Night had fallen on Marquis Baldur's family villa, located at the center of his fiefdom, on the northeastern borders of the Empire of Nexia. Outside, the building was sumptuous, constructed of carved marble, not to mention the enormous garden within the walls, which was usually tended by the servants. Over forty female maids and twenty or so soldiers armed with armor and spears worked in the villa. The latter were chosen from among the finest commoners the Marquis's lands could provide, while the women were the daughters of minor nobles. This was the custom for girls in the Empire. The first-born daughters were married off as soon as they came of age, while the others were given to other nobles as domestic servants.

  The interior of the mansion was as lavish as the exterior. The walls were covered with priceless paintings and statues, but the atmosphere within was quite gloomy and unhappy. Marquis Baldur's house had recently fallen into ruin due to some ill-gotten gains. His mood had deteriorated, and he had turned to alcohol. The fear of being demoted to a minor noble was driving him mad; he beat and abused the maids. His wife didn't care; she was content to live in luxury.

  Even though the house was full of sad faces, happiness was not entirely absent within those walls.

  "Fredy! Fredy! Look at the stars! They're beautiful!"

  A little girl named Lila, wearing a nightgown, said as she gazed at the night sky from her bedroom window. Frederica, her personal maid and pet, approached her and smiled, amused by the child's playful demeanor, a stark contrast to the mother's cold temperament or her father's irreverent nature.

  "Yes, miss. It's really nice! Speaking of which, are you ready for bed? Have you brushed your teeth?"

  The little girl nodded and showed her mouth to the maid, then went under the covers. Frederica sat down and began to cuddle her.

  The demi-human had been in the service of the Marquis' family for more than seven years and had grown fond of her masters' daughter- not only because she had asked her father to take her in as her pet and personal servant- but also because the little girl was always with her, and now she loved her as if she were her own.

  "You're always a good girl, miss! Now go to sleep, I'll go see if your parents need anything, then I'll go to sleep too. See you tomorrow!"

  She got out of bed and left the room, closing the door very carefully, then went to the small living room on the first floor.

  "Sir! Madam! Miss Lila has been put to bed without any problems. I ask permission to retire to my room to sleep."

  She declared, bowing slightly and hoping she wouldn't be given a last-minute assignment. Lila was the only one who treated her well in that mansion, which was only superficially beautiful. The Marquis didn't even reply, intent on downing a bottle of liquor.

  "Thanks. Go ahead, Frederica..."

  Marquis Baldur's wife, Marchioness Ilma, answered, a blonde, cold, and quite frank woman. She wasn't a bad mother, but she wasn't a loving one either; it would be fair to call her indifferent. He had never seen her play with her daughter, or spend time with her in general.

  "See you tomorrow, masters."

  She bowed, then closed the door and began walking toward the servants' dormitories; rooms filled with bunk beds.

  As she wandered the corridors, she greeted a couple of guards who were resting, leaning against the wall with their spears under their arms. While she wasn't treated with special consideration, she was grateful that the Marquis spent at least a modicum of his wealth on soldiers who could maintain peace in the fiefdom.

  Unfortunately for Frederica, the peace she so cherished would soon be shattered.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "What a day..."

  The maid snorted as she entered the dormitory and sat on her bed.

  What a drag it is to serve a family of human nobles. They're so pretentious, especially the Marquis!

  She thought, snorting again. Normally, among demihumans, there were no nobles: the strongest ruled. There were exceptions, such as among the insectoid races, where there was usually a queen in charge, who emitted certain pheromones to gain the service of the other members of her species.

  It was in those moments of silence that thoughts raced through her head uncontrollably. What had happened a few days earlier came back to her; she dwelt on that good woman, chased away by the Marquis for idiotic reasons. How sorry she felt for her—she was a magnanimous woman, you could see it from a mile away.

  "Damned Marquis..."

