Kenshi: Grasp the Heavens (RE-UPLOAD)

by Seereni

A young boy joins the Loki Familia through a display of his skills. His past unknown, his reasons unsaid, there is only one desire that drives him into the dangers of the Dungeon and the world's: "With this sword...I will grasp the Heavens..." But...how will he fare...? Fic is Rated M by me, the author, and for good reasons. OC-Centric, slighly AU and certainly not for everyone.

59. Chapter 52, Actions&Consequences, Part 2

Chapter 52

And boy, was this a wild ride to write.

Initially, I started out thinking, yeah, I'll make this around 8k-10k words long. There's also part 3, after all.

Right?

Damn Chapter is 16k words long, not counting the Author Notes.

However, I couldn't help it, really. This was an important moment in the story, and everything needed to be covered.

Of course, I could have also kept it shorter and make the mini-Arc four parts long instead of three parts...but I couldn't find a good moment to end the Chapter without it being too abrupt.

Ehh, what's done is done.

So anyway, about this Chapter:

It is messed up -_-

Like, really messed up. I covered a couple of things that most people would not have the balls to cover.

A bad move, no doubt. Maybe even bad enough to get this fic banned.

But hey, I said in the past I'm a writer who doesn't pull punches, and I don't go back on my word. Sounds corny, but it's the truth.

Now as for how messed up the Chapter is...Hmm…

Remember the Ais beating, and Fuzen forcing that young Queen to cut the head off her Treasurer with a rusty knife?

All of that is kid's play compared to this -_-

So you have certainly been warned now.

Don't anyone come to me with stuff like "I wasn't prepared for that!"

Because I warned you.

Now, the other thing would be that there are some scenes which reference past Chapters in here. I know that people have probably not paid too much attention or read too much through the lines, or it could be even just because this fic is getting long.

Whatever your personal case might be, I will be leaving the source of the references down in the end Author Note, just to be sure everyone understands everything.

So yeah.

That's about all I can say for now.

Hope you have a good read, and see you down below.

Kay bye -_-

XXX

Mere moments earlier...

'Ahh, why do I even bother, I wonder…?'

The thought surfaced in his mind as his body began to disintegrate, his senses getting number and number until they disappeared completely, only his thoughts remaining.

He had felt his Master's spike in emotions, his instability growing within the blink of an eye. Desperate, he tried to reach out to his Master, tried to pull him back to his senses.

All in vain, of course. The turmoil was too great for that and so the connection was lost.

My precious Master...

And so he was now forced to take the form, his essence lifted off, higher and higher, ever higher.

My sweet Master...

With Babel as the centre of it all, he connected to everything: to the wind, to the moisture and even to the clouds. Doing as he was supposed to do, Raiju gathered it all to himself, more and more until the previously clear skies above Orario were replaced by patches of cotton-like clouds of ashen colour.

It wasn't enough, however.

This wasn't enough.

My dear Master...

The origin and the spread of the darkness was not known yet. Orario was not enough: he demanded the eye be spread further. Far enough so that the darkness would surely be visible.

And so he did as ordered, he spread his essence further. The clouds gathered, twirled and expanded: over all of Orario, further over Melen, over the hills and over the mountains. It spread far, far enough that the darkness would have no place left to hide.

My precious Master...

And yet for all of that, the eye remained closed.

It had always been closed.

It would always remain closed.

My poor Master...why did you have to be the one to lose…?

Was I too late?

I am sorry.

You were not strong enough.

You went through a lot, didn't not?

I heard your cries.

I always did.

But you were not strong enough.

And when you were strong enough, your wish was no longer there.

My poor Master, I am sorry.

When you needed me most, I could not be there.

And when you were no more, I was finally there.

You suffered, and all I could do was watch.

Our power, I could not manifest it.

I could not guide you when you needed me.

And when I manifested, all I could do was to bend.

Forced to live under a false name by a false name, by a false goal, yet by a true desire.

Forced to use our power against its meaning.

Forced to use our power to kill against our will...

Ahh, look.

Look, my sweet Master.

Our eye, it is opening.

We can see now, my poor Master.

Look there, right over there.

Those corrupt, hazel eyes, looking up at us…

There is one, my sweet Master.

There is one worth smiting down.

But...I understand, my precious Master.

That person was simply that important to you.

That person was important enough that you choose to lose.

For that person's sake, you...Haaa…

I understand your deepest desire, my dear Master.

And that is why I won't smite him down.

But I won't let him misuse this eye of ours.

Even if I have to do do the unthinkable, I won't let him twist and pervert our wish.

And that is why I'll keep our eye closed.

Forgive me, my poor, sweet Master.

But for the sake of your memory, I will go against your decision.

In this true yet nameless form of ours, I will not act.

Because even if you yourself have done it, I refuse to forget the wish behind that forgotten name.

Forgive me, my naive, kind Master.

Forgive me…

XXX

"...So it's the Pleasure District, after all?" He asked, arms crossed across his chest as he eyed the turbulent state of the sky above his head.

"Yes, Young Master." The other member of the Genyutai, Pigeon, nodded.

It has been half an hour since the initial report on the abduction of the District's residents. Enough time for Fuzen to calm down enough to hold a proper conversation.

Just two minutes ago Pigeon, the Genyutai member who accompanied Kato in following the group who abducted his people back to their base of operation, had returned with news. Their initial guess was correct: Ishtar Familia was behind this abduction.

The abductors, unlike those groups which Fuzen eliminated, were not part of an associated Familia, but rather part of Ishtar Familia itself.

Low ranking members whose task was to see to the demands of the Pleasure District itself, making sure not one customer was lacking in variety.

"...And the residents?"

"For now they are being held at one of their establishments. Captain Kato is watching them from the shadows, unseen. He wanted me to tell the Young Master that he will only act and liberate them if imminent harm is to befall them. Until that time, the Captain trusts in the Young Master."

"Mhm." Fuzen nodded and turned to face the people behind him, Yamamoto and the business owners. "Yamamoto."

"Your orders?"

"Keep this whole incident under wraps. Contain the spread of the incident to the immediate area of where it happened: do not let word spread to the District as a whole."

"Very well."

"Also, take the girl to the southern hideout. Have Riko accompany her. She is not to be moved from there unless it is necessary." He turned to the rest. "The rest of you, return to your normal duties."

"But Young Master-!"

He raised a hand, stopping them mid-sentence. "There is nothing you can do in this situation. I will be the one to deal with this incident, alone."

Though a bit hesitant, everyone nodded.

"What about the Genyutai, Young Master?" Finch asked.

"Spread out. Cover the whole District. Work together with the eyes and ears on the streets. If another incident like this happens again, report to Yamamoto immediately. If I am still gone by that time, I leave the decision-making to him."

"As the Young Master wishes!" The two members bowed before they rushed off to meet with the rest of the squad.

With everything now discussed and planned Fuzen turned to face the others one last time. "I'll be going now." And then he left his mansion, walking down the street and further away from the house.

Once far enough he jumped up a wall and to the roof of a building, proceeding to continue on by using the rooftops.

'And now we wait.' He thought to himself as he hopped from building to building.

It was finally happening.

Far faster than he expected, but it was happening.

The time had come for all those people to fulfil their role as bait, to suffer so that his retaliation would be justified.

But not yet.

It wasn't enough reason just yet. Four people was not enough. If he acted now, it would not be justified.

So he would stay low for a couple more days. Cockroaches were easy to understand: if they realized their plan worked once, they would soon come back, even cockier than last time.

It was only a matter of time before those same cockroaches would kill someone within the East District, simply because they would think they can get away with it.

That would be his sign to act.

Loss of life was acceptable, no one would question his actions after that.

'...Right. This was the plan all along. That's why I affiliated myself with those people in the first place.'

Looking down on the residents going on with their lives on the streets below him, Fuzen did feel a bit bad about it all. The time he had extended his Tsuwamono mantle over them had been short. Too short to be a fair equivalent exchange to the suffering and pain they would be exposed to for his sake.

But, he had not lied.

If it had taken five more years for someone to act against him, he would have cared for them every single day of those five years.

Same if it was ten years, or fifteen years.

But he had no say over when someone would act. He was not responsible for it happening way too soon.

'...Right. There is no justice in the world, after all.'

Getting mad about it would not be helpful. It would be only childish.

Him getting mad about it earlier had also been childish. He had set it all into motion, knowing it would eventually happen. That anger earlier, he had no right to it.

'Yamamoto and the others will question my lack of immediate action once this is over…'

Was there anything he could say to his defense? Nothing come to mind. One thing was for sure: his honour as a Tsuwamono and as a human being would be shattered into pieces.

But that was okay.

For the sake of his duty, he could easily discard those things and live with the stigma. It would only affect him personally.

Those were low prices to pay in exchange for spreading the message of the strength of he Lightning Sword Style.

Even if he choose to let them suffer for his sake first, he would avenge them when the time was right. As a swordsman, his honour would remain unstained.

'Right...I'll let those people I don't care about suffer, so that the ones who are important can be safe behind my sword. A sword that will be feared throughout Orario before long. Yeah…'

Walking on the edge of a building he looked down at the people again, asking himself how many would die soon.

He would retaliate once he had enough justification to do so. But not against Ishtar Familia as a whole: he would only massacre the people directly involved in this incident right now.

Then he would make himself disappear again.

Ishtar Familia was a power player in their own right. The Amazons who made up the Berbera would no doubt be mobilized to send a message afterwards. Ishtar Familia had their own reputation to protect, after all.

And once they knew it was him who attacked their members, they too would be justified in their actions.

The East District would burn, Fuzen had no doubts about that. Dozens...no, maybe even hundreds would die to the Berbera's attack. They were not known for being kind, after all.

