As the figure of a lanky-armed, blonde-haired individual emerged from within the water, his gaze searched around for someone in particular.
Leo had just ended his long bath in the river and seemed to be searching for a crimson-eyed individual, Ace. As his eyes searched for the particular individual, he eventually spotted him in the distance, swinging his remarkable blade constantly.
Leo wondered what that blade truly was. He had seen Ace use it several times, but couldn't discern the true strength. The aura it exuded was already monstrous, but Leo suspected Ace was suppressing it, somehow.
It was truly strange. Whenever Leo looked towards the blade, his eyes would get stuck. It would then be very difficult for him to peel his eyes away from the sleek blade. It felt like he was staring into the abyss, while the addicting eyes of the abyss were staring right back at him.
Strange as it may be, he also felt the aura of a certain substance that seemed to transcend any bounds. It was as if he were staring at something invincible, something immortal, or something omnipotent.
"Hey!" Leo shouted, and Ace belatedly turned his head to look at the former. The latter waved slightly as he smiled faintly. As Leo approached Ace, he sensed an unexplainable aura… it was a stronger aura than before. "Have you… achieved a higher rank?"
"Indeed, I've achieved the B Rank," Ace said, a smile filled with endless pride appearing on his face. His smile only grew wider as he mobilized some of his mana, causing a pearly white sphere of mana to appear. As the sphere levitated atop his hand, which was currently extended, Ace continued… "It would have been strange if I hadn't."
That was by no means true, and Leo knew it. Ace had gone from E+ Rank to B- in a year and a half, and his potential rivaled the faction heads. Now, it had only been three days since their vacation to Mount Othrys began, and Ace had already broken through to B Rank. Leo wondered if Ace's potential could rival literal gods if they existed.
"I see that you've broken through, too." Ace commented, inspecting Leo's body through his flesh. He could sense an upgrade in his mana from C Rank to… B- Rank!? "Wait… how are you already at B- Rank!?"
"A combination of demonic energy and mana. I'm sure you've heard that mana amplifies other energies, which is why I upgraded two minor ranks solely through training and meditation." Leo explained, causing Ace to raise an eyebrow in surprise. "I'm sure your unexplainable speed is due to that purple substance you've been using."
"Maybe…"
"What even is that substance, anyway?" Leo asked, tilting his head. His eyebrows were scrunched, and he was trying to detect the substance externally. However, whatever he tried, he could not sense the presence of the substance.
"It's aether," Ace responded. Since they had known each other for a while and had gotten to trust each other, Ace naturally had no qualms about revealing information about the substance to the lanky-armed individual. Of course, Leo only tilted his head once again, unbeknownst to what aether was. "By the limited knowledge I have, the substance is used by Outer Gods."
"Seriously, you should review your mental health," Leo said, his expression contorted into a disgusted one. He felt betrayed that Ace still could not trust him, and that he couldn't reveal information about a petty substance.
Ace, not knowing what to do in such a situation, only shrugged. He then returned to swinging his blade, trying to achieve the fourth move and level of [Sword Saint]. He wanted to achieve it as soon as he could, so that his combat power would receive a massive boost. Since he had broken through recently, he could use Diagonal Devastation along with Intermediate Level Mastery while only suffering minor wounds as backlash.
'What did those words mean…?' Ace remembered what Natalie had told him during that battle. He remembered her exact words…
Mana is a tool. Your actions define your strength.
That was what she had said, and that was what was stuck in Ace's mind. He was unable to forget these words, and no matter how much he disagreed with them, they actually made a little sense. The only problem was… what did she mean?
If mana is a tool for something greater, how do you perform something greater? Ace believed mobilizing mana was enough to sweep away all problems, and the amount of mana defined one's strength.
'Did she mean strength is defined by versatility? The number of skills you possess?'
That was a viable prediction, but he couldn't confirm such a thing. He possessed more skills than anyone his age and had also trained some of them. However, he still could not understand what she meant.
"Ace, I challenge you to a duel," A voice entered Ace's ears. Ace turned around, only to see the lanky-armed individual standing behind him, pride radiating from his body.
He was currently in the second form of evolution, having used [Transformation] via the incarnation of the Primal Demon, Dante. His features had become more defined and nearly anyone would put him in the category of "extremely handsome".
"Why waste your time, Leo?" Ace asked, his expression contorted into an irritated and forced smile. He had fought with Leo before, and every time, the lanky-armed individual had lost. It was to the point where one wondered, 'How do you convince yourself to willingly be embarrassed so many times?'
He genuinely did not want to humiliate his friend anymore, but Leo stood there, his resolve extremely firm.
"Just fight us, messenger of the lord," A voice that differed from Leo's came from inside his mouth, his body glowing a dark hue. Ace immediately recognized the voice as Dante, the incarnation of the Primal Demon.
