The Anime Trope System

Stone vs. Viper #12

Alvin Atwater

Edited by

Adam Luopa

Void Star Publishing LLC

Contents

1. Character List. You may skip this

2. Episode 59 (Part 1): Wizards and Gargoyles

3. Episode 59 (Part 2)

4. Episode 59 (Part 3)

5. Episode 59 (Part 4)

6. Episode 59 (Part 5)

7. Episode 59 (Part 6)

Episode 60 (Part 1): Actions, Sex, and Heroes.

8. Episode 60 (Part 2)

9. Episode 60 (Part 3)

10. Episode 60 (Part 4)

11. Episode 60 (Part 5)

12. Episode 60 (Part 6)

13. Episode 61 (Part 1): Strides

14. Episode 61 (Part 2)

15. Episode 61 (Part 3)

16. Episode 61 (Part 4)

Episode 62 (Part 1): Godless Nation. Cradle for Hope.

17. Episode 62 (Part 2)

18. Episode 62 (Part 3)

19. Volume 12 Epilogue

Outro

20. Bonus

Stat sheet

Character List. You may skip this

Clyde: the college boy from our world, who thought he was human his entire life. Main character. The Stone. It’s his story, therefore, I will keep this short. Kidnapped and thrown into a world that he came to embrace. He’d better. Many of us would love to be in his position - err, I mean, he’s the only being capable of learning all elements, skills through magic books, and has frightening hidden powers.

Alice: a beautiful, petite half-demoness, half-angel (angel type unspecified), with twin tails, complimenting long blonde hair, mysterious pink eyes. Clyde’s life mate and soulmate. She loves her sweets and her Clyde. Very powerful, very intelligent. She has the capabilities of ruling an entire planet, but when it comes to political matters, is a bit irresponsible. See Volume 1…

The heir to a powerful demon throne known as Hades (her family name). While she doesn’t speak much of it, Hades holds a dangerous amount of power within the demon realm.

Harumi: a kind and caring girl with long pink-hair and breasts that often make other women jealous. She’s the best healer in the world. There’s also more to her than we think. How foxy!

She’s the most loved on the team and everyone would give their lives to protect her. Not that she needs protecting. When it comes to the power department, this young woman is not lacking! A wonderful cook.

Chika: a silver-haired, unpredictable girl, whose love and LUST for Clyde seemingly transcend everything. Yandere. (Not the stabbing kind.) She’s the top student at the most powerful academy in the world. (Sato Academy is a college for the best of the best.) The best rogue! She’s a part of a really powerful family.

Natalia: a dark-haired super-witch who spends time assisting with political affairs of the House Hades, watching anime, and being mischievous. Stuck in the body of a child due to an unbreakable curse, the adorable loli-witch is one of the most hard-hitting powerhouses on the team. She can switch to her adult form for a very short period of time (no more than a few minutes).

Kitome: a blue-haired girl with a short temper. She has the ability to change into a magical girl. A caring but firm sister (her brother is Yusuke). Takes no one’s shit and sometimes anger is her default emotion, but she’s reliable and responsible. Her soft spot for Clyde peeks out unpredictably. She has no idea that she’s on her way to being the most powerful magical girl in existence. (Clyde suspects tsundere.)

Tear: Alice’s succubus cousin and the one who taught her magic. She’s actually just two years older than the half-demoness. Tear is the driving force behind Clyde’s rising network. A young woman with dark hair, blue eyes, a Harumi-level bust and a seductive smile that could make a man fall to her feet, the succubus is the daughter of a demon lord who has close ties to the Supreme Demon Lord.

Yuki: ex-head maid of a cruel demon named Nezerath, this purple-eyed, dark-haired beauty is a team heavy-hitter of power. While officially Clyde’s finance manager, she still runs the young man’s house as the head maid, against his protests. The demoness sometimes works with Tear behind the scenes for political matters. She also guards the house personally, which explains the lack of intruders. Her aura covers the barrier, but everyone’s used to it. She’s a highly advanced chef and very competitive. Harumi picks her brain or competes with her. Kuudere.

Melody: a red-haired half trickster demon, half dark goddess who is also a member of the Hades’ household due to a punishing favor. Aside from assisting Tear, she attends the Academy. She and Clyde started off on the wrong foot - her maxed charisma caused trouble for everyone. Despite her intense beauty, she’s bad at seduction, a hopeless romantic, and often daydreams about romances she read in books, imagining Clyde as the male lead.

Maki: this purple-haired young woman is the most popular girl at Sato Academy and also has a powerful family to back her elite status. She often acts as the nice girl with every male in the school, having them fall at her feet, but when Clyde showed indifference, she became obsessed with him. At first, it was fun, just a game and a challenge - seduce him. But when a dark god took an interest, things grew weird. She committed a series of sexual assaults which would’ve surely landed her in prison. Clyde instead enslaved her, knowing that with her Ki-based powers, no prison could truly hold her. He saw a use for that power. Yandere.

Ming: a dark-haired young woman with one eye red, the other blue. Strikingly beautiful and a bit of a hopeless romantic. She is the Stone’s prophet, a person with the capability of locating very important items that could help him with his quest, linking with him to access Link-magic, and sometimes foresees when he’s in danger of getting a Game Over. Fortunately, a simple warning can instantly change that future. She’s the author of the Loli Saga.

Ruri: a petite, beautiful hellhound princess, with white hair that drapes just past her neck. As well as being Alice’s childhood friend, she also has a strong compatibility with Clyde. Really loves being petted. When she’s serious, her aura’s vast enough to cover an entire metropolitan area. Loves to read light novels and manga and watches a ton of anime. Ruri’s a special hellhound, lacking the dark features of an ordinary hellhound. Pale skin too.

Matsume: Ruri’s most faithful servant, personal bodyguard, and a loved friend. She’s also somewhat of a rare variant of hellhound. She houses the features of brown skin, dark brown hair, and a hunger for men. She controls this sexual appetite to serve Ruri to the best of her abilities.

Toru: brown-haired noble, whose spirit energy attracts monster girls like a magnet. Why it does this is a complete mystery. He’s a skilled martial artist, incorporating the light element into his attacks. His blank stares are infamous for annoying or pissing off nearly everyone, especially Kitome and Chika.

Seth: a tall blond-haired young man who sports a surfer-like way of speaking. It is unclear whether his hair is naturally blond or dyed. An easy-going person. Reliable - he’ll turn off his humor when it’s time to get things done.

Yusuke: Kitome’s brother. A blue-haired young man who is unintentionally a delinquent. Not counting schoolwork, the glasses-wearing boy splits his time between light novels and anime and beating up those who challenge him in his “territory.” He often has no ambition, though one wonders what could be behind this lack of desire. While his sister transforms into a magical girl, he becomes a ninja.

Aunder: the Viper himself. Our “antagonist” who lives for the honor of battle. An esper (from a warrior-race). Like Clyde, he was brought into Satovia against his will. Universally powerful, this man is feared. The Soul Taker was a nickname given to him on his home-world, though he doesn’t acknowledge it. He’s not evil, but will not back down from the sweet call of the fight. He’s on a journey to seek out the other “players,” following the rules of the game. However, his heart isn’t in it. His decisions will mostly depend on the journey. He single-handedly enslaved all three Venus sisters. Let’s not forget his love for the drink.

Su Yang: a Venus sister. Venus sisters are incredibly powerful sorceresses dedicated to Venus, the Goddess of Love and Sex. She’s a woman with long dark hair and alluring brown eyes, a beauty that transcends time. She began to fall for Aunder, because despite being the Viper (the Venus sisters know all about the stone-viper games), he was doing more good than anything. Liberating villages, slaying dragons, and saving children. It irritates her when the man blames what she feels in her heart on Stockholm Syndrome. Her sister Olivia believes her to be a yandere, which is downright ridiculous. What woman wouldn’t get jealous if another woman approaches what is hers? She won’t let anyone else have him. (No longer in the mortal plane?)

Olivia: a Venus sister. A tall, busty woman with dark blonde hair. She serves as Aunder’s tracker, presenting him with possible whereabouts of the other “players.” She’s the reason why Aunder found the others so easily, despite their vast distances apart. Because the Stone hasn’t imitated the others, she is unable to track him. At least not yet. [No longer in the mortal plane.]

Momo: a Venus sister. A white-haired cool beauty. Lacking in the breast department, she is often seen in more revealing clothing. She’s able to Jump the party vast distances, though Aunder prefers to travel by foot. She is the best at hiding her emotions, not that the Viper cares. Neither of the Venus sisters can harm him due to the Soul Bond.

Princess Dire: a mysterious figure throughout the lore, known to be named after a curse that turns its victims into children. There is a possibility that the princess herself is a victim of the curse. Aunder rescued her from being publicly executed by a group of crazy villagers who practiced witch hunting.

Julius: Seth’s older brother and ex-member of a powerful cult. Bound to Aunder as a member of the forgotten party, he shares a mutual discomfort of the Viper with Momo. It is unknown what use Aunder has for him.

Dark: the Leaf. A chuuni and an interloper from Earth; aka a “player.” Only five interlopers are allowed in the stone-viper games; however, many Watchers consider them illegal, along with any other intruder. Dark’s element is… well, dark. Brought to Satovia by a guide of his own, a green-haired entity named Selkie, the young man is on a comical mission to… take over the world. Or so he says aloud. The truth is, Satovia is an escape of his horrific old life on earth. He’s soul-searching. Unfortunately, when he thought he found a place of belonging, the Viper showed up and forced him to abandon them. Selkie was unsuccessful at getting him to return. He did not feel he had the right to show his face to the maids and butlers. He can never face Ikumi again.

Neko: a beast kin or catgirl, who’s an observer in a family that supported the Stone for many years. Though it seemed like this time around they didn’t want to involve themselves with the stone-viper games, Neko insisted on it.  Long white hair with cat ears and tail, she has way more power than she lets on. Mischievous with an odd sense of humor, she’s always reliable.

Sazuki: a strikingly beautiful young woman with long black hair and gray eyes. The student council president. One of Harumi’s best friends. She’s sometimes referred to as the ice queen, although she isn’t cold all the time. She’s prideful.

Airi: one of Harumi’s best friends and her magic and combat teacher. Airi is one of the most powerful adventurers around. Legendary among the adventurer community. An inch shorter than Harumi with dark purple hair, milk chocolate skin, and light brown eyes. She’s secretly envious of Harumi’s breasts. Clyde refers to her as TheLegend27 in his head, possibly sarcastically.

Kiko: Sazuki’s younger sister. Short black hair, gray eyes. She was turned into a vampire a little after Airi left. The vampire blood running through the young woman gives her the sexual cravings of a monster girl. And with Clyde saving her, her daydreams are often about him.

Detective Tetra: a dark elf/Alethian in charge of the investigation of missing Lot City people. Long black hair complimenting dark skin, large breasts, and hazel eyes. She’s a dedicated detective, which gets on people’s nerves.

Hinako: a professor at Sato Academy. Thirty years old, unmarried and single. Her friends call her a workaholic, but she just isn’t very social. Long dark hair, curvy and beautiful, even some of the married male professors had tried and failed to get a date with her. Soon, she was simply dismissed as the work-robot, which infuriates Hinako. She took quite the interest in Clyde when he openly saw her as a woman and not a workaholic machine.

Clare: a shopkeeper during the day, a maiden during the night. Long black hair, striking blue eyes with breasts that are almost on par with Harumi’s. Her weapon of choice is the bow.

Sahara: leader of the Fireside magical girls. Long silver hair, red eyes. Cool, calm, and collected: she is the picture of serenity. Powerful and resourceful. The FM has a history of trying to recruit Yusuke and Kitome into their group. Clare’s shop has been booming ever since Sahara opened the café half of it. The maid café on 21st Street may start to notice…

Noona: former demon lord of Niyoto. An adorable, beautiful demoness with long blonde hair, gray eyes, a large bust, and a rather unique personality. Very kind and pure. Often cosplays/roleplays characters she enjoys from anime or TV shows. Her servants adore her, many willing to give their lives just to protect her smile.

Sophia: a former Viper Maiden, magically stolen and changed into a Stone Maiden. The raid boss of Volume 6, the party was forced to fight her while she acted under the influence of Crusader mind control and experimentation. Truthfully, Sophia just wants to be useful and loved. She never actually met the Viper.

Tessa: the Wind. Clyde’s childhood friend from Earth. Long forest-green hair, matching eye color, pointy ears like an elf but she isn’t truly an elf, and average breasts. Her heroism almost got her elected as a nation’s queen, that is, until the Viper appeared, crushing that dream to goo. She was saved by Venus, given a purpose, hope, and protection. Tessa serves the goddess, but cannot help but feel a bit uneasy at times about her. Her earth name is Arisa.

Kanako: a genie. A beautiful tan-skinned girl with pointy ears, long purple-white hair tied in a ponytail, and Harumi-level breasts. She wears a range of gold jewelry: a necklace, bracelets, rings on each finger, and even star-shaped hair pins. Kind and sweet, sometimes a little childish and cheerful. Sometimes her feelings are easily hurt.

Entities revealed:

Mortem: the Entity who brought Clyde to Satovia. Technically Clyde’s guide. An asshole.

Selkie: a friendly Entity, who loves her Chinese-style dresses. A short beauty of green hair and mystery.

Other:

The Oyabun: Misaka’s father. (Yakuza boss.)

Misaka: a frail but beautiful dark-haired beauty who may be a chuuni. Loves anime.

The red-hooded stalker: a mysterious man in a red cloak that serves the Stone Maidens proper.

The Stone Maidens.

The Viper Maidens.

The ex-kid-maid: the 14-year-old Mei sent away in Volume 2.

Venus, Goddess of Love and Sex.

The Watchers.

Ako: Neko’s sister.

Alena: Alice’s mother. An archangel.

Madrian Tanaka: Chika’s mother.

Naomi: a cute and shy, green-haired journalist who gains massive courage when angered. One of Clyde’s first friends.

Hideo: Toru’s uncle. Crusader researcher. (Defeated as a major boss of Volume 7.)

Kazumi: Harumi’s friend. Perverted girl with the glasses.

Ming’s friends/minions: Han, Peng, Tyrone (Kazumi’s boyfriend), and Zack.

Ashard: fairy son of Titania the Fairy queen. He’s a man of mystery at this point, but is definitely a creature of the light.

Crusader champion, Chizuru: a beautiful young woman with a secret love for anime, but of course is forced to hide it from her fellow Crusader team. Raised by the Crusaders, but kept out of the loop, she unknowingly served as their figurehead: traveling, achieving great deeds, assisting the poor, defending villages, etc. in the name of the Crusaders. After meeting Clyde, she agreed to help defeat the Order. Clyde asked her to do something that puts her life at great risk. Now he must wait for the return of the brave, beautiful girl. Funny thing, she has his phone number, but is too nervous to call. Especially after the god-like display.

Myriad: a thunderbird, and Dark’s party member. Curious nature, loves to eat. Harpy family.

Fumi: a very kind slime girl with the ability to shift into human form. She is Toru’s lover.

Maya: a mucus toad monster girl, CEO of Nowie pizza chains and more. She’s in love with Seth. First appearance was in Volume 3.

Nuri: half-pixy servant of Maya who actually attends Sato Academy.

Ling: Tetra’s coworker and close friend. She’s a short woman with wavy brown hair, a bust somehow exceeding even Tetra’s, and a somewhat sexual-flirty vibe about her.

Liru: Harumi’s older sister. She lives abroad, refusing to return after the tragic end of the Kitsune clan.

Lilith, the Supreme Demon Lord: Empress of the Monster Kingdoms.

Anzu: From Volume 3. They first walked in on the loli while she was singing a cat-heavy song. She is the real estate agent who booked Clyde his first house. She’s 23. A friend of Harumi and Liru.

Amaterasu “Juliette”: Melody’s mother. She Who Dawns Time. A legendary trickster demoness, wife of Platus, Dark God of Utopius. Crimson red hair like her daughter. However, she has unnerving glowing eyes. Melody does not share this trait. (She was a major 3-phase boss of Volume 8. Clyde pulled a miracle summoning Over-Stone 75%, easily defeating her.)

Platus, Dark God of Utopius: Melody’s father. He is not to be mistaken for He Who Paints the Night, a rogue dark god that impersonated Platus. Platus wants to harshly punish his daughter for accidentally breaking the realm’s core. She couldn’t control her immense strength back then. He sealed it as a result. He’s an angry, kingly figure who will do whatever it takes to get things done. Even if it means hurting loved ones.

Undine: a powerful reaperess, who had quite a past thousands of years ago. Some even call her goddess of death. Her alignment was changed on the night Clyde’s power went berserk after Chika’s near death. Now she’s as sweet as an angel. Her love and devotion to Yusuke is strong. Intense beauty - long black hair, enormous breasts, and glistening purple eyes. She loves her kimonos.

Asu: a beautiful and perky lich girl who has a vast sense of humor in addition to her vast magical knowledge. Clyde’s declared Head of the Stone Maidens, she’s completely devoted to pleasing her master.

Thor, God of Thunder.

Fuyoko: leader of the Blood Seekers, a group dedicated to locating treasures in highly dangerous areas. Known as Master of the Stars for some reason. Blue-green hair, light blue eyes, and is quite a beautiful young woman. She has the ability to turn some enemies to stone. On a sad note, her mother is disappointed in her.

Naoko: kuudere loli as Clyde refers to her - she is known as the Blood Servant, second to Fuyoko. In reality, she’s an Entity with a mission to help the Stone reach his true potential. She was injured during her warp to Satovia. Fuyoko risked her life, taking down three powerful demons to save the injured girl. Naoko has served her since. These days, Fuyoko sees her as a precious little sister that would probably emotionally fall apart if she left. One eye green, the other red - she also has green hair and elven ears.

Kimiko: a cute, orange-haired young woman who is also a member of the Rose Dragon sisters. She hates perverts. Kind of a tsundere.

Chiyo: the oldest of the Rose Dragon sisters. A beautiful white-haired woman who favors wearing kimonos over western-style clothing. A very powerful dragon. She really loves her anime.

Aimi: the middle sister of the Rose Dragon sisters. Hates men; however, she cannot control her urges very well. A bookworm. A closet pervert.

Sol: the Falcon, one of the five dimensional interlopers invited by the Watchers. With goals of glory, the young man has no intention of letting the other “players” get a one-up on him. If he could change the stone-viper games, to the Falcon game… A skilled fighter, although a bit unreasonable.

Amina: Clyde’s Stone-Tokken deck leader. She lives in a giant house with nearly infinite books. A beautiful woman with long golden hair and eyes. A mysterious being of incredible power.

Kevin: First Rider of Achilles, He Who Paints the Night’s apocalypse. Well, Achilles is dead. So, he’s just Kevin. A single man, hurt by an ex named Netoritta… yeah.

Atreas: Third Rider, a samurai who wields the power of flames. He can reincarnate an unknown number of times after death. There’s a sneaking suspicion that he may have gone easy on Clyde’s party during the initial meet…

Stone Maidens:

Arch Priestess Ichika: a young woman with sky-blue hair and a righteous attitude. Possibly the most normal of her small group. Often takes responsibility very seriously and will easily blame herself for any failures, even if out of her control.

High Priestesses that follow Ichika:

-Megu: someone who is somewhat short tempered and sometimes blames others a little too often. The other high priestesses call her lazy. She calls it, “taking a lax approach at life.”

-Emi: a tender-hearted young woman who panics a little when things get out of control. Maybe comedically cries a lot.

-Jae: a kuudere that loves to eat, but never gains weight. She’s blunt about everything, but doesn’t talk much. Many of the others call her adorable behind her back.

-Yumi: a timid girl who is sometimes known for a sense of humor. That is, when she’s actually around. She has a tendency to lock herself in her room after work or take multiple bathroom breaks. Could she be…

Episode 59 (Part 1): Wizards and Gargoyles

Last time on the Anime Trope System, Clyde and Team Stone faced off against He Who Paints the Night, ridding the universe of this evil. Now here they are at last, ready to take on the Adventure Quest.

And best of all, Clyde has finally Awakened. There is a price to pay for god-slaying superpowers: reduced awards and experience points, but it shall serve as an equalizer for powerful foes.

He slew his first deity, one of darkness, evil, and corruption, but there are forces out there that could sweep him with a blindfold. Possibly. Maybe not.

Awakened Stone Mode can generate the kind of power which the Punishment Squad may feel at all times…

Welcome to the Anime Trope System Volume 12:

The Imbalance of Power...

Thursday. Week 4. Month 2. Year 1. Season: Late autumn. Last week of the month.

[Satovian Universal Calendar: Nova, 46389]

[School: Winter Break. Day 6 of 30.]

[Current declared fiancée(s): Melody, Alice, Tear, Harumi, Chika, Natalia.]

[Expecting: Harumi, Alice. Time left: Harumi, kitsune - 5 months until due. Alice, half-demoness, half-angel: 5 months until due. Alert! The time could shrink or increase as the infants absorb energy - and nature determines how powerful they are.]

[Card bearers in city: 12, Ming.]

[Cook-off opponents in Nation Seat: Attincusburon, Alon: 3,967. Harumi, Advanced Chef Yuki, Kitome, Alice. The rest are unknown.]

[Blood Ki progress: 58%.]

[Adventure Quest: During the Winter Break, you must travel to the nation of Alon to give your blessing to the princess. Neko must be present. Her sister is an optional addition but will increase the awards. Beware of the wizard gang around this area. The troubling bunch may be the least of your problems if the Gargoyles are still around.]

Morning…

Hotel…

Clyde decided to check the ID store before opening his eyes. He could hear Natalia talking with Airi at his bedside. If only Alice and Chika didn’t rise early - so they could chase her out. Yet, they were just sweet. He overheard the half-demoness’s desire to buy him some of the Nation’s famous coffee. Chika would get the young man a donut to go with it just to tease his secret weakness of sweets.

[Items available: Giggity Juice (54B), Book of Ancient Lewdness (1B), Jug of Venus’s Love Nectar (23 quadrillion), Gender Swap potion, safety not guaranteed(950M), Giga Wood Wrath Sex Potion (800M), Loli Saga Scrapped Hentai Edition (FBI), Ki Book of Soul Concentration (500M), Supreme Golden Dragon Equipment set (500M), Anus Juice (150,000).]

Clyde immediately wrote off many of the items. He’d probably lecture Ming later about the importance of not lewding lolis. He couldn’t fathom what the sex potion would do to its drinkers. A jug of… First of all, dehydration would be the least of her problems.

Clyde knew this was going to take him out of the Big B club, but the time for being overdue for new equipment would have to end here. No, that was a little too boring.

He selected the Ki Book of Soul Concentration. Five… hundred million dollars. This better be worth it.

The young man wondered if the other “players” dealt with these microtransactions. Did a certain evil video game company have connections that soared all the way to the gods? Eh. Ah well. It’s in the game.

[Are you sure you don’t want to purchase the Anus Juice?]

Yes, I’m sure, System, Clyde thought with a mix of tiredness, deadpan, and annoyance.

[Are you really sure? Because it’s Anus Juice! Don’t be-]

Just give me the damn expensive book already, Clyde thought, frustration bubbling like magma.

[Party pooper.]

[You received The Ki Book of Soul Concentration. Good choice!]

[Personal balance remaining: $791,445,400.]

Clyde prepared himself for Airi’s assault. Maybe if he could just sneak away. Why, Natalia? Why did you let her in? Maybe if he waited them out.

“Hey, do you want to see pervy-nii’s wee wee?” Natalia asked suddenly, her conversation about the Loli Saga attack moves completely dropped. But the intellect stat within the young man’s brain detected the bait. So he cleverly turned to the side, as naturally as possible. He also held onto the covers with an iron grip.

Airi laughed.

“How about his ass?”

“What happens if we stick this in it?” Natalia asked. “Do you think he’ll scream when it smashes in? Maybe his butt will bleed.”

Clyde finally gave in to the bait, turning to glare at the smiling girls. And of course, Airi’s eyes were starry.

“Harumi-”

“Harumi’s helping Tear with something,” Natalia said, interrupting him. “I told them not to wake you.” She glanced at a watch that wasn’t on her arm. “Oh no, look at the time.”

“Natalia,” Clyde said, warning in his voice.

“Bye-bye!”

And just like that, the loli vanished, leaving Clyde with an information-hungry young woman. Even Melody was gone, not that she slept in like Alice. Then Airi’s onslaught of questions arrived.

The young man rolled over, putting a pillow over his head.

“Hey! Don’t ignore me. What does it mean to have Tree of Life tattoos glowing on your body? How did you use the purity element without dying? It’s super dangerous stuff you know. How-”

“You know, I should abandon Natalia’s quest,” Clyde said through clenched teeth. He decided to distract his brain by dragging ass to the bathroom, brushing his teeth with Alice’s toothpaste, yet the purple-haired girl continued to ask questions. He made his way back to the bed with her following.

Airi forced herself into the covers with the young man, pinning him. Her sexy body triggered the erection of Mount Stone. She finally took a pause.

“For the world’s highest ranking adventurer, you sure do ask a lot of questions,” Clyde said, grabbing her ass in the moment.

Airi shrugged. “It’s because of my quest for knowledge that I’m number one.” She casually slid off her panties, tossing them in Clyde’s face. Lust shined within her gaze. The shirt came off next, the bra following, sparking the two into wild kissing. The young woman even shoved her tongue inside his mouth, the massage triggering instincts.

Her tongue tasted like mint and cherry. He laid her down, sucking breasts, going to kissing, and sucking breasts again, because why not? The first step to being an accidental harem god was to be honest with one’s self.

Clyde shoved fingers inside of Airi’s sea, and gave it a taste, before indulging himself. The moans of the number one super druid only made him ride harder until her breasts flopped almost in the rhythm of an unknown song.

He almost released inside. So close, but a part of him snapped away from his trance, begging the reasonable side of his brain not to put yet another girl out of commission within the near future.

“I should bug you more if it means this,” Airi said, panting on top of the young man.

Was she oblivious about her looks? No, that couldn’t be it. Airi always dressed in a presentable fashion, meant to attract gazes. Yet that tightness meant she never attempted intimacy with anyone else other than Clyde.

[Ki increased! Airi’s crests.]

“Maybe, but without the trillions of questions,” Clyde said. “I could barely keep up with one sentence before you spat out three novels.” Airi opened her mouth to protest, but the young man interjected. “Anyway, I’ll answer a few over breakfast. Care to join me in the shower?”

“Well, if you insist,” Airi said, amusement in her eyes.

* * *

Somewhere…

[Quest completed. Reward: EXP, Full MP Potion-]

Tessa closed the prompt and eyed the last of the purple flames breezing through the air. Clyde’s text let her know he was in Alon.

She sighed, trying not to think of those girls. Yet her mind just couldn’t escape that which… made her chest hurt. She knew ten long years had passed, but coming to this dimension, actually seeing him again, burst those buried emotions back into existence. She didn’t feel like a human of Earth. No… she knew the truth, what the great goddess offered her.

Tessa felt only a little remorse about not being able to see her Earthly family again. Unlike Clyde, she didn’t have the support of a team. She met many people, made new acquaintances and friends, but…

She narrowed her eyes. Life just wasn’t fair. She knew him first…

Tessa flinched. So what if she knew Clyde first? What was she getting at? She couldn’t possibly harbor anything more than nostalgia.

“That’s what I keep telling myself,” she whispered.

Just then, a feeling of ecstasy blasted through the young woman, sending Tessa to her knees. Venus’s voice comforted her.

“My dearest daughter, I have an important task for you. It seems the Falcon is playing a bigger game than I thought. A game that’s destined to interfere with the Stone’s victory. He left on a journey with an elder dragon and will not be back for a few days. I want you to go to his hideout and draw my symbol of war somewhere out of sight. I will bind it to him.” Venus giggled. “The spell will trigger when that dragon girl returns while wearing her pizza maid uniform. It will return all the memories to her annnndddd… her Soulless pride. Make sure to set up the camera well out of range. Good luck, my daughter. And I look forward to the entertainment. Oh, and after you finish that, be sure to visit Clyde. You really should try harder to let him comfort you.” She chuckled. “Get it, harder?”

Tessa groaned.

Venus cleared her throat. “Oh my, look at the time. Get going, my daughter.”

The presence vanished, updating the young woman’s quest log.

“That’s the goddess I believe in,” Tessa said with a deadpan tone.

Episode 59 (Part 2)

Attincusburon, Alon…

[Your prophet’s rank and abilities have been added to your stat page.]

Clyde and Airi made good time, getting to the hotel’s breakfast hall before the serving stopped. The young man couldn’t help but think of the journey of hotels being a complimentary fit for medieval games’ inn to inn living.

Which meant now was the time to fix up everyone’s equipment. He did not want to use Stone Mode… those rewards… so many zapped. The System’s ninety-five percent deduction acted as a balancing scale. But… wasn’t this his real power? He gave an internal sigh, deciding not to dwell on it further.

Moments later, Alice, Chika, and Noona arrived through the front doors with coffee and donuts.

“Kanako dragged both Kitome and Ruri with her,” Noona said to Alice.

“Oh, there he is,” Chika said. She raised the donuts in salute to Clyde.

He smiled, giving them a wave of invitation. The silver-haired girl gave him a strawberry-blasted kiss, after an anime-dive. He missed these from her.

Alice shoved a donut in his mouth.

“They’re so good.”

He savored the delicious fried treat. Judging by the nice warmth, the café was most likely a short walk away.

“The long wait was worth it,” Chika said.

“I could eat a barrel full of these,” Clyde said, reaching for another. Alice swatted his hand and winked.

“Try the coffee.”

Clyde accepted the cup, taking in the rich aroma of the drink. The flavor practically exploded into his taste buds. He wasn’t a coffee connoisseur, but the profile perfectly balanced sweetness, creaminess, and smoothness. The hint of cinnamon won his heart. Abruptly, the metallic cup caved in.

[Warning! Your body continues to adjust to your awakened strength. Don’t worry, you didn’t harm Airi. But maybe you should be careful with caffeine. It will take another day until your body adjusts. This is why water is better for you.]

[Body adjusting at 11%...]

[Temporary boost to physical strength x 20,000 for two hours. You may want to ask Alice to flush the caffeine out of your system. Be wary of alcohol! Also… this level of strength without adjustment has consequences. Don’t get it in your head to go charging at your enemies.]

Holy shit.

“High-five,” Noona said to him from a sentence he didn’t hear due to zoning out.

In a rush to pull his hand away, he smacked the long, titanium table. It dented all the way to the floor.

“Holy shit, what the hell, Clyde?” Airi said, eyes starry. Her questions loaded up like rifle bullets, green aura spazzing like chaotic electricity. The few rich hotel guests were eyeing him with a mix of awe and fear in their eyes.

“Is he an android?” someone whispered.

“Not even an android can produce that kind of strength. Hell, not even the monsters,” someone said, answering one of Clyde’s questions. Airi was right. The civilians were one hundred percent aware of the non-human beings.

“It’s the caffeine,” Clyde said softly. “Alice.”

She nodded, her expression one of awe and curiosity and, of course, pride. She hesitated before activating her skill.

[Alice activated All Calm.]

[All Calm level 35. All party members restore 50% HP, 50% MP, are cured of all status effects, including hunger and thirst. This skill can only restore a maximum of 50% HP/MP. Make sure to take good care of your primary healer!]

“Much better,” Clyde said. “That reminds me, I need to do a few more equipment inspections and make sure everyone’s up to date. We can’t be getting our asses kicked.”

He stood, eyes still on him - the hotel staff, guests, and his friends. “Don’t mind me, sometimes faulty equipment is needed to save costs.”

The hotel staff anime-fell. Clyde motioned at his friends to follow and together they made an exit.

“So, Clyde, I see you’ve been working out,” Chika said wryly.

“Bench-pressing solar systems,” Noona quipped.

“Either that or he’s on ‘roids,” Airi said, voice deadpan. All four women stared at him flatly.

“I sense a Clyde-roasting session.”

They turned to see Seth walking toward them from a distance.

“Oh great, the villager’s coming,” Airi said.

Alice snorted in amusement.

“That’s a new one.”

Chika sighed.

“Better him than Toru. He gave me that stupid look of his this morning, just because-”

“What’s up, guys?” Seth interrupted, now in range. Clyde shook his hand, then patted his shoulder.

“What’s up, Seth,” he said. And nice save, he thought. The women could say what they wanted about the pervert, but the comedian never backed down, not even against the gods.

“I’ve had some time to walk around a bit,” Seth said, “and I have to say the technology in this city is insane. But I’m still creeped out about getting hit on by an android.”

Clyde laughed.

“What’s the matter? You don’t like it in zeroes and ones?”

Seth rolled his eyes.

“You know damned well what you really want to say. Is it like doing a giant mast-”

“The androids are quite odd, onii-chan.”

Naoko’s sudden appearance made everyone nearly jump out of their skins. Seth shook his head.

“You should make sure your presence is known before sneaking up on people, kid,” Seth said.

Naoko just stared at him with kuudere eyes, probably confused by his statement. Or maybe amused. Hundreds of years old, the loli was as easy to read as black letters on a black sheet of paper in a dark room.

“Yeahhh, anyway, I’m headed back to my room,” Seth said.

“We’re having an equipment inspection later today,” Clyde said. “Maybe around three.”

“Yep, yep,” Seth replied as he started toward the hotel entrance.

Clyde took the time to relay that message in the group chat.

“Let’s go. I’d like to look around before we discuss how to meet the princess.”

Attincusburon, Alon consisted of flying cars, hovering super-trains, angry traffic, and a diverse load of civilians. They carried high-tech devices, wore advanced clothing, and a few even travelled on gravity-defying mini-vehicles such as hoverboards. Real hoverboards.

“I’ve got to get one of those,” Clyde said, eyes hungry.

“Good luck,” Airi said. “You’ll need an Alonian license for one.”

“Then how come the kids are riding around?” Clyde asked.

“Their parents have the license,” Chika said simply. “That’s how it is around here.”

“That is horse ass,” Clyde said, not quite giving up on the hoverboard idea.

The group stopped, noticing a man holding his ass as he exited the bar, a grinning woman at his side.

“You didn’t have to rearrange my organs,” he wheezed.

The woman laughed.

“Next time, don’t go for the Jabberwock Surprise when you can barely hold down ale. I made sure to peg you with the Elephantitan Giga strappy.” She smacked his back.

Clyde shook his head.

“Keep an eye on Seth. We can’t have him getting in trouble with these freaks.”

“I doubt Seth would let himself get into that kind of trouble,” Alice said, glaring in disgust at the couple. “Humans.”

“We of the human race disown those two,” Chika said, poking Alice’s nose.

Clyde spared a side-glance at Airi, surprised to see her softly facepalming. And grimacing. He was sure she’d be interested in the fuckery of the departing couple.

“What’s up with you?” he asked.

Airi sighed, shuddering.

“They just had to remind me of the Jabberwock Surprise. I tried it when I was already drunk and too numb to fully taste it. I can only imagine how awful that guy had it.”

“I thought you were joking about what goes on around here,” Clyde said. “I mean, it’s fucking ten in the morning. Bars are open at this time?”

“Yep,” Airi said. “That’s just how it is. Good thing today’s not a holiday. Open pegging and rear-smashing is allowed to run rampant without law intervention for public exposure. That’s probably why monster girls are drawn to this city.”

“Ah,” Clyde said, patting the woman’s back. “Let’s just hope we can get the hell out before then.”

As the walk continued, mostly directed by Airi to keep the party from getting lost, Clyde noticed a few more interesting things. All of the police were female androids. They conducted patrols like normal police; however, that left nagging questions. Are they useless against the wizard gang? Do they not have special android weapons?

His gaze switched to an electronic billboard. Suddenly, it flashed to life with a broadcast.

Announcement from Princess Kaguya. But first, presenting Queen Tarine, read the text. A busty silver-haired woman with a dark tan appeared on the screen. Traffic suddenly stopped. The androids stared up in unison, creeping the young man out a little.

“Good morning, everyone,” the queen said, an accent of some sort in her voice. “I love you all. We continue to make progress on locating the group of wizards and their witch accomplices. Soon, we will put an end to their terrorism. They cannot accept our technological advances, accusing our androids and computer systems of foul play, insisting on the rudimentary ways of living. They cannot have what they want, so the terrorists will try to rip it from your corpses. First, it was an outrage against monster integration, and now our technological system which has been with us for years. We will flush them out. Thank you, and now I shall turn it over to my daughter.”

A girl who looked to be Clyde’s age appeared on the screen, purple eyes glistening with hope. A contrast to her mother’s cold, practical stare. She looked upbeat. Her voice confirmed it. Her tan was light, same for her silver-hair which almost looked white.

“I know Mother doesn’t believe in prophets, but today, my mentor Palona has finally gotten back to us regarding He Who Shall Bless Us. She said he’s in the city right now. He may be walking around with his friends, foreigners. Please be kind and courteous. You may have seen him, perhaps witnessed his super strength or something. If you’re listening to this, Hero, please wait for Palona. She knows all about you. She’ll organize our meeting. In the meantime, please enjoy all this city has to offer. Thank you everyone for listening and I love you all.”

The billboard blinked back into a weather broadcast.

“Well, we have answers,” Alice said, “but I don’t like this.”

Chika turned to her friend, but said nothing.

Noona frowned.

“You mean the terrorists?”

“That’s a part of it,” Alice said. She shook her head. “I need to meet up with Tear. She’ll know what to do.”

“I know she’s directing the statement at me, but I’m not keen on prophets knowing my location, unless it’s Ming.”

“Ming’s awesome,” Chika said. “I say we get her a present to thank her for everything she’s done for us. Especially, you know, keeping us alive.”

“Do you have any idea what she likes?” Noona asked. “She doesn’t have her bio public.”