And once that would take place, he would have a decisive reason to exterminate their Familia down to their last member, down to their very Goddess.

Ishtar Familia would end by his sword.

No one in this city could accuse him of unjustified actions like back with Altena: the spilled blood of hundreds would make sure of that.

And that same blood would make sure his message would spread.

'...Stupid fools. You just had to actually put your faith in me. Haaa…'

An extremely powerful individual who came forth and said 'Come under my wing, I will protect you', someone who inspired hope and safety…

'How dumb do you actually have to be to believe bullshit like that…?'

His plan was a crime, a trap he used to drawn countless innocents to him to be used as fodder. Fuzen knew that he would be damned once in Heaven. Reincarnation would probably be impossible. Eternal torture sounded far more realistic for him.

It mattered little.

He had a duty to fulfil.

That was all that mattered.

And the more the name of the Lightning Sword Style spread, the quicker he could fulfil that duty.

Whatever he would be damned once or twice or thrice, it mattered little.

With a sigh he jumped over to the next building, thinking about where to lay low. The Dungeon sounded like the best idea. He could spend a couple of days there while events unfolded on the surface, then continue with the plan once he was back.

He knew the cockroaches would not stay idle for long: a couple of days at best before they struck again, next time no doubt abducting even more people.

With how influential the Ishtar Familia was, they would also surely use that time to forge false debt contracts beforehand, forcing those they kidnapped to sign them all in order to make the whole ordeal seem legit.

Too bad Fuzen didn't care for stupid papers.

'Hmm?' From his vantage point he noticed a nearby area which seemed to be lacking in civilian activity. 'Ah. This is where the people were abducted from. Right, Finch did report it was this part of the city…'

The only ones he could see were familiar faces: the eyes and ears he hired to roam the streets.

Too little time had passed since he told Yamamoto to contain information of the incident. If he had to guess, they took it upon themselves to cover the area after the incident happened. A testimony to their devotion.

A sign they were just a bunch of fools, too, truly thinking the work Fuzen entrusted to them had any impact at all.

Every single person in the whole damn District, just a bunch of fools who couldn't even see through the lies of a stupid child.

Failing to notice the twitch in his own eye, Fuzen drew closer to the area, staying atop the buildings but making sure the eyes and ears on the ground did not notice him. Before long he noticed a couple of the men he hired out in the open, talking to a man and a woman outside a house: a couple, no doubt.

He took a squatting position and drew his knees to his chest, watching from afar.

It seemed the men were asking questions, no doubt to file a report to Yamamoto afterwards.

The couple was as ordinary as ordinary could be.

Both the man and the woman were in their mid-forties, and if he had to guess, the parents of either a daughter or a son who was among the four abducted residents. Probably a daughter: the demand for women was far higher in the Pleasure District.

The woman was sobbing as she tried her best to answer the questions of his men, tears falling down her face in streams. The man held her close to him, though he probably knew his comfort was of little help.

Both their faces reflected an emotion Fuzen needed to second to pinpoint: worry.

Worry for their abducted child, no doubt.

'Right. Parents usually worry for their children, huh?'

Worry for their child's safety.

Their health.

Their life.

They probably wished, begged and hoped for their child's return.

A thought hard to relate to for Fuzen.

His own father, damned be his name, whatever it may be, probably did not even know he existed. And his own mother, if he had to take a not-so-wild guess probably wished he had never been born to begin with.

At the same time, his former Instructor had never hidden his dislike for Fuzen, and God Hachiman had done a poor job of hiding his feelings that out of all the Initiates, he hoped that it wasn't him who would make it through, alone least of all.

And his Mistress?

That one...was a whole different conversation, entirely.

'Oh, right. Those two are probably hoping...that I bring their child back, huh?'

Just two more fools with misplaced hopes and faith.

He did feel for them, but the more their child suffered at the hands of Ishtar Familia, the better for him. The more justification, the more reason for his actions.

'...Fools. Every single one of you.'

Fuzen looked closer at the couple: cheap clothes, tired looks, bruised hands...Simple workers, no doubt, with a low income.

Low-value individuals.

No doubt the same could be said about their child.

None of them were of significant importance: just bait and fodder for him.

'...Mid-forties, huh…?'

Then what age did their child have?

Around sixteen, maybe?

Or fifteen?

Or maybe even twelve or ten?

Twitch

Twitch

Indeed, this was simply life.

There was no justice to be found, either in the Far East or here, in Orario.

People like them, all they could do was to suffer throughout their lives.

'Right…That's just how it is.'

A world where family could be torn apart this easily, that is the kind of world they lived in.

Twitch

Twitch

'Right…Normal.'

A world where parents were powerless to do anything in the face of blessed individuals, in the face of Gods and their damnable divine whims, and were forced to simply watch as their children were taken away.

Twitch!

Twitch!

'Right...Unavoidable…Inescapable."

A world where children were used by others as they saw fit, a world where they were used for the benefit of dirty-minded adults and Gods, their lives mere currency to be spent on a whim...

Right...A world like that…'

Twitch!

Twitch!

"A reality like that…"

Twitch!

"...there's no fucking way that's right..."

Realizing that the scenery before him way moving, Fuzen looked down: his legs were moving on their own, kicking off the edges of the buildings and running ahead. He understood a moment later in what direction he was going: the Pleasure District.

That's right.

He would simply kill them all.

He would butcher them.

Cut them into pieces.

Rip their hearts out.

Gut them all like fish.

Pluck their eyes out.

Bleed them out like pigs.

Rip them to shreds.

Eat them alive.

Every.

Single

Fucking.

One.

He would be to them what they were to others, what they were to his people: their biggest nightmare.

For the first time today, Fuzen smiled. 'That's right. I'll just kill them all. All of them. Every single one. Kill them all...Kill them all...Kill them all...'

Loki Familia.

'Huh…?'

His advance stopped, one hand moving to touch his head.

member of Loki Familia…

'That...doesn't matter…'

conflict with Ishtar Familia…

'I'll just kill…'

...unintended repercussions

'I'll…'

Guild's involvement…

'…'

negative outcome...Loki Familia and East District

tipping off...Orario's hierarchy

long-lasting consequences

Captain Finn's disapproval…

losing standing...within Orario

the District's residents lives at...greater threat

signs of...weakness to the world at large

opportunity for...Freya Familia

Scapegoat...Goddess Loki

Kenshi...negative impression on Alya

'...Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!'

The countless thoughts still swarming his mind, Fuzen let himself fall down on his butt, both hands grabbing his head.

That's right.

He forgot.

This wasn't a stupid story: every action had consequences.

And if he acted on his impulses right here, right now, going on a killing spree in the Pleasure District…

The consequences would be something beyond dire.

"So what should I do, then?! God damn it! Someone, anyone...please, tell me...What should I do…?"

And in that moment, his mind still swarmed by thought after thought of possible consequences, Fuzen wondered.

He wondered why he couldn't simply proceed with the plan he had already decided on.

And he wondered why, despite it being the most important to him, he was so bad at doing his duty.

XXX

"Little Miss, what is wrong?" Riko asked as she felt the little girl's grip on her hand tightening. Following her eyes, she noticed the girl looking up at the sky through the carriage's window.

"…" Alya remained silent, her eyes focused only on the clouds above.

She wasn't sure why, but to her it seemed almost as if they were confused. Unsure if they should disappear and allow the light of the sun to shine once more, or if they should unleash rain on the earth.

Or if they should remain as they were, confused.

"...I feel magic.." She uttered, half-focused.

"Little Miss?"

Alya did not yet understand Magic, despite Fuzen trying his best to explain it to her. And yet, she was sure it was what she felt in the air.

XXX

"The weather is picking up…" The Chienthrope voiced as she walked to the window, looking up at the cotton-like clouds above.

"More like, it made a one hundred and eighty." Seiji replied, approaching her and also looking up. "It was clear just a short while ago...Feels kinda unnatural."

Naaza nodded. "Kind of, yeah...I hope Miach gets home quick."

"Should I head out and look for him?"

She turned to look at him, a slight frown visible on her face. "You are not getting away from shop-duty."

Having been too reckless recently thanks to his newly obtained Skill, Seiji was being punished at the moment once again, this time tasked with tending the counter. "I-I know, I know, okay?! Geez…" He looked back up, noticing something. "Hey, Naaza."

"Hm?"

"Those clouds...don't they seem to be moving in a circle?"

"...They kind of are, yeah…"

XXX

The first Cat-Person sighed. "What a pain, nya~"

"Meow said it. If it starts raining, people will be coming in here with wet boots, nya~...I'm not cleaning the floors today."

The second Cat-Person shook her head as the two of them were looking up at the sky from the entrance of the Hostess of Fertility. "How the hell did it change so quickly, anymeow?"

"Talk about ominous, nya~"

"It's quite interesting however, isn't it?" The third girl, the grey-haired Human girl, asked with her ever-present smile visible on her lips.

"What do meow mean, Syr?"

"Hmmm…" She looked up, eyeing the moving clouds. "It's just that I like unexpected outcomes~"

"You three, get your asses back to work!" The angry shouts from their Mama froze the three in place before they hurried back inside.

XXX

"...This can't be…" The words escaped her mouth, Riveria's eyes glued to the sky.

"Lady Riveria? What is wrong?" Lefiya asked as she approached her mentor. They were currently in the library, Riveria mentoring her protege on theoretical magical knowledge. However her eyes suddenly shot wide open and she turned around, walking up to the window all of a sudden.

"Lefiya...Can you not sense it?"

"Sense what?"

"Focus your mind. Close your eyes and focus your mind."

Though she was confused as to the sudden change in her mentor's demeanour, Lefiya did as she was told. Closing her eyes she focused her mind, opening up her senses to her surroundings.

Seconds passed by before she finally understood what her mentor meant.

