Ares, son of Zeus and also known as the god of war.

He was one of the many who kissed up to me and never ceased to pester me in search of strength. Just like Hephaestus, he wanted powerful weapons and means of having the edge over his peers.

After reaching the limit of my patience, I finally decided to make a few Treasures for him, giving him some weapons and armors which suited his person.

One of these items was the 'Dark Armor Of War,' which was what the Guildmaster currently wore.

"You can't back out now, you hear?

" Galandel declared, clad in his dark armor.

Of course, I had no intention of backing down in the first place.

After all, no one knows more about this Relic than me.

"You talk too much

" I responded.

Instantly, he dashed toward me, devastating the floor beneath him. In a flash, he reached my location and threw a fist toward me.

The wind caused by the intense force of the blow caused my hair to fly backward as it approached me.

However...

>BOOOOOMMM!<

I stopped the fist with my hand, generating a loud shockwave all around us.

Galandel appeared a little surprised but didn't halt his movements. Quickly raising his second fist, he struck at me too, but I also caught it with my other hand.

"Tch!

" He let out in dissatisfaction.

What next, Guildmaster? I thought to myself.

Suddenly, spikes appeared from behind him, and the armor plates. They simultaneously lunged at me, causing my hands to let go of his fists and leap backward.

The spikes separated from his armor, forming sharp projectiles.

"You're not getting away!

" He declared.

Instantly launching them toward me, the multiple objects spun in the air as they moved at a fast speed.

This much is nothing, though.

I generated a barrier to deflect all the spikes, and as they bounced off, I generated a few of mine as well which clashed with the launched projectiles, destroying them.

"Interesting... You're pretty skilled. But this isn't enough!

"

It appeared like Galandel would keep wasting my time as he felt me out. In situations like this, it was in my best interest to finish things up quickly.

However, my original didn't give me access to the Treasury, and I only had a few weapons in my arsenal.

Spamming weapons to overwhelm him wasn't going to work, so another method was due. Fortunately, I had many more means of dealing with him.

Snapping my fingers, many orbs appeared as they circled around.

"Hex #92: Orb Of Age

"

"Hex #94: Orb Of Corrosion

"

Having the colors of grey and brown, they mixed with each other, creating many greyish-brown spheres floating in the air.

"What are you-

"

Releasing them instantly, the orbs rained down upon Galandel, creating a large explosion.

>SHUUUUUUU<

Mist emanated from the smoke, and everything around it broke down and turned old. The white bricks around fell apart and turned black.

Age and rust filled everywhere as they all crumbled.

"W-what is this...?!

" Galandel exclaimed, seeing his armor tear down.

"It might be a powerful Relic, but in the end, it's still armor.

"

A weakness they all share is their susceptibility to 'age'. Rust and Corrosion eventually ruin the quality of armor, causing it to break down over time.

With the Hex of Age, I can accelerate time at an inconceivable rate, making an event happen a thousand times over in an instant. Of course, adding the corrosive orb made the effects stronger, ultimately causing the armor to break apart.

"Anything else?

" I asked with a smile.

Galandel looked at me with unbelievable shock, as his face and body were now exposed. I could have used the opportunity to end things, but I was a little curious about what else he had up his sleeve.

"Huhuhuhu, impressive. But, I'm not done yet!

" He grinned, crushing his fist in resolve.

The rings he wore on his fingers, numbering four in total, glowed. Having one on his right, and three on his left-hand fingers, they displayed their respective colors.

What now?

To my shock, the armor which had shattered apart began to repair itself, and in an instant, it returned to its previous state.

Not only that, it was now surrounded by a red aura that burned through anything around it.

"So he's finally using the Armor's ability. I wanted to end it before he did that...

"

"Surprised, uh? Don't be! There's no way you can win against me. Even if you caught me by surprise the last time, you won't be destroying this armor again. Even if you do, I'll just repair it!

"

Using my special senses, I analyzed the Aspects within the ring Relics he had. I saw the reason for his overconfidence.

The rings did not belong to a set, but they had useful abilities.

The green one reversed any action done against him, though it had a Cooldown period. That was most likely what he used for the armor.

