“What is the meaning of this?” King Alex yelled

The delegation in the demon kingdom had gathered in the meeting room. They were, however, not gathered for a meeting with the demon king but assembled in preparations for the goddess games, only to be surprised when they began to see visions from the Helena kingdom. 

This was clearly the power of the goddesses, but why were they showing the human kingdom?

Queen Helen M. Helena had a hunch about the reason and it made her frown.

“Queen Helen, will you explain this to us?” King Columbia said.

“Your guess is as good as mine right now. I have no idea what is going on.”

“You expect us to believe that?” King Alex shouted

“What you believe is unimportant right now.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Announcing the arrival of the demon king.” A voice cried out.

The demon king walked into the room with a calm expression. He unlike the others he was unfazed by what was happening.

“You have finally arrived, Demon king.” Queen Helen uttered with a glare

“Filthy human, how dare you glare at the king.” The announcer shouted

“Enough…” The demon king ordered. “My apologies, I was busy with other matters.”

“This meeting was agreed upon months in advance. Surely you had enough time to clear your schedule?” Queen Helen argued

“I did, but as a fellow ruler you must understand that sometimes their things, that are just beyond your control.” He replied before turning his head to the visions of Helena.

Tch! There is no way I can argue that point in this situation.

“I know the negotiations have stalled but may I ask that we wait until the goddess games are over before we discuss anything.”

“Are planning to use the outcome of the game to milk us dry?”

“Of course not. I am just worried that the people in this room won’t have the authority to negotiate on behalf of the humans anymore.”

“What the hell did you just say?” King Alex shouted

The demon king simply shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I doubt the goddess would show these visions without any purpose behind it. Something is happening on your continent, and I cannot take the risk of making a deal without knowing what it is.”

His logic was sound but for Queen Helen, this was nothing more than a power play. 

What have you been doing behind the scene, demon king? She asked herself before turning to the visions as well.

***

In the Helena kingdom, the king was in the middle of his speech, as the castle town citizens came to bid the two heroes good luck in the goddesses’ games.

The king showered praises for the heroes and spoke of humanity's past when…

“Are you alright with that?” he suddenly said in a dark tone. The crowd went silent.

“We have for many centuries entrusted our fates to swine’s that come from another world only waste our mana… I ask... are you fine with that!?”

“Oi… What are you saying?” Hero Soshiro shouted

“Silence swine.”

“What did you say!?”

“Your majesty, what is the meaning of this? Why are you insulting the heroes all of the sudden.” Princess Emerald Capricorn asked with a worried face.

“Heroes, You say?… All I see are little boys come to play make-belief at our expense. We as a species were once the most powerful race on this planet, but look at us now? We have fallen into the gutter and do you know why? It’s because of these heroes that we summoned. My citizens… No… My fellow humans… the time has come for us to seize destiny once again. The time has come for us to show our might.”

The crowd was stunned by his words. They couldn’t understand why he was saying such things, after all, he was only the Queen's husband.

 “Oi… What are you blubbering about?” a woman shouted from the crowd

“Stop your nonsense and wait for the wife to return.”

“This is the problem with men… Always causing a commotion wherever they go.”

The crowd belittled not only his speech but him as well.

Princess Aria Mallard Heartland watched with a wry smile as the situation unfolded. She was wondering what to do? When she heard an eerie laugh coming from the king. 

“Has he gone mad?” Hero Taiku asked

“You mock me? Of course, you do… This is the kingdom ruled by useless women after all.” He uttered.

His words angered the crowd that was present… or to be more accurate… It angered the women who stood in front, the men who were behind simply looked on without uttering a word.

“Enough!” he yelled, before grabbing hold of staff of kroon.

“Staff of kroon!” Princess Aria yelled

“What is it doing here?” Princess Emerald asked

“Is that thing a weapon?” Hero Soshiro asked taking a fighting stance.

“No… It is what former arc priest Susan used when summoning you.”

“Hmm… Now that think about it, she did have that thing with her… Why does the king have it?” Hero Taiku spoke

“I don’t know. It should be under the care of the temple until an arc priest arrives to claim it, but…” Princess Aria explained

“Those fools have no idea what power they had… But I know and I will use it to my advantage.” The king mumbled 

“Oi… Taiku… What do you think we should do?” Soshiro asked.

