Flames. Screamers. Smoke. Broken mirrors.

These were my thoughts when I was taken to the hospital after the attack of monsters.

The entire neighborhood was locked down and the agents of the headquarters have searched the area for any more monsters, finding nothing, not even the slightest clue.

The monsters' corpses were collected and brought to a containment facility where they will be studied and healed if possible.

I was currently lying in the bad they provided to me. Or at least that's where my body was currently.

My mind was in a white space, sitting on y chair facing a mirror image of myself.

"Why did he didn't kill me?"

"I don't know. Maybe he is afraid that I will run away from him if he kills you."

My reflection, partner crossed his arms and looked away.

"I didn't expect him to make a trap like this. I believed with the small amount of mana in this world, he would be weakened a lot, but it seems like he bypassed that problem."

"By using innocent people as guinea pigs. How could you even work with a guy like that? What are you not telling me?"

Partner stayed silent before his contours started to change.

Soon a completely different person appeared was sitting before me.

It wore a white robe and pointy hat that reminded me of a witch from stories.

His head reminded me that of a skull belonging to that of a cat, with a purple light shining out from its sockets.

"My real name is Quartum, the fourth soul fragment of the Dealmaker."

His voice sounded super feminine to me which was uncomfortable.

"Fragment of the Dealmaker? Are you part of him or something?"

"...I think it will be easier to show you while I explain it."

The space around me changed, appearing in the middle of an old town. And I mean a town that looks like it came out from the middle ages. People walking around us wore very crude clothing some even had swords and bows with them.

Also, I noticed that amongst them, some had animal-like features or pointy ears.

"I don't know how long it was but there was a time when this world looked like this. The air was saturated with magic, and many different races lived together. Amongst them was a young demon called Desmond. Look."

Quartum pointed at the door of a nearby tavern.

From it, a man around my age came out. He wore a long brown coat and a hat that was mismatched with his blond hair and blue eyes.

the man looked around the street, before walking away, disappearing into the crowd.

"At that time he was nothing but a simple crossed roads demon, only able to make small deals with people. He only wanted to survive and live a peaceful life. But all changed when he found a book."

The scenery darkened showing only the man surrounded in a white light holding his head in agony.

"The book cracked his mind, making his through evil and twisted. He started to extort people, taking away their lives or used them for power. When people came to stop him, he engaged in a fight so brutal he almost died, burning his body to the point of almost becoming ash and he even was cursed that each day his body be burned in flames that slowly ate away his very soul."

The man in the light started to scream his body engulfed in fire. Soon from this flame, something has risen.

It was a huge figure wearing a black robe, with the head of a deer skull, with a black substance flowing out of its eyes and mouth.

"To fight the curse, he done many experiences on himself and others, further twisting his mind. In the end, he found out a way to eat the memories of others, assimilating them into himself. These memories merged with the shards of his soul, creating me and my other brothers."

At the foot of this thing, several animal skulls materialized floating with different colors in their sockets.

"At the time we were nothing but parts of his being, an extinction of his mind. We were only free when he committed a huge blunder by trying to absorb the power of a catalyst gifted to mankind from the gods. His body was obliterated and the next thing I knew I was in your head."

The scenery returned to the white space where we were sitting.

"I believed till now that I was the only one alive. But if he is still in this world there is a big chance that my brothers are also here. Which means that they and the humans that they are bounded with are in danger."

"...So are you telling me that he is a part of you. Those that mean that... you hurt people."

I looked directly into the eyes of my partner, Quartum.

"Back then I didn't have an ego. I was only a personality that was lingering in his head. The first time I developed a sense of self was when I was freed from his cranium."

"...Let's say that I believe you. What are we doing now?"

" We need to hide and prepare. He is also habiting somebody else's body and able to create monsters out of humans. From what I could tell, he is using mirrors as gateways for him to escape. Maybe an underground bunker would be the best. Or a cave."

Before I could say anything, my vision blurred again, when somebody was shaking me to wake up.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing that meets my eyes was a bunch of freckles.

