They walked through the city's streets. Shu was amazed by the architecture and the amount people because, while growing up, he was mostly isolated.
George preferred to live away from people because they tried to use him for their wars and didn't want to put Shu in danger. So they lived close to a small town on the outskirts of one of the smaller kingdoms in the godless realm.
While walking, Shu was amazed to see great pillars with many windows holding the ground from collapsing into the city.
The streets were bustling with life and very cramped.
"Don't drift away. I don't know if I'll find you if you get lost in this city."
Thomas said to Shu, who seemed too focused on the scenery to pay attention.
They reached one of the pillars and went inside.
The inside of the pillar was like a town of its own, unrelated to the noisy and bustly outside.
Thomas walked across from the door to the brown receptionist's desk to talk with the receptionist while Shu sat on a chair.
The receptionist was an old lady wearing a black dress that didn't fit her age and held a lit cigar.
She looked at Shu up and down, then shot a questioning look at Thomas.
"Hello, Mrs. Hella Smith. How are you?"
Thomas greeted her politely, but she glared at him.
"Little Tom! It's been a while. Has the lifetime ban been lifted?"
Mrs. Hella asked with a tone that made her feelings clear. He was not welcomed there.
"Haha, it surely hasn't. But this is important. You see that kid?"
Thomas started explaining why he came back.
"He is in the tournament and knows nothing about this realm. He needs my help."
Thomas said, and Mrs. Hella looked at him with scorn.
Her eyes told him one thing, did he really help the time to help this kid? And Thomas knew who to change her mind.
"Besides needing my help, he promised to help me find her."
Thomas said, and the old witch's eyes shot open in shock.
If what Thomas said was true, it would change everything, but she couldn't trust Shu this easily.
"First thing, aren't most participants people who already belong to organizations from their original realms? Are you sure he learned nothing from old records and is just using you?"
Mrs. Hella asked.
"He seems to be unrelated to any organization... Though he does seem connected with his realm's god..."
Thomas answered. He was unsure Shu was trustworthy too, but if there was a chance he was...
"Connected to a god... I will question him about it later."
The old woman said in a stern tone.
"Second thing, champions are supposed to be extremely strong, so how can you be sure he won't backstab you before you find Mary?"
Mrs. Hella questioned Thomas' trustiness.
"I can't be sure, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy..."
Thomas answered.
"Looks can be deceiving. Plus, he is a beastman. How can you be sure he is trustworthy?"
The old lady asked, and tears started welling in Thomas' eyes. This was his last hope of finding his daughter.
Shu, who was sitting a bit away and wasn't listening to the conversation, became bored and went to where they were.
While walking closer, he saw Thomas and got worried about his new companion.
"Hey, sir, are you okay?"
Shu asked, and both of them. Thomas and Mrs. Hella jumped because they did not expect him.
"Yes, everything is okay."
Thomas said, but Shu wasn't buying it.
"Young fox, can you please tell me, who is your god?"
Mrs. Hella asked Shu.
"Danniel, the demon god. Though he doesn't like this name and would like it if you call him Danny."
Shu chuckled to himself.
"The demon god..."
Mrs. Hella had a sneaking suspicion.
"Little Tom, please go sit. I need to speak with this young beastman."
Mrs. Hella said, and Thomas complied.
"What is it?"
Shu was curious why the hotel manager wanted to talk with him.
"What is your connection to the demon god?"
The old hotel manager asked.
"Oh, I see him once a year, and sometimes he speaks to me."
Shu answered innocently.
Mrs. Hella sighed. Her suspicions were cleared, and she snapped her fingers.
A light appeared from her fingers, and from that light, a door appeared in the middle of the large room.
"Let's go. This is the door to our room."
Thomas explained, and they both passed through the door.
********
They arrived at a room up the pillar. The room had two large windows providing an astonishing view of the city.
"So, what was that blob-looking thing?"
Shu asked.
Thomas was surprised, he had completely forgotten about that damn thing, but this kid still remembered that he promised to explain later.
"It's called a witch's slime. In the great purge five hundred years ago, most of the witches were killed, so to ensure their survival, some witches enchanted slimes to have intelligence and made the slimes serve them."
