The Path To The Strongest (DxD) [Side Project, Slow Updates]

14: Kamish..... run

"Sekiryuutei...you have a really cute face. To be honest - I like it."

".... you do know I'm in my early twenties, right?"

"Sekiryuutei, I am attracted to males from their teens to their twenties."

"Oh.... we got a pedophile."

A week Earlier

"Mimir, who's that handsome young man right there?" Ethan points directly at the handsome man who sat on a throne

"That, my boy, is Crom Cruach... strongest evil dragons that is said to be matched with the two heavenly dragons. He may be an evil dragon but his personality is to be calm and quiet as he usually leans on nearby walls when on standby. He also appears to put his objectives first as, despite his love for battles, he was willing to leave after ten minutes when he was only told to hold off his enemies. He also seems to have a much greater amount of self-control. The lad is a battle maniac, prefers to fight alone and will mercilessly kill anyone who dare tries to intervene with him so it's best to watch from afar when the dragon is fighting." Mimir went to work by using Crom as a reference to draw "gotta say, this is the first time i ever came across 'im, maybe the best idea will to draw him down."

"Human..... you have a threatening aura." Crom Cruach jolted his back, senses a human that might be on par with him "explain, what the hell are you?"

"Ethan Elms, Humanity's Strongest Human/Hunter, and a side character." Ethan replied in full confidence

In his human form, Crom Cruach has the appearance of a tall handsome man wearing a black coat with a long mixture of black and blond hairs as well as heterochromatic eyes where his right eye is gold and his left eye is black and he has pointed ears.

"We both have heterochromia eyes, mine's hazel and blue. Left being blue and right being hazel. Twinsies!" Ethan points out the obvious ".... alright, that joke meant harm to you."

The boy had crossed a line to piss off Crom Cruach, but luckily Cruach has a long history of being patient towards his enemies for a limited amount of time before it's 'off to heaven with you' for them. There's ways to pull himself back behind that line but the outcome might be drastically reduced of their survival escaping Crom Cruach but the payoff will be worth it if Ethan uses his brain.

"Oh, lord of evil dragons, to what may we offer to become a pleasantry to your eyes?" Ethan kneels, speaking formally to the dragon "might be treasure? Food? Plain water brought from the human realm? Name your price, oh sacred evil dragon of all generation, and it shall be done."

".... lift up your head, human." Crom ordered

Following instructions, Ethan carefully read his opponents voice to see if any hostile intentions are behind any plans Crom had demanded, luckily there is nothing. Good, said Ethan in his head

"The humans history came from lowest end then bring themselves to a modern era, full of stars, cultures, and more humans than ever before. It is not the rich I seek, it is not the foods I seek, it is not the water I seek, what pleases me the most during my burst of anger... is singing. You, human... will you help me calm my urges?" Is Crom's wish

"Bloody hell, Strongest Evil Dragon demands a concert. Lad, give him your taste of heavenly voice. Crom Cruach might be an important ally to you in the near future." Mimir said

Ally? I wouldn't be considered an ally furthermore if he continues to grow ~(Crom)

"......fffuuuuu....... Sui~cide, baby~, it's the wor~st..... Think about the people that you'll hu~rt..... They won't even care about the things I'll choose to do, because all I am is all that I've been throu~~gh...... My skin is very young~, but my heart is very o~ld, my mind thinks lips and tongue, But my bones decide my home, my fears ran through my lu~ngs, And my eyes only saw gold... My room's where my throat hu~ng.... And my fingers turned purple~......... It's not worth it, baby~, I would know~......"

"Bwaahhh... one of my cherished treasures to be exact... at ease. Thank you, human." Crom simply bends his upper body 90°

"No, no! There's no reason to bow towards a human such as me! I simply traveled to the realm of Muspelheim in search of a dragon to kill - no offense on you perhaps!" Ethan still kept up with his antics "have you similarly came upon a gigantic claw mark before?"

".... I have. I've been in search of that dragon for quite a while... it appeared 8 months back and since then, it keeps escaping my range. Alone it'll be hard to track it down, but the help of a human like yours, my reign of searching will come to an end. Human, care to lend this creature a hand?" Crom Cruach, who's said to be stronger and on par with the Heavenly dragons, is in need of help catching a rebellious dragon

Jolly... what kind of human engaged peacefully with Crom Cruach?! Ohohoho~! Ethan Elms, might as well say: a light of hope for the humans! If this continues, humanity will receive protection for endless years ~(Mimir)

"Dragon hunting? Perfect." Ethan replied

_______

Think about it, for once in your life you gotten your dream job of working for one of the biggest companies out in the world which pays pretty handy to its workers, treats them well as human beings, throw parties like there ain't to tomorrow. This lucky fellow celebrated this day by drinking with his buddies, while assuring that nothing bad'll happen today. Besides, his mother gave him her lucky bandana... he can thank her for that. The man cannot go once without telling his buddies that he was hired.

"Fuck's sake. You done? I wanna drink while eating these nachos." Said his friend

"No! I'll repeat the phrase until you'll heart it every single time of the day!" He said, gulping down his beer "Ryan!"

"Oh shit, no! Don't!"

At the bar/restaurant, a football game is being broadcasted through the TV most of the customers can relax and lay back to watch their favorite teams compete with the opposing. Frankly, it came to 17 - 15 at a match, the fans were supporting to win this match or else they'll go bonkers and invade the field if everyone goes back disappointed that tickets well spent are wasted at a loss. It's close, super close! One final touchdown with the clock at 7 seconds left! Will they make it? Will they?!

"C'mon! C'mon!!" The newly employed man cheered for his team, savoring this bit as a core memory "C'mon!!"

Then.... lightbulbs suddenly exploded, causing a chain reaction to the city, including the football stadium. What kind of electricity current happened for the entire city to blackout? Whatever kids are involved at stupid times doing already? Cases such as this aren't too common but kids doing stupid shit are, so the blame were immediately put on them. It came from the sky. Everyone shot up from their seats and quickly stood next to the window. He spat out a gasp. Ryan discovered the same thing and his eyes visibly quaked. Just how could a thing like that appear in the middle of the sky?! They all stared at the massive... portal floating up high in the sky and muttered loudly....

"The hell is that?"

"Am I seeing things?"

"Jesus.... I gotta quit drinking."

A fellow agreed to that and dumped his liquor at the side. The massive size of the portal covering the heavens above the city of Salt Lake became terrifying that a strange anomaly came without any notice satellites couldn't pick up. And as a heavy, powerful silence descended on everyone in the room, the gigantic Gate that suddenly manifested itself in the sky continued to gently ripple about, as if to swallow everything that was down below. Right below the airborne Gate. The residents of the city formed a literal sea of people below it, knowing that there was no danger of a portal. They raised their smartphones and busily snapped shots of the portal dyeing the heavens black. It was the first.... thing to form in the middle of the sky. And its gigantic size was unprecedented, too. Although no one knew what would come out from there and should all be terrified as a result, people still couldn't rein in their curiosity. There were quite a few members of foreign press mixed among the crowd. Their cameras were working at full capacity to capture the scenes of this packed gathering of people.

[Yes, I'm currently standing right below the giant hole that has
covered the entirety of Salt Lake city's skies, and...]

[The strange blackhole you see before you is the biggest
one ever recorded since began appearing...]

[As you can see behind me, the crowd spectating on the
black hole itself are carrying bright expressions, but...]

[....This is Nick Powell from BBN News.]

Reporters from various nations carried serious, even grave, expressions and spoke their mother tongue towards the camera lenses. Japanese people had been interested in the ongoings of America for a while now, so a certain TV station even scheduled a special program to report extensively on the 'blackhole above Salt Lake city's sky'. Rias and her peerage turned to the news about this portal appearing in american soil, dumbfounded that something so strange is happening over there and not at her country. Devils, Fallen Angels, Angels, gods, Hero faction, Saiorag, and many other situations she's been put through as a test.

[Doctor, you have been researching the black holes
for a very long time, am I correct?]

[You're correct.]

[In that case, can you tell us your opinion on what would be the
smartest response we can come up with in this situation?]

Not just the audience members present, but even all the viewers at home watching their TV sets, leaned forward to pay closer attention to the good scientist's next words. Unfortunately for them, what he said was something everyone could say, too...

[We can only pray.]

He shifted his gaze over to the audience members and continued on....

[We can only pray that this unprecedented
event doesn't end in tragedy.]

Even as the expressions of the audience members became graver, is this the end of humanity? Where is Ethan when Earth needs him the most? The scientist carried on with his explanation...

[However, there is this one thing. One piece of news that can't be considered bad.] Doctor Illstrum's words, coming in just before the broadcast was about to end, managed to change the emcee's expression. Hoping to brighten the sorrowful, gloomy mood of the studio even by a little bit, the emcee quickly asked the scientist with an expectant face

[What could that news be, doctor?]

[It's rather fortunate that the location
of the black hole just so happens to be America.]

Did this doctor hold some sort of personal grudge against America or something? Doctor Illstrum's shocking declaration left the audience members in noisy confusion. The expression of the Chief Producer of this program hardened in an instant, fearful that one wrong move now and he might end up with a broadcasting accident big enough to cause a serious diplomatic incident.

[It is strange that the occurring black hole is not sucking the city pieces by pieces,
so it's not safe to say that we should consider this an empty threat...
be wary for the future of the city. Evacuate the citizens,
have the armies from different parts of the world block off the city,
and us scientist will determine what lies inside...]

