Disclaimer: Neither High School DXD nor Elder Scrolls belongs to me, all rights to their respective owners.

Chapter 43

— What really makes people like us still human is the remorse for killing, Ed. The moment you stop feeling that you're no better than an animal. —

Kodlak to Edzard 4E 201.

The calm waters of the Seine reflected the moon and the lights of the city of Paris. In the middle of one of the many bridges that join the two parts of the city separated by the river, there was a couple walking quietly. Said couple were none other than Edzard and Asia who had come to this place to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The two young men were wearing formal clothes, as they had just left a high-class restaurant. Edzard's suit consisted of a dark blue shirt with a formal black vest and pants of the same color. His feet held up a pair of black loafers. Asia, on the other hand, wore a formal light blue summer dress along with a pair of white summer shoes. Of course, aside from this, both wore their own accessories being a gold watch for Edzard, while Asia wore earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet, all made of gold. Although, the date had already passed, the various events that happened in between and the missions to close portals, stop Daedric cults and the problems of the three factions had prevented them from having a proper anniversary.

So, seeing that they could leave Marie with Tiamat, they both took their bags and went to Paris for a weekend to rest and celebrate their anniversary. And how they had celebrated it, and that is that they had already been kicked out of two hotels for having destroyed the bed in the rented room. In addition, it also seems that their nocturnal affairs did not allow the other inhabitants of the hotels to sleep. So, in the end, they had come to be banned from almost all the hotels in the city, because the two in which they had been had spread the word and that was why nobody wanted to give them lodging.

Fortunately, this was the last day for both in Paris, so after this, they would go back to their home. As they walked, Edzard stopped and told Asia to wait a few minutes here in the middle of the bridge, since he had to go see something. After that request, Asia only nodded in response, earning a smile from Edzard, who ran out of there.

Finding herself alone, Asia began to look towards the waters of the Seine as she remembered how her time in Paris had been. A smile appeared on her face as she began to remember the outings she had with her husband in this city. In fact, she couldn't help but feel a parallel between her date at Evermore and her time in Paris for her anniversary. Giggling, she hoped she didn't find another village on fire.

'Although it was in that village where we met Marie.' Asia thought before bringing her hands to her belly. 'I wonder if we should seriously try going for a second child now.'

Finishing thinking that, Asia shook her head. 'No, it's not time yet. Also, I shouldn't worry about this. After all, we have all eternity to have more children.'

Asia was brought out of her thoughts when she felt something soft touch her cheek. The aroma that it gave off was something that she could recognize, so turning her head slowly she saw that it was a large bouquet of red roses.

"He, he. Ed…" Asia said between soft laughs when seeing that Edzard was holding the flowers with his right hand.

"They are for you, my dear lady." Edzard said with a slightly exaggerated bow.

"Ohhh... but how gallant you are my dear knight." Asia said bowing just as exaggeratedly as her husband.

When they were both upright again, they smiled at each other and then began to laugh with amusement at their performance. As she tried to control her laughter, Asia reached out her hand and took the roses.

"Thanks, Ed." said Asia more calmly while a beautiful smile appeared on her face.

"You're welcome, Asia." Edzard said as he approached his wife and taking her free hand, he gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

When they separated, they both looked at each other and smiled again before resuming their walk. As they walked through the city, they were talking about some things, one of the most important was Sirzechs's invitation for them to visit the Gremory home in two days.

"Why do you think we've all been invited this time, Ed?" Asia asked.

"I do not know for sure. But if there is one thing, I am sure of, it is that it is not something that has to do with daedras, but rather that it has something to do with the three factions."

"Do you think they will ask you to do something else?" Asia asked making clear reference that they always ask him to do some things for them, be it normal jobs or black ops work.

"I don't think it's anything to do with killing someone." Edzard replied with an amused smile since those jobs were relatively simple and paid very well. "It seems rather more informal. They may ask me for something, but I don't think it's something like slaughtering troops or something like that."

"I see." said Asia and then shook her head. "How about we change the subject?"

"That seems fine to me. But… what do you want to talk about?"

"What do you think... of the trip to Kyoto?" Asia asked.

Hearing that, Edzard's face tightened slightly.

"Ahh…. Don't remind me of that, please." Edzard replied as he let out a tired sigh. "I still haven't hit Azazel for that."

"Heh, heh, heh." Amused Asia laughed when she saw Edzard's annoyed face. "You shouldn't be so angry. Think of this trip like a family outing."

"Yes, a family outing where I feel like we'll have to take care of the Kuoh Academy students." Edzard said wearily.

"It may not be the most beautiful thing to do, but it seems that all the leaders have a feeling that something bad is going to happen there."