Thomas explained.
Now that that was out of the way, they could talk about more important matters.
"So, what can I do to win the tournament?"
Shu asked Thomas.
"Since what you need is to be noticed, conquering the new lands will make you very noticeable to the gods."
Thomas answered.
"Does conquering require people to die?"
Shu asked, and his complexion darkened.
"Yes."
Thomas answered and noticed there was something weird about his reaction.
"Then no, I won't kill people to advance in this tournament."
Shu answered, and his seriousness seemed out of character with what Thomas had seen until that point.
"Please come with me to the new lands. I'm sure my daughter will go there. I know it will conflict with your participation in the tournament, but I have to find her."
Thomas begged Shu.
"I promised to help you, so this comes first. I have fifteen years to become the most impressive participant. I will help you first."
Shu said.
"Oh right, I still haven't introduced myself, and I didn't ask you for your name, either. My name is Thomas Mob, and I am a full-blood human. I'm a swordsman though I use simple spells as part of my technique."
Thomas said.
"I am Shual Adom, but I would rather you called me Shu. I am trained in martial arts. Though I'm weak, so I don't know how helpful I can be."
Shu answered, and Thomas was surprised that Shu called himself weak.
The ground started shaking, and an explosion was heard.
"We need to run away now."
Thomas said.
"Why, what's going on?"
Shu asked while running.
"It's participants of the tournament. They want to conquer or destroy the city to make a name for themselves."
Thomas answered.
They passed through the door and appeared back down at the reception.
"I got to stop them! I can't let innocent people die!"
Shu said.
"You said it yourself. You are weak! What would you be able to do that the city's citizens can't do?"
Thomas argued, though what he honestly thought was: I can't let him die. I need his help!
"Little Tom! Go through the 'lower passage'!"
Mrs. Hella said.
"What will you do?"
Thomas asked the old lady.
"Did you forget?"
Mrs. Hella smirked.
"I can reach three hundred."
Aging in all seven realms is based on one's strength and potential. The oldest a person could get is the age of three hundred. A person who can reach age three hundred and fulfills their potential only starts truly getting old at the age of two hundred and fifty.
That being said. George and Mrs. Hella Both are among the mightiest participants in the last tournament.
Those who can reach three hundred.
Mrs. Hella's aura changed, and she seemed somehow even scarier than before.
Horns similar to those of a cow appeared on her head, a tail with a pointy edge appeared from behind, and her eyes turned red.
She looked like a different person, a much stronger person.
"Go already!"
Mrs. Hella shouted at them, and Thomas grabbed Shu to pull him away.
********
They ran through the explosions and destruction until they reached a large sewer entrance.
"Do you know how to swim?"
Thomas asked Shu.
"Yes, why?"
Shu answered, and then Thomas chanted something and pushed him into the filthy water.
"...in water as if..."
Thomas chanted and jumped into the water.
The water's stench was so potent Shu thought he might pass out. He has enhanced senses, and the water was more than stinky enough for a human.
They swam for over fifteen minutes but did not need to go up for air because Thomas' spell enabled them to breathe normally underwater and even see clearly through this dirty water.
They reached an exit and swam out. The place where they were was pretty far from the city.
"Will she be okay?"
Shu asked Thomas.
"Yes, there is no one who can beat her. Even George Adom wasn't able to kill her."
Thomas answered.
'She knew my dad?'
Shu thought to himself in surprise.
It was already dark by this point.
They took a short break, and after not more than two hours, they resumed their journey.
********
After a long battle with many casualties, the only one left standing for the city was Mrs. Hella.
"Cow horns and demon tail... So based on my master's teachings, I assume you are Hella Smith."
A man said as he went forward toward Mrs. Hella.
"How do you know who I am? Who sent you?"
Mrs. Hella demanded an answer.
"The strongest one."
The man answered.
"Georgy hates rules and blindly following orders. He wouldn't build an organization to send people after me."
Mrs. Hella replied.
"Sigh... My master told me you would guess it's George Adom of the demon god's realm. My master told me it's okay to tell you his name. He is Hector Akui of the demon god's realm."
