[Chapter 2: Swimming Against The Tides of Fate]

'Ya know, now that I think about it, being in a coma would be much more enjoyable than this...' These were the types of thoughts going through Pyke's head when Gazef was explaining the boring details of the kingdom, economy, the lineage of the king, political structure, wars with the Empire. Still, it was necessary to sit through this hell, a hunter who hunts blind is a dead one. He did snap back to attention for some parts: the adventurer's guild, geography of the region, level of power in the world, and the criminal underground of the kingdom.

The adventurer's guild piqued his interest in particular. He gets to hunt, get paid and explore? Sounds like a steal. 'First thing I'm doin' is going to that guild and showin' 'em who's boss! But I gotta figure out how to skip some ranks, I ain't gonna hunt weaklings for days!' It did seem like adventurers were more mercenary than explorers, but he was both, so it didn't matter. One of the two adventurer teams, Blue Rose, peaked his interest. Defending a demi human village, in this type of world? Respectable, he would certainly want to meet them. Additionally, if they were considered legendary heroes and couldn't even deal with the Sunlight Scripture, he would surely rise to their rank of adamantite quickly.

His conversation with Gazef only reaffirmed his suspicion about his place in the food chain, which was, as always, on the top. Some overgrown lizards and self-proclaimed Gods were no threat to him. The unknown type of magic used by the lizards caught his interest, but in the end, a Dragon Lord was more of a convenient source of entertainment than a problem. One of them tried to spy on him already, failing miserably and getting the fright of his life for it. Even if someone got their hands on some of the God-Forsaken 20, the strongest world items, he'd be fine. World Items grant immunity from World Items after all, and he had two.

First, his [Bone Skewer], the greatest harpoon in existence, also usable as a serrated dagger. It grew stronger with every creature killed and he has killed so many it was the single strongest weapon in all of YGGDRASIL. It enhanced skills such as manipulation of water, mist and abyssal magics, and gave extra damage against enemies based on their size. Safe to say, this weapon had it all. Even the greatest of armours belonging to the likes of World Enemies weren't able to withstand his assault for long. He couldn't have hoped for a better weapon, it was custom made by the devs for him after all. It also hungered and consumed the souls of the dead, with few ever experiencing the reason for that.

Secondly, the [Hunter's List], another custom made item. It was basically the ultimate tracking tool. It gave the position of anyone on the list and every piece of information available. In the game it showed a line to track the person and all their stats, health, mana and so on. Now, it gives every piece of information. Date of birth, the family tree, age, activities, allegiances and anything in-between. But who actually was on the list? Well, it was whoever Pyke wanted to hunt, but due to his insanity and pattern of choosing prey, it seemed like only those he had a vendetta against were on it. In the New World it also gained the power to give information on people not on the list. As long as he was interacting with them he could get all the information as if they were on the list. Convenient for spying and knowing when someone is a spy. 'If I find a single Theocracy spy, they're goin' down under.'

There was however one thing that concerned him greatly, the possibility that he will never have a good fight again. He remembered the last fun battle he had, many, many years ago, against one member of the infamous Ainz Ooal Gown…

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Momonga and his forty-one guildmates gathered on the wide open plain and walked in silence. This was an area renowned and used for honourable, public duels; even though such events were rare and players generally preferred subterfuge. Still, sometimes there were calls to battle that not many could resist. In the past this area was home to battles between World Champions, massive guilds such as Seraphim and more, all publicly broadcasted by the devs.

This was one of those times, except the devs were nowhere to be seen or heard from. On their side flew the symbol of Nazarick and Ainz Ooal Gown, while on the other was the most feared emblem in the game; a harpoon behind which was a glowing, blue eye. Pyke stood opposite of them, sharpening his hook, while Momonga, Ulbert and Touch Me stepped forward from the group.

Players began to gather around them in order to witness such a spectacle, but Pyke quickly cast a silencing spell so none could listen in on their conversation. Ulbert was someone who admired the so-called final boss of YGGDRASIL; he after all took the bad guy persona to the fullest and hunted those the demon hated the most. Momonga had a neutral stance towards the man in front of him, even though he did cause the overlord player to be much more careful about his cash shop item usage in some areas.

However the challenge was sent exclusively to Touch Me. One may think it was because Touch Me was a World Champion and the only player to be rumoured to even come close to the ruthless killer that was Pyke, but it turned out to be much different compared to what everyone else could imagine.

Pyke looked up from his hook and scoffed, "So you have come, Miya Yori. Too afraid to be without friends, just like then huh?" His voice was full of scorn, a seething hatred bubbling just beneath the surface.

Touch Me's two companions looked to him as his full name was given by his adversary, but the paladin didn't flinch, "You're not him. The Bloodharbor Ripper is dead." His voice was noble and hard as iron, but a hint of uncertainty still pierced through it.

"Hahaha…" Pyke chuckled, "Don't tell me ya don't remember my voice? I remember the voices of all your friends. They should have not stood in my way." He walked up to the insectoid in shining white armour, being on eye level with him.

"I don't know who you are, but you did your homework and have a good voice changer." Touch Me said, "And don't mention my comrades, they died in the line of duty!" he growled.

"Oh? Corporate dogs dying in the line of duty? All you protected was traitors and dead men! When was the last time you protected someone instead of someone's pockets, ha?! And you ran, no better than those who cut my line! Look at your friends here, you wouldn't protect them, only those who doom them!" Pyke yelled.

"Don't bring them into this!" Touch Me answered, his voice full of icy fury, and drew his sword, "There's only one way to settle this." He walked back to the classic starting distance of ten metres.

"On that we agree…" Pyke got into a low fighting stance, his hook firmly in hand. Momonga and Ulbert teleported back to the rest of the guild, as was dictated by the tradition of the area.

