For the last few weeks, I had been sitting on the mountaintop where I had fought Izanko, mulling over the mistake I made in killing the Demon King.
Now, the balance of power between our continents was gone, and the war was being waged in a frenzied state.
I had to lead the charge into the Demon Continent and end this war, which only took us two and a half weeks; without their leader guiding them, the Demons, Infernals, and Devils were all confused and demoralized, leaving them open to be finished off.
The other 9 Heroes all celebrated the end of the war, but I spent my time on the mountaintop, regretting losing control for just that moment.
Perpetual war was over, and while that might seem like a good thing, 'peace' brought its own dark, terrible changes to the world; changes that I was not looking forwards to dealing with.
Greed and lust for power were already taking root in the other Heroes hearts as well as the leaders of the Human and Demi Human continent, and I was forced to watch as infighting and problems arose as everyone argued about who should get what and how much someone should be owed.
I didn't miss the caution in the Heroes eyes as I was given my 'cut', which I split evenly amongst them so that I might assuage some of the darkness inside them, but...
Considering the recent events, it was only a matter of time before everything truly went to hell in a hand basket...
And that meant my desires to remain lazy and do whatever I wanted was being corralled into a smaller pen, kicked out and replaced by the need to guide this misbegotten flock back to normalcy...
If that was possible.
I hated working, I hated fighting, but I preferred them to the worry and ugliness taking ahold of the people around me; friends and lovers hiding greed and other sins beneath false smiles as they were paraded as saviors and divinely blessed, their pride being stoked by the common folk.
With great power comes great responsibility... if you want to take it.
That was something that my mentor, Sergei, said to me; those with power might have responsibilities that they don't want to shoulder, but it's whether you take it or toss it aside that can mark you as just a good man, or as a great man.
Bless his heart, the naive drunkard was dead and resting in heaven, but I can only imagine the turmoil he'd feel if he saw the world as it was now.
This was what Izanko and I feared; this shift from united people to divided people, and neither of us wanted to deal with trying to unite a people that were no longer interested in uniting.
It would take away from our abilities to live life, after all...
But now, I had mistakenly ended the life of the man I considered my closest friend, the only one who knew me for who I was...
Sighing, I stared across the vast mountain scape around me before uncorking the wine bottle, pouring a few glasses worth onto the chocolate cake beneath.
"Sorry, Izanko... Really. But now..."
I stared at the crimson liquid inside the clear bottle, sighing again as I raised it to my lips and took a swig.
"Now I need to try and step in, I guess, to right my wrongs? To at least bring this world back to something normal..."
With that oath to his unofficial grave that only I knew of, I made my way back to the Capital and began to do what I could to mitigate the damages towards ALL the common people of the world; to save them from the exploitative greed of the Kings, Queens, Emperors and Sultans, as well as...
The Heroes.
I struck deals, made pacts, bought and sold things, and worked day in, day out to try and find a balance for this world, to live up to my mentor Sergei and to do right by Izanko.
I wanted to do what I could, so that going forwards, the world would be one of peace, one that I could relax in.
Sadly for me, it would seem that my mentor wasn't the only naive one...
Weeks after that oath to Izanko's grave, I found myself atop that same mountaintop once again, doing my weekly journey to this untouched place to rest my mind for an hour or so.
Something I had made a part of my routine, and something that I had told Yngrave, one of my six wives and the Ranked 9 Hero - Yngrave 'Artemis' Luna.
Now, as I stared around at the empty mountain scape, I sighed as I looked back towards the approaching men and women; 9 of them, making their way towards me 'silently'.
My power was above theirs, so I could sense it, but... at this point, I could only sigh as I stood still, my crimson armor gleaming in the sun whilst my red hair was buffeted by the wind.
The 9 people I considered close friends, allies, and companions all stood around me, fear and anger in their eyes - as well as greed and desires.
"Yngrave... Mariana. Are you sure of this?"
The fur clad huntress Yngrave stepped forwards, her tanned, scarred skin on full display as she snarled "You hoard everything for yourself, Tiberius! You ignore us and gather power and wealth for your own gain! Who's to say that you won't be the next Demon King?! That you won't be-!"
"Yngrave."
She flinched as I said her name, the mana in my voice making her ears bleed as I stared at her, only for her to be shrouded in a vibrant blue light.
"She's... not entirely wrong, Tiberius. You... have changed, since that day. You spend more and more time alone, more and more time with the leaders of the world, and speak of no plans to us..! Any of us, be it your friends, comrades, or... your own wives!"
Mariana stepped besides Yngrave - Mariana 'Divine Maiden' Veri, Ranked 4 Hero - and turned those dazzling blue eyes towards me, making me chuckle wryly.
Her blue eyes held a barely concealed hatred as she glared at me, and despite her gentle voice and 'reasonable' claims, it was far too obvious that she wasn't being sincere with her words.
"Tiberius, before you can lay waste to the world or cause harm to its people, we WILL stop you!"
Greg 'Titan' Woodenson - Ranked 2 Hero - stepped towards me, his impressive, hulking frame covered in thick, gnarled roots that enhanced his defense and offense evenly.
"Stop me from laying waste to the world... Now why would I do that?"
Greg snarled, the giant man staring down at me as he growled "Because evil has taken root in your heart! You are-"
"Please, drop this farce. All of you... I can see it, y'know? The hate and fear in your eyes. The greed for my 'wealth'. The desire to replace me. Each of you, just... stop. It's tiresome."
Everyone froze, before their expressions shifted to grins and smirks as they stared at me, revealing their true selves.
"You really think that this is enough?"
I looked towards Greg, feeling entirely calm despite the situation.
"HA~! Is this~ ENOUGH?! You're strong, Tiberius Aurelian, but against the ten of us?"
He spread his arms, and I stared at the various men and women around me, my mind whirring.
"You won't stand a chance!"
His green eyes flashed, and I sighed as I replied "Perhaps not... but how many of you are ready to die? Or do you think you can face me and leave unscathed?"
Everyone flinched as my mana began to leak from my pores, the air around us shimmering with a haze as I began to bathe the world in flames.
Leaping away from me, they all stared at the sea of fire around them with fear, making me chuckle.
"One touch is all it needs, y'know? One lick of my flames and your soul is going to burn... Tell me, are you sure of this? If you wish to leave, you can..."
They glanced at one another, before they brought their own mana to bear, the power of their combined might combatting mine.
Unsheathing our weapons, we wordlessly stared at one another, before the battle began.