“Well, that was awkward.” [Ryner]

Ryner thought as he recalled his reunion with Meirith while gazing at the dim, cloudy sky. Earlier, during breakfast, the elven girl had no idea what to say to him, simply looking forlorn and remorseful. Meanwhile, her father, Itham, was doing his best to glare at Ryner because he had made his daughter sad. On the other hand, Mi seemed pretty happy to see her master again, jumping and running in circles around him while wagging her tail. Still, she had soon returned to her daily routine, which consisted of eating, playing and sleeping.

When Ryner brought up the topic about leaving since he didn’t have any more business in Hossylei Nac, Meirith started getting teary-eyed. She apologized to him for some reason as she covered her face and turned around, sobbing. Upon seeing such a sight, Itham hurriedly tried to console her in a fluster. However, when Ryner, ignoring the mood, said that he wanted Rosaminta to open the gate for him, the High Elder got mad.

He angrily started to shout at him, telling him to leave for the moment because his daughter took priority. He even used magic to blow his guest out of the room with a gust of wind. As a result, Ryner threw an apple in his face and called him a baldy before fleeing the scene, deciding to come back in the evening. So, he was stuck wandering around until Meirith calmed down and Itham stopped panicking. The Gatekeeper had disappeared somewhere in the forest and he had no idea where to find her.

“(Damn it, Rosaminta, I let you eat my energy and you don’t even give me what I want. The hell was that ‘I’ll do anything you want’ for? Freaking liar.)” [Ryner]

Although Ryner wanted to open the gate himself, he wasn’t allowed. From what he had been told yesterday near the lake, it was possible for him to do so. Sadly, Rosaminta didn’t grant him that right.

“(That explains how Meirith left without even Rosaminta knowing.)” [Ryner]

Ryner thought as he recalled that Meirith had, for some reason, exited the safe haven that was Hossylei Nac.

“(Now that I think about it, why did she leave in the first place? … Well, whatever.)” [Ryner]

Shrugging his shoulders, Ryner pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind as he moved along one of the many bridges in Hossylei Nac. As a side note, Mi was being taken care of by Ninith and Itoca. Only Ryner got blown away. Although the pup tried to follow him, he entrusted her to the two dog-loving elves since he decided to waste some time with the amazons. Annoying as they were, they were a race of warriors that loved battles.

As such, their home was the perfect place to go to if Ryner wanted to pick a fight. He could have brought Mi with him, but refrained from doing so because of yesterday’s events. During a meal, several golden-eyed women had told him that his puppy looked like it would make for a tasty snack if it failed to become a good hunting dog. Furthermore, he was planning on going somewhere alone later on, which was why he left the red and white dog to the two happy elves.

So, he spent the entire day sparring with the amazons. The older warriors who stayed in Hossylei Nac to teach future generations also desired to spar. Some of the children even fought him too, though their match never lasted long since Ryner mercilessly ended it in less than three moves. Still, it was a productive day filled with getting some exercise and beating up amazons. Strangely, the more he won, the happier they seemed, which sometimes sent chills down his spine.

When evening came and he grew tired of having raw liver shoved in his face, Ryner escaped from the amazons who wanted him to stay longer. Ignoring the elves’ wish to always have someone accompany him, he jumped down from Hossylei Nac and swam to one of the small islands surrounding it. Once he arrived at his destination and hid behind the crystal pillar so that no one from the elven city could spot his figure, he called out a name.

“Alice.” [Ryner]

Ryner said in a low voice while looking in front of him. Despite being currently alone on the island, he was talking to Alice as if she was before him.

“I won the game. Send me the materials.” [Ryner]

Right after he finished speaking, a crack appeared ten meters in front of him. As if the air was made of glass, the crack audibly spread until pieces broke, fell and disappeared, revealing a bright hole of white light. What emerged from it was the slim silhouette of a person. It had no face nor hair and was pitch black while releasing smoke from its body. It looked like a skinny shadow that came to life. Behind it, the hole and the cracks faded away as if they never happened in the first place.

