Commencing Second Cour of Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero.

(Still) Waiting for Season 2...

Finger Count: 5/10

Eye Count: 2/2

Arm Count: 1/2

Leg Count: 1/2

Sanity Meter: 45%

Death Counter: 36

Let's burn it all to the ground.


Epic 26: The Outbreak Part 2


Switching POV: Nan

... It had to be this way.

But I'm also painfully aware that it was too harsh to be considered tough love.

L'Arc, unlike me, is a good person at heart.

... I guess coming to this world broken has its disadvantages. Because unlike the others, I didn't come here to be broken. I came in like already a broken glass.

No, not broken.

Shattered. In pieces.

But it's thanks to this world being broken, that I managed to piece myself back together.

My party is more than family now.

They literally make up pieces of my existence and self-worth.

"Guess the prince was right." I remarked to myself. "Happiness is like glass."

Outside, I spot Malty being leashed by Strelitzia's ivy and vines.

"Any attempts of escape?" I asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe." Strelitzia groaned out. "I had to catch her from jumping off of a cliff. Several times. Then she tried to choke on her own tongue, so I had to drug her with a lot of mind-numbing spores. But that didn't work, so I had to sic a [Lesser Mind Flayer] at her."

"That bad?" I asked.

My [Dryad] wife nods.

"... Don't worry. I got a plan." I assured. "Dart?"

The [Ogre Warchief] approaches me.

"Need help with anything?" Dart requested.

"Get the other [Ogres]. I need you all to build something for the troublesome lady."

One Construction Later...

"Try not to catch a cold!" I called out to Malty, who was currently tied up on a pole, up 20 feet in the air, her mouth gagged with a ball to prevent her from biting her tongue off as a suicide attempt.

"Can't believe I never thought of this." Strelitzia remarked. "... You sure the fall won't kill her?"

"At worst, a fractured leg." I remarked. "Come on. Show's about to start."

I then leave behind a few of my lower-level [Summons] and a few [Gnolls] to guard the place, with my wife leaving behind lots of traps disguised as foliage.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen..."

Me, Genbu, Glass, Garou, Fubuki, Rino, and a [Stygian] get on top of Aabidah's back as the other prepare to depart on foot.

"... Happy hunting."

We then take flight into the night sky, and towards the lit civilization ahead.

"... So Nan, any disguises?" Glass asked.

"I got plenty." I replied. "All of them from that pig's manor, guaranteed to make us reasonably pass for rich bastards with way too much money to burn."

We land at a lake nearby the forest adjacent to the road, still undetected.

"Alright, now for the hard part." I remarked. "You change into this."

I hand Glass a really poofy-looking velvet-blue ballgown-like dress, much to her shock.

"... Why?" Glass asked about the implications of a fat man owning a dress.

"... Don't think too much into it." I remarked. "Come on."

As the lady changed, I then get on my belly and begin crawling like a snake on the ground.

"If you will."

Grimm then shoots himself towards the trees, pulling me into the woods.

"Now..." I surmised. "... Who's dumb enough to stray from the pack?"

I then spot a certain group of richly dressed men, women, and children in a clearing, all of them cleaning up after a party before departing.

Tailgaters. A perfect disguise, and one of them's packing a silver pegleg. Not to mention, all of them sort of remind me of a certain group of merchant slavers in a certain French manga.

"Good enough."

I then make my move.

"[Spellcraft: Fusion]."

[Shield Prison]+[Dark Aura]+[Shadow Dive]=[Shadow Realm]

The ground beneath the tailgating party turns into a marsh of black void, sinking them like quicksand as they begun to notice.

"Can't have you screaming now." I remarked. "[Silence]."

That shut them up without a fuss. Now, to collect.

I chain myself with the help of Grimm and find myself facing Glass, now in her velvet-blue dress.

"Lookin' good, milady."

I was then met with a heel to my face.

"Learn to take a compliment, lady..." I groaned out through her roughly 7,000-gold black high-heels. "By the way, Grimm, are people inside the [Shadow Realm] either dead or catatonic yet?"

"In a second."

He then vomits out their knocked-out bodies, all of them scared out of their minds from the several undead monsters that were inside Grimm's pages, with two of them foaming out of their mouths.

"... Good enough." I stated. "Come on, help me strip em."

One Awkward Change of Clothes Later...

"Come on, come on..."

It's kinda hard to walk with a pegleg. Granted, this one was more structurally sound than the one made of wood, but come on, can they afford extra footing?

... Fuck it, plan B.

"Garou." I spoke out. "Can you cut his leg off?"

"You know that they're not dead, right?" Garou pointed out as he changed into his stolen noble's clothes.

I pull out my [Grimoire Heart], and set the kid ablaze with a [Fire Arrow].

"... Just be sure to leave no evidence."

He then hacks off one of men's legs and hands it to me.

"Alright..." I slightly grimaced. "... This is gonna be a little gross."

I then force the pegleg into the severed leg like if I was Mr. Pickles, as everyone else winced at this morbid spectacle.

"Ew ew ew ewewewew..." I winced out as I pushed my pegleg through the marrow. "... Alright, time for the second-grossest part."

I then stick crude iron stakes and nails (which I also got from the hog, at his basement; don't ask) into the meat leg, then melting them into the silver pegleg, welding the nails into the silver pegleg.

"... Alright, alright." I heaved out. "... The gross part is over."

I then walk around with my new "leg".

"... Better than walking with a crutch." I remarked. "At least I can walk with two feet."

I then pick up a cane and begin to walk around, practicing to get an even footing.

"Good. That'll do." I remarked as I strutted around like a passable normal person. "Now for my cosplay..."

From Grimm's pages, he spat out a rusted suit of armor with a full-face-visored helmet, it's sides having broken horns with a worn red tassel behind the helmet. Apparently, Suzaku managed to nab all of the armor pieces before Barney trashed the basement.

"... Never in my life I thought I got to cosplay as the friggin' Goblin Slayer." I remarked as I put on my plate armor disguise. "Eh, whatever works."

I look into the lake, with my face completely obscured thanks to the visor, sans the glowing red eye on my right, but hey, points for accuracy. I guess.

"Alright, everyone ready?" I asked as I draped a worn cloak around my whole armored body, hiding both Grimm and Genbu underneath.

"Let's get this over with..." Glass grumbled out. "... I hate walking in high heels."

"You know that you can float, right?" I pointed out.

"Unless I want to get caught, that is."

"... Fair enough." I sighed out. "Proceed as planned."

We all then walk towards the gates of Zeltoble with me and Glass as a noblewoman/bodyguard duo.

First, we were stopped by a guard, telling us to pay an admission fee of 5,000 Gold per person.

Once paid, I notice the other four stealthily scaling the walls of the building around the city. Good, that means we're in.

"Alright, act natural." I reminded her as I got into my best Troy Baker impression. "Keep an eye out for anything that looks important."

"Like you're the one to talk..." Glass snapped behind her [Fans] that obscured her face. "We both stick out like sore thumbs!"

"Actually, this whole place kinda reminds of the pictures of Mardi Gras." I stated. "As in literally everyone's standing out in the most gaudiest way possible. I mean, look."

It's true, almost everyone with money to burn were all wearing artisan masks and flashy outfits that would surely blind anyone.

"... You might wanna buy a mask." I asked Glass. "Just to fit in a bit more."

With a grumble, she purchases a blue-rose adorned [Pristine Visage] and wears it over her face.

"Lookin' good." I complimented.

This time, she doesn't retaliate.

"... Thanks, I guess." Glass pouted behind her mask.

I would call her Tsundere, but I'm practically skating on thin ice with her. Best to keep it minimal.

"C'mon." I stated as I led her. "Let's buy some info."

Switching POV: Rino

"So far, so good." Rino whispered to herself in the shadows.

