A man was sitting on a red-covered couch. Beside him were two beautiful women in their twenties. They were not wives or concubines, but prostitutes. Slavery had been abolished in the Nexia Empire, but that didn't mean prostitution had suffered the same fate. The only difference was that a formal contract was now required, but that didn't mean working conditions were any better.

  It was an easily circumvented law, which is precisely why the reform, conceived by Princess Arianne and proposed by Second Prince Zangan, had been approved.

  He didn't mind, the women he slept with were always treated well; he wasn't the type to kill or beat up someone without reason.

  The man was relaxing in his family mansion, that belonged to the great House Gallion, one of the wealthiest in the Empire—not on the level of the Great 8, but wealthy enough to be considered highly respectable.

  My cousin would yell at me if she saw me now!

  He chuckled internally. Every time he enjoyed a woman, he recalled the scoldings of the Reddodoragon Deucoto family ward, related to his own house by blood.

  The man didn't care, of course. He was a hero; he deserved some compensation for his hard work. His name was Agur Gallion, leader of one of the Empire's Diamond-rank adventuring parties: Red Lightning.

  “Is something wrong, Agur?”

  The dark-haired woman on his left asked, teasing him in the nether regions.

  “Naaa! I got lost in nonsense! But you, ladies…”

  He squeezed the left girl's breast.

  “…You are fantastic as always!”

  “Ahhh! Always so blunt, Agur!”

  “Thank you, thank you.”

  Nothing would ruin that moment of pleasure, or so he thought.

  It was then that a letter appeared on the coffee table, as if summoned by magic.

  Huh? What's going on?

  Agur didn't have time to read the piece of paper when he heard someone, or something, knocking from inside the closet.

  No…Impossible!

  He looked toward the right door and opened his eyes in shock. Cold sweat trickled down Agur's back.

  “Huh? What happened?”

  One of the two women asked.

  “Sorry girls, but I have some commitments. Can you go now?”

  “W-What?! B-But you paid for five hours! It's only been two...”

  “I know, but I have to go! Now get out!”

  Agur shouted, pretending to be furious.

  “Fuck you, asshole!”

  The two women stood up, using a cloth to cover their naked bodies. They weren't really angry, since they'd already been paid, but it was the manner that bothered them. They considered themselves sex professionals- being rudely chased away was like saying they weren't good enough to be his only concern.

  I'll have to apologize later, they're the best the brothel has to offer…

  He sighed and rose from the couch, and read the letter. His face changed into a worried grimace at its contents. Agur threw the piece of paper in the trash, then headed for the closet. Opening the doors revealed a large, full suit of red armor, with dragon mouths on the shoulders and in the center of the chest. It was the Red Dragon Armor, and it had been given to him by a precious friend.

  "But now, I have other things to think about. Gold called me, which means something's wrong."

  Agur reached out with his right hand and the armor opened like a little box, allowing him to enter without having to put it on piece by piece.

  “I’m coming, Gold.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The doors to the hall burst open. The room was enormous, with gold embroidery on the walls and several stands, one of which displayed a full suit of golden armor. It was similar to the one Agur was wearing, but instead of dragons' mouths on the shoulders and in the center of the chest, there were roaring lions. The armor was pristine, so much so that it looked as if it had never been used.

  “Gold! I got here as quickly as I could! B-But…Where are the others?!”

  Agur had burst into the hall, approaching the throne at the back of the room, which was rotated in front of the large fireplace that burned like the bright sun.

  “They haven’t arrived yet.”

  The figure sitting on the throne responded, moving one of its clawed limbs. It was obvious that it wasn't human like him.

  "What?!"

  He was shocked and outraged. How dare they not immediately respond to the call of the Golden Lyon Lord, the former leader of the 12 Heroes and leader of their team, the Forever Knights? What had happened to the integrity of their group?

  Maybe it's because I'm the newest member, so I'm more inclined to worry about the details. I can't help but be disappointed.

  Agur was about to ask more, but Gold quickly silenced him with a wave of his right hand.

