Adamantine Dragon

Chapter 1: Prologue

At this moment, Marcdrak had just crossed the boundary between worlds. He could feel everything he was slowly fading away...

According to the theories he had developed in the old days about inter-universe jumps, the natural laws of this new world were now trying to 'purge' him. As expected from another world, it clearly didn't welcome a foreign being, and thus, he was being disintegrated.

A grin appeared on his face. Marcdrak was not afraid of death. Not at all. On the contrary, he had lived far too long and didn’t mind—no, he welcomed it. After more than 40,000 years, he had grown weary of life, but he forced himself to carry on because they were there. They were with him, so he had to live. He had to go on. He had to protect them...

[Time: 2 minutes ago.]

[Place: Center of the Demon Realm, inside the main chamber of the floating castle of the Demon Emperor]

The Demon Emperor's enormous aura suddenly exploded, exerting pressure on everyone.

The invading army stormed through the 50-meter-wide black gate and entered the Demon Emperor's Chamber. There he was, on the far side of the chamber—the Golden Beast Demon, also known as the enemy of women, a name widely used to scare little girls. He was seated leisurely in the middle of an oversized Red Throne, which essentially served as his bed. In a split second, several female warriors gasped in amazement—the young-looking male was extremely handsome. At that moment, he definitely stole their hearts, but only for a moment. "If only he weren't the Demon Emperor..." they wished.

The man leisurely raised his head, briefly glancing at the intruders with his green eyes, and, finding nothing interesting, resumed petting an extremely beautiful girl who lay with her head on his lap.

[???: Y-You!]

Despite the oppressive aura of the Demon Emperor, one of the men suddenly stepped forward.

[???: Murderer of the Ellysian Emperor! Not only a kingslayer, but you also kidnapped the imperial princesses to make them your playthings!]

(The man seemed to think there were multiple princesses, though I thought he only took one.)

The young man continued.

[???: Today I'll make you pay! Today we will kill you!]

His voice was filled with fury. The Demon Emperor responded with a mocking smile.

[??? #2: Stop, Kine! This is going too far.]

Suddenly, a female elf sitting next to the throne stood up. Ah, that’s right—there were over a hundred females sitting on colorful cushions surrounding the throne. That number alone made all the male warriors furious, not to mention that each one was a first-class beauty. Envy fueled their animosity towards the young-looking man to its utmost.

[Kine: Allena! What are you talking about? I've come to save you!]

[Allena: Then stop, Kine. I'm here because I want to be. I was never forced...]

Hearing this, the man named Kine gave the Demon Emperor an even more hateful glare.

[Kine: Y-You! Even going as far as brainwashing... Kill him! Kill!!!!!!! Melthias!]

[Allena: Wait, Kine!]

The beautiful blonde elf was looking seriously nervous now; she knew the extent of Marcdrak's power all too well...

Three years ago in the Ellysian Empire, a major event occurred: The Emperor died and appointed his second son as his successor. But it wasn’t resolved easily. His brothers organized a coup and, after disposing of the legitimate successor, fought each other for the right to the throne. In the end, the fourth prince won, but simply winning the throne wasn’t enough for him.

After becoming Emperor, he grew paranoid and ordered the quiet assassination of his two sisters, who, thanks to the bloody struggle, had become next in line for succession. Allena saw all of her most trusted servants die right in front of her, and in her grief, she invoked an ancient curse and an ancient call. She cursed her fate and the world, and thus he answered. A contract was formed, and she offered herself as payment. Marcdrak came, murdered the new Emperor, wiped out most of the Elven army, slaughtered half the population of the capital, and then left—simple. This led to the current situation.

[Melthias: Right, Prince.]

An old man standing next to Kine raised his voice. Ironically, in the chaos, Kine's father, General Kane (originally 145th in line for succession), had become the new Emperor.

[Melthias: For the eltheal planes, your humble servant requires your protection, Meah-sama! DIVINE PROTECTION!]

[Allena: Wait, Melthias!]

The young elf princess knew the old man; he was a royal mage who had served the empire for the past millennium. He was one of the few who had achieved the highest Flow tier—the 12th circle! She turned her head to look at Marcdrak with pleading eyes. At that moment, the Demon Emperor was watching the mage with amusement, but just as he was about to raise his hand to sweep away those old bones along with the divine protection, he noticed those pleading eyes...

[Melthias: For revenge! For death! For retribution! I call thee Verdetea-sama, Mave-sama, Bloe-sama! BANISH!]

And that moment of hesitation was all it took.

An enormous black hole opened behind Marcdrak, and from within, countless black hands appeared, grabbing him to pull him inside.

To explain the situation, we need to talk about the gods' favors. Gods exist in the Flow world; they are an essential part of the ecosystem. Nature Gods fertilize the fields, while Death Gods take care of the remains of the departed. While these are natural favors, there are also special favors granted to the populace for their faith. Among them are spell-reinforcing favors, and to gather those favors, one needs to spend a huge amount of effort and time.

In that brief moment, the old mage had used four favors! To gather enough faith for four favors, even the Ellysian Empire would need at least a hundred years. A favor from Mave, goddess of night and death, granted the power of banishment. Supported by two more favors, Verdetea—god of darkness and revenge—and Bloe—god of hatred and retribution—these provided the power supply, using all the resentment a person had accumulated in his life to work against him. Unfortunately for Marcdrak, he had lived far too long, and in the past 40,000 years, he had slaughtered an uncountable number of beings... And all that malice was now coming back at him, all at once! Even Melthias was stunned by the power of the spell.

The Demon Emperor instantly summoned a great amount of power to resist... If only he had a bit more time, just a second more... The power was so immense that it broke through the universe's boundaries, throwing him out of his world. But by then, he had already gathered enough power to resist the curse...

[Place: Inter-dimensional Space]

He found himself in a blank white space, surrounded by countless white spheres and one black sphere. The black substances surrounding him were desperately pushing him toward the black one. Black chains formed and attached themselves to the black sphere, and the pull on him strengthened. But who was he? Now prepared, he didn’t budge a millimeter.

[Marc: Another inescapable prison, huh? So this is the power of all the malice I gathered during those 40,000 years? Quite weak.]

He announced this with a haughty voice. Though the situation might have looked bleak, during his long life, Marcdrak had developed a method to deal with all those inescapable seals and curses. That's right, the structure of the curse was definitely perfect. He could cut the chains, destroy them, tear them apart (that was easy), but everything would be repaired immediately... Left with no other choice, he raised his Flow output. Two meters away, his Flow condensed and formed a body...

A second Marcdrak came into existence. With the link between them, the second one was a perfect copy of the first. Two pairs of jade green eyes looked at each other. Both were identical in every fiber of their bodies, every fragment of their memories, and every corner of their souls—there was only one difference...

The Chained Marc put a hand on his chest, and a bright golden sphere formed in it. He grasped it and extended his hand toward the Free Marc.

[Chained Marc: Here. All my power and all their links, with this, you are the True one. Even though you are me, I'm still jealous.]

A mocking grin formed on the Chained Marc's face.

[Free Marc: Hm. Got it.]

The Free Marc took the golden sphere and absorbed it into his chest.

The Chained Marc carefully observed the process. Once it was finished, his duty was over, and he closed his eyes. The True Marc manifested a pitch-black blade in his right hand. This was the rule he had imposed on himself, and it wasn’t the first time he had done this. In fact, the Chained Marc had also killed the previous one as he inherited the power and links.