Chika shrugged.

“Maybe Natalia… Oh God, I don’t want that runt to have any wagering power over me.”

“I think Natalia wouldn’t mind joining us on this present quest,” Clyde said. “Anyway, I’m-”

Abruptly, two harpies were thrown out of a black building.

“Please let us back in,” the teary harpies pleaded, one of them hiccupping.

“Get out of here, ya drunks! You’ve had too much.” The bouncer slammed the door in their faces.

“Let’s try another bar,” one of the harpies said. Team Stone’s blank stares only briefly followed them.

“Is that a part of their short-temperedness?” Clyde asked Airi.

“A fraction,” Airi said. “You’d better hope this Palona is in a good mood.”

Clyde waved off her statement.

“We’ll see.”

* * *

Somewhere…

Dire awoke, panting and angry. Despite the banishment, Su Yang had somehow managed to haunt her dreams. She threatened to invade Dire’s privacy, her secrets. Some nerve. She was given a fair warning and ignored it. Now…

The silver-haired girl yawned and stretched, before crawling out of her hotel bed. She glanced at the rudimentary paper map that Master Aunder insisted on printing. Too bad they couldn’t visit Alon’s capital city. She had heard so many things about their technology.

Online debates raged on. Why wasn’t the technology distributed evenly throughout the entire Nation? The wizard group there were painted as terrorists, but Dire knew the truth. The Alonian capital hogged more than ninety percent of the people’s tax money and invested very little of it back into other cities and towns. They invited monsters to live there, but didn’t take the time to work on the entire Nation. Dire shook her head. They still weren’t as bad as her father.

Hundreds of miles from the capital city, Dire and her master were actually headed somewhere that could help them locate Fatalus. Or probably die.

“As if I’d let that happen. My Master must prevail or just give up on the stupid curse, love both forms, and forget.”

Dire sighed, staring at Su Yang’s spiritual form on her bed. This time, she couldn’t interact with it. No one could. It just stared.

“Give me one good reason why I should allow you back into the plane of the living,” Dire said to the ghost, although… questioning her own sanity. She wouldn’t put it past her to finally succumb to the traumas. After all, only two months had passed since then… Su Yang simply stared at her, eyes lucid, but studying. Dire continued to rant. “You better stay away from my memories, you stupid ghost. Just because your spirit’s untouchable now doesn’t mean…” She sighed. “Just leave me alone. Us alone. I won’t bring you back. You’re not worth gaining the attention of the Punishment Squad.”

Su Yang continued to stare, a smirk on her face. She was wearing a white gown that matched Dire’s.

Episode 59 (Part 3)

Noon…

Hotel…

Clyde peeked around the corner to see the coast was clear. He let out a sigh of relief at finally losing Airi. That woman was going to end up sending him on a first-class trip to Headache City. Either her or Natalia. Just wait until he caught that runt. Alice would have a ball gluing her to the ceiling.

Only an hour and fifteen minutes remained until his equipment meeting. The city tour gave the young man an insight on how things ran. Everything seemed efficient at the first glance, but for some reason, Clyde couldn’t shake off the feeling of wrongness.

There was no way humankind would accept monsters so quickly for one. Hell, it took centuries for them to accept each other on his home world. Why were the androids all female? From shop owners, to police, and even maintenance workers. Shouldn’t the genders be distributed evenly or even neutral? The queen looked damned young. Well, okay, this was anime and a futuristic city. Technology and anime logic probably dealt her a nice hand.

That being said, something just wasn’t adding up. Shit, Clyde would have to reveal himself to Airi for more information about the city. What if the government controlled the internet? What if they monitored search engines?

He’d rather not draw attention to himself until confirming his suspicions.

“What are you doing?”

Clyde spun to see Noona’s gray eyes staring at him with curiosity and a little concern.

“Nothing,” he quickly answered, earning himself a skeptical stare.

“Jiiiiii.”

“Don’t you start,” Clyde said. He realized there were questions he needed to ask the busty demoness. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you this, but what’s the fastest way to cultivate Ki?” He mentally glared at the requirements for his next Ki skills.

Noona tilted her head. “Hmm. I can teach you my method right now if you’d like.”

Clyde smiled. “Let’s do t-”

“But first, we must do that thing,” she said in a lower voice. “You know.”

“Later,” Clyde said. “I need to learn this method as quickly as possible.”

Noona folded her arms, eyes determined. “It requires one to feel good. So, either we feel good or I’m not going to bother. It’d be a waste of time. Besides… I only want to do it with you… for some reason. Maybe it’s because we’re friends?”

“Not really something typical friends do, but that’s beside the point,” Clyde said. He glanced at the time then at the demoness. “Fi-”

“Kun kun.”

Clyde’s stare went blank, knowing that only one person sometimes vocalized her sniffing. He felt her wagging tail pat against his leg multiple times.

“What’s with the secret meeting?” Ruri asked as she snuggled into Clyde’s bubble.

The young man figured a half-truth may get him past her nose. “I was just asking about an alternate way to cultivate Ki,” he said.

A light seemed to flash in the hellhound’s mind. “I know one,” she said, “well, I think so. One of my mother’s servants charges Ki through what appears to be some kind of meditation.”

Noona sighed.

“That’s what I’m going to teach him. This training’s going to be private, so bye-”

“No way, I want petting,” Ruri said, snuggling adorably into Clyde’s stomach.

“You can get petting later,” Noona said. “My lesson is important.”

Ruri turned to Noona. “Is it really, Boobs? Can it not wait until later?”

Clyde was a little amused at the rare frustration in Noona’s voice. Still, he couldn’t have the demoness and hellhound causing a scene.

“Alright, alright, enough of this,” Clyde said, petting Ruri. “Noona and I were discussing the cultivation technique prior to your arrival, Ruri. This lesson is important. I’ll give you a nice head massage later.”

Ruri pouted, but finally gave in with a sigh. “Fine, but I want more than that later.” She revealed a pamphlet to the young man. “Take me here.”

Meat Empire. The hellhound was just too cute. Power almost rivaling Alice, Ruri sometimes felt like a mystery to the young man. She showed plenty of affection to him - they were even compatible by some unknown demonic system that only seemed to spawn like an annoying Dues Ex Machina.

Clyde chuckled.

“Alright, we’ll go after the equipment meeting.”

“Yay,” she said, her tail wagging harder, then she licked his face. Blushing, the hellhound quickly said, “so - sorry, it’s so embarrassing when my instincts do that.”

She quickly hurried off before Clyde could reassure her.

In the corner of his eye, Clyde caught sight of a blond man with wolf ears chuckling at Ruri’s retreat before turning to walk away, but not without licking his lips and sniffing the air. Noona noticed it too, her eyes uncharacteristically cold. She seemed to internally shake herself.

“So, shall we get to the lesson?”

“Sure,” Clyde replied. “Your room.”

Clyde texted a few people to keep an eye on Ruri and a blond wolfman. Or maybe he was some kind of werewolf? Male humanoid monsters were exceedingly rare. Clyde wouldn’t be surprised if the man tried to take Ruri canine-style. Maybe Natalia’s ass-sniffing jokes held a little truth? Then again, Ruri and Matsume hated being compared to dogs nor showed any sign that they’d sniffed each other. Beast-type monster girls sometimes only took one or two animal traits and habits, but not all of them.

None of the facts relaxed Clyde. The wolfman clearly didn’t know she was a hellhound. If he tried something, Ruri and Matsume would murder him in public. All of that negative attention painted on Team Stone… the option to meet the royalty, or the axe of execution.

“I hope that guy is just someone with a sense of humor and not an idiot,” Clyde commented offhandedly.

Noona shook her head.

“You’d have a better chance at Seth becoming an honorable knight in shining armor. Never.”

Clyde winced at the burn, but knew if the blond was there to defend himself, Noona’s roast would have been brutal. Or maybe perverted. He couldn’t tell sometimes with the guy.

The young man started to follow Noona to her room, thanking the stars no one else appeared to interrupt.

But luck just wasn’t with him in that regard. More than fifty percent of Team Stone took that time to enter the building, step out of their rooms, or exit the dining hall where snacks were served up all day, spotting him immediately.

He glanced at a hologram clock on the wall. Roughly fifty minutes remained until the equipment inspection.

“Pervy nii-channn.”

Clyde caught Natalia by the back of her shirt with a single hand, dangling the loli into the air.

“Pervy husbando nii, look what I’ve made for you,” she said, completely unperturbed. He gazed at the unopened box in her hand.

He thought Noona would be angry or annoyed, but the demoness seemed just as curious as him about the box.

The young man opened it to see two golden bracelets etched with some kind of runes. Glowing runes.

“They took almost a month to make, and if pervy booby grape head and her other booby maid friend weren’t ordered to the library to constantly interrupt my improvement research, I would’ve finished sooner.”

[You have received a gift from your fiancée, Natalia. Bracelets of the New Path. Item class: Legendary, *One of a Kind*. While wearing these bracelets, all Ki-based abilities will do four times the damage. All Ki cultivation will be tripled. When married, all wives will receive a 250% damage boost to Ki-based attack skills while within fifty meters of you. You will receive a menu option to turn the bracelets on and off. If on, they will drain your Ki until it reaches zero, then deactivate. The cooldown to reactivate is a solid 24 hours.]

Clyde put the loli down to try on his new bracelets, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“You made these?” he asked.

“Sure did,” Natalia said. “Do you like them?” He could see the tears hanging at the corners of her eyes.

“Damn right I do,” Clyde said as he put them on. “These bracelets are freaking amazing. W-”

Natalia anime-dove into him with a tight hug. The hotel staff and some guests let out a group aww. Some of them wiped away tears, sniffling. One of the staff, a glasses-wearing anime girl, tripped over something, spilling her coffee right onto the lap of her seated boss. He sounded like Tom from Tom and Jerry as he let out a yowl of despair, ruining the entire mood.

“I’m really sorry!” the girl cried, bowing, but the man’s snarl didn’t fade. How could it after getting burned for no reason by a clumsy employee that should be doing her job?

“You… oh fuck, that hurts,” he said. “You’re sorry, huh? Well, that won’t stop this reprimand. And your last warning. Go to my office for the write-up. And I’ll let you show me how sorry you are when you sign.”

The staff girl scurried off. The man sighed.

“I worked eighteen hours straight and wanted to take a break, and I get burned for it.” He shook his head. “I apologize for my outburst. My staff aren’t usually like this.” He nodded at Clyde. “Somehow you gained fangirls after this morning.” He briefly glared at his staff members, except the androids. “Please continue to enjoy yourself. I’ll be off to speak privately with my employee.”

The middle-aged man in the suit followed after his employee, pace unhurried.

He heard a nearby male employee say,

“I guess she’ll be licking the coffee off his penis.”

“Doubtful,” a passing android said. “That is the first time she’s gotten into trouble. And she isn’t nearly as attractive as some others. There is only a twelve point two five percent chance that the boss would actually get aroused by her.”

“She’s actually really cute without the glasses,” the hotel employee said. “But you can’t see that because you’re an idiot-bot.” He moved on, his last words being, “I wish they would’ve just left those robotic voices installed. Fucking idiot androids.”

Clyde did not miss the android’s fist balling. Then she folded her arms to harrumph like a tsundere.

“These stupid humans will end up being the deactivation of me.”

Clyde and Team Stone blinked. “Maybe we should go to the reserved room?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Most of us came early to prepare anyway,” Toru said. Fumi was at his side in human form, holding his hand.

Noona seemed to be a little annoyed at the cute couple. Clyde chuckled. The adorable and beautiful demoness was capable of getting anyone she wanted, yet she emitted jealousy toward a boy and his slime girl waifu.

Natalia hopped onto Clyde’s shoulders. He examined his new bracelets again, following Tear and the others’ leads.

“How did you make these?” Clyde asked. “This is well-crafted. And the runes...”

“Pure skill,” Natalia bragged. “Well, I did have the meanie girl teach me some things. It has to look pretty.”

Clyde nodded, a new respect forming for both Kitome and the loli.

“I texted the rest to hurry over,” Harumi said as Clyde entered the room.

He nodded, setting Natalia down.

“Where’s Ruri?” Yuki asked. “I need her nose and cuteness later.”

“I think she stepped out with Matsume,” Alice said.

Noona frowned. “I don’t know about this.”

“You mean the wolfman?” Seth said then chuckled. “I don’t know who that guy is, but he can’t touch Ruri.” Everyone shot him a blank stare. “The same looks as when I told you that none of the hostile hellhounds could take on Chika. Imagine the looks on your faces to find out I was right.”

Ming snorted. “I don’t see any danger reading on her. Matsume’s… I’m unsure. Her meter’s yellow. But any girl that is approached by a guy… wait.”

“Ah shit,” Clyde said. “Well, I would say that, but when we first met Matsume, her level was even higher than Ruri’s.”

Seth chuckled. “She’s one of the strongest members of our party. And hottest.”

“You’ll say that about anyone with large breasts, pervert,” Kitome snapped.

“I just hope we don’t end up with a dead werewolf on our hands,” Clyde said.

Many of the team’s eyes widened at the implications.

“I forget that they’re hellhounds sometimes,” Yuki said, then she chuckled. “Maybe if we’re lucky enough, they’ll shred him to unrecognizable pieces in an alley way.”

The last time Ruri got incredibly pissed - not counting the boss fights - was during that fight with Alice. The power generated put Lot City in danger of being blown off the map, almost like the time Goku powered up into Super Saiyan Three.

“While we’re waiting on them, it’s time to upgrade shit,” Clyde said. “No exceptions.” He sat Natalia on his leg. “That includes you, squirt. At least show us the upgrades you made on the staff.”

Natalia held her hand to the side. The Staff of Hope materialized out of sparkles less than a heartbeat later. She set it on the table. Kanako ran a finger down the magical tool, admiring its design.

“I can certainly feel a lot of added power into this thing,” Kanako said.

The loli only stared at them smugly.

Episode 59 (Part 4)

Somewhere in Alon…

Aunder needed willing followers. If the gods were going to persistently make him the villain of the stone-viper games, while interfering with every attempt to end it, then he may as well embrace it.

As if he’d obey the Watchers. He wasn’t some hero, and he’d do whatever it took to survive this persecution. After all, they tossed him into this game in place of a goddess he’d never met. Aunder would die for no one, even if that meant slaying the Stone. He was but another soul pulled from his world, tossed into a death scenario, and forced to dance to the tune of those who desired entertainment for their eternal boredom.

Aunder could have all the power in the universe and still fail to catch the fleeting victory. This left one logical conclusion. A team. He’d decide of course, not going with Dire and her nonsense about picking minions for him. The runt sometimes forgot who was the master. Disrespectful students earned lashings by the discipline rod in his world. The man carried those values.

Now the main problem…

He had investigated Dire’s memories a few days ago in hope of discovering a glimpse of Fatalus. Su Yang’s placement in a dimension of torment somehow didn’t come as a surprise to him. He undid her recent banishment and then asked the ghostly woman a favor. He needed to figure out what made the silver-haired child snap further into instability.

Aunder always knew she was unstable, never hesitated to let her know that much. Of course, his love for the drink always stopped people from taking him seriously.

He had found a respawn doll in his inventory. The one meant for himself. In the menu, the man always kept it equipped but set to hidden. If the Watchers cheated and took him out, Aunder would rise and deliver a surprise.

Sadly, he could not simply bring Su Yang back, not with Dire in this mental condition. Killing her would only cripple the team he was trying to build. The girl had talent, held serious power. And she devoted herself to him. She could even take out the Venus sisters by herself with little effort now, thanks to the training. Thanks to bringing out that latent power.

Just why did Fatalus ruin the life of an innocent woman, turn her into a child, and leave without another word? What could the dark goddess accomplish… Aunder’s eyes widened. Of course she’d do this for entertainment. Fuel Dire with an extreme desire for revenge. The silver-haired runt would brutally destroy her own family with fire and rage.

Honestly, Aunder would do the same. Betrayal was repaid with death in his world. Nothing new, really; however, he wanted no one pulling the strings of his servants.

First, he’d continue to observe Su Yang’s haunting. Would Dire break down or continue to sink? The ghostly woman should be laughing at her after the lashings he delivered to the runt’s ass. Not that that had been the first time she received them. Aunder’s training mimicked the brutality of his own, along with the extensive lessons of honor passed down from a long-dead master.

He wasn’t expecting Fatalus to cure Dire.

Aunder’s mission served... a deadlier purpose. He pulled the orange blade from the scabbard. Electricity crackled around the edges of the metallic surface. Nemesis, the deity-slaying sword.

* * *

Attincusburon, Alon...

Kiko’s nose burst with excitement as she wandered almost aimlessly around the high-tech city. In addition to enjoying the delicious scent of blood… ugh, that amazing red liquid of wonder… the smell of exotic foods hung through the air, pulling in spenders to their respective restaurants like moths to a light.

Kiko wished she could enjoy this with Harumi, Airi, and her sister like the old times. Well, Alice and Ruri too. Really, all of the girls were okay in her book, although Natalia hid her feelings behind that curse. The brat was actually as sweet as honey. She wondered about the taste of her blood…

The dark-haired young woman shook herself. Over a year ago, she would’ve called such thoughts gross. Her mind and body had adapted over time. None of her classmates knew, nor her parents or non-immediate family. Would they think differently of her upon discovering the truth? Kiko and Sazuki’s parents really didn’t pay much attention to them these days. Their mother was a high-end attorney, their dad an important judge.

Her sister worked so hard to earn a full-ride scholarship to the number one college in the nation and, according to the others, was taken advantage of by the dean. Yet… their parents still didn’t seem to care. They didn’t return home early from work, take some time to see if their daughter was mentally sound. Their jobs made Kiko’s own return just a short burst of hugs and kisses from her parents before they eventually eluded again.

Kiko realized she had stopped, staring into space. She took a deep breath, composing herself.

Abruptly, she noticed Ruri and Matsume ahead, walking, chatting, and probably exercising their noses. Excitement rushed through her, only to snuff out at the sight of a man following them from a distance. Alarm bells sounded in the vampire’s head.

That was clearly some kind of wolfman, the person Clyde warned the entire party about. The suspicious budge in his pants, poorly concealed by his coat, and lustful gaze in his eyes meant that he planned to… attack the girls doggy-style?

The average wolfman and werewolves weren’t this unreasonable. Kiko would know. She had met some during her stay at the vampire clan mansion. That led to the only possible conclusion. The blond was a wild one. Monsters that didn’t give a rat’s ass about the rules of society, law, nor order. As a lone wolf, he’d be an idiot to attack at the wrong time, which explained the stalking. There was a chance he had a way to neutralize the women’s movements before committing his crime.

He had to know they were hellhounds - attacking them in a conventional manner guaranteed death.

Kiko sent a warning text to both Matsume and Ruri, but it turned out they already knew. Ruri’s nose detected the excitement before Matsume’s ears picked up the stalking rhythm of his footsteps. Hellhounds didn’t run.

Kiko’s stomach dropped at the implications. She tried texting them again, but the duo didn’t bother to reply. In fact, their ears perked and their posture indicated just a hint of aggression. A horny wolfman would probably be too turned on to use his nose for anything other than sniffing pheromones. He certainly missed the magical flames.

Kiko could sense the overwhelming difference in power. Hell, a quick inspection revealed that the wolfman was severely overmatched. Team Stone’s reputation…

The vampire’s eyes hardened as she made a decision. A passing android gave her a possible answer to saving their reputation.

“Excuse me,” Kiko said to the officer. The android looked at her, eyes calculating. “There’s a man stalking those two women over there. The blond. He followed them around for a while. And the budge in his pants means only one thing for his kind.”

The android’s eyes widened. “Not on my watch. The wild ones are not exempt from the law.”

Kiko chuckled as the android rushed over there. The encounter was not what she hoped… As the android attempted to give an order, the wolfman suddenly barked and delivered an elbow-rush that spiraled the nonorganic woman into a building. She didn’t get up from that attack.

He turned his gaze to Ruri and Matsume, licking his lips, eyes manic. Then he ripped off his own pants to reveal a massive erection.

At this time, there were plenty of witnesses, murmuring and wondering what the hell was happening. The wolfman pulled what appeared to be some kind of gun from his coat pocket, taking aim at the hellhounds.

His mistake was not watching his surroundings. One fist from Kiko rocketed him into the sidewalk, creating a five-foot deep crater. The rapist didn’t recover.

“There’s a reason why vampires are complimented when it comes to speed,” Matsume said, patting Kiko on her back.

Kiko blinked, forcing her deadly instincts to retract.

“Let’s go,” Ruri said. “He was caught on camera assaulting a cop. A friendly civilian returned the favor. We’re clear.”

“There are more androids on the way, I can smell them,” Matsume said.

Kiko nodded. “We’ve got a meeting to get to, anyway.”

Kiko wondered if she’d ever be recognized by the team lead for her speed and strength. Or would he continue to send her away from the big fights? Would she ever truly feel like a Team Stone member?

* * *

Unknown city…

In someone’s large backyard…

Dark was seated in the audience, watching a duel between two fellow card bearers. A man named Pando, the other Jamal. The heated match raged on for quite some time, although the lord of the dark could feel its conclusion.

Jamal still had a monster on his side, a fierce bull with five flaming horns. Pando began his turn with a draw.

“I summon Fap Magician,” he said.

[Field Pando- F.A.P. Magician.]

A porta potty… emerged from a burst of light, confusing everyone, including the card owner. They all heard strange noises emerging from it. Pando nodded at Jamal, indicating a request for brief respite as he marched over to the portable restroom. He knocked softly.

“Umm Fredrick, are you okay in there?”

“…Yeah… Ugh… I’m fine,” a masculine voice replied. The weird noises, like slapping or something, continued. Dark gave the duelists a skeptical glare. They shrugged.

“Are you sure?” Pando said. “We’re in a match. You need to come out now.”

There was an audible grunt loud enough to reach Dark’s ears. Suddenly, white… liquid oozed from the bottom of the door, causing Pando to grimace and step back. The F.A.P. Magician finally exited the stall, a relieved expression plastered across his scruffy face. He offered a hand to Pando.

“Good to see you again, buddy.”

“Yeah, no,” Pando said, not accepting the handshake. “We’re dueling. Get to the field. And I thought your name was Fredrick Andros Potonis the Magician.” He shook his head.

“Sure, but I can’t begin a duel without giving a good friend of mine a handshake of good loyalty. I’m too well-mannered for that.” He moved toward his deck owner.

Pando backed away furiously. “No-no-no, fuck the main phase. Battle phase!”

A spark of electricity forced Fedrick to stop, his eyes widening, his head forced to look at the bull ahead.

“He’s stronger than me,” he said, his voice filled with indignance.

“I don’t care! Go kill yourself!”

The game’s mechanics forced the magician to charge, horror in his eyes.

“Oh yeah, got yo ass today,” the bull said, grinning evilly. He easily dodged the magician’s attack, then impaled him. Fredrick gagged, falling backward, vanishing in sparkles of light.

“Oh, thank God he’s gone,” Pando said, his life force draining from the exchange. “Note to self, take that card out of my deck.”

Dark anime-fell backward. Maybe he should’ve joined Selkie and Myriad on the walk back to the hotel.

They had given up on the hunt for the Falcon in favor of fulfilling Selkie’s objective. Whatever that was. She still insisted that someone as great as Dark continue with training, leveling up, and fulfilling quests. The blatant disregard pissed the young man off greatly, but he took it. For now.

He placed Myriad in charge of locating any Crusaders, particularly the researchers. They didn’t have to kill them, but their labs… well, that was even greater than death. Watching their despair as years and years of evil research burned to a crisp. So far, they’d only managed to destroy two labs, but ooh-ooh was it so satisfying.

Selkie didn’t know, of course, but the great lord of the Dark answered to no one but himself. Ever since that disgusting trap by the Crusaders… the screaming horror of those innocent people begging for help… that moment had changed the young man. Until he figured out a way to destroy Aunder for sure, or aid the Stone to the Viper’s fall, Dark would focus on this issue.

He did have a few ideas on gaining the items necessary to confront Aunder, but it would take some time to gather them.

“Just you wait, you overpowered bastard,” he muttered. “I will pay you back. Then… maybe I could look Izumi in the eye again and apologize for abandoning them. Maybe they’ll forgive me or kick my ass. I’ll feel better either way. The lord of the Dark shall prevail and conquer this sad mudball of a planet.” He briefly thought about adding an evil laugh, but feared getting caught by Selkie. She’d never let him off of that one.

Episode 59 (Part 5)

Nation’s Seat of Alon…

Hotel…

Clyde gave an appreciative inspection of Natalia’s staff.

[Evolved Staff of Hope, level 345. Item class: *Legendary*. *Enchantment: Fairy Dust- every attack skill used will be infused with the power of the fae. Coats you with an automatic damage shield at the start of each battle. Can pull a source of power called Mana from the World Tree pool to greatly ease the burden of casting some of your deepest skills, reducing casting time. Chance to double-cast powerful magic at the cost of just 1 skill.]

“Any particular reason why you hid this information? I mean, where was all this when I was getting my ass kicked, or thrown through a concrete wall?” Clyde asked, mentally glaring at the anime trope. Before he could continue the scolding, his phone buzzed. Well, everyone’s phones buzzed. In the mass text message, Kiko explained the recent attack, which confirmed the young man’s suspicions.

Clyde: Good shit Kiko. And that’s why you’re an awesome Team Stone badass. Hurry and get back, you three. I don’t want to be in here all day.

He put his phone up, eyes on Natalia’s staff again. The loli cheerfully rocked back and forth, humming what Clyde now knew was the Loli Saga opening song. A quick glance at Ming revealed adorable embarrassment.

“Yuki, you’re next. Let’s see what you’ve got,” Clyde said.

Yuki placed a broom on top of the table, gaining everyone’s wide-eyed expression. Then he saw the amusement in her kuudere eyes. She was simply fucking with them. A second later, she confirmed his thoughts by giving the broom a single tap. It shimmered, forming into a black katana seconds later. Surrounded in purple aura, the blade had a cutesy handle covered in rose petal designs.

[Black-hearted Sword of Roses. Item class: *Legendary*. Every 50th strike has a chance to halve an enemy’s health or instantly kill them. This weapon is indestructible. You may channel magic or Ki through it, adding in an explosive edge to your attacks. Increase to strike speed, agility, accuracy, and sharpness. At night, all damage to you is reduced by 25%. During the day, the sword’s damage output is increased by 25%.]

Clyde nodded.

“Nice. Inspection passed with flying colors.”

“Hey, what about me?” Natalia said, pouting. “You didn’t give me the green light.”

“Snot-blower, he gave you a scolding for pitching a fit last time without saying why,” Seth said.

“But he didn’t say inspection passed, dummy blond,” Natalia continued. Everyone shot the loli a blank stare.

“Natalia, you’re just begging me to glue you to the ceiling,” Alice said, voice deadpan.

“All the more reason not to inflate her ego,” Chika said. Natalia retaliated by sticking her tongue out, specifically at the silver-haired girl. Yuki sighed.

“Anyway,” Clyde continued. “Anyone who passes will be free to go. For now, it’s a waiting game for this Palona to contact me. Hopefully that will be quick, because I’m sure not everyone wants to waste our entire month off here.”

Chika’s phone rang, the ringtone being the Loli Saga anime theme song. Ming blushed. Natalia cheered.

Chika frowned at the caller’s ID. “Sorry, it somehow came off vibrate. Anyway, it’s Mom. Sadly, I’ve got to take this.” She smiled apologetically, hurrying outside the room.

Clyde nodded to Harumi, who was seated to his left. “You’re up next.”

To his surprise, the fox girl presented two wands. He recognized the golden jewel-encrusted wand he’d given her. Clyde tilted his head as he inspected the other, a red drumstick with strange purple symbols coating it.

He began with his gift.

[Evolved Wand of Wonder. Item class: *unknown. Item value: luxurious. You suspect that this wand may be a part of something grand. Casting time for skills reduced by 40%. Cooldown for healing spells reduced by 30%. Range greatly increased. As long as this wand is equipped, you gain 2 damage shields at the start of each battle.]

Clyde gazed at the red wand.

[Wand of Immense Chaos and Suffering. W.I.C.S. See? Item class: *Dark Legendary*. Despite the name, this wand was purified some time ago by fox fire, a secret source of power so strong, the gods almost categorized it alongside taint and purity. You suspect that this wand may be a part of something grand. Unknown benefits. Increased range. Any enemy that attacks you or even indirectly attacks you will lose 40% of their accuracy for the attack as long as this is equipped. Normally the price to pay would be a small speed reduction, but for a kitsune, there will be no inflicted penalties.]

Clyde looked at Harumi. She hesitated to meet his eyes at first.

“Damn,” Clyde said, his voice filled with appreciation, which brought a small look of surprise to the pink-haired girl. He lowered his voice, so that Airi wouldn’t hear. “Hang onto the wands, even if you switch out to something else. They’re pieces of something… I’m not sure, but it may be crazy.”

Harumi nodded.

Clyde wrapped up the rest of the inspection within an hour, feeling satisfied. There were very few discrepancies. Hell, he found out new things such as Toru wearing magic and Ki-infused knuckles, Seth’s bat being able to transform into a fucking war hammer, and Noona wielding a whip made of magic and death.

The inspection gave him a better insight as to just how well-equipped his team was without having to babysit them.

Early evening, Ruri was at the young man’s side, tail wagging in excitement, as they walked to Meat Empire. Clyde told everyone that he and the hellhound would be out for food, about fifteen minutes after they left. The white-haired girl seemed to appreciate it, her cheerfulness rising. There were a few people that were annoyed, maybe even pissed such as Matsume and even Melody.

Sure, the young man could’ve revealed the location. They were only ten minutes from the hotel - and Matsume may or may not know of the restaurant. But a date was a date and spending time with Ruri only improved the young man’s mood.

He could only be intrigued by how she seemed to balance acting like a lady, princess of the hellhound clan, and bounciness at the same time, while sniffing the air and commenting on scents during the pauses in the conversation.

“What if I asked you to never return to your clan?” Clyde asked offhandedly. He didn’t think much of his words, but when he turned to the hellhound, she was staring at him.

“Then I’d never go back,” she said simply. “Not because you asked, but in response to the meaning behind your words and maybe the following request. Well, I never smelled the scent, so it would be a wild but hopeful guess.” She smiled.

Clyde wasn’t sure he followed. Having a harem for two months didn’t make him the biggest expert of female thoughts. They changed fifty-times faster than men’s - and that wasn’t sexist, just an observation.

“What if your mother comes after you?” Clyde said. It was another offhanded question, but Ruri answered anyway.

“I doubt she even cares that I’m gone,” Ruri said, “not that she’d mind me being here. She’d certainly want to meet you.” The hellhound blushed. “I really hope it doesn’t come to that embarrassment.”

“Do you still talk with her?” Clyde asked.

“I do… like every week or so, over the phone,” Ruri said. “The conversations aren’t too long.” The tone of her voice dropped to what almost sounded sarcastic, perhaps wry. “Hellhounds only have a short period of time to be motherly before someone walks in on them. Then in a blink, they must be a hardened warrior woman with no room for weaknesses.”

The bitterness in that voice told the young man everything he needed to know.

“You ever thought about using your power to change hellhound society?” Clyde said.

Ruri looked thoughtful. “I don’t know if anybody would listen.”

“Matsume did,” Clyde interjected. “Just keep the thought in mind, in case you’re confronted by the others. You are the princess.”

Ruri shrugged. “Being a princess is only meaningful when you’re there to exert your power. Matsume’s covering for me, but…” her voice trailed off. “They won’t listen, anyway.”

Clyde placed a hand on her head, giving it a brief massage. “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“It’s okay,” Ruri said. “You were only curious. I don’t talk about home much.” The hellhound’s ears sagged.

The young man froze as he noticed someone dressed in a blue robe walking purposely toward a group of androids. Flying cars and passing civilians didn’t pay the individual any mind. Ruri paused, following the young man’s eyes, sniffing the air, and growling low as a result.

Blood gushed out of Clyde’s nose, but he forced himself to ignore the cuteness to focus. She could tell he was a threat with her nose. The young man relied on sight, body language, and actions. His assumptions could be wrong, which would land him on everyone’s shit list. That is, if his analyze ability didn’t give him enough details. Team Stone would follow shortly. Let’s give this fight to Ruri, he thought. She’d enjoy burning off the stress.

“What do you think?” Clyde asked her.

“I have no doubt that he’s associated with that terrorist group,” Ruri said. “I can smell his intent. We’ve got to stop him. Androids may be produced, but their quantum cores give them true thoughts, hopes, emotion, and free will.”

“That’s all I needed to know,” Clyde said, “let’s get him.”

As they quickly moved in on the blue-robed man, he thought about summoning a food creature, then decided not to be a dick to the hard-working vendors. Especially the cabbage-seller that was bound to be hidden somewhere among them.

Ruri stomped the ground, creating a shockwave that boldly traveled to the terrorist. At the last second, the robed man jumped and turned to them. Through his strange blue and white mask, Clyde saw the anger within the man’s green eyes.

[Your party has entered combat.]

Ruri launched into the fray with nimbleness, giving the terrorist no time to attack.

[Ruri’s passive skill activated. Tier 1 skill: Destructive Onslaught.]

Magic and aura radiated like after-images of the hellhound - she didn’t let up on the man. To Clyde’s surprise, the wizard dodged and blocked, but did nothing else.

“Shit, give me time to cast, you mangy mutt,” he barked out of frustration. Could this be the first time they had open interference with their plans?

His choice of words was his mistake. Clyde remembered Alice telling him how hellhound culture treated the word ‘mutt’ as a derogatory term.

He stopped and watched, a faint smile on his face. The hellhound tripped the wizard with a leg sweep, then followed up with attacks so fast, Clyde could barely register them. In the end, she knocked him unconscious.

“Don’t kill him,” Clyde said. “Just give the loser over to the police.”

Three police-type androids were already headed in their direction. The leader took one good look at the wizard, seeming to scan him.

“The wizards just never learn,” one of the officers said. “Good work. We’ll be taking this one in for some questioning before he’s shipped off to prison.”

“So, they don’t beat around the bush with a trial,” Clyde said as they carried the handcuffed wizard away.

“I believe they do, for normal occasions,” Ruri said, “but with the amount of trouble the terrorists have caused, killing so many androids, and ramping up the costs in sheer destruction… Well, in our clan, Mother would probably decide either slow torture or brutal death.”

[Battle completed. Victory! Reward: 120,000 EXP.]

As the duo continued their walk to Meat Empire, Clyde reflected on Ruri’s words about the androids. They had free will. Normally, he would’ve tossed this one to the anime logic container, but magic made even the most unlikely things possible.

When Clyde and Ruri approached the giant restaurant, the scent of delicious grilled meats washed over them. The hellhound’s tail wagged almost at lightning speeds. She’d probably have her tongue lolled out if she wasn’t subconscious about it.

During the delicious meat fest, Clyde wished Tear was around to snap a few pictures. Ruri and the young man distracted each other from the worries of the world.

“I wonder if they have some grilled dragon leg in here,” a man’s voice said as he entered, flanked by two suited goons. Muscular and well dressed with a cigar hanging out of his mouth, the man had his arms around a beautiful woman.

“That’s illegal,” his date said. She seemed to be the typical trope of either gold digger or dangerous. Or both.

Clyde grimaced at the thought of people actually eating dragons. Just what in the fuck? They were shapeshifters…

“Boss, you know they haven’t sold that in centuries,” one of his goons said.

“I know, I know,” the cigar man said. “I’m just missing the old times.”

“You mean like back in the day when we demons would teach these humans how to show some respect,” the woman said.

“Except there are fewer humans in here than monsters,” the man said. A waitress showed the group to a table, thankfully far away.

Clyde sighed. “Yeah, there goes my appetite.”

“Are you going to finish that steak?”

Clyde turned back to Ruri, taking in her complete innocence, and laughed. Pushing the plate over to her, he watched the hellhound eat.

Episode 59 (Part 6)

[Your relationship with Ruri has increased to Friend, Closer level 10 and endearment.]

When Clyde and Ruri made it back to the hotel, they were met with… an unexpected showing: Yuki flaunting her sword skills to a small crowd of hotel guests.

Many of them asked the same question the young man wondered: Just how was Yuki able to pull off twenty-five strikes per second? Anime logic. Well, demoness superspeed.

There were a few androids mixed in with the crowd. The only reason why Clyde even knew of their inorganic nature was because they gave off the exact same energy. He felt no heartbeat through his mystic senses, but… now that Ruri had given him an insight into their cores, the young man somehow just knew they… lived.

Maybe androids were similar to golems, relying on the self-sustaining magic to act as their soul, but that meant… if destroyed, the inorganic beings were gone for good.

Alonian androids seemed to have some kind of obligation to the monarch of this Nation or maybe they didn’t leave for fear of not being accepted anywhere else.

From a distance, Toru waved at Clyde to join his table. At it sat Fumi, Misaka, Sazuki, Tetra, Seth, and Kanako. The genie rushed up to the young man, legs shifting to spiritual tail mode as she anime-dove into his waist. She looked up to him, cheery.

“I see everyone’s started a party without me,” Clyde said, smiling. He followed her over to the table, flanked by Ruri.

“Apparently tomorrow’s the start of a new holiday, so the hotel staff is celebrating now because they’ll be working tomorrow,” Kanako said.

“I guess when you’re the queen, you can create holidays at will,” Sazuki said with a bite of sarcasm in her voice.

Upon closer inspection, Clyde noticed cups in the hands of Airi, Tetra, and Misaka. Misaka hadn’t touched her drink yet, but Airi was already waving down a butler for a refill.

“Seth, Misaka, make sure Airi stays out of trouble,” Clyde said tiredly.

