Kei observed both his surroundings and his body. The clothes on his body were currently exactly the same to the clothes he wore on of his last moment: plain gym shorts and a torn, but otherwise, regular t-shirt. For some reason though, he was barefooted. His skin was a pale gray, as pale as stone, as pale as it could ever be. While observing his body, he finally noticed the odd feeling of heaviness and weight on his back. He turned his head, wishing to see what could be the cause of the evoked feeling. What he saw made him gasp and shout in glee:

“Holy shit! I got myself some bad-ass wings!”

Perhaps not the most sensible comment coming from someone who has come to terms with dying. If a common person were to be in his situation, they’d be less... thrilled. Kei spun around in circles, acting like a dog chasing its own tail in a vain attempt to get a better view of his new body part addition. Along with the spin came wind. Rather than pondering upon aerodynamics, Kei assessed the different qualities of the wings. It was a dark shade of navy blue, perhaps closer to black rather than blue, but not being exactly black.

He then tugged on both of new horns on his head, rubbing them to make sure that they were physical… real. He then touched his, feeling that they were pointed, seemingly elvish, but not quite.

She really turned me into a full-fledged demon, didn’t she? I wish I can find a mirror soon just so I can get a good look instead of feeling myself up.

Kei turned his attention from his body’s new features towards the need to learn where in Deco’s name he was. He was just a few feet away from a dirt road, with forests surrounding him.

Okay. I need to get into a town and get some proper directions.

Kei looked to the left and right side of the road. There were no signs of… signs or travelers. While considering where to go, he took into account his new appearance and another important factor: His strength.

The goddess stated that Kei shall be created as an ultimate being among mortals. How did she go doing so? Did she bless him with Super Strength? Flight? She did say that this world was one with magic; So how can he compete and begin his journey of power without knowledge of his abilities?

Kei raised his palm towards the trees on one side of the road and shouted, “Fireball!”

The wind blew against his demonic stature and his hair, being a fair sign that absolutely nothing happened.

“Blizzard! Wind blade! Thunder!” In a vain final vocal attempt, he said, “Diarrhea!”, eliciting laughter from anyone who was watching him, very likely to be divine. Again, nothing happened. It would just be too easy for the denizens of the world to use mere words and names to bring about magic?

Kei then tried to move and stretch his pair of wings, but it only flinched. He assumed that he can neither cast magic nor move his wings; The only thing he can count on in this seemingly desolate world was his own fists.

With nothing to do, he tossed a branch into the air in order to determine what direction he should go towards, leaving it to Lady Luck. It pointed towards the right side of the dirt road.

“Alright, that way… I guess.” As he was walking, he started to sense an omen, bringing a familiar feeling - a familiar feeling that was ingrained into his body for years, the sense of malicious intent, killing intent, whatever you call it. He casually moved his eyes towards the trees and bushes on both sides of the road.

Must be bandits or something in a similar vein. Come on bones, don’t make me hate you. I got to have something under my sleeves.

As Kei drew closer and closer to the assumed ambush point, a few thugs came out of the nearby bushes and unsheathed their worn-out swords.

“Hold it right there, scum demon! Give us all your belongings and we might give you a less painful death!”

The six thugs draped in unwashed clothes surrounded him with unsteadiness and inexperience in their stance, most obviously seen in their currently shaking hands. Kei raised his eyebrow in confusion and looked around him, wondering why he wasn’t being attacked yet.

This shouldn’t be their first time doing this, assuming their equipment. Just attack me already… Let’s get it over with.

There were a few minutes of an awkward silent stare-down. This silence was broken by a mere whisper of one of the thugs to another, saying, “Hey. This one got wings. I’vent seen one of those before,” despite having robbed people before, whether those of a demonic or human nature. Their victims were usually poor and malnourished folks. They culled the males and sold the women remaining for a meager profit. But contrasting to their normal jobs, Kei was looking quite fit with a bit of meat on his bones. Furthermore, he shows that he isn’t afraid of the bandits nor the swords that were currently pointing at him. A first time that they met a target that isn’t afraid and Is completely confident in his competency.

