ROTLE- Chapter 175- Broken Man

What is his mission? Where is he going?

Telma let out a low growl of anger as she pieced together everything she knew from hunting the man she had come to know was called Aiden Lacheart down. The man had left the battle field of Dentis and made his way to Trackback.

In Trackback, she had gathered information, along with the gatherer she had taken that he had claimed the [Crystal of Existence]. Now she had followed more information she had gathered to this forest, the home of Nosrath.

Was he here to claim the [Heart of Nosrath] too? Anyone with half a brain knew that those who did these things were working for monarchs or people of very significant power.

So who was he working for? The king of Bandiv?

She ran a tired hand through her hair, exasperated. She had been hunting and while he felt like he was just a reach away, he always felt out of reach.

If Oyedi knew that she was being this frustrated by a hunt, he would smack her over the head. Thinking of her king eased her a little. She remembered the situation surrounding her departure. He had been preparing to face the Immortal, the one being on Nastild that no one knew how to kill, and not for want of trying.

She placed her back against the tree behind her and stared into the night sky. She didn’t like the forest. There was something off about the mana and the monsters. So far, she had succeeded in keeping her and the gatherer safe.

Looking back at the gatherer, she found him sleeping. Seated, her back was rested against a tree. Even in his sleep, she was ever alert.

Telma liked this one. She had not let the sex get to her head. Despite it, she remembered the hierarchy, she answered to Telma. She kept it professional. She did not start expecting special treatments or some emotional attachments. It was just sex, designed to ease the body.

Telma liked that about her.

With an easy breath, Telma returned her gaze to the stars while paying attention to her surroundings. She wondered what she would do if this Aiden Lacheart did not have her bow, if perchance he had sold it or lost it.

I will kill him regardless.

A memory came to her. It made her hand move to her side where Aiden had stabbed her with his bare hand. He was a powerful enemy, that much was true. Aiden Lacheart was a worthy hunt.

She would revel in their battle. She would emerge victorious and return to make her king proud.

“So many thoughts for one so young,” a voice said next to her.

Telma leapt from where she was, spear appearing in her hand immediately. She froze at the sight in front of her.

A tall and large man was seated happily on the ground, legs crossed beneath him. He was a half-giant surrounded by chests of gold and silver and wood and tin. They were a backdrop to his presence, a show of great wealth.

She knew the man, recognized him immediately.

Letting go of her spear, she dropped to the ground in a bow. “Great one,” she greeted.

The half giant paused. He pointed at himself. “You know who I am?”

Telma nodded. There was none in the tribe of Mba-chukwu who did not know who the being before her was.

“You,” she answered reverently, “are the great god, protector of the heart, guide of the wanderers: Alobam.”

The half-giant, Alobam, paused. “Oh.”

There was a tone of realization in the single word, as if he was remembering something. His next words cemented it.

“I completely forgot that there are people who worship me.”

…

Master? Aiden thought. It shook him at the core even though he had suspected the possibility of it.

The creature had been known to answer only to the [Demon King] in his past life, now here it was, asking if he was ‘master.’

He would be lying if he said that the change in his arm and his recent accumulation of dimensional mana did not leave him worrying about the fate of who the [Demon King] would ultimately be in this ttimeline.

Still, the possibility reached into his soul and squeezed.

Bone white was a sharp contrast to red even in the darkness of the night. The grip was strong, determined.

Aiden tried to subtly pull his red arm away and failed. Around him and the creature, everyone stood frozen in place. Yerit shook terribly, frozen in place mid-run.

“Lord Lacheart,” Estabel whispered, reminding Aiden that the spell was still channeling from her staff.

The creature raised Aiden’s arm, and he knew that fighting against the action would bear no fruits. There were just certain levels of strength that you knew you could not win against.

The [Life Eater] didn’t seem to care about the others. It raised his arm and looked at it with the eyes on the face. Aiden knew they were false, though. The [Life Eater] was masterful when it came to disguises. The reports were often outlandish.

