Power Corrupts: Final Victories (ch.27) (Patreon)

“It’s time,” Hestia said, slamming the lid down on a case hard enough that the sound echoed in the room. Behind the lid stood Hephusteus, exhausted but she had an afterglow that Hestia learned to recognize. Though it was usually after she and Jericho made love but to each their own. Her friend looked satisfied despite her exhaustion, her arms crossed as her lone visible eye was closed while she nodded. 

The moment was ruined by Hermes going to open the lid again, “I wasn’t done looking at it yet-!” He started, only for Hestia to swat his hands away. She still hadn't forgiven him for ruining the surprise. And he cost her a passionate embrace with Jericho and Syr, which would really settle how she felt about Jericho being with other women. "You've gotten so mean Hestia," Hermes whined for the sake of whining. "I could make you carry it yourself, you know!" 

Hestia scoffed, grabbing the polished red oak case. It was big, almost as tall as her, actually, and wide. Scooping it up, she immediately realized her mistake, but she pressed her lips together and hefted the unreasonably heavy box up. "I don't need your help anyway!" She shot at him, sending Hermes a triumphant grin as he just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head in exasperation. 

More importantly, Hestia turned to her friend. "Thank you for this. We'll pay you back for it. For everything," Hestia swore. Hephusteus simply nodded in response and, surprisingly, Asfi had something to say. 

"You don't have to worry about payment for the Hermes familia," she informed, pushing her glasses up with a finger. The words were directed at Heatia, but Asfi stared Hermes down while she spoke them, daring him to argue. "Working with the god of smiths is more than enough payment," she continued with the quiet elation of someone that was in the same room as one of their heroes. 

"But Asfi…! I wanted my favor! That Jericho guy looked like he was all work and no play! I'm sure he'd appreciate being my wingman-" Hermes howled in pain when Hestia accidentally stepped on his foot. After jumping and landing with all of her weight on her heel. "Ah! Right...bad idea...Hestia sure is a jealous one...and can't take a good joke…" he muttered to himself, hopping on one foot as he massaged pain out of the other. 

“I have to get this to him now,” Hestia stated, the byplay put on for her benefit not managing to distract her from the task at hand. Because, after what felt like ages, the War Game was finally here. She could feel the pressure on her, weighing her down like it was going to crush her. She could only imagine how Jericho was feeling. “Thank you again,” she said, inclining her head in place of a bow because she would topple over if she tried. 

“Good luck. And tell Jericho I said as much as well. Maybe I can finally meet him after you win,” Hephaestus said, giving her a small wave as Hestia rushed to the door. She almost stumbled when she realized that her best friend and Jericho hadn’t met. How could she let that happen?

“I’d like that,” Hestia said, nearing the door. Hermes let out a sigh as he followed her, Asfi bowing to Hephaestus as she followed Hermes. “I’ll see you at the viewing room,” she said, running out of the door, forcing the others to chase her. 

Taking the elevator down to the Guildhall, she was greeted with an empty room. Even still, she saw Eina behind the desk, surrounded by an aura of worry. Hestia threw on a big smile as she approached, willing to take at least a moment to greet one of Jericho’s biggest supporters. “Eina,” she greeted, startling the half-elf so badly that a handful of papers slipped out of her hands. 

“Lady Hestia?” Eina blurted, snapping out her thoughts. A moment later her eyebrows drew together in concern, “should you be out right now? What if the Soma familia tries something?” Like taking her hostage to make Jericho throw the War Game. 

“It’s okay, I have Asfi to protect me. She’s pretty reliable,” Hestia said, gesturing to the blue-haired adventurer behind her. Hestia’s smile grew a fraction when Eina looked relieved, and Asfi pretended that she didn’t stand a bit taller even as Hermes muttered a whiny ‘what about me?’ She would stop being mean to him when he repented for costing her cuddle time with Jericho. “And you don’t need to worry about Jericho either.”

Eina let out a small sigh. “Is it that obvious?” She asked, and it was only then that Hestia realized that she had been trying to keep it hidden. 

Hestia nodded, “kinda. But, you don’t have to. Jericho has gotten super strong the past week, and he’s going to blow those Soma losers out of the water.” Maybe if she kept repeating that, she could will it into reality without having to use her arcanum. Eina looked doubtful at that, but she made a token effort to believe her. 

“I wouldn’t know, I haven’t seen Jericho since he fought the infant dragon,” she pointed out with a hint of bitterness in her tone. Or, rather, it was regret. Jericho had mentioned that Eina made a point that what happened between them was a one time deal before he explained why he was at the Guild at the time. Even still, Hestia still rather liked Eina. Anyone willing to go as far as she did was in her good books, even if what she spent so much time and effort to compose was a nonfactor in the decision process. 

“He’s been in the Dungeon on the eighteenth floor for the past week,” she informed Eina, making the half-elf go still as she let out a strangled noise. Then she forced herself to relax. 

“He really is a reckless one,” Eina commented more to herself than to Hestia, but she found herself agreeing all the same. 

“He is, but I wouldn’t have any other way,” Hestia admitted. The only change she would make was that he always wore armor, and soon enough he would be covered from head to toe in the stuff. Eina smiled lightly at that, sharing a knowing grin that only women would be able to decipher. 

"I'll be rooting for him," Eina informed, knowing that she didn't have much time left. Hestia beamed in response before she left the half-elf behind. It felt good knowing that Jericho- that they had people in their corner. For a time, it felt like they were facing down the entire city. 

Running out of the doors, Hermes hot on her tail, she stepped out into the city and saw it was in full swing. Everyone loved a War Game. On the green, Ganesha constructed a platform while crowds were already gathering. It would be broadcasted there, amongst several other places throughout the city. The Hostess was one of them, as were every gambling hall in the city, but Hestia had to watch it in the Tower of Babel with the rest of the gods. If only because it granted her more options to watch Jericho. 

The city of Orario held a nervous energy, waiting for the spectacle to begin. Food stalls lined the streets, parents walked the streets with their children, lovers had picnics on the grass, others got rowdy...it was like this throughout the city. Buildings were packed, bars were full, and everyone was counting down the seconds for the War Game to begin. 

With that thought in mind, Heatia ran down the steps and towards the gate of the city. She pushed through a crowd, keenly aware of how far behind Hermes, and more importantly Asfi, were. Gripping the box like a lifeline, Hestia pushed through with a stubborn determination. Nothing was going to get in her way. 