“That’s kind of why I’m here,” Seth said, his voice clearly unhappy. “I lost a bet with Alice and then lost rock paper scissors against Harumi, so I get to babysit the drunk.”

“I’m not a drunk,” Airi said, “and I don’t need babysitting. This is my second glass.”

“Seventh,” Seth said without missing a beat. “I had to stop her from requesting the Pegger’s Dream three times. She even asked for the Jabberwock Surprise. Pissed Kitome off and made her leave.”

Airi pouted.

Clyde sighed. “Speaking of Harumi, where is she?”

“I think she’s in her room,” Misaka said.

Clyde stood. Suddenly, he felt softness and arms behind him.

“I forgot to mention that Yuki had something really, really strong,” Toru said.

Clyde felt himself being turned around. Seconds later Yuki was carrying him away.

“Hey, what the hell,” Clyde said, laughing. Ruri followed, a gleam of annoyance in her eye.

The demoness opened her room door, kissed Clyde, then collapsed onto her bed. Ruri stripped Yuki down to her bra and panties, tossing the maid outfit to the side. The young man placed a blanket over her. He shuddered as a blast of cold hotel room air hugged him.

“I’d like to get a couple of things from my room,” Ruri said. “Do you mind joining?”

“Sure, I guess,” Clyde said. “I’ve got nothing better to do. I don’t plan to drink with the others though.”

“I’m not that good with alcohol either,” Ruri said. “That’s Matsume’s thing.”

“It’s surprising she isn’t out there,” Clyde said. “Airi’s only drinking buddy is Tetra.”

He forced away the thought of Tetra’s soft breasts and the sensation of nibbling at her elf ears. Ruri fumbled with her key card at first before opening the door to a cool, luxurious, Tear-approved hotel room. In fact, they were the size of small apartments, each equipped with their own bathrooms, TVs, kitchenettes, and so on. The young man had a feeling that if the hellhound hadn’t eaten all of the food in her fridge already, it would be gone by the next day.

The moment Clyde stepped deep enough into her room, Ruri jumped him - he landed backwards on the bed. Her lips caressed his as she pressed her body against the young man, triggering the rise of Mount fucking Everest. They soon found themselves naked and rocking the bed. The hellhound girl’s tightness swallowed him as he rode. Sometimes she took the top, sometimes the duo switched to doggy-style. Ruri’s moans were like a rarity, almost as if discovering the pot of gold on the other side of a rainbow. Just without the stupid leprechaun there to kill you for winning the award.

At the climax, he pulled out. Ruri rested on top of him as they panted, but she wasn’t done yet. Lust shined in her gaze as she grabbed Clyde’s wood. “One more round for the road.”

As if Clyde would say no. The moment he pet Ruri, she stirred up in a frenzy, pulling the duo into intense, wild sex. Bliss and tightness and so much wetness - the young man ended up initiating three additional rounds afterward.

“Let’s go check out the bath, while the android fetches your new sheets,” Clyde said after they rested. Ruri licked his cheek, blushing, knowing that she completely opened her guard to him.

Short white hair that draped past her neck, sky-blue eyes, and a carefree attitude mixed with royalty defined just a part of Ruri. The young man would find the depth of her heart. A somewhat cruel thought briefly flashed into his head: he was glad that Ruri wasn’t wasted on Yusuke. He pushed it away. Yusuke had Undine at least. A beauty with bust competed with Tear.

* * *

Friday. Week 4. Month 2. Year 1. Season: Late autumn. Last week of the month.

[Satovian Universal Calendar: Nova, 46389]

[School: Winter Break. Day 7 of 30.]

[Current declared fiancée(s): Melody, Alice, Tear, Harumi, Chika, Natalia.]

[Expecting: Harumi, Alice. Time left: Harumi, kitsune- 5 months until due. Alice, half-demoness, half-angel: 5 months until due. Alert! The time could shrink or increase as the infants absorb energy - and nature determines how powerful they are.]

[Card bearers in city: 8, Ming.]

[Cook-off opponents in Nation Seat: Attincusburon, Alon: 4000. Harumi, Advanced Chef Yuki, Kitome, Alice. The rest are unknown.]

[Blood Ki progress: 100%. Congratulations! You now have access to Blood Ki. Warning! This Ki is highly dangerous. But you’ve been warned plenty of times...]

[Body adjustment at 100%. You no longer have to worry about accidentally crushing everything around you.]

[Ki increased x3 due to Bracelets of the New Path. Ruri jumped to: Control: 4, Agility: 4, Lust: 4.]

[Adventure Quest: During the Winter Break, you must travel to the nation of Alon to give your blessing to the princess. Neko must be present. Her sister is an optional addition but will increase the awards. Beware of the wizard gang around this area. The troubling bunch may be the least of your problems if the Gargoyles are still around.]

[System notice. Today is a newly made Alonian Holiday: Monarch Day. Drink in the name of the Alonian rulers! A city-wide magical aura has added an extra 20% potency to all alcoholic beverages consumed.]

When Clyde arose from his bed, he… felt mobile, faster, as if Ruri’s nimbleness injected a piece of itself into him. Fuck. He needed to find Natalia and hug her. Wait, why was there J-pop music blasting in the background? Oh god, this better not be an anime opening nightmare, he thought. Fortunately, he was awake.

He turned to the side to see Natalia playing her game. She looked at him and smiled.

“Good morning, husbando onii.”

Clyde chuckled. “Good morning, squirt.” He put on the bracelets, gaining a bright-eyed expression from the loli. “Thank you again for these. They’re fucking amazing.”

Natalia anime-dove into him, hugging tightly. “You mean it, onii?”

“Damn right.”

He ended up brushing his teeth with Natalia riding his shoulders and playing her damn game in his ear. Fortunately, she spared him while he dressed and at the breakfast table. All of his fiancées greeted and kissed him at different times. Melody asked how Natalia got the jump on them.

“That’s a secret, strawberry head.”

Melody shot her a brief micro-glare, before wisely deciding it wasn’t worth getting roasted. Harumi tiredly sat next to Clyde and then laid her head into his lap without even touching her food. The young man gave her a head massage. Ruri looked a little jealous, but smiled and continued to eat. Clyde, of course, returned it.

“Are you okay, Harumi?” Clyde said.

“Airi kept me up late,” she said. “Chika and I had a terrible time putting her to bed.”

Chika frowned. “Speaking of Airi, where is she?” the silver-haired girl said.

“Still out,” Seth said.

“Not for long,” Tear said. “Support Team will be needing her assistance.”

Hinako gave the succubus a grateful look. Maki and Sophia, actually being allowed at the same table by Yuki, nodded solemnly. The young man’s current support force stood as: Hinako, Tetra, Maki, Sophia, Fumi, Sazuki, and Kiko. He decided to keep Fuyoko and Naoko on the attacking force because… well, they were strong as fuck. If his lich and the Stone Maidens were around, they’d go on support too.

Nina yawned.

“Natalia, I need more manga.”

Natalia frowned, letting out a sigh seconds later. She hopped out of her seat. “Come on,” she said in a bored voice, motioning for the gothic loli to follow. “I brought a few Loli Saga volumes with me. You better not lose them.”

“Wait for me,” Naoko said, her voice without emotion, as she hurried to catch up with them.

“What are you doing, cat?” Alice said. Clyde’s gaze followed hers to the floor. Neko was tangled up in yarn. A few nearby male hotel guests were eyeing her hungrily.

“Nyyyaa, this happened on its own,” she said, clearly lying. “It almost comes to life when you - ow!”

Ako pulled back the paper fan. “And you call me the embarrassing one, nya.” The busty beige-haired samurai catgirl sliced the string away in one swift claw movement. The male guests looked a little terrified. “Come on, you and I have shopping. Coming, Matsume, Yuki?”

Matsume grimaced. “I guess. Better keep that one in check.” She smirked at Neko.

Neko frowned. “Nyaa, you can’t force me to go with the tit brigade.”

Matsume laughed evilly. “It seems like a certain kitty hasn’t been drinking enough milk.”

Tear laughed. “Be sure to get some good photos for me, Yuki.”

The kuudere demoness shrugged, but even Clyde could see the humorous twinkle in her eyes. That and the faint smirk.

Clyde was a little annoyed at them, taking away Yuki. He wanted to hang out with her. She would always be one of his favorite people ever. He had a sneaking suspicion that she may know. Maybe.

He noticed Harumi was in her kitsune form, her tail wagging as he petted her.

[Due to the extended use of your Head Pat talent and unconsciously channeling 0.5% Blood Ki, you have cured Harumi’s deep fatigue. Normally this status can only be cured naturally by sleep.]

[Your relationship with Harumi has evolved from Absolute cherished to Absolute treasured level 1.]

[To put that into perspective so far, relationships can evolve from endearment to cherished to treasured, adored, precious, beloved, and then worshipped. Worshipped cannot be obtained by natural means, unless your relationship to the interest is master and servant. There are special statuses such as soulmate, alpha, and others, each coinciding with the culture of the woman. Good luck discovering them all.]

Clyde mentally cheered. Finally, a little clarity to this system. What would happen if he achieved special status for all of his fiancées?

The young man gazed at a fifty-inch TV mounted on a nearby wall, playing the news. The others followed his gaze.

A news reporter said, “The palace has been on maximum alert ever since the rumor of a possible terrorist wizard attack spread like wildfire. There are also rumors that the decorative gargoyles surrounding the palace are awakening during the night, some possibly attacking men. This should not be a problem for those outside of the monarch grounds; however, the rumor continues to grow through the circle of male staff and young butlers. No statement of confirmation has been given by the queen yet. Back to you, Nack.”

“We’ll be right back after the break,” Nack said in the main studio before the TV flipped to a commercial.

“Well, fuck,” Clyde said, shaking his head. Wizard gang? Why didn’t the system call them terrorists? Or hint at an organization? They needed information “Anyone else getting tired of these goddamn wannabe Gandalfs terrorizing this city?”

“Gandalf?” Tear said, confused.

Clyde waved away her query. “We need to locate where the wizards are hiding and do something about them. I doubt Palona would be stupid enough to risk appearing out in public otherwise.”

“That’s what you’ve got the support squad for,” Tetra said, smacking Clyde’s back.

Hinako nodded. Misaka adjusted her classes, believing she was going to blend in with the background.

Misaka, one of the most gorgeous young women around, a fucking phoenix, would not be wasted or voiceless. She seemed to gulp when Clyde and Tear – for some reason the succubus knew his thoughts - grinned evilly at her.

“I don’t think Toru’s training will be enough, so Misaka, you’ll be coming with Harumi, Yusuke, Alice, Tear, and me.”

Seth chuckled. “I am not jealous of you, Yusuke.”

Yusuke rolled his eyes, transforming into a ninja.

“What do you want me to do?” Undine said, eyes starry.

“Work with Support Team for now,” Clyde answered. “I know someone as powerful as you doesn’t want to hear that, but if they’re attacked-”

“I get it,” Undine said. “I’m not going to pout like some fifteen-year-old human girl. If Support Team is attacked or if they need to send out someone with magic to a specific location due to the attack team not being available, then that’s where I’ll shine.”

“Yusuke, she’s a keeper,” Clyde said. The ninja laughed, blushing. Undine shrugged. Alice rolled her eyes.

Clyde continued to pass out his orders, breaking more of the attack force into groups. He texted Matsume and her shopping group to congratulate them on being their own party and to search for and tail possible wizards as well as follow any leads sent out by the Support Team.

“While this is a patrol, prioritize locating their hideout,” Clyde said. “Move out!” The team nodded and exited the building with their parties.

Misaka sighed.

Clyde turned to her. “We’re teaming up mostly to get to know you better, if you don’t mind.”

Misaka nodded. “Ah, I see.” The bright look of approval in her eyes was exactly what the young man wanted.

[You have established a relationship with Misaka.]

[Your relationship with Misaka has increased to friendly- Team Stone subordinate level 3.]

Clyde held back the sigh. It was his own fault. Besides, only a week had passed since the beginning of the Adventure Quest. If he kept her close, they’d become friends. Just in case, he decided to be transparent with her.

“I’m hoping we can become friends,” Clyde said. A little warmth on his face reminded him of the embarrassment of saying cringy things like that.

He did not know that at that moment Misaka saw the human within him and appreciated it greatly. She could now relax, unaffected by his intimidating aura. She even giggled.

[Your relationship with Misaka has increased to friend level 3. Great work! Sometimes being lame puts people at ease. You never fail at the cheese.]

Oh, fuck off, System, Clyde mentally snapped.

“Let’s try walking around until we spot something or Support Team calls us,” Tear said.

“Give me a sec,” Harumi said, “I forgot my jacket.”

“Yeah, it’s cold as balls outside,” Yusuke said.

Alice tilted her head. “Cold as balls?”

Clyde wanted to smack the innocent demoness’s father for keeping the princess sheltered. First the birthday cake, now this. And, of course, Tear showing Alice all kinds of videos on the internet.

Episode 60 (Part 1): Actions, Sex, and Heroes.

Clyde’s phone rang just as he was about to lead the group outside. He glanced at the caller ID, curious. Asu? Wasn’t it a little after midnight on that side of the world? No squash that, his lich actually called. He had about three hundred lewd pictures of her saved on his phone… the young man should probably tell her to stop sending them. Probably.

“Hey Asu, what’s up?”

“Oh great master, cutest of all butts, slayer of gods, savior of the weak, great prot-”

“Asu,” Clyde said, voice deadpan.

“Oh yeah. Uhm, we have an itsy, wittsy, problem,” Asu said. Clyde frowned, unhappy to hear that from the lich. She easily handled situations and was rarely discouraged. She had weakened Hijo’s clan before the main team finished them off.

“A problem,” Clyde said.

“A problem, Great One,” Asu confirmed. “Drum roll… badadada-buuummm…” Her voice took on a fake dark tone. “The booby monger herself, the Supreme, is in the city.” Asu’s voice jumped to perky again. “The good news is that Clare refused to answer her questions. But the Supreme keeps pestering her. Soooo yeah. Oh, and she’s rude to the magical girls too. You should come here and slap her on the lips with your pole of justice.” Asu sighed. “My lovely Stone Maidens are shaken - they don’t want to go back to Clare’s shop. I think they foolishly challenged her, my elongated lord, but got their butts kicked.”

Clyde’s widened eyes captured the hardened attention of his party.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Clyde said, voice a little tired. “Fuck, it’s one thing after another. Do you know where the Supreme is?”

“Yes, Great Milk-providing Love. Her hulking power is pretty much impossible to miss. But if you were to order me to-”

“Wait a fucking minute,” Clyde said, “my ability to detect threats in a territory didn’t give me an alarm.”

“Oh, OH, yeah, Tear told me about Lot City being your territory, oh Great Master of Naughtiness Who Should Return Home and Inject Me with Milk,” Asu said. “There’s a tiny loophole with that defense system.”

“And nobody told me this… why?” Clyde said, feeling the bullshit anime trope rising through his throat.

“The spell can detect their actions, intentions, and future intentions with seriously powerful and precise magic. Supposedly, you can’t mask anything from it,” Asu said.

Clyde gulped, realizing the implications.

“You seem to get it now, my great chocolate love,” Asu added. “She didn’t come to fight, mentally of course. Which means she can walk through your territory without a care in the world. I think she’s still under the debuff though, because of my heart core. You’re welcome my lovable, huggable, injecting, awesome master, who should impregnate me a million times over.”

Clyde coughed. His face heated up, confirming that talking to the lich was more embarrassment than he could handle. “Can you use your science-y voodoo alchemy whatever to conjure up something to watch her? Make sure it can’t be traced back to you, my house, or the maidens. In fact, have the data sent to me.”

“A task from the Great Dong of my life - yes, I will get it done, my master,” Asu said. Her voice became amused. “By the way, did you enjoy the gifts I sent you? Masturbate to them well, Master! Goodbye!”

She hung up before the young man could reply. Good thing he didn’t have that on speaker phone, paranoia of Team Stone secrets getting to the wrong hands at the max. Yes, it was the media’s fault, giving away their location, which put the lives of all the people surrounding them in danger, but that’s beside the point.

“Goddammit, Asu,” Clyde said. “How did a genius become like that?”

“What happened?” Alice and Tear asked.

“You were giving us a scary look,” Harumi said.

“The Supreme’s in the city,” Clyde said, gaining the hard gazes of his party. “She didn’t come as a threat, so the territory spell didn’t trigger. Luckily, Asu’s going to create something to watch over her. A drone maybe. It’s going to send us data.”

“Good,” Tear said. “But to be honest, I’m fully confident you can take out the Supreme with one hand tied behind your back.”

Clyde felt his face heat up again. Even if that was true, all of that experience and those rewards would vanish. Maybe even the deed to the Monster Kingdoms. If he used Stone Mode, ninety-five percent of his earnings would be cut. Fuck that.

Abruptly, the young man’s phone buzzed with an incoming text message.

Asu: My great lord of the hidden lewd, I’ve created a prototype magical droid that should be undetectable. In theory. It will take pictures, send messages, and beam it directly to your phone. Please fill me up as a reward! Ta-ta! I would say I’m going to bed. But I don’t need sleep.

Clyde blinked.

“She’s got things under control.”

The young man reflected on the repentance status alignment. Permanent, unremovable, but incredibly difficult to inflict. Most creatures easily resisted it. Since Asu already believed in the Stone, the alignment encouraged her to follow up on that belief. The lich herself blew it out of proportion. Not that it surprised Clyde - her personality was exactly the same as when they first encountered the lich, the object of worship being science and experimentation, rather than him. His quick thinking to take a risky gamble in recruiting her paid off greatly.

“She’s a hot whack-job,” Yusuke said, “but she really helped us out when the inquisition had us backed in a corner.”

“Let’s not forget that she stopped a deadly assassin from that idiot wizard’s group,” Tear said. “I’m not sure why she let him live. Odd for a lich.”

“We’ll discuss our non-murderous lich girl later,” Clyde said. “Let’s go knock out this patrol. We finish this, get Palona to take us to the princess, then we’re out of here. Well, with a plan. Remember, this is the same bitch who sent the inquisition after Tear. And it was HER inquisition that cost the lives of many.”

A glow flashed brightly in the young man’s eyes. Time and space briefly bent around him, as if caving to his will. The pressure he released plunged fear into the entire city. “When I catch her, I’m going to put an end to this shit.”

He let out a breath, his aura receding, allowing the party members to relax and breathe easier. Alice swatted Clyde’s arm.

“Ow,” Clyde said. “What was that for?”

“You’ve really got to stop doing that. Naoko and Nattie didn’t train you like crazy only for you to exert your power in a way that shows a lack of control,” Alice said.

“Sorry,” Clyde said, then smiled. “It’s just the blood-shedding beast within. It’s even worse to stomach than when the Watchers did absolutely nothing.”

“I bet there’ll be nutcases defending them,” Tear said. “The bullshit excuse of them being Watchers, not interfering in the world, yet watching a city of innocent people die horribly when they could’ve stopped it with a thought.”

Clyde shrugged. “At least we’ve got three from their realm on our side.”

“Who?” Yusuke said.

“Selkie, Venus, and Naoko,” Clyde said. “Four, if you count Alice’s mom.”

He pushed away the thought of Alice’s striking mother. Now wasn’t the time to let the pervert within dance about.

[Your relationship with Asu has increased to Worshipped, level 8. Super-Extreme sexual interest. Your faith level has increased to 21. Yes, one person alone actually increased a faith level. The system is unsure if that is more scary than impressive. You have gained 100 faith points for the odd level increase. Total number of faith points: 110. Remember, the last Sunday of each month gives you access to the faith store. The items may or may not change. Then again, you probably love random item systems.]

[Ahahahahaha.]

System, why do you torment me? Clyde thought tiredly as he led his party outside the hotel. The first thirty minutes sucked. Cold as balls was an understatement due to the annoying wind. Misaka didn’t seem affected, a suspicious orange glow surrounding her during the entire walk. His party with him didn’t complain aloud, though Harumi looked as if she slowly reached a boiling point. Kitome, a member of another group, texted him every ten minutes or so, expressing just how cold she was and where Clyde could shove this patrol. Out of pettiness for that remark, he told her to suck it up. They were Team Stone and needed to learn how to operate in the chills. Sure, an equivalent of Earth’s thirty-six degrees Fahrenheit or two degrees Celsius mixed with heavy wind made the young man want to dive into a lake of boiling water, but if they couldn’t handle this now, they wouldn’t when it actually mattered. He recited those thoughts to all of Team Stone. That stopped Kitome’s vicious texting and Harumi’s explosive build-up, the cannon aimed at him retracted.

Their break came when they noticed seven blue-robed wizards, armed with drumstick-like wands, walking toward a technological institute, purpose in their steps. One of them carried a gray sack. Clyde analyzed him.

Wizard- Frodo.

Level: 164

Type: human, spellcaster.

Work under: Kindas Wizards.

Special: Desperate Call of Mary the Goddess.

Weakness: Water.

Resistances: Fire.

Secret: his girlfriend pegged him after he drank half a barrel of strong ale. He still feels it with every step. A sad existence, hahaha.

His name is seriously Frodo…

“Alice, use your telekinesis and go secure that bag,” Clyde ordered. “Everybody else, attack. Don’t kill them. We’ll leave that to the androids that will conveniently show up after the fight is over.”

“Why does it sound like you’re mocking a common trope from a TV show?” Alice asked.

Clyde just chuckled, then gestured for his party to proceed to the ass-kicking.

[Your party has entered combat!]

Frodo ordered his fellow wizards to fight back the moment Alice swiped the bag away from him using the Force. A growing crowd of civilians watched from afar, excited at the sight of the wizards and the group of random foreigners attacking them.

Snarling, Frodo gave his wand a wave, taking aim at Clyde. “You will burn for interfering in our important affairs! Siding with those who only hinder the growth of this Nation. You cannot see what’s happening.”

[Frodo activated Tier 1 skill: Eruptos Del Fire Beamo.]

In one quick motion, Clyde switched from Bloodlight to the Executioner’s Staff.

[Executioner’s Staff of Merlin. Item class: *Legendary, One of a Kind*. Does Dragon and Volcanic damage. You may trigger its special attack: Balinor’s Havoc, after filling the weapon’s soul bar to 100%.]

[Clyde activated Tier 2 skill: Neptune’s Water Edge.]

[Tier 2 skill: Neptune’s Water Edge. Type: water, holy. Class: very rare. Unleash a sharp blast of water blessed by Neptune himself.]

He easily dodged Frodo’s beam of fire and watched as the slash of water magic smashed the wizard to the ground. Thanks to the weakness and his own stats and bonuses, the tier two skill did a lot of damage.

[Critical! Weakness exploited. Frodo’s HP has dropped to 35%.]

“I won’t let you do whatever the fuck you want,” Frodo snapped, raising his wand.

[Frodo activated Special tier skill: Desperate Call of Mary the Goddess. This is a suicide skill.]

Clyde wasted no time and countered.

[Clyde activated Binder’s Hand.]

[Binder’s Hand 6. Type: spiritual. Class: mysterious. Bind your enemies with tendrils of spirit energy. 46% chance to bind 1 enemy. Does no damage unless you will it. If willed, will do 14% damage per second. Able to will it to hold allies. Cannot damage allies.]

The skill was a success, grabbing hold of the wizard, preventing him from casting his spell. Within seconds, Team Stone knocked out his accomplices. The surrounding crowd cheered.

[Battle completed. Victory! Reward: 20,000 dollars. 600,000 EXP. Special Portable Forger’s Anchor. Item class: epic.]

Clyde accessed his Ki, utilizing his newly obtained Area Sense skill.

[Area Sense level 1. You will be able to detect all enemies within a vicinity. You gain a Mini-map to accompany your mental navigation system. Your foes will show up as red dots. Level this system up and you’ll gain more details and range. Example: yellow dots indicating tougher enemies and much more.]

The area was good to go, all enemies secured. As predicted, the androids showed up, took custody of the terrorists, and left without so much as a thanks. At least the civilians were happy, which mattered. From observation, they were a mix of monster girls and normal humans. Not a crowd of rich people or corporate overlords, seeking to make their wallets fatter with cash. However, what the wizard said still bothered him.

“Siding with those who only hinder the growth of this Nation. You cannot see what’s happening.”

What did he mean by that? Was there something going on that Clyde or the party missed? Even Airi and Tear? He’d have to push those words aside as misguided terrorist dialogue until spotting evidence of such a claim. After all, the wizards were the ones attacking and breaking shit. If not for them, the young man could finish this quest and get moving.

His phone buzzed, indicating a text message. Tetra.

Tetra: there is supposed to be a large gathering of wizards, set to attack the palace in about an hour. Get your ass over there now.

Clyde: copy that. We’ll get to the place as quickly as possible.

Hinako: be careful. I don’t know a lot about magic, but I don’t want to see any of our own hurt.

Clyde turned to the others, each of them putting away their phones after reading the group text.

“Their leader has got to be among the crowd. If we can bring him down, we may finally be in the clear. I don’t know about you guys, but not being able to buy a lot of shit because of the lack of having a bullshit license is making me eager to leave,” Clyde said.

“I kind of like it here,” Misaka said. “Besides the license thing, I mean. The technology is nice.”

“It’s definitely impressive, though something seems off,” Alice said.

“I agree,” Clyde told her.

“After what the blue-robe said, there might be more than what meets the eye,” Yusuke said.

“Let’s just find out first,” Clyde said, his mental navigation system marking the location. “Holy shit, that’s far. Harumi, do you mind calling up a cab?”

Harumi nodded.

“I’ll make sure to get one that’s nice and toasty.” She winked. The other girls expressed their agreements. Yusuke simply grunted his acknowledgement.

Episode 60 (Part 2)

Nation’s Seat of Alon…

“I can’t believe he’s treating me like a fetch girl.”

Dire muttered angrily to herself as she seamlessly flew across the city like a wingless angel. Su Yang trailed her, smirking. Sometimes she’d alter her appearance to look really scary, enough to bring tears to the eyes of even the silver-haired girl. She finally admitted deep within herself that she was afraid of Su Yang. She was always afraid of her.

Su Yang looked exactly like her mother, just without the eyes of hatred. Dire didn’t want to admit that. She… took out her hatred on an innocent person and now paid for it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t escape her. She couldn’t escape the abusive memories. She was terrified to turn around, knowing that Su Yang would show a scary image or lunge at her. Her mother’s doppelganger. They looked alike, but were different. Dire thought that much was supposed to be obvious. Then why did she let…

Dire froze when she noticed someone familiar, walking with two other girls. They seemed to be chatting happily, except the emotionless elf kid. She saw Loli Saga mangas in their hands. Their smiles brought a sense of loneliness to her… a pain in her chest. It made her miss the Forgotten Party as a whole. Momo always being nice, Olivia cooking. Su Yang laughing, then being jealous of Master Aunder flirting with the waitresses that served him funny-tasting drinks. Broody Julius sitting at a table by himself, glaring at the world. Dire herself would still be innocent. She’d still be carefree - if only the memories didn’t return. Everything was gone now… everyone.

Master Aunder didn’t talk to her much anymore, Su Yang’s ghost haunted her - even made fun of the girl. Dire’s sheer craving for revenge against her family just barely kept the silver-haired girl together.

Tears threatened to flow, but she forced them back. The last encounter with the witchling in the middle of the group below resulted in a fight because Dire lost her temper after the Falcon escaped. She had no animosity against the witchling nor her friends. She… didn’t want to be a bully.

Abruptly, an android woman dressed in a blue and green police uniform aimed a large gun at the hovering girl. Before Dire could react, it released a searing laser.

Something like this shouldn’t be able to hurt Dire, but that was no ordinary android. And the weapon she carried…

The girl felt her muscles give up as she dropped to the road. Su Yang’s worried expression from fifty feet above… confused her. Didn’t she hate Dire? The silver-haired girl’s time to think on the subject matter, the surrounding warm liquid beneath her, and the intense pain, faded as an enormous speeding vehicle approached. It… was time to go. Unable to move, she closed her eyes. Yet, death didn’t come.

Dire opened her eyes to see the witchling standing over her. In her right hand was a golden staff, stretched out toward the large truck. The tears finally erupted.

“Why… did you… save me?” Dire managed to get out, despite the pain. “I tried to… hurt you, remember?”

The witch shrugged.

“You probably don’t remember me. Not ever since that mean lady cursed us and a bunch of people.” The witchling shook her head, then smiled. “You’re not allowed to die unless it’s by my hand.”

A burst of healing magic shot from the hands of the green-haired girl with different eye colors and coated Dire. The broken bones healed and the pool of warmness vanished, along with the pain.

“My name’s Natalia,” the witchling said. “Remember that.”

Dire could only stare at her backside as the other girl and her friends walked away. The feeling of… sadness and maybe desperation swirled within the confines of her mind. She… wished for friends of her own. She wished she could be friends with Natalia... anything to wash away her loneliness.

Dire stood, eyes downcast. She glanced at… the now-destroyed android that attacked her without provocation. Then she noticed the No-Fly Zone sign. This city was just too much. Death without warning for flying in this area, even for tourists who didn’t know the rules.

This place wasn’t safe. Eyes were watching her. Government eyes. Maybe Natalia was headed to the royal palace. But why?

For now, Dire would have to finish her fetch quest. Her training lectures about honor would drag on even longer if she didn’t hurry. She noticed Su Yang following again, worry in her eyes. Eyes… that her mother would never have.

Natalia’s words flashed through Dire’s mind.

You’re not allowed to die unless by my hand…

She chuckled. That was a promise to see her again. Dire would rather play than fight, but if she wanted a rematch, then she’d get one. Or maybe a cookie-eating contest.

Her stomach growled. Cookies sounded nice right now.

* * *

Nation’s Seat of Alon…

Hotel…

Tessa pouted, then resorted to texting Clyde. She winced at the possible reason for him not answering the phone being… intimacy with those women. Why did the goddess have to send her here to face the madness?

She took a deep breath and let it out along with some of her anxiety. Her old friend was free to live however he chose, same for her. Who wouldn’t, being granted magic in an anime universe?

Maybe I should explore the city a bit, she thought. Her body would thank her for the exercise, anyway. Maybe she’d find some place that sold items.

* * *

Lot City, Satovia…

Unknown hidden office…

The Oyabun knew he shouldn’t be alive, but as the man who held the knowledge of many dark and forbidden secrets, the supernatural community would not easily keep him down.

He looked up at his elite assassin.

“Good work, preserving my body,” he said softly. “I managed to find out a few things about the spiritual world.” He eyed the woman. “Thank you for not betraying me and for keeping this organization running. Six years passed in that particular spiritual plane, so I dearly miss my wife and daughter.” He stood up. “How many respawn dolls do we have left?”

“Only one,” the woman said. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was going to work at first, since some time passed and the circumstances of your death.”

The man flinched.

“That’s right, those damned inquisition bastards.” He inhaled and exhaled. “But seeing you in nice clothing, the office in perfect condition, the amusement in your eyes, and the sun shining brightly outside, means someone or something actually defeated the inquisition. Or did the Watchers actually step in for the first fucking time of their infinite lives to help a dying city? I didn’t see nor sense my wife and daughter’s spirit over in death, thank goodness.”

“Sir, the same group you ordered me to watch, saved the city,” the elite assassin said.

The Yakuza leader nodded.

“I just wish those bastard Crusaders didn’t hypnotize you that day. The moment you shot one of their friends, it cut away any chance to establish a relationship with them.”

“Sir… well.”

The Oyabun gave her a skeptical look. “Get on with it. You never hesitate with sentences.”

“Team Stone left,” she said.

The Oyabun sunk back into his chair, expression grim.

“And took your daughter with them.”

He jumped up. “IMA KILL ‘EM!”

“Calm down, sir,” the elite assassin said. “Your wife gave your daughter THAT task you’ve been attempting to talk her into for so long. She encouraged Misaka to get help from Team Stone. They actually agreed.”

The Oyabun nodded. “Well, I’ll be damned. That could only mean that my wife finally told Misaka about everything… she told my darling daughter how to use her gifts. I’m so proud of her.” He sighed. “And she’s gone, so I can’t hug her.”

“Just call her,” the assassin said.

“Oh yeah, technology exists again,” the Oyabun said, then cleared his throat. “Six years as a spirit can make a man forget the pleasures of being on the side of the living. Anyway, my wife should know everything about my plan, although I had to execute it earlier. She most likely told Misaka about it during the training… otherwise my darling daughter would probably still be mourning.”

The assassin sighed.

“Go inform my wife that I’m back,” the Oyabun said. “I’m going to take a fucking shower before seeing what she cooked.”

“Yes sir,” the woman said then vanished.

“I’m lucky to have such a loyal ninja,” the Oyabun said as he pulled out his smart phone. He gazed at the wallpaper of little three-year-old Misaka, eyes starry. “You make your father proud.”

* * *

Nation’s Seat of Alon…

Natalia allowed herself to relax as Princess Dire faded out of sight. The others seemed to breathe easier. Her risky gamble worked, not that the silver-haired girl had any murderous intent. Oh, there was something deep within those eyes, an unstable woman stuck in the same situation as Natalia, but her problems were of a truly messed up sort. To have her own family use her as a scapegoat for her home Nation’s anger.

Natalia had stealthily performed a quick memory-dive to gather everything she didn’t already know about Dire. The silver-haired girl’s parents ruthlessly abandoned their brightest child for the “good” of the royal family. Her siblings and cousins were snakes; conniving, cold people just like their parents. Dire, on the other hand, was kind and a bit timid, leaving everyone to believe her to be weak. Some of the older ones bullied the girl, others left her alone.

Even when she turned twenty-three, her only friend was a cat that often talked with her. And behind the true form of that cat turned out to be the Witch. And the Witch was a dark goddess by the name of Fatalus. The name alone gave Natalia shivers.

More evil than the murderers living at the bottom of the depths of Hell, Fatalus’s reputation of being one of the most powerful dark goddesses around existed for a reason. How did they attract such a being to the Lion continent? Many legends spoke of a god who once protected it, blessing all of its inhabitants. What happened to him? Possibly Fatalus. Or maybe she moved in after he disappeared. Well, there was simply no point in thinking of her now. Husbando onii counted on Natalia. She wasn’t sure why he assumed the attack on the palace was going to suddenly get called off. Her job would be to detect any hidden third party darting away on the rooftop of a building near the palace.

Sure enough... she actually did. An obvious wizard dressed in black, hiding his face with some kind of… dragon mask?

* * *

Somewhere in the Nation’s Seat of Alon…

“Call off the attack,” someone said. He was a muscular man with a cigar hanging out of the side of his mouth. Transparent gold aura surrounded him like molten lava as he shook his head, visibly frustrated. Well, the busted lamps, tossed chairs, and a hole the size of a coffee pot in the window indicated that much. “We cannot afford to lose any more people. I’ve sent Black Mask to quickly kill off those captured so that they don’t spill any of our secrets under torture, but at this rate, we won’t save this Nation. It’s due to those ignorant youths.” He sighed.

A woman with a dangerous gleam in her eye smiled. “Shall I send Black Mask to deal with them?” she asked. “Or maybe I should take care of this myself. If only we would’ve noticed them at the restaurant before it was too late.”

“We didn’t know they stopped yesterday’s message from getting out,” the man said. “It wasn’t their fault. They saw what appeared to be wizard-thugs moving to kill androids. That princess’s message to some non-existent hero and the queen’s announcement has blinded them to the truth. Send Pink Allure to explain things.”

“Pink Allure is more likely to try to have sex with them-”

“She won’t,” the man interrupted. “She knows there’s a time to work and a time to mess around. After all, she’s been right under their noses the entire time.” He chuckled. “She works as a staff member at the hotel they’re staying at, under the guise of a clumsy worker. She’s watched them, but sensed no threat. Once they know the truth, there is no doubt we can get them on our side. Our Nation depends on this.”

The woman nodded. “The dictatorship of the queen has to end now.”

“When she goes, we’ll immediately use the treasure to fund the other states,” the man said. “All of the junk technology can be used to build up the other towns, form new cities. The magic cores inside the androids are worth millions.”

* * *

Really Long Fucking Name, Alon… [Nation’s Seat]

“I just fucking knew it,” Clyde said after bashing the head of a stray wizard against a trashcan. “We’re being watched.”

Tear nodded.

“I know of one suspicious girl at the hotel,” the succubus said. “I suspect she’ll come to us in disguise or maybe be bold enough to come as herself.”

“That may be the moment she attempts to assassinate us, I guess,” Clyde said. “In that case, I want a preemptive strike. Before she can make a move, we do the capturing.”

“Uhmm… how do you know this?” Misaka asked timidly.

“We don’t,” Clyde said, “but there’s no way they don’t know by now that we’ve stopped all of their attacks. Think about it, Misaka. News reporters everywhere. A team with a lot of egos and probably ideologies looking to see how everyone’s reacting to their stand against the ruling monarchs.”

“What if we’re on the wrong side?” Alice said, surprising the entire crew.

“We shouldn’t be in this shit at all,” Clyde said. “I just want to do the damned blessing and get us the hell out.”

“Should we forget about this Palona and just approach the palace?”

“I thought of that, but if Palona doesn’t come to me, I won’t be able to prove that I’m the person she’s looking for,” Clyde said. “We’ll be shot at by the dumbass guards.”

Harumi frowned. “I’m up for calling it a day. I want to check on Liru and the dragons again. They’ve got my poor sister addicted to the Hero-sama anime.”

“I love that one,” Misaka blurted out, gaining their stares. Blushing furiously, she tried to make herself small, but Tear didn’t let her.

“You’re so cute,” the succubus said, pulling her into a boob-filled hug. Clyde felt a little longing. Tear took that time to smirk at him. Her eyes were inviting. Which only meant that he needed to spend more time with her. Otherwise, she was most likely going to jump him right in the middle of the hotel hallway.

