A Side Villain…

Kiara set the letter down and turned to the knight in front of her and asked, "My brother wants to meet me?"

 

Yes, princess, too many things have been happening recently within the empire, and the prince wanted to meet with you to discuss them. The knight spoke in a passive manner, not being overbearing or subservient to her.

 

She too had a lot of questions for him, and this was going to be the ideal opportunity, so she said, "Very well, when are we going?"

 

The moment he said, "Right away princess, I will teleport you and your attendants," he regretted it.

 

She scowled, her voice indicating that it was not the first time it had happened, "They are not my attendants, knight Mayers."

 

The knight didn't even care that she was frowning; he simply said, "My apologies, princess."

‘Sigh’ She made the decision to change the subject and return to the tavern to call her two friends because she knew it was not the right time to argue with the knight.

 

Aurora sprang to her feet and inquired, "You are going somewhere sister?"

 

She responded with a somewhat forced smile, "Yeah Aurora, seems like my idiot brother finally wants to tell me everything that has been happening."

 

"But-but, how can you go like this? There hasn't been any news out of the Romanov empire, and recently, their borders were even sealed.” Everyone was nodding in agreement as Aurora presented her case.

 

If this didn't smell like a trap, nothing else did, as they were about to return to the academy when suddenly someone came up to take her back to the empire. Especially Richard and Aurora were hellbent on not letting her go but someone poured cold water over their thoughts.

 

Actually she can leave; I just received a call from the academy informing me that the Romanov empire is returning to normal and our mission is no longer active. Evelyn said while looking at the watch.

 

Drake couldn't believe it and questioned in a high pitched voice, "Everything's back to normal? Just like that."

 

"Don't worry Aurora, I'll be back soon enough, someone needs a good beating back home right now." She flared her deathly aura unconsciously, and the entire room gasped.

 

Someone was not going to be pleased to see her return to the Romanov empire.

 

Sophia, the most devout person present, offered a quick prayer for the unfortunate person who would be confronted by her big sister.

 

"Knight Mayers, let's go."She remarked as she turned to face the somewhat distant group.

 

“Yes princess.” The air became dense as mana swiveled in the knight's hands, forming a specific formation.

 

The four people were standing beneath a white magic circle that quickly descended from the sky, completely enclosing them. In the next instant, all four of them vanished, leaving no trace at all. Richard and everyone else's eyes were shining as they watched the unusual magic spell being performed.

 

Lily mumbled, having never seen a spell of such a high degree before, "Teleportation magic."

 

As she recalled something, Aurora remarked, "Not exactly, it was Space magic.

 

"No questions Drake; before doing anything else, let's return to the academy." Evelyn was clearly uninhibited about this, but she didn't want to waste any more time leaving this place.

 

Drake, who had been stopped in the middle, made an angry face and stomped out, causing everyone else to chuckle a little. 

 

Back with Akira

 

"Not this feeling again," he said as he rose from the ground and tried to take in his surroundings.

 

But no matter how vigorously he rubbed his eyes, it would still take some time for them to become steady. A beautiful red-feathered bird perched nearby on a tree and watched him with a slightly arched back.

 

The bird would move his ruby-like eyes up, down, and left, right, and left again in order to catch his every movement. When a human did something admirable, it would nod, but it would also shake its head when the human acted foolishly.

 

"Where the hell is this?" A few minutes of walking had brought him to a fork in the road where two trails diverged.

 

"A dungeon?" The scene in front of him was quite familar, and the overwhelming mana in the air indicated that this location served as the beginning of the second trial.

 

"This old bastard and his problematic trials, if not for the fact that I am basically a normal human in this place, a giant tree would have been shoved in his old ass," He cursed, gnashing his teeth.

 

A chill ran down the bird's spine as he turned to look at his backside, which was in excellent condition. He felt at ease, but he also became enraged that a mere human would consider doing something so repugnant. He jumped off the tree and spread his red feathers, which caused a gust when he began to fly.

 

As he flew through the air, a large fireball condensed in his small mouth. His ruby eyes searched for their target, and when they found it, his wings flailed in opposite directions due to the fireball's recoil when it was blasted off from his mouth.

 

However, rather than launching off the surface like other fireballs would, it began to roll down like a snowball on ice and, surprisingly, it followed the same path Akira had taken just a few minutes earlier.

 

He was thinking about "which way was it" when he felt something hot coming up behind him.

 

“What the hell?” When he saw the blazing ball of fire coming straight at him, he yelled, and because of his fighting instincts, his feet moved on their own, as he eventually began running along one of the trails.

 

When the bird noticed that the human had avoided the fireball, it snapped its tongue and immediately teleported away. After all, it would be a while before he would encounter him again.

 

But things didn't turn out the way he had hoped because not long after he arrived at the dungeon's end, a human had also found a way there, and what was interesting was that he had arrived there unharmed! There wasn't a single scratch on his body.

 

"Interesting," he chuckled to himself and said loudly, drawing Akira's attention away from his thoughts.

 

"Oh, you've finally arrived?" He couldn't see him, but hearing him was enough.

