In a rowdy tavern, there stood a bard happily singing and chugging ale from time to time. He wore a green and violent costume and looked out of place, nonetheless, everyone in this place appreciated his famous poems and engaging melodious voice.

"Sing with me, my dear invitee!

The story of a conflicted man,

Never honest, and always bland

Protecting love, never grand

Uncaring of the moving sand

Not bothering with the unseen hand."

A long while later, the bard left the tavern, humming and caressing his precious lute. The poet walked for a dozen meters before his path was blocked by someone wearing a jet black armor, a pale-faced youth, to be more precise.

"Ah! If it isn't grumpy boy!"

The bard, Aneirin, flashed a smile at Leiu and loudly greeted him, not behaving respectfully or showing fear. Unlike the rest, he and the Nameless Knight were old acquaintances, furthermore, he was a troubadour, harmless, only seeking the thrilling mysteries. Back in the past, he traveled with Leiu to forgotten lands and sealed tombs, looting priceless treasures and discovering shocking revelations.

"Do you have some time?"

Leiu, his face still expressionless, talked to the energetic Aneirin.

"I always have time for you. Come, let me buy you a drink."

The bard dragged Leiu to a relatively quiet restaurant and ordered some food and win. Once the table was filled with plates, the bard started devouring everything while gazing at the motionless and silent youth.

"So, what brings you to this far away land?"

"I want you to tell me a few things."

"What things? As far as I'm aware, you know everything I know."

Seeing the bard's honest expression, Leiu chuckled and retorted: "Not quite."

A frown appeared on Aneirin's face as he stopped munching the food, wiped his oily mouth then said:

"If you want to know about normal things then I can talk all day but you very well know that I've made a few oaths about certain matters and divulging anything about them will break my voice. Literally."

"Don't worry, it isn't about them."

After Leiu's confirmation, the bard breathed a sigh of relief, drank some wine then focused back on the armored youth sitting opposite of him.

"I want you to recount your experiences with him."

"Him? Who's him?"

"Zodiak."

Aneirin's brow creased as he heard that name. He tilted his head, pondered for a few moments before asking:

"I thought you were on bad terms with him. Why are you suddenly so curious?"

The Nameless Knight shrugged and answered: "Maybe I was wrong about him… who knows."

Before talking, the troubadour spent a while collecting his thoughts and weighing what to say and not to say.

"I think all that needs to be said was mentioned in my book. If you're not that much of a reader than I'll tell you the shorter version.

The man was eccentric and very amnesic. He would sometimes talk gibberish, say random names and would disappear for a few days before coming back all bloodied. I clearly remember that every time he sleeps, he would have a nightmare, yelling loudly and vanishing yet again. Oh yes! He seemed to bear a grudge against all humans in general… it's kind of ironic since he was also a human. There was also the notebook, he would always write his experiences there. I once asked him why he's doing that and he said that someone told him to do so, as to not forget who he was."

"Did he ever speak of his origins? His home?" While tapping on the table, Leiu asked.

"No, he avoided such topics. There was also something else… he seemed to be desperately looking for someone."

"Who?"

"No idea. I only know it's a blue-haired girl."

…

"Parasites, my dear guest, are a race that can only survive with evolution. Not only do they require a host but it's also necessary to evolve in order to adapt to the ever-changing environment. In your case, you absorb your targets' powers but that doesn't make you them. You can also impersonate them to a certain degree, especially if they're powerful individuals. Sure, your race makes you immune to death by physical damage, however, there are some cases where physical damage is also categorized as soul-based, eradicating both the body and its consciousness. Plus, for you to get stronger, you would require fresh victims, something this place lacks so we'll try a different, unorthodox approach."

Lucy was trying out her new devil arm and testing it with Lonely Moon, the silver revolver. As for Arthur, he was dragged to the side by Timos, who spoke of a new kind of training, a tactic that is guaranteed to enhance his powers.

"First of all, you need to know that your Dark Magic is categorized as a mental-attack, mainly prioritizing the target's emotions. Sure, it can inflict physical damage but it's real purpose lies in disturbing the enemies' mind, rendering them unable to think properly. In what we're about to do, you're only allowed to use your main attributes and nothing else."

Arthur remained silent, listening to the Black Devil, who repeatedly warned him.

The parasite was led to wide cave illuminated by numerous torches, the air was cold and the ground unsteady.

"What you need to do is simple; don't get killed."

Just as Timos said that, a violent gust of wind struck Arthur, sending crashing into a wall behind him. Before he could get up, another gale dragged him from the rubble and throw him to the other side.

When he was about to hit for the third time, a wall made from blackened earth sprung from below, barely stopping the invisible wind.

Sadly, it lasted for a brief moment before it was turned into dust, however, Arthur managed to manipulate the earth and create two large hands that blocked the whistling whirlwinds.

Earth beats Wind so Arthur focused on the former attribute. Unfortunately, he barely lasted for a minute before he was sent flying like a kite, his body bloodied. Even if he were to receive a fatal physical attack, he won't die so Arthur wasn't worried… until a strange gust of wind entered his body and perturbed his consciousness, causing him to feel an agonizing pain which made him crawl on the ground while holding his chest.

"The best and most basic way to strengthen yourself is through a never-ending battle. Since you're immune to anything physical, your soul and consciousness need to be hurt so they can suck energy to replenish themselves and heal the wounds. It's a forceful method but very effective."

Since he shouldn't use Life Energy, he could not heal his wounded soul which made his movements slower and sluggish. Hours passed and Arthur was treated like a toy, being flung from one side to another.

His clothes became scarlet red and his body filled with horrifying scars.

..

Outside, Lucy was calmly standing next to the lake, her right arm now covered with scales as it held the gun. Besides singing cicadas, everything else was awfully quiet.

Her eyes, which were closed for a long time, abruptly opened, her left one emitting a blue brilliance. Almost instantly, a blue dome surrounded her, dangerously slowing the flow of time.

Although her movements were slightly affected, she still was able to swiftly raise her hand and fire multiple shots all around her. The bullets that left the gun seemed frozen mid-air as they were trapped inside the blue dome.

Once her eye's ability wore off, the bullets, which were frozen, flew at several thin tentacles that sprung from the ground. As they were fired when time was slowed, the might of the bullets was ten times stronger, shredding the disgusting tentacles, turning them into bloody mists.

Just when she thought she was done, another tentacle attacked her from below, hitting her abdomen and flinging her high-up in the air. Thankfully, she managed to stabilize her body and step on the nine lotuses floating around her.

"Your reaction time is slow and you abandoned everything to defend the attacked spot. Girl, you can fool everyone but me."