"If you can provide me with a genuine reason, I'll do it." Ace said, setting conditions for Leo to be able to have a duel with him. The former did not want to engage in battle with the latter, but even if he did, it would be based on some conditions.
"" A genuine reason, huh? ""
Both Dante and Leo said simultaneously, causing Ace to burst out into light chuckles. He stifled a laugh while covering his mouth. It was already amusing to see Leo, who lacked a brain. However, when Dante was added to the equation, it was hilarious.
"" We can think of a genuine reason… if you give us some time. ""
"Sure, sure," Ace said as he waved his hand to dismiss the two, returning to his endless training. He swung his blade in different directions and angles, performing different maneuvers simultaneously.
A few hours passed as nightfall arrived, and the last rays until dusk shone upon Ace. He wiped the glands of sweat off his forehead before standing up to conclude his training for the day. Today, he had achieved B Rank and refined his control of [Sword Saint] to a certain extent.
However, if that was enough to defeat the Deity of Destruction, a random guy on the street could have accomplished the task.
"" We challenge you to a duel because of our fondness regarding battle. ""
A voice entered Ace's ears, and when he turned around, he saw Leo in his second [Transformation]. Hearing their reason, Ace almost burst out laughing again but restrained himself at the last second.
"So basically, you're a battle fanatic, which is why you wish to waste my time?" Ace asked, an amused expression blossoming on his face. He then tilted his head and urged Leo and Dante for a reason, only to receive one belatedly.
"" Yes.""
"How could I expect any better from you two?" Ace said as he sighed, heading towards leveled ground. "Fine, I shall let you fight me."
Leo practically jumped in excitement, running towards the battleground Ace now stood on. The aura he exuded seemed much stronger now while the mana he emanated possessed a humongous presence. He readied a stance, his eyes gleaming with the will to fight.
As mana swirled around his body, he extended his palm forward, coating it with the darkness that oozed out from his body. Some of the darkness extended towards the ground, engulfing all of the soil below him.
Ace unsheathed his blade, readying a stance before mobilizing his mana. He also mobilized aether as both energies practically encompassed his body, blending in a white-purple mixture of color.
"Dante, enter 'Union with Devil' for now," Leo muttered as his features decreased his clarity, causing his new body parts to shrink drastically. The darkness that oozed out of him decreased as well as he entered the first form of [Transformation] with Dante.
"Is that the first form?" Ace asked, only to receive a curt nod in response. Leo was completely different from what he seemed normally, as even the emotions he displayed seemed negative. Ace wondered if [Transformation] was changing his personality, but his train of thought was interrupted by Leo, who charged at him.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Ace narrowly avoided two palm strikes to the abdomen as he leapt upwards. He then proceeded to use [Short Distance Teleportation] to appear behind Leo, startling him.
Bam!
Instead of using his blade, Ace punched Leo, causing the latter to fall backwards several meters. As the latter struggled to regain his balance, he was struck again by Ace's fist, resulting in him spitting out blood.
"I told you… you can never match up to me," Ace reminded the lanky-armed individual, who sat on the floor. In front of him was his own pool of blood and Ace, looking down at him with emotionless eyes.
Leo desperately grit his teeth, spitting another mouthful of blood as he was struck in the abdomen once again.
Bang!
Something unimaginable suddenly occurred as Ace fell backwards, an imprint of Leo's fist etched on his jaw. As Ace fell towards the ground, he was struck near his kidney by the Leo, who wiped blood off his face.
"Dante, activate the second [Transformation]..." He began saying, only for Ace to widen his eyes in surprise. "The Black Commandment."
*
*
*
In a dark room lit only by one candle sat two men. They faced each other as they sat on shabby chairs that seemed to be tattered. The chairs creaked as one of the two men tried fixing his pants.
"Couldn't you have afforded better chairs?" The first man, who made his chair creak, asked indignantly. His gaze was locked on the second man, who was also the head of the Yearning Family, Harold Yearning.
"You shouldn't have harmed him, Maxwell." Harold said, his emotionless eyes peering into Maxwell's thoughts. The latter shuddered as shivers were sent down his spine, resulting in him immediately sitting down without complaints. "Do you know the worth of that child, who knows the location of the person who created the replica of Gungnir? If he can help us find him, we can potentially defeat the Iniquitous Faction even without the Neutral Faction's help."
Yes, that was necessary for the Conscientious Faction, indeed. The alliance was a big help, but their main goal was to defeat their enemy now that it had come to this. They planned to end the ancestry of the Iniquitous Faction, which had lasted over 500 years.