[And how long will that take, doctor?]

[Could be weeks, months, possibly years.]

Issei's sacred gear is somehow responding to the portal, releasing an aching pain as Ddraig is caught in a trance. Rias won't be able to handle this alone despite Issei unlocking Scale form alongside with her peerage gaining more power, she will have to make calls with other peerages and Satan's for a job like this.

"Rias, will we tell the world devils exist?" Xenovia asked, concern of the race of devils

"I.... humanity is our number one prior now, as Ethan said: 'if the gods won't protect the humans, then I will. If any gods dare to oppose me... then I will kill them'." Rias replies

______

"Rose, tell me about yourself." Ethan seems to be in the mood

"All suddenly?! What!? Did you hit your head or something? The Ethan I know would always make me go back to the mines and dig up his materials." Rossweisse checked his temperature

"I can never gain diseases, safe to say including ones that kills gods. I'm not lying, test it out if you will." Ethan pulled up his sleeve and gestured to insert a needle

"Nay, I believe you..... are you sur-"

"Fuck's sake, yes! Oh the urge to push you off this dragon is tempting."

"O-okay! Rather, I believe no blade can pierce your.... muscles...."

"Oh? Odin's bodyguard have a muscle fetish?" Ethan teases while flexing his biceps

"Guh! How preposterous! I'm the proud Valkyrie who works under Odin, granddaughter of a former Valkyrie, I shall not falter to a human's pride of their bodies."

"Hm. Okay." Ethan releases his grip "curious as I am, tell me, Rose."

"Gullible. Rose stands short for Rossweisse, my grandmother came up with it. Gotta be honest, Rose is a whole lot better than someone saying Rossweisse outloud, but I do like to keep authority on those. My whole life I spent living in the countryside of Asgard along with my grandmother, she tends to brush my hair, feed me rice and beans along with meat on the side (best dish ever, you gotta try it), bathe me, and supported me in becoming a Valkyrie. My parents gave me the name Rossweisse as it stood for-"

"White rose. Because of the hair, correct?" Ethan arched his back as he crossed his arms

"Yes. What does your stand for?" She asked

"Ethan, a name in Hebrew origin and most often means 'strong,' 'safe,' 'solid,' and 'firm'. It was a name given to me by my parents before their disappearance." Ethan replied

"Oh... I'm sorry, Ethan."

"Don't be. I just happened to know reasons on why I was left behind, more-so the fact I never once blamed them for dropping me off at an orphanage. Enough about me, continue on."

"Although my parents birthed one child, they cherished me and never had many encounters with dangerous reputation. Mostly in my childhood I spent with my grandmother. I um..... my parents.... sure my parents were there day by day, placing a radar on me whenever I leave the house but I never came to know much about them. It's funny to believe a child doesn't know about her parents yet was protected from harm.... one day, my grandmother and I sat outside, watching the watery alphabet of the clouds comes to sing upon the roof... other Valkyries came for a visit with my grandma becoming ecstatic about them...."

I can see where this is going ~(Ethan)

(I'm sorry, Göndul.... Rossweisse's dog.... passed...)

"My brain remembers those words as clear as day... i... I....." Rossweisse began to quiver slightly "I blamed myself... ha.... a Valkyrie blaming herself for the deaths of her dog.... stupid... stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID!"

Ethan had no reaction to her shout, much to say he kept that poker face without changing anything. He knows the feeling of losing a close one, adding the fact he is losing himself... the deeper he goes into becoming the strongest, less and less of his human side begins to decline.

"I ran, bolted out through the door... my grandmother chasing after me through a forest but I manage to struck my foot onto a stump, making me tumble down a ditch.... can you imagine a lone child lost inside a forest? A weak girl who can't defend herself from attackers or other people, she struggles with her desperation to live..." Rose recalls that dastardly forest filled with creatures of unknown "was it luck or did God bestow a savior on me... a huge, muscular shadow with glowing flame-like purple hair, glowing purple eyes, two curved black horns, and sharp claws. He wore jet-black armor and a long smoky black cloak, and wielded a pure black sword. He nourished my injuries and fed me all kinds of meat he had prepared for himself, strange that a man was living out in that forest with no danger all over the corners.... is he powerful? Is he a god? Once he removed that helmet, I was presented by a muscular and handsome young man with gray eyes, sharp facial features, and neat black hair."

"Gray eyes?" Ethan repeated

"Yes, he looked about your age - perhaps older. Don't have the slightest clue about him, but all I could say that he was nice enough to take care of me."

(You can leave, venture through that forest alone. Or stay for the time being until I head for the nearest village.)

(Nearest village... *gasp* I know a village!)

(Know? You mean after rolling down a steep hill, you come from the direction of a nearby village? Great, I could use some materials.)

(Can I get your name? The Valkyries will reward you for saving a granddaughter of a Valkyrie, even be invited at party thrown by Odin himself!)

(Please, too much for an old man such as me.)

(But a man never looks this young despite being old.)

(Ha. Once you lived for eons, you'll come to terms you're old enough to be considered an old man. Ashborn, is the name, young child.)

(You're not from around here, are you?)

(Never mentioned I was. My home... is long gone...)

The system has given a free pass to his name ~(Ethan)

"Ethan...promise me."

"Sure. Man of my word."

"If I'm ever being used.... will you kill me?"

"..... of course. For the greater good. To protect humanity and my loved ones, sacrifices must come." Ethan summoned Ian and had it be few inches away from her neck "I vowed myself on that promise, and I'll never plan on breaking it."

Ethan's eyes began to glow Cyanic due to his sword reacting to his power.

"The red dragon is a giant bitch when it comes to killing, so here comes a side character, fixing the mess they left behind or finish my own... " Ethan heard the system notifications

Quest: Courage of the Weak
Quest Requirements: ????
The !@#$ *&%$# !?#$&*!@ requires your will
For you to possess even greater power. Prove it
To him that you're a perfect candidate

Courage of the weak? Perfect candidate? Lately I've been sensing a strange presence around me. Does it have to do with this quest? ~(Ethan)

"Hoho. Good evening, Ophis." Crom Cruach smirked at the little girl

"Crom... along with Mimir, a Valkyrie, and a human.... what have you done?" Ophis asked, bluntly

Ophis, dragon god. Said that her power is infinite yet was clearly defeated by our old master. Recall the Abysswalker? ~(Ian)

Oh god, don't remind me losing my flesh to that fucking monster ~(Ethan)

Master, the Abysswalker is the same as her... perhaps less powerful... same as our old master, and Ashborn ~(Elle)

"What about that guy you mentioned?" Says Ethan outloud, gaining confused looks from everyone

"Lad.... who you reaching out to?" Mimir has some suspicions

Shit! You idiot! ~(Ian)

Our cover has been blown! Master, face them and tell the truth! ~(Elle)

What would happen if he did? These powerful beings have faced Ian and Elle's old master during the great war which happened centuries ago, their master rose to the challenge and faced everyone who were at the top of the food chain. The swords bear the same appearance as to before, that could jog their memories about it. Do or die. Pulling Ian and Elle out from the sub-space in his inventory, Ophis detected danger immediately that she went into a battle pose, releasing her aura. Ethan can sense a distress emotion coming from Ophis, who has yet to tell why she's in a battle pose. Is she afraid of these swords? Is that it?

"Mean no harm." Ethan assured

"It is not you who means harm... it's those..." Ophis trembles at the ominous aura coming out of Ethan's swords "where did you gain those?"

"Ophis, oh Ophis, to what do we owe the please of meeting the number one ranked person as the strongest?"

"Ubel... and Duvessa...." did she growl? Ethan swore he heard growling at the hostile dragon god

"Ah, ah! I have an entirely new name given by our... new master. Call me Elle..."

"Ian. That is me."

"Ubel... Duvessa.... *gasp* Brother! Do you have any idea who those swords are!?" Mimir had Rossweisse ensure of her safety

"Yeah, I do actually. No secrets were kept between us. These baddies dominated every race during the great war, conquering and killing each faction as a memoir to never look down on humans. Ubel and Duvessa were created and attains the deadliest, most treacherous ability that not even God nor Ophis can come close to: the power to continuously grow without limits." Ethan repeated the words Ian and Elle had said "their master... is named !@#$%&* !*@&#%$&... did you hear that?"

"Hear what? You said that human's full name..." Ophis surely has some background against him "all this time, I never learned of the first human to ever defeat me..."

Ophis, born from void itself out of nothingness, holds great power to surpass God as to her source is unlimited and summon endless amount of spells as some sort of child's play. Unlimited, nothing is ever truly unlimited. Take Ophis for an example, yeah, ranked 1 on strongest being in the leaderboard but clearly reached a limit facing !**#&%#@&. Taken this defeat to an account, Ophis has sworn she'll get the chance to kill him for the humiliating defeat.

"Little brother, do you know these sword's true potential?"

"Nah. One thing for sure is I'm getting there." Ethan recieved another new quest "once I do... you'll all be my target. Except you Mimir, love you Mimir."

Daily Quest: Preparation to become stronger!

________

"Um.... do foreigners find fond of this blackhole? Last one came in speaking it's an important matter for them to be here." An American soldiers spoke to his lieutenant "weirder yet... they come from Japan."

"I promise you, sir. This is a business matter, for your safety along with the rest of humanity." Tobio Ikuse spoke English fluently, reassuring that they are also part of the other team "okay... Akeno, you sure you'll able to handle this? I can't come to believe you feel better now."

