"It's high treason, good friend. I hope you have a good explanation"

Gregor looks at the Corsair Princes for assistance. Tew, Al-Basra, and Sao approach Gregor

"Your Highness Leopold. We're sorry for this inconvenience. We have been told that someone has infiltrated the treasury and stolen it from the said treasury and replaced it with a replica. The thief was caught by one of our merchants. Since this is a security matter", we commanded the merchant to give the sword back to the Defense Minister"

Gregor nods. He rests a little bit easier.

"But we do not know why he would claim that he is the sovereignty fo thins kingdom."

Gregor is petrified. He is completely used as a scapegoat by the Corsair Prince. He realizes that he was not the one in control. They are.

"I thank you, Master Tew, to speak up about the matter. How are you enjoying the food? Everyone? How was the food?"

Everyone comments on the food. Ranging from "Delicious", "The best thing I have eaten in my life", to "I would like to meet who made this"

"I heard that someone wanted to make this?"

There is a noble lady nod.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me introduce you to the genius behind the food you're eating. Akira, please come here"

Akira approached His Majesty Leopold with Huginn and Muninn still on his shoulder. Gregor is even more petrified

"Y-you. You did this?"

"Yes. I did cook the food, Minister. Glad you liked it"

"Ladies and Gentlemen. Please let me introduce you to my friend, Akira. This man is the chef for today's food. Everything you ate and drink today, it's thanks to this man"

The crowd claps for Akira. His food impresses a lot of them

"He's not only a chef. He's also the firstborn of our former finance minister, Hull von Wilhelm. Not only he's an heir to Wilhelm, but He's also my in-laws. But what is most amazing, this man is one of the people that finds out about this coup. A coup that is planned by the Corsair Prince"

The room is filled with a gasp. the Corsair Princes are calm, however.

"I apologize if I offend you in any way, but we have nothing to do with us"

"I already know what happened, Malik. Akira, show them, please"

"Yes, Your Highness. Muninn. Please show all of the clips we have on them"

Muninn nods and projects all of the recordings with Corsair Princes, Gregor, the Spymaster Liara, and Mercia. The Corsair Prince is visibly worried, and all the eyes of the banquet guest are directed to the Corsair Prince. The Representative of Mercia is slowly slinking out of the banquet.

"This...this is all lies"

"This...this is all lies"

Muninn replays the little outburst from Bonne.

"My friend here is recording what has transpired."

Akira wanted to mention Karina, but refrains from exposing that are crucial.

"Screw this, screw you, and screw this country!"

Bonne unsheathes her swords and plunges them into Gregor's chest. Gregor is still shocked and falls to the floor until a pool of blood drenches his face, clothing, and the floor. Gregor is no more. She tries to slash His Majesty Leopold, but a loud explosion is heard inside. It's Shin with his M1911, shooting the wrist of Bonne, disarming the sword.

"What the..."

Shin dons his mask, and just like the Silver Armor, his armor assembled from the mask

"Son of a bitch. That is cool"

"Why you little... This is not over!"

The Corsair Princes flees and the guest is still shocked about this turn of events. This could mean war.

"Ladies and Gentlemen. We apologize for this event unfolding. But, please do not worry. We will take measures to mitigate this. Guards, please take Gregor and prepare a burial for him. Maids, please clean up the mess"

"We will serve the dessert. Head Butler, Please instruct the cooks to serve the dessert"

The head Butler nods and serves the dessert on a cart. The mood is back to the joy of Deliciousness. Two representatives of Suleyman approach Akira. A dark-skinned, tall, and Handsome man, and a stout, graceful woman.

"Salaam. Brother. You made this, right?"

"Salaam, Your Highness. My name is Kira. I made this, yes"

"It was the loveliest banquet we ever had. Tell me. Will you be cooking again next banquet?"

Shin approached Akira, having already taken off his helmet, and conceals his gun.

"I'm afraid I cannot promise such things, I am an adventurer, so I will be traveling a lot"

"That's a shame, brother. I loved his food"

"I understand, Zahra. I too am disappointed. Still, when will you come to our Kingdom?"