The True Marc raised his arm and swung down. However, at that instant, he received a spark of inspiration, and the black blade halted a centimeter away from the Chained Marc's shoulder.

[Chained Marc: What are you doing?]

He opened his eyes and stared at the mischievous smile on the True Marc's face.

[True Marc: Say...]

[Chained Marc: Do your duty.]

Vertical pupils in the Chained Marc's eyes contracted, leaving a slim line as his iris color changed to violet.

[True Marc: I was thinking that you could try it.]

The True Marc's irises also changed color to match.

[Chained Marc: Two of us cannot exist.]

The Chained Marc recited the vow he had made for himself.

[True Marc: True, however...]

[Chained Marc: Are you trying to insult me?]

[True Marc: Of course not. Insulting you is insulting myself, after all.]

[Chained Marc: I'm not afraid.]

[True Marc: I know.]

[Chained Marc: ...]

[True Marc: I thought about changing that vow a little.]

[Chained Marc: ...]

The Chained Marc's eyes shone with bright violet light.

[True Marc: Two of us cannot exist in one world. How about that?]

The light in Chained Marc's eyes dimmed in response.

[True Marc: How about it? Do you want to try that world?]

[Chained Marc: Are you sure?]

[True Marc: Heh, with the curse, there’s no way you’ll be able to escape that world, and I have my girls in mine.]

True Marc showed a self-mocking smile. Those girls were equivalent to the curse, maybe even worse. They forced him to stay, they forced him to move, they forced him to live.

The Chained Marc responded with a wide smile, the violet light disappearing from his eyes, reverting back to jade green. He was clearly pitying the True one.

[True Marc: Curse you. But you are me! You can't escape MY fate!]

True Marc raised his voice as he made a cut in the space between them. That was the signal for the start. The link between them broke. The black chains instantly gripped the Chained Marc and pulled him inside the black sphere. Now that he had lost all his powers, he couldn’t resist them at all. After swallowing him, the sphere turned white.

[True Marc: So it still remains... Well, if it didn’t, I would just escape that world after some time.]

True Marc nodded as he observed the black chains still surrounding the white sphere.

[True Marc: Now... Shall we resolve that problem?]

The playful aura dissipated as he turned back. He subconsciously knew which sphere led to his own world—or more like his link was showing him the way. "They are calling you," Marc could almost hear that mocking voice of himself as he moved towards the correct gate. Shaking his head in resignation, with a sheer amount of Flow, he forced the sphere to open, and he entered...

[Time: 1 minute ago]

[Place: Demon Emperor's Chamber]

[???: No!]

[???: No way...]

[???: Lord Marcdrak!]

[???: Marcdrak!]

[???: Marc!]

[???: Master!]

[???: ...]

Over a hundred voices were raised as almost all the girls in the room stood up. All of them knew the power of Marcdrak. For most of them, it was the first time they had seen an actual magic attack work against him. Normally, all attempts would bounce off him without even leaving a scratch.

[Allena: Melthias!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bring him back!]

A loud voice roared throughout the room—it was Allena.

[Melthias: Princess Allena...]

The old man was speechless.

[???: So even after being banished, his control still remains? What now?]

An older female voice asked.

[Allena: Melthias...]

The Elf Princess' expression darkened as she summoned her Flow, stunning everyone present. The range of the Spirit magic she invoked was 10th circle. Among the invaders, there were only four people belonging to the highest class tier (10-12). The Elves were the most shocked—three years ago, Princess Allena’s power was at the 6th tier. Reaching the 6th tier at 500 years old, she had been acknowledged as a talented spirit mage, but to jump from 6th to 10th in just three years? That was impossible. Yet, there she was with an Emperor-class Water spirit...

[???: Calm down, everyone.]

One of the girls spoke up. An extremely beautiful redhead, likely someone of a higher tier here, because as soon as she raised her voice, all the girls fell silent, and most of them stopped panicking.

[Allena: But Miss Lily, Emperor Marcdrak...]

[???: It’s fine. As long as we’re here, then he is here.]

Another girl sat up. She was the one who had been sitting with Marc on the throne.

[Allena: Krishna-neesama...]

[???: Right. If we were to disappear, then you girls can start panicking.]

[Allena: Miss Nec...]

[Melthias: W-Who are you?]

The old man was clearly agitated. The moment ‘Miss Nec’ spoke up, he felt an indescribable shiver run through him.

[???: Me? Heh, the name His Majesty gave me is Mari, but you’ll most likely recognize me by the other one. It’s Necronomicon.]

[Melthias: Back! Fall back!]

The old mage roared as cold sweat ran down his face. The Necronomicon! The profane book of black magic. If she really was the Necronomicon, they all might just perish. Seeing the old man react in such an unusual manner, people started moving back towards the door. However, with just a flick of her fingers, the green-haired girl closed those massive doors behind them.

[Mari: You may have entered this castle, but without His Majesty’s permission, you may not leave... Not alive.]

A cold voice said, sending chills down the spines of all the men in the room.

[???: Kill.]

Another girl spoke up, emitting a breathtaking amount of killing intent. Immediately after her, most of the others followed her example.

[Krishna: Wait. They are Allena’s acquaintances, and Kaya, please calm down.]

[Lily: Heh, she can’t help herself—her beloved Marc was taken away, after all.]

[Kaya: Hmph.]

Kaya frowned. While these girls were leisurely talking to each other, the invading army was forced to hold their breath, unable to breathe properly due to the intensity of the killing intent.

[Krishna: Well, m'lord will be back soon, though... he is running a bit late...]

She was right. Normally, he would already be back, but at that moment, Marc was having a leisurely chat with himself.

[Kaya: 30 seconds. If Marc is not back by then, they all die.]

‘Kaya’ made up her mind. It seemed like it was the highest consensus she could reach. At that moment, a grand black vortex appeared above the throne.

[Mari: See? His Majesty is back.]

As if to confirm her words, a hand appeared and grabbed the edge of the vortex, and then he came... The Demon Emperor had returned...

[Place: New World, in the middle of nowhere.]

Back to the beginning. Marc smiled as he was disintegrating.

['Not chained anymore' Marc: Heh, as if. What fate? As if. I'm finally free.]

Very content, he closed his eyes. Now he only had to wait until everything was finished, and he would be able to enter his eternal rest. For the last time, he decided to enter his soul domain.

He appeared on the front terrace of his Floating Castle. It was just a reproduction of his original one and existed only inside his Soul Realm. He took a tour around it, reminiscing about the old times. Although it had been quite tiring, those were happy times—happy enough to force him to live, to move forward... In the end, he moved towards his chamber.

He was going to wait for the end on his throne. With a flick of his fingers, the massive black door opened to reveal the beautiful, rich interior...

There...

On top of his lavish Red Throne...

In the middle of violet cushions...

[--Marc--: C-C-C-Curses.]

There were seven girls sleeping.

[--Marc--: Curses! Curse you, FATE!]

A howl echoed throughout the hall as Marcdrak’s vertical pupils contracted, and his irises began glowing violet. And again—he was forced to live…

Chapter 2: Afterlife

[Time: Unknown]

[Place: Unknown]

An 11-year-old child woke up to find himself standing in a strange place. Above him floated a massive black ship(?).

[--???--: What's going on? Where am I?]

The child's name was Vorst. An orphan from a distant planet with a complex name that he couldn’t remember—not that it seriously mattered to him...

