"Sorry for the lateness, Cardinals!"

  An elderly man declared, approaching the ttable where five people, dressed in clerical robes of different colors, were seated.

  "No problem, Seventh Cardinal. After all, it was a surprise meeting, requested by the Twelfth."

  One of the seated figures answered him. It was the Fourth Cardinal, an elderly man with almost no teeth in his mouth.

  "He asked for it, yet I don't see him..."

  The newcomer muttered as he sat down next to one of the others. Noticing that he was receiving a few looks of disdain for his comment, he immediately put the hands up in surrender.

  "Don't misunderstand me, please! I'm not saying I'm disappointed. I know he's very busy, being the highest-ranking of us, but..."

  He was interrupted by the creaking of the front door. A masked figure entered the room, followed by two armored knights. It was the Twelfth Cardinal, the most feared and respected. Despite being the most beloved by the people, no one knew his true face, as he never removed his mask. Rumors spread that he was over two centuries old, but no one could say anything for certain about him.

  The newcomer sat down at the table with the others, adjusted his mask and began to speak, in a calm and authoritative tone.

  "Sorry for the delay, fellow Cardinals..."

  One of the others stared at him with an expression halfway between respect and fear, thinking carefully about what to say next.

  "Don't worry, Twelfth. We will never doubt the supreme authority of the sacred doctrine! We were merely curiously wondering why this emergency meeting of the highest officials of the Theocracy of Reia is taking place. Of course, we all know that if you have gathered us here, there must be a very valid reason!"

  The only woman in the group, a brown-haired lady in her fifties, turned toward the latest arrival with a solemn look.

  "As the Fifth Cardinal, I agree and support what my colleague - the Fourth one - said. I would also add that, due to bureaucratic or logistical issues, Cardinals First, Third, Sixth, Eighth and Eleventh were unable to attend the meeting, but we will make sure to inform them of the topics discussed."

  The Twelfth nodded and continued speaking, in a calm, supportive tone. It seemed as if he were referring more to longtime friends than to his peers. Nevertheless, no one seemed offended or bothered; on the contrary, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Thank you for your understanding, friends. The reason that led me to request this meeting is the recent discovery of Zurg's body..."

  Silence fell in the room. Everyone looked at each other with puzzled expressions, as if something completely foreign to their language, and therefore incomprehensible, had been said.

  The Ninth Cardinal was the first to speak, but not before opening and closing his mouth several times in dismay, visibly shocked by the news.

  "You mean Archdemon Zurg? One of the Twelve Archdemons? Our sworn enemies?!"

  "Exactly. He was found dead in a small temple just this morning. Even though his body was broken in half, it was possible to identify his corpse."

  The Second Cardinal, a young man in his twenties, blond and with glasses, turned to the Twelfth with a puzzled look. He seemed confused more than surprised, as if wondering why they were discussing such a matter.

  "Pardon me for butting in, but isn't Zurg's death good news for us? If the Archdemons are our enemies, one less will make our victory easier. Or am I wrong?"

  The Fifth Cardinal shook her head, annoyed by her colleague's argument. She answered him in a stern tone, like that of a teacher scolding an unprepared student.

  "You're obviously still young and inexperienced! If someone, or something, has the power to reduce one of the world's most powerful spellcasters like him to such a state, what do you think they'd do to ordinary people? Do you have any idea how much chaos such a threat could cause?!"

  The Second Cardinal lowered his head, embarrassed at having been scolded by one of his peers, but he was aware that he had deserved it.

  "You're right. I apologize for my inexperience..."

  The Twelfth Cardinal raised his right hand, as if to speak again and calm down the situation. No one dared object to his heated words.

  "There's no need to apologize, Second. Yours was a sensible motion, which saved me from having to explain why we're here. The Archdemon Zurg managed to summon something. We found a book on his corpse, but unfortunately it's written in a cryptic language. My translators are already at work, but the interpretation could take days. The most pressing thing is to search for the creature Zurg summoned..."

  The man fell silent, snapped the fingers of his left hand and one of the knights behind him unrolled what looked like a map of the continent in front of him.

  "I've already had the Mort Plains and some surrounding territories searched. I suspect the creature has moved south, toward our borders with the Empire. Several villages in that area have been pillaged and destroyed, all in the space of a few days, by a single woman..."