  "It's okay. They're scattered around the world: we can't expect them to come back immediately. It could take days..."

  “But we don't have that much time, do we? If you requested the presence of all the Forever Knights, it means She spoke again…”

  "Exactly. "

  Agur's heart skipped a beat when it confirmed it. The voice of the universe had given her word, which meant only one thing: someone had arrived in their world.

  “Who was summoned this time?”

  "I do not know."

  Gold's voice lost some of its hardness and seriousness, making room for insecurity.

  “I just know that is extremely evil.”

  “Are we sure they are bad?”

  “Absolutely. The dark energy that invaded this world was faint; I only felt it for a few seconds—”

  Gold moved his clawed arm upward, miming the act of grasping something. The hand stopped before closing completely, as if it had failed in its intent.

  “But I can assure you that those few minutes when it was perceptible, I…”

  The sound of someone swallowing was heard.

  “I…It was terrifying! Not even when the 7 Sins arrived, I had felt such terror!”

  Agur's eyes widened. Gold was an ancient being, so much so that he could be considered one of the oldest in their world—seeing him so frightened was unbelievable. He couldn't believe it.

  Has the voice of the universe summoned someone so powerful that even Gold is frightened? Could this be the end of the human race? Or rather...of life itself?

  It couldn't be ruled out. The world had already been on the verge of the end, especially when the 7 Great Sins arrived.

  Those monsters have nearly wiped out the entire human race. It's their fault that the humanoid states are so afraid of the demihuman races.

  “What do we do?”

  He asked, with the heart in his throat.

  "For now, we must wait. We are not allowed to do anything else, since we do not know where this new evil was conjured."

  “Maybe they appeared in the 12 Archdemons' territories and could killed them for us! If we let them be, maybe they'll eliminate even that damned Demon Lord and—”

  “Shut up!”

  A thunderous voice silenced him abruptly. Gold seemed to have suddenly become enraged.

  "Choosing the lesser evil is the same as choosing evil anyway! We can't make the same mistake we made centuries ago!"

  “B-But…It can be fixed!”

  "My hands are already stained with blood! It's all Damocles' fault! I know you weren't with us yet, but you should know what happened!"

  Agur hung his head, like a child being scolded by his parent. The story of how the Twelve Heroes had disbanded had been rehearsed to him many times.

  It's all that traitor's fault!

  Agur clenched his fists, feeling Gold's anger fill him. It was as if they were angry for the same reason.

  “If his plan had succeeded, the 7 Sins would have won! And this world would be…”

  Gold had stopped at the end, bringing his hand to his face.

  “It would have been destroyed" Gold was about to say, and Agur knew it well; he had been told it several times.

  “But the traitor is no longer among us, is he?”

  “I don't know. I killed him with these hands…”

  Gold moved one of his furry, clawed limbs.

  “But I never found the body.”

  The leader sad sigh was heard, as he remained seated on his throne, which completely hid him.

  “So…What do we do now?”

  Agur asked. They needed to figure out what to do in a nutshell. If this enemy was so fearsome that it made Gold anxious, then they were someone extremely powerful.

  “Let's just watch…”

  "What?!"

  Agur took a step back. Was Gold really giving up?

  “I won't attack someone without knowing their true strength! We've lost too many comrades in the past because of this same mistake!”

  “I-I see…”

  He lowered his head, embarrassed. It was clear he hadn't earned his Diamond rank as an adventurer. His membership in the Forever Knights was solely due to his fortuitous connection with Gold, not his abilities.

  “Now go back to Nexia. Tell me if anything strange happens-”

  Gold pointed an accusatory claw at him.

  "-But don't do anything rash without direct orders! We're about to face an enemy as fearsome as the Seven Great Sins, if not more so!"

  "Certainly!"

  Agur stood at attention, then left the room flying, using the wings on the back of his armor.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  -Gold- or Golden Lyon Lord- as he had been called for over a thousand years; it had become his full name.