*- Occupation: Cadet in the Heran Combat School (a place that trained future soldiers for the Kollos Alliance)

*- Focus: Soldier

*- Status: KIA (Killed in Action)

That's right. Dead. At least, that’s how it was supposed to be.

[--Vorst--: Am I in the afterlife?]

According to the latest research from the Kollos Alliance, there is no afterlife; a body after death goes through scientific decomposition, and with the law of mass conservation, it clearly negates any notion of an afterlife. Confusion suddenly dissipated as clear images came back to him.

[--Vorst--: This has to be the afterlife, after all... that happened...]

[Time: Sometime in the past]

[Place: Planet Cerra Z1429:2, Surface]

The mission was proceeding smoothly, the team advancing without a hitch. Composition: Standard 10-person team—5 soldiers (S), 2 scouts (C), 2 engineers (E), 1 medic (M).

At that moment, Vorst was leisurely walking next to another soldier, chatting. The current region was classified as Low Strafe, and within a maximum danger level, it could be compared to 3rd Low Step Tier (LST). Every single person in this team was 5th-6th LST, so for them, it was comparable to running an errand.

[<???>: Vor-chan, you should hurry up and pass the exam for 6th LST already, otherwise I’ll really leave you behind.]

A soft laugh could be heard in the communication system.

[Vorst: Please stop teasing me, Mer-chan. I’m trying my hardest here!]

The young boy’s shoulders visibly slumped. The person walking beside him was his childhood friend, Mersa—10 years old, orphan, cadet, soldier, 6th LST. His pride as a man was completely shattered. A younger girl was already stronger than him... Well, actually, it wasn’t strange at all because he was from a ‘powerless’ sub-race.

Ten thousand years ago on Earth, a scientist made a discovery. A new particle, later named nano-photon, was found. It was several thousand times smaller than electrons; in fact, it was the smallest and most elementary particle. But no one was seriously hyped because it seemed useless. After hundreds of years of compounding ridiculously large but useless atoms, they found a ridiculously small particle. So what?

It happened two hundred years later, after the 5th World War, while Earth was slowly recovering. A scientist named Edward Serfera invented a new weapon. It was so strong that it was capable of reducing atoms to nano-photons and completely disintegrating its target. With it, the Serfera Corporation was founded, and the 6th World War began. With the next-gen weapon, Serfera completely dominated the world.

Ten years later, the side effects of that war showed themselves. An incident known as the Photon Apocalypse nearly wiped out humanity. It was caused by the enormous density of nano-photons in the atmosphere, which made constant but unnoticeable changes inside the bodies of Aris (humans).

Death descended upon the world, sweeping through humanity for five continuous years. In the end, less than 0.00001% survived. Only 9 million remained, most of them young adults. Medical examinations found a new organ inside every single one—a Photon Core, a special organ where [New Aris] collected nano-photons in small quantities. It was fist-sized and located on the right side of the chest. This marked the beginning of the next stage of evolution.

The Photon Core enabled Photon Defense, which completely nullified all weapons known to that date—from melee weapons to tactical missiles. Even the Disintegrating Railgun couldn’t put a scratch on them. But of course, there is no perfect defense, though that’s a story for another time.

Thanks to the Photon Core, new technologies emerged. One of them made space travel possible. After building the spaceships, they quickly left the ruined Earth to venture into the vast universe. Over the centuries, the Photon Core—following the principle of evolution, “survival of the fittest”—continued to change the bodies of [New Aris]. The culmination point was reached several generations later as sub-races came into existence. There were many of them; for example, the Bear sub-race was stronger, the Cheetah sub-race faster, and so on.

Vorst belonged to the ‘powerless’ sub-race... That’s right, he was a Neo-Aris sub-race. [AN: Sorry, humans, lol.]

They were incredibly rare, and what’s more, other sub-races clearly looked down on them. Well... they were indeed weaker in every aspect...

In contrast to Vorst, Mersa was extremely gifted. She was also an extremely rare case—a hybrid Wolf-Elf sub-race. The Wolf sub-race was considered a Medium power level, but the Elf was a true High power race. Combining the two made her one of the most talented beings in the academy.

It was thanks to her that Vorst was accepted into the Heran Combat School, exempted from any fees, and even given personal lodging.

That day, they were on their way to the shuttle. The mission was complete; the only thing left was to return to the Academy and get their reward. As mentioned before, the danger was almost non-existent, especially with Mersa, who had refused the rank-up test several times while waiting for Vorst to reach 6th LST. This was due to Academy regulations that allowed teams to form only with a maximum of 1 level difference. In fact, Mersa’s true level was 8th LST.

Hell began in an instant.

A scream.

Twenty meters away, a black scorpion pinned down one of the scouts. Its sharp claws had already ripped apart the poor boy’s chest, and it was chomping on his Photon Core. Vorst froze, and a bunch of information popped up on the holo monitor inside his helmet.

[Vorst: “2-2-2nd HST...”]

There are 10 ranks of LST; after that, there’s a major advancement that leads to High Step Tier (HST), which also has 10 ranks. The difference between them and that beast was enormous. What was it doing in the safe area?!

In the next instant, three others died—the black scorpion was way too strong; there was nothing they could do. Then it advanced towards Mersa... Her body was completely petrified with fear. The black beast was incredibly fast, but somehow Vorst could see it clearly, and at that moment, summoning all his courage, he burned all the nano-photons inside his body and pushed her out of the way.

[Mersa: Ow-ow-ww...]

As Mersa opened her eyes, the only thing she could see was a needle heading toward her face, but at that moment, a black shadow appeared in front of her... It was Vorst. After his body was stung, various red messages popped up inside his helmet...

[Alert! Photon Poison detected. Threat level: High.]

[Alert! Photon Poison detected. Threat level: High.]

[Alert! Photon Poison detected. Threat level: High.]

[Alert! Poison rank: 8. Threat level: High.]

[Alert! Injecting Sedative.]

[Alert! Injecting Detox.]

[Alert! Injecting HNP (Healing Nano-Photons).]

Vorst completely ignored the warning messages. Right now, he was worried about Mersa—how could she escape from this predicament?! Fortunately, at that moment, an explosion occurred, and the scorpion was blown away. Raising his head, he saw the reinforcements—the Academy’s Disciplinary Squad, every single one at least 7th HST. A relieved smile floated inside his helmet; now that he knew she would be safe, he allowed his consciousness to fade away...

[Alert! Probability of death: 100%]

That was the last message he saw...

That brings him to the current situation... The giant black ship floating above him was incredibly strange. Vorst had never seen anything like it before.

As if noticing his presence, semi-transparent blocks appeared, creating a staircase that led to the entrance.

[--Vorst--: “The afterlife sure is strange...”]

He had nothing to lose now. The young boy nonchalantly climbed up and walked through the doors of the strange ship. Immediately, a semi-transparent arrow appeared in front of him, as if leading the way.

[--Vorst--: Hmm, this looks similar to that VRG (virtual reality game) I played several weeks ago. Mersa was furious about me spending money on stupid things, but it sure was fun...]

Suddenly, a sense of sadness came over him. He realized that he’d never see her again...

[--Vorst--: “Maybe she’ll get into the same afterlife as me? But there’s no one here...”]

Chapter 3: A Promise

His thoughts continued as he walked through the hallways. The interior was absolutely gorgeous, but the young orphan had no idea about aesthetics.