"...Clara, you are too close."

I pushed her out from my face, allowing me to sit up.

My hospital bed was surrounded by my team each wearing their armor.

The girl who I just pushed away, Clara, now hugged me so tightly that I thought my bone would be ground into dust.

"I am so happy to see you awake!"

She tried to hug me again, but I just pushed her aside.

This girl, with her blue hair and eyes, has been with me since elementary school. She has always been a crybaby so I had to protect her from bullies.

once I learned magic, she was the first one I thought, giving her the ability to control almost any liquid substance she could see.

"Where are the others?"

Clara, looked at me, her eyes full of tears, trying to make a brave face.

"They are back in the base, with...those things. They are trying to heal them, but I heard that's not easy."

'Obviously. Dealmaker used magic on them, something that modern technology can't even comprehend. It's like trying to make fire with a whet leaf."

You stay quiet.

"Sigh, what about the people in the building."

"...I-I am so sorry. We-We tried to do our best, but we could-"

She started to cry again, shaking.

Feeling sad myself, I hug her tightly.

Dealmaker, I will make you pay.

*****

"Damn It all!"

I punched her in the face feeling her bones breaking.

Bei slammed to the ground spitting blood.

Her monsters tried to help them, but with a glare, I froze them in place.

"Get up!"

Shaking, she stood up on her feet, nose and mouth bleeding.

"I can tolerate insubordination. I can tolerate mistakes. But what I can't tolerate is one of my strongest generals not doing their bloody work!"

I grabbed her hair and looked dead in her eyes.

"You disappoint me. Not only you didn't manage to stop the intruders to infiltrate the Southern post but you even allowed them to completely take it over, turning it into a stronghold!"

"B-But, my lord, you ordered us to not-"

"I said, do not bother me with insignificant things. This isn't insignificant."

I let her go and kicked her in the guts, making her slide on the floor.

" The next time you will do something like this, I will get rid of you. You won't die, but I will take back your power and send you right back to your father. Do we understand each other?"

"Y-Yes..."

"Good. Now, pray for your sake that they didn't destroy all the mirrors at the base."

I snapped my fingers teleporting, myself back to Diss, specifically into an area which I called the House of Glass.

This was here where the mirrors which we used as portals were stored.

Each portal was in a separate room, with two guards who passed through the Demonification phase.

While walking, I was trying to push down the anger which was boiling in me.

Imbeciles! Why aren't they telling me anything!?

Just when I returned, I received several reports about staff dying, experiments falling, even small revolts happening at certain parts of my factory.

All will be resolved soon.

I reached the door that led me to the Southern base of the Cultivator world.

I stretched and with a big sight, I passed through it.

It leads to a huge hangar-like structure. At the center two huge boar-like monsters were sleeping soundly, I sighted while quietly passed next to them, adding this to the list of problems.

At the wall, before me, a full-body mirror was waiting for me.

Touching the surface I tried to pass through it, but nothing happened, instead, I saw several, broken images scattered all over.

They broke it.

"...That's it."

I had enough.

In anger, I accidentally shattered the mirror, waking up the guardians.

The beasts didn't realize who I was, still half-sleep they ran at me.

"Die."

At my command they collapsed, their brains and hearts crushed by the avatar fluid, which circulated in their veins.

No more planning. No more bloody waiting. This time I will murder the shit out of them!

In anger, I transferred my mind into another body which I kept hidden in the Cultivation world.

I called it T-0221. It's something that I put together, using the genes of some interesting creatures. It might look like a human covered in tumors, but I went for substance instead of class.

It woke up in a glass container filled with black liquid.

I punched the glass open and fell on the cold floor.

Immediately the liquid started to twirl around me and I was back in my familiar black suit and deer mask.

I snapped my fingers, creating a set of bat wings on my back.

"Telekinesis: Push."

I destroyed the ceiling with my arm and with a powerful burst of wings I flew up into the air.

