Two more hours passed by yet the food was nowhere near finished.
Flora watched how the girls ran back and forth in the camp, sometimes carrying bowls of vegetables and cut-up meat.
The sun was beginning to set.
This is usually the time when Flora begins doing her daily 1000 swings. In the morning she'd train her body and, in the evening, she'd burn her calories through doing practice swings. At first, she used to do something called "Imagery Fighting" which is basically a form of mental training where she fights someone she'd constructed from memory. Of course, in order to do this, she'd need to know the opponent's full capabilities and skills. Few people trust others with this. The person she knows the best was her master so she had been using him as her mental opponent for months but lately she's been finding it harder to remember him.
Due to this, she's unable to construct a perfect mimic of him. It felt like she's forgetting a piece of him every day.
The man who fought with Black Dragon Lord and survived even after losing. The man who was one of the few who had truly become one with the sword, thus earning him the right to bear the title "Master Swordsman". Anyone who bore that name without having reached his level would be shaming his legacy and staining the title.
Of course, even if she can't do [Imagery Fighting] with her master anymore, it's still not a good idea to skip training altogether. She was worried she might get rusty (even though there had never been a day where she rested ever since being bought by Arnold).
Deciding that it was better not to get in anyone's way, Flora headed down the slope of the grassy fields towards the small forest not far from the camp.
ON the way she spotted the magicians who were hard at work. They had set up their tents outside camp and unlike the camp, their little settlement was peaceful and quiet. You could only hear the sound of scribbling with pen on paper if you're close enough.
Flora reached the small forest. She could sense a few monsters but they hurriedly scattered when she released her bloodlust.
Unlike the open grassy fields, Flora preferred the presence of nature itself around her when training—the sound of birds chirping, water flowing, trees rustling and crickets.
Flora unsheathed her sword. Her eyebrows knitted when she saw the rusty blade that was on the verge of breaking apart.
Flora suddenly felt a chill on her back at that moment. It was a gaze so powerful and overwhelming that her body released its full power on instinct. Similarly, her hand was on her sword, adjusting her grip to maintain the balance and power in half a second.
Once a second passed by, Flora swung the sword with a speed that none of her opponents had been able to follow up until this point. It's rare for Flora's body to release her Inner Essence and activate five body techniques all at once.
Nothing like this has ever happened. Then again, she's never felt pressure that could even make her of all people, cower and swing her sword like a barbarian hoping that brute force alone could free her from this pressure.
Alas…
"!" she felt a powerful vibration run up her arms after it felt like she hit a concrete wall—her sword had been deflected. Her arms were thrown back, breaking her balance, which widened her eyes.
The thing she hit was no mere concrete wall.
Flora was just about to counterattack with a body technique but she heard a calm voice resound:
"Hmm, as expected of a swordsman whose potential rivals that of my host."
A tall young man was standing in front of her.
His hair… it was silver. The once white of his eyes was now black and there was a horn on his forehead and a glowing blue tattoo on his cheek.
"Wha… You…"
Arnold was the one who deflected her full-powered swing with only… a Sword Intent blade (a long, translucent film that resembled a real sword covering his whole hand and protruding from it).
There was no way a simple manifested blade of Sword Intent could withstand the power of Inner Essence.
Unless it's used by someone of using all three stages of [Breeze], that is.
Why was his hair silver and…
'What's with this pressure… It's like I'm standing before a monster that had reached a threshold of demigods…'
No, this wasn't Arnold… His face was the same, his voice was the same, his posture was the same… Yet somehow the only difference Flora could focus on was the horn growing out of his head.
Flora's full strength left her body like it wasn't there at all. Her sword fell since it became the heaviest thing in the world.
Ah, so this is what it feels like to be powerless. To find yourself in a situation where you can't win even if you use all your trump cards.
"Arnold" who had been watching her reactions with amusement in his eyes, spoke:
"Kneel before the one true King of Demons, Oriel Seir, the eldest son of the chief of the Greater Demon Metal Eater Clan."
A pressure of immense authority echoed. His words alone almost made Flora kneel as he commanded but Flora tried to resist with all her strength.
A grin appeared on his face, "Walk with me, girl."
Flora could not even muster the energy to refuse…
***
Oriel turned to Flora when the two arrived at a clearing near a river. He was submerged in it up to his waist.
Oriel held up one hand.
"Release [King's Aura]."
Flora could feel all the pressure from earlier leave her body. Her body naturally returned to normal and her sword wasn't as heavy as it was earlier.
"What I used on you was a skill that can make the weak submit to my every word using the raw difference in power alone. You have surpassed my expectations, as one would expect from humans destined to become demigods." He clapped his hands with a smirk. "The Timeline Gods feared the extinction of demigods after what happened to the Dark Forces centuries ago so they had to find ways to breed new variants of demigods, something that transcends mere genetic inheritance."