  She murmured, looking out the window that looked out onto the front of the villa, where the garden and the defensive walls, complete with gate, were located. She loved looking at the garden where she and Lila played. She still remembered when she was banished from her tribe, in the mountains of Freliord.

  "Uh?"

  She looked closer at the gate; there was a large influx of guards that she couldn't explain. Could there be a monster? Was a magical creature approaching?

  The maid didn't have time to formulate any further theories before the gate's bars were smashed by something very large.

  "An...Ogre?"

  She immediately thought of an ogre or an orc, due to its size, but the creature she could see in the darkness had a different physique: it had four arms, and in one of them it wielded some sort of axe or halberd.

  "For the Gods...!"

  Frederica watched in shock and helplessness as the colossus killed all the guards in front of him with a single blow, and without any difficulty.

  What is it? Why is it here? It doesn't matter! I have to warn the Marquis right away! We have to evacuate immediately!

  These were the only thoughts Frederica could formulate at that moment. She had immediately understood that the villa's defenses were hopeless against that colossal monster.

  She galloped towards the Marquis' room at full speed, while the guards' shouts could be heard throughout the entire building.

  "Sir! Marquis!"

  She screamed at the top of her lungs, but got no response.

  “Marquis Baldur! There are intruders! They are too strong, we must flee!”

  I already know he'll call me weak and I'll be punished, but this isn't about avoiding any injuries in the fight! It's about escaping certain death!

  "Marquis! Marquis!"

  She screamed, trying to open the door of the room where she had earlier said her goodbyes to the man.

  The door's locked, damn it! I've knocked several times but no answer. What the fuck is this despicable man doing? Sleeping?!

  Frederica lost patience. She began to push, and thanks to her monstrous strength, she managed to break down the door. A demi-human like her possessed four times the strength of an average man.

  "Marquis! Marquis? Marquis Baldur?! Are you there?"

  The room is…Empty? How is that possible? They were here less than ten minutes ago! And now they've disappeared into thin air !

  Frederica's thoughts were interrupted by shouts nearby.

  "What is that thing?!"

  "In the name of Marquis Baldur, stop!"

  The screams of the guards being slowly slaughtered made her blood run cold. Not only in imagining the scene, but also because it meant the monster had entered.

  Shit! What do I do? I have to...I have to save Lila!

  Frederica left the room and made her way through the corpses of the guards, all brutally massacred: limbs, severed heads, you name it.

  "Miss Lila!"

  The she-wolf opened the door to the nobleman's daughter's room and found her hugging and crying with one of the other maids. It was a blue-haired girl named Yuko. She was a young woman who had recently started working at the mansion. Frederica had immediately taken her under her wing to prevent her from being bullied for her inexperience.

  "Miss Frederica? What's going on? I heard screams!"

  "I don't know! A monster has attacked the villa and is massacring everyone! The Marquis and his wife are missing, we must find a way to escape immediately..."

  "B-But how?"

  "The monster is on the ground floor of the villa. If we can pinpoint his exact location, we can reach the back exit and escape. Follow me!"

  Frederica took Lila by the hand and led her and Yuko into the corridor. She used her werewolf-enhanced hearing to try to figure out where the mysterious monster was. Her ears twitched in every direction—she could hear heavy footsteps, very close by.

  "Shit! He's on our floor!"

  At that moment, two guards entered from a door leading to the stairs, terrified and fleeing from something. Terror was written all over their faces.

  "Run! He's coming!"

  The shorter of the two said, while the other closed the door and barricaded it with the nearby furniture.

  "What's coming? The four-armed monster? Did you get followed?!"

  "No, it's-"

  The tall man's words were torn from him this time, as claws as long as kitchen knives pierced the door. The furniture that had been used as a barricade was of no use, and the poor man was instantly cut in half.

  Frederica would have liked to go closer to help him, but it would have been useless: he was already dead.

  "Ahhhhhh! By the Gods!"