"I know, but I'd rather they call us when problems come up." Edzard spoke with annoyance.

"I don't think it's the most convenient, because unlike before, now we would be in a big city and not in remote towns." Asia said looking at Edzard, reminding him that most of the attacks so far had occurred in remote areas.

"I get it, Asia. You don't have to remind me of that." Edzard said as he looked towards an appliance store, where one of the televisions was showing a chess match. Seeing that game made him remember that he hadn't seen the recording of Rias and Sona's Rating Game.

'Now that I remember, we couldn't attend because we went on a mission to dismantle a cult of Namira in Africa. Although, when we got back, I read in an Underworld Diary that the Rating Game ended in a draw, with both kings being eliminated simultaneously by the explosion generated by the impact of their final attacks.' Edzard thought as he tried to remember what he read. 'If I remember correctly, all the specialists and analysts said that both sides had fought in a more than masterful way in that combat. And if I'm not mistaken, they also put a lot of good reviews on the weapon Tomoe used.'

After remembering the reviews about the weapon, he forged for the Sitri, Edzard put on a proud smile, because as a blacksmith there was nothing better than having your work recognized as a very good quality product. As he kept walking, he stopped in his tracks as he smelled something delicious. So, looking to his right, he saw that he was in front of a pastry shop. Looking to the left of him, he saw that Asia had also stopped, so looking at her, he spoke. "Now that I remember, you told me that you wanted to start a business in Kuoh, right?"

Asia nodded, as it was something she had mentioned to her husband a few weeks ago. She wanted to open a business to have something else to do, because unlike Nirm where she had to do everything by hand and that kept her busy, lately that didn't happen, because the maids took care of various things in the palace. Which meant that the only things that she and the rest of the girls could do as housework were cooking, of course those who went to Kuoh Academy did their respective homework. This of course leaving out their training schedules, which were about four hours a day, four hours where they trained until they could no longer.

"Have you decided what it will be?"

"Nope. I still don't know whether to open a coffee shop or make a natural medicine store." Asia replied.

"Well, just in case you decide to open a coffee shop because we don't see what they're like around here. And so, you can have a reference."

"Of course. I don't see any problem." Asia said with a smile as she and Edzard started walking to find a coffee shop.

"You know, I should have known they'd only bring me in for something like this." Edzard said with blank eyes as he saw the heir to the Bael clan. Sairaorg Bael was a handsome young man with black hair and violet eyes. He was tall almost as tall as his father, so Edzard deduced that Sairaorg must have been almost two meters tall. His body had a very noticeable muscular build, making him almost resemble Farkas as far as body type was concerned.

'He looks a bit like Sirzechs and Rias.' Edzard thought before remembering something. 'Of course, they will look alike, they are cousins after all.'

Currently Edzard was in a training room located somewhere in the Gremory territory. He and his group arrived here no more than fifteen minutes ago and as soon as they set foot in the castle, they were greeted by the Gremory, including Rias' peerage. After the normal greetings, they headed towards the main hall, where Edzard saw the Bael heir sitting. When he saw him, Edzard could understand why he had been called. So, looking to his right, he saw Sirzechs, who had arrived only seconds after they entered the room.

With just one look, Edzard confirmed the reason why he was invited. So, for a second he was tempted to say no, but after Sirzechs took him to another room to talk, he decided to accept.

So that was why right now he was about to have a mock match with Sairaorg. Learning that he would do this, Edzard asked for a moment so he could change into his training outfit. Already in his ready outfit, which consisted of a black sleeveless tunic with a pair of dark brown linen pants and black leather boots tied with X-patterned leather straps.

"Well, it looks like we can start this now." Edzard said as he began to move the fingers of his hands.

"I will let you witness the strength of my fists." Sairaorg said as he stood still and folded both arms across his chest.

Sirzechs, who would act as the referee for this match, looked at both combatants and nodded, but also used his gaze to ask Edzard not to overdo it.

"Okay, start." Said Sirzechs and then jumped back to end up landing next to those who were watching the battle, because he didn't want to interfere in the battle until it was necessary, besides, he knew that Edzard wouldn't kill Sairaorg... or so he hoped.

Seeing that they were alone, Edzard looked at Sairaorg and started walking towards the devil. When he took five steps, he disappeared in a burst of speed and appearing in front of Sairaorg, who saw this with wide eyes, dealt him a heavy blow across the face. The blow caused the Bael heir to skid several meters.

'Wow, what a surprise. That punch had enough force to knock out a devil like Diodora. However, he has managed to resist it.' Edzard thought with a bit of astonishment and then put on an amused smile. 'He, he. Looks like I'll be able to use a bit more strength.'

