In the round table room of the mother-ship, Ichiros were running around. Their first approved operation by Commander was underway. Second in command, Lieutenant Ichiro, with glasses, was leading the team. His subordinates were operating the holographic table in different directions. Each of them carried a device resembling a laptop computer, except it was shaped like a square tablet. These devices emitted light from all sides. In addition, they also projected images onto the walls of the room.

In these images, a knight in a silver armor was laying down in the dungeon. Next to him, a man and a boy were teleporting away from the cell. Their faces were blurred because the connection to that world was unstable.

“First phase is successful! We managed to teleport him out of the cells!”

One man reported to Lieutenant Ichiro.

Lieutenant nodded in approval.

“Excellent job. Demons never suspected we’re here. Let’s move forward. First stage is over.”

Nothing particular happened next. They waited for their target to appear to lead out their operative out of the dungeon. Meanwhile, they continued observing the duo. At one point, they noticed something strange happening to their operative. A black portal opened, and a string appeared, connecting the man to it. Another portal formed, and another strand emerged from it. Both portals disappeared simultaneously, and the strings entered inside of the knight’s armor.

“Aaahhh!!”

This man yelled, which caused everyone present to look up. The knight seemed terrified and tried desperately to remove the strings. But his efforts were futile, as if the strings were glued on.

Suddenly, the knight collapsed. Everyone gasped in horror. Lieutenant Ichiro rushed to the holographic panels and looked closer. Few seconds later, he opened his mouth in disbelief.

“Our Commander is here. How unexpected...”

It took a moment for others to realize what he meant. When they realized, they turned pale and dropped the tablets.

Commander’s appearance shocked them. Not only his presence, but also the situation itself, made their hearts skip a beat. He entered the body of their operative and used the knight as his vessel to attach itself to that world.

They had seen him appearing from those portals before, but this was the first time they witnessed Commander occupying a body directly. What was worse was the fact that they weren’t able to stop him.

“Maybe it’s better this way...”

Another lieutenant muttered under his breath, while staring at his tablet. Whatever the Commander does, they will support him. He saved them from the chaos incarnate, and now they are indebted to him forever.

***

Ichiro opened his eyes after feeling uncomfortable. He was lying on the rough rock ground. Slowly, he moved his arms and legs to get up. He stood up and brushed off some dirt particles clinging to his skin. Ichiro stretched his limbs and checked himself: he was wearing typical light silverish plate armor from fantasy stories with a helm that didn’t interfere with his movements and vision. There was nothing unusual about him besides his clothing.

Ichiro looked around; he was in some type of medieval dungeon, behind the rusted iron bars, with only a single torch lighting the space. There was nothing else in the room. Ichiro attempted to use his ‘dream powers’ to fabricate a weapon, but could only make a little metallic rod. He was confused for a moment before recalling yesterday’s holy nuke. If he was hit by it, it interfered with his next dreams, forcing him to rely on the more melee combat oriented weapons such as swords or spears. Ichiro scolded himself for not being able to escape that nuke inside of his thoughts before falling down to the ground.

His self-cursing, however, was short-lived. Heavy footsteps could be heard approaching from around the corner. It was getting near. Ichiro sat on the ground, adjusting his displaced helmet while he waited for it to arrive.

Two demon-like entities stood there, their faces concealed by darkness. One was tall, muscular, with wings, and wore a mask covering its entire face, including eye sockets. The second one was shorter, slimmer, and covered in fur similar to that of a bear. Their scarlet eyes pierced the darkness as they gazed at Ichiro. Ichiro returned the gaze with a neutral expression.

Arthur Phoenixcrest. Your time has arrived. Follow us to the arena. Don’t even try to flee."

The masked entity stated in a deep voice that was neutral in tone. The bear demon next to him nodded.

Ichiro was puzzled. Arthur Phoenixcrest? Seriously? The hell is this dream about? Is this supposed to be some sort of joke?

But he knew he shouldn’t take it too seriously. This was merely a nightmare, and he should wake up soon after he kills or dies to anything. Ichiro stood up and nodded. He said nothing since it would endanger his cover, because he wasn’t Arthur.

He approached the locked door as the smaller one opened it. Ichiro walked menacingly at him, which worked since the smaller one trembled. Ichiro kicked the door when it clicked, and the little demon flew to the wall where the torch was and became lodged into it. Torch unhooked and rolled over to Ichiro’s legs. He took it, glanced at the winged one, nodded at him, and the demon laughed hysterically.

It disregarded his almost dead colleague and returned to the passage from where it had come from, and Ichiro followed.

They proceeded along an unremarkable passageway in the dark till they came to the large double doors. The winged demon came to a halt and glanced at Ichiro. He bowed like a butler and motioned his hands to the door. Without hesitation, Ichiro stepped through the door.

The sky was enveloped by dark crimson clouds. Countless demon-like entities screamed and booed at the approaching Ichiro. They sat in rows and rows of benches that reached into the sky. A massive wall enclosed an even greater space on all sides. Corpses and weapons of war littered the ground, creating a battlefield of sorts. Ichiro headed to the center, where there was a raised area encircled by ramps. He stood there, observing as masses tried to hurl stones and trash at him, but were deterred by the invisible barrier. What did Arthur do? This was a question that Ichiro thought about for a while. And why was he is here rather than Arthur? These nightmares could be quite weird sometimes.

