Chapter 40: All The King's Horses and All The King's Men

“Aaaaaaaaaaaah!" A man had his legs pinned underneath a rock and could only scream in agony. The atmosphere immediately became tense, and as if to increase the stress, the cavern lit up. Lance and his party watched on in confusion.

"Hey! Someone help me!" A man attempted to lift the rock, a few others saw him and assisted him. They formed a small group and tried to lift the massive stone but could barely manage it.

"We need more help!" The man shouted angrily but as he turned around the rest of the group seemed to be in a daze. "What are you..." He trailed off as he peered down the passageway.

"PROTECT...THE...KING!" A metal construct was headed straight for the group; its arms functioned as a sword and shield. It was, of course, a newly adapted Polyphemus.

The Mercenaries showed their experience as they readied themselves. The Warriors and Archers drew their weapons while the Mages began preparing spells. A combined attack of magic flew through the narrow tunnel, the Polyphemus raised its shield and took the spells head on. It was pushed back under the combined assault, but it sustained no visible damage. The Archers shot arrows at the Polyphemus, but its shield continued to block.

"PROTECT...THE...KING!" It raised its sword arm and began attacking. Those who fought in close combat moved to defend while others moved to its flank. The Polyphemus thrust its arm and impaled a woman who was too slow to dodge.

"Nooooooo!" A man cried out, but the Polyphemus paid him no mind and flung the woman from its blade. The man charged ahead in anguish and prepared to attack, the Polyphemus raised its shield, but it was a feint. The man slid under the Polyphemus and emerged on his back side. "HA!" His sword began glowing with energy as he pierced the metal plating of the Polyphemus.

"Protect...the..." The Polyphemus fell onto the ground with a clang, putting everyone into silence except for a man who held the deceased woman and wept. Before anyone could speak, they heard the heavy metallic grating that emerged as, "PROTECT...THE...KING" Another Polyphemus appeared, but it looked different from the first one. It carried two swords, and its body seemed to be thicker than before. Those who saw it didn't notice it was an improvement to the last one, how could they? They were still tense and didn't have time to note the differences.

"Fuck you!" The man spat as he charged the Polyphemus. He correspondingly raised his sword as he went for a feint. The Polyphemus crossed its sword arms as if it were defending. The man went to slide, but suddenly the Polyphemus slashed downwards. Before he could react, he was sliced in half, instantly dying. The onlookers grew speechless.  

"I-It knew he was gonna feint...It...baited him." Some of the weaker mercenaries began to sweat lightly while the more confident ones looked slightly disturbed.

"Listen!" A man yelled to calm everyone. "We outnumber it, those with shields will defend while others will attempt to get around it. Got it?" Everyone nodded in response. The mercenaries who carried shields raised them and went forward. The Polyphemus didn't stand idle and had already moved to attack only to have its strikes meet with well-timed blocks. A man wielding a giant hammer slipped behind his and swung the hammer downwards. The Polyphemus legs bent at weird angles as it fell, it wasn't given a chance to recover as the rest of the Mercenaries swarmed it.

"PROTECT..." It couldn't even finish as all signs of life faded from its metal body

"Yeah, yeah. Protect the king." A woman said sarcastically before spitting on the metallic husk. The mercenaries grew confident at the apparent weakness of the constructs. It had to be said; The Mercenaries would be able to make short, work of them. The man who took the reins as the leader had nodded assuredly before he spoke, "If we work together we should be able to clear these things out. They are nothing more than a bunch of metal tin cans-" Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the metallic mantra of the Polyphemus.

"PROTECT...THE...KING." A Polyphemus who bore no similarities with the previous ones walked forward. A large sphere connected its torso and lower half, each of its limbs also held together with ball joints. Coiled springs on its calves made its legs take on a more feline shape. The once blank face was now more human like with the addition of eye sockets that emitted a red glow. A strange feeling crawled up the spines of everyone who laid eyes on it. A few of the more observant Mercenaries caught onto the changes immediately.

"...It gets stronger every time." A man said with a bit of fear. Everyone tensed up at the statement; sometimes intelligent enemies were far worse than ones that operated on instinct alone. It was unfortunate that the realization was only a shallow understanding of the enemy they face. The Polyphemus operated under a hivemind and consistently shared new information. What did that mean for the Mercenaries in the tunnel? It could be said that they no longer facing the same slow learning enemy from a few moments ago. The Polyphemus were learning rapidly, and the cause was three Mercenaries who were the strongest in the Kingdom. The dramatic shift in appearance meant the Polyphemus didn't waste a drop of knowledge. The strange feeling they felt when it appeared was because the Polyphemus showed no visible openings. Most of them were veteran fighters, but couldn't draw the connection due to the shape of the metallic body.

"We'll switch it up this time. Mages and Archers form a line behind and prepare to fire. Those of us with shields will apply the same defense tactic, while the others try to get around it, but this time we'll be attacking. Those who don't help will lose their share of whatever the Kingdom is willing to pay for that scrap." The impromptu leader ordered, instilling confidence in those facing the Polyphemus.  

"PROTECT...THE...KING." The Polyphemus had repeated its creed before it began running forward incredibly fast, way faster than the previous ones, sending the Mercenaries on high alert.

"Archers!" The leader shouted. The Archers fired arrows that were enhanced with their various skills, as the arrows flew through the air the Polyphemus raised its arms and rotated them at high speeds. The once threatening arrows were turned into dust. As the Polyphemus advanced its arm stopped spinning, and it began its assault. Those wielding shields thought they were prepared, but they could barely keep up with the attacks. A woman using a spear moved toward the back of the Polyphemus and went to attack its flank, but its torso rotated 180 degrees. The woman froze in shock, but the Polyphemus paid no heed and beheaded her with a quick slash.

"Mages!" The leader shouted as not only he, but the rest of the Mercenaries grew nervous. Meanwhile, in the back of the group, Lance and his party began to slowly back off.

"Lance. We have to find Ira." Sarah shook Lance who looked to be in a daze. "Lance." She repeated as she continued to shake him.

"...Yeah, let's go." Lance awoke from his stupor and nodded. At this point, it seemed like choosing safety over profit was a small sacrifice. Someone took notice of the group backing off and wanted to question them, but a scream was heard from the front.

"Mages!" The leader shouted again, a man had been cut down in front of him causing him to have some hesitations. The Mages were in the final stages of channeling and raised their wands and staves. It had to be said that the Polyphemus held the terrain advantage as the tunnel could accommodate seven people side by side at most.

"We're ready." The Mages and Archers were just about to fire when the Polyphemus shot a continuous red beam of light from its eyes, decimating the group of ranged attackers in short time. The sudden and fatal attack shocked everyone, except the Polyphemus which continued its assault. Cutting down half of those attacking with shields with its sword limbs. Its body and arms rotated as it continued relentlessly. Seeing the wasted efforts, the leader yelled. "Retreat! We'll backtrack and find Ira and Rhys they could help us-" His words were cut short as he was cleaved diagonally from shoulder to hip. The fighting spirit that simmered was immediately extinguished as everyone began to run away. The Polyphemus gave chase and easily cut down those who exposed their backs. A surviving mage was impaled due to his inability to match the physicality of Mercenaries who didn't use magic. He coughed blood and smiled before raising his wand high.

