Asura's lips curled into a frustrated smirk as he breathed a long, exasperated sigh. He crossed his arms, irritation flickering across his face. If I go back, my fun ends. No, thank you.
"Look, Smoky," he spoke with a friendly tone, "I ain't coming back here. Ain't nothing to do."
The figure shifted around him, its presence swirling as Asura walked toward the gates.
"Quit following me," Asura ordered, the sand beneath his feet shifting as he walked. The nostalgic feeling of it reminded him of home, but it did not ease the discomfort of his situation.
"You were meant to guard this place, yet you're allowing them to invade?" The tone wavered, as if questioning. "They will soon ravage it, claim it for themselves, and wipe out everything that remains in this desolate realm."
Asura's eyes darkened as he muttered, "Everyone's dead. I'm the only one left…" He jabbed an accusing finger in his direction. "You know this. Quit pestering me about useless shit."
The figure watched him silently, noting the tension in Asura's voice. He never liked talking about what happened to his people. A sharp headache would flare up whenever he tried to remember specific details, like something was blocking him from the truth.
"Only the king remains on that shitty hill over there." The ogre pointed far out in the distance. "No one else walks here but him, someone I can't even kill." He trudged onward. "The place is boring as hell. No one to fight anymore. Just get lost and leave me alone."
From miles away, on a distant dune, a figure stood, a speck in the vastness of the desert. Asura knew who it was. It was always him. That hill had been his domain for hundreds of years, with the king never moving, never offering help, just a useless presence in the distance. Asura spat on the ground as if to insult the figure on the hill.
"They crave power, which led them here. You once protected it by keeping others at bay."
Asura pointed at the rifts, frustration building. "Go screw yourself. Even if I did fight them, it would be boring. I want new fights, and I'm getting them where I am."
"The battles are just an excuse. Whether the monsters or the humans, it's irrelevant. What you are running from is the real issue—one you hide from." The figure paused, calculating its next words. "Continue this path, and it will only lead to more loss."
The figure swirled around him, growing larger, its form darkening, becoming a massive, ghostly cloud. The purple lightning within crackled violently, weaving through the clouds like a storm.
"No means no, asshole!" Asura shouted, swatting at the smoke, but it was futile. The cloud enveloped him, restricting his movements. The lightning surged through the air, creating a cocoon of light around him. Desperate, Asura continued to punch and kick at the electric threads, but his labor was fruitless.
The figure's voice echoed throughout the clouds. "You will return and reclaim what is yours."
"Beware the Beast King, for he grows restless. His hunger to rise among the kings drives him recklessly, and a devil whispers in his ear." Its voice softened, delivering its final words before fading away.
"Do not be afraid of tomorrow, but learn to forgive what has been done."
Asura gritted his teeth, his mind racing. Does he know this thing? Whatever, he mumbled, thrashing against the smoke, unwilling to return to this place.
Suddenly, Asura crashed to the floor with a thud. He thrashed around, disoriented, as the remnants of the dream lingered. For a moment, he was unaware of where he remained. Then, pressing his hands against the wooden floor, he realized he was back in the room.
"Thank you, Judex Divinum, for letting me stay!" Asura exclaimed joyfully, a grin creeping onto his face as he stood up, glad to be out of that dreamscape.
He looked around his bedroom, scanning for the wispy figure, but it was nowhere to be found. Must have been a dream, his mind replaying the figure's words. Just what did it want with me? Why does it matter if I return?
The memory of the figure's voice echoed in his mind, but he could not make sense of it. The shadow must've caused the dream, he thought. But how did it get into my dreams? Last time I checked, Shadows couldn't manipulate the land of dreams.
Asura rubbed his body with his arms, trying to shake off the remnants of the dream. To make sure he was fully awake, he pinched himself. The pain confirmed it, but the odd motion caught Wain's attention. He stared at Asura, his eyes wide with confusion.
"You okay?" Wain asked, his brow raised in confusion. Asura stopped rubbing his chest and cleared his throat, trying to act nonchalant. "Yeah, I'm cool. Just a nightmare."
"Monsters can have nightmares?" Wain asked, still watching him closely.
Asura stretched his body, lifting his arms high above his head. "Yup. There are unpleasant things even monsters don't like to experience."