A gong was hit by Momonga and the grudge match began. Mathematically, Touch Me would have no chance, but YGGDRASIL was a game renowned for its exploitability and he was planning to use it to its fullest, it was the same way he won the World Championship a few months ago. Of course, his reflexes and skill were off the charts, his build also immaculate, but even then he wouldn't stand a chance against what was equivalent to a World Enemy.

One of his passives however allowed him to increase his defence against targets that had a lower karma value than him. That was already maxed out in this fight, as Pyke had -500 karma and Touch Me had 500, but there was a slight oversight by the devs. If he used a skill that debuffed the enemy's karma and buffed his own, while the values themselves wouldn't change, his defence would still increase. And with no small thanks to a programming buddy of his and a ring bonus that made that skill an area of effect ability, he could make it activate with every action he took.

By merely taking a few steps he could become an uncrackable tank to even some World Enemies.

The two clashed, while Touch Me's passive was quickly building up, and locked weapons. Pyke grabbed the paladin's shield with his free hand and held it tight, while his other hand pushed further with the harpoon, trying to overpower his adversary. However Touch Me still had the higher strength stat, thanks to another exploit, and was beginning to push his opponent back, until Pyke suddenly disappeared.

"So you're using that little trick? Sadly it won't help you." came the Ripper's disembodied voice. Out of thin air came the hook, going straight for Touch Me's neck, but it was blocked with the shield. Yet that turned out to be a mistake, as it was a distraction. From behind the paladin came the clawed tentacles of an abomination that unsurprisingly dealt little to no damage.

Pyke's build was a sort of spell blade assassin, who could both cast superb magic and act as an assassin, thanks to the extra levels afforded to him by his World Enemy status. "If you think magic is my weakness then I'm sorry to disappoint you." said Touch Me.

"Don't apologise, I've got you where I want you." answered Pyke and suddenly a slash appeared across the World Champion's chest and a decent chunk of his health bar disappeared. "You didn't think I'm limited to melee with this hook, did you?" Pyke pointed his hook at his adversary and it was now glowing a ghostly green-blue.

"Scared to fight in melee then?" taunted Touch Me and in an instant the Reaper was upon him. Their weapons clashed and sparks flew. Their exchanges were lightning fast and for a few minutes, that felt like an eternity to both onlookers and participants, few hits were landed by the paladin. Pyke on the other hand was swiftly draining his opponents health, each successful slice bringing Touch Me close to his death. Pyke's style was relentless and his sheer skill seemed to surpass even the World Champion's. Not to mention that his abilities were some of the devs' finest creations.

Touch Me attempted to slash at his enemy's arm, but it simply turned into mist and instead he received a nasty slash across his shoulder as thanks. While the paladin had a theoretical advantage thanks to his shield, the Ripper danced around his opponents attacks, dodged them with an ability or simply powered through them and traded damage with his opponent.

In the audience Momonga spoke his thoughts out loud, "How the hell is he dealing so much damage?!" Their champion's exploit was well-known to his guild and even Warrior Takemikazuchi, who was determined to find a way to overcome it, had yet not found one.

The one to answer was their strategist, Punitto Moe, "It seems his weapon in that state has an effect of draining current health in addition to dealing a base amount of damage. I've heard rumours of him shredding tanks so it must be it… It's probably the only weapon in the game with such a broken effect. That or he's also using an exploit. And he also seems to be able to attack from range with it. Damn shitty devs, how did they think giving him an item like that was a good idea?!"

Touch Me parried a jab and went in for a shield bash, successfully knocking his enemy away and beginning to sweat in real life as he checked his health bar, 'He's good. Too good. Must be special forces. Then again this really was how he fought.' Even in an age of unprecedented firepower, the Bloodharbor Ripper was notorious for using a harpoon. This relentlessly aggressive style, with no care for how much damage he himself took, was another thing he recognized from his brief encounter.

Yet here it was even more troublesome as the Ripper periodically disappeared for a few seconds and returned with much of the recently taken damage recovered. After recovering from the knockback Pyke lunged forward and Touch Me went in for an overhead strike with his sword.

Tentacles made of ghostly water caught it and slowed it down by a second, dispersing once the paladin's superior strength stat was put to work, but that was enough. Pyke slid between the man's legs and slashed at his achilles tendons, or at least where they would be on a human, managing to even land a stab on the paladin's back before his adversary turned around and countered.

"Getting a bit low there, perhaps you want to get serious?" asked Pyke, "You know what happens soon…" He took his hook and made a slashing gesture across his throat, his ability to execute those beneath a certain threshold already iconic.

Touch Me didn't bother to respond, instead using what some would consider an ace, an ability only he and the few other World Champions had, [World Break]. Reality was torn asunder as one of the most damaging abilities in the game was unleashed, hitting the Ripper square in the chest.

Pyke chuckled as his health took a hit and then he disappeared, returning with most of the damage now healed. His health bar was huge given that he was a World Enemy and only around a tenth of it was gone. Touch Me's health meanwhile was only 40% full and there were only around 7% left before his name was crossed off of the list.

The audience knew from the beginning how this was going to go, but they still admired the paladin's tenacity, if not his exploitation. Yet it was clear to them that the Ripper wasn't here for a fair fight, nor a quick one; he was playing with the World Champion, barely using any offensive skills, while Touch Me used most of his silently. Pyke pointed his harpoon at the man, "Perhaps it is time to show you why petty exploits would never work against me. [Skill: Phantom Undertow]!"

Before Touch Me could predict Pyke's movements the man was already behind him and he instead needed to dodge the ghostly outline of his assailant that was rushing at him. He side stepped it at the last second and stepped directly where Pyke wanted him, "[Skill: Skewer]!" The harpoon was thrown and hit the paladin's chest, a small crack appearing in the blue crystal that was the centrepiece.