[--Vorst--: "What a strange place. Why are the walls painted? Why are there carpets on the wall? Why are there so many golden flowers on the floor? Why is that shiny stone set into the wall? It looks like a wolf... I have no idea why someone would make something so useless."]

If Marc could hear the boy, he would definitely curse him to death. After a while, Vorst found himself in front of an enormous black door. The white arrow flew towards it and opened the doors. Inside, at the far end of the room, there was an enormous Red Throne. The arrow urged him to move forward... As Vorst approached, he noticed them. On the lavish throne, atop violet pillows, seven girls were sleeping. In front of them, a man was kneeling with his head resting on the throne. He was also asleep.

[--Vorst--: Hello?]

The boy called out as he advanced. He didn’t want to look like a thief, and it was that arrow that led him to this place, after all. As he got within about 200 meters, the arrow shot towards the sleeping man, waking him up. As he turned around, his green eyes inspected the boy who stood before him...

[Time: Unknown]

[Place: Unknown]

[--Marc--: Curse you, FATE!]

He howled and then tried to gather Flow around him, but he soon realized that he almost couldn’t sense any Flow.

[Marc: "That’s right, this is a different world after all."]

But it wasn’t as if there was absolutely no Flow, or more accurately, he found something akin to a substitute. Anyway, he didn’t have time to spare—anything would be fine. Normally, for people from this world, it was totally impossible to sense nano-photons without a Photon Core, but thanks to his abnormal sensitivity towards magic, Marc managed. This time, he was lucky too—his soul was floating right in the center of a White Dwarf (an extremely dense and hot celestial body, a dying small star), and thanks to the high density of nano-photons, the Demon Emperor could somehow get a hold of it bit by bit despite the lack of a Photon Core.

He tried dozens of methods at once but found that most of his powers were useless...

[Marc: "I can’t control it? Wait... Runes... They’re working properly."]

At first, he was shocked. In his previous world, Marc had attained complete domination of the Flow; he had forgotten that something like lack of control even existed. But then he noticed that the magic system known as 'Runes' was functioning properly.

[Marc: "Well, it’s not that surprising. Runes never needed any sort of control; after all, their power is derived from the knowledge and understanding of the magical equations."]

Using his unwavering determination, he collected nano-photons and made them form 'Runic formations.' His body was burning. Flow—the substance that his body was made of—was not only disintegrating because of the natural 'Purge' reaction of foreign matter, but also because of the intense heat that reached hundreds of thousands of Kelvins. But who was Marc? In his old world, he was one of the five Dragon Monarchs, and the title of the Adamantine Dragon wasn’t just for show. Despite feeling pain that could drive any man to the brink of insanity, he tirelessly formed the 'Runic formations.' His arms were already gone, his legs halfway disintegrated, his head long dissipated, but his unyielding soul forced the Runes to arrange in a neat fashion.

Thousands of Magic circles of the highest class floated around in orderly fashion, and just as the 'Purge' finished eliminating his Flow Body, the Magic formations shone brightly and compressed to the size of a tennis ball. Inside...

[--Marc--: Made it...]

At that instant, an enormous pressure landed on his soul, as if thousands of mountains were pressing on his shoulders. He collapsed in front of the throne. After a while, his breathing became steady. Now, he just had to wait for a suitable candidate to appear...

[Time: Unknown]

[Place: Inside Marc’s soul, Floating Castle, Main Chamber]

Jade eyes carefully inspected the boy standing in front of him. On the other side, Vorst was absolutely stunned. Who was this man? He had never heard of a sub-race with eyes like those... Even though there were examples of vertical pupils, all of them were only mildly different from the usual, but the ones before him... they were incredibly sharp, as if they belonged to a real animal...

[--Vorst--: H-Hello.]

The boy was visibly terrified; he was inside an unknown place, with no information, and in front of a complete stranger. What’s more, from an objective point of view, he was certainly trespassing...

[--Marc--: You’re dead.]

That was the first thing he heard—a threat... As far as Vorst knew, he was already dead indeed.

[--Vorst--: I-I’m sorry! But this is the afterlife, right?]

[--Marc--: No.]

[--Vorst--: It’s not?! T-Then are you God?]

[--Marc--: No.]

[--Vorst--: Then are you alive?]

[--Marc--: Barely.]

[--Vorst--: ...]

[--Marc--: My name is Marcdrak Euharm Maxkael Adajax Emerald Vegyla. Just call me Marcdrak.]

Vorst’s eyes widened. What was that long name for?! He knew that adults usually had two parts to their name. Children had only one—their family name—and at the age of fifteen (naming age), parents would give them their private name. For orphans, they decided that themselves... But he had never heard of names that long!

[--Vorst--: Then Marcdrak-san, I-I’m Vorst.]

[--Marc--: Your soul is about to disappear.]

Vorst was confused... Soul? What was that?

[--Marc--: For one to live, a soul is necessary. The soul forms from the sense of self; without a soul, you will just be a non-moving puppet.]

Marc explained to the child.

[--Vorst--: Oh, you mean the core crystal?]

Marc realized that this was the New World’s definition of soul.

[--Marc--: Indeed... As you might know, for a soul to continue to exist, it needs a body to nourish itself... I lost mine.]

The young boy was shocked.

[--Vorst--: No way! There’s no way for a core crystal to exist without a body! When the body dies, the core crystal inside the Photon Core dissolves into the crystal liquid. It’s a fact! You’re dead!]

Green eyes showed a bit of amusement as Marc shook his head.

[--Marc--: I’m just barely alive.]

With a flip of his hand, both of them appeared on a large terrace. With another, a low table appeared in front of them. Vorst was totally surprised—at first, he thought the man in front of him was just escaping from reality, but after what happened, he didn’t know what to think anymore.

[--Marc--: Sit.]

Two violet cushions appeared on the floor. The mysterious man sat down, and the boy followed after a brief moment of hesitation.

[--Marc--: I’ll say it again. You’re dead.]

[--Vorst--: ...]

[--Marc--: If... If the crystal core is strong enough and an appropriate method is used to preserve it, then it allows the crystal core to last a while without a body.]

For souls as strong as Marc’s, it would actually last an eternity.

[--Marc--: But if your crystal core is lost, no matter how strong your body is, you’re dead.]

[--Vorst--: Then my core...]

[--Marc--: Yes, it’s dissolving right now. In this place, time flows differently. That’s why you still have a while before you completely disappear, but in the end, nothing can be done about that...]

There was a long silence, but in the end, the boy forced himself to ask a question.

[--Vorst--: Then why am I here?]

[--Marc--: ... I need a body.]

The boy twitched as he turned his head to look at the man sitting beside him. Marcdrak was calm and composed. At that moment, Vorst finally believed that the man wasn’t lying about being alive.

[--Vorst--: I see...]

[--Marc--: In exchange, I’ll grant you a wish.]

[--Vorst--: Wha...?]

[--Marc--: I’ll take your body, and there’s nothing you can do about it. However, I’m not the type to be ungrateful, so in exchange, I’ll grant you a wish. As long as it doesn’t go against my principles and as long as I can do it, I’ll grant you any wish you want. Revenge. Greed. Wrath. If you wish for somebody’s death, they’ll die. If you wish for the destruction of an organization, they’ll disappear. One wish. Anything.]