"I'm fine... no need to worry anymore." Akeno is still in that phase, being constantly reminded Ethan's words

The soldiers let them through once witnessing they can also perform magic like the others, they can now put their faith in them along with the rest. Humanity might survive this catastrophe involving this black hole in the sky.

"Sir, who are they?"

".... call us Hunters." Said Cao Cao "gotta say, does have a flame to it. That boy Ethan has good taste."

Humans, Angels, Devils, Fallen angels, Satan's, leaders, basically anyone Rias and Issei had come across in their adventures on increasing Issei's strength to challenge Ethan to see where they stand. God's? Nah. Ethan? Yes, most definitely Issei's number one goal. His greatest obstacle to surpass everyone is Ethan Elms, for he has potential to match Gods of different mythologies and far powerful than a regular human, outranking Cao Cao who is rumored to be Humanity's Strongest Human. To think someone who never wields a dragon has efficiently passed others. Weakest human who is always on the verge of death at every corner, to a obstacle in everyone's way. That is how far Ethan has come during these last 8 months.

"Issei, has Ddraig been responding yet?" Vali asked, going through the same situation as him

"No. You?"

"Same here. Albion, where the fuck did you go?"

"Vritra's along with the other dragons have gone silent since the arrival of this portal." Azazel lead a small group that Vali belongs to "my guts are telling me whatever lies behind the portal has caused your dragons to disperse in silence. We should tread carefully, for now."

"Shit. What'll happen now? Must we wait for danger?" Kuroka questioned

".... forget it." Issei transformed into his scale armor, spreading out his wings to fly up there "I don't have time for this. Ethan... just you wait. I gained much stronger these last 4 months."

Azazel cup is around the corner as well. Why must this portal appear so close to an event? ~(Issei)

From there on... humanity's greatest calamity rose from the depths of that portal, unleashing a massive wave of aura from its roar, sending chills down on those so-called Hunters. A dragon. It is a fucking dragon. A dragon has appeared on American soil. What was the cause for this to happen? Dragons only lived in different dimensions and in Europe, why did one suddenly appear in America? Issei and everyone else bestowed themselves at an enormous red western dragon with gray horns, glowing yellow eyes, a light brown underbelly, and a long red, whip-like tail. Enormous, I mean by a Skyscraper sized dragon. Great red. The resemblance came to Issei's mind that the red dragon resembles Great red who lives in dimensional gaps.

"We await... your orders...." Ddraig isn't himself. To Issei, he sounded robotic whose waiting for orders

"Ddraig! Where the hell you've been?!" He yelled

"Great... Kamish...." Said the wielder's dragons (Issei, Vali, Saji) "servent for the king of dragons. How do us lowly dragons begin to serve you...?"

".... HUMANS!!" Just by Kamish's voice alone had everything shake, destroying buildings in the process "The long awakened dragon of chaos has awakened... not in my world... but yours. This shall be my kingdom, my world, my domain..."

Issei faced an overwhelming opponent, a dragon in fact, but why? He defeated many devils and other opponents to gain more strength, control, and will - yet is struggling to open his mouth against a red dragon who resembles Great red. Maybe the sole reason of how similar they are in looks and power. His hair stood up, signing there's a predator waiting on its prey to lower their guard so it can strike.

"Your champion is not present in the human world, the SHADOW MONARCH IS A COWARD!!!" Kamish flapped his wings angrily, causing gust of winds that brought down buildings "boy... do your thing..."

"Yes, master." Said Diodora, arching the corner of his lips "Asia... did you miss me?"

2 hours later, Muspelheim

"Nah, would've been better if sand that board with at least 400 grit sandpaper, then once you dusted everything off... put a little dab of finishing oil on your rag, wiping it all over that same board. Wait a few minutes for it to dry, then sand it again. Trust me, Rose, it works wondrously." Ethan explains all about working with wood "when using the planer, always make sure the chipper is positioned properly for it to work. If not, then you're really planning nothing. Check if the guard is set in place, and slowly glide your wood across the table."

"Wow, a craftsman like you should teach a class." Rossweisse complimented the 21-year old Ethan (remember, stuck in punishment zone for 4 years so he's physically and mentally 21 years old. Real world wasn't effected that much, only 4 hours passed)

"Band saw! If you fuck up on your project, don't pull back like an idiot. Turn off the machine and wait for it to fully stop, then take it out. Removing your wood while the machine is still operative can fuck your hands, fingers, face, and the machine. I'm pretty sure no one wants to pay for the damages." Ethan came close to the saw cutting his face once in first year of Kuoh Academy "most importantly, why have you been sticking very close to me with the smug-like smile?"

"Huh?"

"Surely there's a reason.... Asia..." Elms' shadow signals his king that she was captured "Rose... stay with them."

"Where are you going?"

"..... home..." Ethan used 'Shadow Exchange' to switch positions in Asia's shadow

Ian, who's that green headed boy? ~(Ethan)

Diodora. Cunts' a rapist, sadist, and manipulator. See those girls in robes? They once used to be nuns from different parts of the world. Now... they follow orders from him ~(Ian)

Master, quickly. We still have time to save Asia before it's too late ~(Elle)

"What is a little girl like you hanging out on a tree? Didn't your mother tell you to play safe?"

"S-sorry, Ethan."

"... huh, we haven't had a chance to talk in 4 months and you instantly recognize me?"

"Well, I can't forget your heterochromia eyes. They're memorable."

"Gah, first the church incident and now this? You're really popular, Asia."

"Do you remember the fallen angel Raynare? After Asia had died, I was going to kill Raynare and give Asia an evil piece."

What? ~(Ethan)

It's growing. His anger that once exploded, suddenly began to gather its powder and pile up with the lighter set ready. Eagerly waiting for the chance to explode.

"She begged for power, she came all the way from earth down to the underworld just to say 'give me power, give me power!'. Pitiful, really. The reason why was for a lowly trash human she needed to protect, but uh... I forgot about him... Evan? Fujimoto? Miles? Tsuda? Tsuyoshi? Gah, that stupid spell. Simple, really, but the result is mindblowing."

Spell? Raynare? ~(Ethan)

"For that to happen, I raped her! It was fun seeing those teary eyes as she begged for me to stop, most importantly, I loved it when she was calling out her friend's name! Hearing her scream as I profusely shoved it into her filled my insides with joy!!" Diodora laughed maniacally, seeing how sadistic he was "can you believe it was her first time? She was saving it for that lowly human, and I took that opportunity away from him!"

Ethan's eyes began quaking violently. Only then did Asia also realise that something was wrong as well.

"Ethan?"

It was then. Elms' expression hardened like stone. Asia called out for him, still sounding anxious. With his lips firmly shut, Ethan walked past her.

What is this? ~(Diodora)

As time slowed down from the extreme tension it felt, the Astaroth instincts of a warrior, trained to their very limit, sent out countless warning bells. It said that a truly 'terrifying' being was headed this way. The sound of the Devil's heartbeat rang around painfully in its eardrums, like a series of thunderclaps. If it didn't get out of here right now, it'd be killed. The sharp instincts of a warrior, honed like a fine blade, would sometimes display powers close to that of the gift of foresight. Just like right now! A mighty, ear-splitting explosion occurred next, the shards of glass flying out like shrapnel. Meanwhile, devils manning the doorways began hastily retreating away after the back of their king suddenly appeared in front of their eyes. Diodora wordlessly glared forward, its breathing now becoming extremely cautious. It was picking up on an unusual and eerie vibe. It could see a human male it hadn't seen before standing on the spot where the devil female was just now. Diodora shifted his gaze ever so slightly to the side. Its opposite corner was where the windows were. Nothing remained of the entirety of that wall as if it had been struck by a powerful siege weapon.

"Say that again." Ethan lost all logical reasoning "say that again, I fucking dare you."

Dio could only swallow its saliva at the sudden entrance of a powerful opponent. A strand of cold sweat trickled down his temple.

"Say those things you said about her, about Raynare...." His eyes suddenly glowed purple "tell me in full detail how you stripped her from her first time?"

"Welp, your loss Diodora. You just made master pissed."

"Master, we'll be right behind you if war ever breaks out between you and the Astaroth family."

"Tell me you son of a bitch!" Ethan no longer can listen to his surroundings, only focusing what's infront of him "explain how you robbed the innocence of Raynare!!"

______

First the appearance of that damn portal, second is these so-called humans naming themselves Hunters showed up all of a sudden, third is the fall of humanity when that dragon came out. Every resident of Salt Lake City has evacuated further into America or went on plane to escape this blackhole before things escalated, but that plan flawlessly failed when the red dragon named Kamish reeked havoc all across the western coast area of America. Blood, buildings, life in the forest vanished from existence thanks to its destructive breath of fire and summoning of more dragons that were under his control. West coast had fallen into the palms of Kamish, on to the next area of America. Guns wouldn't work for damn sure thanks to its impenetrable Titanium-like skin, not even the Hunters can damage and there were recognizable ones (at least in the world of magic) have died. Kamish made Ophis and Great red look like a lil' bitch, said gods and faction leaders. All hope was lost, humanity lost. They all prayed for their god to help save them but it never reached the heavens as God is dead, been dead for centuries.

"Shit. A drink would've been the better choice in this situation." Says an American soldier, lighting a cigarette "oh well... Captain.... what's our next orders?"

".... I don't know. Wait until a dragon come eat us.... mom.... I never should've become a soldier..." the captain of his group regretted leaving his mother to protect the peace "te amó mucho... ma... los siento..."