The skill pulled him forward and he braced himself, his shield at the ready, but no attack came. Instead the voice of the Ripper came from behind him, "You had no hope from the beginning. This is the end, Yori! [Release: The Damned and The Drowned]!" For the first time in the eyes of most players watching the World Item's true potential was unleashed.

For a long time there had been rumours of what it could do, besides ludicrous damage, but no concrete answer was ever found. Now they wished it remained a mystery. Ghostly outlines of characters came out. World Enemies, raid and dungeon bosses, players and NPCs, and they began their onslaught on the paladin. Every enemy ever slain by the Ripper answered the beck and call of its new master. Touch Me's friends looked on in despair as the righteous warrior was covered by bodies of adversaries that would pose a challenge in a group or even alone.

Until… "[Death From Below]!" called out Pyke, the ghostly figures returning to his harpoon and where once stood Touch Me now was Pyke, in his hand the World Champion's helmet. He quickly took out his list and marked the paladin's name off. The Ripper stepped forward and threw the armour that dropped off of his enemy to Momonga, "Keep it. That one was simply on the manifest for far too long."

Before the guild leader could ask what he was on about and that it was his right to keep it, the man disappeared…

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Speaking of the manifest, it seems there were a bunch more names on it. At first, it was the entire royal family, they were royalty after all, nothing but scum to Pyke. It ended up being only the first prince, Barbro Andrean Ield Ryle Vaiself, by the end of the explanation by Gazef. The current king, Ramposa III tried his best and was already old, no point in killing a geezer that was about to drop dead anyway. The second prince, Zanac Valleon Igana Ryle Vaiself, was a nobody, smarter than the first, but without any power. The Golden Princess, Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, was an interesting case. Her madness was evident to Pyke, who was very much obsessed as well. He was obsessed with revenge, but she was obsessed with her bodyguard. She did good for now, just to have him look at her like a Goddess, but she was smart, too smart. He'd have to keep an eye on her, and when she betrays the people, gut her.

Next were the Nobles. Four of the Great Nobles ended up on the list. Blumrush, Boullope, Lytton and Cheneko were all going to get what they deserve, a painful death of course. Even if the king didn't grant him the right of execution when he exposed them, he would take their lives regardless. The world after all is large, why worry about the stigma from assassinating some piece of shit nobles. Hell, apparently the Bloody Emperor of Baharuth, Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix, would welcome him with open arms after a stunt like that!

The hunter didn't care about any of the politicking between countries. Who gets what territory didn't matter to him, since it mostly didn't matter to the common people either. Of course, cases such as slavery in the Slane Theocracy would be fixed in time, most likely by washing the slate clean with the blood of the cardinals. The problem with the nobles selling out the country was that they were selling out the people along with it and no one is going to abuse their power to make the people suffer under his watchful gaze. By the depths, why would you levy peasants against a standardised Roman-esque legion? This kingdom is doomed. Not like it mattered to him, apparently the Empire had a higher quality of life anyway. The nobles were dead men walking, but they just didn't know it yet.

In addition to these braindead nobles, he had a bone to pick with some of the surrounding countries, the Slane Theocracy in particular. Slavery. One word abhorrent enough to make even a killer like Pyke gag. Stupid, inefficient and the backbone of the Slane Theocracy, with a lesser role in the Baharuth Empire. Hell, even he paid people for their help! And he was a fucking mass murderer! A couple bodies were bound to show up if things didn't change, and there was no way things would change. That fucking doctrine of human superiority would need to get torn down, and if he found any of these Gods he would make them sorely pay… And the Bloody Emperor would surely get coerced after some gentle negotiation, concerning a towel, slightly tilted board and lots and lots of water.

Lastly, came the Eight Fingers that controlled the underground of the Kingdom and Empire. Leave a man down long enough and the gutter becomes his kingdom. As abhorrent as his practises were, not much could be done. If he just killed the leaders, the nobles on their payroll would either take the credit or fill the vacuum with their own muscle. Unless something big happens, the organisation was rooted in too deep for him to do anything. Whatever, he's here to kill the nobles and adventure a bit, nothing else.

Some assassination organisation from the Karnasus City-State Alliance called Ijaniya seemed interesting. The two twins from Blue Rose apparently came from it. Maybe he'd join? Maybe he'd kill them all? Time would tell, and given his current body, he had all the time in the world...

"Sir Pyke, I have to ask, what was all that magic you used? I really thought we were dead when they summoned an 8th tier angel. The only thing that I thought could beat that thing were Demon Gods, Gods, the Greed Kings or Dragon Lords! Myths and legends!" Gazef said, breaking Pyke out of his thoughts.

"Tier 9 and 10 spells. The usual. Threw in a couple skills as well. Highest tier angel my ass, barely in the second heavenly sphere. And stop with the honorifics. I'm a killer, get it in yer thick head. You wouldn't call a thug from the Eight Fingers "Sir" would you now?" Pyke answered.

Gazef's eyes widened, "But, isn't tier 8 already considered a myth by most!? Even the Gods couldn't cast above that!" This was a revelation unlike any other. The man sitting in front of him had power greater than even the Gods?! Gazef would normally laugh it off as a joke, but this man killed a Tier 8 angel in one spell.

"Ha! As if. Then there's Tier 11, the so-called Super Tier. If Tier 8 s'all your Gods could do I'd gut them like fish! What even were their names, I've killed a lot of beings you would consider to be Gods. Maybe I know 'em." Pyke asked, wondering if he was the only one to be transported here throughout the ages.

The presence of tier magic and how developed it was implied the existence of some other YGGDRASIL entities in the past. These myths and Gods could very well be people he hunted in the past and then who knows what kind of horror stories people were told about him. If some assholes he repeatedly killed had travelled here before him and slandered his name, he might just have to do charity or something to repair his visage. No wonder the Oldest World had laws against slander! For now, he could only pray he wouldn't have to deal with that.