  The Tenth Cardinal turned to the Twelfth, with such rapidity that it almost made the glasses on his nose fall off.

  "A woman? Are we still talking about the creature Zurg summoned?"

  The other nodded to him.

  "From the accounts of the few survivors of the village attacks, the creature appears to be a woman over ten feet tall, wearing light-colored clothing and pale white skin. She appears to have great destructive power and is immune to most spells of third level or lower."

  The Second Cardinal turned to the Twelfth, with a shocked look on his face.

  "So...What do you suggest we do?"

  The Twelfth stood up and began walking around the table, sizing up the others. He seemed intent on judging the Cardinals.

  "For now, I have sent three of my smaller teams to reconnoiter the area where we believe the creature resides. What I ask of you, my friends, is to give me your full support in this mission. The peace of our world depends on it."

  The Seventh Cardinal rose from his chair, slamming his fist on the table.

  "I am ready to give you my full support, Twelfth Cardinal! I will immediately send my men back to support yours!"

  "Those who are supposed to eliminate Gareth Stronghold? If so, then there's no need to recall them. They'll join mine once the Imperial Captain is dead. Speaking of which, how's the mission going?"

  The Seventh Cardinal sat back and calmed down, trying to contain himself. He seemed embarrassed at not being able to give a better answer to the question than the one he was about to deliver. It was clear he wanted to curry favor with his colleague and improve his own position.

  "They haven't acted yet, but Captain Gareth will soon be a distant memory! And with him out of the way, maneuvering the Empire's Aristocratic class will be a breeze!"

  The other nodded and began to approach the exit of the room, indirectly declaring the end of the session. The fact that no one had been consulted, or was protesting his actions, hinted at the power the Twelfth Cardinal wielded over the others.

  "Good. Keep your guard up, friends! We don't know if that thing that raided the villages was the only creature Zurg summoned..."

  With that, the Cardinal left the room, ending the emergency meeting.

  The Seventh turned to his remaining colleagues, rising to his feet as well, adjusting the clerical tunic and shedding his previous interventionist mask. Now that the one he wanted to impress was no longer present, he could return to being himself.

  "I'll leave you too. I have to get back to monitoring Captain Gareth's elimination. Captain Bork must update me on the latest developments. Until next time, Cardinals!"

  After that, the man left the room, followed by an armed escort. The others gave him a reproachful look.

  "Ass-kisser..."

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  A soldier in silver armor knocked a man to the ground and threatened him with his sword to make him go with the others who had gathered near the village chief's house.

  "What do we do with these men, Lieutenant Blerh?"

  One of the subordinates asked to the silver soldier, as he threw a woman and her daughter into the pile.

  "Let's leave them here for now! Marquis Reven will tell us what to do with them!"

  He answered harshly. However, the confidence in his words masked the real doubts lurking beneath the armor.

  I still wonder why the Marquis led us to raid villages owned by other nobles of the Aristocratic faction. What does he gain by setting fire to everything without even stealing a single ornament?

  "Let's throw them into the village chief's house! We need them alive to use as bargaining chips against Captain Gareth!"

  A man in golden armor shouted. It was the leader of the expedition, Marquis Archibald Vener Reven. He had recently inherited House Reven, which, despite being one of the smallest in the Empire, had considerable wealth.

  Hearing those words leave the aristocrat's mouth, the Lieutenant turned to him with a stunned expression. He hoped with all his heart that it was a dirty joke.

  Are you serious? You want to blackmail the strongest soldier in the Empire?! Why? What's in it for you? I think this plan is in danger of failing at birth. Captain Gareth is so strong, he could eliminate us before the Marquis even has time to propose the deal...

  Blerh wanted to speak his mind to the Marquis, but he kept quiet, knowing it was futile to try to change the aristocrat's mind. Such were the nobles of the Nexia Empire: all orders and little or no humility. Few escaped the common people's labeling them "ungrateful, stingy bastards".

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "What the hell is that thing?!"

  He turned around, drawn by screams, and was horrified at the sight of what was happening: a colossal knight in black armor, with eyes as red as blood, charged through their lines, killing anyone in his path. No matter how many soldiers attempted to attack him, the colossus slaughtered them all without distinction.