Finding myself above a lush forest I continued flying.

On the way, my destroyed arm started to bubble with tumor-like growth appearing on it, before it was coated by a black substance, forcing it to become normal.

This was the ability of my new body.

The whole thing was a mass tumor, continuously growing and spreading, and without my control and the avatar fluid eating it away it would become a huge blob of meat.

While flying, some monsters tried to attack me, probably taking for easy prey.

Feeling pretty angry I effortlessly crushed them with y telekinesis, not even bothering to check if they survived.

I also draw several summoning signs on my body preparing for a fight.

I soon reached the desert, stopping at the exact spot where the base was hidden.

"Time to die. Telekinesis: Divine Crush."

By destroying both of my arms, a pressure equal to a small meteor descended upon the whole land, sinking a few meters in, probably making the whole continent tremble.

When the spell finished, I created a smaller set of wings at the back of my head, before continuing.

"Summoning Magic: Harpies."

By activating the symbols my body was ripped into bits, except for my head that was clumsily flying in the air.

From the magical symbols several monsters, women with bird wings for hands and talons, appeared around me.

"Find and kill any survivor you may found."

In their way, the harpies bowed before me, before searching the area.

As for me, I slowly descended to the ground, with my body regrowing from my neck.

Not waiting for a second, I opened my mouth and with a lengthened thong, I started to draw another circle.

I waited for my body to completely reform before activating it.

"Summoning Magic: Greater worm."

Immediately, a  long grey tube-like thing appeared before me, its mouth filled with teeth and saliva, making an annoying clicking noise.

"Kill everyone you found except the flying women. What you kill, you can eat."

The worm also my de a bowing motion, before plugging into the sand.

"This much should do it, but I am taking no chances."

I concentrated, clearing a sharp white sword from my bones, and started to draw in the sand.

"I didn't expect you to react like this."

I immediately brandished my weapon at the sound of the noise.

My attack was blocked by the blade of an Asian man, dressed in a white kimono, holding a very familiar fellow.

"M-Master, let me go the others-Dealmaker?!"

"Hello, Samurai-sama. Hows' things going?" I looked at the man, my sword pointed at him. "May I ask you to drop him and run? I have a personal history with him, which I want to erase for good."

"I am afraid I cannot do that Melino. Or do you prefer Dealmaker?"

"...You are a god? Don't you realis what he has done?"

"He overtook your base, which you planned to use to destroy the world." He pushed my sword aside , creating a small burst of air.

"I am well aware of your plan."

"Is that so?"

I created several tentacles from my chest, trying to grab him.

He swung his sword again., cutting them immediately.

"The war between The King and The Queen's faction is about to erupt. Everybody is preparing for it. I guess that you are planning to take over this land the second it erupts."

"Maybe. Who knows?"

Those stupid harpies finally noticed this guy.

With ear-piercing screams, they descended upon him, but he just looked at them.

It only took this much for him, to slice them into little chunks of meat.

"As a member of the Queen's faction, I can't allow you to do as you please on my territory. I will allow you to return from where you came if you swear to never return."

"Oh, I'm afraid I need to refuse. I have put so much work into this and- Telekinesis: Divine Push!"

I sent a powerful wave of energy towards him, enough to turn a mountain into the sand.

"So be it. Divine Slash."

How?

This pressure. It was like the one I felt from the Queen when we fought.

His sword cut through my attack as if it was butter, reaching even me, cutting me in two horizontal halves.

"How is-"

"-this possible?"

Talking through the two halves I felt on the sand, bleeding.

"I am well aware of your ability to possess others. I hope that when we meet again, it will be with your real body.

...

"Fuck-"

"-you!"

The cut sides of my body started to bubble, as the missing portions started to regrow.

Soon, I was back, occupying two bodies at once. It was a strange sensation as if I was using two joysticks at the same time.

"This body is one of my newest creations.-"

"-Spliced with the genes of several species with incredible regeneration capabilities.-"

"YOU CAN NOT KILL ME."

