The ground quaked and the skies cleared as the Emperor's Blade emerged from beneath the castle. Now revealing itself to the people in all its glory under the sun, the machine was now ready to serve its purpose.

Gaius turned the staff he was holding into a small golden platform, which he could manipulate at will. He could change the properties of any gold at subatomic levels, allowing him to transform garbage into precious objects. This worked in tandem with his passive, ⌈Midas Touch⌋, which could turn any object he touched into gold with the exception of organic begins.

He hopped on the golden platform, which grew railings on all sides. It then flew toward the gigantic mecha, around triple the height of the tallest building in the capital, overshadowing the city. He entered the machine through the back of its head after a small entrance opened for him. The interior was not filled with various controls and visuals but had a simple but advanced control system composed of various sensors around the shoulder, head, knees, elbows, hands and feet as well as various other parts. The entire front part of the interior was covered with a large screen, indicating the battery life, vitality signs as well as remaining ammo and current location. Gaius entered the centre of the skull and equipped himself with the sensors. He had been training for this very moment, and he was perfectly confident he could pull it off.

While the exterior of the machine was made of titanium alloy enforced with magic as well as other materials, the inner parts included many gold platings. Combined with the sensors and his gold-mancy, he had complete control over the Emperor's Blade. Gaius gathered his strength and began lifting the machine into the sky with his own abilities as well as the jet engines on the boots and back of the machine. He would head directly into the middle of the enemy's army.

"This is the day of retribution!"

...

When Orchestra and Poda-Bruss woke back up, they were greeted by the nervous Satie.

"I hope it didn't hurt too much..."

"It's fine, my honour is more wounded than my body" replied Orchestra

"Well that's good because an undead army is approaching the city now"

"An undead army?!"

"We suspect that it is the work of a demon lord. Perhaps they somehow found out about the Emperor's Blade or Championnat's plan to attack Sonosis or something. Anyhow, we need you guys' help against the army"

"...Where's your lord?" asked Poda-Bruss

"My lord is piloting the Emperor's Blade right now" replied Satie while pointing at a shining dot in the sky, as if it was a comet as bright as the sun

Poda-Bruss and Orchestra did not quite understand, but they continued on.

"We have to stop the zombie army, but we also have to stop Gaius from invading Sonosis. But even if we stop the demon lords, how will we stop Gaius?" said Orchestra

"...If I recall correctly, Sacrosanct was able to resist the mind control thanks to the heirloom he had. Perhaps that is the key to defeating him..." suggested Poda-Bruss"

"..."

"...You guys do know I'm still here right?" said Satie "Geez. you guys know what will happen if you try to attack Gaius again..."

"But this is regarding the fate of the world, Miss Satie!"

"...I kind of get it. I know war and I know that this is kind of rushed, but it is a soldier's duty to follow and I will follow my lord to the bitter end"

"...It's strange, isn't it? Most of the other heroes, with the exception of Solas, didn't consider a direct attack on Sonosis so soon... Gaius seems like an intelligent man himself, so there must be something that we don't know about him. Satie, do you know why he hates Sonosis so much?"

"Well... I don't know if I can tell you guys this, but he did tell me once..."

"Miss Satie," said Orchestra while holding Satie's hands "We really have to know, the fate of the three nations are at risk!"

"...I suppose you are right. Then let me illustrate to you, the source of my lord's resentment"

...

Gaius was conceived after a demon lord's raid on Avangarden, which resulted in the death of both the hero and the demon lord of the 76th era. He was an unwanted birth, and in this desecrated, war-torn nation, the human mother abandoned her child, unable to bring herself to kill it. Gaius did not have a name like many other children of the time but was named Roland by the people at the orphanage, a name he did not like.

Roland was born an incubus. When a succubus or an incubus had a child with a human, it would always be an incubus or a succubus. However, Roland did not know this until later in his life. The earliest memories he could recall was when he was in the local orphanage, bullied for his weak constitution and small stature. The orphanage was overcrowded by children and was no place for a child to grow. One time, Roland was locked into a closet, but with the constant noise of the children, no one could hear his screams, with him being found after two days.

Perhaps if Roland was an average Incubus, things would have ended here with him growing out of the orphanage and working at a factory job without knowing his powers. Many incubuses and succubuses of the world actually got through their lives without awakening their dormant ability as the demonic blood diluted in human blood. However, Roland was destined for greatness from birth. Like how demon lords created from suffering had greater mana capacity and resolve, Roland was born in a hellish time, forcing him to develop or die. From his 8th birthday, Roland's left iris began to slowly turn red, a strange symbol appearing upon it. Normally, this would be considered a bad omen and he would be thrown out of the orphanage, but this was no ordinary curse. Most incubus and their kind can use a variety of charms, ranging from small influences to direct mind control. What Roland developed was a form of permanently active passive charm.