The man said.
"Hector, that asshole. He is the lowest of the low. Why would you help him?"
Mrs. Hella asked, genuinely confused.
"This is not for you to know."
The man said with a sneaky expression that made it clear that the talk was over.
Mrs. Hella conjured a sword made of fire in her hand.
"You are all out of luck."
Mrs. Hella said with a smirk and started slicing every enemy in sight.
"Hannah, are you ready to teach this old relic what we're made of?"
The man said to a girl, not older than sixteen, who stood by his side.
"Taste this, you old shit! Hahaha!"
The man yelled, and the girl started charging at the old lady.
Her eyes glowed, and she used magic. Pure, true magic, not some spells.
She was a magician.
As the fight started drugging on without any development, Mrs. Hella noticed the girl's expression did not change, and no matter what witty remarks Mrs. Hella had shot at the girl, the girl just kept her attacks without any reaction.
'There's no way Hector locked her personality, is there? But after what happened to his brother...'
Mrs. Hella thought to herself, so she decided to test this theory of hers.
"Zhǐxiě."
Mrs. Hella chanted, and everything stopped.
The spells in the air, the explosions, the people, and even the sounds.
This was a spell that stopped everything but time in a limited area.
"Apelefthérosi xórki."
Mrs. Hella chanted, and all the magic in the area vanished. Everything started moving again, and the girl... The girl stopped her attacks because she was in excruciating pain.
"After he killed all the beastmen in this realm just because one locked his brother's personality, he still did the same thing to this girl. Why are you supporting him?"
Mrs. Hella asked once again. This time. Seeing he didn't have a better option, the man chose to answer.
"You know nothing of the wars and destruction that occurred when you were sent here. The financial crisis caused by these wars still exists, and Hector helps people in return for their loyalty. We would all die for him, and it still wouldn't be enough to pay him back."
The man explained.
"Well, too bad. I thought there was a chance you would switch sides."
Mrs. Hella said, and then she smiled.
"The multi-realm tournament has begun! Everyone still alive in the city, run!"
Mrs. Hella roared those words, and everyone in a radius of 200 kilometers heard her voice indisputably. Everyone further than that heard decreasingly well, based on their distance.
The news moved fast, and by the end of the night, all the big names of the godless realm heard the news.
After making that announcement, Mrs. Hella grabbed the girl and shot a glare that made the man flinch, and she vanished through a door that appeared behind her.
The man chose to postpone the rest of his attack for a later date when more of their forces would reach the city.
********
Shu and Thomas heard the announcement while they walked.
A door appeared out of nowhere, and through it passed Mrs. Hella.
"I see you are okay. Can you please take care of this girl for me? Thanks."
Mrs. Hella placed the girl by their side, and then she passed through another door on the other side of the road.
Thomas went to grab the girl so that he could carry her, but then Shu stopped him.
"Wait! She is going to start attacking when she wakes up."
Shu said with so much confidence that Thomas didn't question it.
Surely enough, the girl woke up, and she started throwing attacks.
"Hey, hey, chill. It's okay. We are not your enemies. My name is Thomas, and this is Shu. What is your name?"
Thomas asked with a fatherly tone which made it evident that he has experience as a father.
"Hannah."
The girl answered while crying.
"Why are you crying? What happened?"
Thomas asked.
"That guy, he locked all of my will and emotions. How did you save me?"
The girl asked, still crying.
"Mrs. Hella probably broke the enchantment. She is not here now because she has some business to attend to."
Thomas explained.
Shu crouched down and looked into her eyes.
"Do you wanna join us?"
Shu asked her with a big smile on his face. His tail wagged from side to side in excitement, and his ears twitched.
Thomas hit him in the head and said.
"So insensitive."
"What did you do that for?"
Shu asked him.
"Think before you ask a crying lady if she wants to join you."
Thomas answered and glared at Shu.
Shu stuck his tongue out, so Thomas hit him again.
Thinking that this sight was funny, Hannah couldn't help but laugh, and then she said.
"Yes, I would love to join you."
"Great! Then let's keep on walking."
Shu said.
Thomas sighed, and the three of them started walking again.