"Mind those tears. Wipe them off... humanity will live on." Ethan rose from the shadows while standing on top of a slain dragon, done by his own hands "tell your mom 'Hero of the Abyss is here'. Frost, Njal, Raynare, you three group spread out and locate any survivors. Bring them to the nearest military base. Daiki, Yajuu, Kaisel... on me along with the rest."

His Wyvern answered with a defying roar that pierced through the heavens.

"Damn.... that young man is probably the most bravest soldier I met... he should enroll." The captain discovered a beam of sunlight shining above him "what the - holy shit!!"

"Captain.... since when was there a hole in the sky? Forecast said that today is gonna rain..."

"Dios mío.... Virgen la María.... ha.... of all the Hunters here... this man might be the Strongest... reminds me of another Hunter, same as him."

"Ah, from that story. Who was it again?"

"Lennart Neirmann."

Diodora and that Shalba Beelzebub - well... can't say it was a battle or they at least out up a fight. Rather, Ethan made one suffer through terrible torture techniques that a human cannot withstand and the other...

"Shit... one punch.... and the clouds all evaporated..." Issei inspected the dead Shalba with a gaping hole on his chest "fuck! I'm still weak... why am I still weak? Every steps I take, Ethan somehow manages to stay 5 or 10 steps ahead of me.... No matter how much I train myself, he continues to surpass me by miles..."

"Now you know how I feel." Said Saji "but... let's not focus that Ethan surpasses us dragon wielders. More on the fact we have humanity to save. We owe him many times after facing threats greater than we faced... Ethan has a lot more balls than any man combined... no wonder that Neko fell for him."

Ethan along with his Elite-Knight shadow soldiers beheaded many dragons at a rapid pace, never losing momentum and gaining it at the same time, which is nearly impossible for a devil or leaders to perform... Elms shows them how there's much of a difference in them. Hunters saw Ethan in action, fearing that there's a slim chance he could become an enemy to all except humans. Why though? What is the reason for a human to reach this potential of power? As of right now, Elms has surpassed Azazel and Michael. They might stand a chance against him with other Satan's, alone not.

"This is the first step in war... let's start from here... Arise..."

"H-holy shit!"

"The dragons.... they're coming back to life!"

"Everyone get ready!!"

A reporter had an idea...

"G-get a recording on this! The headlines will present 'strange human is resurrecting dead dragons!'. It'll be a huge hit!"

Show them what it means to be a hunter... master ~(Ian)

In a human's eyes, Ethan left no traces. What remained were millions of diced flesh from the chaos erupted by Ethan

"Jesus..."

A mysterious beautiful young woman appearing in her twenties with long, wavy, cherry blossom hair and two horns protruding from her head. She wears a high-cut formal dress with high slits and has a well-endowed bust and slim waist. She watches carefully on the human. There's a seductive grin on her face with an announcement she made to herself...

"Impressive, perhaps I misjudged him."

What's even more eyegasm or battlegasm for those who seek out fights on the toughest enemies was the moment Ethan stuck both his swords onto a dragon, he continously fought those hostile dragons without a need of a weapon. Strength status hitting 250 is a vast difference when he fought against Demon of Hatred 8 months back. Prior to that, Ethan never loses the chance to level up. With his explosive strength, dragons were flying all over the place without the use of their wings. Pulling a tooth out and blinding a dragon, tearing its wings off, ripping one literally in half, upper cutting its head off, using 'Dominator's Touch' to slam a dragon onto another. A returning dragon with Ian and Elle penetrating it's back desires revenge against this human, so it planned an ambush once Elms catches a break for a moment.

"Watch out!"

Snap

What was that? Did Ethan snapped his fingers? A confused Fallen Angel witnessed one of the most excruciating skill a human performed: them swords exploded after collecting enough energy from the dragon, splitting it in half.

"Arise..."

You have leveled up!
You have leveled up!

Ian has leveled up! (x3)

Elle has leveled up! (x3)

Passive skill: 'Amateur Swordsman'
Has reached max level

-Amateur Swordsman (Lv. Max)

Skill: 'Sprint' has reached max
Level

"Human... a vessel such as you contains his power... repulsive. I find it strange that a vessel can draw so little of the Shadow Monarch. Pathetic. Is this the host you've chosen? This human can barely grasp your true strength of what makes you the Shadow Monarch." The red dragon slithered its tongue all over Ethan's body "on a side note... who are you... a mere fox?"

Fox? ~(Ethan)

"Why have you resided with the Shadow Monarch and this human? In truth, you don't belong here... correct? That's a lie, we all don't belong here." Kamish relaxed for a moment before continuing to appeal the title of Humanity's Greatest Calamity "enough of all this... human... have you prepared for your end? I have."

Kamish stealthily controls his tail to wander around the broken wreckage of this city he destroyed, and wrapped it all over Ethan with a firm grip, pulling him to his level of height. Kamish growled viciously for a mean to feel insulted that human is standing up to him, like those dragon-wielders pestis. With Ablion's divine dividing, their chances were left with 8% of winning. Ddraig's boost, their chances rose up to 15%. Despite having two heavenly dragons standing by the humans, it still wasn't enough for the dragon to feel threatened by their strength. What truly stood in Kamish's way is this damn human insect from conquering Earth. Elms couldn't process what was happened after being flung away towards a building, creating a small hole at the side thanks to its impact and velocity.

"Golly... the dragon throws hard." Ethan smirks

"That's not the only thing you shall be impressed about."

"Wha-??"

An impressive speed surpassing Ethan's left him in shocked that with a huge body like Kamish, he is able to move at an alarming speed without slamming his brakes as a car were to skid across the road.

"Uurrkkk!!" Ethan's body pummeled through floors after floors until eventually hitting the first

Following up, the dragon wholeheartedly mimics a human throwing a hook at its opponent inside the ring, absolutely colliding with Ethan's body who he let out a yelping pain of dear agony. Kamish's fist or claw ranges about the size of a 4th story building along with its body reaching skyscraper size, the tail's length stretches about 20 miles long somehow manages to perform a hook with its body resembling an animal on four legs. Elms brain weren't functioning properly thanks to the rubble left behind of this damn building collapsed due to Kamish. It hurts. It's unparalleled to the other pains he felt, 'Descendant' sure caused pain but this is on a whole 'nother level. Does it bear the same rank as eating the Crystal? Honestly, it wages the same. Again, Kamish thought of an amusing idea to fling Ethan, so he did. Bouncing across roads, cars, Elms shifted his body to slam on the brakes. But it didn't end there as to Kamish destruction carried on, pinpointed at Ethan. Chaos ran through the metropolis area of the west coast, Rias and her peerage hardly had the time to struggle against a few dragons thanks to their proper teamwork and artifacts they collected over the course of 4 months. It was there. Victory was in their grasps and were drawing in closer as expected.

"Fffuuu..." That Gremory girl own devil aura began to change "Extinguished Star..."

Showing off her skill, the humans all over the world were amazed, including the females who loved the empowerment of a women unleashing terrifying abilities. She, along with other females, have gained fan clubs.

"Move!!" Alarmed Ethan, having reached a velocity of a bullet "gah!!"

As a coming surprise, Elms bounces across the field of rubble, hitting every single car or windows presented in his view.

Health: 5,310

Wasting... potions! ~(Ethan)

You have drank 'Mythical Health Potion'

You have recovered 2,000 health

You have drank 'Mythical Mana Potion'

You have recovered 600 Mana

"Even the buff potions aren't making any differences... Ian.... tell me what's a dragons weak point?" Elms seek for some answers

"A known weakness dragons have are their wings..."

"Throat..."

"It's underbelly thanks to it being softer that its scale body...."

"The eyes but since this dragon is capable of sensing magic, it won't make much of a difference. What other weakness...."

"The hell are you trying to do, kid?"

"Gonna... ugh! Kill it." Ethan grunted on every little movement he made

You have drank 'Mythical Recovery Potion'

"I needed your help, that's why."

Kamish, Servant for the King of Dragons

"It's scary to see an enemy highlighted red again. When was the last time I encountered such a beauty?" Ethan's heightened senses determined how many dragons are heading over to him "*sigh* war is tiring. But if I made it this far for peace, I can't stop now. Show yourselves..."

Final onslaught, shadows left and right exponentially expanded greater than a block

Skill: Domain of the Monarch (Lv. 1)
Class-specific Skill
Mana: 0
Raises Shadow Soldiers stats by 50%

"Going all out?"

"It seems that way."

".... Human.... why do you have to go such length to protect this world? Abandon it, this world treated you like a stepping stone. They saw you as a peasant living amongst the riches, they tortured you for never being raised by your true parents. The world the Shadow Monarch protected weren't nothing alike to yours... so I came to correct them, to own up to their mistakes, removing their freedom they once had. Do you agree with me, Ethan Elms?"

"..... sure, my life hasn't been all magic and rainbows, but there are still humanity in them. Just gotta find the right person. What was it again? Why do I need to save humanity? To make sure humans are nothing other races should make fun of... Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels, Gods, they all look down on us, we are nothing but tiny insects roaming around in their precious garden. But, one rises above them all... for he is chosen by someone... a neighboring god who stands above other gods."

"The Shadow Monarch."

"Correct. Frost, magic units.... fire..." Elms had his army fire spells towards the dragon "I'll fucking show them that a human is capable enough."