“The king has gone mad… We take him out.”

“We? Ha… Leave this to me. A warm-up before the goddesses’ games.”

“You dare challenge me? The staff of kroon… unleash your power.” The king ordered.

The staff of kroon shined a bright golden light before it shattered completely.

The king and everyone stood in shock. 

“Is that it?” Soshiro asked with a puzzled look.

“Randall, what is the meaning of this?” the king yelled.

“Randall wasn’t working for you father.” A voice spoke.

“Sofia?” the king uttered as his eyes went wide when he noticed that Sofia also had a Staff of kroon.

“Daughter? What are you doing?”

“Daughter? Who are you calling daughter? Wasn’t Susan your favorite? You, mother, and auntie all loved her more than me?”

“What you talking about?” he replied with a pale puzzled look

“You all looked down on me. You all believed that she was better than me.”

“What are you talking about? This doesn’t make any sense…” he replied before shaking his head. “In any case, hand over the staff of kroon… You shouldn’t handle something so dangerous.”

“Huh? You let Susan handle it thou…” she replied with a smirk. “I knew it… Everyone really thought that you were better than me sister…”

Just then from the crowd, a man emerged with Susan in toll. She was chained and leashed. No different from a criminal slave.

“Oi~Oi… Isn’t that arc priests Susan?”

“She still alive.”

“Why is a man holding her in chains? What is the meaning of this?”

The crowd of women went into a frenzy…

Sofia raised the staff and shouted, “My people… This is the dawn of a new era. Through me the Helena kingdom… No… The Helena empire will rise.”

“Sofia! What are you saying?” her father shouted.

“I am simply doing what you wanted to do father. I will leave a legacy like no other. When all is said and done, everyone will remember the name, Sofia Von Helena." she declared before raising the staff high, "Staff of Kroon, I command thee… Lend me your power.”

The staff shook violently before a golden light appeared.

“I fell it. I fell the power.” She said happily

“Sofia stop…” a voice cried out.

“Hmm... You still have something to say? Sister...”

“That is not the Staff of Kroon.”

“What nonsense are you shouting?”

“Remember? I let you play with it when are we ridding home? You marveled at the small printed temple crest on the staff. That thing doesn’t have those.”

Upon hearing her words, Sofia looked at the staff once more and indeed the crest that she had marveled wasn’t present. Just then, the staff began to vibrate even more. She could feel tremendous power building, but It was then that she realized...

The power isn’t flowing into me?

She quickly threw the staff, as if it were a spear into the sky after strengthening her body with skills.

The crowd watched as the shining golden staff flew higher and higher and then…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM

A large explosion rocked the city sky. Clearing what was a cloudy day.

Sofia looked on with a shocked expression, but it quickly turned to anger…

“Randall” she yelled angrily. There was silence. The crowd stood in confusion and shock. The only sound that could be heard was that of chains as some knights who were freeing Susan.

As everyone from the crowd, to the king and princess were trying to grasp what was happening, the sound of clapping echoed from above them all.

“You really should have let that explosion kill you all. It would save me the trouble of doing it personally. Oh well, what else can you expect from humans.” Randall uttered with a bright smile.

“Randall!” Sofia uttered with a glare as he floated above them all.

***

“Oh wow… this is good. I am even tempted to cancel the games.” Rania shouted in excitement 

“It is entertaining but you can’t…” Selma replied.

“I know… But, if the heroes get killed… It will affect the games. Should we…”

“We cannot interfere. This is an internal matter amongst humans… Or at least it appears that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“I find it hard to believe that humans were able to alter the staff of kroon with their limited mana.”

“You mean another race helped them?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… Isn’t it all good, as long as it is not a direct attack right?”

“I wonder… This human sounds different from before. Why did he utter, ‘Oh well, what else can you expect from humans.’ It is almost like he is distancing himself from the race.”

“You think he has been brainwashed... No... possessed?”

“It is a possibility…”

“Then shouldn’t we intervene?”

“We have no proof… For now, let us watch and see.”

Delphi who uttered not a single word found Selma’s thoughts troubling. There was only one race she could think of that would have a reason for doing something that would bring humans harm.