It was sort of hard to be stealthy in a city glittering like well-polished gold, but no matter how gilded the city may look, every city has their own underbelly where the rats live.

After all, that's how she first learned of Melromarc after the [Spear Hero]'s betrayal. At least Nan treats her like a person of skill rather than an overglorified prostitute.

"... Dammit, Rino. Let it go, already." She muttered to herself.

"For once, I concur."

The shadowy companion she was given by Nan then stuck its head out as it swam through the darkness like a literal fish in water.

"Consider the light our enemy." The [Stygian] pointed out. "We still have ways to traverse before we reach the oligarchs ruling this place."

"Okay, but you know where they are residing?" Rino asked.

"The shadows are our friends. They literally see all."

She then sees the [Stygian] dive into the shadows, seeing its own shadows split into a swarm of smaller shadows that crawled through the whole alleyway and out towards the main streets.

"... We move towards the coliseum." The [Stygian] stated. "The gladiator games are about to begin, and the oligarchs are to attend."

Rino then follows the shadow demon through the alleyway.

She will carry out Nan's vision.

This city, and all of its inhabitants.

... Will burn tonight.

Switching POV: Garou

The twins, hiding among the crates and people alike, peek out to see people, both human and demihuman alike all heading towards the coliseum at the center of the city.

It disgusted him, to see both human and demihuman, his own kind, take up on these sort of frivolities that only he thought that the humans were only cruel enough to be capable of doing.

At first, he didn't understand why big bro wanted everyone in living on this continent, but to his credit, it was probably the best option to stick to what he knew best.

But they were all holding chains, attached to them being slaves, both humans and demihumans, all treated as mere pets.

... Now he had every reason to kill them all, demihumans be damned.

"They're all pigs." Garou hissed out in disgust. "There's no difference between them anymore. They all need to die."

"But first, we need to make sure that they're dead without our aid." Fubuki pointed out. "Anything that looks important, we destroy."

Garou lets out a sigh as they both retreat into the darkness.

"... You're right, sorry." Garou sighed out. "Now that I think about it, I never cared for demihumans to begin with. Just you, big bro, and the rest of the family. Race was never a factor, now was it?"

Fubukis nods.

"Alright, take a deep breath." Garou stated as he activated his [Shadow Dive]. "We're going in deep."

Both he and Fubuki dive into the shadows.

Switching POV: Glass

She now sort of gets why Nan hates this place.

Their world is on the verge of complete and total annihilation, and yet, instead of preparing for the fallout, these fat cats were partying and flaunting their riches like if there is a tomorrow!

... At least Nan, despite his insanity, was more suited to survive in these dire times, or at least, was more aware of the bigger picture.

That, and the fact that she's a [Phantom], she herself had some awareness of people's souls.

"... The whole place is a rancid mix of opulent carelessness from these nouveau riche and the bitter resignation from below." Glass thought to herself. "Thank god I have a mask on..."

"... I got refreshments." Her "bodyguard" addressed in a gruff tone while carrying two bags of caramel corn around his arms.

"Really?" Glass remarked.

"... C'mon, I said 'act natural'." "Nan" groaned out in his normal voice.

"Please don't tell you came here for the food." Glass dryly remarked.

"Four days, milady." Nan grunted out back in his gruff accent. "Also, I've seen what you eat at the mess hall. You hate sweet things."

Glass lets out a groan.

Suddenly, the crowd around them began to flow elsewhere.

"Oh!" A nobleman bumped into them. "Pardon me, but do keep the crowd moving!"

Both were then thrusted into the main arena's seats, filling up the seats crammed into the middle.

"... Oh bugger all." Glass groaned internally. "We're trapped."

"Well, might as well enjoy the show, milady." Nan stated as he kept up his facade.

But between the facade's cracks, Nan's real face was seen by Glass.

"... This hurts me too."

Switching POV: Rino

"... So that's them." Rino remarked to herself as she and her [Stygian] peered above the crack of the ceiling.

Five well-dressed and well-fed merchants were seated, each attended by their own servants, each guarded by their own paid mercenary.

"This will be an arduous task." The [Stygian] analysed. "Five sellswords, all leveling around 60, and each of them carrying equipment that any adventurer worth their salt would probably kill for."

"Not to mention, the room itself is rather small, so it's best not to risk it unless we want this to be a suicide run." Rino sighed out.

"Isolate them one by one?"

"For the best."

The two then leave their viewing post, leaving behind a piece of [Stygian] as lookout.

Switching POV: Fubuki

The twins peer outside, seeing that the only ones left outside are guards and adventurers paid as guards.

"Alright, here's what we'll do." Garou stated. "We take em out, one by one. Make sure no one sees us, and only go for the kill either the moment they're alone, or if they're yawning."

"They seem like easy enough pickings..." Fubuki remarked. "Why the caution?"

"There's only two of us and way too many of them." Garou pointed out. "Sure, they're all level 40-50 average, but we don't want to start a fire just yet."

The twins then see a pair of young adventurers sitting by the crate next to the carriage that the two were under.

"*Yawn* Fucking shite, dude." A male [Reaver] yawned out. "Why the hell did we take this job again?"

"It pays well enough, at least." A female [Magus] pointed out as she leaned against a barrel. "These merchants are willing to pay us a small fortune just to sit around and do nothing, so why complain?"

"I know, I know..." The male adventurer remarked. "... But it ain't as fun fighting alongside the [Heroes] in their own [Waves]... God, I wish I was there, fighting to save the world."

"I really think you should count your blessings." The female adventurer pointed out. "Apparently, there have been rumors that one of the summoned [Heroes] went completely rouge and is now tearing up the whole kingdom."

"Is it the [Shield Hero]?" The [Reaver] asked. "If so, good riddance."

"No." The magic-user replied. "Apparently, it's the [Tome Hero]. Haven't you seen the bounties!?"

"... Oh, you mean the lunatic on the poster missing about a half of his face and flipping us off?" The male adventurer remarked. "Wait, he used to be a [Hero]?"

"Now apparently a [Tome Fallen]." The [Magus] replied. "Apparently, he left the castle on the first day of his arrival, killed a bunch of castle guards, burned down several villages and nearly the entirety of Melromarc's capital city, stealing all of the gold in its coffers, and letting loose a lot of convicts held in the castle dungeons."

"Holy shit, dude..." The male gawked out.

"That's not all, apparently." The female stated. "Allegedly, he has amassed an entire army of demihumans, monsters, undead, foreign nobility, those unknowns that appeared during the Third [Wave], and hell, I heard some say that he's tamed a [Dragon]."

"S-Shite, man." The male gawked out. "Is he trying to start a bloody war or something!?"

"He did." The [Magus] answered. "I heard that he's just recently burned down a nobleman's castle, looted it bare, and turned the grounds around it into a massive ice castle. Then after that, I heard the [Three Cardinal Heroes] tried to stop him, but not only he trounced their asses and let them live in humiliation, but he also blew up an entire mountain off the map in the middle of it."

"... You sure those aren't just exaggerated rumors?" The [Reaver] asked. "I mean, surely, no one's that powerful..."

"Ugh... They covered it in the guild's message board that the topography guild had to redraw the entire map of Melromarc because of it." The [Magus] pointed out. "Also, did you forget that he's an ex-[Hero]?"

"... Ah, that makes more sense." The [Reaver] remarked as he took out a flask and drank from it.

"Are you really drinking on the job?" The [Magus] asked in consternation.

"Hey, 5 o'clock was 6 hours ago." He remarked with a drunken blush. "And it's not like there's anyone else but us around here."

"You might wanna check again, pal."

Garou's [Katar] blades burst out of the [Reaver]'s chest.