The unknown creature stood in place and eerily looked at Ryner for a single moment before its body started rapidly bloating. Its figure lost the shape of a man and looked more like an inflated balloon with limbs. Then, the sphere that had a radius of eight meters silently imploded and the shadow dissipated like smoke. What was left was a large pile of the materials that Ryner had won. They were bars of black ore with white lines crisscrossing over their surface like marble.

Approaching the pile that was easily four times his height, he lightly knocked on one bar and heard the familiar sound of metal. His hand also felt the hard surface, but no coolness. The ingot gave off warmth, as if it was alive. When Ryner picked it up, the item felt disproportionally heavy compared to its size. As he strongly pulled on it using both hands, its size expanded. The mineral slowly stretched like a rubber band without changing its width or thickness.

However, it wasn’t soft to the touch. The hardness remained the same as Ryner stretched the bar to twice its original length. He then proceeded to do the same thing to a dozen other ingots of black ore in the large pile. Afterwards, once he finished examining the goods and confirmed their quality, he began chucking them inside his pocket dimension.

“(Game’s over. I’ve got the Heaven’s Blade. I’ve got what I need to make mana pylons. So, next…)” [Ryner]

Ryner had recovered the Heaven’s Blade and won the game against Alice. He got to spend time in the elves’ city, the dwarves gave him the resources he wanted and the amazons seemed to more or less no longer want to kill him. He would probably leave late in the evening once Itham stopped fretting over Meirith and started searching for Rosaminta. But, considering the High Elder’s personality, there was a chance that he was still circling around his daughter like a worried mother bird. So, since Ryner most likely still had some time until then and was currently alone and out of sight, he figured he should take care of one task first.

“(Guess I’ll use this chance to do some repair.)” [Ryner]

That was why, having decided his next course of action, his right eye glowed golden. Black smoke like shadows appeared out of nowhere and rapidly engulfed his body before dissipating just as swiftly. No longer in a human vessel, Ryner sported a black long coat with the hem made of smoke. His hair was replaced by white feathers and a black horn grew out of the right side of his head.

Stretching his gloved hand out, he materialized a double-edged sword with a bluish, semi-transparent blade. Using the weapon shaped by his power, he cut a hole through dimensions and left the world. After exiting the portal, he instantly arrived at an empty realm that was just like the night sky. Dots of light covered the dark place like stars. It was as if he was standing in space, except for the green auroras that spontaneously appeared in the distance.

“Hmm?” [Ryner]

Just as Ryner was about to open his pocket dimension, something caught his attention. Almost immediately after his arrival, a familiar god showed up through a round portal. Wearing a white and green robe, he had jade green eyes and blonde hair with a long lock on the right side of his face that reached his chin.

“Ryner.” [Iparus]

The god, Iparus, said and gave a small nod as a greeting.

“What are you doing here, Iparus?” [Ryner]

Ryner asked the handsome man who had a calm and serene demeanor to which he gestured to the endless space around them.

“I sensed you leaving the mortal world and entering this realm. My job IS to keep an eye on you on behalf of the other gods.” [Iparus]

The god calmly answered as a book suddenly materialized in his hands. Furthermore, as he slowly proceeded to sit down, a white chair appeared underneath him. Simultaneously, a white round table also popped into existence in front of him.

“What about you? The last time was to send fragments of your soul to other worlds. Why are you here now? We didn’t ask for your presence.” [Iparus]

The blonde-haired and handsome god asked as he opened his book.

“I didn’t want to meet you either.” [Ryner]

“That’s not what I meant.” [Iparus]

“I know.” [Ryner]

Ryner told him in a cold tone as he began pulling out objects from his pocket dimension. First, he retrieved the Heaven’s Blade that was but a broken and rusty dagger. After examining it, he lightly threw it behind him and a golden string that grew out from his back agilely caught it.

