"Raumstar! Your army is a joke if you really aim to fight us. Send more idiot." Trish said provokingly. She smiled as she began fighting the merfolk who were still conscious. Her eyes glowed in a blue color as she went with the lightning, slashing the merfolk.
"Trish, don't kill anyone!"
Through telepathy, Killiar's voice rang out.
"I know! I know! Gimme a break!"
Trish moved throughout the battlefield. Her feet didn't get swallowed by the waves. Her lightning movements sound like a thunderclap as sparks appeared around her body.
CHUSWH!
CHUSWH!
"SOMEOBODY CATCH THAT LIGHTNING!" Frantically, the merfolk army began casting water magic towards Trish.
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
She moved to the sides, dodging all possible attacks.
Her eyes blinked for a second before smiling, saying, "Too Slow!" Sparks of lightning covered her aura.
"Raimei!" Then the lighting began sparking again, shocking everyone in her vicinity as she resumed slashing. Then she noticed something was slowly forming. A huge mana pool is materializing.
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
"She's almost here!" She transmits her thoughts to her peers while slowly making her way to the source of that mana pool, which was forming 2 miles from the beach.
"The recon team at Christmas Island also confirmed the teleportation spell activation!"
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
"Copy that, Trish." A voice rang out as a figure in a black coat flew towards her.
"Be sure to give her one hell of a beating!" Trish looked at her friend, who had arrived. As she went away from the source of the mana pool, Trish held her hand out. "Make sure you win!" She smiled.
CLAP!
Thalamik captured her hand, dapping her before she moved again.
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
"Perfect Alterity." Thalamik chanted as his eyes glowed blue.
From his body, mana roots appeared in a flash, and soon, the source of the mana began to be enveloped by darkness. An orb colored black appeared, enveloping the environment around the source of the mana pool. Then it moves closer to the beach.
As Thalamik disappeared, Trish looked once again, "Now then, King of Leviathan, will you show your face here?"
"Trish, don't get ahead of yourself." Killiar's voice sounded.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll go back then." Trish said before moving towards the beach.
ZWUNG!
ZWUNG!
"Wait, is that???"
Then another figure appeared.
A woman whose presence drew every curious eye.
Standing on top of the black orb.
"WHAT IS SHE GONNA DO!?" Trish moved quickly.
"Trish, ignore her! The teleportation spell is triggered!" Killiar's voice rang inside Trish's head.
Trish quickly looked back, seeing a dragon-like creature manifesting.
"I am Storm IV, The Glory Maker. King of Leviathans. This war will be ours for the taking." The humanoid dragon-like creature spoke as 400 Leviathans surrounded him, ready to attack once again.
"Trish! Fall back! Fall back now! It's....BZZTT," Killiar said through telepathy before breaking up.
"Killiar! Come in, Killiar," Trish asked as the King of Leviathan moved closer.
***
"Welcome to Hell, Raumstar. Or should I say Demon Lord Envoy, Raum?" The man said with a smile. His right hand lifted and made a hand sign. The index finger is pointed up while the thumb is attached closely to it.
"Fiend Kaiser!!!!" Raum called out to him, knowing what he had done.
"Alterity Shift," Thalamik said as the environment around him started to change like an illusion.
The ocean slowly disappeared as water became unavailable.
Dirt grasslands replaced it.
A typical grassland for as long as the eye can see.
"So from the moment I took the bait. The moment I teleported, you had cast Alterity, making me believe I was in the same place as the previous wave I sent." Raum analyzed her surroundings.
"True."
"I see. Well played, Thalamik," Raum said.
"What I am actually laughing at is... For a fact, you did lie." Thalamik chuckled. "Raumstar or whoever your name is. You, predictable imbecile." Thalamik continued with eyes fiery. "You just confirmed everything about our previous 'game'."
Raum silently looked at Thalamik.
"Firstly, you lied about the teleportation strategy. Second, you lied about the fact that you are using fear as power. Because it's literally connected to your cheat skill."
"My proof? Well, you did use teleportation today. Next, you don't need a complicated route to reach Jaka City. You only need to use teleportation. But you did all that to instill more and more fear, making you seem unstoppable." Thalamik explained.
"What I am baffled by, though, is that instead of playing a different plan, you stick to it as if you are telling yourself that no one can see through your measly lies and deception. As if no one would know that you are a liar."
"Now, how can your 500 Leviathans hope to fight me in these grasslands?" Thalamik said.
"SHUT UP!" The Prince of Merfolk spoke out. "We can cast water magic and sustain the Leviathans, no problem! You, on the other hand, are alone. Our numbers are higher than yours. A total of 50.000 soldiers of merfolk, along with 500 Leviathans!"
