——— Timeskip ———
Sariel: 「Whenever you see your opponent aiming to strike, always make sure that you've prepared a solid defense and counter!」
What am I doing now?
「Easy for you to say!」
I'm currently training this apprentice of mine.
To be honest, he's a really good fighter. He told me that he had tried to train himself when he was young.
Though ineffective, it has clearly had its impact on him.
He's sharp on the battlefield and also really perceptive.
He's like the perfect war machine. All he needs is a little refinement, and then he's good to go.
Sariel: 「After landing your counter, don't give the opponent any chance to rest. Attack relentlessly to break their guard. That's my way.」
We are currently practicing with our swords. Over the years, my mastery over swords could be called perfect.
I now have complete control over myself when fighting.
I also have my own fighting style, which, to be honest, is in the realm of perfection.
It suits me without a doubt, and I'm the only person who could use such a fighting style to its full potential.
Sadly, I am the only one who uses such a fighting style, but that is why I'm here.
I am training this dude to pass on my amazing techniques and swordsmanship to him.
He is doing quite well if I say so myself. Although he only got the basics, that alone has elevated him to new heights.
I tried teaching my other subordinates this fighting style, but only Arion managed to truly master it.
But I have hope in this kid. He seems like a fluid and adaptive individual.
I don't think I can call him a kid anymore. Besides, he's been through years that passed by like the wind.
His level of swordsmanship has increased drastically, and his experience, along with his intellect, is enough to get him through most difficult situations.
According to his personality, I named him Yuriko.
He has the greatest affinity with wind and water, so I decided to pay Ramires a visit.
It turns out that after her reincarnation, she appeared rather smaller.
Well, that'll teach her to think with her heart core and not her taste buds.
I summoned two greater spirits for him; that is, the greater wind spirit Sylphide and the greater water spirit Undine.
With this, Raziel-san decided to experiment a little.
It's her hobby, so I let her do what she wanted. I would normally reject the idea wholeheartedly, but it could be a new discovery, so I let her do as she pleased.
And it was, in fact, a new discovery!
Using the unique skill 『Ultimate Authority』, she synthesized the two spirits, granting Yuriko the water-wind spirit lord.
Out of joy from the new discovery, I decided to name the new spirit lord Sydine; just a combination of the two names.
With that, an evolution was sparked. He became an enlightened individual.
As of now, both of them are in sync, granting Yuriko extra support and magic stability.
Whenever he goes into sync mode with his spirit lord, he becomes a spiritual life-form temporarily, granting him extraordinary power.
He would still be unable to take down an arch-demon individually, but with Sydine's help, he would rival a demon peer.
Another thing I found weird is that he didn't have a single skill. Yes, unique skills inclusive.
Well, now that I think of it, it does make sense.
He isn't an otherworlder, and his magical quantity is quite low.
I had a little plan for that, along with something I've always wanted to test out.
But with his low energy capacity, he would die by gaining a unique skill.
So, instead of aiming for a skill, I would train him in combat to elevate his physical prowess.
I had to whip him up to what he is now.
It is because of the lack of skills that he couldn't handle an arch-demon, so I had to get him a spirit, which elevated his prowess immensely.
Raziel-san was in the process of making some new skills for him, something I never asked for.
It was beneficial, though I wished she would inform me earlier.
Not that I couldn't stop her, but what's the point of doing so?
She would listen to me, but I wouldn't want to be a tyrannical lord whose words are absolute.
I enjoy her company, and I wouldn't want to miss that, so I just let her do whatever she wants.
Am I spoiling her too much?
That would be a question for another day.
As of now, he possesses the following extra skills.
『Thought Acceleration』(×1,000), 『Magic Perception』, 『Chant Annulment』, 『Multilayer Barrier』, and 『Spatial Manipulation』.
He already has a decent enough skill set to get him through life.
Our training came to its climax, and we settled down to rest for a while. Though it wasn't really needed.
Sariel: 「Man, you've got guts; I'll give you that.」
Yuriko: 「Hmph! You should expect nothing less from me. I am capable, after all.」
Sariel: 「You didn't let me finish. You've got the guts of a puppy.」
Yuriko: 「....」
He looked at me exasperatedly. We always jabbed at each other playfully. That was how our conversations always went.
