The tension in the room became almost suffocating as father and daughter were fast approaching a chasm where they could possibly no longer reconcile peacefully. Masumi knew this and tried to somehow reason with them though what a normally quiet spoken and shy girl could say was almost impossible to defuse the situation.

“…n-neesan! Don’t do this!”, Masumi practically begged her sister.

“Masumi, this is for our freedom. We cannot let him control our lives any longer!”

“BUT he is our father!”

“…He doesn’t love us, only that we become loyal swords of the Clan”

“…Do you realise what you are doing… Mayumi”, her father demanded gravely, “You are about to rebel against everything the samurai stood for. I will not hold back even if you are my daughter”

“Neesan! Please put the katana down!”, Masumi said hurriedly as her father also went to the wall and unsheathed a sword.

"Stay out of our way, Masumi. It seems I have not been thorough in instilling proper discipline to my daughters"

"… It is not discipline we wanted… why can't you love us for who we are?!", Mayumi demanded as she assumed the 4th form of her family's sword art, Lure the Viper; Be the Viper.

The sheath of her katana was held horizontally in her left hand, forward of her body while her other hand angled the sword behind her body, out of sight from her Father's eye.

The wooden floor board creaked ever so slightly as her father just took the basic chudan no kamaestance, the point aimed directly for Mayumi's throat as he coldly said, "Enough. Words are meaningless in a duel"

Those words stabbed into Mayumi's heart as she yelled in rage, launching herself forward towards her supposed father. All he did was calmly stood still, only using his sword to brush aside her flurry of attacks as Masumi looked on horrified.

"PLEASE STOP!", Masumi screamed however neither of them were paying any attention to her. She thought to go grab her grandfather however he was currently on his way to another dojo to perform a lecture. Quickly grabbing her phone out, she tried to call him however each time it just rang out without an answer.

Mayumi struck out with the sheath towards her father's knee however he just took the blow with the back of his sword, and for the first time moved from his position as Mayumi spun into a circle forward, using the force from his block to propel her and sword in a blistering arc as though to bisect her father through his waist.

With small steps, he back pedalled rapidly, only to still have his gi sliced cleanly in a horizontal line, by the tip of her sword. However he didn’t waver as he performed a single handed thrust with his sword, the point racing towards her face like a striking snake.

As the sword travelled towards Mayumi's face, her eyes focused at the fast approaching point, fear absence from her thoughts and movements before she finally tilted her head to the side, allowing the blade to slice cleanly across her cheek as she moved forward and swung the sheath in a backhand blow.

They were now too close together so that he couldn’t avoid the blow that smashed across his ribs and he could feel several of them snapping, but despite the pain all he did was grunted as he brought his right knee up to strike his own daughter's chin.

As though caught in a trance, she swayed backwards as Mayumi performed the same single handed thrust with her sword, mirroring the same skill and precision her father did as the point raced towards his face. No, to be more accurate, Mayumi's strike was a step above even that of her father's.

An uncontrolled howl of pain echoed around the room, as a spurt of blood fell upon Mayumi's face, her cheeks twitching as the blood flowed down unto her lips. She was about to strike once again but upon seeing her father crouching down with a hand over his right eye, she froze as it dawned upon her on what she had done.

It was only now did the frantically panicking Masumi's phone call to her grandfather have gotten through but when she saw what had happened, the mobile fell from her almost lifeless hands.

"Masumi? Hello? Did you already miss your ojiisan already? What is it? Hello?", the words echoed out from the fallen phone. The circumstances were far too surreal for anyone to comprehend.

Her hands trembling as Mayumi finally realised the magnitude of what her instincts had made her do, the sword and sheath both fell from her hands.

"It…it isn’t my fault!", she screeched, "You!", Mayumi pointed accusingly towards her father, "YOU MADE ME THIS WAY!"

"Masumi!", her sister then pleaded, "Lets run away now! Ok?! Please!!"

And yet… Masumi took a step back, and it was evident there was a tinge of fear in her eyes.

"Masumi…"

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP!", Masumi screamed, "Why... why didn't you stop..."

Mayumi stilled and tears threaten to spill from her eyes as she gulped back what she wanted to say before turning to leave for the entrance.

She paused at the threshold of the doorway and without looking back Mayumi said, "I am leaving… goodbye otousan"

As Mayumi walked away, Masumi ran to her father and tore a strip of cloth from her hakama to stem the bleeding of where his eye once had been while in the background, the droning voice of her grandfather realised there was something strange happening and kept asking what was wrong.

