Void Realm, a place which exists between life and death, Dream and reality.

The Graveyard of the immortals.

As usual Rias, queen of the Phoenixes and master of Augustus, sat alone in this realm.

She had her back leaned up next to a wall and her arms crossed in front of her.

She was now in the middle of a six month long nap.

This was how she spent most of her 10,000 years alone, dreaming of her time with Augustus.

In her dreams she recalled when they first met.

She still couldn’t believe that a human boy could stumble into the Phoenix realm so easily. She thought that it was a trap by some god or devil but that wasn’t the case.

The boy was chosen to enter the realm and meet her.

When he first saw her the boy looked at her in wonder.

“Wow! What a beautiful person!”

Of course, she who had been pursued by countless immortals felt nothing when she heard the boy’s praise.

“Boy, what’s your name?”

She asked out of pure whim.

She could’ve easily thrown him out of the realm but she was slightly in need of someone to be her conversation partner.

“Name? What’s that?”

The boy seemed to be uneducated to the point that he didn’t know what a name was.

“I’m asking what are you called?”

“Ah. A206.”

“What? That’s what they call you?”

The boy nodded.

“Yes. That's what my master call me.”

“Master? Ah, you’re a slave.”

Rias sighed.

“Great. My first conversation partner in centuries and it’s a kid and a slave at that.”

“Miss, what’s your name?”

The boy didn’t seem to hear Rias’s mumbles and asked with an innocent expression.

“There’s no need for you to know as you are. More importantly, isn’t there any other thing you’re called by? For example, what do your parents call you?”

“Waste of life, good for nothing, freeloader, bastard, monster, freak…”

“That’s enough!”

Rias got annoyed by how the boy could recall all those disrespectful names while counting on his fingers with a smile on his face.

“What about siblings? Do you have any?”

“I did. I ate them.”

“?!”

Even Rias was shocked by what she heard the boy say.

“They all died and turned into food.”

“W-Was this your parents idea?”

The boy shook his head.

“Master doesn’t really give us that much food, so it’s pretty common for those who die to be treated as food.”

“…..From the way you speak about it so casually it doesn’t seem like you feel anything from eating your siblings.”

The boy shook his head.

“My parents cried every time one of them were eaten but I felt nothing special.”

“Why?”

“Well….how do I explain it?”

The boy looked confused for a bit before saying-

“I just think that’s how life is. The weak gets eaten so that the strong gets to live a bit longer.”

“….Then you’re saying that your siblings were weak so it was naturally for them to become food?”

“Yeah, that! That’s what I mean.”

“Then if your parents were to die?”

“Then they were weak and can only become food to feed the strong.”

Rias looked at the boy again. From the moment they’ve started their conversation the smile on his face never wavered.

The boy spoke with pure innocence despite what he was saying was very unpleasant.

She quickly concluded that the boy was broken beyond repair.

“Ah, I should get back. My master must be looking for me.”

“I understand. I’ll send you back.”

She snapped her fingers and light enveloped the boy.

“Then this is goodbye, boy.”

“See ya, miss.”

After saying that, the boy disappeared.

Being left alone, Rias couldn’t help but to mutter when she recalled the boy.

“That was an odd human.”

Sometime later the impossible happened.

The boy who she sent away once again stumbled into her realm.

But this time he was covered in blood and wounds from head to toe.

“Oh, pretty lady! We meet again.”

The boy was all smiles like usual.

“Boy, what happened? Why are you covered in blood?”

“Ah, this? My village got attacked by beasts and was wiped out.”

He said with his usual smile.

“What about your parents?”

“Dead.”

“The beasts?”

The boy shook his head.

“Father fell ill and was on the brink of death. My mother looked sadden by him suffering, so I relieved him.”

“Relieved him? You don’t mean….”

The boy nodded with a smile.

“Yup, I killed him.”

“?!”

The boy was once again able to shock Rias with mere his words and behavior.

“What about your mother?”

“That was the strange thing. I thought she would be happy that father was no longer suffering, but she started screaming and crying. In the end she slit her throat while saying she gave birth to a monster.”

“……What about the beasts that wiped out your village?”