The young boy looked at him in astonishment, but Marcdrak wore a serious expression as he watched a pair of moons moving across the night sky. Vorst’s first thought was about living... But according to the other man, there was no way to save him now... Well, that last alert he saw also confirmed that... Vorst quickly remembered the Black Scorpion... That particular one might be dead, but if he wished for it, then maybe this mysterious man would be able to kill all of them... And the bullies... Being a Neo-Aris made him suffer many times... Rage and hatred boiled within him... Just as he was about to voice his wish, he remembered a face. It belonged to the girl he had given his life for... How she had nearly lost her life... Serenity returned to his soul.

[--Vorst--: Mersa...]

Marcdrak heard and remembered the name. He knew it was important—as he said, any wish would be granted.

[--Vorst--: Marcdrak-san, she is my friend, so please... protect her.]

Marc was surprised; his formerly indifferent attitude warmed towards the small boy. For the first time since their meeting, the mysterious man showed a smile as his irises lit up with a violet hue.

[--Marc--: Done. I swear that I, Marcdrak Euharm Maxkael Adajax Emerald Vegyla, will protect her or die trying.]

At that moment, two cups and a bottle of sweet sake appeared on the table.

[--Marc--: Little brother. Although our meeting was short and there won’t be another one, drink with me. You are the first brother I’ve made here...]

Under the night sky, the two of them drank until Vorst’s soul shuddered and dissipated. The jade cup fell and shattered on the marble table. In response, Marc raised his cup.

[--Marc--: This one is for you. Farewell, little brother Vorst. Our promise—I’ll absolutely honor it.]

And with this, Marc ended his first drinking session in the new world.

Chapter 4: Mersa

[Time: 2 days after the 'accident' | T:12:31 / M:10th D:23rd Y:13251]

[Place: Planet Cerra Z1429:2, Orbit, Heran Combat School 5th Academy Ship 'Hades' 12th Girls Dormitory]

Although it was already noon, a young girl was still lying covered inside her blanket. Her eyes were visibly swollen, with bags beneath them, making it clear she hadn’t gotten much sleep.

[Mersa: Vorst...]

A coarse voice whispered the name of the boy who was like a little brother to her. She had already run out of tears and couldn’t cry anymore. An overwhelming sadness washed over her... That’s right—he was no more...

Click.

The door to her room suddenly opened, and several people entered.

[Mersa: Leave me alone...]

A cold voice came from beneath the living blanket.

[???: ...]

[Mersa: ...]

[???: My next words might shock you, but you must remain calm.]

[Mersa: LEAVE. ME. ALONE!]

The young girl raised her voice to its utmost level.

[???: ... He woke up.]

At that moment, it felt as if lightning struck her. With a sudden movement, she threw the blanket away, her body fully charged with nano-photons, and she was already rushing toward the door.

[???: Please calm down.]

One of the people in the room caught her. Despite her incredible potential, she was still too young to pose a threat to these adults.

[Mersa: Is that true? LIES! If it’s true, then let me see him! Principal!]

The Principal of the Heran Combat School was a man who, by Earth standards, looked like he was in his early 30s, but his real age was somewhere close to 700 years. He was also one of the strongest in the Kollos Alliance. Handsome, powerful, rich, and authoritative, he had many secret admirers. However, he had remained single all this time, and no one knew the real reason.

[Principal: Please calm down, young lady. We will let you see him in a while, but first, you should change your clothes. It’s hardly appropriate for you to leave the room in that attire.]

Mersa’s face reddened. Right now, she was only in her colorful nightie with a flowery pattern. After a quick change of clothes, she was walking down the corridor with the Principal.

[Principal: Do you understand? Although he woke up, he seems to be in a serious situation. He hasn’t interacted with anyone at all. There’s no response to anyone. We suspect he’s suffering from amnesia. He must have suffered quite a big blow...]

The doctor walking next to him looked troubled.

[Doctor: "It’s totally strange. He suffered a rank 8 poison, the most lethal type, one that deals a direct blow to the crystal core. And I saw for myself that yesterday his crystal core was completely liquefied—how did he wake up?!"]

The Principal continued.

[Principal: He didn’t recognize me. He might not recognize you either. Also... he underwent a bit of a transformation... please be prepared for that, Mersa-san.]

[Mersa: Yes, Principal-sensei.]

The young girl was now completely different from a short while ago. With a composed attitude, she walked alongside the adults, her voice regaining its usual calm. Finally, they arrived at their destination. She felt nervous as her hand touched the door handle... Behind this door... He was there... With a wildly beating heart, she pressed the handle...

And there he was. A youth sitting on the hospital bed, calmly watching the scenery outside the window.

It was him. His face. His nose. His mouth. His hands. Then he turned his head towards her...

Green eyes.

[Mersa: "So this is what the Principal talked about..."]

The previous Vorst had grey eyes with a slightly muddy quality to them. Although he was older, he behaved like a child, so to her, he was nothing more than a little brother she doted on. However, the Vorst before her was different. Amnesia or not, his eyes had that crystal-clear shine to them. The green spheres were carefully inspecting her, evaluating, analyzing... Before the incident, she had thought of him as a little brother. After the incident, just thinking about him caused her chest to hurt. When she heard he had woken up, she felt relieved. And now... Her vision blurred as tears uncontrollably welled up.

[Time: 2 hours earlier | T:10:13 / M:10th D:23rd Y:13251]

[Place: Planet Cerra Z1429:2, Orbit, Heran Combat School 5th Academy Ship 'Hades' Hospital Ward]

Gibberish. That’s how everything sounded to him. It was completely different from that time inside his soul. Inside his 'domain,' he could easily decipher the thoughts of the other person as well as deliver his own. But outside, it was a completely different matter—he didn’t understand a word.

[Nurse-san: !^@^@#$^&%%@&(@#$!&.]

[Marc/Vorst: ...]

[Nurse-san: @%$!&*&%#^@$$&(!!@#]

[Marc: ...]

[Nurse-san: !@@%$#&(%&&#$^%&@#$]

[Marc: ...]

Then a group of men entered the room.

[Principal: @!#^&%#$%^@#$%&!@#$!^@$]

[Marc: ...]

[Time: 1 hour later]

[Place: Planet Cerra Z1429:2, Orbit, Heran Combat School 5th Academy Ship 'Hades' Hospital Ward]

[Principal: How is he?]

[Doctor: He doesn’t react at all. According to the readings from his Photon Core, he doesn’t recognize anyone—no change in his photon movement, nothing...]

[Principal: And his eyes?]

[Doctor: That change... I don’t know... I’m sorry... Maybe he’s experiencing a sub-trans, but I’m not sure. Maybe it was because of the poison? Maybe because his crystal core reformed itself? But how could it reform? I... I don’t know.]

The elder man only shook his head. The Principal also shook his head.

[Principal: This is the first time in history. We have to keep this confidential, and we need to treat that girl with care. As she matures, she will become one of the strongest. The Kollos Alliance needs her. The Crimson Empire is preparing for war...]

[Doctor: Understood. Apart from me, only you and ‘she’ know that his core dissolved last night. But that information...]

[Principal: Although the possibility of reforming the crystal core might offer us unimaginable possibilities, the risks are too high. According to our intel, the Crimson Empire has found and is cultivating two Elves. And you have to remember that she is a hybrid elf!]

Sub-race classification is divided into three tiers: Low, Medium, and High. Low accounts for roughly 70% of the population, Medium for 25%, and High for 4%, leaving 1% for hybrid Tier. These three levels are then divided into three classes: Bottom, Normal, and Upper, with Normal being 90% of the tier, leaving 5% for both Bottom and Upper classes. Neo-Aris belong to Bottom Low (BLow), while Elves are Upper High (UHigh) level.