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INTRO SONG: Trust Me

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Time slowed. The breeze that blew gently across the platform could no longer be felt as leaves stopped unnaturally in mid air. The Overlord with his massive broadsword was like a giant statue that was trapped in the motion of lunging. He didn’t matter. The audience whom were rising up to their feet filled with agitation and were adding their voices to form a volume of clamour were stilled with their excited gazes upon the trial below. They didn’t matter. All the tremors from Gerhard's mind, the aches and scars that always threaten to envelope what remained of his sanity became inconsequential at this moment. They didn’t matter.

Only the words of Masumi entered Gerhard's mind clearly, from that day she explained to him how his abilities and skills worked. Only that day mattered.

"Gerhard-sama, as you know this world we are in is not real. Although there are many semblances of physics, we as players are given skills and abilities that can sometimes overturn or even break those laws"

"Watch this Gerhard-sama", as she disappeared from his side to appear in the shadow of a tree a few metres away before walking back to him who was in state of astonishment. Few things surprises him anymore… unless of course Max brings home a girlfriend sometime in the future.

"That was a race specific skill of mine called Shadow Walk, which allows me to blink into any shadows within 30 metres of myself. The skills we gain as we travel this world are what we as players should utilise to the full and since we are both swordsmen", she smiled sadly as she said that last part, "then we should always search for ways to make these skills useful in combat".

For the first time in the last few years of his life, Gerhard's mind was crystal clear as he marvelled about the limits of the human body that can be unleashed just by a simple game. So that’s why Max never focused well on his studies and often played games.

"No Gerhard-sama, your grandson is just a dame hito. Please don’t compare him to the rest of productive society".

"Now looking at your stats and skills, if Gerhard-sama were ever in a duel you should combine them both and activate the skills in this order…"

Time began to churn once again albeit at a rate that looked like it was deliberately slowed down by a video editor. As though the situation was unrelated to him, Gerhard launched himself with the full power of his agility towards the Overlord.

"Gerhard-sama, first activate Tree Song. Although that 5% increase in defence is minimal, everything that can help us as warriors to close the distance and strike out at our enemies with the sword is critical"

The flow of the song surged through his body as he sidestepped the lunge of the broadsword, however the wind pressure from that sword was still sharp enough to slice through the armour across his chest and draw blood. He ignored the pain but Gerhard felt his body instantly healing though it was only for a moment before he willed the song to disappear.

In that second, he had already closed the distance until he was within sword striking distance of the Overlord. The giant growled as it tried to bring the broadsword back to defend itself, with the intention to crush Gerhard in its embrace however he gazed up at the Overlord and shouted, "STOP!", as he invoked Words of Iron.

"Words of Iron… although its activation chance is low, if it does succeed then you can stop any warrior in their tracks for a brief moment. For a swordsman of your calibre, it will prove fatal to your enemies"

The creature was dumbfounded as it realised its body was frozen, its limbs splayed out ridiculously in a moment of action whilst Gerhard leapt into the air with his sword held overhead in a double handed grip.

"Your Sword Song... every warrior would wish to have it Gerhard-sama. That 15% increase to attack speed and critical chance will make any opponents you face see only a flicker of your sword before realising they are already dead"

"Blitzkrieg", Gerhard intoned and Sword Song erupted like an aura of killing intent, the melodies and song symbols floating around him were in the colour of oozing blood, some drifting to infuse into his body as he felt heat rushing through his limbs with something that was akin to adrenaline.

"As for your True Warrior skill… it seems designed for the sole purpose of making sure that you can cut down your opponent with a heavenly strike. I guess it would be like one of those last moves a hero makes in movies?"

"Erschlagen!!!", Gerhard roared as the True Warrior skill activated on command, a dull white glow weakly emanating from his body as he swung down with all his might. The point of the sword landed on the Overlord's chest…before slicing all the way through, ignoring armour, flesh and bone before finally touching solid earth as Gerhard landed in a crouch in front of the bewildered creature.

"Gerhard-sama, although you have only enough mana in total for a second at most per skill… I believe in a duel you will be undefeated", she then blushingly whispered this to herself, "After all… an angel will never lose"

The Overlord chuckled as blood bubbled from its lips and flowed from the ghastly wound, its entrails threatening to spill out as he said, "That was magnificent!", as it fell to its knees, "To be cut down by such a blow, I THANK YOU! I rather the experience of dying by the hands of a Hero than hounded like a dog by a party of Elves", as the light from its eyes began to fade, "Ah… I wish we could continue…perhaps when I am… revived once again….."

"Yes… perhaps", Gerhard promised sadly.

As the Overlord's words trailed, in its dying whisper, "I see… my name is…", before its head slumped forward on its chest, with life all but extinguished.

You've leveled up!

You've leveled up!

You've leveled up!

You've leveled up!

You've leveled up!

You've leveled up!

Fame has risen by 200 points

Charisma has risen by 10 points (+10 CHR)

*Tring!

Quest Completed: Prove Yourself!