"...Combustion." He coughed as the spell fired to the ceiling above. The explosions covered the both him and the Polyphemus in flames, but it did no real damage as the Polyphemus was already flame resistant. But that didn't matter because his real target was the ceiling. The tunnel caved in as huge rocks fell onto the unsuspecting Polyphemus. Seeing the cave in the Mercenaries ran even faster to escape the falling rocks. Luckily, there were no additional casualties among the already small numbers. Some people wanted to follow the central tunnel and meet up with Ira and Rhys while others wanted to leave directly, but as they arrived at their starting point, it was blocked by a humongous boulder.

"T-Trapped." A man said as he fell to his knees. Some were close to tears while others grimaced. Now they were faced with two choices, wait at the entrance and hope another Polyphemus doesn't arrive or seek help from Ira, Rhys, and Carter. Of course, rationally it was only one choice. No one wanted to wait for death to arrive, it would be better to seek out the option that increased the odds of survival.

What they didn't know was that the Expedition Guide and the Kingdom Knights had already formed the same idea and were currently walking through the central tunnel. Each group that split off was either killed or forced to retreat, the only ones to persevere other than Ira, Rhys, and the Smallthorn Guild were large groups of Mercenaries rated A+.  

...

Meanwhile, Ira and Rhys had progressed more than halfway through the central tunnel and weren't too far from the exit. They had long since noticed the increasingly strong enemies, but Rhys pointed out they seemed to be improving.

"PROTECT...THE..." Before it finished speaking Ira threw a makeshift spear at it. The "spear" was obviously an arm that was torn off one of the previous Polyphemus. The "spear" managed to pierce the metal plating and shatter the internal core of the newly advanced Polyphemus. Ira had gotten used to the routine already, unique methods to destroy the Polyphemus only worked twice at best. They quickly became immune to the same tactics and also became stronger. Still, at this level, it was mostly an annoyance for him. What he didn't know was all the Polyphemus he faced so far attacked with the goal of dying. They were being used to perfect the Polyphemus that protected the ruined palace, but how would he know that.

He stored the body and continued down the well-lit cavern. Suddenly, he stopped and turned around, causing Rhys to do the same. She quickly learned that Ira's senses were accurate, so she knew to trust him when it came to detecting people, especially since her own detection abilities paled in comparison. Though since the enemies were metallic, it was easier to find them, even if one approached her from behind she would know. Soon she could see the Expedition Guide, A few researchers, soldiers, and some knights. They looked haggard and exhausted, the Guide approached Ira with a helpless expression. On the way he had noticed the central tunnel was clear, save traces of a battle.

He wanted to speak, but Ira held his hand up. Another group was approaching, as they inched closer it was clear that it was Lance and his party. They went around the Kingdom group and went straight to Ira and before they could speak Ira held his hand up again. The group that Lance and his party were with originally with approached Ira. A few who knew Lance's party slipped away before the retreat was even called shot them a dirty look, but didn't go any further since they had a relation to Ira.

Ira, hearing no one else approach, finally put his hand down and looked over the group, "Looks like this is it. So, you guys ran into those metal things too?" he said with a grin, a grin that everyone interpreted differently. Some saw it as ridiculing, others saw it as arrogant, and then there were those who saw it as friendly. A few people said "yes" while others solemnly nodded.

"Oh...Well, you're all welcome to follow. Just don't try to steal anything of mine." He shrugged as he began walking down the cavern. Some people were still reeling their heads over the fact that he was the strongest person there. His disposition wasn't as silent and brooding as Rhys, who caused intimidation with her silence and masked appearance. It also wasn't as dignified and respectable as Carter. To them, Ira seemed nonchalant and far too casual. Still if one were to look past his personality, he appeared to be highly capable.

"PROTECT...THE...KING." A Polyphemus ran along the cavern walls at a speed that made ranged attacks impossible. It jumped around as it approached Ira with two blade hands. Ira, on the contrary, continued walking forward as if he didn't even notice it. The Polyphemus lowered its body and pounced towards him, the springs in its legs propelled it forward as slashed downward. Ira's arms shot out explosively as he clenched the sword arms with his fingers. He pulled the Polyphemus in close and pressed his foot against its chest. Its metal limbs creaked before snapping, and it fell forward face first straight into Ira's knee. It fell on its back, and before it could get up, Ira placed a foot on its chest. He increased the gravity until as his weight was artificially multiplied. Along with its metal chassis crumpling, the glass-like orb inside of its abdomen shattered. Ira then stabbed the two sword arms into its head for good measure. Those present struggled against the same metallic monster that Ira quickly disposed of. It didn't help that he looked to be bored while doing it. He waved his left hand over it, and it faded into a black mist.

"Hey, how much are you gonna pay for the bodies?" Ira looked over his shoulder and asked the Expedition Guide.

"I...Uh...We...That is to say...I'd put it at upwards of ninety thousand Gre for a destroyed body and maybe twice that for an entire one." The man didn't expect Ira to be so forward and stumbled on his words but quickly drew up an accurate estimate. The Mercenaries present all felt the same envy, the price of one destroyed Polyphemus was more than ten times what the B-rated Mercs were paid for coming on this journey. The A-rated Mercs were paid a few thousand Gre more than the B-rated ones, even so, they still felt as if it was a fortune to be made. Ira himself just nodded, to be honest, he didn't particularly need the money but it sure as hell made things convenient.

"Ok, Rhys you try to keep up, these guys should be okay following. Oh yeah, you guys try not to fight these things head on." Ira ignored the group behind him and spoke to Rhys who nodded in response. His last line was aimed at Lance and his party, it would be best to not give them any false confidence as he was aware of the increasing strength of the Polyphemus. Ira lowered his body and planted his feet firmly on the ground. Without some much as a warning, he launched forward in a sprint. In reality, it could barely be called a sprint, he covered dozens of feet with each step. He was continuously alternating his gravity between nearly weightless and heavy with each step, it was an amazing feat, but no one noticed they were distracted by the speed he moved at.

"PROTECT...THE..." A Polyphemus charged toward Ira but could not match his momentum. While in mid-air Ira grabbed its face and slammed it into the ground, dragging it along the cavern floor and then slammed its head into the ground when he landed. In a quick motion, he stored it and continued his mad dash forward. Paying no attention to the shocked expressions of those around her, Rhys began to emit sparks of lightning, the air around crackled as she charged forward. Much like Ira she traveled in short bursts, and surprisingly she caught up to him, but his speed was considered restrained. Then again, who is to say Rhys didn't constrain her own pace.

Ira finally neared the end of the cavern and attempted to grip the face of a newly emerged Polyphemus, but it turned to liquid metal and began burning his hand. Ira drew his sword with the use of Quickdraw and separated its head from its body, after storing his body the flesh on his hand grew back rapidly. Quickdraw wasn't originally a skill that allowed one to cut through metal but due to Ira strength and gravity manipulation, the weight of the sword could be artificially increased allowing it to be possible. Ira could be considered the leading cause of increasing the enemy's power, but now he killed them too fast for any real weaknesses to be learned.

The Mercenaries who could neither match Ira's strength nor his speed moved along with hurried footsteps, lest they lose all chance at a fortune.

...