This time I will not run away. This time I will kill a god with my bare hands!

*****

Samurai Pow:

I killed them.

I brought them here and killed them all.

I brought them here, asking them to fight the horde of monsters that infested this place. Then I asked them to help me study and loot the whole place so that we be prepared for anything that might happen.

If I knew that this was going to happen-I-I-

"Divine Cascade."

My master continued to cut up the creatures that stood before him, but they keep on coming regenerating with incredible speed.

"GIVE UP, BLADY. HAND OVER THE SAMURAI AND I WILL MAKE YOUR DEATH PAINLESS."

"What kind of master I would be if I would sacrifice my disciple. And you are the one who is being pressured here not me."

The Dealmaker monsters laughed while some tried to get close to us.

"DIE!"

"Dive Sword Art: Cascading Star Dust."

Masters' sword seemed to be dissolved into glittering dust as he masterfully evaded the monsters while carrying me.

"STOP EVADING US YOU-AAAAAAAAAAA!"

The monsters that attacked us combusted into ghostly flames, eating away their bodies.

"YOU BASTARD! JUST DIE! TELEKINESSIS PUSH!"

In the last second, master jumped up in the air, making the monsters hit each other.

"Master, just leave me. I-I don't deserve to live."

"The path of cultivation isn't over for you. Just keep quiet and let me deal with this. The enemy is weakened and it will soon be forced to retreat."

True, each time a new Dealmaker is created, they become slower and more mechanical. Is there perhaps a limit of how much the real body can control?

Several monsters sprouted wings from their backs, following us.

"Divine Sword Arts: Burning Snake Strike."

Now his blade became covered in crimson flames that made me somehow think of the red scales of a reptile.

"FALL. MADNESS MAGIC: MADDENNING SCREAMS!"

By exploding their own heads, they sent toward us a dark purple wave of energy that hit master, directly in the back, while he tried to protect me.

"Damn, this is becoming troublesome."

"YoU sAiD It."

Several monsters started to fuse, forming a silhouette of a tall humanoid holding a sword made from black flesh and white bones.

"Falling rain Slash: Cascadia."

With a swing of a sword, a pressure fell onto us, slamming us to the ground.

"This technique... It belonged to a famous swordsman hermit who lived at a mountain where e it constantly rained. So, you are the reason why he died and joined heaven 3 years ago.

The mass of flesh finally stopped forming taking on the appearance of an elderly man, with pall skin and white hair, wearing an entirely black kimono. He looked entirely human except his eyes were completely black and from his shoulders, two small deer antler-like bones could be seen.

The Dealmakers stepped back, giving us enough space to move comfortably as if they expected a big fight.

"I am honored to be known by the god of this land. If only we have met in a better circumstance."

My master lifted his sword up.

"You...You are conscious, aren't you? How?"

"Well... I have no idea. This old man only knows how to swing a sword after all. My current lord killed me, you see, adding my memories and skills to his collection. Thas a soulless memory counts as a person?"

He looked at his hand in which he held a snow-white sword, which probably was made from his own bones.

"It's quite strange. I just woken up back in this body, yet I know exactly how to move in it and its limits. my blood boils in my veins. I truly wish to see what I am capable of in this form." He lifted his sword, aiming at us. " Oh, god of this land, may you honor this old man in a duel."

"...Normally I would accept your challenge without any complaints. But this time I am afraid that I will have to destroy you without any chance of you fighting back. "

"Oh, that's a shame. And I thought we are going to have a great time."

This time somebody else talked. Somebody who I knew. I slowly looked behind us, my body covered in sweat while my heart hurt like hell.

"No way."

This time a girl walked out from the army of monsters.

She wore a similar black kimono as the old man, with the antlers petuning out of her back. She also had the same black eyes, white hair, and skin as he, but even with these characteristics, I could tell who she was.

"Momo...Is that you?"

my old partner, who I failed to protect, smiled at me with her usual sweetness.

"It's been a while, young master."