Alice noticed the exchange and shook her head. Tear gave her a devilishly perfect smile.

“Oh shit, somebody’s coming,” Yusuke said, pointing ahead. A tall and skinny dark man dressed in red robes approached, surrounded in gray and white aura. He actually emitted a bit of pressure.

Clyde was completely unphased and uncaring. Mainly because he forgot to use his Blood Ki on the goddamn dark magic book. He went through all of that hell - fuck it. He’d unlock his new skill in the middle of the city.

“Yusuke, Misaka, this is a good chance for you to handle a mini-boss,” Clyde said. “Harumi, Alice, Tear, back up Misaka when needed.”

“Not me?” Yusuke said then playfully held up a hand. “I’m fucking with you; I know she’s new.” Yusuke’s white aura intensified.

“A ninja and a girl. A normal girl,” the red-robed man said. “The ninja, I would respect if you were actually capable of doing a decent amount of damage. But you suck. As for the girl. Why? Just why? I will hit a girl if that’s the point you’re trying to make. Unless she were a loli, then I’d become her-”

“Dude, shut the fuck up,” Clyde interrupted. “Yusuke, Misaka, attack. He’s lucky I’m letting the androids send him up for execution. Otherwise, I’d ask for Tear to Futa-banish him.”

Tear laughed. “It’s been a while since we’ve sent someone there. I’m thinking their leader deserves it?”

Before Clyde could answer, his phone buzzed, indicating a text message. What he got instead was a picture of the Supreme Demon Lord taking a shit. A second message revealed her playing with herself, her expression being… the Ahegao face…

Asu: her thoughts are filled with you in that War god state you told me about.

Clyde was at a loss of words. Goddammit Asu.

Clyde: Asu, focus on the main mission. We need useful data.

Asu: it’s important. But I’ll keep sending everything. I won’t let you down, oh great dong master of eternity.

Clyde: Asu!

No reply. He sighed, not making an attempt to delete the photos.

“I’ll just keep them for research purposes,” he said softly.

Episode 60 (Part 3)

As Yusuke and Misaka battled the red wizard, Clyde selected the Book of Dark Magic from the menu. He had a few others and plenty of extra time.

[Would you like to use Blood Ki to unlock this magic book? Warning, using this Ki poses a risk to your judgment of good and evil or cautiousness. However, you are just inserting a small amount.]

Clyde selected yes. He hadn’t come all this way just to make a last-minute second-guess. The book shook and burst into knife-shaped particles. They rained on him like needles, plunging into his aura and he just knew.

[Congratulations, you have learned Unknown tier skill: Summon Evil Goddess level 1. Type: evil, dark, deity. Class: *dark epic. Unlock the chains of an ancient dark goddess, binding her to your soul, and forming the contract of familiar and master. To activate this skill, you must first channel stray Blood Ki, as you lack any dark affinity whatsoever.]

[Warning. The use of the skill and what could result from it may be detrimental. Maybe there was a reason why the magic book had a Blood Ki lock, baka?]

Clyde’s blank stare said it all. No. He had to look at it from another angle. This creature would be a familiar with no summon limit… oh, who the fuck was he kidding? All he needed now was someone to say, “What could possibly go wrong?”

He turned to glare at Alice, playing a video clip, Tear hovering over her. “What?” she asked. “Tear was showing me something.”

Clyde gave her a skeptical look. She smiled innocently. “They’ll be fine. Now you go back to pulling out random things from your magical dimensional space without explaining anything to we who are not worthy,” Tear said.

The young man sighed, then pulled out the book of Blue Ki.

“I’m just using these magic books,” Clyde said, casually waving something that had Tear’s eyes wide. “Well, this one’s actually a Ki book.”

“Do you have any idea how much magic books are worth? And Ki books are nearly impossible to find. Where did you get that? And you said books. How many do you have?”

“Tear…” Harumi said.

“What?” Tear said, calming down.

“Why did you say that in front of Airi?” Harumi asked.

Clyde’s glare shifted to a Toru-approved blank.

“She’s behind me, isn’t she?”

“Her group was patrolling in this area,” Harumi said as she calmly walked over to her starry-eyed friend. Airi’s aura covered the entire block.

Clyde warped the Ki book back to his inventory. This is why he did everything in private. The red wizard’s protest saved him from having to deal with the super druid.

[Your party has entered combat!]

“A magic book! With that, we could produce the funds to save this Nation,” the red wizard said. “You there, let me talk-”

Misaka took advantage of that opportunity, grabbing his arm, twisting and slamming down the wizard in a spectacular maneuver. Damn! Don’t underestimate quiet girls with glasses.

“Good work Misaka. Here come the androids,” Clyde said.

“This is too easy,” Yusuke said. “I don’t like this.”

Airi, Kitome in magical girl form, and Ruri were the team members in charge of patrolling the area - Clyde ticked that note in his head. They canceled their trip to the palace halfway along the way since the lolis were already in that area.

“Let me go,” the red wizard said through clenched teeth. Misaka seemed to intensify the pain, causing him to grunt. Clyde sensed just a faint source of power emitting from her hands… that wasn’t magic. Phoenix fire? Quite the interesting topic for a later conversation.

Instead of three androids coming to retrieve the wizard, only one appeared and judging by the tension in the air, he wasn’t the only one to sense that something was off.

“Thank you for your assistance,” the ‘android’ said. “I will be taking this one off your hands.”

“Hold it right there,” Kitome said. “You’re no fucking android. And they’d rather shut down than thank us.”

The not-android grinned, aimed a hand at Kitome, and unleashed a fast-moving beam of red magic. A translucent-blue bubble briefly surrounded the magical girl as she strode toward the stunned woman. Kitome laid her out with a single punch. Non-magical brute force. Of course. She was one of the few members of the party who was completely oblivious and unperturbed by Chika’s anger aura a couple of months back.

“We don’t want to hear your story,” Clyde said to the red wizard. “The person you’ve got watching us in the hotel is going to tell us, anyway.”

“You’re fighting… on the wrong… side,” the woman said. Blood drizzled from her nose. Her eyes were already swelling. One hell of a punch to the face, Clyde thought. Ha!

“That’s what they all say,” Clyde said. “It starts with an ideology and belief. Did you not stop to ever think that the androids you guys constantly destroy are actually alive? The core within generates-”

“That’s nonsense!” the red wizard interrupted. “They’re machines. And a waste of taxpayer money. Badly needed money - most of the surrounding provinces are lacking in any kind of development.”

Clyde sighed.

“Here come the real androids, ready to arrest you for destruction of property, causing a disturbance, use of violence and all of that other good stuff. But…” Clyde held up a finger, eyeing the man in a way that seemed sympathetic… the wizard gazed at him intensely, waiting for his next words, breath probably held. “Do you have any good shopping recommendations?”

With hope drained from his eyes, the wizard laid his head back down. The young man silently chuckled. He had always wanted to try the anti-climactic question.

“We could go shop for meat,” Ruri said, skittering to Clyde, snuggling into him. Her tail wagged cheerfully.

Alice barged in between them. “Watch it,” she warned. “I’ll hang you upside-down on a tree by the tail.”

“You can try,” Ruri said, grinning evilly. The young man somehow felt an electrical tension between the two.

The real androids thankfully arrived. Like usual, they wordlessly cuffed the intruders with anti-magic handcuffs and hauled them away toward hovering police cars.

“I hope we’re close to cleaning these fuckers up,” Clyde said.

“I need a drink,” Airi said. “And answers to my questions.”

“Let’s go back to the hotel for now,” Clyde said. “We’ll call it a day. I agree with Yusuke. This is too easy.”

“And when it’s too easy, something else is happening in the background,” Kitome said. “Go figure.” She folded her arms.

Clyde’s phone rang.

“I swear, if this is Asu…” he paused, surprised that Natalia dialed him up. The only people she called were Alice and Tear. He lightly tapped the green accept button display on his phone. Kitome made an offhanded comment about the strange model that he used.

“Natalia, what’s up? This is definitely a surprise.”

“Onii-chan, I have something to tell you,” Natalia said, her voice uneasy.

“Go ahead,” Clyde replied.

Natalia explained her encounter, which froze the young man’s blood. And then she revealed her intentions.

“She won’t attack us anymore,” the loli continued. “I’ve planted… a seed of hope and doubt to backfire on her master. I’ve also cast a series of hidden spells that will lead her to being an asset… well, if I’m being honest, a tool for Team Stone. Okay, a tool for me. I’m sorry I did this without your consent.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just meet us back at the hotel,” Clyde said. “I’m going to need some time to process that.”

“You really shouldn’t underestimate us,” the terrorist woman said over her shoulder, then laughed. One of the androids smacked her. “Ow, that hurt, you bucket of bolts. We’re only scouts and barely trained grunts. You haven’t met the real deal yet. You’ll pay for messing with us - ow!”

“Shut up,” the android police snapped as she removed her hand. “Impersonating an officer of the law will add more niceties to your punishment, criminal scum.”

Clyde gave the officer a thumbs up. He stood, allowing Natalia’s words to soak in once more. Just who was Dire? Who did she work for? Her appearance felt so random, then she left with a carefree smile on her face, although one would have to be cruel or dumb to not see the instability deep within that blue-eyed gaze. But she had eliminated an elder dragon with just one attack.

Even though she hadn’t attacked today, Clyde wasn’t sure if leaving someone so dangerous to roam about was a good idea. Natalia no doubt knew after facing her at full strength. The young man shuddered. Whatever spells the evil loli-witch did without getting noticed must be goddess-tier shit. Maybe more powerful. She didn’t try to hide what she did. Wait a fucking minute.

Natalia didn’t have healing powers. His eyes widened. Naoko and Nina were a part of her group - team brats. That meant that even the ancient Entity, who should’ve ruthlessly attacked and killed Dire, believed in the witch’s plan. He silently shuddered again.

Whoever turned out to be Dire’s master was sure as shit going to have a rude awakening.

* * *

A City in Alon…

Terrance finished his epic massage, causing a woman to let out an orgasmic sigh of relief.

“The cleansing massage is done. The spirit that terrorize you shall never be a problem again. And for being such a good customer, I’m going to cut you a break. Fifty percent off. So instead of two thousand dollars like I first proposed, it will only be one.”

The blonde woman smiled widely, eagerly handing over the money. “Thank you so much!”

After she left the dark man’s shop, Terrance counted the money again before tossing half of it into his heavily armored safe. Life was just too easy, reeling in those superstitious suckers. He solved their issues with logical, mundane methods and made bank from it. What morons. There were no such things as ghosts, ghouls, or fairies.

That crazy old man who kept telling Terrance that he awoke special abilities was a known nutcase. Mediums on TV used the Forer Effect to trick saps into believing in their slimy words. All they have to do is act out the dramatics. Cash! Astrology capturing the minds of the gullible. Terrance couldn’t let those con artists hog all the money.

As he took a piss in the small, paying-customers-only bathroom, the man pondered on his next big scheme. Something to haul in enough money to get him into a decent house.

The TV in his main room flipped to some breaking news. Apparently, the biggest con artists of all time, Team Stone, were stopping the terrorist problem in the capital city. Yeah, right. They were probably getting paid behind the scenes to look like heroes. Where were they when a Cyclone-storm wreaked havoc on the entire Nation, knocking out power, killing thousands, and leaving thousands more homeless? There wasn’t talk of humanitarian work from them. And the shitty media hid the mythical monster attacks, which were just thugs dressed up in stupid costumes, looting and killing people in gruesome ways.

The terrorists in the capital city were only like two percent correct about the Alonian economy. The rest of their claims were simply ideologic bullshit. The cities were just fine. The mayors chose to stick to modern technology to save on costs. Most of the qualified people capable of handling advanced technology and the mystical quantum core bullshit - Terrance sure as shit didn’t believe in magic - lived in the capital city.

Some people tried too damn hard to deny reality, manipulating the masses. Those people pissed the man off more than anything.

When he closed up the shop for the day, Terrance hopped onto his motorcycle, preparing to speed off when someone stepped into view.

“Ah, I thought I felt a strong presence somewhere,” a man with… freakishly glowing purple eyes said. Long black hair, a ridiculous black cloak, with a white shirt. He even had a sword sheathed on his back.

“Great, another edgelord cosplayer,” Terrance said, annoyed. “Look, I keep telling you people that there is no such thing as magic, powers, whatever. You’re not special, you’re just some dude. Get back to reality already, fuck.”

He was about to kick the stand and drive off when the man… simply appeared right in front of him. Terrance yelped, falling backward.

“What in the fuck… I must be tired and seeing shit,” Terrance said.

The purple-eyed man chuckled. “The only one that strayed from reality is you. So, Terrance, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Aunder and I’ve got an offer for you.”

“Fuck off, man, I’m not taking any shit from some Fantasy-Wars reject,” Terrance said. “And I certainly don’t swing that way.”

Aunder laughed.

“My student made me these things called business cards. Here, take it. When you’re ready to be brought back into reality and to aim for something much greater than yourself and the pathetic world you’re disgusted with, call that number.” Aunder showed off a smartphone. “She even followed my orders and got me a phone.”

Aunder turned around and literally vanished, leaving Terrance sitting there with widened eyes, heart pounding.

“What the fuck was that?” he asked softly. “What the fuck… I need to get the fuck out of here.”

He rushed to his motorcycle, speeding off with the hope of drinking away this encounter. What Terrance didn’t do was throw away the business card…

Episode 60 (Part 4)

Nation’s Seat of Alon…

Late afternoon…

Hotel…

Clyde’s glare and intimidating aura washed over Natalia until she was nearly teary-eyed, attempting to hide behind Harumi. Finally, after a minute, which felt almost like an eternity to the loli, the young man relaxed, dispersing his unconsciously emitted dominance. The hotel staff and passing guests seemed confused.

“I sure hope you know what you’re doing.” He laid back on the couch, Alice at his side. One of the cleaning androids, a yard or two ahead, glared at him.

“I just cleaned that couch,” she said. “Don’t mess it up. And don’t eat on it.”

“Oh, quit your whining,” Matsume said, smacking the back of the android, grinning. “As soon as we leave, you’ll be stuck with the dull crowd again. Enjoy us while you can.”

The android rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath.

“Alice, I need your help,” Chika said with comedic teary eyes. Alice snuggled into Clyde.

“Can’t you see I’m in my happy place?” Alice asked. “I’ll help you later.”

“Plleeeassse,” Chika said, grabbing the half-demoness’s arm.

“Aren’t you the genius girl?” Alice said.

“I need a second opinion and you’re the only one who knows the inner workings of the project, being partnered with Chika Corp,” Chika said.

Alice sighed, reluctantly allowing the silver-haired girl to take her away.

“Chika works too much,” Harumi said as she sat next to Clyde.

Natalia seemed too nervous to sit. The young man gestured at the seat on his left.

“I told you I’m not mad,” Clyde said. “Hell, who even is that kid? Like, I know jack shit about her, except that one of your spells is named after her and that she had a temper-tantrum, but ended up not killing us… with a cheerful smile on her face. So, a creepy loli.”

Natalia hesitated at first, but took the seat.

“You know my skill name? I don’t remember telling you,” she said.

Harumi chuckled. “Should you really be surprised at that, Natalia?”

“I guess not,” the loli replied.

Abruptly, Kanako rushed out of the hall, flying toward Clyde, legs in spiritual tail mode, eyes teary.

“Master, help. She’s too much.” Kanako anime-dove into the young man. He had a bad feeling about this.

“Oh no,” Harumi said tiredly.

Airi emerged from the hall, eyes starry. “Just a few more questions. I need to know every part of your genie body. How do you bend the universe to your will in order to grant wishes? Every - ow!”

Harumi pulled away the paper fan. “Don’t make Kanako cry.”

Airi sighed.

“I was only trying to…” She stopped at Harumi’s glare. “Fine, fine, I won’t ask her anymore questions. For now.” She turned her gaze to Clyde.

“Ah snap, look at the time,” Clyde said, moving Kanako to the side before standing. “I’ve got a quick meeting with Tear in her room. She’s our information queen, you know.”

Harumi giggled. “I see someone’s trying to redirect things to our succubus.”

“It’s fine, I’ll wait,” Airi said, “but you can’t escape me forever.” She suddenly anime-dove into Clyde. “Come on, just one question. Two. At least write a journal or book. None of the things you’re able to do make sense. I need to solve these mysteries.”

Clyde nodded. “Mysteries, you say. Wording it that way… Hmm, maybe you would be the one to crack things. Let’s start with something I’ve been meaning to look into.” He warped the Root Tree seed from his inventory.

[Root Tree seed. Item class: epic.]

Unlike the last time he looked at it, the seed now glowed with power.

“Holy shit, this is new,” Clyde said. “What’s-”

Airi seemed to spasm with excitement.

[Your relationship with Airi has increased to endearment, friend, closer level 10, passionately interested and super curious.]

“Where did you get that? And it’s ready to be planted,” Airi said. “Oh-oh! Let me nourish it. We druids live for this stuff.”

Clyde wiped away the nosebleed. The super druid had her cute moments, separate from the seductive and knowledge-craving onslaughts. He handed the seed to the young woman.

“You handle it, then talk to me later about what it actually does and whatever the Root Tree is,” Clyde said. “It’s an odd gift from a forest monster girl. Anyway, I’m going to talk with Tear for a bit.”

Clyde pet Natalia, kissed Harumi, but before he started toward the hall, Airi asked, “Where’s my kiss?”

Harumi delivered quite the swift paper fan. “Come on, let’s go do your druidry. And you’re going to tell me why you’re so excited by this seed.”

“But my kiss,” Airi said, pouting. “I refuse to do anything until I get mine.”

Clyde chuckled as Harumi dragged the super druid away.

“You can get that later, but not while mine is special,” Harumi said.

Natalia hopped on Clyde’s back.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“You’re going to do pervy things with Tear,” Natalia said.

Clyde sighed.

“Why must that be assumed for a conversation between two adults? Anyway, go take the rest of the day off. I still need time to process your plan to use Dire as a tool.”

Natalia flinched, then slumped off his back.

“Don’t get down about it,” Clyde said. “So far, none of your genius plans have failed. Yet.” The young man started toward Tear’s room, but not before giving the loli another head pat. Good thing Ruri was occupied with Ming, no doubt to pester her about the next Loli Saga release.

Clyde knocked on the succubus’s door before entering. She was sitting at her desk, dressed in an incredible nightgown, a few papers and books stacked in various spots.

The door abruptly shut by itself the moment Clyde was fully in. He heard the beeping of the electronic locking mechanism.

“Well hello,” Tear said. “You’re finally paying your dear fiancée a daytime visit.”

“Don’t put it like that,” Clyde said, flashing a smile, pulling Tear into a kiss. “But you’re right. I’m here to hang out.”

Tear’s eyes lit up, a devilish smile curling across her face. “Finally, someone to listen to my problems.” She pushed him on the bed, straddling the young man. “I hope your listening ears are ready.”

Clyde sat up, pulling his fiancée closer. “I’m all ears.” He kissed her. “All the time.”

Tear smiled. “I know you are. Even your little friend below agrees.”

Clyde grunted softly as Tear’s soft ass moved against his super-boner. He kissed her, she returned it, until they were engaged in the heat of passion. He stripped Tear, she stripped him, and he found his tongue gliding across massive breasts. He glided it across another place too, tasting her before entering. It always surprised him how tight the succubus was. Clyde was her first time in the real world, not that he knew for sure how succubi absorbed energy. Some legends say dream sex, some say the dream itself acted as the draining mechanism.

None of that mattered. He simply enjoyed feeling her, the succubus’s warm breath against his neck, her legs closing around him, and the moans.

He almost released inside, all three rounds. Really, the only thing stopping that was thinking logically. Now knowing that Naoko possessed strong healing powers, the young man no longer had to scramble for a replacement for both his main healer and backup. Kanako also had healing skills, but could only target a very few at a time.

The duo ended up chatting while naked in bed.

“Conversation succubus-style,” Tear said, “smooth.” She snuggled into her fiancé.

“You don’t mind if I ask questions that may break the mood?” Clyde asked, his voice half-joking.

Tear shrugged. “Ask away. It’s going to take a lot to step on a landmine. And I have some questions for you, my secret-keeping hubby.”

“It’s not like I try to keep things I find a secret,” Clyde said. “It’s pretty easy to forget things when they’re tossed in an interdimensional storage place.”

“It’s time for that to end,” Tear said. “Some of us can make the objects you discover more powerful, you know. Even I like to flex my abilities sometimes.” She smiled. “Maybe earn a few brownie points.”

Now it was Clyde’s turn to shrug, but he also nodded, understanding.

“Alright. If I don’t forget, I’ll make sure to show you the items I find.” Clyde snuggled his face into Tear’s breasts, getting a giggle from her. He pulled back. “You said you were from the continent closest to the Monster Kingdoms, right?” he asked.

“Yes,” Tear said, “my home nation is called Ceruliam. For a public show, we didn’t label ourselves as a part of the Supreme Empire, but Mother and the Supreme are long-time blood friends. Monster Kingdom soldiers patrolled both our lands and theirs, although they stopped due to stray adventurers that attacked them every now and then.”

Clyde grunted. “Wait, your nation is just monsters or-”

“It’s a hybrid nation,” Tear said. “The human men get along fine with the monster and demon girls. And we have a magical law that makes it so that any monster must maintain a human form within our borders. They also aren’t allowed to attack humans. Not that our monster girls allow the typical monster to do such a thing.” Tear sighed. “Being so close to the Supreme’s core influence, they’re highly protective of men when it comes to the creatures that threaten them.”

“Do you miss your family?” Clyde asked, stroking Tear’s hair the way she always seemed to enjoy.

“I still keep in contact with Mother,” Tear said, “although… our great grandmother is a bit, well, really scary. Sometimes she says things and may mean it or could be joking. I’m an only child, but Alice, Natalia, and Melody are like my little sisters.”

Clyde smiled. “So, there is someone you fear after all.”

Tear laughed. “Trust me, if you were to meet that crazy woman, you’d be having nightmares. Don’t let her looks fool you. And definitely never, ever, treat her like a child. A monster that tried to make fun of her child-like appearance figured out something interesting at the last moment of his life when Grandmother smiled cheerfully.” Tear shuddered. “She formed the knife from his blood, before shoving it through his throat.”

“So, your grandmother’s a fucking murderous loli psychopath. Good to know,” Clyde said. A loli-grandmother. Adding it to the trope list. “You know, Alice actually said the same thing, back during that thunderstorm - about her grandmother being scary.”

Tear grinned. “Even Mother’s on guard when she’s around.”

“What about the Supreme?” Clyde asked.

“They’re drinking buddies,” Tear said, as if those words were no big deal. “The Supreme doesn’t count. Her only fear is going mad if all men disappeared.”

Clyde laughed, before the duo elapsed into a few minutes of silence, enjoying the proximity of each other.

“So, what’s it like in your world?” Tear asked. “You sometimes say things that make no sense to us. Like sayings from your Nation?”

“I could say my world fucking sucks,” Clyde said, “but it’s what you make of it. There is no magic, at least not known publicly. Same for beings that are not human or animal. It’s a mundane place, really. A lot of the things here are myths in my world. Stories of a book, mysteries, or superstitious things.”

Tear gave the young man a skeptical look. “Maybe there were times that our worlds collided and we didn’t know. What’s your world called, again?”

“Earth,” Clyde said.

Tear’s eyes widened. “If I’m not mistaken… I think my uncle took Alice there when she was a child. Uncle didn’t talk about the world he visited much, except that the rules or whatever are different. You’ve got to tell me-”

A knock interrupted the excited succubus.

“Sazuki’s looking for you, Tear. Stop doing pervy things to pervy-cheater nii,” Natalia said.

“Does she need help now?” Tear asked.

“Yes. You were training her with Undine, remember? And why the barrier on the door? Let me join!”

“Well, it seems like she’s back in high spirits again,” Clyde said with a laugh. He and Tear quickly dressed, the succubus choosing to wear casual clothing instead of her nightgown. Well, casual clothing was probably a stretch. She wore things that would make her a target for muggers or even for people that hoped to contact her rich father for ransom.

“Just when I thought we’d have more than a couple hours of alone time,” Tear said.

“You’re lucky to have that, but he’s my fiancé too,” Natalia said. “A pervy cheater, but my pervy cheater-nii.”

When Clyde opened the door, Natalia stood there, arms folded and pouting. Naoko was right beside her, silent. Well, eating a large cookie. He’d give her a pass this time.

Tear pulled Clyde into one more kiss before starting down the hall with the lolis. Damn, he didn’t get the chance to ask anything about the demon realm. Still, the bond between him and the succubus had grown. Even the system agreed.

[Your bond with Tear has strengthened.]

Clyde pulled out the book of Blue Ki, but froze. Should he give it to Tear first before reading it? He warped it back to his inventory. Why settle for novice or third-rate abilities when someone powerful offered to upgrade it? When did she get such an ability, whatever it was? To be fair, he rarely told them about the items he collected.

One particular item caught his eye as he scrolled through his inventory.

[Firestone Diamond. Item class: unknown. This would make one hell of a crafting item.]

The word unknown was relic-colored. Kitome. He needed to find Kitome! Maybe she could do something with this. Or Natalia. Shit, they were both good at magically crafting. That thought kind of annoyed him. His crafting level seemed to be maxed out. Five plus.

What if to level it up further, an unexplained secret quest needed to be completed? That or maybe he’d find someone to trigger an event that could lead to the continuation of his crafting progression.

First, he needed proof that crafting levels went beyond five. He’d analyze Kitome. Shit, he had plenty of time to kill until Yuki captured the spy, anyway. Since Clyde didn’t know the location of the blue-haired magical girl’s room, he texted her.

Kitome: I’m in Melody’s room. Room 3C.

Clyde: I’m in the hall on the first floor. I’m headed your way.

Kitome and Melody seemed kind of like an odd pair hanging out. Then again, this wasn’t the first time.

On his way to the elevator, an android suddenly blocked the young man’s path. A familiar android… the one who watched him and Ming fuck like rabbits. He, of course, didn’t bring it up.

“Excuse me, do you have some time to talk about our lord and savior,” she stopped and giggled at Clyde’s expression. “I’m kidding.”

“So that meme’s used in this world too,” Clyde said.

“Meme? I can’t compute that - anyway, I wanted to ask you something,” the android said, seeming a bit flustered. The only reason why the young man could tell them apart from people was due to the core he sensed. “My name’s Wonder by the way. But you can call me Wonder Onee-sama.”

“I am not about to call you Onee-sama,” Clyde said, voice just a tiny bit incredulous. He noticed her huge breasts for the first time. She fit the bill of Ara-Ara perfectly. Black hair, emerald-green eyes, and a little shorter than Harumi. She also had a tiny bit of freckles across her face. Interesting design choice.

“Then Dera-chan?” she said. “My real name is Dera. Wonder’s my online gamer tag. I play Loli Saga fighters online a lot.”

He sighed. “Dera. That’s my final offer. Anyway, what do you need?”

“It’s going to sound weird, but we androids were created by magic with working parts, if you catch my drift,” Dera said.

“I don’t,” Clyde lied. He knew damn well what she implied, but wanted to verify. He just had sex with his pervy beautiful succubus. Sometimes her sexual energy lingered on him.

“I have a vagina,” Dera said simply. “Since I’m constantly here, tasked to work, and have little free time, which isn’t fair by the way, I’ve never had sex. When I saw you and that girl go at it that day, I just knew I had to try it.”

Clyde allowed his eyes to stop widening. “Do you even feel anything?”

“Of course,” Dera said. “Like I said, we were created by magic. We’re not machines, but something beyond that.” She seemed to wilt. “I just wish people saw us that way. Did you know depression in androids is more common than in humans?” She sighed. “But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. I want you to plunge your sex organ into mine and make me feel good.”

“What the fuck is she talking about?”

Clyde spun to see Kitome and Melody, glaring at both him and Dera. Goddammit, his luck sucked. Even if he wanted to consider giving this an experimental go, for science, that option was gone.

“She was telling me some interesting facts about androids,” Clyde said. “And now she’s about to be sent to Seth.”

“Uh-huh,” Kitome said, not buying his words.

Melody shook her head and gave the young man a Gin smile. “I certainly hope my lover isn’t considering what I think he is, when his lovable fiancée has to fight for alone time with him. Certainly, he’s not a machine fan.”

Clyde laughed nervously. “Pssh, as if-”

“And what if he was?” Dera struck back, Gin smile on her face. Gin from fucking Bleach… the fake smile of death that many “Ara-Ara” types wielded like a weapon. He had just started a fucking war - the android girl wasn’t backing down. Aura surrounded all three women.

The hallway’s lights dimmed, as if the aura sucked at the power.

“I will smash a bot,” Kitome said darkly.

“I’d like to see you try,” Dera said. “I’m sure the hotel would love to hear the sound of human bones cracking.”

“Alright, enough of this,” Clyde said. “I don’t need blood and oil or whatever androids bleed ruining the place.”

Episode 60 (Part 5)

Somewhere in the Nation’s Seat of Alon…

Black Mask tiredly entered his dorm room at Yoo Sawk Deeik College, only to freeze at the sight of his roommate blasting a load onto the face of an Ant monster girl. Ugh… Half college girl, but her tail was the abdomen of an ant.

Black Mask… Andrew, since he made sure to change into casual clothing before returning to his mundane routine. Every day, he returned to see his douchebag of a roommate in a compromising position, literally. Whether it was banging a random monster girl, tonguing her, or getting pegged like a fucking weirdo and being loud about it, his fucking roommate made damned sure to make Andrew miserable.

Today, Andrew was lucky to enter at the very end. Yes, his roommate never stopped when he walked in, ignoring Andrew’s complaints, and most of the time, lived in his own zone. They didn’t communicate. Why did they still have same-room dorms in this city? Sigh. The poorer colleges like this one suffered because the government barely funded it.

“So is the deal still on?” the monster girl asked his roommate, Wang Lei.

The other man grinned as Andrew pulled out his textbooks and paper to do homework. Bitterness at the thought of the rich schools getting issued free, high-end hologram laptops to do their work flooded through the young man.

“He’s all yours, Litta,” Wang Lei said.

Andrew looked up from his text book with a skeptical glance, checking to see if one of his roommate’s dumbass friends walked in. That wasn’t the case. They were looking at him. Litta put on a strap-on that came with a four-foot-long, solid metallic, spiky dildo. In order to make sure he wasn’t jumping to conclusions, Andrew spoke.

“Could you and your friends take that somewhere else?”

Wang Lei’s cruel grin widened. “She takes at least an hour to cum. It may take a week or two to be able to sit down properly, but hey, you’ll have a real reason to why you’re walking around like something’s stuck up your ass.”

Rage had finally filled the veins of Black Mask, one of the most respected members of a powerful organization that was run by a man he believed in. A man who promised change. He wasn’t going to take this shit from this fuckface anymore. This trash.

A knock on the door gathered their attention.

“You could answer it,” Wang said, “and she’ll shove it hard and furious.” He walked over to the door, opening it slowly. “What. I’m fucking my girl.”

“That’s nice and all,” some boy said, “but I’ve been following someone all day.”

Abruptly, Wang flew backward at what seemed like a hundred miles a second, smacking into the window unit air conditioner. He didn’t move, slumping into unconsciousness. The monster girl’s eyes widened.

“What the fuck,” she said. A blond boy walked in, carrying a bat, smiling.

“The name’s Seth, but I can’t say I’m pleased to meet you or whatever the hell this twisted orgy’s supposed to be, but… why does it smell like ass in here? Ugh, dude, did you let her shove that in you?”

“No,” Andrew said simply, then in a blur, he kicked the monster girl outside of the dorm room. He could no longer live in the dorm without the threat of waking up to Wang’s revenge. The asshole refused to just stay in his own world, causing this unfortunate chain of events. Andrew would now have to live in Kindas housing. Sure, he’d have his own apartment immediately, but gone were the days of not depending on them. Gone were the days of being an independent force of punishment.

Andrew eyed Seth. “Can I help you?”

“You could come with me the easy way, wizard, or we can do it the hard way,” Seth said. “The choice is yours.”

Andrew rolled his eyes, deciding that playing dumb wouldn’t get him anywhere. He certainly wasn’t going to let this blond moron push him around.

“How about leaving?” Andrew asked, voice dark. “That’s your only warning.”

Seth shook his head. The Black Mask mirrored it. One Ki blast. That’s all it would take to explode the blond boy’s head into a million pieces.

Andrew raised a pointing finger, charging Ki. Seth simply stood there, smirking.

“Die.”

<Andrew accessed Red Ki.>

<Andrew channeled Internal Combustion.>

Nothing… happened. This couldn’t be - impossible. Andrew’s power level was quite high, even higher than the blond. So why? Wait… he had a strong resistance to Ki. A very strong one.

Abruptly Seth moved in a blur, almost hitting Andrew with the bat, but Andrew dove backward, through the window, in time. He made a vow not to be caught off guard again. He had some magic that would deal with Seth and whomever sent him in due time.

[Andrew activated Jump.]

Seth chuckled. “Damn, I wanted to surprise the team by catching this guy.” He smirked. “Good thing the tracking device attached to him without any problems.”

He started toward the exit. “I love it when a backup plan works. But I’m not dumb enough to pull a Yusuke and follow him to the fucking wizard headquarters or whatever.”

Seth frowned.

It’d take some time to call a cab and get all the way back on the hotel’s side of town. He took one last look at the monster girl and the unconscious dickhead.

“You may be an asshole, but at least you’re not a terrorist. You still should be arrested for attempted rape. Good thing I got the entire thing on camera. The cops will be here in like thirty seconds.” He pulled a round, blue object out of his pocket and tossed it on the ground. It began to fizzle. “That odorless gas will wake you up seconds before they arrive.” He chuckled. “Damn, I love this city. They give shit like this to detectives. Tetra’s going to be pissed that I accidentally took it off the counter.”

Seth increased his walk speed, escaping the shitty college building right before the police arrived. He wondered if the monster girl would attempt to jump an android.

* * *

Nation’s Seat of Alon…

Hotel…

Clyde somehow managed to escape Kitome, Dera, and Melody, but that threw off his plans for the moment. He wanted to get the damned magical girl onto a crafting project but FUCK did that android ruin everything. He even discovered Melody’s jealousy could be a little terrifying.

The young man noticed Chika walking down the hall and gave her a wave. She smiled, starting toward him.

“I’ve been meaning to talk with you about your company,” Clyde said. “What are you trying to do?”

“Hmm, I guess there’s no point of keeping it for a surprise,” Chika said, walking with the young man. “I’m being something my father hates. A video game publisher. I’ve partnered up with Alice and the companies her father left her in charge of. I also acquired a few studios to exclusively publish under Stone Games, including the studio who makes the Loli Saga titles. Ming’s mine now.” She grinned. “Well, at least the producers of her games.” Chika, still bubbly and excited, held up a finger. “I have a few more things in the works like retail stores and other avenues to directly compete with that grumpy old man. He’s not the only competition though.” She grimaced. “AE is another big game publisher, although they’re heavily focused on monetizing and sucking all the life out of their players’ wallets. Stone Games will show them how it’s done while respecting the players.”

“Damn,” Clyde said. “You’re just a bundle of amazement every time I hear another one of your accomplishments. I should probably find something I want to do in life. I mean, I was an education major, but-”

“Only you would be blind to your own talents,” Chika said, then playfully swatted his shoulder. “Hmm, you could always just manage the company with me. Or all of Alice’s companies.” She grinned evilly. “You will be married to us. Take responsibility.”

Clyde’s blank stare only brightened her smile.

Right as they passed a random room, Chika suddenly pulled Clyde in with her. She shoved his hand beneath her skirt. The wetness made him remember the yandere’s horniness.

“I’ve been so busy with the company,” Chika said, pulling down the young man’s pants. “I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to constantly feel good.”

Clyde chuckled. “Then allow me to remind you.” He kissed the silver-haired girl, before entering her. It was like a ‘welcome home’ for his wood. Chika held onto him tightly as he delivered her the smashing pleasure she missed. Her moans were loud and wild, her breathing husky and wanton. And at the climax, she gushed all over the bed.

Then Naoko walked in. Clyde and Chika stared into mismatched kuudere eyes, frozen. She backed out and closed the door silently.

“Which one of us forgot to lock the door?” Clyde asked, pulling on his pants.

Chika shrugged. “Oops. Ah well, it’s an unoccupied room, anyway. Now let’s get going.”

“Then explain the suitcase…” Clyde said. He knew Naoko’s room was on the second floor alongside of Fuyoko and Nina - he caught that by a lucky glimpse.

Chika winked. “Naoko believes we made love in an unoccupied room. Now let’s get out of here.”

Clyde pressed a button on the panel to buzz for an android to change the bedding.

The duo hurried out, laughing.

When they walked into the lobby, Natalia, Fuyoko, and Noona were seated at a table right at the beginning of the first café. The loli angrily tapped at her handheld game.

“Stupid game. I hate loot boxes.” Natalia pouted.

Chika smiled. “I bought her a new game. Guess who made it.”

“That’s evil,” Clyde said.

“AE still has the Hero-sama license,” Chika said. “So, Natalia’s experiencing some very slow reward gains. She doesn’t have a credit or debit card, so yeah, she’ll experience the AE pain until giving up.”

Noona waved at Clyde and Chika. “Clyde, Chika,” she said, cheerful. “Come join us. They’re about to serve cheesecake.”

“I suppose I could indulge before I have to go back and check on Alice, make sure she isn’t asleep,” Chika said.

Clyde thought briefly of Natalia’s curse. Judging how she acted with the game and pretty much all the time, he had no doubts that it reversed her mental age to that of a child. She wasn’t just messing with everyone - this was loli Natalia. Her manner of speech changed whenever she reverted to adult form, but this felt rare. The young man needed more time to study it before coming up with some conclusions. And what about that silver-haired kid? Could she transform to her original state too?