  Yuko screamed, putting her hands over her face, while Frederica covered Lila's face with her paw. It wasn't a sight for a little girl. She was also disgusted by the spectacle, but she had to show her strength, otherwise they would be screwed.

  The guard's body fell to the ground, lifeless, and Frederica couldn't react until the entire wall was shattered in a single blow, so powerful it shook the entire villa.

  "Eeek!"

  Lila is scared to death, I have to try to calm her down!

  Frederica thought, before hearing something.

  "Help! Help me!"

  She turned toward the screams; the shortest guard was pinned under a piece of the destroyed wall. His legs had been completely crushed, and his screams, filled with pure pain, accompanied him as his own blood surrounded him.

  "Wait! I'm coming!"

  Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

  She started to move, but stopped quickly—the sound of heavy footsteps made her blood run cold. A colossal, metal-clad creature was advancing toward them. It wasn't the same colossus as before—this one only had two arms, but its hands were clawed. It was covered in faded scars from head to toe, giving it an even more intimidating appearance.

  "No, please! Spare me! I beg you!"

  Stomp! Stomp! Stomp-

  ...

  ...

  ...

  -Splat!

  The guard's pleas were to no avail. The monster raised its foot, as large as the man's entire upper body, and then crushed him mercilessly, reducing him to a bath of blood and limbs.

  What a disgusting sight!

  "Pathetic...I was hoping to face brave warriors or powerful beasts, but instead there are only these cockroaches!"

  The creature moaned.

  It's strange, it looks like a wild beast driven by instinct, but its reasoning is that of a warrior. Who is this thing ?

  "Yuko...Take Lila and bring her to safety!"

  While the monster was busy wiping the blood and dust off himself, Frederica turned to Yuko and forced her to take the little girl's hand.

  "I'm entrusting her to you, get her out of here!"

  "B-But...What will you do, Miss Frederica?"

  "I..."

  She turned to the monster, which for some reason just watched her with its blood-red eyes, but did nothing.

  "I will resist."

  "Frederica..."

  Lila stammered her guard's name, tears in her eyes.

  "Don't worry. I'll take care of this bad guy and be back, okay?"

  She smiled at her. She didn't believe her own words either, but she had to act confident, even if Frederica just wanted to run away and scream.

  "Goodbye, Miss..."

  She commented in a low voice, watching Yuko take Lila away from her. It was a sad moment, so much so that the Wolf let a few tears fall. As soon as the two of them left her field of vision, Frederica's fake smile broke.

  It breaks my heart to know that I will never see her again...

  "Your maternal instinct is strong, could it be because you're a werewolf?"

  She turned slightly toward the monster. His question surprised her. Why wasn't he killing her? Why was he so tame?

  "Perhaps..."

  She replied, turning fully toward the beast and getting into position, knowing that the fight ahead would be arduous and one she probably couldn't win, but had to fight anyway...For Lila.

  "Satisfy my curiosity, monster- what does it matter to you? You're going to kill both me and her, aren't you?"

  The beast shook its head.

  "No, I'm only here to kill the guards and anyone who resists. The rest are to be captured...Those are my orders."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Orders? This thing takes orders?! Who would give orders to such a powerful beast?

  Frederica shook her head, determined not to be distracted by useless thoughts.

  "I understand...Just know that I can't make you reach her anyway. I'd rather have my limbs torn off, than that!"

  "You know if you fight you'll die, right?"

  The monster's tone was cold and confident. Even Frederica was certain that the creature was superior to her in sheer physical strength, but thought she could outmaneuver it. Moreover, now that she looked closely, there were faded spots on the creature's metal armor, as if they were scars.

  This meant he could be hurt.

  I may not be able to beat him, but maybe I can hurt him enough to make him retire!

  She smiled and clenched her fists.

  "I'm aware of this...But I don't intend to run away! Not even in the face of death!

  "Hahaha! I spoke too soon, I see! Not only did I find a beast, but a warrior too!"

  The beast let out a satisfied laugh.