Whilst still not fully understanding the meaning of the charm, his life began to turn around for the better. His caretakers gave him more food and attention, his peers stopped bullying him and befriended him and even the people on the streets treated him better. It was a dream come true for Roland. However, this did not change the fact that he was still an orphan, and on the day he turned 12, he decided to leave the orphanage once and for all. At this point, he could charm a specific individual without knowing how to cast a spell by just utilizing his talent, though he still did not realize that he was an incubus.

At this point in time, he grew a deep-rooted hatred for Avangarden and its people. Those around him could not convey their true emotion due to his passive, making their words false and sugar-coated. The nation did not do him much good, and he did not feel any sort of patriotism for the destroyed nation.

Roland went from one rich family to another, charming them out of their money. Rumours did not spread as the families gave him the money of their own volition, Gaius leaving when he realized that the family was no longer rich enough. He understood from a young age that money was the same as power, and with power, he could create a good life for himself. He did not feel any guilt while stealing, nor did he care for the law. He was simply doing what he needed to do to survive these cruel streets.

When he was 16 years old, he began his first criminal organization. The streets were still dangerous, so he started a business selling protection. His gang was composed entirely of orphans, and he slowly but surely became radicalized by the influences around him. He began calling for the destruction of Avangarden, to restart with a new government like they did hundreds of years ago.

His gang began to evolve into a political terrorist cell, their main objective being the replacement of the current king with Roland. However, they were still teenagers and their activities would often end in failure. After repeated fruitless plans, Roland finally came up with their final solution, the assassination of the king, as Sacrosanct did years ago.

Sacrosanct was actually one of the main inspirations for his organization. His bravery against the royals is a famous legend, especially around the time when public unrest was at an all-time high. He was the man who ended a king with one arrow and ended the government with one army. Roland aspired to be like him, to bring righteous retribution to the government.

It was finally the day of the assassination as the king paraded around the part of Cadra where the noble and rich lived. Roland would be the one to fire the arrow, and the arrow would lead him to the destruction of the royals.

However, while he was waiting for the signal, he was found by a bright-eyed woman with a strangely shining aura.

"Huuuh? I thought incubuses were all about love! Why are you so filled with hate? I'm a bit disappointed..."

"W-who are you?! Incubus? What are you talking about? " shouted Roland

"Me? Hmm... To be honest, I don't know how much I'm allowed to tell you... It's just been a long while, you know? Well, I guess I can tell you my name. I'm Okami!"

"Are you... here to stop me?"

"Hmmm? Stop you? From doing what? Anyways, I'm just on a mission, what you do is not up to me"

"...Alright then, what do you want?"

"Eh... What do I want again...? Oh yeah! I'm here from the order of the Goddess. Congratulations, you are being chosen as the new hero of Avangarden!"

"M-me? A hero? Are you kidding me?"

"Why would I jest? Anyways, ask the Goddess if you have any questions. Oh, wait! I have something I have to tell you... Raha told me that it was super important... Gah, what is it?!"

Roland turned back around to look for the signal. The king had not yet come to the area yet. After a minute, the carriage could finally be spotted, and he waited for the signal to fire.

"...Do you know who your father is Roland?"

"...I don't know. How do you know my name?"

"Your father was a demon! He came to the kingdom during the invasion and well... You get where I'm going with this right?"

"..."

"Hm... Maybe you knew deep inside your heart, but let me put it into words for you. It isn't Avangarden who destroyed your life, it's Sonosis and the evil, disgusting demons!"

Roland held his arrow tightly, and his mind began to process what he had heard.

"Let's destroy Sonosis, not Avangarden! That's where the real evil is, the source of all your suffering since birth! Let the Goddess give you the power to set things right!"

"..."

"Do you accept?"

Roland saw the light signal flashing, telling him to take the shot. However, he hesitated and the ten-second window available passed by as he pondered what he was doing.

Being a hero for the nation he hated... Perhaps the hate was unjustified, Avangarden was the victim of the raid after all. Perhaps with the destruction of Sonosis, he could finally get his retribution...

"...Well, I just missed my target. I suppose I have no choice but to accept your offer"

"Great! And by the way, after you become a hero, feel free to do whatever you think is best for the nation! If you kill the king, we don't mind you know"

"I... I will destroy Sonosis, even if it kills me"

"Then I hereby declare you the 77th hero of Avangarden by the authority of the Goddess!"

