Tap...

Tap...

Silently, Alexander's leather boots tapped the ground as he walked towards the door, his eyes filled with a fiery ember of determination.

His steps were swift as he kicked the door open; the silver-haired beauty slammed back against the wall, gasping for air as she watched him leave her vision, his fierce look causing her words to stop in her throat.

Clack.

Alexanders' face was dark, her hair covering his expression as he walked past the many knights and women, ignoring their attempts to gain his attention, as he left the lord's manor as if filled with determination.

Around him were beautiful women who worked hard, farmers, blacksmiths, and tanners, all of them working hard this early in the morning, his eyes scanning them all, the ear's listening to their words of praise for the princess and her hard work and efforts.

'They support her so much.'

Women in leather armour, equipped with simple iron spears, patrolled the village, their black tights more conservative than the knights of Qilana, but they were not doing this for a joke; they checked corners, listened to the people, watched the walls with focus and efficient routes and patrols.

Finally, he arrived at the wooden wall, around 3 metres tall and four metres deep, slowly walking up the steps, his loose tunic billowing in the warm desert breeze, the distant sun sweltering his body, a strange sensation of prickling all over his body.

"Greetings, Sir knight!"

"Good morning, Lord Alexander!"

Two women carrying small curved bows, two shortswords and daggers at their hips, carrying a hammer and nails in one hand, planks of wood, dry and thick, in the other.

'Even now, these women haven't given up... Kayne... You damn....'

"Good work, ladies; I hope you take a break. If Zilna complains, blame me, haha!"

He quickly passed the two women, hiding his face, not wanting to dampen their high spirits; his heart was heavy like a lead weight was tied inside, as someone set it ablaze, telling him to survive and it would be fine.

Alexander passed them by, and another small militia was gearing the northern wall, which wasn't protected by the natural deep spring and sandy hilltops and mountains.

These women didn't even flinch or look towards his presence as their hands were always close to their weapons, but calm and relaxed breathing came from their noses.

'These women are talented...'

Finally, his feet stopped; at the very centre of the northern wall, there was a hidden alcove, protected from the sun, prying eyes and enemy arrows; inside was filled with a mess of weapons, arrows, bows and weapons needing a little maintenance, but it could see the western and eastern walls easily from here.

"The north is also visible, a decent place to think."

Kayne's last words, the information about the future, caused his mind and thoughts to enter a period of panic, fear and worry.

How could he guide those women forward while watching the militia split into several groups? Two groups patrolled alternating groups; more than 20 women were inside the small barracks resting, likely the night watchmen.

Along the walls were four constant groups of 15 women or so, always watching in groups of 10, then switching out 5 of them as he watched every 60 minutes to give them a break.

Alex began to study this basic pattern; soon, it would be more than just mindless zombies; humans, monsters, beasts, and even demons with high power and intellect would be his enemies.

Bang!

His fist slammed into the thick wooden pillar, slightly shaking the room with a resounding roar, while the closest lookout merely looked towards his position for a few moments before returning to their duties.

'How am I supposed to prepare for this...'

Bang!

'Fuck!'

He began to hammer the support, his frustrations too many to count or control.

Blaming himself for not bringing Stella, not bringing any of his closest women, Alexander felt severe doubt in himself; the facts of the coming battle were told; Kayne probably shouldn't have, but hearing the actual success rate of not this quest but the follow up caused Alex for the first time to feel inferior, inadequate and lacking the ability to guide them to survival.

Thud!

With one final punch, the outer wood of the support shattered, causing several weapons and debris to fly everywhere; a splinter of wood pierced his hand, more than 3 inches of sharp dark wood penetrating his skin, but he felt nothing.

'Even if I made them all into my vesta... Sacrificed the weak men as Vargeist... They will all die... What am I supposed to do...?'

He felt a sense of defeat for the first time since becoming a ghoul, not when he fought against the zombie lord, the first time he faced the zombie geists or the massive horde... Even that mutant that took his regular human life!

Shling!

Alexander drew Eien from its sheath, the beautiful red and black nodachi shimmering in the dark, with only the tiny rays of light causing its blade to glisten with a pretty red light.

"Hey... Sarah... Are you there?" His voice was soft, weaker than usual, as he caressed the blade, the images when he evolved, that feeling of support; he needed that support now more than ever.

His mind returned to the last moments with Kayne before he was forced back, unable to complain or argue.

"Forgive me, Alex..."

[Dimensional Quest Accepted]

Keep The Princess Alive!

Duration: ???

Task: Survive!

Reward: ???

Failure: Death...

