Three people walked alongside one another through the slums of the Capital of the Ruthobold Kingdom.

Kyle Ruthobold, 15 years old. The newly inaugurated Monarch of the Ruthobold Kingdom, directly related through blood to the former King.

This boy spent his life in the slums living under the care of 7 prostitutes, and through the strange hand of fate was promoted from peasant to hero.

After becoming the hero and being offered a home among a noble house, Kyle then ended up slaughtering the Emperor of the neighboring Empire, and killing his own father in order to usurp the throne for himself.

Yet despite this horrible track record, Kyle believed in his own mind that he had done something just.

He truly believed with every ounce of his being that his actions were in support of the hard working and suffering people of the Kingdom.

Whether or not he was correct in this belief…. was up to the individual to decide.

After usurping the throne, Kyle threw the nobles aside, casting them out of their homes.

Many fled to the outskirts of the country or even to other nations.

Some stayed within the country and adapted to the lifestyles of peasants.

The common people loved Kyle for his bold actions. Particularly those who had been abused and overtaxed by nobles were thrilled at the actions of their new King.

So where was the Ruthobold Kingdom headed as a nation?

This was uncertain, however many believed that Kyle was the leader who would remove not only the caste system itself, but rather the harsh treatment and ill natured prejudice of those in the lower areas of society.

Mackayla walked next to Kyle. This woman with oddly colored blue hair wore the outfit of a knight. At the young age of 16, she had taken up a position among the Knights of the Kingdom and proven her own merits on the battlefield.

Mackayla was a powerful warrior with a heavy sense of justice.

It was when Kyle slaughtered the King and a number of nobles that she stood up to him, taking him on despite her powerlessness in the face of a hero.

And it was out of this sense of selfless justice that Kyle accepted her as a worthy assistant in the pursuit of his goals.

Kyle extended a hand to Mackayla, in the hopes that they could work together to form a society where even the lowest among them was treated with dignity.

And Mackayla, after realizing Kyle's vision, seeing that he was not just a crazed murderer or a mad tyrant, grabbed hold of this hand.

She lent her services to Kyle, joining him in his goal.

The other man standing next to Kyle was Ryan- 24 years old.

Ryan had served in the royal guard of the Kingdom at the time of Kyle's unexpected attack, and along with Mackayla, Ryan was challenged with the decision of whether to attack Kyle or to follow him.

In like manner, Ryan ended up following Kyle and joining him.

However, Kyle was a strange boy.

At times he acted with the demeanor of a leader- when things needed to be done.

However, he made a point of transparency.

He would purposely act with vulgarity, showing to all his opinion that mere presentation and words were useless.

Actions.

These were the things that defined a person.

Even if one appeared to be a vulgar, disrespectful, and distasteful peasant, the true contents of one's heart were reflected in what they did. Not in what they said, or how they showed it off.

"Almost back home. I love the smell of the streets."

Kyle chuckled to himself, walking through the streets with his hands in his pockets.

"I cannot bring myself to agree with you…. hero-"

"Kyle is fine!! Don't be so tense."

"T-then, Kyle."

Kyle lightheartedly instructed Mackayla to call him by his name.

"But even so… you are both the King and the hero… therefore it is a bit awkward to call you by your name so casually…"

"You already know that I'm trying to remove all that prestigious stuff like titles and things that make people think they're better than anyone else. How can I do that if you don't call me by my name, Kay?"

Kyle casually transformed Mackayla's name into a pet name with a hint of sarcasm, showing his intent on acting familiar.

"T-then… Kyle… so we're headed to a local bar to witness the state of the people?"

"Yep."

"Is that our only goal right now?", Ryan asked.

"More or less. Though, I guess I have a secondary goal. I just appointed you two as my military leaders. I wanna know you two a bit better so I can understand you. You guys are probably more experienced in combat than I am, but having trust and understanding between your comrades is probably a big part of success on the battlefield. Right?"

"That is true.", Ryan said with a nod. "You really are a strange leader, Kyle. I'll never forget you as long as I live. I can't wait to see what type of nation you build."

The three walked through the streets for quite a while before coming upon a local restaurant in a poor sector of the Capital. It was a grimy place which was bustling with voices and laughter, and a location where a King would never in a million years show up.

"Ah, this should be obvious but don't shout out who I am or anything. I'm not tryna lord over people like some dictator or something. I'm the same old kid who used to be mopping up the whorehouse. I'd like things to stay that way, or else becoming the new king wouldn't have any purpose."

The two nodded, agreeing to Kyle's request as the three entered the bar.

It was bustling with life, perhaps even livelier than before.

"Hahaha!!! That's the spirit!!!!"

"Drink some more, bud!! With the taxes low and the nobles kicked off their high horses, my pay just went up by 15%!! It's on me!!"