The [Magus] tries to sound the alarm, but Fubuki ices her hands and feet before knocking her out with her [Twilight Hunter's Gunstaff] and a swift kick to her neck.

"Hide the bodies, hurry."

Garou then stuffs the dead body into the barrel before he snapped the [Magus]'s neck and throwing her underneath the carriage.

"... Coast is clear." Fubuki stated as she peered around the corner for eyewitnesses.

"Good." Garou stated. "Keep moving. We need to cover more ground."

He then chips on one of the carriage's wheel's axel with his bare fists, damaging the carriage's structural stability for later down the line.

"Let's go." He stated as both Garou and herself dove back into the shadows.

Switching POV: Nan

... Okay, putting up with the whole "stoic bodyguard" act is starting to take a toll on my sanity.

Not only me and Glass subjected ourselves to this macabre festivity of utmost hedonism, but the whole "entertainment" itself wasn't even worth a single piece that we gave at the gate.

You'd expect that in a gladiatorial game, you'd expect there be elements of suspense or any form of decent showmanship. Like for instance, different kinds of gladiators facing different kinds of monsters, a 45-55 odds of victory-defeat ratio per match, keep the bloodbath interesting, at least, if you want to give a good show.

But no. All we saw were children.

A bunch of children, both human and demihuman alike, being raped.

Raped, by a generic-ass tentacle monster that would be something out of a badly-written hentai, said tentacle monster, raping children.

Even worse? Due to the fact that I have been around monster as companions long enough to somewhat communicating with them on an instinctual level, I was able to tell that so-called hentai-monster wasn't doing this willingly.

... In fact, upon closer inspection, I noticed that some of its parts were reminiscent of [Werebeasts], then [Harpies], then [Salamanders], and a [Lesser Mind Flayer].

WHAT KIND OF A SICK FUCK DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO SUBJECT THAT ABOMINATION TO ETERNAL TORTURE!?

... I tried. I honestly tried. I really did.

Every time. Every damn time that I thought that my opinion on humanity would've been proven invalid, another display shows up and validates it.

I honestly wished it hadn't come to this. I just assumed that these people's behaviors were just due to them being products of their environment. With that, if I've made enough of an influence, I thought I can somewhat educate them to be better people in future generation.

... But really, I'm actually glad that I wasn't proven wrong.

They weren't even people anymore. Just infections. Tumors. Pathogens.

... A fucking plague upon my own sanity.

I then saw Glass trying to leave her seat, with her swallowing her own vomit to avoid detection beneath her facade.

Knowing the situation, I did my part, and make a distraction.

"Oh, sorry!" I called out as I dropped my caramel corn all over the seatings.

... None of them noticed. They're all too engaged in the "festivities". Good.

"Genbu!"

I grab Glass's hand...

... As the whole world around us ground to a complete halt.

"... What the hell?" Glass remarked.

"No time to explain!" I replied. "Come on!"

I pull her through the frozen crowds, and make a break for the exit.

"What's going on?" Glass asked again.

"Stopped time! Genbu's pocketwatch! We're accelerating our plans!" I gave her the abridged explanation. "We've got one minute!"

And to my ever-so-lucky streak, I spot the underground entryway.

"Perfect!" I remarked as I grinned "C'mon!"

My grin becomes more manic.

Finally, it's time we begin administering the cure upon this diseased world.

"... We got a city to burn."

Switching POV: Byakko

"And how many does that make?" Byakko asked the other after he pulled out his [Cleric's Cane] from some faceless goon's skull that he'd bludgeoned deep into.

"Don't care." Chi remarked out loud as he shot another in the head. "They all bleed and bitch the same, as always."

"I stopped after 45." Beta pointed out as she smashed her bludgeon into a screaming female [Summoner]'s remaining kneecap. "They don't learn. At all."

"I'm at 123!" Alpha cheerly declared before turning her head to find a runner. "Make that 124!"

She throws her [Death Scythe] at the fleeing mercenary, the curved blade skewering through the runner's neck, and upon sticking the landing, Alpha dashes towards her prey, grabs the glave's shaft, and pushes the [Death Scythe] down thorough his torso, splitting him down the midsection, leaving him in a bloody mess.

"Hmm, it seems that the [Perfected Homunculus] are now each developing their own personalities from master." Byakko analyzed. "Alpha has the bloodlust, Beta has the cold-hard rationale, and Chi seems to represent the master's deadpan nature."

He then began wondering if he himself was developing a branch of personality based off his new master, but for the artificial life of him, he honestly couldn't give a crap-

"... Oh, that might explain a few things." Byakko mused to himself as he threw another [Medic'a Scalpel] towards an [Assassin] that tried to cheap-shot him from the treetops. "... Amateurs. All of them."

He'd learned that he's inherited his master's sense of contempt. Maybe that's why he enjoyed his vacation more than he intentionally did.

The concept of developing an ego is rather... in his master's words, amusing.

"Coast is clear-waitaminute."

Another gunshot followed up by Chi unloading his entire clip onto a downed [Adventurer] was heard from the thrushes.

"... Now the coast is clear." Chi remarked as he inserted another clip filled with the fallen [Adventurer]'s blood.

"Oh, so that's how the gun functions." Beta remarked as she wiped the blood off of her [Thunder Coil Mace] with a dead [Hermit]'s white cloak.

"I wonder how the others are doing..." Alpha mused as he licked on a set of loose entrails.

Switching POV: Wyndia

"SHE'S A FUCKING MONSTER-"

The adventurer's cries of horror were cut off by Wyndia's [Dragoon's Pike] piercing out of his chest, with the piece of his heart nailed at the tip.

"AHAHAHAHA!" Wyndia triumphantly howled in laughter. "WHAT'S WRONG, YOU FUCKING PANSIES!? HAD ENOUGH!?"

She then lets out a euphoric sigh before plopping her rump onto the forest floor as they all ran for their lives, dropping their weapons to lighten their load.

For Wyndia, it was utterly hilarious.

About several months prior, she was living out her life with her [Dragon Emperor] father after her original parents died during the First [Save], and after that [Sword Hero] jagoff tried to kill her adoptive father, but her savior, Nan the [Tome Fallen], saved her, not only giving her a third chance in life, but also an adoptive mother.

... Granted, Yaelia herself wasn't even alive, but hey, semantics.

But before she can think about it any further, several sounds of flesh being impaled and screams of agony were heard from a distance.

"Oh, mother!" Wyndia greeted the [Wyrmlich Empress] emerging from through the trees. "The runners, are they all dead?"

The skeletal dragon nods.

"Alright!" She cheered out. "Now what do we do? Can I eat em?"

Yaelia shakes her head.

"Oh come on! You too?" Wyndia complained. "But it's not like you can't eat them yourself-"

Yaelia then stamps one of her forelegs onto the ground, emitting a dark aura around her, causing the corpses to start twitching and stand up on their own.

"...Oh, right." Wyndia pounded her balled-up hand on top of her open palm. "Mom can create more undead from her authority as an undead [Empress]."

Now normally, if it were any other situation, she would've been flailing at the reanimated corpses.

But due to the fact that she herself has been in company with the undead aside from her adoptive mother, she sort of gotten used to dead bodies shambling about on their own.

... She might have a problem. But she honestly doesn't care.

As soon as Nan rips the entire world a new one, her "problem" will no longer be considered a problem.

... Although her penchant for bloodlust and her desire to eat humans might be an issue later down the line, and hindsight, now realizing that she herself was now familiar with undead as members of her family, yeah, she needs to talk to someone.

... Lest she starts eating rotting flesh on her own volition.

"... Eh, might as well take my mind off of it." Wyndia remarked as the newly-branded undead began digging into the earth. "By that, I mean there's plenty to go around..."

Switching POV: Theresa Alexandrite

... She honestly can't believe that Nan did this to L'Arc.

