n

n

nI looked at the rest of the townsfolk, who, for some reason, seemed pleased that the traitorous Xiang had met her cruel end.

n

"It seems you are all misunderstanding something...

" I said to the remaining people who kept their faces bowed before me while I spoke.

n

"I didn't kill her because of any of you. To be honest, I couldn't care less about your moral obligations or whatnot. Whether your actions or her choices are wrong or right is none of my business.

"

nAt this point, they raised their heads, staring at me with fear. The people, mostly comprised of women and a couple of children stared at me with tears in their eyes, pleading desperately with me for mercy.

n

"You all wouldn't care if two goats happened to be fighting, would you? Or if two bugs were debating on their actions, those are of no relevance to you humans, correct? Right or wrong, none of those matter when dealing with livestock... and you all are no different

"

nRealizing there was no hope for them, the townsfolk quickly rose from their knees and took to their heels instead, attempting to escape from their fate since it was impossible to obtain mercy.

n

"Lust...

" I mumbled, waving my hands nonchalantly.

n

"They're all yours.

"

n

"Thank you, master!

" She licked her lips in excitement.

n

"Stop!

"

nThe entire crowd halted instantly. As though time froze, none of them could move a muscle, not even their eyes.

n

"Now then, let the party begin!

" She declared, raising her hands joyfully as she smiled in Glee, preparing for one of her very warped shows.

n***************************

nUnknown Dungeon, Forest Of Monsters

n

"Huu, who could have expected this... to think I would be facing an opponent stronger than me here...

"

nMy breathing was heavy and I was feeling weakened for some reason.

nI see. There must be something about this place that saps away my strength. Not only am I getting weaker. This guy appears to be getting more powerful...

nI pushed aside other distracting thoughts concerning how this came to be, and the difference between what I experienced and the initial plan hatched by my original, Lord Hexarion.

n

"Struggle is pointless. I am more powerful than you are. What is the point to this meaningless fight?

" The monster asked, floating above us.

nIts eyes had a condescending glare, and I could feel the air of superiority the devil-like monster exuded.

nGritting my teeth in agitation, I gripped my sword tighter than usual and resolved to do whatever I could to kill the beast.

n

"Virgo, what's the best you can do?

" I asked, glancing to the Constellation, who also appeared somewhat weakened, even in a much more terrible state than I was.

n

"The best? What does that mean?

" She asked, refusing to take her eyes off the monster.

n

"I'm about to go all out. Can I count on you not to hold me back?

"

nShe appeared slightly flushed with annoyance by my question, but she was in no position to express those feelings in the situation we were in.

n

"Don't underestimate me, mongrel. I'm a Constellation, you know? I'm not so weak that I-

"

n

"That's all I needed to hear!

" I interrupted.

nBefore she could protest to me cutting her words short, I concentrated all my Essence, sending them into overdrive.

nLet's do this!

n>BOOOOOOOOOMMMMM<

nIn an instant, a phenomenal surge of power burst from me, devastating my surrounding. The Aspects in the air burst into their little particles as a result of the overload. My hair turned white and every portion of my body glowed a near-blinding color that shone across the room.

nEven Virgo appeared to be struggling to prevent being swept away by the devastating force I emitted.

n

"Keukk... to think you still have this much power left...

" She commented, wincing at the choking aura surrounding me.

n

"The monster is stronger than me, so I'll need your assistance!

" I shouted, pointing my transformed blade to the monster.

nIf I could use Hex, it would be much easier, but since this troublesome woman is here, I have to rely on my Treasures. Tch!

nStill, in the current form I took, exploiting several Treasures in my possession, I was twice as powerful as Wrath.

nThe intimidating aura of the monster still affected me to a degree, and I could feel my strength slowly fading due to the Dungeon's nature, indicating I had to end things as quickly as possible.

n

"Got it!

" She nodded.

n>Zwoooosh<

nIn an instant, I vanished from my position and appeared before the monster. It didn't appear fazed to see me as it erected a red barrier around itself which was capable of blocking any attack I could render.

nBut...

n

"Virgo!

" I yelled.

nStraining a smile, she generated a massive surge of white light and directed it at the barrier, causing a malfunction in it.

n

"W-what?!