Kei, growing impatient, didn’t want to waste another second and made the first move. His first target was straight ahead. He grabbed onto the man’s wrist and pulled it behind the man into a hold, wishing to neutralize him by immobilizing him, rather than harming him fatally. Unexpectedly, the man’s bone snapped and the arm was twisted as a result. The man dropped the sword he was holding and shouted on pain on the ground. Kei snatched the sword from the cold earth before anyone attacked while moving a few paces away from the group afterward.

What the hell?

Kei looked at his hand, clasped it, and opened it again. He has performed a back arm lock control before, sometimes even forcefully, but he never hurt someone to the extent of breaking an arm. Pondering on how he even got to the man in the first place, remembering that he was a couple dozen feet away, seemingly appearing in a few seconds.

Okay, I need to continue my momentum. If my idea is correct, I don’t have to worry.

With renewed vigor and confidence, Kei dashed towards the group without a second thought with the retrieved sword in hand. The group was dazed before they too, rushed towards Kei with a battle cry.

The men found contact and swung their swords in slow motion. Kei saw a thin shadow ahead of them and their swords. As time passed in the seemingly psychedelic instance, the men and their swords moved along the shadow, as if they were following it.

No way. Do I have precognition?

Kei moved to dodge the shadow of a sword and chopped it down like an executioner on the man’s shadows of his arms. In a mere moment, the man’s arm was lopped off. With frightening precision and dexterity, the five men were slain, sparing one person: The one with the broken arm.

Kei moved towards the man and said, “You are going to answer a few questions. Answer them honestly and I might let you die peacefully.”

Kei stomped on the man a few times, including his blood-soaked arm, realizing that he unconsciously repeated what the thugs said to him a few minutes ago.

“Please! Please! Please! Please!

I’ll answer! I swear!

I’ll answer as long as you kill me quickly!”

He had acquired the answers he wanted: The location of the bandit’s hideout, the nearest town, what nation he’s in, and the location of the capital of the Demon race, or what remains of them. The man wasn’t even able to register the pain of Kei’s foot on his head, cracking his skull.

By going the same direction he was heading before he was rudely interrupted, he would reach a town 10 miles away, which really made him wonder where they got their resources other than the people passing by. Letting loose of the thought, he remembered the town’s name and designation. It was called Asul, residing in the Chesire Kingdom. The “survivor” didn’t give a specific location of the capital of the demons but gave him a general direction. A barren wasteland northeast of where he was, in the corner of the continent.

He then found all sorts of goods such as jewelry, foodstuff, and clothing in the cave which was repurposed into the bandit’s hideout. Within, there was a small locked chest filled with what could possibly be valuables. Kei pulled off the lock and found that it contained gold and silver coins, serving as currency in the nation.

He switched his clothes to something more suitable in the area he was in or will be. Wearing leather boots, loose pants, and a white button shirt, with an imposing red cape to cover his wings. Despite his attempts, Kei knew that it will barely fool anyone. Kei grabbed one of the sacks conveniently lying on the ground, gathering the objects he cannot carry on hand into the sack.

Kei tested his strength and speed inside the cave. Pulverizing boulder and running around at that speed of sound, eliciting sonic booms. He tested the durability of his skin by cutting his arm with a knife. Seeing that there was neither pain nor injuries, he tried to stab himself in the chest. The result was not a freak accident for the winged entity, but rather for the knife, ending in a broken blade. This. Now this, was the definition of the ultimate being, being indomitable.

“Now, to head to the town.”

***

Kei walked closer and closer towards Asul. There were sturdy-looking stone walls surrounding the town, and the only entrances being covered by steel gates or sheer impossibility, coming from the sky or phasing through the walls. There was a line for waiting outside the said steel gate, intriguing Kei as he saw multiple races: Your run of the mill elves, dwarves, beastkin, but no demons. Some of them carried weapons like spears and axes, while a few carried staves.