Thalamik didn't reply; he lifted his hand.
"I am the anchor of my soul."
"I am the kaiser of fiends."
"So, as I stand here and command."
"Arise, my Unlimited Undead."
The ground below him began to glow with a dark blue light, pulsing with magical energy. Before it cracked open. The earth trembled as skeletal hands started to rise. Thousands of skeletons clad in ancient armor rose from the world, their hollow eyes glowing with an eerie, dark blue light. Not just them, but ghouls rose from the ground as well. Thousands of Ghouls sprang into the air, eyes glowing in dark blue light. From nothingness, wraiths and banshees descended in spectral howls. The banshees soar to the sky with their wings like a vulture, while the wraiths move like a spectral snake in the air.
Then four figures rose, Thalamik's greatest fiends.
Black the Undead Knight, now with full armor, like a dark knight, held a massive greatsword.
Arcuest the Dullahan was now using a horse, as it had become a headless undead being.
Passete the Vampire gripped a long sword.
Visha the Lich started to cast its magic as it began controlling the wraiths.
Everyone had evolved into a much stronger version of themselves.
"You were saying?" Thalamik asked his enemies.
"Listen well, I don't want to fight any of you. But if you persist, My Fiend Army will no doubt kill you all." Thalamik said. "All I want to fight is that bitch over there." He pointed at Raum.
Raum smiled before saying, "Don't worry, Prince and all my subjects. I will fight for you."
The Merfolk Prince's eyes widened before saying, "No, I will fight together with you. Soldiers Get Ready!"
Thalamik flicked his fingers as two daggers appeared.
"Black and Arcuest with me, Passete and Visha hold the ground!"
Thalamik lunged towards Raum, and she lunged towards him.
With that, the battle finally started.
***
"AWOOOOOO!!!!" Besitulars howled somewhere in part of Jaka City. "When will the reinforcements be here? They're taking forever."
"Smartass, the reinforcements won't be here until Thalamik's plan is perfectly executed!" Dwargo, who is smithing, said to Besitulars.
"Ermm, is that so? By the way, Dwargo, why are you still smithing?"
"Nervous habit."
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Footsteps sounded walking in the distance.
A tall figure wearing bizarre clothing.
A tricorn hat, a long coat, gauntlets, and trousers.
Besitulars looked at the figure, "Stop where you are! Who are you?" He looks at the person trying to confirm his identity, but Besitulars can't help but feel a particular sensation—an extreme feeling of dizziness.
"Grr, what am I feeling? Stop where you are!"
But the silent figure didn't stop his movements.
Cautioning of Dwargo's safety, without much thought, Besitulars moved quickly to launch a pre-emptive strike at the figure, whose claw launches at the person.
"GRAAA!!!"
SWOOSH!
The figure evaded to the side with ease.
With an inaudible murmur, the figure landed a punch on Besitular's neck.
BUK!
Launching him meters away from him.
"LARS!!!!" Dwargo shouted.
"Killiar, come in! We kinda have a problem." Dwargo tries to talk through the telepathic link.
But Killiar did not respond.
As the figure moved closer, Dwargo felt it too, a feeling of dizziness that was none like other. "Hmm, what a bad matchup!" Dwargo raised a Sword Type Pseudo Artifact, directing it towards the figure.
But the figure did not stop moving towards him.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
It moves slowly closer and closer.
Dwargo grit his teeth before swinging his blade. "HYAA!!"
SWOSH.
The figure evaded.
He was now behind Dwargo, specifically in his forge.
He leaned toward the forge's flames, reaching into his pocket to reveal an item.
CRRR!!!
He burned a cigarette before seemingly inhaling and exhaling smoke.
He rose and walked away from Dwargo towards the conflict.
"You!!! Who are you!!"
Then a whisper was heard.
.
.
.
"Hero."
***
599 seconds.
In that period, Visha, Passete, along with my army of fiends, have defeated all of the opposition, not killing them, but enough to make them not move to attack.
But to be honest, it comes at a high cost.
I wiped the blood running from my nose.
Raum utterly defeated me.
Arcuest and Black are currently fighting her; from a distance, I am supplying mana to them.
Raum moved swiftly, using two black whips. She overpowered me almost effortlessly in just 10 minutes. No doubt, she is too battle-adept for me to handle—her movement with the whips and also her overall perception.
Not to mention, I feel a headache coming on.
But, of course... all of this is still...
It is within my prediction.
"Alterity Shift," I said, making a finger seal.