"Well, as soon as our business here is done"

"Our?"

"Yes. I am with my partner here are traveling around the world. This is Master Nosk. A noble from the east"

"East, huh?"

Shin puts his right hand to his chest and bow

"Where will you go next, brother?"

"Master Nosk?"

"I would be honored to make Suleyman our next destination. If you allow me to do trading in your country, I believe we could benefitted from each other"

"Oh. A merchant, Wonderful. Please visit Suleyman at your earliest convenience. We would be honored to have you there"

"Thank you very much"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Salim ibn' Umar. The Emir of Suleyman. My father couldn't make it, so I'm here representing our country. Sucks to be him. He cannot eat what was served today"

"Hahaha. I am delighted, no, I am deeply honored Your Highness liked the food"

"Well, I shouldn't be keeping you for myself, then"

The Suleyman representatives leave two of them alone.

"Akira. It would be better to promote our store to them, so they could carry them back home. You have sample items right?"

"Yes, but we should ask Leopold first"

"Go ask him, them"

"Me again. Alright."

"Good boy"

"Fuck you"

Akira approached His Majesty Leopold. His Majesty is aware of Akira approaching

"You did amazing here, friend. I really enjoyed your food. It's a shame that you will be traveling."

"Thank you, Leopold"

"Remember, this is a formal setting"

"Err, right. I wanted to ask you for a favor"

"After all you have done? You can ask anything"

"Nothing big, but I want a chance to promote my store to these people"

"What did you sell?"

"Take a look at this"

Akira takes out sorts of tableware that are sold in Mina's shops. King Leopold takes a look at the wine glass, the plate, and the cutleries.

"What do you think?"

"This is beautiful. Can I have them?"

"You can have them when I'm done with the promotion. May I ask you to hold this wine glass?"

King Leopold grabs the glass, and Akira pours wine into the glass.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please?"

The people in the rooms turn to look at King Leopold

"We as nobles and royalty would want nothing but the best for ourselves. We want the best food, the best drink, and the best tool. May I ask you to turn your attention to a glass in my right hand?"

The people look at the glass. They are amazed at the craftsmanship of the glass.

"This glass is provided by my friend's store in the commercial district and is the pinnacle of tableware. Please take a look at the tableware in front of me. They are created by a master craftsman. If you would like to purchase them, I can inform you that this store is in the Commercial District called Minakira's. Thank you for your attention, please enjoy your stay at Hapsburg"

King Leopold sits back in his dining chair. Still sipping on the wine

"Thank you, Your Highness. It means a lot to me"

"Ah don't worry about it. After everything you have done, this is nothing"

King Leopold continues to enjoy his wine and continues with the feast. The mood inside is a little bit calmer, despite what happened

"What will you do about Gregor?"

"It's a shame, but we will have to make him a martyr. We'll put the blame on Friguld"

King Leopold sips on his wine.

"Tell me, Akira. Do you plan to conquer Friguld?"

"That thought has crossed my mind, yes. But I cannot do it, Your Highness. I must keep traveling. My initial plan for Friguld is to build my dream town. But hearing the thief story, I was hoping to kill the Corsair Princes so Friguld would be free from their tyranny"

"The thief?"

"The one who robbed from your treasury. His brother was a Deputy Mayor there before they were captured"

"Deputy Mayor? Shin. Come here a moment"

Shin approaches King Leopold with a glass of beer in his hand

"What's up Leo?"

"This is a formal setting, be sure to address me as Your Highness, or King Leopold"

"Yes, Your Highness"

"I have been made aware that this thief that has been robbed by treasury has a brother that is a Deputy Mayor of Friguld. I also know that Akira is trying to build a town on Friguld"

"Yes. But unfortunately, that plan will not come to fruition before traveling the world"

"Well, I have a proposal. Go ahead with his plan to rebuild Friguld as you like. This Deputy Mayor will be the leader so Akira won't be managing it directly. We will lend economic aid, and in exchange, we have to build a diplomatic and trade agreement. How does that sound?"

