Drive

In the days that followed the conquest of Kishirika's Castle, Paul split his time between training, cultivating plants using Dendro Energy, and getting used to his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

Though their training sessions had never been light, Paul's relationship with the two Kishirikas and promotion to the Rank of Water King resulted in Atofe taking things to the next level. Instead of sparring together five to six days a week, she began inviting over other Demon Lords or taking him out on brief excursions to some of the most dangerous regions in the Demon Continent.

Upon learning that Paul was a Hero candidate, many of the Demon Lords invited by Atofe regarded him with respect and caution. A few noticed the strange dynamic between Paul and Atofe, but none dared to question why the de facto ruler of Demonkind was helping to raise a human Hero. They simply showed up, made their offerings, answered a few questions about the condition of their territories, and assisted in Paul's training until Atofe permitted them to return.

As a society that revered strength over all else, Atofe had the respect and admiration of virtually every Demon Lord. Even those with a deep hatred for humanity assisted in Paul's training without a debate. A few were more than a little heavy-handed, but as Atofe had instructed them to regard the spar as an actual battle, they did so without fear of repercussion.

To his credit, Paul was able to keep up with most of the low-ranking and many of the mid-tier Demon Lords, specifically those around or beneath the rank of Viscount. He hit a wall against Demons ranked Earl and above, but, much like human society, there weren't too many. In fact, among the 36 Demon Lords making up the Demon Aristocracy, there were seventeen Barons, nine Viscounts, five Earls, three Marquesses, and only two, Atofe and Badigadi, Dukes.

Though it wasn't the aptest comparison, it could be said that Demons holding the position of Baron were around the level of an experienced Saint in terms of power. Viscounts were around the pinnacle of the Saint Rank, while Earls, representing a notable increase in power, were around the level of a mid-tier King.

While it was strange to consider, Paul's ability to defeat Viscounts of the Demon Aristocracy placed him squarely within the top 50 most powerful people in the world. This statistic became horribly skewed when factoring in people summoned via the Intersection of Fate, but, if anything, that just put into perspective how 'influential' the IOF made him.

With 42 summons averaging around the strength of a mid-tier Saint and five meeting the conditions for Godhood, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Paul had the most powerful military force in the world at his beck and call.

Though many were still blissfully unaware of the 'leverage' Paul wielded, those near the pinnacle in terms of power and authority were beginning to piece things together. King Ansalem of Asura was among the first, mainly due to his relationship with Reida, but others were starting to understand that Paul's reputation wasn't just defamation or propaganda...

...

..

.

"Fuck my life..."

Staring up at the sheer cliffs forming the miasma-filled canyon Atofe had unceremoniously tossed him into, Paul couldn't help cursing. He had tried climbing back up, but the faces of the cliff were like obsidian, remarkably brittle and jagged.

Exhaling a sigh, Paul gave up climbing out of the ravine and shifted his attention to the layer of miasma covering the ground like a sheet of thick purple fog. His inordinately high Mana reserves offered him a fair amount of resistance against its effects, but too much exposure could lead to his body developing horn-like growths or transforming his limbs to resemble the gnarled branches of a petrified tree.

Exacerbating Paul's situation, Atofe had left him without any of his usual equipment. In fact, he had even less than that, as, before dropping him into the ravine, Atofe had baited him into taking a bath together...

Though he was left with little more than his trousers, a simple knife, and a line of braided cord, Paul suppressed the urge to call out for Ei and Ganyu to rescue him. The duo pretty much always accompanied him during his outings, but unless he expressly asked for their help, they were under his express orders not to intervene.

"Well, here goes nothing..."

Leaning forward slightly, Paul's eyes shifted from the leafy green he had been born with to a pair of luminous, icy-blue eyes with pink rings around pupils. At the same time, an increasingly familiar surge of energy spread through his body, something Paul now understood as the influence of Ei's 'essence,' or, more accurately, the Electro Elemental Energy his body had started to produce.

As his body fell further forward, the world around Paul seemed to slow to a crawl as red lines appeared on virtually every surface, even the miasma blanketing the area. He could feel his mind and senses becoming sharper, and though he was still getting used to it, he became increasingly aware of the air around himself, the earth beneath his feet, and the presence of life within his vicinity.

All things his Mystic Eyes allowed him to kill...

Reaching the mid-point of his fall, Paul 'forced' his right foot forward, his muscles straining to oppose the stagnation of the world. Then, as if that single step was enough to breathe life into the world, time began to flow 'normally' as Paul appeared to vanish from his initial position.

Unable to restrain himself, an ostensibly mad grin developed across Paul's face as he charged through the miasma, shielded from its influence by the wind pressure his movements generated. The near-instantaneous burst of speed forced him to endure nearly 30gs of force, but this was relatively tame compared to the strain of the Longsword of Light. More importantly, he was in control.

Reacting to Paul's movement, a snake longer than a school bus reared up from the mist, its mouth opening to reveal a set of fangs and two rows of serrated teeth. Unfortunately, displaying its teeth was the very last thing the snake did as Paul's seemingly ordinarily knife 'glided' through both the air and its body as if there was no resistance.