"That was a very good hit. If I had been a normal devil, I would already be out for the count." Sairaorg said approaching Edzard while he rubbed the place where he received the blow.

Sairaorg's words made Edzard's smile widen. "Yes, it seems so."

"Now is my turn." Sairaorg said before disappearing in a burst of speed.

Edzard watched as Sairaorg appeared in front of him, but he was unfazed by this, as Sairaorg's speed was not fast enough to avoid his reflexes. So, seeing the devil's fist go towards his face, Edzard moved his arms and parried the devil's blow using an unarmed combat move taught in the Imperial legions. His movements managed to parry Sairaorg's blow precisely, leaving him unprotected. Seeing this, Edzard moved his right foot and with a quick movement, tripped the devil, but it never fell to the ground, as Edzard landed a powerful blow to its jaw before it fell.

The force of the blow made Sairaorg shoot out like a rocket and ended up hitting one of the walls, generating a large cloud of dust.

"Ouch. That must have hurt." Issei said making a face when he saw the blow that Edzard just gave Sairaorg. In fact, his body shuddered, as he remembered the battle, he had against Sairaorg. A battle where the high-class devil was beating him in everything, but from which a new rivalry emerged.

[Yes, the force of that blow could have easily shattered your armor like it was nothing, partner]

Draig's words made Issei and the rest of those watching the battle begin to see the gem on the devil's arm.

"Are you sure Draig?" Issei asked.

[Of course. Even though he's not using the same strength he used against Loki, his punches aren't weak at all. In fact, I'm surprised that the Bael brat is still conscious.]

Draig's words were accompanied by a powerful air current that caught everyone's attention. When their eyes fell on the battle, they saw that said air current was generated by the blows Sairaorg was launching. However, despite the great speed at which the Bael heir's fists moved, Edzard dodged the attacks very easily, but not only that, since he also parried the blows and gave quick counterattacks, which began to make Sairaorg had to get defensive. Although, that was almost in vain, since many of Edzard's blows managed to hit the devil's body, causing a lot of damage.

The battle became more intense and in the middle of it, one of the ORC girls managed to notice something.

"What kind of martial arts is he using?" Xenovia asked seeing that Edzard was fighting differently from how he fought against Loki, because now he used more grabs and counterattacks.

Xenovia's question made several people look at Asia, since she was the one who used to answer their questions.

"Ed is using the unarmed combat that is taught in the Imperial Legions." Asia responded by acknowledging what kind of fighting style her husband was using.

"Unarmed combat?" Rias asked looking at Asia.

"That's right."

"B-but I thought those legions were Nirm's version of the Roman legions." Rias said remembering how she and Sona had started looking for information about things that could have parallels in both worlds and the first thing they found was the similarity in organization and chain of command of the legions. So, both friends had begun to think that the Imperial legionnaires fought and had the same training as the Roman legions.

"That's right, but only if you see it from the tactical and organizational point of view, but in soldier training they are a little different, because although they teach you to fight with a spear, sword and shield, they also teach you to use other types of weapons, such as maces, war hammers, axes, greatswords. Although, they also teach unarmed combat, which is often used to incapacitate enemies or for defense and attack when unarmed."

Asia's words made everyone go into deep thought, thinking how well trained those troops were. After a few seconds, one of the girls had a doubt and asked a question.

"Asia-san. Do the legions also have mages?" Akeno asked curiously.

Asia looked at Barakiel's daughter and nodded before answering correctly. "That's right, the so-called «Battle Mages»"

"Battle Mages?" Irina asked.

"That's right. Battle Mages are a special type of mage who not only specialize in spell combat, but also have knowledge and experience in weapon combat." Asia replied looking at her friend with a smile. "In fact, I can be considered a battle mage myself."

Asia's answer caused a bit of surprise and made them ask her if she had also been part of the legions, of course Asia denied that. After denying that, Asia proceeded to explain in more detail why she could be considered a battle mage.

"I see. So, we can assume that Edzard-san is also a battle mage, right?" Rias asked as she continued to watch as her cousin was pummeled mercilessly by Edzard.

"No, Ed is more of a magic knight than a battle mage." Asia replied as she watched as Edzard parried a punch from Sairaorg and then grabbed his arm and turning his body to elbow the devil in the face, but the attack didn't stop there, instead Edzard let go of Sairaorg and quickly landed another punch with his other arm and then he began to beat him mercilessly.

"And what is the difference?" Irina asked as she grimaced seeing how Sairaorg's face was covered in blood and what would soon be many bruises.