  "Can someone tell me what the voice of the universe wants? She continues to summon beings from other words! Does not matter good or evil, they remain dangerous."

  He huffed, his eyes shifting to the golden armor that stood on a pedestal behind him.

  “Unfortunately, it’s not up to me to judge her…She’s the one in charge.”

  In his entire life, which had spanned more than three thousand years, Gold had heard the voice speak only once. Even for someone ancient like him, she was completely incomprehensible; he couldn't fathom her purpose, if she had one.

  “We have to stay alert, otherwise we'll be in trouble.”

  His gaze moved toward the door Agur had exited from, opposite the throne where he sat.

  “Maybe I should kill Red and give the Red Dragon Armor to someone more skilled. I don't know…”

  Among themselves, they never called each other by their first names, but they always used the main name of their knightly name. Agur was the Red Dragon Lord.

  Gold thoughts returned to some events from the past.

  “This is not good. Between the Theocracy, the Archdemons, the Cult of the Immortal Demons, The Demon realms and this new evil, we're running out of steam.”

  Evil never faded, but good did; that was the truth Gold had learned the hard way. He sighed in bitterness and defeat—sometimes he wondered if it was worth continuing to fight to uphold his promise.

  If only I hadn't promised that to him…

  Unfortunately, his conscience did not allow him to take a break.

  He wasn't a champion of justice, but defending that world was the right thing to do, otherwise everything would be destroyed. Unfortunately, it was far from an easy mission.

  “Damocles…Look at how much damage you have caused.”

  The thought of his old friend infuriated him. He leapt to his feet and punched a column, cracking it from top to bottom.

  “You made me stain my hands with innocent blood, killed my comrades and…”

  Gold brought the palm of his hand to his eyes, to wipe away the tears that never came out, however.

  “…Now you’ve poked your nose into the affairs of the Theocracy, making them our enemies too!”

  He was the only one in his group who knew that the traitor wasn't dead yet. Gold had killed someone, but it was the wrong man. It was a mistake he couldn't forgive himself for, but one he couldn't admit to others; it would have destroyed the morale of the troops even before the battle.

  “I hope the corruption of the Gods, as you call it, punishes you. You and that damned witch of Vainglory of yours!”

  He slams his hand on the throne, sitting back down.

  “We have to save this world; it was the last thing that he asked me…”

  He sighed, thinking of another of his fallen comrades.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "Did you find anything?"

  A boy in his twenties asked a couple of men who were examining some ruins of a destroyed village.

  "Nothing, Captain Axel! The target's gone!"

  A tall man, with two shields on each arm, answered him. It was Ribombè, the ninth seat of the Scriptures of Discord, nicknamed The Shield of God.

  "Survivors?"

  "No one! The village is deserted! Completely razed to the ground! I've never seen such destruction."

  "At least we won't have to erase the memory of the survived villagers..."

  Axel placed his right hand on the side of his armor and sighed.

  He had been sent by the Twelfth Cardinal to search for the monster summoned by one of the Twelve Archdemons. From the description, she looked like a pale woman over 10 feet tall—they didn't know much about her power, but from the destruction she brought, she certainly seemed extremely dangerous. That's precisely why the Theocracy of Reia had sent members of the Scriptures of Discord there.

  These individuals were the legion serving the Twelfth Cardinal, as well as the most powerful military force in the Theocracy. The operation was led by Axel, the second strongest warrior in the entire state, and a demigod, son of one of the Twelve Gods.

  "Let's move on, then. We'll find her sooner or later! Come on!"

  Axel roared, raising his halberd to the sky. At that moment, he was approached by one of the most respected members of the Scriptures, a certain Ancinae Sabia.

  "Young Axel, where do you think we should go now?"

  She asked him.

  "We will follow the trail of destruction, Lady Sabia..."

  He replied, sighing. Doubts were gnawing at his mind.

  She killed an Archdemon, so…Is she on the same level of the Twelve Gods? No! That's impossible.

  Just thinking about it made his blood run cold.

  "Is something bothering you?"

  "I'll be honest…I fear for this mission."

