[Intermission: Ain't No Ground High Enough For The Storm That's Brewin']

Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, the Bloody Emperor of Baharuth. A young man of medium height, rather fit and attractive, with purple-pink eyes and blonde hair, always adorned in jewellery and dressed to the nines. A political prodigy since the very start, he overthrew his mother and siblings in a bloody coup. With the legions unified under his command the boy, at only 13 years of age, managed to conduct one of the quickest and bloodiest takeovers in known history. He continued this trend with his brutal purge of incompetent nobles, none able to stop him as he stripped their titles and possessions one by one, or sent them to the headman's axe if they didn't comply. Supported by the disciplined and advanced legions, as well as Fluder and his Imperial Magic college, Jircniv was invincible domestically.

Now his land prospered. Ever since Baharuth split off from Re-Estize over a century ago, the land has grown wealthy and mighty, thanks to the great emperors that ruled it. And Jircniv was regarded as the greatest of them. Respected and feared in all nearby human realms. He was a force to be reckoned with, even by the Theocracy. Of course his brilliance didn't come only from natural talent, he had the best teacher anyone could ask for.

Fluder Paradyne, The Triad Magic Caster.

The only human to truly master magic of the 6th Tier, the Imperial Court Wizard was equivalent to an entire army Born in Belmous village over 2 centuries ago, he took an interest in magic from the tales of a passing magic caster. He later became someone on par or even above some of the 13 heroes. Utilising arcane, holy and forbidden magics to extend his life, he served the Baharuth Empire ever since it existed.

At first disliked in the court, with each subsequent emperor he gained more and more influence, using it only to further his magical prowess. To Jircniv, he was like a grandfather and mentor in one, teaching him not only about magic, but about all facets of life. A trump card that could easily belong in the Black Scripture, one of the view deviants alive, he protected Baharuth with merely his existence.

Their direct rival, the Re-Estize Kingdom, was riddled with corruption and incompetence. Jircniv's plan to starve them out with periodic attacks during the harvest season and bribe their nobles was working wonders. Re-Estize had to levy hundreds of thousands of peasants to stand a chance against the organised legions of the military. Having a permanent, standing military force that was utterly loyal to Jircniv was what got him the throne in the first place and now it was proving itself to be a glorious part of his empire once again.

True, his workload was large, but getting rid of the nobles was still a good move. He still had his secretaries, among them the outstanding Loune Vermillion. 3 of the 4 adamantite level knights that were his direct guards were also utterly loyal, cementing his power further. Life was good.

Particularly now, when he was laying with his favourite concubine. She was his favourite not thanks to her beauty, but thanks to her brains. The thing he really looked forward to was discussing policy with her. And now, wine glass in hand, they were doing so under the moonlight.

"The time is coming once again to attack the kingdom. Only a few more years and we can launch a full invasion. Finally, after so many years they will know who their betters are!" said Jircniv. As hedonistic as he was, he never could truly escape the political schemes that dwelled in his mind, success in expansion being more pleasurable than any action of the flesh. "Yes my dear, that is great, but you have heard of that adventurer, right?" his lover asked.

There was only one man who was referred to as that adventurer. "Who does he think he is!? Foiling the assassination of Gazef by the Theocracy and killing my spy?! Single-handedly he put my plans months, maybe years, behind schedule! Tier 10 magic? What a joke! Impressive that he tricked everyone, but if all he's doing is killing nobles then it's fine! The imperial legions will still crush him when the time comes." After all, what could one measly adventurer do? There was no one on the level of Fluder and thus victory was assured.

"My love, aren't you worried Fluder will go after him? And if he truly turns out to be beyond Fluder then what?" The master of the Imperial Magic College was well-versed in magic yet always thirsted for more, it was widely known. Yet only Jircniv knew the true colours of the mad man that lurked beneath the placid surface of the calm and kind caster. He shot out of bed like an arrow, without his clothes on of course.

"Oh fuck! I completely forgot!" he ran out the door, yelling for the maid, who answered with a substantial blush when seeing the Emperor's clothe-less state. "Find Fluder! Now!" he yelled. With a quick courtesy the maid ran off, finding the guards who were around during the night shift. "Come back to bed, my Emperor, it can't be too late yet. And Tier 10 is beyond even the Gods, it surely is a bluff." His panic slightly subsided for the night as his courtesan did her best to destress him.