I mean, sure, he has a valid point on their hypocritical and selfish methods of saving their world, but honestly, can they at least get some slack? It's not like if they knew that the goddess they've worshipped turned out to be the cause behind all this tragedy!

... It may be bias, but she honestly believes that L'Arc doesn't deserve this. Sure, he's reckless and is prone to get into fights ever since they were kids, but seeing him so... out of it?

She felt as if her own world was being torn asunder.

... But then again, considering the kind of person Nan is, tearing things down seems to be the only thing he's good at.

It helped, sure, but...

... Actually, now that she thinks about it, literally no one's in any position to argue. At least Nan's taking the initiative to fix the bigger issue.

Doesn't mean that she herself enjoyed killing innocents, despite her previous indirect participation in wholesale massacre of this world.

"... L'Arc?" Theresa asked her companion.

He doesn't respond.

"... L'Arc?" Theresa asked L'Arc once more as she reached her hand out. "... C'mon, just talk to me already-"

Her hand was swatted away by him.

"... Don't touch me." L'Arc murmured out. "... I don't deserve it."

"Wait, why?" Theresa asked.

L'Arc faces Theresa, his eyes no longer having that spark that it used to have.

"... I killed innocents." L'Arc heaved out in horror. "I killed countless innocents, all the while thinking that I was a [Hero], when I'm no better than a common thug."

"But you didn't know! None of us did!" Theresa argued. "If anything, I'm just as guilty as you are-"

"No, Theresa." L'Arc retorted. "No you're not."

Theresa's heart begin to feel aching steadily more and more with each passing heartbeat.

"... Why?" She asked.

"... I enjoyed it. Every moment." L'Arc stated. "All this time, I enjoyed murdering people. All under some delusion thinking that I'm some kind of [Hero]. Theresa, you on the other hand, only saw murder as a grim necessity, when in reality, I dragged you into the world that you have no place in."

"... You're wrong, L'Arc." Theresa retorted. "You didn't drag me into anything. I followed you, out of my own volition."

L'Arc's head droops further downward.

"... You don't have to follow me anymore." L'Arc stated. "Now that we all know that our initial cause was a flat-out lie, there's no reason for you to keep killing anymore."

"... Just what are you saying?" Theresa asked.

"... I'm breaking up with you." L'Arc stated. "It's for your own good, Theresa. I love you so much that I don't want you to end up becoming a monster like me-"

"NO!"

Theresa threw herself onto L'Arc, coiling her arms around his waist, her tears soaking his chest.

"DON'T ABANDON YOURSELF LIKE THIS, L'ARC!" Theresa cried out. "I DON'T CARE IF I BECOME A MONSTER! I DON'T CARE IF I END UP AS A DEMON THAT YOU CLAIM YOURSELF TO BE! I LOVE YOU, L'ARC BERG! AND I CANNOT BEAR MYSELF TO SEE YOU SUFFER ALONE!"

Theresa, with her teary eyes, looks up towards L'Arc's face.

"... If you're going to suffer, then let me do it too." Theresa begged desperately. "I'm already going crazy just from seeing yourself beat yourself like this, but please... don't leave me alone. After all, we got friends waiting for us at the other side, right? The least we can do is come back to them, together."

"No need to rush, you two."

Behind her, a smiling [Myrmidon] loomed over them.

"GONNA BE A MILLIONAIRE WHEN I TAKE YOUR HEADS!" He cackled out as he swung down his [Steel Glaive] towards them.

But before anything could happen, a glowing arrowhead pierces out of his throat, before letting out a hiss.

"... Wha-"

Then a red cord ties itself around the [Myrmidon]'s neck before he was suspended up into the air like a makeshift noose.

From the foliage, Suzaku, covered head to toe in blood and giblets, emerged with his [Heat Dart]'s cord wrapped around his hand.

"If you two lovebirds are done making out, then I suggest getting back to killing." Suzaku pointed out as he tugged onto the cord around his hand, causing the [Myrmidon]'s strung-up neck to snap. "Oh, and for the blood and guts all over me, big sis Seiryu kinda splattered some asshole's guts all over me after smacking him too hard. Can't blame her, this shit's fun."

Theresa blinks incredulously as she sees the red-winged youth walks back to where he came from.

"... I want to say that I regret my decision, but something tells me that the ship has already sailed."

Do or die, as before, and as always been.

For now, the relationship between her and L'Arc was now on "It's Complicated" range. Sociopathy aside, surely they can amend their relationship. Right?

... Right?

Switching POV: Beluokas, The Slave Trader

Another night, another day of business, as usual.

Sure, he's back home with the rest of his clan, but while they were enjoying themselves in the festivities above, he considered himself a bit of a workaholic of the clan.

Sure, they're grateful for all the profits that he've raked in from their business, but even then, some considered himself an oddball of the family.

Granted, already working in the human and demihuman trafficking business is far from normal, but to be fair, some of his own family members are demihumans, with himself being a closet-half owl-demihuman himself, but his own reasons for hiding his real race is not out of shame or anything. It was to keep a neutral front, since, for the record, his family imports both demihumans and humans alike.

As long as their family still remains afloat, it's nothing personal. And hey, the previous patriarch himself established a non-racism code into their family in order to keep an air of "neutral professionalism".

... It worked, for the most part. I mean, for him, keeping a certain distance from his merchandise and himself did wonders for bringing in a profit.

Guess being a technical sociopath does have its perks.

"... Eh, another day, another profit." Beluokas thought to himself. "With that said, one thing does concern me, though."

The [Tome Fallen].

His first customer upon his arrival at Melromarc, an odd sort of person. Plagued with fear and confusion, yet upon looking into his eyes, he was a man driven by conviction for a great change.

A custom long ago did remark that change can either be good or bad, but it's never certain.

By "never certain", no one was clearly expecting for him to go on a deranged warpath against the entire kingdom of Melromarc.

A path laden with blood, flames, and utter terror. The [Tome Fallen] sort of became a... shall he daresay, a sort of a boogeymen's tale.

Idol Rabier, as much of a generous and a golden goose of a customer he is, even among the most "dedicated" of slavers, he was unbearable do deal with at times.

Sure, he's just as sadistic as any other red-blooded slave owner would be, but the man himself was also very, very, very religious in the faith of the [Three Heroes]. And not to mention, even before Beloukas adhered to the whole "neutral professionalism" policy, he never questioned or pressed anyone's religion, whether slave or prospect master.

But also granted, this was after the infamous (and only) Sky Pirate Palomar raided his manor and kidnapped his daughter and killed his wife right in front of him, but the man seems to be a special kind of a sadist.

And by that, he had a really bad mix of hypocrisy and zeal for his religion, that made him come across as borderline unlikeable to the rest of the Melromarcian Royal Court, to the point where the Crown sent him to the province near the borders to keep him out of sight, but still, even Beloukas knows that you can't keep a man down for long.

... So when news of his entire province being set ablaze, trampled, and frozen over like the Northern Frigid Wastes with all of its inhabitants either fleeing for their lives, immolated, or devoured whole, the reception was... shall he say, "horrified, but expected".

The message was clear: anyone associated with slaves, whether owners, or traders, are going to die.

So ever the savvy person he is, Beloukas decides to make this outing his final job. After that, retire, and wash his hands of this whole affair after the fact.

Granted, others were doing the same, with the rest that elected to keep going increasing their traffic to compensate for the bodyguards that they've hired, so essentially, it's a bit of a frightening time to be alive as a slave trader.

"... Ugh, I need a drink."

Beloukas stands up from his chair and walks out of his improv-study surrounded by caged monsters, demihumans, and humans alike...

... Only to be met with a fully-armored figure, pointing down a gun barrel at his face, and a single glowing red dot where a human's eye should be at.