Demigods…? Does this have something to do with her insanely fast growth rate and potential?
She recalled the "demon" saying that she and Arnold had the same potential.
Potential to become demigods…
Oriel ignored Flora's questioning and suspicious gaze. He looked somewhere above Flora's head.
"I see… The Soul King's subordinates have caused quite the trouble, have they not? If it succeeds in only acquiring your soul or the boy's then it would've already achieved its goal."
"Hey… Who the hell are you and why are you speaking like Arnold…?" Flora could finally speak freely again since that oppressive aura was gone.
Who knew such a terrifying thing exists.
Arnold's smirk vanished.
"I am a king." He said with a poker face, "The strongest being to have ever graced any battlefield. The demon who even the gods fear."
"…."
"Kukuku, I sense doubt. I do not fault you for it. I am not in my true form so anyone would think I am merely arrogant for being a little strong. I possess 1% of my true power through using my host's factor."
"That's…"
A little strong? What bullshit was he spouting? It felt like Flora was facing off against the pressure of at least five level 100s (she theorized on her own since she's never actually encountered five of them nor provoked them enough to want to murder her).
"Okay… Let's assume you're who you say you are… How is it possible for you to… possess Arnold's body?"
"I am a demon inside a demon factor. My power is given to my host through that factor."
Really… that's all there is to it…?
"Allow me to elaborate. Imagine a cube that's split in half by a wall in the middle. I am on one side and my host on the other. There are no other means to contact each other than a small hole—that hole is his factor, an access code of sorts that can tap into my power when his will is shook by the desire for more power. I will continue to grow the more he uses my power until the wall collapses entirely. His will is on the verge of being consumed by his feeble soul, something that has happened before yet not to this extent. In a battle against a certain soul power user, he succumbed to her control only because I was smashing my own power against his withering soul. Alas, I did not have the means to completely take control of him at the time. Many things have happened since then which chipped away at his soul like a hammer against glass."
Oriel suddenly took off his (?) shirt and threw it on the ground next to Flora.
Flora's eyes widened slightly.
Arnold's upper body was riddled with fresh scars (evident by the blood), even more than what she saw in the bathhouse.
What the…
"Tell me, girl. How do humans comfort themselves or make themselves forget about the experiences they went through in life? Do they fight to let out those feelings, unleash unnatural lust, torture others for their own enjoyment, drink alcohol?"
All of the above, said Flora softly. She'd know since she'd found herself in all kinds of situations where she deemed the above could help her forget about life for a moment. Of course, the torturing bit was something she's never actually done since it goes against her teachings and because she's a genuinely kind-hearted person who would rather put her opponents out of their misery.
"I see." Oriel nodded for some reason as he brushed his fingers over the wounds, covering his fingers in blood.
"…What are those scars?" Flora asked since it didn't look like Oriel was going to bring it up.
"Interesting question but I fear you will not understand the answer." He said before turning his back to her and bending down to scoop water into his hands before splashing it in his face.
"Ah~ I've missed this taste and coldness. I have consumed it countless times through my host but never directly. Hmm, it tastes much better than the water sources in my world. I'm used to tasting a dying corpse in my water. If I want one thing to stay after Ragnarok kills all gods and mortal life, it would be water."
"…." Flora's glare intensified but it probably felt like a cute kitten was staring at him so he ignored her.
Oriel swept back Arnold's hair and went "ahhhh~" again.
He suddenly went silent while looking up.
"Hey you… Is Arnold completely… gone?"
"Even if he was, that should be no inconvenience to you, no? From what I observed you can't stand my host's personality."
"That's true but…"
It doesn't mean I want him to die…
"Ah, what does it matter?" he stretched his arms, "I'm finally free so it's about time I make use of this freedom. Hmm, what should I do first? Should I pay Melis a visit and tell her I'm going to kill Luke von Berkley and Arthur Tivurgian if she does not become my wife? No, that would be absurd. That snake will jump at the chance to make me fall in the palm of her hand. She's blessed with beauty that no other goddess can rival and a body that's the embodiment of perfection itself. She will use those assets to ensnare me. In any case, I can't allow those two Champions to grow any stronger and obtain the Holy Sword. I would've liked to pursue Arsnoria and kill the three demon lords by her side but I'm much too weak. In order to obtain my true strength, I would need to level up as you humans call it."
Flora could not say anything. Or rather, it felt impudent for her to dare say anything in front of this monster.