Yet in the morning, Fluder Paradyne was nowhere to be found…

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

Fluder in disguise, both in terms of clothes and illusion magic, finally arrived in the capital of Re-Estize. Supposedly today was the day the adventurer possessing the key to the abyss of magic Fluder sought was supposed to return. Decades, centuries even, of looking for someone who could surpass him and mentor him in the way of magic, yet until now he had no luck in the endeavour. He surpassed even the 13 heroes, such as Rigrit Bers Caurau, the supposedly greatest necromancer and former Blue Rose. None but beings of pure myth were above him and yet now a spark of hope was kindled in the old man's heart. Perhaps this time would be different? If one could overwhelm an adamantite adventurer by having them merely glance at their mana perhaps they truly went beyond the divine realm.

The capital of Re-Estize was dirty, both physically and metaphorically, as corruption still riddled the place, even with the reforms conducted after the small purge done by the so-called "Bloody Butcher." He hurried towards the adventurer's guild where the man would show up, avoiding the shadier parts of town as he would easily blow his cover if he got into a fight. Most importantly, he would lose the chance to meet Pyke, as the adventurer was called. Secondly, if the effort was for naught, it would cause problems for his Little Jir. True, the emperor was like his son, but if someone who could help him peer into the abyss of magic would demand he sacrifice him, so be it.

Eventually he made it, walking through the crowd and sitting down at the tavern area the man visited often alongside his friend, Brain Unglaus. An hour passed. Fluder was not impatient per se, but he was full of anticipation. If it meant he would surely meet this man, he would wait here for years. He was about to order a drink when the doors to the guild flew open. All eyes turned to them, and in walked the man feared and revered just a week or so after his appearance. Tall, broad, scarred and with a distinctly dark skin not often seen in the surrounding nations.

Fluder tried to analyse him with his talent, [Magic Detecting Eyes], that let him check the tier of the caster. He rubbed his eyes, yet still he saw no magic from the man. It was like staring into the abyss that absorbed all light. And then…

Everything went black.

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

In the chamber of the Gods in the Slane Theocracy, the Cardinals and Pontifex Maximus once again sat down for their meeting. And as it happened almost every time, the moment they did Dominic hit the desk. He did so often in fact that, with his former Sunlight Scripture strength, he would have wasted a considerable size of the national budget on new desks, thus they reinforced his part with an orichalcum mesh. "We need to go and purge this monster! How dare he annihilate the Sunlight Scripture!?"

Everyone else at the table sighed. Raymond, as the coordinator of all scriptures, responded, "You are blinded by your former membership of that Scripture. Do you remember what the divine texts said of this "Bloodharbor Ripper?" He is said to have saved our Gods and in the event we ever meet him, we are to avoid antagonising him. At. All. Costs. You saw what he did to Kara for merely looking at him!"

Ginedine and Maximillian, who were the most familiar with the texts of the Gods, both nodded. "He supposedly killed the Greed Kings within minutes while rescuing our Gods and was considered an untouchable force of nature. If even our Gods considered him an enigmatic and dangerous being, I propose we observe him from afar. Even he is not immune to our most holy artefacts, but if he saved our Gods perhaps it is better for us to perhaps reach out to him?" said the Cardinal of Darkness.

Berenice shook her head, "Too risky. He was said to be utterly mad and unpredictable, our Gods even guessed he saved them out of a whim rather than benevolence. It'd be best if we investigated the area of battle, Carne village, and see what remains. If he truly is as powerful as the texts say, not that I am doubting the Gods, then there should be little left in the area when he fought against the highest tier angel."

"Just don't let that half-elf out of the treasury. The fight would certainly be fierce, but it is too much of a gamble. If the Gods feared him, Zesshi would be beaten and we would be betrayed, losing our trump card. Send the Black, but make up some excuse for her." reasoned Yvon.

