Two days earlier, in a different astral plane where neutral souls are sent to; Limbo. A black castle suspended in the air was giving off a demonic aura. In what appears to be a gazebo a black-haired demon with short horns was reporting to his superior; an aged demon with green eyes and a noble temperament who was sipping his tea in a relaxed fashion. "Last but not least milord, an ally of ours has been dethroned." listening to this sad news he gently set his teacup down before wiping his mouth curtly with a napkin. "As a demon who prides itself in its' intellectual capabilities, I am sure this agenda was reported last for a reason. Is that not so Pruflas?" facing the calm demeanor of his lord he kept it succinct "The demon lord is Jorgen, a Tiro-ranked demon lord. The real confusion is that the supplanter is from the House of Hades." a slight smile appeared on Vassago's face as he used his hand to support his chin "Things are about to get steamy. Have you tried recruiting him?" surprised at the bold suggestion of his lord he sighed before replying "No, I thought since we were at odds with the gods it would draw unnecessary attention to us?" a peal of loud laughter escaped from Vassago's mouth before he calmed himself and replied, "The current situation is delicate, so delicate any spontaneous variable would offset the balance even the most negligible factors. " drumming his fingers on the table Vassago finally came to a decision "Make no moves on him for now. Whether he is worthy of our attention will depend on the upcoming Walpurgis night." As if happy his lord mentioned the Walpurgis night, Purflas was about to speak when Vassago shook his head "You already know my answer" a disappointed look flashed on Purflas's face but he shrugged it off. "Preparations for the Walpurgis night are almost done. If there is nothing else." after giving a courteous bow Purflas exited the gazebo leaving Vassago ruminating over their earlier discussion.
Present-day at Nodnol's prestigious academy. In the cafeteria, a young man was speaking to two females with a serious tone, astonished by whatever he was saying Anastasia exclaimed "Training?" which startled the whole cafeteria. Bradque had been giving this serious thought since it was already two days before the Walpurgis night. Ignoring her commotion he continued speaking "It would not hurt to be stronger than you already are. What do you think Emilia?" the dazed expression from Emilia's face faded and she asked in a pitiful tone "What are we talking about?". Bradque directed a sharp gaze to Anastasia, the meaning was clear, 'get her act together or she dies.' "Anastasia we are going to the tower to level up." Anastasia hastily filled her in about their discussion. "Around four in the evening. I will be waiting in front of the tower. " When done with what he was saying he walked to a corner of the academy before meeting a hooded person. Removing their hood, surprisingly it was a demon, Bradque then handed a weighty money bag to the demon. Tightening his brows he spoke "I paid you guys a lot for this so don't fail me. Since you know the plan I will ask if the preparations are ready?" after calculating the number of gold coins, the demon bowed politely and his expression became more jovial "Preparations are complete." nodding in satisfaction Bradque then walked back to his dormitory for a nap. "It is about time, I told Veronica to monitor the castle. Time to test my skills." agitated and curious to test his new limits Bradque gathered his equipment since it would be suspicious even though he had the systems' spatial storage. When he had arrived he saw that Anastasia and her guards had already arrived earlier. Feeling the cool breeze brush his cheeks he muttered "It is ironic that Anastasia and I met for the first time on a similar occasion. " Confirming everything was set, he submitted his credentials before moving to the 36th level like last time. Unwittingly Bradque did not anticipate that the old creep stalking him would hinder his plans from being put to motion. "That bastard coercing my daughter, guess I have no choice but to end him. Besides accidents happen often in the tower." Anastasia would be perplexed that her father would harbor those possessive feelings towards her. The duke was presently wearing a mask and sporting a commoner's look. "Level 36 on the tower is suited for Level 6 rankers while the highest floor being level 60 suited for Level 10" recalling the details of his research Bradque then assigned them roles " Anastasia follow me forward and watch closely. Grace and Emilia, guard our rears but be careful not to fall behind." while Anastasia and Grace nodded in agreement, Emilia was apprehensive and spoke hesitantly "But I am responsible for the Princess-" releasing his rank 9 aura sharply before suppressing it quickly within seconds. Bradque assured her in a confident tone "Trust me". "hnnnngghhh" Anastasia was panting with a flushed face. Perhaps due to her harsh etiquette training her weak demeanor was replaced with a determined gaze. Bradque who was overseeing her battle was giving her pointers "No matter how well you bluff they can smell your fear. But kudos for keeping a clear mind. However, It looks like you haven't found your stable shooting position." giving her a self-analysis while observing her get bombarded, he reluctantly decided to intervene. When Bradque picked his crossbow, the demon wolf pack started dropping like flies steadily."Arrggggghh" "Awooooo!!" "Like that, look how I am maintaining a firm grip. It does not matter how many crystal stones you amass to breakthrough. If you don't have an efficient technique even a ranker two levels below you with a better technique can finish you off." Watching Bradque moving freely like a swallow, Anastasia admired his Strength. Listening to his lectures while honing her technique Anastasia's battle strength had at least ranked up two levels. From the shadows, the duke had traced their footsteps and had just caught up to them. "Impossible, yes he has no nice intentions, the reason he is doing this is that he wants to use her" his disorganized mutters clouded his judgment, the pendant on his chest was scorching hot, giving off an ominous glow but the duke was too deranged to care.