"Move out of the way!" She shouted, pushing through crowds. She was tempted to just unleash her arcanum just to clear everyone out. At the very least, those that she pushed quickly realized that she was a god and got out of the way rather quickly- 

Her thoughts were interrupted when she bumped into someone. She stumbled a step back, blinking in surprise. For perhaps the first time in her life, it wasn’t Hestia that bounced off of someone. It was a pale-skinned boy, with a mop of white hair and startling red eyes. His expression displayed pure panic as he struggled not to drop a box in his hands. He might have if his back hadn’t bumped into another member of the crowd. 

“Ah! I-I’m sorry,” the boy bowed to who he bumped into, who looked like they hadn’t noticed in the first place. Then he quickly pivoted to bow to her. “I’m very sorry! I- oh, you’re Lady Hestia!” He said, his red eyes widening. After everything, her mind jumped to the worst-case scenario -- that he worked for the Soma familia. 

“I’m Bell Cranel, I just joined the Miach familia?” He continued, making her blink in surprise. Oh, this was Miach’s new child? Hestia smiled at him, her suspicions fading because he looked exactly how she pictured one of Miach’s children looking. 

“Nice to meet you Bell,” Hestia said, making the boy smile. Then he seemed to recall that he was holding something before he started to push it out to her, only to then notice that her arms were already full. 

“Oh, um, I have something for you- well, for Jericho!” He corrected himself, making Hestia smile lightly. He seemed to be a bundle of nerves, heat rushing to his face as he looked absolutely everywhere but at her. “I made them- they’re potions. That I made. I wanted to pay him back for the advice he gave me.” Bell half-shouted, realizing that he was making a mess of his explanation and tried to force the rest of it out at once. 

Hestia giggled at the sight. He was cute, in a fumbly kind of way. “I’m on my way to go see him myself, so you can stick with me!” She decided because any child of Miach was a friend of hers. They didn’t have a chance to catch up with everything going on, but she knew that he was in her corner. He was a reliable guy. 

Bell nodded as he threw on a megawatt smile her way. With that, they began pushing through the crowd together underneath the watchful eye of Asfi. And Hermes, she guessed. The outer gates slowly drew closer with every step, but the crowd grew denser as well. It was rapidly becoming an issue that there just wasn’t enough room for the people to move out of her way. 

Forcing her to find a crate and standing on it. Once she was overlooking the crowd, it was easy to spot her child standing at the gate. “Jericho!!!” Hestia shouted, waving her hand. Somehow, he managed to hear her over the chaos of the crowd shouting and hollering at the top of their lungs, ready to see them off. 

He was dressed in a white long sleeve shirt, a short lace drawing the deep V around his neckline. It was one of the shirts he had made for him weeks ago, but it barely fit him now. Before, Jericho had looked impossibly powerful, but as he walked towards her, the crowd parting to let him by, he looked dangerous. 

It was something about how he moved, his size and the clear signs of powerful muscles pushing against the fabric of his shirt. Not to mention the blackened blade that he carried in his hand, a warhammer tucked into his belt as well. 

“Hey, did everything go okay?” Jericho asked, his voice nearly lost in a sea of noise. Hestia nodded happily, a relieved expression appearing on his face as his gaze drifted from her to those behind her. He did that weird guy nod to Hermes behind her before he looked down at Bell. 

“Hello, I don’t know if you remember me-” Bell started, going to hand over his small box, only to glance at her, realizing that she should hand over hers first. Only for Jericho to throw on a charming smile that disarmed the dangerous air that seemed to surround him. 

“Yeah, I remember you. Bell, right?” Jericho said, looking down at the boy. Bell seemed absolutely ecstatic that he remembered him, forcing Hestia to swallow a laugh. They couldn’t be more different in size, build or appearance. 

“Yes, I’m Bell!” Bell confirmed before deciding to hand over his package as he bowed, “I wanted to thank you for the advice you gave me. It’s really helped me a lot! And I want to wish you good luck!” He exclaimed loudly, getting some odd looks from the crowd. 

“I’m glad that it helped,” Jericho said, taking the box. Inside were high potions judging from the dark yellow and red. “Thanks for these. I’m going to need them,” he said, tucking the potions away. Bell beamed happiness out of every pore, his smile so bright that Hestia found herself smiling back. 

“And I have this for you,” Hestia said, shoving the box into his hands. His gaze lingered on the fine wood box, flickering up to her. She nodded and began to explain while he undid the latch. “There wasn’t enough time to make a full suit of heavy armor. Hephaestus said that a month would have been enough time. So, with Asfi’s help, she found a middle ground.” 

Inside was heavy armor that would cover his left arm. Thick midnight black plates that layered over each other from the shoulder down. The area around his elbow was left bare except for black chainmail made with links so small they almost appeared solid. The armor went all the way down to his hand, that chainmail flowing down to a gauntlet that would protect his hands. Jutting out of the knuckles were spikes about an inch long.

Etched onto the black surface of the thick plates that covered his shoulder, bicep, and forearm, was a falna. A piece of armor that would grow alongside him, the stronger he became, the stronger it would become to defend its wearer. Theoretically, it could be worn by any member of her familia, but she doubted that anyone else would be able to fit in it. 

“Wow…” Jericho breathed, putting it on with minimal fumbling. It meshed well with his leg armor. “It has some weight to it. Is this the adamantine?” He asked, but it was Asfi who spoke. 

“It is, all the way down to the chainmail. However, its main ability is the ability to consume metal,” she explained, earning a bewildered glance from Jericho. “The armor knows what shape it should be, so you must simply press metal against it and it will absorb it to become armor. Though, the armor will be whatever metal you press against it. Within a few minutes, you will have a full suit of heavy armor.”

Hephaestus couldn’t make a whole suit, so she called in Asfi for her Mystery ability. With it, and her falna, it was one of the finest pieces of armor in the world. 

“It’s perfect. Thank you,” Jericho said, the black armor standing out that much more with his white shirt. It fit him like a glove as he tested the range, flexing and rolling his shoulder. Asfi tried to hide it, but she preened at the compliment. After spending so much time with Ryuu, Hestia knew to look for the little things that gave it away. 

“My Asfi really is an angel, isn’t she?” Hermes announced, throwing an arm over her shoulders and drew her in. “So I’ll be calling in that favor once you win this,” he said, and, oddly enough, his gaze lingered on Bell as he said that. Jericho’s eyes narrowed a fraction, ignoring Asfi’s dismissal that she didn’t need anything for the armor before he nodded curtly. 

“Fair enough,” Jericho agreed, making Hermes smile. 

“I!” A boisterous voice echoed throughout the city so loudly that the air seemed to vibrate with a single letter. “AM! GANESHA!” Ganesha introduced himself, the god of the masses apparently intent on making them all deaf. Still, she knew what that signified. Her gaze darted to Jericho as Ganesha paused dramatically, letting his voice echo throughout the city. 