Aiden tried to make out the rest of the creature’s body while it sniffed his arm. The creature was a naked man. However, where there had once been legs, separate and full, they both united into a single entity, blending into the ground in a camouflage of colors that he could not differentiate even with his perception stats.

<<Not master?>> it said, voice reminding Aiden of what suffering felt like.

“Lord Lacheart.”

Aiden ignored Estabel.

“Lord Lacheart.”

He ignored Clerent. His eyes moved gently over to Tanor and found the man eying the creature. This close, he could tell that it was not a man. Aiden did his best to signal Tanor not to strike. The [Life Eater] he knew about from the war could take all of them right now and win without breaking a sweat. During the war it was an enemy that was faced by those above level two hundred and fifty.

“To me!” Estabel called out.

Aiden pressed his lips into a thin line, knowing that he would not be going anywhere as the staff hummed a loud sound and the environment warped.

As if sensing or knowing what was about to happen, the [Life Eater] reached into what looked like the navel of the man with a human hand while still holding on to Aiden’s arm with a skeletal hand and pulled out a crystal.

The mana in the air pulled immediately, focusing on the crystal in its hand. Aiden felt everything blow past him like rushing wind, until there was nothing left and the crystal shone a sharp deep blue.

Behind him, Aiden heard Estabel groan in pain before falling to her knees. He felt a bead of sweat run down his neck.

“Kill the creature!” Clerent barked. “It is an abomination.”

Despite what he knew about the creatures from the Demon wars, there was a chance that it wasn’t powerful. The gargoyles had been more powerful during the war than the ones he’d faced in the cave in the Naranoff territory.

Maybe we can take it.

There was always a possibility. There was a…

Clerent moved, so did Tanor. Arms shot out of the ground. The first slapped Clerent aside like a ragdoll. The other pinned Tanor to the ground.

“No!” Aiden blurted out immediately.

For the first time the [Life Eater] looked away from his arm—at least the face did—as its eyes settled on Aiden.

<<No?>> it asked, voice suffering.

Aiden paused, worried. “Please?”

Eyes squinted at him. <<Not yet master?>>

Aiden wasn’t sure what the right answer was. He didn’t know what would save him. Had Ted been in this situation in his past life? Had he had to prove himself to the creature? And last but not the least—Aiden’s eyes moved around—was the second one here?

Do only two exist?

<<Not yet… Master?>>

Aiden swallowed. Whatever the end result of this confrontation, he would have a lot of explaining to do with the others present.

Affecting as much confidence into his posture as he could, he said, “Not yet.”

The eyes darted inside the face’s eye sockets, then the creature was gone as if it had never been there.

Alone, Aiden let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. The air washed out of him and his shoulders drooped from the sudden lightness now that the tension was gone. It was all that he could do to not drop to his knees.

“What the hell was that?” Tanor gasped now that he was free.

His words snapped Aiden to reality. Without answering Tanor, he turned to Estabel, finding her pale on the floor. Yerit had her cradled trying to feed her a potion from a vial. The [Mage] trembled like a shivering child in the [Enchanter]’s arms.

“Ow!”

What now? Aiden thought, turning to Tanor. He found the man squatted where the [Life Eater] had been standing. He had a finger in his mouth.

“That was painful as shit,” Tanor complained, pulling out his finger to look at it.

Aiden’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What was…”

His words trailed off as he figured out what Tanor was talking about. Right there, at Tanor’s feet, was a dimensional crystal. It was the exact crystal the [Life Eater] had produced. He walked towards it, Yerit’s worried breath a backdrop to his approach.

When he got there, he squatted down to get a better look at the crystal. It was larger than the one inside his storage space. Darker, too.

He reached for it and paused. Thinking better of it, he switched hands to his still red arm. When he picked it up, there was nothing out of place.

Bringing it closer to his face, he studied it. Its edges were rough. It glowed slightly. It also had some weight to it.

His interface popped up.

[You have acquired a dimensional mana crystal?]

[Would you like to absorb dimensional mana crystal?]

[Y/N]

No, he thought. It would be stupid to absorb it in front of those around him. Also, it would be stupid to absorb it without knowing what would happen. He never got a notification to absorb the one currently in his storage space, after all.

