Axel was walking through the corridors of the great central palace, the heart of Lootust, the capital of the Theocracy of Reia. He had just emerged from the main room, having escorted the Twelfth Cardinal to the emergency meeting that was now taking place. He would have liked to attend, but his duties there were finished, so he was asked to leave.

  That said, he still had much work to do. As the leader and first seat of the Scripture of Discord, he had many responsibilities. This included visiting dead comrades who had been resurrected, searching for replacements while they recovered, overseeing the research for information regarding the creature that had attacked them—in addition to the one they were already searching for—training new recruits, and so on.

  He was the personal militia leader of the most important individual in the Theocracy, so Axel had to give his best; he couldn't disappoint the Twelfth Cardinal under any circumstances. However, he had to admit that the enormous amount of work that had suddenly fallen upon him after his encounter with that strange red-haired creature was putting a serious strain on his routine.

  Speaking of his private life, Axel didn't really have one. He was currently looking for a wife, or at least that's what the Twelfth Cardinal wanted. The young man had immediately understood the true intent behind all the pressure: create new demigods. He was the son of one of the Twelve Gods who founded the Theocracy, yet he was only twenty years old, despite his father having died over seven centuries earlier. For some reason, it took an indeterminate amount of time for a demigod to be born. His mother, a normal human whose name he didn't even remember, had been the sole companion of his father Enki, the glorious God of Light and Life.

  Under normal circumstances, it takes nine months for a pregnancy to come to term, bringing a new life into the world. The birth process for demigods like Axel was quite different, and could be described as brutal. As Enki was a humanoid god, he had managed to impregnate his mate as any other man could. However, the seed took centuries to sprout. The woman who had carried Axel had lived for over seven hundred years, living every single one of those days pregnant, despite being a mere human.

  The longest pregnancy in history.

  Thinking back, Axel felt sorry for the mother he'd never known. He was told she'd turned into a pile of dust after giving birth to him. He honestly considered it brutal. She'd died a horrible death after seven hundred years of pregnancy, pain and lack of support from a mate, given that Enki had died in the battle against the Seven Great Sins, and choosing another man would have been seen as blasphemy. Thinking back, Axel considered himself responsible for the woman's death, since it was likely carrying him in her womb that granted her immortality. It wasn't his fault morally, but on a purely harsh and theoretical level, the boy wasn't entirely blameless.

  Even though I was a newborn, I theoretically took a life. I wouldn't wish what my mother went through on anyone...

  That was also why Axel wanted to avoid taking a wife for the moment. He was a demigod, so the woman he took up with didn't necessarily have to suffer through centuries of pregnancy, but the mere possibility of making an innocent woman suffer made him feel dirty inside- he wouldn't wash away that feeling of disgust even if his lover had been a criminal or a prostitute for money. Axel knew it was his duty, and that sooner or later he would be forced to father heirs, but for now he wanted to avoid thinking about it. Honestly, he didn't find any woman he knew attractive enough to sleep with all night. Axel had his instincts like any male, but he wasn't so malicious as to use his position to abuse any woman he found even the slightest bit interesting.

  I hope I can relax a little after finishing my work—and hopefully not to find a naked woman in my room, as has happened before. Sometimes the Twelfth Cardinal exaggerates, and quite a bit...

  As he walked down the corridor, Axel noticed a female figure sitting at a small table, playing chess alone. The girl was wearing a teal sweater and black pants. Her hair was silver, with a black quiff that clashed in the front. Her eyes were clear and blue, matching her cold, disinterested expression.

  "Oh, there you are. I didn't expect to see you..."

  Axel's words were mostly ignored by the girl, who took a white pawn and moved it to c3—a pointless move, according to the boy, since she had exposed the piece that was behind to an attack by black's bishop.

  "Chess, huh?"

  "Yes."

  The girl replied, acknowledging the boy's presence for the first time.

  "I really don't understand why the Whites has to go first. I don't think the first move is that important; the game is still very difficult anyway..."

  Her voice was calm and disinterested. From the way she played, it was clear she wasn't skilled and had only basic knowledge. Axel wanted to tell her that the first move was crucial in a complex game like that, but he decided against it. If there was anyone he shouldn't upset, it was the girl in front of him right now.

  It was Scarlet El Zeshin, his "Sister." In reality, the two were not related by blood, but she was called such because she too was the daughter of one of their Gods. In Scarlet's specific case, her father was Arcadeus El Zeshin, the God of Death and Suffering. The most feared of all the deities of the Theocracy, and also the one from whom the Scripture of Discord- of which they were both bembers- took its name from. In truth, Scarlet was a special member, who never left the capital and was primarily concerned with the protection of the city and the Cardinals.

  "I can understand you, sister. It's not a game devised by the 12 Great Gods for nothing."