  “What's your name, she-wolf?”

  Is he asking me my name? That's a warrior thing, not a beast thing... Oh, what does it matter now?!

  "My name is Frederica..."

  She answered him.

  "I am Hardshell..."

  The beast opened its clawed hands and leaned forward.

  Here it is...It's about to strike!

  "I'll remember you, she-wolf! I'll try to be quick and painless, but I make no promises!"

  The monster's mouth opened, revealing rows of razor-sharp metal teeth. Its roar was inhuman, far too shrill even for a beast.

  Can you tell me what it is? A golem? It doesn't matter! Even if it's charging at me, I'll push it back, for Lila!

  “Come on, Hardshell!!!"

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  While Frederica confronted Hardshell upstairs, Yuko managed to descend the stairs and reach the ground floor. If the situation upstairs was dire, down there it was hell on earth. The corpses of the guards littered the corridors, and despite all those dead, the screams in the background of the macabre spectacle didn't seem about to cease.

  "No! Please! I give up! I give up!"

  One of the guards shouted as a golden halberd, wielded by a four-armed iron beast, severed his head from his body.

  Yuko observed the scene from one of the corridors and, as if on cue, took Lila and hid with her in one of the small rooms nearby, leaving the door ajar to keep an eye on the situation.

  "No...Please. "

  One of the maids whimpered, crying as she dragged herself along the ground. She was so scared she couldn't even walk. To her surprise, the four-armed beast didn't harm the woman, but instead summoned two other, much smaller, mechanical beasts to carry her away.

  Does he not raise his weapon against the servants ?

  Since the monsters had blocked every visible exit, they would have to escape through a window, but where? She didn't know where those mechanical beasts were taking the servants, but for her, it was better than death. She had made a promise to Frederica, a woman who had always helped her and was now bravely facing the armored beast upstairs; she couldn't disappoint her.

  Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

  The four-armed monster's heavy footsteps made her blood run cold, especially as they were getting closer. If they found out Lila wasn't a servant, she wasn't sure what they would do to her.

  Yuko hugged the little girl, freezing in place as the colossal creature opened the door to the room they'd been hiding in. They'd been found, it was over.

  "A little girl?"

  The monster commented, sounding surprised.

  "Please! She's my daughter, spare her! Take me!"

  Yuko lied. In that short time, she had come to only one solution to save Lila, at least for now: to pass her off as her daughter, trying to convince the creature that the child in her arms was a servant like her.

  "What do we do, Smaug?"

  One of the smaller beasts asked, also quite confused.

  "Take them to the base, our lord will decide what to do with the little girl..."

  The smaller creatures obeyed and took the two females, then carried them out of the mansion, disappearing into the darkness of a strange portal outside the mansion's destroyed gates.

  In doing so, the last humans in the villa were taken away.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Frederica was thrown against one of the walls, before falling to the ground.

  That monster is too strong! I thought I could outrun it, but somehow it's my equal on that, if not superior! I have no chance against it; my only chance is to damage it enough to escape.

  "What's the matter? Have you lost your fighting spirit?"

  The robot teased her, even though he had meant to spur her on.

  Is he beating me and even taunting me?! This monster is making me angrier by the second!

  "Its still alive, you bastard! Come on!"

  She spoke boldly, but her body contradicted her, screaming in pain. Despite this, she still lunged for Hardshell.

  "I'm coming! Iron Fang! "

  She charged at the monster at full speed, using Iron Fang to increase the damage of her claws and give her a percentage of armor penetration. Against an armored opponent, these would have been the best choice.

  “Capacity Increase! Superior Capacity Increase!”

  The she-wolf activated some Battle Arts, pushing her body to the limit, planning to hit Hardshell enough to incapacitate him, then flee.

  Clank!

  Frederica struck the robot's left arm, but the armor was too tough, even for the enhanced Iron Fang .

  "Shit!"