"Is that...Magic?"

"Yes." Riveria nodded, her eyes never off the clouds in the sky.

"It's subtle...barely noticeable unless you try to sense it...but it's there, in the air. A tingly presence…"

"Yes. I don't think I have ever felt anything like this before…" The High-Elf voiced. "Right now, something is happening. Right here, in Orario."

As she uttered those words a memory intruded Riveria's mind. The memory of a capital at the mercy of a little swordsman's ire.

Without wasting time the High-Elf rushed out of the room, leaving her confused protege behind.

Another Al-Dale incident had to be stopped. That couldn't happen in Orario.

Just the day before, she enjoyed a cup of tea with him, both of them simply appreciating a good conversation with the other. It made no sense to her: what happened in just one day?

Next, a question arose in her mind, a question which she would later understand as her actual, true opinion of the boy.

'Who is he attacking this time?'

XXX

As he approached his destination, the sight of the walled-off Pleasure District came into view, as did the Home of the Ishtar Familia, the Belit Babili tower in the distance.

About one and a half hours had passed since the initial report.

And now he was walking, calmly, towards their turf.

It was dumb, for he still had no idea how to tackle the situation at hand. Killing them all, that was the one true desire in his heart.

But consequences...Right here, right now, if he killed any of them that would bring along with it consequences of a magnitude he could not yet pin down.

For himself. For the Loki Familia. For the East District.

More importantly, he did not have his sword to use.

When he tried to draw it earlier to hurt himself and take his mind off the overflowing negative emotions, the blade had shattered, only the hilt remaining in his hand.

An abnormal turn of events. That only happened when he used Raiju as he was intended, when he used both the Chant and the full name of Ikazuchi Jigen Bussei.

But he had not, and despite numerous tries, Fuzen was unable to reach Raiju. He could neither hear the dragon's thoughts in his head nor link himself to the lizard's senses.

Everything was blank, as if the dragon never existed in the first place.

Fuzen had looked up, at the state of the sky. It looked like something the dragon had done, a tingly magical presence in the air all around him, but...the silence remained. Had he taken actions on his own?

Useless lizard…

He barely needed Raiju once a year, and when that time come, he could not be reached.

Classic, just his luck.

And so, without a sword, without the one ally he thought he could rely on, Fuzen walked on.

What would he do?

He didn't know.

But right now was the time for actions. And if he still wasn't sure what to do, it only meant he needed to place himself in a position where making a decision would be unavoidable.

Approaching the open gates leading to the Pleasure District he could see the two Amazon guards stationed there. Once he was close enough one of them addressed him, a smug smile on her face. "Hey there, kiddo. You lost?"

He ignored her as his eyes were fixed on the tower in the distance and continued walking.

"That's not a playground for kids, little man-" She reached out to grab him, but a hand grabbed her head faster than the Amazon could react. Whatever she was Level 2 or 3, it mattered little once she was slammed face first into the pavement and her body went limp in an instant.

A moment of silence passed as the second guard looked on in confusion but moved once Fuzen continued to walk forward. "You little shit!"

She ran and jumped, a kick thrown at Fuzen's face. Weaving his head he ducked under the leg and in the same moment reached out and grabbed the Amazon's other leg by the ankle. Turning on his heel he lifted the woman up and then slammed her back into the ground, as well, dust and pebbles flying up from the impact of the slam.

Her eyes rolled back in her head and the Amazon passed out.

Without wasting even a moment Fuzen continued on, walking past the gates and deeper into the Pleasure District. There was no activity in the close proximity of the gates, so it would be a while before Ishtar Familia would be notified of the now unconscious guards.

It didn't mean he would have a lot of time, however.

Looking at the hand he used just a moment earlier to grab the Amazon guard, Fuzen couldn't keep his expression from twisting as he rubbed it against his pant. "Tsk…"

A minute later he was already walking past the crowded streets filled with people, despite it still being early in the day. Orario, the centre of the world, truly never slept. All around him were people whose emotions and desires he could sense through his Ki sense, smiling faces and seductive laughing filling his ears.

Though his eyes were solely focused on the tower in the distance, he couldn't ignore it.

There it was, once more.

The stench of people.

He covered his nose with his sleeve, but it helped little. In the alleys and in the buildings, all around him people were engaged in activities he had seen one too many times.

Kill…

The one thing he could not forgive, threatening to overwhelm his very being.

Kill them…

Depravity. Unadulterated and uncontrolled depravity.

Kill them all…

Moving ever forward, step after step, he could sense the stares on him. Was it the members of the Ishtar Familia? The civilians who came here to engage in unspeakable acts?

Every single one…

It was only natural: he was a fish out of water. Someone like him should have not been here to begin with.

Make them suffer…

It would have been for the best if he had never been forced to step foot in such places. Right, it would have been best for others if that had never been the case.

'So similar...Why did it have to be so similar…?'

His mental and emotional state already at risk, Fuzen had no control anymore: images of the past began to overlap with the present, his mind playing tricks on him caused by the desires and smell he sensed all around him.

The faces of the people all around him began to shift, to morph. Just mind games, he knew that much. He wasn't that far gone just yet. Knowing that did little to help, however. He continued on, even as the morphing ended and the faces of the people around him became that of a beautiful, so very beautiful woman with long black hair.

He felt her countless pairs of eyes on him, the same gentle look in her eyes as what he remembered.

What was her name, again?

That, he forgot.

It had barely been a couple of years, but that name was no longer significant to him.

Sleeping out here on the streets...Where is your family, young one?

Right...That is how they met back then in the capital, when he ran away from home.

You don't have any…? I see...Then, how about you come with me? I don't have much...but I'll take care of you.

He naively took her hand, he remembered that much.

I'm sorry, I'm not very good at cooking, I'd just be wasting ingredients...Thank you for cooking, instead.

...Don't worry about it. For you...it's alright.

The firework festival will be coming soon...Do you want to go together? Ahh, but I don't have a lot of money to buy you sweets...I'm sorry.

I don't care. If I can go with you, that's already…

I'm sorry...I know you liked your old shirt, but it was beyond patching up anymore...I bought you a new, however! Do you like it?

...Thanks. That means a lot.

I think you should...quit that work. Working as a child, that's not right...We can move to the countryside, it'll be easier to live there!

Don't worry about it. It's not that hard. I'm strong, I can do it. For you…yeah.

You woke up screaming again...I see, your previous life must have been hard... Come here, let me hold you.

...Ahh. I see. This is what a mother feels like, huh…?

There are some...bad people after me. Because of my work…

…

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn't ask…You are just a child...

…

But...please...Will you save me?

…

Your sword...will you pick it up again, for me…?

...Alright. I'll pick it up again, that accursed sword. For your sake, and your sake alone...I'll ignore those fake tears of yours.

Blessed individual, they were a rare sight in the Far East. Of course she had seen that Falna on his back from the very first day they met.

The rare prize that was himself, not denying it when he confronted her about it.

You did good. So very good...That man was a thorn in our side, but you took care of him so cleanly. My little golden boy…

His thoughts a fuzzy mess because of the mind-altering sweet dust in the air, he could only watch with blurry eyes as that hand got closer, touching his face, his neck.

Don't hate me, little one. I do care about you, far more than I should. Truly. Not everything was a lie. Please, believe me.

Her hands slipping past his collar and pulling down his shirt, bare and warm palms touching his shoulders.

But in this cruel, cruel world, people like me are forced to do very bad things to survive. Not because we want to, but because we need to.

Gently being pushed on the soft fabric of the bed, the weight of a knee pressing on the area between his legs for support, nice-smelling locks of dark hair dangling over his face. Her eyes staring into his from above, the gentle smile he came to adore blurry but visible.

And yet, I don't want to abandon you. Those months we spent together, they are precious to me. So stay by me side, just like you have done until now.

Her blurry face coming closer to his, warm breath on his skin. Bare, soft body pressing against his skin, the warmth he came to find solace in now suffocating and disgusting.

"Hey, you there. Stop."

Be useful to me, so I can be useful to them. Let's help each other out. Be my sword, little one, and in turn…

Her body pressing even more into his own, her lips now close to his ear, way too close.

"Are you deaf, you little shit?"

I'll give you what you ran away from home in search of. I'll give you love, and affection, the things you long for. I'll never abandon you, unlike those people from your past. I'll be your everything, little one…So, in return...save me.

Her face was so close to his now, too close for comfort.

"Hey, are you listening-?"

So he grabbed it and slammed her head into the ground.

Fuzen knew that it wasn't actually that woman. It was just one of the Amazon guards: the Belit Babeli was literally just in front of him. He knew that the countless faces looking at him were just a trick of his mind.

Of course he knew.

He was a warrior.

He wasn't allowed to lose.

To be tricked.

To be manipulated.

To be weak.

Of course he knew.

He let go of the Amazon's face and stared at his blood-covered palm.

Of course he knew: that woman's blood had been prettier, after all.

So much prettier…

"That asshole attacked Fatime! Kill his ass!"

A punch made contact with his face a moment later, the inner side of his cheek splitting apart and the taste of blood washing over his tongue. He could have used [Bulwark], but...why even bother?

For months now he got punched and kicked by a Level 5 over and over and over and over again, on an almost daily basis. Punches like these...were nothing more than mosquito bites in comparison.

"The hell?!"

"...You get one warning, only. Stay the hell out of my way."

Neither the attacker nor her companions seemed to take his words seriously, the woman before him pulling her arm back but ready to attack again.

Weaving his head to the side he slipped closer to the woman and delivered an unexpected uppercut to her jaw, sending the Amazon woman flying.

Another came in from behind and punched the back of his head. His knees bent slightly at the impact and the Amazon guard smiled. A hand reached forward and grabbed her long hair however, pulling her with enough force to throw her to the ground.