  Axel replied, trying to sound friendly. He wasn't very good at the game their gods had invented either, but was definitely more skilled than the girl, who seemed incapable of thinking more than two moves ahead, ending up bogging herself down in most situations.

  "I know...Anyway, I wanted to ask you something, brother. Why are all the cardinals meeting again?"

  "You should have had the written report by now, right?"

  "I haven't read it. Better get a guy and tell me. Can you answer my question, please?"

  The girl's pale eyes shifted toward Axel, sending a chill down his spine. Despite her calm tone, the boy knew Scarlet could tear him to pieces at any moment.

  "Okay, okay, I'll tell you..."

  Axel snorted, regaining his composure. The only person more powerful than him in the Theocracy was his sister Scarlet, and he knew very well that she wouldn't hesitate to pounce on him to satisfy her curiosity.

  "The Scriptures of Discord and I have encountered a dragonkin of incredible power. Lady Sabia is gravely wounded; Ribombè, Romanshè, and four others died in battle, but they should have been resurrected by now. I'll visit them in the infirmary after I've sorted out some paperwork."

  Scarlet nodded at that and moved a black bishop to place it in front of a white rook, shielding the queen. Another bad move, since it could have taken the white knight left exposed by the previous pawn and simultaneously checkmated the king, forcing Blacks to abandon their attack on the queen.

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  "I see. So this half-dragon was able to take out six seats, injure one of the most experienced members, and hold her own against you? Is what I said correct?"

  Axel nodded at the question, placing his hands on his hips and sighing bitterly. He was afraid of where his sister was going with this.

  "Yes. There was something in her eyes that gave me the creeps. I almost doubted she was a demi-human to begin with; even they aren't that evil."

  “Interesting. So, the Shield of the God and other seats are dead. And to think that Rimombè claimed to be stronger than Sambarè...in the end, he ended up just like him: dead. This tragedy coincides with Desmond and Camille's betrayal. The Scripture of Discord has lost a lot of members lately. The Twelfth Cardinal will be in a panic, I suppose.”

  “Don't talk about that, please...”

  Throughout all this, the two had never met each other's gazes for more than five seconds. Scarlet's tone didn't even hint at sorrow for her lost comrades. She cared little for the others.

  “Do you know what they decided about it?”

  “No, but the Twelfth Cardinal would like to cease the search for the creature summoned by Zurg and this dragonkin. We have lost too much, he says.”

  "It makes sense. He's always been a cautious man. I have another question...What about the incident with Bork’s squad?”

  “From what we've been able to gather, it appears Bork was defeated by an enchanter named Almodeus. His name is similar to that of Almodea, the dragoness who attacked us, but the Twelfth Cardinal doubts they are related, at least for now...”

  “Did this Almodeus single-handedly defeat the Scrutiny of the Shattered Sun? Seriously?”

  “It seems so, sister. At least that's what the Imperial nobles who act as our moles say.”

  “In your opinion, how strong is this sorcerer?”

  “I don’t know; after all, Bork wasn't exceptional in his own right, compared to us at least.”

  “Yeah. Bork was also defeated by the Black Rose and Arcane, respectively. So it's not a good comparison to gauge the strength of this Almodeus. Too bad...I was hoping to have finally found someone strong.”

  Scarlet declared, moving the black rook and taking the white queen. the first move that could be considered optimal in that game.

  “Listen, little brother, who do you think would win in a battle? Me or that dragonoid?”

  Axel had been expecting that question. Scarlet had always been obsessed with battle: she enjoyed kicking people's asses. Despite having experienced his sister's strength firsthand, he didn't know how to answer her. Axel was sure Scarlet was powerful enough to take on that dragonkin, but winning was another story entirely.

  The reason for his hesitation lay precisely in that strange dragonkin. He had fought her for too short of a time; it was impossible to determine her power with so little information, but the mere fact that she had resisted the Crown of the Shattered Queen made her equal—if not superior—to his sister, in theory, at least. He could never tell her that however, because he knew for certain that if he told her, Scarlet would set out to find the dragonkin and fight her to the death.

  "You, without a doubt."

  He lied, answering in a way more convenient for him, knowing that Scarlet would disobey the council's orders again and would surely go out seeking a challenge and entertainment. That was just the way she was, and not even the Twelfth Cardinal could force her to behave—even he feared her as much as Axel did. It was also for this reason that Scarlet wasn't bothered about finding a mate as much as he was. Furthermore, since she was the one supposed to be carrying the child, the higher-ups feared their secret weapon might be out of action for too long because of the pregnancy.

  "I suspected. I'd be curious to see a being capable of defeating me, but I doubt it exists..."

  Axel rolled his eyes at that statement. His sister had some perversions and obsessions that he described as strange, so he avoided thinking about them too much; doing so always confused him. She really seemed to love kicking people's asses.