"Joshua, how did the duke like the gift I prepared for him?" back at the academy Bradque's horny uncle was facing his window seemingly admiring the beautiful horizon if not for the impish smile that gave him away. "Master he has been wearing it constantly, using it as a means to gain more political support" A dry chuckle resounded in the room before Greg asked, "What do you mean Josh?" unfazed by his master's crazy demeanor he replied, "You have been rumored to support his reign as duke, you already understand the prestige of Rankers compared to mortals." Joshua was expecting Greg to smash his tableware or throw some other form of tantrum but he hissed and said with a mocking grin "That fool, that pendant was meant to increase the dark desires in one's heart. I am merely supporting the other political opposition. After listening to that blockhead's bragging the opposition must have seen him as the biggest fool of the century" shaking his head with a wry smile plastered on his face Josh excused himself out.
"Hmm?" quickly facing behind them he turned his attention to Emilia and thought 'I felt some form of negative emotions. Could it be Emilia?. No! her emotion towards me is fear. I can perceive it. Shit! an intruder, I am so fucking dumb.' "Alright let us head to the next level, looks like we are done. Go ahead I will catch up later." the princess and her entourage were confused but complied straightaway heading to the 37th level. Without turning back Bradque coldly spoke "Come out Sir duke" an ominous laugh echoed on the 36th level "How did you know? " 'Of course using the system scan' but since Bradque could not say so he instead flashed a cheeky smile before replying in a childish tone "~Not telling". Irked by his cheeky smile the duke was on the verge of bursting a vein in anger "It does not matter, today you die." releasing his aura, it kept rising. Level7...Level8...Level9 and finally stabilized at Level 10 almost Level11. 'System reveal status' During their previous meeting he was only able to faintly ascertain the Level of the duke but this time he could see it as clear as day.
Name: Darius Crown (Cursed State: User is only capable of using 80% of current stats due to family of light backlash from cursed item.)
Title: Duke of Nodnol , Master of Arms
Level: 10
Bloodline(s): Light god (10% purity)
Abilities: Heal(Level9)
Techniques: Swordsmanship(SS+), Marksmanship(SS), Spearmanship(SS)
Affiliation: Church of Light
MP: 10468
Strength: Level 11
Agility: Level 10
"System what the hell is up with these ridiculous stats" bellowing in frustration Bradque switched his training sword and wielded the Hades Sword. 'What awesome stats, if I succeed his stats hehhee'. while giggling at the thought of reaping the opponent's skills he realized. "He vanished ?" *Above* the system's cold voice made him direct his gaze upwards. 'When did he get a sword? Spatial item? rich bastard' countering the attack by shielding himself with the flat surface of his sword with both hands Bradque chuckled "You hid your strength carefully duke" the intense rebound of the duke's clash has made Bradque's footing slightly unsteady. Frowning in displeasure the duke replied in a crazy tone "Look who's talking". Backing off about two feet the duke maintained a long stance 'A long stance huh? he's banking on sheer strength'. While observing his opponent's stance the Duke was doing likewise "A short stance. You intend to rely on agility. How good is your reaction speed? My earlier attack was just a warmup and you hardly blocked it in time, what makes you think you can survive the real thing." 'He is right, I wanted to rely on the system for my sense of direction. So what if I know where he is but cannot react in time, what is the use?. I can hold out for about three bouts before losing stamina. I guess there is no choice.' "Thank you for your insightful advice Duke. It looks I am taking this battle lightly". replying as a matter of factly the duke said "That is common sense". While ignoring the spiteful comments of his opponent he purchased them. "What is that?" smiling tauntingly Bradque was holding a vial mixed with a red potion. He looked at the Duke before drinking the vial containing the weird substance. * Gemini potion ingested...Stats readjusting...Mp is doubled...Physical stats are boosted one level...Time limit two minutes* After hearing the multiple notifications beeps Bradque chuckled while giving off a malevolent demeanor "Two minutes? ten seconds is more than enough."
Name: Bradque Xan (Optimum state)
Title: Son of the Diabolical Baron[Possessed], DEMON KING
Level: 9 (Alpha)
Path: Blood Path
Bloodline(s): Phoenix(70% purity), Hades(100% purity)
Abilities: Devour(Level 9), Copy(Level 9) , Augur(Level 9) , Pelios(Level 9) Aphrodite (Level 8)
Techniques: Swordsmanship(S), Marksmanship(AA+)
Family: Hades (TENTATIVE)
MP: 18200(9100)
Strength: Level 10
Agility: Level 11