"A magic knight is one who uses swords or any physical weapon as his main form of attack, but who also uses magic to enhance his attacks or to attack from a distance."

"So, a magic knight is the opposite of a battle mage?" Rias asked.

"In theory, yes, although the difference between the two is minimal." Asia replied as she watched the match. "We should go downstairs, this is over."

After those words, Asia and the rest of Edzard's group started to go down towards the arena.

Edzard dodged a side kick from Sairaorg. As he did so, his quick reflexes allowed him to see an opening in the devil's defense, so, without waiting a second, he swung his right arm and ended up hitting Sairaorg in the abdomen. The force of that blow made Sairaorg bend in a V, before he fell to his knees.

"Oufff." Sairaorg exclaimed as he felt the air leave his body. However, despite that, the heir of the Bael did not give up, but, taking a deep breath, he launched himself against Edzard again.

When he was close to him, he started attacking him with various punches and kicks, but everything ended the same, that is, his attacks were blocked. Despite that, the young devil did not stop and continued to attack with more ferocity with each passing second.

'It's amazing that he didn't fall despite the damage he's already taken. Also, his ferocity reminds me of various beasts I've faced.' Edzard thought with a smile as he parried another blow from Sairaorg before turning his body and throwing him against a wall. Which was never hit, because the young devil managed to maneuver in the air and thus fell to the ground on his feet.

"Looks like it's best to leave it here, Bael." Edzard said lowering his guard.

"N-no. I-I can still go on." Sairaorg said as he walked towards Edzard with short steps, one by one, the young devil kept getting closer, but being barely two meters from Edzard, Sairaorg felt a deep blow in his abdomen. So, looking at that place, he saw that Edzard's fist was there. Sairaorg tried one last attack, but his consciousness ended up fading away. However, the body of the Bael heir never reached the ground, as he was caught by Edzard.

'It's heavy.' Edzard thought as he held the devil. As he kept holding Sairaorg, he heard footsteps, so knowing who was coming, Edzard gently lowered Sairaorg's body.

"I think you overdid it, Edzard-kun." Said Sirzechs upon arriving with the rest of those who were watching the fight.

"I do not think so." Edzard replied as he looked at Sairaorg's bruised face. "If he had been softer, it would have been an insult to this boy's abilities and strength."

Edzard's words silenced Sirzechs, who then put on a smile.

"I see." Said the super devil in a soft voice.

The curtains of a hospital room moved gently as the orange light coming through the window indicated that it was already sunset. In the middle of this room, lying on a bed, Sairaorg was resting. The young devil's eyes moved, then slowly opened.

'Where am I?' Sairaorg thought not recognizing the place. However, a second later he remembered his match against Edzard. Clutching the cloths in frustration, the young devil began to feel helpless. He wasn't bothered that he had lost against the human from another world, no, what bothered him was that not for a single second had he been able to hit him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even land the slightest blow. But not only that, but he also felt that he was holding back.

"Leave that face. Does not suit you."

Sairaorg's eyes widened in surprise as he heard a voice coming from his right. So, he is turning his head, he saw the same person who had defeated him.

Edzard was sitting on a chair next to Sairaorg's bed and in his hands was a book with a gray leather cover. He was still wearing his training clothes, indicating that he had been waiting for Sairaorg to wake up.

"You woke up much sooner than I thought." Edzard said, stopping to read the book that he had in his hands. "I thought I would have to go home and come back tomorrow to talk to you. But it seems I was wrong."

"What do you want to talk about?" Sairaorg asked curiously.

"I've done a little research on you. And I have to say that I am amazed at what you have achieved." Edzard replied looking at Sairaorg with a smile. "So, I've decided I want to hear your full story. Is it okay if you tell me?"

Edzard's words amazed Sairaorg, as he never expected him to investigate him. But despite that surprise, he nodded and began to tell Edzard everything. The talk lasted a few minutes where Edzard interrupted him on some occasions to ask him some questions.

By the time Sairaorg finished telling his story, night had already fallen.

"I see. I have to say that your life has not been easy." Edzard said after hearing Sairaorg's story. "But you have done well. Not many dares to do what you have done."

"What thing?" Sairaorg asked not understanding Edzard.

"You've shut the mouths of the idiots who thought you'd never achieve anything." Edzard replied with a smile and then stood up. "I'd like to talk to you more, but I have a lot of things to do."

When Edzard was about to leave the room, he stopped and going back to the bed where Sairaorg was resting, he took the book he had been reading and handed it to him.

"You know, this book is very interesting." Said Edzard putting on an enigmatic smile. "I think you would like to have a second round when you finish it. Until then, Sairaorg. I'll be looking forward to that second round."