"Hmph. If that is your final answer. Prepare to die along with this humanity." Kamish widened his mouth, firing potent blasts of fireballs at Ethan

Skill: Sprint (Lv. Max)
Active Skill
Mana: 1 per min
Increases movements speed by 50%

Ethan zooms at a speed faster than an average human could blink with his Shadow Soldiers following behind, Mages are providing assistance to create an opening for their king to perform an assault. The fierce march of the Shadow Army rocked the ground below. The earth shook and mighty dust storm kicked up. And soon, Ethan's soldiers entered the territory of the Giant. It happened then. The surrounding air suddenly transformed. A scream-like cry of shock exploded out from Elm's mouth. The Dragon had disappeared from his view, and when it reappeared, already half of his Shadow Soldiers had been annihilated.

Sliding tackle!? ~(Ethan)

There was no other fitting term to describe Kamish sweeping away his soldiers with its stretched leg other than a 'sliding tackle'. It was an unfathomable destructive power. With that single attack, a huge entity that was the Shadow Army got split in half. Of course, his soldiers weren't simply standing back to get massacred out there, either. Even before the dust kicked up from the Dragon's foot had settled down, Yajuu finished gigantifying himself and stood before the monster's face. He then sucked in a deep, deep breath as his chest expanded greatly. A nonsensically massive pillar of flames erupted out from his mouth. Kamish followed along with the Shadow beast, firing his own fiery breath. Ethan could sense Yajuu getting astonished by what was happening. While still in the lowered position, the Giant snatched up the ankle of a Giant Shadow Soldier in the vicinity. His dragon soldier, as big as a regular building, resembled a small child after it got caught by the hand of the dragon. And this creature threw the Giant soldier straight at Yajuu. He was about to suck in another breath for his second attack, but he was struck down by the flying soldier before he could and got disintegrated. Ethan's eyes narrowed to a slit like a blade as he witnessed Yajuu get scattered away in black smoke. It proceeded from that point on - over 8,000 against one. The proper battle between his Shadow Soldiers and Kamish truly began. No - this was a far too one-sided display of violence to be called a battle. Shadow Soldiers were crushed constantly and endlessly by the Dragon's attacks. A punch, a slap, a fire ball, a headbutt, the back of the foot, and it's tail - one movement from Kamish, and dozens of soldiers were swept away. Kamish's flashy movements easily exceeded that of the high-class devil. Daiki watched the knight army being trampled on and was about to dash forward, but Ethan raised his arm and stopped him.

"Patience."

Daiki took a step back. Both him and Kaisel standing next to Elms and waiting for his orders displayed visible hints of wanting to join the battle.

Forgive me, soldiers ~(Ethan)

Ethan's lips were shut tight in a straight line. The soldiers repeatedly went through destruction and revival, resulting in his MP decreasing at an alarming rate. In fact, the rate was so severe that even the mythical mana potions wouldn't be able to keep up.

"Pathetic. I expected more from you, Shadow Monarch. Instead, you let your soldiers do all the work for you. You'll get rusty if that happens too often." Kamish finally spoke in its tongue

Kamish crushed Shadow Soldiers with its knee, and proceeded to punch the ground with its fist. The ground shook as if there was an earthquake breaking out and dozens of soldiers disappeared in black smoke. It was a nightmarish battle situation created by the perfect defence and the horrifying destructive power of the monster. Once his mana reached 0, Kamish advances on the defenseless leader with its wings flapping slowly but the speed is yet abnormal. For a body that big, it can move faster than a Satan. The eyes of the dragon shifted to its side.

"Manners maketh man. You... child... are incoherent to the situation. You're laid back during battles and sought to your servants." Kamish whips his tail right onto Ethan's stomach, loosening his grip on his swords "very dependable on your soldiers rather than yourself. You seek to get stronger, you vow on vengeance on the creator of this world... in fact... the creator of this world is incomprehensible to the creator of mine... for he is name: 'The Absolute Being'. God is just god. The Absolute Being... knows to mark a symbolic moment to them... he's the person everyone should fear the most, even everyone's God."

Kamish notices a flashing light to its side, Ethan's swords.

"Take this for an example..." Kamish impaled the Hunter with his own weapon, precisely aiming for the stomach "the weapon entrusted to the most by its user, has suddenly bitten the hands that feeds. What will happen to the owner? He or she could take it out and suffer from blood missing, or leave it impaled as a reminder that even though the thing you trust the most has backstabbed you... leaving your death intolerable and painful."

"Fuuuuckkk!! Gaaahhh!!" Elms yelped out of pain when Elle stabbed his stomach "Elle! It's not your fault!!"

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Hurts like a bitch!! ~(Ethan)

"Master, you mustn't never pull or summon me! You'll die if you do!"

"But.... humanity - gyyyaaaahhhhh!!!" Ethan pulled it out. Pretty sure he damaged some organs while doing so "Kamish... I'll...."

Again. This time aimed differently. Rather than the stomach, it impaled Ethan's left hand, sticking him to a wall as he bleed.

"Ian.... shit! You really have a thing for impaling enemies, don't you?!"

"Oh, please. It's a hobby if mine... goodbye, Shadow Monarch. I expected more out of you."

They watched as Ethan was sent flying by Kamishs' large palm and slam into a wall. The human was in danger. The human was in danger. The human was in danger! He can't get a single breather between onslaughts, the dragon brutally injures the lonely Hunter. All the others were too busy handling dragons or were killed. Some averted their eyes, some watched in horror and couldn't do anything else, some lost hope in the man. But... why does he still stand up while carrying life threatening injuries all over his body? What is there for this Hunter to continue challenging Humanity's greatest Calamity? Issei struggles against a few dragons alone, Vali and his group had multiple dragons on them, Rias and her brother, Xenovia, all the 'Hunters'. No one had time to help Ethan.

"Enough! Enough with this struggle! Why do you desire to protect this world?! Is there a promise you made?!" Kamish shouted "stay down, and never walk again!"

"...... I.... just want..... to protect humanity....." Ethan limps through rubble, missing an eye, and having trouble seeing caused by his blood "is..... that enough?"

"Fine! Fucking die, you failure of a host!!"

Oh shit. Is this the end of the road for me? Too damn early ~(Ethan)

Sorry.... master..... we were weak ~(Ian)

Nah... It was i who was weak...... Ian... Elle... Thanks ~(Ethan)

And thank you, master. We loved every moment we spent with you..... ~(Ian & Elle)

And thank you, my soldiers. Sorry for failing you guys ~(Ethan)

"Eeeeettthhaaannn!!"

She ably dodged an attack from the dragon and took aim at the centre of the dragon before screeching out with her magical energy.

Mana: 23

"Go..." Ethan supported the mana recovery by drinking mana potions "exchange."

The two safely returned to a safe spot that his Shadow spotted in case of emergency, Ethan called off his shadows and have them return to his. A safe haven to relax and breathe normally again whether it be a minute or not.

"Why..... how'd you find me?" Elms had the energy to speak "Akeno...?"

"I.... my senses picked up a familiar one, and seeing how you were confronting the dragon all alone."

"Huh. Ironic." Ethan kept his sentences short before opening his wounds deeper "I protect you, you protect me."

"Well... I learned from the best." She said, healing Ethan's wounds "I have something to say..."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

"Oh. Apology accepted."

"No..."

Ah shit ~(Ethan)

Hehehe. Fucking loser ~(Ian)

"I'm sorry if you were keeping your emotions buried inside of you, I should have noticed when they were overwhelming you. I don't know if it was that I couldn't see how much pain you were in or simply that I had gotten used to seeing you carrying so much on your own that I was waiting for you to tell me that there was something wrong. I'm sorry I made you feel like you couldn't talk to me about what was bothering you." She cried into the shirt and breathed in Ethan's scent "I really am a terrible person. How could I not have noticed your feelings before you were overcome with them? I wanted to believe it was just a crush since I had helped you so much with trauma and you'd come back on your own after cooling down. I kept thinking that with time it would pass and you see that you could be with any girl you wanted without having to rely on me, but I didn't even acknowledge that at all and stayed quiet, I was too afraid to lose you. Was I really that happy having this attention all to myself that I wanted it for as long as I could?"

She curled up with his shirt. For all her flirting and teasing with Issei, Akeno realized how inexperienced she really was.

"Please, Ethan.... give me one more chance. I promise I'll do things right this time... I can't forget my feelings for Issei or ignore him, but if you come back to me, I promise I'll figure something out. I know that scum like me doesn't deserve someone as amazing as you, but please.... Just one more chance, that's all I ask."

".... I'm sorry too."

"What are you sorry abo-"

"Sorry for coming in between you and Issei. What I did turned you to a person addicted to apologizing me. I bet you had to break Issei's heart just to confess everything you just said... I'm a terrible person as well, but I at least am not a hypocrite when it comes to expressing love." Ethan gently pushed Akeno off of him "Issei wholeheartedly never deserve any of this..."

"No, no, no. Ethan! This is all my fault! Not yours!"

"I wish it wasn't yours. So please... return to loving Issei and not me. It's the least you can do on apologizing me.... goodbye, Akeno. Let's pretend we never met - no.... forget about me." Ethan had to do it. He had to cut off all ties involving with Akeno, he deeply regrets this decision... but it's just as that thing said: 'From now on you have to kill more people, and sacrifice or leave a lot of people behind. Including friends or family'

This is for the best ~(Ethan)

".... Ethan, no! Please don't leave me! I can't be alone without you! Don't go, I need you!!"