I liked it that way.
I had come to like him as much as the others. Despite his cold facade, he had a cute, innocent nature to him.
He was also very kind in his own cold way.
I like the way he is, and that won't change easily.
We already had a powerful bond, as well as a soul corridor.
That served me well in his case.
It granted me access to his soul, and with my transcendental soul mastery level, I could always perform operations without any high chance of failure.
It also helped in times like this–
「———Notice. Operation successful. It is now possible to grant him special abilities. Should it be done? [YES]/[NO].」
It wasn't even a question. That's a statement!
「Whatever do you mean, master?」
This sounds more like a question than your previous one...
Screw that thought. Let's get this done with.
Saying that, I confronted Yuriko.
Sariel: 「For the great display of effort and determination, I have decided to award you with a skill!」
Yuriko: 「Hate to break it to you, sir, but I already have skills. What else do you mean?」
Sariel: 「Of course, I'm not that dense, but this isn't your regular skill. It's a unique one!」
Yuriko: 「Eh? Do you mean like the one those otherworlders of yours have?」
I simply nodded to his question.
Seeing my cool reply, he smiled and spoke with a grateful tone.
Yuriko: 「I would appreciate that. Please do.」
Alright. You heard him. Do it, Raziel-san.
With the unneeded permission given, a huge operation began.
Using the soul corridor, the skill formed as a result of the interference of Raziel was sent to Yoriko.
The skill in particular was 『Thermal Deceleration』.
It is a very versatile skill, in my opinion.
But that is not the main course. The pseudo dragon core is my aim.
I want to see that it works to perfection. He is the first person to result this out on, so why hesitate?
With that, a dangerous process commenced.
The pseudo dragon factor was sent over to him through the souls corridor, and a powerful wave of energy escaped my body to his.
Transferring the immense energy over to him, he felt an intense pressure on his soul.
It was so overwhelming that it felt like his soul would actually collapse.
The pain was manageable, but the pressure was just too great.
As that occurred, Raziel-san took over.
My bright golden eyes changed to an eery bloody red color, showcasing the whole change.
She expertly handled the overwhelming energy, synthesizing the pseudo-dragon factor with his heart core.
The final step was to assimilate the essence of the magicore with his soul energy.
That would make him capable of using the special laws of the magicore without any problem.
It seemed difficult to a certain degree, but surprisingly, it was done without me breaking a sweat.
That was the final step. It was all handled perfectly by Raziel-san, and the operation was successful.
All she needed to do now was to synthesize the extra skills.
And she did just that. Synthesizing the many extra skills, a unique skill was formed.
It was the unique skill『Frost Savant』.
With my eyes returning to its vibrant color, I sighed deeply.
Sariel: 「Man, that was intense.」
Toying with souls is never a good thing—no, rather, it has never been a good thing.
The slightest mistake could lead to existence annihalation, marking the end of one's life.
These were the types of games Raziel-san liked to indulge herself in, a game which I totally disapprove of.
With everything done, I turned to look at Yuriko, who seemed to be in a world of his own.
Sariel: 「Well, how do you feel?」
Yuriko: 「W-What's woth the intense energy? It's so dense. I've never seen energy as much as this before.」
Sariel: 「Yes. After years of collecting my dense energy, I created this. It's really good, so don't lose it.」
Well, that's all I can say to him. I would also need to teach him how to use it on a later date.
After gaining a unique skill, a new subskill was formed.
The subskill was called 『Absolute Cessation』.
A surprising discovery was that the magicore absorbed this unique skill, making the pseudo-dragon factor its personal store house.
With this, a lot of new deductions were made, with one being the fact that a person could wield more skills depending on their magicores.
If the skill had an affinity with the magicore, it would absorb it.
And if it didn't, it would not accept the skill, making the target capable of gaining and using more skills than they could handle initially.
There were many more deductions to state, but that's Raziel-san's job to handle.
With that, my aim was accomplished.