"Well, first there is Surshana, the God of Death, then…" Gazef began only to be interrupted by Pyke almost immediately.

"Surshana, Alah Alaf, Terrus, Hydros, Gallus and Egnetius? You're fucking with me ye? Those kids that I saved created a xenophobic, theocratic state? Even though they were so weak and one o' them was a fucking skeleton?" Pyke facepalmed so hard the shockwave could be felt in all the carriages. "Next yer gonna tell me those seven cucks fawning over Era came here and tried to conquer the world like they did in the Old World. If anyone would create a racist state with elves as sex slaves it would have been them. Annoying pricks. I should 'ave wiped them from existence much earlier…" he mused.

"You don't mean the Eight Greed Kings do you? They tried to conquer the world and had only 1 female member according to myths. Their base was a flying castle to the far south, it's still there actually. They were rather brutal and killed many Dragon Lords from what the legends say." Gazef answered, slowly getting used to his entire world view being taken apart.

"If I find even a single one of them I swear to the deep that I'll fucking wipe the floor with them. Did they learn nothing from me hunting them!? Delusional weaklings. And then there are the humans, always becoming the single most narcissistic race in existence. Agh! I hate humans..." Pyke ranted. 3 worlds and 3 times humans tried to reign supreme even if they were extremely weak.

"But aren't you human? Some of the Gods were also human despite possessing overwhelming power." Gazef couldn't wrap his head around this situation. The God Hunter in front of him certainly appeared human, monstrously powerful perhaps, but human nonetheless.

"The guy who swims through abyssal waters and has the body temperature of a corpse is human. For sure. I am in part undead, a drowned, and in majority a [Great Old One], an ancient being beyond comprehension. I conquered the swimming city before the first land emerged!" Pyke answered, partially in truth and partially with enough bullshit to make a Noble proud. 'Well, kinda true and it's not like anyone needs to know.'

The warrior-captain couldn't even be bothered to be shocked at this point, "Either way, you saved me, my men and Carne. Old One or whatever or not, I'm still in your debt. Could you stop the carriages for now? It's getting dark, my men and I would like to set up camp and actually rest up for the first time since we started chasing that Scripture. I'm sure they'll be delighted to hear stories like these!" With a snap of their master's fingers, the kelpies stopped and the men dismounted to set up camp.

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The camp was made with the efficiency of veterans. It was nothing special, bedrolls, a couple fireplaces and a tent or two from those with more savvy survival skills. However, this night was special. Yes, their saviour and strongest man in the world was with them, a cause for celebration like no other! Pyke quickly summoned up a variety of seafood and rum, a delight for any sailor and, judging by the reactions of the soldiers, any military man as well.

They sang sea shanties taught by Pyke, drank, danced and were merry. The stories told by the hunter were entertaining, chilling and ridiculous all in one. Tales of God-like monsters, technologies and worlds all beyond their comprehension, supposedly from the source himself. Needless to say, it was a night they soon wouldn't forget. Eventually the camp fell asleep, Pyke keeping watch since he didn't need sleep in the first place.

'Been a while since I had a crew,' he thought to himself when overlooking the camp, 'Certainly feels good when there is no line for them to cut…' Bringing up the memory of his betrayal on The Terror, he crushed the now-empty sealing crystal he was toying with. 'Really gotta relax, Gazef's a good man. Not like their betrayal could harm me if even he led them against me.'

He was a loner in the Old World, trust issues rooted deep in his psyche, ever since he was initially betrayed. But, perhaps this world could be a clean slate, a place to start over. 'Join the adventurer's guild, get a crew and explore? Doesn't sound too bad.' His imagination ran wild, him and his crew slaying powerful monsters, toppling unjust kingdoms, mapping areas no one dared venture into. That really could be the life...

Suddenly, he heard a branch crack beneath him. As always, he was veiled in phantom water, non-existent as far as the denizens of this world were concerned. There he saw a blond woman, covered in part by a cloak, holding a stiletto while stalking closer to the Royal Select's camp. He whipped out his [Hunter's List] to identify her. The sound of the parchment unrolling would normally reveal him, but under the effects of [Ghostwater Dive] sound travelled only to him, not from him.

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Clementine counted her lucky stars. First, she actually managed to kill a Miko Princess and steal her Crown of Wisdom, then she got to join Zuranorn's 12 disciples and escape the Slane Theocracy. After that she evaded the pursuit of the Windflower and Clearwater Scriptures. The only way they would find her would be by putting that looking-glass bitch into action, but she doubted it. She wasn't not important enough for that.

Her stupid fuck of a brother would probably try to catch her himself, using his pets. As if that would work, he was coddled too much by their parents, he would hesitate. She would have no such issue. Neglected as she was, she had no attachment to family. A sociopath through and through, she was put into the Black Scripture alongside her brother.

That Scripture was a complete circus. Who needs social skills when you have power? That was the idea behind the unit and thus, outside of combat, it had less than minimum discipline. In combat they worked together, out of necessity more than anything, as for people of such power friendly fire was more deadly than the enemies. The leader of the Scriptures, Cardinal of Earth Raymond Zarg Lauransan, had to herd them like very dangerous and hyperactive cats, that just happened to consume the entire world's supply of catnip. How many times had the cardinals killed everyone at a bar because some of the members started a bar fight and spouted some state secrets? Too many. There was absolutely no synergy in the group.

The Captain was dutiful and very religious, Time Turbulence had more complexes than a teenage girl, don't even mention his height. The Astrologer whore was an actual teenage girl. Her brother was pompous and arrogant, while completely unprepared to be a ruthless killer. She was, well, herself. Not to mention Zesshi, that monster who just wanted to be bred by someone stronger. The other members were not any better, the only reason anyone stuck around was because they didn't want to get hunted down by the rest of the Theocracy. Thank fuck she got out of there.