While he listened, Wain nodded slowly, turning his attention back to the bag he was packing with herbs. Asura watched as he placed cigars into the bag, each labeled with a different-colored band to indicate which flower they were made from. Then, Wain paused and turned to look at Asura, a thought crossing his mind.
"Why do we call your races the monster races?" Wain asked, his curiosity piqued.
Wain's genuine curiosity caught Asura off guard. Humans were not often so interested in the different realms and races. He is a unicorn! Asura thought, amused by how rare it was to meet a human who was not prejudiced and desired to understand other worlds.
"The same reason we're called demons." He rolled his eyes at the word. "Humans want to separate us from them. Dirty bastards hate everything that's different," Asura said, shaking his head.
"Really? Humans decided that?" Wain asked, genuinely puzzled.
"Yeah. From what I know, the king's great-grandfather started it." Asura replied, shrugging as if the whole thing was a matter of fact. Wain paused. "King?"
"Oh, my apologies-" Asura raised both hands and made exaggerated air quotes, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "your little 'Knight of God.'"
"His great-grandfather started it?" Wain asked as he continued to rummage through his belongings.
"That's what Merlin said," Asura replied as he recounted a conversation he had long ago. "He wanted to isolate humans, and I'll admit, it isn't entirely wrong." The ogre stretched his back, trying to free his stiffness. "But it's offensive. We're different, and there are far too many races to lump us all together."
"How many races are there?" Wain asked, his curiosity piqued. "I read a book recently about all the different creatures in the beast kingdom." He paused, thinking back to the various beasts they encountered at the factory. "They can't all be from the same race, right?"
"Nah. But it's fine to call all beasts 'beasts' instead of 'monsters,' or it's an insult."
"An insult? Why?"
"Well, think of it this way…" Asura paused, scratching his chin as he chose his next words. "In the Ogre Kingdom, there were orcs, ogres, goblins, and cyclops. It's called the Ogre Kingdom because we ruled over the 'em."
"Although they're different, the other races hated being separated from the ogres. It's like a family thing, if you think about it." Asura leaned back slightly, folding his four arms. "Ogres were considered royalty. If you called an Orc an 'Orc,' they'd think you were targeting them, stripping away their heritage."
He looked at Wain, making sure the human was following. "The correct way to address them was 'an Orc of the Ogre Race and the same thing goes for the beasts."
"Most of the other races like it that way, too," Asura went on, his voice thoughtful. "Like, 'a Frost Giant of the Giant Race,' or 'an Elf of the Faerie Race.' But there are a few exceptions. Dragons, for instance? They don't give a damn what you call them." He tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling, as though imagining them. "You can call them dragons, call them whatever you want, and they won't even flinch. Just...." A shiver ran down his spine, and his tone shifted, darkening, "Don't insult them. Their pride? That's everything."
Wain blinked at the nonchalance in Asura's tone. He never quite knew what to expect from the ogre. One minute, he could be a carefree fool, the next, a fountain of strange wisdom.
"You sure know a lot," Wain said, his voice betraying his amazement.
Asura shrugged, a relaxed expression on his face. "Eh, been around a while."
Wain found himself watching Asura more closely. It was as though a different person inhabited the ogre's body sometimes. One moment, the brute was reckless, shouting with excitement; the next, he spoke with a kind of weight that made Wain rethink his judgments. He never could quite figure him out.
"Ash called you weak last time," Asura said suddenly, breaking Wain's trance. "But after seeing you two, I realized he's way weaker than you." A sly smirk pulled at his face. "The man got knocked out by an orange, but you? You can make a wolf out of smoke or poison stuff and make a Banana Wyrm smoothie." Asura leaned forward as he crossed his legs beneath him. "How come everyone looks down on you?"
Wain sighed, fingers tugging at the strap of his bag. "I don't have holy mana. Instead, I got this thing called a 'Pure Heart.' Doesn't mean much. Only thing it does is let me go into God's gardens."
"Pure heart?" Asura squinted, his expression shifting into something more intrigued. "What, are you like... righteous or something? Never done anything bad? Never lied to your momma? Virgin boy?"
Wain chuckled despite himself. "Kind of. I do what I think Judex Divinum wants me to do. I try to follow his laws as best I can. Say what you want, but I'd rather have this gift than holy mana. The Temple doesn't care about people, just about maintaining power."