  Taking advantage of an opening, Hardshell managed to push her back, then hit her with his right fist in the stomach, throwing her against the roof.

  It hurts! I can't breathe, no...I can't give in...Forgive me, Lila!

  Frederica was knocked unconscious by the blow. Her body fell to the ground before Hardshell's blood-red eyes.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  She's a skilled fighter, but not enough to hope to be a problem for me.

  "Sigh ...What to do with her?"

  Hardshell thought aloud, scratching the back of his neck with the claws.

  I have no idea what to do now. Lord Almodeus said to kill the guards and spare the Maids, but…

  He shifted his gaze to the lifeless body of the demi-human.

  Is she a maid or a guard? Ahhhh! Why is everything so difficult?!

  Intelligence was not his strong point. He was a brute, a beast, not a thinkerer.

  "Of course! I'll let Lord Almodeus choose!"

  It's so simple! If I'm in doubt, I can let my master choose! What he wants is what matters! Oh, I'm a genius! And then they call me an idiot!

  The robot grabbed the wolf and lifted her up, closing her in his hand without hurting her.

  "Did you do it, brother?"

  The four-armed monster asked, coming closer.

  "Yes, brother! You know this one's pretty skilled for a waitress? You probably would have enjoyed battling her!"

  Hardshell replied, waving Frederica like a club.

  "Okay, let's get back to Fear Tower. We're done here. The others will take care of smashing this mansion to the ground."

  Smaug commanded. Hardshell simply nodded and followed him into the portal, arriving at the area where all the Marquis's maids had been taken, on the fifth floor of the Fear Tower.

  Normally it's one of our party or break bars, usually full, but after arriving in the new world, many of the brothers remained in the old world, so now it's pretty much deserted, except for the waitresses of course.

  "Miss...Frederica?"

  Yuko gasped, gathered with the other maids. Hardshell turned to her and noticed she was holding a little girl. He recognized them immediately—those two were the people the wolf had sacrificed herself for, facing him.

  I see it was all in vain.

  They were captured anyway.

  "Here you are..."

  The robot said, placing the unconscious body of the wolf next to the waitress. She began to cry, misinterpreting the situation.

  "She's not dead, she just fainted and..."

  "Why?"

  "Hmm? What do you mean?"

  "Why did you attack us? W-We didn't do anything to you..."

  He sighed, knowing the woman's point was true. However, he had no power to make a decision at that moment.

  "Not you, but the Marquis has offended our Absolute Lord. He must pay..."

  "W-What will become of us?"

  "That will be up to the Absolute to decide..."

  With that, Hardshell turned and began walking away from me, aware that he too knew nothing about the fate of the organics.

  "Organic-hem...Human, await judgment in silence. Save your words for the questions of the Absolute Lord."

  Smaug commented, assisting other robots in bringing in the last maids.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "My poor head..."

  Marquis Baldur muttered, raising his head from the ground. His mind was in complete confusion; the last thing he remembered was a strange light and then...Darkness.

  "Ilma? Honey? Are you there?"

  He asked, trying to figure out if his wife was there with him. At first, he thought he'd gotten drunk and wandered around the villa until he fell asleep somewhere randomly; it had happened before. However, his whereabouts were completely unknown to him.

  On the red walls hung black banners with a crimson A inside a crimson circle; it looked like a royal palace. Where was it? A throne room? It wasn't a foolish idea, considering that at the end of the room was a small staircase of several steps. It led to a sort of desk with a large, blood-red armchair. One thing that immediately caught Baldur's eye was the chair's enormous size; he was about ten meters away, yet the chair seemed enormous even from that distance. No human could have sat comfortably in it.

  "Good morning, Marquis..."

  A female voice made the man whirl around, and he immediately spotted a humanoid figure with red hair and skin a shade darker than human skin. Despite the lady's absurd beauty, the aura of evil she emitted was almost nauseating.

  "W-Who are you?

  He asked, failing to sound as confident and cocky as usual.