Too many changes, he thought, worried.

A creature that had only answered to the [Demon King] in his past life was wondering if he was its master.

Too many events were pointing towards one direction. Now, there was no avoiding it anymore. The question had to be asked.

What do I do if I become the [Demon King]?

Aiden didn’t have the answer to that question. He had never faulted Ted for becoming the [Demon King] for a few reasons. One of those reasons was that he didn’t know if it had been an active decision or if things had happened beyond his brother’s control. His only anger towards his brother had been for leaving him behind.

With a shrug of will, the crystal disappeared, vanishing into his storage space.

“That’s a very tough expression you’ve got on you,” Tanor said very carefully. “I don’t think things are that serious.”

Yerit was still crying behind them.

“Tanor,” Aiden said simply, needing some time to think, “Go and check on the [Mage]. Make sure she’s alright.”

The moment the words were done leaving his mouth, Aiden paused.

Shit.

He tried his best to not let the fact that he had screwed up show on his face. Beside him, however, Tanor had gone as stiff as a board. Aiden pretended as if nothing out of place had happened. He took a pinch of the soil in front of him and rubbed it between thumb and forefinger. With a frown, he looked ahead.

“What are you?” he muttered loud enough for Tanor to hear his words but quiet enough to seem as if he was talking to himself. “Where did you come from?”

Tanor was still as stiff as a board. Then he spoke, his voice hard.

“Did my father send you?”

Aiden heard the sudden determination to fight in the man’s voice. The need to survive. He had hoped that Tanor would leave the slip up alone. He wasn’t supposed to know the man’s name if he did not use [Detect] on him.

With a deep sigh, Aiden turned his head and looked at him.

“We don’t have time for this, and I don’t know your father.” He met Tanor’s gaze, held it. “Check on the [Mage], Alphonset. She is necessary if we all wish to survive this place.”

Tanor’s jaw was hard, it twitched as he tried to make a decision. “People have traversed this forest before, and they’ve done it without a [Mage].”

“This is not the forest they know.” Aiden looked off in the direction the [Life Eater] had sent Clerent flying. “The forest is far more dangerous now.”

Tanor hesitated. “We are not done here,” he said, in the end, then got up.

As he approached Estabel and Yerit, Aiden was faced with a new problem. Something glowed a bright golden where Clerent had been sent flying.

“Aiden Lacheart!” the voice was loud, powerful.

Aiden swallowed, rising to his feet.

Turning his attention towards the glow, he summoned a sword from his storage space and prepared himself for what would come.

[Saint] Clerent stepped out from behind one of the trees, walking with righteous purpose. His white hair was bright now. He was covered in light, his robe revealed different minute enchantments stitched into it. each enchantment glowed a soft yellow.

Clerent’s eyes were a bright white.

“Book of the dark, chapter eight verse twelve,” he said, walking forward like a man with an army behind him. “The darkness answered to it. It was with creatures aplenty, unknown before our time. Before the holy light it was unknown, but the darkness answered to it…”

Aiden pressed his lips into a thin line, finishing the verse for him. “…And it called him king.”

Clerent hesitated, but only for a fraction of a second. It seemed he had not expected Aiden to know the scripture. But Aiden did. Why? Because if it was public knowledge and had anything to do with the [Demon King], he knew it.

“We feared that the [Demon King] would be born of the summoned heroes,” Clerent said, pieces of paper, all enchanted, floating about him. “It is a sad day when the fears of the church come to fruition.”

Aiden looked down at his reddened arm. There would be no [Enchanted Weave] for him. He licked his bottom lip, wetting it, then worried it between his teeth.

“Stand down, Clerent,” he warned.

Clerent shone brighter. “Stand down?”

“There are monsters all over the place,” Aiden explained. “Innocents will be put at risk.”

“A worthy sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice, yes,” Aiden agreed. “Worthy? No. Leave it. You have it wrong.”

