“It’s Louisa. She betrayed us.” “What… do you… mean? She… betrayed… AARRGGHH!!” The pain, like thousands of needles poking every inch of my body, intensifies. “What’s… going on?” “Every cell in your body is corroding.” “Selina…?” “I assume Selina broke the Summoning Contract between the two of you. And since you don’t have any connection to this realm, it’s rejecting you.” “Rejecting him? What do you mean?” “You’ve heard about the Summoning Contract, correct? Well, that contract is more beneficial to the summon than it is to the summoner. Every realm exists on a different frequency. And so do races from the different realms. When someone like Haruki crosses into a new realm without going through a Realm Gate, then the realm will recognise him as a foreign object and proceed to eliminate him.” “Eliminate… him…” “The process is gruesome. First, you will feel a needle-like pain throughout your body. The pain is enough to kill people instantly. But I’d say that spares them from wha
The wind gusts through the wasteland—formerly known as Mico. The beautiful cityscape Haruki and Louisa shared their date exploring is a deserted land. The clouds overhead mask the sun's light and invite darkness to roam the land. The barren land quakes as two evil entities meet. "..." "Have you made a decision, Elisabeth?" asks a man. The shadows mask him. His voice, deep, causes the earth to rumble. Elisabeth, leader of the Illuminati, stares at the man from under a veil. Everything about her, from her white dress to her golden hair and blue eyes radiate light. "Yes," she says, "I have. And I decided not to." "Despite witnessing my grand victory over Grand Order, you still defy me? Know, Elisabeth, that your measly organisation is like an insignificant bug to mine. And I despise bugs. They only know how to buzz around your ear. Do you know what I do to bugs like that, Elisabeth?" "Let me guess. You crush them, yes?" "Yes. With all my might." "Should I take your words as a threa
I had this dream. Well, I say dream, but it is more akin to a memory than a dream. I was lying in a field of hydrangeas, soaking in the warmth of the mid-afternoon sun. “Hello,” I heard a voice say. This person’s voice was beautiful, soft and warm like the sun. I opened my eyes and saw the most beautiful girl ever. Her eyes were a soft blue hue. Her hair a river of gold and skin pale almost ghost-like. “W-who…?” I stuttered. The girl smiled and I felt my heart tighten. “…” Her mouth moved and she said something. But I don’t remember what she said. What is it that she said? “Hey, Haruki. Are you awake?” “…” “Hmm. Are you asleep?” “…” “I wonder…” I don’t know why I didn’t open my eyes yet. Maybe I just want to tease Elisabeth a bit. She gets on my bed and leans closer to me. My heart races as I feel her breath on my skin. She gets ever so closer. I slowly open my eyes but to my surprise, I don’t see anyone. Was I imagining her here? “So, you were awake,” she says. “Elisabeth
Elisabeth has been behind my altered memory for the past two days. The reason I forgot all about my past experiences and interactions is because of her magic—I’m sure of it. Even right now, I can only remember my purpose for being here. But why would she do this instead of attacking me? Emihiko said she loves me, but I find that hard to believe. Did she do this to recruit me into her organisation? She knew I would never join her willingly, so she used magic to manipulate me. Yeah, that can only be the most logical reason for her not attacking… Wait. How did I even recover my memories? Does her ability have a limit? No, I doubt that. If she could manipulate my memories, she can’t be someone normal. “Then can she…” “She? Who are you talking about?” “E-Elisabeth? No, I… It’s just another memory fragment I can’t seem to grasp. It’s nothing important.” She stares at me intensely. Shoot. I accidentally let my thoughts slip. If she can manipulate memories, does she have a mind-reading abili
“Help me!” “I have a family! Lady Elisabeth, plea—” Elisabeth walks past every cell in the dungeon. Screams pleading for her forgiveness reach her ears and bring a smile to her face. A sadistic smile. She walks to the end of the corridor, to a heavily guarded cell and latches the door open. After entering, her eyes fall to the person chained to the wall. “How are you feeling today, my sweet Ivy?” Ivy – dishevelled and bruised all over – looks Elisabeth in the eyes, then cracks a smile. “I feel wonderful. But it’s been five days since you captured me. I think I’m ready to leave.” “Still defiant as you were five days ago, are you? Well, I never expected you to submit willingly. Not after his death.” Ivy jumps forward, her face inches away from Elisabeth’s, but is held back by the chains. She stares at an unfazed Elisabeth. “Did I hit a nerve?” “I’m going to kill you. In the most brutal way I can think of!” “That’s not very ladylike of you. Plus, your village had it coming. They com
Her name is Elisabeth Faith. But Elisabeth is clearly here in the Holy City. I don’t understand it completely but I’m sure this has something to do with her ability—which I assume can only be that. But knowing her ability and knowing I can defeat her are two completely different things. I’ll have to find the perfect time to catch her off guard. “You seem deep in thought, Haruki. Anything that I need to concern myself over?” she asks, glaring through me. “Just thinking how beautiful you are, Elisabeth.” She blushes. “Y-You think so?” “Yeah.” It’s not a lie. Elisabeth is extremely attractive. She’s more mature-looking than Louisa and Selina combined. Though, they do have their own charms. Louisa is still petite, despite her age. Her long, golden hair, red-purple amethyst eyes, and slender body make her look like a vintage doll. She has a cheerful personality towards her friends and a cold façade she displays to enemies. I guess now that she betrayed us, she’d show us the latter expr
