Point-of-View: Persia Gerit

  ———————————————————————————


  Today was the 10th of January, 1676, over a month had passed since Kuro defeated Shiro……in the aftermath of that battle, several buildings had sustained severe damage, many people had gotten injured, some with permanent injuries, and most notably, twenty-six civilians had died.

  After the Vampire attack, the Rustlands' citizens had been made to take evacuation drills……and when Kuro arrived here that day and effortlessly restrained several A and S-Ranked Adventurers, the B-Ranked and lower Adventurers quickly had the buildings in the west area evacuated, but not everyone was able to get away safely.

  The deaths aside, many others were severely injured, ranging from crushed or severed limbs to spinal and brain damage. The instant that Shiro died, everyone's memories were almost immediately restored, the truth was clear……even though no one had any idea how or why this happened, or who was actually behind it.

  Not even Fuo knew, though she had mentioned that when she asked Kuro about it, he said that it was something he literally couldn't talk about, doing so had apparently been the cause for Shiro's existence……if Kuro had been killed, then all of us would have gone on living with Shiro, never knowing that he was the imposter all along.

  As for Kuro……ever since then……he'd been in a coma. According to Fuo, shortly after Mika died, he sealed his emotions, so that he could make his decisions on a purely logical basis. At least, that's what he told her……I don't think that's all it was though……when he unsealed his emotions, before he collapsed he said……'I can't take it anymore……I've had enough'……when he said that, his voice sounded truly broken, sapped of will and energy.

  And when he looked at me, the light in his eyes was dim, barely even there at all……this whole ordeal had crushed him, driving him to the point where sealing his own emotions become the logical thing to do……and even with them sealed, those emotions were so intense that his rage was clear while he was tearing Shiro apart……his eyes and tone gave nothing away, but his actions were unforgiving and brutal.

  There was no way to tell when he'd wake up from his coma, his body was somehow sustaining itself without food or water, but he'd shown no signs of regaining consciousness. How long would it take before he finally wakes up……and what if……what if he never wakes up at all……?

  ———————————————————————————


  Point-of-View: Shiro Blanc

  ———————————————————————————


  "Hey, when are we gonna go attack the Rustlands? It's been more than a month already," I remarked impatiently, "I agreed to follow you since you saved me and all, but only so long as you wouldn't stop me from doing what I want."

  After she stopped not-God, or rather, Samsara from absorbing the Divine Magic sustaining my artificial soul, she offered to make it so that my soul wouldn't vanish even if I didn't kill Kuro. It went a little something like this……

  "Who……are you?" I inquired cautiously.

  "My name is Belia Lasmodeus. I sensed the Divine Magic you were created with, and I'm curious……who or what are you? You look a bit like that human, Kuro, but I've been unable to view the happenings in the world for the last few months……can you catch me up to speed?" She inquired curiously, her eyes filled with intrigue.

  She's a divine being, and she prevented my existence from ceasing, so I suppose I owe her that much at least. Also, it looks like I'm naked……she magically recreated my entire body, you'd think she could have bothered to form some clothes on me too.

  "Well……"

  I then went on to explain everything that happened after I came into existence, grimacing as I relived several unpleasant memories……it may have taken four fights before Kuro finally killed me, but despite surviving the first three times, I lost every one of those fights.

  "Seriously? Samsara created you just for that? That's just petty. Well, anyway, I'm sure you want revenge……so, here's my suggestion, work under me. You see, my objective is simple, I just want to cause chaos and enjoy watching it! What do you say?" She suggested with a grin.

  "I appreciate you saving me and all, but I don't like the idea of working under someone……now that I finally have my existence secured, I just want to do as I please," I replied with a shake of my head.

  Specifically, I want to kill Kuro, simply for revenge this time……

  "That's fine by me. I have no intention of stopping you from doing whatever you want, in fact, I encourage it……you seem reasonably chaotic, so I'm sure I'll enjoy watching you. And if you feel as though I'm too commanding or bossy, you can feel free to leave."

  Huh, that's not a bad offer at all……

  "Awfully generous of you……my primary objective is to kill Kuro, but beyond that, I'll just do as my whims and impulses dictate. If that's fine with you, then sure……I'll join you," I agreed, after mulling it over.

  When it comes to killing Kuro, I probably can't get too far with that on my own, so I guess having a little help wouldn't hurt.