A ray of light descended from the sky and showered Roland with immense pressure. However, he held on and accepted the heavy burden as well as the responsibility.

"Ah! Let me also give you some lessons on being a good incubus. Wait, I should just give you a book! And figuring out what your whole hero shtick is about? Well, that's up to you to figure out. Bye-bye!"

And so the mysterious figure with pink hair ran away from the scene, leaving Roland alone above the building.

It was strange and abrupt, but Roland was a hero now. He wondered what he had been doing all this time, fighting a lesser evil when the demon kingdom was right in front of his eyes.

Roland decided that if he wanted to become a good hero, he would need a new identity, separate from his terrorist past. He would need to level his passive charm to a new level so that no one would question him. He'd also need a new name...

On that day, Roland, the poor child with a difficult past, the misguided terrorist died, leaving only Gaius, the hero sworn to destroy Sonosis behind.

Gaius continued on his path of destruction. First completely taking over the government without firing a single arrow and without an army. Just by charming a few important individuals, he had the entire nation in the palm of his hands. Next, he appointed himself king and began improving his nation using his new passive ⌈Midia's Touch⌋ and his arumancy.

He also had many encounters with Luvru, their final encounter occurring in Championnat, but that was a story for another day...

...

"I see... It seems that he is misguided by his new principle. I used to be similar until I was resurrected here - I mean, I wasn't a terrorist, but by meeting the 99th demon lord and working alongside her, I've learned a lot about Sonosis and I've even been there too"

"Wait, wait, wait. You guys have a demon lord?!"

"Well, we used to... It's a long story, but we haven't time for that. Come on, let's find Sacrosanct!"

"Alright then"

Satie summoned the dark puddle once more and out lingered a new blade. However, this one was rusty and covered in blood, not fit to be used in battle.

"You sure do have a lot of weapons..."

"These are from the royal armament in Shiryu. I'm surprised that all the blades are still there, but this one specifically is used to capture escaped prisoners"

"How do you plan to use it?"

"Well, I know that your friend might still be with the prince since my lord saw Sacrosanct escape with him. This blade is like a hunting dog; it remembers the smell of someone's blood and uses it to track where they are"

Satie carefully turned the blade left and right, waving it gently in the air. She began to calibrate bit by bit, eventually settling on a direction.

"The weight of the blade tells me that the prince is in this direction. Come on! Let's get to him right away!"

Satie, Orchestra and Poda-Bruss began running toward the pointed direction as the skies began to rumble on this clear day. Soon, the heavens closed with clouds, water pouring upon mortals.

...

As the rain unrelenting, Velvel continued her army's march to Championnat, sitting on her greatest creation - Alice. She sat on the giant monstrosity's shoulder, its continued wailing and groans of pain music to Velvel's ears. She was a demon lord, but she was first and foremost an artist. Her greatest ambition in life - or after death - was to create a masterpiece with the beautiful corpse of a hero. Now, there were two in Championnat, and she'd be happy to defeat even one.

Alice suddenly stopped in its tracks, almost causing Velvel to fall off. As the creature turned toward the sky, so did the demon lord. A faint sparkle appeared, penetrating the dark clouds. Before Alice could get out of its way, the Emperor's Blade landed on top of the giant, striking it down onto the ground. Velvel fell off the giant and onto the floor, but she quickly dusted herself off and tightly grasped her staff.

She was surprised and confused. The two heroes she confirmed were here did not have such a machine when she last saw them. Perhaps there were more heroes, or this was a Championnat soldier or perhaps there were more heroes than she anticipated. However, none of this wouldn't matter. She was confident that her army was unstoppable with over a million different art pieces she had created over the weeks making their way to the kingdom. It'd be impossible to stop them all.

"Demon lord! I am here to vanquish the filth of the world, and you will be the first sacrifice" sounded the speakers on the Emperor's Blade

Velvel now knew for sure this was a hero, probably a new one. She commanded Alice to stand up and the rest of the swarm to focus on the hero.

Gaius vs. Velvel

Gaius began the battle by stomping on the earth beneath, causing the rumbling to knock down the zombies. He would need to focus on the gigantic creature first, as it was grabbing onto his other foot, limiting his mobility.

He began stomping on what he believed was the face of the monster, but Alice stood unfazed and began climbing up the Emperor's Blade with its many arms.

Gaius pulled out his gigantic chainsaw from his modular back. Its blade made of diamond and the body made of reinforced titanium - with gold in the centre - it was one of the more expansive additions to the battlesuit. He hoped that all the taxpayers' money was worth it.