Now, almost a week after ditching the Theocracy, her next boon came to her. A completely unguarded camp! 'Easy supplies and I can have some fun with them. No one will hear them scream in the middle of nowhere! Hihi…' She thought to herself. Deranged, but also skilled, to the point where the amount of people outside of the Black Scripture that had the potential to kill her could be counted on one hand, at least as far as she was concerned. Unless Gazef or some monsters from the Black Scripture were here, she'd be fine. After all, none of the people who would be able to threaten her were such amateurs that they wouldn't leave some sort of watch.

The Cardinals provided good enough work to satisfy her sadistic urges, but it was just too boring. Missions barely came up and she wasn't allowed to stab anyone she wanted. What's the point of being at the top of society if you can't do even that?! Zurrernorn on the other hand, now we were talking. Bring death and do whatever? Right up Clementine's alley. She was going to meet up with some other disciple and cause some chaos, yet supplies were running short. She couldn't go to a town to get them though, after all, at least a couple Theocracy agents were on her tail. She couldn't kill everyone who saw her in a town, so it was just better to avoid them, thus the supply issue. But then she found this camp, how fortunate.

She crept through the underbrush akin to a predatory cat getting ready to pounce on its prey. She could still see the remains of embers in the fireplaces. These nobodies had something else coming to them. Oh, how would she make them scream! She squirmed with glee, unable to contain the joy when thinking of her sadistic acts that were soon to come. She was just about to make it to the clearing of the camp and begin the slaughter when something hit her on the back of the head and everything went black.

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Pyke was dragging this blonde bitch, now known to him as Clementine, formerly of the Black Scripture, to Gazef. 'Another fucking Scripture. Next time I see one I'm culling their numbers immediately…' he grumbled to himself, less than amused by the sadistic whore who tried to go after his crew, temporary crew, but his nonetheless. He made it to Gazef's tent, given that he was the commander he actually had one.

He went inside it, seeing that Gazef was for once not dressed in armour, but simple linen clothing, and threw Clementine on top of him. "Oi Gazzy, brought ya a present! Thought you might need to destress after the mission, hehe." He chuckled seeing Gazef's reaction. First, with the discipline of a model soldier, he immediately rolled to his weapon and picked it up, scanning his surroundings. Next, followed confusion, staring at the unconscious woman and God Hunter who brought her. And finally, embarrassment, turning a bright shade of red upon hearing his new friend's remarks.

"Who is she!?" he cried, keeping his volume to a minimum so as to not wake up his soldiers, "Don't tell me you just kidnapped a random woman!"

"No worries, I'd have killed her when I saw her stalking up to the camp, stiletto in hand, but take a better look. You'll probably recognize her." Gazef did as he was told. Blonde hair, lean yet with notable muscle and with armour made from adventurer plates. His eyes widened in shock, "Yep, presenting Clementine, formerly of the Black Scripture, Crown of Wisdom held on her belt. So do we kill her or what?" Pyke asked, his patience with scripture members already concerningly low.

"No, we'll bring her to the king. The Crown Of Wisdom could be useful in negotiations. It'll get you some good credit in the court at least. Can you magic her into unconsciousness until we reach the capital? Sigh. The excitement just never ends with you does it?" said Gazef. "Well, the tides of fate are tumultuous, and I seem to swim against them at every turn. And yes, I can put her into a coma, [Void of Thoughts]."

"Now then, if you'd be so kind, keep her with you for now. I'll head back to sleep, wake me at first light." With that, Gazef settled himself back into his bedroll.

"Cya then." Pyke replied, picking up Clementine over his shoulder and disappearing into the phantom water he called home, leaving a tired and still startled Gazef to ponder what he has gotten himself into.

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The six cardinals and the Pontifex Maximus gathered as usual. The 7 members, being the highest echelon of the Theocracy, performed the ritual of cleaning the room manually to humble themselves, thanked the Gods for everything and began their meeting. The names of rulers of the strongest human nation were Berenice Nagua Santini, the Cardinal of Fire. Ginedine Delan Guelfi, the Cardinal of Water. Dominic Ihre Partouche, the Cardinal of Wind. Raymond Zarg Lauransan, the Cardinal of Earth and commander of the Six Scripture. Yvon Jasna Dracrowa, the Cardinal of Light. Maximilian Oreio Lagier, the Cardinal of Darkness. And Julius Zarama Curius, the Pontifex Maximus. The meetings were also attended by the High General during times of war, but with the meeting being held almost every day, the old man was excluded, as he already had a lot on his plate.

The moment they all sat down, the most hot-headed of them, Dominic, started yelling. "An entire scripture missing, Kara going completely insane with unhealable wounds and no trace of Clementine! This is outrageous! By the Gods, how did this happen!?"

The one to answer was the commander of scriptures, youngest and most reasonable of their number, Raymond, "Calm yourself Dominic. If we, and we should, presume the Sunlight Scripture to be killed in action, we have no way to do anything about that. The more concerning point is Kara's madness. Even ritual spells don't work on it. Do you think it has some connection to that city and its king that she keeps raving about?"

"We cannot know for sure, but we know one thing. There is some threat capable of wiping the scripture, even with that Godly Artefact that they had, and countering surveillance magic. With Kara out of commission we will need to rely on the Clearwater and Windflower scriptures." said Julius. "Shame, her magic was always a great boon. Do we still send out the Black Scripture to the supposed location of the soon-to-be resurrected Catastrophe Dragon Lord? Can her recent reports be trusted or was the madness already setting in? I say we stay safe and abort the mission, monitor Re-Estize and Stronoff with our remaining scriptures, and wait until that threat reveals itself." The cardinals nodded solemnly, fearing the unknown enemy lurking beneath the shadow, hidden from the light of the Gods, cursing their powerlessness.

