The wind roared, and a storm of demonic powers raged. However, in the eye of the storm, where it was quiet and calm, stood a man holding a round, half-shattered object. It was Joshua.
âWhat theâŚ?â Theta trailed off, confused by the abrupt supernatural event.
Iceline had been dumbfounded and unable to talk for a while now.
Then, a piercing wail of desperation split the air.
âThis canât be happeningggggggg!â
Berber, Asmodeusâs contractor, held the 32nd-highest position in the Demon Realm. Currently, he was known as Jerath dek Orbis, the continentâs greatest battle mage, and yet, he was losing pathetically right now.
âYou! You bastardddd!â
Perhaps it was his last resort, but Berber created a black sword that was oozing with black magic. He thrust his arm forward angrily to kill Joshua. Even if he chewed up and spat out the man in front of him, Berber didnât think he would be satisfied.
âJust give up,â Joshua spoke up.
â...!â
Suddenly, Berber felt an overwhelming pressure pressing down on his entire body. He could even feel his head lowering. He gritted his teeth.
âJOSHUA SANDERS!â
Even as his demonic power was disappearing, he could feel himself disintegrating into dust.
Everything he had done had been done in vain. He felt bitter; he felt desperate.
Berber had a dream. His dream wasnât something pathetic as petty revenge. If he achieved his dream, then revenge would come naturally.
âIt wouldnât have taken much longer. The force amassed here would have been sufficient to topple several kingdoms and empires. ButâŚ!â
He grew angrier the more he thought. He vomited blood.
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He had all the resources he needed to make his dream come true. He had the undead army he had been preparing for decades and even had the Bone Dragon now.
However, he lost them all.
âPeople say that trees give generously to humans.â
Berber flinched when he heard Joshuaâs voice close to his ear.
âSo?â
âTrees donât care that humans cut down countless trees for their own self-interest. They donât care that theyâre giving to what is, basically, their enemies. They still give humans fruits to eat, shades to relax under, and even clean air.â
Berber seemed to be thinking, âWhat the hell are you talking about?â
Joshua smiled. âIâm saying that to me, youâre like that.â
â...!â
âBerber, youâre just like that giving tree.â
âIâm going to kill you!â
Berbere committed fully to his attack. He squeezed out every bit of his power, down to the last bit.
He also gave orders to his forces. If he couldnât move directly, then he could employ his subordinates. He believed that if he used the sourceâs mana, then the scale would be tilted toward his side again. And if that happenedâŚ
âThe mana of the source comes from the soul. If the soul itself is struck, then it will be destroyed.â
An emotion flitted through his eyes.
âBut that doesnât matter. I already made a deal with the demon. My soul isâŚâ
- That isnât allowed.
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â...!â
Berberâs eyes widened at the voice that rang through his head.
â...?â
Joshua looked on, puzzled, as Berber started writhing in pain. Just a short while ago, Berber had been radiating with excitement like he had something great up his sleeve, so what was going on?
âWell, I donât think it matters much,â Joshua muttered and then advanced.
Step.
That was the beginning.
With that single step of his, tens of thousands of undead immediately bowed in submission.
Step.
Joshua took another step forward.
This time, the Dullahans, clad in their usual pitch-black iron armor, lowered their heads. Even the mighty knights werenât an exception.
Clang.
With echoing sound metal, the infamous Death Knights, known for their haughty demeanor, dropped to their knees.
â....â
Joshuaâs expression hardened as he looked at them.
Death Knights were created with potent demonic power as well as the body and soul of an A-Class knight. There was no way that someone with that much skill and pride would give up that easily. It was most likely that Asmodeusâs intimidation had pushed knights into Forced Contracts and Recall of Soul.
But that was alright since Joshua had ample time. He could slowly take his time to investigate their identities.
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However, the last one was a problem.
Krrrrrr.
In the dark sky above his head, there was a monster with a huge, gaping maw that belched black smoke and roared threateningly.
âHoooooh.â
Joshua raised his head and took a deep breath. Demonic power welled within him, wrapping him in an explosive aura, and when he opened his mouth, his words had within them the full weight of that power.
âCome to me,â he ordered.
Thump, thump.
The massive wings of the dragon continued to flap in the air. It ignored Joshuaâs command and continued to hover in the air. With its mysterious power, was there anything the Bone Dragon couldnât do?
Boom!
The answer was no. The enormous monster landed on the ground with a heavy boom.
The rare monster that Berber had created over the course of his life folded its wings and bowed its head in front of Joshua.
In the end, the only one standing in the middle of the floor was Joshua.