"Continue forward," Carter ordered as he pulled his greatsword out of the metallic carcass. His guildmates moved in an orderly fashion, showing no inexperience or sign of being overwhelmed. Although inwardly they grew concerned with the strengthening enemies. After a while no more Polyphemus approached, Carter and his guildmates stepped out of the tunnel to see a half-buried city. The light shined down on the empty and decrepit houses, it was strange that light was emitted despite there being no actual source, no obvious source that is. Not so far away was a palace in tremendous disrepair. Its walls still held onto a faint trace of their former majesty. Still, this power of the walls was overshadowed by the 20 metallic beings that stood guard in front of it. The appearance was vastly different from what came before, they looked like metal statues of humans, their strange attachments had all but disappeared, on the surface.

In reality, their metal forms were a perfected stage of what came before. The parts that had were compressed into a finer form, the sword arms became normal looking ones if one were to ignore the fact that their swords and shields were welded into their palms.

Carter immediately raised his hand and crouched, causing his guildmates to huddle. If it was one thing Carter could boast about it was his mind for strategy and tactics. While he may be the lowest of the top 3, he was confident no one could get the better of in him in planning, and he was right. Neither Ira nor Rhys could hold a candle to his ability to strategize.

"Listen well, you'll be split into three teams of three. Your objective is to lure and evade at least one those things. You'll be using the buildings to cover your escape, while you maintain a distraction, I'll mount a surprise attack. After I assist the first group, we'll move in teams of four to support the next, and so on and so forth. Once each group is cleared of the enemies it is responsible for, we'll reset the process, at that rate it may take us a while but we can remove them quickly." Carter explained.

"Guild leader..." A man raised his hand and called out, Carter nodded allowing him to speak his mind. "How do we get one to attack us?"

Carter was prepared for the question as if he intentionally left out the detail. "Of course that's where our Archers and Mages come in at. We'll hide in a building and attack from range to see if we can draw one of them away first. It's clear they are protecting the palace ahead, so if we don't charge them head on it is likely they'll stay put. Unless of course, they are in danger, if their lives are endangered then it'll be difficult to protect the palace. That is under the assumption they are operating with self-preservation as a secondary goal.

It's logical for them to want to keep themselves in the best condition otherwise the ability to 'Protect the King' would drop. Still, be prepared for a full retreat if things go wrong." Carter finished and went over the expression of his team. They had long since grown experienced and were prepared for all types of scenarios under Carter's lead. The plan he developed was in fact nearly flawless, it was fantastic something could be thought up in so little time. It was nothing short of genius, as the Polyphemus had simple yet complicated directives. Their minds worked strangely, not that anyone other than those who died long ago would be aware of that. While it seemed profound on the surface, it could be simplified to them noting specific things as good and bad. To figure out such things they had to sacrifice a large number if they were living beings such things would be idiotic. But seeing as they were automatons, it was groundbreaking, emotionless constructs able to adapt through experience. It was a crude but effective copy of intelligent life.

"Ready?" Carter asked his guildmates who all nodded with seriousness. And so, they prepared to enact the nearly perfect plan.

"Hey! Over here!" That is until a cheerful voice shattered all traces of the plan. Carter looked over to see Ira and Rhys standing on the other side of the small and desolate city.

"Shit." Carter couldn't help but curse.

...

As Ira and Rhys arrived at the end of the cavern, and with his eyesight, he immediately saw the enemies ahead. He saw Carter too but paid him no mind as they weren't close enough for him to care. Previously, Ira briefly thought of fighting Carter, but after various events, mainly the annihilation of a city, he dropped the thought. It would be strange if he saw Carter as a rival for Avery's limited affections, especially considering Avery's cold and distant nature towards others, and the fact she couldn't even remember him. Still, when he apologized to Ira a while ago, he had what appeared to be a trace of desire when he looked at Avery. It could be said that Ira had matured in that respect as if he chose to fight or kill everyone who wanted to court Avery, he would be busy almost every day. Carter wasn't hostile or open with his intentions so Ira wouldn't bother wasting the energy to confront a barely existent situation.

The distance between Ira and Carter was filled with dozens of half-buried and ruined buildings. If the expedition group weren't so large, it probably would've been better to just stick to the central tunnel. The tunnels all lead to different parts of the city, but the city was inaccessible seeing as it was buried by dirt. No one knew that the tunnels were formed by people attempting to escape the buried and the ones chasing them around 1000 years ago.

In spite of being in two different sections of the city, Ira could overhear Carter's planning and suddenly had a funny thought.

"Rhys, I'll leave one or two for you...probably," Ira said. Underneath her mask, there was an expression of confusion that was soon resolved by Ira's next action.

"Hey! Over here!" Ira shouted causing the Polyphemus to go on high alert. His appearance had been all but burned into their memories. They identified various things as threats and nonthreats but seeing his recent performance he had been bumped to the top of the list. In their mind, he was the biggest threat to their ability to protect. 10 of the Polyphemus immediately set off to eliminate him, their main counter for his speed and strength was evasion and counter-attacks, that is if they could manage to move fast enough.

Their bodies were small in comparison to their weight; As such it was a difficult task to move such a compressed mass at the speeds needed to defend against the threat ahead. Ira drew his sword and laughed. He vanished from sight only leaving wisps of black mist and shortly reappeared closer to the Polyphemus.

Ira spun his sword into an underhanded grip as he charged forward, he locked his elbow at 90 degrees, making it look as if he was going to use the sword like a javelin. Which was exactly what he did, He threw his sword at the closest Polyphemus, which blocked it with a large kite shield, causing it to be embedded in its arm. It approached with the sword still stuck in its arm and used its sword-wielding hand to strike at Ira. He ducked under the swing and kicked the sword, driving it deeper into the metal arm causing a loud scraping sound. The harshness of metal cutting through metal wasn't a common thing to hear.   

Meanwhile, the other Polyphemus didn't stay put, they swung mechanically and neat, if they were living beings such strikes would be highly efficient. Ira, of course, dodged the attacks, countering when he could. Each strike would send a Polyphemus crashing into a building. Finally, a few decided to use the destructive red beams to attack. It looked as if it was a limited attack since they didn't immediately start off with it. It was also possible that it drew from the red spheres that powered them, using their power would put them at a large disadvantage.

Sensing the danger and noticing the red eye sockets increasing in intensity, Ira grabbed the Polyphemus with his sword stuck in its body and lifted.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The red beams crisply cut through the air, and each hit the metal chassis of the unfortunate Polyphemus. The concentrated energy effortlessly penetrated its metal plating and destroyed its core, causing it to die. Ira waved his left hand and deposited the body, continuing his assault as he moved closer to the palace.

"PROTECT...THE...KING." 5 more Polyphemus rushed out to meet him, they would fail if they could not stop him now. Suddenly lightning struck a Polyphemus, but only hindered it at most. Rhys stood atop a roof and began her ranged assault on the ones attempting to attack Ira while his back was turned, not that he was in any real danger.  

Ira began to cleave through the metal and destroy each new foe that approached, not that there was any lack of effort on their part. It's just after 1000 years of being idle and having no energy to rely on, the Polyphemus failed to bring out their former strength. Even so, Ira's strength was the biggest cause. As the battle continued, Carter made his way through the city and the remaining groups of Mercs who managed to survive the constant one man assaults of the Polyphemus emerged. Seeing Ira fight, most saw an opportunity for wealth and headed for the palace, trailing behind Carter in speed, but still going forward.