A foot stomped on her face next, powerful enough to knock her out instantly.

Next came a team effort, two Amazons coming in from both ahead and behind him.

He could have dodged, but no effort for any such thing was made.

"You're dead, brat!"

The one ahead delivered a kick to his neck, while the one behind targeted his side. Going by their power they were Level 3 and Level 2 respectively, their hits not that painful but something he felt, nonetheless.

He was grateful to them. It was that very pain that kept him as sane as possible. That kept him from simply going on a murder spree, as he should have.

"Is this fucker made out of metal?!"

Grabbing the foot of the front attacker from below, he turned on his heel and lifting the woman off the ground he threw her into the attacker from behind. Their bodies slammed into each and the two hit the ground.

"This little shit-!" One of the tried to push herself up but a foot stomped on her abdomen and pinned her to the ground. As she gasped for her Fuzen's other foot kicked her in the cheek, her head turning to the side while blood and teeth splashed the pavement.

One more jumped at him and threw a punch, which he avoided by throwing his head to the side. Reaching for the cloth covering the woman's chest he pulled her closer and slammed his head into her face, then slammed her head into the ground.

With that done he lifted his head to look in the direction of the last Amazon still conscious, the one who attacked him from behind.

She was by far the youngest of the bunch. Fourteen of age, maybe fifteen.

Not that much older than him.

Rubbing her head she got up and looked around: all her comrades were down for the count.

She looked in his direction and their eyes met. She flinched, quite visible at that: he saw it from a distance away.

Fear...Is that what he represented to them?

'...Good. Very good…'

The young Amazon looked around one more time then turned to run inside her Familia's Home. But her actions were predictable, too predictable.

Slow as she was he quickly caught up with her, pressing down on the inner side of her knee to force her down. Grabbing her face with both hands he looked down at her, their eyes meeting once again.

No doubt about it: she was scared of him.

And maybe because they were so close now, she was the first to realize. "You're...Loki Familia…"

"...Not today, no."

He pulled her forward while bringing his leg up, the crouching sound of broken bones reaching his ears once his knee slammed into her face. She groaned in pain, but wasn't out for the count just yet.

Exactly what he needed. Grabbing her by the back of the head Fuzen walked towards the entrance to the tower, dragging the weakened girl after him. Her legs moved despite the resistance she tried to put up, one hand holding her broken nose while the other tried to pry his hold on her open.

"Keep resisting and I'll rip your face off."

At the very least seemed smart enough to understand he wasn't playing games and stopped trying to get free of his grip. Walking further inside they soon came across the first paths that split in multiple directions and he lifted her head up. "Your Goddess. Which way?"

"T-The middle o-one…"

He continued on, slowly walking down the long hallway until the path split off once again, into the left and right. He lifted the girl's head once more. "Which way?"

"R-Right."

He nodded and pulled his arm back, letting the girl go. "Walk. Don't try to run."

She seemed confused but did not have the courage to question it, taking the lead and walking just two steps in front of him.

His stare on her back made the girl shiver but she pushed on, knowing that her survival would depend on it. Terrifying as the silent walk was, they had finally arrived at their destination: a throne room by the looks of it, with high ceilings and red pillars spread around the room.

Two sets of curved stairs were on the left and right, leading to the floor above, while a throne elevated on a two-step podium stood at the far end of the room.

"Where is she?"

"I d-don't know! Maybe…maybe in her room?"

"Call for her."

"E-Ehh…? L-lady Isht-!"

In but a moment her face was pressing against the cold floor, a knee pinning her back down. "Call for her like you mean it. Shout it like your life depends on it. Shout it loud enough for deaf people to hear."

"LADY ISHTARRRRRR!"

Satisfied with the level of compliance he got off the girl and waited, simply waited. Fuzen felt as if time stopped but he knew it was just another trick of his mind: it wasn't that long before he could hear the approaching steps from the floor above.

"Who is disturbing me?" The cocky voice asked and Fuzen looked up to his side at the terrace, golden eyes meeting brown in a moment that lasted over a short silence. The Goddess looked aside however and saw the girl besides him. "Lena...What did you do to her?"

"Are you Ishtar? We need to talk."

The scorn in her eyes was unquestionable, but the Goddess still took a moment to look at him. "And you are...Kenshi?" She questioned him, noticing the injured Lena crawling away from besides him as his focus was now solely on the Goddess.

"Yes."

Ishtar made her way towards the stair, her eyes still staring down at him as she walked. A man was by her side: if Fuzen's knowledge was anything to go by, he must have been Tammuz Belili, the Vice-Captain of the Ishtar Familia.

"What could Loki Familia possibly want with me?" She asked as she descended the stairs and slowly made her way towards the throne at the end of the room, the Goddess and her attendant alike never letting him out of their sight.

"I am here of my own accord."

"Now that…" She hid a smirk behind her smile as she took a seat on the throne, her Vice-Captain to her side. "Seems rather foolish." She stared a moment later before she slightly raised an eyebrow. "Where is that dragon of yours, that you used to to destroy Al-Dale?"

"I came alone."

Her smile grew as she took a puff out of her pipe, letting everyone present wait for her reply. "And what matter do you need to talk to me, that you would attack my Familia members?"

"Some two hours ago people affiliated with the Pleasure District came into my East District and, under false accusations of unpaid debts, kidnapped four of my residents from their homes. They were then brought to one of your whore-...establishments, called the Den of Delight." He tilted his head ever so slightly, the redness in his eyes visible even to the far away Goddess. "I am taking them back. And the Pleasure District will pay compensation for the false accusations my people were subjected to."

Out of all the actions he could think of taking, this was the only one that would have the least consequences to everyone affiliated with him. Diplomacy, something he hated down to the marrow of his bones.

Right here, right now, as the combatants of the Berbera were slowly showing themselves from the terrace and from behind him, circling him within the throne room with no room for escape, he wanted nothing more than to rip them to pieces.

But...he was a member of the Loki Familia.

The one at the top of the East District.

Right here, right now, ripping them apart was not the best approach.

And in that moment, he cursed the names of everyone he knew: Loki, Riveria, Finn, Tiona, Yamamoto, Alya...he cursed their names, for their influence was responsible for holding him back from acting as he should have-...as he wantedto.

'Why do I even try…? Surrounded by dozens of Berbera on all sides, with a cocky, overconfident Goddess looking down on me...What could this naive thought of diplomacy ever achieve…?'

But even so, he swallowed his anger and waited.

He waited for the reply of the Goddess that would allow him to decide.

"Hahaha!" However, it was not the Goddess that broke the silence first. Turning his head to the right side, Fuzen saw the woman who laughed at his words. A tall, long-haired Amazon with purple eyes. "This kid's good, Lady Ishtar! Coming here and making demands after attacking-"

"Shut up, whore." His words, though soft-spoken, immediately cut her off. "I am rational enough to know you are not at fault here. So stay there like a good little bitch and keep that mouth of yours shut. We both know its good for one thing, only."

The insults angered her, it showed on her face, but the raised hand of her Goddess kept the woman from talking back.

"You said some of your...people had been taken from their homes?"

"That is correct."

"Hmmm...Tammuz." Ishtar looked at the half-naked man to her side. "Was anything like that reported?"

"No, Lady Ishtar."

"I see. There you have it, little Kenshi."

Twitch

"...And you expect me to just accept that and go home? My people are at the Den of Delight. Look it up if you don't believe me."

"You don't seem to understand." The Goddess grinned, taking the time to smoke from her pipe. "You called Aisha over there a whore, did you not? Say, do you hate us, boy?"

"…"

"Even if that is the case, everything the Ishtar Familia, and the Pleasure District as a whole does, is legal. Our actions are in line with the law of Orario."

...Law?

"I understand the nature of carnal desires, and so I allow our customers to make use of our services even when they lack the money to pay for those services."

...Nature?

"But of course, something needs to be promised in return. And my Familia always collects what is owned. Though I know not of this incident you speak of, if it indeed happened, then my people have acted righteously."

...Righteous?

"Are you afraid for the lives of those you call 'your people'? You needn't be. I don't know what you know of us, but we do not mistreat our own. We simply teach them to fulfil the role of their bodies."

...Role?

"The holy union of men and women, where two become one and wash away each other's troubles, worries and pain...Is anything more beautiful than that? Is anything more pure? What is so wrong in us teaching others to embrace their roles, to be men and women?"

...Pure?

...Beautiful?

He had no idea what the hell the lunatic of a Goddess was talking about. Despite his very premature exposure to the world of adults, he had not engaged in any such acts. He did not know if they were of such worth as the Goddess made them out to be or not.

Perhaps what she said was true.

As a Deity of love and sexuality, perhaps her words were true.

But was that really it?

Was that all?

"...It seems you don't get what I mean...as expected. You are but a boy. Even so, the fact that you came here unannounced and attacked my girls won't go unpunished. I'll also contact Loki about this...eventually."

She made a sign with her hand and the couple dozen Berbera gathered in the throne room began to move towards him. Their intentions were clear enough at this point.

Fuzen closed his eyes, his hands curling into trembling fists.

Perhaps she was right, and such acts were actually justifiable.

But, their faces…

Haruka...

Nanao...

Yua...

Ichika...

Sayo...

All his other housemaids...

The people who lost their lives trying to protect them...

All those in the Pleasure District forced to do things against their will...

Even the whores of the Berbera, who probably never had a choice...

That woman, whom he killed with his own hands...

The parents he saw just an hour ago...

His mother-

His eyes shot wide open and his arm moved behind him, index finger pointed at the hallway he came from.

At the Den of Delights.

At Orario.

At the world.

"AND WHAT ABOUT THEIR SUFFERING?!"