The Pontifex Maximus hit the table with the gavel , "Then it is decided. Raymond, organise the Black Scripture and send them to Carne for an investigation, perhaps the locals know something. Give them a reasonable disguise, I doubt they would be hospitable to us after the failed plan with Nigun. Additionally, we aren't reaching out to Fluder in fear of antagonising the Bloody Emperor. We would win a war, but fighting humanity is simply not worth it. Until an opportunity arises, we shall merely observe. And Maximillian, be so kind as to talk to Surshana's number one worshipper."

And with that, the meeting was adjourned...

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

The Argland Council state was considered to be one of, if not, the most powerful state in the known continent. It was home to a variety of demi-human races, located to the North-West of Re-Estize and was a country with actual knowledge of Wild Magic. How did they possess the knowledge available only to True Dragon Lords? Well, it was because five Dragon Lords were the leaders of the country. Of course there was a council of different races, but they were mostly symbolic and acted as advisors, unable to overrule the dragons.

In fact, the country first came into existence as a way for the Dragon Lords to easily collect the souls of citizens who died. That was the key to Wild Magic, using other people's souls. In the worst case, the massive vitality of Dragon Lords could be used as a substitute, but souls were more efficient and effective. None of the races knew this and thus it was a peaceful place, from which the souls were farmed like crops.

Now those 5 Dragon Lords were all gathered in one room and the supposedly strongest beings were sweating bullets. There was one of the strongest, if not the strongest, Dragon Lords, Tsaindorcus Vaision, the son of the Dragon Emperor and conqueror of Eryuentiu. The Blue Sky Dragon Lord, Suveria Myronsik, the Diamond Dragon Lord, Omnaadsence Iculvuls, the Obsidian Dragon Lord, Gessenvult Yukleelilith and the Wyrm Dragon Lord, Zalazilkalia Nahaeunt.

"What do you mean he resisted Wild Magic!?" cried Gessenvult. "That was our one effective, magical means of attack!" added Suveria. Tsa hit the floor with his tail in order to quiet them down and the tower they were in shook slightly, "World Items seem to be immune to our Wild Magic, he must have one of those. That however isn't the worst news. I have heard of this one…"

"You have? Did that player friend of yours tell you about him?" asked Omnaad. Tsa nodded, "Yes… This one was considered to be a monster beyond anything else in the world called YGGDRASIL. None had ever bested him and he hunted people stronger than the Gods and Greed Kings like they were cattle." Cries of denial and despair permeated the room in an instant as memories of the previous players came flooding back. Tsar continued when they calmed down, "He was called the Bloodharbor Ripper, the Bloody Butcher, God-Hunter, King of the Swimming City and more. His true name was Pyke. Mist heralded his coming and a harpoon promising swift death awaited all who stood in his path. Riku himself saw him in action once."

The Platinum Dragon Lord shook his head, his voice laden with despair, "Around 36 people, stronger than the Greed Kings and the Gods, tried to fight him when he was entering a city in which Riku was." The Dragon Lords listening to this tale all gulped, 36 was an impossible number for them to defeat alone even before the near extinction of their race, when Wild Magic was at its peak. "And the result?" asked Zalaz. Tsa looked him in the eyes, "10 minutes." The Dragon Lords gave him a curious look, he elaborated, "10 minutes was all it took to kill them all."

Suveria fainted on the spot, the others barely holding onto consciousness as they realised what kind of monster was summoned by the former Dragon Emperor's actions. After they were done hyperventilating and waking the Blue Sky Dragon Lord, Tsa continued, "I saw his city and I was shown true despair, my soul almost left my body. I had to sacrifice the ones I would use for my Wild Magic to satiate whatever hell I saw. For now, we build up our strength and pray to whoever may listen that he doesn't come for us any time soon."

The Dragon Lords nodded, against such a monster it was the only thing to be done…

ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ

Queen Draudilion Oriculus of the Draconic Kingdom tried to be a good queen. Truly, she cared for her citizens and yet everything was going wrong. Her country bordered Baharuth, the cursed Katze Plains, parts of the Great Forest of Tob and the Beastman Kingdom. Ever since her great grandfather, the perverted Brightness Dragon Lord who fucked anything that moved, left the country centuries ago, the beastmen did periodic abduction raids on the citizens.