"PROTECT! THE! KING!" The metallic voice screamed in a shrill tone, the partially destroyed Polyphemus who had no real combative use when they all awakened began to appear from the ground. Metallic hands attached to half torsos grabbed unsuspecting Mercs. It was the perfect trap since the Polyphemus didn't need to breathe. 4 out of the 5 remaining guards charged forward to take on these ambitious Mercenaries while they were helped up. Soon a battle occurred on a larger scale, those who were the greediest were the first to die because even though Carter advanced he did so cautiously.  

More and more half broke popped out of the loose soil explosively, it was reminiscent of explosives traps except when the Polyphemus extended their cold metal hands, those captured could only struggle to escape, many failing to do so. The team of 4 Polyphemus made short work of the ones trapped and continued forward with crowd control. All the while the single Polyphemus left guarding the Palace opened its metal chest and exposed the larger of the two red cores. It glowed brightly and continued to do so as it stood still.  

Lance and his party weren't dumb or brave enough to rush out into the front lines, but Lance decided to still fight with the other expeditionary Mercenaries. The group of Mercenaries lacked an enormous amount of cooperation but were able to provide enough distraction for the ranged attackers to bombard it.  

Spells shot out as the close combatants fought to the best of their ability. With such a small target it was nearly impossible for the whole group to attack so only a few attacked at a time. As the Mages prepared a second volley of spells, the nearly destroyed Polyphemus began shooting bursts of red light at those same Mages. They traded attacks as several Mages were struck down. The Mercenaries started to wear the Polyphemus down, and it shot red beams in random and rapid bursts taking down as many as it could. Someone finally smashed it in the head, and all signs of activity faded from it. The dust from its wild attack began clearing and showed the casualties.   

"Everyone alright?"  Lance asked as he coughed out the dust.

"I'm all right," Sarah said exhaustively.

"Me too," Valerie added.

Two voices seemed to be absent from. Lance repeated himself.

"Gerald? Zella? You guys ok?" He asked with a dry chuckle.

Finally, the dust was completely cleared, and Lance was left was a pitiful sight.

"Ger...Gera...Gerald!" He screamed as he ran over to a lifeless body. Half of his head was burned away, but it was obviously Gerald. Sarah covered her mouth as she grew teary-eyed and Valerie was no different. They often teased him about being a "Silent Giant" but the joke disappeared when he became more outspoken, and he never shut up about his wife or his admiration for Ira. But now, he died miserably without a chance to cry out for help.

"Zella!" Valerie mournfully wailed, as she ran over. Lance clenched his teeth and followed, with Sarah keeping up too.

"Ah...ah..." Zella had a hole in the center of her chest, she tried to speak but it was impossible, her life rapidly faded. Valerie only knew low-tiered healing magic, but that didn't stop her from attempting to fix Zella. If she was close to anyone in the party is was most definitely Zella. They both were Mages, so they spent more time together than they did with anyone else.

"H-Hold on, it'll be fine." Valerie turned irrational as she healed a wound that was impossible to repair. Nevermind the power of the healing spell, but it was cauterized. Everyone knew burns were nigh impossible to fix and maybe only those incredible healers that were few and far in between could fix it.

"ah..." Zella gave her last breath as her eyes lost all traces of life. Valerie cried as she continued to heal, falling into denial.

"...Valerie." Lance grabbed her shoulder, but she acted as if she couldn't feel it. "Valerie." It was apparent he was choked up with emotion, but it was still dangerous. Seeing her still ignore him, he tried to lift her up, "Valerie-" she turned around and slapped him.

"This is your fault!" She hissed as tears streamed down her face.

"Valerie." Sarah stepped forward to calm her, but her attempt fell on deaf ears.

"This your fault, Lance!" She slapped him again as the tears continued to pour.

"Valerie, you know it's not true-" Sarah herself was in tears, she tried to calm Valerie, but it failed.

"It is," Lance said, his expression was painted with misery. "I thought it was a good idea to rush in behind these guys and I even thought we were ready to fight alongside them...It's my fault...I killed them..." Lance crumbled and began crying, he was so caught up in trying to reach Ira and Rhys that he put his friends in danger. He was nothing like Carter, who could accept the deaths of his guildmates even if he cared deeply for them. He lacked the resolve to do such a thing, but it wasn't a leader's burden that allowed his friends to die, but his own selfishness. Didn't Ira warn them not to do it? Why did he not heed the advice of someone much stronger than him?

"Shit!" Lance cried unrestrainedly, "Shit! Shit! Shit!" He banged his head on the ground until it became soaked with blood. "Shit! Fucking shit! Shit!" He couldn't be content enough with just being allowed ahead of the other Mercenaries, he wanted recognition and look where it got him.

Similar scenes were repeated, although there was a lack of self-blame. The more experienced Mercenaries were prepared for death but still wept upon seeing their friends killed. Maybe the reason while solo Mercenaries were common was due to the fear of this exact scene.

.......

Oblivious to what happened, Ira stomped the last Polyphemus into the dirt. Seeing it stop moving he waved his left hand over it and stored it. Rhys jumped down from the rooftop and joined him, and together they advanced toward the palace. In front, there stood one last Polyphemus with its core exposed ominously. Carter and his guildmates also arrived but approached cautiously.

"PROTECT! THE! KIIIIIIING!" A massive red beam directed at Ira shot forward, but his primal awareness had long since warned him of the threat. He shoved Rhys out of the way and then vanished from the target area, he appeared behind the Polyphemus and directed the destructive force upwards; still, the body began to grow hotter as its core shook. Seeing it wasn't enough he grabbed onto it and disappeared, only to be seen in the air above. He held onto its face as he pressed his boots against its back, his knees touching his chest. Since he was his palms were in contact with the Polyphemus he could alter gravity's influence on it causing it to be lighter regarding weight. With a broad grin, he tilted his body back and kicked, sending the Polyphemus upwards while his own body flew downwards.

The Polyphemus blew up, but it hit nothing but the top of the cavern, causing rocks to fall but no real casualties. Ira rotated in the air a few time before landing lightly on his feet, of course, it was due to gravity alteration the soles of his feet were in contact with his boots. Which he could alter to slow his fall, much like he altered his own gravity when he wanted to move incredibly fast.

Rhys dusted herself off as she stood up and then used her rapier to write something into the stone of the palace.

[ Ouch.]

"It's either me pushing you or the red beam of death," Ira said with a chuckle. He then turned toward the Palace, it practically emitted danger as he looked at it. Rhys was no different, she could feel something was off with the air around in it, and even Carter could tell it wasn't natural.

They moved forward, but Ira turned around and looked at his guildmates.

"You shouldn't bring them in, they'll get in the way," Ira said, and although it was rude, it was true. The sense of danger the palace put into the minds of him, Rhys and Carter was a telltale sign that those who weren't on the same level as them shouldn't enter.

"Stay here." Carter didn't see what Ira said as rude since his words served as a confirmation of the danger ahead. His guildmates didn't fight him on the decision or protest against Ira since they lacked the qualifications to in the first place.

Ira, Rhys, and Carter all began cautiously ascending the palace steps, not knowing what lied ahead.

.........

1000 years ago.

Inside a magnificent throne room, bodies were laid out on the floor with no signs of life or visible injury, they died from a condition no one could prevent.

An incredibly pale, but handsome young man with platinum blonde hair and golden eyes sat on a throne, but his most eye-catching feature was the golden white orb protruding from his chest. In front of him, hundreds of guards kneeled down. The palace shook, and even the mana arrays used to project light flickered, but the young man didn't panic.