"Why are you so eager to assist with Friguld redevelopment?"

"I'm just ensuring that this country is safe. Friguld is by definition a neighboring country. To ensure you are surrounded by allies, our countries will be safe from any invasion. Besides, we couldn't say no to trade with other countries"

"What do you say, Shin? I want to do this. You could also assist with trading"

"Even if we can, what about country security? Building a military can't happen that easily"

"I can ask my general to train the military"

A strange man approaches the trio. He points his middle finger at Akira. It's Talos in disguise!

"Bosses. Your Highness"

"Talos?"

"Aye"

"Is there anything wrong?"

"The Corsair Princes are already aboard the ships. I have heard a word 'war' and 'killing the bitch family' thrown around"

"What?!"

"Akira. Let's go. We need to get there before they killed everyone"

"Hang on. We did not know where Friguld is"

"Follow me, boys"

King Leopold guides them to his chamber. He opens the door and grabs a scroll beside his desk.

"Here. This is the map of the world. Our city is right at the edge of this continent. Here. This is the Friguld City. It's not really far, but there would still be some distance. The Corsair Princes are sailing using a frigate, so you would need a faster ship if you would like to get there before they arrive. We have some ships, but I doubt they are faster than the Corsair Frigate"

"We will get there as fast as we can. We need a small boat. But we don't have anything."

"Wait, Shin. Sailboats or ships rely on wind to move. Why don't we use magic and blow the wind on the sail? We use a small boat with a small number of passengers and use our magic on the sail. We move faster, but we have no way to slow down. We have to abandon ship, or we'll crash"

"Can't we put the wind backward?"

"The mast will break and the force will whiplash whoever is on board"

"Boys. you're thinking too extreme. Why don't just stop the wind magic when you're near?"

"We...didn't think of that"

"I'll have someone prepare the schooner"

"Thank you, Leo"

"Save your thanks for later. Now go make any necessary preparation you need. I'll have someone prepares them at the Port District in 15 minutes"

"Got it"

Akira hugs Leopold.

"You're a great man and a better king, Leo. I wish I had known you sooner"

The hugs breaks. Akira runs to the pantry for new instructions.

"Fellas. If there's an extra, cook everything right now and fast. Once you're done, clean up and have everyone dissolve outside, and one person sends them to the Port District. I'll meet you in 15 minutes. Go, go, go!"

The semi-sentient clones started working. this time, faster than before, and their movement is as sharp. Akira meets Shin and Talos at the castle portcullis.

"We need to go separately. I will go buy food for the slave"

"I have my clones to cook at the pantry"

"Those won't be enough. I will buy some more. Talos, go inform Karina and bring her straight to the Dock District"

"I will grab Mina"

"Why do you need her?"

"Her occupation is Assassin. We need to rescue them discreetly before we make a move on them. She will be our stealth specialist"

"Great. Let's go, everyone. We don't have much time"

The three of them went separate ways to their own objectives. Talos is the one who arrives first at the objectives. He slips in and went to Karina's chamber.

"GAH! HELP!"

"Please calm down. I'm here to inform you that we need you to the Dock District. We're going back to Friguld"

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because we have humiliated the Corsair Princes, and we're going to finish the job"

"Let me hear your plan first"

"The basic of the plan is go in there, rescue everybody stealthily and get them to safety, and leave the fighting to the boss"

"The boss?"

"Yes. We don't have much time. Let's go"

Karina's had finally relented. Her eyes are teary, and with that, a faint smile of hope

"Finally. Thank god"

"You can thank god later. Now, we need to move now. We have 14 minutes"

"Fine. Lead the way"

Both of them slip past everyone inside the mansion, despite today being crowded with maids and guards. They ran as fast as they could to the dock

Next up, Shin. He is frantically moving between shops to buy provisions for the road and for the captives. Sometimes cutting in line.

"Out of the way!"

Shin shouts at the passing townsfolk. When he can't avoid them by stopping, he jumped above them.