"Lame." Asura snorted. "I thought it'd be like, some kind of cool flaming heart. Not just 'I'm a good boy.'"
A brief, uncomfortable silence lingered between them before Asura's curiosity led him to ask, "Wait—did you say God's Gardens?"
Little was known about the Gardens, except that they were essentially prisons for the Angels. To protect them, the serene, beautiful landscapes were fiercely guarded by the Archangels. This made the Gardens incredibly tempting to monsters. The possibilities lying in Judex's domain were endless. "Yeah," Wain said nonchalantly, as if it was just another ordinary place.
"Wait, wait, wait, like God's favored Gardens?" Asura's eyes widened. "The beautiful gardens guarded by the big angel freaks?
Old memories resurfaced in Wain's mind, memories he had long buried deep within. A heavy weight settled in his chest. This is how it all begins, he thought, a quiet unease creeping into his thoughts as he spoke.
"Yeah, one of those…" He paused for a moment, his voice growing distant as he continued, "I'm able to go into them. I don't really do much in there. Just tend to the flowers. It's... beautiful, though. But I can gather some of them. That's how I get these herbs."
He motioned to the bundle of plants in his bag. "They're what let me use holy mana. I roll them myself and smoke them to gain powers. There are four types I usually pick. The Angel who guards the garden lets me do it."
Asura blinked, still processing. "Wait… you roll 'em and smoke 'em? Like a blunt?"
Wain hesitated for a moment, realizing the absurdity in his words. "Yeah… kind of. I don't get high, though. It's more like a blessing." He looked down at his hands, trying to find the right words. "One is called the Flower of Creation. I can shape things from smoke, like you saw. Another is the Flower of Time. It lets me glimpse the future, just a little. The green one... that's the Flower of Decay. It poisons monsters, mutates them, and eventually, they just... rot."
"Wait, the green one?" Asura's eyes widened, then narrowed. "Didn't I breathe that in back at the factory?"
Suddenly, the ogre patted himself down as if searching for signs that he was about to turn into a puddle. Wain burst into laughter at the sight of the ogre, who was frantic and paranoid.
"Relax," Wain managed through his laughter. "I think it only works on weaker monsters. If it doesn't kill them, it slows them down, or... doesn't do much at all. If I concentrate, though, it can be deadly to stronger monsters." Wain pointed at his friend, "But you? You're a freak. Even compared to monsters."
Asura's grin stretched wide. "Thanks, pretty awesome, right?" Wain rolled his eyes but could not suppress the smile tugging at his lips. "Speaking of which, that lion lady—she seemed like a Centurion-ranked monster."
Asura blinked, his uninterest in their rankings apparent. "Really? What makes you think that?" He asked, with a dry tone.
"Well, she could summon about fifty monsters on a whim. She also had some freakishly strong abilities, and it didn't take her long to regenerate from your punches." Wain nodded. "I'd say that places her pretty high."
"I can't wait to fight her again." A gleam of excitement lit up Asura's eyes, his posture shifting, almost bouncing on his heels. "Hopefully, she'll bring more monsters next time. Also, I would get rid of that mindset, though, with ranking monsters."
Wain paused, "What do you mean, my mindset?"
"Ranks are crap," Asura said with a casual shrug, waving a hand dismissively. "That whole power ranking system is doo-doo. It's filled with faults." The ogre played a scene with his fingers on his arm. "If you get caught up in the ranking system, you'll start underestimating them. One day, you'll find your head missin' before ya know it. That's all I'm sayin'."
Wain chewed on the ogre's words, his mind swirling with thoughts. The more time he spent with Asura, the more questions piled up, each one leading back to the ogre himself. There was so much about him that didn't add up, too many secrets hidden behind that foolish facade. What is Asura's story?
A chorus of dying animals echoed from Asura's stomach, making Wain sigh as he glanced at the ogre, who pursed his lips in embarrassment. "We should get moving and eat. It's already nine p.m."
They trudged through the cathedral's endless, winding hallways, the corridors stretching forever. With each step, Asura's frustration grew. The cathedral's labyrinth design seemed intent on driving him mad. Each time they wandered through its countless halls, it felt like an absurd quest for the nonexistent fountain of youth. Every hallway looked the same, with identical doors in the same spots, making the ogre feel like he could measure the distance between them down to the centimeter. The monotony of it all was enough to make him question his sanity.
