The world were once separated by country...now began...the region of the one world government, earth had been unified as one government known as the O.W.G. Their flag was black with the three-letter acronym... 

Though there were separate cities, the earth itself was known as one government. The world was split into 4 sectors known as empires, in the west was the Shujin empire, the north the Celestial empire, south the Kaionen empire and the east the Reukin empire. Though run by different rulers, the one world government stood above them all... 

Kin Yamazaki was a young 16-year-old high-school student that went to Okazaki high in the city of Toimogu in the Shujin empire. Kin had black hair that went across his right purple eye covering it, giving him an emo vibe. The students were forced to wear black vests with white long-sleeve shirts and black pants, their school's emblem on their right torso which was a red "R" inside a silver sun. 

CHAPTER 1 The beginning Of A Long Journey 

The young student sat at his desk drawing fantasy characters as he always did, he was drawing a sword with magical powers when the teacher came up swiping it out of his hand. The teacher was a heavier old man with black hair and glasses. "How dare you draw in my class! I will have you suspended for such disrespect!" 

He and the other students watched as the teacher tossed the notebook in the metal trash bin before tossing a match inside. A cold weight grew within Kin as he watched the bin set ablaze with flames within the white classroom. Clinching his fists, tears poured from his eyes as he got up walking over to the bin looking at the flames before it slowly died down. 

The teacher crossed his arms ordering the student to sit back down. That's when Kin sent a fierce strike across the teacher's face, shattering the man's glasses as they flew from the man's face hitting the floor in pieces, blood running from the man's face. "WHY YOU LITTLE BRAT! I'LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED FOR THIS!" The young teen quickly ran to the back of the classroom, opening one of the large windows before jumping from the 3rd floor, managing to catch a tree branch stopping his fall before landing in the grass behind the schoolyard. 

Taking off full-speed, Kin didn't look back as he dashed over to the large school wall, managing to scale it before escaping into the forest that spread miles behind the school. "I'm done with school...done with this place, I will travel the world until I find a place where I can be happy and feel as though I belong. My notebook is gone as is a part of me...I spent years creating an entire world within those pages, only for them to turn to ashes in mere moments" 

Sitting down he rested against a large cherry blossom tree that seem to have sprouted in the middle of the forest while the other trees surrounding it were mere oak trees. He took of his vest as cherry blossoms danced withing the air around him as if in slow motion. He could feel a soft breeze brush across his face as he relaxed wiping his dried tears. 

"A quote from someone once said: "When one's world has been destroyed, stand up and create one that surpasses the last" Whoever spoke those words is right, I won't let the loss of my creations break me...I shall rise up to the task of creating a world that is even greater than before!" Leaving his vest in the forest, he walked through the peaceful forest letting out a calming breath knowing he wasn't trapped in a place that had no respect for him any longer. He was free to do what he thought was right... 

After a few hours of walking, he spotted something shiny lying across a large rock, the sunlight reflecting off it's surface. Making his way over to the item, he realized it was a sword. It was a two-handed silver sword with a golden grip and cross-guard. "T-this sword...it looks just like the one from my notebook! It can't be though" Slowly Kin reached down picking the blade up with one hand. The grip was slightly warm from the sun's heat but didn't burn him. 

He inspected the blade looking it over before slowly raising it to the sky with a smile on his face. That's when he heard a voice within his head: (Hello Kin, thank you for finding me, I've been stuck in these woods for so long, I thought I'd never be found) This caught the teen off-guard as he spun around gripping the blade tightly looking for the source of the young male voice. 

(Oh, I'm sorry if I frightened you...I am Osukai, I was once human like you before being reincarnated as this sword. I am able to communicate to those who wield me by connecting our minds together. I thought some knight would find me but to my surprise it was a mere boy. Though, you seem to be able to wield me with little issue, how strange, I'm an S+ rank weapon so I doubt many can handle my power, yet you seem fine. Try attacking with me) 

Kin gripped the sword with both hands, focusing his sights on an old oak tree as he swung with all his might as a slash of blue energy pierced through the tree as it broke from it's roots hitting the ground. (Incredible, you're not only able to hold me like a mere blade, but can attack with me as well! You must have great potential within you. Many others before you attempted to merely hold me yet either passed out or couldn't lift me from wherever I laid) 

"You look just like the sword I drew in class hours ago before my notebook was burned to ash by my heartless teacher" 

(Really? How strange, but at least you managed to escape. With your talent and my power, we could achieve greatness! Let us search this world for ways to grow stronger and become a legend!) With a nod Kin walked further through the forest gripping the blade tightly in his hand when they spotted a dark figure moving through the forest, it looked like a figure made of dark energy as it moved at a fast rate. That's when Kin realized it was headed towards them. 

"O-Osukai...what is that thing!?" 

(I'm not sure, I can sense a demonic aura emanating from it so I assume it's a type of demon. Though I can't see, I can sense everything around me such as magic and life energy) The shadow demon made it's way towards them, it's lifeless eyes focused on them as it reached out towards them. Kin stood frozen in fear when the sword shouted for him to attack. 

Gripping it with both hands, Kin closed his eyes in fear, swinging the blade with all his strength. Once again, a wave of magical energy sliced through the creature as it froze in place before splitting in half as it faded away. The young teen fell to one knee out of breath from the rush of fear. "W-what's going on...my life seemed normal until I enter this forest! I must be going insane...this is just my mind crumbling apart!" 

(You're not going insane, there's thousands of things hidden from most humans, but seems it was just a coincidence that you happen to come across me. As for the demon, I'm unsure of it's origin. However, now that you are my master...I'm afraid you'll have to say goodbye to your normal life. Once we've linked together, it cannot be undone) 

"Sigh, well it's not like I had anything in my normal life. No friends...no family worth staying for. So, I'll just leave it all behind and start a new life" With a deep breath, Kin ventured through the forest far away from Toimogu as the sun began to go down, giving off a beautiful pale-red color. That's when the young boy spotted a cave at the bottom of a large mountain, it was pitch-black as he approached it's entrance. 

"Osukai, can you use your magic to illuminate our way inside?" The sword abruptly lit up in a blue aura lighting a small path before him allowing the teen to walk inside. The cave was cold with only the sound of water dripping onto the floor. As he reached the back of the ominous cave. That's when he spotted a figure sitting up against the cold stone walls. 

As it came into view, the figure came into view as a zombie sat before him fast asleep. It had black hair wearing brown cloth rags for clothing. As the monster awoke before him, a scream caught in Kin's throat aiming his sword toward the zombie who rose to his feet before the frightened teen. 

"Don't be afraid human, I don't want to hurt you. Unlike most undead, I can think rationally as if I were human. My name is Kento Sukada, my I know your name young swordsmen?" 

"K-Kin Yamazaki. I'm new to this whole fantasy world thing. I assumed my life would be boring and average until I found this sword. It goes by Osukai. He communicates through telepathy and told me he was once a human now Reincarnated As An S-Rank sword" 

"Well Kin Yamazaki, the sun's going down soon, it's best you stay here to make sure no monsters can attack you. In the morning I'll help you with the basics of being an adventurer" With that Kento sat back down against the wall before falling asleep. Meanwhile Kin was a little nervous about staying near a zombie but felt as though his new friend was genuinely a good person. Laying on the cold stone floor he soon fell asleep as well... 

As morning came, sunlight poured through the cave entrance waking the young boy. He stretched before standing up where he found Kento standing outside the cave looking out into the forest letting the forest's soft breeze brush across his undead body. "Though I'm undead, I can kind of feel the wind on my face" The zombie turned to see Kin stepping outside holding his blade tightly in his hand looking around cautiously as if expecting to be attacked by something. 

"Don't worry, not many creatures in this forest is even strong enough to match up to me. So as long as you stay close nothing should be able to harm you. Now then, show me your skills as a swordsmen. You say you're new to adventuring, so let's help you practice with that legendary weapon" 

Kento put his hands up in a fighting stance watching his opponent closely with his undead eyes, unlike most eyes, his eyes were black with blue irises. Kin gripped his weapon with both hands charging straight for the undead. Swinging his blade at full strength, the young warrior missed by mere inches, sending a magical slash past him cutting a large tree in half as it split down the middle before hitting the grass. 

"Hmm, seems your weapon certainly does possess immense magical power. Though without actual swordsman skills, you won't be much of a threat but could accidentally hurt someone with that attack If you're not careful. Let's try some target practice, this will help improve your accuracy so you don't accidentally hit something or someone" 

Standing in front of them, Kento held his open palm out as he manifested a fireball that levitated within his grasp. This caught Kin off guard at the sight of a zombie using magic. "First a zombie that acts like an average human, now you can use magic as well!?" 

"For now I'm only capable of using fire magic. Though it also gives me a fire nullification which is a good advantage since fire is one of the magic types most undead are weak against. Now then...think fast!" With a sudden movement Kento shot his small fireball right for the young human who hesitated in fear of being burned, putting his guard up as the flaming projectile struck the edge of the blade with wisps of flames shooting out in all directions before the attack was sent soaring into the sky as burst in burst of flames. 

Kin stood shaking from the adrenaline rushing through his body as he took deep breaths trying to calm down. Kento Clapped with a smile on his face forming another ball of flames. "I'm impressed you managed to deflect the 1st one, maybe you really do have potential. However, you let your fear take over. In a life or death situation, such a weakness will spell doom for you. If you wish to become a real warrior...you must focus on your survival. Overthinking will only grow your fear until you're frozen and wide open to an attack" 

Kin tighten his grip once more as Kento raised his hand above him, making his sphere of flames twice as big as before. "Fear will only weaken you...stay calm and focus" Without another word, the undead mage sent the magical projectile head-on for the young swordsmen. 

(F-fear will only weaken me...) Letting out a deep breath, he stood his ground with a determined look in his eyes. "I won't let my fears hold me back!" Just as he came face to face with the blazing attack, Kin swung his blade with all his might, making direct contact with the sphere as he could feel himself slowly getting forced back as his feet scraped across the dirt. Kin's hair blew from the force of power the attack emitted when the young warrior stomped his foot firmly to the ground, sending the stronger attack right back at the zombie who was caught off guard. In a burst of immense flames, Kento was set ablaze by his own attack until the flames died out with only his clothes scored. 

"Great work Kin, you managed to overcome your fear and push yourself further. Though there'll be plenty more obstacles in your path, this test just shows you have the potential to grow as a warrior. Make sure you train and keep improving with your sword until it becomes 2nd nature to you. I think that's enough training for now. It's time to see how you fare on a quest against a real monster" 

As they made their way through the forest, Kin held his sword up speaking to it telepathically: (You ok Osukai? You were quiet during the training session) 

(I'm fine master, I don't talk much during a battle unless it's to alert you of danger) Lowering his blade he followed his ally down the forest path where a village came into view. It was a large medieval village with many wooden houses and merchants with their stores set up between every other house. As they made their way towards a large tavern in the middle of village, Kin noticed an old man wearing a dark-purple wizard hat and robe with many different items spread out on a table similar to a pawn shop without glass protecting it. 

"Welcome young traveler, I see you've taken a liking to my shop. Allow me to show you my wares. I have this" He grabbed a dark-red katana holding it up before the young teen. "This blade is said to contain immense spiritual energy. I'm willing to sell it to you for...2,000 gold. What say you to such a bargain?" 

"I'm sorry sir, but I already have the sword for me" Kin showed his blade to the wizard he hung his head before responding: "I see...well, what about this?" Once more the old mage pulled out a small black box before carefully opening it to revel A card with the picture of a dark knight in black armor with red glowing eyes, the name below it read: "Death knight" 

The young warrior grew interested in the card as he reached out closely inspecting it. "So, what's so special about this item?" The mage smiled. "Ah yes! That card contains a magical seal that contains a powerful monster within it. If you wish to summon it, you just call out it's name and it shall appear before you. Definitely a useful summoning item when in danger or wanting to turn the tables against an opponent" 

Kin pondered for a moment before asking: "So. What's the worth of such an item?" The merchant stroked his beard thinking for a moment before answering: "Normally such an item would be worth 1,00 to roughly 1.200 gold, but for you I'll bring the price down to 900" 

"Hmmm, seems reasonable, I shall be back once I have enough to buy the item. Please hold it for me till I return" The wizard gave him a nod before Kin walked down the dirt road up to the tavern where Kento was looking at the quest billboard with many different quests pinned on the board. 

Turning his head, the undead warrior saw his friend walking through the twin doors stepping inside the large tavern. It had a wooden floor with many tables and chairs with the bar at the other side of the room with stairs leading up on the left side of the bar. Surprisingly there weren't many people within the tavern aside one group of mercenaries sitting in the corner of the room drinking mugs of beer. 

"What took so long? I was about to come look for you, was beginning to suspect you had gotten lost or got in a fight" Kin laughed responding: "No, just stopped by a shop that had some cool items. He offered me a sword but I informed him that I already had the sword I want, so then he showed me some kind of card that had a monster sealed within it. He said it was really useful in battle and even offered to bring the price from 1,200 gold down to 900 gold" 

"Hmm, well doing quests will surely help you gain gold for anything you might need, though most places don't like my kind hanging around, seems this village welcomes all races. The 1st village I found hated undead, one man even attempted to kill or at least slice me to pieces, luckily, I seem to have enhanced strength. Anyway, let's see what quests we can do" 

Looking through the quests, Kento pulled off one of the quests. "Here we go, this is a C-rank quest, should be simple enough even though you're a mere D-rank. Says they're north from this Village and have been terrorizing villagers as well as stealing food and materials. Seems like a good starting point. Let's head over there" 

"Right" With a nod Kin followed his friend out of the village, heading north down a long dirt path before reaching a wooden sign that read: "Danger Monster area" in big red bold letters. Kento smirked walking past it, disregarding the warning. "Seems we're on the right path. The goblins shouldn't be too far from this point" 

As the pair ventured further down the dirt path, that's when Kento heard rustling nearby. Kento stopped the young warrior behind him. "Wait, there's something in front of us" While the zombie stood still listening, Kin pulled out Osukai closing his eyes using the reincarnated blade to sense the area around them...feeling the life force of a small creature in the bushes before them. (Got it!) Gripping his blade firmly Kin ascended into the air, bringing his blade down with a mighty slash as he sent a powerful slash right through the bush blowing the leaves away revealing a green goblin laying in a pool of dark-green blood with a piercing slash down it's head. 

"Looks like that's one down" The swordsmen commented lowering his blade but still on guard. The two stood beside one another when an arrow came flying from a nearby tree right for the undead when Kento abruptly caught it with one hand, the sharpened stone tip mere inches from his pale skull as he ignited the arrow with flames before throwing it right back in the direction it came from. The fast-moving projectile struck a tree as it was engulfed in flames causing another goblin to fall from the tree landing before them. 

"Ha! Found you!" Aiming his palm towards the creature, Kento sent a fierce fireball in the direction of their target, engulfing them in a fierce burst of flames leaving a large scorch mark in the grass as the monster laid motionless on the ground. "That makes two. With two in the same area, that can only mean their camp isn't too far from here. Let's hurry on ahead Kin" 

The pair ran through the forest with Kento ahead while Kin was slightly slowed down from his sword. As they dashed through the green forest, the wind blew across their face as they spotted a campfire just up ahead. Crowed down just a few meters away, the zombie inspected the camp noticing dozens of goblins as they stood by the fire letting out loud screeches with four large trolls sitting around them. "Hmmm, to think trolls would be allies with goblins. Either way our quest said to rid the area of the monsters stealing and causing chaos" 

Setting his sights on the campfire, he used his fire manipulation ability to cause the flames within the camp to grow out of control as the small fire now ragged 10 feet high burning several goblins as they let out screeches of pain falling back. With the monsters in a panic, Kento sprung out from the bushes, lunging right for a large blue troll sending a fierce blow to it's face as the large brute staggered back gripping it's nose in pain before lowering it's hands letting out a deep bellow in anger. 