He activated the chainsaw with the mana reserve of the robot itself and the blades began turning at incredible speeds, the teeth but a blur to the naked eye. Gaius began to grind Alice into a pulp, fleshing splattering everywhere, drenching the entire army as well as Velvel in blood.

In a quick response, Velvel summoned the massive skeleton's torso, which Alice away from the chainsaw's range. It'd be terrible if the pieces she had been working on for days were destroyed in minutes. The monster healed in an instant as the giant torso returned to the ground.

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As Alice stood up, Gaius realized that the beast was almost the size of the Emperor's Blade, but the royal machine was still bigger.

He continued his battle, swinging his chainsaw at Velvel, which easily cut off its limbs, which grew back in an instant. Gaius knew that most creatures with such great healing had a weak spot - usually their heart or brain - which they could not regenerate. However, no matter how many times he cut the beast, it never seemed to back down as it continued to heal.

Gaius activated the flamethrowers in the palm of the Emperor's Blade, which charred the beast. However, the burnt skin simply peeled off to reveal fully healed flesh. If he wanted to defeat this monster he would need to find its weak spot.

Gaius sheathed his chainsaw back into its place and squared up. He would do anything it takes, including searching every part of the monster's horrendous figure to find its weak spot.

As he continued his battle, he couldn't help but continue to think about the giant skeletal figure underground. How could she have possibly done that? There was more to this demon lord than advanced necromancy. She also seemed to be well versed in terramancy, seeing how the ground returned perfectly to its previous state as the skeleton returned beneath the earth. Then why didn't she use that to fight instead? Perhaps if Gaius figured that out, he would learn the key to this battle.

Suspicious, Gaius used the Emperor's Blade to lift up the beast and found its heart dangling beneath its left foot. As expected, the combination of necromancy and terramancy had tricked him.

The giant struggled and pushed Gaius down onto the ground with it. Velvel was carefully observing the battle and she knew that this opportunity may never return again. She recalled the skeleton pulling the robot deep beneath the ground.

As the Emperor's Blade struggled to break free of the grasp, Gaius noticed something strange. The giant skeleton was moving as if it was underwater, swimming through the rough and coarse dirt with ease. Perhaps that was the key to Velvel's terramancy, the ability to change the property of the earth. He had never seen anything quite like it before and so he assumed that it was a high-level spell. Everything started to make sense to him. Velvel did not attack using terramancy because she couldn't. Her terramancy was limited to the change of property. She also couldn't use terramancy for her whole army because she was using it on the gigantic skeleton and the monster's heart.

Gaius quickly used his rocket boots to break free of the skeleton's grasp and lingered in the sky. He then launched a barrage of missiles, creating a large smokescreen for him to work in.

He then activated his mana vision, which allowed him to see the flow of mana. This was useful for identifying magical creatures as well as humans with great mana potential. It could also be used to see if someone was charging up to use a spell or to tell one's general emotion. In this situation, Gaius utilized the technology to locate Alice. After confirming, he swooped in and brought it up to the sky.

It continued its struggle as Gaius pulled out his chainsaw once again. The heart of the beast began moving from its foot to other parts of the body, but it was too late. With a quick strike, the heart of the beast was destroyed, killing it instantly.

Velvel was upset at the loss but knew that she would be next. She had to do something before she died once again. Velvel really did not want to do this, but she was forced to summon the entirety of the giant skeleton. It was the remains of an extremely rare supergiant which was over a thousand years old, Velvel's most prized possession. She did not create the piece, but her master did. It was her still-living master's masterpiece, the last memory of her. After she became a zombie and a demon lord, she forgot about her master. What she looked like, what her name was, what their relationship was like. All that was inherited was her passion for art, which was twisted in a demonic way.

Velvel had no past, but at this rate, she would have no future either. The giant skeleton crawled out of the ground, fully emerging itself in the rain for the first time in centuries.

Gaius quickly identified his target and attacked with another barrage of missiles, which it blocked with its arms. Its bones were abnormally tough, comparable to diamond as they were the bones of a supergiant. It was also reinforced with magic, making it basically invulnerable. The Emperor's Blade swooped down and attempted to grind up the skeleton with its chainsaw, but the diamond-edged chainsaw began to break instead, the teeth turning dull against the invincible bone.

"What now..."

Gaius was faced with yet another difficult opponent. This one wasn't like the clumsily made monstrosity from before. This was an improvement on the original owner of the body, going beyond the strength of a supergiant through death. It would be a difficult battle.