  "Stop that thing! It's big, but there are more of you!"

  The Marquis's cowardly words echoed through the air. They were true, the numerical superiority was evident, but even though his men outnumbered the monster forty to one, no one would believe victory was a foregone conclusion. The Black Knight was enormous, and its giant sword pierced the soldiers' armor as if it were made of papier-maché.

  "Die, you bastard!"

  One of the men shouted as he charged the monster with drawn sword. His heroic momentum was quickly halted, however, by the Black Knight, who sliced him in two with its colossal weapon, before inflicting the same fate on five other foolish soldiers nearby.

  The Marquis's men immediately lost all hope. Some fled, but were intercepted and slaughtered by the monster without difficulty. It seemed to give precedence to those who dared to flee in terror, as if it could smell such emotion - like a bloodhound bringing death.

  Does it raise its sword first against those who flee?

  "NO! NO! NOOO! I cannot die in a sewer like this! I am Marquis Archibald Vener Reven, for the love of God! I have noble blood in my veins! You! Shield me and allow me to escape!"

  The Lieutenant watched the Marquis's crisis with renewed surprise. Usually, noble titles were earned through heroism in battle, but Marquis Reven had earned his by birth. Heroic nobles remained ungrateful, but at least they had earned a modicum of prestige. Reven had not.

  "But...Lord Reven, the troops..."

  The Lieutenant commented, knowing that in war, if the leader lost his head, then everyone else did. But his words were in vain. The Marquis was too stubborn to follow his advice. Moreover, the nobleman's desperate cries had drawn the Black Knight's attention precisely to him.

  Blerh frowned.

  Driven by his perverse desires, Reven attempted to rape a young girl, only to be attacked by her father. After getting help, he began to wail like a child, forcing the squad of Demetrius, along with other troops, to chase the fugitives. That's the kind of man he was: a damned coward.

  Blerh's brother hadn't returned yet.

  "Oh, no... P-Please! Protect me! I-I'll give you... two hundred gold coins, or rather five hundred! As much as you want! Don't let it get close!"

  The Marquis's desperate pleas were in vain. He may have been the team's leader, but he wasn't popular or charismatic. No one would have given their life for a man like that.

  Ironically, the only one to answer the nobleman's call was the Black Knight itself, who began charging him like a bull.

  The men present watched helplessly as the colossus advanced, killing the few unfortunates between it and the nobleman, before attacking guy himself.

  "S-Stay away!"

  The Marquis's sword shattered against the monster's chest, which proceeded to swing its weapon upward. By pure chance, perhaps willed by the Gods, the Marquis managed to avoid the blow, falling awkwardly to the ground. No one had time to help him, however. The colossus was faster; it crushed the aristocrat with its boot, then continued to trample him brutally, as if he were an insect.

  "Please... Please! Save me! I... I'll pay you! I'll give you money, please... Please! Please! The money! The money!!!"

  The other men watched in terror as the nobleman's head was mercilessly crushed by the monster. In his entire mercenary career, Blerh had never encountered such a brutal and merciless being. This was why humans feared undeath; not for their strength or brutality, but for their total lack of interest in life, their own or that of others

  "We are doomed!"

  "May the Gods save us!"

  "I don't want to die!"

  After the death of the Marquis, the morale of the troops reached an all-time low, and the monster took advantage of that to kill without restraint.

  I have to do something!

  Seeing his comrades being torn to pieces one by one, Blerh decided to take matters into his own hands. He drew his sword and turned to face his comrades, paralyzed with terror.

  "My men, listen to me! Let's keep him busy so the furthest ones have time to catch their horses! The monster is strong, but not fast!"

  It was a half-truth. The colossus was faster than a human, but it seemed slowed down for some reason, as if it were holding back to avoid causing too much damage. Nevertheless, the soldiers seemed to regain their courage at those words.

  Unfortunately for Lieutenant Blerh, he made a grave mistake; his cries had attracted the Black Knight! Some of his comrades bravely rushed to his defense, but were brutally killed, trampled or torn to pieces with the sword, as if they were mere flies.

  "Come on, you monster!"