Before any of the monsters could flee, the undead pyromancer threw his hand up as a wall of flames surrounded the camp trapping all that was inside by the fierce blazing flames. "There, now you can't get away" Just then one of the other trolls grabbed Kento from behind, slamming him to the ground in a shockwave of force. Kin watched a few feet away as his partner laid on the ground in a small crater. "Kento!" 

The large troll began stomping on the zombie's abdomen with colossal force. The young warrior clinched his teeth in anger as he prepared to help his ally, only for the third troll to charge past the stomping brute right for the human. Closing his eyes, the swordsmen used Osukai's sensing ability to find the troll's weak point before sliding beneath it's feet, piercing the troll's left heel as purple blood gushed from it's wound. 

Kin watched as one of the four monsters fell to one knee shaking in pain while the horde of goblins huddled in the corner too afraid to fight back. Meanwhile the troll crushing the undead man rose it's foot attempting to crush him once more, that's when the adventurer caught the brute's foot with one hand causing them to fall back with a loud boom. 

"Are you done yet? Surely you knew I was an undead and therefore can't feel pain. Not to mention I can regenerate in a short amount of time" He stood up brushing himself off as his injuries slowly healed. "Now then, if you expect to beat us, you all will have to actually work together to stand any chance against us" The 1st troll charged towards Kento from behind lunging for him, that's when the man grabbed ahold of his assailant's hand without looking, throwing them over his shoulder as they slammed onto the ground creating large crakes in the ground. 

"Sigh, either I'm stronger than I thought, or you all are just weak. Kin, it's time for you to show me what you got. I think I've had my fun toying with them" The young teen nodded taking a deep breath gripping his sword firmly before closing his eyes. When linked to Osukai's sense, the world appeared as black and white as he sensed everything within the flaming barrier. 

Jumping into the air, Kin unleashed a barrage of slashes in the direction of the two trolls standing beside one another as rays of light rushed past them like lasers before the two brutes hit the ground in a pool of blood. (Two left) Osukai commented within the boy's head. Slowly raising his blade up, Kin focused the magical power of his blade before unleashing a single strike as a massive wave of energy pierce through both injured trolls leaving them cut in half in a brutal pool of blood. 

His friend clapped with a smirk on his face. "Well done, you seem to be improving with that sword and the fact it's a legendary, your normal level of strength doesn't limit the amount of damage you do" Huffing out of breath Kin fell to one knee using the sword as a cane to keep him from collapsing. "T-thanks, but it does take a lot of stamina to use the magical power of the sword, especially that kind of attack where I concentrate a greater amount of power into one condensed attack rather than a barrage of normal strikes" 

"Hmm, could be your lack of magical energy, your body probably isn't used to using a magical item so it multiplies the amount of stamina required to use magic. Anyway...let's make our way back and inform the quest master we've finished the quest" Helping his friend up, the pair headed back as the ring of flames engulfed the horse of goblins with ease before going out like a mere candle... 

CHAPTER 2 Kento's Weakness 

Making their way back to the tavern they spoke with the bartender who was also the quest master who was the one to go to once a quest had been completed. Placing the quest form onto the bar Kento informed them the quest had been completed. The bartender was a young woman with long blue hair and purple eyes wearing a black uniform standing behind the bar wiping the bar down before looking up at them. "Welcome adventurers, how can I assist you today? My name is Masuna Katsuya the quest master of this tavern inn" 

"Hello, we just finished this quest and would like the reward" Kento commented sliding the paper over to her. She read over it before asking: "How do I know you actually defeated all those monsters?" The undead warrior pulled out a troll's leg showing her the decapitated limb. 

"Is this proof enough for you? Or shall I take you to their scorched corpses?" This caught Masuna a little off guard but she nodded handing them a sack of gold. "We appreciate your help and do please let me know when you finish anymore quests" Kento nodded taking the reward while Kin couldn't help but notice the look of unease in the woman's eyes. 

"Are you ok Masuna? You seem disturbed. Do you not like the sight of blood or something?" 

"I-it's not that, I just didn't expect him to go into such detail. I know he's an undead, but it's a little scary knowing he can exterminate the monsters with ease and not feel anything about it. But I could just be judgmental, there's plenty of adventurers that are willing to kill monsters both to protect this village but also for the sake of the mere thrill. But anyway, sorry for worrying you, I'm fine don't worry about me" 

As they made their way outside, they split the 2,000 gold pieces as Kento went to find new clothes to wear while Kin went back to the old wizard he had spoken with before. "I'm back sir, I'd like to buy that death knight card from you if it's still here" With a happy nod the wizard once more took out the small black box pulling out the card. Taking the small summoning card, he handed the merchant the agreed 900 gold coins before walking towards his friend who was now wearing a black mercenary uniform instead of his old rags. 

"Wow, nice clothes Kento" His friend smiled admiring his new clothing before looking at Kin who was inspecting the card he had bought from the wizard. The card's frame was dark-purple with the back of the card with a blood-red "S" inside a silver flame. It read: 

TIER 5 

Death Knight 

Dark Type 

The tier was just above the picture of the monster with the name in the bottom center and the color of the frame symbolized it's type. "This summoning card will be very useful in our next fight, I'm excited to see what it can do" As the sun began to go down, they sat in the tavern using their leftover gold to buy a small meal. They sat at a large wooden table as they ate their food. 

Kin had ordered some chicken drum sticks with slices of bread while Kento ate a small steak. The young adventurer looked as his undead friend before asking him: "Are you even able to taste in your undead form?" Kento stopped eating letting out a sig, sadly I can't really taste anything, but steak can sometimes have traces of blood in it which is what I need to keep up my strength. It's definitely better than hurting innocent people" 

Just then a sudden force struck Kento as his eyes lit up purple. His partner watched as the zombie stood up with an emotionless expression, walking outside with Kin following a few feet behind to see where he was going. (Kin, I can sense something strange within Sukada, I feel he's under some kind of mind control!) As they made their way outside the village's entrance towards the southern forest, Kin quickly hid behind a large bolder where he saw a legion of skeletons surrounding a man in a red robe wearing a purple crystal necklace that glimmered in the night. 

"Welcome my loyal servants, you have all laid dormant for far too long...it is time we took over this worthless village and then the world! But first...it seems we have an intruder in our midst. Go and bring them to me!" Kin could feel his heart began to pound in his chest thinking they were referring to him. Just as he pulled out his sword to charge in, he spotted a woman fly through the air towards the legion of undead. She had long black hair with blue eyes wearing light black armor with a red hooded-cape wrapped around her neck like a scarf. 

"Duplication!" A clone of the female warrior manifested beside her in a flash of blue light as she threw a barrage of shuriken down toward the undead army, piercing through their skeletal bodies while her clone touched down in the grass surrounded by the undead as they let out groans charging towards her. As the female warrior landed in a tree above them, the doppelganger fought the legion head on in hand-to-hand combat. 

As each undead attempted to grab her, she swiftly roundhouse-kicked their heads off their shoulders as they frantically ran around unable to see where they were going. Meanwhile the original took a deep breath preparing to use her special technique to end it before any civilians got hurt. 

"YOU FOOLS! SHE'S JUST A MERE WOMAN, HURY AND KILL HER NOW!" Suddenly a ray of bright light similar to the sun illuminated the forest as the unknown warrior leapt into the air throwing both hands down toward the undead. "Flame dragon dance!" The blinding light manifested into flames taking the shape of a dragon as it let out a deafening roar before descending down right for the old mage in the center. 

Kento still under his control, shielded the mage as an explosion of immense flames wiped out the entire legion of undead leaving a massive scorch mark all around them. She landed beside Kin as her duplicate vanished in a wisp of blue light. "Damn, that last undead must be immune to fire damage, otherwise he should've turned to ash like the rest of them!" 

"Wait! That zombie is actually my friend, he's under some kind of mind control! Please help me free him!" 

"What!? How can a zombie be your friend!?" Kin begged her to trust him and find a way to free him. With a sigh she agreed as the pair stepped out from the bolder standing before the hypnotized undead. 

"CURSE! ALL OF MY UNDEAD, DEFEATED SO EASILY, AND BY A GIRL NO LESS! Fine...seems I'll have to rely on this mere zombie to kill the both of you. There shall be no witnesses to the slaughter of this village. With the power of my undead crystal, I can multiply this zombie's capabilities. Normally it's limited when I'm controlling so many undead at once, but with him being the only one...image how much stronger he'll be!" 

Aiming his old wrinkled palm towards his only servant, the crystal lit up brighter as a purple aura surged from Kento's body. "RRRAAAGGHH!" Kento clinched his fist as his power was multiplied 10 times it's normal limit as his body grew bigger and more built as he transformed into a large buff zombie as the purple aura continued to swarm around his body. 

The girl stood in shock before crying out: "What the hell!? H-he transformed! But...zombies can't transform!" Kin shook in complete fear. "H-he didn't just transform...he evolved!" The pair were frozen in fear by the new form of Sukada who glared at them with cold soulless eyes. Without warning, the brute struck the ground with colossal force, sending a shockwave in all directions as the entire forest shook as if it were an earthquake. 

Kin put his guard up as the wave of force sent the young adventurer staggering back as he impacted the large wooden gates of the village, hitting the ground face down. The armored woman imbued her shuriken with light magic as they glistened with golden light. "Since fire is ineffective against you, holy or light magic is the next best thing!" 

With an abrupt throw, a barrage of shuriken went straight for the controlled brute, piercing his pale skin piercing his arms as purple blood dripped from his wounds. This seemed to only infuriate the zombie more as Kento unleashed a devastating roar that seem to shake the entire forest by it's immense power. 

As the young knight covered her ears from the fierce noise, Kento advanced forward, sending a devastating blow to her abdomen as if a cannonball had struck her. The fierce punch sent the poor girl impacting the gates of the village as she smashed through it, landing in the south part of the forest out-cold... 

Meanwhile Kin gripped his blade, using it to force himself to his feet as the large undead brute once more turned his attention towards him with a cold look in his eyes. That's when Kin had an idea. (Osukai, you're capable of giving me magical energy, right?) 

"Yes why? Do you plan to use an all-out attack against such a strong opponent? Your body might not hold up against such strain) 

(No...you're able to give energy, that must mean you're also capable of siphoning it as well. When he attacks, I want you to try and take as much magical power from him as you can) The swordsmen stepped forward, feeling weak from his earlier attack from his ally as he fell to one knee still gripping his sword tightly. 

The old dark mage grinned, his ragged face still hidden beneath his hood with only his pale wrinkled smile visible. "Hehehe, seems this is the end for you boy, even if that girl regains consciousness, it won't change the outcome of this fight! Now my servant, kill the brat then finish off the girl!" 

As the zombie's eyes lit up in a sudden flash, he lunged toward Kin preparing to give the final blow, that's when a slight smile grew across the young swordsmen's face. "Prepare...spiritual syphoning barrier!" A sphere of white light manifested around Kin just as his friend came within mere feet of him. As Kento reached for him, his large hand entered the barrier. The moment he made contact, all of his magical energy began to be absorbed from his body and transferred into the warrior's blade until not an ounce of magic remained. 

The moment Kento ran out of mana, his eyes widened before collapsing to the ground reverting back into his smaller zombie form. "There, with all of his magic gone, he was too weak to continue fighting...I also have siphoned enough of your crystal's magic to multiply my own capabilities! Now then, it's time for you to pay for both hurting innocent people and controlling my friend. He may be an undead, but he would never hurt someone that didn't deserve it. For this, I won't show you any mercy. I shall kill you with one strike of my sword" 

With a deep breath, Kin set his sights on the old mage who slowly stepped back as he shook in fear. "N-no please, I don't want to die! I just wanted to finally be more than some old wizard no one cared about! Place spare me!" Without a word Kin was outlined in the dark-purple aura of the crystal as he moved past the assailant at super-sonic speed. The old man froze in place before blood gushed from his throat as his decapitated corpse hit the ground in a pool of blood as the pink crystal hit the ground beside it. 

Walking over, Kin picked up the necklace deciding what to do with it. "If I wore this, I could control the dead...but at the same time, the dead should rest. As much as I need power, using this isn't the way to go" With one final gaze at the crystal, he crushed it in his grasp as the flawless relic shattered to pieces before hitting the dirt, the light fading from it. 

Moments later Kento awoke from the hypnosis as well as his mana exhaustion. "D-damn it...what happened? The last thing I remember is feeling a sudden force hit the back of my head before blacking out" He looked around, seeing the sheer amount of damage from the fight, large cracks all across the ground, along with a hole in the large wooden gate of the village. 

"Kin!? What happened!?" He rushed over to his friend who stood over a headless body out of breath with blood dripping from his blade. (Ewww, can we please wash the blood off me at some point!?) Osukai cried out within the boy's head as Kin turned to see the free zombie running up to him. 

"Kento, it's glad to see you've finally come to your senses, I was worried this was going to be a fight to the death until I had the idea to drain the energy that was controlling you from your body. Though, I seemed to have taken more than needed causing you to lose consciousness during the battle. Luckily the old mage here is dead as well as the crystal he used to control an entire legion of undead. 

"So, he was not only capable of controlling an entire legion, but me as well? Sigh...to think I could be controlled so easily. Makes me feel weak knowing I let myself not only be controlled, but also cause such pointless destruction. I'm sorry Kin, are you alright?" 

"Y-yeah don't worry, I'm just bruised, in a few days I should be fine. However, we should check on the girl in the village, during our fight she showed up and put up a great fight until you punched her through the gate knocking her out" Kento clinched his fist in regret and anger at the thought of hurting someone who didn't do anything to deserve it. 

Making their way through the southern gate, they found the young girl lying on the ground still out-cold, blood running down her bottom lip as she laid motionless as if asleep. The thought of hurting not only an innocent person but also someone as beautiful as her frustrated the zombie. As he carefully lifted her up, he couldn't help but admire how beautiful she was as they walked over to the town's healer who stayed in a small white stone home near the tavern. 

The healer was a tall thin old man with a large white beard and white hair wearing a white robe and glasses. The pair made their way into the house as they walked through wooden door into a large room with a wooden floor along with benches in the middle of the room for waiting patients. 

The doctor came out from the door on the opposite end of the room as he stepped to the left motioning for them to carry the poor girl in. The undead warrior placed her onto the cushioned platform in the middle of the small room as the healer shut the blinds of the large window beside them as he aimed his palm towards her. "Holy magic: Advanced heal" The woman's body illuminated in a green light as her body began to heal at a rapid rate. 

As the light faded, she slowly opened her eyes finding herself lying in the bed-like platform before spotting Kento in front of her looking at her. Catching her off guard, the knight quickly pulled out a kunai throwing it right for his forehead, only for Kento to lean his head to the side as the projectile struck the front door. 

"Calm down! This is Kento, he was under the old mage's control but I managed to free him while you were unconscious!" She looked at the undead man with a glare before letting out a sigh standing up. "Fine, you seem like you're under control now, but be warned...I won't hesitate to take you down if you go on a rampage again" 

Kento blushed a little attracted to the girl's threat as she marched path him retrieving her kunai. "Wait, who are you? I never got your name" Kin asked as the knight stopped in front of the door. 