Words of encouragement bubbled from her chest, but they never made it past her lips. Simply because Jericho didn't look like he needed to hear them. Instead, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his -- hardly their most passionate kiss, but that was the point. They would be seeing each other soon enough and they could save the passion for after they've won. 

"Kick their butts," Hestia ordered, pulling away. Jericho flashed a grin that did dangerous things to her heart. 

"I intend to," he answered, taking a step back, his hand holding hers, slowly pulling away until he was forced to let go. Their gaze still lingered-

"The War Game is about to begin! Place your bets now! In one corner we have the Soma familia!" Cheering and booing could be heard in equal measure as Jericho slowly walked backward until he was forced to turn around. What was it with gods ruining her moments with her child. 

Even still, Jericho cut an impressive figure, one arm clad in heavy armor and it would only grow after...after he had killed Soma members. It would protect him. 

“He’s going to be fine,” Hermes reassured her as Bell began to shout his good wishes. It didn’t sound like he believed it, and there was good reason why the odds were so against her familia when it came to bets. She was the one that placed the bet at a high end gambling house that Hephustues hooked her up with and the sheer number of zeroes that they stood to win was gut clenching. 

“A familia three hundred strong -- led by Zanis Lustra the Gandharva and Chandra Ihit the Immortal Drunken Fist! Both seasoned level 2 adventurers!” Ganesha continued, his boisterous voice echoing out as Hestia jumped down from the crate. “Defending against the Hestia familia!”

She kept her head up high as she made her way back to the tower of Babel, not even checking to see if Hermes was following her. “A single member named Jericho! A true underdog! We will see if he’s bitten off more than he can chew!”

Ganesha, in the end, was a great hypeman. She could feel the crowd getting excited, shouting and screaming their support or disappointment. It was easier to push her way out of the crowd than it was through it, some of them recognizing her and getting out of her way. Her heart pounded in her chest like a drum, thundering in her ears -- she could only imagine how Jericho felt. 

“Some of you might be asking what could drive a man to such lengths to challenge an entire familia alone -- the answer is FRIENDSHIP!” Ganesha bellowed so loudly that he seemed to shake the city itself. The crowd got denser again when they neared the Tower of Babel, packed around a stage with a projection of him high above so everyone could see. The well-built god struck poses, his dark hair flowing back until it brushed his shoulders, and his handsome face hidden behind an elephant mask that seemed to be a part of him with how often he wore it. 

“The Soma familia are jerks!” Ganesha shouted at the top of his lungs, and Hestia was pretty sure he just broke a rule about being unbiased when doing commentary. “They beat up a member of their own familia and Jericho the Underdog is rescuing her from her tormentors after they put her into a coma! Boo the Soma familia! Boo them!” As commanded, the crowd booed loudly as Hestia began to walk up the steps back to the Guildhall. 

“Good! Now chant Zanis sucks eggs!” Ganesha shouted the order, and despite it all, Hestia found that she was smiling as she entered the elevator. Because even as it rose up to the viewing room, she could still hear the crowd chanting whatever Ganesha ordered them to. She should send him a gift basket, or something for that.

Closing her eyes, Hestia took in a bracing breath as the elevator came to a stop. When the doors slid open, they revealed a decedent room built up like an auditorium. Rows of seats filled the room, forming a half-circle, with the viewing mirrors set up below. From the look of it, every god in the city was here.

Well...except for Soma. 

Hestia ignored the looks she received as she entered, striding into the room as Hermes followed behind. Some tried to speak to her, but she didn’t care to talk at the moment. Picking a seat, Hestia stared at the mirrors that showed her Jericho, her hands curling into fists as a rare use of arcanum was used to teleporting Jericho and the Soma familia to the battleground. 

From the viewing area, every angle imaginable was available to her. She saw that the fort was built on a large hill -- an old castle with crumbling walls and towers with a forest slowly reclaiming the ground that had been cleared when the castle was occupied. Both Jericho and the Soma familia were placed at the base of the hill, on the edge of the forest. 

It looked completely lopsided. 

“Oh my, do you really think your child has a chance?” Apollo’s swamy voice questioned as he went to take a seat next to her, only for the seat that wasn’t occupied by Hermes to be filled by a pair of feet from someone on the row up. Hestia recognized them as Loki’s, but Hestia wasn’t sure if she wanted to thank Loki for anything, even for helping her out with a creep like Apollo. 

Hestia pointedly didn’t answer him, staring at the mirrors that displayed her child. Right up until Apollo stepped into her field of vision. “Though, I don’t know what you see in a guy like him. He looks like a brute -- I...I heard that he...stole your virginity, did that brute-”

She didn’t have it in her to deal with this, Hestia realized, standing up. A warrior she was not, but the knee that she planted in Apollo’s groin was picture perfect. Hestia saw as much as all the mirrors changed to display her kneeing Apollo, the god of the sun letting out a strangled noise before he fell over in a heap. With the obstacles removed, Hestia sat back down to stare at her child.

“Be safe Jericho…” Hestia whispered to him as the War Game began. 

It shouldn’t have surprised her when Jericho chose to sprint towards the Soma familia instead.

…

Despite appearances, charging at a small army by myself was actually a smart move. Simply because I knew Zanis. He was an arrogant shmuck used to getting his way and I was an arrogant level 1 that bit off more than I could possibly chew. He wasn’t going to take me seriously and he was going to try to end this quickly. 

And, true enough, he didn’t. Instead of sending the entire force of the Soma familia after me, a small detachment rushed to meet me halfway while the rest rushed up the hill. Leading that ‘small’ detachment of twenty people was a dwarf that outpaced everyone despite his stumpy legs. The other level 2 of the Soma familia. 

I ran that much faster, slowly veering right, taking us towards the forest while the Soma familia ran in the opposite direction. None of them even bothered to take potshots at me as the distance between us rapidly closed. Because they wouldn’t. Because Zanis expected this fight to wrap up the moment I clashed with that group, and he was going to take the hill just in case. 

“Come on,” I spoke to myself just as much as I spoke to Chandra, who was leading the detachment to put an end to the War Game before it could begin. I guess I should be thankful that he sent so many parties to kill me in the Dungeon, it meant he wasn’t taking a chance and sending a level 2 at me. 

Chandra’s face was expressionless as he ran towards me, and it didn’t change when I suddenly pivoted and ran directly into the forest. He barked an order to give chase. Using my broader vision, I angled my head just enough to look behind me as I weaved between trees, taking us further away from the main group. 