Once again, Raymond spoke up, "What do we do about Zesshi? She's already been bothering me and when, not if, when she catches wind of this, she may just run off on her own!" Their trump card, half-elf, daughter of the Elf King "No Life No Death" Zesshi Zestumei, guardian of the treasury, strongest of the godkin and extra seat of the Black Scripture. Like the other members of the Black Scripture, she was volatile. Strong enough to stand toe to toe with some Dragon Lords? Absolutely, but equally likely to run after any strong enemy, and on the off chance she is defeated, instantly betraying them.

The supposedly most righteous of them, Yvon, answered Raymond's inquiry, "Who cares about the half-breed? Keep her in the dark and if she tries to run off tell her that we're getting closer to letting her kill her father. She'll stay, she always does, it is the Gods' will!"

Ginedine added to that, "In the worst case, we'll send her to do some random extermination job that the Sunlight Scripture would have done. Point her in some filthy demihuman's direction and tell her they're strong. We'll keep this up until we rebuild the Scripture, we have the funds after all. Problem is the lack of talented casters…"

"Perhaps we should reach out to Paradyne. He can cast magic of the sixth tier, a deviant more than strong enough to qualify into the Black! If we can convince him to join us, the loss of the Sunlight Scripture will be minimal!" Berenice said. And thus, they got down to plotting the future of the region, heedless of the monster lurking beneath the waves…

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It was a good night for Brain. Everyone knew this tall, lean like steel, blue-haired swordsman, who came second in the royal tournament, only losing to Gazef. Ever since his loss to Stronoff he has trained relentlessly to be stronger. The mercenary and bandit band he joined, called the Sowers of Death, wasn't anything to write home about, not like he had a home to write to anyway. Tonight was the night of another raid. Apparently some foreign, rich looking carriages were going to pass through the region. Needless to say, everyone was rather excited, some hoped for pretty noble ladies to be present so that they could keep them as sex slaves, while others were looking at the possible profits.

Brain did look forward to the pay check, the magic items he wanted to buy to grow stronger didn't come cheap, and neither did the enchanting for his katana. However, the most exciting part of this was the possibility of meeting powerful foreign fighters. The richer one is, the better the guards they can afford. To become the strongest, you need to fight the strongest. There weren't many warriors on the level of Brain, besides Gazef and Gagaran of the Blue Roses adamantite team, he couldn't think of any. There certainly were some, but mostly hidden in the shadows. Magic casters didn't concern him either, he wanted to be the best swordsman, not street performer.

He didn't however underestimate magic, possessing potions to get the effects of lesser spells, which he drank when he began approaching the carriage, feeling the bitter taster spread over his tongue as his power noticeably jumped due to the effects of [Lesser Strength] and [Lesser Dexterity]. No one had come out from the carriages yet, so he was getting ready to be disappointed. The other bandits were standing back, making room for their strongest fighter.

When he made it to the head carriage, where the leaders would presumably be, he heard snickering and chuckling come from inside. He focused on the sound inside, "No, no, I'm tellin' you. This'll be a riot, hehe." One voice said.

"I didn't expect him to fall so low… I guess it's my duty to correct his behaviour, haha." The other answered. Tired of this cryptic bullshit, he moved back as the door was kicked open and he saw none other than…

Gazef Stronoff.

"Missed me, Unglaus?" He asked, sword drawn and pointed at the blue-haired swordsman.

The other figure in the carriage, a black man of many scars and huge build, almost doubled over laughing and was slapping his knee repeatedly, "Oh fuck me, that was brilliant! Priceless, hahahahaha!" he said. To say Brain was confused was an understatement. What was the ever-loyal Gazef doing in a seemingly foreign carriage? No wonder the other man was laughing, Brain was struck dumb, and certainly looked the part.

He gathered his thoughts and jumped back with the agility only gained through years of training and sheer talent, "Stronoff?! What the fuck are you doing here!? Don't you have noble dogs to guard? No matter! What do you say to a rematch?" The surprise quickly faded and was replaced with excitement.

"I'm all for it! Pyke, bring out the men, this'll be a historic fight. Even though Brain has fallen to acts such as banditry I can see his skills are sharper than ever!" Evidently his rival also wished for a rematch, blazing with a warrior's spirit.

"Yea yea, you go play with your sharp stick, while I massacre these small fries." The man, now known as Pyke, walked out from the carriage and snapped his fingers, all the other carriage doors opening simultaneously, "Oi lads, yer captain wants ya to watch his bout."

The men of the Royal Select gathered around the two, making a ring for them to fight in with their bodies. The bandits were too stunned to move, a match between Gazef and Brain?! They were so stunned in fact, they didn't even notice when the first of their number fell with a harpoon through the throat.

Brain was in a state of absolute concentration, the only things he processed being those related to the fight. Even the smallest details didn't escape his senses, the movement of the air, soil consistency and so on. Fights on this level were decided by the smallest margins, and he wouldn't overlook anything this time. They began their fight with a few basic exchanges, the sounds of metal ringing throughout the forest, sparks lighting up the night. "I see the royal courts haven't dulled you too much!" Brain said, acknowledging Gazef's brilliance with the blade.

"You on the other hand need improvement in both character and blade work!" taunted Gazed, attempting to provoke Brain, sensing that this'll be a tough fight. They both started using martial arts [Martial Art: Ability Boost], [Martial Art: Greater Ability Boost], [Martial Art: Sense Weakness], [Martial Art: Opportunity sense], [Martial Art: Instant Reflex], almost mirroring each other. Their bodies now at maximum capacity, they launched at each other again, both leaving small craters at their starting points.