◇◇◇
Over the many years that passed, new demon lords have risen, with the affluent ones being Guy, Milim, Ramires, Dagruel, Dino, and Luminous.
It was surprising to see both Dagruel and Dino in the demon lord seat, most specifically Dino.
I wondered as to why he did so, but it was his life, so I would not pry for more out of him.
Another one I thought of was that Valentine lady.
Honestly, her family is one chaotic bunch.
Her dad is an asshole who doesn't know when to give up.
He is always way too curious, and his ideals are stupid as hell.
Heck, it wouldn't shock me if he later decided to kill Veldanava and become the new God of the world.
And, his experiments were getting out of hand.
He started doing things Veldanava never requested him to do.
He had a dangerous greed for knowledge, and only God knows what would've happened if he ever got a skill like Raziel.
I don't know why, but a certain incident occurred, marking the corruption in Twilight's personality.
He became twisted, and his curiosity was replaced with an insatiable greed for knowledge.
He began to conduct various inhumane experiments in pursuit of perfection.
If he was kept alive to this day, he would have deteriorated even more.
I totally understand her for killing Twilight, and I would've done so myself.
But honestly, I'm beginning to have second thoughts on the matter.
I mean, this is THE "Twilight" we are talking about.
He wouldn't be killed so easily. It's either he was being careless or that his daughter is just that strong.
Well, either way, I'm just glad he's gone for a while.
Ignoring that matter, there has been an uprising rumor of a certain new hero in town.
This is interesting news, in my opinion.
This new hero has been eliminating the lesser demon lords that have been rising to power.
Not like anyone cared about them, but doing such a thing could grab the attention of the higher ups.
So doing such a thing would either make this new hero brave and strong or just plain stupid and insightful.
But that's not my problem. I have mine to deal with, and they have theirs.
No use thinking of them when they barely recognize me.
「That would be a big understatement.」
Eh? What do you mean by that?
「Most of the demon lords that have no intel on you, that being your location or your actual strength, all fear you for your feats.」
Wow, really? I didn't think so.
I mean, I've been inactive for years and haven't really done anything to inspire this generation.
Heck, I haven't even been in the public eye, and my features are probably forgotten.
I could currently go out without anyone knowing I'm a primordial with the exception of those millenia old individuals.
Well, let's forget all this. Because of my stupidity and forgetfulness, Alya died.
Yes, the big news. It was news that spread all over the world, marking a significant change.
Well, that is because of my action.
She was still an enlightened individual, and she bore a lifespan.
My stupid mind didn't remember that, and she died a natural death.
But that is not my problem, right?
The foreign kingdoms attempted to seize control over the vast land of Silverion, so I made a decision.
I resurrected her. This was a crazy move that sparked flames on the world.
I mean, casually reviving one of the world's greatest rulers? What the hell?
But that is what I like, entertainment. It was a pretty lively time; watching their reaction and seeing some fools go on a rebellion. Ahh, life.....
Reviving her was not the only thing I did, I also made her evolve into a saint, and with that, the lifespan issue was solved.
The chaos at the time was so fun to watch, and before I knew it, I had gotten used to it.
It was a truly memorable event...
As time passed, many events unfolded, with some being beyond my eye's view.
It was a quiet and peaceful time, in my opinion. It's not as chaotic as the previous era.
Currently, I'm on my way to handle a certain notorious monster.
This monster is an annoyingly cunning bastard that acts like the foxes in fairytales.
It would attack a human city and escape as soon as it detected a powerful being.
It's also pretty strong. It would give Yuriko a pretty good fight.
I would normally send one of my subordinates to handle such a trivial matter, but something told me to go myself.
A gut feeling? Definitely.
It almost felt natural, as if fate had more in store for me.
Wait!! I hope this isn't another shit randomly being thrown at me??
Ahh, I've jinxed it. Well, it's too late. I continued to head in the direction of the monster.
——And after a few seconds, I was there.
But what I was.... how do I put this.
A masked young lady wielding a special rapier along with a divine armament colored white and black.
She was fighting the monster I had come to deal with, and honestly, she was doing a pretty good job at it.