"...I ask not for your loyalty, If it weren't for the oath you swore in these halls, I would force you all to seek shelter somewhere safe." The young man spoke with the grace of a ruler. He continued, "I've made preparations for your families members who survived the event, they have been given weapons and supplies and should be able to re-establish themselves after the worst passes." He looked past the men and somewhere else with a melancholic gaze.

"Your majesty! We would never leave you to defend the Royal Palace alone!" A man with brown hair and a wheat-colored skin tone said, while the other nodded in agreement, their expressions held sadness but resolve.

"Ah, Windsor, I'm not one to talk, but don't make such a sad face, old friend. Who knows, your descendants may become the new line of royalty...Not just him, but all of you." The young man smiled, though it was sincere, it was still unable to hide the depression behind it.

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"Your majesty! The citizens have rioted, and are heading toward the Royal Palace, they say they are suffering the wrath of the Gods because of you. Hundreds of people who managed to preserve after the initial stages of the collapse are leading them, they are using fear to inspire a coup." A man with a dark-colored bronze skin tone and short dark curly hair charged in and kneeled next to the guards.

"Nazari, you're here! The things his Majesty sacrificed to help those bastards and yet..." A man whose hair was a different type of blonde from the King, with a pale skin tone, grit his teeth in frustration.

"Orlov, it's fine. It's true, the Gods have abandoned us, but it seems that it was planned from the start. The last Oracle died a hundred years ago, we haven't had a new one since then. We assumed a new one would appear, but..." The Young King laughed dryly. He was the first in history to unite the whole continent, those higher races couldn't look down on the lower anymore and the developments he pioneered through the mortal world establishing a golden age of prosperity. First, he learned to manipulate his own soul, he maintained its purity by cleansing it through magic. He was far older than he looked, due to his manipulation of his own soul, he preserved his youth and even was on par with the higher races. He tore down class restrictions in his Kingdom, the practices of the nobility disgusted him, it was a system that isolated the larger portion of the population for superficial reasons. He made it so noble titles could be earned by anyone who proved their worth, in fact, the three captains of the King’s Guard were low-born men in their own countries.

Next, he united the three human Kingdoms, to think at some point they went to war over ethnicity and skin color, whenever he thought back on such savage behavior he laughed. To him, it was better to judge the individual than the collective, although he wasn't naive enough to apply the same logic to groups of people who had bad intentions. Then he brought peace to the other races, he didn't conquer them but sought alliances, and through his own charisma and skillful negotiation, he got the Dark Elves and Elves to get along. Only the haughtier higher races, maintained their superiority, but they could no longer have their way on the lands of mortals. The unity he brought didn't just increase prosperity and cooperation, but it forced the higher races to grow weary of them, though they would never admit it directly. He continued on: wiping out poverty, creating new magic, curing diseases, he loved the lives of all people. He genuinely searched for a better tomorrow, and he found it.

Then he began his final task, he wanted to give the mortal races a chance to ascend to divinity, giving immortality to all, he knew of the downsides to such a task but believed he could overcome it. After all, had he not brought the continent peace? He consulted with his closest companions, telling them of his plan, and they supported him. Those around him were strong and could live hundreds of years, and through those years they had stayed with him sharing his dream. He brought together all of the "lower" races, and with all of their cooperation he almost created a device that made Divine Ascension possible for anyone, but the dream came crashing down. He didn't need to even meet the Gods to know they scorned him, they closed off the Origin Forces to all, even the higher races weren't exempt. It began slowly since the World was overflowing with the Origin Forces, it was hard to notice in the beginning, only those extremely tapped into such forces knew something was wrong. Then the Divine Aurora, which connected men and Gods faded. Finally, those who relied on the Origin Forces the most died from the dramatic change, the recoil was too much for them. It was akin to lowering the oxygen levels four times their average amount, those who didn't rely too heavily on the Origin Forces still were stricken by the loss. Now the land had begun to change, storms, volcanoes, earthquakes, it all happened. A Valkyrie that temporarily took shelter in his Kingdom even told him of a storm sealing the continents of the higher races. Out of all the higher races, the Valkyries were the least concerned with pride and status, they mostly were focused on battling worthy opponents.

As the end neared, some of his subjects turned treasonous, but all three of his guard captains and the men under him were fiercely loyal. They each were peasants years ago, but the King saw their talent and ignored their standing in society. Even the bulk of his guards were commoners because the King saw their talent and not their social class.

The King sighed, he had known of the possible chaos mass ascension could bring, but the Gods didn't even send a word of warning before they pulled the rug from under his feet. Was it not possible to talk, or was it too unbecoming of a God to speak to a mere mortal? He grew angry as he thought about it. As conditions improved people relied less and less on the Gods, blessings were no longer need for things such as food production or good health, he had seen to it that those needs were satisfied, the life span of ordinary people had even doubled.  

"We turned our backs on them, and they turn their backs on us?" He shook his head. Were Gods so prideful that they would act out of spite? He decided to not think about, he couldn't fathom the Divine Realm as he had never been, who knows what happened. He wouldn't curse all the Gods, but he would curse the ones responsible, he would curse them in his heart forever. He would never relent in his hope for those who condemned the world to suffer the same way they had made mortals suffer.

"Your Majesty, the King's Dignity Array is prepped for the second line of defense. Should we activate the Polyphemus?" Windsor asked.

"You can call me by my name you know? In those days when we fought together, you even called me a royal brat." The King joked, he wanted to avoid the terrible fate but knew what had to be done.

Seeing the defeated look in his eyes, Windsor responded in kind, "Shall we activate the Polyphemus, your Royal Brat, Dietrich."

King Dietrich smiled upon hearing him, he stood up and raised a dark silver Claymore, before stabbing it into the ground. An array inside the palace lit up and from the floor emerged strangely shaped metallic bodies with two clear glass orbs. He wanted to tell them not to use it, but the things kept in the treasury, deep underground had to be preserved for later generations. He knew turmoil would follow and soon people would be at each other's throats even then he hoped that with a small piece of hope they could rebuild what once was while avoiding those petty Gods.

"Listen well! We will relinquish our mortal bodies as we stated in the oath we took of our own free will! We will preserve the legacy of his Majesty, King Dietrich the Unifier, King Dietrich the Kind, and King Dietrich the Just. Those who wish to attack this place are here to take what doesn't belong to them! His Majesty stayed behind to fall with this city, but he has also given us the hope that our names and families may survive. I am honored to give my life in service of my king! Who is with me?!"

""""""""""WE ARE!!!""""""""""

"Protect the King!" Windsor then placed his hand on a Polyphemus and then fell lifelessly, the two orbs on the metal body began glowing white as the Polyphemus came to life. It slowly morphed into an exact copy of Windsor, except it was completely made of metal.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" He asked as he stepped over his own corpse. The men showed no hesitation and all began to give up their mortal bodies.

"Protect the King!" They shouted one by one as the Polyphemus grew in number. Once the process was finished they silently knelt down to honor their King, and then they moved forward, heading for the palace entrance.