Would you like to remove Akeno's memories
Of you?
Y/N

Yes ~(Ethan)

Extracting memories, please wait...
Please wait....

Extraction completed! Akeno Himejima no longer
Carries memories of Ethan Elms

Thank you, Ethan

A bright light of blue suddenly beamed out of Akeno, slowly removing memories that she and Ethan had made together since Issei joined ORC. What they did should be considered protected by both parties. But Ethan made a decision that can possibly destroy one from inside, emotionally. Akeno loves Issei, not him. Issei loves Akeno. Akeno..... can finally be happy. Sacrifice is a personal choice, one that needs balance and soulful reflection. When we take love as our supreme first principle the right path becomes apparent. He almost started crying. That exact emotion that possibly died out came back for one last minute before dissipating again.

"Shit.... I'm sorry, my beautiful princess... I hope you live happily ever after with your future children's." Ethan positioned Akeno as if she were sleeping "Raynare.... Delilah.... Akeno..... I'm losing everyone, aren't I?"

"It's for the best."

"Master, the dragon?"

"... right, right. Sorry." Kaisel nudges his king for a ride, which he accepted "one last time. Kamish is sturdier than the rest I faced."

With Kaisel's removal of his limited speed, Ethan rode on a jet going about mach 3 trying to reach its destination as fast as it could. His foot were cladded by black tentacles to keep him from flying off, a nice gesture Kaisel had done. Do all Shadow beasts do this kind of action? Kamish punched him square in the face before he could reach him. His attack sent Ethan tumbling a few meters towards one of the towers, but he was able to stop himself from crashing into it and landed perfectly. Ethan glared at him, purple sparks flaring out of his eyes as he kicked off the tower, breaking it apart under his feet. He flew back towards the bridge and clashed with Kamish again. They were moving too fast for everyone to keep up so they couldn't tell which of them had the upper hand. That was until Rias saw Kamish knock Ethan down to the bridge, between Sirzech and her. He sprinted back at Kamish, but his punches were knocked away and Kamish grabbed him by the neck as he started choking him. Daiki had jumped down and stabbed him in the arm with his sword. Kamish screamed as he twisted the blade further in. Njal appeared as well, riding on Yajuu as he flew down at Kamish and slammed his Pillar down on Kamish's head. It knocked him off of Daiki's sword but freed Ethan as it sent Kamish hurling down. The four of them circled Kamish, hitting him from all directions as they broke through his defenses. But as Ethan saw that their attacks weren't doing as much damage as he was hoping they would. Ethan jumped at Kamish, kicked him with a rising backward front-flip kick that caused trails of black smoke. He created an opening and Yajuu took a risk and tackled Kamish. Yajuu slammed his head into the side of the bridge, and the two of them fell all the way to the ground.

"Go!"

The impact from the fall was more than Yajuu expected, and it made him lose his hold on him. Kamish slammed his foot down to change his direction and launched himself at Ethan, hitting Elms' chest with his tail and then jabbing his hand through Ethan's armor. He grabbed his arm by using Dominator's Touch in time to stop him from stabbing his hand all the way into Ethan's shoulder, but the tips of its claws were already digging into his arm. That was all he needed as he shot off his dark bolts through him. Ethan coughed as he pushed him away and grabbed the wound. As he tried to calm the pain, Kamish swept his foot under him to trip then stomped his body down to the ground under his foot. Daiki and Njal swoop down to attack him, but Kamish dodged both their attacks with ease and shot fireballs at them. Kamish stabbed Ethan in his belly.

"Hehehe.... is this how far you'll go? Weak and pathetic, couldn't even handle a dragon alone. It was fun toying around the Shadow Monarch."

Rias had barely regained his consciousness by then and cried out in anguish.

"E-ethan!!"

The devil girl forced herself to stand back up on her unsteady legs but Ethan simply shook his head at her. Even then, Rias extended her hand and tottered ungainly towards the dragon.

"In that case, I guess you won't be able to see it, then. You will not get to see the moment our armies set foot in this world. When that happens, the corpses of humans will form mountains, and their blood will form endless rivers." Kamish distanced itself from Ethan's ear and stared at his hardened expression before forming an insidious grin "However, this country you grew up in will be different. I shall personally burn every single human on this land and make sure they suffer eternal hell, all because you walked among them. I shall ensure that they enjoy an existence neither living nor dead for all eternity."

Ethan's eyes continues to emit flames of sheer anger. Even then, Kamish was smirking derisively.

"Yes, resent me endlessly in your death. That, too, will serve to please me even more." The dragon yanked the claw out and immediately, stabbed it into Ethan's heart. The black claw oozing whitish light easily shattered his rib bones and accurately penetrated his heart "any last words?"

"....!!" Ethan effortlessly crushes the dragon's claw before having his eyes light up in flames, literally "I will say it again... one more time!! MY NAAAAAME, IS ETHAN ELMS!!! I DON'T CARE WHO THE HELL YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU ARE, BUT IF YOU DAMN HURT THE PEOPLE THAT I DEARLY LOVE; I WILL PROTECT MY FAMILY, EVEN IF IT MEANS HAVING ALL OF YOU BASTARDS TURN AGAINST ME!!! ...IF THE GODS WON'T PROTECT THE HUMANS, THEN I WILL!!!"

"Why you...!"

"IF ANY GODS DARE TO OPPOSE ME...!! THEN I WILL KILL THEM!!!" Ethan ripped the nail off of Kamish before impaling him with another

Kamish confirmed that the human's heart had been destroyed and pulled the claw out. Ethan powerlessly collapsed to the ground. His head clattered on the hard surface and he felt this crippling vertigo. At the same time, he sensed his enemy getting further away from him. He tried to move again, but he didn't possess a single bit of energy left to even lift a finger. Along with the abrupt loss of all senses, his consciousness rapidly dimmed. And everything he could see and hear became submerged within inky darkness. The human's heart finally stopped operating. When that happened... On top of the unmoving Ethan, several System messages began floating up...

The Player's HP has reached '0'

You have met all the requirements to
Complete the Quest: 'Courage of the weak.'

The Brightest Flame casts the Darkest Shadow

"..... finally. The nuisance is good as dead. I can now conquer the universe." Kamish spreads out his wings, that reached about 60 meters "hm? Oh. It's a devil. I feel you are close to the Shadow Monarch, that I sense great grief in you. Well... his body is just laying over there, I worked hard to give you this present."

A human only has one life, so every living person tried to live utmost of their life to make memories in friends, families, or fame. Most become normal, some turn to the darker side of things. Rias Gremory gazed upon herself the dead body of her dearest friend who promised to never leave by her side without her, too bad that was severed. It was such a stupid idea to make an obvious promise like that, lots of death flags will be raised. No one ever listens.

"Ethan.... you can quit it now. Enough playing... Ethan?" Rias must be dreaming, some sort of nightmare that feels too real to be true "ha. Get up, I know you're not dead.... c'mon... this joke is kinda worrying me... please..."

Ethan's heart never recieved blood. For it to work, blood is needed to pump through the heart for the body to completely be under control of the person's brain, without it... death can occur.

"Please get up.... I'll forgive you if you stop immediately....." She cried into the hair "don't leave me... please don't go.... I don't want to be alone..... please....."

~
~
~
"Guh!" Elms sudden panic rose attention to a being, waiting for his arrival it seemed "what... where am i?"

[Hi~!] Mrs. Himejima sang [it's nice for us to meet again, when was the last time we held a meeting like this?Anyways, I'm so happy on how far you came... tears in me eyes]

[.... hey, I expected our next attendance to be years from now, but on a day like this? Unexpected.] A human-like being who is colossal in size he has white hair which is shoulder length fox ears, wears gray pants, and has nine fox tails which are flame-like in appearance [go on and keep this short, Mrs. Himejima.]

[I am certainly impressed. Ethan Elms, for a human to catch eyes of the supreme beings should be history's most important character in centuries. No one even thought of contacting gods of other realms, for it was too impossible for the current technology. You... a holder of the Shadow Monarch... and a human. You have unlocked a new element to use freely as you want, Pyrokinesis. I may be dead, but my inventions prove promising tales.]

"Fire?"

[That'd be me. Served under a king once before I was betrayed and unleashed terrorism on the heavens who banished me. Catastrophe were all around me. Me? I never felt a bit of regret, those bastards did this to me... so what would happen if Heaven wasn't around?] He sighed before tapping Ethan's forehead [listen. You must be better than me, use this power to help the weak... make changes in the world, unite them all.... all I beg for is you remaining sane after the transfer.]

"Whoa whoa... I'm... now able to use fire?" Ethan turned to Himejima

[As well as releasing a seal...]

Seal? ~(Ethan)

[Precisely what you expect! Now... return and keep my daughter safe...] Mrs. Himejima ran her fingers through his black hair now turning white [you have yet to reach the Shadow Monarch's full potential.]

".... understood." And with that, Ethan was warped to earth. To finish this fight

[Is it still too early?] The fox asked

[Yes.... he needs more for me to retire. This war has yet to begin...] the Shadow Monarch removes his helmet [meaning more ties will be severed, more massacre, more chaos... if it means to end it, then so be it. Blood will be all over his hands, but others will be clean from it. Sinner or not.]

[Hmph. Say, how did you accomplish all this power? And why so easily pass it down to a new host?]