"All the money grubbers are scared out of their wits that the hero will kick em down a notch if they get too greedy, so there ain't no problem here!!! Aha!!"

The room was overflowing with the poorest of the poor, the peasant workers who scraped the bottom of the barrel all their lives without an extra dime to spend.

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Mackayla and Ryan immediately felt out of place in such an establishment, and were unsure whether they should enter or not, however on seeing Kyle so casually walk in and grab a seat at the bar, they followed him.

'I shouldn't be getting scared!! These are the people that we're trying to help!'

Mackayla mentally slapped herself for thinking even for a moment that these people were below her.

She was a knight and her duty was to help them. What would she do if she became arrogant and started thinking something like 'they needed her', and that 'without her they wouldn't be here.'

It would be nothing less than dishonorable. She would become the very person she was intent on fighting against.

Sitting down, Kyle spoke for the two.

"They're newcomers, so cut 'em a bit of slack, will ya? They ain't from these parts so they don't really know how things work here. Lemme get three shabordies. Extra nip."

"Coming right up son. Welcome, soldiers. We don't see your kind round here too often. Looks like that new King is really changin' the landscape for y'all to be coming to a place like this."

Kyle and the man laughed together as if they were lifelong friends, understanding one another in an instant.

'Is this how poor people bond? They just know? One look and they're friends!?', Ryan thought.

In his years as a guard it took many trials and tribulations to trust a comrade with your life, and yet Kyle had just walked in here and was already chummy with the people.

'The slums really are a different world…'

The bartender slid three drinks over to the group, all of them a bright pink color with little umbrellas in them.

'Its kinda… cute?'

Mackayla was unsure what she was looking at.

"Don't be shy. We're here to bond, and I'm pretty resistant to alcohol so I'll carry you two home if you need me to."

"Eh? Are you saying we should get drunk, Kyle?"

"I mean if you really don't wanna then you don't have to."

Kyle shrugged as he chugged the entire thing in one go, not even phased.

"You did put the extra nip in, right?", Kyle asked.

"Of course I did, son. You can really hold it can't ya?", the bartender responded.

At seeing Kyle down his drink so easily the two simply shrugged it off.

'Well, I guess if he isn't even affected…'

'It can't be that bad…'

The two raised the glasses to their mouths, taking a small sip in unison.

The second they did, their faces fell to the counter.

They were out cold.

Kyle looked over at the two, an expression of confusion on his face.

"Oi oi…. You're already done? I was hoping to get to know you two a little better, but…"

"Haha… it looks like your friends couldn't handle it.", the bartender commented.

Kyle shrugged, grabbing the glasses of the two and chugging them himself.

"Ah… that's good stuff, keep! Keep it coming!!"

----

Oscar and Risa were currently in a high class Italian style restaurant, sitting across from one another.

"Two glasses of your finest wine.", Oscar told the waiter, who was wearing a Roman tunic just as all the people of the Empire did.

"Make that one and a water.", Risa corrected.

"You don't drink?", Oscar asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Getting drunk means letting my guard down and entrusting myself to someone else.", Risa replied while shooing the waiter off.

"I've never in my life on earth or in this world met someone as distrusting as you.", Oscar stated.

His eyes fell to the ground and his expression became saddened as he spoke softly.

"You must have gone through a lot."

Risa didn't reply.

"If you wanna talk to me about it, then I'll listen. If not, that's fine too. We've both been chosen to save people, but we're also both human. Never forget that. You don't have to be perfect and you don't have to stand alone."

Risa looked away, unsure whether to say something or not.

"It's… none of your business."

Oscar closed his eyes and nodded with a light smile.

"I guess not. But if you ever wanna change your mind, my offer won't change. If you keep everything bottled up forever…. one day you're gonna explode."

"Is that what happened to the hero of the Ruthobold Kingdom?"

"I think so. He never opened up to me or told me anything. I never even knew that something was wrong. Risa. Don't end up like him. I can't afford to lose another hero if I'm going to fight against the Queen of Demons and her minions."

The two sat in silence as Risa pondered Oscar's words.

"I get it. Get off my ass."

"Haha…"

Soon enough the drinks were brought.

"Would you like more time to look, or are you ready to order?"

"I'm ready if you are.", Oscar said, glancing over to Risa.

"Actually…. I think I'll have something to drink after all."

----

A man stood at the head of an entire legion of soldiers.

His long black hair draped down his back, and he put on a smile which revealed his crooked teeth.

One might wonder just how such a man had come to lead an entire legion of ten thousand men, given the corrupted look in his eyes.

This man was Larios.

Appointed to the position of Legion Commander by none other than Senator Brutus.