“I needed a vast, empty and isolated place with no life around to forge and this realm fit nicely.” [Ryner]

Afterwards, he pulled out a red anvil that reached his waist, several drum barrels filled with dark and clear liquids as well as various tools such as tongs and hammers. Lastly, he pulled out egg-shaped crystals that faintly glowed with the colors of the rainbow. Each of these were held by golden strings as he placed the anvil in front of him.

“(Good thing I had Motyx prepare all these for me. Gods really can create pretty much anything.)” [Ryner]

Ryner thought as he recalled his last exchange with the dark purple-haired god. When he had received the golden globe that showed him the positions of all of the Heaven’s Blades in the world, he had also asked Motyx to give him other materials. They were extremely rare items obtained from the world that gave birth to the Heaven’s Blades currently in his possession. Unfortunately, he didn’t have any more on hand and he couldn’t find any in the worlds that he had travelled to so far.

“If you want to read, do it somewhere else. It’ll get loud.” [Ryner]

Ryner bluntly told Iparus as he secured the anvil before him with the strings that grew out of his long coat. The red object had multiple inscriptions on all four sides.

“Forging? Here?” [Iparus]

“To repair my Heaven’s Blade.” [Ryner]

Placing one of the egg-shaped crystals on the top, he grabbed a red hammer and gently hit the item. A clear sound resonated and the inscriptions on the anvil were dimly glowing. Furthermore, the gem, that was rolling because of its round shape, completely stopped moving, as if it got stuck on the flat surface. Once everything was in place, Ryner put the broken heaven’s Blade next to the gem.

“A Heaven’s Blade? That’s quite the curious name. Is it some sort of weapon forged by mortals?” [Iparus]

“From long ago, in a different world. Now I need to focus.” [Ryner]

Iparus threw his book away, causing it to disappear into thin air. Right after, another book appeared in his hand and opened by itself. Peering into it, the god’s finger traced down the page as he read its contents.

“I believe forging requires a furnace to heat up steel.” [Iparus]

The blonde-haired god said, pointing out how the impromptu forge lacked the all-important furnace. However, Ryner ignored his words and, after lifting the hammer over his head, he brought it down hard on the egg-shaped crystal. This time, a loud clanking sound, more akin to an explosion, filled the empty space. In that moment, the gem briefly released a huge shockwave as well as a powerful bright light. It rippled through the air in a circular motion like a disc that spanned over a hundred meters in radius.

The force was enough to blow people away, rendering them severely injured, unconscious, or more likely, dead. However, to Ryner, it was nothing more than a breeze and he stood perfectly in place despite taking the brunt of the shockwave. Similarly, Iparus, who was also hit by the blast, appeared fine as well. His table was blown away, losing one of its legs in the process. But, he remained calmly seated with his book in his hand and his gaze on Ryner.

“Heaven’s Blades aren’t made with furnaces.” [Ryner]

Ryner curtly replied as he hammered the crystal on the anvil. Every swing unleashed a deafening sound, a burst of light and a powerful shockwave as the gem slowly changed shape next to the broken Heaven’s Blade.

“REST’S OVER!” [Gerard]

Gerard, who was walking around with a cigarette in his mouth, shouted to the men and women that were put in his team. The caravan had stopped. The monsters in the swampland no longer attacked them. Before their eyes stood a grey tree that had lost all of its leaves with a twisted trunk. It looked like a spiraling cone that pointed upward. All around it was a circular field of grass. There were no other trees nor anything else. After a tiring trek filled with battles, the exhausted people and the fatigued horses had stopped right at the edge of this field to rest.

“GEAR UP, PEOPLE! THE MOMENT’S HERE!” [Gerard]

Listening to their leader’s order, the men and women quickly began getting ready. From the wagons, they took out the supplies contained within wooden crates. They put on armor, strapped on weapons and checked their gear’s condition. There was a sense of nervousness in the air. Everyone moved quickly and quietly, except for a few who spoke to their fellow comrades without any tension.

“It’s finally time! I’ve been thinking…” [Gary]

One of them was Gary, the muscular man who proclaimed himself as the strongest man in the world.