  "What? You don't recognize me?"

  The woman's question confused him so much that he couldn't even ask something else.

  It was then that he noticed something colossal approaching the red-haired female. The new figure emitted an even more evil aura, supported by her cold, stoic expression. She had white skin and hair, purple eyes, and was wearing a large, dark jacket that covered her body. The Marquis didn't know why, but he felt as if he'd seen those two before.

  "That jacket, that outfit, that blank expression…Why is it familiar to me?"

  "Don't you remember us, Marquis?"

  The giant woman's cold tone made his blood run cold. It was the same tone the bodyguard of one of his visitors had used some time ago. At that moment, the man's two neurons added one and one, and a theory began to pop into his head.

  "Y-You are those two women..."

  "Exactly, well done!"

  The red-haired one, known as C, clapped her hands happily and smiled. The giant woman, known as Hirashi, remained stoic as ever.

  "You weren't human…What do you want from me?!"

  Despite the sympathy shown by one of the two, the Marquis' anxiety did not diminish; on the contrary, it increased enormously as he remembered how he had treated the two ladies, knowing that they would now take revenge.

  "Us? Nothing! We're here to make your wish come true..."

  "My wish?"

  "Actually, Wish is an incorrect term. Request is more appropriate!"

  "R-Request? What do you mean?"

  The Marquis's words were filled with terror as he waited for the redhead's response.

  "You wanted to meet my husband so much that I decided to oblige!"

  At that moment, a colossal, black figure entered the office, approaching the terrified man.

  "Y-Your husband?!"

  He took a few steps back, trying to keep at least a meter between himself and the newcomer. If the two women before had been terrifying, this new monster was certain death; in fact, death itself would have been merciful compared to him.

  "Yes, my name is Almodeus! I am the husband of the red-haired woman behind me. I know you were disappointed by my absence. Forgive me, I am a very busy demon..."

  The colossus made a small respectful bow.

  “I think you can understand, right?”

  When he heard the word demon, he almost had a heart attack.

  Who, or what, did I provoke?!

  "O-Of course! I apologize too, stress makes me talk too much sometimes! However, I-I can understand you! Being a Marquis, I am very busy myself."

  "I completely understand, after all, you are a businessman and a family man..."

  During the brief discussion he was having, Baldur began to calm down slightly. His heart was still pounding, but seeing that there was no anger in the demon's tone made him suspect it was simply trying to frighten him into giving up the lands he had requested through his disguised wife. If it had meant saving his life, he would have agreed immediately.

  However, all this turned out to be nothing more than a mere illusion when Almodeus spoke again:

  "Still on the subject of family, did you know that I also have a daughter?"

  "R-Really? What great news! Mine's only 8 years old. Her name is Lila! Speaking of which, is she here too? And my wife? You know, I'd like to avoid worrying them..."

  Baldur's words were those of a child who knew that punishment for a prank was coming and who did everything he could to pretend nothing was happening, refusing the inevitable reality.

  "Don't worry, Marquis. They're here too! Right now, your wife is playing with my daughter..."

  Playing? Baldur had little faith in it. His wife, Ilma, was a cold and rather detached woman; she would never have played with her own daughter, let alone another man's daughter. Although, in that particular circumstance, he couldn't expect his wife to remain stoic in the face of death itself.

  "Ah, they've arrived! Please! Come in, Almodea!"

  Baldur turned toward the front door and saw a slim, gaunt figure, but much taller than the average human, making its way past Almodeus, dragging something behind him like a sack of dung to be thrown away.

  "My daughter, how did it go with the new toy?"

  "Everything's fine, Daddy, but... It broke right away! I didn't even have time to do my stuff..."

  The demoness's voice was visibly annoyed, so much so that she picked up what she was carrying and threw it in front of Baldur, who clapped his hands over his mouth to keep from vomiting. Before him, lifeless and battered, lay the body of his wife Ilma, blood-stained and with a look of terror on her face. Even though her jaw had been broken and almost torn off, the dead woman's face remained extremely expressive.

