“RYYYYNEEEER!!!” [Alice]

“AAAALLIIIICEE!!!” [Ryner]

Two unstoppable forces clashed head-on in the blue sky, resulting in a huge shockwave that spread out around them like a dome, blowing away the clouds within a ten kilometers radius. Ryner was in his true form with dark clothes that seemed to be made of smoke, white feathers for hair, a black horn on the right side of the head that curved backwards and a golden right eye that had a slit pupil like that of a beast as well as an iris that seemed to contained flowing magma. He swung his two double-edged swords that had a semi-transparent, bluish blade and two huge, blue waves of energy were released from his weapons in a crescent shape.

His target was Alice, or more precisely, her strongest War Puppet that she was housed in and directly fed power to. Since Alice was behind Ryner when it came to combat ability, she relied on War Puppets that had been programmed to fight like veteran warriors and gave them her life force. She was the master that controlled them and they were her fighters that fought for her, or tools to be exact. This one was her greatest for it was a weapon that could handle her power and fight on par with her enemy. It took a lot of time and effort to make these powerful assets, so she would create one and improve it until her last battle with Ryner. That was her way of fighting against her counterpart.

It looked exactly like Ryner, but the face was white like chalk and black lines ran from the temples down to the middle of the cheeks before going to the eyes. Also, it had black razor sharp teeth like a shark and the eyes were pitch black like the bottom of an abyss with smoke coming out of them. Furthermore, unlike Ryner’s smooth horn, it had two bigger black horns with a rugged surface that curved upwards on both sides of its head.

That creature used its own swords that were just like the real one’s own and cut apart the attacks that were like a tidal wave, creating a giant explosion that completely engulfed it. If there had been people in that blast, nothing would be left of them. But, it charged through it with not even a scratch on it and reached Ryner in a split second with the tip of its swords aimed at his heart. Ryner crossed both swords in front and blocked the blow, but it didn’t stop and kept pushing him back, fully intent on taking his head. Two similar beings flew in the sky at high speed like bullets while trading blows. Every one of their movements broke through the sound barrier, their attacks continuously created shockwaves and their sword strikes were so fast that they arms looked like blurs to a normal bystander unlucky enough to witness their fight.

But, it wasn’t enough. Just this amount of power wasn’t enough. They were merely warming up. As they zigzagged through the sky, they launched energy waves at close-range and materialized ten black guns around them. These supernatural firearms floated in mid-air and fired bluish beams of energy everywhere, tracing huge lines in the clouds and dispersing them. It was a deadly light show with powerful explosions engulfing the performers and blue lines shooting through the sky like a sci-fi movie. After a minute of trading countless blows with the goal of tearing the other apart, the two monsters plunged straight downwards, right into the deep blue ocean below them, and raised huge amounts of water with a loud splashing noise. As the seawater fell as fine droplets, neither of them resurfaced. Except for the drizzling sound of rain, everything became quiet again as if the earlier chaotic battle never happened. But, that was only the calm before the storm.

All of a sudden, the ocean was split in two, or more precisely, it was blown away from the inside by a ridiculously huge explosion that couldn’t compare to the ones preceding it. The sea water shot up into the sky like mist and giant tsunamis were raised in a circle-shaped formation. Right in the middle of that catastrophe that could destroy whole cities, a hole had been punched in the ocean. All of the water had been blown away in a one hundred kilometers radius and two figures stood at the bottom of the ocean inside a crater. Huge walls of water nearly four thousand meters tall surrounded them as if there were in an aquatic dome and they merely stood still, carefully observing the other.

Soon enough, the water started to recede as the ocean tried to fix itself and swallow the two individuals responsible for this phenomenon. The walls now became tsunamis that came crashing down on them while foaming and threatened to completely engulf them. However, Ryner and the War Puppet, or rather Alice, didn’t panic and saw it as a sign to resume their fight. The two dashed forward with their swords glowing blue and swung down their weapons. As their blades collided, an explosion accompanied with blue light occurred and it nearly knocked them off their feet, but they endured it and held their ground, preparing themselves for the next attack.