"WATCH WHERE YOU GOING!"

"SORRY"

He would buy bread, vegetables, meat, freshwater, and seasoning. He doesn't have time for the shopkeeper to bag the groceries, so he puts them directly in his Item Box. Some of the stalls were emptied.

"HEY YOU, STOP! YOU'VE VIOLATED THE LAW"

"KINGS ORDER. DON"T STOP ME!"

He ran as fast as he could, with the help of temporary Wind Enchantment on his soles. When the road is blocked, he climbs up to the roofs and runs across the roof of buildings. He would be the second member to arrive.

As for Akira, he knew that daytime would be bustling with people, so he enchant his lightning weaker than before, but also makes him three times as faster as a normal human sprint. He went to Minakira's first to see if she was already there.

"MINA?!"

No response. She must be still at the Adventurer's guild, closed the door, and ran straight to the Adventurer's guild. He barges in through the front door, shocking whoever is inside. He went straight to the clerk.

"Where is Mina?"

"Who's Mina?"

"A tiger beastwoman that came here with 2 kids"

"Oh. She's at the back. Let me get her for you"

The clerk is walking towards the door, and a few seconds later, Mina is still chowing down on the food Akira gave her.

"Akira. What's going on?"

"I need your help. This is an emergency"

"What's wrong?"

"I need your assassin's ability to sneak in and rescue the people of Friguld?"

"Friguld, that hellhole?"

"Yes. We're going to save the people there"

"But I can't leave my siblings here alone"

"Please, Mina"

"Just go, Nee-chan. We'll be fine"

"Garland. You're not saying you'll be fine with Yuma when I am away?"

"Yeah, I am. We'll be just fine. I'll take the carriage back to the shops and stock up"

"Good boy. Let's go, Akira"

Akira nods and they run to the Dock District.

"HEY, YOU! STO-and they got away. What is it with everyone today?"

They are the last ones to arrive at the Dock District. The clone with a lot of food, Talos and Karina, Shin, and the Dockmaster

"Alright. the schooner's ready. Fitted with 2 sails front and back. They will definitely move faster when the wind fills the sail"

The clone put the food on the ship's hold. Shin also wanted to put the provision, but there are nowhere to put them

"Master, do you have barrels?"

"I do. How much do you need?"

"20"

"Alright. 20 BARRELS ON THE SCHOONER!"

20 workers are carrying empty barrels and putting them on hold.

"Thanks, Master"

"Are we done here?"

"I'd say we are done"

"Good. Happy sailing"

Karina is on the helm, steering the ships. Being a merchant daughter sure has a lot of perks. Navigating ships is one of them.

"This is fast, but I don't think we could catch the Corsair Frigate"

"Navigate out the canal and into the sea. We'll show you how we could catch up"

Shin is still filling up the barrel with food. The barrels are full, but there are still provisions left on the item box. He let them be stored inside for now.

"Shin. Be ready. We're nearly out of the canals"

The schooner is smoothly navigating out of the canals. He directs Shin to use his Wind magic to blow winds. Started slowly, the schooner picks up speeds. Until they are in the open sea, Shin unleashes the true wind magic to let the ship moves faster. Maybe faster in this world history

"TOO FAST! I CAN"T NAVIGATE LIKE THIS!"

"WE CAN'T SLOW DOWN! WE NEED TO GO FASTER"

Despite the low visibility due to high velocity and splashing sea water, Karina manages to navigate the ships with grace, albeit hard.

"WE ARE SAILING AT...57 KNOTS!

"WE'LL GET THERE IN NO TIME"

At some point, the ships were rising due to waves. The wind magic temporarily makes the ships fly

"ARE WE FLYING?"

"I DON'T KNOW! I'M TOO SCARED TO SEE"

Akira looks down the sea at portside

"WE ARE FLYING! WE ARE SLOWLY FALLING!"

"WHAT!"

"SLOWLY!"

"WHAT!"