  The old woman remained silent for a few minutes, then opened her mouth again and spoke, trying to find the right words.

  "Let me get this straight, young Axel. You, a demigod, are afraid of what exactly? Of a monster who killed an Archdemon and burned several villages to ashes? Nothing compared to what Golden Lyon Lord did..."

  Axel frowned at the name.

  "Lady Sabia, you know that it is forbidden to mention the name of the greatest enemy of the Theocracy!"

  Despite his fury, he was still using an honorific for that woman. She was one of the most respected, as was skilled in using so many different magical items.

  "Many things are forbidden, but asking any legitimate questions is not! What are you afraid of, my boy?"

  He took a deep breath, then closed his eyes and prepared to answer.

  "The Twelfth Cardinal… He seemed scared when he spoke to me. I could tell by his tone! If he's afraid of this monster, there's a chance that this giant woman is on par, if not superior—but I doubt it—to the Golden Lyon Lord..."

  Sabia remained silent again, contemplating the young man's words. She licked her toothless gums, then replied:

  "It's true, it's a possibility. However..."

  The woman pulled out a hollow sphere with a purple crystal embedded inside and a handle on either side. Alex's eyes widened at the sight of the object; he'd seen it many times, but his reaction was always the same.

  "The Crown of the Shattered Queen..."

  "That's right! If that monster proves to be too strong, I'll use it to subdue it..."

  "Are you sure you have the strength? It's a powerful object, but it requires a lot of sacrifice to use."

  Axel was against using this item, not only because it was considered sacred, but also because its energy cost was so high that all its previous users had died. Only Sabia had been able to use it more than once.

  "Don't take me for an idiot just because I'm one hundred and sixty-seven years old, boy!"

  A normal human could live for a century at most, if they were lucky. However, through the use of blood manipulation rituals and other magic, lifespans could be extended.

  Sabia was considered one of the Theocracy's finest mages; had she died on that expedition, the Twelfth Cardinal's forces would have suffered a severe blow.

  "I didn't mean to offend. I was just worried about you..."

  "I know."

  Sabia smiled slightly.

  “It's appreciated, but completely unnecessary. Trust me, it will work!”

  "I hope so, anyway...now let's get back on the road, it's getting dark."

  The old woman nodded and followed Axel, rejoining the rest of the troop.

  We must find that monster and eliminate it, before it's too late…

  He didn't care about the lives of the common people, but he couldn't risk letting such a being walk free.

  For now, it is only attacking in the territories of the Empire, but if it were to strike the Theocracy, panic would break out.

  Due to its poor communications, it would take weeks for the Empire government to learn of the villages' destruction. But what about the Theocracy? Everything would be discovered immediately thanks to espionage and surveillance magic.

  I can't allow it…

  He clutched the spear in his hand. It was the only reminder he had of his father, who died before he was born. Fortunately, the Twelfth Cardinal had been there to care for and raise him. Everything Axel had become he owed solely to that man.

  I must not disappoint him…His life will not be wasted.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "Here's dinner, Lady C."

  A cold voice cut through the air in the small bedroom of the inn.

  The woman who had entered remained stoic and handed the plate of steaming meat to the woman sitting at the desk. She reached for her cutlery and started to cut it, but was stopped by a movement of the hand.

  “Don’t worry, Hirashi. I’ll do it myself. Do you want anything?”

  The red-haired woman asked, her voice warm and gentle. The complete opposite of that of the colossus towering over her.

  “No, I don’t need to eat…and I’ve already had dinner anyway.”

  She'd added the last part to prevent C from reminding her once again how important it was to eat. She hadn't lied to her, though. Hirashi had indeed eaten something; it was a mediocre meal that no one would have deemed sufficient to satisfy a woman of her imposing size, but that was fine for her.

  "Understood, thanks again! Sorry I had it brought to my room, but I didn't want to make it seem like I don't know much about the etiquette of this word..."