Your relations with the Elves have improved due to your outstanding display. The Elves were treated to a spectacle of unmatched martial prowess as well as your intelligence in traversing the trial. In their many years, none of their youths or warrior could compare to the ease in which you overcome the Rites of Initiation.

Difficulty Level: C

Quest Reward: You have successfully completed the Shadow Clan's Rite of initiation and therefore are now recognised as a member of the clan. Though you must answer when they require aid, they too must answer your call. Concurrently having proved your power with the activation of Tree Song, you are also recognised as Sainür and are allowed to come and go as you pleased within this forest. All Selvari will consider you as a divine instrument of the forest and all trade with the Elves will result in a 60% discount.

"…I am no hero", as Gerhard finally looked up at the stunned audience above him.

The fight only barely lasted 4-5 seconds so of course the Elves would be amazed. Every trial previously would take nearly an hour for a group of Elven youths to whittle away at the Overlord and yet Gerhard did it by himself! In what seemed to be only a brief moment in time like the difficulties of the trials meant nothing to him. While all the Elves were struggling to process this… Gerhard spoke tiredly however it was as though the words were like thunder that cracked the air.

"So… can we leave now?"

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Serabourg. Within the walls of the Royal castle a group of nobles were being led to a minor hall where they were going to petition their case to the king. Leading them, one of the figures was the old but stoic figure of Edward Rommer, the years evidently showing itself on his tall wizen frame and yet he still was able to walk with the grace of a warrior. All the nobles were disarmed and yet that didn’t stop their overseers escorting them from being less vigilant.

The guards on either side of them were from the King's own, elite in every meaning of the term, whether it be in equipment, training, or loyalty. Should the nobles plan to assassinate the king, these men would willingly move to intercept a poisoned blade with their own bodies than rather let a drop spill upon their majesty.

Finally the group halted before a pair of oak timbered doors, designed more for robustness and defence in comparison to the highly wrought and decorated doors to the King's audience chamber. Guards bearing the same uniforms as the escorts saluted and announced, "Members of the privy council would like to consult with the King"

One of the Guards just nodded as he replied, "He is aware of their wishes and will allow them to meet with his august presence".

There was the sound of movement behind the doors before they were unlocked from within, the doors swinging open slowly to unveil more guards surrounding a round table, standing behind the correct amount of seats as those of the nobles that had decided to come. The king himself sat on a throne that was taller than the surrounding chairs, as though to subtly remind them that he by right rules over all those assembled.

King Theodarren wore an ornate crown, a ring of shimmering gold inlaid with intricate floral designs and his red mantle was edged with the furs of some proud beast. Even though he was relaxing on his throne, his eyes were sharp and had a degree of wariness that did not match with the pleased smile he gave to the assembled nobles.

"Scribes", the King intoned, "You may begin recording the proceedings".

The sound of quill on paper began as the 2 scribes hurried to do as commanded.

"…and the rest of the honoured gentlemen may be seated", King Theodarren continued.

""We shall comply, your majesty"", the nobles collectively replied at the same time before dispersing to find a seat. The seating arrangement was of course by court rank, and Duke Kanus found himself seating on the right hand side of the king. This was of course to display to everyone presently his current influential position in the court.

"My liege…", Duke Kanus began, "is it wise for the scribes to record this meeting?"

Even Count Albrook piped in, "The Duke has a point my lord. What if words of these proceedings were to… leak to unsavoury characters". Everyone here knew who he meant, after all that is why they had gathered here today.

King Theodarren just gave an insipid smile as all he said was, "These men can be trusted", thus ending the matter.

The nobles became a bit uncomfortable at that however Edward kept the meeting going by overriding their concerns, "Indeed. Who here would dare to betray the trust of the king? Are we not all patriots and loyal to the crown? The scribes have always recorded meetings but their content has always been for the perusal of royalty".

"Oh, there is no need to explain for me, Earl Rommer", King Theodarren eyed him in appraisal, "I would not dare doubt the loyalty of members of the privy council, however", he continued, "there are several figures missing. Why was not Marquis Rommer, your own brother summoned?"

King Theodarren was not a fool. More than half the privy council was absent, and they were basically the faction whom supported Ernst Rommer, former Marshal of the army and a staunch loyalist, even though currently everyone knew he was banished to the frontier due to a disagreement between him and the king many years ago.

"This matter is entirely in concern about the actions of Marquis Rommer", Duke Kanus interjected.

"Yes, as I have business dealings across the whole kingdom, I have also come across disturbing news in regards to the Marquis", Count Albrook also added.

The king just sat silently on his throne, as though in contemplation before turning his eyes upon Edward and spoke, "Does this concern also affect you… Earl Rommer?"

