The orange demon wearing a striped suit approached the mass of trees.

Sticking out like a sore thumb, this city which was topped with an enormous canopy was located in the middle of an empty field. Nothing more than plains surrounded this city for as far as they eye could see, so it would be impossible to miss even from a distance.

With a velocity approaching the speed of sound, the lush green leaves came closer and closer until they were right in front of him.

It was when he came close enough that he realized something.

While these leaves seemed green and lush from a distance, they were beginning to wither.

Many leaves were brown and crumbling, and the trees which made the town up seemed to be rotting in some areas.

It was not to the extent where one could say that the city was dead. Far from it. However, the trees were clearly not in perfect health.

Something was wrong.

Vex landed on a branch and began hopping lightly from one to another, his own sneakers aiding in his mobility.

It was then that Vex came across a number of structures.

All of the structures were wooden, and they formed an entire city that spanned the scale of the branches. It was a canopy paradise filled with treehouses.

Closing his eyes with a light smile, Vex used his own ability once more.

[Detect Wrath]

Opening his eyes, Vex flashed a toothy smile as he turned around.

Holding up his hand he began to sway his demonic index finger about, pointing at the buildings.

"That one.... no.... that one? No, a bit further.... ah! That's the one."

With a skip in his step, Vex jumped off the branch he stood on, headed over to the building which he had lightheartedly pinpointed.

"Whew.... what the hell is going on here? There's nobody outside. And from that building up ahead...."

It was a small shack. It was likely the home of a single person.

Vex approached it with a confused expression.

"There is more wrath contained in this one building than anywhere else in this village."

Vex grinned with delight.

"I can't believe these antiheroes. They really have pissed off a whole lot of people. Well, I guess if you piss off a bunch of weaklings you don't really think a whole lot about it. But unfortunately for them, they've underestimated the power of wrath."

Jumping over to the building, Vex knocked on the door.

"Hello? Anybody home? Delivery!!"

Vex's pointed ears perked as he listened for a response, yet there was none.

'Hmm... that's weird. There is so much wrath contained in this building, you'd think it would come exploding out. There's definitely someone in here.'

Grabbing the handle of the door, Vex tried to turn it.

It was locked.

"Ah, looks like the door was left open. Well, if the person left it unlocked like this, they can't complain if someone comes inside."

Grabbing hold of the handle, Vex tore the door right off it's hinges, walking inside with the door in his hand.

Vex then placed the door back in it's place, though it had been completely destroyed and didn't fit properly any longer.

"Hello? Anybody home?"

As Vex shouted this, a creature stumbled out of what he presumed to be the bedroom.

It looked.... like a bald eagle? It had a humanoid form, yet most of it's features were that of the majestic bird.

And yet, there was absolutely nothing majestic about this creature.

His complexion was ruined.

His expression was a wreck. His feathers seemed to have been ripped out all over his own body, and his own two clipped wings seemed to have been dislocated and mutilated to the point where they were literally on backwards.

Bags were underneath the dreary eyes of the birdman, and his own expression was a combination of fear and anger.

"What..... what are you doing here.... what are you doing in my home??"

The birdman spoke with shock as he shivered in terror.

"Are you.... you.... you...."

He couldn't seem to get the words out of his mouth.

"Hello, birdman! I see that you have quite a bit of anger within you. My name is Vex. I am the Host of Wrath. Pleased to meet you."

"What are you doing in my home?"

"Ah! Well the door was unlocked so I just came in."

"Unlocked? It was unlocked?"

The birdman looked over while trembling to the door which had been torn off from it's supports, and then looked back to the demon in front of him.

With terror he began stumbling back into his own kitchen.

"G-get away from me.... get away..... get away.... I..... I don't want anything more to do with..... demons...."

"Ah, don't be like that!!! I've come here because you have a whole lotta built up hatred for the antiheroes. I've come to collect that hatred."

"C-c-c-collect? Are.... you.... you're working for them!?!??! They've even taken over the House of Wrath!?!?!? You have nothing to collect!!!! I... I didn't do anything wrong!!!! It was that lizardman!!!! He was the one who threw me into the girl!!!!! He was the one who attacked me!!!! Her injuries were not my own fault!!!!! I swear!!!! There is nothing to collect from me!!!! You've already taken my ability to fly.... you've taken my wings!!!! You've taken everything from me!!!! WHAT MORE COULD THERE BE TO COLLECT?!?!?!?"

The birdman began spouting words from his beak as his face twisted with insanity. His veins bulged and his eyes became flushed with horror.

"GET OUT!!!!! GET OUT OF HERE YOU DEMON!!!!!!!"

With his own twisted wing he began to feel around behind him, grabbing a frying pan.

"Oi oi. Calm down, bird brain. I never said I was working for-"

"AGHHHH!!!!! GET OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The birdman thrusted his own body forward, swinging the frying pan at the head of the demon in front of him.