[Sit back, furry. Let this old man tell the tale of how the Shadow Monarch came to be.]
~
~
~

Poor Rias. She's just a girl who can barely grasp the power of destruction by her side, without it, she can't protect those who hold dear to her. Without Ethan in her life, what is there to continue? Issei, sure. But this world has changed destiny, Rias' pre-determined fate is to marry Issei even from the beginning... now with the arrival of Ethan Elms, the sisters of fate can no longer create threads that'll fit to their pleasers. Rias mourned at the loss of her great friend, a friend who she calls a brother, a friend who she may even call...... her boyfriend. Undesirable hatred filled her heart, letting it aim at the dragon who is responsible for this mess. Her eyes emitted volcanoes erupted along with the great plains of a desert lit on fire, all that continuing to ignite even if the entire ocean where to fill the lands. She glared heavy Daggers at it, becoming consumed with rage, hatred, and murderous intent. But with her vengeance completed, what would remain of the outcome? There's no evidential way to bring back a dead person, for it is the way of life.

"Rias, no! Not alone you won't, nor I won't let you!!" Issei urged the girl to remain still and never do ridiculous acts "as much as I want revenge, it's not a path you should go down on! I know, trust me, and so does he!!"

"I agree with Issei. For now.... we must retreat until we fully recover. It pains me to have the humans perish like this but what better way to handle it without recovering? I accepted death before but this time... I won't." Cao Cao assured "c'mon princess of destruction, we have to go back. I'm sorry, my fellow humans... forgive this coward for turning his back on you..."

To their dismaying, Azazel, Sirzech, and a few Satans came back with news regarding it coming from Olympas and Asgard. They have agreed to aid the humans along with the devils and angels, this seems to put a bright expression on their faces, but never on Rias. She just witnessed her brother's death, helpless, and weak. Her real brother places his hand on her shoulder...

"I brought dad and mom into this as well. C'mon, Ria, we have a dragon to kill."

"Haha~!! ODIN!! Old timer!! Ready to wreck havoc on this dragon!?" Zeus patted aggressively at Odin's back, making him stumble slightly "can say the same thing to me!"

"Oh brother, please don't pair me up to this senile old man." Odin nudges at the Satan "we heard the cry of a human from our realms, honestly I felt insulted that a human is freely to threaten a God, but what choice can I say? If Midguard is erased, who will guide the many wandering souls?"

"I like this kid. Got some guts to threaten every god in existence..." Zeus takes a closer look at Ethan's shadow "is it me or is it vibrating?"

A Valkyrie flew down very clumsily, thudding against every wall and glass. Her eyes seem shaken for whatever she had to say...

"Odin, your higness!"

"Skögul? Why in a hurry?" Rossweisse asked

"This boy.... we.... I.... I can't find his soul!!"

Soul? Ah yes, when a human dies in Midguard, be it a warrior or not, their soul separate themselves and are being guided on a path that the Valkyries choose that leads to Valhalla or Helheim. It's mostly Helheim as the humans never done anything brave or courageous enough to enter Valhalla, and Ethan is no peasant. He is the prestigious human to ever set foot in a world of magic, always throwing his life towards a battle if it means to gain 8 hours of sleep, upholds courage that no gods has ever dared to gain, and set a destined path towards greatness. Yet to Odin's discovery, his soul hasn't wondered towards the spirit realm, almost as if....

"Flames?" Sirzech felt the sensation of the surrounding air became warmer

A powerful wind pressure being generated at the same time with an explosion of light forced back the Gods and their army. The former regained its posture first, its brows quivering. The atmosphere itself was trembling. Mana, the magical energy densely packed in the air, was resonating with the entrance of a transcendent existence. Yasaka turned around and politely knelt down and lowered her head, instinctively.

Why am I kneeling? ~(Yasaka)

His army, having appeared alongside Yasaka, screeched out loudly as if to announce the return of his master, and quickly knelt down while facing the same direction. And between the two, Ethan calmly walked out, though it didn't much look liked him as many have grown used to: white hair and fox like eyes with red corners. It also changes his pupils into slits. He took a sweeping look around the messily destroyed surroundings and threw a question at the fox lady...

"Need help?"

Oh my ~(Yasaka)

There was one point she had met her husband: face blessed by the Gods, able to make any women fall for him but chose not to take advantage of it, his body produced power that is equal to the gods that stood in rankings, and most notably is him being a loving father before his passing. Yet... that's the same feeling Yasaka saw in Ethan. Hold on, why is she feeling a familiar flame towards Ethan? They haven't even met during these past 8 months.

"*inhales deeply* KAAAAAMMIIISSSHHHHHH!!!!" With Ethan's cry, it startled the gods, Rias, and everyone else "DO YOU HEAR ME??? YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT HAPPENED TODAY AT ALL COST!!! ARE YOU LISTENING, FUCKING SCALY!!??"

The day the roar of the Human shook heaven and Earth, it was the day a new threat emerged out of the void, same birthplace Ophis was born out of nothingness.

"You're.... awake?! How is that possible!? I destroyed your heart, how are you able to walk so freely??" The dragon emerged from its hole after his mission was concluded to be finished "there's nothing so different about you, just a tail... made of fire!?"

You have learned new skill
Would you life to verify?
Y/N

Skill: Flame on! (Lv. 1)
Active-skill
Mana: 300 per min
You have the will to control fire. As more
Tails are unleashed, the more damage you'll deal as
So slightly increases your stats in this form
(Tails Unleased: 1/9)

"Fine!! I'll end this once and for all!!!" Its neck slipped behind its back and Mana began gathering there in a large lump. It then proceeded to create the most powerful ball of fire it had ever created. Every ounce of energy dragged up by the desperation it felt would be contained within this attack!

A terrifying amount of magical energy was being forcibly concentrated on the fire. The power gathered was so great that the ground beneath the dragon wielding the ball of fire melted in pure orange while issuing cracking noises. Just before one would be tempted to wonder whether the Dragon's neck grasping the fire had expanded far too much or not...

"You have a plan?!"

"I do... trust me."

The ball was fired out with the velocity of a bullet and tore straight through the air. At the same time, the Dragons received orders from their master and pounced on Ethan like a nest of enraged fire ants. Moments before the spear aiming at his forehead could penetrate into his face, Ethan opened his eyes. Simultaneously, the time flow of the surroundings came to a standstill as if the 'pause' button had been pressed on the playback. No, actually, the time had slowed down to such an extent that it almost looked as if it had come to a standstill. The fire spear's shaft spinning at a scarcely-believable speed was definitely getting closer, albeit only an inch at a time. And behind that, he could see Kamish rather deeply distorted face glaring in his direction. Was that all, though? He even could see the faces of every single dragons surrounding him from all sides pouncing on him. Ethan was like an alien invading the world of a paused video and relaxedly scanned his surroundings. He continued to check out his vicinity and soon, discovered the backs of his two friends. Even though the time had seemingly frozen, both Rias and Issei were moving in to intercept the enemies, albeit very slowly. This was as good evidence as any that their agility had reached an incredible height now. Ethan studied them in happiness before remembering that there was a fireball coming his way.

"Really?"

"I'll get it, stop bitching."

Like an insect studiously crawling forward, the fire was continuously closing the distance bit by bit. To stop the weapon's advance, Ethan used one of his powers.

Dominator's Touch ~(Ethan)

This was one of the Shadow Monarch's powers, although he trained on using it proficiently while thinking that it was merely a skill. The moment he activated 'Dominator's Touch' he got to see the Mana dispersed throughout the surroundings suddenly rush in and wrap about the fire. Once caught in the magical energy, the projectile lost all forward momentum and stopped in its tracks. In an instant, a powerful wave of Mana, starting from Ethan as its centre, crashed out and swept away the huge masses of dragons trying to pounce on him. Kamish also detected the violent storm of Mana rushing at it. It hurriedly spread out an barrier to protect itself. Once the violent winds of Mana went past, the dragon quickly undid the barrier and it was greeted by the sight of debris, belonging to the dragons, scattered everywhere. The powerful pulse of Mana had destroyed them all. Even the storm clouds it had summoned were gone, too. Kamish shivered from shock after witnessing the true power of the human, one who embodies the most powerful king of existence. A wall. The completely insurmountable wall. Didn't the gap between it and him seem far too great?! Ethan took a look around himself and nodded his head at the rather satisfying result before locking his gaze with the frightened eyes of the Great Dragon. He could sense that creature shivering even at a distance away. He still had a score to settle with that thing. Ethan accurately drove the fireball into the belly of the Dragon.

No, no!! I will stand my ground!! ~(Kamish)

Release five more tails ~(Ethan)

(Tails Unleased: 6/9)
+24 points on all stats

"Although it may seem late, but put your back foot at an angle. Put your front foot forward."

"Now, look ahead. There is a dragon standing tall and mighty. They're eyesight is bad and rely on sensing one's presence. In addition to that, us, your swords, have the ability to draw out maximum power that blurs their senses just like our old master."

"Stick out one arm ahead and leave the other behind, begin to traverse your mana onto us. Once you've gotten the grasp of it....."

"Thrust with all your might."

[........ There you go. Now you know what you're doing. Don't show mercy on that monster.]

"..... Core [Core] [Core]." All three said simultaneously

You have leveled up! (X4)

Ian has leveled up! (X6)

Elle has leveled up! (X6)

You have earned 2 Active skills
Would you like to verify?
Y/N

You have completed Quest: 'Humanity's Greatest Disaster'
The Great Kamish has awakened in your realm,
Eliminate the threat before your world perishes

Kamish: 1/1

Reward:
1: 20 Stat Points
2: Kamish's teeth
3: Kamish runestone

Name: Holy water of life
Rank: S
Item type: recipe

Name: Spirit Egg (x3)
Rank: S
Item type: spawner
Spawns a spirit fitted most for the
Players attribute

One Week Later

"You're finally ready?" Issei asked

"Yep."