  Frightened, he gripped his sword in both hands and charged the monster. Blerh was afraid - truly afraid. But he couldn't back down like the Marquis had done, or the troops' already low morale would plummet even further. The Black Knight also swung its broadsword. And then-

  Blerh's vision became blurrier and more unnatural as his eyes glimpsed the ground. After a bounce, he gazed down at his own headless body, about to fall to the ground. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

  I am...dying?

  Blerh's heroic act was halted in a single blow. The Black Knight had decapitated him with a single swing of its mighty sword. The only silver lining in all of this was that, at least, it had reunited him with his brother in the grave.

  All the soldiers screamed in terror.

  It was in that general chaos that a voice echoed throughout the village-

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "That will do, Black Knight. The slaughter can end."

  While Almodeus's words only affected the Black Knight, the entire village seemed frozen in time. The reason was fear. The knights were too afraid to move because of the Black Knight, while the villagers were afraid because they didn't understand what was happening. It all culminated in an infinite cycle that would never stop, not without someone intervening, at least. Someone strong enough to conquer that fear.

  "I am Almodeus, The Absolute Lord! This village is under my protection now!"

  -And he was the one.

  "Knights! Surrender to me immediately, and I promise to spare your lives! If some of you would prefer to fight, I can understand that-"

  The demon didn't even have time to express the consequences of a possible rebellion when a sword was thrown to the ground. One by one, the knights disarmed themselves, kneeling at his feet, begging for mercy. Their voices were broken by tears and sobs. They sounded more like children who had just had a nightmare, rather than soldiers.

  "What will become of us?"

  One of the invaders asked him, trembling with fear.

  "For now I'll tie you up in what's left of the city warehouse, then I'll see what to do with you."

  The mens were so terrified of the monstrous Black Knight that they nodded without making a fuss. No one would offer even a futile resistance.

  "Excuse my impertinence, but...who are you?"

  The speaker was an elderly man in his sixties with a beard, who approached the demon with an uncertain step.

  He's probably the village chief. His posture might indicate he's ready to bow and beg for mercy. I think I'll probably have to repeat myself...How boring.

  Almodeus sighed, before finally speaking and answering the elder's question.

  "I am Lord Almodeus, and I came here drawn by the chaos. I decided to help you because of the kindness of my apprentice."

  Almodea turned to him and looked at him strangely, but immediately realized that perhaps it would be best to avoid revealing their true relationship to the world for now. For his part, Almodeus nodded to his daughter, as if telling her to play along.

  He looked then at the villagers, who seemed as terrified as much as the knights. More than the circumstances, they feared that the demon - whom they believed to be a human with phenomenal magical power - might enslave them or treat them worse than the nobleman who governed that land. The demon understood this immediately, and so spoke again.

  "Everything I've done hasn't been free! In exchange for my help, I'll ask for a reward, of course..."

  The villagers seemed to let their guard down once the reward was mentioned. They now believed he was simply there for the money or some personal gain.

  This will make me seem more humanely greedy than I actually am, but so be it...If it helps to calm them down and make them believe that I don't intend to kill them, so much the better.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The house was small, unpretentious, with a few inches of dust here and there. The demon sat at a table and waited for the man, who was intent on searching for something in the back of the house, to return.

  "Do you want something, Lord Almodeus?"

  The village chief's wife, a brown-haired woman in her fifties, asked. She was visibly frightened, but that didn't stop her from behaving like a respectable housewife.

  "No thanks, ma'am. But I'm honored by the offer."

  Even though I wear a mask and have proven capable of killing in cold blood in front of them, they are still friendly? Curious...

  "Sorry to keep you waiting, Lord Almodeus. I forgot where I put the map."

  Said the village chief, as he unrolled a sort of parchment in front of the masked demon.

  "May I know your name, village chief?"

  The man stared at him in surprise. He hadn't expected such a question.

  "My name is Will O'Brick, but you can just call me Brick..."

  Interesting name, this human being inspires sympathy in me for some unnatural reason.

  "Very good. I'd say we're more than ready to get started, with Alm-"

  He broke off with a cough.

  "-I meant, with my apprentice out here keeping watch with the Black Knight, we're well protected."

  He finished, still unsure whether to reveal his daughter's name to the village chief, who nodded without questioning him. However, Almodeus could sense a significant increase in the man's anxiety.

  "Is something bothering you, Brick?"

