A/N: I'm not dead yet, just got busy with work and stuck in writing the lemon chap for a few months already XD.
Grand Colosseum, the most magnificent structure of the Empire, second only to the Emperor's residence.
This colossal structure which can hold hundreds of thousands of people easily is mainly used for entertainment.
What kind of entertainment? Well, the bloody and gruesome kind where living beings slaughter each other under the relished gaze of the audiences.
Most of the time, the ones forced to fight in the arena were slaves, people judged as criminals, or danger beasts. Occasionally warriors confident in their prowess too could be seen participating in the bloody bout out of their own volition.
But on this day, a huge event rarely came by for years was held in the arena!
A tournament seeking the strongest throughout the land was declared by The Infamous General of The Empire, Esdeath!
The news immediately spread like a flash and in just a short few weeks, many warriors from the nearby regions and even from the faraway land came to the Empire with varying goals.
Most desired to prove themselves as the mightiest warriors, yet there weren't few that were just trying their luck for gold and glory.
Some even had a ridiculous dream of trying to woo the Ice General by winning the tournament….
All in all, the Grand Colosseum was more bustling than ever today. The joy brought by this bloody entertainment masked the gloom of the people's despair.
At this moment…
"And this marked another flawless victory for Reinhard!"
The crowds burst into cheers as another warrior fell under the sword of the red haired young man.
All of his fights were truly a sight to behold, showcasing a remarkable combination of his masterful swordsmanship and strength. And coupled with his strikingly handsome face alongside his gallant figure dressed in white knightly robe, it turned him into the most favored fighters of the audiences including the aloof General Esdeath as she, who had been bored out of her mind while watching most of the battles was instantly perked up whenever it was Reinhard's turn to fight.
"According to plan…"
The red haired swordsman muttered under his breath, a satisfied smile could be seen on his face as he used his sword as a mirror to capture the image of his target.
All of these were just deliberate acts to attract the interest of the devastatingly beautiful General Esdeath and it turned out it had gone as smooth as it was planned to be.
His goal? Albeit being one of the contractors from the Infamous Waifu Catalogue Company, he had a righteous objective for this world, "Kill The Unfairness", and capturing this genocidal monster was of utmost importance to his plan for the greater good!
'Now for the final blow!'
Reinhard then turned to salute his prey sitting on the highest throne of the audience before channeling all of his supernatural charm to send her his most dazzling smile.
And gone was the genocidal monster as all that remains of her was simply a beautiful woman staring longingly at him!
'Huh?'
Or that was how it was supposed to be…..
'What the…..'
As her response was too far from what he had expected!
Her face was cold and expressionless, no blushes or any sign of flusterment could be seen…
Her eyes which previously had a gleam of interest were no more, in their place were gaze full of disdain as if looking down on the lowliest of creatures…
But the worst of all, she finally revealed her killing intent…
A killing intent so heavy and suffocating that it terrified all the crowds sitting around her podium, even Run, an experienced warrior assigned as her aide couldn't help but take a few steps back with fear in his eyes…
'Why does she want to kill me now all of a sudden?!'
And this result truly baffled Reinhard as it was very much impossible to happen!
First, she had clearly shown interest last week after failing to gauge his strength which he easily hid with his [Information Defense] perk which prompted her to strike up a conversation with him.
Then as they chatted, he slowly took control of the flow using his [Communication Talent], resulting in the Ice General unknowingly asking him things related to her preferred partner.
Did he live and was raised outside of the Empire?
How strong was he exactly?
But the most important one was, how old was he?
In any case, as he already had some prior knowledge, he answered all of them perfectly. Plus with his youthful face, it truly convinced the General that he was younger than her which made her interest in him soar. Hell, she even asked him to smile for her back then!
Thus he joined this tournament, exhibiting his immense talent in combat which had successfully deepened her impression of him!
Then why?
Why after he used all his supernatural charm to give her the smile she had been waiting for, the result was opposite of what he had predicted?!
Because let alone a love smitten woman, this monster had become something worse!
Was he less handsome than Tatsumi? That shouldn't be the case as Leone and Mine who should've been closer to the supposedly main character of this show had already been bagged by him!
And was his [Dragon Aura] which could easily charm women who seek strength like her not working properly? That was even more impossible, all of the things purchased from The Company would never be defective!
'I smell a dangerous scheme….'
'Master, I have a bad feeling about this. We need to retreat'
His servants too had noticed the abnormalities and expressed their concerns one after another.
The current state of The Ice General was too strange, the sudden change in her attitude towards their Master was as if she had been replaced by someone else entirely!