" It let out in surprise.

n>Fwip<

nI changed my location, moved behind it, and gave a devastating slash.

n>BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM<

nThe entire Dungeon seemed to evaporate in an instant, turning into dust. However...

n>SHUUUUU<

nA mist-like substance began to emit from the rubble, attaching the destroyed structure back to one other and in no time at all, the Dungeon reformed itself.

n

"How unexpected. To think you would exploit my weakness against Divine Power and deal enough damage to wound me.

" The monster muttered.

n

"But, if that is all there is to your power... it will still end in my victory!

"

nGrinning maniacally, a dark-crimson aura burst forth from its body, making me instantly teleport back to Virgo as she erected a holy barrier around us.

n

"What is that filthy beast up to now?!

" Virgo exclaimed.

nIf I had to guess, judging by the amount of power it was emitting, the monster was going to destroy the entire forest, with us along with it.

n

"Since it's like this, I suppose I ought to go all out too!

"

nThe aura which could tear apart everything for miles suddenly condensed and became concentrated on the single being above us.

n

"This is...

"

nNot only had the monster vastly exceeded its previous power, but the absorbtion on my end also grew worse.

n

"I'll end this in one blow. Brace yourselves!!!

" The monster declared, raising Its hand above its head.

n

"Pure Destruction!

"

nAs it stated this, a wave of crimson force radiated from him, all across the entire forest, encircling the whole region in what would be preparation for combustion.

nAnd so, the eruption followed.

n>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!!!<

nIn barely a moment, the entire forest was razed to the ground, no single leaf or sign of life could be seen. Even the Dungeon had collapsed at this time, rendering everything, except the monster to molecules of shattered Aspects.

n

"Ah, I ended up destroying everything, but so what? I fulfilled my purpose and destroyed my target.

"

n

"Hehehe... Hahahaha... Hahahaha!!!

"

nUsing its heightened senses, the monster spread its perception across the area, spanning for miles, yet did not sense the presence of its enemies.

nThe only ones nearby are those pesky humans in the city, eh? Though I sense a few threats, two in particular, none of them should be able to measure up to my power. Should I head there now?

nReadying its four wings, the demon was about to make for the city when the unprecedented occurred.

n

"Where do you think you're going?

"

nThe sound of one whom the monster presumed dead echoed in its ears.

n

"This... you are...

" It growled, turning in the direction of the sound.

nHowever, before it could react, a blinding slash appeared in four-folds.

n>SWISH<

n>SLASH<

n>FWIP<

n>FLAP<

n

"W-wha-?!

"

nInstantly, all four of the monster's wings were sundered, causing it to lose bearing the air.

n

"Guarghhh! How, what was tha-?!

" It yelled in pain, suddenly stopping at the sight of something floating higher than its current level.

n

"Ah, what's with that look? Surprised?

" I grinned, watching the creature's eyes bulge in shock.

n

"You... How are you still-?!

"

nBefore it could say any more, I sped across the distance separating us, preparing a deadly blow on my hand as I approached it.

n>BAM!<

nMy fist sunk into its stomach as it let out a muffled sound of pain.

nThe monster was sent diving into the razed ground beneath, colliding with the surface.

n>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!<

nThe earth shattered apart, the whole forest region and beyond quaked as rocks flew from the point of impact.

nDescending from my height, I neared the stunned monster, still gazing upon it condescendingly.

n

"H-how... I don't understand... I definitely killed you... How are you still-?!

"

nLooking at the monster now, it was nearly difficult to believe I was struggling against such a pathetic being. Not only was its intelligence extremely low, but the majority of its advantage was also now gone.

n

"This is the end of the line for you... I win!

"

nA Few Moments Ago

nAs I watched the monster's aura increase, I realized there was no way we could survive its impact.

n

"This is...

"

nNot only had the monster vastly exceeded its previous power, but the absorbtion on my end also grew worse.

n

"I'll end this in one blow. Brace yourselves!!!

" It declared.

nSuddenly, a sharp tingle surged in my head, making me realize what I didn't even consider before.

nWhy didn't I think of this earlier? Is this also another part of my memory's interference?

n