Clerent shook his head, his approach slowing but not dying. “I have seen it all. I have watched with clear and righteous eyes. I have watched with righteousness and logic—without bias. I am certain.”

Aiden shook his head in disappointment. “You are certain, but you are wrong.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Aiden saw Yerit backing away. Tanor had Estabel carried like a princes and was looking between him and the [Saint].

“Alphonset,” Aiden said, “stay away.”

It was for the man’s safety and his. If Tanor decided to step in, Aiden was not confident that it would be for peace or that it would be in his support. After all, Clerent was about to accuse him of being the [Demon King]. He could see it in the man’s eyes—in the man’s righteousness.

Clerent came to a stop at a healthy distance, surrounded by the darkness the light of his glow was trying to chase away.

“Aiden Lacheart,” he said.

“Don’t do it,” Aiden returned. “You don’t have to.”

His interface popped up.

[Title Defier is in effect]

[Defier]

[Effect: +8% damage increase to all Multiverse Agents.]

[Effect: Increase resistance to time and space magic.]

…

[Title Giant Slayer is in effect]

[Giant Slayer]

[Effect: +10% increase in damage when facing opponents 10 or more levels higher than you.]

[Effect: 10% damage resistance when facing opponents 10 or less levels higher than you.]

Shit.

If the notification was popping up, that meant that [Saint] Clerent had made up his mind to be hostile.

Aiden frowned. Now that his mind was clear and not muddled by rage and impatience, he understood that this was going to be a problem. Especially with the presence of witnesses.

“Summoned of Bandiv…” Clerent continued, glowing brighter.

“Please,” Aiden begged, unsheathing his sword, “don’t do it.”

“By the power vested in me by the gods,” Clerent said, a finality in his tone, “I name you [Demon King].”

Then he assumed a fighting stance, bright golden sword of light suddenly in hand.

Something trembled in the air at his words, shook the very fabric of mana. Aiden felt it in his heart. His reddened arm trembled with excitement. Aiden looked down at it.

What the hell?

His interface popped up.

[You have been acknowledged by a Multiverse Agent as the Demon King]

[You have been declared Demon King, seen and named.]

Achievement Unlocked!

By your existence you have proven yourself worthy of being questioned, a threat spanning worlds. An agent of the multiverse has seen you and declared you Demon King. You are a threat to Nastild, a herald to an era.

You have earned a new title!

[Contender to the Throne]

[Effect: +20% damage increase to all Multiverse Agents.]

[Effect: Increase resistance to time and space magic.]

[Effect: 20% damage resistance when facing a Multiverse Agent.]

…

[You have achieved one of the criteria to gain the Existential Title ????]

…

[You have gained a Dimensional Title]

[Remaining criteria: Unknown]

Fuck.

“Prepare yourself,” Clerentt said, finally taking a combat stance.

Aiden heard, was prepared, but there were more things running through his mind. Existential title here was quite obvious, regardless of the question marks. Was this it? Was this how the [Demon King] title was gained?

Did a [Saint] look at Ted and decide that he was the [Demon King]?

The very thought and possibility birthed rage within him. A snarl stained his lips well enough to make Clerent pause as Aiden lowered himself into a combat stance.

Did everything begin because some self-righteous bastard decide by the power vested in them that Ted was the [Demon King]?

All of it—the stress and the chaos—because some fool thought he was too good and Ted was too bad.

Was it all the church’s fault?

Aiden stopped his thoughts, took in a deep breath.

“It doesn’t matter.” It was all he had left in him. The words came out slow and calm. “It really doesn’t matter.”

The countless pieces of glowing paper around Clerent shot straight at him. Aiden could not bring himself to care. Then Clerent moved.

Anger remained boiling inside him, yet there was a calmness to the anger, a finality. Aiden let his sword fall from his hand. There was no need for it.

A member of the Order was deadliest without a weapon.

Aiden had killed knights and swordsmen, heirs and heiresses, kings and queens. He had killed priests. What was one more title holder.

First Order unarmed technique. Fourth Flow—

Aiden moved.

—Broken man.

Today, Aiden Lacheart was going to kill a [Saint].