After those words, Edzard left the book next to Sairaorg's bed and left the place, leaving a confused Sairaorg.

The young devil didn't understand what Edzard meant by the latter. Well, it's not that he didn't want to have a second round against him, but for now he knew he wouldn't get anywhere. So, taking the book left by the interdimensional traveler, Sairaorg began to read it and seeing the first page, he smiled amusedly and then began to laugh out loud. As he laughed happily, the Bael heir's desire for competitiveness began to burn very strongly. His excitement to fight against Edzard again increased with each page he read, since in that book various training and hand-to-hand combat techniques were captured. When he closed the book after looking through it, he promised himself to train until exhaustion to manage to at least land a hit on Edzard this time.

The soft afternoon wind was blowing in Edzard's pocket kingdom and on one of the palace's balconies, one facing east, three people could be seen. These three people were neither more nor less than Lint, Ingvild and Rossweisse, who were resting, since it was Sunday.

"Ahhh…. I never really thought that being a student was so complicated." Lint said as she spread out across the table the three of them were sitting at. She was exhausted because of the amount of homework she had to do, but also because she was studying to better understand Japanese.

"Yes. I still can't understand Japanese kanji very well." Ingvild said agreeing with her friend.

Both friends looked at each other and sighed simultaneously, only to laugh softly after that. When they stopped laughing, they looked at Rossweisse, who had an aura of depression about herself.

"What's wrong, sensei?" Ingvild asked with concern seeing Rossweisse in such a state.

Rossweisse raised her head and looking at her two groupmates/students she let out a sigh before speaking. "I have a lot of work to do. I haven't been able to finish doing the paperwork I was supposed to and I'm running out of time."

The two students from Kuoh Academy looked at their sensei and tried to cheer her up. They managed to cheer Rossweisse up after several minutes. Being more animated and with the concerns put aside for the moment, they decided to talk about some more trivial topics.

"So, Lint. Why did you miss class a few days ago?" Rossweisse asked concerned that her student was skipping class.

"I had to go to Heaven for some checkups." Lint answered.

"Checkups? What kind of checkups? Ingvild asked curiously.

"Nothing serious. They are just checks to see how much our powers have evolved. And… for something else." Lint said with a smile only to end up blushing at the end of her words.

"I see..." Rossweisse said not very convinced by what Lint had just answered. "And how did it go for you?"

Hearing Rossweisse's question, Lint smiled and puffed out her chest proudly.

"Very well, indeed, I astonished many with my current power level." Lint answered happily.

"Wow. Incredible." Ingvild said with a smile as she applauded her friend.

"That's how it is. That is incredible. Congratulations Lint." Rossweisse said with a smile.

"Thanks, girls." Lint said happy to receive the congratulations from her friends.

After those words, the conversation was interrupted by a couple of laughs. Hearing them, the girls got up from their chairs and went to the balcony and leaning on, they saw that those laughs came from Marie, who was laughing as she ran along the shores of the lake near the palace. The little girl was running at high speed, running away from her father, who also had a big smile as he played with his daughter.

The scene made the girls put smiles on their faces, which died when they saw each other. Letting out a tired sigh, the three girls sat down again and as they did so none of them said a word, as they were thinking about their own feelings. And it is that, the three already knew that they were beginning to fall in love with their group leader. Each one had their reasons, which they kept very close to their hearts, hoping that they would serve as fuel so that one day they can have the talk with Asia, but until that day comes, each one had decided not to talk about it to anyone.

Each of the three began to have flashbacks of the times they spent with Edzard. Lint recalling the times they spent together in the palace dueling room, training almost daily to improve their sword skills. Although, that was not all, because the moments in which they both went out to eat or for a walk together also passed through her mind. Those outings took place mostly when she was out of class and they weren't very often, since he also had to spend time with Aika. But those outings together were something she cherished very much.

Ingvild, for her part, remembered the times when they both used to go for a walk in the city of Kuoh, either to shop or for her to distract herself and learn more about the modern human world. But if there was something that really made her feel special, something that she knew that only she shared with him, it was the moments they spent in the music room of the palace. Because, yes, Edzard's palace also had a music room which was full of instruments, either from the earth or from Nirm. Those moments used to be not very usual, because each one had their respective duties, outside of missions and training, but when they coincided, they usually ended with her singing a song while Edzard played a melody in the background.

Finally, Rossweisse remembered the moments they shared walking through the streets of Kuoh. These outings took place when she left class and fortunately until now no one from the academy, whether students or teachers, had seen her. And it is that, Edzard's appearance, despite being mature, still reflected a little of his real age, which would cause rumors to spread about her for allegedly being in a relationship with a student.