"This place sucks," Asura grumbled. "Finding these rooms and shit. It's like a maze in this place, man..."
Wain chuckled, remembering his first day in the cathedral. It had taken him two hours to find the bathroom, a frantic ordeal of running down endless hallways and slamming doors open in desperation. Afterward, he'd tried asking the captain about the place, but the man always denied anything was out of the ordinary.
Still, Wain was certain the cathedral was more than it seemed, even if the old man insisted otherwise. Sometimes, the rooms shifted, moving around like the building was alive. At first, he thought he was losing his mind, but eventually, he accepted the truth. This place was a living house.
"We're almost there," Wain said, his tone light. "You get used to it."
"Just how big is this place?" Asura's voice betrayed his exhaustion.
"Not big enough," Wain scoffed, rolling his eyes at the idea of comparing sizes. "You should see the other cathedrals."
Asura shook his head in disgust. "Nope, I'd rather not."
Wain chuckled at the ogre's quick refusal, finding some comfort in knowing he was not the only one struggling with the place. "I think this door is the kitchen," he stated, halting in front of a nearby door.
Asura glanced at the door, noting that it looked like the others, plain brown, with no signs or markings to distinguish it. It had the same golden frame, which the cathedral architect seemed to favor for every door in the building. Asura squinted. "How the hell do you know?"
Wain shrugged, his expression nonchalant. "I guess since I've been here, it's intuition."
"That's bullshit," Asura muttered, but he followed Wain inside anyway.
The room was immense, and Asura was left speechless, his eyes wide with awe. In the center, four large tables draped in white tablecloths stood, each surrounded by scattered chairs, fifteen in total. Above each table, massive glass chandeliers hung, casting soft light over the space and giving the room an air of sophistication as though it belonged in a high-end restaurant. But that was only the beginning.
In the corners of the room, towering statues of Angels loomed, carved from marble with painstaking detail. At first, Asura thought the walls were simply textured, but as he took in the statues, he realized the walls themselves were made of the Angels' outstretched wings. Each set of wings spanned half the room, overlapping the others in the middle.
The Angels were sculpted kneeling, their arms raised above their heads, palms pressed against the ceiling as though bearing the weight of the entire structure. The craftsmanship was beyond anything Asura had ever seen. Every detail of the wings, the feathers, and the flowing robes had been executed with incredible precision. Whoever had created these sculptures had poured immense care into every inch, capturing the grace and power of the celestial beings.
Their heads were slightly bowed, giving off the unmistakable impression of humility, as if these Angels were dedicated servants of a higher purpose, just as the ancient stories of Judex Divinum described. The cloaks draped over their bodies obscured their faces, an intentional choice, Asura understood.
It was a symbol of selflessness, a refusal to take pride in their own deeds. In the holy texts, it was said that true kindness was given without recognition, and this was the story the sculptor had chosen to convey, throwing aside personal pride to serve a higher duty, one as grand as holding up the very sky.
The growl of Asura's stomach jolted him back to the present. As an ogre, he could appreciate the immense detail and love that had gone into the sculptures. Not every day did he see such dedication poured into creating something magnificent. He could not help but think that one day, he would like to meet the sculptor and give them the recognition they deserved.
Asura's gaze swept across the room and landed on a figure sitting quietly in the corner of the cafeteria. It was Ash, hunched against the wall, eating his meal. Ash's posture left his back wholly exposed, making him vulnerable to attacks from behind. A sinister smile slowly spread across Asura's face as an idea began to form in his mind.
"Welcome to the cafeteria." Wain gestured toward the room. "Probably your new favorite place, seeing how many pancakes you ate last time-" Wain froze as he noticed Asura's grin. "What's that look for?"
Asura quickly tried to mask his emotions, putting his hands in his pockets and glancing up at the ceiling, his face contorting into an exaggerated display of innocence. "No, nothing. Just a happy thought. Let's go eat, pal."
Wain's unease only deepened. As they walked toward their seats, he kept an eye on Asura, feeling something off in the air. His gaze flickered nervously around the room, staying cautious, but he ensured they were seated far from Ash. It did not take long for Wain to realize his suspicions were correct.