The easiest option would be to attack the caster, but that would be difficult without swift retaliation from the skeleton. Velvel was effectively a puppet user, she herself staying at a safe distance as the skeleton fought for her.

Gaius thought about what he could possibly do when the skeleton returned underground, preparing for an ambush. He quickly activated mana vision to check its status, but it was difficult as the ground was filled with mana, perhaps by the demon lord for the ease of terramancy. Suddenly, the skeleton emerged behind the Emperor's Blade, holding onto the machine's back as it slowly dragged it into the earth.

Gaius then had a terrible idea. It was a terrible idea, but it was the only idea he had. He activated the jet boots to the max and grabbed onto the skeleton as they quickly climbed the atmosphere. They soon passed the dark clouds and entered the upper layer. Not long after, Gaius could no longer feel gravity as they left the atmosphere.

There was a quick struggle to push the skeleton away into space as the Emperor's Blade began to break down. The skeleton soon froze from the lack of heat, its bones turning brittle in the radiation. Gaius kicked the skeleton away toward the moon and began quickly descending back to Championnat.

After a crash landing, Velvel prayed to God that that was the end of the hero. However, her prayer was ignored as the machine slowly began to wake up again.

Velvel knew it was futile, but she began running. She was soon apprehended by flying golden claws, which lifted her high into the air.

In silence, Gaius positioned his palm to blast the pest.

Velvel thought about her life, at least the parts she could remember. Perhaps if she didn't become a zombie, she would've become a true artist. However, it was the truth that had she not been turned into a zombie, she would be resting in an unmarked grave as of now. She did not regret her actions but hoped that someone would remember her master for her.

...

After the Emperor's Blade left the scene, a strange creature which was locked up beneath the castle appeared - the black beast which appeared to be a demonic hybrid between a dog and a monkey. It began sniffing the ashes of Velvel and licked it. As if entranced by the memories, the beast's eyes widened, and it soon fell unconscious beneath a tree.

...

"Sacrosanct!"

"Hey, it's you guys!"

The group had found Sacrosanct at a warehouse, waiting for someone with the prince. The warehouse had an open area in the middle, the sun shining down upon the empty table and seats.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, we were waiting for the rest of the rebels to show up but... It looks like they aren't here"

"Perhaps they dispersed after their failed assassination attempt..."

"Assassination attempt?!" shouted the prince

"Hm? You didn't know? I thought you were with them"

"Yeah, I was. For like a few hours..."

"Anyways, that's not important. Right now, Gaius has commenced his invasion of Sonosis by himself and there's also an army of zombies heading for the nation"

"Wow, that's a bombshell..." said Sacrosanct

"Sacrosanct, Orchestra, Poda-Bruss, I can take you guys to my lord, but I won't be able to fight alongside with you... No matter what happens, I cannot be an enemy to my lord. If the Goddess wishes you to emerge victorious, you will win. I shall let fate decide who's right. Meanwhile, I'll be protecting the capital"

"...Thank you, Satie. After everything is done, I hope we can stand side by side as heroes in Avangarden"

"...Heh, you'll have to convince my lord first," said Satie while pulling out her Jikuwari

She created a portal with a swing of the sword, the dark abyss welcoming the heroes. Orchestra fully trusted Satie, and she was the first to enter the portal.

"See you soon, Satie!" said Orchestra before leaving

"...I was like you once. Heh, I suppose I am still like you now. But I just want to tell you that loyalty can be a blessing and a curse. I hope to see you again, fellow head knight" said Poda-Bruss

"Make sure to keep the capital intact alright? I can't have my homeland destroyed right after my long-awaited return!" said Sacrosanct

And so, the three heroes headed out to face their greatest challenge yet.

'S-zzzz-ie, the-zzzzzzz-re some problem-zzzzzz-need your assi-zz-tance now! The location is-zzz-e castle!"

"...I got it"

Satie also had her job to do. No matter what, she would keep the destruction of her lord's city to a minimum.

She thought about how much she changed as a person since her resurrection. Satie was originally a wandering warrior, travelling from nation to nation at a young age, considered a prodigy by most. It was when she eventually arrived at Avangarden that she became a hero. In hindsight, it was similar to how Sacrosanct became a hero, though their deeds and circumstances were vastly different.

However, Gaius was the first person she ever served other than the Goddess. She had never worked under someone before, always working alone. The new experience was difficult at first, but she learned quickly and she began to enjoy being the head guard.

Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Gaius was an incubus, but she was enjoying herself a lot more now than when she was all alone. That was the root of her loyalty.

Though she wouldn't mind staying with her lord for the rest of their life...