"My name is Rin. I have things to do but we'll probably see each other again" With that she walked out. Kin paid the healer 20 gold pieces, double the price before thanking him and making his way back to the tavern. 

They sat at the bar drinking from glass mugs while Kento looked down in frustration while his friend just looked around in boredom before turning to him. "Are you ok Kento? You still seem hard on yourself about hurting Rin. Don't worry about it, I know you wouldn't harm a person without a good reason, you shouldn't stress over things beyond your control. If we spent all our time worrying about the things we can't control, then what kind of life would that be? You'd just be living a life of despair. Life will always have it's hardships, but the best you can do is pick yourself up and come back stronger" 

Kento sighed but nodded. "You're right...there's no point in crying over something I couldn't control. Plus, she seems fine now so I guess I can just try and forget it happened. No use beating myself up over it" Finishing their drinks they paid Masuna a few gold pieces to stay in a room on the 2nd floor. Kento just sat against the wall by the window as moon light shined through the large wooden room, the bed in the right corner. Kin laid down before soon falling asleep... 

The next day... 

The pair made their way downstairs towards the quest board before spotting an S rank quest pinned in the center. Unlike like the rest on normal tan paper, this one was on a red piece of paper symbolizing it's urgency. The young warrior pulled the paper off from the board reading it: 

"A hostile group has been seen in the far north of the forest near mt.Yoizumo. Hostiles are said to be incredibly strong that can equal an S-rank adventurer. Caution is advised" 

"Hmm, this is interesting, I'm wondering just what kind of people could warrant such an urgent quest request" He showed it to Kento who also grew interested in the challenge. "This seems like a good chance to see what an S-rank threat looks like. Let's go" 

The two were about to head outside the gate when Rin stopped them waiting just outside the gate, her arms crossed as she glared at them. "Where do you think you two are going?" 

Kin informed her about the urgent quest and they were curious to see how powerful the threat was. She grew more frustrated. "So, you're saying you're going to go check out a threat that could possibly kill you...just because their an S-rank threat?" 

"Basically" Kento replied. Rin groaned lashing back: "Well I refuse for you both to go" This made Kento burst out laughing. "You refuse!? Haha! You can't tell me what to do, I don't work for you" 

"Well, I'm the commanding knight who watches over the people of this village, that includes guests and as such, I demand you stay here for your own protection" Just then Kento had an idea, with a smirk he held his open palm out manifesting a fireball before it erupted in his hand creating a gust of smoke hiding the pair just long enough to run past her. 

As the smoke cleared, Rin realized the two had ran off into the northern part of the forest. "Tsk! Those damn fools! I know I have to guard Hagowara village from any threats, but I can't let those idiots get themselves killed either!" With a big groan she took off after them, moving through the trees like a swift ninja as she caught up to them in a short time. 

Rin decided to tail them to make sure they didn't do something stupid if the S-rank threat appeared... 

After a few minutes of following them, she noticed something up ahead. Kento and Kin came to a stop when they noticed a horde of zombies moving around the forest. "Hmmm, first undead now zombies. Sigh, what's next, vampires?" Kento prepared to sent a fireball in the horde's direction when they noticed them and jumped towards him. 

"Heh, I saw this coming. Flaming impact!" Imbuing both hands in flame, Kento clapped them together as he sent a fierce wave of flames in all directions. Kin managed to evade the blazing fire attack as the charging undead in front of him were scorched to the point their bodies were black. "Heh, I thought so, unlike me these zombies don't have a resistance to fire" 

That's when Kin remembered the death night summoning card he had bought but forgot he had. "Wait Kento! I think it's time to see what my death knight is capable of" Throwing his hand up holding the card he cried out: "Come Death Knight!" The dark-purple card lit up with golden light as a magical sigil formed on the back of it and the ground in front of him. 

Rin watched from a tree as a large undead knight in black armor wielding a large sword and shield rose from the magic sigil in front of it's master. "Hmm, if I'm correct, I just need to give you an order, right?" Pointing towards the horde of incoming zombies he commanded: "Death knight, attack the undead!" 

As the summoned monster let out a deafening bellow, it charged towards the horde, swinging it's massive sword toward the coming foes as each zombie attempted to cling onto it. One slash pierced through multiple undead splitting them in half. While the large death knight continued to slaughter them, Rin jumped down walking over to them. 

"What is that thing and how did you manage to summon it!?" Kin was surprised to see the young knight come out of nowhere before telling her how he bought a summoning card that had the monster sealed within it by an old wizard back in Hagowara. 

She glared at him before looking up at the death knight. "Hmm, a card with magic powerful enough to seal something like that within it. Something like that could prove useful in case the village is of need of more battle power. I'll have to speak with that merchant you bought that card from to see if he knows how those cards are made. Something so useful can't be easy to make. Summoning magic is an advanced level of magic as well as sealing a powerful entity in something so minor" 

Not long after, the summoned creature had managed to kill every last zombie in the area, dozens of corpses laid all around the death knight before making it's way back to it's master. It kneeled down before Kin waiting for it's next command. The young teen thought carefully about his next order than commanded the monster to scout ahead for any high-level threats nearby and inform him by letting out another loud roar. 

Given it's orders, the large knight took off running down the forest with loud stomps before disappearing behind the trees. "Hopefully death knight can hold his own if we come across this S-rank squad the request mentioned" As the trio walked down the forest path, Kin soon heard his summon call out to him by roaring loudly. 

"Oh no, that's what he was supposed to do if he ran into a strong threat!" Instead of retreating, Kin took off in the direction of his minion with his allies close behind. "He's just an undead monster! Don't risk your life for something that has no free will of it's own!" Rin cried out. 

Kin just ignored her, he didn't want something he summoned to die, emotions or not, the death knight was his ally and he didn't want something bad to happen to it. As the trio dashed through the forest, they came out of the trees, finding themselves in front of a large white mansion where the death knight was fighting a girl with long black hair, red eyes dressed in black mercenary armor with a katana t her side. 

"Strange, why would someone live so far out in the forest like this? I understand if they were poor of a magical race like forest elves, but seeing the size of this house, clearly, they're wealthy" Kin watched as the assailant moved at immense speed, vanishing in a flash of blue light before reappearing behind the death knight, sending a fierce kick to it's back. 

"Die you undead monster! Lord Xanthus has no time to deal with the likes of you!" Jumping off the monster's shoulder into the air, she pulled out her katana, sending a barrage of slashes in the knight's direction. Waves of blue energy pierced through the creature's torso before she vanished, standing behind the monster sliding the blade back in it's sheath. 

All watched as the death knight fell to pieces before bursting into pure purple energy, returning to the summoning card in Kin's pocket. With a sigh he commented: "At least we know he returns to my card if he's defeated" That's when Kento stepped forward, making his way over to the strong ninja. 

The woman turned and glared at him with gleaming red eyes. "Huh, first an undead knight now a zombie. Though...you seem different then the usually zombies we have to deal with...could you be a mutated level zombie? Either way, I shall claim your head in the name of lord Xanthus" 

Kento grew excited as a smirk grew across his face. "Heh, you really think you're capable of killing me so easily? Then show me, I'll teach you that I'm not one to be taken lightly" She glared at him pulling her blade out before moving at a speed Kin couldn't keep tract of her. That's when a fierce shockwave sent massive Debree in all directions as the others saw Kento gripping the side of the blade with his barehand as blood dripped from his grasp. 

(H-he caught it!? If anything, I thought he'd try and dodge it! Either this undead is overconfident or insane!) The shinobi tried to pull her sword away from her target's grasp, only for Kento to pull her right to him, head-butting her with a devasting blow to the skull as she was sent impacting the mansion, smashing through the wall landing in the hallway of the third floor. 

"Tsssk! That little shit!" rising to her feet in the white hallway, she held her hand to her head as blood ran down her face onto the red carpet. "Damn it! I ruined the royal carpet with my blood! That undead shall pay for this!" 

Meanwhile Kento waited outside for his opponent when Rin called out: "Don't be a fool! Rember the request warned about them being an S-rank threat!" Kento smirked. "If that was an S-rank threat, then we have nothing to worry about" 

Suddenly Kin's blade began to shake. (Kin, a high-level threat is approaching, it's best we retreat before it's too late) With a nod Kin prepared to call out to his party member when the large red doors of the mansion opened before them. Kin shook in fear wondering what the high-level threat was when he saw a young man with black hair, hazel eyes wearing a black coat with a gray fur collar as well as matching black pants and shoes. 

The new target set his gaze on Kin with a calm an emotionless expression before turning to Kento. "Hmmm, guessing by the wound on your hand, I assume you're the one who fought Nebula and damaged my house. I assure you...such disrespect towards me or my followers shall not go unpunished" 

"Heh, well to be fair, your follower attacked our party member 1st as well as threatened me so I consider it self-defense in this case" The stranger frowned. "I am Shiro, better known as lord Xanthus. If you wish to die...please step forward zombie. I've defeated many far stronger than you" 

His interested peaked, Kento grinned advancing right for the weak-looking opponent, throwing a blow right for the young man's face, only for him to jumped to the side, evading the coming strike as the undead warrior missed, staggering a few feet before catching himself. "Heh, you're faster than I give you credit for. How about we ramp things up Shiro!" Outlining his body in immense burning flames, Kento went on the offensive, sending a barrage of strikes towards his opponent in quick succession. 

Still Shiro dodged every attack that came his way, showing no sign of actually trying. "Tsk! Are you actually going to try!? You may be fast, but you can't win if all you ever do is dodge me!" The man smirked vanishing from sight leaving the zombie confused. 

"You think you can actually damage me? Go ahead and test your skills against the ultimate power of Xanthus!" They all looked to see him standing a few meters behind Kento with his hands tucked in his coat pockets. Growing infuriated, Kento clinched his fists focusing all of his power as a shockwave of power burst from his body, sending a fierce wind in all directions shacking the trees around them. "C-come...on...!" 

All watched as Kento's eyes glowed purple as his once human body began to grow as he transformed into his zombie brute form just as he had when he had been controlled by the evil mage. "Hehe, I did it! You're in trouble now!" The buff undead exclaimed flexing his build muscles before advancing right for his combatant, sending a barrage of blows at super-sonic speed. 

Each blow sent a fierce wave of force across the forest as the others could feel themselves struggling to stay in place, feeling the strong breeze pushing them back. Kento gave everything he had, striking Shiro's abdomen as fast as a machinegun, only to see the target not even stagger from each blow. Without warning, Shiro aimed his hand toward the undead's torso. "Force of gravity" 

A colossal impact of sheer force sent Kento soaring back as he smashed through several trees before landing half a mile away leaving a trail of destruction. Blood fell from his lip as he laid in the crater unable to move. "W-what happened? That's when he spotted Shiro walking up to him still casually walking, not even winded by the attack he had used. 

"Are you finished yet? I'll give you props for remaining conscious after that, but that was still only one of the few skills I've acquired from my followers. Do you submit? Or shall I finish you off with my favorite finishing attack?" 

Forcing himself up, Kent grunted. "I-I won't back down from a fight, my regenerative abilities will bring me back to full strength soon and I'll be ready for round two!" Slowly ascending into the air, Shir raised his hand to the sky manifesting a sphere of flames that reassembled a miniature sun. "Is that so? Wel you should realize, regeneration is pointless if no trace of you remains" 

Kento's eyes widened with a growing fear as the small fire ball began to expand to the size of a blimp, spiraling above him, giving off a blinding light with the entire area shaking rapidly. "Obliteration" Throwing his hand down, the massive sphere of pure destruction drifted down towards the wounded Zombie who was still weak but knew he had to do something. 

Clinching his fist, he focused all his remaining power into his fist as a purple aura swarmed around his arm like purple flames. "Tsssk! Fist of destruction!" Impacting the sphere of fire with all his power, the conflicting forces caused dozens of trees to break from their roots flying off along with every window of Shiro's mansion to shatter. Sukada could feel his arm disintegrating by the fierce power of the magical sphere. 

"Kento!" Without thinking, Kin pulled out his sword charging in. Shiro watched from above as the young swordsmen stabbed his blade into the blazing sphere as he begun to absorb as much magical energy as he and Osukai could handle. The sphere began to shrink while Kin's body erupted in an aura of orange flames. (Kin, I can't store any more magical energy!) 

Pulling the blade out he dropped it to the ground before standing beside the struggling zombie throwing both hands out in front of him. "Haaaaggghh!" Focusing all his siphoned magical energy into one concentrated blast of force, the young adventure pushed the sphere right back at their attacker. 

"What!?" Shiro put his arms up blocking as the fire ball erupted in a massive explosion of blinding light. As the light cleared, they all watched as Shiro fell from the sky impacting the grass covered in bruises out-cold. 

"Did...did we beat him?" Kento questioned. Kin breathed heavily falling to his knees with orange electricity swarming around him before his incredible power fully disappeared from his body. While the pair were too weak to move, Rin carefully made her way up to the figure lying in the grass. She gasped seeing Shiro lying there fully conscious before standing up. 

"Impressive work, the both of you. Originally, I had planned to kill you Kento, but then I decided to test to see just how strong you were and I have to say...you really are strong. You even managed to hold back my finishing attack while your arm was being disintegrated in the process. Which by the way, I see you're too weak to regenerate your destroyed arm, allow me to help" Shiro aimed his hand towards the zombie. "Divine heal" In a flash of green light the undead man was restored to full strength as his limb fully grew back within seconds. 

That's when Rin marched over to them. "Wait! We were informed you and her were S-rank threats and the cause of high-ranking adventurers going missing! Why would you help us!?" That's when Shiro began to laugh. "Haha! I didn't kill any adventurers, in fact...I was just toying with you all to think I was some serious overlord. But about that quest you all saw in your guild, it could only be referring to someone else. Though me and my followers certainly are S-rank threat in the eyes of the one world government, I doubt they're referring to us" 

CHAPTER 3 The Real threat 

Shiro insisted they stayed in his mansion until they figure out who the real threat is. "Sorry, but I have a village to protect, I should've even left the village in the 1st place. After seeing Shiro's power, I'm sure I don't need to babysit the both of you any longer" With that the knight took off through the trees heading back to Hagowara. 

Meanwhile The pair followed Shiro through the large doors of his mansion where Kin was shown to his room which was a large royal bedroom with a king-sized bed, red quilt, black pillows and a red carpeted floor as well as a large window in the right side of the room. "This shall be your room Kin, feel free to shower while we wait downstairs" 

Shiro and Kento made their way down the hallway leading to the stairs where they made their way down to the 1st floor and went into the throne room where Nebula and a young blonde woman stood waiting on both sides of his throne. The room was a large black marble room with red carpet. As their lord sat upon his throne, he introduced the blonde woman beside him. "This here is Luna, she is another one of my loyal followers, which I order the rest of them back to introduce you to them, but for now I'll leave it be" 

Kento looked at Luna who stood to the right of the throne, she wore silver battle armor with a friendly smile on her face unlike Nebula who seem to always have a serious expression on her face. "So, what's our next step, surely you have a plan since you seem so calm about this situation" 

The man placed his leg over the other as he sat in his throne, his cheek resting upon his fist with a smirk. "Fret not, I wouldn't be this confident if I didn't already have a plan in mind. I know of a tomb hidden within these woods that most normal folk fail to find, however...I assume that is where both the missing adventurers are as well as your so-called S-rank targets. As much as I'd rather stay here and wait for the results, I rarely get a reason to fight seriously. So, I along with a select few of my followers shall be accompanying you to this tomb and find out what's hidden within it's ruins" 

Sukada frowned stepping closer. "How can you be so sure that you and your servants can handle what's inside? Do you have a plan for a bad outcome? Don't let your power cloud your judgment of negative outcomes" 

"How dare you speak to lord Xanthus with such disrespect! Our lord is far stronger than anything this world may throat at him!" Nebula griped her sheathed katana staring down the undead warrior as they glared at one another. That's when a small shockwave was released from Shiro. 