  "Oh my God! W-What..."

  He leaned over his wife's corpse. His heart was beating at an abnormally fast rate again. He was now certain that these beings saw them as mere playthings, and he feared he would be next, even though—in his heart—he hoped it was all a way to subjugate him. Unfortunately, he didn't know that the time for subjugation would never come, not for him, not for the crime he had committed; not a fraud or an arbitrary execution in his fiefdom. None of that, but simply his disrespect for a demon's consort and her bodyguard.

  "I'm sorry your toy broke, little spot. However..."

  Baldur swallowed, seeing Almodeus's gaze shift toward him. Deep down, he hoped with all his soul that he was about to demand his submission, granting him his life.

  "You could use him as a toy, what do you say?"

  "Hmm...I don't know, Dad! Boys don't amuse me, they're boring and ugly!"

  "Ah Ah Ah, don't worry! I already knew that! I know you prefer women, so...Are you sure you don't want this?"

  "Yes. Sorry, Dad."

  "No problem, little spot! We'll find another use for him!"

  Baldur was shaking like a leaf. As relieved as he was that Almodeus's daughter didn't want to treat him the same way she had his late wife, he knew it was only a matter of time before something horrible happened to him. Moved by fear—and a shred of hope—he immediately bowed, falling to his knees and resting his head on the cold floor.

  "Please, Lord Almodeus, spare me! I'll do whatever you want! The lands? I'll give them to you! I'll give you the village for free! Anything to save my life!"

  A sound of laughter made him look up. Was the great demon mocking him, or was he just amused at seeing him so scared?

  "Okay! You've convinced me, Baldur. I won't kill you..."

  "Oh thank you, Lord Almodeus, thank you! You have my eternal gratitude!"

  As he celebrated, shedding tears of joy, as happy as a child unwrapping his presents under the Christmas tree, Almodeus turned to his daughter, who was laughing at the man's misplaced happiness.

  "Almodea, how about we take our dear Baldur to Shockwave? If you don't want him as a toy, perhaps our scientist will know how to put my gift to good use."

  "Sure, Dad! I'll go and come back!"

  Upon hearing those words, Baldur froze in his pose, a jubilant footballer who had just scored a goal, with a smile and tears in his eyes—tears of joy that turned into cries of terror. He only broke free when Almodea grabbed him by the ear and began dragging him away.

  "No! No! Please! Lord Almodeus, wait! I can help you! Please! No! Nooooo!"

  The Marquis's screams faded after Almodea dragged him from the room. He tried to resist, but the strength of the girl's long, slender arm was greater than that of both his limbs combined, and no matter how many punches he threw or how much he kicked, the grip remained iron and showed no signs of weakening. In fact, it was his arms that gave way, exhausted by the effort, drooping and broken in spirit, along with his hope of survival.

  He would not have been given the gift of death.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "I will go to assist my father with Marquis Baldur, with your permission..."

  Hirashi declared, bowing slightly and leaving the room, but not before letting Sergio in, who was curious to know how his plan had gone.

  "My Lord! I hope the plan went smoothly."

  "For now, yes. Speaking of which, how's it going with the fake contracts?"

  Sergio took out from his suit some papers, reproduced to be identical to the economic contracts of the Nexia empire.

  "They're ready! We've managed to decipher the Imperial language. There's no need for speech, as the vowel sounds seem to translate automatically. However, for writing, it's necessary..."

  "I guess we have Shockwave to thank for that, right?"

  "Correct, Mrs. C! Shockwave certainly had a big impact on my plan, in fact, part of it is his."

  "Yes, the idea of raiding the Marquis's villa, removing him, and making false contracts to prove that some of his properties had been legally purchased before his disappearance was brilliant! Unfortunately, we couldn't take all his possessions, otherwise someone might have put two and two together..."