Asura shifted in his seat, squirming uncomfortably like a child caught sneaking cookies. I knew it. Wain thought, watching Asura wriggle under the pressure of his mischievous intentions. Whatever the ogre was planning, it had something to do with Ash.
After a while, Asura was forced to yield, knowing he could not escape Wain's vigilant stare. Wain's eyes followed like a hawk every time he moved, ensuring the ogre would not make any questionable decisions. My crimes wouldn't be that bad... maybe just a little, the ogre mused internally, but at this point, he might as well abandon his plans.
Instead, Asura turned his attention to the grand cafeteria, trying to distract himself from his gnawing hunger. The room was much more opulent than any place he had ever seen. Why would they need such a decorated cafeteria? he wondered, his gaze drifting toward the kitchen, where a chef worked tirelessly at the stove.
Turning to Wain, Asura hesitated. "So, uh, do we get up and grab food, or...?"
To his surprise, Wain was looking down at something, fiddling with his bag. A pang of frustration hit Asura. Shit, I could've escaped… But as the thought crossed his mind, Wain looked up at him, and the brief chance for freedom slipped away.
"Uh… no. The chef will bring us something," he replied, his gaze distant as if his thoughts were elsewhere. "Just stay in that chair." He assured, "We don't really get to choose, but it's always good. There's never any reason to complain."
Asura slumped back in his chair, his boredom growing by the second. This is boring. So boring. Incredibly boring. Superbly—I don't think thats a word—terrifically boring? Monstrously boring... His groan of frustration filled the silence, his mind slowly unraveling under the weight of the monotony.
As his madness reached its apex, the scent of food wafted into the air, snapping Asura out of his daze. He shot up from his seat, a spark of life returning to his eyes. Food! He spread his arms out across the table like an excited child eagerly awaiting the chef's arrival. She glided over, placing two plates brimming with delicious dishes in front of them.
Up close, Asura finally took a better look at the chef. She was an older woman with brown hair streaked with gray, her curly locks framed by a gentle face. He could not help but notice the warm smile that spread across her face, her eyes crinkling slightly at the edges. Her brown eyes shone brightly in the flickering candlelight, radiating a comforting warmth that soothed Asura's restless spirit.
She was smiling at him with the affection of a grandmother, with no judgment in her gaze, just genuine care, as though his monstrous form did not matter at all. Asura, with his mouth already watering, barely managed a quick "Thank you" before digging into his meal.
Wain chuckled as he watched Asura unrestrainedly attack the food with feral intensity. One plate before Asura held a steaming chicken pot pie, beans, and garlic bread, comfort food in its finest form.
As he took his first bite, the flavors burst in his mouth, as rich and perfect as the scent filling the air. The other plate contained a large slab of steak, something Asura had only seen on human television. He sliced into it, the rich, savory taste making his mouth water even more. The crispy, caramelized crust and the juicy interior were everything he could ever want in food. Mmmmmmm... mmmmmhmm...
"Quit moaning, man. I know it's good, but stop..." Wain said, his face contorted in amusement and slight disgust as he watched Asura practically inhale the meal.
Asura paused mid-chew, juices dripping down his chin. Glancing up at Wain, his face smeared with food, he muttered, "I need to be friends with the cook," with a deep appreciation in his voice. This was no ordinary meal but a true blessing.
With a mouth packed with food, Asura asked, "How come she didn't run from me? She smiled."
Wain responded with a shrug. "She's always been like that. Welcoming to everyone, no matter who they are. I've never seen her upset, not even once." He watched as the cook returned to her duties. "Guess she's got room in her heart for goofy monsters like you, too."
"I'm not goofy... you're goofy," Asura mumbled under his breath, continuing to scarf down his food. The two of them ate quickly, their hunger finally sated after a long starving day. The pancakes served to them earlier may have filled Asura's stomach, but the rubbery texture and bland taste had been far from satisfying. This, though? This is heaven compared to that prison food from the pancake house.
In his mind, the chef was like an angel sent from Judex Divinum to grant them a taste of paradise.