Clyde let go of the thought for now as he joined Chika, Noona, Fuyoko, and Natalia at the table.

It was at that moment that he saw Yuki trailing a hotel staff member with her presence completely masked.

* * *

Somewhere in Alon…

Hotel…

For the first time since she started serving under Aunder, Dire disobeyed an order. He wanted to cause a little bit of chaos, which would make the capital blame the wizards, and push the government to the edge. He wanted to see if the city would be locked down.

Dire couldn’t do it… what if she accidentally hurt Natalia or the other girls? She hugged the stuffed bear a nice lady bought for her, after seeing the silver-haired girl stare at it for five minutes, but she didn’t have any money.

Master Aunder was surely going to lecture her. He may even punish her by rod. She didn’t care. Natalia saved her life…

She... Dire shook herself, the cloudiness within her eyes clearing up. Fatalus had to die for ruining her life. Her family too! They were the only bad people. Why should she hurt anyone else? Dire blinked.

What was wrong with her? Her thoughts felt jumbled… A craving for freedom crept into her gut, her mind, her soul, urging her to break away from her master’s control.

But…

Aunder didn’t control her. He was her master. Not much of a guardian, but he did give her a reason to live.

Su Yang materialized in front of Dire, wordless as ever. The silver-haired girl stopped herself from shivering.

She placed two hands in front of the spirit, causing her eyes to widen.

Power surged through Dire, so much of it, until the aura enveloped the entire nation. Winds and funnels burst around her. The girl’s blue eyes glowed.

[Dire activated FORBIDDEN MAGIC: Resurrection!]

Su Yang fell to the ground, no longer hovering. She inhaled a deep breath and panted as the magic Dire had expended into her settled.

Dire didn’t know how she managed to pull it off so easily, without any resistance from Celestial. Unless Master Aunder was in the building. They wouldn’t come near him.

Su Yang was in the same white dress she wore in spiritual form. When she looked up, the silver-haired girl sat far away in the corner, hugging her teddy.

After spending time with her day and night and invading her dreams and memories, as well as getting advice from Aunder, Su Yang finally figured out how to heal the broken child. The broken woman within that curse.

Still… she couldn’t help but be surprised at Dire’s ridiculous level of power. They’d need to quickly abandon the city before the Punishment Squad was deployed to deal with them.

Episode 60 (Part 6)

Nation’s Seat, Alon…

Early evening…

Hotel…

Clyde winced, then smiled widely as Yuki nabbed her prey. It turned out to be the hotel staff girl who pissed off the boss earlier. Quite the dedication, to take even the boss’s ‘punishment’ in the name of the spy job. Of course, that was mere speculation. No one could prove that something had actually happened in the backroom other than the woman getting a write-up.

“Oh heyyy,” Clyde said in a mocking and playful tone, “look what we have here. Natalia, summon the others. This is going to be an interesting meeting.”

The glasses girl finally dropped the innocent act, her smile becoming defiant, despite the magical rope Yuki tied her with.

“Take her to the reserved room,” Clyde ordered, then he turned to the appalled guests and staff. “No need to worry, the police will be by to pick up the terrorist. And please do try to screen your employees properly next time.”

The staff and the guests anime-fell forward. Noona smiled sadly at them.

To Clyde’s luck, Kitome was the first to show up. “Kitome, just the woman I needed.”

“Hmm?” she said, blush faint. “Wha - what. Why are you staring at me like that?”

Clyde froze, realizing something. He wanted to make the diamond into a ring. It would look pretty bad if he made the magical girl make her own ring or someone else’s. Yeah, fuck that death sentence. The young man could be an asshole sometimes, but that was a low he’d never drop to - especially with Kitome.

“I wanted to ask you to teach me some things, but I have a better idea. Let’s go on a date tonight.”

Kitome stared at him, before anime-falling backward. “Don’t keep me in suspense, dunder-head, what could I possibly teach you?” Under her breath, she added, “And what will I wear?”

Feeling his energy renewed with Kitome’s cuteness and her struggle to fight the inner tsundere, Clyde pulled the magical girl into his lap.

“Wha - wha - what are you doing? There’re people… and her,” Kitome said, flustered. She didn’t make an attempt to move. Kitome’s flowery fragrance seemed to make the young man feel at ease.

The tied-up woman laughed. “Come on, let’s see some action! Fuck! Fuck! Ow!”

Yuki reacted before Kitome did, backhanding the terrorist. Now instead of the mocking smile, the terrorist sat there teary-eyed.

“Do not speak unless spoken to,” Yuki said, no emotion in her voice.

Kitome, startled that Yuki was present, but also prepared to move in to strike the tied-up woman on the floor, quickly stood. Blushing heavily, she sat in the chair next to Clyde, albeit very close to him. The others eventually strolled in except for Seth.

“That’s strange,” Clyde said. “He’s never late.”

Alice, seated in the chair to the left of the young man, also very close to him like usual, waved that away.

“He’s probably on the toilet. He replied to the group message with a thumbs up.”

Clyde blinked. “Well, Detective Tetra, since you have a universal law enforcement badge, take it away.”

Tetra laughed. “Did I tell you that while I was drunk?”

Clyde smiled. “No, I just made that up. Under Stone Law or some shit - I don’t know. Just interrogate her.”

The terrorist woman snorted. “Instead of asking me thousands of questions I will never answer, no matter how much torture you put me under, let me tell you what’s actually happening. You really need to listen.”

Clyde gestured at her to continue. “Enlighten us. And this isn’t a recruitment gig. Just tell us, in your point of view, what the fuck’s going on. Don’t try to justify the android murders.”

“They’re just machines,” the woman said. “Machines made with the funding of the heavily taxed.”

“Is that what you believe?” Clyde said, holding up a hand at Tetra. “Despite your talk and plans of healing this country, it seems that you guys understand less than you think.”

“You-”

“What’s your name?” Clyde said.

“Pink Allure,” the woman said simply.

“That was a stupid question,” Kitome snapped. “Do you think she’ll ever give out her real name without my fist convincing her?”

The woman simply stared at the magical girl, eyes hard, a promise for retribution hidden within. Kitome glared back, daring her.

Clyde placed a hand on the blue-haired young woman’s shoulder. “Let’s not resort to that. I asked for a name so that I’ll have something to address her by, even if it’s one as lame, cringy and edgy as Pink Allure.”

Pink Allure comedically snarled. “My name isn’t lame! And I’m not edgy.”

“She’d make a good wife for that one idiot,” Alice said, “what’s his name again? Dork? Oh wait, Dark.” She winced. “No wonder why you call him edgelord.”

It took everything in his willpower reserves to not burst into uncontrollable laughter. Alice made a funny, despite being so serious, although the suspicious twinkle in her eye made the corners of Clyde’s mouth twitch. He forced it down, managing to get away with just a chuckle. Tear, on the other hand, snickered.

“Only Alice can be that cute,” she said.

“What are you talking about?” Alice said.

“Anyway, back to the matter at hand,” Clyde said after clearing his throat. “Before I let Tetra take you for a spin, please continue.”

Pink Allure told them what the young man heard a lot from politics on Earth. Government this, government that, the provinces in the Nation were suffering, taxes were out of control, all of the Nation’s money devoted to technology, the queen sucked, the princess naïve, the royal family were parasites, blah blah blah.

“And so your direct answer to these nationwide problems is to murder the androids,” Clyde stated, then clapped mockingly. “Real smart. So well thought out.” His sarcasm seemed to bite like a tiger, the woman’s anger visibly increasing. Clyde drummed his fingers on the table. “Tetra, I’m leaving this to you. Yuki, Ming, you two stay behind to assist. Everyone else, go prepare your equipment for tomorrow and take the rest of the evening off. Also, make sure to get these three whatever they need. They may be at it for a bit.”

“Pervy husbando onii, you do realize I’m here,” Natalia said. “Tetra and I will handle this. Everyone else, go. She won’t be able to hold her tongue.” The loli gave the woman a Gin smile. She grimaced.

“As if some little girl could scare me,” the terrorist said, then laughed. “Shouldn’t she be heading to bed for school tomorrow? Maybe someone should get her a juicy or a lollipop.” She laughed again.

Natalia trembled. “Shut up! You’re just a failure in society, taking your anger out on the world because you can’t get whatever you want. Your stupid organization’s throwing a tantrum louder than every baby in the world.” She stuck her tongue out at the woman. “Dummy booby woman.”

The room was silent, the eyes of its inhabitants widened.

* * *

Downtown of Attincusburon, Nation’s Seat of Alon…

Evening…

Seth snacked on trufflets, a tangy and crunchy snack popular with the locals, as he walked around. The young man didn’t mean to miss the meeting, but the fire within just hadn’t calmed yet. Okay, so maybe he was too far to make it on time. Seriously, who the hell thought building a college so far away from the main city was a good idea? If someone got seriously injured, getting to the hospital on time would be out of the question.

Seth observed the townspeople, watching for the things Tetra had briefed him on. She probably hoped to use him as an errand boy, but the young man wanted to prove himself to the freaking team. He didn’t score among the top of the Sato Academy charts to be treated like some backup singer. Although, this was his fault. He should’ve been more open about all of his powers to his team. Honestly, he didn’t understand them himself. Why did he have magic? Why was his older brother, Julius, so strong and being a prick about it? Mysteries, mysteries.

The evening city felt nice; slightly less chaotic than its daytime counterpart. Most of the flying cars switched to some kind of drive-mode. Some people, fucking assholes, beamed their bright headlights with no fucks to give for the vision of the surrounding population.

Civilians carried around high-tech mobile devices, shoes that allowed them to hover, hoverboards, and even walked with robotic pets. Hell, the people themselves were a mix of human, monster girl, and android, although the lack of a male bot kind of made Seth wish he lived here. The creator was probably a man of culture. The blond could respect that. Why waste resources with making two genders anyway, when only one would suffice? And be popular.

Seth wandered into an open-air minibar and sat at a stool in front of the bartender.

“I’ll take a pineapple burner,” he said. “More pineapple flavor than burn.”

He paid the man in Alonian dollars. Thankfully Alice had thought to convert some actual cash way ahead of time. She seemed to be a lot nicer to him lately. Gone were the uncalled for looks of distaste that normally Kitome and Chika dished to him. Those two didn’t understand his style of humor, not that he found it surprising. If Kitome was honest with herself, she’d be approachable. Chika, being the daughter of a multi-billionaire, often stayed on some kind of high horse. Sometimes she didn’t. Seth just could never feel comfortable around her for some unexplained reason. He’d love to place that phenomenon on all rich girls, but Alice, a half-demoness, and Tear, a full demoness or succubus, whatever, didn’t give him the same feeling of alarm inside. Sure, Chika acted normal, although she said some questionable things at times, but still. Thankfully, Clyde kept her grounded. Maki lost her damned mind, too. He just hoped her impressive turnaround would be enough so that she could show the public she wasn’t the same bitch from before.

The bartender returned with Seth’s requested drink. When he took a swallow, he sighed.

“I wonder if I could become one of those badasses who talk about the love of the drink and could claim the love of every hot woman around him.”

“That, my friend, is something I can agree with.”

Seth look to his right to see a tan man with long black hair downing a mug of beer, eyes scoping a nearby hot waitress. Something about him felt off, but the young man couldn’t put a finger on it. Then again, Alon had a ton of strange civilians, so a man like that wouldn’t be surprising.

That’s what Seth told himself, but he felt true, impossibly intense danger from him. His aura… holy shit, what an aura. It felt like a twisted version of Clyde’s Stone Mode…

Seth felt sick, realizing that maybe… no, he knew too little about Clyde’s situation. He didn’t have much explained to him and even the chunks given made no damn sense. The sickness vanished as he rationalized things. The guy certainly looked okay - he was only human. Not the evil overlord that probably sat in a castle, waiting for his agents to report to him. The guy on his side was most likely just the first really high-level citizen they encountered… maybe even like that Sol guy.

Foreigner - that’s it… but the otherworldly vibe that he gave off was unmistakable. Sol and Dark emitted it too. But this guy personified a nuclear superbomb.

Without saying another word, Seth got up and left a half-finished drink on the table. He mixed in with the crowd and proceeded to cross a street. As the crosswalk light pinged, showing a holographic thumbs up symbol, the blond noticed someone familiar running cheerfully toward the tan man, followed by a gorgeous woman with long black hair. She dove into his embrace like a happy daughter.

Was that his fucking family? No. That silver-haired brat had attacked them back in Ring City. What the hell was she doing here? Oh fuck…

Now everything made sense. Her ridiculous, outrageous strength came from that man. Her master. What was her name again… Dire? The pieces began to click. That fucking brat worked for the dude Clyde had to kill.

Abruptly, all three of them looked in Seth’s direction. His bowels threatened to break their chains, but he held it together. They started toward him. He was pretty far, but only an idiot wouldn’t catch the implications. He’d seen too much for something like that.

Seth moved faster, staying mixed with the crowd, always moving forward. He increased the distance. Or so he hoped. He just happened to look into the air, following the gazes of some civilians, to spot Dire flying.

[Seth activated Special tier skill: Speed Enhancement of Usain Del Bolt.]

[Seth’s speed, agility, and dexterity have dramatically increased for a short time. Warning, the use of this will drain afterward.]

He blurred through the crowd, refusing to let them catch him.

“Oh no, the recruit’s getting away,” he heard Dire yell. “Wait. I want to give you our card. Waaah.”

“Cry all you want, stupid brat, I’m not stopping,” Seth said, increasing his speed. The output of magic sadly started to fizzle, Dire still in the air. Shit, what if the other two planned to corner him? Fuck fuck fuck. Why couldn’t he learn that teleporting magic that Clyde and Tear wielded like fucking swords?

Seth dashed around the corner, bumping past androids and people. He found his hopes ahead. The No-Fly Zone. The damned government failed to actually warn tourists about it and for some reason, rumors couldn’t reach everyone in time. So many got seriously injured when the militant androids blasted them to the ground. There were even rumors of death simply because no one bothered to call an ambulance.

Just fifty meters or so ahead; Seth could make it. He looked behind him, but… Dire was gone. She definitely knew about this place, and didn’t want to come anywhere near it. The young man frowned. He wanted to see if the lasers would even damage her.

If anything, they’d probably be just a distraction, like an annoying mosquito. What a fucking interesting night.

“I can’t risk running into them again,” Seth said, pulling out his phone. He called a taxi and then texted the others.

Seth: I’m on my way. Whatever you do, don’t go outside. Someone more dangerous than Clyde is roaming around with that fucking Dire brat. His aura feels like a twisted version of Clyde’s stone mode. I’m not kidding around guys.

Seth pressed send, then put away his phone.

“We’re about to leave the city, maybe in a minute,” a familiar child’s voice said. “But take this.”

“I don’t want anything from you,” Seth said, his voice dark.

“Oh, I think I’ve seen you before,” Dire said. “You’re one of Natalia’s friends.” She looked around as if to make sure… her master wasn’t around. Then her voice lowered. What she said next shocked and confused the holy fuck out of Seth. It just didn’t make sense. “I’ll tell Master I lost you. I should be able to make him forget about the city. Tell Natalia I said thank you… I’d like to be friends with her.” Dire bowed. “My Master is super dangerous, so take a cab home and don’t come outside for the rest of tonight. Relay that to your friends. We’ll be gone in a few, but Su Yang will stay behind a little longer to search for what Master calls potential recruits.”

Dire started to walk away.

“Why did you tell me all of that?” Seth said.

“Because Natalia saved my life,” Dire said. “Master said to always repay your debts with honor. Of course, that was after a really long and boring lecture.”

The silver-haired kid launched into the air and flew off, surrounded in a light-blue aura.

“Dammit, I should’ve asked since when could she fucking fly,” Seth said, causing the dog next to him to anime-fall.

Despite the encounter, Dire seemed to be true to her word, because Seth made it back to the hotel without incident. Clyde thankfully had the others gathered.

They grimly listened to him explain his entire day, starting with his chase of the black wizard to his latest encounter and Dire’s words.

He turned to Natalia.

“Any particular reason why you didn’t just let the bundle of death die? I mean, I’m not one to judge your intellect, I know you’re normally a genius girl, but that was perhaps the stupidest thing you’ve ever done. Yet it saved me from getting abducted by fucking Steroid Satan.”

Harumi softly facepalmed. Clyde sighed.

“By the way, who the hell is that and why does she look like she’s been crying at an S and M funeral?” Seth asked, pointing at the woman on the floor that was sitting against the wall, tied up with thick rope.

“She’s… a special friend,” Clyde said. “Don’t worry about her. The androids will be picking her up in a few.”

Seth nodded. “I see.”

“Let’s not glaze over the fact at how fucking awesome you did today,” Clyde said. “Hell, even the crying woman over there is frightened.”

“So, are we going to raid it or what?” Seth said.

“Nah, let’s anonymously give it to the Royal Army,” Clyde said, laughing, possibly being sarcastic. He stopped when he noticed his team simply staring at him. Or… behind him? “What?”

“She’s hot,” Seth said, “but I think that’s a fucking gargoyle.”

The gargoyle monster girl smiled.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just scoping out my partner for the night. Seeing how you were just praised, blond boy-”

“I’m worn out,” Seth interrupted, “and I’m covered in sweat. You don’t want this. TORU, I FOUND SOMETHING.”

Everyone’s phones buzzed.

Toru: I’m not falling for that. Whatever you found can wait until the morning.

“Dude… so is there any particular reason why Toru’s excused from this meeting?” Seth asked.

“Fumi got food poisoning, so he’s looking after her,” Clyde said, turning around to the monster girl. The open window ahead and the trembling terrorist on the floor said everything. How the fuck did no one notice?

Seth scoped every inch of the naked gray woman who stood about five feet tall. She had bat-like wings that matched the color of her skin. Same for the long tail. She could be easily mistaken as a cosplaying model. Then again, the same went for many monster girls.

“Don’t underestimate me,” the gargoyle said, aura pouring from her.

Episode 61 (Part 1): Strides

Evening…

Someone in the Nation’s Seat…

Maverick puffed his cigar and stroked his chin. He did that for a minute until at last deciding something. He pulled off his shades to stare at Black Mask with impassive, heartless eyes that glowed gold.

“Black Mask, what was it you told me?” Maverick asked. “You proposed a question. If strength is justice and then is powerlessness a crime?” He stood from his desk. “Tonight, I want you to prove yourself. Go talk with the princess. Open her mind to the reality of this Nation. Use your special ability to deal with anyone who gets in your way. Just remember your limits with it. Give me your vow again.”

“If subjects are to follow, the king must move. The king cannot get them to follow by abusing his power. Without the people, there is no king.”

Maverick nodded. “Think on that the next time you consider using Ki to pop someone’s head off. I’m glad you didn’t waste your special ability and command him to do something humiliating. We are professionals, not high school children. Remember that, Black Mask, or else I’ll strip away your title and send you back to the scouts. Now, go do your job and show me that we can make this Nation change.”

“Yes sir!” Black Mask said. He saluted, about-faced and marched out the door.

Maverick puffed his cigar. “It’s always the young ones that fuck up a plan,” he said to a guard standing at the door. “Not because they’re idiots, but only through misguidance. Black Mask has talent, but not the charisma and humility for a figurehead. Not yet. He must forge that shit through will and fire.”

Abruptly, a blue robe rushed into Maverick’s office.

“Sir, Pink Allure was captured by Team Stone. They’ve notified the android police and they should be arriving in less than twenty minutes.”

“Fuck!” Maverick stood. “Where is Layla?”

“She set off to rescue her,” the blue robe said. “She was the one that sent me to relay the message.”

Maverick put out his cigar in the ashtray. “Fine. Since Team Stone will not comply, they are on the side of the government. We’ll send the gold robes to deal with them. Get them mobilized now. Tomorrow I want them dead, unless, of course, Black Mask’s plan succeeds. We won’t have to waste any resources on those outsiders.”

“Sir! I’ll go let the gold robe leaders know.”

Maverick shook his head after the blue robe left. He had invested way too much for some ignorant foreigners to ruin his plans now.

Alon’s economy depended on his actions alone.

* * *

Hotel….

Night…

Gargoyle- Yasha.

Level: 532

Type: Monster.

Work under: N/A.

Special: Rock Solid All Night Love! [Gargoyles will rock you all night, but turn to stone during the day. You will too if you’re in the middle of some outdoor loving. The good news is that you’d feel the sex and be able to communicate with the gargoyle until the sun went down. At night, the party begins again.]

Weaknesses: holy, ice, physical, solar x 5000 (chance of turning a gargoyle to stone).

Resistances: all magic except ice and holy.

Secret: she’s absolutely terrified of the sun and hides in a dark, anti-sun building during the day, while her fellow gargoyles accepted petrification as a part of their lives.

“A power level of five hundred thirty two,” Clyde said, “damn.”

Yasha grinned. “Now that you know the deal, who’s going to volunteer? We’ve got a long, fun night.”

The few hotel guests that were still out watched in fascination.

“You idiots may want to go,” Kitome said to them, “unless dying is on your night’s agenda.” She was in magical girl form.

Thankfully they got the memo and fled the main lobby.

“Welp, another big fish to face like usual,” Seth said.

“A mini-boss,” Clyde said.

Seeming annoyed at being taken so lightly, the gargoyle lurched at Kitome.

[Your party has entered combat!]

Kitome nimbly dodged, even performing a cartwheel, before returning fire using her cutesy wand.

[Kitome activated Silver tier skill: Silent Heartbreaker Explosion.]

Yasha tried to dodge - she had the nimbleness, but Kitome’s heart bomb actually honed in on her like a missile.

[Yasha’s HP has dropped to 940% of 980%.]

Yasha blurred toward Kitome, snarling. The blue-haired magical girl dodged her punches and blocked her kicks. She didn’t anticipate the tail grabbing her by the leg and slamming the young woman into the wall.

[Kitome’s HP has dropped to 130% of 250%. Her magical barriers still hold fine.]

Clyde still stood in place, arms folded, just watching the scrapple. Then he remembered the creature’s level was much higher. Since wizards were more than likely going to attack them, Team Stone needed to conserve their energy. He also wouldn’t be surprised if they sent someone to attempt to rescue Pink Allure. Yuki set a special trap just for that occasion.

The young man warped Bloodlight from his inventory, preparing to cast its solar special that would surely one-shot Yasha.

Kitome’s attacking intensified.

[Kitome activated Gold tier skill: Magnifying Solar Ray.]

Despite the attack being a golden beam, rare for Kitome, it still gave off tiny floating hearts. Yasha dodged it, but from the utter terror in her eyes, she knew that skill was concentrated solar magic.

“No, no, no,” she said, then in one large leap, jumped out the open window. The sound of fading flapping signified a flee.

[Battle completed! Victory? Reward: nothing. Your quarry ran.]

“Wellllll, that was a bit anti-climactic,” Noona said.

“You can say that again,” Fuyoko said, pushing past Amina and Nina. Neko, Ako, peeked from the hall, Maki, Sophia, and Hinako behind them.

Airi sighed. “Damn. I was seconds away from unbinding her from this plane. Ah well, it’s good to see Kitome kick ass.”

“Let me guess, you have questions,” Kitome said, her frown deepening.

“Nope, Kitome, I’ve known you long enough not to bother. You’re more stubborn than the elves,” Airi said. “However, I think I’ll switch from asking questions to just observing. Feel free to come to me of your own accord, everyone.” She winked.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the wise and great druid?” Clyde asked. “I mean you don’t have the wise old man thing going on, but you know how the movies are.”

Airi snorted in amusement.

“What’s taking those damn android police so long?” Alice asked.

“Never mind that,” someone said.

They turned to see Dera walking toward them, a serious expression on her face. Then she grabbed Kitome’s hands, eyes starry.

“You had cute little hearts floating from your beam. And all of your attacks were so cute. My sensors detected a skill called Adorable Wink. You’ve used it only once. Come o-”

Kitome attempted to shove her away, but the android was all over the young woman. “Get off me, you bucket of bolts.”

Kitome dashed behind Clyde. “Do something about her.”

Dera gave him a Gin smile. The young man secretly hoped she’d say, ‘ara ara.’ She made groping gestures toward the magical girl.

“See. She’s clearly defective,” Kitome said.

“Alright, alright, enough playing around.” Clyde turned to Yuki. “Do you mind giving this place a quick rewind?” He looked thoughtful. “You know, we should figure out a way to create a portable barrier for every hotel we travel to. I’m really getting tired of-”

Clyde and Kitome immediately turned to the new intruder that hopped through the window, landing at the side of the tied-up terrorist.

“No, Layla, it’s a tra-”

Yuki actually gave a small snort of amusement as tendrils of magic burst from Pink Allure’s ropes and tangled themselves around a familiar woman.

“Hey, I’ve seen you before,” Ruri said. “You’re that gold digger lady from the restaurant.”

“I’m not a gold digger lady,” Layla snapped, struggling with the ropes. Yuki walked over and pulled off her mask. Tear took pictures.

“Upload them,” Natalia said. “Just in case the booby cow lady escapes.”

“You know, I found the man you were with off-putting, but only assumed that he was some kind of CEO or bigshot,” Clyde said. “He probably is, and is either leading or backing the terrorists.” He grinned. “Bold of you guys to go out in public.” Clyde stretched. “Ah, I love it when a plan works. The gargoyle wasn’t a part of it, but hey, we have a masked voluptuous woman to turn over to the cops.”

Clyde walked over and knelt at her side.

“You charged in here, believing that you could easily beat a bunch of amateurs. But honestly, you’re a fucking idiot.” He shook his head. “Did your spies not give you our numbers? How arrogant can one be to just charge in here… never mind. Let’s hurry up and get them to a room before some bullshit Deus Ex Machina happens for them.”

Alice shot him a blank stare.

“What?” Clyde asked.

“Oh nothing,” the half-demoness said.

Dera twirled over to Clyde.

“My sensors detect the approach of lifeforms in vehicles, but the androids…” her voice softened to sadness. “Were destroyed.”

Layla grinned. “I didn’t come alone.”

“So, what’s to stop me from just killing you now?” Clyde asked, causing her to flinch. He wasn’t in the mood for giving the terrorists handouts. “We’ll handle this. Dera.” He looked into the android’s eyes. Life-filled, glistening eyes. “Your kind are just as alive as we are.” He did take notice of her gasp as Clyde turned to give Team Stone orders.

“Wipe them out,” Clyde said. “No mercy. Protect this hotel, its guests, and make damned sure they don’t pull that bullshit where they somehow end up barely escaping with our prisoners. Remember, they are terrorists and the killing kind.”

“You don’t have to tell us twice,” Chika said. “In fact, just leave it all to me.”

Clyde laughed. “Noona, give her all the buffs she needs.”

Noona nodded. “Okay. Oh - why didn’t I dress up as a fairy godmother?”

Seth whispered to Clyde, “Did you, like, roleplay things when you had sex with Noona? Is she your horse and you, her cowboy?” He performed a terrible motion of a horseback rider, grinning.

Clyde actually anime-fell to the side.

* * *

Smaller city of Alon…

Night…

Terrance parked his motorcycle, then took one look around the grocery store’s parking lot. It was just a quiet night with few cars, one or two people trailing in and out of the building, handling everyday matters. Where the fuck was his client? He wouldn’t be surprised if she turned out to be a hoax. His own services were simply mundane under the bullshit guise of an implied, but not declared psychic. Sure, he delivered better results than the quacks, but every method could be done by anyone with the proper schooling and training.

And Terrance educated himself in as many things as possible, including the high-end technology from the Nation’s Seat.

“Are you him?” someone asked from behind Terrance. He flinched, turning around to see a woman dressed in some kind of gray and white robe with a golden cross on the left breast.

“Are you Nurin?” he asked.

“That’s my code name,” she said. “Others call me Crusader Researcher Tiffia.”

Terrance’s eyes widened. His day just had to get weirder. First that strange man with the long hair, handing him some kind of business card, and now a Crusader. Why? Just why was this shit happening to him? He didn’t believe in the supernatural, but at that moment, the man considered the concept of karma.

“What do you want, Crusader?” Terrance asked.

Tiffia’s smile brightened. “It’s not about what I want, but the will of the Great Ones. You’re psychic filth, dabbling in forces without permission. I offer you a cleansing out of kindness.”

“I never claimed to be a psychic,” Terrance said. “I offer services. Nothing more, nothing less. A businessman. Not that you would understand the concept of such a thing.”

Tiffia shook her head and poked Terrance’s nose, her smile odd and cheerful. The deadly aura stripped away the playful woman illusion.

“Terrance, Terrance. Oh, yes, don’t look surprised, we know your name. We dug deep into your past. We know all about you. After all, the old man who kept telling you about yourself is actually one of us. Also, I didn’t give you a choice.”

Episode 61 (Part 2)

Nation’s Seat of Alon…

Hotel parking lot…

Clyde wasn’t sure why he came up with this idea, but he figured if they were going to patiently wait for them to arrive, why not hide behind the vehicles outside? Dera gave him a surprisingly high probability of the plan working, so he went with it. The young man told everyone to be on the lookout for any gargoyles flying through the air. After that last encounter, he just wanted to avoid fighting them period. If he took one down in Stone Mode, then the young man would lose ninety-five percent of the rewards. Outside of that, they were simply too high-level - and sure, his large team would take it out eventually by working together, but that wasn’t the point. The risk of the monster inflicting a surprise attack and seriously injuring one of his friends was there.

The young man tilted his head. He had a list of spells, but really… he needed to improve his technique. Stone Mode would be a last resort for anything unforeseen - the usual. However, from here on out, Clyde decided he’d not pick unnecessary fights. Not that he did on purpose. From the beginning, it always seemed like no matter what choices he made, at the end of the road stood either a high-level Entity, a legendary beast, a pseudo deity, or hell, even a dark god. And speaking of legendary beast… wait. A gargoyle, casually walking around with such strength, had to be under some kind of classification. It had a detrimental weakness, but Kitome couldn’t land her spell. Well, to be fair, the gargoyle had come out of nowhere and they had to defend themselves. Fuck that. You win some; you lose some by running, but live to fight another day. Team Stone would not always be able to rely on him going god mode all the time. That didn’t mean he’d not use his own powers. They were something he was born with; however, a strategy set in place just in case the system decided to fuck him over wouldn’t hurt.

Clyde examined his list of spells through his mind’s eye. They were evolvable, even if they didn’t show a level. What if he selected a set few before each battle and utilized them in creative ways?

A lightbulb exploded in the young man’s head as he silently changed the way he’d fight from here on out. First, he turned on his Area sense so that the mini-map would show.

[Your Area Sense has increase to level 2. Keep at it!]

[Area Sense level 2. You will be able to detect all enemies within a vicinity. You gain a Mini-map to accompany your mental navigation system. Your foes will show up as red dots. Level this system up and you’ll gain more details and range. Example: yellow dots indicating tougher enemies and much more.]

So far, nothing showed up, so he resumed reforming himself. System, can you set all the buffs to auto-activate before battle? he thought. He normally did them manually, but taking that tidbit off his mind would be nice. The system complied.

[All current buffs will automatically activate at the start of each battle.]

[Quick Meditation: once per cooldown, you can boost random stats. The buffs will last for up to two hours.]

[Mystic Meditation: once per cooldown, you can boost speed, will, and composure. This buff will last up to 2.5 hours.]

He felt the power surging already. Good. Instead of making up half-baked strategies as he went, the young man would attempt a few things: overwhelm foes, fight dirty, and other nasty surprises. He chuckled. Battle could be a lot less tedious.

Just then, Clyde saw a mass of red dots moving quickly toward the hotel. The wizards had no idea they were hiding. To make matters even more complicated for them, the young man cast another surprise.

[Clyde activated Summon Mist.]

[Summon Mist: Type: water. Class: uncommon. Summon a thick mist that can cover an area the size of a small town. You and your allies will be able to see 40% better than any enemies. Warning, this is useless against enemies that do not rely on vision.]

Uncommon class his ass, this ability felt like gold to Clyde and something he should’ve utilized more. Then again, the young man was certain that most of his enemies didn’t rely on vision. But the wizards were human…

His team watched him, felt his buffs and resolve, and waited for his signal. Support Team, of course, hid on the now-repaired bus, all lights off. The hotel guests were evacuated from the building. The young man had to tell them the truth. That the android police were killed and terrorists were on the way. Of course, they heard most of it anyway from Pink Allure herself. And speaking of the tied up, he left the prisoners out in the open, secured. Tear muted them with magic so they wouldn’t give away the dozens of traps Yuki had taken the time to set up. And to add more to their calamity of shittiness, they now had to deal with a new, thick mist.

[Your party has entered combat!]

“Get ready,” Clyde said. “We’re going to take them out with no injuries. Be tactical or something. Don’t be stupid. I won’t be using Stone Mode except as a last resort. Got it?”

Everyone nodded. Alice smiled. “I can see your ideas in my head,” she said.

“You can?” Clyde asked, surprised.

[You have unlocked Soul Mate Passive- Duo Sync. Type: spiritual. Class: ??? You may send combat strategies to Alice directly from your head during or even before battle. This will be automatically extended to any wife. And only wives. Chances of duo-attacks increased by 10%.]

Sheesh, at this rate, Seth and Toru and any non-harem member would end up on the Support Team. Although Seth on support wasn’t a bad idea. He’d found their headquarters. They’d raid it after learning as much as possible. The police were useless against the enemy. Nevertheless, that’d be for a later discussion. The blond’s reliability was just too high.

Clyde smiled at the revelation of utilizing Alice in his strategy. Then he frowned. He couldn’t make her do something too risky, not while pregnant. The reality sunk in again: Alice was pregnant.

Clyde and the others slowly crept from their hiding places, Chika in stealth, preparing to pick off a few. They wouldn’t be killed of course, just knocked out and secured. More androids were on the way. Team Stone had to make sure the wizards were no longer a threat to them nor the innocent civilians around. Also, he just wanted to fucking sleep without these bastards retaliating.

“Tear, did you find us a new hotel yet?” Clyde asked.

“Not yet,” Tear replied. “So many are full. I booked this one ahead of time and got lucky enough to reserve us all rooms.”

Clyde observed the enemies. There seemed to be at least thirty or forty. A dozen of them succumbed to the traps. Chika and Yusuke started their jobs. The young man and the team moved a little faster, knowing that the mist wouldn’t go inside the building.

The wizards were a mix of blue, red, and even some newly green robes. A man wearing gold appeared to be their lieutenant, so Clyde analyzed him.

Wizard, Gold Robe: Jerret.

Level: 166

Type: human, spellcaster.

Work under: Kindas.

Special: annoying wizard teleportation.

Weakness: physical.

Resistances: his magical barrier makes him resistant to all magic.

Secret: he secretly wishes for a world of monster girls. He’d call himself a harem king.

A man of culture or a lunatic, the world would never know. Taking notice that Chika and Yusuke did the best that they could while most of the wizards’ guards were down, Clyde started his new combat plan.

“Take out any that fall from this,” he said to Alice. She nodded. While incredibly powerful, the twin-tailed half-demoness knew not to accidentally kill them.

[Clyde activated Giga Death Scatter Shot.]

[Giga Death Scatter Shot [evolution 2]: Type: spiritual. Class: mysterious. Shoot a flurry of energy balls at multiple enemies. 8% chance to stun or paralyze an enemy. Does gun, metal, and glass damage. 1% chance to instantly kill enemies ten levels or more below you. You can will the energy balls to explode upon contact.]

Good thing they weren’t ten or more levels below him. A one percent chance…

Six balls of deadly energy launched from the young man’s hand and knocked each of their targets over like bowling pins. Clyde grabbed a few more with Binder’s Hand, yanking their legs and dragging them across the ground to end in a nice, classic wall smash. To make sure anyone conscious didn’t easily get up, the young man pulled out his Executioner’s Staff and aimed at the ground. Alice took out a mob that bolted at the duo from a different direction with multiple beams and bursts of pink radiant magic.

[Clyde activated Tier 2 skill: Blizzard.]

The wizards were fucking miserable. Some of them launched fireballs in the young man’s direction. He quickly responded with multiple bursts of Neptune’s Water Edge. Then to make sure they had no luck with the ground, refroze it. By this time, the gold robe had set his sights on Clyde.

Anticipating the first teleport, the young man positioned Alice right in the perfect place. The second he appeared, the young woman delivered an upper knee that broke some of the wizard’s ribs. Clyde knew because he felt the cracking vibrations through his mystic senses.

The young man took a look around the battlefield. All forty wizards were down, many injured, all unconscious.

And there wasn’t a single scratch on Team Stone. Clyde took mental notes to improve the strategy, figuring this wouldn’t work every time. But holy shit. They were all level one hundred fifty and higher, although the gold robe was the strongest.

[Outstanding! Battle completed, PERFECT! Reward: 320 million EXP, 40 million dollars, and Elroot Wand part 1 of 3.]

[Congratulations, you have reached levels 151-155. Stats increased! Random skill levels increased. Some have become enhanced skills.]

[You have earned the title, Strategist in the Making.]

As if on cue, sirens filled the air. Clyde motioned for the hotel manager to explain things, while Alice, Tear, and Fuyoko rounded the wizards up with telekinesis. Thankfully the androids took their tipoff very seriously and brought in an army of police and what appeared to be some kind of SWAT team.

“This is going to take a while,” Clyde said, but the results made him happy. Now he’d have to turn simple strategies into complex mechanisms.

Abruptly, Clyde’s mystic senses flared into overdrive. One of the police officers had fired, but the bullet failed to penetrate the young man’s aura. Not that it needed to. It fizzled gray gas and exploded.

While he took absolutely no damage, the force of the blast spiraled him backward to the wall. The fake officer blurred toward the young man before Team Stone knew to respond.