Their movements were faster than the untrained eye could follow. They relied purely on technique and instinct, both of their strongest techniques unusable here. [Martial Art: Sixfold Slash of Light] worked best against multiple targets, since even Gazef couldn't narrow it down against one, not to mention the strain it put on his body. He did use [Martial Art: Fourfold Slash of Light] which won him the last fight against the blue-haired swordsman, but this time it was always blocked. While Brain could and did use [Martial Art: Godflash] he couldn't use the full technique of Whistling Wind, due to the fact that [Martial Art: Field] required him to be stationary.

Gazef was slightly edging out in the exchange, pushing Brain back, the extra weight from his bastard sword making Brain's hands go numb after he blocked several attacks. If this went on for much longer Brain would evidently get overwhelmed. He parried some attacks, however Gazef always regained his balance. Same went for whenever Brain got parried. His katana was undoubtedly the superior weapon, bought from a city far in the South, near the city of the Eight Greed Kings. However, Gazef was marginally stronger and thus the gap opened up when strengthening martial arts were used, that small gap widening with every percentage-based increase.

Their blade work was like a dance, flowing like silk being weaved. If an amateur looked at this, they might say it was choreographed, as the reactions of the fighters were too perfect, easily reaching into the realm of heroes and beyond. The end to the mesmerising fight was however steadily approaching. Suddenly, a bored and slightly irritated voice called out, "Oi, finish this up! There's places to see and bodies to bury!" The swordsmen made some distance between each other in order to safely observe their surroundings.

Pyke actually listened to the story of the Royal Tournament told by Gazef, after all who wouldn't find a tale of a duel like that at least mildly entertaining? Even if it was just a way to break the monotony of court politics, so when it turned out they were about to get ambushed by just that man, the greatest swordsman Gazef had ever fought, Brain Unglaus, they were having quite the time planning out the encounter.

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"What do you mean we're getting ambushed by Unglaus!?" Gazef yelled.

"I mean we are getting ambushed by Brain Unglaus? What's so hard to understand?" Pyke calmly answered, wondering if maybe the automatic language translation magic of this world wore off or something.

"How do you even know that?! We're sitting in a carriage, cut off from the outside and you just tell me we're getting attacked?!" The surprises truly never ended with this man.

"I'm a hunter, that means I hunt. Unlike you, I can actually detect my enemies, and given my overwhelming power, I can detect him and his cohort from many kilometres away. Unless Brain Unglaus isn't a tall, broad-shouldered, blue-haired man with a katana on his belt, you're 'bout to have a showdown with 'im." The reminder that the man specialised in hunting was certainly sobering, given how caught up Gazef got on his magical prowess.

"So what do we do? Do you take care of him? What about his mercenaries?" the warrior captain asked. On some level he wanted another fight against an equal swordsman, magic casters and overwhelming numbers just didn't give him that adrenaline rush every fighter sought. However, duty and safety came first, thus getting back to His Majesty was the priority.

"Nah nah nah, hear me out here. This is gonna be great. We wait for him to come up here and then you kick open the door and say some cliché one liner. I'll deal with the worthless worms that come with him, you can have your fun." Pyke outlined. "Just don't take too long, once I've had my fun, finish the duel or I'm taking off and leaving you stranded in the woods."

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The two swordsmen analysed the region outside the ring for the first time since the fight started. All the members of Brain's band were dead, piled in a heap and being munched on by the revealed kelpies as if they were pasture grass. The scene, while shocking to both fighters, quickly lost its fear factor for the both of them. For Gazef, because he was already used to his companion's otherworldliness, and for Brain because it wasn't the first time he saw his men get eaten by monsters. What is a swordsman that hasn't seen at least a couple people get eaten by ogres or trolls?

They locked eyes once again, "Well, I suppose it's time to finish this, wouldn't you agree?" Gazef said, lowering his centre of mass, evidently preparing for a gallant last charge. "Yea, I'll show you what real swordsmanship looks like." Brain answered, getting into his own low stance, activating [Martial Art: Field], ready to receive his opponent and end it with one decisive strike. Brain studied Gazef and his fighting, paying many information brokers over the years, to have every advantage he could once they inevitably met again. He knew this technique would finish him, it was after all made specially to fight Gazef. And, so Gazef charged, entering the range of Brain's martial art. "[Special Technique: Whistling Wind]!" Finally, it was done. Brain could already see Gazef bleeding and dying on the ground, dethroned from the spot of top swordsmen, replaced by Brain as it always should have been.

But he miscalculated…

"[Martial Art: Fatal Edge]!" Gazef countered with a recently learned martial art, kept as a trump card, cutting cleanly through Brain's katana that was chipped during their previous exchanges. Just in the nick of time, the bastard sword met the katana and outshined its counterpart. The blade flew into the crowd, still propelled by Brain's ludicrously fast technique, being caught by Pyke.

Brain collapsed, his secret technique broken? By its main target no less? Is there a greater humiliation? He clutched his head, "How? All these years, all I've done, for what? Just to lose now?!" His self-loathing rant was interrupted by clapping, he glanced at the source, the Royal Select still too stunned by the showing.

It was Pyke clapping, "Good showing. Now, will you come along quietly or do I gotta get involved?" Once he said that, the surrounding men all began cheering and clapping for their captain, broken out of the state of stunned amazement brought on by the climax of the fight. This surely was another story to be told to their families when they returned to the capital.

Amidst the noise Gazef spoke, "You might as well come with us. There's nothing left for you here. I won't turn you over to the authorities, you did what you had to survive. But you can turn this around, do something proper, and who knows? Maybe you'll eventually be better than me. Call it a rival's sentimentality…" Brain looked up at the man, hate, jealousy and anger coursing through his veins. However, he was a sportsman at heart, it was a matter of skill and this time he was outmatched.

