Chapter:24

Normal Day in the Amoris Household.

Three days had passed since Rudra joined Kuho Academy and the incident with Raiser Phoenix. While people would normally be tense and strategizing, Rudra, with his unique personality, was anything but ordinary. The scenarios unfolding within the new Amoris castle, named Eldoria by Rudra, would likely make Raiser tremble at the sight of his opponents' preparations which was like mocking him.

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Inside Eldoria's entertainment floor, in the gaming room, multiple TV screens displayed a bloody battlefield. Two humanoids faced each other.

One was a male with two sharp canines protruding from his mouth. His hair colour was obscured by blood. He wielded a sword resembling a katana, but not quite. The thin, double-edged blade lacked any ornate design, its grip the only part that distinguished it from a common training sword. To an untrained eye, it might appear unremarkable, but a master swordsman would recognize its deadliness in its sharp edges and terrifying aura.

His opponent, a female humanoid, wore a red mask that concealed her face. A small, gleaming crown of diamonds and other precious stones adorned her head. She held a similar sword in her right hand, its red colouring contrasting the male's black blade. 

Their clothing mirrored their weapons: black for the male, red for the female.

They stood amidst a battlefield littered with the blood and flesh of fallen humans and beastmen. No one made the first move, a testament to their awareness of each other's capabilities.

Thunder rumbled through the black, cloudy sky. The earth trembled as lightning struck the ground. As if in agreement, both warriors readied themselves for the next strike, a silent pact to begin their deadly duel. With a low crouch, swords held at eye level, and left hands extended like shields, they assumed their attack stances. The earth boomed again as lightning split the sky, and in that same instant, both figures vanished.

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Rudra's grip tightened on the hilt of his sword, the enchanted blade humming with a faint blue glow. The air crackled with energy as he faced Sera, her own sword wreathed in flames. They circled each other, eyes locked, the tension palpable.

Sera struck first, her blade slicing through the air with a hiss. Rudra parried, their swords clashing with a burst of sparks. She spun gracefully, bringing her sword down in a fiery arc. Rudra dodged, summoning a shield of pure mana just in time to deflect the blow.

With a shout, Rudra channelled lightning through his sword, sending a bolt towards Sera. She countered with a burst of flames, the two elements colliding and exploding in a shower of light. The ground beneath them scorched and crackled, testament to their power.

"Impressive," Sera smirked, her eyes blazing with determination. "But you'll need more than that to defeat me."

Rudra grinned, his eyes narrowing. "I was hoping you'd say that."

He dashed forward, his movements a blur, the lightning around his sword intensifying. Sera met him head-on, their swords clashing in a symphony of metal and magic. Each strike was precise, every move a dance of power and skill.

Sera feinted left, then thrust her sword forward, aiming for Rudra's heart. He twisted, the blade grazing his side as he countered with a powerful upward slash. The force of his blow sent Sera stumbling back, her flames flickering for a moment.

Summoning the last of his mana, Rudra raised his sword high, a brilliant bolt of lightning arcing down from the stormy sky. Sera's eyes widened as the bolt struck, merging with his blade in a blinding flash.

With a final, desperate swing, Rudra brought his sword down, the lightning-infused blade slicing through Sera's defences. She fell to the ground, her sword extinguished, as Rudra stood over her, breathing heavily.

"You fought well," he said softly, extending a hand to help her up. "But sometimes, raw power isn't enough."

Sera took his hand, a grudging respect in her eyes. "Perhaps," she replied, "but the battle isn't over yet."

Just as she was about to go on the offensive using her trump card, the surroundings suddenly started to glitch. The dead bodies of humans and beastmen vanished into binary codes, disintegrating into the data that formed them.

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Rudra stepped out of a VR booth, stretching his stiff muscles. Beside him, Sera emerged as well, shaking her head in amusement.

"Boss, you overused the CPU. The core was overloaded and burst," came an angry synthetic voice. Rudra turned to face the holographic projection of Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, who was glaring at him with her arms crossed.