[You have been dragged into a *Sub-Boss fight!]

[Due to the Luedium gas, your defenses have dropped.]

Rage barreled through the young man, but he forced his body NOT to jump into Stone Mode. The excess aura and wind slowed the advance of the terrorist, giving Clyde enough time to stand and right himself. He analyzed the newcomer.

Witch, Gray Robe, Zila.

Level: 200

Type: human, spellcaster.

Work under: Kindas.

Special: ???

Weakness: ???

Resistances: holy.

Secret: blocked.

Clyde Flash Stepped toward her, dodged her three dagger thrusts, then socked the witch in the face with a Stagger Punch. He immediately moved into a Roundhouse Kick, but she used magic to hold her ground. A spellcaster choosing to fight at close range set the young man’s mental alarm bells at maximum. Was she going to suicide on him? Frodo had such a skill, so it wouldn’t be a surprise.

Why did the wizards do this to themselves? If they wanted some kind of change in this Nation, they had to go for it in a manner that didn’t threaten lives. Otherwise, what if the spellcaster accidentally killed someone who was beginning to take their message into consideration?

Still, they were willing to go this far, but for what end… hell, judging by the crazed look in the woman’s eyes, her so-called leadership did something… the young man… needed to know the other side of the story.

[Zila’s HP has dropped to 150% of 200%.]

Zila aimed a hand at Clyde, laughing. “Eat eat eat eat, you interfering bastard!”

[Zila activated Tier 1 skill: Gauntlet Magic Bolt. This is an undodgeable skill.]

Clyde put up a Cosmic Shield, blocking the magic, then Flash Stepped in front of the witch. Tapping into Mystic Combat, his fist left green trails of magic as he went from a Stagger Punch, to a kick, then finishing off with an upward dagger strike. He jumped backward when he noticed she attempted to grab him.

Whatever the fuck she had planned, the young man wanted no part of that.

[Zila’s HP has dropped to 125%.]

Her high level and maybe defense prevented his physical and generic attacks from doing much damage, but if he used magic in the wrong place, she’d possibly explode.

Wait… the young man had a fun spell for creative occasions. MP-costing, sure, but worth a shot.

[Clyde activated Special Tier skill: Energy Materialize. Boosted by Naoko. The energy will last longer.]

[Special Tier Skill: Energy Materialize. Type: light, deity. Class: epic. Form weapons and objects made of energy in your hands for a short time. The more MP invested, the larger the object. Be careful of overdoing it. The magical backlash can daze you in the middle of a fight. Chance to inflict light blight at 4%. Chance to burn at 2%.]

Clyde briefly glanced at the kuudere loli, nodding his thanks. Zila was charging recklessly again, probably hoping to kill the young man off, Yamcha-style.

First, he created a steep slope right in front of her, catching the witch off guard. She tumbled backward. Clyde surrounded her in a super-thick coffin of blue magic, then packed on layer after layer, being careful to leave airholes.

[Your MP has dropped to 200% of 680% from this battle. Be thankful for the buffs!]

[Clyde activated Tier 2 skill: Blizzard.]

He froze the coffin over with ice, sensing that the energy from his materialize skill was preparing to dissipate.

“Quick, Natalia, trap her in something,” Clyde said.

“You got it, husbando onii,” Natalia said.

“Husband?” Clyde heard an android ask. “Should we be arresting him too?”

“No, I think she watches too much anime,” another cop said.

Natalia surrounded the ice into one giant chamber of solid, unbreakable magic.

“Can anyone here disarm the magical bomb inside her?” Clyde asked. “If you fail, she’ll explode into many pieces, but the blast will be contained.”

Undine stepped forward. “Leave it to me.” She walked up to Natalia’s barrier, placed a hand on it, then closed her eyes. Some kind of… not-magic seeped through like a black smog. It entered Zila’s mouth and there they waited for thirty tense seconds. “There. All of her explosive magic is gone. And wow did she have a lot in there, but under too much pressure. I doubt she could hold you on the ground long enough to make it go off.”

[Undine ended the battle!]

Clyde nodded. “Now we’ll let the police handle this. Also…” He turned to the androids. “How did she fool you? Do you not know your own?”

“Our sensors couldn’t pierce her illusion magic,” an android replied, then she looked down. “She killed our commander and took on her form. We… we have a job to do, so we can’t mourn our officer. Someone who guided our hands and taught us how the world works.”

The android joined the others into miserably cuffing terrorists with anti-magic handcuffs then stuffing them into the armored vehicles.

Clyde turned to look at Dera, who seemed to slump, eyes sad. Amina placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Either the princess or Palona or the queen needed to explain this shit. Clyde wished he could meet whoever or whatever created the androids.

Episode 61 (Part 3)

Night…

Palace…

Princess’s balcony…

Andrew’s hand, which flickered with magic, was aimed at the defiant princess. He had pulled off his black dragon mask earlier, hoping to see eye to eye with her. The words… the revelation she just poured on him…

“You are the creator of the androids?” Andrew asked. “And how much of our Nation’s money are you throwing away?”

“None,” Princess Kaguya said. “I make them with magic and special metal my sister mails to me from abroad. I even use magic to give them realistic synthetic skin to be as close to human as possible. My sister’s big in adventuring, so she sends me a lot of things on her quest for knowledge.”

Andrew shook his head, the magic in his hands intensifying into a red and black glow. “You’re not lying to me, are you? Then why the high taxes? Why the unbalanced system? What do you plan to do about the other cities who have been begging for improvement for years?”

“Mother is trying,” Kaguya said, her voice infused with a trace amount of anger. She seemed to deflate. “She’s trying her best, but the structure of our government isn’t as black and white as you think. We aren’t dictators. Mother can propose some universal law for our Nation, but the mayors of the provinces can impose province-local laws. Many times, we have offered to upgrade other cities. Many times, but the mayors who sit on their backsides getting rich and looking down their noses at even us, reject the offers, stating that they wish to keep the costs down. What can we do? We cannot force our laws on the six mayors, as without their support, we cannot hold together the government.” Kaguya seemed to wilt. “Not to mention the provinces fighting each other for power. Raids, scandals, and election manipulation.” Tears streamed down the princess’s eyes. “And then your group comes in, devoid of the facts, and makes things harder.”

Andrew gasped.

“I know it isn’t your fault,” Kaguya said. “We know who’s pulling the strings, hiding behind his power, connections, and even money that surpasses what we have left in the treasury. We hate putting out the taxes, making those in this province cover for the others that use loopholes set up by their ancestors to pay as little as possible. We tried so hard to change, begged the money-hungry mayors to work with us. One tried to reach out, only to get ridiculed by the others for being weak and giving in to the federal level. He retracted his support, deciding not to update his city nor improve it, even a little, in the name of costs. We are battling and compromising. Mother and her lawyers are working on a loophole-free bill designed to impress even the provinces. But the more your leader keeps ordering attacks, the more time it takes away from fixing the Nation. I know… I know he’s misled you. He claims to want change, but is handling things the wrong way.”

Andrew’s hand was down, magic dissipated, as he listened and nodded. The princess continued.

“Did he tell you that before he began the attacks, we offered to bring him in as an adviser? He declined, despite having the qualifications, degrees, experience as an ex-mayor, and even taught politics in major colleges for a while. Mother, Palona, and I reached the same conclusion. Maverick is seeking control of the Nation and the provinces are backing him.”

Andrew’s eyes widened, mouth agape. Kaguya sighed.

“We don’t have all of the evidence up front yet to make a claim. Once the people see this, they can collectively voice their displeasure. At that time, Mother and I will have the power to remove them from their offices on the grounds of corruption and arrest them. Mother will fill those positions with people that she knows deserve those spots. Some even lost due to dirty, underhanded tactics and false scandals.” Kaguya stood. “I’m glad you came here; you may be able to stop this. Please take some time to think about it… if you’re not here to kill me.”

Andrew shook his head. “No. But you’re right, I’ll need time to think. Do you mind if we meet tomorrow afternoon? If what you’re saying is true, then I will do everything in my power to reverse what Maverick has done.”

Kaguya nodded. “Thank you. I mean it.”

Andrew nodded once, feeling legitimate sincerity in her voice. Of course, he’d always known the princess was kind and caring, but Maverick’s teachers only demonized the queen and the government as a whole. He spoke on things that looked true due to the many problems across the provinces, but now that the young man had time to think on it… Maverick had never mentioned the mayors. Not once in the five years Andrew had been his apprentice. But… he seemed to genuinely care for the country. He often said he could do better. The young man agreed, due to the circumstances.

And Maverick was right. He could do better. But how could the queen do anything if the provinces had secretly turned against her with a plan to overthrow the royal family? Why hadn’t Andrew seen this earlier? What was Andrew’s role? Maverick often spoke of him being the key to this plan, the public face…

But… he was also the scapegoat in the case of anything going wrong.

Andrew leapt off the side of the balcony, making a Jump to his apartment.

Princess Kaguya hoped he’d do the right thing. Her mother and the lawyers could not stand against the provinces without enough evidence for the accusation of corruption, no matter how obvious. Maybe the Black Mask could do something.

As for needing the blessing of the legendary hero, Kaguya had requested that Palona take it upon herself, for they could not risk drawing the Stone deeper into their political affairs. She didn’t want the world to look at him in a negative light. Without him, everything was doomed. Palona had foretold it.

Kaguya sighed. Ironically, the gargoyles may be just as big of a problem.

* * *

Hotel…

Saturday. Week 4. Month 2. Year 1. Season: Late autumn. Last day of the month.

[Satovian Universal Calendar: Nova, 46389]

[School: Winter Break. Day 8 of 30.]

[Current declared fiancée(s): Melody, Alice, Tear, Harumi, Chika, Natalia.]

[Expecting: Harumi, Alice. Time left: Harumi, kitsune- 5 months until due. Alice, half-demoness, half-angel: 5 months until due. Alert! The time could shrink or increase as the infants absorb energy - and nature determines how powerful they are. Harumi, Alice week: 1.]

[Card bearers in city: 1, Ming.]

[Cook-off opponents in Nation Seat: Attincusburon, Alon: 1200. Harumi, Advanced Chef Yuki, Kitome, Alice. The rest are unknown.]

[Adventure Quest: During the Winter Break, you must travel to the nation of Alon to give your blessing to the princess. Neko must be present. Her sister is an optional addition but will increase the awards. Beware of the wizard gang around this area. The troubling bunch may be the least of your problems if the Gargoyles are still around.]

So much for the Alonian holiday, Clyde thought as he sat up, stretching. Silver-hair peeking from the covers on his left clued him in on who had spent the night in his hotel room. Alice held his right arm, her hair undone. She sometimes styled her twin tails, although when the young man joked about going for drills, Alice flicked his nose.

A familiar clacking of buttons made the young man look to his right to see Natalia playing her game. The loli-witch was quite persistent when it came to greeting him every morning. The same went for his fiancées at different intervals. How long had the loli waited for him to awaken?

“Good morning, husbando onii,” Natalia said, diving into him. She accidentally kicked Alice in the head.

Pink aura surrounded the half-demoness as she rose to glare at the trembling loli.

“Onii-chan,” Natalia began in a whiny voice, “Alice is going to bully me.” She snuggled tightly into the young man.

“You know, Natalia, you could always try apologizing,” Clyde said. Alice’s aura intensified, causing the room the shake. “If you don’t,” the young man pulled her off, “oof, that’s going to hurt.”

“I’m sorry!” Natalia quickly said to the half-demoness. “I didn’t mean to. I was just trying to be a good wife.”

The words surprised Alice so much that she snapped out of her tired rage. Even Chika woke up to gape at her. Yuki entered the room with freshly folded clothes for Clyde, also with a surprised look. Sigh. He had told Yuki not to act as his maid and especially when they were out, but as usual, the demoness didn’t listen. Sometimes she even doubled down on her efforts.

“Those words, from Natalia’s mouth?” Yuki said. “If only Tear was up to hear them.”

Natalia slumped onto Alice’s chest, face first, blushing heavily. Alice grinned, pulling the loli into a hug.

“Alright, party’s over, let’s get dressed,” the half-demoness said. “We’ll have time to tease my Nattie later.”

Yuki chuckled. “She’s so adorable when embarrassed.”

Clyde pet the loli before getting on with the morning. Seeing Alice’s toothpaste in sight, he smirked. He couldn’t get to it the prior night after the bath because most of his fiancées brushed with him.

The hotel rooms were the size of apartments, decked out with their own living rooms and TVs and other things to fool someone rich into thinking that they were paying for value. But hey, it had a working heater.

After breakfast, Clyde gathered the full team into the reserved room for a meeting. He stood while the others sat at table. They discussed yesterday’s events, devised plans, created theories and debunked some of them.

“Airi, you will scout in one direction of their headquarters. Seth, you take the other,” Clyde said. “I don’t need to tell you guys what it means to scout, right?”

“Quite frankly, I don’t mind,” Seth said. “I’m not keen on the idea of facing possibly thousands of fucking wizards by myself.”

“Normally, I’d have a colorful remark to that,” Airi said, “but I agree. No pulling any Yusukes.”

Yusuke glared at her.

Undine laughed. “Don’t tease my ninja hero,” the reaperess said, dazzling smile making Yusuke blush.

Clyde laughed lightly. “Don’t worry about your ninja hero, he’s going on this mission too. Scouting in depth while in stealth. We’ll need to have our guards up while in this hotel, because I’m pretty damn sure there’s another attack coming. We’re not going to stop posting watches anytime soon. So, Tear, any luck yet?”

“Still no hotels,” Tear said. “It’s best that we get to this Palona, then leave.”

“True,” Clyde said. “It’s not like we can stop what could be years of ongoing political issues. But before we leave, we’re going to put a good dent in these fuckers.”

He was starting to regret the decision to leave his lich behind more and more. She could’ve made them sleeping gas bombs or something to make capturing these bastards much easier. “Seth, Airi, Yusuke, move out. You know the drill.”

Tapping on Clyde’s leg made him look to the side and down at kuudere, mismatched eyes. “Wizards are heading this way, onii-chan.”

The young man nodded. He took the time to allow his earthly brain to question the bizarreness of having children in this situation. His normal brain reminded it that they were, in fact, not children and were older than him. The loli below was old enough to be a grandmother of many generations. He wouldn’t tell her that of course. The emotionless loli sometimes had just tiny glimpses of annoyance in her aura when it came to her age. The only reason why she let Fuyoko baby her was probably due to the free pampering. She hung out with Natalia, a genius witch stuck in her child form due to a curse, and the gothic loli vampire. One would think this was simply a collaboration of great minds. Could be. But Clyde knew damn well they talked mostly about anime and manga. That damned Natalia only took things seriously on her own terms.

“We really don’t have time for this shit,” Clyde said, turning on his Area Sense. No red dots just yet - his range was limited at level two. Dera rushed into the room.

“My sensors have detected-”

“Yeah, yeah, we know, droid,” Kitome interrupted. “You’re too late.”

“They’re golden robes,” Dera continued, ignoring the magical girl. “I picked up feed from a camera some blocks away. They’re in five vans. Some are armed with guns, and one has a rocket launcher. Estimated time of arrival is twelve minutes.”

“Fuck!” Clyde snapped, “why did some people decide to come back to this hotel?”

“Because they’re not smart, pervy husbando,” Natalia said.

“Tear, Noona, Chika - get this place evacuated,” Clyde said. As if things couldn’t get any worse, a prompt flashed into his mind’s eye.

[Emergency quest: Evacuate the Hotel! This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused. If you ignore this quest, you will receive a Game Over. ??? will be happy to toss you to the depths of Hell.]

Well fuck, the stakes reveal themselves once again…

Episode 61 (Part 4)

Airi didn’t like Clyde’s order to send out the scouts, but she didn’t argue. As much as she wanted to stay behind and assist everyone, there were plenty of Team Stone to do just that. So she, Yusuke, and Seth caught a cab that would take them a block away from their destination.

During the ride, they saw the five vans driving normally toward the hotel in a way that indicated the desire to not bring attention to themselves. Damn, did it unnerve the druid. If it wasn’t for the powerful barrier surrounding the vans, the young woman would’ve cast enough magic to topple them over. Sure, she could blow them up, but Airi didn’t want to kill anyone. What if there was an innocent inside? The reason why Clyde ordered non-lethal force meant only one thing. Their bold leader wasn’t sure which side was the right side.

However, the android deaths, destruction of property, and the other crimes the terrorists committed made it easier to fight against them.

Upon arrival at the destination, Airi paid the driver. She, Seth, and Yusuke went their separate ways. She had to admit that she was quite proud of Seth, for growing a pair. She remembered a time where anything supernatural scared the hell out of him. Hell, she wouldn’t be surprised if Clyde’s first meeting with the blond was due to a supernatural occurrence. Years back, she hadn’t felt his latent magic, otherwise, she would’ve reached out to the young man for some training.

[Airi activated Camouflage.]

This type of stealth, commonly utilized by druids, would enable her presence to blend in with the surroundings. She’d be invisible to the naked eye of a human, but a non-human’s magic senses might detect her. This wasn’t meant for a breach, just a quick scouting. On her side of the building, she took note of the guards posted at each entry point, except one. Her senses detected it to be locked and unused.

The tall building looked like any corporation at first glance, but a more cautious person would take note of how it was on the isolated side of town under the guise of a business no one really cared about. Hell, even a royal android woman walking this far out would most likely be shot down in these parts.

Just then, a surprising text came from Yusuke.

Yusuke: I just stepped out. Did about ten minutes of observation. There are a fucking ton of wizards in there. Blue robes seem to be the lowest grade, then going up the hierarchy is red, green, gold. The black robe isn’t here. Also, there are very few gray robes in here like maybe six out of the hundreds. Nobody’s bossing them around, so I’m guessing they may be wild cards like that lady yesterday.

Seth: yeah, the tracking device detached itself in this building. Tetra’s fucking awesome.

Airi: so are you guys. Seth, are you seeing what I’m seeing. Guards at every post.

Seth: yep, my side too. They had a sniper, but something seem to have happened to him. I thought that was your doing.

Yusuke: yeah he was annoying, so I took him out, bound him up to be found later. I put the card of a rival business in plain view to push the blame.

Airi: how did you even find that information?

Yusuke: Hinako told me.

Seth: scratch that. How did you get past the guards?

Yusuke: Scaled the wall and snuck through a window. Anyway, I’m long out of the building and heading toward the rallying point.

Airi: Gotcha. See you there.

Seth: yep yep. Easy job, but probably because they’ve got their eyes on two different things.

Airi: or maybe something happened. I don’t know why I’ve got this bad feeling.

* * *

Princess’s balcony…

Late morning…

Feeling a little tingly, Andrew nodded and listened to the princess’s plans to restore the Nation and even fix the wealthy-favored schooling system. She even admitted that things like that wouldn’t occur overnight, that the complete makeover would take some time - yet the passion and charisma in her words moved the Black Mask. She was exactly what this Nation needed, but Maverick was only thinking for himself, backed by the province leaders. Those who were monsters calling themselves mayors.

“So, what are your plans?” the princess asked. “Is there anything you’d like me to do? Something to help diminish Maverick’s influence.”

Andrew shrugged, the tingling sensation out of control, spreading into his eye. “I will do my best. I’m just glad I didn’t do anything stupid that would’ve helped Maverick out like harming anyone here or abusing my power to order you to kill your own androids.”

Abruptly, the tingling in his eye peaked to a dull pain as his Ki forcibly activated. It happened so fast! Princess Kaguya did her best to fight against the command, hands on her head, tears streaming from her eyes. She begged the entity within not to make her do the act.

<Andrew involuntarily accessed Black Ki.>

<Andrew channeled Mind Corruption! This is an unblockable, undodgeable, and unstoppable skill, however use of it will decrease your maximum HP. It has a 0.3% chance of dropping your HP to 1%.>

“No, no - this isn’t what I wanted,” Andrew snapped, trying his best to cancel the Ki, but it was too late. Princess Kaguya went still. Then chilling words emerged from her mouth.

“I will proceed to eliminating all androids,” she said in a chipper voice. She smiled cheerfully, eyes seeming to glow red. A black dragon symbol appeared on her forehead. “All androids shall be slain at once! Your mother orders your deaths.” She bolted into the palace. Andrew followed in stealth mode, a feeling of absolute dread consuming his very soul. He just wanted peace, nothing more. And he had finally come to an understanding with the one person who could carry it out. He had plans to leave the city, attend a college in a different province, and help spread the word of the princess’s plan. All of that ruined because of a glitch in his own powers. Something that had never happened to him before.

And he watched in horror as a guard at the armory gave her an automatic rifle and a backpack full of magazines stuffed to the brim with special rounds. He seemed to be new and couldn’t disobey an order. Hell, he didn’t appear to care.

The princess horrifically opened fire on every android in the palace, spilling their synthetic blood. “I shall eliminate those who support them, too.”

When she stepped outside, she mowed down both android and civilian, ruthlessly. Screams of pain, sorrow, and confusion filled the area. And there were so many people around. The rounds were the finest, most brutal, most powerful. One shot could take off an entire limb. Body parts… were flying. Even children were caught, most of them not shot, just trampled by fleeing people. The androids didn’t run, they just bowed and accepted their fate.

“If Mother commands it, then I no longer have a will to live,” an android said. “Without her love, I am nothing. I will willingly deactivate myself.” And from there, a mass self-deactivation of androids occurred. Andrew didn’t even know they had such a capability.

Tears streamed from the princess’s eyes as she brutally murdered her own people. She didn’t just stay in one place, she dashed down the blocks with unnatural speed and killed everything in sight. After emptying a magazine, she reloaded as if she had the skills all along.

She caught up to an approaching news crew, eyes on the assisting android. The android that was deactivating itself, no longer feeling the will to live.

“I command all guards to kill all of the androids.”

“I have to stop this,” Andrew said, charging Ki into his trembling hands. He so desperately wanted to avoid killing her, but that command was permanent. She’d be on a never-ending quest to eliminate the androids and their supporters.

Without the princess, Andrew was stuck with Maverick. He’d have to use this moment in the public’s eye to buy time until he figured out what to do. Even if this next accusation was going to make him sick, he had to do it. Otherwise, if Maverick killed him, no one would know the truth.

Andrew suppressed the desire to just let Kaguya shoot him down. This major screw up would not go unnoticed by Maverick and the provinces.

HOW COULD THINGS COME TO THIS?

* * *

Hotel…

Clyde and Team Stone worked together to make sure everyone was out of the hotel. Thankfully, not every guest returned after the previous wizard attack. They completely evacuated the entire hotel with time to spare.

“Good thing we didn’t offload our belongings,” Harumi said.

“After the attack with the monsters, I decided it was best if we left most of our belongings on the bus, if not all of it, except the immediate change of clothes and morning stuff,” Clyde said.

“You get to keep most of your stuff in your inventory,” Natalia said, pouting. “It’s not fair.”

“Listen up,” Clyde said, “I’d like for the hotel owner to keep his business, so let’s surprise these fuckers with a preemptive attack. Tear, don’t hold back. We don’t need them using the rocket launcher. Support Team and any human who can’t create a personal barrier against the bullets, on the bus you go. Take it a little out of this area and wait for the okay from us.”

After that arrangement, they set off. Clyde could see red dots approaching through the mini-map. The strength of the buffs automatically activating made him a little giddy inside.

The young man found it odd that the android dispatch, the nine-one-one equivalent, didn’t answer his call. Were they that busy? What if there was a true emergency? They had plenty of staff to cover everyone, right? Fuck.

“Don’t hold back, Tear, but don’t kill them either,” Clyde said. “Yuki, you too. Misaka, use your Phoenix Fire to melt their tires. It’s unaffected by barriers, right? Kind of like Ki.”

Airi’s information greatly improved his takedown plan. He started off freezing as much of the road as possible, but knew that wouldn’t exactly be enough. Misaka needed the experience and her Phoenix Fire had its uses.

The only thing that worried him was the fact that the quest wasn’t completed. He and the team checked every nook and cranny, every office, kicked down all doors, including the bathrooms. Hell, the fire alarm and bomb threat idea helped propel them out. The answer to his question appeared as the prompt flashed.

[Quest update: First, defeat the wizards, then tune to the news broadcast. Defeat them as quickly as possible.]

The sounds of tires screeching and attempting to come to a halt was music to Clyde’s ears as the first moment of his improved plan came to fruition. Misaka’s Phoenix Fire felt like fucking lava as it heated up the air upon summoning. When she launched it, the Phoenix Fire instantly devoured the tires, causing an abrupt halt, buses falling to the side as physics took over.

[Your party has entered combat!]

Clyde waved a hand to signal Tear and Yuki to obliterate the annoying wizards. “Don’t hold back. Try not to kill them, but if they take a loss or two, it’s on them.”

Natalia hopped off Clyde’s back, black and white aura surrounding her in a giant vortex. “Pervy cheater nii - you should rely on me too. I have a new skill.”

“Wait,” Clyde said, but it was too late. Natalia rained hell on the wizards.

[Natalia activated MODIFIED GODDESS TIER SKILL: Anthem Anti-Vitality Rain of Collapsing. This is an unblockable and undodgeable skill.]

Black and white spears of magic rained like death on all forty wizards. One of them, a hidden gray robe, seemed completely unperturbed, the loli’s magic seeming to not damage him. Either that or he simply had no fucks to give.

Not all of the wizards collapsed, but Tear and Yuki entered the fray, unleashing enormous blasts of magic. The enemies quickly retaliated with their own death blasts, but it wasn’t enough.

[Tear’s wrath has reached 100%.]

[Wrathful bonus activated from your heavenly aura. 200% extra boost to all stats while wrath is at 100%... or more.]

They were done for. And Tear’s wrath could go past one hundred? The young man hoped that wouldn’t be necessary. Anyone who could hurt his Tear to that point would answer to him.

Since the wizards were simply keeling over, Clyde motioned for the rest of the attackers to charge in. He and the gray robe made eye contact. Of fucking course the gray was after him. The bearded man even smiled.

“Come, little birdy,” he shouted to Clyde, then licked his lips and laughed, eyes crazed. “I will fuck your skull in, you inferior, wannabe magician.”

Wizard, Gray Robe, Sah.

Level: 252

Type: human, spellcaster.

Work under: Kindas.

Special: ???

Weakness: ???

Resistances: dark and all of its attributes x50.

Secret: blocked.

Level two hundred fifty. Great, Clyde thought. Just fucking great. His high resistance to dark magic told the young man why Tear, Natalia, and Yuki’s attacks did jack shit to him.

Sah charged him, consumed with mania.

[You have been dragged into a *Sub-Boss fight!]

Clyde aimed at the ground just ahead of the man and unleashed a Blizzard, but the road didn’t freeze. His eyes widened, realizing that the heat of the Phoenix Fire was continuing to increase, canceling out his ice magic.

His mystic senses allowed him to dodge the incoming, fiery fists. The man laughed harder as he continued to swing at the young man. Once again, Clyde knew something was off here. This fucker wanted to find the right opportunity to grab onto the young man and send him on the road to Valhalla.

Clyde Flash Stepped ten feet behind him, not caring how much that bit into his MP. Now how should he go about this? The opponent was a large, muscled man, which meant simply punching and kicking wouldn’t give him the upper hand. Wait, he had this.

The young man pulled out his Executioner’s Staff. A risky plan, but he’d have to slow the man or even knock him to the ground before entrapping him. Undine thankfully stayed behind, refusing to be Support Team during crucial times like this.

What would a man without actual staff combat training do? Not swing the damn thing. This is why Clyde kind of admired Harry Potter.

[Clyde activated Wiseman’s Calm.]

[Wiseman’s Calm: Enter Wiseman mode. This form lasts for a short time and drains magic points, but all physical and magic attacks increase greatly. You will be able to cast Destructive Mystic Lightning. Chance to fully heal when entering this mode: 3%. Sometimes allies around you will be randomly healed.]

His transformation took a little too long - two seconds, but it didn’t stop the intense magic from hitting him.

[Sah activated Void tier skill: Dark Tiger Bite.]

He felt himself fly backward, fast. The crash into one of the vans didn’t make his existing pain any better.

[Critical! Clyde’s HP has dropped to 200%.]

Clyde picked himself up, only to be met with a laughing fist. Yes, the fist itself, coated in dark and fire magic laughed. Multiple fists…

[Sah activated Void tier skill: Howling Barrage!]

[Clyde’s HP has dropped to 45%.]

[Wiseman’s Calm has been forcibly deactivated by the poison of Void magic.]

Clyde quickly put up a Cosmic Shield, blocking an incoming large beam of dark magic. He gritted his teeth and focused. Taking a stance taught to him by Ako, the young man cleared his head of anything but his opponent. He warped the staff back to his inventory, knowing that it would be useless against Sah’s relentless attacks.

Sah laughed. “Little birdy, little birdy, I will break you first.”

[Your composure stat of 420 continues to aide you. Your endurance of 380, too. You can take one hell of a beating. Odd.]

[Chika’s Ki stats aide you. Vitality: 10. Speed: 10. Aura: 11.]

[System advice: Stop messing around.]

[System has forcibly activated your killing intent.]

[Just kidding.]

Clyde shook his head, but he didn’t have time to wonder why he had to put up with the System’s trolling. He Flash Stepped forward.

[Clyde activated Skill Fusion: Stagger Punch + Shatter Strike!]

[*Skill Fusion- legendary special ability- combine skills and see what happens. You could unleash death on your foes! Can be very draining to your MP. Use seldomly.]

Not even Sah had anticipated such a skill. The bones in the gray robe’s arms cracked as he attempted to block the attack. Clyde showed no mercy, repeatedly attacking the injuries, until the man fell to the ground. He delivered a swift kick to the head to knock him unconscious. Undine wasted no time, absorbing the explosive energy from afar. The young man assumed she knew exactly where to look. And it still looked creepy as hell oozing from Sah’s open mouth like a black fog.

[Battle completed. Victory! Reward: 312 million EXP + bonus EXP. Elroot wand part 2 of 3.]

[Congratulations, you have reached levels 156-160. Stats increased!]

Harumi’s healing washed over Clyde, allowing him to remember important details about the recent quest.

“Everyone, pull up the local news on your phones. I have a bad feeling right now,” Clyde said.

Ming nodded in agreement. “Me too.”

Toru made sure to text that to Support Team so they’d be up to date on current events.

Everyone tuned into the same website to catch a live broadcast. What they watched set a huge pit in the young man’s stomach.

A black-robed wizard wearing a dragon mask spoke with his hand aimed at the princess. The gun-firing princess. Black Ki oozed from a dragon-shaped tattoo on her forehead. Dead bodies, android and human, littered the place. Molten fury rose into Clyde’s chest.

“Who is the cause of this situation?” the Black Mask asked. “Who will bear the hurt and the sin of what has happened today? As you can see here, the royal family will murder all who they suspect to be the fabled terrorists. This is why we fight! We wish to see the improvement of the Nation. They seek to keep things to themselves. Now… I regret that I must do this, but I cannot allow more people to die by those hands.”

The Black Mask fired a concentrated bolt of magic that struck the princess with intensity. The young woman fell to the ground, unmoving. The gun she held skidded a few feet forward, releasing a few rounds that actually hit the Black Mask.

And dropped him. A malfunctioning safety mechanism which normally prevented a gun from firing when dropped undid him. Or so that’s what everyone thought.

Black Mask stood, healing circles surrounding him, almost automatically.

“Not even Death wants me,” the Black Mask said. “People, rally against the palace. Send a warning.”

In a puff of black smoke, the terrorist vanished.

[Adventure Quest failed.]

Clyde was about to yell, when a system update popped into his head.

[Update. Adventure Quest target was changed to Palona in advance. The princess predicted a possible mishap. Quest renamed to Bloodstained Kaguya. The objective remains the same. Palona will receive your blessing.]

“It seems like we have to go see Palona now,” Clyde said, his heart just not in the words. “For now, let’s return to the hotel and plan. I have a feeling shit’s about to get insane. Now is not the time for us to go to the city’s square. Airi, Seth, and Yusuke should be on the way back.”

Team Stone nodded solemnly. Game faces were on. Killing was now an option again. The young man shook his head. Why didn’t these situations allow him to handle things peacefully for once?

“Did you see her forehead?” Ming asked Clyde.

“I think we all did,” Clyde said. “And we’re not stupid enough to believe that the princess would suddenly attack her own people.” He balled his fist, time and space bending around him. The city shook heavily as the god chant erupted from the young man’s mouth. “I think these people have had enough of the fucking wizards.”

Episode 62 (Part 1): Godless Nation. Cradle for Hope.

A block away from the city’s square and palace entrance….

Noon…

Wind and aura raged around Tessa as she roamed about, viewing the absolute carnage. This city had been in turmoil since the moment she came here. The oddball her goddess was - this chaos had to be the true reason why Venus sent Tessa. Sadly, such a tragedy had occurred while she explored a different side of the city, Clyde forgotten.

Tessa knew that Clyde and his party, what he called Team Stone, could handle themselves just fine. This wasn’t a place for pleasantries, but an awful political battleground between wizards that wanted to take over the country and the royal family. The princess became the first true, major casualty. Not everyone would be able to see the dragon mark on her forehead during the inevitable repeat broadcasts. The people and even the monster girls that had become citizens were going to riot.

Tessa flinched at the sight of the scattered body parts - more android than human. Most of them ran for their lives, but the androids… those poor women willingly took the executions. That black-robed wizard was going to pay for this. Tessa swore it.

“Lady Venus, please shine your light over the queen, the princess’s soul, and help Clyde.”

* * *

Kindas HQ…

Maverick’s office…

Maverick slammed his fists into the table, breaking it into pieces, as he let out a guttural roar of fury. “WHAT HAS THAT IDIOT DONE? NO! MY PLANS. THIS WILL CAUSE CHAOS, NOT WIN THE PEOPLE OVER.”

Maverick stared at the repeating massacre that played on the TV mounted on his wall. The helicopter shot that played over and over again as the news.

“It seems like someone is having a great time.”

Maverick spun and grimaced in distaste. “What the fuck do you want, Palona? And what’s taking you so long to just swoop in and kill the fucker? Let me guess, the Crusader researchers need more money.”

A middle-aged woman with long crimson hair, glowing orange eyes, and a devilishly perfect smile stepped out of the shadows. She was dressed in a long, plain gray robe with the Crusader gold cross symbol embedded onto both breasts.

“Unlike you, I’m not jumping the gun with my plans,” Palona said. “We Crusaders can be a patient bunch you know, sticking around.” She shook her head. “I had drones watch the city, hoping I could catch the Stone slaughtering your minions.” She chuckled. “That footage could’ve helped me paint him as someone who kills the misled.”

“What the fuck do you mean, misled?” Maverick snapped. “My minions are soldiers and they do what it takes to fight for this country. They are not misled, knowing damn well what they’ve signed up for.” He shook his head, glaring at the smiling woman in disgust. “To hear that talk coming from a Crusader of all people. You had better focus on keeping your bargain.”

Palona laughed. “You forged this plan for years, and what? Had it all crumble apart in a matter of seconds. You’re a fool for not listening to me. And now you’ve gotten that innocent girl killed. I warned you about that spell.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Maverick said. He pulled a cigar from his pocket, lit it and puffed. The familiar action calmed him down a little. “You were paid in advance years ago, after offering the support of the Crusaders to take this Nation, in exchange for certain powers. You’d gotten close to the girl, played the part of a loving nanny and foreteller. I don’t know how you managed to lure the Stone here, but I can tell you’re not full of shit. At least not yet. Why are you obsessed with the games, anyway?”

Palona chuckled. “You are also not human, a being who lived in the ancient days, so I know you can understand the quest for power more than anyone. After all, look what you’ve accomplished.”

Maverick held back his desire to crush the bitch in front of him. “That still doesn’t answer my question,” Maverick said.

“I didn’t lure him,” Palona said. “I simply inserted myself as a figure of his destiny.”

Maverick’s eyes widened. “You… only an Entity could pull that off.” He chuckled. “So, it is not a mere coincidence that we’ve met and made a deal that benefited us both.”

“Of course not,” Palona said, “however, my powers aren’t perfect. When you brute force against destiny and fate, things change. The Stone refusing to kill the killers when I tried everything to get him to do so. The princess dying when she shouldn’t have. Your disciple’s powers just happening to go out of control. Everyone has conscious choices - like your idiot student - ugh! He should’ve followed your orders to keep his mask on at all times. He should’ve heeded my warning about those powers, that at any point they’d drain his life. And now look. They slowly led to this disgusting disaster.” Palona softly facepalmed. “Seventeen years of patience. And whom I hoped to recruit into the Crusaders dies at nineteen.” Tears streamed down the woman’s cheek. “All of my work! You better fix this, Maverick. Your dumbass disciple isn’t going to return.” She shook her head. “And the nerve of him to make things worse. Why in the Great One’s name did he blame my sweet, dead recruit? Why did he do any of these things?”

“I DON’T FUCKING KNOW!” Maverick snapped. “At this point, I may have to just do everything myself. Guard.”

“Yes sir,” the man in a suit said.

“Send a force to clean up the city,” Maverick ordered. “If they spot Black Mask, tell them to drag him back. Also, kill the Stone.”

Palona laughed, her voice like a chime. “Don’t attack the Stone, you’re wasting your time. If the gray robes couldn’t touch him, imagine what would happen if he decided to actually try.” She sighed. “I believe he’s going to start killing now, but it’s too late for me to create a negative narrative since a certain someone’s idiot disciple ruined everything.”

Maverick swung at the wall, causing it to collapse. “Palona, stop pushing me to attack first. We both know what you’re trying to do, but we’ve made the oath. And now you’re going to burn down with me or clean it up. Lawlessness on my side and within the palace. The trap for the Stone has failed. Deal with it.”