As they finished eating, Asura's eyes spotted an apple sitting beside them. A mischievous grin spread across his face, and Wain's stomach sank. No, not again, he thought. He had hoped that whatever plan Asura had been scheming had been foiled earlier, but that grin told him otherwise.
Before Wain could react, Asura's large hand darted toward the apple. Wain lunged to stop him, but it was already too late.
The ogre dropped into a baseball pitcher's stance, gripping the apple with his four hands, mimicking the throw he had made with the orange earlier. With a quick motion, he pulled his arm back and hurled the apple through the air with incredible speed. The fruit soared across the room, slamming into the back of Ash's head, where the apple exploded upon impact, splintering into a thousand tiny pieces.
Wain watched, horrified, as Asura burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face. Ash, too far away for Wain to see the full extent of the damage, had not yet reacted, but the audible smack of the apple against Ash's skull, followed by the rattling of plates, told the grim tale. For a moment, everything around Wain seemed to freeze as he waited for the consequences of Asura's actions to unfold.
Asura's laughter rang through the room, his fist pounding the table in uncontrollable amusement. Meanwhile, Wain anxiously glanced toward Ash, who had stood up from his seat, a dark glint in his eyes. He's not that mad, right? Wain muttered under his breath, trying to convince himself.
But when Ash turned around, his furious gaze burned through the dim candlelight, feral and untamed. His jaw was clenched tight, a thick vein pulsing on his forehead as he stormed toward their table. Wain nudged Asura, trying to warn him, but the ogre was undeterred, grinning as Ash approached. Placing his hands on the table, Asura provoked, "What do you think you're gonna do, soy boy?"
His rage reached its boiling point. With a vicious kick, Ash sent the table flying, causing Wain to lose his balance and crash to the floor. Asura quickly sprang back, his eyes narrowing in surprise as he sensed something new lurking within Ash. His holy mana had increased, nearly doubling since their last encounter.
Asura's gaze sparkled with eager curiosity, the thrill of a good fight calling to him. "Ohhhh, big man wants to fight?" The ogre crossed his arms, "Last time, you got your ass handed to you. Want to make it two and zero?"
Ash drew his sword, pointing it at Asura with a deadly promise. "There won't be a next time. I'll cut your head off and send you back to Hell where you belong, you filthy demon."
Asura's face twisted in disgust at the word demon. "Still a racist bastard, huh?" he asked, his irritation rising.
The two rushed toward each other, ready to tear into one another, but Wain leaped between them, surprising both with his strength. He pushed the two apart, holding them back with a sigh of frustration. "Look, if you're going to fight, take it to the training room. Stop destroying the kitchen." He pointed toward the chef. "The chef doesn't deserve this."
Asura glanced toward the chef, who had been watching the altercation quietly. The memory of her beautiful cooking flooded his mind, and the thought of upsetting her made him pause. He exhaled deeply, calming himself. "Sorry…I. Yeah, let's go."
Without a word, Ash sheathed his sword and walked toward the door, his eyes still burning with fury. "Wain's right," Ash spat out with seething rage as he motioned for Asura to follow. "There's no backing out anymore. Let's settle this once and for all, worthless demon."
Asura shot back a quick retort, "Pfft, like I would run from you. 'Worthless demon'? Best insult you've got?"
The two stormed out of the kitchen, and Wain, rubbing his forehead, followed after them. There will be consequences later if I let them fight, Wain thought. Mel and the captain will be pissed. But maybe it's better this way. They need to get it out of their system.
As Wain followed them down the hallway, he mulled over the possible outcome. He had never seen Ash and Asura fight before, but if he had to place a bet, it would be on the ogre. Asura had a stubborn resilience. No matter how often he was knocked down, he always got back up. Still, Ash's swordsmanship was nothing to dismiss. His skill with a blade was precise, deadly, and honed through relentless training.
When they arrived at the training hall, Ash wasted no time drawing his sword, stepping into the center with a focused stance. The air between them grew heavy with tension as he locked eyes with Asura, his expression filled with determination. Asura, on the other hand, grinned, practically vibrating with excitement. Both fighters stood poised, their blood pounding in their veins, ready to settle the score.
Asura's eyes gleamed with readiness, eager to see how this clash would unfold. Ash, now confident in his increased power, wore a cold smile. This time will be different, he thought. He assured himself the result would be different.