King Dietrich restrained himself from having an emotional outburst, he only watched as his men, whom he cherished, marched on in the attempt to preserve the last of his foolish dream. He poured power into the Claymore causing the floor to return to normal, he waved his hand and gathered all the bodies into one spot, he used his magic to create a flame and instantly cremated them. The ashes floated into the air and formed the shape of a crown, using a large portion of his magic, Dietrich pressurized them into a diamond-like material. The crown then floated onto his head, as he looked stared ahead, his atmosphere showing a sense of loss.

The sound of fighting grew rapidly as the ground shook. King Dietrich raised his arm, a steel bracelet that seemed to be much more than that, began shining. It looked like mercury as it spread around his body until it finally stopped at turned into a white gold Armor that covered everything except for the white orb in the center of his chest. The bracelet was a one of a kind artifact called the formless armor, it would turn into the form that was best for the user and work to their strengths while protecting their weaknesses. It was something Dietrich, and a skilled Dwarf worked on together in his early days. Ever since then he had been improving it, but now it appeared to be the last time it would be worn. Soon the ground shook fiercely, and the sound of fighting quieted down, King Dietrich could feel the Palace falling to the soil's depths slowly.

Resting on his throne, he resolved to protect his soul no matter what. He sat there with his eyes closed, preserving himself. Years past, and he had gone into a state of unconsciousness, but his mind stayed active. Then a hundred years past, he felt no change in the origin forces, but he still protected his soul from corrosion. Quickly, two centuries became four centuries, and four centuries became a millennium. By then King Dietrich failed to preserve his soul, the orb on his chest glowed red indicating his soul had been corrupted. It wasn't that he was weak-willed, he could wait ten thousand years if that's what it took. It's just without the Origin Forces, mainly the soul force, he could only fight the inevitable, souls that stagnate without support in the mortal world would always corrode. And no matter how great Dietrich was, he was still mortal in the end.

While his mind was lost, only hateful fragments stayed, and soon that mind was awoken. The time he hoped would arrive far earlier, finally appeared. The barrier was removed, and the Origin Forces began to pour in, and the Soul Force that was supposed to save Dietrich a few hundred years earlier poured in. It was a tragedy that his soul had degraded so much he could not even use the Soul force to regain his former power or to purify his soul.

"Protect...The..King..." What was once King Dietrich stood up and exited the palace to see the bodies of the Polyphemus emitting a similar red light to his own soul core. He looked at the remains of a once great city and the returned into his palace. King Dietrich sat on his throne, decorated with magnificent armor and a crown fit for a real ruler and he waited. He didn't know for whom, or why, but he continued to wait and then three weeks later his patience was rewarded. He stood up and activated the lighting array for his guests, created light without needing an actual source, it just converted mana into light particles.

He sat on his throne once again and waited. And very shortly, he was rewarded. He opened his tired eyes to see three people, a young heroic-looking man with short dirty blonde hair and a short beard to match. A masked woman with light brown hair. And then a black-haired young man, around 17 or 18 with bright yellow eyes and an excited grin.

King Dietrich- No the corrupted soul that once belonged to King Dietrich spoke for the first time in years.

"Kneel."

.........

As they slowly entered the palace, Ira's eyes went straight to a throne on the far side of the room, an incredibly handsome young man who looked to be only a few years older than Ira sat upon it. His platinum blonde hair was long to the point where it cascaded over his shoulders. His eyes were golden, not yellow like Ira's but golden. His skin was pale, Ira compared it to the Will of Purgatory, and she won out, her skin was complete without color, but this man was just abnormally pale. A white golden armor was attached to his body, it gave one the impression of being perfect for the one who wore it. Strangely enough, in the center of the chest piece was a red glowing orb, similar to the ones inside of the Polyphemus.  A jagged diamond crown decorated the top of his head, showing an unknown history. Lastly, a silver Claymore laid deeply embedded into the ground next to him, in fact, no one could tell it was a Claymore. Only the large grip was exposed, so it looked more like a lever.

The man on the throne opened his eyes which carried the fatigue of many years with them and parted his lips.

"Kneel." A voice that didn't fit the gentle appearance echoed throughout the room.

"...Uh...no." Ira smiled at him.

"I am King Dietrich the first and last of my name, and the only one to unify the continent so I'll say it once again...KNEEL!" Dietrich bellowed in a rage. His shout even went past the Palace and reached the ears of those in the abandoned city, causing them all to look towards the source. Dietrich grabbed the Claymore and activated an ancient array. It was the second and last line of defense, in case intruders made it that far. It was aptly named "King's Dignity" for the simple fact that it caused those within it to kneel, as an exalted ruler would always earn the respect of the people, and what better way to show than to kneel. The idea of the formation was to stop the enemies dead in their tracks and kill them quickly.

Ira, Rhys, and Carter all fell to their knees. This array didn't artificially alter the weight of those trapped in it, it aimed directly at the soul. Ignoring everything else, it tore straight into the fiber of one's being and restrained them.

"Shit." Ira cursed immediately.

"More!" Dietrich shouted as he pulled his claymore out of the ground. Corresponding with his shout, Rhys and Carter unwillingly placed their heads on the floor. Only Ira resisted with his strength alone, he stubbornly held his head up and spoke.

"Fuck...You..." He growled through his clenched teeth. He attempted to nullify the formation as a faint black mist gathered around him. Unfortunately, he couldn't do such a thing. He understanding of the ability was not at the level where he could shrug off an ancient formation meant to restrain higher races who classified as Demi-Gods while in its best condition. Though it had degraded, it was still enough where he couldn't respond adequately. He tried to teleport away from the formation, but his ability didn't seem to work under the mysterious force of the array.

"Lèse majesté, and to my face no less...If it weren't for me, you all would be the bastard children of farmers, who plow the fields that are filled with shit by the day, and lay with the whore who would be your mother at night!" Dietrich's raspy and venomous voice spoke incoherently. Truthfully, it was a part of his corrupted soul, it was akin to dementia as it erased the parts of his mind and preserved the worst, hidden deeply in his subconscious.  

Dietrich stood up from his throne and raised the Claymore with one arm, pointing it towards Ira. "I've gone against the natural order. I've gone against the very force of nature itself. I've gone against the Gods themselves. And you attempt to show such a sight in front of me?" He declared.

"Fuck...You!" Ira repeated with a laugh, veins appeared on his body as he resisted the invisible force push and pulling his body down simultaneously. He began to draw from the Red Moon, his eyes turning slightly red as an indication. By now it was apparent that Ira had access to a plane separated from existence, he moved through it when he teleported, he deposited items in it, and he even opened it when he brought the red moon into the physical world.

Ira laughed as his body began to rise. Dietrich didn't wait and moved forward with the 7-foot Claymore in one hand. He raised it and swung downwards with the intention of cleaving Ira in half. Ira, still half crouching and half standing, drew his sword to block. As he received the blow from the Claymore he grit his teeth and fell to his knees, it was too hard to resist the array and defend from an attack.

Dietrich raised his sword once again, but this time it was coated in a red glow. As he specialized in using his soul, he had long since developed a unique swordsmanship that allowed him to wield his own soul. As he focused on Ira, the strength placed on Carter and Rhys lessened significantly.

His sword once again came for Ira's life. Ira took a strained breath and jumped out of the way, as he moved the array assaulted his body and forced him to cough blood. Dietrich advanced forward giving no rest to Ira, who laid on his back. Suddenly, a whitish blue bolt of lightning struck his back, he was unharmed as he turned around and saw the culprit. Rhys, held her rapier outstretched as she took deep breaths, she fired another bolt toward Dietrich who raised his claymore to block it.