  Once again, his question surprised the elder.

  Could it be because I used his first name?

  "N-No, Lord Almodeus! I was just thinking...Are you sure you want as a reward such basic information? Our village can't offer you much gold, but it would still be worth more than my meager knowledge..."

  The village chief wasn't entirely wrong. If Almodues had known the world he was in as well as his original domain, he would have taken the gold without even thinking about it. More for economic reasons and purchasing power. But that was not the case.

  "Unfortunately, I retired from public life some time ago for research. The Black Knight you see outside is a result of said research. I've fallen a bit behind. Uh Uh."

  I don't like lying, but it's more believable than saying I'm from another dimension's hell. I might consider it acting...Yes! Sounds good!

  Almodeus loved the theatre, and therefore also acting.

  "I understand. Are you sure you don't want silver or copper coins either?"

  "I prefer information. If you gave me money, I wouldn't even know what to spend it on..."

  "Certainly! If you need, I can give you a copy of the map!"

  The demon nodded, then turned to the map on the table. Brick began showing him the continent, explaining various events and answering any questions at the best of his possibilities. In a short time, Almodeus gained a wealth of new information.

  First, the village of Anna where he was now, and the Fear Tower, were within the borders of the Nexia Empire. It was the largest human nation in the vicinity.

  Near to the Great Dark Jade Forest, which stretches along the northeastern border of the Empire and was near the village, the Kingdom of Ashen arose. From the village chief's words, the two nations were on bad terms. They skirmished annually near the Fortified City of Arel, on the border of their domains.

  There was a third nation in that scenario: the Theocracy of Reia, located to the north of the first two. The village chief had been unable to provide much information about the latter, saying it rarely interfered with the other two. The only thing he seemed to know was that the Theocracy had repeatedly requested the Empire to surrender the City of Arel to them. That was always refused, but never followed by a call to arms.

  Judging by the coats of arms on their shields, the village chief believes that the attackers were knights from the Ashen Kingdom. However, it's not out of the question that this was an attempt by a third party, such as the Theocracy, to sow hostility between the two already quarreling nations. Interesting... I need to see what the knights I captured have to say about this.

  Seeing him lost in thought, the village chief grew worried, unsure if what he was telling his savior was of any interest to him.

  "Is…Is there a problem, Lord Almodeus?"

  "Huh? No, don't worry. Could you give me more information? For example, about other countries nearby?"

  "Certainly. Unfortunately, the map doesn't include them, but north of the Theocracy, after the Freliord mountain range, lies the Bashad Federation. I can only tell you that it's an alliance of different Kingdoms, nothing more..."

  Almodeus nodded and motioned for him to continue.

  "Then there is the Holy Kingdom of Orwel to the southeast of the Empire. It is an island just off the coast and is one of the most religious states, along with the Holy Empire of Lumes, located northeast of the Bashad Federation. Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything else, except that the Holy Kingdom is always having problems with the various demi-humans who attack its borders."

  "I see. Speaking of demi-humans, how do you guys repel them? I don't see any fortifications in the village..."

  Birck's face frowned slightly. It was clear that the topic wasn't the rosiest for him.

  "We can only rely on the adventurers of the Guild."

  "Adventurers?"

  The middle-aged man's finger moved towards the map on the table, exactly above a black dot, which indicated a city.

  "The nearest city is named Arel. You see, monsters like goblins, orcs and ogres always appear around the forest. Luckily for us, the Guild assigns adventurers to patrol, so the roads are much safer. This would favor trade, were it not for the heavy customs fees the nobles impose on entry into their fiefdoms..."

  Brick sighed at the last admission. It was clear he resented the way the local noble, a certain Marquis Eitoma Beligeran Baldur, ran the village. He'd avoided mentioning him unless absolutely necessary.

  "Could you tell me more about the adventurers?"

  "I only know that they are divided into ranks, and that they can be hired with a fee. In the city of Arel there is one of the most famous guilds."

  "I see…"

  Almodeus didn't care much for adventurers per se. However, it was a term that hadn't existed in his world for many years, and that's what sparked his curiosity.

  I'll have to go into town to find out more…

  Having reasoned this, Almodeus went back to question Brick about the surroundings, in the attempt to understand more about that world he endend up with.