The beautiful tune of the piano and violin duet plays throughout my entrance into the hall. At the end of the hall, standing before the officiant, Elisabeth looks back. Her head is covered with a veil, but I can see her beautiful face despite it. “Are you ready, Haruki?” she asks me when I stand by her side. “Let’s blow the roof off this chapel,” I say. She giggles. “Quite a weird way of describing this joyous occasion, don’t you think?” “I think it’s fitting.” “Yes, it is indeed fitting. Let’s blow the roof off this place.” I’m sure she understands the meaning behind my words. So, I take it your reply is a sign that you are prepared for anything I throw at you. Is that right, Elisabeth? The officiant begins, “We are joined here today…” His voice is muffled by my intense focus on Elisabeth. I need to make sure I attack when she is at her most vulnerable. Elisabeth is just smiling with her eyes closed. I can’t use that form now because it will only cause suspicion. She opens her
“A large crystal… with a teenage girl inside…? What… is this…?” Everyone else stands in awe—Surprised by this sudden mystery. “Elisabeth… is that… you?” The crystal starts cracking. The cracks split the crystal into two and Elisabeth falls. I jump forward and catch her in my arms. This girl resembles Elisabeth. But she is not the child version or the adult version. Elisabeth opens her eyes. Blue, like both Elisabeths “Haruki…” she says. Her voice is like both Elisabeths'. “You finally saved me,” she says placing her hand on my cheek. “Are you… Elisabeth?” She nods her head. “Hey, Haruki, what’s going on?” asks Ivy, confused. I explain everything to them. “So, in this dream,” asks Selina, “a young Elisabeth was helping you out. But the evil Elisabeth was the one that had been terrorizing us. And you say this is also an Elisabeth? But not quite the same as either Elisabeths'?
After Haruki walked through the black door, we go back to Ragnarök, a year and ten months ago. "HARUKKII!!" Emygdius' voice roars throughout the forest, sending dragons and phoenixes flying in terror as Haruki disappears from Ragnarök. After getting blown away, he wastes no time returning to the spot where Haruki disappeared. He glares up to the sky, "Alvis!! Why did you stop me!?"Alvis Ragnarök appears from the bright evening sky, hovering. He raises his wooden staff and says, "Emygdius, you will stand down."Although frustrated, Emygdius has pledged his loyalty to Alvis, so he dares not disobey his orders. However, when Haruki is involved... "With all due respect, Alvis. Haruki is my only grandson, so I will not allow even you to stop me from rescuing him.""Emygdius, you already know, don't you? That boy is no one's child.""Shut up, Alvis. Don't say another word.""That boy is...""Alvis...""He is a false dragon.""SHUT UP!!!""Step down, Emygdius." Despite Alvis' warning, Emygdi
Brother? Who is—"Ah, I never introduced myself, did I? My name is Lucifer Morningstar. The second-born True God and your elder brother.""Elder... brother?""Yes. You were born from a portion of the True Gods' bodies. That makes you our youngest brother." He smiles at me and before I can say anything, he continues, "I would love to get to speak to this version of you longer but we have no time for chatter. You have been in Netherworld for about an hour, no?""I... I think so... yes.""Well, that's a problem.""How so?"Lucifer glares at Satan, "Did you not tell him?" Satan shudders as Lucifer's mana grows colder. He shakes his head. "Sigh, well, what's done is done.""What is it? Why do you have that grim look on your face?""Haruki, I don't want you to freak out.""What's going on?" My mana spikes as I lose control of my emotions. "What is it that you're not telling me?"Lucifer looks at me with a cautious stare. "Haruki, time runs differently in here than it does in Leagard. You ma
As I lie on the ground, exhausted, someone claps their hands. I lift my head to find someone dressed from head to toe in diamond knight's armour. He continues to clap his hands as I lift myself from the ground."What a wonderful spectacle," he says. "You outperformed Satan in quite a unique way." Deep inside the abyss of his mask, red eyes glare at Satan. "Do you yield, Satan?"The ice around Satan starts melting. After a few seconds, cracks appear in various spots around him and he breaks free from the spell. He looks at me and smiles, "Yes, I yield.""Good. Then, we can start making our way to the castle.""I'm sorry," I say, confused. "Who are you?"His eyes move to me. "I am The Greedy Mammon—one of the seven mortal sins.""I see..." I scan his body. From head to toe, he's covered in diamond. "Why—""Why am I covered head to toe in diamond armour, you ask?""Well, yes but—""No need to concern yourself with such measly worries. I wear this armour because it is the most expensive a