The blow had so much power that there was a spark which was created on the metal, and when the smoke cleared the birdman looked in horror to see that the demon had stopped the blow which contained his entire strength.

Not with one hand.

Not with one finger.

But with the point of the sharpened nail on his pinkie finger.

His nail had not been so much as chipped from the blow which contained the full strength of Tora, the birdman who once stood beside Erasalis as a proud squatter.

"Demon!!!! Demon!!!!! WHY ARE YOU ALL SO RIDICULOUSLY POWERFUL!!!!!!"

Tora reeled the frying pan back to make yet another swing, however it was at this moment before he could even swing that his heart was overcome with a terror so great that he froze in place.

From the moment this demon had entered the home of Tora, he had a lighthearted and carefree demeanor.

Not once had he shown even the slightest bit of malice.

However right now, his face was that of a horrible demon.

It boiled with such rage that Tora was frozen by that expression alone.

"I am the Host of Wrath. In order to become a Host of Sin.... you have to have at one point in your life exhibited an excessive amount of that sin.... but under normal circumstances, I don't consider myself to be a very wrathful person."

The demon stepped forward, each step booming with power as he approached Tora.

"When it comes to my own woman, I can forgive her for just about anything. I don't particularly like to hold grudges or keep my anger pent up inside me. Even if she is unreasonable and makes me run ragged for her, I will never lay a finger on her. After all.... she's never betrayed me."

Vex grabbed the throat of Tora, squeezing it with just enough force to keep him alive for now.

"When it comes to my fellow devils or even the other demons, I can laugh things off most of the time. I don't like to hold a grudge towards someone, after all. I'm supposed to be a house leader. How can a house leader go around rampaging in his own city?"

Thrusting Tora to the wall, Vex pressed him with enough strength to prevent him from breathing or speaking, so that only choking noises were heard from him.

"I love seeing people with a whole lot of hatred for others. Especially you inferior humanoid monsters created as experiments. It's enjoyable to see you all struggling with fury, consumed by your own desires for revenge. That desire for revenge will lead you to despair and destruction, yet you still hold onto it, rushing forward to your own demise. It's fun to watch, and even more fun to take part in."

Vex pressed the throat of Tora even harder to the point where some cracking was heard and he began to spit blood out of his mouth.

"I'll stand by your side and help you humanoids fulfill your revenge. Even if it doesn't destroy you, that can be fun as well. But there is one thing which you must never do when I have extended my hand to you."

Pulling his other hand back, Vex made his demonic hand pointed like a spear and looked Tora directly into the eyes, with a horrible rage that reminded Tora so similarly of the rage which was shown by the spirit girl on that day.

Their faces overlapped and the memories flashed before Tora, flickering back and forth between the face of the spirit girl and the face of the demon in front of him.

"You must never. Never. NEVER. Direct your wrath back at me."

Thrusting forward, the hand of the demon pierced the heart of Tora.

With one last cough of blood, Tora's body fell to the ground, lifeless.

As soon as his eyes turned cold, the heartless expression of the demon switched back instantly to the carefree demeanor which he held before.

Pulling out a handkerchief, he wiped the blood off his own hand and folded it up nicely, placing it back into his jacket.

Checking his own watch, the demon grabbed his head.

"Ah! Look at how time flies. I better get on with this. Let's see.... I suppose I'll have to settle for number two on the rage scale in this city. Hmm.... this direction, huh? Alright! Let's go."

Kicking the already broken door down with his own bright green sneakers, the demon exited and jumped once more from branch to branch, crossing the village.

Vex approached a large building. It was enormous, and it was surprising that such a structure could be built within this canopy.

With a smile, Vex began to knock loudly on the double doors.

"Knock knock! Open up please! I've come to help you fulfill your revenge!!"

----

In the largest tent set up near the wall, a large group of men stood around a single table.

There were so many men that the tent was almost completely filled, and each of them wore helmets that had either orange or dark purple manes.

One man- the man who stood at the front of the table- had a golden helmet which towered above the others in an egg shape, with a dark green mane running down it.

Beaming with a smile as he looked around at the men surrounding him, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Men. From the very existence of the third legion, it has been tradition that we defend. Not once have we ever strayed from this duty of defense, and for hundreds of years we have been the very line between humanity and the monsters which lurk behind these walls."

Turning to each of the men around him, the man placed his own finger on the table.

The table had a map laid out across it, and on this map were a number of strategic pieces.

However this map was incomplete.

Showing the entirety of the Western half of the world up to the wall in detail, there was only a small amount of information on the Eastern side of the world including the outline of the landmass and the locations of a few nearby villages and formations.

The man pointed to the location where the wall was, in the center of the sideways hour glass which made up the world.