If they smelled a trap, then they were convinced that they could handle it. I had no way of knowing how strong everyone else was, but if they were following him, I could only hope that they were amongst the strongest of the Soma familia. 

Taking in a deep breath, trees blurring past me as Chandra began to close the distance despite the length in our legs, the other slowly falling behind, weighed down by their armor. An image appeared in my mind that was attached to a feeling. Of Lili’s battered face as she bled out on the bed staining the sheets red while Hestia frantically tried to save her life. 

A week wasn’t enough time to fade those feelings. The fear and confusion were still fresh. Then how those feelings became white-hot rage that coursed through my veins when I heard footsteps coming down. 

Running forward, I sprinted directly at a tree and put my foot out. Using my momentum, I ran up it for a few steps, a trick I learned from Ryuu when we fought in the forest before I flipped backward. Chandra skidded to a halt as I landed behind him, pivoting to face me, only to realize that I wasn’t trying to fight him at all. 

The group of twenty looked faintly surprised and it killed one of them when I threw my sword at them. His shield was up, but it just didn’t matter. Wood splintered as the sword punched right through it, hitting him in the face. He went down -- if he wasn’t dead, then he was wishing that he was. 

Seizing the small window, I closed the distance before they could recover their formation. Gripping my sword with both hands, I slammed it down on a shield hard enough that the guy was knocked off his feet, screaming as his arms were broken, crushed underneath the force of my warhammer. A sword scraped against my leg, trying to cut into the arteries in my thigh, but it was a glancing blow that I returned with a devastating backswing that vaporized the guys head. 

It was a mess of violence as I forced my way through the group. I blocked a blow to my head with my armored forearm, feeling my bones rattle, but they remained strong. At the same time, I felt a flash of pain in my shoulder as a sword managed to bite into it. Blood flew free, a paltry amount of what should be spewing out of me, and it wasn’t enough to stop me from swinging down hard enough that I flattened a woman’s head with a single swing, her helmet doing nothing to slow me down. 

I couldn’t slow down. I didn’t need to kill them all right now either. A sword scraped my wrist as I pushed my way through the group, opening up a way by slamming my hammer into a leg hard enough that metal warped and the bone caved, the guy collapsing where he stood. All the while I lashed out with a gauntlet covered fist, the spikes on my knuckles doing good damage as I punched someone in the face and he went down screaming. 

Breaking free of the group, I ran forward before Chandra could close the distance between us. I couldn’t fight him and twenty others at the same time. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw that I had taken a fourth of them down. Five bodies laid in the dirt, either dead or screaming. Even better, some stayed behind to preserve their lives, for now, effectively cutting the number that chased me in half. 

While I ran, I checked the damage to my body and my health bar. The wounds looked worse than they were, I barely lost any health from the few cuts and scrapes that dyed my white shirt red. Maybe I should have worn black? Eh, it didn’t matter. 

“Five down,” I breathed, slowly making a wide arc. I wish I could see what was going on with the rest of them. I wished my map displayed enemy locations. I could only hope that Zanis wasn’t feeling overly cautious and sent another group to help out. 

Chandra figured out what I was doing. The brown-haired dwarf slowed down to stay with the group as I led them further away from those that stayed behind. They slowly fell behind, only continuing on thanks to a clear trail that I was leaving them -- broken branches, tearing through the shrubbery, and so on. 

Jumping up, I used a tree as a springboard to break up my trail. I was too big and too heavy to jump through the trees like a ninja from Naruto, or anything, but I could manage that much. Distantly, I heard Chandra bark out an order, making me grin as I broke out into a direct sprint as he said the words ‘fall back.’ It seemed like he figured out what I was doing. 

“He’s coming this way!” One of the Soma familia members yelled when he spotted me running at him, his bow notched and firing an arrow. Time didn’t slow down, but my gaze followed it the whole way as it raced toward my right eye. I didn’t break my stride, simply shifted my body to the side and let the arrow bounce off my heavy armored left side. The forest itself wasn’t that dense, so it gave them enough warning to fall into a formation. 

It just didn’t matter when I came barreling through it. A man wearing light armor was ripped in half as my warhammer tore through his body like it was a sword. When I swung upwards, catching another man in the chin, his head gave way like his bones were made of glass. Lashing out with a fist, I punched another in the head, the metal warping under the blow before the adamantine spikes poke through. 

By the time Chandra arrived, the rest were dead. 

“Are you going to quit running?” He asked, his voice gravelly, rough from disuse. It was only now that I realized that he didn’t have a weapon in hand. He wore medium armor, his gauntlets similar to mine. If I had to guess, that was the reason they called him the Immortal Drunken Fist. 

I let out a slow breath, reaching down to pick up a corpse with one hand. The Soma familia fell into position, Chandra leading the front as he fell into a stance. “I gotta ask...how many of you hit Lili when she was trying to leave your familia?” I asked, knowing the answer, but I needed to be pissed enough that Berserk kicked in. I could feel the pot of rage over the fire, simmering, but not boiling. 

Chandra, to my surprise, grimaced. The others grinned, feeling confident. I doubt they even gave a shit that I just killed ten of them. 

“Does it matter?” He asked as I strode forward, dragging a corpse behind me, leaving a trail of red. “I know that look in your eye. You’re not going to stop until we’re all dead.” 

“I’m not,” I agreed, breaking into a sprint, flinging the corpse forward at Chandra with the might of Power Attack as he rushed to meet me. He ducked underneath it and only realized that I wasn’t throwing it at him. The body flew towards the remaining ten adventurers, slamming into them hard enough that bone broke and metal let out an awful screeching sound that was almost drowned out entirely by screams. 

All the while, I sailed over Chandra, jumping behind him and launching myself at the still-standing seven adventurers that survived my attack. The corpse I threw had mangled three others to the point that it was tough to look at. They must have felt the same way because one of them didn’t even try to defend himself as I brained him with a swing, and it was after the backswing that they realized that they shouldn’t just stand there while I killed them. 

Only then it was too late. I was strong. So very strong that my weapon moved in a blur and it carved right through everyone. I heard a snarl behind me as I struck down the last member, pivoting just in time to catch Chandra launching himself at me, his fist raised. I angled my weapon to blow the blow, anticipating where it was going to land. 

Chandra was a level 2. I might have been leading him by the nose, but there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt in my mind that he was going to be the most dangerous person I’ve fought so far and the punch he delivered only confirmed that. The shaft of my weapon blasted back, slamming into my chest as it bent underneath the force. I felt the spiked knuckles digging into my stomach, but the metal bar prevented the worst of the damage. 