"I've never seen you look so nervous." Asia fixed his hair after noticing how messy it was

"Is that so?" If Asia can determine the emotion of Ethan's face while it being expressionless, you know how close they are

At last, the vast majority of reporters from around the world gathered in one room have longed to write an interview with Humanity's savior but since the idea of doing it in one room came to mind, it cause some negative feedback with a few saying how impatient he is. Most thought of it to be a perfect plan. Ethan wore all black suit with the addition of his hair being tied up rather than leaving it reaching his shoulders, might plan ahead to get a haircut. Sitting at a table alone, hundreds of cameras all pointed at him while spectators had notes incase of writing a hit quote they can publish. Rias and her peerage, Ethan's foster parents, anyone else who knows magic, and all the humans from all over the globe watched from home to see how famous Ethan has gotten.

"... who's first?" Elms took the initiative before he could get bombarded with questions

One particular person rose his hand...

"What is your name, and what is your origin?"

"My name is Ethan Elms, I was born and raised in Japan's soil but I'm more of a foreigner there. Japanese by law, but not by blood. I was orphaned at a very young age which resulted my father and mother turning out missing. I spent 17 years alone before meeting certain people in my life. Most of you which already know me as a Hunter, but I am the first Hunter to have been detected in Earth, everyone else joined late."

"How old are you?"

"21."

So young? I expected something younger ~(Male Reporter)

"Have you ever done an interview in your life?"

"No. Frankly this is my first."

"You seem calm and collected despite your first."

"I try not to let it go over my head."

Another raised their hand, this time being a female Italian reporter who spoke in her language...

"Are there any plans for the future? Meaning will you protect from a threat such as that dragon?"

"Yes." Ethan replied in Italian "whether it be a god or not, I will save you all. Might not be perfect... but most of you will survive."

"And how do you plan to pray remorse for the 10 million who have died or went missing? What about the families? Did you pay respect for them after countless lives have been lost thanks to your meaningful army?"

"..... I lost many people in my life. My friends, my parents, my brothers and sisters, there's nothing that pains me is losing a loved one. I have to live through my life knowing I let 10 million die for my mistake, and that I was too slow to save many, but at the same time... I couldn't let the dragons take over our world. Resent me, throw insults at me, avoid me if you must, I don't care. What matters the most is keep Humanity living on as normal. I pray for the dead every day, I visit their graves and letting them know their families are okay but are in pain after their death." Ethan sighed "there was a saying a friend used to say: No matter how much you lost, no matter how hard it gets.... you have to move on... life.... must go on."

Wise words coming from a kid ~(Male Reporter)

He quoted me.... I have really made an impact on you, didn't I? ~(Rias)

"Are there many more like you? Hunters, per say?"

"...." Ethan isn't too sure if he wanted to expose that Devils exist. Or anything that's supernatural "there are a few, hidden amongst us, they are roaming in the streets as a regular person going on at their everyday life. You might know them, you might not. It all depends on who you're close with."

You bastard ~(Cao Cao)

Welp, I must remain hidden until the time comes ~(Tobio Ikuse)

Will father be pleased if I became known? (Ouryuu Nakiri)

"Here's one I believe you'll fond towards: how were you created to be the first Hunter? What makes you so special than the rest?"

There it is. There's the question Ethan had expected to receive.

"An old friend of mine gave me an opportunity.... an opportunity I couldn't pass up. For being a human, I was below average muscles a person has, for I was too small and skinny for my body to create fibers across my body. Since then, I began to notice some drastic changes, resulting me growing taller, obtaining a more muscular tone I am not familiar with, my facial structures changed that of a pre-teen to a more... appealing taste for women. The process was slow, took about... a week perhaps. Was it painful? No. Was I taken in awe after noticing how different I was? Yes, for a while."

He was so much cuter back then, to be honest ~(Rias)

"Not only that.... what makes me more special is that I have no limit."

Limit? To what limit did he mention? You know, and I. But the others, nay.

"Can you explain?"

".... shhhhh..... it's a secret." Ethan smirks

Shit! I was hoping he could elaborate further ~(Female reporter)

"How did that dragon came to our world? I thought dragons were just a myth stories used to tell?"

"... well, you aren't wrong about that. They were just a bunch of fairytales, but after this week.... dragons are confirmed to exist. Now listen to what I have to say: there are good dragons among them, most think highly of themselves and will cause chaos but 20% are proven to be allied with the humans, safe assured. Kamish, Humanity's Greatest Calamity, is a case I have no knowledge of. For what I know, he was targeting a specific person while destroying Humanity as a side job."

"Who is that person Kamish was scouting for?"

".... me..."

The reporters mumbled at each other from the answer they recieved, so it was all his fault that 10 million that died. Not exactly. That dragon knew how to summon itself to their world, know Ethan's whereabouts, and tried to kill him.

"Are you saying that dragon came after you?!"

"Are you the one responsible for 10 million deaths!?"

"Some hero you are!"

"Quiet!!" A male reporter gains the courage to tell everyone "I think.... we should all be considered lucky."

"... w-why?"

"Because think about it: we should be glad Ethan Elms was chosen to be our protagonist, where unlike others..."

"I'll take it from here, good job though." Ethan cleared his throat "what this man is trying to say: if it were someone else... Humanity would've been long gone before that dragon even came. You're lucky to be standing here as of right now since I'm your only protagonist, not some psycho with the tendency to kill mercilessly. Or a broken, rejected person who society treats people like him trash.... we live in a society.... lol."

You want to laugh at that last part, don't you? ~(Elle)

Lol, yeah ~(Ethan)

"Sorry - excuse me. Sure my background consist me of being rejected as a normal person but that has yet to stop me from becoming who I am today, the reason is being strong-minded and think logically. It helped me overcome traumatic experiences a normal human were to lose their will. Do I consider smarter than the rest? Yes. One-hundred percent. I never blamed my parents for making me an orphan, they must had a reason to. I never blamed anyone's mistakes in the past, only the stupid decision they make today. Do I think someone deserves a second chance....?"

"Yes-"

"That's up to me to decide." Ethan continues "everyone really rolled a 20 on luck for me to become their protector. If it was below 10.... I am horrified of who were to be chosen."

"...... Hunter Elms, can I call you that? And can I ask you a question?"

"You may address me that way and what's up?"

"... why all black?"

"...... is it a crime to dress different?"

"N-no."

"Well there you go."

"Any secretive relationship you're hiding from us?"

"... no comment."

"Do you have any loved ones?"

"I do.... but if you dare so touch or get close to any one of them without my consent..." Ethan splits the table in half with sheer strength, along with the building shaking as if were about to collapse "I'll fucking kill you..."

The reporters were presented with a hostile intentions coming from Ethan, his eyes glowing Cyanic out of anger due to these people questioning about his loved ones whereabouts. Yes, Ethan did vow to protect the humans, but that doesn't mean they get to do whatever they want to anyone close to him. It's simple common sense.

"If you see me out in the streets with one of them or if I'm alone, you best be on your way. I may be your protector but I am also a human just like the rest of you, that means I value privacy and peace, I don't wanna be ambushed by a bunch of reporters every now and then." Ethan lowered his hostile intentions before anyone can pass out "safe to say we're done here. What I say, goes. No excuses. If you disagree with me, come and say that to my face."

Before this show can cut off, Ethan forget to say one more thing...

"Oh yeah. To the family that has used me for their selfish gains, put me through acts of abuses, pin the blame of your daughter's death, and abandoning me out on the streets... my name is Ethan Elms. Thee Ethan Elms you have thrown aside, if I catch you out there in the world or come into contact with me again after my accomplishment... begging for a meetup to relieve some old memories we had..." Ethan's palms were bleeding due to digging his nails deep into that skin. A sudden change of his eyes began to show, glowing purple instead of his usual Cyanic color "I'll fucking kill you."

After that spicy interview, no calls about crimes or any reports of other miniature war were made.... it's been a day since Ethan debuted. These 24 hours felt like an eternity to many others as they had nothing to do beside sit at their desk and expect a phone call to be made or have someone bust through their door with daily mail. Quiet, empty. What seemed to be an illusion to the world, it finally became peaceful.

Name: Ethan Elms
Level: 65
Class: Magic Swordsman,
Shadow Monarch
Title: Hunter (plus 1 more)
HP: 61,309
MP: 14,020
Fatigue: 0
Stats:
Strength: 247
Vitality: 250
Agility: 247
Intelligence: 250
Sense: 247
(Available stat points: 0)
Physical Damage Reduction: 45%
Skills:
Passive Skills:
-(Unknown) (Lv. Max)
-Will to Rehabilitate (Lv. 2)
-Longevity (Lv. 2)
-Amateur Swordsman (Lv. Max)
Active Skills:
-Stealth (Lv. 2)
-Sprint (Lv. Max)
-Dominator's Touch (Lv. 2)
-Flame on! (Lv. 1)
Class-specific Skills:
-Shadow Extraction (Lv. 1)
-Shadow Storage (Lv. 1)
-Domain of the Monarch (Lv. 1)
-Shadow Exchange (Lv. 1)
-Collapse (Lv. 1)