“If everyone of their women really are beauties with great bodies, then I want to bring one home as my slave! Wouldn’t you want one too, Peter?” [Gary]

Gary said as he properly wore a black shirt that matched his black pants and boots. Then, he grabbed a pair of magic shackles and lightly tossed them in the air.

“I’d rather see what kind of weapons they got, but, yeah. Having a slave to take care of my sword collection wouldn’t be so bad.” [Peter]

Peter, who was examining his two swords, told him offhandedly.

“If you want a beautiful woman, why not try your luck with Marilyn?” [Gawain]

Gawain, who had tucked a silver locket around his neck under his shirt, joined the conversation and asked Gary as he buckled one of his black forearm guards. Just like his comrades, the outfit supplied to him was completely black in color.

“Actually, this muscle head already tried, and she shot him full of ice.” [Peter]

“No need to say that! And her ice never pierced my muscles!” [Gary]

The three men looked towards one direction, which was where Marilyn was currently getting herself ready. Like everyone, she was putting together her gear and filling one of the pouches on her belt with healing potions. However, unlike everyone else, she was also looking at herself in a hand mirror and fixing her hair.

“Hmph, she’s not good enough for me anyway! Sure, I want to grope her huge boobs and ass, but all she does is cowardly shoot magic from afar! Close combat is the way to go!” [Gary]

“Uh… Right. Well, if Marilyn’s no good, what about Airmed? She’s hot and has some pretty big breasts too.” [Gawain]

““…”” [Peter and Gary]

Both Peter and Gary went silent when they heard Gawain naively mention Airmed and stared at him as if he was an idiot. Then, after looking at each other blankly, they answered him with serious expressions.

“Chick’s crazy.” [Peter]

“Never dip in crazy.” [Gary]

“I heard that.” [Airmed]

Out of nowhere, Airmed’s gentle voice sounded out right behind them, causing the two to jerk up in surprise and slowly turn around. Cold sweat trickled down their cheeks.

“Naughty boys should be punished~.” [Airmed]

She said playfully with her left hand on her cheek.

“Did you know? Intestines are reeaally long.” [Airmed]

There was a smile on her face, but her eyes were devoid of light and her right hand was holding a dagger.

“Hey, you guys, stop messing around!” [Hames]

Before things could escalate, Hames approached them with an admonishing look.

“Master told us to get ready, so hurry up!” [Hames]

“What?! Just because you’re an S rank like me doesn’t mean you get to boss me around, tiny squirt!” [Gary]

“Shut it, Gary! This is no time to compare muscles! We’ve got a job to do!” [Hames]

Hames looked away from an angered Gary and gazed towards the lone tree in the field of grass.

“… And I’ll win this time.” [Hames]

He muttered with murderous intent.

“GATHER AROUND, PEOPLE!” [Gerard]

Just as Gary was about to shout and grab him by the collar, Gerard’s booming voice attracted their attention. Their leader, wearing a black outfit, was standing on a wooden crate box and beckoning for everyone to approach. He took one last puff of his cigarette before utterly crushing it in his hand and throwing it away.

“The operation will start soon. Now I know some of you have questions about what we’re about to do. Last minute doubts. Fears. Wondering why the hell we’re doing this when others with the resources already tried and failed.” [Gerard]

He swept his gaze over his subordinates as they stood in front of him. Because of his words, some wore subtle expressions or averted their eyes.

“I don’t blame you. There’s a hundred of us against five hundred of them, and that’s excluding all the other races living with them. Our enemies can freely use magic with an inexhaustible supply of mana. Honestly, we should be an army to do this job, but it’s impossible with the swampland. That place is their first defense line. Transport is difficult and monsters are everywhere. An army can’t get pass those lands without suffering major casualties. But, throwing a bunch of average soldiers at them isn’t going to be enough either. No, that’s why we’re here. An elite team, consisting of the best and bravest.” [Gerard]

Gerard gestured towards them, the men and women that were chosen to carry out such a dangerous mission with him.

