In a castle located in the kingdom of Listmyca, resides a man who will challenge the might and power of the heroes, as the man was sitting on his throne, smirking with arrogance.
The doors open as a group of sorcerers enter the room, the leader of the group is a woman with pink hair, wearing a witch's hat, with a sly smile on her face, she and the rest kneel before the man much to his amusement.
"You have called for us?" The woman called out.
"Yes, you are correct." The man replied.
"Everything is going very smoothly, Your Majesty." The woman stated as she bowed her head before him.
"There are no signs of any disturbances within our territories, so will the plan remain objective..." The woman said as she slowly rose her head.
"Victor?" The woman asked.
"Why certainly, Listmyca is a nation filled with the strongest sorcerers this world has ever known, and since I possess the power of the Philosopher's Stone we have the power to rival any nation this world has ever seen..." Victor said arrogantly.
"That is true..." The woman replied nervously.
"Is something the matter, Serena?" Victor asked, waiting for her response.
"Well recently, I've learned the existence of another strong nation known as Elderith, as their king is quite powerful..." Serena replied.
"Interesting, this king must be quite powerful for him to captivate my attention..." Victor said amusingly.
"From what I've heard, he possesses the power to create anything from his hands..." Serena continued.
"Intriguing...go on..." Victor replied.
"I've heard from others that any opponent that gets in his way, meets his ferocious gaze that always ends with his opponents defeat..." Serena said in fear.
"My my...he isn't some loser king like the others huh?" Victor laughed, his voice echoed throughout the room.
Victor eventually stood up from his throne and let out a smile.
"I wish to meet him and kill him with my very own hands..." Victor said.
*Back to Creo and his group walking to Listmyca*
Creo, along with his guild and Crimson Thorn's accompaniment, proceeded to get ready for their adventure to acquire the fabled Philosopher's Stone.
Creo couldn't help but inspect and take an interest in Crimson Thorn's double-bladed weapon, fueling his curiosity as they walked down the path.
"Hey, that weapon of yours is quite interesting..." Creo said.
"Thanks for the compliment, I made the blueprints of the weapon myself." Crimson Thorn replied.
*Athena walks from behind walking towards Creo and Crimson Thorn, tapping lightly on Creo's shoulder*
"Oh sorry, if I was interrupting something," Athena said looking away.
"It's fine, you weren't interrupting anything." Creo and Crimson Thorn replied.
"We were already done chatting anyways..." Crimson Thorn stated.
"So let's go catch up with the others shall we?" Athena stated.
The three of them went back on track and caught up with the others.
Creo and Crimson Thorn were both leading the guild towards the path to the kingdom Listmyca.
"We are nearing Listmycan territory, remember to never let your guard down, we are facing if not one of the strongest nations when it comes to magic..." Zino stated.
Creo and Crimson Thorn firmly gripped their hands on their weapons, being prepared for any incoming attack that may come in their way.
"I see that Creo and Mr. Tough Guy here are both ready, might as well prepare my sword as well then..." Zion Kishima said as he slowly pulled out his sword.
"Don't let your guards down men..." General Relade Jr. exclaimed, as he drew his blade, preparing for any incoming attack from opposing forces.
As they were reaching closer, their opponents began to strike.
Out of nowhere, two masked men wearing hoods on, blocked their way.
"Outsiders...you shall not pass!!!" The masked men shouted, activating their magic as they created a shield from their own magic.
Creo was determined, he wasn't going to let some sorcerer get in his way from reaching his goal to reach Listmyca and retrieve the Philosopher's Stone.
He stood firmly and slowly walked towards his enemies, with determination filled in his eyes.
Athena simply looked back at him, waiting for his next plan of attack.
Creo began to activate the power of his Kontroligan Eyes to temporarily break the shields of the sorcerers.
"How-" The sorcerer exclaimed.
Athena took the opportunity to swiftly charge at one of the masked men.
But the sorcerer wasn't giving up easily as he quickly got back up, ready to fight Athena.
Athena drew out her sword, preparing for battle as the sorcerer charges towards her with murderous intent.
The sorcerer began to focus his energy cast a spell upon her.