"Hello there." The armored man spoke out in a deep and commanding voice. "... May I do business with you before you permanently retire?"

... Even with the effort of the disguise, Beloukas knew that the man standing before him was the [Tome Fallen].

The boogeyman was has now come deliver him.

Nevertheless, he tried to keep a cool head. After all, he had prided himself as such, so the least he can do is that he goes out on his terms.

"... What do you require, dear sir?" Beloukas asked.

"Just a small favor." The armored man asked as he pulled back the gun's hammer. "Tell me how to remove [Slave Crests]."

"You know, if you wanted a refund, you could've at least brought the two of them-"

The armored man presses his barrel against his forehead.

"Don't get smartass on me." The armored man pressed on. "Tell me, or I assure you, I will not hold myself accountable for my recklessness."

Beloukas sighs out.

"... This way."

The slaver then leads his guest into his study.

"Here's the concoction-"

"The ingredients." The armored man stated. "Then the concoctions. All of them."

"Hmph, you're serious about this, aren't you?" Beloukas pointed out. "Sure, you can cripple the entire business and hell, burn this whole city state to the ground, but may I remind you where you stand? Should you continue down this path, then the whole world will be your enemy. Sure, you and your monsters will probably tear down this entire world, and even the four great kingdoms, but I assure you, you will be answered for."

He then hands the armored man the list of ingredients and the bottle of the antagonist

"The keys. All of them."

... He was leaving no stone unturned. If anything, Beloukas sort of admires his resolve to push forth.

He then hands him an entire ring of keys, which the man then hangs around his waist.

"... I've done all I can, [Tome Fallen]." Beloukas confessed. "After this job, I'm retiring for good. Wash my hands of this business, and well, try and find some semblance of solace in this world blinded by religion, idiotic politicians, and ingrates who solely rely on faith or gold to get by in this mad world. Hmph, come to think of it, maybe that's why you've went the way you went instead of the path of a [Hero]. If that's the case, then know that I'm rooting for you on the sidelines."

"... About that."

*SLURK*

Behind him, a cloaked woman wearing a festive mask stabbed him in the back.

The "woman" removes her mask, revealing the [Tome Fallen]'s manically grinning half-face beneath the mask.

... Then who was that armored man, then?

"Ah ah ah, no touchy."

The dirk's blade drives deeper into his spine.

"No spoilers."

The blades dislodges, but Beloukas doesn't bleed out.

... Rather, his body was doing the exact opposite, turning himself into massive tumor.

He tried to scream, but only one thing came out of his mouth.

"... Please, at let me tell you my name!" He begged.

"Alright, who are you, then?" The crossdressing [Tome Fallen] asked in a half-mocking tone.

"M-MY NAME IS-"

The crossdressing [Tome Fallen] then snatches the gun from the armored man before pointing it at his face.

"Bored."

*BANG*

*SPLAT*

*THUD*

Switching POV: Back to 1st-Person

"And that, is how you do a proper double-cross."

The bodyguard removes his helmet, revealing a raven-haired woman's face underneath.

"You're unbelievable, Nan." Glass pointed out as she took off the rusted armor. "First time-stopping, and now, crossdressing? Especially my disguise?"

"Hey, at least I ain't the one bitching about wearing high-heels. And I wore it while wearing a pegleg. Plus, we did change while no one was looking during the time stop." I pointed out as I tossed off the "wig" that I scalped off of some random guard's head (he had beautiful raven-colored locks, don't judge). "... Hm, so this is what it feels like wearing a dress."

I then look at her as I flipped around the dress's skirt.

"... You think I can pull off this kind of look?" I asked while smiling sheepishly.

"Not in a million years." Glass deadpanned. "I want my dress back."

"Ha! Knew you'd liked it-"

Glass then kicks me on my leg stump before turning away from my collapsed self in a huff.

"... A little help?" I begged. "And FTR, you don't have to wear that dress anymore."

I then take out her [Kimono of Mourning] from Grimm's pages.

"... Fine." She sourly stated. "You better not look."

"Don't plan to." I remarked as I crawled away elsewhere. "I don't adhere to double standards if I can help it."

One Change of Clothes Later...

"... Okay, but why the armor?" Glass asked as she tightened her obi.

"Dunno." I remarked as I furled my cloak over my new rusted armor. "Maybe got tired of eating arrows and knives for breakfast. Maybe I just find this armor really cool and practical. But honestly, it's really the fact that I don't expect this layer of protection to last long, so hey, might as well take what I can get, right?"

Glass rolls her eyes.

"... You know that me killing the man was nothing personal, right?" I pointed out. "I'm simply adhering to my whole 'leave no witnesses' criteria."

"He's a slaver, he's not going to be missed." Glass pointed out. "That, and well, your gunshot woke them up."

... Oh right, thought about what I came here for.

"Can you let them out?" I asked Glass. "... You're the one with the keys, after all."

"Alright, alright, geez."

She then begins letting out the slaves as I got up to the nearest soapbox to make a speech to the slaves.

"... Ahem."

As I cleared my throat, the freed slaves all gathered before me, with Glass herself keeping watch.

"... Now you may be wondering: 'Why did a crossdressing manic free you all?' Well, allow me to introduce myself." I began. "To wit, I am Nan Hon-Jah, currently [Tome Fallen], the Dark Architect, the guy who kidnapped the eldest Princess of Melromarc, the future Demon King of this utterly miserable world, and the only one around here who seems to have enough balls to stick it to the man."

They all looked at me in confusion.

"Allow me to get a few things out of the way." I continued. "Yes, I've freed you, but no, that doesn't mean I'll let you run free, yet. As soon as you all run out there, a bunch sellswords will not hesitate to butcher you all like cattle, and even though some may be willing to work for me at an upfront price, after... seeing the frivolities outside, I've concluded that they're not worth my time, and henceforth, expendable. Now, you may also be thinking that I can easily lead the charge towards your liberation, but while, yes, I will, but it must be all done surgically."

Again, they all looked at me in confusion.

"As of now, my companions are currently taking methodical steps to ensure not only your liberation, but also the complete and utter destruction of this city-state of vice and greed." I declared. "As soon as the threshold has been passed, we not only charge out here, but we also put the entire city to torch, along with the people living in it. First, the Oligarchs running this little pop stand, then the sellswords acting as their fangs, and finally, the slavers that took away your rights, your identities, your collective dignities, and the ones that started off this whole trend of living property profiteering, for lack of a better and politically-correct term. All of them, will die, by our hands."

They then began to look more... interested, in what I'm offering.

"And don't think your homes will ever accept you back just because you're freed." I pointed out the inconvenient truth. "Your homes abandoned you to your fate, not regarding the individual within the kingdom, as long as the so-called 'collective' remains intact, as evidenced in why they didn't rescue you with their armies if they actually cared for you in the first place. For as long as they get slaves of their own, they will consider you dead people walking, and they've probably informed your rest of kin! The rest of the world has spat onto your very existence, reducing all of you as mere cogs to the machine for pigs that run this utter madness and lies known and defined as society!"

From the corner of my eye, I spot the elevator carrying the raped kids back down, the doors opening, and the handler trying to make a run for it upon spotting me.

"SO YOU KNOW WHAT!?"

I fire my [Grimoire Heart], splattering his whole head like an overinflated pimple with [Groundshatter Pellets].