"The Commander of Cruelty"

This was the nickname given to this man by those of the other legions.

His men underneath him were nothing more than a group of power hungry dogs.

They would ravage their battlefields. Women and children would be taken hostage and abused, and men would be killed without question.

Pillaging, rape, slaughter, and the complete razing of entire villages were among the things that the 4th Legion was famous for.

The 4th Legion was the one Legion of the Empire that nobody wanted to face as an enemy. They were the very incarnation of destruction and chaos.

The 1st, with Caspus at it's head was one of cold calculation. Their heartless leader would throw away the lives of his men for a total victory.

The 2nd, led by Darius, the honorable legionnaire. Darius was a man close to Percius, and while he was not unwilling to get his hands dirty, he always ensured to spare the innocent and defend them.

The third led by Tirius, the border patrol. These men were driven by patriotic goals, perhaps to the point of fanaticism, with their hatred aimed at the realm of demons.

The fourth, led by Larios.

And the fifth, led by Calerius- a man who placed order and law above all else, even among his own men.

Among these five legions, the fourth was by far the most brutal and dastardly, to the point where even Percius began to question their actions.

However, he died before he was able to confront such atrocities.

And now, Larios stood before his men.

They looked up to him, a power hungry gleam in the eyes of each man.

They were wicked to the core.

They were demons in human flesh.

"My good and faithful men…. I do not know where Brutus has gone, however it would seem that he has been stripped of his position. Even so, this will not stop our rise to the top!!! We will take on the Kingdom!!! This will not be a mere border skirmish where you will have to satisfy yourselves with a single small town! Oh no! Rather…. we will instead feast on the women and riches of the Kingdom, right under the nose of the heroes!!!"

The men seemed to grin with delight, maliciously laughing to themselves.

"After all… this is war. And in war… not a single person can complain about what happens to the losers!! During war, there are allies and enemies!! Can one claim that the enemies should be treated with mercy? Whose side would they be on!? All goes in war, my friends. Now let us celebrate tonight, and receive the spoils tomorrow!!!"

The men all shouted out in delight, raising a war rally in the face of their leader.

Among these men, a single figure crackled to himself.

He was not noticed, but a single figure had snuck his way into the ranks of these men.

He was covered in bandages from head to toe so that not a single piece of his green skin showed.

He laughed along with those around him, blending in perfectly as they emitted a monstrous amount of bloodthirsty savagery.

"It will be a fun slaughter tomorrow. That is for sure.", he said out loud in a croaking voice.

The men around him laughed and yelled out in agreement.

"Damn right!"

"Haha! You got it!!"

The goblin snickered, laughing to himself at the stupidity of those around him.

'Idiots. You don't realize that you're the victims of the slaughter.'

----

[The night before the takeover of Iciclaris and Volaciophus]

"It would appear that the Indeterminant is making heavy movements. Awakening the third hero…. And even heading to war with the Kingdom? This is certainly a delightful detour. It looks like he is occupied with foolish conflicts among the humans, therefore that gives us all the more time to continue with our own plans and obtain information on his abilities."

Four figures laid in their beds in a 2x2 grid, yet none were asleep.

An elven figure with a gelled up hairstyle, a teal colored succubus with her hair draping down as she lay in her bed, a human finger resting on her nightstand, a spiritual being which looked like a young girl out of a nightmare, and a crimson demon whose skin was covered with veins.

The one who spoke just now was the elven figure.

"What an idiot. And now that he's back in the Empire, we've got Oraguth with an eye right on him. We know everything he's doing, and he isn't even thinking about us.", the succubus stated with a mature smile.

"Keh heh…. looks like he's fighting his own comrades? Hehehe… I got a real good feeling about this."

"Do you?"

The spiritual girl with pale skin and dark circles slept in a pile of her own hair as she said these words, keeping her eyes closed all the while.

"Yep. Hehehe…. I can't wait to see what happens…. we got the cameras set up right?"

"I made them smaller and improved the resolution. Now people will really think they're just insects and won't even pay mind to them.", the crimson demon replied.

"And we get to watch the slaughter in real time. Delightful."

The elven figure was currently running a number of simulations as he spoke.

"So what about our own movements?"

"We head out tomorrow for Iciclaris. Our efforts will be focused on the Hosts of Envy and Greed."

The four laughed together from their beds.

They were a strange group of monsters, without a single look of compassion on their expressions.

They were prepared to destroy entire nations, or perhaps even an entire world.

In order to achieve their goals, and rise above all as absolute dictators.

These villains were the antiheroes. They were overlords of evil and beings of chaos.

Yet these beings of chaos…. were perhaps the only honest people in the world.

For even the heroes of this world had deceived themselves- into the horrible trap of thinking that they were doing things for the sake of righteousness.