  Hirashi shook her head at that statement and placed a bottle of red wine on the table, remaining serious and composed as she uncorked it. At that moment, they were supposed to be playing the parts of a noblewoman and her bodyguard.

  "No problem, Lady C.…"

  "Uh! Uh! You can also call me informally, we're in private!"

  "Sorry, I got too into the character."

  “I've noticed. You're always so formal, even with your sister Almodea! And you're the eldest one of the two!”

  C chuckled, then began eating the steak in front of her.

  "Hmm...it could use a little more salt! But it's not bad at all for tavern food! Would you like some?"

  "No, I'm fine, but I believe you when you say it's good. You're the best cook I know."

  C blushed slightly at the compliment. Her cooking was always hailed as the best by anyone who tried it, but hearing it even from Hirashi, who usually didn't compliment anyone except her mother or sister, made her feel incredibly happy.

  "Anyway, I heard that my sister and Almodeus were promoted to Platinum rank after that mess that happened a while back at the graveyard."

  She muttered, thinking back to the conversation he'd had with Almodea that morning. He was extremely excited about having avenged his friends, and his mood had definitely improved.

  "Hmm? Yes! It's true!"

  C replied, clapping his hands vigorously.

  “Almodea was so happy about it! She's still a little sad about Fiora's death, but is doing much better now! Speaking of which, have you told Tod about our plans?”

  Hirashi nodded. Tod was the coachman they'd hired in that city, again as part of their cover. C still had business to take care of in Arel, and once that was done, they'd have to head to the Empire's Capital—the city of Noxastatus.

  "Very good! Then my little one won't have to wait long..."

  The plan was to stop halfway to let Almodea off, who would head to a bandit den to look for someone skilled in the Battle Arts or magic.

  In reality, the aforementioned demoness was already on a solo mission disguised as the sorceress Alcina. She was supposed to exterminate a gang of human traffickers, but everyone doubted she would take prisoners. It would have been a great achievement even if the hostages had returned alive, especially if they weren't attractive women...

  Better not to think about it, for goodness sake.

  Taking her mind off her sister's not-so-secret tastes, Hirashi turned her gaze to the woman in front of her.

  "I have a comment to make about our coachman, may I?"

  "Hmm? Of course! Tell me, Hirashi!"

  The giant woman, still wearing her holographic disguise, took a few steps forward and opened her hand, revealing a sort of floating purple eye. It looked like an extremely realistic holographic projection.

  "As per orders, I'm keeping an eye on him using my Void Eyes. It seems he's in cahoots with some bandits; he wants them to raid our carriage and sexually assault you..."

  C snorted at the news. She knew Tod wasn't trustworthy, and the idea of having to update the plan because of his betrayal irritated her, not that it was all a surprise though. The frustration quickly gave way to a smile on the red-haired woman's face, who turned to her stoic bodyguard, as if trying to infuse her with the newfound good humor.

  "It's not such bad news, you know? My little Almodea might have some fun, and maybe among these bandits there's someone with the skills we're looking for."

  "True, but I don't understand why Almodeus is so interested in the Battle Arts or the magic of this world. I know it may seem arrogant, but I think it's clear by now that we're on a whole different level than the people here."

  C understood Hirashi's point and knew that her reasoning wasn't driven by pride or arrogance, but by pure, cruel logic. If Camille had spoken the truth, and she was truly one of the strongest in the Empire, then that meant those who belonged to the Fear Tower were god-like by the standards of the new world.

  "You don't sound arrogant; your question makes sense! I can only tell you that my husband wants to learn more about these techniques to avoid being caught off guard. It's true that we are powerful in this world- some of us at least- but that doesn't mean we can't be thwarted."

  Hirashi nodded silently, understanding the other woman's words. She'd noticed the slightly sadder tone in which the last part had been said. She knew C was referring to herself. The red-haired woman was probably one of the weakest members among them, despite being second only to her husband in authority. That was also why she was there; Hirashi was one of the strongest and Almodeus had entrusted her with his wife's protection precisely for that reason.

  "But changing the subject, how's the search of my mother going?"