  "However, my dear sister, the Cardinals have given orders not to leave the capital except for special missions."

  Scarlet rolled her eyes, huffing in annoyance. Axel laughed lightly at her reaction—his sister would never obey, only the Twelfth Cardinal could keep her at bay with a few treats, within certain limits. Even food was no match for Scarlet's stubbornness.

  "I'm going to check on the Venerable Sabia. Don't defeat yourself again, okay?"

  Axel started laughing at his own joke and began to walk away, but his sister stopped him, grabbing his right arm. A cold shiver ran down Axel's spine at that moment; if Scarlet had wanted, she could have torn his arm off as if it were nothing. He really hoped he hadn't pissed her off with his last joke.

  Did I screw up?

  “Listen, brother. When are you getting married?”

  The question didn't surprise Axel too much. His sister was probably showing interest in his situation because sooner or later she would end up in it too. She didn't care about her brother's well-being, only her own.

  “For now I still have to choose a partner, why?”

  “I was just curious. The Twelfth Cardinal is getting more and more insistent with you. That old mani is a pain in the ass-”

  “Show some respect, Scarlet!”

  Axel shouted at him, visibly irritated.

  “He raised us like a father, you can't treat him like that. You should show him more respect!”

  “Sure, sure…”

  The girl let go of her brother's arm and rolled her eyes, bored.

  “He's not our father. He acts like one, but doesn't care about us that way. Do you really not get it? We're just weapons, pawns in his grand scheme...”

  Impossible.

  Axel refused to believe those words. It was true that they were seen as weapons by everyone in the Theocracy, but that the Twelfth Cardinal cared nothing for them was absurd—it had to be. It was impossible that all those years of attention, help, and friendship were just a facade. He refused to believe it and blamed it all on his sister's chronic coldness.

  “Let's not start this conversation again, okay? Listen...I'm going, you try not to get into trouble.”

  “Yes, yes...”

  After yet another bored response from his sister, Axel continued making his way towards the infirmary.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  “How is Venerable Sabia doing?”

  Axel asked, entering the old woman's private emergency room. A couple of nurses were busy cleaning some of the still-bleeding wounds, while a doctor was using a lot of healing spells, though they didn't seem to have much effect on the old woman’s body.

  “Not well, Sir Axel.”

  The doctor replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

  “What is his condition?”

  "I can't say, but she is definitely not in good shape. For some reason, healing magic isn't working! I swear I'm trying everything I can, but nothing seems to be healing these wounds!"

  The doctor looked like he was about to have a nervous breakdown. It was clear he was doing everything in his power, trying to save one of the most important people in their country. Failure would be the doom of his career and his pride as a medic.

  “It must be that dragonoid's fault, we were lucky to escape...”

  “True, Sir Axel. I wonder what monster can wield magic so powerful it can outshine even the magic of the gods. All the magic items are ineffective. I don't know what to do...”

  Axel sighed and patted the doctor on the shoulder, trying to calm him down. If he'd panicked, he'd surely fail.

  “Calm down, Doctor. Try to do what you can. No one will hold you responsible for any deaths.”

  “C-Certainly. Thank you, Sir Axel.”

  The doctor went back to doing everything he could to improve Sabia's condition, while Axel sat on one of the empty beds, the hands covering his face. He shouldn't have shown weakness, but it was all his fault. After all, he had faced the she-dragon fully armed, while she had only her claws at her disposal. If she had been armed, she would surely have dispatched him easily.

  The situation is so dire that the Twelfth Cardinal will propose to the council that they halt all operations in the Empire. With that giant woman and the dragoness on the loose, it is too dangerous to act.

  He completely agreed with him. After Camille and Desmond's betrayal, they had lost a lot of powerful magical objects- like the Book of Life- not to mention the devastating power of the girl who presented herself as Almodea Fearterror. If she could withstand the power of an object of the Twelve Gods, then her strength far surpassed Axel's, and perhaps even Scarlet's.

  I'm level 70, Scarlet is over 80. Could that Almodea have been level 85? I doubt she was more than that, despite her resistance to the Gods' item. If she were higher level, she would be on par with the Progenitors Demons or Primordial Dragons. If that were the case, it would be the end of the Theocracy for good this time.

  Axel shook his head, trying to calm himself. It was obviously an impossible situation, and he should put that possibility out of his mind. Now he just had to get back to work and finish his homework; he'd wasted enough time already.

  Yes, I have to calm down...I'll come back to see Lady Sabia later.

  Axel stood up and left the room, wiping sweat from his forehead, trying not to show the doctors his sudden anxiety. He had to stay strong; if he gave in to fear, he would leave everything in his sister's hands, and she certainly didn't care about their situation. He was the last true bastion of the Theocracy; that was the crushing truth, as heavy as the responsibilities he carried alone