...

It was still raining when Satie stepped out of the portal into the castle. The palace was still in the middle of construction after Sacrosanct and a Patriot's Blade's battle, but no workers could be seen. A familiar face showed herself sitting on the throne. The succubus.

"Oh, if it isn't Gaius's dog"

"...This will be a quick work"

"Hm... But I am a bit jealous. Maybe he'll like me better with your face?"

Luvru transformed into a perfect copy of Satie as she pulled out a branch of a tree from the dark puddle.

"This will suffice for a demon lord like you"

"Let's see about that..." said Luvru while revealing her three swords

Satie vs. Luvru

Luvru lunged toward her opponent and stabbed at the hero with her blade. Satie did not block her attack but rather deflected it using the side of the branch. The piece of wood was not imbued with magic in any form, requiring Satie to choose her moves carefully with each parry a bet on her life.

She had also never fought someone who wielded three swords at once. Sure, she met some lunatics who used two swords, but she was different. Luvru used her tail like a third arm, complimenting her already dominating barrage of attacks.

Luvru struck with all three of her swords at once, an attack Satie couldn't possibly parry. However, there were no situations in the world that only had one path. Satie knew that a battle was a continuous flow of choice, with infinite possibilities. After thousands of battles during her life, Satie had grown used to life-threatening situations and gained the ability to read the opponent.

The movement of their eyes, the twitching of the arm, muscles flexing, veins revealing themselves. Even the beating of the heart could be heard and reacted to. These were the clues of the world, clues signifying the fate of the battle.

Her observation allowed her to always stay one step ahead in battle, the head guard swiftly dodging the triple strike before she even began the attack. This was a golden opportunity to change the tempo of the battle, to put the pressure back on the demon lord, but she waited for the demon lord to recover. Satie wanted this battle to remind the demon lord of the difference in their strength, and to keep Luvru away from her lord.

However, Luvru had plans of her own. Learning that she could not compete in a battle of strength, she turned to other tactics. Using her special advantages as a high-level succubus, her breath, sweat, tears and blood could charm the opponent unbeknownst to them. Of course, the most potent poisons were on her swords, but the basic charms of a succubus came in handy in any battle. Luvru began spewing poisonous gas, her long snake-like tongue visible within her mouth.

Satie quickly realized something was wrong and covered her breathing pathways with her clothes, but it was too late. Even as a great warrior, she was still human in the end. However, she did not resort to summoning her other blades; she had not even shown a hundredth of her strength yet.

While Satie's muscles were forced to relax and her mind became foggy, she continued to fight with her branch. To Luvru, it almost seemed as if she was immune to the gas. If the battle went on, Luvru was to surely lose.

Luvru ran her hands through the blades, covering them in potent succubus poisons which she herself was immune to. Each served its own purpose, but they were ineffective when they did not hit their target. In all honesty, it was difficult for Luvru to manipulate the heavy blades, and while they were useful in dealing damage, applying poison was much easier the traditional way.

It was a desperate final attack, but it did not frustrate her much. She was used to facing powerful opponents and losing often, but she always came back. Perhaps it was due to luck or perhaps Gaius spared her thanks to her charms. However, Satie was determined to end that cycle today.

Satie readied her attack, as if she was sheathing the branch, and analyzed the numerous openings present to her. In a split second, Satie struck the demon lord in her stomach, causing internal damage. As the demon lord squirmed on the ground in pain, she wondered if this was really the end. It was unbelievable. It was straight-up unfair! She wasn't even able to add Gaius to her collection yet, though she supposed it wasn't much of a collection anymore.

'When did it start?' she wondered. Perhaps she was the one charmed by the hero, but there was something unique about him, the deep darkness that lay within his soul. He was different from the other humans, like a wolf in sheep's clothing. It was as if he did not see others as real, gazing past them as if they were not there. He was a golden specimen, the perfect addition to her collection.

However, as their encounters began to become common and almost casual, she began to feel more attracted to him. He may have been born in Avangarden, but in his heart, he was a true demon. Had he been born in Sonosis, he would've been the demon lord of the era, not Luvru. Compared to him, she was just another second-grade demon out of his league. But the encounters kept growing and growing, both becoming stronger and more resilient after each and every battle. It was enough to cause her to abandon her entire collection, the one which she worked on since she was born.

In Sonosis, many species lived together in harmony, unlike many other homogenous nations. There were demons, vampires, ghosts, dragons, phoenixes and succubuses among many others. Of course, each species had its own traditions and rules as well. For succubuses, most of them had a collection, an inventory of interesting and impressive prey they had caught. They would usually include things like famous warriors, rare specimen, dangerous creatures as well as other living beings the owner thought was neat.