Grunting as I accepted the blow, I lashed out with my armor-clad left arm, diverting a blow as I twisted out of the way before backing off. Chandra didn’t give me the chance, throwing another jab that I was forced to block. I was lucky that I picked Iron Bones and my armor was made of adamantine because both would have broken otherwise. The force from the jab slammed my arm back, sending my entire body stumbling backward. He was putting me on the defensive. 

I took in a deep breath as I took a swing at his head with my bent warhammer. He dodged underneath it, exactly as I thought he would. I threw a knee to his face, preparing myself for pain and it came as he slammed a fist into my knee to punish me for the attack. Iron bones or not, spikes punched through my kneecap as he knocked the offending leg back so hard that it swung the other way. 

Gritting my teeth, I threw myself back, pretending like I couldn’t use my leg as I launched my warhammer at him to buy me some time to make a wild dive to my sword. It was still sticking out of the guy I threw it at. Making a show, I hopped over, brandishing it wildly to drive him off. 

Chandra attacked from the right, where my injured leg was. I let out a breath that I had been holding as I gripped my sword with white knuckles. Ryuu was a poor teacher, but she taught invaluable lessons. When you are fighting someone stronger and faster than you, give them a target to exploit. 

And when they attacked, you countered. 

My sword rushed towards Chandra as he came in low, aiming to bury a fist in my gut. His face morphed into one of surprise as I put weight on my broken leg, pivoting in a way that really should be anatomically impossible. My blade inched towards his neck, giving him enough time to look up at me to see an absolutely vicious smile on my face. 

A single mistake cost him his life. The blackened edge of my sword bit into his neck, slicing down, tearing through his bones and armor until my sword exited underneath his shoulder. His body moved with enough momentum that the two parts flew by me, separating and bouncing away from each other when his corpse fell. 

I did it. I killed a level 2. 

“Just one more and another three hundred,” I mused to myself as I stood up. Turning my attention to the corpses, sparing a glance at my destroyed warhammer, I walked over to it and picked it up. It was busted, but what did Hestia say about my armor? Curiously, I pressed the warhammer to the edge of my armor. 

It was hard to describe what my armor did to it, but it was like it was pulling the metal into itself. An iron plate stood out against the black adamantine, it grew in a controlled manner, detail work visible on the surface. Once the first plate was finished, it began to spread out to another plate. By the time that my warhammer was gone, the iron armor covered about half of my chest. It dangled from the chainmail that it was connected to, but other than that, it was solid metal. 

This was so much better than the Hestia knife, I decided as I began to gather up metal, stripping the dead to grow my armor. It was going to look like a mess until I got enough ore to make it all black adamantine, but for now, it would more than do. 

Despite the incredible odds...I think I like my chances.

…

“YEAHHHHHHH!!!!” Tiona shouted at the top of her lungs, standing on the table, knocking over a pitcher of wine while her twin sister tried to pull her down. She wasn’t having any of it though, her man just took down a level 2! And it looked so easy! Tiona knew that Jericho was something special the first time she saw him wearing nothing but a blanket in the Dungeon, but he easily eclipsed every expectation she could put on him. 

“Would you pipe down?!” Bete shouted, kicking her off the table so she wouldn’t block the magic mirror set up in the manor. With a huff, the werewolf settled back in his seat while Tiona landed on her feet. Normally, she’d make Bete pay with blood, but she was too happy to care what that fleabrain thought!

“Jericho...got stronger,” Ais muttered, watching the screen with interest. Tiona glanced at her friend, feeling a pang of worry. Ais was obsessed with gaining strength and she hadn’t exactly been subtle about trying to learn Jericho’s secrets.

“His armor is rather interesting,” Riveria commented, taking a sip of tea as they watch Jericho feed metal into his armor. With how big he was, it was taking some time but clashing armor of different metals looked intimidating. Tiona didn’t care for armor, which is why she never bothered to wear any, but she knew good armor when she spotted it. 

“It was made with Mystery,” Finn stated, watching the magic mirror with interest as Jericho stood at his full height. His armor was impressive. Thick metal plates that interlocked and layered over themselves, granting him perfect mobility and protection. Not too bulky to look ridiculous, either. The armor seemed to cling to him like a second skin, moving with an almost unnatural grace as he grabbed his weapon of choice and started making his way back to the rundown castle that the Soma had occupied. “So, the Hestia familia has a connection to the Hermes, most likely.”

“You don’t have to look at him like he’s a bad guy, you know,” Tiona felt the need to point out. Finn just offered her an apologetic smile but didn’t say the words that she wanted to hear. All the while they spoke, Jericho began to gather up leaves and poured some kind of oil on them before moving on to repeat the process dozens of times. 

“You’re just saying that because you’re sleeping with him,” Tione rebuked, sitting on the opposite end of the couch, as far away from Finn as she could. After what happened between them, Tiona was surprised that they could be in the same room without any tears. She was glaring at the magic mirror like Jericho had committed an unforgivable sin, or something. 

“Yup!” Tiona puffed her chest out with pride. Any amazon would do the same when they landed a catch like Jericho. She wasn’t ready to be a mother yet, but their children were going to be gigantic power houses that could take over the entire world if they felt like it! 

Tione sucked in a sharp breath while Leifya gasped dramatically, muttering a low, “how scandalous!”  

Riveria glanced at her as they all watched Jericho...start gathering rocks? Knowing him, it was all a part of some brilliant plan to destroy the Soma familia in one decisive blow. The princess opened her mouth to say something, likely to make another comment about her relationship with Jericho but chose not to. Tiona was thankful for it, she got enough of that as it was. 

Who cared that Jericho was in another familia? Who cared about which familia that their children would belong to? They were all jealous because she found love and they didn’t. 

Thankfully, before anyone could say anything, their attention was drawn back to Jericho. Her man gathered up a nice pile of rocks that he piled up at the base of the hill. He stood there, cutting an impressive figure without the armor, and with it he looked larger than life. The Soma familia prepared archers on the walls, but that Zanis guy didn’t bother to show his face. 

From what Jericho thought, he wouldn’t until he felt threatened.

Jericho picked up a rock and threw it at incredible speeds...for a level 1. The rock sailed through the air, slamming into the face of an archer and killing them. Lefiya shifted at the display as Jericho grabbed another rock as arrows returned fire, only for Jericho to step out of the way with an ease that shouldn’t belong to a level 1. 

“He’s not offering any mercy,” Finn commented, making Tiona frown. It was like her captain was doing whatever he could to look at her man in the worst possible light. 

“He’s not in a position to,” Bete shot back before Tiona could. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Bete liking her man.