Gazef extended his hand to his bitter rival, and Brain took it. "Wonderful story, but I'd rather get moving! We're still bloody far from the capital and I haven't killed a noble or captain in weeks! Weeks! Do you know how long that is!?" Pyke yelled while walking into the carriage.

"Um, Sir Unglaus?" asked Gazef.

"Call me Brain, Stronoff. What's up?" answered Brain.

"Then call me Gazef. Two things. First, remind me to not leave Pyke alone around nobles. Second, I recommend you don't piss him off, he can cast tier 11 magic…" Gazef said, then walked away.

"Ah, okay…"

"No, wait! What the fuck do you mean!?"

Needless to say, the discussion in the carriage was rather lively.

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The travels were long, but pleasant. Using a carriage to go across planes wasn't as bad as any of the occupants thought it would be, thanks to the magical suspension system. Not that the roads in the Kingdom were paved well or anything. In fact, the roads weren't paved at all in areas not under control of the royal family. The idea of paving roads had to come from the Golden Princess, not only a woman, thus having no chance at possessing authority in the kingdom, but also her being the youngest and twice removed from the throne.

Besides the two encounters on the road, the trip was uneventful, at least for Pyke. Gazef and his men, later joined by Unglaus, would certainly remember the trip as they travelled with someone possessing the powers of a God. Stories were told in abundance by the hunter, would it be of his fights with Gods, monsters or beasts. Of course, not all of them were believed. Killing a planet-sized serpent that ate entire worlds? Hmm, no. Despite his insistence on their authenticity, they shrugged it off as a mariner's embellishments.

However, all good things must come to an end, and here the end has come.

Finally, after two weeks of travel, much longer than anyone with a sense of urgency would have liked, but much quicker than a plain trip by horse, they arrived at the capital. It was evidently old, created in a way to last with the castle visible even outside the walls, it's archaic spires attempting to reach the sky, it's reddish brick distinct from the rest of the city. They passed the inspection check with no issue given Gazef's authority, getting to actually see the city Pyke has heard so much about.

It was filthy. Both physical and social rot, corruption and God knows what else… The districts furthest from the castle through which they initially travelled were in a complete state of disrepair. The housing itself was composed of rotten wood, barely a shelter from the elements, not fit for even beasts, albeit the nobles saw commoners as such.

The paths were made out of gravel, turning into mud in the frequent rain of the Autumn seasons. Poverty and hunger stricken people shambled around the area, no better than zombies summoned by an amateur necromancer. No wonder the Eight Fingers were overwhelmingly powerful, who else should these people turn to? The crown or nobles? As if they gave a flying fuck about what happened outside of their profits and power games.

The number of legitimate officers in the capital must have been a tenth of how many corrupt ones there were. Theoretically, if the lowest areas were in such a horrid state, the higher ones, funded by taxes or legitimate, mercantile business that isn't flowing since people don't have any money to spend, should be in at least a comparable situation. Of course in a world with dragons and demons, the real fantasy was that of benevolent rulers.

Gradually, the closer they got to the castle, the surroundings became better looking, houses that were refurbished and evidently old, roads were at least partially paved, the people looked full of vigour. The ancient quality of the city certainly stood out, aged wood with gold accents being the most common style, vaguely Victorian in appearance from what Pyke knew of the history of the Oldest World. Merchant stalls were seen all around the plazas, with men shouting about their various wears.

There was however one thing that anyone well-versed in the underworld could spot, certain buildings and stalls were avoided by the officials, and those that weren't avoided were worse for wear. Obviously, this was corruption at its finest. This kingdom embodied everything that Pyke hated about society. Thankfully, the worst of the nobles were shown as traitors very clearly in the journal left behind by Nigun. 'Who the fuck keeps a journal full of covert-op info? Including informants! What an idiot that one was...' thought Pyke to himself, smiling as he remembered the last captain he killed.

As they approached the Valencia Palace that acted as part of the Romanesque style Ro-Lente Castle, Gazef turned to him and said, "Pyke, please be civil and don't kill any nobles. I'm sure you'll have your fun with them after we present the evidence."

Pyke at this point was fuming, "Ah, be civil in a city so rife with corruption I can taste it on the air. Be polite to nobles and royalty who do this shit. No, I'll be myself, and if it means that I drown the entire fucking palace then you better hope to keep your head above water!"

Brain interjected into the conversation, "And you told me not to piss him off. Tables have turned! But seriously, keep cool there, at least for a bit." Pyke nodded, reluctantly, but he did.

"Well, time for chatter is over. I'll grab Clementine. Gentlemen, I welcome you to Valencia Palace, home of His Majesty Ramposa III. Oh, also, let me do the talking first." The warrior captain opened the carriage door with a dramatic flourish. Pyke went out first, the guards of the palace, generally sons of nobles appointed there since it was a safe, but prestigious duty, immediately looked at him with hatred as seemingly an adventurer dare place foot in a place meant for nobles.

Pyke was already reaching for his hook to decapitate both of them, but Gazef took notice and put a hand on his shoulder to delay his friend's murder spree at least for a bit. "You know this will end with blood flowing right?" The hunter asked.

"As long as it is the blood of the guilty, and you prove they are so, then so be it." Gazef answered. Pyke put a hand on his face and shook his head before walking towards the palace entrance.

"This will be a long fucking day…"

Brain exited after Pyke, on his way to gather up the remaining survivors of the Scripture. He'll go to the meeting with the king and who knows what then? One thing for sure, it'll be one hell of a meeting with Pyke there.

(AN: Thank you so much for reading chapter 2! Today's fic recommendation is [Heaven or Hell] by Scarabeye3000! Go read it, it's really good. Anyway, chapters are going to be uploaded daily for a week or so more, given that I have that much of the story already written. Then you can hopefully look forward to 1 chapter of around 10k words per week.)