âOh, myâŚâ From a distance, Icelineâs mouth gaped in disbelief at this astonishing situation.
But then, something strange happened.
Joshua felt pressure on his wrist. His eyes widened. It felt like something was trying to hold him back.
âYouââ
- New MasterâŚ
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â....â
Joshua paused as he became aware of the many voices around him.
Berberâs forces had been snatched from the 4th Princeâs palace, and now, one of the five liches was speaking.
- PleaseâŚ
â....â
Joshuaâs expression turned grave. Even without listening further, he knew what the lich was saying. As it was a relationship tied by the contract, he could feel their eagerness.
âWhy?â Joshua couldnât hold back his question.
What the lich desperately wanted was none other than then its former owner, Berber, so that it would be relieved of its pain.
Just then, a voice interrupted from behind Joshua, a voice carrying intolerable rage.
âYou! You canât be thinkingâ!â
Joshua turned around. It was his attendant Ash. He was visibly shaking with his flats clenched tightly.
âAshâŚ?â
Ash gritted his teeth as he stared at Berber. Memories surfaced in his mind.
***
Amidst a thick, verdant forest, a blonde boy was walking with a worried expression on his face when someone called out to him.
âMr. Elenburs!â
The boy turned. A man jumped over a fallen tree and dashed over.
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âI found it!â
âReally?â
At those words, the boyâs face immediately lit up.
From an outsiderâs perspective, the situation seemed odd because the older man seemed overly respectful of the boy, who only came up to his chest.
This, however, was to be expected, given that they were elves.
âWhere is it?â
By this time, the man had reached the boy. He spoke without bothering to catch his breath.
âItâs in the human empire known as Avalon.â
âAvalon?â
The boy quietly repeated the word, then his face seemed to express that it was as expected.
Since it was said that his homeland was an empire called Avalon, this outcome did not come as a surprise.
âLead the way.â
âOf course.â
After that, two figures darted out of the forest immediately.
***
The young elf stood in the heart of a busy marketplace with his cloak hood over his head.
âIs that⌠really her?â
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âYes, I have no doubt.â
The boy fell silent at the manâs response.
A woman was running errands as she carried a basket on her head. She was perhaps twenty years old and looked so frail that it wouldnât have been surprising if she collapsed instantly. She had been cured of her illness, but it appeared she would not survive long.
âItâs said that he was a powerful mage by human standards. But when Jerath dek Orbis disappeared, her family collapsed, and she ended up working as a maid for a different household.â
The boy gritted his teeth before the man could complete his sentence.
âSeems like his daughter is one of his lowest priorities. He was focused on monopolizing the root of the World Tree and didnât want others to benefit from it or take it away.â
â....â
âFortify the perimeterâwe donât know when he will reappear and give up the secrets of the Forest.â
âUnderstood.â
The boy nodded at the manâs response. He thought for a while before coming to a decision.
âFirstâŚâ
He walked toward the woman. She seemed to have noticed someone approaching her because she flinched. Then, she entered an alleyway and straightened her back.
â...Thereâs no need for you to be nervous.â
â....â
âIâm an old friend of your father.â
âFriend?â The womanâs eyes widened dramatically.
âYes, a friend.â
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â...â
âHe was the only human being I ever considered as a friend.â
The boy slightly lifted the hood so she could see him. The look of surprise on her face was priceless.
âAn e-elf?â
With that response, the boy reached an immediate conclusionâshe truly didnât know anything.
âI will give you a present.â
He had purposefully waited until she walked into a deserted alleyway. He pulled out a ring he had prepared and started engraving something on it.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Strange patterns appeared rapidly as he engraved the ring. Since he just needed to put the finishing touches, it was a relatively quick process.
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Whoooong!
Soon after, the ring was bathed in brilliant light as the elf blasted it with mana.
âWah!â The womanâs eyes lit up at the unusual sight.
âThe last thing I need is a drop of tear.â
Drip.
A drop of his tear soaked into the ring.
While the ring would keep the woman safe from harm, it would also serve as a form of fetter. No matter where she went, he would be able to find her. Whoever wore the ring, even if it was just once, their scent would be imprinted, and that wouldnât change even if they took it off.
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HoweverâŚ
âWhat a fucked up turn of eventsâŚâ
It didnât turn out the way he wanted as, not long after, the boy stood in front of a grave.
Her short life had ended.
***
â....â
Finally free of his thoughts, Ash raised his head.
âKeâŚKekekekeke!â
Berber laughed even as he was turning into dust.
âJerath, you!â
The lich had clearly said ânew master.â That meant its former master was definitely Jerath.
Ash looked at Berber before letting the question leave his mouth.