Palona gritted her teeth. “Tsk. A simple miscalculation.”

Suddenly, another guard rushed into the room. “Sir, we’ve found our sniper unconscious with a Ridout Enterprises card on him. I think they’ve sent a message.”

Maverick sneered.“We don’t have time for the pettiness of our business rivals. Focus on the main task for now. We’ll deal with them sometime later. Maybe ban them from this Nation when I assume control. Now go!” Maverick turned back to the Crusader woman. “For now, you return to the palace, offer support and get a statement out. If you find that idiot, do what you must.”

“Don’t order me around,” Palona said. She walked over to the shadows of the room. “What happened to Nezerath may happen to you if you’re not careful. Just because your old rival was on a different side of the world is meaningless.”

“Do you have a point, bitch?” Maverick asked. “If not, get the hell out of here. I’m in no mood to hear your goddamn taunts today.”

Palona smiled cruelly as she melted into the shadows, her last words being, “You just need to trust in me.”

“The world will have to end first before I trust in that woman,” Maverick said. “Fucking Crusader scum. You can trust no one in this world.”

* * *

Inside the Palace…

On the cold, lonely floor, Queen Tarine cried before the lifeless body of her daughter, wondering what went wrong. Why did things have to turn out this way? Why?

“Don’t… leave me… please come back. Your dear mother can’t go on without her happiness. It’s selfish, I know, but you completed me. I wanted to be there for your bright days and your dark days, your marriage, and to sit back and be proud as you one day inherited the throne. Your sister wanted the same thing.”

The queen felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She looked up with teary eyes into the sympathetic face of Palona. The head maid and mentor of her daughter, a kind woman who valued duty, even before her own wellbeing. Queen Tarine needed the closeness of that loyal woman.

The sound of protesting, yelling, and wailing outside intensified, but the fire within the queen just wouldn’t spark. She continued to weep for her daughter as a human guard carried her away.

Palona grinned behind the back of the queen, thriving in the atmosphere. As the Entity of Sorrow, her power only increased. She wasn’t a Crusader researcher, but one of the four Pillars. Sure, she could continue the charade of a very capable human and become a leader of the Order, but the being leading that, the Arch-Pope, would ruin her status with his very presence. The Entity couldn’t have that.

* * *

Hotel…

As the news displayed the current riot, Clyde and Team Stone sat in the reserved room, half-watching the TV, half-watching a depressed Dera, and each other. They tried the approach of leaving the fates of the human criminals to the Nation’s authorities. The team had managed to get many behind bars and interrogated by the Alonian people. Clyde did not want to get his party involved into a country’s political affairs, yet the timing of everything just felt off.

How did things get to this point, completely undetected by Support Team and even Tear? Who pulled the string? Black Mask, or someone else? Maybe he should’ve gone at this with guns blazing. He… would have to switch to his last resort. Become a terrifying god, blow up Black Mask’s building, regardless of the possible innocent workers inside, and then rip off his head to post it on a spear…

Clyde flinched. Maybe he shouldn’t watch Natalia play video games.

Just then, a head slightly rose from the table, causing Clyde to flinch at most, but his stats wouldn’t give him the human benefit of fear. That head became an entire girl as she seemed to rise from the ground to sit on the table, smiling at the young man.

Kind purple eyes, light tan, silver-white hair, and a build similar to Chika, the princess… holy fucking shit. A strange white aura surrounded her, and she gave off a… kind of creepy aura. Once again, if Clyde was human, he’d be a little unnerved. She wore a plain white dress, but no shoes.

“Hi,” she said. Her voice definitely had a ghostly depth to it. Despite the dark times, an anime trope came to Clyde’s mind: the ghost girl.

“Uhmm… hello,” Clyde said.

“My name is Kaguya Alon, you probably saw one of my broadcasts and maybe the recent unfortunate accident,” she said. “Anyway, I’m haunting you.” She bowed. “Please take care of me.”

The entire team anime-fell to the side.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Clyde said, doing his best to process this as the girl lazily floated in the air. Kanako hovered over to her.

“She really is a spirit,” Kanako said, poking one of her breasts.

“Hey, what’s this, another spirit girl?” Kaguya asked, then wagged a finger. “You can’t have another spirit girl.”

“I’m a genie,” Kanako said, then smiled. “Pleased to meet you.”

Kaguya smiled back. “Likewise.”

Ako sighed. “She’s too cute to exorcise. Strange, but she’s not an evil spirit. No bitterness whatsoever, despite the horrible death. Why are you not in Celestial?”

“Beats me,” Kaguya said.

“What if she’s not really dead?” Sazuki asked, voice hopeful. “Like, she’s having an out-of-body experience or something.”

“Optimistic and all, but it wouldn’t explain why she came to this very hotel,” Tear said. Clyde could tell she didn’t want to shit on the girl’s hopefulness, but the succubus kept things realistic and possible.

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Kaguya said. “I’m allowed to live with any deity I choose for being a good person. At least that’s what Venus told me. I think she saved me from something called death’s door and triggered this form. She seemed to know I was going to say the Stone before the words came out of my mouth.”

“Venus again,” Toru said.

“You know, I can’t figure out if Venus is really kind or just a secret pervert in disguise,” Seth said.

Ming snatched the paper fan from Natalia’s hand and whacked Seth with it.

“Don’t speak bad about Venus,” Ming said.

Seth laughed. “Come on, we heard the stories of gods doing things for themselves. What will she gain by helping us? Isn’t that against the rules or whatever?”

“Do you know the rules?” Ming said.

Seth simply shrugged. “You can’t blame me for getting suspicious. Look, I don’t want to see Clyde abducted because-”

“She’s not like that,” Kaguya interrupted. “Mother knows about the stone-viper games. Knowledge of it has been passed throughout our family for generations. Venus was always known to be against the Viper, but publicly neutral when it comes to the event.” She floated over to Clyde, then turned to Dera.

“You…”

“Mother,” Dera said.

“Mother?” Yusuke said.

“She is our creator,” Dera said, bowing to Kaguya. The ghostly girl floated over and hugged her.

“She is?” Clyde and Team Stone exclaimed.

“I’m… so sorry you had to see me like that,” the ghost girl said.

“I knew it wasn’t you the moment Clyde pointed out the strange tattoo,” Dera said. “I was able to come to myself and access my sensors.”

Clyde stood, still uneasy about this new development. “What can I do to fix the chaos? Should I go to your mentor and give the blessing? How do I-”

“I’ll take the blessing,” Kaguya said, anime-diving into Clyde.

“And I’m the one who gets everyone’s shit,” Toru said, laughing. Fumi, still in human form, smiled at him. It was at that moment that Clyde spotted the ring on the slime girl’s finger.

[Quest Update: Thanks to Tessa, who is in the city by the way, Venus sent Kaguya your way fully intact with her soul, as you can see. The blessing will go to her now. However, you may have figured out that this Nation is in political chaos. It has finally reached its darkest hours. Reveal yourself to the Nation and end the chaos. Kill the strings that pull the Black Mask. This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused. Quest title update: A Godless Nation. Discover the truth!]

The truth? Clyde wasn’t surprised that he and his team were missing the big picture. And since when did adventure quests get titles? He hoped the system didn’t enjoy the chaos and turmoil.

[Would you like to give Princess Kaguya of Alon your blessing? Yes or No.]

Clyde selected yes. Why did the system even give him a choice? He hadn’t come all this way for nothing.

[System advice: sometimes it is hilarious to simulate the illusion of player choice.]

Clyde mentally glared at the bubblegum pink-haired loli that grinned at him before she vanished. Holy… fuck, more detail on her appearance. What unnerved the young man the most was how familiar the system’s avatar seemed. Scratch that, how did he know that was the system’s avatar? He couldn’t put a finger on it, but now wasn’t the time to worry about miniscule things. He had to undo the buttfucking Black Mask done to the nation of Alon.

“Hinako, Tetra, you two will be in charge of keeping the media offline while I’m in Stone Mode,” Clyde said. “Fuyoko, assist them as needed.”

“We need a hacker on our side,” Melody said.

Clyde looked at Chika.

“Look, I may be the top student at the academy, but my programming skills are average at best,” Chika said.

Clyde grinned. “I was going to say could you give me a kiss for luck, but if you have programming knowledge, then you could create a website that lets people discuss Team Stone. Maybe contact Naomi about that later.”

Chika pouted.

Clyde pulled out his phone to dial Tessa. “Who’s up for a raid?”

“Uhmmm, Clyde,” Harumi said. “You may want to look at the screen.”

Clyde turned to the news broadcast and sneered. What the hell… the wizards had the nerve to march their army out in the open. They planned to capitalize on the chaos.

Episode 62 (Part 2)

Midafternoon…

Clyde and the attacking force of Team Stone set off to the square, Kaguya’s appearance being the cause of the grand plan change. Support Team stayed back with Chika for their own safety and to flaunt connections and divert media attention. The young man still felt the chill of Seth’s words. That the Viper AND DIRE walked this city while he was distracted. To think that the final boss was so close to him.

Clyde frowned at the fires, the destroyed property, buildings looted by opportunists, and just the general chaos. Kaguya told the party about Maverick, the man pulling the strings behind the black-robed wizard. What froze his blood further was that every leader of the provinces stood behind him, seeking to benefit greatly.

Alon was a Nation of seven provinces, keeping a royal family at the head and six mayors, which reminded Clyde of the dukes of most fantasy books he read. Unless a prompt made him do it, the young man had no intention of traveling around the provinces to do something as time-consuming as taking out each of their leaders. That responsibility would remain with the queen. With Maverick out of the picture, she shouldn’t have any problem ordering authorities to arrest them for treason.

When the team arrived at the city square, they set their eyes on the scene of people attempting to force their way into the palace, protesting with signs that displayed many messages, and others arguing with the guards behind the main gates.

Wizards were divided into cleaning crews, rallying crews to make chaos with the people, and the others seemed to be looking for someone. Clyde?

* * *

Downtown…

As Tessa walked downtown, using her magic to put out as many of the fires as possible, as well as blowing away the smoke, she noticed someone casually walking toward the square. Black robe, dragon mask. Him. Rage exploded into the young woman as the thought of so many people dying to this criminal flooded her mind.

“You!” Tessa said, immediately gaining his attention. “You’re dead.”

She didn’t give him time to speak, launching a burst of wind at the wizard. The Black Mask jumped over it.

[Tessa has entered a Boss fight!]

Andrew, the Black Mask, Ki-Wizard of Kindas and Disciple of Maverick.

Level: 217

Type: human, spellcaster.

Work under: Kindas.

Special: ???

Weakness: ???

Resistances: ???

Secret: blocked.

<Andrew accessed Red Ki.>

<Andrew channeled Lightning Streak.>

With a hand aimed toward the bolt, Tessa cast.

[Tessa activated Silver tier skill: Indignation!]

Multi-colored lightning erupted from the hand of the young woman, colliding into the opposing Ki. The forces of power and energy exploded. Tessa Wind-Walked, a speed-rush skill like Flash Step, and planted her foot firmly in the face of the Black Mask. The force of the enhanced blow propelled him toward a building, but the Black Mask stopped himself shortly before impact. He even put up a barrier as Tessa fired more magic at him.

“I don’t have time for this,” the Black Mask said.

“The chaos is your fault!” Tessa snapped. “Your organization drove a destructive stake into the heart of this Nation.” The aura intensified around the woman. “I don’t know how you’ve lived so long, but my goddess has ordered your execution. As much as I hate killing people, I will take pleasure in your destruction.”

Tessa Wind-Walked to his side, hand aimed, but Black Mask leapt to a rooftop.

<Andrew channeled Titanic Fire Cannon.>

Tessa jumped out of the path of the enormous fiery Ki blast, but when she looked up, her opponent was gone. It didn’t matter. She knew his destination. The Black Mask’s fate was sealed.

* * *

City square….

“Should I make myself visible?” Kaguya said, her voice just holding back her fear.

“I do not recommend it just yet,” Dera said softly. “The timing needs to be right, according to my calculations, Mother.”

Clyde scanned the crowd, the guards, and waited. His team looked to him, curious, some perhaps a little anxious. Yet, the people grew worse. Visible waves of red and gold aura leaked off the young man.

“What the hell is wrong with these people?” Clyde asked. Harumi squeezed his hand, which jolted a much-needed calming effect into the young man.

Suddenly, Black Mask appeared before the crowd. Harumi placed a hand in front of Clyde, before he could step forward to obliterate the public figure. He realized that she had a point. The Black Mask could no longer escape them.

“People, please give me your attention,” the Black Mask said. “I have a confession to make. I lied in order to test you. To quench what is dark, I became an even greater darkness, yet you people did nothing. You turned against the only form of leadership that actually cared about something other than money. Why do you not think for yourselves? What happened to a dose of healthy skepticism? The princess was placed under a spell given to me by a Cru-”

At that moment, the Black Mask’s head literally exploded into a bloody goo. Everyone froze as silence danced through the air.

“I do not want to hear your excuses,” a familiar voice said as she stepped in front of the crowd. Tessa. “He and his organization caused this mess, they cast a mind control spell on your princess, and with his words, he planned to do the same to you all in the name of his twisted justice.” Tessa spat on the fallen body. “I hate people like this. They live inside their heads, blaming everything on reality. We have freewill for a reason. If you don’t like something, then don’t just sit there and take the beating. Make a change, no matter how small.” She shook her head. “I wasn’t going to sit there and listen to another moment of garbage spilling from the mouth of that filth.” Her eyes hardened. “The Black Mask is just a puppet to an even bigger filth. Wake up.” Tessa vanished in a spectacular Jump, leaving the crowd stunned. Leaving Team Stone stunned.

“She… blew his freaking head off,” Kitome said softly.

“I have a feeling this may scar some people, Meanie girl,” Natalia said.

“I’d hate to piss her off,” Toru said. Yusuke and Seth nodded in agreement.

* * *

Smaller city, Alon…

Tiffia woke up, shivering. That’s when she realized that someone had stripped her down to bra and panties. She yelped, realizing she was out for Great Ones know how long, in an isolated section of an abandoned parking lot. Her memories of the previous night flooded back to her. Terrance knew martial arts and simply attacked her like a brute. She took a heavy hit to the head, but just managed to teleport away before passing out. The woman huffed.

“Someone doesn’t know how to treat a lady.”

Tiffia Jumped back to her hotel room. She let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness Hideo taught her that technique a few months back. Not everyone was compatible with teleportation or warping magic, but for those able to use it, life felt great.

The woman took a nice, long shower before contacting Pillar Palona using a spare phone. She made poses, flaunting her large breasts, while looking in the mirror. Palona wished she had them this large. She shook off the impure, but hilarious thought. The leftover succubus magic from a recent hunt that still hadn’t worn off quite yet.

“Why didn’t you answer your phone last night?” Palona snapped, her voice bitchy as usual. Tiffia rolled her eyes. She wouldn’t be able to do that in a face-to-face conversation - that was suicide even for a researcher. Not many people knew about the Pillars, believing the researchers to be the pinnacle of authority. They were not fully there yet. The four Pillars were in the way.

“What-”

“Never mind that,” Palona interrupted. “Take your crap and leave the city now. Maverick’s idiot apprentice ruined seventeen years of planning and now he’s dead. I don’t have faith that he can dig us out of this one, so we’re leaving. “

Tiffia snarled. How dare this bitch speak to her that way? Tiffia was still a researcher, a respected high-ranking member of the Crusaders, and in fact an authoritative figure. She held her tongue, wishing someone would just stab Palona in the neck.

“And where do you want me to go?” Tiffia said.

“Go to the safehouse in Ring City,” Palona said. “And I hope you’re showered. I plan to vent a long night of frustration.”

“The hell you will,” Tiffia said. “Just because-”

Palona hung up, infuriating the woman until only cold rage remained. She heard about Palona’s famous “frustration” vents or even “pleasant talks” normally with the younger, more naïve women of the Crusaders. In order to keep them silent, they ended up as lackeys in her clique. Tiffia would not be the first researcher humiliated in that place. She would not!

She dialed a number. “Yes, I would like to report as an anonymous tipper and I swear on the magical Alonian oath that this is true.” The magic slammed against her like an electric punch. “Palona is a traitor. She’s been plotting with Maverick the entire time behind the queen’s back.”

“You’re a naughty girl, whoever you are,” the voice on the other line said. “You’re lucky I don’t recognize you or I’d have your head for plotting against Lady Palona.” The feminine voice chuckled. “I’ll let this slide. You’re a teenager, playing a prank. Don’t do it again.”

Tiffia slammed the phone onto the bed. Palona was steps ahead of her. Ahead of anyone who would discover her identity before her plans set off. If Tiffia went back to the safehouse in Ring City, she’d lose her respect as everyone would know she took the non-consenting tea of that bitch.

Tiffia could only hope the Pillar would succumb to injury or even die. She’d have to order a few Crusaders loyal to her to stop their current jobs in order to live with her at the Ring City base. That risky maneuver would probably alert the local supernatural. She really didn’t enjoy the idea of living in the vicinity of the filthy dragons, but Tiffia had no choice under a direct order.

However, not even the Pillar would be able to order her loyal Crusaders around. Kill them, yes, but the non-consenting tea wasn’t worth becoming a traitor to the organization. Or if they swept it under the rug, suspicion by literally everyone not in the Order would spread until causing conflict and chaos among themselves.

“This day just keeps getting better and better,” Tiffia said sarcastically.

* * *

Nation’s Seat, Alon…

City square…

“The queen… she’s on the rooftop,” someone said.

“I’m still angry! That girl was full of shit. Let’s get the queen,” another idiot yelled. Some agreeing with him, advanced toward the weakened gates.

“Mother!” Kaguya said.

At that moment, Clyde’s annoyance with these people had maxed out. He teleported in front of the crowd and the raging god chant erupted from his mouth.

“IF ANY OF YOU DARE MAKE A MOVE AGAINST THE QUEEN, YOU WILL DIE. I WILL MAKE SURE YOUR DEATH IS AS PAINFUL AS POSSIBLE. So, go on, try me.”

Buildings shook, winds raged, billboards fell to the ground, and cars flipped to the side. Clyde’s pressure was so strong that unbeknownst to him, the Viper felt it fifty miles away. Even if the citizens were stupid enough to want to move, they couldn’t. The young man released the pressure and continued to speak in a normal voice. “As Tessa said, the Black Mask was just a puppet. A figurehead. The real person behind the strings is a man named Maverick, along with the corrupt province mayors.”

Clyde turned to the queen to see her hardened expression. Then he noticed a woman behind her, raising a dagger.

“Palona, please don’t!” Princess Kaguya cried, revealing herself.

Clyde Jumped in front of Palona and delivered a swift backhand, spiraling the traitorous woman into unconsciousness.

[HYPER-CRITICAL! Palona’s HP has dropped to 1%.]

The crowd just stood, frozen in silence, stunned at the princess’s appearance, an assassination attempt by someone they had trusted for a very long time, and Clyde, someone who clearly was not just some man.

“Guards, take her into custody,” the queen said after taking a second to restore her bearings. Frustrated tears fell from her face and she seemed to struggle with her next words. “Prepare her for execution.”

Clyde walked over to the unconscious woman, taking notice of the cross symbol on her left breast.

“Crusader. Sorry, Queen Tarine, but I’ll have to take the burden for you.”

He aimed a hand at her, charging it with magic. Palona’s eyes suddenly snapped open. She vanished a millisecond before Clyde’s magic could make contact with her. The energy blasted a large hole in the roof. “Son of a bitch.” He examined the hole without moving. “Just how fucking low will these Crusaders sink?”

Kaguya appeared before her mother. As they shared a hug and teary moment, the young man motioned for Team Stone to join them on the rooftop. The human guards began to clear out the people, some with weapons drawn. Many of them wanted to stay for the scene, they wanted answers for the princess’s appearance. Her ghost.

Clyde turned to address the queen. He nodded, as Natalia, the person missing from the rooftop, easily eliminated the fleeing wizards by herself. Naoko watched her back, even though the loli-witch didn’t need the support.

On a helicopter nearby for her annual visit were Maya and her half-pixy assistant, Nuri. Her friend Tarine had invited her, but even Maya couldn’t miss the chaos below. Fortunately, the guards seemed to be finally doing their jobs.

Maya’s eyes spotted a familiar group. Team Stone. A spark of pain ignited in her chest, but she forced it away. She didn’t have time to think such things. She was a freaking billionaire after all…

Except riches didn’t make people happy, especially the lonely.

“Nuri, go check us into the hotel.”

“Sure thing, Lady Maya,” Nuri said cheerfully. Despite her perky attitude, Nuri’s eyes hardened as she scanned the area, aura surging around her. She grinned at the sight of Seth from afar.

Episode 62 (Part 3)

“I’m Clyde, the Stone,” he said, gaining the wide eyes of the queen. “Let’s just say I’m here because destiny, fate, or whatever, is kind of a cryptic douchebag. If you don’t mind, Your Highness, let me deal with Maverick.”

Flustered, the queen nodded. “Th - thank you, Lord Stone.”

“Mother,” Kaguya said, “I cannot live in the city anymore, as I’ve joined Team Stone. There is a bigger quest, and I’d like to see the greatest threat in the world stopped.”

The queen looked at her daughter for a long time before giving her a nod of approval. “I understand. But… how are you… are you dead?”

Kaguya chuckled. “Maybe I’m neither dead nor really alive.”

“Undead,” Ruri said.

The queen shifted her gaze to Clyde. “Then the Stone will receive a ring of promised marriage.”

Everyone’s chatting immediately ceased to stare at the queen in shock. She winked.

Kaguya turned to stare at her mother incredulously. “I don’t want him to be my stepfather. That’s so embarrassing.”

“Then you’ll have to take it yourself,” the queen said, her smile small. Clyde could tell she was looking for something to distract herself from the current crisis.

“Don’t I get a say in this?” Clyde said.

Alice harrumphed tsundere-style. “And we’re not approving. He’s already taken. Go away.”

The queen smirked. “Kaguya, you’d better join in the harem.” She laughed at her daughter’s blushing and pouting. The queen’s expression became serious as she addressed Team Stone. “If you can blow Maverick’s head off, like that girl, that’d be great. This Nation will be thankful.”

Seth shuddered. “I’m still surprised she did it.”

“Nya, that’s only one pain-in-the-tail down,” Neko said as she joined them on the roof.

“Shouldn’t you be with Support Team, cat?” Alice said.

“Nyyyaa, we’ve got to go. I sense an Omen’s sphere,” Neko said.

* * *

Kindas Headquarters…

Maverick’s office.

Maverick tossed the Omen’s sphere in his palm repeatedly as he pieced together a way to salvage his ruined plan. So many years of planning to oust the royal family out of power permanently, gone, but he was a patient man. Killing the king had taken years, but he’d done it. His forces hadn’t found the princess’s sister yet, but really, that didn’t matter. Adventurers rarely stayed in one place. He doubted she’d return to Alon to claim the throne.

Abruptly, a flash of light emitted at the center of the man’s room. Palona fell to the floor, gasping for breath. A large smile curled on Maverick’s face as he observed her condition.

“Well, well, look who’s joining the failure club.” He snickered.

“I was caught off guard and my barriers were all down as I approached the queen,” Palona snapped. “Unlike you, I actually made the attempt to get my hands dirty.”

Maverick grinned. “And failed. This is why you hire professionals to get certain jobs done.” He tapped his fingers against his new desk, eyes thoughtful. “The least I can do is let you rest here before you resort to abandoning our agreement.” The man chuckled. “I’ve lived for a long time and can patiently wait for another window of opportunity. It is not like the queen can spout out any truthful accusations without any evidence. Come, Palona, join me on a walk outside. We could use some fresh air.” He picked her up, starting a slow heal. Why wasn’t she able to heal herself? “I think you may enjoy hearing my new offer.” He puffed his cigar and blew smoke into the air. Palona groaned.

“I targeted the Stone in the name of the Pillars and it backfired,” Palona said softly. “His destruction will produce the core.”

Maverick shook his head. “You still believe in that nonsense about godly or legendary figures turning into cores after death? How childish.”

Palona could only sneer.

* * *

Attincusburon, Nation’s Seat of Alon…

Near the wizards’ headquarters…

Clyde held up his Executioner’s Staff, charging a risky spell. “Fuck, this casting time sucks. Come on!”

“Nyyyaa, please listen to me - that is dangerous,” Neko said.

“And I said trust in Tear and the others,” Clyde told the catgirl. “Alice will contain it.”

Neko looked at him and then the building nervously.

“Besides, Yusuke confirmed it was absent of any innocents, with pictures of every floor. Seth and Airi did the same. Three different minds, capable people.” He nodded. “We can rely on the others you know.”

“Nyyya,” Neko said, her ears sagging. “I know I said the Omen’s sphere left the building, but skipping the raid… do you not feel that some people will be disappointed? The Watchers. You know, those who are reading your life and dictating the stone-viper games.”

“Remind me to find the fucks I left somewhere,” Clyde said. “I’ll give them to the Watchers one day. Maybe.” He petted Neko. “But thank you for looking out for me. I really enjoy having you on the team.”

Neko purred. “Flattery won’t get you out of my lecture. I heard about the Viper’s arrogance. Don’t become like him.”

Clyde laughed. “I can only hope it’s not too late. Now stand back, this is going to be nasty.”

Neko hid behind Clyde’s back. “Nyyyaaa.”

[All buffs activated.]

[Noona’s buffs activated.]

[Noona activated Tier 1 skill: Honed Sharpness!]

[Alice’s containing barrier is drastically boosted by Tear, Noona, Airi, Harumi, Matsume, and Yuki.]

*[Clyde activated Silver tier skill: Meteor!]*

[Silver tier skill: A powerful skill with highly destructive capabilities. Send down a giant meteor to destroy your enemies. Just… don’t accidentally blow up a city with it. Does cosmic, colossal fire, explosive, and earth damage.]

A giant, flaming meteor erupted from the sky and slammed into the building. Clyde thought this was overkill at first, but Naoko had, surprisingly, convinced him to send a message. If anything, Neko should be lecturing the kuudere loli, not him.

The giant headquarters exploded, threatening to launch shrapnel in all directions, but Alice’s barrier contained all of the energy and physical matter inside, as well as the gases and pressure.

“What a dangerous barrier,” Misaka said. “She’s… amazing. I wish I could be like her.”

Clyde chuckled, feeling pride in his soulmate.

“Me too,” Kaguya said, emerging from the ground. Once again, Clyde was reminded that he no longer feared anything. He hadn’t for a while, but only recently noticed.

The young man froze as his eyes widened. There was another barrier inside of Alice’s barrier. The remaining wizards fell to their faces, magic drained.

“Take care of them, Naoko,” Clyde ordered as he turned around. The man from before stood there with Palona at his side, shaking his head. Dressed in decorative wizard attire, his eyes glowed yellow as he puffed his cigar and blew a smoke cloud into the air.

“Was that necessary?” Maverick said.

“That’s pretty much what you’ve done to this Nation,” Clyde said.

“Such interference from meddling outsiders,” Maverick continued. “Years of planning. I think it’s time we settle this. I don’t know how you disabled the barrier to my b-”

“That was my doing,” Airi said cheerfully. “No hard feelings, right?” She winked.

Maverick puffed his cigar one last time before putting it out and tossing it to the side.

“I hope your guard is up, Palona,” he said. The Crusader woman rolled her eyes.

“I am a Pillar,” she said. “He won’t catch me with the same trick twice.”

Fog began to ooze from the wizard leader’s mouth. Clyde analyzed them. Maverick’s eyes widened.

“Ka - Kaguya…” He laughed. “You’ll watch your faith in them get shattered from beyond the grave.”

The ghostly princess stuck her tongue out at him. “They’ll make you eat those words,” Princess Kaguya said.

Maverick, Demon Warlock Leader of Kindas.

Level: 400

Type: ancient demon.

Work under: N/A.

Special: ???

Weakness: ???

Resistances: ???

Secret: blocked. Something isn’t right about this one…

Palona, Fourth Pillar of the Crusaders.

Level: ???

Type: Entity.

Work under: The Order. An Entity… in the Crusaders.

Special: ???

Weakness: ???

Resistances: dark.

Secret: blocked by a barrier created by The Order.

Clyde needed the experience points…

[Your party has entered a BOSS fight!]

[stone-viper games]

“You won’t catch me off guard again, Stone!” Palona yelled, energy charging. “I am Palona, Fourth Pillar of the Crusaders. You will pay for your disrespect! I will do everything it takes to kill you.”

[Entity Palona has accessed Forbidden Magic.]

[Warning! Accessing this magic could attract the Punishment Squad.]

“Naoko, stop that,” Clyde said. “I’ve never met the Punishment Squad and I’m not trying to.”

The kuudere nodded without saying anything. Natalia harrumphed, chasing Naoko to assist her.

Maverick gestured to Clyde. “Come on, boy. Or will your entire team attack? I can take you all.”

Chika’s stealth undid itself as she almost nailed him with an upward dagger strike. Maverick blocked it with a cigar…

[Maverick activated Void tier skill: Absolute Death Hand.]

Clyde’s fist met his face, stopping his void magic, but the demon warlock held his ground.

[Maverick’s HP has dropped to 300%.]

Warping Bloodlight from his inventory, Clyde sliced toward Maverick, but was met by a block. An electric sword materialized from nothing into the demon’s grasp. He chuckled.

“Is that all you got?” Maverick taunted.

“Clyde, what are you doing?” Yusuke said. “Kill him! Now isn’t the time to mess around. Go god mode already.”

“No, I can’t rely on that,” Clyde said, “I need the experience points.” The amount of rewards he could potentially get from this fight couldn’t be passed up. How would he touch the Viper if he let massive gains like this slip through his grasp?

Clyde switched to a Shatter Strike, surprising the demon warlock. He didn’t stop there. The young man kept him on the defensive, switching to Precise Slash into Spirit Slash, into Deep Slash, and then finishing the combo with a Sound Slash.

Maverick’s sword trembled, just barely blocking the moves.

[Maverick’s HP has dropped to 210%.]

Suddenly, Maverick blurred to Clyde’s side with demon speed, stepping into his guard. Clyde grinned evilly.

[Ruri activated Silver tier skill: Atomic Face Crusher.]

Clyde winced as the hellhound smashed her magic-powered fist against the demon warlock’s face. And away he flew, twenty yards before gaining his footing. Bat-like wings emerged from his back.

[Maverick’s HP has dropped to 135%.]

The man calmly dusted himself off, yellow eyes glowing brighter. “Let’s call that the end of the warm-up.”

Clyde just happened to turn Palona’s magic tracking back on for a second just in time to catch her upcoming skill.

[Palona activated ENTITY TIER SKILL: Great Crash of Goliath.]

And she had that aimed at Clyde. The young man Flash Stepped, but wasn’t able to dodge all of the gray magic.

[Clyde’s HP has dropped to 350%.]

[Harumi activated HP damage shield.]

[Clyde received a damage shield.]

“God, I love you, Harumi,” Clyde said. He figured she learned this skill recently from all of the experience they’d gained.

The grazing of Palona’s skill burned and stung a little. But one attack of that power took out half of his health. Holy shit.

“Okay, fuck this,” Clyde said. Palona was too much of a risk to keep alive for the grind. That attack wouldn’t be the end of it. And since when did Entities have tier magic?

“Alice, Chika, Ming, hold off Maverick. I need to deal with Palona. Tear, make sure she can’t teleport. Harumi support her.”

“Already ahead of you,” Tear said, her magic spanning the area.

[The God of Life and Eternity is Awakening…]

Clyde became one with time and space, aura and power surging around him. Instead of the red and gold colors, the aura was blue-white this time, almost like electricity.

[Warning! While in Stone Mode, your rewards and EXP will be dramatically reduced. Use this state ONLY when you need it.]

[Awakened Stone Mode…]

Clyde teleported next to a surprised Palona.

“No, no, no, you can’t do this,” the Crusader woman said.

[Palona desperately activated Jump.]

[Palona has been muted by Tear.]

She sneered at the succubus. “You will rue the day!”

Maverick laughed. “You claim to be one of the four Pillars, but you’re the weakest. Even as an Entity.”

Naoko nodded. “She’s still strong, onii-chan. But… compared to you, she’d be better off committing seppuku.”

“I won’t-”

Palona’s words never spat out of her mouth. Clyde’s finger created a spark as it made contact with the woman, hurtling her backward at millions of miles an hour.

[Palona’s HP has dropped to 0%. Her body was vaporized by flames.]

“Jesus Christ,” Clyde said. “Is this what the Viper feels like on a daily basis?”

Maverick’s eyes were wide. “No… no… no. I have one last card!”

Clyde let out a breath, relaxing his body and depowering the transformation.

“Oh, come on,” Seth said. “Kill him too.”

“We need the experience,” Clyde said.

“You have grown up, onii-chan,” Naoko said. “Using Awakened Stone Mode only when you need it will teach you not to rely on it. However, keep in mind that it’s still your true power. You should not accept scrutiny for using your own abilities.”

“Yeah, but the lack of rewards doesn’t make using it appealing,” Clyde said. He hoped that RNGesus would give him some goddamn rare crafting materials.

Naoko tilted her head, staring at him with mismatched kuudere eyes.

“Oh, don’t give me that look,” he said, ruffling the loli-entity’s hair.

Harumi transformed into her kitsune form; wand aimed at Maverick.

[Maverick activated Enhanced Void tier skill: Unforgiving World Dominance! This attack is unblockable, undodgeable, and unstoppable. This attack may kill Team Stone members!]

Suddenly, Maverick’s pants fell down, revealing leopard-print underwear. All of the magic the man had gathered vanished as he quickly pulled up his pants. Kaguya, hovering at his side, shook her head.

“Oh, I’m sorry, you were being quite obnoxious,” Kaguya said.

The glowing in the demon’s eyes turned red, but by that time, Team Stone’s attack force had unleashed their magic as one. The princess had provided a perfect distraction.

[Clyde activated his special. GOD TIER SKILL: Godly Omen Crush! Due to Chika’s aura, this is an unblockable attack.]

[God tier skill: Godly Omen Crush. Does immense deity, almighty, holy, light, and purity damage. Chance to instantly kill some enemies. While this attack comes out as an enormous blast of energy, you may condense it into a single punch, adding colossal physical damage.]

Maverick took a lot of damage, howling in pain, but somehow, he survived. His eyes shifted back to yellow, but glowed like lightbulbs.

[CRITICAL! Technical!]

[Maverick’s HP has dropped to 1%.]

[Maverick’s focus sash was destroyed.]

Are you fucking kidding me, System? Clyde thought. Really now? A focus sash joke? He Flash Stepped in front of Maverick before he had the chance to pull any more bullshit from his ass, and thrust a dagger into his neck and twisted.

“This is for what you’ve done to Alon,” Clyde said, “you piece of garbage. To Hell you go. Tell Andrew that HE needs to learn to think for himself. After all, he listened to you without question.”

Clyde dropped the dead demon. He burst into purple flames.

“Oh, thank God this was a fight that didn’t require a goddamn struggle,” Seth said. “Dude, I think I pulled a muscle.”

“I know just the person who can massage it,” a voice said.

They turned to see… a familiar half-pixy young woman with white hair. She actually had the twin drill style going on, with a small, curly bang dropping a little on her forehead. For some reason, she wore the school uniform.

Abruptly a roar erupted from everywhere and nowhere.

“I WILL DESTROY YOU!”

[Maverick’s Forbidden tier skill: One Chance from the Grave is activating…]

[Warning: use of Forbidden magic could attract the Punishment Squad.]

Clyde’s eyes widened as the ground rapidly started shaking. An enormous hole emerged several feet in front of the party. Maverick… giant, emerged from it, his wings spanning thirty feet. Standing at least a few stories high, the demon roared.

“Well, I didn’t expect it to be that easy,” Clyde said softly.

[Your party has entered a BOSS fight, phase 2!]

Maverick roared. “All of those who oppose me shall die. First, I will crush your healer!”

His giant meaty fist blurred toward Harumi, but she jumped out of the way.

Clyde warped the Executioner’s Staff from his inventory, taking aim.

[Clyde activated Unknown tier skill: Wrath of Raijin and Fujin!]

[Special tier skill: Wrath of Raijin and Fujin [evolution 3]: Type: spiritual, holy, deity. Class: mysterious. You can only use this if you have 200% MP or more. Shoot a wave of godly energy. Does Immense spiritual damage. Chance to inflict triple super-severe damage on dark creatures at 35%. Chance to cause spiritual blight at 59%. Does holy and purity damage.]

[If conditions are met, this attack will become Super Fallen Angel Spirit Wave instead. Will do demonic and taint damage. Chance to cause agony at 41%. Chance to do quadruple damage on non-dark creatures at 37%. Chance to summon dark creatures from the abyss at 1%.]

[Executioner’s Staff- Soul bar has reached 100%.]

[Clyde activated Skill Fusion- Wrath of Raijin and Fujin + Balinor’s Havoc.]

Maverick’s eyes widened as enormous amounts of golden magic washed over him. When it cleared, the giant still stood, laughing.

[Maverick’s HP has dropped to 21.3M%.]

[Maverick activated Void tier skill: Soul Cripple Tail Death Slash. Warning, this may harm your children.]

“Holy shit,” Seth said, his voice nearly a wheeze. A glowing lizard-like tail knocked over almost the entire party.

[Clyde’s HP has dropped to 45%.]

[Clyde’s damage shield was destroyed.]

The bone-crushing pain sent him into a boiling fury as he protected Harumi and Alice with his own body.

Clyde’s eyes turned into a burning bright red furnace as mountains of black, red, and gold aura poured off him. Wings sprouted from his back, seeming to be a fusion of angel, demon, and something else.