Three powerful knocks were delivered suddenly, generating a minor earthquake. The demonic mob became quiet. They both stared at the culprit, who was sitting on top of this vast field of battle. A massive guy sat in black full-plate armor with blazing lines that glowed faintly. On his chest, there were a few eye-like symbols surrounded by flames. The figure looked down at them and smiled evilly.

Four individuals were standing behind him. Because they were too stereotypical, Ichiro recognized them as a former hero’s team. A woman magician, a knight princess, an elderly barbarian, and a dwarf mechanic (?). They appeared to be Arthur’s old comrades. They had purple eyes that gazed down upon Ichiro with disgust. The dark lord spoke while staring at him.

“Arthur Phoenixcrest. Chosen One, former bearer of the Light Sword, and humanity’s fate. You’ve been sentenced to death in Arena. Come forth and accept your judgment.”

“You may begin, Dark Lord,” replied the foursome.

The ground began shaking again, and the demons roared louder than ever before. As expected from someone called the Dark Lord, he looked terrifyingly strong.

“Let the violence begin!”

And so, the game started.

The dark lord raised his palm, and the purple mana flowed into the ground. The small black dimensional gate appeared underneath the dark lord on the arena ground, floating, connecting itself to the black pillars that rose from the ground. Ichiro recognized them because they resembled the one he had delivered to the research facility. Digging further into his memories, he remembered finding them in some locations he had encountered in his nightmares. Why did he keep forgetting about that?

After a moment of preparation, the gates opened and a horde of demons poured out from the holes. They charged towards Ichiro. The monsters attacked relentlessly with no regard for their own lives, attacking with reckless abandon.

Ichiro was relieved that they were wingless imps. It was easy to kill them. He examined the enemy and the arena for potential weapons. He discovered objects large enough he could hurl against the army on the sight.

Ichiro dashed down the slope, picked up the broken war chariot, and launched it towards the imps. The chariots smashed through their ranks, killing hundreds in an instant. Some demons were flung high into the air, breaking their necks and dying instantly. Others broke apart due to impact damage. It destroyed the chaotic formation’s center, leaving just minced meat. Ichiro didn’t stop at the carriage; there were more objects he could hurl nearby.

Spears, swords, corpses, fragments of armor, a large wooden pole that was, for some reason, there, and an enormous boulder that must have fallen from somewhere above...

There were plenty of things to throw around.

After destroying most of the imps, Ichiro stopped throwing stuff. They were retreating into the dimensional gate already. The demonic mob, who had been observing, booed and jeered at their defeat.

The dark lord, who was still pouring mana into the dimensional portal, poured much more. The quartet of former heroes stayed silent, and the barbarian almost yawned. Soon after, the gate grew larger, reaching halfway up the pillars, and from it strode a roaring obese demon wielding huge hammers. Its head was bald except for two horns sprouting from either side of its skull, which gave it a devilish appearance.

It boasted armored arms and legs, as well as two hammers on his hands. It stands at around 7 meters in height. Obese demon had a tiny face and a gigantic mouth. Its belly was bloated, and it jiggled violently whenever the demon moved. Despite its grotesque appearance, it was agile, despite its size.

Obese demon swung its giant hammers wildly, smashing everything in front of it. The demonic audience cheered as the demon slaughtered anyone that dared stand in his path. His attacks were fast, brutal, and precise, making him a formidable opponent.

Ichiro decided that throwing techniques would not work against it, because of the size, and grabbed a rusted, broken, ornamented long sword off the ground. He used his ‘dream powers’ on the blade and it mended the blade. It returned to his former glory and shone slightly. Sharpness increased dramatically. Now he can fight!

When the Ichiro got close enough to him, the obese demon roared and slashed horizontally with the hammer. He leaped high enough to avoid being hit, rolled in the air, and struck the center of the belly with his sword. The blow caused the fat to rupture, causing a fountain of blood to spew out from the wound.

The sword became trapped within, and he shifted his body position such that his legs were standing at the sword’s grip. Then he crouched somewhat and sprang from the handle. It moved the sword and sliced open the belly, releasing the bloated, rotten intestines and stomach lining. When the guts spilled out onto the floor, the crowd gasped in horror.

The demon yelled in agony, but it was short-lived because he punched him in the chin, forcing him to fly backwards.

Ichiro landed on the ground, grabbed the bloodied wooden pole that had survived the toss, and began bludgeoning the demon with it repeatedly. He continued until the monster collapsed, lifeless, on the ground.

He threw away the broken wooden pole to the ground, looking at the dark lord. Fresh chunks of flesh dripped from Ichiro’s silvered armor, and his eyes glowed with a golden hue, watching at the dark lord.

The brutality of his actions left the crowd speechless.

“A true warrior never hesitates to use whatever weapon comes to hand. I salute you!”