“Death isn't uncommon in a War Game, but Jericho has already killed more than the average. He’s going for blood,” Finn continued, his tone not changing but Tiona felt irritation swell in her chest. Bete tsked as he rolled his eyes, making a show of putting his feet up on the counter, but didn’t argue the point. 

“This could cause problems for him later,” Riveria continued the conversation as Jericho continued to throw rocks at the Soma familia. They were wising up now, hiding and taking pot shots. The few hits that  they managed to score bounced off his heavy armor, and nearly every rock that Jericho threw was a killing blow. 

The conversation died away when the gates of the castle opened and adventurers began marching out in a disorganized mess. Like water, about a hundred of them flooded out of the castle, pouring down the hill. Jericho abandoned his position, fleeing back into the forest. As he ran, he triggered the traps that he set up earlier. 

Fire began to spread and with so many sources, it didn’t take more than a minute for the forest to start burning. It was the middle of summer, and rain was sparse. The forest might as well be kindling for how easy it burned and how fast it spread. Thick pillars of smoke bellowed upwards, embers blowing in the breeze and they spread the fire even more. 

The Soma familia followed him into the forest. They spread out, having lost Jericho in the smoke and fire, and they were pushed even further away when the flames became large enough that they served as barriers. 

“He’s controlling the battlefield,” Finn muttered to himself with interest as all of them watched her man ambush the Soma familia, tearing through the flames with a ferocity that matched them. Tiona rubbed her thighs together -- she wasn’t wearing underwear, so she could tell that she was getting wet. 

Ignoring how her body ached for his touch, Tiona threw on a wide smile and cheered for his success. 

…

It was hot. That thought ran through my head like a bell as I sprinted through the flames, my lungs felt like they were filled with smoke and it was sweltering in my armor. I could feel my body sweating out every drop of moisture in me in a vain attempt to cool down. Even still, I kept running forward, keeping my breathing even and hoping that the helmet that obscured a fair bit of my vision would be enough to stop me from breathing in too much smoke. 

My armor itself was surprisingly light. It had some weight to it that I noticed. I'm betting that most of it was because my armor was a mismatch of metals -- from more adamantine, to mythril, to rusted iron and steel. My other gauntlet was the worst offender, almost completely made of mythril, which was significantly lighter than adamantine. 

And with it, I felt as unstoppable as I could feel. 

As if to confirm it, I erupted from the flames, my sword brandished to strike. A bored expression of a Soma adventurer rapidly transformed into terror as I landed on his head, crushing it. His short lived scream drew the attention of the others, over a dozen of them. This time, I didn't run circles around them. I couldn't. 

This gambit relied on hitting them fast and hard before they could bring down the entire force onto me. The fire spread them out, but not so much that I didn't have to worry about reinforcements. But that didn't mean I was left without advantages. 

I closed the distance between a warrior, hacking at him hard enough that if he wasn't dead then he wished he was before he could even think about putting his shield up. By the time he was dead, I launched his shield at an archer as I took out a spearman. Both died, one from beheading and the other from her throat being crushed. The next minute was a orgy of violence as I butchered anything in my way, and when it was done, I continued to move. 

A hundred people were a lot. Especially when all hundred of them were fighting a single person. 

They expected this to be a cake walk. I wasn't sure if Zanis realized that Chandler was dead, but he should at least suspect it. Especially when I was causing chaos, but at the very least, his familia didn't seem to suspect a thing. Their guards weren't completely lax, but it was clear they weren't expecting a fight. Either they assumed that someone else would take care of me, or they didn't think I was strong enough to pose a challenge. 

Either way, that advantage had an expiration date on it and it wouldn't be long before the others realized that I already killed a third of their total number. 

Sprinting through the flames, I used them as cover to seek out the other groups. My helmet muffled my hearing, as did the cackle of the flames, but I heard shouting easily enough as they tried to communicate over the flames. They just gave their positioning away. 

I leapt from the raging fire and launched another attack. With my armor, I could afford to fight recklessly. Between it, and my perks, I was a tank. The only damage I took was from Chandra, and my health bar already recovered. The Soma familia rushed me, their weapons clashing into my armor, stabbing into my chainmail, scraping against my skin as they struggled to find a place to dig in. Most of them failed to do any damage to my health, and the few that did were minuscule. A handful of points out of a thousand.

The worst they could do was blunt damage, but my bones couldn't be broken so easily and by now, I was used to ignoring bruises. 

Using what Ais and Ryuu taught me, I dispatched each enemy as quickly as I could. My swordsmanship could hardly be called graceful, but I was getting good at spotting gaps in defenses and plugging up my own. I hacked and slashed, butchering my way through the group. Reinforcements showed up, only to be killed in droves. 

I heard a horn blow. What it meant exactly, I didn't know, but I could guess. Breaking out into a sprint, I rushed towards the edge of the forest. The fire had spread completely out of control by this point, so everything appeared to be a hellscape, but I still saw what I expected to. The Soma familia was withdrawing. 

Eager to cut them off, I cleared the treeline just in time to fall upon another group of Soma familia. One group of ten glanced over their shoulders as I tore into the group, and none of them slowed down. If anything, they sped up, abandoning their familia members to be slaughtered. They escaped behind the safety of the stone walls, the gate slamming shut behind them. 

Two more groups tried to escape from the forest, and I killed them in plain view of those behind the walls. 

Breathing deeply, I turned to face them, my heart hammering in my chest. 

The Soma familia had about three hundred and fifty members. Counting the ones I killed before...I would say I had killed about forty altogether. With this ninety or so, I was at a hundred and thirty people.

Which meant that I had a two hundred or so to go. 

…

"He's more fearsome than I thought he would be," Ryuu admitted, answering a question asked by Syr. For the first time in a week, the Hostess of Fertility was packed, every table full with dozens left standing. A magic mirror offered a singular view of the War Game, and it was proving to be a brutal affair. Jericho knew no mercy -- those that he didn't kill died by fire while Jericho massacred their comrades. 

"The rules are going to be changed after this," Mama Mia stated, watching the War Game with a burning intensity. Death was not uncommon in a War Game, but never before had it seemed to be one side's main goal. Over a hundred had died already. The Soma familia was already down a level 2. And Jericho barely seemed winded. "I bet the gods are already panicking up stairs." 

Ryuu offered a small nod as she watched Jericho return to the forest. He went to the bodies, stripping them of armor and potions. He peeled off some pieces of armor, revealing a sweat soaked long sleeve, before he began to feed higher quality metal into the armor to replace the pieces he sheed. 

"He's winning, isn't he?" Syr questioned, pointedly ignoring a table trying to get her attention for more beer. Mama Mia took pity on Syr because she didn’t wave her off to work. If the patrons weren’t so distracted, then they would undoubtedly be furious at the lack of customer service. 