It was rare for a succubus to abandon their collection as it would be like abandoning your diplomas and certificates. The only times a succubus abandoned their collections were when they either died or fell in love.

Succubuses do not reproduce with their own kind, which may be why when they reproduce with another specie, the child would always be a succubus. Male succubuses also known as incubuses were far rarer than succubuses, only resulting from a long lineage of incubuses. Perhaps by this point in history, they were all extinct. It was strange for a succubus to fall in love with their own kind, seeing that they would not be able to reproduce. But alas, fate is a tricky thing and their encounters would continue even after death.

Satie summoned a blade from the black puddle, the Eienwari. It was a blade capable of completely destroying the soul, making resurrections impossible and slaying even immortals.

Luvru closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

However, when Satie struck down with the blade, she only felt the air, Luvru having teleported away.

When she looked around, she saw Luvru in the arms of a large demon with a tall demon by his side. There was also a demonic creature clinging to the tall demon's back, a demonic hybrid of a dog and a monkey perhaps.

"Nice, we were just in time!" said Zealot "We can't lose two demon lords in one day!"

Without saying a word, Satie quickly struck down the tall man, who tried to stop it with his hand but failed.

"Gah!! My hand!" screamed Zealot "Just kidding! That sword is pretty cool though, where did you get it? At your local temple?"

Zealot's hand quickly grew back to Satie's surprise. He should've been dead no matter who he was.

"Hm... But I do feel a little irritated by the pain though... Karudo, take the demon lord and this cutie-pie with you back to the castle. I can handle it from here" said Zealot while putting the demonic creature on Karudo's back

"...I'll be back in an hour"

Karudo disappeared into thin air alongside the demon lord and the creature, only Zealot and Satie remaining at the castle.

"Are you right-handed or left-handed?"

"..."

"Wait, wait, wait... Let me guess... Right-handed, right? I can see from the way you're holding your blade"

Satie was alert and ready, anticipating all of the demon lord's possible moves. However, she did not yet know what he was capable of.

Zealot suddenly appeared behind Satie, but she realized that this was not teleportation but simple movement as the wind rushed past her. She quickly turned around to retaliate but felt something missing.

"Wow... I didn't know they came off so easily! If it was Reginn, it would've been like a weak tug on his sleeve!" shouted Zealot while holding Satie's right arm

Her right arm was cleanly removed from her shoulder, and soon enough, the pain caught up with her mind, causing her to tightly grasp her bloody wound.

"Look, I'm a generous man so I'll let you off with that. But if we ever meet again, your other arm is next, okay? Bye-bye!"

Zealot left the scene as quickly as he came, heading toward the direction of the Emperor's Blade. Satie barely managed to keep herself conscious, her breathing shallow and inconsistent. She called for backup and prayed that the other heroes did not meet the true demon she encountered.

...

While Gaius was flying his way to Sonosis, finally out of the rain, he saw a small figure in the air. He zoomed in on the vision and to his surprise, he was met with the heroes, Orchestra holding up Sacrosanct.

Gaius tried to outmaneuver the attacks, but the flame arrow attacks were too fast. It'd be best to confront them now and lose some time rather than to risk the heroes becoming a bigger problem down the line.

The Emperor's Blade landed in front of a river, where Poda-Bruss was waiting for him. Orchestra and Sacrosanct also descended to face the king of Championnat.

"Resistance is futile. Fate cannot be defied and this is my fate as a hero of Avangarden!"

"We cannot let you go on a suicide mission alone and potentially cause the downfall of Avangarden! We know that you have personal hatred toward Sonosis, but let's just talk!" shouted Poda-Bruss

"...I will not let anyone stand in my way!"

Orchestra, Poda-Bruss, Sacrosanct vs. Gaius

Gaius began the battle by slamming down on the ground, which destroyed the surface beneath the heroes and threw them off balance. He then immediately chained into a barrage of missile, all heat-seeking the individual heroes. Sacrosanct was able to destroy them last minute with his wall of flames, but both Sacrosanct and Poda-Bruss had to tank the hits. Sacrosanct returned the favour with a ⌈Nuclear Starburst⌋, which the Emperor's Blade swiped away similar to the Patriot's Blade.

"Damnit!"

It would be difficult to use the same tactic against the Emperor's Blade that he used against the Patriot's Blade due to its massive size, but perhaps it would be possible with a little help.

"Orchestra! Help me get on top of the Emperor's Blade!"

"Alright!"