The shockwave that they resisted kept expanding and hit the raging waves head on, blowing them away. The hole in the ocean that was quickly closing opened up again. They would swing their swords, their powers would clash and the resulting explosion would knock back the massive bodies of water and gouged out the aquatic earth. Each time they crossed swords, the wind would howl in pain and the ocean would part to give them space to fight, powerless to resist. The way the hole closed and opened was like a heart that only beat on their command. But, it wasn’t enough. It still wasn’t enough to win. It still wasn’t enough to defeat the one before them.

“(IT’S STILL NOT ENOUGH TO KILL YOU!!!)” [Ryner and Alice]

As the two made up their minds, cracks ran through their blades and bluish white light leaked out of them. It was opaque and looked like liquid inside the blades before dissipating like smoke into the air as it left the weapons that contained it. When the two saw that their opponent no longer had any intention of holding back and was going to quickly burn through their life force, they steeled themselves for what was to come and readied their swords. The moment they swung them down and unleashed a crescent wave of energy, a blue light covered everything for an instant and a chunk of the ocean disappeared as the water evaporated, causing ear-ringing explosions to happen all around them.

Furthermore, the ground beneath their feet was pulverized as the two now flew in mid-air. The crater turned into a gaping hole that went through the crust of the planet and reached the mantle. Burning hot magma erupted all around them, dyeing their view bright red. In that apocalyptic scene, Ryner and Alice simply readied their swords once more. Even if the planet died, their fight wouldn’t end. It wouldn’t end because they wouldn’t die. So, the monsters raised their weapons that had cracked blades with thick light leaking out and attacked again. Once more, they released an enormous wave of energy fueled by their life force.

And destroyed another world.

“Ahhhh~, how nostalgic.” [Alice]

Suddenly, Ryner found himself standing in complete darkness and his form was that of a human. Hearing that familiar voice that sounded happy, he realized that Alice was invading his dreams again.

“Looks like you enjoyed that fight, even though I won in the end.” [Ryner]

He responded calmly in a cold tone as he waited for her response. She didn’t take any offense and continued the topic in a casual manner, even though it was about a destroyed planet.

“You did, didn’t you? Do you remember which planet we destroyed that time?” [Alice]

“Not really, that was back when we were still going on a rampage. There’s no way I can remember every little thing eight hundred thousand years ago.” [Ryner]

“Huhu, that’s right, you can’t. You’ll forget things with age just like an old man.” [Alice]

“What’s that supposed to mean?” [Ryner]

He frowned when he heard her amused words that seemed to contain an underlying meaning. The voice in the darkness chuckled before answering his doubts.

“If you want a clue, then I suggest you go visit one of these ruins. You’ll understand then.” [Alice]

“… You want to make me fight against some powerful creature residing there, don’t you?” [Ryner]

“That’s right. But, it should be a breeze for you.” [Alice]

He didn’t like it. Alice was basically sending him to a battlefield that she was confident had powerful enemies. It may really be too much for him when he didn’t have his life force as insurance, but he was getting an ominous feeling for some reason. It felt like he would regret it if he didn’t check the ruins as soon as possible. While he was considering his next step, Alice started on the next subject.

“But still, to think you would sleep with a woman that loves you. Whether it’d be friends or lovers, you just don’t learn your lesson.” [Alice]

This time, her voice didn’t sound amused since Ryner’s attitude was also linked with his promise.

“That’s none of your business.” [Ryner]

“Oh it is my business. Anything related to you IS my business.” [Alice]

“Then it’s not your concern.” [Ryner]

“Hmph. You should stop deluding yourself and join me already. Watching you reminds me of the past and it pisses me off.” [Alice]

“No matter how many times it takes, I’ll keep saying it. My promise wasn’t wrong.” [Ryner]

He could feel the darkness stirring around him, proof of Alice’s heightened emotions. She was getting angry.

“Hey Ryner, you chose your own name for its meaning. Do you remember why I call myself Alice?”[Alice]

“… It was after the main character from ‘Alice in Wonderland’.” [Ryner]

He was a bit surprised that she suddenly changed the subject, but he managed to answer back after a slight pause. She continued speaking to him in a serious voice, reminding him of the origins of her name.

“That’s right. It’s a story about a little girl that follows a rabbit down a hole and goes through an amazing adventure… But, you know…” [Alice]

She stopped talking and a tense silence fell on them as Ryner stood still, waiting for the rest of her explanation.