The yellow one generated a barrier around him upon the slightest hint of danger. Now that he activated it, I reckoned it would be harder to hit him.

The orange ring was a buff item, granting him higher stats.

Finally, the black ring gave him the power to nullify Aspects to an extent.

"A void attribute, uh? Interesting...

" I smiled.

Of course, the Aspect concentration in it was low, but it had the same quality as the Aspect I wielded in the past.

"Let's end this!

"

Instantly releasing his red aura, the surrounding area began to get devastated as it drew closer to me.

While it would have been a little more informative if I fought him, I wasn't going to. I had grown bored of the fight, anyway, so I decided to end it.

I raised my sheathed blade and finally removed it from its scabbard.

The sword had a glint in it which indicates its sharpness.

As the crimson aura approached, I swung my sword in its direction, and instantly...

>WHOOOOOOSHHH<

The pressure my sword generated blew through the aura, instantly dissipating it.

"Rahhhh!!!

" Galandel yelled.

A cackling dark-red orb was growing between his hands, emitting some dangerous amounts of void and energy Aspects. As the two warring Aspects collided, one thing was imminent...

>KKKKKTTTTTKKTTKTTT<

Cackles of unstable energy buzzed through the air. He finally launched the ball at me, and from my reading of it, the powerful substance had enough capacity to destroy the entire room. None of us would receive damage, of course, but Galandel didn't know that.

>SWISH<

I swung my sword and neatly cut through the orb, simultaneously redirecting the blast in his direction.

"W-wha-?!

"

>BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!<

When the dust settled, Galandel was on the ground, coughing in irritation as a result of the dust. His yellow barrier defended him from the blast, but not the dust around.

As he still recoiled from the blast, I broke through the barrier with a swing of my sword and drew closer.

>SWOOOSH<

My blade cleanly cut through the armor and severed his hand from the rest of his body.

"Gahhhh!

" He yelled in pain and shock, widening his eyes as he saw me approach.

With the rings which contained his protective ability and his other perks disconnected from him, he had no way of using his restorative ability.

"You-!!!

"

Before he could protest, within a single moment, I sliced through his entire armor, breaking it apart in an instant.

>Clang< >Clang< >Clanganganang<

The tiny scraps of metal fell on the ground, leaving Galandel with nothing but his previous attire.

His face displayed shock at the instant display of power and skill, able to render him powerless before he could think.

"Do you understand now? I could easily beat you at any time.

" I said, moving closer to him.

Squatting, so he could see my face clearer, I drew closer and raised his head with my fingers.

"So, tell me. Do you want to continue?

"

The look of fear in his eyes, coupled with stifling pain, made me aware of the fact that he knew of his defeat.

"Good. It looks like I win your little test.

" I said, rising to my feet as I walked away from him.

"Ruth, heal him.

"

Responding to my instruction, she disabled her barrier and quickly dashed to Galandel.

"Hex #39: Causality Reversal

"

The wounds and trauma he received became nonexistent. His arms returned, brand new and his Bracelet and pendant returned from their shattered state. The miracle occurring before his eyes caused him to look at Ruth in shock.

Ruth ignored his curious, yet grateful, stare. After completing her task, she returned to my side.

"Now that you have seen what I can do, I'm certain you have no doubt about my Party's abilities,

" I said to him, watching him rise from the devastated ground, or what was left of it.

Even though I hadn't shown Shamac's abilities at all, it would only be sensible to assume that he was crazy strong since Ruth and I were his allies.

Having such a performance shown to him, the Guildmaster had no more doubt left in his heart.

"Indeed. You have proven yourselves. I have nothing more to test.

" He smiled.

Snapping his fingers, we returned to his office.

Now back in the neat and orderly room, the Guildmaster walked closer to us with a respectful gaze.

"Once again, I welcome you all. I am very grateful for the actions you performed in my absence. Rio Xarion, for defeating the monster who assaulted and nearly destroyed this city... Truly, thank you!

" He declared, bowing his head in respect.

Just as I thought. Like all simpletons, Galandel was no different.. Every man respects only the strong.