"Enough both of you, now isn't the time for fighting each other, though I don't care what happened to those adventurers...I do care about what happens to my allies. Kin has potential to grow into a powerful warrior and I will make sure he lives to reach that potential. He'll never have my god-like durability, but I'm sure he'll be an equal threat when the day comes. By the way Luna, where is Aleon? I haven't seen him around the mansion in some time" 

"I'm sorry my lord, Aleon Vondrak has been gone for a few days now and I haven't heard word since" As Luna lowered her head. Shiro clinched his chair as the room shook. "This isn't like Aleon to up and live without informing me. Has someone dared to kidnap one of my very own!? Tsssk! If they hurt him...THEY SHALL PAY DEARLY!" Jumping to his feet in a fit of rage, Shiro unleashed a fierce amount of power as the entire mansion shook. 

Kento watched as he struggled to keep his balance while the pair beside their lord stood still as if unaffected by the menacing force. Kin came running inside just as Shiro calmed down. "What's going on!? The entire place started shaking just as I was putting on my clothes!" 

"Don't worry about it. What matters is we're heading to the tomb sooner than expected. I originally wanted to wait for all of my followers to return before venturing off, but it seems if Aleon is missing, I have no time to waste. We must leave immediately. I should be able to call one of my followers back since they're a mage with teleport magic. Follow me outside so I can try and get his attention" 

The party followed Shiro as he made his way back outside where it began to get dark with only the moon faintly illuminating the yard. Ascending into the air, the man clinched his fist unleashing his immense power. Once more Kin and Kento struggled to stay on the ground as their ally sent a fierce wave of power in all directions by jut the force of his energy. 

Moments later, an undead skeleton manifested in a beam of purple light. The undead wore a black hooded robe with purple flames in the center of his empty eye sockets like irises. "I felt your power from miles away my lord, is there something you needed me for?" 

"Yes Minomi, we have a situation at hand, Aleon along with other adventurers have reportedly gone missing and we assume they were kidnapped and brough to the tomb we recently found. We must head there immediately and find out if my guess is correct" 

"As you wish my lord" Pulling out a black staff with a purple crystal ball on the tip, he prepared to cast another teleportation spell as a large blue sigil formed beneath his feet. All rushed over grabbing onto his shoulder as they vanished in a pillar of blue light... 

They moved through a tunnel of blue light still holding on to the mage as they moved at immense speed before reappearing before a mountain in the middle of the forest. They saw a large square opening in the ground connected to the mountain with stairs leading down inside. 

"After you my lord" Minomi commented stepping aside. Shiro let out a deep breath making his way down the steps as torches lit up on both sides of the narrow stairwell. The others followed close behind as they made their way to the bottom inside a large gray hallway with barley any light. The torches could only help illuminate a few feet ahead of them while leaving the path ahead in complete darkness. 

"Allow me my lord. Soul lantern" Raising his skeletal hand upward, a small but bright orb of blue light manifested above him illuminating the entire hallway as they continued forward. With the others walking behind him, Shiro kept a close eye out for any sign of life or movement as he walked down the straight gray path. 

Not long after, zombies began to appear from behind the corners of each turn. They let out loud shrieks charging right for them, only for their lord to back hand each one, completely destroying their head by the sheer force of his strikes as the targets collapsed behind them. He casually kept walking, one-shooting each undead he crossed his path with a calm expression on his face. 

"It's kind of scary how easily he's defeating these things and he's not even trying!" Kento told Kin with the teen nodded in agreement. That's when they spotted another flight of stairs that lead upward, but this time a large buff mutated zombie blocked their path. It had long white hair with a torn black shirt and white pants, it's body tall and built. 

"Ah, another mutated-level zombie. You remind me of the 1st one I fought awhile back. If you're just as mindless as he was, then you have no chance in winning" With a slight grin Shiro aimed his fingers in the direction of the brute making a flicking motion with his hand sending a focused wave of force right for the monster as the impact struck his target square in the head, knocking it onto it's back. 

"Heh, just as I though, you managed to survive my simple attack. Now let's see what you got big guy" The others backed away watching the buff zombie rise to it's feet letting out a fierce roar shaking the hall before charging towards him, each step shaking the tunnel. 

"Rrraaggh!" The mutated threw a punch straight for Shiro, only for the man to catch it with his bare hand. The amount of power of the monster's strike sent a shockwave throughout the tunnel causing the hall to crack and begin to collapse. "All of you go on ahead, I'll finish this brute off!" Minomi formed a protective barrier around the party as they made their way to the stairs while their ally grabbed hold of his target's arm, sending him soaring in the opposite direction, smashing into the wall as the tunnel collapsed on itself with Shiro making it just in time. 

With the way back blocked, they continued forward through the 2nd level of the tomb. The 2nd level was a large lit hall that was a straight path to a large steel door. "Hopefully what we're looking for is in there" Kin commented. The group raced down the hall with Shiro striking the old-steel door with his open palm, sending it breaking from it's restraints flying into the next room. 

As they made their way inside, they found themselves within a massive room filled with sand on the floor and a large steel cell in the corner filled with men and women in high-tier equipment. "That must be the missing adventurers!" Kin pointed. That's when they spotted a figure hanging above a steel platform, their arms bound by steel restraints. That's when Shiro realized it was his butler Aleon. 

"Aleon!" He rushed over breaking the restraints by crushing them as his follower fell into his arms out cold, his formal suit torn and stained with blood. Kin looked at Aleon, he had long black hair with pale skin resembling a demon or vampire. 

"Don't worry Aleon, whoever did this is going to pay! Minomi, I need you to try and heal Vondrak and keep him protected at all costs" 

"Yes, my lord" The undead mage formed a protected barrier around him and Aleon as he began using divine heal on the wounded demon. Meanwhile Kento and Kin raced over to the steel cage filled with adventurers. 

"Don't worry. We're here to get you out!" Kento gripped the steel bars using his enhanced strength to break open the cell freeing the prisoners. "Thank you so much, we're in your debit!" The party watched as the prisoners ran over to the stairs leading upward out of the tomb. 

"So then, now that that's done with, who or what did all this? Not just anyone can capture Aleon with such ease" Shiro questioned looking around. That's when a purple rift opened behind them as a pale child-like person stepped out with their hands behind their back. They had white hair, red eyes wearing a black cloak. 

"Hmph, more foolish mortals come to ruin my fun. Sigh, fine...looks like capturing is no longer an option. I suppose killing you all is the only way I can continue to siphon dark energy from that man over there" They noticed the figure was referring to Aleon who was still out-cold. 

"He was a fun warm-up, but still no match to a demon lord such as myself. You may call me Osamaru....one of the six demon lords of the demon realm" Without warning Kento attacked the demon from behind throwing a full-force blow right for him, only for the dark figure to catch it without even flinching or looking in his direction. "You should know when you're out-matched zombie" 

With a cold tone in his voice, Osamaru faced Kento, ripping his arm off with mere ease before kicking the wounded undead warrior in the abdomen, sending him impacting the stone wall with colossal force leaving a large crack before hitting the ground. "You can have this back mortal" The demon lord tossed the limb over to Kento with disinterest before turning his attention on the others. "I can sense immense power from one of you. Which of you is it?" 

Nebula unsheathed her blade charging head-on into the fight as she jumped into the air manifesting a duplicate of herself. The doppelganger descended right for the target, manifesting a shuriken made of purple mana as it shredded across his face, only for it to have no effect. Osamaru unleashed a fierce wave of power shattering the spiraling projectile before grabbing the double by the face, slamming her to the ground with god-like strength. 

"Pathetic mortals as usual" That's when Shiro ordered everyone to stay back. "Enough of this! I won't let you hurt my friends any longer! I will show you the power of a god!" The demon lord slightly laughed commenting: "What is a god to a demon lord?" 

Stepping closer Shiro clinched his fist preparing to fight. "I guess we'll just have to find out" With Kento injured in the right corner of the room and the rest grouped in the far left, they all watched as the pair started one another down. 

After a slight moment of silence, Shiro abruptly made a striking motion in the direction of Osamaru. Send a blast of force right to his torso, only for it to have no effect. (Nothing? Could this guy really have as much power as me? Tsk! I'll just have to try harder!) Moving at super-sonic speed, Shiro advanced to his opponent, throwing a punch at half strength right for Osamaru's face. 

This caught the demon lord off guard as he was sent staggering back a few feet before catching himself. The one emotionless expression on his pale face grew to a slight smirk as blood ran down his lip. "Hehe, fascinating and here I thought there wouldn't be a force in this world strong enough to make blood escape my lip. You really are a unique mortal. But that doesn't mean you have any chance of beating one as powerful as me" 

Aiming his fingers towards the young man, Osamaru called out: "Death shards" Sharp projectiles made of dark-purple demonic energy shot out of his fingers as they fired right for their target. Shiro clapped his hands together causing a fierce shockwave throughout the room as the projectiles were impacted with enough force to send them flying off in random directions. 

All watched as each shard hit a random part of the room igniting in a fierce explosion. "I've enough of this, I'm going all out so I can end this quickly Shiro announced taking off his cloak wearing a black sleeveless undershirt. "It's time to see how I compare to a demon lord!" 

Not holding back his god-like power, Shiro's body is outlined in a purple flame-like aura as his eyes glowed red with red electricity whipping around his body. "Time to finish this!" Moving at light speed, Shiro unleashed a barrage of blows to his target's torso before upper-cutting him into the air as he smashed through the ceiling out into the open. 

"Y-you bastard, I am a demon lord! A mere mortal is inferior to one of my level!" That's when he saw Shiro flaying right at him like a shooting star. "Tsssk! GO AWAY!" Osamaru threw both hands out unleashing a devastating burst of purple flames from his body, wiping out miles of the forest. 

Shiro felt himself hit a transparent barrier keeping him from reaching his assailant as the demon continued to release his demonic power. Shiro's clothes began to be burned away leaving him in nothing but black underwear reveling his muscular body. 

"Demon lord or not...I have the power of Xantus...and as long as I have it...I WILL NEVER BACK DOWN!" Sending a full-power blow to the barrier, all of the clouds in the sky blew away as Osamaru's barrier shattered apart. 

"This is blasphemous! You're a mortal aren't you!?" With the last of his strength, Shiro soared straight for his foe, punching straight through the demon's chest as blood gushed from the hole. The warrior pulled his arm out as Osamaru coughed up blood falling towards the decimated forest below. 

With a serious look in his eye, Shiro raised his bloody hand into the air manifesting his finishing technique. "You're too weak to heal from this attack...tell your fellow demons: If they ever come near me or my friends...I'll do the same to them. Obliteration" Throwing his sphere of destruction down, it hit the weakened demon lord in the back impacting the forest before bursting in a pillar of flames that shot up into the sky before slowly fading. 

All that remained was a bottomless abyss. All of his power used up, Shiro fell towards the ground, landing right beside the abyss... 

Shiro awoke in his master bedroom as sunlight shined through the large window. "W-what happened...last thing I remember is defeating that demon lord before passing out. I guess I actually pushed myself too far for once and here I thought I had unlimited stamina. Never the less, we won the battle and I've never actually been injured in a fight before so I guess I shouldn't worry so much" 

Cleaning off his clothes, Shiro made his way outside were Kin and Kento were waiting outside sitting at the bottom of the stairs. "Looks as though you're doing better, was worried you'd still be injured after the fight, but you seem perfectly fine" Kin greeted. 

"Yea, I'm fine...so what are you both doing?" Shiro asked a little unsure. "I and Kin were planning to head into town to see if we can find any word of any dungeons spawning around here" The man looked at him confused yet curious. 

"What exactly is a dungeon? I assume you're referring to something more than just a mere dark underground cell" Kento nodded. "A dungeon is formed when an immense amount of magical energy is brought together manifesting a door that transports the person who enters to an entirely different dimension which are called dungeons. I'm hoping Kin and I can get stronger if we take on many different dungeon masters or bosses. We'd ask you to come but then it'd be too easy since most of them probably wouldn't even be able to injure you" 

"Sorry Shiro, please don't take it personally" The young swordsmen pleaded looking genuinely guilty about not including one of the few friends he had. Shiro assured him it was alright before asking: "Wait, if you had no intention of asking me to go with you, why did you both wait for me outside?" 

Kento assured him the reason they waited for him was to confirm their friend was ok and to let him know where they were going so he wouldn't be concerned. "Well, I'm not sure how long it's going to take for us to find and defeat it's dungeon, so it's best we start heading to town know while it's early Kin" 

"Right!" Kin nodded as his zomperic friend took off back towards Hagowara. Meanwhile Kin stood up walking over to Shiro who watched the zombie vanish off into the forest. "Shiro, I plan to start a guild and was hoping if you'd be willing to join it. When the day comes, I'm sure we're going to need all the help we can get. Like an RPG, a full guild would be about 50 members. So I should start soon if I'm going to reach that amount. I'll also have to figure out where the guild hall should be so we can all plan and meet up together" 

Shiro looked down at the teen before placing his hand on the boy's shoulder with a smile. Once you've acquired a guild hall and a few members, then I'll be happy to join. But be sure not to rush things...if you're going to have a well-structured guild, you'll need to choose your allies carefully and make sure they're either strong or loyal. It's rare to find both since many with power will seek even greater power. Still...that doesn't mean those without power don't deserve help to grow stronger. But it's up to you to lead your guild" 

"Right! I'll do my best Shiro!" With that Kin took off after Kento who was already far ahead of him... 

CHAPTER 4 To Attain Greater Strength 

The pair reached the tavern where they spoke with Masuna about any reports of any dungeons around the area. "I'm not sure if it's a dungeon, but a few civilians did talk about a strange purple aura up in the mountains. If you're looking for a dungeon, I'd say that's your best bet" 

They quickly thanked her before heading towards the mountains. As they dashed through the forest, Osukai informed Kin of a strange anomaly on the top of mt. Ishido which was a neighboring mountain to mt. Yomizumo just a few miles apart from one another in the northern forest. 

As they ran up the long mountain path, they could feel an intense magical essence drawing closer. "We're getting close" Kento commented before reaching the top as they came across a large wooden door before them, they could see a dark-purple aura radiating from it as the immense magical essence sent goosebumps across their body. 

"Looks like we made it. Time to see what's inside this dungeon" With a confident attitude Kento opened the door as the two were pulled inside in a flash of light. The pair were caught off guard as they stood back-to-back standing in a large room of a tower with a circular floor and stain glass windows surrounding the walls. 

"Strange, I expected to be in a dark hallway or something, not a tower" That's when Kento noticed a purple sphere of light floating over to him. He started at it, unsure of what it was until purple electricity began to surge around it as if to explode. "Kin watch out!" Pushing off of one another, the pair evaded the sphere of light as it let out a burst of bright light before forming into a large purple cube. 

"Hmm? What kind of dungeon master is this? It's just some kind of cube" Without warning, the cube turned one of it's sides, sending a physic attack right for the pair as Kin was placed under the control of the cube. With Kento being an undead, the mental attack seemed to have no effect on him. 