Orchestra swooped in to lift Sacrosanct into the air while Poda-Bruss distracted Gaius by creating an opaque shield around the massive robot's head, blocking his view. While the Emperor's Blade lost vision, Sacrosanct was safely dropped onto its shoulder.

"⌈Nuclear Starburst⌋!"

The smoke slowly settled, and the heroes were anxious to see if the strategy was effective. However, their wishes would not come true as the machine came out unscathed.

"Hahaha! It's useless, heroes! I've created this armour specifically to battle the strongest demon lords! A simple attack of the calibre will be no effect on the Emperor's Blade!"

"Did you just say the strongest demon lords?!" shouted Zealot from nearby

Zealot vs. Gaius

"...Reveal yourself!"

"Hm? I'm just a demon lord passing by, and I heard someone calling for me. But now that I see it, I really like your armour. Divine technology? That's pretty rare. If you can, I'd like you to stop your 'invasion' of Sonosis, and also your armour, pretty please!"

Gaius stopped talking and unsheathed his chainsaw. He had already killed a demon lord earlier in the day. This would be no different.

The Emperor's Blade struck Zealot on the ground, causing his feet to dig into the earth He struggled against the attack but did not seem to be damaged by it. He instead grappled the chainsaw away from the machine, equipping the colossal chainsaw for himself.

"Nice chainsaw!"

As the chainsaw slowed down, Zealot learnt that it needed a continuous flow of mana, which was perfect for him. Unlike Reginn, Zealot was like an infinite pool of mana, able to conjure an incredible amount of magic, not that he bothered to learn many spells. Most didn't even exist during his era.

"Impossible!" shouted Gaius

As Zealot slowly inputted more and more of his own mana into the chainsaw, it began to spin faster than ever before, creating a gale storm within the premises. He then struck the Emperor's Blade directly in its chest, which destroyed its engine, deactivating it.

Zealot ripped off the face of the machine and pulled out the wounded Gaius with one hand, holding him by his neck. Gaius was silent, knowing that his plan had ended in failure.

The three heroes all jumped in to try and save Gaius but were all pushed back by a large expansion wave of mana from his body.

"Hm... I took the arm of your friend, but what should I take from you as recompensation?"

Gaius was looking down at the ground, knowing that there was nothing he could do. The only option, for now, was to do nothing and pray that the Goddess had more plans for him.

"Aha! I see," said Zealot while grabbing Gaius's hair with his other hand and taking a good look at his face "You have beautiful eyes!"

Zealot carefully used magic to pull Gaius's red eye from its socket, leaving only the normal blue on behind as Gaius screamed in pain.

"Well, now you can get an eyepatch like a pirate and I get a cool souvenir! I think Grimm might like this"

'Grimm?' thought Orchestra 'How could he know about Grimm?'

The demon lord bid farewell and left for his kingdom as the rest of the heroes gathered around the silent Gaius, lying on the ground with a blank expression. Poda-Bruss took him upon his back and began to carry him when a dark diamond-shaped portal appeared before him. It was Satie.

"M-my lord"

"S-Satie? What happened to you?"

"...I see the demon lord got to you as well. He took my dominant arm from me, but I managed to protect the kingdom..."

"...Thank you Satie," said Gaius "...Heroes. I have something to say"

"What is it?" said Sacrosanct

"...I must admit that I was wrong. I never expected the demon lords to be so powerful, I didn't know such power was even attainable... It seems that it is time for me to end my charade as the king of Championnat. Heh, I suppose being a king isn't my thing"

"My lord..."

"I disagree," said Sacrosanct "Now, I'm the only one who heard your speech and while I didn't understand most of it, I still get that you want the best for the nation, though your dubious methods may need to change a bit"

"...I see. I said I was making the right choice for my citizens, but in the end, I was just fulfilling my own dreams... Well, at least in this era, I won't have to be any king anymore"

"...No matter what your title is, I'll always follow you my lord!"

"Thank you, Satie. I truly do not deserve your loyalty"

"No, my lord, it is granted after you helped me become who I am today"

"..."

Gaius closed his eyes and reminisced about his past. For so long he was alone, the only true relationship he had been a twisted game with the demon lords, but now, he had someone he could call a friend.

"...Let us head home, everyone," said Orchestra

The heroes returned to Championnat, the rain clouds now dispersed. It was a long and difficult journey, but everything was finally over.

And so, the invasion was a failure and the damage to Championnat was kept to a minimum. Gaius announced his resignation to the public a few days afterwards and now, just a week after arriving at Championnat, the heroes began their journey to return to their true home.