"Whatever it is you are doing, you won't make it out of here alive, Kaiser," Raum said before dispatching Black and Arcuest into nothing as their form dissolved. "Haah.. this is no fun. I thought you were more capable than this. But it turns out your plan of attack is just 'Attack'."
I rose once again, "Let's take it from the top." Another strain of blood ran from my nose.
"You can't keep this up, I take it? Perfect Alterity is still too much for you." Raum said as she sauntered closely towards me.
I gave a grim smile. "Don't be so dramatic. I can keep this up. As long as I need to kill you, that is."
With that, Raum charges.
But as her whips came closer.
BWANG!!!
Its movement halted.
"Hold," I said.
I flicked my finger as my fiends were dismissed.
My mana reserves are returning to me.
"A transparent mana field," Raum said before trying to retract her whips.
But it didn't not return.
I grasp the whips with my hands.
"KAI!" Reddish aura began to envelop my body.
With a strong pull, I pulled Raum's whips away from her.
But of course, Raum just silently let it go.
"What are you aiming at?" Raum asked.
I sauntered closer towards her and readied my stance.
"Isn't it obvious?" I asked.
Raum smiled before preparing her stance as well.
TAP.
Both of us launched our fists forward.
BAM!
The clash didn't hit, mainly because I still haven't deactivated my mana field.
Raum hit my mana field, and at that point.
"PERFECT COUNTER!"
The absorbed force pulsed through his arm.
I twisted his body fluidly and in one continuous motion.
I aimed my fist at Raum's chest, simultaneously deactivating my mana field.
At this moment in time, I had already mastered using my mana field, able to turn it on and off quite effortlessly.
BAM!
But the hit failed, Raum, as I caught my right fist with her hand. "Not so fast."
I smiled in that instant, and I expanded my mana field once more.
The blue mana began filling around me.
Raum's eyes widened.
"Push," I said with glee.
Then in that instant
Invisible force exploded outward from my body, blowing Raum away from me. But I didn't stop my advances. I followed her as I grabbed her collar and slammed her to the ground. "Push." Then Raum's body was launched deeper into the ground as a crater appeared.
"BASTARD!" She said.
I grabbed her long hair as I began to drag her on the ground forcefully and threw her away from me along with a... "Push!" Raum was launched once again into the sky away from me.
She performed a maneuver and managed to stay in the sky.
"How was the soil? Did you like the taste?" I said mockingly at her.
She stared sinisterly at me with clothes already dirty.
I can feel her mana rising.
Then it hit her.
Her eyes began looking weirdly.
She abruptly fell to the ground.
All part of the plan.
I sauntered closer as she seemed paralyzed.
I look at her, who was crouching on her knees.
"You drained my mana? Since when?" Raum asked with shortness of breath. I responded by kicking her face, sending her to the ground on her back.
"Since the very beginning, idiot."
I made this Alterity solely to counter Raum.
1. The shape of this alterity will be grasslands that have low humidity. To counter merfolk and Leviathans.
2. This Alterity condition is to drain everyone's mana except mine.
The mana drained was to sustain this Alterity itself.
Hence, this is over when Raum and her army die.
I put my boot on Raum's forehead, pushing it to the ground.
"KUAKK!" Raum gagged.
"Stop pretending. I know you still aren't serious." I said, standing on top of her, pushing my boot to her head.
Raum licked her lips before saying, "Are you sure?" Her eyes glow red, and I can see darkness emanating from her body.
"I know all this time you were holding back. Feeding me fake confidence, then, at the right moment, making it seem all hopeless to break my will. You want to see my face full of despair. Let's say that won't happen." I said as I raised my mana with my right eye glowing fiery.
"Even so, I find the act of making you feel fear intriguing. I want to taste it more, Kaiser." She said.
I let go of her forehead and turned away from her.
With my hands in my coat pocket, I sauntered before turning my back to her once more.
"To see someone like you on your knees with fear. Oh, how much I would give." Raum's voice sounded a bit eerie as she was enveloped by darkness floating in the air.
Her form changed; her formerly neatly long hair was now looking more chaotic. Her former black dress now stretches and is stained with pure black. Two pairs of horns grew from her head, one small, one big. Her fingers became clawed, and her eyes turned blood red.
She smiled as another burst of energy materialized her feathered cloak. A crow-like mask now covered her upper face.
"Is this what you were waiting for, Kaiser?"
"I've seen worse," I said, looking at her.
"Then let's indeed start once more. Give me more of your fear. Let it all out! HAHAHAHA!" She spoke in a crazed expression.
"Weirdo," I said.