Just for comparison, a Hybrid sub-race of two Low-ranking sub-races is generally equal in power to a normal Medium-ranking sub-race. The Principal is also a hybrid—a Med/Med Tiger/Lion Hybrid—and he is already considered one of the top in power. But Mersa? She is a UHigh/Med hybrid. The first ever. She is also an Elf, one of the rarest High subs. Any Elf is known to show incredible Psychic powers capable of turning the tide of an entire battle. The Principal knows that once she grows up, the Crimson Empire will seriously have to think before lifting a finger against Kollos.

[Principal: Also, we were late. If not for that child, she would be gone. There is no amount of service we can do to repay him for that. That child put his life on the line for her.]

Both men sighed. The Black Scorpion incident was definitely aimed at the 'Wolf Princess,' and they had let it happen right under their noses.

Mersa lay on her bed, thinking about the past. Six years ago, she found herself in the orphanage. She couldn’t remember her parents at all, and no one knew what had happened. All she knew was that there was a war, and many other children were in the same predicament as her.

As months passed by, she realized she was a bit different from the other children. She loved nature, and while the other children were playing, she would rather sit down and watch the clouds or flowers. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the other children; it was more that nature fascinated her—far more than dolls or playing house. Gradually, she became isolated from her peers, which led to bullying. That day, several girls had joined together to pressure her and throw offensive remarks. She couldn’t handle it anymore and ran away. She ran and ran, until she couldn’t run anymore. She tripped. Well, running blindly while crying wasn’t the smartest choice. As she lay on the ground sobbing, he approached her to help. It was the first time they met.

Orphanage’s ‘Loser.’ He belonged to the ‘powerless’ race; in fact, any sub-race was stronger than Neo-Aris. In the Photon world, they were truly the weakest of them all. He endured bullies every day. He endured verbal abuse every day. If she told the adults, they would scold her bullies, but he... They turned a blind eye to him... He was even forced to live outside the orphanage... He definitely had it way worse than her.

In the evening, the adults came to bring her back to the orphanage. The boy, on the other hand, was ignored... However, after this event, she continued to visit him, and they quickly became friends. In fact, little Mersa would visit him every day. One day, the boy confessed that his dream was to become a ‘Swordsman.’

She was stunned. Becoming a Swordsman required reaching at least 10th HST. Only 1 out of 1,000 people would attain that level, and it was common knowledge that even for Upper Low sub-races, the limit was 5th HST. And the ‘powerless’ one before her was aiming to become a ‘Swordsman’!

For Vorst, life wasn’t easy. In the morning, he would go around the forest to gather food in the wilderness, but in the evening, he would enjoy time with Mersa, who had finished her duties at the orphanage. Most of the time, she would just sit and watch him swing his wooden stick.

Days, months, and years passed by peacefully...

Then one day, everything changed. That evening, as usual, she was watching the boy make some awkward swings when a sharp pain ran through her forehead. Hearing her scream, Vorst immediately rushed to her side...

There are two major Elvish characteristics. One of them is long, pointy ears. Mersa had those; in fact, all of the Wolf sub-race did, which is how it was hidden so well. The second is the ‘Elvish gem’ that appears on the elf’s forehead when their first Psychic powers manifest. And that’s what happened to Mersa.

After that, everything happened in a flash. The next morning, several women arrived in front of the orphanage...

“I’m not leaving Vorst!” Her childish tantrum was quickly resolved by, “Then you two can come together.” Though the escorts’ faces froze when they saw the ‘powerless’ one, they didn’t openly show their dissatisfaction. They were professionals, after all. That’s how they both joined one of the most elite academies in the Kollos Alliance. Mersa, as an ‘elf,’ received VIP treatment, along with Vorst, who was with her.

Once again, she recalled the image of Vorst and his green eyes... doki doki Her heartbeat quickened...

Chapter 5: Voices in his Head

**Several hours earlier.**

Marc was leisurely watching the scenery outside his window when he heard the doors open. Turning his head, he saw a girl standing there. Her eyes were clearly swollen, and upon seeing him, her tears flowed with renewed vigor as she threw her arms around his neck. That was no way to treat a patient, but both the doctor and principal knew that the boy was completely healthy. The poison that had affected him was only harmful to the crystal core.

[Mersa: Vorst! #$##^%#@**#$^%. Vorst... (Vorst! Thank God! You are alive... Vorst...) ]

[Marc: ...]

[Mersa: *sob sob*]

[Marc: ... Mer-sa.]

<The Adamantine Dragon's Divine Deduction Skill> was activated. NOT. In fact, to miss this one, one would have to be absolutely dumb. His hands moved to hug her—an automatic reaction to a sincere crying girl. Before long, he found his right hand petting her head. Feeling his response, her bawling intensified...

[Mersa: &^#$%@&*@$%%^$# Vor^@. ^$$#^@$^@$$ (I'll protect you. I'll absolutely protect Vor-chan. So please don't go anywhere...) ]

[Marc: ... *continues to pet her*]

And at that moment, 'it' happened. Suddenly, Marc felt that familiar stabbing sensation in his chest. His pupils dilated, then immediately regained their sharpness. They contracted as he moved his gaze down to the young girl in his arms. For a moment, his face showed a hint of resignation. At that moment, a scene shocked the other people present. The originally dark gray fur on the girl's head slowly changed color, becoming brighter and brighter until it reached a pure white...

Both men present were utterly speechless. They knew the rank of White Wolves. In the Kollos Alliance, there were three White Wolves—one was Upper Circle Tier (after High Step Tier, there are three Circle Tiers). The other two were Rankers (people who achieved Rank level, beyond Circle). Rankers were definitely the strongest among living beings. Moreover, White Wolves were in the Upper High category of sub-races... This implied that a UHigh/UHigh hybrid had been born... The two men looked at each other and nodded. Tomorrow, they would have her test her sub-race again to confirm it.

That's what happened several hours earlier...

Right now, Marc was still sitting on the hospital bed, watching the outside world through his window. In fact, that was just a facade; the real him was immersed in analyzing the sounds he had heard today. All of today's lines replayed in his mind indefinitely. He did the same with every single image, gesture, muscle—everything was analyzed, divided, conquered. Then he stumbled upon the image of the crying girl in his arms and the feeling of something piercing his soul...

[--???--: Congratulations, you finally crossed the line. Now that the little girls are finally in your strike zone, Dalia will be overjoyed.]

A voice resounded inside his consciousness.

[--Marc--: Lily! But... You... Then...]

[--Lily--: That's right.]

As the voice confirmed his suspicions, Marc immediately retracted back to his soul space. The young boy appeared in front of the throne. In the middle sat a girl in a rather unladylike posture. Her partially disheveled red hair reached her hips. Wearing a gorgeous white dress that was a bit undone, nearly showing a portion of her bust, she exuded a bewitching aura with her smile, as if asking, 'Do you like what you see?'

[Lily: Hey, Marc.]

[???: Greetings, m'lord.]

[Marc: Lily, Calla.]

Marcdrak responded as he turned his head towards the second girl, who was now awake. A raven-haired girl sat on the arm of the throne with her legs crossed. With her side turned towards him, she looked like a statue. An elegant, dignified aura surrounded her as she watched him cautiously.

[Lily: Marc's new look is sooooo cute; I could get used to it.]

[Marc: Don’t—I’ll grow...]

[Calla: Black hair... Green eyes... It’s as if he was m'lord and my... our c-child...]