He watched as Kin stood motionless for a moment before raising his head revealing his glowing purple eyes. Gripping his blade, the swordsmen leapt into the air, moving faster than normal thanks to the cube transferring it's power to him. 

The zomperic warrior dodged the coming attack by mere inches as Kin struck the ground with immense power shaking the domain. "Shit, seems I can't hold back against you for this fight...Sorry Kin, looks like I'll have to beat you down until you're too weak to fight back" 

Releasing his power all at once, Kento moved at super-sonic speed, throwing a punch right for the back of Kin's head hoping to knock him out, only to strike Kin's blade as it levitated behind the teen's head acting as a shield. 

"Wait, since when can his sword float in mid-air!? How did he keep track of me!? Just how heightened is this boy's senses!? Tssk! Fine! Tank form it is!" Crossing his arms together, the zombie went all-out as he transformed into his tank form, the domain shaking by his fierce level of power. 

"That cube may be boosting your power, but you're still a novice Kin!" Once more he took off at fierce velocity, manifesting purple flames around his fist as he prepared to unleash one of his serious attacks. "Fist of destruction!" As the possessed swordsmen put up his guard, Kento impacted the sword with such sheer force, it sent Kin impacting the cube, smashing into it to the point cracks began to form around it with light escaping from them. 

(Hmph, the cube has immense power, but looks like it's defense is another story) With one last attack, Kento sent a blow in the direction of the dungeon boss, shattering it with incredible power as the large cube broke open freeing Kin from it's possession. As the young adventurer regained his awareness, he saw Kento standing over him still in his tank form. 

"Are you ok? The cube took control of you so I had to knock you around until the cube was open to an attack" The boy assured him he was sore but ok as he got up retrieving his blade. That's when he spotted a faint purple glow in the remains of the cube. Cautiously approaching the defeated foe, Kin slowly reached inside before Kento could stop him. 

"Wait-" He watched as the boy pulled out a miniature cube that looked like the boss they had just faced but it could fit in his palm. His friend glared at it suspiciously while Kin held it in his hand as it levitated in his hand as it's sides moved. 

"A-are you sure you're ok?" His party member looked at him intensely while Kin just smiled nodding. "Yea I'm fine, seems this little guy likes me. I'm not sure if it's sentient, but it seems attracted to me" The small cube floated around him as if orbiting his body. That's when a voice could be heard from it. 

"Greetings master, thank you for freeing me from the rift cube, as a reward for saving me, I shall follow your command to the best of my ability" Each time it spoke, the purple glow within it flashed like a speaker in sync with the noise. 

"You can talk!?" 

"Affirmative, unfortunately I have no name so you may call me by whatever you wish master, I have many features such as radar, communication, item appraisal as well as battle functions as well. Anything you give me to analyze I shall be able to use as well as replicate for your own use" 

Kin pondered for a moment before grabbing Osukai. "What about a person that's been reincarnated into a weapon?" The floating cube was silent for a moment before answering: "Results unknown, the only way to know is to try it" 

Kento watched as Kin looked at his sword a little unsure. "Are you ok with this Osukai?" (I'm already stuck as a sword, so not like it can get any worse, I'm willing to try it if you are) Giving his S-rank sword a nod, he brought the weapon close to the cube as it shattered into a swarm of blue wisps before the cube glowed brightly. 

"Analyzing....Process complete...analysis successful" The pair looked at the cube when a familiar voice came from the cube. "Hello? Hey guys can you hear me? I can't move but I can see you guys through the cube!" 

"Wow! Seems the cube absorbed your consciousness and is somehow able to manifested it to the point even Kento can hear it now instead of it being a telepathic voice in my head" The two looked at Kento who had a surprised look on his face. "So...you really were reincarnated as a sword, and here I was beginning to think it was nothing more than a mere tale Kin told me" 

"Hello Kento, my name is Osukai the one reincarnated into the sword you saw Kin carry through most of his journey. Speaking of which" The adventurers watched. As the S-rank sword rose up out of the cube allowing Kin to pull it out. 

"Thanks Osukai or cube" That's when the male sentient voice spoke once more: "I shall give Osukai full control over my functions so he may support you through your journey master. Though I will still remain, the least I can do is give your friend the freedom to move and use me as his own vessel. Like him, I know how it feels to be trapped, unable to break from the shackles placed on us by another" 

The cube began to soar around the room in excitement as Osukai looked around in his new form. "I can finally move around! It's so good to finally move around rather than be trapped in a mere weapon!" That's when the domain began to shake as cracks formed around them. "Shit, the dungeon must be collapsing, we should get out of here before it's too lat-" 

In a blinding ray of light, the party found themself standing back outside on the mountain as the door to the dungeon burst into wisps of pink wisps of mana. Kin looked at Osukai. "Where you the one who did that Osukai?" 

"No master, though the cube is capable of teleportation, I'm afraid the domain itself forced us out just before collapsing" 

"Hmm, interesting...By the way Kento, with this new relic I want to go explore this world further. Such as find a kingdom rather than mere villages. It's time we began traveling to highly-populated areas rather than places like Hagowara that seem like lifeless mere camps" Calling the gleaming purple cube over to him, it levitated in his hand as Kin turned to Kento. "Are you coming with me or are you staying here?" 

"Sorry Kin, for once I'm not going with you, I need to become stronger first and foremost. I will always be a part of your guild and will be there when you need me, but please...allow me to continue my training so I may attain a power that rivals that bastard demon lord we fought. That feeling during the fight...the feeling of complete and utter uselessness. Being beat by now only Shiro but a demon lord as well just makes me feel as though...maybe I'm not as strong as I thought I was. Hopefully we'll see one another again soon. But for now, I won't leave till I feel I've grown strong enough to protect my guild members from a threat as great as Shiro himself" 

Kin looked at him with a sad sympathetic expression before looking at the cube floating within his grasp. "Osukai, locate the nearest kingdom from here and take me there" 

"Yes master...sensing the surrounding area, it may take a moment depending on the distance" As Kento took off in search of another dungeon, Kin just stood atop the mountain looking out over the forest awaiting to be transported to his net destination. 

"By the way Osukai, what's it like inside the cube compared to the sword?" 

"It feels as though I'm within a large purple void with glowing purple light around me, but am able to switch to manual mode of the cube and see through it in color like a living being unlike the sword where I had to use magical sense and only see things that gave off magical energy or life energy. So, I'm sincerely in your debit Kin...target located.....commencing light speed teleportation" 

The cube began spiraling immensely fast before they were transported in a pillar of light... 

Kin looked around him to see himself traveling through a space of purple light, moving at a fierce velocity before arriving in the middle of a large kingdom. Many citizens were caught off guard as they ran off in fear while others glared at him in annoyance. (Sigh, great...five seconds and already I've made a bad impression with the people here) 

"Don't worry Kin, you can't expect everyone to like you. Sometimes people not liking you is just inevitable, but even if the entire world was against you, that won't stop you from growing into a strong young warrior greater than any other adventurer" 

"Thanks Osukai, I'm glad I have a friend like you, I don't know what I'd do without you" They made their way down the stone paid path with large structures all around them across miles of land far bigger than anything Kin had seen before. "So, do you know the name of this place Osukai?" 

"Unfortunately, no try asking someone, once I know it should be stored within the cube's database as will all info you relay to me" 

"Alright. Let's try finding an adventurer, they'll know a good deal of info about this place" The swordsmen ventured through the streets looking at all who passed by incase any of them seemed like an S-rank adventurer. As he turned a corner, he spotted a large crowd of people gathered in the middle of the streets. "Hmm. What's going on over there?" 

Meanwhile a young man wearing a black mage robe with black hair and red eyes fell to one knee, his face covered in bruises as he held a wooden crystal staff using it to keep him from collapsing as he looked up at his assailant, A tall buff man in red armor with long black hair, hazel eyes wielding a black great sword. 

"Have you had enough Kusuno? Maybe a thrashing is just what you need to know not to respect those of a higher rank than you. You're a mere C-rank adventurer while myself am an A-rank soon to be an S-rank!" As the tyrant brought is great sword down to smite the poor man, all watched as his sword struck a purple barrier that formed around Kusuno protecting him from his attacker's fierce strike. 

"Hmm!? What is this!?" All looked to see Kin's cube floating above the injured mage when Kin stepped out of the crowd into the fight. "Sorry, but I think the poor man's had enough. If you want a fight...I can fill the role" Pulling out his S-rank sword with one hand he aimed it towards the hostile knight. 

"Heh, and here I thought that weak caster had no friends. You don't seem that strong, but who am I to back down from a challenge. Let's see what you got boy!" Kusuno watched within the small magical field as Kin guarded him from the front as the hostile charged toward them with his colossal black sword. 

"Take this!" With a fierce strike the red knight brought his great sword down, only to feel it come to an abrupt halt as Kin blocked the strike with his own blade with merely one hand. Many any the crowd gasped at the sight of someone so young stopping the high-class warrior's attack with merely one hand. 

"As I thought, you're relying on brute strength rather than actually power and technique. Such a dire mistake could have severe consequences" With a smirk Kin focused the magical power of his blade, letting it flow throw him as a blue aura swarmed around him. The tyrant could feel the balance of power shifting between them as he began to get pushed back, slowly stepping back as Kin put more force against the clash. 

"Tssk you little shit! I am an A-class knight! You should be kneeling down before me!" Their clash continued with the red knight's face clinching from the amount of effort he was putting into his sword. Without warning, the great sword finally cracked from the immense weight, utterly breaking apart as the knight's sword was only left with it's grip. 

"M-MY SWORD! YOU BASTARD, I'LL KILL YOU!" Dropping his weapon, the opponent lunged toward Kin attempting to grab him, that's when the demeanor in Kin's expression changed. All saw as the confident warrior frowned looking up at the coming foe with a cold expression, a sudden invincible force repelled them back, smashing into a wooden wagon holding fruit as many types of fruit spilled out onto the street as the knight laid there defeated. 

The crowd was silent for a brief moment before cheering at the newcomer's victory. Kin ignored their praise walking over to the injured mage as Osukai released the barrier. "Are you ok? He looked like he got a few good blows on you" 

Kusuno pulled himself up with his staff. "I-I'm fine, you didn't have to help me. But I do appreciate your help teaching that damn knight a lesson, he thinks being an A-rank is so amazing when there's S-rank adventurers and mercenaries in the city" 

Just as the pair were about to leave, a tall man with white hair and golden eyes appeared as the crowd dispersed. The figure wore a white and gold cloak wielding a katana. "Hait, you both have questions to answer, I've gotten word of a disturbance and come to find a knight injured with you both being the only possible culprits. I shall request you both to follow me so we may speak with lord Senk to discuss this" 

Kin looked at the samurai who kept his cold-eyes focused on him. (Osuaki, just how strong is this guy?) The cube focused on their target measuring his power...(analysis complete. Target seems to give off immense magical power. Not demon lord level, but far stronger than Kento's current capabilities. Logical option is to go along with it for now) 

With a sigh Kin agreed to follow the samurai, making their way through the streets up to the large castle in the center of the kingdom. Making their way up the large stone steps, the samurai pushed open the large red doors of the castle leading to a large lobby with a tiled floor, two sets of stairs leading up on opposite sides of the room with a red carpet leading to a large black door in between them. 

Walking over to the door, the man in white opened the door before them reveling a large black throne room with the red carpet leading up to the black throne where a tall man with red hair and orange eyes sat, his cheek resting on his face. 

Kin could feel a vast amount of magical energy flowing from him. With each step closer, he felt as though his knees would give out from the fierce pressure. "W-what is this, this power...it's greater than even Osamaru's!" Hearing the demon lord's name caught the lord's attention rising to his feet, his followers standing beside his throne watching. 

Kin could see a young pink-haired girl in a white robe, a tiny fairy with long dark-blue hair, purple skin, rainbow wings wearing a golden dress and lastly a tall man with black hair, purple eyes dressed in a purple mage robe giving off emo vibes. That's when he turned to see the king standing before him, glaring deep into his eyes. 

"How do you know the name Osamasu? I killed him years ago" The man spoke with a serious dominate tone. Kin shook the chilling feeling from the ruler's fierce aura answering: "Well...my party and I actually fought him not long-ago but managed to beat him, it could've been someone else, but he called himself Osamasu" 

The intimidating man took a step back pondering whether to believe him or not. "Hmmm, I suppose a demon lord coming back from the dead isn't that surprising, though how were you capable of achieving such a feat? Not just anyone can defeat a demon lord. When I faced him 10 years ago, it was still a difficult battle even with all my skills. Where is the one who defeated the demon lord? I can sense your magical essence and though you certainly have above average power, it's nowhere near the level to provide even a warm-up to a demon lord even if he was the weakest of the six" 

"He's not with me, but I can transport him here if you wish sir" The red-haired demon lord nodded before walking back over to his throne crossing his legs waiting. "Osukai, I need you to find Shiro and bring him here" 

"Affirmative, though at this distance I estimate it could be a few minutes before he's here master" 

"I understand, please just do it" Kin pleaded. As the process began, all watched as the cube began to spiral quickly with each of it's sides during rapidly. Kusuno stood confused on what all was happening, he had never met the ruler of the kingdom before or seen a sentient cube as well. 

"Kin, just what's going on?" 

"My friend Shiro fought some presumed dead and I guess the king wants to speak with him to confirm it was the same person" They watched as a pillar of blue light fell from the ceiling as Shiro appeared from the fading light. 

"W-what!? Where am I!?" He darted his head looking around before noticing the man on the throne he too feeling the god-like aura radiating from him. "W-who are you!?" Shiro put his arms up to fight when Kin called out from behind him: "It's fine Shiro, this is the ruler of this kingdom and he asked me to summon you since he's a little unsure that the demon lord you killed is Osamasu" 

"What do you mean!? His power was far stronger than any mere warrior. Even if he was going off a false name his power definitely was demon lord level" That's when the king sighed standing up, walking over to Shiro who remained on guard. 

"So, you truly believe you faced a real demon lord? Then allow me to show you what a demon lord is truly capable of" The others watched as his target raised his hand up form a large dome of purple energy to keep the castle from being destroyed. 

"Now then Shiro...show me what your power can do against one who's power is demon tier" 

"Fine you asked for this!" Taking off at super-sonic speed, Shiro throwing a strike right for his combatant, only to miss by mere inches. "What!?" Without warning his target vanished for a split second before feeling a fierce blow to his back, sending him slamming into the side of the barrier. 

Shiro slowly stood up in shock. "Impossible, even in the fight against Osamasu I could keep up with him to some existent!" The warrior turned to see his red-haired opponent give a slight smirk before slowly approaching him. "Tssk! Get back!" Throwing a punch in the assailant's direction, a fierce force wave struck him in the chest, but had no effect. "Shit! Don't toy with me!" Giving everything he had, Shiro charged in sending a barrage of blows to his opponent's abdomen at near light-speed shaking the castle as the dome began to crack. 