Oriel looked in front of him as if focused on something, "Ho, this is truly a remarkable tool. Something the inhabitants of these realms do not possess. With my host's knowledge, I can basically understand how it works. Let's see," he moved his fingers in the air, "Magic power is… disappointing… Let me fix that."
…
· System updated!
· Patch notes: 50 000 MP has been distributed to Demon Lord Oriel after converting Oriel's available 500 000 Star Points to stat values.
· Every magic point costs 10 SP; thus, all SP have been used up.
· Warning: User Oriel does not have a Magician Class, thus spells above Fourth-Rank will not work.
…
"Hmm, converting SP to MP truly is only a luxury to magicians who have reached the level cap and have no further need for Star Points." He muttered something, "And also this warning… I see. It's true that I am still a warrior since we don't share a status and only a class. It can't be helped. I only need the mana for my skills so it matters not if my host can cast spells above Fourth-Rank or not."
Oriel looked back at Flora, noticing the scowl on her face.
"You are still curious about my existence, are you not?"
She nodded silently. She decided not to question what he was looking at earlier. Not because she wasn't curious but because she felt that this demon won't tell her anyway.
"Haa… Though it is beneath me to converse casually with a lower lifeform, I shall indulge you. One part of me wants to consume this boy's soul when it's at its weakest yet I cannot bring myself to do it. The reason is unknown to even myself. His will has always been like that of a branch—feeble and small. With the right push, it could be severed yet I've never found such a favorable situation. Until now." The demon repeated "I cannot do it" while gazing up at the moon, "I do not have a shred of kindness for humans so even I do not know this feeling. He is merely a leaf being carried by the wind yet always ends up flying back to the tree he fell from."
Noticing Flora's confused expression, he explained.
"It's a metaphor for destiny taking you back to the place you're destined to be or the things you're destined to do, even if your beliefs and goals don't align with that destiny. This will continue to happen until he attains power that can help him overcome that destiny. Of course, whether destiny will allow him to gain that power remains to be seen. He'll continue to feel helpless, obeying an invisible master and only walking away with his life in the end and no pat on the back. That seems like a boring life for one with ambitions that rival my own. Becoming a king my people fear and revere, trampling over my enemies for the sake of obtaining power, giving my seed to the most beautiful women… He and I share many similarities yet I can't help but feel that we are not the same. I wish for destruction and worship from all races, whether it's gained through a valiant deed or acts of evil. I wish to stay away from gods to rule only the mortal realms and not interfering with the divine realm whereas he vows to make them indebted to him and even subservient. How could a human have such a goal? Normally I would laugh in the face of such an arrogant little ant but this human has the means to make the gods revere him or even kneel before him. I've been alive for thousands of years so I know the value of a god's gratitude."
Somehow it seems that Arnold had the means to earn a god's gratitude…?
Flora inquired as to what it could be.
"While this may sound unlike me, I cannot share that with you even if I wanted to." The demon shook its head, "Gods are untrustworthy beings even if they strive to protect their creations."
Of course a demon would say they're untrustworthy.
He suddenly pointed somewhere.
"Do you see that squirrel?"
Flora looked in its direction and made an expression as if to say 'Yeah, so what?'
"Its eyes and ears could be relaying information to the gods, whether intentional or not. I will not risk my safety to please another's curiosity. While my existence itself won't be an issue to them currently, the information that I have access to will put both my host and my life in danger."
"Ugh, fine. I get it already… Hold on, what do you mean by safety and danger…?"
What an odd way of putting it. Shouldn't someone, who feels gratitude towards another, see that individual favourably? Why the need for this amount of suspicion and why would they be in danger?
His reply shocked her:
"Gods, while feeling gratitude to someone other than another god, will grow to fear you. If you possess knowledge that not even the Destiny Goddess possesses, what more secrets could you be hiding? Are you a regressor from the future who seeks to gain a goddess's favor and love, only to betray them in the end? Or are you the one who seeks to make a [Perfected] child? Or perhaps you're a spy from the Between Realms, infiltrating the divine realm with the aim of making the gods accept the Between Realms as an ally, only to incite a war greater than the one between the Hero and the false Monarch of demons, Arsnoria?"
Arsnoria… This name was unfamiliar but the title "Monarch" suggested this person is an important person from the demon world.
Flora knew the battles of the Demon Human War well. Everyone with an education would since they begin learning it at a young age. Depictions of what happened are also sold in the form of children's books in every book store (of course, without the countless genocides, cannibalism, pillaging, sacrificial rituals, etc…)
That aside, why attach "false" before Monarch though…? Also, his voice was laced with some venom saying the name of this supposed monarch.