When dealing with this type of problem, a lot of effort is used.
It's not only about defeating the enemy, but also about keeping the victim or hostage safe, whilst simultaneously reducing the damage done to the atmosphere.
Depending on the case, you might also have to ensure that the assailer is captured safely.
Doing all this in one go is definitely not an easy thing, so seeing such a thing was actually rare.
Fortunately, it was a monster she had to deal with, so killing it would not cause any problem.
Seeing as someone had already come to the rescue, I decided to watch from the shadows.
From my perspective, the lady is quite strong. There's this mysterious air about her, but such a thing isn't particularly surprising to me.
I've dealt with things far more weird before.
Kalisha: 「Uhh, master. This young woman here has a good enough affinity with the time element.」
Ehh? Now that's new. I've never been told such a thing since I came to this world.
Now, this is an interesting encounter. A person with a good affinity for time...
Alright, lad, you've got my interest. Show me what you can do.
The monster was basically an elemental dragon of earth if I were to term it.
It had tough scales that were covered with rocks like a plate of armor.
That would definitely increase its defensive and offensive power, but its agility was hindered, and their energy reserve was depleted quite quickly.
The strategy she used was simple but effective. A hit-run strategy.
She would land potent strikes on the leg and belly of the dragon, dealing heavy damage to the dragon's abdomen whilst aiming to unbalance the dragon by striking its leg.
As the battle continued, the dragon saw that prolonging the fight would only lead to its doom.
So it made a smart move. It flew up high with its wings, gaining the sky advantage.
This was a point where any attack could work with low chances of failure.
Manipulating the natural energy, it created several spikes of rocks from the earth, sending most of them to the lady.
The sharpness of the rock was accounted for, and its speed when closing in on the target was quite comparable to sound speed.
But even in the face of such an attack, she stood calmly. For a moment, I thought of intervening, but what happened next made me realize something.
This girl was powerful. The attack seemingly vanished upon contact with her—no, rather, it made contact with a foreign force that seemed to negate the attack's effects.
The dragon even felt that. Looking at its dumbstruck expression, I could only feel the humorousness of the situation.
Seeing that it stood no chance against the lady, it began to flee. But not under my watch.
It had caused me a few troubles, and I had a little grudge on it.
Petty of me—yes, but it's nothing big. I just couldn't allow my prey to be stolen so easily without my consent.
So I acted.
Sariel: 「"Devour it all," 『Gluttony』!!」
Saying that, a dangerous-looking dark violet vortex erupted out of my hand, eating the earth dragon whole.
It was so anticlimactic that I even wanted to just run away.
——But...
「Show yourself, now.」
A deep, commanding voice came out of the lips of the young lady.
The whole process was done in secrecy, so I was still hidden.
Seeing as I was caught, there was no choice but to really show myself.
I got out of my cover, revealing my signature smile to reassure her if that was even possible.
Sariel: 「Haha. You got me.」
As soon as I spoke, her composure broke a little. It almost seemed as if she was scared.
She was visibly trembling as if I had unleashed my vicious Demon Lord's Haki...
Wait! Quick reality check. Is there anything wrong with me?
Like, am I releasing my aura, or is my fly wide open!?
「Answer. Nothing of the sort.」
Phew! That's good. Can't embarrass myself in front of a pretty lady.
「....」
Kalisha: 「....」
Seeing as everything was intact, I spoke up.
Sariel: 「Wow. Is everything alright? Calm down, would you? I'm not that scary, am I?」
As I finished speaking, she visibly stopped shaking.
What the heck is going on?
I was confused at the sudden change. Then something that would confuse me the more occurred...
「S-Sariel-nii? Is that you? Is it the... real you?」
Sariel-nii? The real you? What in the bullcrap!?! Who is this strange geezer!?!
Wait. I get it! She's mad! I'm a genius! Hahaha!! Brain rot? Yes!
She's definitely having some oil in the brain or something of the sort, right?
「Incorrect.」
Yeah, I thought so, too....
Sariel: 「Uuuh, yeah? It's me. And I'd like to think it's the real me.」
As I said that, she dropped her sword and began to slowly make her way towards me.