  "That's better than fine, it's perfect! Hah, that makes two subordinates with the same primary objective," She laughed, nodding behind her.

  Oh, there's someone else here, I didn't even notice……also, I don't like being called a subordinate……

  "Wait, I know you from Kuro's memories……the kissass, Hacte Routh. You're still around, huh?" I remarked with a look of surprise……he's not all that strong, so I thought he'd be dead by now.

  "Tch, why you-!" He began to snap in reply.

  "Now, now, we're all on the same side, so let's get along! Okay?" She interjected, cutting him off.

  "Hmph, very well, I suppose."

  "Yeah, whatever……though getting along is the opposite of chaotic, so it's a bit contradictory from your MO."

  "Nah, there's a difference between sweet, sweet chaos and annoying bickering, don't cheapen chaos!"

  She's pretty passionate about chaos, huh? I'll, uh……have to keep that in mind……

  Back to the present……

  "Hm? There's no need to rush, is there?" Replied Belia with a shrug.

  "I agree with him, why are we waiting so long?" Added Hacte with a frown.

  "Fine, I guess I'll explain……," She sighed, before explaining, "There's two reasons, the first being that I've been busy viewing the happenings around the world to try and figure out what's been going on lately. As for the second reason, the Demon Forbidden Zone was supposed to have broken by now, but since Diablo, the Demon King vanished, I'll have to break it myself, otherwise it'll take another hundred or so years. However, the wasteland area it's in is highly toxic, even I'd have trouble navigating it, the two of you wouldn't last long……oh, wait, I forgot about your Healing Factor, Shiro, you might be able to survive."

  "If that's the case, then Kuro's probably the one who killed him. I used to be able to sense his presence, and during that time, I sensed him in the wasteland, where I suddenly lost track of him……he might have entered the Forbidden Zone somehow and killed the Demon King," I suggested, before adding with a grimace, "He was incredibly powerful during that last fight."

  "You're a copy of him from about five or six months ago, right, and you're the strongest being I've directly encountered in this world, excluding myself, Sant and Samsara, of course. Well, there are some from the other races that come close, but your regenerative capabilities are unrivaled……then again, I haven't been able to view anything on the hidden floating island, I have no idea what the other races have been upto for the past few centuries, so there may be stronger members in those races that I'm unaware of."

  "Get to the point already."

  "You're so impatient, sheesh. Anyway, taking all that into consideration, if you're saying he's incredibly powerful, then that's something to be concerned about, even I might have a tough time against him in a fight……also, killing a Demon is nearly impossible. I know that you don't like to talk about that fight, but tell me, what kind of new techniques did he use?" She asked me curiously.

  I reluctantly recalled the unpleasant memory of that fight and explained it to her……

  "That sounds like……Obliteration Magic, Corruption Magic, Chaos Magic and Alchemic Magic……that's all the Demonic Magic types except for Mimic Magic, but he probably has that one too……so, then, he let Diablo possess him and prevented him from taking over his mind……but that should be impossible, resisting the Demon King has never been done before, hell, resisting a Demon from taking over at all is a rare occurrence. At worst, he might even be slightly stronger than I am," She sighed, before adding with a gleam in her eyes, "How exciting, imagine how chaotic his battles could be if he goes all out! I think it's safe to say that he's the strongest mortal being in existence right now."

  She has issues……and yeah, I can't imagine anything being stronger than he was during that last fight……

  "Then hurry up and break the Demon Forbidden Zone so that we can get stronger!" Responded Hacte impatiently.

  "I mean, I guess I could teleport there, break the barrier and teleport back here with a couple of Demons and then have them possess the two of you while using my Divine Magic to keep them from taking over your minds, but……"……

  huh? She can do it just like that?

  "But what!? If you can do all that, then do it!" I exclaimed with a sense of irritation.

  "Well, it's just……I'm really eager to start too, but it's like, the longer I wait and the more the anticipation builds, the more cathartic it's going to feel when we finally do sta."

  "Goddammit, that's really why we've just been aimlessly wandering around for the past month!?" I snapped in exasperation.

  "I concur, we are wasting time! You may be immortal but we are not!" Added Hacte in indignation.

  "Fine, fine, I'll do it! I'll teleport there now," She relented with a sigh, before an excited glint appeared in her eyes.

  "Wait, we're quite far from the wasteland, can you teleport that far in one go?" I inquired, curious about the limitations of her magic.