The four heroes looked at each other before turning to face Ichiro. Was Arthur so good at murder? No, he was too sensitive to that. So it was the fear of dying that caused it? No, he had been through comparable battles and was still acting like a child. Perhaps Arthur was just cruel inside? That seemed right. But then, what happened to his gentle personality?

They had a lot of questions on their heads.

The knight who was staring at him made a dark lord good laugh. His laugh made the entire arena quiver. Did his remarks from three days ago changed Arthur’s mind? Or perhaps it was something else entirely?

“Congratulations, Arthur. It was a magnificent display of violence for a weakling like you. I offer you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pledge loyalty to me. Accept it or die by my hands.”

Ichiro was shocked. Was the so-called Arthur, the chosen one, so puny that he never engaged in such violence?

No, it couldn’t be. If he was a chosen one, like in those novels, he surely experienced combat. He should have fought countless times if he was the savior of mankind. There must be some explanation. Maybe he chose not to fight, preferring to save people instead of fighting himself.

And so Ichiro felt his cover was breaking. He needed to act quickly to prevent any suspicion from the others. He turned towards the dark lord and knelt, as if to express his pledging. Ichiro had an excellent opportunity to launch a surprise attack on the main villain if he wanted to. He was sure he could win, considering the fact that the dark lord didn’t know that he was an impostor.

While the dark lord walked with the grace of an emperor towards Ichiro, he tortured his head for the most efficient attack he could make with his meager amount of ‘dream powers.’

The dark lord came to a halt in front of the knight, brandishing his ebony sword. It was covered in runes, much like the runes on the black pillars. He carefully placed the sword on the knight’s shoulder and attempted to remove the knight’s helmet. The dark lord grabbed the helmet and threw it away. Ichiro took action. Suddenly, the dark lord’s sword-wielding hand dropped to the ground.

Ichiro performed the first iaido strike, Nuki-tsuke, slashing the arm with a thin anti-magic blade composed of hardened mana molecules, with a thick enough handle to wield it. The tip of the sword cut deeply into the wrist joint, severing tendons and bones alike, slicing everything. The force of the attack was abysmal, but the cutting edge was so sharp compared to the ordinary sword.

"I refuse." ¹ 

Ichiro answered before standing up in fast motion, slashing him with incredible speed. He sped up both his mind and body using his powers. Dark lord’s limbs, legs, and chest were slashed diagonally, vertically, and horizontally with no remorse. Nothing remained intact. Blood gushed from all over the place.

Ichiro trusted his hand into the dark lord, grasping a dazzling purple orb and crushed it with his hands, just as the helmet fell to the ground. Ichiro had spotted it when gazing with his analyzing eyes that glowed after obliterating the fat demon, assumed it was his source of strength, and destroyed it. He let go of his grip and powdered purple dust blew away with the wind he had just generated by the sword slashes.

“Who... are... you?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“I-Impostor...”

Dark lord screamed in pain, as the minced meat fallen to the ground. Ichiro, at last, sliced his head clean off. The decapitated corpse of the dark lord twitched and flopped on the ground. Purple soul energy surged from the bloodied corpse of the former dark lord and entered Ichiro. It was the dark lord’s last strike, attempting to attack the soul of his slayer and control it.

It couldn’t even break the first layer of his soul’s defenses. Ichiro was stronger than that. So it switched to the second strongest, which was the magical lady. As the energy fled, Ichiro felt violated, so he followed and sliced it, killing the dark lord permanently. Ichiro released the mana construct after that.

The former heroes tried to attack Ichiro after seeing he wasn’t Arthur, but because they were under the dark lord’s influence, they fell unconscious after horrifyingly screaming. Demonic mob was also under control. They went berserk and kill each other after the dark lord’s permanent death. 

Ichiro didn’t sit still when chaos erupted in the arena. He needed to seal the dimensional gate, which had become chaotic and was transforming colors rapidly.

It might unleash something much more powerful.

Ichiro had a few options, but because he didn’t have enough ‘dream powers,’ he was limited to one. He seized the ebony sword, removed the stuck hand of a dark lord, and activated it using his ‘dream power.’ The sword transformed into a glowing sword imbued with anti-magic properties. He slashed the bottom of the left pillar, shattering the stone into pieces. He then picked the top part up with effort and hurled it towards the demons. It slammed into the arena, flattening the demons and crushing them into the paste.

Ichiro went to the second and repeated the process. The gate became unstable and transformed into shape. It was a sign that the dimensional gate was closing. Ichiro fled to the middle of an arena since they explode if closed in that way.

The gate did not close. The purple dust that was the dark lord’s core accidentally blew where the gates were. It absorbed the dust and provided itself enough energy to keep itself open. The spatial gate shrunk itself and became purple. A man in a formal suit emerged from it. The chaotic sounds quietened down, leaving only the man’s clapping. After that, the gate was closed. He stopped clapping as he got close to the gored mess Ichiro caused. He fixed his crimson tie while looking at Ichiro and talked.

“You don’t belong here. My employers are... upset. All thanks to you, First Son. I’m here to eliminate you.”

Well, shit.