As Kei drew closer to the end of the line, whispers can be audibly heard.

“Look, mommy! It’s a demon!”

“Disgusting.”

“Revolting”

“What is it out doing here?”

“Get out of here!”

The more words were spilled concerning his race, the more he was amused. He knew the demon race needed to be saved due to its declining population and propaganda against it, so this treatment from the people should have been expected.

It seems that the general consensus about the demon race is that they are no more than livestock. Being hated was one thing, but being treated as a common animal, with no purpose except to be food?

Kei ignored the slander and waited. Finally, after a long period of time, it was his time to enter after paying the entrance fee. The human guard had a look of disgust as he saw Kei walk by, but he knew that he cannot deny entry to any race regardless of their bias. Money was money, no matter where it came from.

The guard spoke, asking,

“Identification?”

Kei shook his head left and right in response.

“If you don’t have identification, then that’ll be 1 piece of silver to be granted entry.”

“The person before me didn’t have identification and he only paid 3 copper. Why-“

“Then get out of line if you can’t pay!” The guard yelled at the top of his lungs, assuming that the demon before him was destitute. The yell drew everyone’s attention, giving way to snickers from those behind and caution from the guards on top of the wall who were able to hear what happened.

Scorn and contempt, I feel right at home. I’ll engrave this into my memory and return the favor..

He took a silver coin from his pocket and then gave it to the guard. The guard grabbed the coin and washed his hands right after, showing audible disgust. He didn’t want to waste his time any longer. As Kei was about to enter, another nuisance moved in front of him.

“We need to look at your belongings if you have any contrabands on hand,” The guard smugly smiled after saying so. Kei was getting really annoyed with this special treatment but he had to bow his head and consolidate his plan. The bandits were trash and likely average, but he doesn’t know how strong these guards were. Their equipment surely looked better than the bandits, but it never hurt to be safe.

Kei gave his sack to the guard and it was inspected by the said guard. He then dumped all of them on the ground, exercising no care for Kei’s belongings.

“A few clothes, some food, and look what we have here – jewelry.” Everyone in the vicinity was stunned.

The guard continued, “Now. I have a question for you: How was a demon like you able to get your filthy hands on these?”

Some people condemned him and assumed the worst, shouting that Kei was a bandit. With no way out of the situations, he put trust and a little luck in his newfound abilities. Kei sucker punched the guard, twisting his neck, and stole the sword from his scabbard. The guard immediately died, putting everyone nearby on full alert. The non-fighters and pacifists in the line fled from the fight while the people with actual weapons and capabilities got closer to Kei, hoping to outnumber him. The guards from the wall without bows and staves flowed out of a nearby building. There was a total of 50 people in front of Kei.

The guard who ripped Kei off of his money was in the back of the crowd of able fighters and guards, hiding away from the violence. He shouted, “Everyone! A wicked demon has shown it’s true colors and killed a good man in service of the nation! There is no need for a trial, kill him!”

The people were in a frenzy, a bloodlust frenzy, and Kei was not excluded. Utilizing his speed, Kei engaged each one and lopped off their heads from their necks. From 50 to 45, to 40, then 30. The magic users and archers wielding bow and arrows were firing and attacking from afar. Kei looked at the back of the crowd and found an interesting looking middle-aged man in white priest-like clothes. As Kei ran towards him and picked him up over his shoulder like a mannequin, he massacred his way through, adding to the death count. He then retreated to the forest.

***

The aftermath was unsightly, to say the least. At least 30 corpses littered the field, dampening the atmosphere and made the smell more similar to rust rather than sweat. Neither guards nor volunteers were spared and gave rise to a panic in the survivors. Even the guard more akin to a conman than an actual guard was terrified.