Ryuu and Mama Mia shared a glance before the latter shrugged, letting Ryuu answer. “Jericho’s success so far has been reliant on dividing the Soma familia and them underestimating him. With a third of their numbers destroyed, it is highly unlikely that the Soma familia will choose to sortie again. It would be foolish when they control the hill, and can hide behind the castle walls, which makes their numbers even more effective.”

Syr was not an adventurer but she understood what Ryuu was hinting at. Though, Ryuu was unable to look at her friend and savior. Every time she looked, the image of her supple body enduring a vicious violation from a penis that looked too large to be real, yet Syr seemed to love every thrust. Ryuu wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to look her friend in the eyes again. 

Her approach changed with whoever she was attempting to seduce, but never before had she been so…

“So, Jericho has to go to them,” Syr nodded, breaking Ryuu from her thoughts of Jericho’s powerful body and Syr’s greedy vagina that eagerly welcomed his penis. 

“His options are limited, which works in the Soma familia’s favor. Unless Jericho can break through their defenses, then he loses,” Ryuu explained with a small frown. From what she knew of Zanis’ character, he was unlikely to show his face unless it was absolutely necessary. But, Jericho wouldn’t be able to win against hundreds and a level 2 at the same time. His astounding progress or not, that wasn’t a fight that he could win. 

However, he seemed to be aware of that. His armor was more mythrial than not, the black and sea green contrasting harshly, but it was better armor. Jericho returned to his pile of rocks that he built up earlier, and without prompting, he began throwing them at the few members of the Soma familia that dared to poke their heads out. 

They were weairy now. Jericho’s strength, and aim, was beyond impressive for a level 1. It only took a few deaths before the Soma familia seemed content to hide behind the walls. After that, Jericho seemed to abandon the idea of picking them off to retreat back into the forest. Ryuu’s eyes narrowed as he picked up an axe from one of the fallen, picked a tree that wasn’t on fire, and started chopping. 

With his considerable strength, it didn’t take him long to topple the tree, and from there he began to hack it into log-like pieces. 

Syr shifted, watching her beloved on the magic mirror, an expression of open worry on her face. “Can he win?” Syr asked directly, and at that, Ryuu had no answer. 

Jericho was proving to be far more ruthless than she anticipated. He learned their lessons well -- his swordsman ship was still poor, but he adapted to the basics rather well. He was exploiting every advantage that he had, but would it be enough?

“If he can defeat enough of the Soma familia before Zanis chooses to join the fight...or defeat Zanis quickly, I believe that Jericho can win,” Ryuu answered after a moment of thought. Mama Mia, on the other hand, thumped Syr on the head lightly, letting out a scoff. 

“What kind of question is that? Of course he’s going to win. Does he strike you as the kind of guy that can forgive what was done to Lili?” Mama Mia pointed out, making Ryuu’s lips thin. Guilt surged in her chest -- she had reassured Jericho and Hestia that Lili would wake up, but she still hasn’t. She might never wake up. Ryuu proved herself to be a liar by feeding the Hestia  familia false hope. 

And there was nothing in this world more cruel than hope. 

“Ability matters, but motivation is just as important. Zanis is a pissant with a big head because he leveled up. You saw the rest of his familia -- they’re all waiting for someone else to take care of the problem,” Mama Mia stated, making several others pay attention to her words. It was an open secret that Mama Mia was a level 6, so her words were treated with respect they were due. “Jericho’s out for blood. He might be slow on the uptake, but he has a decent head on his shoulders, he’s stronger than he has any right to be and he’s motivated.”

Mama Mia’s words made her think back to her time before she was a waitress. Back when the Astraea familia hadn’t been murdered by Evilus. Back then, her motivation had been so pure. She wanted to be a hero. Her god, Asteria, was the one that gave her that dream and she pursued it recklessly for years, hitting level 4 in record time.

And it was for being heroes, her friends and comrades were slaughtered, leaving only her alive. 

Motivation...might be more important than ability, Ryuu reflected. She had scars from battles that she had no right to win. After the death of her familia, Ryuu dedicated herself to vengeance -- she butchered and massacred across the city, tearing out the organization Evilus root and stem. Anyone that she thought had a connection was murdered, and she would kill their allies, just in case they were involved. 

In her pursuit of vengeance, she became something much worse that Evilus could ever hope to be. 

The battles blurred together, but one stood out. A battle that she couldn’t win but she did anyway because she wanted it more. She wanted to win more. And, somehow, she did. That was when Syr found her bleeding out in an alley, content with her fate, only to be saved by chance and an act of kindness. 

“He’ll win,” Syr spoke her thoughts with certainty, a serene smile on her face as she watched Jericho heft a large log over his shoulder as he began to walk back to the treeline. The touching moment was ruined when Syr turned that smile in her direction, “and we should make sure he has an appropriate party to celebrate, hm?” 

Ryuu chose not to answer.

…

This was going to get messy, I thought as I marched towards the treeline, a log slung over my shoulder. It was pretty heavy, but I could manage it with only a little difficulty. I looked up at the hill that led up to a decently tall wall. A few heads peeked out, quickly darting back just in case I threw a rock. I would have preferred it if they hid the entire time, but you couldn’t win them all. 

I shifted my log as I double checked the shield strapped to my hand to offer up some protection. My armor had some vulnerabilities, like my eye slots, so I wasn’t eager to have an arrow in the eye. And I really didn’t want to find out if I would regrow it or not. The taste of a stamina potion was heavy on my tongue as I kept some in my mouth, reserved for an extra boost of energy. 

My goal was either to kill Zanis now, or grant myself easy access to the castle for a later assault...and to make their stay uncomfortable. I took in a deep breath through my nose, my sword clutched into my shielded hand. My armor got a nice upgrade, and the chainmail wasn’t made of steel anymore, so I was as ready as I could be in this situation. 

So, with nothing else left to do, I raised my shield and began to sprint forward. The hill was steep -- whoever built the castle here picked a good spot because it was down right awful to sprint up while carrying a log. It only took a few seconds before I felt an arrow slam into my shield, punching through it by a solid inch. I didn’t slow down as I rapidly closed the distance between me and the wall. My gaze was fixated on one spot-

I felt a sharp pain in my leg, an arrow sticking out of the iron greeves I wore. I sucked in a sharp breath, but I couldn’t stop. The pain was temporary, it would fade as soon as I took the arrow out, but if I stopped then I was going to be riddled with arrows. Gritting my teeth, I persevered and continued to sprint towards the wall. Another arrow punched through my armor, this one deeper, but I kept going forward. 