"FUCK, ALL OF THEM!" I roared out, unleashing my collected rage for the past several minutes as my right eye glowed red as my rage. "FUCK THIS CITY OF GLITTER AND GOLD THAT IS GILDED IN UTTER LIES! FUCK THE FOUR KINGDOMS THAT HAS ABANDONED YOU ALL! FUCK THE INSTITUTION THAT ALLOWS SUCH ATROCITIES TO HAPPEN IN THE FIRST PLACE! FUCK THE SYSTEM THAT STRIPPED YOU ALL OF WHO YOU ARE! FUCK THE FARCE KNOWN AS PEACE BUILT UPON YOUR TRAMPLED DIGNITIES! FUCK ALL OF THOSE CAVIAR-EATING FAT CATS THAT RUINED ALL OF US! FUCK THEIR GOLD THAT CORRUPTED THE CONCEPT OF GOODNESS IN OUR HEARTS! FUCK THEIR BUSINESSES PREYING UPON THE INDIVIDUAL FOR SIMPLY LIVING OUT OUR LIVES! THEIR TIME IS OVER! IT'S OUR TIME TO TAKE BACK THIS WORLD FROM THEM! IT'S TIME TO WAKE THIS WHOLE WORLD FROM ITS DREAMS OF DELUSION, AND SHOW THE UTTER NIGHTMARE THAT IS REALITY! THE REALITY! THE TERROR! THAT IS STEMMED FROM US BEING SHUNNED INTO THE DARKNESS THAT HAS CONDEMNED US ALL INTO UTTER DESPAIR! LET'S BURN THIS ROTTEN WORLD TO THE GROUND, STARTING FROM THIS EPICENTER OF SIN!"

All of them now roar out, fists raised into air.

"That's right!" One of them cried out. "They had it good for long enough!"

"Let's kill them all!" Another shouted.

"Death to the nobles that condemned us!" The group chanted.

"Death to our homes that has abandoned us!" They all chanted.

"DEATH TO THE WORLD THAT HAS FORSAKEN US!" They roared out in unison. "DAMNATION TO THE SOCIETY OF INJUSTICE AND CORRUPTION!"

"DEATH! DEATH! DEATH! DEATH!" They all chanted in newfound fervor. "DEATH TO THIS WORLD! DEATH TO ALL WHO ARE COMPLACENT IN OUR SUFFERING! DEATH TO THE KINGDOMS THAT HAS ABANDONED! DEATH TO ALL THAT IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL!"

"SO WHO'S WITH ME!?" I roared out. "WHO READY TO RAGE FOR A NEW WORLD!? WHO'S READY TO RIP THIS SHITHOLE OF A COUNTRY A NEW ONE!? WHO'S READY TO KICK SOME ASS IN THE NAME OF OUR FUTURE WHERE THESE PIGS ARE SETTING THEIR FEET NO LONGER UNTO THIS EARTH!?"

"KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!" All roared out in response. "KILL THE TYRANNICAL LEADERS! KILL THE IGNORANT SHEEP! KILL THE COMPLAINT ONES! KILL ALL WHO DARE GET IN OUR WAY!"

I simply smile.

"... Then I suggest all of you grabbing something sharp as you all make your way." I stated. "Oh and, before we begin..."

I then toss a sack of gold to Glass.

"Use that to pay off any sellsword that you come by as... promising." I stated. "Strength in numbers, remember?"

"... You crazy bastard." Glass snickered out. "If it weren't for the fact that you were completely bonkers, then I would've fucked your brains out..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" She denied.

... Breakfast's gonna be awkward, isn't?

"Alright, now for the next step."

I stab the slaver's bloated and misshapen corpse along with the handler's to [Invoke] their "inner demons".

End result? An owl [Kenku] and a [Flyman].

"Glass, can you hand me the keys? Need the other monsters on my side for my rampage."

I catch the ring of keys and began unlocking the cages myself.

All of them beg for me to take them. I mean, all of them.

End result?

3 [Werelions], a dehydrated (but no less threatening) [Kelpie], several [Lizardmen], 10 [Minotaurs], a [Trident]-wielding [Naga], too many [Bicorns], 14 [Werebears], 31 [Trolls], and to top it all off, a [Golem] made of [Admantium].

Collectively known as, the [Berserk Corps], my new [Legion].

"... Oh, and one last thing." I addressed to the freed slaves arming themselves with sharp objects. "As soon as I reach top floor, I better expect all of you to be outside."

Glass takes the hint and begins evacuating everyone out of the underground.

"EVERYONE! HURRY!" Glass barked out.

"Genbu."

"Ya need something, lad?"

"... Accompany her, oh and, don't drink."

The [Gremlin] shrugs before taking off as I headed to the elevator as Glass led the charge of the freed slaves-no.

... Leading the [Blood-Oath Zealots], her new [Legion].

... Only one problem as soon as I enter, though.

"... Okay, how do I work this crap?"

Switching POV: Rino

"What's taking so long?" One of the oligarchs complained out loud. "Where the bloody hell's the next act?"

Rino returns to her old hiding spot above the seats of the oligarchs, only to find them complaining and bemoaning at their boredom.

"Somebody call the staff." The other spoke out. "If its technical difficulties with the coliseum's mechanics, then send the handymen to fix it!"

"Ugh, forget this." One of the oligarchs remarked. "I'll be at the restroom. Hopefully it'll come back as planned as soon as I get back. Servant! Keep my seat warm."

The fat man was then escorted out of the podium with two bodyguards flanking him.

"Let us tail him." The [Stygian] stated.

The two then tail the three people walking down the halls above the coliseum's rafters.

The two then spot the oligarch going into the restroom, the doors being guarded by the bodyguards.

"So..." Rino asked the demon. "... How do we take em out in one blow?"

The [Stygian]'s shadowy arm then morphs into a sharpened point.

"Aim for their necks."

The demon jumps into one of their mouths as a black blob, with Rino unsheathing her [Spark Dagger] as she followed down, lodging the blade into his spine from his rear nape, completely paralyzing all of his motor functions being fried from the electrical shocks emitting from the blade.

The [Stygian], meanwhile, simply lets his victim asphyxiate on itself stuck inside his trachea.

"C'mon, we'er wasting time."

The bodyguard's neck was then slit open from the inside, with the [Stygian] cutting itself out of the man's throat before crawling out completely spotless.

"C'mon." Rino stated as she dragged the two bodies by their ankles, we still need to hide the bodies elsewhere-"

The door opens next to them, with the oligarch seeing the two assailants dragging two of his dead bodyguards by their ankles.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... GET HIM!"

Both Rino and the [Styigan] pounce unto the fat fuck back into the bathroom, driving their blades through his blubbery neck and exsanguinate and tase him until he stops living entirely.

"... Okay, one down." Rino sighed out as she wiped the blood off of her face. "Now where to put the bodies..."

She then spots the bathroom stalls next to her.

"... Can you chop them up into small pieces and stuff em down the chamberpot?" Rino asked the [Stygian].

"Consider it done."

The [Stygian] then crawls into one of the bodies, puppets its into one of the corpses, snakes itself into the chamberpot's opening, and multiple sharpened points of shadows burst out of the cadaver before it shreds its meat-shell with friction of the blades circulating inside.

"One down." The [Stygian] remarked. "Now I request the other two, at the same time."

Rino wonders why and when did she stop vomiting at the sight of human bodies being ground up to paste right in front of her.

"HEY! I SPOTTED ONE OF THEM-"

The supposed guard was then cut off by the sounds him being slashed into mincemeat.

Rino draws her bow, only to run into Glass, leading a company of freed slaves.

"What's going on?" Glass asked.

"Oh nothing much, just hiding the body." Rino remarked. "What about you and your new friends?"

"Fighting our way out of this godforsaken place." Glass answered. "Also, plans accelerated again. Nan's going to blow this place to kingdom come."

"... Why am I not surprised?" Rino asked.

"Desensitization is weird." Glass remarked. "I would say don't question it..."

She turns around, opens her fan, and waves out an array of wind blades that shredded the opposition behind her.

"... But we have more pressing matters at hand." Glass stated.

In front of them, several well-armed hired mercenaries stood in their way, ready to charge.