"Summon...Serpent!!!" The sorcerer chanted, summoning a serpent out from a portal.
"Scorch..." Athena said, as she released a fireball, burning the serpent, which distracted the sorcerer.
Athena proceeds to pin down the sorcerer using her sword, smirking.
"Ice Frost..." Athena said, freezing the sorcerer's body.
"That should keep him down for now..." Athena said as she walked back.
Athena heads back to Creo's group, sheathing her sword.
"You want to go another round, Creo?" Athena said playfully.
"Well, do you?" Creo replied.
"Just tell me if you need help, ok?" Athena said as she backed away.
"Don't act too worried for me Athena..." Creo said as he walked forward drawing out his blade.
"You're so reckless, but fine that's who you are..." Athena sighed as she watched him from a distance.
Creo engaged in combat with the other masked sorcerer, striking his blade but the sorcerer blocked his attack using his magic.
"You're going to have to try a little bit harder." The sorcerer said mockingly.
"I wasn't planning to give up so easily..." Creo smirked.
He activated the power of his Kontroligan Eyes to disable the sorcerer's shield and created chains from his gauntlets and wrapped it around the sorcerer and pinning him down.
"Did you really think that mere chains can hold a sorcerer like me?" The sorcerer laughed.
Creo wasn't having it and used his Kontroligan Eyes to control the chains and tighten its grip on the sorcerer.
"Wait...stop!!!" The sorcerer groaned in agony as his body was slowly tightened by the chains.
"Creo, that's enough..." Athena said, placing her hand over his shoulder.
Creo turned off his Kontroligan Eyes and let go of his control over the chains.
"Sorry for my brutish and ill-mannered behavior, so allow me to tell you one thing sorcerer..." Creo said as he held the sorcerer's collar.
"Tell whoever ordered you to kill the King of Elderith and his associates...they will be my next victim, do you understand?" Creo stated coldly, striking fear into the sorcerer's eyes.
"Athena...can you kindly unfreeze this man, I think he's really begging for it." Creo said as he turned to Athena's direction.
"With pleasure..." Athena said as she walked to the other sorcerer, unfreezing him using her flames.
"This won't be the last time we will meet...mark our words..." The sorceres said angrily as they get transported back into Listmyca.
"I already know..." Creo smirked.
Meanwhile back in Listmyca, the masked sorcerers were transported into Victor Alchemus' castle.
"You have disappointed me..." Victor said.
"And you call yourselves sorcerers?!!" Victor said angrily.
"You two lost to two non-sorcerers from an outside a kingdom, what a disgrace..." Victor said as he stood up from his throne, heading towards the two sorcerers who were kneeling and pleading to him for mercy.
Victor Alchemus pulled out the Philosopher Stone from his locket and began to activate its great power.
"Observe as you see the power I possess..." Victor Alchemus said as he used the Philosopher's Stone to disassemble the body parts of the two sorcerers.
The sorcerers began to scream in agony, but Victor wasn't finished yet, he began to reconstruct their body and made them into a tall, brutish monster, with four arms, much to his delight.
Victor began to place a special symbol as an added bonus to his nightmarish creation.
"Now go and eliminate your opponent, Your Master commands you, move forth!!!" Victor exclaimed.
The monster ran off the castle and went off to find Creo and his group.
Meanwhile back to Creo and his group who are settling in the middle of the path, after they had finished their prior fight as they settle down and rest as the sun was already down and time was dusk.
Crimson Thorn, on the other hand, went off somewhere to practice his training, swinging his blade and began to use his powers in his training.
Creo and Athena were secretly watching him, impressed by his skills.
"He's pretty good when it comes to swordsmanship, isn't he?" Athena said as she turned to look at Creo.
"You're precisely correct Athena, I will say that he also has a potential to become a very strong leader." Creo said.
Crimson Thorn finished his practice exercise and as he went back, he noticed that Creo and Athena were in front of him and was caught off-guard.
"I guess you saw all of that didn't you?" Crimson Thorn asked.
"Yeah we couldn't help but be fascinated by your abilities." Athena chuckled.
