"We've been back for three days, but no one’s told us anything about that stupid tournament," Lily scoffed over [Mind-to-Mind Talk], her voice laced with irritation.
"I know, right?" May chimed in, her agreement sharp and immediate.
"What are we going to do, Sir Xebecs?" Jon asked, his words pulling me out of my spiraling thoughts as I lay in my bedroom. My mind had been preoccupied with a strange question: Why is my Earth's food here?
"You know we can hear what you're thinking, right?" Lily's voice interrupted my musings.
"But, man, I was really shocked when I heard your origin story," she added.
"Yeah, me too," May said, her voice joining Lily's.
"True," Jon added, a rare tone of solemnity in his voice.
"Master was summoned to be a hero. There's nothing to be shocked about," Goblee interjected, his loyalty unwavering.
I sighed deeply and replied, "But right now, I'm an anti-hero—or maybe even a villain, basically." My words hung in the air like a confession, and Goblee's silence betrayed his disappointment. "Not gonna lie, I really wanted to be a hero at the start, but one thing led to another, and here I am."
Before the conversation could continue, a knock at the door disrupted our connection. "Someone’s here," I said, severing the mental link. I opened the door to see Tyla standing there, her expression as irritated as ever.
"Princess Maria wants to see you," she said curtly.
"Only me?" I confirmed, and she nodded in response. I followed her to Maria's meeting room.
"Welcome, Xebecs," Maria greeted me with an air of politeness I didn’t trust.
"Thank you," I replied. "What do you need me for?"
"I don’t trust the people you brought back," she said bluntly. Her eyes bore into mine as she continued. "When you first arrived here, our people could measure your potential using their [Skills]. But now, every time they try to gauge it, they go blind. Your servant Goblee was weak before, but now even his [Status] is beyond our perception. The people you brought back are no different. My father believes you all are too dangerous, a potential threat to us all. That’s why..."
She paused, signaling with her hand as if to summon something, but nothing happened.
"What? Why isn’t this work—" she started, but I interrupted her with the weight of my [Bloodlust Aura], focusing it entirely on her.
"You really thought I didn’t notice the {Assassins} you’ve scattered since we returned?" My voice was low, almost a growl. Before I could say more, she collapsed in fear, her body crumpling under the sheer force of my presence.
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"If I had known she was this weak, I would never have allied myself with them," I muttered under my breath. Reaching out to my team through [Mind-to-Mind Talk], I quickly relayed the situation.
"What are you going to do, Master?" Goblee asked, his voice tinged with concern.
"A large-scale memory wipe," I replied, my tone resolute.
I moved swiftly through the castle, knocking out everyone in my path with my [Bloodlust Aura]. Reaching the top floor, I climbed out of a window and onto the roof. Channeling [Space-Time Magic], I focused deeply, releasing a massive wave of energy across the city. In an instant, I activated [Teleport], sending my team back to the [Transcendal Island] before vanishing myself.
"They were trying to kill us," Jonny gasped, struggling to catch his breath.
"I know," May snapped, her anger barely contained.
"Why were they doing this?" Lily asked, her voice heavy with confusion.
"They deemed us too powerful," I answered, my voice cold. "They tried to eliminate us for their own survival."
"So, what’s the plan now?" Lily pressed, her tone demanding focus.
"Don't worry," I reassured her. "I checked the tournament myself. Normal citizens can join the [Tournament of Holy Empire]. We’re going back."
I opened a [Teleport] portal, and we stepped through.
"Where are we?" Jonny asked as we emerged.
I pulled out a map, pointing at our location. "Middle of nowhere, between [Elfen City] and [Capital City]. The tournament’s in [Capital City]."
"How far is the [Capital City]?" May inquired.
"Two hours by carriage, or five hours on foot without stopping—for normal people," I replied.
"What do you mean by 'normal people'?" Jonny asked, narrowing his eyes.
"We can run and reach it in about 45 minutes," I explained. "We're literally halfway between [Elfen City] and [Capital City]. It took me 26 minutes from [Elfen City] to here—not even at top speed. If we all move at a similar pace, we can make it in under an hour."
"So what are we waiting for? Let’s run!" May yelled, already dashing off with Lily.
"Actually, we need to go the other way," I called after them, starting to run with Jon in the correct direction.
As I ran, an odd sensation on my back caught my attention. No matter how I tried to shake it off, it persisted.
"Xebecs," May and Lily said in unison through [Mind-to-Mind Talk]. "Do you feel like there’s something on your back?"
"Yeah, I do," I replied. "How do you know about it?"
"Look behind you," Lily urged.
Turning my head, I froze. My breath hitched. What the—
Wings.
Unexplainable, otherworldly wings extended from my back. My shock caused me to stumble and almost fall.
"What the heck is going on?" I exclaimed aloud.
The others stopped as well, their eyes glued to me.
"What are those, Master?" Goblee asked, his gaze darting between me and the wings.
"How the hell should I know?" I snapped, panic evident in my voice. Forcing myself to calm down, I opened my [Status].
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STATUS CHANGES
* Species: Unholy-Undemonic Hybrid 2
* Skill Gained: [Demonic Wings]
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My jaw dropped. What kind of Skill is this? My thoughts spiraled into chaos.
"XEBECS!" May yelled. "Stop yelling in our minds!"
Realizing I hadn’t severed the connection, I muttered an apology.
"Is this some kind of Skill or what?" Lily asked, still staring at my wings.
I nodded.
"Well, now that this is sorted, can we run again?" May suggested. Without waiting for an answer, she took off.
Resuming our journey, I tested my wings, launching myself into the air. The speed was exhilarating, far surpassing anything I’d experienced on foot.
"This is cheating!" Jon exclaimed, but I ignored him, reveling in the sheer joy of flying.
I landed just moments before the others reached the outskirts of [Capital City], letting my wings retract. Flying speed sure is something else.