For those who can't follow what's going on, let me explain. Over the days he had lived in this world, Rudra not only enjoyed his life but also worked diligently.

From the moment he bought the computers, he had been working on creating an AI. It proved difficult with current technology, so he replaced his tech with advanced systems capable of handling data amounting to the mass of 1000 Earths in binary form.

After acquiring his overpowered PC and software, he indulged in creating AI during his free time. Meanwhile, Sera developed some virtual reality sets to play games without damaging any property. 

Rudra and Sera used to fight regularly to stay sharp, and any damages done to the surroundings were fixed by a god. However, now Rudra had to spend Aether, the highest form of energy, to repair any damages to his dimension.

Gathering Aether on Earth was an extremely slow and inefficient process due to its tainted mana. Rudra could only gather a small amount each day, which he saved for future projects in his dimension.

So, they came up with the idea to use virtual reality as a training ground, since physical ones couldn't endure their attacks.

Rudra completed his first AI model, giving it the appearance of the sexy Black Widow, whom he had admired in his heyday as a man of culture.

Over the last week, he had upgraded his AI three times with new data and abilities, giving it emotions like a human. Black Widow, now called Nat, was the one who completed the game.

The game is an open-world war game, where you can do anything you want. The settings are simple yet complex. Nat has access to Rudra's memories and knowledge through magic. Incidentally, Nat was made with the help of magic, unlike a purely scientific AI, which could also make her a homunculus.

Because it is an open world, the game allows for anything, even adult content, in specific areas like the Bedroom and Entertainment District, specially made for prostitutes and adults.

The world inside the game is inspired by various manga and anime worlds Rudra knew about, which Nat, having access to, incorporated into the game.

The game has many functions and runs on a system powered by the magic core of monsters and other fantasy metals, designed like a circuit inside a ten-meter huge rectangular box. This box, also called the data storage of the game, can't infinitely expand, meaning data storage is bound to fill up quickly. Rudra left this problem for another time.

Currently, Rudra and Sera had just come out of the VR room made to experience the game.

They were supposed to have a trial but became so immersed in the game that they overloaded the server and fried the Adamantium circuit of the system.

That's why Nat was pissed off at them for destroying the system for the fifth time.

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"Next time, I'm not letting you both play the game," Nat said irritably but still looked sexy with that stern expression.

"Haha." Rudra couldn't do anything but look away, knowing it was his own fault for getting carried away because of Sera's taunting.

On the other hand, Sera was just whistling like it was none of her business. 

"Anyway, I made the business model. Check it and give confirmation once you're done," Nat said, handing Rudra an encyclopedia-like book filled with information about the new company he was going to start in Japan. He needed a public face to use the unlimited amount of money he would invest, so he planned to step into the tech and entertainment industry.

"I'll need a day to finish this heap of papers. Haa~" He sighed, thinking Nat was taking revenge on him for destroying the game's core because, with Nat's capabilities, this decision was as simple as choosing whether to drink water when thirsty.

He then went to the study room to read the business model, while Nat started working on fixing the core, and Sera went to the old house to relax.

*Ding-Dong*

*Ding-Dong*

*Ding-Dong*

Just as Sera reached the old house, she heard the doorbell ringing. She went to the door, wondering who it was.

"Coming, just a minute!" she shouted like a typical housewife and went to the door. She opened it and was surprised because the visitor was someone she knew, though the visitor didn't know her.

"Umm… May I know if Rudra-kun is here?" the person at the door said nervously, after seeing Sera's goddess-like beauty, which made her feel a bit self-conscious.

"Sure, but I'd also like to have a word with you. Come inside." Before the visitor could say anything, Sera practically dragged her inside.

The visitor wondered who Sera was and why she felt so familiar, with the same calm yet stormy vibe as Rudra.

She sighed and went inside, not ready for the rollercoaster ride she was about to have.