The ships suddenly feel an upward bump. The crew was thrown upward. The ship sailed roughly, but they arrived at Friguld much, much earlier than the Corsair Frigate. In the end, it took them 6 hours to get there at 57 Knots. Once they landed at North Beach, Mina jumps ashore and throw up on the palm tree on the beach.

"I am never sailing with you guys again"

Akira never sailed before and moves like he's drunk before he flops onto the sand. Karina drops the anchor and everyone disembarks from the schooner

"We'll rest for a few minutes. After that, if anyone is feeling hungry, go grab the food on the cargo hold. After that, we'll discuss how will we proceed with this while we're ahead"

Talos grabs the apple and tosses it to Akira. But due to blurry vision, the apple hits his face instead.

In the end, only Karina eats. After a few minutes' rest, the crew assembles for a strategy meeting.

"Alright, Karina. You know the layout of this place. Tell us everything"

"Right. The Prince' Cul-de-Sac is at the west of this beach, the town is to the South and the prison is southwest of the cul-de-sac near the Terkt forest. the place is crawling with guards. The wall is 15 paces high and heavily guarded"

"What's in the town?"

"Mostly empty, but there might be some people there"

"Alright. We'll separate into 2 groups. Talos and I will be heading to town, searching for people that might still be there. Karina and Mina, go to the prison and the Corsair Princes' mansion and free anyone that is imprisoned there. Shin, you will be our control. Use your Worldly eyes to see any incoming enemy, where the prisoners are, and guard the camp here. Any question?"

Shin raises his hand

"For recon, I can contact you with your phone, but how about Mina and Karina?"

"Good point"

Akira creates 5 small devices that could be fitted into your ear

"This is a headset. This will transmit any voice. You could whisper and we will hear them. Press the button on the side to talk. Here, put these on"

The crew put the headset on, and Akira whisper while pressing the button

"Test. Can anyone hear me while I whisper?"

Everyone nods.

"Good. Keep this stealthy at all costs. Tell the civilian you found to come here. The password will be "Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner. Let's get to work people"

"Wait, Mina. take this"

Shin gives Mina his serrated knife Akira made for him, seeing Mina does not bring any weapon

"Thanks"

Everyone disperse and went to the respective places that they are assigned to.

"Shin. Catch"

Akira throws a matte black cylinder to Shin

"It's a suppressor. If anyone hostile is coming, keep yourself hidden and shoot them silently. Those are made with silent enchantment. It would be completely silent when you shoot it. Don't forget your armor. It has night vision"

"Okay, mom. Geez. Just go. And thanks"

Akira nods and rushes to the Friguld City. Mina and Karina went ahead and move as fast as they can.

"Comms check. This is Akira. Anyone copy? Over."

"Shin here. Copy. If anyone hears this, I will be monitoring Mina and Karina first. Talos and Akira, do your best to stay out of sight. Over"

"Mina here. Thank you for covering our ass here. One question, though. What does copy and over mean?"

"Shin Here. Copy means 'I understand'. You say that when you understand what we are saying. Over means that over of conversation from your own part. You say that when you are done with your sentence. Over"

"Karina here. That's a copy, over"

"Shin here. Good. I see a tall wall 25 paces ahead. The place is bustling with people. There are locations with area detection. The buildings are in the middle, the one near the northern wall, and the corner house. Be careful around there, over"

"Copy that. Over"

The wall of the prison complex is at least 40 meters tall and watchtower in every corner of the wall.

"Great. How are we going to climb this?"

"Mina here. Shin, the large wall is too flat for us to climb. There's nothing we can grab"

"Let me look for another angle"

Shin looks around with his Worldly Eyes. The wall is indeed too smooth for them to climb. He looks around and sees a thick rainforest. Then an idea pops out.

"Shin here. take a look around the forest. grab the vines and tied them to the knife I gave you. Once you have the vine, make sure the vine is strong enough. Then throw them to the top of the wall. Throw them as hard as you can until the sword pierces the wall. Then climb one at a time. The eastern wall seems to have the least security there. Get to it, over."