The entire plane of existence shook under the Stone’s fury. He never thought much about his children, maybe believing that he would only do so when the time of birth arrived. But looking at the faces of Harumi and Alice and the innocent lives inside of them brought out an anger he never felt before.

“You piece of garbage,” Clyde said darkly, his voice a god chant. “When I order your death, you stay dead.”

Clyde’s aura suddenly expanded through every universe at the same time - a sickly red. Maverick yelled.

[Form: ???]

[Unstoppable Pressure…]

[Awakened Stone Mode Pressure…]

“You… what are you…! I won’t die!” Maverick growled, then brought down his fists toward the god, Harumi, and Alice.

Clyde caught it with a finger, his aura collapsing and oozing around him like the light of a star. The sky darkened as lightning pulsed around the young man.

The god aimed his other hand at the giant demon. “Did I not order you to stay dead?”

[Clyde activated SUPREME OVER GOD TIER SKILL: The Last Page of the Book of Life! This is an instant kill, unblockable, undodgeable, and unstoppable skill. Due to the pressure, all enemy teleporting skills have been disabled.]

Clyde’s fury was too great for him to think about the intense evolution of an existing skill he attempted to use. He didn’t pull these powers from his ass.

The intensely powerful magic showed up to everyone’s eyes as a bright white light that covered everything. When it cleared, Maverick dissolved into ashes.

[Clyde inflicted Over-massive damage.]

[Battle completed! Victory! You gain all the rewards and experience from the first time you killed Maverick. Reward: 500 million EXP, Golden Wizard Robe set, Potion of Horniness, 200 million dollars. 1 *Omen’s Sphere*.]

[Congratulations, you have reached levels 161-165. Stats increased!]

[You have started to learn the Ki passive Zen Inner Control. To obtain, you need Light at 3, Strength at 4, and Wisdom at 2.]

[You will need 6 more Omen’s Spheres to gain the next bonus.]

Clyde let out a breath, the transformation flickering out. Alice and Harumi hugged him, knowing what drove his righteous anger.

“Great ass of all fairies,” Nuri cursed. “I came here to greet you guys and Seth. Instead, I meet the fucking walking incarnation of death.”

“I need a drink,” Airi said. “And no. I have no questions.” She shuddered. “I’d rather let that stay a mystery.”

A few Team Stone members snickered, which erupted into laughter. Clyde smiled, unable to hold it in. Natalia hopped on his shoulders.

“I don’t even know anymore,” Kitome said. Ruri placed a hand on the magical girl’s shoulder, smiling.

Volume 12 Epilogue

Late Afternoon…

Outside Royal Palace…

As the last of the gargoyle statues were loaded onto a flatbed truck and taken away to wherever the queen ordered, Clyde shook the queen’s hand. Chika and the others had successfully stopped almost all of the biggest media networks from getting through to the area. Local networks and a few independent journalists still managed to snap pictures, film the public handshake and the hugs for each Team Stone member, including Support Team.

[Congratulations, you have completed your first Adventure Quest! From traveling here, to Awakening, to saving a Nation from collapsing. Even before slaying Maverick, you had managed to bag the rest of the wizards and send them off to the proper authorities. Sure, you spilled blood in the defense of the people, but sometimes one must be hard to save the lives of millions. You even felt a taste of protective rage when your unborn children were threatened.

Because both Neko and Ako joined you on this trip, your rewards have increased! Ako still has much to teach you, so do not get complacent.

Rewards received with Neko and Ako bonus applied: 600 million EXP + 200 million EXP. 1 billion dollars. Elroot wand part 3. Find someone to merge the parts for you. Sword of Thunder and Rage. Item class: *Legendary. Access to Psychic energy. Ball of diamond, ball of gold, ball of silver, ball of *Fever Crystal. Item class: Legendary, item value: highly sought after. Monster girl bait necklace, Item class: Epic. Book of Dual-wielding. Book of Dual-casting. Book of Tri-casting. Item class: *Legendary. Book of Blood Ki Spell: Possession. Item class: *Relic*. Item value: *priceless*.]

[Your adventurer rank has increased to A-50 and continues to gain traction due to Airi’s consecutive reporting. She dealt with those who’d sabotage you in your stead. Congrats on getting into the A ranks. You have unclaimed rewards waiting for you at the Guild. See Airi to take you there.]

[Congratulations, you have reached levels 166-170. Stats increased! You have unlocked the Map to Special Arena Z along with a built-in teleportation scroll. With it, you may take on Horde Z as many times as you’d like, but can only face its boss once. It will not respawn. Defeating Horde bosses will earn you nice rewards.]

[It is recommended to start crafting and enchanting weapons, not just for yourself, but your team. Even as a billionaire, there are weapons and materials out there that you cannot afford. Don’t get left behind! Quest: Create a Workshop! Build your economy. It is recommended to do so in your territories. Neither “Players” nor Adventurers will be able to attack your territorial workshops. This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused.]

Clyde’s excitement was so high that he completely disregarded the idea of giving Airi an earful. He still gave her a look with a promise for something spicy later, but holy mother of all, the reward amount for completing an Adventure Quest was insane. He felt like he opened a giant treasure chest.

The excitement needed to be expressed.

“Team Stone, we’re fucking celebrating tonight before we leave. Your Highness, Dera, you’re invited. Tomorrow, Tear will Jump the entire bus back, but don’t get too drunk. I’m not going to clean up anyone’s vomit or bail Seth out of a bar for getting pegged.”

Team Stone cheered and laughed.

The queen flushed with embarrassment. “I can’t believe that long dead tradition was brought back to awareness. That being said, I have a lot of work to do. I’d like to spend one last night with Kaguya if you don’t mind.”

The princess hugged her mother. Clyde nodded in understanding.

“Why do you think I’ll be the one pegged?” Seth asked.

Clyde laughed, tapping his shoulder. “I’m just busting your balls, man. Besides, it looks like you’re going to be doing the pegging.” He pointed at Nuri.

“Come on, you know you want to see her,” Nuri said. “You claim to be a free spirit but you two haven’t stopped texting each other since that last-”

Seth covered her mouth. “Annoying girl, runs her mouth with all kinds of tales. You guys go on ahead.” He pulled Nuri off to the side, whispering a series of things. Amusement danced in her eyes, increasing with her devilish smiles.

Clyde crafted a ring through his mental menu as they headed back to the hotel, preparing to party. That night, he pulled Kitome off to the side. They snuck to her room. During the heat of kissing, the young man presented the magnificent symbol of proposal.

Needless to say, the already amazing night became better for the both of them. He minimized the prompt that revealed the incredible benefits of being married to the magical girl. That could be reviewed later.

As the passion reached its climax in Kitome’s room, the young man forgot to do one crucial thing. The load he released into the magical girl felt endless, almost as if it would cause her stomach to bulge. But he knew that was just his slowed perception upon realizing his actions. Or lack thereof.

Naked, they stared at each other after panting for a minute.

“Let’s see. A non-safe day,” Kitome said, then sighed. “This will be some embarrassing news… but we don’t know for sure.”

[You have planted a seed in Kitome.]

[Congratulations, desu!]

“Remember my abilities,” Clyde said.

“Oh,” Kitome said, her face flushed. She looked at the ring. “Ah shit. Well… I’ve kind of raised Yusuke… I think I’ll be a good mother.”

Clyde kissed her. “Correction. Great mother.”

Kitome giggled. “Another round for celebrating…” She sighed. “How are we going to tell the others? Oh, fuck… how will Mom react?” Clyde pushed the thought of Kitome’s mom out of his head. “Let’s wait on telling her,” she quickly said. “It will be a couple of weeks before I can get an accurate test. Not that I will, but I can pretend I did then…”

“Don’t worry so much over it,” Clyde said. “And you won’t have to tell her alone.”

He watched the magical girl relax.

“That really made me feel better, you know,” Kitome said, pouting. “Are we going back to Lot City or our home in Ring City?”

“Ring City,” Clyde said, “but anyone will be free to go between the two. I’ll need to meet the Stone Maidens. And then do something about the Supreme.”

Kitome sighed. “I forgot about that. Did you really meet the Supreme freaking Demon Lord?”

“Yep, and she tried to recruit me,” Clyde said with a chuckle. He kissed Kitome again, before entering her. She let out an excited gasp. “We’ll worry about that tomorrow.”

[Ki stats increased x 3 due to Bracelets of the New Path.]

* * *

Smaller city of Alon…

Terrance stared at the business card in his hand as the news about Team Stone’s accomplishments looped. What opportunity did the strange man have to offer? What latent power? Terrance had to know.

* * *

Ring City, Terravon…

Sol smirked as he watched a familiar-looking pink-haired fox girl and two dragons enter a house, cheerfully discussing something.

“Hellfire, she looks just like her. I guess that’s her big sister.”

He still felt the pain of Risa’s multiple gut-punches. Yet, despite getting her memory back, she still insisted on living with him. She had given up on the Kitsune idea - but Sol had still come across one just by luck. His analysis called her Liru Akagi.

Sol chuckled. “Now to find the other one.”

Outro

This has been Volume Twelve of The Anime Trope System. The episodes will remain in order.

The next story arc is underway! The fun continues…

Fate is a mysterious string.

Hello, you amazing anime, light novel, fantasy, and manga fans. I’m Alvin Atwater, and I would like to take the time to thank everyone who read and supported the series. Please consider leaving me a review on Amazon.com. I could use as much help as possible. My goal is to expand the Anime Trope System into other forms of media such as manga, artwork, and even games. If my following hits the millions, I may even attract the attention of the anime overlords.

At this time, the manga is doing quite well in production. I uploaded some pages of what’s done so far on https://Animetropesystem.net.

In the meantime, I will get back to work, as this series is very fun to write!

I can be found at https://www.AlvinJAtwater.com, Twitter, Patreon, Facebook (Syr456).

Here are some other interesting Facebook groups if you enjoy the LitRPG or Haremlit genres:

Team Stone Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ATSteamstone

-Gamelit Society: https://www.facebook.com/GamelitSociety

-Haremlit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/haremlit/

-Harem Gamelit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HaremGamelit/

-LitRPG Books: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPG.books/

And until the next volume, have a good one!

Bonus

Hotel recreation room while Clyde and Kitome are absent…

Ruri smacked down her Queen of Hearts, then smirked at Alice. “When was the last time you played any games from the demon realm?”

Alice rolled her eyes. “It’s a little too early to start celebrating now.” She placed an Ace of Hearts onto the table. “I claim two demon books in your hand.”

“That’s a suicide claim,” Matsume said. “What are the odds of her actually having them? You just threw the game. Airi, ready the Jabberwock Surprise…” The busty hellhound paused to look at Ruri’s teary eyes. “You really do have two.”

“Baka!” Natalia said.

Ruri whimpered. “I was so close. How did you know?”

Alice grinned evilly. “You really haven’t changed much, old friend. Airi, hurry it up.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she said, then placed the shot glass in front of Ruri.

The hellhound princess’s ears sagged. Yuki shook her head. Maki winced, Sophia patting her shoulder.

“Enjoy it,” Alice laughed. “A bet is a bet.”

Airi shuddered. “I have this can of Sweet Cola right here so you can drown away the taste as soon as possible.”

Ruri reluctantly grabbed the glass and downed it. She grimaced at the taste, snatching the cola from the purple-haired young woman, desperately attempting to purify her taste buds. Team Stone cheered and laughed.

“Ruri! Ruri!” Matsume and Airi chanted.

Kanako sighed. “Poor Ruri, wronged by the hands of the drunks.”

“I agree with you,” Amina said. “Now… where is he?”

Stat sheet

CLYDE’S CHARACTER SHEET. THIS IS THE END OF THE BOOK.

Name: Clyde.

Level: 170

Type: Main character/ Stone. Mystic.

HP: 500% (+110%)

MP: 600% (+80%)

Ki: 300%

Attack: 294 (+150)

Defense: 298 (+265)

Speed: 348

Luck: 340

Will: 346

Intellect: 494

Form: 1/1.

Special: God tier skill: Godly Omen Crush. [Does immense deity, almighty, holy, light, and purity damage. Chance to instantly kill some enemies. While this attack comes out as an enormous blast of energy, you may condense it into a single punch, adding colossal physical damage.]

Special Abilities:

Flash Step: Briefly move at the speed of light. A high speed stat will increase the critical chance of any attack combined with this ability.

Acrobatics: able to run and jump swiftly. Can leap from building to building.

*Mystic Senses: whether in or out of battle, you will be connected to nature and its spirits. Unknown benefits. Ability to sense abnormalities.

*Skill Fusion- legendary special ability- combine skills and see what happens. You could unleash death on your foes! Can be very draining to your MP. Use seldomly.

Jump: You can warp to an area you’ve been to, or that you picture in your mind. You can also open and close portals, but not create them. You can also warp with a party.

*Astral Projection level 3: project an image of yourself to an area you know. Raise the level to be able to move around in this state as well as increasing the range. Your body will be vulnerable. At the right level, you will learn to be simultaneously aware of both your astral projection and your true self. Warning: it is recommended to have a composure of 200 or more before projecting yourself.

*Radiant Aura: all defenses increased.

*Fly. You may fly for some time, if you have the MP. Practice to get better at it.

*Heavenly Aura: unknown benefits. Rank: 2. Reduced damage from the dark element and its attributes, including taint, for you and your fiancées/wives.

Hidden stats revealed:

Special Defense: 264

Paranoia: <varies>

Charisma: 360

Composure: 450

Evasion: 338

Reputation: level 8: I…believe in you!

Endurance: 410

Regeneration: 240

Haggling: 238

Ki types available:

-GOLDEN KI: GOLDEN DRAGON LINE.

-Blood Ki.

[Harumi: Life: 5. Lightning: 5. Heart: 9.]

[Kitome: Strength: 5. Passion: 11. Energy: 5.]

[Alice: Soul: 9. Command: 9. *Radiance*: 9.]

[Chika: Vitality: 10. Speed: 10. Aura: 11.]

[Yuki: Heart(above). Mystery: 4. Power: 4.]

[Maki: Ambition: 2. Command(above). Submission: 2.]

[Neko: Unpredictable: 1. Spark: 1. Rain: 1.]

[Tear: Spirit: 5. Passion (above). Love: 5.]

[Kanako: Sweet: 2. Magical: 2. *Range*: 2.]

[Airi: Leadership: 2. Defense: 2. Nature: 2.]

[Melody: Purity: 1. Romance: 1. Command(above).]

[Ruri: Control: 4. Agility: 4. Lust: 4.]

[Matsume: Fierce: 1. Fire: 1. Composure: 1.]

[Kiko: Acceleration: 1. Trust: 1. Vigor: 1.]

[Noona: Light: 1. *Disguise: 1. Compassion: 1.]

[Tetra: Intensity: 1. Dignity: 1. *Influence*: 1.]

[Ming: Desire: 1. *Prophecy: 1. Focus: 1.]

[Untouched/unconsummated after Ki system introduction.]

[Hinako: Wisdom, Courage, Wind.]

[Natalia: ???. ???.???.]

[Misaka: Calm. *Immortality*. *Phoenix Fire*.]

[Sophia: Poise. Discipline. Power(above).]

[Ako: Sharpness. Wisdom. Romance (above.)]

Ki-based skills:

Dragon Breath level 2. Unleash Ki-based dragon flames from your mouth or combine it with your fist for a dragon-fist. Dragon breath does Ki and fire damage which cannot be blocked by magic. [Requires any Dragon Ki.]

Cloaking level 2. For a percentage of your Ki, you may turn invisible for a very short period. This ability cannot be canceled by magic. [No specific Ki.]

Area Sense level 2. You will be able to detect all enemies within a vicinity. You gain a Mini-map to accompany your mental navigation system. Your foes will show up as red dots. Level this system up and you’ll gain more details and range. Example: yellow dots indicating tougher enemies and much more. [No specific Ki.]

Ki-based ultimate attack: none.

Ki skill in training:

-You have started learning Ki passive, Telepath level 1. Gold Ki. You can direct your thoughts and speak to anyone within the same city. Increase the level to increase range. This skill is highly dependent on having the Range crest. To obtain, you need Range at 3, Composure at 2, Vigor at 2, and Nature at 2.

-You have started learning Pyro Master form. Ki required to obtain this transformation: Fire at 37. Intensity at 8. Agility at 11.

-You have started to learn the Ki passive Zen Inner Control. To obtain, you need Light at 3, Strength at 4, and Wisdom at 2.

Misc:

-Free Points: 200.

-Wanted rep Harpy clan: 5/5.

-Omen’s Spheres (some call them orbs): 9 of 25. (2 of 5 super)

-Sato Academy Crafting Permission.

-*World Star Fragments*: 1/7.

-Faith level 21. Faith points: 110.

-Chaotic energy: 1.

-Adventurer rank: A-50.

Skills:

-Athlete: 10% bonus to speed and will. [Passive.]

-Mystic Calm: 100% resistant to fear, despair, discomfort, and shock. [Mystic Passive.]

-Hostile Detection 5: detects hostiles within a certain range of you. Detects enemy information. Can now see weakness. Can now see resistances. Can now see secrets. [Passive.]

-Heart Protection 5+: you’re 93% less affected by unwanted mental magic or skills from enemies. You gain a 49% bonus to your ability to convince others to do anything that would protect their hearts. 70% chance to break from any magic or charismatic hold. [Passive.]

-Secret Sword and Martial Arts Combination: random unknown increases to speed, defense, and will during battle. Chance to critical increases by 2%. [Passive.]

-Crafting 5+: enables you to craft items using everyday objects. Can craft complicated items and a 1% extra chance to successfully craft one. [Passive.]

-Dagger Combat 9: does physical damage. Enables dagger combat. Chance to critical at 42%. Chance to do double damage at 2%. [Passive.]

-Knife Throwing 8: does physical damage. Enables knife combat. Chance to stun at 41%. [Passive.]

-Trap Detection 8: you will be warned by the system automatically on things your mind would consider a trap. Your will stat dictates this! Range: 72 meters. [Passive.]

-Party Loyalty: your party will know if you’re in danger and need help. A boost of stats will be given to anyone who’s able to provide you with assistance. [Passive.]

Unarmed attacks:

-Roundhouse Kick, enhanced: [Attack] - does physical damage. Chance of knockdown at 35%.

-Mystic Punches/Kicks, enhanced: [Attacks] - does physical and double spiritual damage. Chance of stun at 10%. 65% chance of stun or paralysis if catching enemy by surprise.

Sword attacks:

-Precise Slash 10: [Attack] - does double physical damage. Chance of critical at 45%.

-Deep Slash 10: [Attack] - does double physical damage. Chance to cause bleeding at 45%. Chance to stun at 15%.

-Spirit Slash 10: [Attack] - does double physical and spiritual damage. Chance to cause dizziness at 40%. Chance to cause spiritual blight at 45%.

-Shatter Strike 10: [Attack] - does physical and double fire damage. Chance to break barriers at 66%.

-Tier 3 skill: Sound Slash: [Attack] - does physical and sound damage. Chance to cause deafness at 1%.

-Stagger Punch. Class: moderate rare. [Attack] - does physical damage. Has a great chance to stun enemies and if you punch in the right place and at the right time, well… you could instantly KO an opponent.

Defensive skills:

-Cosmic Shield [Evolution 1]: [Defense] - invoke a magical shield around you for a few seconds. Will shield you from magic and block physical attacks. Chance to invoke Spirit Counter at 5%. Now blocks Ki, chakra, negative Ki, psychic energy, deitic power, cosmic energy, and unknown sources of supernatural power.

Special skill:

-Quick Meditation: once per cooldown, you can boost random stats. The buffs will last for up to two hours.

-Mystic Meditation: once per cooldown, you can boost speed, will, and composure. This buff will last up to 2.5 hours.

-Power Up: [Charge] - once per cooldown, you may recharge 30% of your MP and slightly increase attack and speed.

Combat level:

-Advanced Combat Style: intermediate level 9.

-Mystic Combat: level 9.

-Samurai Combat Style: basic.

Magic-based skills:

-Bronze Tier Skill: Holy Energy Ball. [evolution 2]: Type: spiritual. Class: mysterious. Does light and holy damage. You can will them to explode on impact with enemies to rack up the damage. (Mystic counterpart available.)

-Giga Death Scatter Shot [evolution 2]: Type: spiritual. Class: mysterious. Shoot a flurry of energy balls at multiple enemies. 8% chance to stun or paralyze an enemy. Does gun, metal, and glass damage. 1% chance to instantly kill enemies ten levels or more below you. You can will the energy balls to explode upon contact.

-Unknown Tier skill: Wrath of Raijin and Fujin [evolution 3]: Type: spiritual, holy, deity. Class: mysterious. You can only use this if you have 200% MP or more. Shoot a wave of godly energy. Does Immense spiritual damage. Chance to inflict triple super-severe damage on dark creatures at 35%. Chance to cause spiritual blight at 59%. Does holy and purity damage. [If conditions are met, this attack will become Super Fallen Angel Spirit Wave instead. Will do demonic and taint damage. Chance to cause agony at 41%. Chance to do quadruple damage on non-dark creatures at 37%. Chance to summon dark creatures from the abyss at 1%.]

-Special Tier skill: Molten Burst of the Fiery Deities [evolution 3]: Type: spiritual, fire, deity. Class: mysterious. Call upon holy fire to destroy your enemies. Will always target multiple enemies. This is an unblockable skill. Chance to inflict Super-severe burns on enemies with even the slightest weakness to fire at 95%. Chance to inflict quadruple damage to all dark creatures among all attributes.

-Binder’s Hand 6: Type: spiritual. Class: mysterious. Bind your enemies with tendrils of spirit energy. 46% chance to bind 1 enemy. Does no damage unless you will it. If willed, will do 14% damage per second. Able to will it to hold allies. Cannot damage allies.

-Charm 6: Type: spiritual, mental. Class: uncommon. Once per cooldown, you have a chance to take control of 1 targeted enemy. At this level you can only charm up to 5 enemies at the same time, with lower levels. Be wary of enemies immune to charm.

-Mystic Omnipresent Aide: invoke the power of nature to assist you. Does nature damage. Chance for a 150% attack increase, anywhere. Wiseman’s Calm increases this by another 50%.

-Wiseman’s Calm: Enter Wiseman Mode. This form lasts for a short time and drains magic points, but all physical and magic attacks increase greatly. You will be able to cast Destructive Mystic Lightning. Chance to fully heal when entering this mode: 3%. Sometimes allies around you will randomly heal.

-Destructive Mystic Lightning: Type: mystic, spiritual, electric. Can only cast during Wiseman Mode. Does spiritual, electrical, holy, nature, fire. Very destructive to the environment around you. Chance to cause spiritual blight at 44%. Chance to blind. Chance to paralyze. Chance to stop an opponent’s time for 4 seconds at 1%. Due to the time-stopping capabilities, this skill’s usefulness is god tier equivalent.

-Trust Bond Skill Mimic: Type: mystic. Class: very rare. Once per day, you will be able to randomly activate a skill from any of your trusted friends. If you do not wish to activate the revealed skill, you may store it for later use; however, if not activated that day, it will vanish from storage. This can be used outside of Mystic Wrath.

-Summon Mist: Type: water. Class: uncommon. Summon a thick mist that can cover an area the size of a small town. You and your allies will be able to see 40% better than any enemies. Warning, this is useless against enemies that do not rely on vision.

BCFUS level 5, Rank 2: You can only present a temporary speed and jump boost. You may make only some changes to their appearances, heal moderate injuries, and sense their whereabouts at a better range, all using Free Points (also known as Soul Points). You can now increase present temporary attack and defense increases. All women married to you will now have the deity and divine element attributes embedded into some of their attack skills. Chances of inflicting status alignments and heavy or more damage increases. You may rank up your prophet by spending points.

-Tier 2 skill: Blizzard: Type: ice. Class: very rare. Unleash a portable blizzard on your foes. Does heavy ice damage.

-Summon: Tear: 1 remaining.

-Tier 2 skill: Neptune’s Water Edge. Type: water, holy. Class: very rare. Unleash a sharp blast of water blessed by Neptune himself.

-Tier 1 skill: Star Storm 3: Type: light, earth. Class: very rare. Summon a shower of light and earth energy upon your enemies. Chance to inflict repentance at 7%. Chance to paralyze at 6%.

-Special Tier Skill: Energy Materialize: Type: light, deity. Class: epic. Form weapons and objects made of energy in your hands for a short time. The more MP invested, the larger the object. Be careful of overdoing it. The magical backlash can daze you in the middle of a fight. Chance to inflict light blight at 4% Chance to burn at 2%.

-Ki Exchange: Type: neutral. Class: epic. Convert unused Ki to HP or MP.

-Bronze Tier Skill: Holy Windstorm: Type: wind, holy. Class: very rare. Unleash a storm of wind and holy energy on your enemies! Chance to stun at 13% Chance to inflict confusion at 1%.

-Telekinesis, level 3: Type: mental. Class: rare. You may move small objects and people through telekinesis.

-Silver Tier skill: Meteor: a powerful skill with highly destructive capabilities. Send down a giant meteor to destroy your enemies. Just… don’t accidentally blow up a city with it. Does cosmic, colossal fire, explosive, and earth damage.

-Life’s Breath: while in Stone Mode, your presence will begin to heal those that need it in the area. [Passive.]

-*Tier 0 skill: Eternal Soul Wind: summon an extremely destructive storm upon your enemies. Does severe damage. Does Wind, Dark, and Almighty damage. Chance to paralyze enemies at 3%. Chance to cause soul blight at 3%. Soul blight damage has a chance to instantly send an enemy’s HP to 1%. Souls become vulnerable for the taking while inflicted with this blight. *Due to your high relationship status with Chika, this is an unblockable attack.

-*Ancestral Spirit Lineage: Type: Omni-spiritual. Class: *Legendary. While in War Stone Mode (or God of Blood and Vengeance), the knowledge and experience of many generations of legendary warriors from all of the universe will be synced with you as your own. [Passive.]

-Chaos Power: Type: Anti-deity. Class: *Relic* When five or more chaotic companions are in your current party, you may pay all but 10% of your HP and MP for a 1200% attack/special attack increase for your next attack/spell.

Second effect: Any duo attack with Sazuki will be increased by 500% for one time.

Third effect. While Sazuki is your fiancée/wife, your resistance against deity + light and its attributes will be increased by 50%. [Passive.]

-Tier 1 skill: Giga Lava Cannon: does colossal fire and magma damage. Chances to inflict burns will depend on your foe’s resistance to fire. This skill explodes upon impact and can have uses outside of battle.

-Unknown tier skill: Summon Evil Goddess, level 1: Type: evil, dark, deity. Class: *Dark epic. Unlock the chains of an ancient dark goddess, binding her to your soul, and forming the contract of familiar and master. To activate this skill, you must first channel stray Blood Ki, as you lack any dark affinity whatsoever.

-Soul Mate Passive- Duo Sync: Type: spiritual. Class: ??? You may send combat strategies to Alice directly from your head during or even before battle. This will be automatically extended to any wife. And only wives. Chances of duo-attacks increased by 10%. [Passive.]

Talent:

Main character stuff.

Mystic languages. [Can read and speak old and unknown tongues.]

*Enchanting.

Bonus:

10% boost to relationship stats with Harumi and her friends.

+5% damage for a physical attack.

Marriage System.

Bravery noted to someone of great power.

Ruthlessness noted to someone of great power. (Demons killed.)

10% boost to all stats- mystic bonus.

Good favor with Cupid, God of Love.

*Gold Achievement.

*HALL OF FAME.

Titles:

The Man Who Shatters the Balance. Reckless Abandonment. Man of the Impossible. Millionaire and Again. Slave Driver. Entity Destroyer. Vampire Slayer. Massacre Man. Ladies’ Man. Tactician. Eavesdropper. Godling’s Path. *Legendary Beast Slayer*. Leader of Team Miracle. Welcome to the Darkside. Robbing the Snake. Luckiest Man Alive. Star Collector! *You OP Son-of-a-Bitch. *Grim Reaper. Cooking Guru. Strategist in the Making.

Cooking:

Cooking line: Soul Heart Cooking Line.

Cooking level: 26

CKP: 330

Cooking Talents:

-Balancer Seasoning: at the right time, you can get an upwards of 15% to the flavor bonus. Talent rank: C.

-Spicy Flash: add in a spicy fore or aftertaste to your dish. Perfect for those craving spicy food. Time it right for upwards of 12% towards the flavor bonus. Chance of accidentally going all out with the spicy: ???%. It is up to you. Talent rank: B.

-MSG: [Cheat.] MSG makes many foods taste better. You can only use this if you actually have the food additive available. No worries, it is perfectly safe; however, using this will definitely show people that you’re a complete amateur. Judges may outright refuse to eat your food. Use this as a last resort and in secret. However, you will always know that you’re a chump, sore loser. This is not a part of the Soul Heart style package. Talent rank: Evil and F.

-DOODLE DOODLE CRISP!: Crisp up your food. Adds an additional flavor profile to your food. Time it right for upwards of 23% toward the flavor bonus. Talent rank: B.

Cooking skills:

-Soul Heart Style: Class: *Legendary*. You can make it so that everything you cook has a Soul Heart spin on it. 0.01% chance of +9M% to flavor bonus. [Passive.]

Recipes:

-Sweet-berry Alethian Soup recipe. Rank: C.

-Comforting Soup recipe. Rank: D.

-Alonian Chicken Soup Recipe. Rank: C.

-Soul Heart Cooking Recipe Package. Rank: S*.

Cooking Battle Abilities:

-Food Summoning Fighting Food-Ons: Type: spiritual. Class: *Legendary*. You may mix food ingredients, then channel your Ki into the concoction to summon a creature to fight for you. It will gain your combat level and skill, so keep training! It will also have a special attack that you may will it to use. Caution: it’s a one-use ability that will unsummon the creature afterwards, so think carefully. The cooldown for this randomly shifts and can be lengthy at times. Have fun experimenting! Who knows what kind of creature you could make…

Homes:

-Lot City: [Current Main.] Barrier Level: 13. PP: 100. BP: 100. You are moderately protected. Not even deities would easily detect you.

-Ring City: [No barrier yet.]

Inventory:

$1,991,465,400.

-Map of Lot City, Satovia.

-Map of Libado Grasslands, Satovia.

-Map of Ashen City, Satovia.

-Map of Niyoto, Satovia.

-Map of Ring City, Satovia.

-Smartphone.

-Key.

-Reminder for practice- note.

-Zelt’s printer. Level 1/25.

-Deed to the Ashfall estates, treasures, etc.

-Wind blade: Item class: very rare. +16 to attack. Wind element.

-Place of Power Core: Item class: Relic. Item value: priceless. Establish a place of power. [Lot City House…]

-Forger’s hammer: Item class: very rare.

-Exploding blowup doll: Item class: *One of a kind*. Unsuspecting enemies will experience a nice surprise. Does dark deity damage.

-Root Tree seed: Item class: epic. [In Airi’s care…]

-Mysterious Harp: Item class: *One of a kind*. This special harp is loved dearly by a special type of harpy called the Gandharva. Handing this to her will get you a *World Star Fragment* and another reward.

-Breast enhancement potion x 2. Item class: bizarre.

-World Map: Item class: *Legendary*.

-Universal dungeon key: Item value: well-above standard.

-Holstaur breast milk.

-Goblin dust: Item class: meh. Item value: worthless. Maybe a crafting ingredient, maybe trash.

-Potion of Sharpness: Item class: very rare. Increases attack.

-Mythic shard: Item class: epic. Crafting piece for mythic items and equipment.

-Potion of Gloominess: Item class: bizarre.

-Cup of Alien Goo: Item class: bizarre.

-Book of Blue Ki: Item value: mysterious.

-Hyper Sex Potion: Item class: very rare.

-Full Restoration Potion: Item class: epic. Full restoration of HP and MP.

-Potion of Ki Wishes: Item Class: epic. Increase any Ki stat by 2 points.

-Firestone Diamond: Item class: unknown. This would make one hell of a crafting item.

-Ki Book of Soul Concentration: Item value: mysterious but incredibly valuable.

-Special Portable Forger’s Anchor: Item class: epic.

-Elroot Wand: [Parts: 3 of 3.] Find someone to merge them.

-Potion of Horniness: Item class: epic. What’s the difference between this and the sex potion?

-Golden Wizard Robe Set: Item class: *epic and bizarre.

-Map to Special Arena Z along with a built-in teleportation scroll

-Sword of Thunder and Rage. Item class: *Legendary*.

-Ball of diamond, ball of gold, ball of silver, ball of *Fever Crystal: item class: legendary. Item value: highly sought after.

-Monster Girl Bait Necklace: Item class: Epic.

-Book of Dual-wielding: Item class: *Legendary.

-Book of Dual-casting: Item class: *Legendary.

-Book of Tri-casting: Item class: *Legendary.

-Book of Blood Ki Spell: Possession: Item class: *Relic*. Item value: *priceless*.

Quest items:

Natalia’s Curse: -Depleted Omen’s Sphere! Item class: *Legendary.

Plants and herbs:

-Uni-plant: This plant can be used in medicines and potions. An alchemist could make use of it.

Equipment:

[Legendary Sword: Bloodlight: +150 to attack. Solar element. Can fire raw magic from the weapon. Does magic damage. Lv. 5]

[Clare upgrade: Flood Slash: be careful with swinging this magnificent weapon. It can slash a giant mountain in two with its ability.]

[Clare upgrade: Solar Reckoning: you can fire an enormous amount of solar magic, capable of vaporizing enemies. Does intense solar damage. Chance to blind at 4%. Chance to mute at 11%. Chance to roast every cell in someone’s body at 1%.]

-Executioner’s Staff of Merlin: Item class: *Legendary, One of a Kind*. Does Dragon and Volcanic damage. You may trigger its special attack: Balinor’s Havoc, after filling the weapon’s soul bar to 100%.

-School uniform or casual clothes.

-School shoes or casual shoes.

-Necklace of Her Devotion: Item class: *One of a kind*. This necklace was made with love. Unknown benefits. Has a 1% chance of triggering Enlightenment Mode 1 during battle. All stats will increase by 100% during the Mode.

-Silver dagger: Item class: rare. +ice and earth damage.

-Bullet-proof vest armor set: Item class: very rare. +250 to defense.

-Bracelets of the New Path. Item class: Legendary, *One of a Kind*. While wearing these bracelets, all Ki-based abilities will do four times the damage. All Ki cultivation will be tripled. When married, all wives will receive a 250% damage boost to Ki-based attack skills while within fifty meters of you. You will receive a menu option to turn the bracelets on and off. If on, they will drain your Ki until it reaches zero, then deactivate. The cooldown to reactivate is a solid 24 hours.]

Shops:

-ID store: every Thursday.

-Faith store: every last Sunday of the month. (Week 4).

Prophet Ming’s Rank: 2

Abilities: Seer Combat. She will always see an attack half a second before it happens. [Passive.]

Stone-Tokken Deck:

The Sorcerer’s Creed.

Classes: (Year 1.)

-Satovia History 1.

-Romance Literature 1.

-Sciences 1.

-Crafting 1.

Phone numbers:

-Chika.

-Harumi.

-Naomi

-Toru

-Clare

-Seth

-Kitome

-Melody

-Dark

-Hinako [Professor.]

-Ming

-Alice

-Tear

-Noona

-Yuki

-Fuyoko

-Kanako

-Misaka

-Natalia

-Ruri

-Matsume

-Airi

-Ashard

-Tetra

-Tessa

-Yusuke

-Maki

-Sophia

-Chizuru

Quest log:

Main story.

-Defeat Dark in a Real game. (Stone-Token quest.)

-Get to know Sazuki over time.

-Investigate Hideo’s secret laboratory.

-Excel in the finals.

-Adventure Quest pending: Pay the Order of the Crusaders a visit. Stop their cruelty once and for all. You will have to rely on Chizuru to bring you back the researcher to begin this quest.

-Create a Workshop! Build your economy. It is recommended to do so in your territories. Neither “Players” nor Adventurers will be able to attack your territorial workshops. This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused.

-Dragon Business, Step 3: Non-specifics. To be guided by Harumi, Liru, or an outside force. You will know when the time comes… This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused. Reward: unknown.

-Adventure Quest: find a Depleted Omen’s Sphere, an essence crystal, and the horn of a chimaera for Naoko. Reward: Weakening of Natalia’s curse. Unknown. Items gathered: 1/3.

-Adventure Side Quest: Purify Matsuko. It seems like purifying a fallen angel was even beyond Harumi’s capabilities. She’s not at full power yet - but you’ve already made a “cool” declaration to Matsuko. Reward: Matsuko’s devotion, EXP, unknown high rewards. Note: side quests are completely optional. You may even assign them to be completed by other party members. They will receive a portion of the EXP and rewards.

-Show the Falcon why he should fear the Stone. Reward: unknown.

*World Objectives:

-Slay the demon lords: 3/15. Reward: *World star fragment*.

-Receive special training. Reward: Stone magic line access.

-World Side Objective: learn more about this world. Current knowledge of Satovia: 6.5%. System opinion: You still need knowledge! Quit slacking.

*Challenges remaining: 1 (max 3). Challenges completed: 3.

-Challenge: kill 1 enemy using a throwing knife without being detected.

Waifu quests:

-You have unlocked a path toward a new source of power. Cosmic energy. Wait for the system to prompt you the quest line. The first pre-step to that is to REALLY get to know Ruri. And not just sexually. You will also need to strengthen the friendship between her and Alice. The system will not force you into something as ridiculous as a threesome, but it is still there as an option. Strengthened Friendship level: 1 out of 10.

-Get to know Sazuki, Misaka, Kiko, Fuyoko, and Tetra. Pull them into your harem. Reward: unknown.

-Get Chika pregnant.

-Add Amina to your harem. Why not? She likes you.