  "Sure I can. Just because humans haven't figured out how to make teleport spells with longer ranges doesn't mean that I can't, it's not like any human was able to create a barrier stronger than my Forbidden Zones after all!" She responded confidently.

  "As I recall, you use General Magic without the parchment used in the scrolls and cards that humans use to activate spells, right?" Inquired Hacte in a fascinated tone.

  "That's right, all I need to do is picture the command lines needed to activate the spell I want to use, and I have to picture them in the correct order……of course, the more complicated the spell is, the longer it takes to picture all the command lines, and subsequently, the longer it takes to activate. In that regard, one benefit of using that parchment for complex spells is the instant activation time. Alright, I'm going now, you two wanna stay here or come with me?" She asked, looking at the two of us.

  "I thought you said I would be unable to survive there," Remarked Hacte skeptically.

  "Well, yeah, you'd die in no time."

  "……I shall stay here."

  "And you, Shiro?"

  Hm, I wasn't especially interested in going to the wasteland, but I don't like Hacte, and don't want to be left alone with him. So……

  "I'll come with. Seems like this might be interesting," I replied with a shrug.

  "Sure. Grab onto me while I activate the spell."

  "Oh……when you say 'grab', did you mean anywhere specifically or can I pick?" I inquired, my eyes trailing down to her chest.

  "……my shoulder will do."

  "If you say so."

  "Wait, before we go……I just thought of something! We should have a team name!" Suddenly Exclaimed Belia with a look of excitement.

  Where the fuck did that come from?

  "We don't need one," I responded with a groan.

  "I see no purpose for such a thing either," Agreed Hacte.

  "But……it'll make us seem more threatening! Come on, Shiro, think of something!"

  I really don't want to, but if I don't, she won't shut up about it……I'll just go with whatever comes to mind……

  "Fine, fine……how about, uh……," I responded, trying to come up with something, "Oh, I know……let's just go with Chaos, nice and simple."

  "Hm……'we are Chaos!'……'you can call us Chaos!'……yes, I like it! Nice work, Sh-!"

  "Yeah, great, can we go now?"

  After a few seconds passed, we suddenly teleported away, our surroundings vanishing and being replaced by a desert……no plants, water or any sign of life anywhere in sight……and right in front of us, was a massive purple barrier. So, this is it, huh……the Demon Forbidden Zone……

  "Now, then……," Remarked Belia, walking over to it.

  "Hey, this gonna cost you any Divine Magic?" I asked, as I followed after her.

  "Hm? No, why would it? It's a General Magic spell, remember? Stay quiet for a while, this spell is highly complex, I need to focus," She instructed, closing her eyes and placing her hand on the barrier.

  She's incredibly powerful, capable of using all five Elemental Magic types, an insanely wide range of General Magic, not to mention Divine Magic, which is a highly advanced form of General Magic that only divine beings can use.

  Most Divine Magic spells aren't accessible to her anymore, since she used up so much of her Divine Magic when she created the monsters. However, she has two or three forms of Divine Magic that are her specialty, she can use those with no cost to her remaining supply of Divine Magic. And now that I think about it, one of her specialty Divine Magic could have been used here……actually, two of them……

  "Hey, why didn't you get us here using your Dimensional Magic instead of a teleportation spell? And speaking of which, why don't you just break this barrier using your Weathering Magic?"

  "Hey, I said that I need to concentrate!" She responded, but answered anyway, "Because those are my specialties, no one else can use them as well as I can, even Sant can't use them without expending a significant amount of Divine Magic……so, you know, I prefer to only use them on special occasions."

  "Seriously?"

  Sometimes it's hard to believe that she's a divine being……but personality aside, her power is no joke……

  "Alright, I did it!" She declared triumphantly, as the Forbidden Zone shattered and disappeared, dozens of dark clouds bursting out and flying off……are those Demons?

  She really did it……the Demon Forbidden Zone is no more……

  _____________________________________________

  Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Don't forget to vote, and feel free to leave a comment, I appreciate any and all feedback and criticism!

  Also, check out my Instagram account @aimdaqs for posts relating to this book.

  Join the Discord server, I plan to tease upcoming chapters and future story arcs here, and you can also discuss or ask me any questions about the story and characters. Use the invite link to join:

  https://discord.gg/sRbx9VbTVP