─ Personal Forced Quest (Alexander Damien Faust)

When Alex heard those words, his memory began to rage, asking for the actual survival rate of this mission as he saw the quest pop up in front of his eyes.

"Tell me! Why is this quest listed as Certain Death!"

"Tell me, you fucker!"historical

He began shouting and lunged at Kayne, but an invisible barrier blocked his advance.

"I didn't wish to trick you like this... But they are my daughter's first believers; if they die without anyone to replace them... My cute little girl will vanish..."

"So It's fine if I die? If they die in battle? If they are so fucking important, why doesn't she save them or you!"

Alex tried to draw his sword, but there was no Eien in the divine world, as his frustrated face became bitter and angry, then evolved into a fearsome and monstrous visage as his sweaty hair covered his baneful red eyes.

"Kayne... I have people waiting for me...."

"Those people are more important than you, this world, or your fucking daughter!"

Every moment he spoke, the dark energy that filled his body, he usually forced it down, tied it deep inside him with thick chains, always holding back as the bloody vapours and streams formed a swirling storm around him.

"Alexander... I am a father before being a god. You would make the same choice if it were Sarah or Maria's Life!" Kayne shouted, his face conflicted as he could see... No, he FELT the intense animosity from Alexanders' body towards him, towards the situation.

Or maybe, just towards his powerlessness.

"Kayne, I am not so immature to know you haven't been helping me all this time. I am neither so ungrateful to throw everything away because of this."

Kayne watched in silence as the mere bloodlust erupted from Alexander's body the moment he finished and looked towards him.

Two red beams of light, horrific and twisted orbs that morphed like the eyes of a monster.

"But know this, Kayne..."

Crack!

His neck tilted to the side, blood oozing down from his eyes like small arrows as they slowly seeped down his cheeks, the fierce eyes of a crazed beast watching him.

Even as a god, Kayne felt a slight tremble down his spine.

"If you were to pull this trick with any of my women, my Vesta.... or my mother!"

He pressed his face against the barrier blocking his advance, the strange energy of the barrier causing his skin to burn, it tried to force him back, but Alex continued pushing, his hands grasping the fluid-like energy as his flesh began to peel.

"I swear to you as a god! I will kill you and anyone related to you!"

"No matter where you hide, no matter how long it takes, I will surpass you, devour all races and steal their power."

"I will not break, I will not stop, I will not stop even should I die!"

"I will find your true body, tear you limb from limb, devour your organs, crush your bones into dust! As for your precious daughter..."

Kayne's face was angry, but for some reason, his eyes became calmer; the more power, dedication and anger Alexander showed, he seemed even more relaxed and more confident, but the angry Alexander didn't see that; he merely saw the god mocking his folly!

A mere mortal challenging a god, after all!

But his last words, only the last words, caused his eyes to waver and twitch.

"I will make her crawl under my crotch, drown her in pleasure and tear the divinity from her living body with my claws! Then toss her to the wolves to die!"

"A goddess... A mere goddess..."

"Her life is worth nothing compared to one of my VESTA!"

Bang!

The next moment the spirit of Alexanders' body was destroyed, a slender finger with blue gauntlets pointing towards his head; as Saphira entered the room, her ocean-blue eyes looked at her father and the man she had just ejected from her father's realm.

"Dad... You want that boy to be your son-in-law, don't you..."

Kayne's suddenly looked at his daughter strangely before snapping like an old man hiding his feelings.

"No way! That little bastard... Never!"

"Yeah Yeah~ with that much effort just to trick him into thinking this battle is harder than it is... I don't believe you damn old man... always tricking me the same way before mom left..."

"The more he loves his vesta..., the more he cares for those linked to his soul..."

Kayne's eyes became soft, looking at a small photograph, the details were blurry before due to the interference that protected Alexander from knowing too much, so he didn't become a target for the actual invaders.

A group of people, no Gods, stood together, several women all laughing around a single couple, a tall male with pale skin, his look and aura strange... like a corpse utterly different from the others who seemed to shine with divine light.

And the woman...

Standing beside him, her brave face, a beauty that was beyond compare even to the other goddesses in the picture, her body like the sun itself, as she wrapped her arm around the head of the pale god, locking him in a headlock as a bloody red aura was feebly attempting to protect the man in the photograph.

Kayne's withering hands, his shaking grip held the picture, his eyes looking misty as he watched them, his former brother's, former sister's now, which only two apart from him remained.

One forever banished in the darkness of the abyss...

The other...

His eyes turned towards the place Alexander was standing, a nostalgic and bitter face.

"Only I remember, only I will wait, forever watching... old friend... This path... Your trial... Let me help you reach the end... until you find HER again and restore the Light to us all."