Seeing him distracted Ira forced himself up as his muscles tore and his body ached. He was attempting to overcome a soul restraining array with brute force alone, much to his body's disagreement. He finally stood upright and walked toward Dietrich's back. His steps increased in intensity as moved closer, until he broke out in a sprint towards him. Ira jumped in the air and raised his legs aiming to dropkick him, but Dietrich spun around and swung his claymore, sending Ira flying back.

Ira dropped his sword as he shot out of the array and then tumbled on the floor before becoming motionless. Dietrich looked annoyed and disabled the array with a tap of his Claymore. Rhys and Carter caught their breath as they looked at him with careful eyes.

"Weak...You are all far too fragile. I am embarrassed that I even used my array on such unworthy beings. To correct my shameful display, I'll kill you with my own hands." Dietrich raised his sword once again and dashed over to Rhys and Carter who were still on guard. Rhys used her lightning-enhanced version of Quickstep and moved out of the sword trajectory, the Claymore struck the empty ground and then aimed toward Carter. Seeing the threat closing in, Carter raised his greatsword which couldn't compare to the size of the Claymore.

Carter was knocked back, but it left a small window of opportunity for Rhys. She thrust her rapier at Dietrich, aiming for the slight gaps in his armor.

"Pitiful." He said as he twisted his body to dodge and kicked Rhys in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of her as she clutched her abdomen and weakly held up the rapier. If one were to compare Dietrich with the three mercenaries, his "arrogance" wasn't that at all. During his time he fought with beings on the cusp of Godhood, not people who had yet to even touch upon the slightest hint of it.

"Haaaa!" Carter charged forth, holding his great sword over his head and swung. Dietrich seemed to move back without actually moving his feet, and the greatsword missed, then Dietrich moved forward and struck Carter's skull with his pommel knocking him back once again.

"Truly pitiful." He said once again as he shook his head.

"...Give me a second...I'll show you something..." Ira's voice could be heard all of a sudden. Rhys and Carter ended up buying him time to recover, getting hit by the Claymore damaged his organs even more and fractured most of his ribs. Dietrich's expression began to transition into indifference, he held high expectations of the people in a new era, but they were all wiped away. Dietrich then contemplated, his soul core shook, and a red light was projected. Several scenes began playing, it was a recording of Ira and the rest of the expedition teams fighting with the Polyphemus. Dietrich watched for a few more seconds before turning his attention back to Ira.

"You fight in a wild and undisciplined manner. You show some semblance of having a technique, but often forgo it in favor of your instincts. If that is all you have, you'll be better off dead." Dietrich stated plainly. His personality shifted to a distant one, it was bizarre considering his earlier outburst. His body was missing his original Ego, and could only swap between inconsistent remnants of what once was.

"Eh? I don't want lessons from you..." Ira stumbled to his feet and wiped the blood from his mouth. He vanished and reappeared, picking up his sword he dropped earlier. "Alright...Round two." He vanished once again and appeared before Dietrich, initiating a flurry of attacks. The two clashed, no it was more like Ira clashed with Dietrich, seeing as Dietrich didn't move and blocked each strike. Ira pressed his sword against Dietrich's claymore and started to push him backward. Suddenly, Ira sheathed his sword and kicked Dietrich in the leg. Dietrich lost his balance, seeing his chance, Ira grabbed him and charged forward.

BOOM!

He ran forward and broke through a wall, all the while he carried Dietrich. Dietrich's expression warped and his personality shifted dramatically.

"Insolence! You dare run wild in my halls?!" He stabbed the Claymore into the ground, halting Ira's charge. He then used the force of his soul to coat his arm and then struck Ira's spine sending him onto the floor. He raised the sword and stabbed down.

Whoosh!

Ira vanished and appeared behind him, kicking him in the back. Dietrich fell forward but transitioned into a front flip. He picked up his Claymore and smacked Ira away, sending him through a set of wooden doors.

BOOOM!

Ira crashed into a dining room and flew onto a table, before rolling over it and hitting the ground. He hopped to his feet but was met with a fist knocking him back to the ground. He tried to stand up again, but Dietrich kicked him, his attempts to get to his feet were stopped by stomps, kicks, and punches. Dietrich appeared to be toying with him as his assault continued without rest.

"Why don't you stand up?" Dietrich cackled viciously.

"Fuck y-" Ira raised his head to curse but had his face stomped into the ground. Dietrich's twisted his foot on the back of Ira's head.

"Speak why don't you?!" Dietrich continued to laugh while stomping Ira's skull again and again until he stopped moving. He grabbed a handful of Ira's black hair and raised him up, he flung him into a wall sending him back into the Throne Room. Dietrich slowly walked through the newly formed hole in the wall with a saddened expression. Rhys and Carter saw Ira come flying into the throne room and were shocked. In their eyes, Ira appeared to have the upper hand when forced Dietrich backed, but now he was a bloodied mess.

Melancholy was prevalent in Dietrich's eyes as he looked over the throne room. "...Was it all for nothing? Was Utopia actually impossible to achieve?" He soliloquized. No one paid attention to his dramatic shifts in personality. Rhys and Carter charged forward, Rhys was the first to arrive as she wielded a lightning clad Rapier, Carter was next as he waved his Greatsword. Dietrich received and traded each attack masterfully. Rhys and Carter began to up the ante, but Dietrich's showed no sign of panic and beat them back.

"...Round...three." Ira slowly sat up as his skull regenerated from the earlier damage. He looked over just into to see Carter being knocked into a wall, and Rhys on the ground holding her side. Rhys was restricted underground as her strongest ability was the ability to continuously call lightning, but to do that she needed an open sky.

Dietrich looked over at Ira with interest, if he were an average person he'd be dead already, but it wasn't as if Dietrich never met a regenerative enemy. As they made eye contact, Ira cursed. He empowered himself with the influence of the Red Moon once again, but he would be unable to summon it. Even if he could, he was underground and couldn't receive its direct influence, while it was an amazing thing it still had restrictions.

"Fuck it." Ira got into a crouching position and then launched himself forward.

BOOOOOOM!

He, of course, altered gravity to propel him forward, letting him move faster than sound. He used Quickdraw and slashed upwards. Dietrich reacted quickly to block, but Ira vanished and appeared overhead his strike aimed downwards.

Ding!

The sound of metal clashing echoed in the Throne Room. Dietrich had blocked Ira's attack without even looking, it had been a millennium since he had fought and even though he lost a majority of his previous prowess, he was still the one who united the mortal world. Unexpectedly, the sound of glass shattering was the next sound heard. The crown, holding the last remains of his loyal friends, shattered into pieces under the force of the strike. Ira teleported away and landed back in the center of the throne room. Dietrich on the other hand, grew still as the crown fell from his head.

"...You..." He almost looked as if he was gonna cry when he stared at Ira. The crown was an object of sentiment, one of which he was still deeply attached to. An attachment that persisted even through the years he waited and continued to persist as his soul was corrupted.

The red orb on his Dietrich's chest began vibrating, and the red light covered his body. He moved forward without moving and stabbed his sword. Ira tried to dodge, but Dietrich seemed to be pulled to him, his claymore just missed Ira's heart as he stabbed through his chest and pinned him to a wall. He pushed the Claymore to the blade could no longer be seen. Ira weakly raised his sword, but Dietrich swatted his hand away and then slowly twisted the Claymore.