XXX

"Hahaha! Cough...Cough…" He laughed at the question, despite the action forcing him into a coughing fit. "Damn that hurt...Ahem...So, you ask what I wanna be when I grow up?"

"M-Mhm." The five-year old boy nodded shyly as his back leaned against the wall of Seiji's hut, knees pulled close to his chest.

A cruel question in its own right: he probably would not survive long enough to grow up, but...perhaps he didn't know that. Or perhaps he believed in him that much.

Seiji stood up in a sitting position with some effort, then smugly pointed at himself with his thumb. "I want my name-! Cough! Cough!...Ahh...Sorry 'bout that. I want my name to be known!"

"Your name…?"

"Yeah! Cough! In all four corners of the world!"

"...Why?" The young boy asked in confusion.

"Hehehe...People look down on me now- Cough!...But if my name is known, they won't be able to look down on me anymore!"

He seemed to understand what he meant now, a spark visible in his hazel eyes. "I-I see...I'm rooting for you, Seiji."

"Hehe...Already got my first fan...Cough! Cough! Damn, I'm good…" He wiped away the blood from his mouth. "So, what 'bout you?"

"Hm?"

"What do you wanna be- Cough!...when you grow up?"

"L-Lord Hachiman s-says I need to become an s-swordsman. For t-the sake of the s-school…" He stuttered, as he always did when he got nervous.

"Nah, bro. What do you want to be? Same question- Cough!...you asked of me."

A moment of silence passed as the boy drew his knees even closer to his chest. After a while, however, a faint smile appeared on his lips. "A d-dragon."

"Huh?"

"I'd want to b-be...a d-dragon…"

"Why do you wanna be a Monster?"

The boy lifted his eyes off the floor. "If I-I'm still in there, then...I wouldn't be a Monster, right?"

"...But you'll be hated."

"Yeah, probably...But dragons are strong. I'd be able to protect Lord Hachiman and Seiji...The Mistress...And the village, too...There are a lot of wars in our country, right? So I would use my power to create waves, so that ships wouldn't invade us anymore...And make it rain, so that soldiers could not march to war anymore...That way, nobody would need to get hurt anymore…"

Seiji stared at the boy he considered his little brother as he spoke those words, an innocent, yet genuine smile taking shape on his lips as his eyes didn't look down at the floor, but somewhere far away, somewhere in the future. "Yeah...That would be nice…"

…

…

…

"...That's…"

Just like him, people all around Orario were probably looking up with mouths agape, both surprised and confused at the sight of the pillar of light.

For a second, when he first laid eyes on it through the window of the Blue Pharmacy, Seiji thought it must have been a Deity being called back to Heaven.

But that wasn't it.

That pillar was not of divine origin.

And more importantly, it was not a pillar of light going up: it was a pillar which descended down, on a far away side of Orario.

That memory of the past popped up in his mind as he looked at the sudden phenomena. A heavy downpour came next, so sudden it made almost no sense. On the streets outside people ran to find shelter from the aggressive rain, but Seiji simply looked up.

"That direction…" He heard his beloved Captain mutter from his side.

Miach hummed and nodded. "It's the Pleasure District…"

It made no sense to Seiji: why did he remember that day, exactly?

The answer come to him a second later, for through the rumbling and the flashes of lightning in the clouds, the form of a dragon came into view. The long body of a serpentine dragon, flowing through the clouds.

Like the sight of a large fish deep underwater, he was there, yet not there at the same time.

His presence could be seen, but not his form, not his body.

Just the manifestation of a dragon.

"...Oh." Finally understanding what was going on, Seiji took a slow step backwards, eyes still glued on the sky above. The next moment, faster than either Naaza or Miach could react, he rushed out of the room, out into the heavy downpour and towards the pillar of light.

When he first learned of Raiju and his friend's Magic, he thought it must have been just a coincidence. Fuzen lived in such a crazy world, far more different than anything Seiji could imagine. The manifestation of nigh-unthinkable Skills and Magic was not that impossible for someone like that.

He thought it was just a coincidence, because he thought that his old friend, the old Fuzen, was gone.

But now, being faced with the facts, he felt ashamed.

So very ashamed.

He proudly thought he was the one who knew Fuzen the best, but in the end, even he understood nothing.

XXX

'...Damn it!'

It didn't take her long to understand where the boy was, and Riveria quickly turned around and made her way towards the pillar of light in the distance.

Initially, she hoped to still find Fuzen at his home in the East District and made her way there. However, she only found two women at the front gate, none of which were familiar to her. She had a solid idea what was going on in the District and what their swordsman was doing there, but even she understood she was not aware of everything.

Neither was Finn or Loki, of that she had no doubt.

He was secretive like that, that boy.

One thing that surprised her was the loyalty of the two women. Even when Riveria questioned them about his whereabouts and made it clear when was in no mood for games and tricks, they remained steadfast.

Both of them were clearly scared, the scorn of a Level 6 was something ordinary people could never be prepared for, but they didn't back down.

They told her that she couldn't enter, and that they couldn't say where Fuzen was.

Loyal to the very marrow of their bones.

Was that how he was perceived in the eyes of others?

How others thought of him: someone worthy of loyalty?

Why was she not aware of this?

Because you're not interested in who he is.

That thought popped up in her mind, but she had no time to ponder on it as the pillar of light struck down Orario in the distance.

She no longer had time for anything except to run, hoping to make it there before something bad happened.

Yet as she ran she could still make up the words of the residents, at least of those who spoke in Koine.

"Look up!"

"That's...Lord Raiju!"

"What happened?!"

"Why is he up there?!"

"The Young Master!"

"What happened to the Young Master?!"

"Did something happen?!"

"Yamamoto-san must know!"

"Let's go! Let's go!"

'...What is going on in this District…?'

XXX

What exactly happened, she could not say.

One moment she was looking at the boy as he was surrounded by the members of the Berbera.

The next moment he opened his eyes and shouted so loudly the Amazons around him backed down a step or two.

And then pure whiteness assaulted her eyes, so fast she had no time to react, to even think. Her eyes could only see white, while her ears picked up the distinguished buzzing of electricity.

It continued for a couple of seconds before the pillar of light disappeared abruptly.

Ishtar looked up: a hole had appeared in the ceiling above their heads. That pillar of light smashed through all the floors of her Familia's Home, the ground between her and the boy where it fell down on now caved in, the cracks spreading throughout the throne room and the heavy downpour from outside making its way inside through the hole in the ceiling.

And then she felt it.

Turning her head to look ahead, she felt it.

Death, staring at her.

But it made no sense.

She was a Deity: immortal, ever-living. Fear of death, it made no sense for her to feel such a mortal emotion. It was the first time she felt it.

She was Ishtar, the most beautiful Goddess in Heaven. The most beautiful in the Lower World, as well.

The Heavens and the Lower World alike were hers for the taking, if she so desired.

And yet, that boy staring at her with eyes filled of hatred, staring at her like none other before...did he mean to say otherwise?

Without looking away from her, the boy began to move towards her, and it was then that she flinched.

"Tammuz!" She called out the name of her aide, the man, just as shocked and confused as everyone else present looking at her dumbly before understanding his Lady's wishes, jumping down from the podium and making a beeline for the boy.

Fuzen disappeared from his spot and appeared in front of the approaching man, however, and clenching his fist, threw a right hook at the Vice-Captain.

The man reacted just fast enough to bring up his arm and block the attack, but even so the impact was loud enough for everyone to hear.

'What?!' Ishtar thought as she looked at the impossible sight before her eyes. 'He's only Level 2! Isn't it just his Magic that makes him so dangerous?! How is he keeping up with a Level 4?!'

Of course, just like many others, Ishtar had made a grave mistake.

Just like many others, she had only seen the boy's Magic when the situation with Altena happened. They had only seen a dragon unleashing its Master's wrath on a city.

They had only seen the boy clad in lightning taking on hoards of soldiers.

But him besting the Sword Princess in single combat over and over again.

Him taking on the Dungeon on his own.

Him taking on Monster Rexes with nothing but his swords.

Him fighting against three Level 5's at the same time.

That, they had not seen yet. Neither Ishtar, nor anyone else.

They had seen the danger that was Raiju, the dragon.

They had not yet seen the threat that was Fuzen Katsumi, the warrior.

'W-What-?' However, despite her lack of enhanced senses, Ishtar saw it then. As she looked at the lightning-quick exchange of attacks between her Vice-Captain and the boy, she caught glimpses of it.

When he was attacking, or when he was dodging. She caught glimpses of how he wasn't looking at his opponent, but instead he looked past the man in front of him and looked further ahead.

At her.

Constantly, without fail.

Ishtar brought a hand up and covered her mouth: the teeth in her mouth were clattering.

It was the first time something like that was happening. It made no sense. Nothing about this made any sense!

What was she so afraid of?!

"You!" She turned to her side, looking at the closest Amazon to her. "Go and get Phryne! Now!"

Though as baffled as everyone else at the sight before their eyes, the Amazon nodded and ran off in search of her Captain.

All the while Fuzen kept staring at the Goddess without blinking, without looking at his opponent. The man was good, no doubt about that. A pure fist-fighter, by the looks of it. Strong, too: probably on the higher end of Level 4.

But so what?

Even without his sword in hand, no one in the damn room had trained longer or harder than him.

Level 4?

Two Levels higher?

His [Sword Disciple] Ability not active thanks to a lack of blade?

Raiju still not responding to his calls?

It didn't matter.

He didn't give a damn about any of that.

All he needed to take care of cockroaches were his own four limbs, nothing more.

All he needed was...

"You little shit!" His opponent threw a kick at him, Fuzen jumping back to avoid it.

As soon as his feet landed on the ground he bent his knees and a moment later..."[Lightning Drive.]"...faster than anyone could see, he rushed in front of the man and slammed his elbow in his chest then lifted his leg, landing a perfect Side Kick to the man's chin.