"Here they come-"

*click*

*FWOOSH*

In front of them, a massive jet of blue-colored flames spewed out towards the charging sellswords, only leaving behind their equipment and clothes.

Below their knees, Genbu closed his dragon-shaped lighter shut before turning towards the two ladies.

"... You're welcome." Genbu stated. "What are you lot waiting for? Free gear!"

The slaves then arm themselves with the equipment of the fallen sellswords.

"Can you do that again?" Glass asked the [Gremlin].

"Nah, only once a day." Genbu replied as he drew out his [Silver Short Sword]. "Might as well kill our way out the old-fashioned way."

"I'll cover." Rino stated as she drew out her bow.

"The bodies have been hid away, Rino." [Stygian] stated as the demon came out of the bathroom. "Let us continue elsewhere."

The two joint groups than made their mad dash out of the soon-to-be-incinerated coliseum.

Switching POV: Garou

"... Just what the hell is that?"

Before the twins, there lied a massive ovular-shaped balloon-like contraption, with four pairs of metal cylinders and a comically-small gondola beneath the dull-gray ovular sphere with the golden letters labeling this... thing, the Niflheim.

... Whatever this Niflheim was, Garou knew that he couldn't simply light that thing on fire and be done with it. If anything, it was too big to be burnt down, making it futile to act as a distraction.

"... I have a better idea." Fubuki pointed out. "If we can't destroy it, why don't we steal it?"

"One problem." Garou pointed out. "Look around."

There were only bright patches of light shining over the area surrounding the weird-looking ship, and combined with all of the guards carrying unknown [Musket] weapons, it's clear that just charging in will get them killed.

That, and unlike the other guards they've dealt before, these guards were more... professional. No visible signs of fatigue in their eyes, nor their posture were showing any hints of slacking.

A straight-up fight was suicide, and sneaking around was a nigh-impossibility.

... But as they've learned throughout their journey, when faced with two impossible options, then there's always a third, exploitable, option.

"If we can neither force nor sneak our way in..."

Fubuki smiles in response.

"... Then we'll do both."

Both Garou and Fubuki combine their skills and magic, focusing their respective skills of [Shadow Dive] and [Freeze Bolt] into a singular point at Fubuki's [Twilight Hunter's Gunstaff].

"EAT THIS!" They both shouted in unison as the guards pointed their guns at them. "[BLACK TUNDRA-FIMBULWINTER]!"

All of their guns freeze first, then their bodies, and finally upon the pitch-black blizzard ceasing, all of them scatter into pitch-black snow.

And the best part? All of this happened in a bubble of shadows that Garou formed in part of his collaborative effort with his twin sister, effectively creating a mobile deathtrap skill.

Only downside was that it made both the twins a bit winded, but to be fair, they were no strangers to fatigue.

"C'mon!" Garou barked out. "Let's try and work this thing!"

The two enter the gondola, and began to fiddle with the controls on the main console.

"I'll try to find a manual for it!" Fubuki stated. "You try pushing random buttons!"

Garou then begins pushing buttons on the console, with a red one causing the ship's engines to begin emitting sound.

"I think we got something!" Garou shouted out.

"Brother! We got company!" Fubuki pointed out at the surrounding mercenaries coming towards them.

Garou tries to keep pressing buttons on the console, and finds a button labeled "waffe" before pressing it.

The ports around the gondola opens up, revealing gun barrels pointed around all directions.

The guns then opened fire upon the sellswords, killing most of them, with the rest ducking behind cover.

"I FOUND IT!" Fubuki exclaimed as she brought out a "Pilot's Manual" from one of the cabinets before handing it to Garou.

"Alright, let's see-"

One of the windows break from a stray [Icicle Spear].

"FUCK THE MANUAL!" Garou roared out as he wrung the ship's controls while pushing random buttons. "IT'S DO OR DIE!"

Upon pressing the yellow button, the ship's turbines begin to spin.

"SHIT! THEY'RE TAKING OFF!" One of the sellswords cried out. "SHOOT EM DOWN! SHOOT EM DOWN!"

The sellswords then intensified their attack onto the ship, throwing more magic and arrows against the gondola's hulls.

"SHIT, WE'RE OUT!" Garou cried out as the ship's weapons were depleted of its ammo. "SIS! COVER ME!"

Fubuki then begins firing her [Ice] magic from her gunstaff as Garou tried to work the ship.

"COME ON YOU HUNK OF SLAG, WORK!"

The ship then begins taking off of the ground.

"ARE WE FLYING!?" Fubuki asked.

"HELL YEAH, WE ARE!" Garou cried out triumphantly. "SIS, FINISH EM OFF!"

"GOT IT!" The fox-girl cried out before she drank her stolen [Intermediate Mana Potion].

She than began concentrating all of her mana into the tip of her gunstaff as she chanted.

"BY THE LAWS OF THIS WORLD, I HEREBY DICTATE ALL AMBIENT OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN AT MY COMMAND! CEASE ALL DYNAMICS AND ENCASE MY FOES IN WINTER'S COLD GRIP! [ABSOLUTE ZERO]!"

The whole ground beneath them becomes a massive glacier, encasing every last one of them in the snow-blue ice.

"Haah..." Fubuki sighed out as she collapsed onto the floor and against the wall. "... I'm spent."

"No kidding..." Garou remarked as he tried to contain his excitement of stealing a valuable piece of foreign technology. "... BUT HOLY SHIT! WEREN'T WE TOTAL BADASSES, OR WHAT!?"

"I KNOW!" Fubuki exclaimed back. "DID YOU SEE THE LOOKS ON THEIR FACES BEFORE I FROZE THEM!?"

"I WISH I DID!"

Both then share a laugh over their triumphant heist/distraction.

Their moment of celebration, however was cut short, by a sound of sputtering coming from one of the turbines.

"... What was that?" Garou asked.

Fubuki looks out of the window, and finds one of the ship's turbines bearing a massive puncture hole.

"... Um, Garou?" Fubuki remarked. "I think we're in trouble."

The ship's altitude began its slow and involuntary descent.

"... Aw, shit." Garou cursed. "I guess us getting away with this was too good to be true."

The punctured verniers then combusted, hastening their fall.

"SIS, HOLD ONTO SOMETHING AND FIND COVER!" Garou roared out. "WE'RE GONNA CRASH!"

The ship's gondola then rams through one of the larger buildings, shattering the ship's windows in their messy descent, scattering shards of glass towards their covers.

Eventually, the sounds of scraping iron and combusting engines cease as the crash slows down.

"*cough*... Sis, you okay?" Garou asked out loud.

"... *cough* Somehow." Fubuki groaned out. "Although I think this ship's a bust."

"Fair enough."

The two then rip the hatch door out of their way, making their way into a wrecked room in a villa.

"... We're not paying for this, aren't we?" Garou asked Fubuki.

Fubuki shakes her head.

"Well, at least no one's here-"

The entrance door right in front of them was kicked off its hinges by a squat, yet fully-armored knight-like figure in deep amber-red armor, brandishing massively-clawed mitts as its weapons, and on top of his head, a wisp of flame acted as the visored-helmet's plume.

"... Nevermind, we really screwed the pooch." Garou said in an increasingly-panicked tone. "RUN!"

The twins jump out of the breach as they were set upon by this deceptively-nimble squat-looking knight.

"JUST HOW IS THAT GUY RUNNING THAT FAST WITH ALL THAT ARMOR ON HIM!?" Fubuki asked as she ran.

"JUST SHUT UP AND KEEP RUNNING!" Garou barked out as he picked up speed.

The twins continue to run for their lives away from their mysteriously-armored purser, even after their stolen blimp that crash-landed behind them explodes into flames.