 

"Yes, but before we go any further, tell me how you defeated the three-winged falcon." He would not have asked such a question if it hadn't been for the abnormalities.

 

The three-winged falcon was an A-tier creature, and even though it was dead, its soul still had enough strength to stop the challenger. However, there was no commotion inside the dungeon, making it seem as though the creature had never encountered the challenger.

 

“Defeat him? I didn’t even meet him.” His face was plastered with a smile as he thought, ‘The first trial sure was a hell of a surprise as it attacked the challenger's psyche, but the second one? It had already been planned out in advance.’

 

The invisible being closed his eyes and observed everything that happened in the dungeon. As he watched Akira use the Dragon's turd to fend off the winged falcon and move quickly through the dungeon, he couldn't help but twitch his face.

 

‘Sigh’

 

He was reminiscing about something and said, "As expected of the human race, you are just as sly as your ancestors."

 

“I would take that as a compliment.”

 

“Anyways, you are one of the few challengers who have made it to this stage. Even though I believe your most recent action was quite nefarious, now that you have arrived here, we can-" 

 

“Umm? Can we skip all these formalities and get to the trial? I mean, I know you want to give that amazing speech, but I'm not really interested.” He was in between of his majestic speech when Akira interrupted him.

 

“YOU INSOLENT MORTAL! HOW DARE YOU??” Unable to conceal himself, the being forcedly revealed himself to him.

 

Despite the tremendous pressure, Akira raised his neck to look at the being who had finally decided to reveal himself. His bare shouting was so powerful that it forced him to fall to his knees and caused his surroundings to be torn apart.

 

Although the being's body was humanoid, the wings on his back and the expressions on his face were anything a human could be capable of having. His entire figure, which measured at least five to six meters, was being washed throughout by the aura that was emanating from him.

 

His aura continued to cause mayhem until it eventually stopped on its own and Akira was able to take a breath.

 

"Human, if you do that again, I'll make sure it's your last time." He said in a serious tone, making Akira gulp.

 

"So the legends are true indeed, the Emperor of Phoenixes was really captured and exiled to this place. You yourself are on a dying bed and still have the gall to admonish me?” Akira retorted back to the figure, not flinching; if he showed weakness at this time, everything would be for naught.

 

The Emperor of Phoenixes stood there with a grim expression on his face, over the time many challengers have came to this place hoping to get something but none of  them knew about his identity much less about his condition that was only getting severe over time.

 

Akira continued in a condescending manner, "What? Not gonna say anything?" but his heart was thumping furiously inside.

 

The figure asked, a little more collectedly, "So you know? Then there is no need to say anything else, we will start with the final trial.

 

The immediate surroundings abruptly changed; the previous gloomy, murky atmosphere was now replaced by a sunny, windy day, and the ground below had also changed to a lush, green meadow that wavered in the breeze. The emperor had also changed his figure and was now looking like a scholar watching Akira from top to bottom.

 

"Only a handful of challengers have progressed this far; the majority would have been disqualified in the first or second trial and would have been returned to the real world. Now for the last thing.” He spoke in a flow that illustrated different instances from the first and second trials, during which many people had failed.

 

Akira almost failed to pay attention to the emperor because he was so absorbed in watching those scenes.

 

The emperor questioned, "Why do you desire power?," and utter silence descended upon the land.

 

Akira was also hearing this for the first time because only the first and second trials were featured back in the game, leaving him perplexed and compelled to consider the question. 

 

“Why do I want power, you ask?” He pondered this while examining his hands.

 

“Yes, why do you desire power? What were you thinking when you battled that girl—or should I say, when you were nearly killed by her?” The emperor questioned while maintaining a cool gaze on him.

 

Akira asked in a bewildered tone, "You were watching?"

 

“Of course I was. Now explain to me why you deserve power and what you hope to achieve. The previous challengers' motivations varied; one wanted to save her lover, while another wanted to take control and trample everyone else under their feet by becoming the overlord. Some wanted revenge while others wanted to set themselves free, tell me Akira why do you want power?” 

 

What did he really wanted? The answer would have been given in an instant if this question had been posed to him back on Earth, but since that is not the case in this world, those principles cannot be used. 

 

The Phoenix Emperor was observing all of this in the background with a smirk on his face, as if he understood what was going on inside Akira's head. Although his reign may have come to an end and things may have changed on the surface, the fundamental idea still held true. Power was the sole pillar upon which every other aspect of society depended upon.

 

Akira answered with a helpless smile on his face, "There isn't a very complicated reason that I want power, it's quite simple to be honest."

 

He knew that no matter what answer he gave to the guy, it could be ruled out by the phoenix emperor, so he finally decided to come clean and give the honest answer.

 

Everything that could be done to prepare for this moment had been done, and it was now time to act.

 

"Oh, do tell me your simple reason,'' the emperor inquired, slightly surprised.

 

"Because I'm a selfish guy," Akira replied with a shrug.

 

The emperor asked with a slight cocked head, "Hmm? Selfish?"

 

"Yeah, a selfish guy who doesn't want to be weak his entire life and miss out on the opportunities that will come his way."

 

“Tha-that’s a new.” The emperor was speechless at his response, he did not expect this much honesty.