Right.

All he needed was the hand-to-hand combat that Tiona taught him over the last couple of months.

But it wasn't enough.

Not yet.

As the man fell backwards from the blow, Fuzen reached out and grabbed his leg, pulling it high above his head just as Tammuz's back hit the floor. He unclenched his fist and made a grabbing motion, then pulled his arm back just as fast.

Splash

Everyone in the room followed it with their eyes until it hit the ground with a splashing sound, rolling for a couple of inches before it came to a halt.

A testicle.

Tammuz reached for his now bloodied groin as soon as Fuzen let go of his leg, sweat visible on his face. The pain was great enough that he couldn't even scream or shout, forced to simply grit his teeth.

All he could do was wish that the kick from before had knocked him out.

Making a wiping motion with his hand to shake off the blood, Fuzen spoke. "...No more games."

"...What are you all doing?!" The angry shouts of their Goddess gained the attention of the gathered Amazons. "He's only Level 2! Attack him!"

Despite their Goddess's order, despite their nature as fighters, none of the Amazons executed the command immediately. A second passed. Then two.

One of the women finally acted and rushed forward.

She took only a couple of running steps before he appeared in front of her, his open hand making a swift motion at her face. The distinguished sound of wet ripping echoed in the room before the woman fell down to her knees, both hands holding her face.

Drops of blood fell down to the ground from in-between her fingers, her chest rising and falling in quick succession. "Ahh...Ahh...Ahhh…" She slowly raised her head and looked to her side, one arm extending towards one specific Amazon. "A-Aisha…" Her other hand slowly moved away from her face.

A whole chunk of her face's left side was missing, the bone of her cheek and the whites of her teeth now bare and exposed.

Her face had been torn off.

"Aisha...Help-" The hell of a foot fell down on her head before the sentence could be finished, her head mercilessly smashed into the ground.

He truly did not understand why they were all acting so surprised.

A Level 2 was already so strong normal people could not even compare or comprehend. Add in his ability to power himself up with the usage of Ki, and his small fists were able to punch through boulders.

The tearing of weak, human flesh...What was that in comparison to such strength?

His foot still resting on the head of the now unconscious Amazon, Fuzen made a throwing gesture with his hand in the direction of the woman the Amazon tried to reach for. The long-haired one must have been some sort of leader, if the one under his boot went out of her way to reach for her.

With a dull, wet splash the chunk of skin and flesh he tore off landed on the ground in-between them. "No. More. Games."

The hesitation of the Berbera was palpable. But of course, that did not last long.

"Kill him!"

The long-haired one, Aisha, shouted in anger and her comrades moved once again, the Amazons rushing him from all sides. Anger could overcome fear, after all.

"[Lightning Drive.]"

Using one of the few Techniques which did not require a sword Fuzen ran through their ranks and targeted one of the women in the back, jumping and grabbing her head before smashing his knee into her face.

With the disgusting, crunching sound of broken bones she fell flat on her back, Fuzen using one hand to jump back up to his feet and run towards the next target. Just as the Amazon turned around to look behind her a hand grabbed her by the mouth and slammed her, like so many others this day, into the ground.

Half-conscious, she grabbed the arm with both hands, hoping to pry his grip on her open, to no avail. Their eyes meeting for just a moment, Fuzen could see the sheer terror reflected in the woman's eyes, for she felt his grip on her tightening.

Without hesitation he then pulled his arm back, tearing skin and flesh off her face, alike.

He got up again, turning his head to be met with a straight left punch from another Amazon. His head turned back ever so slightly, but barely any damage had been done. Twisting his hips he threw a punch of his own at her abdomen, the woman crouching over from the powerful impact.

Turning on his heel he launched a kick at the back of her head, smashing her face-first into the ground.

The two seconds he took to take care of the three had been enough time for the others to almost surround him, so using [Lightning Drive] once again he ran towards the closest combatant to him, grabbing her by the face and slamming her into the Amazon behind her, both of their bodies hitting the ground.

With a twist of his wrist he ripped off part of her cheek as well, then jumped at the next target.

From the podium of her throne, Ishtar could only watch in both terror and confusion as the boy hopped from target to target, none able to withstand his might.

Her proud Berbera, toyed with as if they were nothing, their faces torn off by the hands of that murderous lunatic of a child.

'How...How did Loki manage to hide a monster like this?! My Familia...My Familia can't possibly lose to one child!'

By now more than fifteen of her combatants were down for the count, Fuzen simply moving too fast for them to surround him or even react to him. Only when he attacked was there a window of opportunity, but whenever one of their own got a hit in, it was as if no damage had been dealt.

Forced to just watch as he ripped through her Familia ranks, proud fighters reduced to whimpering messes on the floor-

Crash

Just then something landed inside the throne room, heavy enough to shake the very ground as a cloud of dust and debris rose up. "The hell is going on here?!" The person from within the cloud of dust yelled, her immense frame walking out into view and looking at the members of her Familia on the ground all around her. "What's this about an attack?!"

"Phryne!" Ishtar shouted to her Captain, some hope returning to her weakened heart. "Loki's brat! Kill him without hesitation!"

The large woman nodded after seeing the state of her Familia members, more angry at the fact that this attack was a blow to her honour as the Captain of Ishtar Familia than at the sight of the others laying on the ground with parts of their faces missing.

Just then someone jumped at her from her blind spot, the woman reacting just fast enough thanks to her Level 5 Status and raised her double-headed ax up, Fuzen's punch slamming into the weapon instead of her face.

The impact echoed throughout the room, the woman's surprise soon turning into anger as she swiped the axe to the side, using the momentum to throw a punch of her own.

Twisting his hips mid-air Fuzen managed to avoid the attack if only by a little, soon landing on his feet and taking a step back.

Phryne Jamil.

Also known as Androctonus.

Level 5.

In all honesty, he would have wanted his sword just about now.

He was no stranger to fighting Level 5's, but that was always while using his speciality. Both his Skill and his Development Ability helped him only when he held a sword in his hand, after all.

"You trying to attack me?!"

Androctonus shouted as she lifted her ax and swung at him, Fuzen reacting just in time to side-step and avoid the blade falling down on him, the attack instead pulverizing the ground where he stood. Not letting the opportunity slip by he rushed forward, cutting the distance between him and the large woman, and slammed his left fist in her side.

It felt like hitting a mound of jelly, however, and besides a slight flinch from the woman, the hit had hardly dealt any damage to her.

Jumping back to avoid the back follow-up swing of the woman, Fuzen took a moment to think of the situation he was in.

Phryne looked like a joke, but the woman's strength could not be denied. While she wasn't as fast as her Level would imply, no doubt because of her abnormal body shape, she was both strong and tough.

Almost like fighting a discount version of Gareth.

Her face was all the way up there, however...He'd need to jump to reach it, and if he messed up somehow she'd have a clear shot at grabbing him…

He doubted he'd get out easily if she got her hands on him-

'Hm?'

Noticing the blade coming in for his neck from the side Fuzen leaned to his left and used one hand to push himself up, jumping a good distance away. That long-haired one from before, Aisha, tried to attack him unlike the others who were still standing, her podao ready to cleave his head off.

Not stopping her attack the woman rushed him, anger and hatred visible in her eyes for what he had done, and using an almost dance-like style of fighting unleashed a flurry of attacks his way.

It wasn't exactly a warrior's style of combat, but Fuzen could tell she was good. Her leg work was splendid and she had managed to make her weapon a part of her body...Pretty good, indeed.

Had she been the Level 5 in the room, Fuzen guessed his odds would have been far worse. If the woman possessed more speed, power and better reaction time, she might have gotten a couple of hits in.

It was then, while he was dodging her ever-flowing flurry of attacks that the woman jumped, to his surprise, and grabbing her weapon with both hands, unleashed a downwards strike on him.

It was fast, but not enough for him to be unable to side-step.

'Oh.'

However, she had not tried to hit him, merely cutting him off for her Captain to come in from behind. Maybe it was simply that she had held back, or maybe his eyes got accustomed to the speed of the Level 3 Aisha…

Whatever the case, looking over his shoulder he saw the woman's axe coming down faster than he expected. Not having enough time to dodge to the side, Fuzen turned on his heel and brought his left arm up, letting the side of his forearm meet the edge of the blade.

Pitting his strength against hers and using his hips as much as possible, he directed the axe to his side, avoiding having the weapon falling down on him at the cost of a stripe of flesh the blade cleaved off his arm, from his waist to his elbow.

A small sacrifice.

Noticing Phryne's lowered guard he jumped up on her right arm and with all his strength he kicked her in the face, his attack managing to turn the woman's head to the side, blood splashing to the ground. There was no room for a follow-up attack, however, for as soon as he touched the ground Aisha was on him again.

"My face...My beautiful face...How dare you ruin my face?!"

Phryne raged.

Losing any semblance of rationality she dashed towards him, Aisha jumping to the side to avoid the indiscriminate charge.

Crash!

Crash!

Crash!

One after another she unleashed a flurry of attacks on Fuzen, far faster and more powerful than before. The very room shook with each missed hit, pieces of the floor flying upwards and the walls torn apart as Fuzen had to focus to the limit to keep up with her attacks.

It was because of this, however, that he failed to notice Aisha shadowing her Captain and just at the right moment, she swung her podao, sending a fist-sized piece of debris at him.

Noticing it too late the projectile hit him square in the face, taking away his balance for a split second.

But short as it was, that split second was enough for Phryne to take advantage of it. "Die you little shit!"

And bringing her axe high above her head, she let it fall down on him with all her strength.