"If the monsters ever breached this wall, it would be the end of humanity. That is why we have stayed here as an unmovable fortress, patiently waiting. We of the 3rd Legion have never gone to war with another human country as the other legions have. We have never strayed too far beyond the borders of the wall, only exploring for the sake of reconnaissance. And with this information of reconnaissance combined with some information obtained through magical mapping we have successfully produced such a map with at least some details of the world which lies beyond these walls."

With a delighted expression, the man took hold of a wooden piece which looked like a legionnaire soldier, pushing it forward beyond the wall and into the monster realm.

"But it is time for that to change."

This man was Tirius, the Legion Commander of the 3rd Legion of the Empire.

Surrounding him were all 10 Colonels of the 3rd Legion, and many of the Generals. With exactly 100 Generals throughout the 3rd Legion, it would be impossible to fit them all into even this large tent, however many were present, filling the area.

"Some may say that the young Emperor, Percius V is a fool. I am certain that politicians all over the world are snickering to themselves at his most recent maneuver, planning on using it as an attack on the Emperor. They will claim that he is not fit to lead this grand Empire, and that someone more suited and less hot headed should take the helm."

Tirius closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he said this.

"It is our duty to ensure that nothing of the sort happens."

With a pound to his own chest as a salute to the Emperor, Tirius beamed with patriotism and loyalty to whoever took the throne of the Emperor.

"We are the third legion. We are the legion which has faced monsters from the very moment of our existence. We are the ones who have made more progress than any other human force in the history of the world. Who would be a better fit for such a task as to invade the monster realm!?!?! THERE IS NO OTHER LIKE US!!!! Men!!! While many may say that the young Emperor is a trigger happy fool, did they not too say this about his own father when he took control!?!?! How many people criticized Percius IV before he established his revolutionary policies??? We are soldiers of this Empire. As soldiers, it is our duty first and foremost to pledge our utmost loyalty to the Emperor- before all others."

Tirius began using excessive motions to present his own passionate views to the soldiers around him, who also began to smile as if a fire had been lit in their hearts.

"Our Emperor has ordered us to begin this campaign into the monster realm. So many will criticize this decision!!! So many will look with concern as we leave these walls!!! But I tell you, the only time in which a leader can be criticized is when his decisions end in failure."

Turning back to the table of strategic pieces, a stern look came across the face of Tirius.

"The former Emperor, Percius IV, sent the 1st legion on a campaign into this den of beasts for the first time in history, just a week ago. And unfortunately, we received the information that this entire legion has been destroyed."

Grabbing one of the pieces on the board which was located near the fishmen village on the North end of the Eastern bulb of the hourglass, Tirius snapped it in half within his fingers, dropping the piece onto the board as chips of wood fell.

"This disgrace will go onto the name of Percius IV. Yet it is not our great former Emperor who is at fault for this loss. Rather, it is the fault of the incompetent commander who led these people to their deaths. It is the fault of Caspus for failing to properly carry out the orders of the Emperor."

Grabbing a few more pieces from the side, Tirius began to lay them onto the map.

"However, there has not yet been any disgrace which has been cast upon the young Emperor. Therefore, as I have said, it is our duty as the members of this third legion to ensure that no such disgrace occurs. From this point on, there are two paths which we could take."

After placing 10 pieces all in the same location next to the other, Tirius knocked them all down with a single hand movement.

"Either we could be wiped out due to my own lack of planning and knowledge..... and due to my own incompetence, and the incompetence of the men underneath me, we will create shame on the young Emperor and put his own position into jeopardy, leaving him defenseless before the ravenous dogs who will bark and gnarl, drooling with desire for his own position....."

Tirius then began picking up the pieces one by one, and moving them all around the monster realm, until the entire realm had been covered in soldiers.

"Or we could succeed in this endeavor, and raise his name up as the greatest Emperor in the history of the world."

Putting his hands behind his back, Tirius looked around at the determined faces of the men who surrounded him.

"Those are good faces, men. You all understand what is at stake here. As soldiers, our lives are always on the line. That fact will never change. However right now, there is something more than merely our own lives which has been wagered."

Turning back to the table, Tirius smiled.

"Each and every one of you men are experienced in the art of war. I need not instruct you or tell you what to do. Gathered here are dozens of men who's opinions hold great weight. From the intel in which I have received, the enemy which Caspus and his own legion fell to was not an army, but rather.... a single enemy. This is who we are facing, men. We are not facing an army of people, nor an enemy which we can simply overpower with strength or numbers. We are facing monsters. Therefore, we must use the one weapon which we were born with as humans. Our heads."

Tapping the table, Tirius looked down to the board.

"The one thing which we have which these beasts of tremendous power do not is the ability to outsmart. Therefore I want every single person in here to relay their opinion to me. Do not hesitate to speak up if you hold even the slightest concern or worry. We will think this through to every last detail, and plan this campaign with every piece of knowledge we have. With our minds, we will be able to take on even the most powerful of foes, and carve our Emperor's name into the annals of history."