Mina pulls out the knife. She wonders if a simple knife could pierce through the stone. She taps the tips of the knife, it pierces her finger easily. She winces a little bit before cutting several vines. She tied the vines tightly to the knife and throws the knife on top of the wall. It really penetrates the stone. She pulls the knife, but the knife really went in.

"I'll go first, Karina. I'll keep an eye on the wall"

Karina nods and Mina starts climbing the wall with the agility of both an assassin and a tiger beastkin. She was surprised at herself.

"Wow. I didn't know I could do that"

Mina looks around. Luckily, this side of the wall is lightly guarded, just like what Shin said

"Mina here. Karina. It's your turn. There's no one here"

"Copy, Over"

Karina's turn to climb the wall. She was not as fast as Mina, but years of experience in thieving and spying is kicking in. She pulls her weight and climbs up as fast as possible. Once she reaches the top, Mina pulls her and takes the knife back. She untied the knot on the knife and throw back the vine.

"Shin. We're at the wall. Where should we go first?"

"Right. Get to the one in the middle first. But we need to secure a way out first. Our best bet, Mina you dig a way out behind the corner house with the knife, Karina, you rescue everyone. Once you have everyone, meet up with Mina"

"With the knife, are you crazy?"

"We have no choice. These are the only tools we have. Get on with it."

"Fine"

"One more thing. In case you forgot, this is a stealth mission. Don't let anyone see you. But if by any chance anyone hostile saw you, kill them before they alerted anyone and hide the body where they won't ever see them."

"Copy that. We'll be there as fast as possible, over."

Mina signal Karina to go on ahead. Karina went down the stairs. She treads carefully not to trigger the area detection magic. She slips through the window from the basement. She saw everyone here is mostly her friend.

"Karina. Thank god you're alive. But why are you here? You should be saving your family first"

"Armas?"

She looks at her old friend behind the bars in tattered clothes and bloodied face

"Where are they?"

"They are at Horngold's mansion"

"Are they alive?"

"I don't know"

"I'm going to get you out of here"

"Thank you. Where's the key?"

"Upstairs on Guard's Ward"

"I have a favor. Help me release everyone in this prison"

"I'll do that. You have my word."

Karina went upstairs to the Guard's Ward. She saw a guard, sitting on the chair overlooking the window. She slips through and cast deep slumber on the guards and takes the keys. She went downstairs again to unlock the cell. She hands Armas the keys.

"Once you're done. Sneak to behind the Cornerhouse. My friend is digging an exit there. Then go to North Beach. The password is "Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner". Our friend is there waiting. Don't wait for me. I'll go to the other prison and release every prisoner here. Good luck, Armas"

"You too"

Armas hurriedly release every prisoner in the building. He tells every prisoner to help is injured and keep their head down. Once every prisoner is released, Armas guides the prisoner to the central building behind the Cornerhouse

"You must be Armas"

"Yes>" Good. How many of you are there?"

"From our building, there should be around 5000 people"

"Alright. Keep your voices down and head to the beach. You know where the beach is?"

"Yes. She told me the password too"

"Go, Now"

Armas nods and signals the prisoners to go

"Good luck, beast lady"

"Thank you"

Armas went out of the hole and guide the others to North Beach. They keep marching until they are stopped by a metal man with red eyes.

"Uh...Hate the sin, Love the sinner?"

"You're the prisoners?"

"Yes"

"Where's the rest of them?"

"Karina is still on it"

"Great. We have a lot of food. Go ahead and eat"

20 big barrels are on the beach, prepared by Shin. Everyone that is hungry ate. That is injured healed.

"Is there anyone that can cook?"

"I can. But maybe I'm not the best at it"

"Great. I wanted to create a firepit to cook, but I couldn't risk the smoke to expose our position"

"Dig a second hole connecting to the first one. That's what I learned from a master hunter"

"Great. Can you help me with that?"

"Sure. But how much food do you have?"