“It can also talk about a child’s descent into madness.” [Alice]

The tone of her voice was heavy and emotionless, but one could feel the hatred oozing out of her words on their skin which would have given them goosebumps. Ryner could feel it too since there was no one who understood her better than him. They were counterparts, two halves that had gone through the same pain. That was why he could also sense sadness in her words when nobody else could.

“The name Alice fits you better, Ryner… You’re much more insane than me.” [Alice]

Waking up from his dream that was a flashback of one of his previous battles, Ryner was lying on his back in a soft bed with his grey shirt unbuttoned, showing his scarred upper body that had gone through deadly training and horrendous torture. A slender, feminine hand was resting on top of his chest and when he looked to his right, he saw Maya who was sleeping while hugging him and using his right arm as a pillow, a blissful expression on her face. She was completely naked with only her collar around her neck, so he could clearly feel her soft body’s warmth against him. After yesterday night’s activities, her long dark blue hair was undone as it flowed down her back and draped her shoulders, giving her a more sensual and alluring look. Although such a situation would make anyone’s heart beat faster, it wasn’t enough for Ryner, not after everything they did last night.

True to her instincts during mating season, Maya had turned into a wild beast, craved him like a wild beast and moved like a wild beast. He had been force to keep her company throughout the night as her desires seemed endless. His back ached and his shirt was ruined because she clawed right through the fabric and left red marks while they were mating. If he wasn’t wearing anything, she might have torn through his skin. Truly, the title of insatiable tigress fitted her perfectly, but he dominated in the end.

“(Really now, it’s been a while since I went all out… in bed.)” [Ryner]

He suddenly thought about the erotic demon that he went out with a long time ago and that was ridiculously demanding in bed, but he quickly purged those thoughts and focused on the beast girl sleeping next to him. Gently patting her head, he thought about what Alice said and wondered if going to the ruins was a good idea.

“(It’s basically a trap, but it feels like a time bomb.)” [Ryner]

In the end, after some deliberation, he chose to follow his gut feeling and decided to visit the ruin near the city. With that out of the way, he checked his biological clock and guessed that it was probably almost time for breakfast.

“(Should I wake her up?)” [Ryner]

He hesitated to wake her up because of how happy she looked in her sleep. But, with his plans for the day decided, it was bad to skip breakfast since he would need the energy. Just as he was about to shake her shoulder, he suddenly realized something important which caused his voice to accidentally leak out.

“Ah.” [Ryner]

There was another problem he had to deal with.

“(Crap.)” [Ryner]

There were two heroes that had been spying on him for the past week, two high schoolers that may have seen everything last night.

“(No, maybe they decided not to spy on me because of guilt. I can’t be sure yet.)” [Ryner]

Ryner decided to stay hopeful, though it didn’t do him much good.

“(Yeah, they freaking saw everything…)” [Ryner]

In the large dining room where everyone was gathered for breakfast, the master and slave were sitting together a bit farther from the rest with two blushing girls in front of them. One was glaring with teary eyes while the other was looking downwards and taking a peek at them from time to time. On a side note, Kelly was in the library while Ryan and Jayce were summoned by the king again. Also, the way everyone else was looking at them was different from usual because of the beastman drinking next to him.

“*Gulp* Puha! Having a drink is really nice!” [Maya]

Her tail was happily wagging left and right, her face was red and her skin looked glossier than yesterday. Moreover, the amorous glances she gave Ryner was easily noticed by the heroes. Although she was always affectionate with him, this was on a whole new level, especially when she had been avoiding him just yesterday.

“Master, would you like some?” [Maya]

“Mh? No thanks.” [Ryner]

“Really? Is it because I already drank from the glass so it’ll count as an indirect kiss?” [Maya]

“No, that’s not it, I just-“ [Ryner]

“But there shouldn’t be any problems, right? After all, a kiss doesn’t matter anymore…” [Maya]

“!” [Everyone]

“No, seriously, I don’t want any. I’m fine drinking my milk. It’s healthier and good for your bones.” [Ryner]

“Milk, huh…? Fufu, milk is delicious. You gave me plenty to drink last night. My body was overflowing~.” [Maya]

“!!!” [Everybody]

“The hell are you talking about…? And stop leaning on me like that. It makes it hard to eat.” [Ryner]

“Don’t be so mean, Master~. I need you to support me. My legs still feel numb…” [Maya]

“!!!!!!!” [Everyone]

Not only did she look refreshed, she was saying things that they couldn’t ignore. Her comments made the young heroes imagine all sorts of things while Elena and Aria blushed even more. Also, Sam, Kirk and Tim, the three idiots that tried to visit her last night, were gritting their teeth and clenching their fists. They had a pretty good idea of the reason for the change in the atmosphere surrounding her and each had a differing opinion.

