. But we must do this without Prometheus. It's going to take a while." Yusu said with a worried face.
"Yeah, but at least we know the threats to worry about. At least that counts for something. But even then, we have a lot of things to worry about." Nigredo said as she pouted.
"Well, all in due time, right? So let's not stress ourselves to death." Yusu said, as she got up.
"Yeah, it's not like we are the ones who should be in the spotlight, after all. That's for Lord Evan and the Von Aegilard family." Nigredo said, as she smiled warmly at Yusu.
And so the two girls decided to just focus on what they could do, as they would have to carry out their duties as retainers of the Von Aegilard family, while doing their best to do it in a way they found proper.
Yusu Status:
Race: Undead and Vampire.
Gender: Female
Age: 736 years old
Height: 1 meters and 50 centimeters.
Three sizes: 86/58/88
Cup Size: DD
Likes: Japanese traditions, kimonos, European dresses, heels, helping Sumeragi, loyal people, godslayers that get along with Evan.
Dislikes: Seeing Sumeragi angry or hurt, insults against Evan or anyone of his family, spicy food, corruption, hypocritical people, slavers.
Level: 60 (From the body)+20 (From the parasite)
STATS:
HP: 60000/60000
MP: 55000/55000
STR: 500
VIT: 500
INT: 900
DEX: 600
AGI: 500
Magic affinity: Basic Magic, Fire Magic, Blood Magic, Wind Magic.
Skill affinity: Magician, Pulse master, Alchemist, Chef, Survivalist, Monster Master, Dismantler, Tamer.
Titles: Former Godslayer, Grand Chef of the Magic Corp, The Dismantler, the fifth of the 16 Sunken Guardians.
Special skills:
Mana recovery: Active, 0 MP. The user lowers the cost of all the skills by a 50% for an hour. Only works once every day.
Surgical Precision: The aim of the user is higher than average.
Chef's Precision: The precision of the user in determining if something is well-cooked is enhanced.
Sound Booster: Sound-based skills are stronger than usual, and way more precise.
Processing boost: The user can think faster than usual.
Potential Unleashed: The user gains 400 status points extra at the cost of losing one affinity. One use only.
Soul of Magic: The mana recovery becomes 50 MP/second.
Overclocking: Active. 50 MP/second. The slime that makes the main body of this creature boost the body to go beyond limits. All stats increase a 20%, all limitations of any active skill the creature holds disappears. Causes stress to the slime, and usage without any limitation will lead to death.
Emergency Heal: Active, 100 MP. The slime that makes the main body can repair their host quickly, recovering a 40% of the total HP of the host.
Ego Destruction: The slime has completely destroyed the ego that the brain had, and absorbed the memories of the host without gaining their personality.
Chemical Enhancement: Due to the parasitic relationship of the corpse and the slime, the body has been upgraded, in terms of metabolism and processing speed, to a level the host would never reach on their own.
Parallel Leveling: Both the host and the slime share the same level bar. So once the host levels up, the slime levels up too. This said, the host gains all the status points and the slime gains all the skill points, which the slime can use to further improve itself or the host.
Parallel Processing: Usually a monster skill. Allows to process things faster with a doubled mental processing. (Obtained via usage of twenty skill points by the slime)
Skills:
Pulse master (Master):
Mana Sense: Passive. Allows the user to sense through walls/doors and other kinds of less than 10 inches thick superficial obstacles.
Pulse aiming: Passive. Allows the user to aim the pulses easily.
Pulse Location: Passive. Allows the user to find others only by the sound waves they release while walking.
Focal Pulse: Active, 20 MP. A focalized pulse that can go through walls and damages the target internally.
Wide Pulse: Active, 60 MP. The user can stir the mana field in a small area to provoke a little shake on the area surrounding him/her.
Linear Pulse: Active, 60 MP. The user can shoot a linear pulse that pushes everyone away from the user. Range: 25 meters.
Quake Punch: Active, 120 MP. The user can punch a living target and make it shake like it a really small quake was going inside the target.
Quake Field: Active, 250 MP. The user can make a 500 meters field that provokes a small earthquake inside the field.
Earthquake Pulse: Active, 1500 MP. The user makes a pulse on a plain area. This pulse will provoke an earthquake enough strong to topple trees.
Survivalist (Master):
Survival Specialist: Passive. Allows the user to survive harsh conditions for extended periods of time, and grants the ability to recover from any ailment with enough time.
Survivalist Stomach: Passive. The user can withstand easily eating rotten food, with only some minor indisposition.
Survivalist Compass: Passive. The user knows always where he/she is, and which path to take in order to go back. Only works as long as the eyes are open, and if the user has seen the path they have followed.
Survivalist Last Stand: Passive. If the user is going to die due to not natural causes like starvation, once per month, they can heal themselves up to optimal condition.
Trap Making: Active, 10 MP. The user can make all kinds of traps, as long as he/she understands how to make them.
Mapping: Active, 20 MP. The user can make a map of the area with their mana, to plan where they go.
Marker Addition: Active, 30 MP. The user can place a mana signal on an object and is able to sense it in a range of 200 meters.
Light Sprint: Active, 2 MP/minute. The user can increase their speed a 200% while running. Pinnacle skill.