[Marc & Lily: ...]

[Calla: N-no! Please don’t misunderstand, m'lord. It’s not like I have an excessive urge to bear m'lord’s child, though I absolutely don’t mind. It’s just seeing m'lord like this makes me want to hug him...]

[Lily: *Snicker*]

[Marc: ...]

[Lily: That reminds me, is that child Lord Marcdrak's new target?]

She was obviously referring to Mersa. The redhead quickly fixed her appearance as she carefully left the throne. There were five more girls sleeping there, after all.

[Marc: ...]

When the question is too difficult to answer, it’s best to keep silent. 40,000 years of experience has its merits. Furthermore, at this moment, Marc’s face was also buried in something very soft. Calla was 1.86 meters tall, and with Marc’s new appearance as a child, his face was at the perfect height for a treat. Though the black-haired goddess wasn’t excessively endowed, they weren’t small either. They were absolutely perfect.

[Calla: I believe in m'lord. And even if he commits the crime, I’ll continue to follow him no matter what.]

[Marc: ... Still... Calla, you should have called me.]

[Calla: But m'lord was busy, then he was busy with that little girl, then afterwards too...]

[Marc: ... *sigh*]

[Lily: Hmm... Marc, you were learning the language, right?]

[Marc: Yes.]

[Lily: How far are you?]

[Marc: I’m halfway done. With what I got today, I think I’ll be able to reach 80%, which will be more than enough for small talk. The rest can be finished tomorrow.]

[Lily: Hehe, you never cease to amaze. Even though it’s a completely different language in a completely different world with no clues, you can still grasp it in just a few hours. My estimation is a week for me; with your help, maybe three days...]

[Marc: Feel free to ask me if you need something... Now...]

The aura surrounding Marc suddenly became solemn as his face showed the majesty of a king. Sensing the change, Calla immediately released him and knelt on one knee, bowing her head. Lily followed suit...

[Calla: M'lord.]

[Lily: Lord Marcdrak.]

Chapter 6: Links

+++ Here is an R18 Warning! This story contains a bit of mature content +++

Looking at the two kneeling before him, Marc's expression softened. Sensing their readiness, both girls stood up. Outside of battle, he rarely brought out his aura, but right now, it was time for a serious conversation.

[Marc: Why are you here? I've handed out all my links... and I don’t feel your links either. I know who you are, but... who are you?]

[Calla: ...]

In Flow World, those seven were the ones who had been with Marc the longest. Among them, inside his black castle, they were known as Valkyries. Without a doubt, they were the strongest and most faithful to him...

The raven-haired goddess was never good with explanations; she was as straightforward as the swords she wielded. When told to attack, she rushed out in a perfect straight line and mowed down the enemy without fail. Indisputably the strongest among the seven, she possessed incredible speed, strength, power, magic, and battle sense—she had it all. She was second only to Marc, and even against him, she was capable of fighting to a stalemate for several hours, showing just how much of a monster she was.

However, that was all she was good for: cutting, crushing, burning.

In every other aspect, one would hardly believe how clumsy she was. The more she cleaned, the messier the room became. If you let her cook, you’d lose the kitchen along with two adjacent rooms. The list could go on and on.

[Lily: We are... um... a backup plan?]

[Marc: ...]

[Lily: Eto... Ragna-nee help!]

[Calla: Wha? I-I-I... Uuuuu...]

[Marc: ... Violet color creeps up on his eyes.]

[Lily: Wah! W-we were made from your memories using parts of your soul.]

[Marc: I figured... But... how?]

[Lily: Haha, you know that none of us can use Soul Manipulation Magic. In this case, Fate-chan was very helpful. Do you remember the seal she carved out on your soul?]

Marc narrowed his eyes...

***

A golden-haired girl was slowly sipping the tea that her puppet had prepared for her. She possessed transcendent beauty. Her skin was so white that it nearly looked transparent. Wearing a white dress full of frills, she could easily pass as a doll, especially as she spent her time idly without a serious purpose.

[Lily: Fate-chan.]

[Fate: Lilith, did you come for some tea?]

[Lily: Fufufu, of course. sat down]

[Fate: I don’t know what you’re scheming again, but I hope you’ll leave this powerless fate outside of your games...]

[Lily: Not completely powerless...]

At that moment, six other girls appeared. Sensing their presence, the golden-haired princess knew that something significant was about to happen. She abruptly lowered her cup, waiting for the development, though in fact, she could nearly predict their request... After all...

[Kaya: That’s right; you are completely powerless unless it’s about Marc. In fact, when it comes to his soul, you can actually do as you like...]

Fate narrowed her eyes, and a visible frown appeared on her doll-like face.

[Lily: Haha, don’t worry. We won’t ask you to harm him; we just need a little favor...]

***

After a struggle, Marc's vision was completely surrounded by yellow strands of hair. As he basked in the afterglow, a giggle escaped the mouth of the golden princess as she climbed on top of him. The previous ruler of Fate and Destiny was now reduced to a simple, powerless girl, and what’s most important, she didn’t mind. As her naked body pressed against him, he felt a drop of blood—a small, self-inflicted injury appearing on her pure white skin.

[Marc: Hm? What’s this?]

[Fate: A gift.]

A beautiful smile bloomed on her face as her golden eyes locked onto his. He felt a stirring in his soul but didn’t interfere. If she wanted his life, he would have given it to her, such was his trust in her. After all, she too had entrusted hers into his hands. A strange inscription was etched onto his soul.

[Marc: What’s that for?]

[Fate: Ehehe~ A ward from loneliness. Whenever you feel lonely, you can look at it and remember me~]

Marc’s green eyes carefully inspected the inscription. It was totally unresponsive; he couldn’t feel any power emanating from it. He had no reason not to believe her, but her words irritated him a little, especially that note of loneliness in her voice. With a quick maneuver, he pushed her down.

[Fate: Ah~]

[Marc: Do you think I’ll ever let you go? Whenever I want to remember you, I can just take you.]

[Fate: No~ Beast~]

Poor Fate. That night exhausted her so much that afterward, she needed three days of rest.

(Marc: A ward from loneliness, huh...)

[Lily: The idea was that whenever you found yourself without links, it would recreate us from your memories. It was in case the world ended or something similar... though there should be more of us... much more...]

[Marc: There won’t be. It only works on those who were deeply implanted inside my soul.]

[Lily: Fate lied then...]

[Marc: No, even for Fate, this is the limit. She couldn’t have known.]

[Lily: Still, to think that it would be used like this...]

[Marc: The other me doesn’t even remember this inscription anymore...]

Silence...

[Lily: But this world is great!]

[Marc: Is it?]

[Lily: Yes! I can’t feel my curse at all! It’s completely disappeared. How great! Now we can live as we please. Even Marc, that curse you hated the most, also disappeared, right? Right?]

[Marc & Calla: ...]

[Lily: ...]

[Marc & Calla: ...]

[Lily: No way...]

[Calla: Blessings remained. I can still feel the imprint of my ‘Omen of Destruction’.]

[Lily: That’s right; my ‘Omen of Deceit’ is still here...]

[Calla: ‘That’ is still there; ‘it’ showed itself this evening.]

[Lily: ...]

Silence fell upon them. Lily quickly understood the situation as she recalled the wolf girl.

[Lily: I’m sorry, Marc. I didn’t...]

[Marc: Shh. I know.]

[Lily: But couldn’t you reject her?]