Stopping remembering those moments, the three girls looked at each other again and let out a sigh again, to then start chatting about other topics.

The full moon was reflected in the lake that was near the palace in Edzard's pocket world. And on a rock, looking out over the lake, Edzard could be seen sitting and holding a bottle of Cyrodilic brandy in his hand.

Without any decency or decorum, Akatosh's last son raised the bottle to his mouth and took a long drink, then dropped the bottle to the ground. The bottle fell and rolled a few inches only to end up meeting up with some empty bottles.

Rising from the rock, Edzard took a few steps on the grass, then dropped. When he was lying on the ground, Edzard put his hand to his face as the memory of what he had dreamed tonight came back to him.

Flashback

The clear night sky that should allow to see the stars that night did not show any, since it was covered by a thick layer of smoke. The source of this smoke was the large number of fires caused by various stones covered with tar, which were being fired from various catapults towards a walled city.

The burning stones traveled at great speed, covering the distance that separated their camp from the city they besieged.

Boommm!

One of the stones ended up falling into one of the houses, which was both a beer and mead store, causing the house to explode, causing a large fireball that spread to other houses. The screams of the people who were burning began to fill the streets of the city, while more houses, taverns, shops and others began to burn. And in the middle of that hell, you could see not only people dying, but you could also see soldiers running around the place, carrying water to put out the fires.

In the middle of the main street, a young man could be seen running, this young man was wearing simple armor consisting of steel bracers, leather boots reinforced with steel plates, a tunic padded with chain mail, and a surcoat with the colors of the empire with the imperial heraldry in the center.

'Damn, the fires are raging across the city. And the siege has only just begun.' Edzard thought as he ran through the streets of Whiterun in the direction of the outer wall. Zigzagging, he managed to dodge a few stones, which almost hit him. 'Shit. How the hell do they have such good aim?'

Shaking his head, Edzard continued on his way and finally reached the outer wall. When he did, he managed to hear the final part of the Legate Rikke's speech. And as the Legate drew her sword, waves of Stormcloaks began to arrive. Approaching the battlements, he could see that several of the enemy soldiers were carrying ladders, but no siege tower was in sight.

So, seeing their enemies, who were armed with shields, chain mail with padded gambesons, leather boots and gauntlets, in addition to having closed helmets. Making a quick decision, Edzard took the Dwemer bow he possessed and nocking an arrow, began to shoot at will. His arrows flew and hit the Stormcloak soldiers, but only a few fell, as the arrows had hit the weak points of the armor, the rest that did not fall was because the arrows were deflected by the armor they were wearing or were stopped by the shields they carried.

As he nocked another arrow to his bow, Edzard felt a drop of rain fall on his nose, so, raising his head, he saw how it started to rain. The rain began to put out the fires in the city, thus helping to restore order, but began to cause problems for the archers on the walls.

'Damn, this will make it difficult to attack with arrows.' Edzard thought as he drew his bow and began to feel how slippery the string was, making him be careful when placing the arrow. Pulling the string, Edzard released the arrow and watched it fly to impact the head of a Stormcloak who was without a helmet. The soldier fell dead instantly, causing his companions, with whom he was carrying one of the stairs, to trip over the body.

As he prepared to shoot another arrow, he saw an enemy arrow heading towards him, so, ducking, he dodged it and as he got up again, he drew his bow and as soon as he could see the battlefield, he released the arrow. After that shot, Edzard had to hook his bow on his back and draw his sword, as he saw how some Stormcloaks came to climb some parts of the wall. So, without wasting time, he went to those places to help expel them from the walls.

The sound of clashing steel began to be heard, along with the sound of screams and moans of pain, all caused by the soldiers who were wounded and those who were dying under the torrential rain.

Edzard was facing two enemy soldiers, who attacked him consecutively, in a clear attempt to prevent him from defending himself against one of the attacks. Unfortunately for them, his reflexes allowed him to dodge their attacks and with a single one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn, he slit both of their throats.

End Flashback

Stopping remembering what had really happened that day, Edzard heaved a heavy sigh. And it is that, his dream or rather nightmare not only made him relive that battle, but it ended with the raising of the corpses of the dead, who began to claim how he dared to live so happily with his family after murdering parents, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives.

Guilt for the lives he had taken washed over Edzard's being, causing his heart to ache. Looking up at the stars of his pocket kingdom again, Edzard turned his head as he heard soft footsteps approaching him.

"I'm sorry I woke you up." Edzard said seeing his family back there. The girls were dressed in dressing gowns over their respective pajamas.