"I don't know. I still have a lot, but I don't know if it would feed them all. Can you help me with managing this survivor's camp? I'm not sure I can handle them on my own"

"After all you guys have done, It's the least I could do"

After a few minutes, more people arrive. Each group contains 5000 people. In the end, there are 10 groups of prisoners, making a total of 50000 people taking refuge at North Beach.

"Karina here. Shin. I need your help locating my family at Horngold Mansion"

"Where are you right now?"

"Still at the prison. But We're done here"

"Are you going in alone?"

"Yeah"

"Alright. Mina. Head back to the beach. Lend the knife to her. Karina. I will guide Akira and Talos first. Let me know if you have arrived"

"Okay. Thank you"

"Akira. this is Shin. You ready?"

"Yeah. We just got here. What are our objectives?"

"Assess the situation, Look for civilians. And if you can, Acquire food. We may have over 50000 people at the camp"

"That many? Do we have enough food?"

"I bought a lot of food, but I don't think it would be enough"

"Alright. But I don't think there's an open shop in here. It's like a wasteland out here"

"How bad is it?"

"Do you remember Freeside from the game?"

"Fuck. That bad?"

"Maybe worst. There are dead bodies laying around, destroyed buildings, and wild animals roaming around"

Akira pauses for a second

"I think I just saw a demon"

"That's impossible, demons are not supposed to be in this world"

"This guy got horns, and he's riding a Bicorn"

"What, demon?"

"Karina? What's wrong?"

"There are rumors that the Corsair Prince made a deal with their kind. We just laugh it off since demons are extinct since Morden's era"

"Morden?"

"He's also known as Mhar Dann"

"Oh. But if they are extinct from those times, how is it there is one here?"

"I don't know"

"Either way, we need to be careful. Akira, Don't pick a fight with him yet. We need to assess the city first."

"What if he saw me?"

"Run. Run away. Just don't run here. We have refugee here"

"Got it. Over and out"

"Good luck"

Akira sneaks around to see if there's a survivor. He scours every shop, every house, and every alley. He found no one but found a piece of paper. He reads the letter

Master Avery

Thank you for your business. Our forces have been dwindling slowly in this war. Your steady supply of  "manpower" at a discounted price is really magnanimous of you. After we win this war, we will make sure that you and your fellow receive a vast wealth in the span of 25 years. But we are currently facing another matter.  The Kingdom of Moravia, being the ally of the Kingdom of Theovania, are funded by them. If we are about to win this before running out of resources, something has to be done about those Theovans filth. We have our own ally too, and a powerful one at the court of Theovan. I have rewarded him for his loyalty with information about The Kingdom's Past. I have told him that if you were to Assist us, we will let him have 5000 platinum coins. Since you are our most valuable ally, we will not force you to do this. But if you do, I will personally see to it that each and every one of you acquire a seat at the League of Red Sky and countless wealth.

Your grateful friend,

El Rey del Mercia

Akira's brows are raised. This is a level of conspiracy, not even Akira can comprehend.

"Talos. Come here. Take a look at this"

Akira hands Talos the document. Talos reads the document

"Dear god..."

"I know. Right now, I need you to bring this to Shin."

"What about you?"

"I'll finish searching here. There might be food or civilians here"

"I understand. Good luck Boss"

"You too"

Talos slips out of Friguld City. once he was out far enough, he ran as fast as he could. The sky, even though it was bright a few minutes ago, turns dark, as if Terra covers himself with a blanket of clouds. Akira went out of the wreckage, but he was kicked in the chest by a hoof. A...bicorn?. It's a bicorn! And the kick made his headset fell off

"I knew I sense something here. Fresh meat. How delightful"

Akira winces, he breathes heavily. He...was hurt?"

"That hurts. What are you?"

"Me? People call me Mammon. But they left out the full title. Damn humans have no honors for the title"

"Title?"

"Let me introduce myself, Titles and all"

The sky that is dark earlier, turns even darker, now with a heavy downpour all over the island.

"Mammon. One of the seven executives of Hell. Prince of Greed, at your service"

A loud grumble could be heard all over the island.

"Tell me. What is your purpose?"

"I'm here to claim this land!"