 

"I know, at first my response was going to be something like to defend the weak, fight against injustice, make the world a better place, and blah blah, but I am not that kind of person and I can't pretend to be someone I am not," the speaker said. 

 

His voice was heaving, and each word felt as though a force were trying to keep it from leaving his mouth. Those insecurities were trying to keep him from speaking, to give a phony response instead of the real one. 

 

“Go on.” The emperor nodded.

 

"I don't seek vengeance; it's not for my own egotism or anything like creating my own empire. It's just that I'm petrified to death to imagine what might occur to me or to my loved ones if a stronger person attacks them with the intent to harm them.

 

He finished with, "I don't want to feel what you did back then," and bowed his head.

 

The emperor's ears perked up as his eyes landed on the person who had continually surprised him; his answers were brutally honest, leaving him with no room to present any counter arguments. In the past, he would debate the challengers and always show them to be incorrect, but this time was different.

 

The final sentence of his response made him close his eyes and recall the battle in which his entire species was slain; the same fear he was discussing had gripped and choked him all the way back, and he was unable to help but cry. 

 

A phoenix is regarded as being immortal and capable of rising from its own ashes, but this is not necessarily true. Phoenixes could be killed, and while it was difficult, it was not impossible. And that had happened with him.

 

He asked, turning away from him, "So the only reason you want my power is because of your selfishness?"

 

"Pretty much yeah, I'm weak, far too weak compared to my peers, and if I stay that way, the future won't be kind to me. I want to be strong and powerful so that I can live my life how I want to and die how I want to, independent of the will of others.”

 

"A reasonable response, and I could see your perspective, but do you think that would be enough to persuade me?" 

 

“To be honest I don’t know, that was my truth, all of my insecurities that I was keeping to myself. There won't be anything else from me that will satisfy you if this doesn't.” 

 

"Your responses are satisfactory, but not sufficient to grant you my powers." He finally said it after a long break, shattering all the hopes Akira had placed in him.

 

But then again it was something he had accepted from the start, he was not a protagonist to begin with so his chances were already pretty slim. Simply put, his heart had been broken after coming so close and then falling short.

 

“So what happens now?” He inquired of the person.

 

"Well, in most circumstances, I would have sent you home with no memories of this place at all," the man said.

 

“In usual cases?”

 

“Right, your responses weren't what I was looking for, but even so, your candor touched my heart. If I don't give you something in return, how will I answer to myself?”

 

Akira’s grey eyes suddenly lit up and had a shining light to them as he asked, “Wait, so you mean.”

 

"Yes, the emperor of the Phoenixes would be granting his powers to you." The entire scene changed to that of a raging hell hole after the emperor spoke in a loud voice.

 

A multitude of raging fire waves were moving forward in front of Akira’s eyes, consuming everything in their path. He was suspended in midair, naked, waiting for the fire to cover him, but before he could panic, the calming voice of the Phoenix Emperor entered his head.

 

"Calm down and accept the fire; don't fight it; let it take control; let its essence wash your body and cleanse it of all the impurities."

 

Akira then relaxed his body's tension and shut his eyes because it was uncomfortable to look directly at the raging flames. The flames quickly engulfed his entire body, but instead of harming him, they seemed to be transforming him, making him stronger and faster. 

 

“Blue flames?” The phoenix emperor said in a shocked voice.

 

“He had those? What an interesting guy.” He chuckled and looked at the intensifying scene.

 

After some time, Akira opened his eyes to see the world system sending him numerous notifications.

 

“Status.” he muttered in a low breath.

 

 

He tried to stood up from the floor and looked at the series of notifications in front of him, wondering, "What just happened?".

 

He was now directly in the league of the main cast thanks to his bloodline's jump from the lowest Iron to the highest Adamantium, but it had come at a price of a few levels.

 

The emperor descended from the sky and said to him, "You were concealing the blue fire skill the whole time? Not bad, not at all."

 

Akira wanted to say "I-I" but was having a terrible time speaking due to his ear-splitting headache.

 

“Don’t even bother, your body needs rest and for that you should go home.” It was the first time that Akira was seeing him genuinely smile.

 

Oh, and there's something I need you to do as a small favor in appreciation for the power I gave you. You'll understand when you wake up, so don't worry. He said and quickly teleported the human to a different location with a flick of his hands. 

 

"Eliza, my darling, I feel as though my time in this world is finally drawing to a close; now, all I ask is that the universe be kind enough to allow us to reunite in the afterlife." As the last vestige of his soul burned away and the hidden realm to which he had been banished started to fall apart, the phoenix emperor said with a content smile.

 

While Akira had finally made it back to Origin City and was sound asleep in his bed, outside in the real world, every major power could sense that something had changed. The mana disturbance affected the entire world, but despite their abilities, they were unable to identify its origin, as if they were being hindered by an external force.

 

Richard, Aurora, Drake, Evelyn, and Ichi were returning to the origin city, Sophia was attending evening prayer with her mother, Kiara was meeting with her brother and father and Amelia was training herself in the dark chambers, all unaware that their fates were being intertwined with the fate of someone else.