That's when the king abruptly grabbed Shiro's face. "Rajin's thunder!" In that moment, a vicious surge of lightning struck Shiro with such godly power that even he could feel the pain of the attack. He let his opponent go as they dropped to the floor covered in burns. "Hmph, seems you really did kill Osamaru or at least the imposter...most mortals would've burned to ash by Raijin's thunder yet you mere sustained burns and scratches. I commend you on your impressive durability, however...you lack the skills for diverse combat. You merely used punches the entire fight rather than magic or skills. If you wish to improve, work on learning more skills. You can only do so much with mere fists" 

Lowering the barrier around them the king ordered one of his followers to heal Shiro. "Sohira, take care of this one's wounds while I finish up here" 

"Yes, lord Senku!" The pink-haired woman rushed over casting a healing spell on Shiro while Senku walked back over to Kusuno and Kin. "Now that we're done with that, let's get down to the issue at hand. My name is Senku, the ruler of Seigin as well as a demon lord. I've been informed that you both were seen at an innocent my follower Shingen had noticed and I want to know what happened. I'd hate to put the magical barrier back up as I did all those years ago, all within this barrier are instantly killed by a beam through the head or heart the moment murderous intent is sensed. Though it would solve a great deal of issues here in Seigin, I rebuilt this kingdom as a Sancturary for all races, such a spell could bring about fear among my citizens and would either end with them leaving or cowering in fear in my precience which I try to avoid as well as I can" 

"W-well sir, the knight in red was harassing me, even attempting to kill me. If it wasn't for Kin, I'd probably be dead" Kusuno explained a little nervous before Senku. The king thought for a moment before turning towards Kin asking him if this is true. 

"Yes Senku, I had come to Seigin in search of high bounty quests as well as a way to grow stronger as an adventurer, that's when I came across Kusuno on his knees badly hurt with the crowd not willing to step in and help him. I did what I believed was right and will take any punishment that comes with it" 

All watched as Senku looked down at him with an intense glare before a smirk grew on his face. "Very well, so long as you believed it to be the right thing and it was all to save one in need, I shall let it slide. As much as I hate those who beat on those weaker than them, those who standby while the innocent are in need are even worse than the assailant themself. Society must realize that watching terrible things happen without taking action can be just as bad as the tragedy that struck. One day...I hope for this world to be one of peace not one where days go by with war and death. This one world government...most see this at the unification of the world coming together as one. But I and many others with power over kingdoms know this so called one world government is nothing but a way for not only a country to be chained and bound to a corrupt government, but the entire world. One day I plan to shatter the one world government and start an era of peace. But the thing stopping me is...what if I did reach said goal...would the world really become unified peacefully? Or would it just be out of fear like the one's who rule now?" 

Senku took a deep breath. "A world unified by fear isn't unification, it's nothing more than a false sense of safety that at any moment...could come crashing down by the weight of the very lies that built it" 

With their meeting with the king finished, Kin sent Shiro back home before Kusuno and him made their way outside to see the sun had gone down leaving only the shine of the moon with a few street lights as their source of light. "Wow, I'm not even sure what to think about Senku, he gives off a dark and ruthful aura, yet he spoke so rationally as if he had thought this over Thoroughly" 

"Kusuno nodded. "He did say he had been planning to over throw the O.W.G, maybe that was his speech he was going to give to persuade those to help him" The pair walked through the streets before reaching a small wooden house smaller than most of the other structures around town. 

"What's this?" Kin asked as his cube floated around him looking at the house. The young mage informed him that this was his house and he lived with his older sister since his parents had died a few years ago. 

"Why don't you come in? Being new in town I'm sure you don't have a place to stay and I'd hate for you to stay in some old room at the tavern inn" With a shrug Kin followed his new friend inside where he found himself inside a small living room with a black couch, and the dining room table a few feet behind it by the window. He was surprised by how small it was. 

The house had wooden floors with a bathroom to the right and one staircase leading upstairs. "Ayumi I'm home and I've brought a guest over" As Kin closed the wooden door behind him, He turned to see a young woman step out from the kitchen just past the dining table, she had long light-brown hair with green eyes wearing a brown cloth dress. 

"Hello there! Kusuno, how many times did I tell you to let me know before you invite someone over!? Her once happy attitude changed to frustration as she yelled at her younger brother. "I'm sorry, if I had known you'd be coming I would've had everything ready by now, just give me a moment to set a plate for you" 

The pair sat down at the table waiting for dinner to be ready. "So, tell me Kusuno, you dressed rather well, yet live in a place like this, why is that?" The young man looked down at the table before responding: "Sadly we don't have much money at the moment, for the past few weeks I've been taking quests as a C-rank adventurer but the rewards are only letting us scrape by. I'd rather be taking on harder quests in order to gain more gold, but sadly I'm not that strong, along with the fact, in order to go up in rank I must defeat a B-rank in a duel to prove I'm strong enough to be promoted" 

"Ah, do you have any skills or techniques you can use in a fight?" 

"I use summoning magic, if I can manage to capture a monster and tame it, I am then capable of summoning it in battle to fight for me. Sadly, I haven't managed to capture any monsters as of late so I can't really fight back that well. I had planned to look for a mentor to teach me offensive magic" 

Kin nodded thinking for a moment before telling him: "Don't worry, tomorrow I shall help you capture some monsters that way you will have a better fighting chance. With my skills along with the enhancement of my cube, I doubt any normal monster can match me in power" 

After they ate dinner, Kin laid on the couch in the living room before slowly falling asleep... 

The pair awoke early making their way into the forest just outside of Seigin as they searched the surrounding area for possible creatures to capture with Kusuno's taming. They walked through the shaded forest path searching for magical creatures, only for bunnies and other normal wild life to pass by them. 

"Hmm, it's unusual to not see a magical creature for this long. Maybe they're deeper in the forest than usual. Only way is to find out. Osukai do you sense any magical energy nearby?" The purple cube flew over his shoulder scanning the area when he detected a faint magical power off in the distance. 

"Yes master, a singular magical creature has been spotted up ahead" Motioning them to follow, Kin dashed through the forest towards the magical creature before coming to a halt behind a large bush. Osukai and Kusuno hid beside the swordsmen as they looked past the bush seeing a small child-size creature made of wood as it walked through the grass looking around as if lost. 

"It seems harmless, let's try to convince it to join us without scaring it. I'm not sure if it's a child or if it's race is just that small. Osukai do you know the name of it's race?" 

"Scanning...treedling, a humanoid tree race that start as mere seeds before growing into the size of an adult human" Kusuno carefully stepped out from the bushes making his way over to the humanoid tree creature that grew scared spotting him. 

Noticing the creature's fear, the summoner stopped, kneeling down to the monster's level holding his hand out to it. "Hello, are you lost? Would you be willing to join my party? I'm looking for a creature willing to join me on my quest to grow stronger" 

Kin sighed growing impatient before calling out: "Use your taming skill Kusuno, from the looks of it, the creature can't understand what you're saying" The young summoner sighed rising back to his feet pulling out his wooden staff as he spun it between his fingers before aiming it towards the mythical creature. 

"Capture link!" As a blue aura swarmed around the summoner's body, a beam shot from the crystal of his staff as the creature was sealed within a sphere of blue energy as chains with a lock in the center formed sealing the link with the small creature. 

Kin walked out of the bushes up to the two asking: "Did it work?" The summoner looked at the small creature that looked up at it's master, it's eyes glowing green. "Hmmm, can you understand me now?" 

The treedling nod responding in a high-pitch childish voice: "Yes master, once the link was formed, I was capable of communication with you. Anything I say is translated into a way you can understand me" 

Veinxoth ARC 

Within the eastern part of the world, A group of figures stood within a dark forest of dead trees as the moon shined down upon them. One of them wore a black leather uniform with a black cap. He had blonde hair with blue eyes that gleamed in the moon light while his fellow followers stood around him in a circle.

Men and women in similar uniforms stood before him as he looked up at the moon with an emotionless expression. "Thy power comes from pain, thy power comes from despair. If one seeks power, thou shalt turn one's love into destruction and devour light and darkness itself until this world itself has become destruction"

The followers watched as a blood-red sigil formed beneath the man's feet as a pillar of red flame-like energy ascended from the sigil, penetrating the sky with thunderous power and red lightning. As the pillar faded, the sky had become blood-red with the blonde man standing before his cult.

"My lord, did it work?! Have you reached a greater power!?" One of them questioned. It was a tall woman with blue hair and purple eyes. The figure stood motionless, his eyes hidden beneath his cap with a cold expression upon his face when the woman placed a hand upon his shoulder. An abrupt flow of dark-red energy began to flow from his body as he suddenly grabbed her hand.

The others watched in horror as the woman's hand began to decay as her life energy was ripped from her body until she hit the dirt, nothing more than a mere skeleton. The group began to shake in fear before all running through the forest in fear. Their leader closed his eyes taking a deep breath before moving at a fierce velocity, easily catching the mere humans with ease, stealing each of their life essence until only their corpses remained.

As he stood alone within the dead forest beneath the blood sky, a slight smirk grew across his face...

Meanwhile in Seingin...

Senku and his followers had quickly taken notice to the demonic color in the sky and placed a powerful barrier to protect the city from a possible attack. Kin and Kusuno met with Senku about the strange anomaly.

"Lord Senku, what's going on!? I've never seen something like this happen before!" Kin cried out in both fear and curiosity. The demon lord sat upon the throne with his leg crossed, his fist resting on his cheek as usual. "I'm not sure myself young warrior, I myself in my 10 years ruling this kingdom have never seen such a thing. I assumed it was the work of a fellow demon lord, but...something seems off...this doesn't feel the same as Osamaru. Our best option is to stay put and wait to see what happens"

Kin then grew angry, unhappy with the ruler's response. "People around the world could be in danger...and you say we should just wait!? I may not be as strong as you lord Senku, but I won't just sit here while millions of people are in danger! Osukai, lock on to the strange energy signature and take me to it"

The cube began spinning searching for the energy's location when Senku's eyes widened as he rose up out of his seat. "Stop! It's a foo's errand! Sometimes it's best to do nothing rather than jump into a situation that has little to no chance of escape!"

Kin frowned giving the demon lord a frustrated look. "I won't turn my back on the people of this world just to save myself. If I want to be the strongest adventurer, I have to face my challenges head on"

"Location found master, teleporting now" As the cube lit up in a purple light, Senku moved from his throne towards the young swordsmen, reaching for him at light speed, only to be too late as his target vanished in a ray of light. The red-haired warrior stood in the middle of the throne realizing he failed to stop the teen's teleportation. (Kin...what are you thinking?)

His followers and Kusuno looked at Senku, surprised he wasn't fast enough to stop the spell in time given his god-like capabilities. That's when Shingen spoke up: "What should we do master? Would you like one of us to go after the boy and bring him back?"

"No, the boy made his decision, it must face the consequence even if it leads to his emanate death"

Meanwhile...

Kin found himself with the dead forest known as the blood forest as red light from the sky shined down upon him. He pulled his blade from the cube as they cautiously walked down the dark dry path before them. The trees before them were dark and disfigured as if scorched by flames, giving off the stench of death and despair as they ventured further.

Kin and Osukai found the remains of both humans and animals on the path, each time making a chill run up the young boy's spine from the look of horror on the skeleton's face. That's when they spotted a man holding a blue slime with one hand as he began to absorb it's life energy until the blue slime decayed into a gray puddle.

"You must be the one responsible for this aren't you!?" The blonde man in the black uniform slowly turned to the young adventurer, looking at him with a cold emotionless glare as he slowly began to approach the boy.

"S-stay back!" Kin could feel his body shaking in fear as the demonic aura swarmed around his target's body. "Tsk! GET BACK!" Gripping his blade firmly, Kin unleashed a full-power strike in his foe's direction as a wave of blue energy rushed past him with sheer power.

As the light cleared, the pair could see the man still approaching him, unphased by the attack aside from blood running from his cheek. "Such a young child with extraordinary power. Your life force shall aid me in my goal to rewrite this accursed world's reality to suit my desires. This world is filled without nothing but merely pain and suffering. However, after coming across a book of spells, I found a ritual that is said to give one the power to change the world before them. I am Veinxoth...and I shall retrieve what I have long lost to this accursed world"

Without warning, Veinxoth pierced his palm straight through Kin's heart, absorbing the boy's life force. Unlike the normal humans, Kin had far more life essence and didn't decay as fast. "Tsssk! I-I can't move, my b-body is going numb" 

"KIN!" The cube beside him prepared to transport him away, only for their assailant to grab it with his other hand, crushing the cube to pieces as the remains hit the floor. Osukai's soul floated up into the air before vanishing before Kin's dying eyes. Tears filled his eyes when a figure came out of nowhere, striking Veinxoth in the back of the head as he went staggering across the forest striking a tree releasing Kin from his grasp.

The young swordsmen looked down at his left hand that was now decayed into black rotting flesh. He could neither feel nor move it. "Osukai...OSUKAI!" Instead of worrying about is dead hand, Kin could only focus on the pain he felt for witnessing the death of his closest friend. (Osukai...your death is my fault...I was so focused on stopping the one responsible for this, I didn't take your life into consideration. You were just doing what I wanted, but I failed to ask for your thoughts on the matter. Maybe I wasn't such a good friend to you after all...please forgive me Osukai, if I die here, I hope to join you wherever you have gone)

Just then he felt a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it in time, but don't worry...I'm here now" Kin's tear-filled eyes looked behind him to see a man dressed in a black jacket and black pants with black hair and hazel eyes. "My name is Kasuke Mashida, A-rank exorcist of the exorcist organization of Shinhidoka"

The two looked in front of them to see Veinxoth rising to his feet unharmed, glaring in their direction. "As the verse said onto me: "Thou who truly seeks divinity, must bare the greatest sacrifice if one is to achieve such Prosperity" The man slowly raised his white-gloved hand towards the sky. "May hell rain down upon this world in a vast sea of despair...hell nova impact"

Kin looked up towards the red atmosphere as fire balls rained down from the sky all around them. As the blazing projectiles descended down upon them, Kasuke threw his hand out toward their attacker. "Sutansu!" All three of them lit up in abrupt flash of blue light as Kin realized Mashida had switched placed with their assailant. Spheres of hell fire struck Veinxoth with devastating force, each one erupting a powerful explosion until the projectiles finally ceased.

They watched as the assailant stood upon scorched land, his uniform burned by the flames but he himself still unaffected by the attack. "W-we can't beat him...he isn't human...nothing seems to damage him!" Kin cried out in fear. That's when Kasuke walked past his ally, walking towards what seemed like an invincible foe.

"You sure are strong, you appear to be neither demon nor human...could it be you're like me? One who walks between the two? A gray line undefined by this world?" 

"I am Veinxoth, once a member of the Reukin army. However, once I realized I was nothing more than a pawn to the Reukin empire, I decided to betray them and leave with my wife. Though...once they heard word of my betrayal, they hunted me down, killing my beloved wife. I and a few followers managed to escape to this forest where we casted a spell that is said to give one the power to change reality itself. For that, I wish to use it's power to revive my wife so we may have a life away from the sins of this world. I shall surpass god himself and reign over this world as a god. Those who stand in my way...shall be struck down"

Kasuke felt sympathy for the man, he could tell Veinxoth was in deep pain, but knew he couldn't just sit idly by and let the assailant kill innocent over a mere loss of a loved one. "I understand how you fell Veinxoth, you lost the one thing that you actually cared about in this world, but answer me this: What about the others who also have those they care about, those who won't want to go through the same pain and torment like you? You would just be inflicting the same pain onto those who don't deserve it"

The once emotionless expression on Veinxoth's face then changed to one of rage and sadness as he clinched his teeth. "Tsssk! ARE YOU SAYING I DESERVED THIS!? WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ME!? I HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT FOLLOW ORDERS MY ENTIRE LIFE! BUT WHEN I FINALLY DECIDE I WISH FOR A BETTER LIFE, IT'S STRIPPED FROM ME! I WON'T HEAR ANOTHER WORD! I SHALL KILL ANY AND ALL THOSE WHO REJECT MY IDEALS!"