"Ehuk!" Thick globs of blood spilled from Ira's mouth, his eyes that were red indicating the influence of the third moon turned back into their original yellow color again.

"That's...a strong...ability..." He stared at Dietrich, who enhanced his own body using his soul. Dietrich met Ira's stare with eyes showing a silent fury.

"With that...strange...soul of yours...You wouldn't be able to learn it even if you were taught for an eternity." Dietrich looked at Ira deeply, gazing far beyond his physical form.

"...I want it." Ira's eyes were filled with greed. The last time he showed such a display was when he stepped into the void. Ira coveted power, but he couldn't find the particular thing he wanted. Until now, there was nothing that could stir that same desire for Ira.

The distinct type of obsession and irrationality that stemmed from such a desire wasn't present for Ira, or at least it seemed that way from the surface. The truth is, Ira was far more greedy than any selfish noble who took money from people who needed it just to hoard it. His desire for power was stronger than those who ran to black magic and forbidden rituals to gain power. Maybe the most dangerous form of desire was when one could repress it. If that was the standard that desires were judged by, then Ira's covetous thoughts were far stronger than any others.

"I want it!" Ira's expression turned rabid as his arms shot out and grabbed the Claymore handle. He began to push it out of his body, Dietrich tried to press the Claymore back in, but Ira wouldn't budge. Dietrich changed his approach, he used one hand to hold the claymore handle, and the other to punch Ira in the face. Each strike was enhanced by the power of his soul and wasn't something to be taken lightly. Still, Ira ignored it, he continued to force the Claymore out of his chest.

"I want it!" A faint black mist gathered around Ira's body as the sword was more than halfway out. "I want it!" he repeated as half his face was disfigured under the merciless punches. His eye fell out of its socket and was destroyed, but he paid it no mind. He pushed finally pushed the Claymore out and fell to the ground. He shot straight up as he grabbed Dietrich's arms. Black mist poured out of his empty eye socket, and soon a whole new eye was constructed. Dietrich still kept his intense expression even when he couldn't break Ira's grip.

"Ah! Let's see you kneel!" He laughed as he increased the gravity. Cracks emerged on the floor which transformed into a whole crater. Ira and Dietrich stood in the center of the crater which spread out. Dietrich showed a slightly strained expression but continued to stand as his soul supported him. Seeing him resist, Ira's desire for his ability continued to grow.

BOOM!

The floor under them crumbled and they both fell. Due to the gravity, the speed of which they fell was far faster than normal. They fell hundreds of feet in a few seconds and collided with the floor under the Palace. The material of the lowest floor was strong enough to resist breaking under the impact, and as such, they hit the ground and bounced once, before ending up separated from each other. Dietrich's formless armor was dented but was mostly intact. While Ira looked like broken toy. His bones stuck out of his body, but his eyes practically glowed life.

Dietrich took a breath and then stood up, a thin crack appeared on the glass orb in the middle of his chest. Up until now, he had done a good job of protecting it. He looked at Ira, who was quickly repairing himself. He held his hand to side while keeping his eyes focused on him.

Whoosh!

The Claymore finally fell down after Dietrich and landed right in his hands. He decided to stop playing around and kill Ira before he could do any more damage. Ira only smiled as Dietrich approached. His ravenous grin had yet to fade.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Ira sped up his healing and as his bones popped into place, he jumped to his feet. Dietrich raised the Claymore and slashed, sending a formless red energy out. Ira only laughed and then vanished.

Boom!

The energy which was a part of his soul struck the wall and exploded loudly. Ira appeared in front of Dietrich and drew his sword.

Ding!

They were thrown back into a melee, except this time Ira was more unrestrained in his attacks. He frequently teleported, striking, disappearing, and then appearing again. Seeing Dietrich easily defend, Ira pushed himself harder. He appeared in two places at once, sending two attacks at Dietrich who was surprised but defended against them in the end. Then Ira appeared in three different places, and then finally four. He wasn't using an illusion, but rather rapidly teleporting between four different locations at once. Scratches appeared Dietrich's armor as the assault continued. After watching Ira for a few moments, Dietrich held his sword close to his chest and stayed still.

"Hah!" He suddenly snorted and reached out. He gripped Ira's sword while he was in midair, the sudden stop caused Ira to rebound and cough up black blood while abandoning his sword.

"I want it!" He laughed as a black substance crawled up his right arm from his, now sharpened, fingertips. It went all the way to his shoulder and then hardened. All in all his arm resembled a black metal claw. He had used matter alteration on his arm to strengthen it, transforming the state of his skin into a far more solid one. Although it couldn't be seen, he had done the same to his legs. Ira lowered his body and then shot forward, his hand reaching toward Dietrich's soul core. Sensing the danger, Dietrich used Ira's own sword and slashed downward, leaving a long diagonal cut through his face. Ira didn't even flinch as his hand grabbed the soul core and forced Dietrich to fall backward. The black mist poured out of Ira's head wound as he held Dietrich down, the mist slowly covered his whole face and then congealed into a mask-like metal shell.  

"I want it!" Ira yelled in an echoey and garbled voice. Dietrich attempted to force Ira off of him, but couldn't fight against his grip. Ira raised his head back and then smashed it down on Dietrich's face.

"I want it!" He screamed excitedly as he battered his forehead against Dietrich's face.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The sound of bone being struck reverberated in the lowest levels of the Palace. The echo of King Dietrich, previously being one of the strongest beings to roam the earth, died with no one to witness it. It was a depressing way for Dietrich to be killed, even if he was no longer himself.

His face was crushed into an unrecognizable state, but Ira continued to headbutt him until nothing was left except a lump of flesh.

"Mine!" He finally stopped and then ripped the soul core out of Dietrich's chest. The glowing red sphere was only a few inches wide and had a few cracks on it, but its continued glow meant the soul was still intact. Ira stood up and opened his mouth, revealing black jagged teeth and a complete darkness that stood behind them. None of the physical features that indicated it was a mouth were present. He promptly raised the soul core and bit into it, the glass fractured, and everything inside the core was devoured. After he had finished consuming the essence inside of the glass-like orb, he stumbled back a few feet before falling unconscious.

...

Many questions related to the void were consistently left unanswered for Ira, but there was one that needed addressing in the present state of things. Where did the knowledge in the black book come from? Living beings was the answer. From that answer, another question could be raised: How did it get there and more importantly, who put it there? The answer to that would be a single Avarus Lupum with a unique ability. The one who devoured the Red Moon and even Gods.

The Avarus Lupum were precarious existence, that is to say when they still existed. They could shift between humanoid and wolf forms and had the ability to manipulate and control space, an innate ability to control things, coupled with a frightening adaptability.

Early on, the Gods saw the potential threat of the Avarus, but weren't worried as one of the five moons, unique to the Divine Realm, specifically the third one, kept the Avarus separated. Under its influence, they were hostile to members of the same species and frequently attacked each other, lowering the numbers and preventing any attempts at gathering together. Such a thing kept maintained a natural balance, that is until one unique Avarus was born.

A single Avarus whose ability to devour and control over space outclassed all others. This unique Avarus could not only devour its prey but consume their abilities, skills, and knowledge making them its own. After acquiring information by consuming lower class divine beings, it found the source of the divide amongst the fellow members of its species. That source being a Red Moon.

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