Alchemist (Master):
Knowledge of medicinal and poisonous herbs: The user can recognize the plants that are good to use for medical use and the ones that are used to make poison.
Knowledge of medicinal properties: The user can recognize all the items that can be used to make items to heal people.
Synthesis: Active, 5 MP. The user can merge several items using different methods to create an item. The user needs to have the equipment to do it.
Mass Synthesis: Active, 50 MP. The user can merge huge amounts of materials using different methods to create an item. The user needs to have the equipment to do it.
Decompose: Active, 5 MP. The user can decompose anything as long as he/she can touch it.
Mass Decompose: Active, 50 MP. The user can decompose vast amounts of anything as long as he/she can touch it.
Restore: Active, 5 MP. The user can restore things that have been damaged but needs materials similar to what has been lost. For example, an arm lost would need meat, calcium and lots of time.
Alchemistry of terrain: Active, 20 MP. The user can modify the terrain using his ability.
Alchemical Eye: Active, 0 MP. The user can recognize anything and be capable of reproducing it.
Dismantler (Master):
Monster structure view: Allows the user to see perfectly the structure of a monster, and so making the dismantling easier.
Bladed precision: The user is more precise while using any kind of blade.
Efficient Dismantler: The user can dismantle corpses quicker than average.
Damage Assessment: Active, 20 MP. The user can assess quickly the state of a corpse.
Drop Assessment: Active, 20 MP. The user can assess quickly the drops of an enemy, just by looking at it.
Dismantling: Active, 5 MP/second. Allows the user to dismantle a body without thinking, cutting quickly the nerves and muscles of the corpse without damaging it badly.
Battle Dismantling: Active, 100 MP. The user can dismantle an enemy, cutting quickly the parts of the enemy, as long as the weapon is able to cut through the enemy.
Mass Dismantling: Active, 120 MP/second. Allows the user to handle 3 corpses at the same time. But every single attack the user receives will deal critical damage.
Chef (Master):
Ingredient Knowledge: Passive. Allows the user to recognize several ingredients, and knows which are edible and which aren't.
Utensil Knowledge: Passive. Allows the user to understand what any cooking utensil does.
Mechanical Movement: Passive. The user moves more efficiently while cooking, allowing him/her to be lose less stamina while cooking.
Mental Cooking Training: Passive. The user has more resistance towards mental fatigue, which makes him/her be able to think faster in the recipes.
Cooking: Active, 5 MP. The user can use mana to manipulate several items while cooking, allowing him/her to do several steps at the same time.
Heating Up: Active, 2 MP. The user can use mana to raise the temperature in an oven or an item used for cooking.
Multiple Recipes Progression: Active, 20 MP. The user can do several recipes at the same time, but it's extremely strenuous for the mind.
Detoxification of food: Active, 30 MP. The user can take out the poison in some foods.
Magician (Master):
Magic Knowledge: Passive. Allows the use of magic.
Magician's soul: Passive. All spells cast by the user are a 20% stronger.
Magic control: Passive. All spells are cast 10% faster. Some can even be used without chanting.
Magic modification: Passive. The spells can be modified to give them new effects and change the way they are used.
Chantless: Passive. The minor spells will be automatically cast without even saying the name of the spell and the user only has to think in the spell and the adept spells only will have to be chanted entirely when using magic modification.
Wind Magic:
Wind bullet: Active, 1 MP. The user shoots a bullet of concentrated wind that can pierce even iron.
Wind twister: Active, 5 MP. The user cast a tornado that sends everyone flying. It is shot from the user's hand.
Wind blade: Active, 10 MP. The user can either create a wind blade to cut the enemy or implant the wind element temporarily in a blade.
Wind improvement: Active, 12 MP. The user temporarily has an extra 30% AGI.
Wind Burst: Active, 15 MP. Makes a burst of wind that can push objects, but also pushes the caster in an opposite direction.
Wind Fang: Active, 20 MP. The caster makes a concentrated blade of wind that has even more cutting power than the wind blade in a sword.
Gale's wings: Active, 35 MP. Pinnacle spell. Surround the body or an object with wind, allowing the user to control it and use it for other spells without wasting extra mana. Also makes the user a 50% faster.
Wind's blessing: Pinnacle spell, 0 MP. The user can add the wind element to any other spell.
Blood Mage:
Blood whip: Active, 5 HP. Creates a whip made of blood.
Blood extraction: Active, 20 MP. Extracts the blood of an enemy from afar. Drinking the blood will heal him.
Blood Blade: Active, 10 HP. It allows the user to create blades of blood that will crystallize and become as strong as steel.
Blood threads: Active, 1 HP. The user can create threads of blood as strong as iron.
Blood daggers: Active, 5 HP. The user can create daggers made of blood as strong as iron that can be thrown.
Blood Manipulation: Active, 80 MP. The user can manipulate the things made of blood and change their direction when thrown, destroy them, etc.
Blood Restoration: Active, 60 HP. The user can heal someone else using blood. Won't work if the target is bleeding.
Blood Shield: Active, 40 HP/60 MP. The user can cover himself/herself using his/her own blood, but it can withstand spells and physical attacks alike while following the user.
Blood Reinforcement: Active, 1000 HP/1000 MP. The user can use the blood of his body to improve permanently two of their body attributes. Pinnacle spell.