However, in her lifetime, it turned into a full invasion. Almost half her country has now been turned into a ranch for the demihumans. Her military was in shambles, taxes were low and crime was high. Beastmen were tough opponents, a simple adult with no training would require a gold-ranked adventurer. If a beastman was well trained, they would require true heroes, those bestowed with adamantite. Her country had only one such team, but she'd frankly prefer it if it didn't.

The name of that team was Crystal Tear and the only member worthy of adamantite was its leader, the Fierce Flash Cerabrate Sabilovis. He was built as a warrior should be, with silver hair and above average height. She didn't know what colours his eyes were as whenever she looked into them, all she saw was lust. Admittedly, he was a brilliant warrior and holy knight, but there was a distinct reason why the first thing she would do when out of this crisis would be to execute him. He was a paedophile that used every opportunity to abuse small girls, no older than 12.

As her Prime Minister put it, in order to awaken "protective instincts" in others and… motivate Cerabrate, she used her Wild Magic gained from being 1/8th Dragon Lord to morph her form into that of an 11 year old girl and acted like one. She spoke in a childish manner, sent letters drawn in crayon to her soldiers, the whole thing. She hated it more than words could describe, but she would do anything to her country.

Attempting to zone out Cerabrate's speech about his successes, and ignoring how he looked at her as if she was a piece of meat, was tough, but she pulled through. Dismissing Crystal Tear and the royal court, she went on to have a private meeting with the only man she could trust, her Prime Minister Tamarus Kasmir. A tall man with brown hair that was now greying from stress. He was like a brother to her.

They arrived in front of the fireplace where two chairs were positioned, many bottles of wine already on the table, Draudillion knowing they still wouldn't be enough to drown her worries. She switched to her adult form, her magic clothing changing shape to fit her. In all truth, she was beautiful and bewitching in this form, with a curvaceous figure and generous bust; long, dark brown hair and fair skin, combined with her white eyes that almost seemed to glow, in the centre being vertical pupils that she inherited from her Dragon Lord ancestor. She would normally be heavily sought after as a marriage partner.

Alas, beauty didn't bring victory in war. The Slane Theocracy who lent her former scripture members was now pulling out, citing "budget constraints." Her best hope was divine intervention or a paedophile; truly there was no winning in this situation. They sat down, Tamarus beginning the conversation, "Your Majesty, a ray of hope may have appeared on the horizon." This immediately made her turn away from the bottle she was reaching for. "Elaborate!" she demanded.

"An adventurer, who supposedly can cast the 10th Tier with a penchant for helping the common people and executing corrupt nobles has appeared in Re-Estize. Perhaps we could reach out to him?" Draudillion laughed and sobbed at the same time, "Now you are giving me such false hopes? Tier 10 doesn't exist!" she cried out.

"Your majesty, please listen to me and calm down." she wiped away her tears and nodded. "This adventurer beat a fully armoured and geared Gazef Stronoff and Brain Unglaus in a one on two fight, like they were children no less. Even Evileye of the legendary Blue Rose couldn't withstand merely looking at his mana pool! One of the adventurers from the guild actually originally came from here and decided it was a good idea to tell our local guilds. This information is as reliable as it gets!"

Draudillions eyes widened, could there be a chance? "No matter how small the chance is, we shall take it." She hit her open palm with her fist, "Reach out to him. Offer him the damned kingdom if you need to!" The Prime Minister nodded and began writing a letter. Unbeknownst to them, that letter wouldn't be needed, as a shadow stirred beneath the Queen, informing its master of everything.

In response its master had only one thing to say, "Ain't no ground high enough for the storm that's brewin'."

(AN: Bit of a short chapter, but I had to set some things up, ya know? The next chapter will be rather long and include an epilogue as it will be the end of what I call Volume 1 so control yourselves for 24 hours and wait patiently. Meanwhile you could go read [Lords of Ooal Gown] by Duke Cheburek. S tier fic and all I can say is that you've gotta read it for yourself. Oh! I almost forgot to mention that I have a channel on the Overlord Fanfic Discord if you want to contact me. As always, more to come and thank you for reading!)