"No problem, Ed." Asia said, while she looked at her husband with sadness, because she knew that he had just had one of those nightmares that used to haunt him from time to time.

The rest of the girls just nodded and all together, without saying another word, approached Edzard and surrounding him, gave him a big hug while trying to calm the emotional load that he had at this moment. So, to achieve that goal, they began to say comforting words to him.

The moon was hidden by dark clouds, making visibility poor. That darkness was the perfect time to carry out a surprise attack.

Somewhere in the most remote and uninhabited areas of Siberia hundreds of screams could be heard. Those cries originated from a battle, or rather a siege. This siege was carried out in a cave, which was not a normal cave, but a cave transformed into a small underground fortress. In this fortress was one of the many cults that served Bal on earth. The once quiet cave, if you can say quiet to a cave full of worshipers of a Daedric prince, was completely in chaos, where you could see the corpses of several of its members, who were desperately fighting for their lives.

"Keep attacking! Don't let those sons of bitches advance!" one of Bal's followers yelled as he fired guns at those attacking them. Yes, these followers used firearms and not magic, as they were ordinary earthlings.

Boommm!

A huge explosion shook the entire cave. Said explosion had originated from the simultaneous explosion of several large fireballs, which hit the solid steel door that protected this level. The underground fortress was divided into four levels, and the fight was currently concentrated on the penultimate level. The previous levels had already fallen, and how were they not going to fall if they had already spent more than two hours of continuous attacks by these subjects.

The enemies attacking them were people who wore red robes and were capable of using magic. They had fallen in unexpectedly and had begun killing everyone in sight. While they managed to hold them off for the first two waves, it was the last two waves that had completely shattered their defenses. To begin with, the third wave was carried out by humans with black sclera of eyes. Those people were much faster than normal people, apart from the fact that over their red robes they wore black armor, which had the appearance of having been taken from hell itself. These subjects used weapons that had the shape of a crescent and were more than skilled in their use.

By the time the third wave arrived, normal firearms were quickly shown to be useless, as their armor resisted attacks like nothing. Fortunately, the advance of this wave stopped dead when they reached the door that separated the second level from the first. The reinforced steel door withstood several attacks, mostly thanks to the enchantments their lord's mages had placed on it.

Seeing that their enemies could not break down that door, several of them felt relieved, but that did not last long, because what followed after that attack was something that none of those who were in the fortress expected. The only thing the surveillance cameras saw was the shadow of a large person approaching and kicking down the door with a single kick. In fact, the force of the blow sent the door flying like it was nothing. After that, attempts to resist were in vain.

"Hold on! We cannot allow them to reach the last level!" a follower of Bal yelled before being decapitated by one of their enemies.

The sounds of battle intensified as the gunshots became more constant, but despite that, the advance of the individuals in red did not stop. After crushing the few remaining humans, the individuals in red reached the final chamber. When they did, those in armor stepped aside and let a person pass. This person approached the door and with a single blow of his feet he managed to destroy it as if nothing

The door flew several meters and when it stopped, there was a large trail of blood under it. This trail of blood was accompanied by several corpses, all of which had been crushed under the weight of the great gate.

"Looks like this is one of Bal's labs." One of the armored men said.

"It seems so." The person who smashed the door answered before turning around and starting to leave the place. As he walked away, he spoke again. "Take everything of value, investigations, weapons. Then destroy what's left. Also, kill any surviving humans, as well as any experimental subjects. I will go to inform our lord of our victory."

The armored men nodded and wasted no time advancing into the last level with the intention of capturing anything of value and destroying everything else.

As his men carried out this order, the person who destroyed the fortress gates left the scene and began to walk away from the cave. When he reached a quiet place, he took out a crystal from his pocket and then crushed it. A purple miasma originated from the crystal, which began to form a portal.

"My Sir." Said the man kneeling in front of the portal, because a silhouette could be seen behind.

"Tell me." A thick, guttural voice answered, containing both cruelty and authority.

"We have completely massacred the shits that serve Bal." The man said, emphasizing the insult he mentioned.

"Good." The voice answered with a hint of amusement. "And how have the new modified soldiers behaved?"

"Wonderful. The improvements those experiments have achieved are impressive. I never thought that the power level of these humans could be brought to levels like this."

"Perfect... Now, I have a new task for you. But to carry it out you will not take these troops, but you will take another group." Said the being, to then tell him his plan.

"I understand, I will leave immediately to fulfill it, Lord Dagon." the man said as he stood up.

"I hope you do not fail me, my Champion." Dagon said as he closed the portal.

"I will not, my lord." The stranger said and then began to walk back to where his troops were. And while he was doing it, he never noticed that he was being watched by a raven, whose eyes were as red as blood.