  "Unfortunately, we don't have anything yet, we're sorry...I am sorry."

  The face of her interlocutor suddenly darkened.

  "There's no need to apologize, C."

  Hirashi motioned for her not to worry. She knew everyone was doing their best. She felt no fear, much less anxiety, thinking about Nikusa, now scattered across that world. Hirashi was sure that the other woman was fine, but rather curious to know if the Esoterica, her mother's personal servants, had also been teleported there with her.

  "Listen C, can you satisfy my curiosity on one thing?"

  "Of course, tell me everything you want to know!"

  Hirashi sat on the bed in the room, making it bend under her great weight. It took her a while to speak; she seemed to be searching for the right words.

  "No disrespect to Almodea, but is it true that Anna's village was bought by us only because she had taken a liking to the villagers?"

  C laughed lightly at the question. She knew well that to someone as cold and logical as Hirashi, this might seem silly.

  "The apparent reason is to have some lands to manage and study this world. The real reason is that Almodeus spoils our daughter a lot and wanted to please her, as well as make her more mature by letting her supervise the village from time to time. Almodea should take a leaf out of your book on this, you know?"

  Hirashi sketched a smile, then sighed and stared at the roof.

  "Almodea is very spoiled, but she's not bad. I don't understand her being so arbitrary with humans though."

  "She is neutral."

  C replied, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief.

  "She can be nice or deadly with them—the same goes for me. However, I'm much more empathetic. I would never kill a child, but my daughter would...if she were angry, of course."

  Hirashi shifted her gaze to her interlocutor. She knew Almodea was perverse and unpredictable. It didn't bother her; in fact, she found her sister very nice, but would be careful about bathing with her, especially in the company of other girls.

  "And what about you? What do you think of humans?"

  Hirashi was surprised by C's question. She had never thought about it, it was a seemingly easy question, but it took her about five minutes to answer.

  "I think I'm neutral..."

  “It’s hard for you to say, since you’ve met so few of them. Am I right?”

  "Yes, what about the others?"

  Hirashi's question made C smile. It seemed like she had finally found a way to entertain the white giantess.

  “Hardshell and Smaug would respect warriors, or those who pretend to be like that in an honorable way- like Frederica for example. Your father, Shockwave, is another kind of exception, however.”

  "What do you mean?"

  "He's neutral, it's just that his lack of emotion gives him no real limits on what he could do to a human if he wanted to. No offense, but this lack of inhibitions makes him, in my opinion, one of the most evil among us."

  Hirashi nodded at those words. She knew how her father was with the others. She continued the conversation; curiosity was visible in her eyes.

  "And the Terror Trio? They seem like people who would commit genocide just for sport."

  C laughed heartily. The Terror Trio was very dangerous, fortunately they were in the service of Almodeus and very loyal to him- especially Nocturn, their leader.

  "I think Axny is the most empathetic- she's just shy. Nocturn and Shaco are extremely dangerous, especially the latter. He's a maniacal psychopath! I don't know if you heard of this, but he once blew up an orphanage just because a three-year-old didn't understand his joke. Nocturn is no better either, He's probably the most brutal of the trio. He can be really ruthless. "

  Hirashi remained stoic, no surprise visible in her eyes: she knew that Shaco was crazy and cruel, and same was true for Nocturn.

  "I think we should go. I know it's evening, but I have some business to prepare! Are you following me?"

  C commented, getting up from the table after finishing her dinner. She had a small smile on her face; she had enjoyed talking to Hirashi like that. The giantess was like a second daughter and felt very close to her. However, she understood that she could never replace Nikusa, not that that was her goal. She wanted to ensure that Hirashi wouldn't become even more closed off from herself than she already was.

  “Yes. I'm behind you.”

  She replied, remaining stoic. Her demeanor, however, betrayed a small sense of relief; it was clear she'd enjoyed talking to C in a very casual manner.

  "Now let's go! The nobles of this Empire are damned idiots! One minute late and they'll use it as an excuse to gain an advantage in negotiations!"