“(Damn it! If everything went according to plan, it would have been me next to her! She would have definitely chosen me! That’s how it always goes in light novels with beast girls in mating season!)” [Sam]

“(I’m jealous! I’m so jealous I want to kill him! I’m gonna beat him up during training! Definitely!)” [Kirk]

“(… CATGIRLS WITH SWIMSUITS ARE STILL THE BEST!!!)” [Tom]

Not being able to take it anymore, Ryner whispered to Maya so that only she could hear him.

“Say, why are you agitating them on purpose?” [Ryner]

“Because I want to try bragging about it like the other girls back home did while I was busy training. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to keep my mouth shut around your wives.” [Maya]

“No, I don’t plan on getting any wives.” [Ryner]

“Oh my, you can’t say that, Master~. If you do, it’ll make me feel like monopolizing you.” [Maya]

She whispered into his ears with a playful tone and licked his earlobe in front of everyone which caused screams of excitement and jealousy to occur. Finally, one of the girls let her curiosity get the better of her and asked the question burning on everyone’s minds with sparkling eyes.

“C-c-could it be, you guys, are you really lovers?!” [Random hero]

Before Ryner could answer her, Maya linked her arm with his and showed a triumphing smile.

“Yes, we are… Just yesterday night.” [Maya]

But, she said the second part bashfully while putting a hand to her cheek with her face red.

““KYYAAAAA!!!”” [Bunch of girls]

A bunch of gossip-loving girls screamed excitedly.

““NOOOOO!”” [Bunch of guys]

A bunch of desperate guys screamed in horror.

“So they really do have that sort of relationship. Guess that’s to be expected.” [Random hero]

“Well, they are master and slave. Look at the hot slave. There’s no way Ryner kept his hands to himself.” [Random hero]

“I’m jealous! So jealous!” [Random hero]

“No, she said it was just yesterday, so that means they haven’t done it until now.” [Random hero]

“Rather, is Maya gonna be alright with Ryner? The guy gives skulls as a present to girls.” [Random hero]

“… I like skulls.” [Random hero]

And the rest started chatting among themselves. Maya’s few words raised pandemonium as the dining hall became filled with voices in no time. Ryner sighed tiredly while the one responsible was happily clinging to him. Then, for some odd reason, after separating from her master, Maya explained to everyone that her race had a mating season and that she had entered hers yesterday. Some of them, especially the boys, were getting the wrong idea just like the three idiots as they thought that beast girls really were the best.

“D-does that mean that you get, you know, aroused?” [Random hero]

A hopeful boy hesitantly asked her, thinking that he might just get his chance.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s simply stronger than me and I can’t resist.” [Maya]

They could hear some people gulping when they heard her words.

“Then! What happened with Ryner was just because of your instincts?!” [Random hero]

Another guy shot his question as he slammed his hands on the table.

“Exactly~. I just couldn’t help myself and attacked my master all of a sudden.” [Maya]

She put a hand to her cheek while waving her tail around and blushing.

“(We have a chance!)” [Bunch of guys]

Hope once more burned in the lonely boys’ eyes as they got ready to ask their final as well as their most important question.

“So, that means that you’ll get in heat again during mating season, right?!” [Random hero]

“Yes…” [Maya]

Just as they were smiling and about to shout in joy, Maya grabbed Ryner’s arm again and leaned her head on his shoulder. She then proceeded to mercilessly crush their newfound hope while smiling.

“That’s why, for the next two weeks, I’ll be attacking Master over and over and over again. My feelings always take over and I’ll find myself pushing him down in bed! My body would always yearn to bear his children and I’ll mindlessly eat him up~! So, please remember to stay away from our rooms at night or you might see something you don’t want to see~.” [Maya]

“Maya… You already finished them off.” [Ryner]

The unpopular guys, drained of their colors, were face down on the table with an aura of despair around them. Some of their classmates gave them looks of pity while others, mostly the girls, were staring at them as if they were trash. During this whole commotion, there was one person that was busy thinking of something else.