"The gods might—no, will definitely see this boy as a threat that must be kept under control. He will become the very first human guinea pig of the gods. Seeing as how they were doing it for the greater good, humans would not think they're evil, no? Their reasoning is protecting the realms while satiating their curiosity to dig inside his head to find what else could be of use to them. Humans will not find fault in any of this."
"…."
"Did my words crush the ignorant perception you had of gods? Did you think they're magnanimous beings to all except the Outer Gods and demons like myself?"
"No."
Flora grew up in a family that worshiped the gods. In fact, they had visited the Holy Kingdom many times in the past to listen to special speeches given by the Pope and the Holy King. However, Flora's opinion of the gods changed when their own people invaded the Luthial Kingdom under the assumption that they were allied with a demon who wanted to rule the continent.
Her father was not without wrongdoings since he had told the whole family that there were benefits to joining the demon. They would've been given armies of undead that never die, hordes of S-class monsters that only imperial knights could defeat, special equipment for all the kingdom's soldiers…
His mistake was showing interest in the proposed alliance.
It was a very lucrative deal. However, nowhere in his revelation did he say that he would accept. One of the servants must've taken his interest as acceptance and had thus babbled. The falsehoods had somehow made it over to the Holy Kingdom and the radical Pope who raged at the mere mention of a demon, dispatched an army in a week's time.
There was no hearing, trial or the like. Her father was not given the opportunity to explain the situation. In the end, the Luthial Kingdom was destroyed.
Were it the empire then the Holy Kingdom wouldn't have even tried to invade since the empire had the support of nearly all the major countries and nations. But seeing as how it was a small kingdom, which couldn't even be compared to the Thalori Kingdom (the smallest nation under the empire's rule), they were more than capable of destroying it.
None of the other nations got involved when the Pope said something along the lines of "The demon killed the royal family and had replaced them with Doppelgangers who had to make a public display that they'll accept the demon's offer easier".
Certainly, anyone would believe this since Doppelgangers did exist and had caused a lot of trouble in the past, especially during encounters with demons who transformed into human commanders or soldiers and slaughtered thousands in just a night. Human had mistakenly thought that demons vanished after the Great War and were unaware that there was many living among them.
Flora wished nothing more than to kill the person who babbled and everyone else who was involved with bringing destruction to her people.
Flora silently stroked her green hair as she recalled all the times people called her natural purple hair beautiful in the past.
"I know your story quite well," the demon stared intensely at her, "It is because of this boy."
"…How much does he know?"
"First, I'd like to know: do you hate the demon or the humans who hates the demon to the point where they'll destroy a nation over a mere assumption?"
"Both." She said without hesitation.
"I see. It is understandable. The demon knew what would've happened if his meeting with your father was revealed. Many would've assumed they were conspiring something heinous. The greatest fear humans have is other humans cooperating with their enemies. A once trusted bond could be severed in one night. A mother would cut open the stomach of her daughter if she revealed that she had been blessed with a demon's seed—whether that demon had shown it was only trying to coexist or not. This leads me to another question: do humans hate demons because of our crimes against mortals or our race itself? To many it should be the former since not many modern humans have met our kind. All they hear are the stories about us. The mother who would harm her daughter was one such person who heard the stories but had never witnessed change in demons. Certainly, I can agree that hating a race due to their crimes against your own is a valid reason to have. However, we demons do not despise you."
"….."
Just as Flora was about to call bullshit on the "we don't despise you" part—
"We merely wish to kill mortals. We see them as food—livestock or pets so your contempt for us as a race is only natural but cute. Oh? What's with that expression? Did you think I was any different?"
"…Stop derailing from the main topic…"
In response he chuckled. It was weird seeing the demon chuckle while in Arnold's body. Arnold's laughs came off as teasing and amusement which is why Flora always wants to punch him but the demon laughed in contempt that almost frightened her. No one had made her feel like this before, not even the inquisitors who she faced off against during the war.
"I am most certainly guilty of that. It's just it has been a while since I could use my vocal cords and speak to others. I had only spoken to the boy once before. Now then, regarding our earlier topic: the demon has currently allied himself, or rather his nation, with Arnold based on mutual interested: wealth that Arnold possesses and military power provided by the demon's nation. What do you make of this?"
For a moment the thought of beating the crap out of Arnold arose…
If he knew where the demon was… Why not tell her…?
"It would eventually be revealed to the world so it's okay if I tell you. Do keep in mind the consequences of telling others, mind you."
That's right… The Theocracy wouldn't let this chance slip by… They'll do the same thing to Arnold like what happened to her even if they had stopped pursuing her for some unknown reason.
He'll become a fugitive and will have to leave his identity behind, just like Flora who did not use her surname anymore.
"A Greater Demon by the name Vetis Creste is the one responsible for your nation's destruction."