Alright, hold up! I am completely lost. What is going on? And why is she getting close!?!
My demon senses be tingling real loud!!
「Notice. No ill intent detected.」
Huh? Since when did I put you in charge of that?
Remember what happened the last time I nearly followed your advice?
Kalisha 「I don't think you need to worry.」
Fine! Besides, I can always come back to life even after I die.
Kalisha: 「*Sigh*」
As she got closer, she removed her mask, allowing me to have a good look at what she looked like.
She is quite the beauty to behold, if I may say.
Her black hair, along with her dark eyes, accentuated her beautiful face.
As I kept on thinking of such nonsensical matters, I didn't realize when I was tackled to the ground.
She was... hugging me? Does she even know who I am?
Why did she call me "-nii"? Heck, even Milim doesn't call me that, and she is the closest sister figure to me.
How did she even know me, and what does she mean by "the real me" and all that shit?
Somebody say something!!
Kalisha: 「Even I am at a loss.」
Sariel: 「Uum, miss. Let's introduce ourselves properly. I think we can clear up some misunderstandings that way. My name is Sariel. And you?」
She was sobbing lightly, as if she had experienced something truly heartbreaking.
I slightly patted her head, something that occurred without me even knowing. It just felt... natural to me. Don't ask me why.
As I spoke up, she looked at me with her teary eyes before replying.
「A-Ah, right. Sorry, hehehe. I'm Chloe, Chloe Aubert.」
She said with a foreign enthusiasm. Where did she get all the energy from!?!
She was crying a moment ago, and now... you know what, it would do me good to stop thinking of such things.
Sariel: 「Alright, Chloe-san. Since that's done, can you give me some personal space to clear my mind up about stuff?」
Chloe: 「Oops. Sorry about that... again...」
She did just that, and I had enough time to think.
Firstly, she looked at me and began to tremble.
That might mean I made her scared in some way and that she knows me from somewhere; point one.
Point two, as I calmed her down, she called me "-nii," supporting my first point.
Point three, she asked if it was me, the real me, meaning the point at which she knew me, something must've happened to me which made act like a whole new person.
Another possibility in point three is that this new change in me might have been for the worse, making me a very scary individual.
This might be the reason why she began to tremble uncontrollably.
Point four, as soon as she saw that I wasn't anyone else but myself, she rushed in for a hug, hinting that I was somehow close or related to her or something.
... Alright... IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, DAMN IT!!!
Even after trying to use my brain for once in a century, I still can't find the answer to this mystery!!
Who is this woman!?! How did she manage to flip my brain like whack!!? Nobody has been able to do that to me since my birth!!
Urgh! And here I thought I was getting a tad bit smarter.
I guess even geniuses have their own share of problems.
But seriously, the only thing I can think of is one of those good old-time travel cases.
———And to be honest, my brain has had enough of today.
I'm already mentally depressed, I don't need to get involved in the whole time traveling shenanigans.
「Notice. Your deduction may be on point.」
Oh? I just thought of the possibility, but it might actually be a real phenomenon?
Hmph! It looks like my brain is still in its ideal peak. As expected. Hahaha!!
Sariel: 「Okay. So, with everything that has happened, I have a few questions for you. I won't force it, but I hope you can at least answer me.」
Chloe: 「No problem. But we will need to go somewhere safe and secure.」
Sariel: 「Alright, lead the way, Miss Chloe.」
As I spoke, she sulked a little.
I was curious as to why, so I decided to ask.
Sariel: 「What's up with the sudden drop in attitude? Did I say something weird?」
Chloe: 「Can you just call me Chloe? Hearing miss from your lips sounds weird.」
Sariel: 「Sorry, no-can-do. You may know me in some weird way, but I don't. I would seem like a geezer doing that, and I'm definitely not a geezer.」
Chloe: 「I don't mind!」
Sariel: 「Oh—I definitely mind.」
She sighed as I wasn't letting up. I understand her, but that's just the way it is.
If she's truly from the future, then she might be able to give me some insight on how things will play out.
For now, let's just keep things slow and steady.
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Word Count: 「4235」.