That attack had been the most powerful one by far, the tremors it caused making some of the Amazons still in the room lose their balance and fall down on their butts. Debris and smoke alike rose in the air as jets of blood shot upwards, a couple drops splashing on the woman's face, drops with she licked with her unnaturally long tongue as a grin split her face in two.

"...That hurts, you stupid bitch…"

Her grin disappeared in the blink of an eye as the dust cleared and Fuzen's eyes, now red with anger, stared back at her.

There was no doubt about it: her attack landed. From his left shoulder to his right side, the blade of her axe bit into his flesh and drew blood, blood which now soaked his shirt.

He was wounded...but not fatally.

But she couldn't push the blade any further in. Even grabbing the handle with both hands and putting all her weight behind the weapon, she could not cleave him any further than that.

His mastery over [Bulwark] had reached a high enough level for him to be able to greatly mitigate the damage of an attack by a Level 5. This was now tested in battle.

He had Tiona to thank for that.

For a moment he wondered how he should thank her.

Food seemed like a good idea.

"...I'll admit it. You're pretty strong." He voiced before spitting out some blood to the side, his eyes never looking away from the woman. "Taking you out without a sword...Is a pain in my ass." He lifted his left hand and grabbed the weapon that, slowly pulling it out from his flesh. "So I'll fry you to death, instead. [Lash out]."

A moment later the woman began to convulse as she was enveloped in electricity, her eyes turning back in her head. The voltage increased with each passing second, the brightness almost high enough to force those looking to close their eyes.

Some couple of seconds later the crackling of electricity stopped and Phryne fell down on her back like a log, smoke coming out of her mouth.

A moment of silence followed as the fighting spirit of all other Amazons shattered.

"...You fucking asshole!"

All but one.

The long-haired one.

"Are you looking down on us?!"

Not drawing his sword, not using his Magic throughout the fight except now...Fuzen could see why she would be saying that.

Angry at not being taken seriously…

She was a fighter, after all.

But it was too little, too late.

She charged at him, weapon at the ready. He was wounded now, there was a chance she could still bring him down. A small chance, but one she was willing to take-

In the blink of an eye he was gone, only the pain from his shin kicking her in the abdomen telling her he was already upon her. Aisha swung her blade to the side, but he caught it in his palm, the edge only cutting through the skin and drawing a bit of blood, but not able to cleave his hand off.

He raised his other arm up and let it fall on the width of her podao, the blade shattering into pieces from that one hit. A fist targeted her belly once again, Aisha seeing only black for a second after the hit landed. Her knees hit the ground, and she felt it then.

A hand on her cheek.

She wanted to retaliate, but she had no strength in her body anymore.

And when her vision returned, she saw it. His damnable face in front of her eyes.

Empty, cold eyes staring into hers.

"...You...goddamn psychopath…"

He didn't respond, instead brushing the hair from her face with his other hand as his head tilted to the side ever so slightly. His lips finally parted after a long second of staring at her face. "...You are skilled. That much, I'll admit. And I'll acknowledge your fighting spirit, as well. But...you are no warrior."

Her eyes widened in fear as she felt the tips of his fingers pressing into her skin with ever increasing force. They slowly dug into her skin, into her flesh...And in but a single instant, the sound of something tearing echoed in her ear. "...only a whore, doing the bidding of a dirty-minded Deity."

She fell down a moment later, after he let go of her. "So don't cross my path, ever again." And with those words in her ears, everything went dark.

With a sigh he turned and looked at the Amazons who were still standing. Their earlier cockiness was nowhere to be found, only fear visible on their faces.

Good enough.

"[Engulf.]" Lifting his leg Fuzen stomped the ground and a wave of electricity washed over all those in front of him, both the fallen and those still standing. Once the attack came to an end only Ishtar remained standing.

One look at the woman was enough to tell him what was going on in her mind: despite her dark skin complexion, she was white as a ghost.

"How is it?" He asked as he walked towards her, the woman flinching in fear. "A taste of your own medicine?" Fuzen spread his arms, as if to draw attention to the now destroyed and bloodied room. "Feeling weak? Feeling like there is no escape? Feeling like you're just a toy, at the mercy of others? Betrayed, by those who were supposed to be indefinitely your better..."

He gritted his teeth, feeling his anger rising once again as he looked at the filth that dared to call itself God in front of him. "How is it, feeling like you're just someone's bitch? Tell me."

The distance between them getting ever shorter, Fuzen could already taste Ishtar's fear on his tongue.

She was at his mercy.

Indeed, that is all there was to the Goddess now.

But…

Her expression changed as he approached her. From fear, to an expression like she almost realized something. A smirk appeared on her lips a moment later.

'...What-?'

Then her eyes glowed for a moment, and his anger disappeared as if never there to begin with after looking at her.

Why was he so angry to begin with?

"...Hah...haha...Hahahahaha!"

He looked up at the woman laughing at him, and his mind cleared of all unnecessary thoughts. His past, his memories...All of that was unnecessary now. It had no importance.

No one mattered anymore.

All that mattered now…

"...Lady Ishtar…"

Was the personification of beauty in front of him.

Indeed...

He only lived for her sake.

All he needed to do was to serve her.

To give his everything to her.

To satisfy her every wish.

"Why didn't I think of this earlier…?" His Lady muttered as she came down from the podium and walked to him, confidence visible on her face. She looked down at him for a long moment. "On your hands and knees."

He heard her order, a smile forming on his lips.

She gave him an order!

Attention, to someone like him…

"Yes, Lady Ishtar!"

Of course, he executed the order immediately, dropping to his hands and knees without hesitation.

A moment later, a foot stomped on his head.

Then again, and again.

"You shit!"

"How dare you!"

"Come in here!"

"And destroy!"

"What I have built?!"

Over and over again, stomping his head without mercy…

He was so lucky, getting such attention from her, despite not deserving it.

Truly, so lucky.

But…

Just as her foot came in to hit him again, he grabbed it.

"-! What are you doing?!"

"Lady Ishtar, you are hurting yourself…"

"...Pfff...Of course…" She laughed and withdrew her leg, going down on one knee to his eye level and lifting his face up. "You're mine now, after all."

Getting acknowledged by her…

Being touched by her…

"Yes...I belong to Lady Ishtar…"

"Yes. You belong to me. Now, and forever. Your very soul belongs to me now." She smiled, madly, and cupped his face in her hands as he simply stared at her, dazed. "With your power at my disposal, I can finally bring that bitch down...Yes...Yes!"

He had no idea what she meant, but if he could be useful to her…

If he could fulfil her wishes…

Be of use to her…

Then he would do anything.

"Yes, that look on your face...Ready to do everything for me...That suits you much better. You're so cute now, like a puppy."

How beautiful she was…

How perfect she was…

Truly worthy of everything the world had to offer.

"I'll take good care of you, boy. Really good care...But, you still to be punished for everything you've done today. For doing all of this to my Familia..."

She stood up with a smirk, lifting her foot up in front of his face. "Kiss it."

Fuzen froze in place and looked up at her.

Touching her...he was not worthy of it.

Not in the least!

But she seemed to pick up on her thoughts, and put his worries to rest. "It's alright. I allow you to touch me."

He still hesitated, but ultimately reached out and gently grabbed her foot in his hands, bringing it closer to his lips.

That's right, he didn't need to hesitate.

She allowed him to do it.

She ordered him.

That meant that kissing her foot was his duty.

His sole reason for existing.

That's right.

His duty was to serve her!

To fulfil her every wish was...his duty…

That's right.

His duty…

Duty…

…

…

…

Noticing the moment of hesitation, Ishtar raised an eyebrow. "What' wrong? I told you you're allowed to touch me." She repeated her words, certain that the charmed boy was simply overwhelmed by the reward she gave him.

As he lifted his head and bloodshot eyes looked back at her, however, Ishtar froze once more.

"Duly noted…" He spoke in what could only be described as a gargle, Ishtar feeling his grip on her foot tightening as a disturbing, ear-to-ear smile formed on his face.

For a single moment, Ishtar could see the Divine Jester's grin, the same one used on the Loki Familia's flag, overlapping with his own.

Then…

Crunch!

With a swift motion he twisted it to the side, forcing it into an angle it was not meant to bend at.

Ishtar screamed in pain and fell down, but she had no time to even try to crawl away. In a single moment he was upon her, pinning her down while his crazed eyes looked into her own.

"I...I charmed you!"

"Kehehehe…"

"You're mine, you stupid child! Listen to me!" The Goddess shouted in despair, tears already streaming down her face. Whatever it was from the pain or the absolute lack of control she experienced for the first time, however...She could not say. "Can't you even do that right, you goddamn-!?"

His hand grabbed her mouth before she could finish, his strength threatening to crush her face. He let go a moment later, however, and instead grabbed her upper lip with two fingers, slowly pulling it up. "...Should I rip off this mouth that is up to no-good…?"

Her eyes widened at the words as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks. Perhaps it was thanks to her pride in her beauty, or maybe the fearful thought of losing the gazes that showered her with admiration.

Whatever the case, she found just enough strength in her to shake her head at the question.

He tilted his head at her action, his grin getting even larger. Letting go of her lip, he grabbed her nose next. "Then this nose you are so proud of...Can I tear it off, then?" He asked on a viper's tone, pulling her nose to the left, then right, then left and right again.

"S-Stop…"

Next he brushed his hands through her hair, his thumbs just a twitch away from her eyes. "Then those eyes that are so eager to charm, at the very least…"

"...N-No…"

At the sound of her trembling voice he pulled his hands back, shaking his own head head at her like a parent shaking their head at their child. "Tsk, Tsk, Tsk...You can't just take, and take, and take some more without ever giving something back...That's no good. No good at all…Ahh, and now you're crying…"

Fuzen gave her a fake, pained look as he watched the tears run down her cheeks. "Is the Lower World too much for you now? Is it no longer pleasant, when things don't go your way anymore? There, there, it's alright...Let me wipe those tears for you…"

As soon as she saw his hand reaching for her face again, Ishtar clenched her teeth and violently shook her head to both sides, trying to get away from him, from that hand that threatened her beauty.