"I'll take that as a compliment..." Crimson Thorn chuckled.
But, as they were about to head back to regroup, they heard sudden footsteps approaching them.
All three of them began to prepare to draw their weapons as the enemy began to attack towards them.
"Well this brutish monster is new..." Athena said as she was blocking one of the monster's attacks using her sword.
Unbeknownst to them, their future opponent Victor Alchemus was observing from afar, watching how Creo and his allies will defeat one of his creations.
"Let's see what you are made of, King of Elderith..." Victor Alchemus said.
Creo began to devise a plan to combat against the monster's abilities.
"Got any plans, Creo?" Crimson Thorn asked.
"You and Athena can go and distract the monster, I just need to come up with a weapon that can effectively one-shot it..." Creo said as he began to activate the use of his gauntlets.
"Very well, if you insist..." Crimson Thorn said as he rushed towards the monster.
The monster used his spells and summoned a flurry of arrows directed towards Crimson Thorn.
"Damn it...it's gonna hit in all directions..." Crimson Thorn said as he was trying to come up with a plan to block the arrows.
"Ice Wall!!!" Athena exclaimed, creating a wall made out of ice blocking the arrows from hitting them.
"I've heard someone required reinforcements!!!" A voice said.
It was none other than Zion Kishima who brought along the others.
"Perfect timing..." Creo said as he finished creating his weapon.
Zion Kishima rushed into battle drawing his blade, as the sorcerer released chains, attempting to strangle him but he cut them down effortlessly.
Zino and the Bookkeeper began to use their magic and chained the monster's arms with magic.
Athena used her ice powers to freeze the monster's feet to prevent it from moving.
"Everyone has already distracted the monster, it's time for you to finish the job, Creo!" Crimson Thorn exclaimed.
"Very well then..." Creo said as he marched forward, holding his new weapon and planning his attack.
"In the realm filled where both man and monster resides, I am the one that is different from the rest..." Creo said as he began to chant.
"I am 'He Who Controls All' what you see before is only a fraction of my divine power..." Creo exclaimed as his eyes began to bleed
"Maximum Kontrol!!!" Creo exclaimed.
Creo's Kontroligan Eyes, it is truly a sight to behold. The power of his Maximum Kontrol allows him to control everything around his surroundings giving him maximum output of control in the battle.
Creo began to redirect the arrows back to the monster, wounding him and with the power of Maximum Kontrol, he used its power to command the monster.
"You foul berserk creature, bow before me..." Creo exclaimed.
The monster forcefully bows down due to the power of the Kontroligan.
Creo began to notice something and the monster was based on the two sorcerers that he and his group faced earlier.
"So I guess you two have relayed the message to your boss...it seems that he must have been brutal for the two of you..." Creo said in a pitiful tone.
"So allow me to do a favor for the two of you and end your suffering..." Creo said.
The monster gently nodded, which touched Creo's heart.
Creo utilized the power of his gauntlets and grabbed his sword and ultimately used his Kontroligan Eye and aimed it directly at the monster's chest.
"I hope you may find peace in the afterlife..." Creo said as he gave the monster a hug before eventually letting go.
The monster's heart was deeply touched by Creo's sympathy and slowly faded as he lifted the effects of Victor Alchemus' power.
"So this is the power of the King of Elderith...he truly is a man deserving the title of a king..." Victor chuckled.
"In this world where there are the weak and the strong, only the fittest shall survive in this world..." Victor continued.
"And that will be me..." Victor said as he turned around and casted a portal to transport himself back to his castle.
Creo eventually turned off his Kontroligan Eyes, he started to feel dizzy and weak.
The usage of his Kontroligan Eyes costs the user's stamina, if used to a great extent, their stamina begins to deplete and weakens them.
Athena notices this and catches him before he falls down on the ground.
"Don't worry buddy, I got you..." Athena said as she put Creo's arm over her shoulder, carrying him to their camp.
She lays him down on a mattress and sits down, watching over him with a caring smile.
"Rest well, my dear king and my dear friend..." Athena said, stroking his hair.
"It's nice to see that Creo has a friend who can take care of him..." Zion said.