The demonic aura swarmed around him rapidly, growing more intensely by his despair and rage as he moved right for his opponent at immense speed. Kasuke and Veinxoth clashed in a sudden shockwave of force with Kasuke blocking the fierce strike with his wrist. The man's cap flew off as the pair stared at one another before jumping back.

"Seinshin sphere!" A sphere of flowing purple spiritual energy manifested within his grasp before launching it right for their target. Veinxoth threw his hand out, catching the projectile as he was pushed back by it's sheer power. He could feel his feet dragging across the dirt, smashing through dead trees before slowing down. "You brat, I shall drain you of your entire life force until none remain!"

Finally he managed to pushed the attack away, sending it soaring into the atmosphere as it erupted in a devasting explosion of immense power. Now free from the attack, Veinxoth dashed towards his target at near light-speed, reaching for the exorcist's face attempting to steal his life essence.

That's when Kasuke suddenly struck the tyrant's spiritual pressure points, effecting the flow of his target's spiritual energy. With a final strike to the man's abdomen, he was sent impacting a large oak tree before hitting the ground.

"W-what!? My body...it won't move! You bastard...what is it you've done to me!?"

"I struck your spiritual pressure points, with your flow of energy disrupted, you're incapable of using any spiritual attacks" The tyrant laid in the dirt struggling to move as Kasuke walked towards him. As the exorcist prepared to use demonic mind prison, Veinxoth vanished in an aura of red light.

"W-what happened? I thought you said he couldn't use his abilities?" Kasuke froze for a moment before coming to a realization. A serious expression formed on his face. "I'm afraid that wasn't Veinxoth who did that...seems someone is aiding him as well. But for now, it's best we retreat to the exorcist organization and treat your wounds. There's no tellig what's going to happen if that man comes back. He seemed as if he were new to his new found abilities but at the same time, could use them with ease. This isn't adding up, but it's best we prepare for the worst"

Meanwhile in a different realm...

Veinxoth found himself laying in a large room made of gold as a man dressed in a white royal cloak with long white hair and golden eyes sat upon a golden throne. "Ah, so you're the one who called upon me, I've heard your vows and pled to gain power in order to rewrite the world, one where your dear beloved still lives. For such power, I demand sacrifice, as you witnessed, you've been given the power to steal the life energy of those you touch thereby increasing your power. However, to gain a level of divinity, you would have to absorb the lives of millions of living creatures. I shall teach you a more effective way to siphon the lives of those around you. Heh, those mortals shall cower before a power they cannot match" 

Back On Earth...

Kin sat on a bed in the small steel room of the medical center of the exorcist base as one of the nurses checked on his injury. The nurse was a tall woman with long purple hair and blue eyes wearing a white nurse outfit. She took a look at the adventurer's decayed hand and froze for a moment before calling an exorcist in.

Kasuke walked in asking the condition of the poor boy. The nurse turned to him with a shocked face responding: "I've seen some bad injuries before, but...his hand, it's decayed to the point it's as cold as ice as if it was a corpse's hand. I'm afraid, the only thing we could do for it...is to amputate the decaying limb to insure whatever happened to his hand doesn't spread to the rest of his body"

The poor boy's body went cold from the woman's words. "A-amputate my arm? Isn't there another way? Maybe a healing spell!?" He looked at Kasuke who gave him a sad look before shaking his head. "I'm afraid that wouldn't work. Your hand is basically dead, quite different this something as simple as just needing to heal. I'm afraid all we can do cut it off and insure it doesn't spread..."

Kin looked away as Kasuke focused his spiritual energy into his palm, focusing it into a blade as he amputated the decaying limb instantly. Kin expected a surge of pain, only to realize he didn't feel anything. Slowly looking at his left shoulder, he saw some kind of spiritual barrier keeping him from losing any blood. "W-what is this!?"

"Using my spiritual energy, I've formed a protective barrier around your wound letting it heal so you wouldn't lose any blood. However, seems you'll have to fight with merely your right hand for the time being. I'd suggest you get stronger before fighting Veinxoth again"

"How am I supposed to do that? My legendary weapon is gone, I lost the cube holding my friend...I have nothing left" Kasuke looked deep into his eyes responding: "You don't need a weapon to be strong, I shall teach you the power of spiritual energy, a power far greater than any mere weapon in this world. Every blade has a Limit, but spiritual energy continuously grows with each fight and further understanding of one's power"

With Kin's wound sealed with a protective barrier, the pair made their way outside where they met up with Mashida's squad. "Kin, I'd like to introduce you to my squad"

"Hello, my name is Kojiro Asukomi the shinobi replied in a calm emotionless tone. He had black hair that covered his right hazel eye with a plain expression, wearing a similar uniforms to Kasuke. Next was Naiomi, she was a young woman with long purple hair and blue eyes. She was dressed in the black exorcist uniform as she smiled at him with her hands at her side.

"Hey Kin, glad to see a new exorcist candidate, it's been some time since we've seen any willing to fight back against the demons of this world"

"Demons? I've rarely seen any demons since I started traveling the world. But I assume demons are more common in the Reukin empire" Kasuke nodded crossing his arms before further explaining.

"Each sector of this world have their own type of creatures, here in the eastern part of the world you'll see a lot of demons and demonic creatures unlike the western section in the Shujin empire that's known for it's vast variety of fantasy creatures. As for the Celestial and Kaionen empire, I'm not sure what to expect, but I have heard rumors that the Celestial empire have an elder dragon at their disposal"

"So...how do I get stronger with my spiritual energy?" 

"Simple, just as a mage improves their mana, you must feel the power flowing through you...become more used to it's flow, as well as push your limit beyond their normal capabilities. With those in mind, let's see just how strong you are without your precious weapons to aid you" Kasuke smirked standing in the middle of the exorcist camp with the others watching from a safe distance. 

"Here I go!" Kin clinched his fist charging right for his mentor at super-human speed, but not nearly as fast as he had with the cube and S-rank blade. Not used to using just his right arm, Kin struggled to throw consecutive focused blows toward his target with Mashida jumping back, dodging each strike with just a turn of his head. 

"Hmph, seems we have a long way to go Kin, you've relied too heavily on your weapon to aid you in battle that you never actually improved yourself in the art of combat" With a sudden blow to the abdomen, Kasuke struck the young warrior with a mere open palm, sending the poor boy launching back, impacting a large oak tree. 

"Seems we'll have to start with the basics, I want you to take a deep breath and let your energy build up inside you, feel it trave all throughout your body like a spark until you can't hold it in any longer" The young boy rose to his feet before giving a nod as he closed his eyes... 

At first, nothing seemed to be happening, that's when he could feel a slight tingling sensation flowing through him as if he had chugged an entire mug of coffee. "W-what is this? It feels different than just letting magic flow through my body" He looked at his hands to see a blue aura swarming around the outline of his body. 

"That's your spiritual energy, since you're focusing so much on it, your body his beginning to build up with it until it has nowhere to go but out into the form of a blue aura. Though, I can only guess the reason it feels different is because you're creating the energy yourself, rather than taking it in like with your weapon. Now then, keep ahold of that energy flowing through you and come at me" 

Kin could feel his body shaking as if getting goosebumps by the overflowing power escaping his body. "Alright Kasuke, here I come!" The others watched in interest as the warrior took off at super-sonic speed, throwing a punch right for his opponent's face, just to miss by mere inches as a wave of force left his fist, impacting a tree just outside the camp causing the ground to slightly shake. 

"Heh, and here I thought he was just some normal kid. Seems he really does have some potential" Nami commented with a smile as she crossed her arms. Kojiro just watched leaning against the large unit dorm rooms with his usually emotionless expression. 

"Good work Kin, the next step is to take the spirit energy and manipulate it into physical attacks. Observe" The exorcist held out his open palm as a sphere made of purple energy manifested, floating in his palm. "This is referred to as a senshin sphere, one of the most basic attacks as an exorcist. If you ever want to use the advanced techniques, you'll have to master this one first" 

Meanwhile In another part of Reukin... 

A blonde man in a hooded black cloak appeared in an alley within a large kingdom in a flash of golden light as a smirk grew across his face. Making his way out of the alley and into the busy paved streets, many around him began to feel weak and dizzy as they all collapsed around him. 

It didn't take long for the city's guards to notice the strange phenomenon. A group of knights in silver armor came racing down the streets before blocking the hooded-man's path. One of them was a tall older man with a brown mustache. He unsheathed his sword aiming it towards the suspicious figure. 

"Halt right there, I'm afraid we're going to have to bring you in for questioning!" The figure slowly raised his palm as he sent a demonic wave of energy towards the trio as it split into three, as the poor guards were stripped of all their life essence until the trio fell to the group as nothing more than mere corpses. 

"Heh, seems what the god said was true, the more I focus on my targets, the more efficiently I can steal their power and make it my own" Just then an adventurer party came across the skeletal remains of the guards and spotted the blonde assailant standing over them. 

The group was comprised of; A tall blonde elf archer, a tall buff knight in red armor with brown hair, a male mage in a purple robe and a young girl with pink hair dressed in a white robe presumably a healer. "I am Sirus an S-rank knight and I refuse to let a heartless murder like you to get away. If guards can't handle you, then my party shall be the ones to crush you!" 

Pulling out a large black great sword, Sirus gripped it in one hand charging right for the cold-blooded murder. "Katsumi cover me!" The elf nodded with a serious expression, firing off a barrage of glowing green arrows that flew past both sides of the party leader, exploding on contact, illuminating the streets in green light. 

"Ha! What do you think about that you ruthless bastard!" Without warning, a sphere of red energy fired out from the smoke catching the valiant knight off guard. Just before it hit, Sirus used his great sword to block the immense attack. The projectile clashed against his blade as he found himself getting forced back by it's fierce power. 

"Tsssk! Damn it! I-I can't send it back!" Sirus found himself forced against the stone wall of a house as the structure began to crack by the sheer force of their clash. That's when the glowing sphere of demonic energy was pulled into a rift, vanishing. "What?" 

"You're welcome captain" The knight looked over to his party to see the mage give him a thumbs up. "Appreciate the help Osako!" Once more the knight charged head-on into battle, bringing his blade down with a thunderous slash. The hooded man watched as the blade came down and with one hand, caught the colossal blade with one hand. 

The entire adventuring party watched in shock as their assailant had stopped the descending blade with a mere hand. The force of the strike was so great, slight cracks formed benith the tyrant's feet. "Was this the best you have to offer? Pity, to think this is the best the once great Reukin has to offer" Without another word, a dark-red aura spread from him to the sword Sirus was holding as it swarmed around the knight's body. 

"W-what's going o-on...I-I feel weak" The others could only watch in horror as their great leader began to grow old with his once brown hair now gray as his face grew wrinkled and dry before he too collapsed face down as nothing more than a mere skeleton. 

The healer let out a horrific scream with tears filling her eyes while the elf fired off continuous arrows in rapid succession, each one blowing up on impact while the mage behind them put his hands together preparing a teleportation spell. 

From within the ray of green light a voice spoke out: "Foolish mortals, with every death I grow stronger, each time bring me an inch closer to the divinity I so crave. So, try as you might, but your feeble attempts are all for naught" The trio watched in complete and utter fear as Veinxoth walked out of the explosions right up to them. The mage struggled to complete the spell with his hands shaking from fear. 

Standing just a few feet away, the villain formed a transparent dome of blood-red energy around them as all of their life was sucked out of them all at once, a flow of red light entering Veinxoth's palm as he drained them of every last drop of their life force. 

"Hehe...haha...HAHAHA!" He began to let out lout cries of sadistic laughter knowing his power grew with each passing moment. "Now then, it's time I make this entire empire pay for what they've stolen from me. I shall not let their sins go unpunished" His demonic aura swarmed around his body as he walked towards the castle, reaching the large stone steps with a row of guards blocking the large golden doors of the castle. 

All of the guards wore your typical silver knight armor as they wielded long spears in one hand. "Stop right there! None shall go beyond this point, we are on high-alert for any threat to our king!" With an uninterested expression Venxoth threw one hand out in their direction, firing off a devastating blast, obliterating the guards with ease. 

The tyrant walked past them, stepping on one of their skulls, making his way up to the large golden doors as he used one hand to push the doors open, sending the massive gold doors crashing to the ground with a violent boom. Dozens of knights came running into the large white and red lobby, firing off arrows from crossbows as they broke on impact, having little to no effect against the powerful man. 

"Your defenses are still primitive as they've always been, I feel truly disgusted that I served under such a useless army. Allow me to show you what true power is" Raising his arm up like a dagger, he brought it down with a slash, sending a sword-like slash of demonic energy right for the guards as it pierced straight through them as if they were mere paper. 

The guards stood froze for a moment before splitting in half, falling to the red-carpeted floor in a pool of blood. "Sigh, such weakness. At this point it's almost as if I'm doing them a favor" Veinxoth continued to walk through the large lobby, two rows of stairs on either side of the room with a hallway in the center leading to the throne room. 

He continued down the hall towards the throne room as two large golden doors covered in jewels came into view. With a single blow to the center, the doors burst open shaking the whole castle like an earthquake. The moment he saw the king sitting upon his throne with 20 guards aligned blocking his path, a grin grew across his face. 

"Hehe. Lord Barada...to think I saw you as once so great, now all I see it a shrivel of a man that cares only for himself and not of his men that defend him." 

"Just who are you villain? You act as though you've known me for years yet you don't seem familiar" The king spoke in a withered old tone. Veinxoth frowned pulling back his hood reveling his face to everyone's shock. 

"Veinxoth!? I thought my men killed you for betrayal! How did you survive!?" 

"Who knows, but one thing's certain...the same won't be said for you" In a sudden movement, red lines of light appeared all across the room as the tyrant appeared mere inches from the king as his entire army of guards collapsed in a pool of blood. "You have no one to blame but yourself old man. I served you once so faithfully, but then come to learn your men are nothing more than mere pawns in your sadistic game. 

The elderly king started at the pile of corpses in horror, gripping his throne's chair with wide eyes. "Welcome the cold embrace of death Barada...this is the fate one as heartless as you deserve" The frighten king closed his eyes, waiting for the end to come. As the man placed his glowing red hand upon the king's face, the little life remaining from the ruler was stripped away leaving him as merely a skeleton dressed in a royal robe and crown. 

"Hehe, finally, I've taken my revenge against this worthless capital. So begins my reign upon the reukin empire and then the world once I've grown stronger" As he sat upon the throne, his demonic influence began to spread across the room, the white and red castle now turning black and red as it spread all across the kingdom forming a read mist around the capital... 

Back At The Exorcist Base... 

As Kin stood in place with his palm open focusing his spiritual energy, Kasuke and the others felt the sudden change in power off in the distance. "Seems we don't have as much time as I though...we need someone to stall Veinxoth a little longer so we can make you strong enough to stand a chance against him" The exorcist explained to Kin as he crossed his arms in frustration. 

"What do you mean? What happened?" 

"Veinxoth just wiped out the central Reukin capital with mere ease, I can feel his power even from here. I'll have to rally a group together to stall him or hope he stays in one place for a while so we can train you" 

Meanwhile In Seigin... 

Senku sat upon his throne in deep thought when his eyes suddenly snapped open. His followers turned to him with surprise as Sohira asked: "What is it lord Senku? Has something happened to Kin!?" 

"Worse...seems the Reukin capital has fallen. Normally, such an event wouldn't concern me. However, I can faintly feel the tyrant's energy even from here which means his spirit level is near my level already. Seems he has the ability to steal one's life energy thereby boosting his own power. Though I can't risk going there myself, I shall send a duplication as well as the warriors Kin had brought to me before" 

Holding his hand out he casted a summoning spell to bring the past warriors to him. "Come!" A purple sigil formed upon the throne room's floor, illuminating the castle with blinding light. As the light faded, Shiro and Kento stood before him. 

