Chapter 371: Her Past, Her Reason, Her Goal.
"My ’goal’, huh?
If I was to sum it all up in two words, then it’d be ’Gaining Power’."
"Gaining power? For what?"
The girl smiled wryly and shook her head as she replied.
"I have something I want to do, and I need power for it. That’s why I came here willingly."
From her expression, Arthur could tell that she clearly had zero intentions of speaking any further so he didn’t bother asking.
But this little Q&A had made the mood turn sombre, so Arthur tried to brighten things up a bit.
"As for me, my goal is to—"
"—Ascend the ranks and become top dog so you can order everyone around."
"...How did you know?"
Rachel chuckled lightly when she saw the dumbfounded expression on Arthur’s face, before proceeding to remind him of his actions during their dinner the day before.
"Oh, right. I did do that."
As the boy scratched his head while he laughed, Rachel shook her head silently before gazing at the moon.
’Becoming Top Dog, huh? Well, I’d end up on that level if things go the way I want them to.
But before I think about that, I have something I need to accomplish.’
◇ ◇ ◇
It was the heart of a once vibrant city, now reduced to a haunting silhouette of destruction, the air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke and the echoes of war.
Flames painted the landscape in hues of orange and red, casting an eerie glow upon the crumbling buildings with explosions reverberating in the background, adding to the chaotic symphony of screams and war cries.
Amidst the chaos, a little girl, no more than five years old, knelt amidst the debris, her tear-streaked face illuminated by the inferno around her. Bruised knees pressed against the cold ground, she was surrounded by the lifeless bodies of her family’s servants, valiant warriors who had sacrificed themselves to stave off the pursuing demons.
Their final pleas for her safety echoed in her ears, urging her to escape, but her injured legs betrayed her will.
High above in the sky, two figures, a brown-haired man and a woman aglow with divine radiance, clashed against a lone figure dressed in ominous black.
He had an authoritative demeanour that drew immediate attention and wore a uniform marked with two stars on it, its overall design being a bit different from the other demons who were attacking the city.
Wings reminiscent of a bat’s unfurled from the man’s back, a symbol of his Demonic lineage. Yet, unlike his brethren who held powers over fire and darkness, he wielded the purifying power of light, transcending the brilliance manifested by the two humans who he fought.
The battle was swift but brutal, as the two Humans, their abilities rooted in fire, wind and earth, struggled against the overwhelming demonic energy harnessed by their foe.
In addition to this, his adept control over the laws of space proved insurmountable and he outmanoeuvred and subdued them pretty quickly.
Their bodies crashed onto the ground with devastating force, rag-dolling for hundreds of metres before finally coming to a stop no less than ten metres away from the girl.
"Mommy!! Daddy!!"
The girl’s tearful cries made her parents’ bodies twitch, and they forced themselves to their feet, their bodies standing only through the sheer force of will they had to protect their daughter.
Both of them exchanged a glance, after which the mother turned around and grabbed onto her daughter, about to run away with the child, however, their demon opponent was faster.
He descended to the ground in an instant, holding out his hand and releasing multiple bright beams of light.
The blinding light forced the girl to shut her eyes, but when she opened it once more, she was met with a scene no child should ever be allowed to witness.
Her father, dropped down on his knees, with a gaping hole in his chest.
Even her mother who held her had lost one of her arms and legs, cutting off any path of escape.
Wounded, bleeding out and rendered unable to move, the woman begged for the life of her daughter to be spared while the little girl cried.
Seeing this action, the demon stopped and remained silent for a moment, a short silence that felt like it lasted for hours.
The red-eyed demon sighed softly before speaking indifferently.
"Your daughter’s life and death are none of my concern.
The armies you both led were a threat and I was summoned to this world with the orders to end you and your armies...anything besides that matters not to me."
After saying that, he released a beam of light from his hands that pierced the head of the girl’s mother and ended her life.
Cradled in the lifeless hold of her mother, the little girl cried her eyes out but the demon turned around and looked at the scene of destruction around him.
"Prime worlds, really are different, huh? Oh well, that’s not a problem for a mid-rank demon like me."
Just as he spoke, a buzzing sound rang out and the man put his hand in his pocket, before retrieving a palm-sized communication device.
[Major General Sargon, have you accomplished your mission?]
"Yes, I have. Now send me back to my own World, this place disgusts me."
[Unfortunately, that cannot happen. One of their Generals is heading in your direction...it’s Duskhand.]
The voice rang out a mere second before a great pressure descended upon the entire city, pressing down all the demon army soldiers present, however, the red-eyed demon on the ground released his aura and pushed it back.
"...You...World Conqueror, Alvey Sargon..."
The demon looked up at the person floating in the skies with a divine radiance spilling forth, scaring away all the other demons present as he replied.
"You know me? Oh well, it doesn’t matter."
Tightening his hold on the communicator in his hands, he continued.
"You’re paying me double, Lieutenant General."
He deactivated the device and tossed it into a subspace before kicking off the ground and dashing into the air to battle the Divine Human in the sky, all while the little girl whose parents he had just killed glared at his back with hatred in her eyes.
◇ ◇ ◇
"...chel!"
"..."
"Rachel!"
"Huh?"
Hearing her name called out, the teenage girl snapped out of her daze and looked around warily, eliciting a laugh from the person who called out to her.
"Wake up sleepy head, It’s daybreak.
They’re calling for all recruits."
"Oh..."
’I slept off...? And that dream...’
Her expression turned dark for a moment, but her companion didn’t seem to notice as his gaze was fixed on the dormitory area of their barracks.
"Hey, Rachel.
How about we race to the Dorms...winner gets half the loser’s breakfast."
Rachel silently looked up at the silver-haired boy and then sighed before getting to her feet and replying.
"You know, you just doomed yourself."
Small gusts of wind surrounded her legs, and upon noticing this the boy cried out.
"That’s cheating!"
"All is fair in war!"
Leaving that reply, she jumped off the clock tower and down to the ground, while the boy trailed behind while boosting his speed with similar wind magic.
The two raced across the district and towards their dorms to get changed, despite her head start, the race ended up as a tie.
They did get a few suspicious looks from their dorm members who saw them entering the compound together, but that wasn’t something that a little explanation couldn’t deal with.