"He's a lucky man to have a girl like her." The Bookkeeper replied.
"You guys are willing to bet that these two will end up together in the future?" Zino asked playfully.
"We bet..." Zion and The Bookkeeper replied.
Crimson Thorn watches from afar, simply chuckling and decides to rest after their battle with the monster.
"The King of Elderith, or should I say Creo Creatorius is a great man, a great king and a great warrior...if I was born from this period, I'm sure me and him would have been great friends..." Crimson Thorn said to himself.
"But alas I am only here for one thing and that is to fulfill my mission and once Creo gives me the Philosopher Stone, I can go home and finish what I started..." Crimson Thorn concluded.
"Hey..." Athena said, tapping his shoulder.
"Oh...hey..." Crimson Thorn replied.
"I just came here to clear my thoughts after comforting Creo in the tent..." Athena said.
"So...I'm sorry what was your name again?" Crimson Thorn asked.
"Athena Ardenvain but you can just call me Athena..." Athena replied.
"So Athena, mind if I ask you something?" Crimson Thorn asked curiously.
"Sure what is it?" Athena replied to his question.
"What's your relationship with Creo?" Crimson Thorn asked, waiting for her response.
"My relationship with him...well I would say that my relationship with him is pretty close...before he formed this guild and before he became the King of Elderith, he was just a blacksmith in the kingdom, and the legendary 'Child of the Prophecy'." Athena replied as she started to tell him how she met Creo.
"I met him on the battlefield, helped him out when it came to fighting Eldenmorians. Even then, me and him do quests together, he was a charming friend and I'd be willing to sacrifice myself for him and I'd be willing to stand by his side even when the whole world is against him." Athena replied.
Crimson Thorn was touched by Athena's words and simply smiled.
"I see, well that answers my question." Crimson Thorn stated.
*Meanwhile back in the kingdom of Listmyca*
"How did it go, Victor?" Serena asked.
"Our new opponent is a strong one, he displayed quite the power and managed to defeat a sorcerer monster...he is truly not to be underestimated." Victor chuckled.
"Oh, by the way..." Victor paused.
"Is 'he' here yet?" Victor asked.
"He is...allow me to just call him..." Serena replied, she opened the door and called someone out.
"You may come in." Serena said.
The doors open and a man wearing a hood over his head entered, he wore black and purple stylish clothes, with a sword on his belt and as he made his way to Victor, the man simply kneel before him.
"Welcome back...Nightshade..." Victor stated.
Nightshade proceeded to take off his hood, where he is revealed to have a scar on his face and has a new hairstyle while retaining his gothic look.
"I appreciate the welcoming Victor, it's been a real pain that I was trapped in that dimension..." Nightshade sighed.
"It was a good thing that you weren't killed with the rest of your terrorist organization members...you still had potential, so do you want revenge?" Victor asked.
"Hmph, the answer to that is quite obvious, of course I want revenge!!!" Nightshade exclaimed.
"I love your attitude, now allow me to choose a partner for you..." Victor stated.
"Speaking of which, she's here right now..." Victor chuckled.
The doors open and the person who entered was a woman holding a staff, she had a killer gaze, lavender eyes and white eyes, she kneel before Victor much to his delight.
"Nightshade, this is your partner...meet Morgan." Victor said, pointing at her.
"Pleasure to meet you..." Morgan said, shaking Nightshade's hand.
"The feeling is mutual..." Nightshade replied, shaking her hand back.
"Now Nightshade, I remember your former boss King tried to use the power of Aethereal Dreamstone Crystal, I will say he made a risky gamble and points for him to use a powerful artifact...too bad he lost his hands over the control of the crystal..." Victor said.
"No matter, the Philosopher's Stone is strong enough to rival the Aethereal Dreamstone Crystal's power..." Victor said.
"So..." Victor said, standing up from his throne.
"It's time for us to make our move..." Victor said.
"It's all just a cycle of chess..." Nightshade mumbled to himself.
"Exactly the point Nightshade...they made their move now it's our turn next..." Victor chuckled.
"If they want the Philosopher's Stone, then they'll have to get it from me first." Victor exclaimed.