Furthermore this bad turn of events had indicated that something even worse would surely follow, an idea further reinforced by the sharp instincts of Artoria alongside the scheming experience of Semiramis.
'Sigh, we will fall back for now. It is unwise to immediately dive into the unknown after all'
After taking into account his servants' opinions, Reinhard decided to warp back to his home dimension as there was no need to tackle the unnecessary risks posed by this sudden change.
Alas….
'Why can't I open the portal?!'
He was too late…
========================================================================
Meanwhile, on the highest watcher podium…
"Heh, what is wrong with me? To be attracted to that worthless worm in the first place!" The Ice General ridiculed herself, her killing intent honed from slaughtering hundreds of thousands innocents soared.
She didn't know why but her mind suddenly became clearer than ever after that thing unqualified to be even called trash smiled at her as if someone had poured a basin full of ice cold sewage on her head.
Furthermore, it wasn't just that which happened in this fractions of a second, it was an emergence of information in her mind that angered her so much that it erased any of her favorable impressions towards that piece of red bug.
Like that bug already knowing all of her preferences for a man…
Its unsavory methods to lull her reasonings…
But the worst of all was Its aim for doing all of these, a goal that revolted her so much that she thought that this bug's brain was entirely composed of shit!
In any case, while she did want to immediately jump to the arena to gut this insect alive, she didn't do so…..
Why?
'Who the fuck is messing with my mind again?!'
Because she must find the next someone or something that was tampering with her head!
How could she be so sure that there was a second party controlling her mind? Simple, the fact that this red bug's influence was erased at such a crucial moment alongside that foreign information gave it away.
Thus, she must find whoever or whatever the fuck that is!
And once she did…
'Fufufu~ You'd make them wish that they were never born?'
'Indeed, I'd do exactly that– Wait!'
Although, it turned out she didn't need to search for the responsible party at all as It directly spoke inside her mind…
But why did that thing sound like herself?
And why couldn't she move her body at all right now?! Hell, she couldn't even let out her voice!
'What the fuck are you? And what do you want from me?!'
So left with no other options of struggle, she began to question the voice in her mind of Its intentions, her tone still filled with murderous intent as if her life wasn't at the mercy of the mysterious force at all.
She knew that this extra intruder in her mind had different goals than the red bug and had a high probability of being her ally. Alas, she could never tolerate such disrespect!
'Hoo~ It seems like you don't understand the situation you are in…'
And as expected, the unknown existence was displeased by her impudence and the immobilizing force on her body now began to slowly crush it inwards.
But was it enough to make her cower in fear? Dream on!
'Ha! I'm not afraid of bugs that can only hide–'
Even so, she couldn't complete her rebellious claims after witnessing the change of scenery in front of her eyes.
A scene so logic breaking that made her at loss for words…
'Bug? Hiding?!'
The red haired worm shivering in fear…
The crowds of insects trying to escape from her vicinity…
The clouds, the wind, the dust from the arena…
All of them were put in a stand still, as if space and time themselves had been frozen solid!
No, they must be frozen already, this mysterious entity had really achieved something that she had been theorizing for so long!
'HAHAHAHAHAHA!'
Though the world shattering change didn't end just yet as alongside the mocking laughter of the entity, the scene transformed from logic breaking into a nightmare come true.
'Ahhh~ How funny!'
Began with all living beings around her slowly crumbling to ashen dust.
'Do you think that I need to hide from insignificant dust like you?!'
Then the frozen sky was torn open, revealing endless darkness lying within.
'I have no need to show myself because you are not worthy of it!'
And from the abyss above, a pair of eyes emerged, staring at all things with disdain like gods looking down on mortals.
But those eyes, she couldn't help but feel a certain familiarity with them…
'Now for your arrogance and insolence, perish!'
Alas, she didn't have time to entertain that idea further as she too began suffering the same fate of the people around her, slowly corroding into ashen dust.
Painful? Excruciating?
Those words wouldn't be enough to describe what she was experiencing.
In fact, she had absolute certainty that whatever she had done to those maggots in her torture facility was only a drop of the ocean compared to this.
Nevertheless…
'So be it! But this doesn't change the fact that you are afraid of showing your wretched form!'
No fear or despair could be seen inside her eyes as they stared towards the sky, only endless rage and hatred.
Even when only her head was left because her body had completely crumbled away, the spirit defiance inside them couldn't be extinguished!
'Hmph! Then any last words?'
And thus….
'I WILL SEE YOU IN HELL!'
The Ice General of The Empire, The Ultimate Evil of The World, Esdeath, faced her demise.