  "Correct, my lord! However, what we left behind, and what will be auctioned off, can be purchased in the future. Also, before we raze that cheap nobleman's mansion to the ground! We stripped it of all its possessions and made a small fortune. We blamed it on some monsters in the area."

  "Very good! You deserve a reward, Sergio. Of course, that also applies to your brothers Shockwave, Hardshell, and Smaug."

  At these words, the servant bowed, smiling happily.

  "Oh, my lord, you flatter us so! For me, the greatest reward is to serve you! But if I must give in to pride and ask for a reward, I would like permission to lay before you my plans regarding the other powers."

  "That's how it will be, Sergio, but I just ask you to wait. We have about thirty human maids to dispose of right now. But know that your plans and ideas, like everyone else's, will be taken into consideration!"

  "I thank you, my Absolute Lord! May your greatest glory be done! It is an honor for me to place my wisdom at the service of the most powerful being! Praise be to the Absolute Almodeus!"

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Camille's slim figure traversed the cemetery district of the city of Arel. For an experienced assassin like her, evading the guards had been a breeze. She reached the central mausoleum and descended into the basement; that was where Desmond and his underlings were hiding.

  To her, they were nothing more than a bunch of idiots, but they served her purposes.

  The more chaos they bring, the more time I'll have to escape to the Bashad Federation.

  She and Desmond had betrayed the Theocracy, especially the Twelfth Cardinal. He was literally the most powerful and influential of the various Cardinals; going against him was suicide, complete with dedication.

  But Camille was like that; she loved danger. She loved killing and hated rules. That's why she'd allied herself with Desmond, who wanted to turn the city of Arel into an undead citadel. She hadn't fully understood his goals, but that didn't matter. For now, she'd enjoy killing, then she'd run away, taking advantage of Desmond's mess to cover her tracks.

  Sister…

  Her older sister, Catherine, came to mind. They had grown up together in a village on the edge of the Theocracy, bordering the icy mountains of Freliord. It was cold there, so they were accustomed to wearing minimal clothing in warmer climates. They had developed a high resistance to the cold.

  How much I hate her…

  Camille clenched her fists, furious. Nothing serious had happened between the two sisters, but there had never been any mutual affection. She was the younger, and the weaker of the two. They had different styles, but despite that, she had never managed to best her sister.

  Are you calling yourself Esdeath now? Is it because you got that Royal Weapon?

  She'd heard rumors about the Kingdom of Bashad, the most influential of the aforementioned federation. Her sister had become their strongest soldier, especially after obtaining a powerful Royal Weapon. It was said there were fifty-one of them, and that the first King of Bashad had created them out of fear of a possible invasion by the Archdemons.

  I swear, I'll tear you to pieces as soon as we meet…

  Before she died, she wanted to defeat her older sister. She was now doomed to certain death after her betrayal. The Scriptures of Discord would find her wherever she went. She just needed time to reach the Federation, and Desmond was the perfect decoy.

  As enemies of the undead, the Theocracy would send a team to put an end to Desmond's little experiment. This would buy her time to reach her sister and defeat her—or die trying. Both were options.

  She began to fiddle with the two daggers attached to her belt. They weren't ordinary weapons, but rather two Spiritual Daggers.

  “I will kill you with these blades…”

  They were enchanted blades, capable of piercing adamantine armor as if it were butter, not to mention the ability to steal the energy of anyone who came into contact with them. If the target was weak enough, they could even be prevented from resurrecting due to lack of life force. If she killed her sister with them, nothing would bring her back.

  As long as I get to her with all my limbs still attached to my body…

  The Theocracy's Elite troops were no joke. Camille was strong, but she couldn't take out demigods. It would be suicide.

  She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists until her knuckles went white. She hated the thought of anyone stronger than herself.

  Fucking bastards!

  As soon as she got down to the mausoleum, she saw her colleague working. She put on her most wicked smile and started laughing. She loved teasing him.

  “Desmy!!!!”