Switching POV: Nan

"... Hmm, it seems that the audience is growing a little testy up there." I remarked as I tried to figure out the contraptions for this bullcrap of a lift, all the while trying to ignore all the commotion outside. "Then again, in the entertainment industry, you can't please everyone..."

Grimm then shows up as he guided the rest of the [Berserk Corps] elevator taking up to the main arena.

"What's taking so long?" He asked. "These guys behind us are starting to grow bit antsy."

"Just give me a minute..." I replied. "C'mon think, just how does a pseudo-mechanical contraption even work? I mean, there was a slot and all, but where's this universe's equivalent of a keycard?"

... Wait, that handler.

"[Flyman]!"

The humanoid fly buzzes towards me.

I pat him down, and find a wooden tablet with runes carved into it, hanging from its neck.

"... To think such a technological marvel is being wasted in this dumpster fire of a place." I bemoaned as I took the keycard. "It just seems that this world is out to piss me off around every waking moment."

I insert the keycard into the slot, the gates shut behind us as the cogs around the elevator begin to move.

As we slowly ascend, we begin to hear the displeased cries of the masses, denied of their so-called, "entertainment".

... Yeah, this is coming from a guy who regularly kills lots of people out of principle, but those assholes have no right to complain.

"Grimm." I remarked. "... This place is a coliseum, where blood sports are a thing, correct?"

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

I smile.

... Sadistically.

"... Last time I tried to test out my large-scale magical implants, there were few... unintentional casualties caught in the middle of it." I pointed out, recalling that time when I tested my [Geas], resulting Raphtalia and Filo to get caught in the crossfire. "But this time around?"

I look at my left arm, its chained pages now begging to flutter wild.

"... There will now be, shall we say, intentional casualties."

The doors open, and we are all greeted.

... By a dead silent crowd and MC.

I locate the MC, [Geas] him as he tried to flee, and he tosses the mic before I order him to jump off of his podium and fall headfirst to his death.

... Splat.

#dabinthemiddleofanenemyterritory

... What? I'm a huge Kefka fan, sue me.

I clear my throat before making my speech before the audience.

"LAADDDIESS AND GENTLEMEEEN!" I hammed it out into the mic. "FOR TONIGHT'S SURPRISE EVENT, IT IS I, NAN HON-JAH! THE [TOME FALLEN], COMIN' TO YOU LIVE, ON THIS CESSPOOL OF SIN AND GREED, ZELTOBLE!"

Murmurs of slight panic and confusion permeate the audience.

"As you call all see, I'm here tonight for a very, very special occasion." I announced. "For you see, the last performance of children being violated by some featureless tentacle monster, all I have to ask, 'Is that what you wops call entertainment?'"

Time to drop the base.

"... Well then, for tonight, consider this the finale." I announced. "... Of your lives, that is."

With my [Silver Wolf's Maw], I bite down on the chain binding the pages around my [Sibylline].

The chains come off, the pages of forgotten lore have been unleashed upon this world.

"Thank y'all for coming to this feature presentation..." I remarked in a dryly-mirthful tone after I spat out the chain. "... And watch out for the splash zone."

My HUD then sends me a oh-so wonderful message.

"[Spellcraft: Chaoscast] Skill, learned."

I raise my left hand upward, concentrating all of the surrounding mana into a singularity, as the sellswords in the audience come at me in their vain attempts to stop me.

"[Spellcraft: Chaoscast]."

Numerous magic circles surround me and the on-standby [Berserk Corps] like an artillery lineup.

... BTW, you know what [Chaoscast] does?

Well, picture every magic skill I've learned throughout my journey, most of them I've learned from my [Summons], and all of these magic circles are going to unleash every last one of them until my MP hits 0.

Addendum, about how many [Summons] do I have within my fold up to now?

... Actually you know what? I'll let the results speak for themselves.

"And with all that said, ladies and gentlemen..." I gleefully stated as a blinding light fills up the whole arena, engulfing these hapless fools to their guaranteed oblivion.

Oh course, some try to run.

... Try being the only nominal word here.

"... Thank you, and goodnight."

And the whole world outside of my cavalcade of reckless magic usage turns white as I dropped the mic.


To Be Continued...


Author's Notes: The spark has been lit. And all it took was people to play with fire (the blimp), amateurish assassination attempts that somehow works out, surprise-crossdressing (wig, dress, accent all included) on Nan's part, and an impassioned speech that pretty much tells the slaves that it's them against the whole world.

A few shenanigans during the insurrection amidst the mostly-unsuspecting partygoers, but hey.

... At least they'll go out with a bang.

... Yeah, in case if you haven't caught on, Nan tends to rely/abuse on the "Unspoken Plan Guarantee" trope hard, and it's only thanks to his Blackbeard/Marshall D. Teach-levels of luck that he comes out alive every time, albeit not whole, but still alive.

We're now up to four [Legions]: [Librarians/Scribes], [Rebel Infantry], [Blood-Oath Zealots], and the [Berserk Corps].

Just one more and we get a new [Title]!


Current Party Members:


Name: Nan Hon-Jah

Class: [Tome Fallen]

Level: 73

Affinity: [All Eight Elements] & [Ten Primordial Sins]

Alignment: Chaotic Mad

Equipment: [Forbidden Tome, Grimm the Heretic], [Grimoire Heart], [Lemegeton], [Sibylline], [Necromancer's Robes], [Mire Boots], [Wight's Rune of Spite], [Silver Wolf's Maw], [Bandit's Silver Thumb], [Visage of Madness], [Mystic Geas: Puppeteer], [Portable Dragon's Hourglass], [Slayer's Rusted Plate Armor]

Legion: [Berserk Corps]

Attack: 86 (+195)

Defense: 82 (+40)

Agility: 81 (+35)

Luck: 75 (+45)

HP: 630 (+105)

MP: 730 (+305)


Name: Garou

Class: [Slave Brawler]

Level: 77

Affinity: [Dark]

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Equipment: [Assassin's Leather Armor], [Nightshroud], [Blade Gauntlets], [Primal Claws], [Katars]

Attack: 98 (+50)

Defense: 62 (-20)

Agility: 100 (+65)

Luck: 50 (+20)

HP: 820 (+20)

MP: 300 (-100)


Name: Fubuki

Class: [Slave Monk]

Level: 77

Affinity: [Ice]

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Equipment: [Twilight Gunstaff], [Darkbane Gauntlets], [Twilight Cloak], [Twilight Hunter's Hood], [Mana Medallion]

Attack: 89 (+45)

Defense: 56 (+30)

Agility: 91 (+25)

Luck: 87 (+20)

HP: 570 (-50)

MP: 930 (+100)


Name: Genbu

Class: ?

Level: ?

Affinity: None

Alignment: ?

Equipment: [Wayward Nomad's Garbs], [Silver Pocket Watch & Chain], [Silver Shortsword], [Silver Buckler], [Fafnir's Flametongue]

Attack: ?

Defense: ?

Agility: ?

Luck: 9,999

HP: ?

MP: ?


Name: Rino

Class: [Slave Assassin]

Level: 66

Affinity: [Earth]

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Equipment: [Brave Compound Bow], [Spark Dagger], [Steel Throwing Knives x20], [Assassin's Cloak], [Shadow Mufflers], [Silent Step Sandals]

Attack: 69 (+80)

Defense: 40 (+10)

Agility: 87 (+120)

Luck: 86 (+90)

HP: 360 (+40)

MP: 300 (+40)


Name: Glass

Class: [Phantom Fan Saint]

Level: 91

Affinity: [Dark]

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Equipment: [Sacred Fans], [Kimono of Mourning], [Pristine Visage]

Legion: [Blood-Oath Zealots]

Attack: 105 (+50)

Defense: 84 (+70)

Agility: 123 (+50)

Luck: 51 (+100)

HP: 790 (+200)

MP: 830 (+250)


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