"He refused to tell us," Maxwell commented, scraping his teeth using his nails. He then picked a piece of chicken out of his teeth, showing it to Harold before tossing it away. "And I was only testing him."
"You could have brought him here!" Harold shouted, instantly standing up from the tattered chair. He raised his voice at his brother, who no one seemed to know about due to his tinkering with the media and press.
The chair collapsed, causing several fragments of the wood to dart towards Maxwell, avoiding his body narrowly. Maxwell's eyes changed hue as they suddenly became a dark shade of red. He stood up too, albeit a little slowly so as to not break his chair.
"That was not what you told me to do. You instructed me to get him to reveal information about the creator of the replica of Gungnir, and that is exactly what I did." Maxwell countered Harold's baseless argument, locking eyes with him while maintaining an emotionless yet provocative expression.
'At least he won't punish me too severely now,' Maxwell rejoiced inwardly, thinking he had avoided most consequences because of what he proved with his sudden outburst. He had proved that there was an error in Harold's instructions and that Maxwell was not permitted to bring him to the headquarters of the faction.
However, he had missed one important detail. Despite him not being ordered to bring Ace to the headquarters of the faction, the fact that his original job was to get him to reveal information remained. On that basis, the mission could be considered "failed".
"According to Military Law #2, you are to follow your superior's order as if he is god. The punishment for that on a Grand-Assassin level is to serve in prison for 6-12 months depending on the severity." Harold said, his voice calmer than a pond on a bright, sunny day. His order caused several people clothed in pitch-black to manifest inside the room, putting handcuffs on Maxwell.
Maxwell's eyes widened to the size of saucers, prompting him to desperately attempt to shatter the shackles, but to no avail. His eyes became bloodshot, his rage overshadowing any other minuscule emotion he felt.
He tugged on the shackles thousands of times before finally calming down in defeat. Harold then motioned for the people clothed in black to carry him to the prison, bringing an end to the matter.
Only once Maxwell had been subdued did Harold let out a sigh of relief, creating a chair using mana while sitting down on it and resting his head using his hands.
"You can come out now, George," Harold said, his voice sounding shaky. He had been greatly affected by the arrest of his brother, even if it seemed like he didn't care. Only now that he was gone did he realize how much he missed having Maxwell's company, sharing laughs and drinking together.
As he uttered those words, a man who could shake factions solely with his beauty swiftly entered the room, his figure lighting up the room immediately. Shaking factions was something he could easily do with his beauty, but he could shake the world using the sheer strength and authority he possessed.
His blonde hair bounced around as he walked towards Harold, his figure not faltering one bit. As he smiled graciously towards the man sitting before him, he created a chair using mana. Sitting down on it, he put his right leg above his left.
"Good Morning, Harold," George Kadz greeted, but his tone of voice suggested it was more of a mockery than a greeting.
"It's 11 PM, George. Cut the crap," He pointed out. George then faked an exaggerated reaction, his eyes widening greatly. Flicking his hair backwards, George leaned in before his emotions suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a nigh-emotionless face.
Harold did the same before leaning in. This was the initiation of the discussion they were about to have. A discussion that would prove to affect the future greatly.
However, before Harold could review their material of discussion, a gentle smile soon blossomed on George's face, much to the former's dismay. Harold scrunched his eyebrows, his face contorting into a disgusted expression.
"Can we start the discussion, George!?" Harold said, his tone filled with impatience. He wanted to get this over with, but George kept delaying things with his cringy expressions and pointless words.
"No, wait. I believe we have to welcome our new participant," George said, directing a light wave towards the corner of the dark room. Soon, a figure emerged from the darkness, startling Harold.
"Missed me, brother?" The figure asked, revealing a wide grin. He then walked towards Harold, his expression evolving into a devilish smile bit by bit. It was to the point where George wondered if it were possible to contort your facial muscles so much.
"M–Maxwell? Who freed you? Assassins, assemble!" Harold frantically shouted, but no people clothed in black emerged from the shadows this time. Instead, Harold's voice echoed, causing his eyes to widen. "Who. Freed. You…?"
"That gentleman over there, Harold," Maxwell said, pointing over to George, who only smiled faintly. "Now then, shall we begin?"
"No, wait." Harold said. He soon smiled before shouting… "Vanessa, you can enter now."
Soon, a figure emerged from the shadows.
It was Vanessa Anderson, the current head of the Anderson Family as well as the creator of one of the most used sword skills, [Sword Master]. She had developed it and publicized it herself, gaining a lot of admirers across the world. It was also the reason why she had been chosen as the Anderson Family Head following the death of the previous one.
"You called Maxwell, so isn't it only fair if I invite Vanessa?" Harold asked George, causing an awkward smile to appear on the latter's face.
"Right, right." George said, coughing twice before saying…
"Now, let's begin."