“(I should ask him. But, I need to be discreet about it.)” [Elena]

It was Elena. Last night, because of her duty, she had spied on them until they fell asleep from exhaustion. Halfway through, she finally noticed that Ryner, who had his shirt open, possessed a well-trained body, which made her stare with interest, and that it was completely covered with horrible scars, which caused her excitement to cool down… though it did quickly rekindle again as she continued to spy on them.

Although she didn’t know who he was and what he did to receive them, she guessed that he must have received serious injuries in his other world and wondered if they left any permanent damage. If they did, then she wanted to heal him using her magic, but she didn’t know how to bring it up without arousing his suspicions since she wasn’t supposed to know about them.

“(Alright, I can do this! Just act natural!)” [Elena]

Making up her mind, she gathered her courage and looked at him with determined eyes.

“Ryner!” [Elena]

Her loud shout was actually heard in this cacophony and everyone turned their attention towards her. She became flustered and started fiddling with her fingers as her face went red from embarrassment.

“U-um, well! H-how…!” [Elena]

Aria, who was getting a bad feeling, wanted to stop her, but she was a step too late. Her friend stood up from her chair and clenched her fists in front of her chest.

“Are you feeling good after last night?!” [Elena]

““…”” [Everyone]

No one spoke a word and froze in place when they heard the question that she shouted with a red face. Ryner, who was taken by surprise, quickly regained his senses and proceeded to take a bite from his toast. He took his time to chew as everyone looked at him without uttering a sound. Maya looked entertained by the situation while Aria was exasperatedly shaking her head with a hand to her face. Elena, who was waiting for his reply, was becoming redder and redder as she thought about what she just asked him and how it sounded like.

“(Sorry kid, but I hold grudges.)” [Ryner]

After swallowing his food, Ryner looked at the embarrassed, brown-haired girl with his sleepy eyes and told her only one thing in a deadpan tone.

“Pervert.” [Ryner]

Hearing that word, Elena’s eyes started swirling and she rapidly waved her hands in front of her as she tried to explain herself in a panic.

“P-p-p-p-perv…! N-no! I didn’t…! I mean…! I’m just interested in your body!” [Elena]

Again, everyone froze and one could hear the wind blowing through the room. The sleepy-looking man that she was worried about crossed his arms in front of his chest and slightly turned away from her as if he was trying to hide his body from her eyes.

“Kyaa pervert.” [Ryner]

Once more, he answered her with no intonation in his voice. Elena was at her limit.

“Uwaaaaah~! Ariaaaa~!” [Elena]

Letting out a miserable cry, she threw herself in the arms of her best friend next to her and buried her face in her chest with tears in her eyes. Troubled, Aria tried her best to console the crying girl as she gently rubbed her back while everyone started gossiping again after witnessing their idol’s outburst.

“There, there. It’s alright, we all know you’re not a pervert…” [Aria]

“(… I think.)” [Aria]

Unfortunately for Elena, her strange actions last night formed some doubt in her roommate’s head. Sam, who misunderstood the situation and thought that the most popular girl in school was also interested in Ryner, stood up from his chair and angrily shouted at the annoying man while pointing at him.

“Ryner! I challenge you to a duel!” [Sam]

““Ohhhhh!!!”” [Everybody]

His declaration stirred up a commotion as everyone looked at him with surprise, but Ryner’s answer left him shocked.

“I refuse.” [Ryner]

It was an instant rejection.

“Wha! Are you running away?!” [Sam]

The heroes then looked at the challenged party that was still acting calm, or sleepy, the whole time. Emptying his glass of milk, he stared at Sam before voicing out his reason while scratching his head full of unkempt black hair.

“Today, I’m going to the ruin near here. Training’s cancelled.” [Ryner]

*Author note* Took a bit longer than I thought... Anyway, I'll make some modifications, but when I write shirt, it's a t-shirt with long sleeves. For the one with buttons that you wear to go to work, I'll write work shirt, or shirt with buttons.

With that said, Ryner is wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and Maya is wearing a sleeveless t-shirt (shows the shoulders).