Her passing was not at all glorious with no one mourning or even celebrating it as every living being in this world had crumbled away to dust before her.
And until the end, even against a transcendental force, she did not yield in the slightest!
'Tch! Alright, you passed the test, but barely!'
But that was the worst outcome she would encounter.
'Huh?'
Because right now, in front of her eyes, everything had returned to normal!
No more frozen space and time, no colossal pair of eyes staring down the world from inside the torn sky, and the people weren't crumbling to dust!
It was as if everything she had witnessed from earlier was just a bad dream!
Although she still couldn't move her body at all…
'Sigh, Was it just a dream or–'
'Fufufu~ Then do you want to experience it a few more times?'
'.......'
Yeah she'd rather not find out if this unseen entity with a voice oddly similar to hers could really prove its words or not.
She only enjoys inflicting pain upon others but not on herself after all…
'That's what I thought~'
'In any case, I only want you to just sit still like a good girl and enjoy the show!'
The voice finally stated its intentions, its tone returned to its earlier teasing one.
But what kind of show though?
'What are you talking about? The unsightly and boring brawl of these insects?'
'Fufufu~ that is for you to find out! Anyway, I'll take my leave first as I have some pests to exterminate!'
Thus the voice was finally gone without leaving more clues for her, no insult or profanities could make it return.
Although it left one odd final message for her….
'Ohh and most importantly, don't wet yourself~'
A message that felt more like an insult than a warning!
Like hell an adult woman experienced in many gruesome battles like her will wet herself!
'I swear that once I can get my hands off that voice I will cut its limbs and throw it away to a pack of rabid dogs!'
'Hmm? There is still someone daring to challenge that red haired bug?'
'Wha– How could someone like that…'
But it seemed like that message was a legit warning, especially against the new challenger of the red haired swordsman.
====================================
The cheering and applause from the crowds had long stopped since General Esdeath revealed her killing intent.
The festivities of the martial arts tournament were no more, replaced by the immense sense of dread that washed over all living beings in the Grand Colosseum.
Most of them, whether they were nobles or commoners, didn't know why the atmosphere suddenly turned ominous, hence they stayed in their seats and did nothing contrary to the ones who had experienced the harshness of battlefields that decided to escape.
Because those experienced warriors had finally realized what kind of monster General Esdeath truly is…..
Yet oddly enough, none of the escapees dared to create a commotion to make the ominous situation more chaotic for one obvious reason.
They were afraid to attract the ire of the awakened monster….
But not everyone was trying to run away, some with exceptional willpower could regain their courage to enact their duty.
"Create an encirclement around the Colosseum, we cannot let Reinhard escape."
The General acting second in command, Run, immediately gave his orders after regaining his bearings.
His commander had already deemed the red haired swordsman as hostile so the less he could do was assist her in apprehending the man.
'Tch! It turns out this guy is up to no good!'
Wave, the ex-marine of The Jaeger Squad acting as the tournament referee too had increased his vigilance to the maximum, the fingers of his right hand were already in his Imperial Arms trigger.
Reinhard really didn't give him the impression of a bad guy so he wasn't too wary about him. But judging from the change of his boss' attitude towards the red head, it seemed like he was bamboozled all along!
Meanwhile…
'Master, everything had turned for the worst. It's now or never!'
'I know! But I somehow cannot open the portal to our home!'
A storm was raging inside Reinhard's head.
He knew that he must escape. But no matter how hard he tried, the portal towards the Company provided home dimension couldn't work at all, even the backup methods to reach it couldn't be used!
He even thought that the Company was trying to set him up, but that idea was immediately cast aside as his [Stress Defense] which allows him to keep his calm was still working properly.
In any case, he had still one option left as the fast and safe evacuation was no longer possible.
'Everyone, prepare yourself! We are going to force our way out!'
Indeed, that is to fight his way out. It shouldn't be very hard too with his arrays of Divine Blessings.
Furthermore, it was the only option which would lead to the least amount of casualties alongside collateral damage compared to initiating an all out war with the Ice General right at this moment.
'Your wish is my command!'
'Yosh, It's finally my turn to fight!'
And as his servants didn't have any objections, he began to prepare for the signal to strike by putting his hand on the Dragon Sword Reid's hilt as it'd surely allow him to pull it because Esdeath would join in the fray to block his way.
Although he heard something interesting from Wave as an empire soldier approached the Imperial Arms wielder.
"Hah? A challenger? At this moment? Does he have a death wish or something?!"
Someone was challenging him right when the Imperial Army had implied their hostility?
Was it a trap to delay him and unravel more of his trump cards? Or was the guy just an opportunistic bastard?