[Marc: My control isn’t high enough right now. I couldn’t refuse it...]

For all of them, it was a hard subject to touch. Among all of his abilities, he hated this one the most; he even preferred his curse better. Even the ‘Destroyer of the World’ wasn’t as troublesome as this ability... Its name was ‘Links’.

That’s what affected Marc several hours ago. Whenever a Link was formed, he would feel a piercing sensation in his soul. There was a special requirement for a Link to appear: offering. In other words, the other party had to offer themselves to Marc.

Body - Give their physical form to him. In other words, a will to protect him.

Mind - Give their mental power to him. In other words, fall in love with him.

Soul - Give their soul to him. In other words, have enough willpower to sacrifice themselves for him.

And in exchange, they would obviously receive something, which happened to Mersa.

It wasn’t something as simple as ‘Power.’ It was something much more incredible. It was ‘Potential.’ The wolf princess, at that moment, subconsciously offered all three parts of herself to him, which caused an incredible jump in her sub-race from Med to UHigh.

And here is where the tricky part starts: when ‘he’ received them, he possessed them. All of them. What would be the consequence if he died? All Links would receive enormous damage, and if he received all three parts, death was almost certain. If he crossed the last part—the soul bind—it was 100% certain.

Of course, Marc never died, but just the feeling that he bore all of their lives with his was extremely... contradictory. On one hand, he felt extremely happy; the Link was an ultimate form of trust they gave him, offering all of themselves to him without question. On the other hand, it was a play with their lives. From the moment Links were formed, their lives were in his hands; he could do anything to them. Both of those emotions combined made him feel disgusted.

He swore that he would never abuse this power. He swore it to Calla—the first one ever. Marc’s eyes met hers. Her pitch-black irises held no doubt as she answered him with an unwavering gaze.

[Marc: Krishna Ragnarok.]

[Calla: Yes, m’lord.]

That’s right. She was Ragnarok. Her curse was ‘The Cause of the World’s Destruction.’ Self-explanatory, she would cause the world’s destruction. Similarly to Marc, she was hunted and hunted and hunted. That was also one of the factors that led them to meet each other.

[Marc: Krishna ‘Calla’ Ragnarok. YOU’RE MINE.]

[Calla: Yours. Yours forever and always.]

A red shade appeared on her white cheeks as she knelt and swore her fealty to him. Again, an ever-familiar feeling pierced through his soul. Jade eyes then turned to the other girl. The redhead chuckled as her azure eyes met her ‘destined’.

[Marc: Lilith Loki.]

[Lily: Lord Marcdrak.]

She gave him a curtsy. Lily’s main focus was speed; among the seven, she was only slower than the black-haired girl. Consistently ranking 3rd in power among the seven goddesses, she was extremely skilled in using illusions, feints, stealth, and strategies to overwhelm her opponents. She was in charge of intelligence, espionage, and assault plans, and she also received and distributed tasks to others. A mastermind, she consistently teased and pulled pranks on others, especially Marc. Her curse was ‘Lord of Betrayal,’ which meant that she would never be able to live normally; it caused a compulsive disorder that forced her to backstab her allies...

[Marc: Edict. In the name of the Demon Emperor, with all the rights that he is entitled to, we, Marcdrak Euharm Maxkael Adajax Emerald Vegyla, claim Lilith ‘Lily’ Loki for ourselves.]

[Lily: I hear and obey.]

[AN: To confirm your thoughts: Yeah, Marc conquered the Demon Realm just for Lily. Oi, it was necessary o/]

With a smile brighter than the sun, she gave all of herself to Marc, which was confirmed by another triple sting in his soul. With that, he looked at the other girls who were peacefully sleeping despite all of the commotion happening right next to them. The truth was that they would only wake up when Marc’s soul capacity was capable of holding them. Seeing their faces, Marc’s resolve was renewed. First thing’s first, as his top priority, he had to wake up all of them. The second? Who cares.

Next to him, Lily shook her head in resignation. She knew that Marc was the type to hit first and then think; left to himself, he would use an excellent strategy named: I’ll deal with it when it comes up. A true <No plan> plan.

[Lily: Marc, I was thinking that I have a lot of time. How about letting me take care of the future plans?]

Hearing her, Calla vigorously nodded. She was the first one to soulbind with Marc, and together with him, they were called the Charge-Duo due to their similar actions. For Calla, it was because of her straightforward nature; the straight charge was the true way! For Marc, it was because of his lazy nature; why think of other plans if a simple straight charge would yield the same result?

Both of them relied on their brute nature to force their way through. The only difference was that Marc, in difficult situations, would immediately resort to feints and other means to accomplish his goal, while Calla would single-mindedly push forward or, when the situation proved too difficult, she would retreat. Ragnarok found that everything became easy as long as she followed the plans made by Loki, while Marc was fine anyway...

[Marc: Fine. I’ll leave it to you then.]

He didn’t mind; as long as they were happy, he would let them do whatever they wanted, and he would go with the flow.

[Lily: Thank you. For now, let me learn the language and gather the information. After I get everything sorted out, I’ll immediately present the next steps. Marc, can you do something for me? It would be helpful if you could act a bit low-key, okay? Please?]

She threw a cute smile at him; she knew that faced with that wording and her smile, he would even agree to slay a god immediately.

[Marc: Very well.]

Success!

***

[Place: Principal's Room]

[Principal: There was a change in the situation.]

[???: Don’t tell me she plans to withdraw from the army... We cannot aff...]

[Principal: No, that’s not it.]

[???: If that’s not the case, then there was no need for you to contact me. I’m quite busy, you know?]

[Principal: No, I’m certain that this is worth your attention.]

[???: Hm? I’m listening then.]

[Principal: The ‘powerless’ woke up. His crystal core reformed.]

[???: W.. wh... What?]

[Principal: I have no idea. Yesterday, I was there as his core liquidized. I sent you pictures.]

[???: Yes, I know.]

[Principal: Today, he opened his eyes. We scanned him and found a solid crystal core.]

[???: That’s impossible.]

[Principal: It happened.]

Silence. Even though Kollos Alliance was promoting freedom for its citizens and was in no way a radical organization, the temptation of reforming the crystal core made the person on the other side of the line silent for a while. If they could hide it from that girl... But that person quickly shook her head; no, that wasn’t right. No experiment on a child could be considered a ‘right’ way.

[???: This must remain confidential.]

[Principal: Roger.]

[???: Then I must...]

[Principal: There is one more thing.]

[???: ... It better be important then.]

[Principal: It’s about the Wolf Princess.]

[???: What more? Did she finally break free from him? So far, that ‘powerless’ has held her back so much, and as things stand, he will continue to do so.]

[Principal: I’m not so sure.]

[???: ... What’s wrong? We both know that because of him, she doesn’t even train seriously.]

[Principal: Today, after she saw him coming back to life, she experienced sub-trans. (sub-transformation)]

[???: Sub-trans?! Did she achieve Red Wolf?] (Red Wolf = Bottom High)

[Principal: No...]

[???: sigh Well, UMid will still be a big advantage; she is a hybrid, after all.]

[Principal: She’s White Wolf.]

[???: No way...]

[Principal: Tomorrow I’ll have an official test, but I have no doubt. Her fur is the purest among all the White Wolves so far...]

[???: ...]

[Principal: That’ll be all.]

[???: ... click]

A smirk appeared on the face of the man. It was the first time he had heard that woman being agitated. Even twice! This was totally worth it.