Edward kept his face expressionless, unfazed by the sharp gaze of his king, "This affects me only in the matter that my loyalty would come into question if I do not present myself immediately to your majesty. I fear my brother has aspirations… that would destabilize the kingdom".

King Theodarren continued to stare at Edward, pondering silently to himself as he eyed each and every member of the council before returning his gaze to the Earl, "Tell me more…"

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In a small room that had its light blocked off by feminine looking curtains, there was only the sound of silence. The room itself was incredibly spartan, only a desk with some high school textbooks arranged neatly, a bookshelf filled with kendo magazines and manuals, and only a single bonsai plant that was artistically pruned.

The figure of a young woman lay on the only single bed in the room, and next to her head was the sole indulgence in this otherwise dull and dreary room, a stuffed toy of a Pikachu from the Pokemon anime. Dressed only in a single white tank top and short pants, she was the very definition of alluring however at this moment there was currently a feeling of sadness and loneliness that her body was conveying.

Masumi continued to lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling before turning her head to look at the time on her bedside drawer.

"Nee-san…", she whispered brokenly to herself.

Masumi knew. She knew what kind of trauma her sister was experiencing again at this moment. However she did not dare go meet her right now. No… she didn’t have the right. After all, she never chased after the back of her sister all those years ago.

Sighing to herself, she knew that she had to get rid of her lethargic state or else she will drown in the memories from that time. The first thing she did was message Max in the game, telling him that they would meet up later once she go and checked up on her sister. After that Masumi rolled out of bed and gave herself a quick stretch before leaving her room.

The house that she was living in can only be described as a typical Japanese home, in comparison to the traditional Japanese dwelling she had been living in all those years ago when her family once shared the same roof. Nevertheless, there were signs of luxury everywhere, although it was unnoticeable unless you had a discerning eye. After all, her grandfather had a love of things which had value only when it matched his tastes.

"Oh, Masumi, what are you doing up so early?", a voice called down from on top of the stairway.

"Good morning ojiisan… I was thinking of practicing some sword swings before heading off to school"

"Hmmm… Masumi, you should know you are a hundred years too early to fool me"

"… ojiisan… you are not even 70 years old yet"

"Hohoho… that is not the issue here, is it?"

As everyone has now noticed… this dandy gentleman of an old man is her grandfather. Although at times he may look like a rogue, right now he was dressed in a business suit and his white hair was combed back making him appear to be a suave man in his fifties.

"Are you going to another meeting ojiisan?"

"Hmm? Ah yeah, the local yakuza group is making a ruckus, so I was thinking of having a few words with them to tone it down a bit. After all they are disrupting my reading nights with the local housewives"

"… there is so many things I want to retort about in what you just said… but haaa… go and have a good day"

"If you are going to go see your sister, don’t forget to bring some souvenirs and flowers"

"W-what made you think I was going to go see her?", Masumi pouted, puffing her checks. (As the author I think she is adorable… omg something is wrong with me)

"Masumi, I can guarantee that you will be outside while holding the sword standing in a daze every time something happens between you and your sister", he chuckled knowingly.

"... something did happened..."

"Oh… is it serious?"

Masumi nodded her head glumly, "Nee-san… she was reminded of that time once again"

Suddenly there was an outburst of blood thirst so strong that Masumi shivered as her grandfather asked, "Did my stupid son do something again?", he asked in a voice that could kill.

"N-no! It was just a random monster in the game. Father didn’t do anything", as she waved both her hands in denial.

And just as suddenly the blood thirst disappeared as though nothing happened, "I see", he said, "Maybe I should play this game you all seemed to be addicted to"

Masumi gulped. She was afraid that if he did, mass extinctions of whole species was possible if any creature was so much as to offend her or Mayumi.

"I-its fine! T-there is nothing to worry about!", she stuttered, "Anyway, I will be going now", she spoke in a high pitched voice.

"Oi!"

"Yes ojiisan?"

"At least go change your clothes first"

"…"

After dressing up in her school uniform, her grandfather first drop her off in his Rolls Royce at the local flower shop before he drove off to his meeting/scolding with the local yakuza. Looking amongst the flowers, she decided to pick red and white carnations when her phone rang.

Seeing who called she quickly answered the phone, "Nee-san"

"Masumi, I know what you are thinking so please, you don’t need to come over"

"…buuu… why does everybody seem to think they know me more than myself", Masumi complained.

"fufufu… I know my sister very well. After all, it's the power of love. So please… there is no reason for you to come over today"

"But I am bringing over your favourite daifuku from that store you like"

"…"

"Nee-san?"

"See you soon!"

"…Ok I will be there as quickly as possible"

As she ended the call, Masumi whispered, "I will never leave you alone again… nee-san"

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Ending Song: Kore wa Koi