"It was the esteemed General's order…"
"Eh? Is that so? Well it is what it is then…"
In any case, escaping after defeating this unknown challenger would possibly elevate his reputation more among the people compared to running away right now, which would then undeniably smoothen his plan for this world.
Truly a godsend opportunity!
"Everyone, It turns out there is still a warrior brave enough to challenge our reigning champion!" Wave announced through his mic, his shouts caught the attention of the anxious crowds and relieved the ominous tension a little.
Most of the regular people watching the tournament didn't know why they felt restless after all, so Wave's announcement successfully diverted their mind to a more interesting topic.
The seemingly invincible Reinhard got another challenger!
"And would this unknown warrior face the same fate as the other, defeated by the red haired swordsman in a single strike? Or would he/she end his winning streaks?"
Wave announcements went on, igniting the dying spark of festivity that was buried a while ago.
"So without further ado, from the west gate….."
Although it wasn't the case for Reinhard as the more Wave spoke the more uneasy he became.
His [Stress Defense] didn't make him show it to the outside and prevent the uneasiness from clouding his judgement. But he was 1000% sure that this challenger would be much different from the previous ones!
"Wandering World Devourer, Ryoma!"
As expected, hearing that title truly made Reinhard's heart sink…
For only otherworlders like him could even think of such a ridiculous title!
Though he still held hope, maybe this otherworlder was just a delusional guy who couldn't back up his name.
Just think about it, a world devourer wouldn't be working under a much weaker person like Esdeath right?
'No, it can't be!'
Alas, that hope transformed into despair soon after his opponent's name was announced as an ominous aura descended into the colosseum once more. But this time, it far eclipsed the one caused by the Ice General's killing intent.
In fact, it was so terrifying that even Wave, one of the bravest and strongest warriors of this world, was frozen in fear.
Yet the worst of all, the source of this fear hadn't even shown his true form…
Tap tap tap…
Although not for long, as with the firm sound of boots stepping on the paved stones, the mysterious challenger finally revealed himself.
His tall and perfectly sculpted figure was clad in a set of royal black military suits, creating an imposing yet regal image.
His hair is black and underneath it is a peerless visage so breathtaking that even the supernatural charm of Reinhard van Astrea boosted by the Company's System seems like a drop in an endless ocean.
And complete with that dazzling pair of emerald gems of his, gazing ahead with pity as if looking down to all living beings, they created an utterly irresistible combination towards all but those who have completely cast away their desires.
Tap Tap Tap…
But none of the ones remaining in the colosseum uttered praise or even exclaimed upon witnessing such a grand feast for their eyes.
Because of fear…
A primal and unfathomable fear brooding inside their core of existence that shredded the last bits of courage from them that they did not even dare to have any profane thoughts towards that man.
Tap Tap Tap…
As if reflecting the state of its people, all sounds in the world seemed to vanish except for the steady and firm echoes of the man's footsteps.
Not even the unruly winds dared to disturb the calm yet seemingly deafening rhythm of his.
Tap tap tap…
'Everyone, unleash your Noble Phantasms and focus fire on that monster!'
The red headed swordsman, the only one who was barely holding on to his will thanks to his [Stress Defense] too had acknowledged the incoming crisis and decisively ordered his servants for an all out assault.
Because he had a gut feeling, once that man stepped on the ring, everything would be for naught!
If only he knew…
'Where are your Noble Phantasms?'
'Everyone, can't you hear me?'
'Artoria? Mordred? Semiramis? Atalanta? Medea?'
'PLEASE SOMEONE ANSWER ME!'
His fate was already sealed the moment he foolishly chose this world as his target for conquest…
'Fuck it! It's all on me now!'
And indeed, he was now left alone…
'Reid what's wrong? Isn't he a worthy opponent for you?!'
As not even his trusted Dragon Sword Reid was answering his call…
"That child is afraid, there is no need to force it to fight"
While chaos was slowly but surely reigning over Reinhard's mind, the man who brought terror to all finally spoke, his voice was deep and melodious, soothing the souls terrified by his presence.
And unknowingly, he was already stepping on the stadium, standing only a few meters away from the red headed swordsman.
His over two meters tall figure might not be the biggest compared to other foes Reinhard had ever faced, yet the oppression exuded by his sheer presence at such a close range eclipsed all of them.
"Now, Outsider…."
The man once again spoke, his voice no longer carried warmth and his gaze no longer held pity as he called out Reinhard of his true identity.
"You shouldn't have come here."
Then in an instant, without being able to resist or utter a word, Reinhard's consciousness fell into the abyss…