"W-what!? Where am I?" Kento cried out looking around with his partner looking equally confused. Senku approached them explaining the situation. "I've summoned you both here in an attempt to stop Veinxoth, he's taken over the Reukin capital and I assume plans to spread his influence across the world. Normally such a threat wouldn't bother me, however...seems his power is growing at an alarming rating, if we wait too long, his power may surpass all of ours combined" 

Shiro stepped forward. "What about the one world government? Surely, they'll do something about this. I'm told most of the world's strongest warriors are kept there in case of a dire situation like this!" 

"Doubtful...the one world government only cares about staying in power, so long as none attempt to invade the capital, they don't really care what happens to the rest of the world. Sometimes I question why we formed the one world government when we still act like separate countries, The only difference is we have the same laws and currency that's about it" 

Clinching his fist in anger Shiro lashed back: "That's ridiculous! Once this problem is settled, I'm going after the one world government capital! So then, what's our plan Senku?" 

"My duplication should accompany you both I the fight against Veinxoth in hopes we can manage to defeat him before his influence expands beyond Reukin, as for Kin, he's training and is nowhere near our level at the moment, so we're the only line of deffense against that monster. I shall teleport you both as close as I can" 

Manifesting a doppelganger beside him, it walked over to the pair before Senku began to cast a teleportation spell. The trio watched as a blue sigil formed beneath them before being teleported in a flash of light. 

Meanwhile Senku sat back down with a sigh and a serious look on his face. "My lord, do you think they can win?" the small fairy asked flying over to him. Senku looked at the floor responding: "Even with my clone, their chances are slim..." 

CHAPTER 5 A Devil amongst gods 

In a flash of light, Shiro and the others found themselves just outside of the blood forest, the sky growing darker as they looked before them to see a massive dome of red demonic energy covering what was once the Reukin capital. "He must be in there, though...how are we going to get inside?" Shiro questioned before approaching the surging barrier. 

He carefully reached out to touch it, only for his hand to pass straight through it like mist. "What? Seems this isn't a barrier after all. I assumed it was to keep us out...but I can pass right through it with ease" Shiro walked through the dome wall, finding the large kingdom filled with a legion of the undead, all of those Veinxoth had killed stood al throughout the streets as skeletons staring at the three warriors intensely as they stood on the stone path with the castle blocked by the thousands of undead before them. 

"Hmph, you think mere undead will keep from my target? Think again...force of gravity!" Throwing his open palm out in front of him, a fierce wave of power surged past hundreds of the undead, shattering each of them to pieces by the overwhelming power. 

As he lowered his hand, the party watched as more undead filled the spaces that were left by the defeated enemies. "Sigh, looks like it won't be as simple as I thought" Shiro groaned. That's when the duplicate of Senku came forward. "Don't worry Senku, I have plenty up my sleeve for a fight like this...Cerberus!" 

The pair watched as the demon lord transformed into the colossal black three-headed dog as the tree heads let out a devastating roar shaking the entire kingdom. "Shiro get on my back, Kento, deal with the ones around me!" Senku spoke in a much deeper tome from the transformation. Kento nodded placing his hand near his heart as a red flame-like aura swarmed around his body. All watched as Kento transformed into his new form he had achieved during his training. 

The once weak zombie now stood as a tall pale vampire with red eyes, long black hair dressed in a black cloak. "Behold my 3rd evolution!" With a surprised look Shiro jumped onto Senku who took off at super-sonic speed for the castle with Kento moving right behind him at light speed, piercing through the undead around them in a flash of red light with his harp vampiric nails. 

The left head of the beast unleashed a blaze of flames while the right blew ice from it's mouth incasing the weak targets in ice. Meanwhile Kento cut threw them with ease as the legion's numbers began dropping at a fierce rate. That's when they came to a halt as the legion swarmed together, forming a titan-sized undead as black knight armor formed around it's body manifesting a large sword. 

That's when Shiro leapt into the air off Senku, flicking is finger in the direction of the massive entity. With an abrupt flick, he sent a bullet-like force right for the knight's abdomen, causing it to stagger back before catching itself. Letting out a horrific scream, the creature swung it's massive blade right for them, Shiro instinctively threw his hand out to catch it as the colossal blade struck his palm with sheer demonic force as black lightning whipped around the blade. 

(W-what is this!? I-I can feel pain coming from my hand for once!) Gripping the blade with all his strength, Shiro shattered the demonic weapon as the pieces fell to the ground turning back into undead before fading into red mist. 

Shiro landed on the street out of breath. "W-what's going on? It's as if my stamina is being drained each time I fight back. I can even feel pain when normally my body is invincible and immune to all types of damage" Without warning the towering undead threw a punch right for the confused man, only for him to jump out of the way, ascending into the air at the last second. 

Given an opening, Senku froze the creature's arm to the street trapping it place with Kento decapitating it's arm with a fierce shatter. They watched as more of the undead turned to mist from the limb as the creature let out another deafening scream in anger. 

"Enough of this" Changing back into his demon lord form, Senku fired off a small slime particle at the monster from his index finger as it attached itself to it's target before expanding around it until the titan was completely swallowed up by the slime. Shiro and Kento watched in surprise as the slime then compressed into a small marble-sized ball hitting the street. 

Walking over, Senku stepped on it causing it to shatter like glass. Immense amounts of red mist flowed from the marble flowing into the air where the party realized Veinxoth was hovering above them looking down at them with a grin on his face. The tyrant looked far different thanks to the massive amount of demonic energy he had accumulated. His blonde hair was now far longer with red glowing irises and wearing a long black cloak as a red aura outlined his body. 

Well done mortals, I'm impressed those aside from me could reach such levels of power. However, thanks to all the life essence I've absorbed from the millions of Reukin alone, I've reached a level far beyond any mere mortal. What say you?" 

That's when Shiro began to laugh with a grin as he looked up at the assailant. "Mere mortal huh? Who do you intend on giving such a speech to? I see no mortals, I and the others before you aren't what you'd consider mortal. Never the less, let's see just what kind of power you've gained by stealing it rather than working for it like a real warrior" 

Giving him a sneer, Veinxoth soared head first at Shiro, throwing a fierce punch straight for him, only for the warrior to catch his fist just before impact. The force of their clash caused the entire kingdom to quake with Shiro manifesting a fire ball within his other hand, pulling the tyrant by his fist as he threw his other hand out in front of him. "Obliteration!" 

Veinxoth watched with wide eyes as the sphere erupted in a devasting eruption of flames, setting the surrounding area ablaze. The others watched, unaffected by the flames as Shiro looked at the clearing smoke, only to see Veinxoth unphased by the attack. "Hehe, and here I thought that'd actually hurt. Are you sure you're not just a mere mortal prepending to be something more?" 

Shiro clinched his teeth in anger when a sudden blow to his gut abruptly knocked the air out of him as he was sent crashing through a bell tower. "So then, which of you pathetic worms are next? I'm hoping to crush each of you like the insects you are" 

Senku motioned Kento to stay put while he took on the villain one on one. "You underestimate the power of a demon lord Veinxoth" His targe smirked waiting for his opponent to attack. That's when Senku raised his hand up to the sky. "Thunder of Raijin!" 

With a thunderous roar A fierce bolt of lightning struck the villain with such power, it burned everything around him to ash leaving a black scorch mark. "Did you get him" Kento questioned standing a few feet behind the demon lord. 

The red-haired demon lord remained silent as he started closely at the scorched black figure before it began to move. "Hehe...HAHAHA! Well now here I thought I might actually die by such an attack, but seems I've sustained nothing more than suffer burns. You bastard...hehe this is rather fun, a fight amongst gods to decide the fate of this world!" 

"Sigh...you're no god...what god murders millions just to attain power? A real god would either be born with it or work endlessly to reach it. You're nothing more than a devil that rips the lives from those weaker than you to feed nothing more than a fruitless endeavor!" 

Veinxoth clinched his fist as he grew enraged by his foe's words. "Tsssk! WHO ARE YOU TO SAY HOW ONE ACHIEVES POWER!? YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN I AM! WHAT MAKES YOU WORTHY OF YOUR POWER WHILE I'M NOT!?" 

Senku started deep into the man's eyes with a calm look before moving right to him. "Because my power didn't cost the lives of millions of innocent people" He answered as he rushed past his opponent, a slash of purple light emanating across Veinxoth's throat as Senku attempted to decapitate the tyrant. 

A spew of blood poured from his neck before flowing back inside as the wound quicky healed. "Hehe, I'm afraid that won't work, my body can heal far faster than a mere slit to the throat. I'd suggest you all submit to me so I may end your meaningless lives and finish my goal of changing this world into one I may be happy with. Only then will I stop the slaughter" 

"Screw this! I will finish this quickly to shut you up. I don't care your reasons for wanting to change this world, but it sounds more like you're just someone who can't face the reality before them! Both of you, let's go!" Shiro clinched his fists as the purple aura swarmed around his body meaning he was preparing to go all out once more. 

All three of them took off at full speed, Senku attacking head on with Shiro and Kento coming from the left and right. The two exchanged blows evenly when Shiro came from the right, sending a full-force blow to the tyrant's cheek, knocking him to the street with a fierce impact as the force of the landing sent a shockwave across the kingdom causing several structures to crumble away into rubble. 

With the opponent lying in a large crater, Kento put his fingers close together like a dagger, descending down full speed, piercing straight through the villain's torso as blood gushed out of the gaping hole in his chest. 

"Are you finished yet?" The vampire taunted standing over the wounded foe. That's when he noticed red mist flowing from all around them into Veinxoth as his wound closed up fully healed once more. "Now I see what's going on...this barrier siphons our power each time we attack and you use it to heal yourself, basically giving you a near infinite supply of energy so long as we keep attacking withing the barrier" 

Veinxoth began to laugh as he slowly rose to his feet. "Heh, seems you figured it out, this dome absorbs any ounce of energy you use against me and I use it to keep me going indefinitely. So, now that you know this, will you keep going, or will you wrap your tails beneath your feet and run like cowards"

Kento frowned. "Senku, Shiro. This bastard wants our power...I'd say let's give it to him!" Realzing there partner's plan, the three of them stood side by side releasing all their power all at once, two purple auras and one red aura erupting around them as their power began draining from their bodies, flowing into Veinxoth.

The assailant's body grew more buff, pulsing as red electricity whipped around his body, the demonic dome expanding across Reukin at an alarming rate. "Hehe, HAHAHA! SUCH EXTRAORDINARY POWER!" His eyes widened with a psychotic expression as his body began to shake from all the energy being forced into his body at an intense rate.

"M-my body...it can't handle this much power flowing into me all at once! ENOUGH!" Realizing their tactic, Veinxoth darted forward, punching a large hole straight through Kento, his cold undead flesh spewing out of him too weak to regenerate. "Enough of this endless game...I shall destroy you until no speck of you remains" 

With his fist still tearing through his target, Veinxoth unleashed a fierce surge of power. The others watched as Kento's body was obliterated in a ray of blazing light with no remans left of the undead warrior. "NO, KENTO!" Shiro let out a cry of despair with tears running down his face when Senku's double grabbed him by the collar, teleporting them straight to Kin in a last attempt to stop the god-level threat...

The pair appeared in the center of the exorcist base to see Kin holding a massive seishin sphere the size of a large bolder, it flowed with intense spiritual energy as the young warrior held it with ease with one hand. That's when he looked to see Senku and Shiro rushing over to him.

"Kin! We're out of time, we need to give you all the remaining spirt energy we have left and hope it's enough to beat the tyrant who's probably on their way here! All of you, give Kin every last bit of your spirt energy, he's the only one who can contain that much power at once!" Senku cried out. The exorcists were confused aside from Kasuke who knew the dire situation they were in.

"All of you, give him all your spiritual energy!" Mashida ordered as Senku, Shiro and Kasuke aimed their hand towards the young warrior. Kin's eyes widened as he felt such immense power being transferred into his power. Purple lightning whipped around his body as a blue aura erupted from his body like a wildfire. His heart speed up from such overwhelming power entering his body. His body pulsed from such power as he tried to remain calm and contain all of the sheer power building up within him.

The others around him swayed back and forth, weak from giving their remaining energy to him with Naiomi and Shiro collapsing from exhaustion. Senku's clone vanished from lack of power to sustain itself. That's when a red ray of light soared across the sky headed right for them like a shooting star.

With a fierce shockwave blowing all of the others away, Veinxoth stood before the young warrior. Kin gripped his only hand, clinching his teeth as god-like power flowed through him. "It ends here Veinxoth! You've killed millions and hurt my friends countless times, even killed them! I SHALL KILL YOU TO ENSURE THE FUTURE OF THIS WORLD!"

"Hehe, so you're my final opponent brat? Very well, let's see what you got mortal" The tyrant stood watching with a grin on his face while Kin ascended into the air forming a seishin sphere above him as the sphere of immeasurable power continued to expand until it was the size of a massive blimp. With a deep breath, Kin condensed the colossal ball of blue light down to the size of a mere ball.

"Take this...seinshin sphere!" Launching the immense attack head on for his target, he watched as it soared right for the center of the exorcist camp where his target stood. Kasuke quickly grabbed the others running out of the attack's range as it hit the tyrant with such power, whipping out several miles of forest leaving a gapping crater in it's place, so deep it was hard to see the bottom.

Before the young boy had time to think, his target appeared behind him, backhanding him in the back of the head as he was sent flying across the blood-red sky, impacting just outside the massive abyss before him. He slowly got up, power still coursing through his body nullifying the pain.

"Huff...huff. Bastard, seems a seishin sphere won't be enough to kill you, but don't worry. I've learned several techniques from my sensei Mashida. With quick hand movements he prepared to use his next technique. "Dimensional fracture!" His swarming aura then split into 10 separate spheres of blue energy before taking the form of it's user as 11 Kin stood before Veinxoth. "Let's go!"

The large group of clones all soared straight for their assailant who watched from above in surprise as the duplicates all went to attack, only for one of their fists to pass right through him. "What!? They're just a mirage!" As he watched the illusions pass right through him, one of the last ones grinned throwing a blow right for his cheek, revaling to be the real Kin, knocking the tyrant out of the sky, landing back inside the abyss. 

"Now then, time for phase two" Just as he clapped his hands together preparing to use his next technique, a fierce blast of demonic spiritual energy erupted from the abyss headed straight for him. Without thinking of the repercussions, Kin used one of the forbidden skills taught to him by Kasuke. "EXORCIST EYE!" His eye turned blue with a Yin-yang symbol forming in the center as the devastating blast began to be absorbed through his eye.

A grueling pain pierced through his body as he took in some much power at once until the blast was finally gone. "Huff...huff...I-I did it!" His right eye pulsed in sheer pain as he closed it letting it heal from such stress being the 1st time Kin had ever used such an advance abilty. "D-damn it...seems I'll have to carry on the fight with both one arm and one eye! Whatever, it's time to finish this!"

Using spiritual rift, Kin teleported beside Veinxoth preparing to attack, only to feet a fist go straight through his abdomen, blood gushing from his body as his eyes widened in horror. (W-what happened...did...did I lose?) He could feel it all going dark as his foe pulled his fist out of his gaping wound leaving him to die in a pool of blood.

(N-no...this can't be the e-end...I...won't let it...) Kin watched as his foe stood over him laughing while it all went black... 

(END OF PART 1....)