And thus, another afternoon of slaughter began...

...

..

.

Observing Paul from atop the ravine, a 300m deep, 8km long battle scar left behind during one of Saint Milis's forrays into the Demon Continent, Atofe had a conflicted look on her face as she remarked, "Those eyes are affecting his personality. It's good that they boost his confidence, but his techniques are becoming less refined..."

As another of Paul's swordsmanship instructors, Ei felt inclined to say, "He obtained them just six days ago. Once he gets used to them, he can shore up his foundation anew."

Shrugging her shoulders, Atofe replied, "Well, you're not wrong. I just don't want to see him become a butcher. Be sure to regularly remind him of the reasons he decided to become strong, okay...?"

Though she would ordinarily ignore Atofe's advice, Ei eventually nodded her head in affirmation. She also didn't wish to see Paul become a cold-blooded killer. She had no intention of stopping him from killing, but there was a difference between taking lives out of necessity and killing because it was the 'simplest' solution to a problem.

Listening in on the 'conversation' just a short distance away, Ganyu had to repress the urge to point out that Atofe was the one 'encouraging' Paul to kill. She was the one who kept forcing him into situations where he had to fight for his life, so, while she was also concerned for her Master's mental well-being, Ganyu couldn't help feeling annoyed hearing Atofe speak as if Paul was at fault...

Sensing the slight hostility radiating from Ganyu, Atofe gave the half-Qilin a sidelong glance and questioned, "Something you want to say, goat girl? I'm all ears."

To emphasize her point, Atofe sprouted several ears along the side of her face and neck. In response, Ganyu continued staring at Paul as she softly replied, "If you give someone a knife and throw them in a pit, you have no right to complain about them using it. Master is far from perfect, but he is a kind-hearted man who cares deeply about others. It's not reasonable to judge him based on circumstances you have forced him into..."

Without missing a beat, Atofe flatly retorted, "That 'kind-hearted' Master of yours is the one who developed a pair of Demon Eyes that allow him to kill even the air around him. I don't mind you resenting me for 'corrupting' your Master, but this is a path he has chosen for himself. If it bothers you so much, grow a backbone and take your complaints to the source of the problem...it sure as hell ain't me..."

Unable to refute Atofe's words, Ganyu's expression contorted into a pout. However, instead of holding Paul accountable for the path he had chosen, she pinned the blame on herself and everyone else from the Intersection of Fate. Paul may have agreed to become their Champion, but, as a kind-hearted person, what other option did he have? Condemn an entire world to its destruction? That just wasn't the type of person Paul was.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Ganyu brought her hands up and closed her eyes as if she were praying. While that was indeed the case, she didn't direct her payers towards any specific God. Instead, she kept her payers within herself, sincerely hoping a day would come when Paul was free from the burdens others had unfairly thrust upon him...

...

..

.

After swimming across the sea and collecting information from the Port City of Kurasuma, Badigadi made his way Eastward towards what looked like a mountain range. In reality, said mountain range was the edge of the crater surrounding Rikarisu and, more importantly, Kishirika Castle.

Having avoided Rikarisu since Laplace's rise to power, Badigadi couldn't help feeling a little nostalgic as he viewed the iconic castle that was once his home. Unfortunately, he hadn't returned to the capital to reminisce. He was there to follow the tracking spell he had placed on Kishirika following her most recent reincarnation.

Raising the arm that had the bangle linked to Kishirika's tracking spell, Badigadi's expression gradually darkened as he confirmed it was pointing him toward the castle.

"Those bastards...not only did they steal your virginity, they even forced you to permit them access to the castle? If they're not already dead, I'll crush their bones to powder..."

Though he had heard about Paul, the information Badi received stated that the former's Party had ventured South, specifically in the direction of Fort Necross. He believed Paul was likely in the 'care' of his big sister, so, at least for the time being, he didn't correlate the presence of Einherjar to the loss of his fiancee's virginity. Instead, he assumed she had fallen into the hands of another Party of Adventurers, one with more ambition than sense.

Unfortunately, while Badigadi wanted nothing more than to charge into the castle and wreak havoc, not even his fists could damage the Goseki Stone forming its foundation and structure. He was also unable to enter as a challenger, so the only method he had to enter the castle was via the underground labyrinth spanning most of the Demon Continent.

While he was perfectly capable of 'soloing' even the most challenging of S-Rank labyrinths, the one beneath the Demon Continent was in a league of its own. It was a method developed in the ancient past to trap calamity class monsters wreaking havoc on the surface. As a result, the material used in its construction was incredibly durable, and, most troubling of all, the structure was constantly changing to inhibit powerful monsters from establishing large colonies.

Understanding how challenging the task ahead of him was, several large veins appeared near Badigadi's temples and along his arms. The monsters within the labyrinth wouldn't cause him too much, but unless he was very, very lucky, the odds of discovering a route connecting to the castle were slim.

At least under normal circumstances...

As Badigadi was considering how he would enter the castle, a lone human girl approached him. She appeared no older than ten years old, but while she was dressed like a slave, complete with a collar and shackles around her ankles, there was a sense of purpose within her eyes that immediately caught Badigadi's attention...

...

..

.