"Yes. Good. Give in to that greed. More. MORE!"

In a flash, Akira punched Mammon. But his punch was of no effect against Mammon

"Weak punch? My fellow executive will be disappointed in you, boy"

"Wha..."

"Let me show you how to punch"

Mammon punches Akira in the guts. He flies through several walls. The last wall fell on him. He stays under the rubble for a moment.

"Hmm. I know I didn't punch him that hard, but it should have killed him after all that. He survived the Bicorn kick, which is lethal, even for lesser demons. Maybe I'll take a look at his stats. REVEAL!"

Mammon's pupils turned white.

"Hmm. Akira Takahashi. 17(+8) years old? What is that even mean? His age is a bonus stat?"

Mammon scrolls through Akira's status screen

"Boring, Boring. Oh! Not boring. Reincarnated. Boring again. Yadda Yadda Yadda. JACK-OF-ALL-TRADE?! LEVEL 10?! HOW?!"

Mammon's eyes are back to normal, a yellowish crimson, and take a look at Akira.

"Jack-of-All-Trades are supposed to be an average. But his level is incredibly low!"

Akira gets his second wind. He puts on his mask and his armor assembles.

"I'VE EVOLVED, BITCH!"

Akira unsheathes his sword and swings his sword upward. Mammon blocks the sword. It didn't slice him, but the sheer amount of force send Mammon flying. Mammon lands several hundred meters.

"Ooh. Shiny silver. I'll be taking them"

Akira sprinted to Mammon. in a blink of an eye, he reached the slashing distance of Mammon. The two of them fought really fast. Slash and thrust are blocked and punches are parried. Thunder and Gale accompanied their fight. A strong wind carries the downpour, while the thunder masks the sound of the fight. This went on after several moments. After a series of strong blocks and taking damage, it drains his energy quite a lot

"Hngh!"

Akira's legs give out. He kneels but is supported by his sword

"You're...*pant*pretty...*pant*good...Let me catch my breath for a second"

He breathes in for a second.

"Tell you what. I will grant you all the riches in the world. Money, power, women, anything"

Akira is still kneeling. His body is trembling. Akira is feeling afraid. He tried to use the lightning on his sword, but no power came out.

"Come on. Tell me your wish. I will grant them"

"I...don't...need...you...to...make...my...wish...come...true"

Mammon is shocked. The greed he's feeling inside Akira gradually depletes until there was none

"I...will...claim...this...land...so...the...people...can...be...free"

Akira is doing his hardest. Beyond his body limit to stand up. His armor is dented and the blood on his armor is washed away with the rain. He held his sword up in the sky.

"I will keep fighting you. As long as I am still drawing breath, this sword will always find your flesh. HAMBARA!"

Lightning strikes Akira and the electricity powers the armor, the sword, and Akira himself. His armor sparks and hums, his sword is glowing sea blue, and his left eye turn from brown to sky blue. Mammon is thrown back several meters due to a lightning shockwave. When he gets up, he sees that Akira's lightning is shooting out. Since it is raining, the electricity reach is widening. As of now, Akira has become a walking Tesla Coil.

"Divine Lightning? Why does he have divine lightning?"

Akira flash-step into Mammon and the first stab connects with his flesh. Golden blood is dripping from Mammon's stomach.

"Urrk!"

With the Lightning-enchanted armor and sword, Akira starts punching, slashing, kicking, and stabbing Mammon. Every punch connects, every slash tears, and every stabs penetrates. It's now Mammon that is on his knees. Akira gathers every lightning power he has and channels it into his sword. The lightning creates an outer layer for the sword.

"WAIT! I'll grant you anyth-"

Akira lobs his head off. Mammon's golden blood pools into the stone pavement way, only to be washed away by the rain. Akira has spent all his lightning energy on his armor, sword, and himself and they all turned to normal.

"I leave...the rest...to you...partner"

Akira flops chest first into the stone pavement, smiling with satisfaction. His blood is pooling and absorbed by the floor. His skin turned pale and his breath is no more.