"His name is Lucifer Morningstar—the second-born True God. Mother crafted him from the darkness of the empty universe. The greatest evil, that was his purpose. But he defied this prophetic fate and became the kindest of the six True Gods—even kinder than his twin brother, Venus Nirvana, who was born from the universe's light. Mother was at a loss for words. She'd created him for the sole purpose of balancing the universe's good and evil, yet here he was, the most distinguished good. Though elder brother was the first True God to create a realm, it was none other than Lucifer who proposed the idea. He wanted the honour of the first realm created to be his elder brothers, thus Ragnarök was born. Following this creation, the other realms were created: Nirvana, Aerlogard, Dwargo, Gigante, and finally, Netherworld. Lucifer marvelled at his siblings' creations because the realms they created were abundant in mana and life, something he could not create. He, the presider of all darkness in t
"How about we test it out here, then?""What? Are you serious?"He laughs. "Your mana is flaring again. Are you that excited?"Ever since I became an Acceelos, I had this gnawing feeling... "Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask him."Are you getting cold feet now, Haruki?""Cold feet? Are you joking?"... of wanting to fight someone powerful. "I'm hyped."Satan walks a long distance from me. "Well then, I think it's only appropriate that I take a proper form when I face you, don't you think?""A proper form?"Satan's mana leaks from his body like smoke. Red streaks? Red streaks of smoke rise from his pale, raisin skin."This pruned form is what the picture books in Leagard paint me as. It was also easier to move around in Leagard in this form. But that is far from what my true form is."His... true form...His body suddenly exudes smoke in excess. The smoke swirls around his body in a vicious storm—masking his body and presence. After a few seconds, a hole in the smoke storm hisse
His name is Saint Lucifer Morningstar—the second born True God. ALL crafted him from the darkness of the empty universe. The greatest evil, that was his purpose. But he defied this prophetic fate and became the kindest of the six True Gods—even kinder than his twin brother, Saint Venus Nirvana, who was born from the universe's light. ALL was at a loss for words. She'd created him for the sole purpose of balancing the universe's good and evil, yet here he was, the most distinguished good.Though Saint Alvis Ragnarök was the first True God to create a realm, it was none other than Saint Lucifer who proposed the idea. He wanted the honour of the first realm created to be his elder brothers, thus Ragnarök was born. Following this creation, the other realms were created: Nirvana, Aerlogard, Dwargo, Gigante, and finally, Netherworld. Saint Lucifer marvelled at his siblings creations because the realms they created were abundant in mana and life, something he could not create. He, the preside
'This feeling of bliss… It’s nostalgic.''This is the Path—a bridge between the realms. It induces serenity within your mind to distract you from your body being ripped to shreds and formed anew.''R-ripped to shreds?'‘Yes. It’s a gruesome process but the Path was designed to put your mind at ease through the transportation.’‘Wait? Won’t I be rejected from Netherworld like I was in Leagard? Am I going to disappear?’'Calm down, Haruki. You won’t disappear. There are two types of Paths: Legal and Illegal. You were forcefully sent to Leagard through an Illegal Path, which didn’t allow your body’s genetic code to integrate into the realm's network. This is a Legal Path. This gory process is a means for the realm to identify and integrate our genetic code.''I-I see.'Despite being ripped to shreds and restructured, Satan was right, I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort. The process went by in a flash. One second all I saw was an array of purple hues streaming before my eyes, the next I
This is Leviathan? She’s huge. “Haruki Ryu?” she repeats. “Hmm, rolls off the tongue much better than Code Name: Ryu, wouldn’t you say, Satan?” Satan? Her eyes fall on the demon. “So, you’re Satan?” He does not answer me. Instead, he says, “Leviathan, we want to enter Netherworld. Let us through.” “Of course, I’d be delighted to assist you. But are you here for that?” She looks at me. “Is that the only reason you came to meet me?” I shake my head, “No, I came to ask for your help.” “My help?” “There’s a man… Or, something that has taken over the Borneheimer Kingdom. We want your help in exterminating him.” “You want my help? You do know the power you possess right now is near-unrivalled. Whoever this mysterious being is, I doubt they could defeat you.” “So, that’s a no?” Leviathan remains silent. She thinks for a moment, then says, “I will help you. This man… No, this God is not someone you want to fight alone. Not when you’re still getting used to your newfound powers.” “G
After my fight with Behemoth, the demon and I took off to where he says Leviathan is. “You say that was a spur-of-the-moment spell?” he asks, surprised. “Yes,” I reply, thinking back on my studies in Ragnarök, “I did as you said and hit Behemoth with a spell more powerful than Judgement.” But then again, Judgement may have worked just as well. I definitely powered up. “You’re more of a monster than Lucifer said,” he whispers. “Lucifer? Come to think of it, who are you to Lucifer anyway? For him to send you must mean he trusts you quite a bit.” “Trust?” The demon snickers, “Trust, you say. Lucifer does not trust me. And I don’t trust him either. We’re at odds, you see.” “Then why would you take orders from him?” The demon remains silent. We fly for another minute before he responds, “Lucifer is the King. And as King, he has the final say.” I can’t feel any emotion in his words. His expression is tame. And I just noticed this, I can’t see his mana. My eyes sharpened with this new