“Ladies, gentlemen, you can do it. Never doubt that. I know it, and most importantly, the First Order knows it. That’s why they supplied us with everything we needed for this mission, no matter how rare or expensive it was. Food, money, weapons, healing potions, magic shackles. We’ve even been loaned magic swords and a trump card in case things go wrong.” [Gerard]

The dark gray-haired man lifted his hand to show what he was holding. It was a black stone in the shape of a triangle-based pyramid. Despite its rough and crude appearance, it shined ominously as the light reflected off its surface.

“But, it probably won’t come to it since we’ve got the Dead Field Fang. The Order expects us to succeed, not die in vain. That’s why they gave us so much. Even those crazy new weapons.” [Gerard]

A bit of pride and satisfaction rose in Gerard’s chest when he saw how the look in his subordinates’ eyes gradually changed.

“I know using them feels odd. They’re nothing like swords or spears. They don’t really look like crossbows either. But, you’ve all trained with them. You’ve seen what they could do! With those, and the Fang, we’ll dominate our enemies!” [Gerard]

Resolve and confidence were steadily rising, replacing their doubt and fear. His team wasn’t composed of cowards. They were all strong fighters that possessed a mana pool of at least B rank.

“We are few, but not weak. Just follow the plan. A creature called the Gatekeeper is keeping the only entrance closed. It will be our first, real obstacle. Our guide will help us push pass it.” [Gerard]

As if they had planned it beforehand, a woman silently walked up to Gerard and stood next to his crate, on his left side. A black cloak covered her body and the hood hid her face from view. However, everyone knew who she was and directed doubtful gazes towards her.

“She can open the gate from the inside, which means that once we go in, she’s our only way out. You may be wondering why she’s helping us, but her loyalty is solid. It’s only thanks to her that all of this is possible.” [Gerard]

The guide clicked her tongue and looked away, as if irritated by Gerard’s words. It only served to make her even less trustworthy, but no one raised a complaint. Their leader had spoken and they would place their faith in him.

“Once the job’s done, we regroup back here. Lovel will then use her unique skill and we’ll be home, safe and sound.” [Gerard]

Next, Lovel calmly approached Gerard and stood on his right side, facing the men and women that would soon be fighting alongside her. Unlike with the guide, everyone trusted and admired the blonde-haired woman.

“This mission WILL succeed! And as a bonus, we’ll be adding a new page to the history books! Not kings or queens! Not emperors or empresses! BUT US!!” [Gerard]

Gerard looked at the faces of his subordinates again, one by one.

“So, are you ready, people?!” [Gerard]

Everyone had steely gazes and wore focused expressions. Their morale was high, their doubts were gone and their bodies were burning for action.

“Are you ready to go where no one has ever gone before!? Do what no one has ever done before!!?” [Gerard]

They were no longer anxious about the battle that was to come. In fact, they couldn’t wait for it to start.

“ARE YOU READY TO MAKE HISTORY!?” [Gerard]

Gerard shouted as he raised his clenched fist over his head.

“““UOOOOOOOOHHH!!!””” [Subordinates]

Everyone similarly raised their fists and yelled in response, letting loose a roar filled with their fighting spirit and bloodlust.

“OUR OBJECTIVES…!” [Gerard]

Gerard took a deep breath, solidifying his resolve before continuing his speech in a loud voice. His raised fist turned into magma and pieces of molten steel covered it like scales.

“INVADE HOSSYLEI NAC!!” [Gerard]

He vigorously pointed at the gate behind him with his transformed hand.

“CAPTURE PRISONERS FOR STUDY!!” [Gerard]

He pointed at the twisted tree standing by itself in the middle of the empty field.

“AND KILL THOSE THAT REMAIN!!!” [Gerard]

It was where the next bloodbath would happen for the sake of the future.

“TODAY, THE ELVES WILL VANISH FROM HISTORY!!!” [Gerard]