Somewhere in the underworld a structure could be seen, which looked like a large castle. Said castle was protected by various enchantments, which made it completely undetectable for any being from Draconic Deus, but not for those that came from Aurbis. In one of the corridors of that castle you could see Mannimarco, who was walking with soft and calm steps. The lich was meditative as he headed toward the room where his lord was still resting.

'It seems that Dagon is no longer going to send any more troops as scouting. It seems that he is finally going to attack properly or at least that impression has been given to me. It had already made me very strange that he didn't attack with everything from the beginning, and I already saw why he didn't. I have to say that those modified humans are more than amazing, their power is on par with middle-class devils, but with the equipment of those peculiar weapons and armor, they easily reach the same level of fighting as a high-class devil.' Mannimarco thought before looking at himself. 'What Dagon has done is intriguing, as he has artificially fused padomaic power with humans, I wonder if I can do the same with this body. I mean, his power level is good, but the truth is that I need more power to be able to finish off that bastard.'

The former Altmer wanted more power so he could be sure he could take revenge on Edzard, since from what he had managed to learn, the power of the last son of Akatosh continues to grow with each passing day. Although, he no longer increased his power to such great steps as he had in Nirm, his growth rate was not as normal. The thought of the Dovahkiin's growth potential diminishing caused Mannimarco to smirk cruelly.

'Looks like what I did to you while draining your blood and power is still affecting you, brat.' Mannimarco thought, then burst out laughing. When he calmed down, the Lich calmly continued on his way and after several turns, he finally reached his destination. Entering through that door, he saw the cocoon where his lord rested.

"My lord, I have some news for you." Mannimarco said as he knelt before the cocoon.

"Ummm. What news is that?" Padomai's voice asked directly in Mannimarco's mind.

'It looks like Dagon is going to start attacking more aggressively. Also, that he is eliminating some of the cults of Bal in various parts of the earth. He so far, he has managed to take down more than a hundred Bal cults.'

"I see. What moves is Bal making?"

"It seems that he has gone silent since most of the vampires he created with earthlings were eliminated by the Dovahkiin. Also, it seems that Dagon has managed to artificially create pseudo-hybrids using humans from Draconic Deus. These hybrids seem powerful, but I don't know their full extent of power yet."

"Ummm…. Can you do something like that with the knowledge possessed by the devil owner of the body you possess?"

"Maybe yes, although it will take me some time to achieve it. Fortunately, we have more than enough lab rat candidates." Mannimarco replied smiling cruelly while he imagined the cries of pain of his future rats.

"Speaking of rats, what about the magicians in the service of these devils?"

"I've avoided having a meeting with them until I can fully recreate the aura and type of voice Euclid used. After all, we can't make it obvious that these two devils no longer exist."

"Well, it looks like you'll be busy for the next few months. How goes the search for those components I asked you for?"

"So far so good, we know where we can find all three, but I'm afraid-"

What Mannimarco was saying was interrupted when an excruciating pain was present throughout his body. The pain was so excruciating that the Lich fell to the ground and began to writhe in pain as his screams echoed throughout the room.

"It seems that I have not been clear, worm. I want you to bring me those three components at all costs, I don't care if you have to destroy half of the Draconic Deus population to do so."

"Y-y-yes L-l-lord P-P-P-Padomay." It was the only thing that came out of Mannimarco's mouth, because the pain was so strong that he could hardly move the muscles of his face.

"Well. I want this to serve as a reminder. Your very existence is tied to my will. So, don't even think of failing me, otherwise there will be nothing left of you."

After those words, the incarnation of the force of change returned to torture Mannimarco until he was unconscious.

Author's note:

To those who have made it this far, Thanks for reading. Because being honest, I don't know how to write much in English and I'm relying on Google translators and the dictionaries that come with office 2019.

And here is the new chapter. With this chapter we have finished the interlude, in the next one we will enter the Kyoto arc. As you can see, Edzard and Asia have already had their anniversary and have ended up banned from several hotels. XD

We also see that as strong as Edzard is, he is still affected by the battles he has lived through. Also, Sairaorg has started a small friendly rivalry with Edzard, after his friendly match. And we've seen what Dagon has been doing all this time. For those who don't know, according to Elder Scrolls lore, Dagon and Bal try to stop each other from accomplishing their goals, so I figured it would be normal for them to send their followers to fight and destroy each other's cults.

Well, I apologize for any misspelling. Do not forget to leave a review if you liked the chapter or if there is something that needs to be improved or if you have any questions about the story. Also, any constructive advice is welcome. With nothing more to say, until the next chapter.