Once I was close enough, I launched the log forward, angling the shield to protect my face. The log landed perfectly, serving as a wedge to let me run up it, making the distance between the top of the wall much more manageable. An arrow bounced off my neck guard as I ran up the log, reaching the end of it with a few short steps, then I jumped up. 

The log gave out from underneath me, but that was okay. I cleared the distance, landing on top of the wall, making eye contact with an adventurer that shouted before I landed on him. It only lasted a split second, but I took a moment in to view the interior of the castle. The courtyard was serving as a mustering ground, hundreds of Soma familia members pouring out of the stronghold. 

A large set of double doors marked the entrance of the castle, buildings clinging to the walls. Some of them looked like housing, but one was big enough to be a cafeteria. There wasn’t a whole lot to work with, but my goal was to kill Zanis. I needed to find the path of least resistance, so a place where they couldn’t bring their numbers down on me at once. 

I picked out a path and when that moment ended, I sprung into action. Pivoting on my heel, I turned to my right and ran forward. The walls, for the moment, were manned by archers. Lightly armored archers. I started swinging, cutting through them like butter as I made my way to a tower that served as a choke point and a way to continue to the east wall.

One of the archers behind me managed to get off a shot that hit me in the back of the knee as I left carnage in my wake. Pain flashed up my leg every time I took a step, but they had armored warriors running up the steps and time was of the essence. Pushing through the pain, I barreled through the door, knocking someone back hard enough that they practically flew across the room. Turning around, I blocked the door, which would buy seconds, but that’s all I needed. 

The guy that I knocked down was a waif of a man and he looked up at me with pure terror. 

“Where is-”

“He’s in the castle on the top in an office! Where the big window is!” The guy shouted, not even letting me finish my question. Well...that was easy. A warrior sprinted through the other door as others began hacking through the wood behind me. I barreled through the one that ran through the door, slamming my pommel into his face as I left the guy that gave me the information behind. 

My gaze drifted to the window that the guy spoke about -- an old stained glass window that was broken in some places. It was impossible to tell, but I was certain that Zanis was watching me on the other side of it. And, with the mere thought of him looking down at me, rage began to boil in my chest. I angled my shield that was peppered with over a dozen arrows and used it as a battering ram to knock off the small group of people that managed to clear the staircase and were hoping to tie me up on the walls. 

I was just too big and too strong, they gave way, not dead but some fell off the walls, landing heavily on the other side. The archers had backed off, peppering me with arrows,  but now I barely felt the pain as the pot of rage began to boil in my chest. I was so close to him, wasn’t I? And this time he wouldn’t walk away. 

With that thought driving me forward, I jumped off the walls when the resistance grew too thick, landing on a wood roof, and unsurprisingly, it gave way underneath me. I landed heavily below, taking a moment to pull the arrows out of my legs before I sprinted forward, intent on getting into  the castle before they could block me off. A wood door was reduced to splinters as I barreled through it, running for the castle doors. 

My destination must have been obvious because a group of adventurers were making a defensive position. I guess this was as of a good time as any, I thought readying myself for an impact. Arrows peppered me on my way to the gate, others rushing to swarm me when I slammed against the wall of flesh. 

As an axe raced towards my shield, I lashed out. Activating perks like Power Attack didn’t have some switch to be triggered, or anything. And, luckily, I didn’t have to shout out the attack name. They were triggered by wanting them to trigger. This time, I used my new Perk, Explosive Strike. 

My shield slammed into the holder of the axe and it was like a hand grenade went off, only without the shrapnel. People were blown backward, the guy that I hit looked like someone had taken a giant hammer to him, but I didn’t have time to admire my handy work. I blasted through them, seizing the opportunity, and pushed through the doors. I turned around, closed the door behind me and slid a massive barricade plank into the slot just in time for the wave of adventurers to slam into it. 

Already, I could hear them taking axes to the door, but I paid that no mind. Shrugging off the broken remnants of my shield, I turned my attention to a staircase shaped like a Y that would take me up stairs. Castles, especially ones like these, weren’t elaborate in terms of architecture. 

My heart started hammering in my chest as I rushed up those stairs, encountering minimal resistance. Looping around once I reached the top, my gaze landed on the door that hid Zanis. It matched perfectly where that window was on the castle. 

I took in a slow breath, letting my rage build until it was coursing through my veins like magma. With large lumbering steps, I closed the distance and kicked the door open. Zanis didn’t even see fit to lay a trap for me, though his sword was bared. 

This is him, I realized, his lips moving but my heart started thundering in my ears. Just like it had with Canoe, I couldn’t hear a single word of what he was saying. But, judging from the arrogantas fuck look he was wearing, he was bragging. He didn’t think I could win. I couldn’t wait to prove him wrong. 

With my free hand, I tore off my helmet, throwing it to the side as I strode into the room, readying a Power Attack. Zanis simply smirked as he calmly strode to meet me halfway. The moment he entered striking distance, I lunged at him and his blade rushed to mine in a blur. Sparks flew where metal clashed against metal, but there was a serious difference in quality in our weapons. 

Mine was made by a level 1 blacksmith and it had seen serious abuse. I did what I could to repair the damage, but the steel suffered too much. Zanis, on the other hand, wielded a slender blade that was likely made by a level 2 smith, at least. It was simply no contest between them. 

My blackened blade broke, unable to keep up with the stress. Zanis smirked, angling his blade towards my face. An opening that I gave him. I jerked forward, and spat stamina potion in his eyes. Zanis jerked back, not expecting that in the slightest, and that was the opening that I needed. 

The broken stump of a blade raced towards his neck, burying the four inches of steel into it. It tore flesh rather than cut, the hilt slamming into his jaw. Instantly, Zanis dropped his sword, both hands going to his neck in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding. 

“W-wait, please, d-don’t-!” Zanis rasped, fear shining in his eyes. 

“Shut the fuck up,” I snarled at him, yanking my blade to the side and slashing his throat. Zanis fell to a knee, not dead yet, but he would be soon enough. Only that wasn’t enough for me. Not any more. This wasn’t a drawn out fight with taunts and pushing our skills to their utmost limits, a constant back and forth between us until one finally emerged as the victor. 

But Zanis...after everything...he didn’t get to die so easily. 

As Zanis clutched at his throat, I grabbed the back of his neck, my fingers digging into the flesh around his spine as one hand grabbed his shoulder. 

Then I pulled. 

The god awful sound of flesh ripping, bones breaking and a short lived scream were drowned out by a high pitched ping. 

Congratulations! You have leveled up!