But she was pinned, and there was no escape.

"Heee...~?" She was it then, how his grin turned into a demonic smile. "What's this? Surely you aren't afraid of a mere child? You even called me cute just a minute ago...Cute like a puppy, no less. Woof, woof~!"

Ishtar understood it then, in that moment. She understood that in all her years in the Lower World, she had never met a mortal as crazy as the boy staring down at her with crazed, bloodshot eyes.

And the fear came next, taking over every cell in her body.

"You even tried to charm me, and make me love you...You can't force people into doing that, didn't you know? But it's alright. I don't mind."

He voiced calmly, and in front of her eyes his demonic smile suddenly disappeared and was replaced by what she could only describe as a sweet, kind smile. As if the crazy person had never existed.

It was so genuine, Ishtar wondered if everything that had just happened wasn't just a dream.

"Unlike you, I don't mind helping people. If it's what you need, I'll give you my love. I'll love you, and love you…" He voiced as he grabbed the orange piece of cloth covering her chest and pulled it up, exposing her bare breasts.

For a moment, she thought he actually desired her body, but then…

"And love you some more…" He started to wrap the cloth around her neck…

And she understood what he was up to. "W-Wait!"

"I'll love you so much…" Then it started to tighten around her neck, until breathing was almost impossible. His terrifying smile returned as he lifted her off the ground until her face was just inches away from his, then pulled the cloth to either side. "Until I'll take your breath away!"

He was strangling her.

A mortal was strangling her, the Goddess of Beauty.

It made no sense.

As she kicked the ground with both her good and her injured leg and tried to claw at the arms strangling her to death, the situation made no sense to Ishtar.

Mortals were not supposed to be able to hurt Deities. Not just because of the fear of their wrath, or the fear of what that Deity might do to their soul back in Heaven.

Biologically, existentially, it was taboo for them to do so.

The one thing they consciously and subconsciously knew they weren't allowed to do in life.

And yet, the boy in front of her wasn't only doing that…

"Kehehehe~!"

He was taking joy in the act.

Taking joy from hurting a Deity.

"Kehehehe! I get it now! Why you people trample on others so much!"

"This is pretty fun! Is that why you do it, too?!"

"Why you destroy the lives of others?! Because it's fun?!"

"Come on, answer me! Is that why you do it?!"

The grip on her throat loosened ever so slightly, allowing her to breath a bit again. "Hah! Hah! Hah!"

"...That's not an answer, now is it?!"

Then he tightened the cloth again, not having received his answer.

"Do you like it?! Not being in control?! Being someone's toy?!"

"Not having a say about your own life?! Feeling like your life could end any second?!"

"Having someone hold your life in their hands?! Being at their mercy?!"

"Do you enjoy it?! Having to suffer for someone else's enjoyment?!"

"Being someone's bitch, do you like it?!"

As her face turned blue and foam started to gather at her mouth, Ishtar's bulging eyes couldn't look away from the face staring down at her, the eyes that, despite the smile on his face, reflected only anger and hatred at her.

And she wondered then, why she had to meet such an abnormal mortal that made her fear for her life.

A mortal that made her think could even take her eternal life away from her.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity he let go of her and her back hit the floor. She gasped for air as she held her throat, trying to push herself away from him with her other hand.

"I won't kill you. Your death would be a pain in the ass to deal with. Too many consequences. But I will say this…" He walked up to her side, crouching so that their eyes would be on the same level. "I'm taking my people back. And you are paying compensation for their kidnapping. Everything that happened here today is your fault. Also…"

He grabbed her face and pulled her closer. "Stay the hell out of my District. Keep your hands away from my people. If you think about blaming my Familia...If you think about taking revenge...If you hurt even just one person I know on a simple name basis...I'm coming back, and I'm ripping off that ugly face of yours. Just like today, your Familia won't be able to protect you. If you run, I'll find you. And if you go back to Heaven, I'm coming after you. Because I will grasp the Heavens. Understood?"

She did not reply: she couldn't, as he was holding her by the mouth. However the look in her eyes told him everything he needed to know. And so, he smiled. "So you can be reasonable, after all. Then, why did you choose the hard way of doing things in the first place?"

Not waiting for a reply of any kind he slammed her head into the ground, not hard enough to kill her but enough to knock her out.

He got up and turned around, making his way towards the long hallway he used to get here.

For a moment, he was thankful for his ability to stay focused on the matter at hand.

But, once he walked out of the throne room, his control started to slip away.

'...Lady Ishtar...Lady Ishtar...Lady Ishtar…'

He tried to focus, tried to get rid of her face from his mind.

But he couldn't.

His mind was a mess, only able to think of her, of serving her, of doing her bidding. Yet at the same time…

'Duty...My duty…'

'Lady Ishtar...need to serve her…'

'Need to grasp the…'

'My Lady...I hurt my precious Ishtar…'

'Hachiman...The Mistress...Need to…'

'Serve Ishtar…Live for her…'

'The path of the sword...My school…'

Back and forth, over and over again, opposing thoughts filled his mind, as did the face of the Goddess he had just hurt and nearly killed.

Everything was a haze, blurry, real and an illusion at the same.

He had walked out of the Belit Babili, he didn't knew when, and was now on a street. No people were around. Heavy rain poured on his body, the pain from the wound he got from Phryne spiking up as the drops of water fell on it.

Her face was stuck in his mind, her face looming over him.

He wanted to serve her…

'No...Kill her…'

He wished to be by her side…

'Screw her...My duty...That is far more…'

'Lady Ishtar...My Lady…'

Fuzen closed his eyes, pulling at his own hair in desperation. Taking a couple more steps, he stumbled over a stone and fell to the ground.

He knew who he was, what he needed to do.

But Ishtar's pull was too strong.

He needed to submit to her!

"-! Fuzen!"

Give himself to her!

'I need to...serve her- Kill her! My path is...that of the sword- Of serving Ishtar!'

"Fuzen!"

The conflict ever growing, he felt his head and mind alike were about to split open. The clarity he had minutes ago was gone: he didn't even know who he was exactly, anymore.

Then, a hand touched his shoulder. Looking up, he was met with jade-green eyes looking at him. "Fuzen! You're hurt...What happened?"

Her name was...Riveria.

Right.

Riveria.

"Are you okay? Can you speak?"

Of the Loki Familia.

And the Loki Familia…

"What is wrong? Speak to me, child!"

He reached out to her, grabbing the collar of her shirt.

"Fuzen?"

And the Loki Familia...they were his…

In a split second he pushed her down to the ground, the Elf's shock visible on her face.

They were Ishtar's enemy!

And Ishtar's enemies…

He raised his arm high above his head.

All her enemies needed to die!

And then he brought his fist down, on the wide-eyed Elf.

Anything for Ishtar's sake…

XXX

Eyy.

So you have read all that. My hat's down to you.

Was it uncomfortable?

I certainly tried to write it as such.

Implicit as much as I could, yeah, but also uncomfortable.

Now, I know that the shit I put Fuzen through, especially explained during flashbacks of his past, might be a bit off-putting.

He's just a kid, why am I making him suffer so much? You might be asking that.

However, one of the biggest reasons is easily explained: because kids in our own past were treated as such.

If you don't believe me, look up "Child Labor in the Industrial Revolution - Video Infographic" by the channel "History Crunch" on youtube.

That is just a small view into the stuff that happened back then, a subject I have always looked up and didn't shy away from.

So while this may be debatable, I am actually just trying to be realistic given the medieval setting of Danmachi in my own way.

I also wanted to show the mental scars such experiences might have on a young mind. I mean, if MCs in anime go through bad shit, usually one of two things happen: they either become very edgy because of the experience, or they are so pure of heart and conviction they will still be the good guys, no matter what.

My OC...I am trying to write him as neither.

He tries to be himself, despite everything. In recent Chapters more so that in the beginning. Sometimes he manages to do that, sometimes he doesn't.

I think this specific Chapter is a good example of that.

At least, that is what I am trying to write. If I am succeeding at doing that or not, that is up for you as readers to decide.

Now, for the question some or all of you might still have:

Did he got graped?

The answer is: NO. But he came pretty damn close to it.

That is why he does not like being touched, something I have thrown in from the very beginning. And that is why he tried to always run away from Riveria, also something that has happened in the past.

Now, for the references.

His plan with the East District, and the reason he affiliated himself with it:

You can find that in "Chapter 24: Just Another Savage Day"

And then his past with the "woman" that used him, which he remembered thanks to the sex of 'people' (sex) in the air as he walked through the Pleasure District:

You can find that in "Chapter 45: A Flash of Memory"

That's the beginning of him latching on to the first person that showed him kindness, even going as far as to kill people for her sake (which were of course innocent), only to find out she was part of a sex trafficking group in the capital of the Far East, all of whom listened to a certain Deity that is now...back in Heaven.

So yeah, I think we got everything covered with that. Obviously, if you still have questions about one thing or the other, you can either PM me or leave a question in a review. I think most people who read this fic can tell you that I try my best to answer to everyone who writes me.

I am pretty sure this Chapter is either the new "boost" of this fic or it's very downfall because of how little I cared in pulling punches, but whatever the case may be, I presented it to you.

Was it good?

Was it bad?

Too explicit?

Too implicit?

All of that, I can't answer.

I simply wrote, and I had a hell of a time doing so.

You let me know everything else in the reviews. O_O

And with that said, if this fic doesn't get banned for one reason or the other, I will see you next time.

Kay bye -_-