“Ah, after my parents died I was going to cut up their bodies and turn them into food, but a thought suddenly came to me. Master will probably get mad because my parents died and punish me. It was then I started to wonder if master was worthy to be my master. Was he stronger than I was? Was he stronger than everyone in the village?”

He stretched his hand out.

“That’s when I decided to test it out.”

“You….”

The boy nodded.

“I purposely disturbed a horde of monsters and led them towards the village to find out who the strongest was. In the end everyone except me died and I killed the monsters.”

Rias once again confirmed her previous assessment of the boy.

He was broken beyond repair.

But she found this broken character oddly interesting.

“Say boy, can you describe the monsters you lead to you village?”

The boy nodded.

“They had the body of a lion, a human head with three rows of sharp teeth, and bat-like wings. Oh, some of them had a dragon or scorpion tail.”

“Manticores?!”

This time Rias couldn't hide her shock and shouted.

“What you lead to destroy your village were manticores. They’re super powerful chimera type beastmen. They’re definitely not simple monsters without intelligence.”

She looked at him more closely.

He was scrawny, short, and didn’t seem strong at all. She found it hard to believe that this boy could beat a bull much less a pack of manticores.

“Excuse me.”

She took a finger and wiped some blood of the boy’s face and tasted it.

“There’s no mistake, this is manticore blood!”

She confirmed that this boy was telling the truth.

“Did he use a god weapon? No, his hands are covered in blood from a manticore's heart. He most likely ripped it out himself.”

She had to looked at him again.

“This boy is a natural fighter and a powerful one at that. And he have a personality like this….”

After giving it some thought, Rias smiled.

“Boy, do you want to stay here for a while? I’m sure that someone like you would be able to keep me entertained for a bit.”

“Sure.”

The boy agreed immediately.

“Good. Then let me introduce myself properly.”

She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“I’m Rias, queen of the Phoenixes.”

She then pointed at the boy.

“From now on, I bestow you the title of Augustus( Venerable, Great, Majestic).”

She smiled.

“I hope you grow up to become worth of it. Until then, I’ll simply address you as boy, got that?”

“Augustus?”

The boy repeated the word several times before showing Rias a bright smile.

“I like it!”

Rias opened her eyes and freed herself from her dream of the past.

“Boy…..”

She mumbled affectionately.

That’s when she sensed a space distortion forming near her.

She looked to the side and saw someone step out.

It was an extremely handsome teen with red hair that was golden at the end, similar to Rias.

He was dressed in black and gold military clothes and had a saber on his waist.

“Riamante.”

Rias called out to the man who appeared in front of her.

Riamante kneeled in front of Rias.

“Sister, it’s been a long time.”

“It has been. What's your reason for appearing before me now?”

Rias answered coldly.

“I come bearing a request.”

“Which is?”

“Release our race from it constraints and allow the Phoenix to proudly roam the world.”

“Denied.”

Rias answered immediately.

“The Phoenix race will no longer take part in this stupid war of egos. I made this clear a long time ago.”

“Yes, I know. But sister, I believe this war will continue on forever unless we do something. Our race was the only race not to sign that peace treaty between the four sides all those years ago, because we withdrew from the war long before it was created. This is an advantage that any race would dream of. The Class System does not affect us which means that even our powers aren’t restrained. And you being one of the few higher beings exempt from the effects of the contract, we can easily take over this world. Secretly killing off the problematic higher beings would be a synch for you considering how weak they are now.”

Riamante argued.

“Riamante, I’ll say this just once so listen carefully.”

Rias looked at her brother with a cold gaze.

“Don’t get the Phoenix race caught up in your foolish ambitions. We do not want to rule the world nor do we want to rejoin this stupid war.”

“You said we, but you’re only speaking for yourself.”

Riamante retorted.

“Oh? You’ve gotten braver than when I last saw you. You’re not hiding your bloodlust towards me anymore.

Rias sounded slightly amused.

“Augustus is dead, sister. Hence you need to call for a new heir.”

“And that’s you?”

“I’m an actual Phoenix as well as a pure blood of the royal lineage. There’s no one more worth to claim the throne than me…..However…”

Riamante paused before showing a wicked smile.

“I no longer need the throne or the Phoenix race.”

“What?”

“I merely begged you to take action as a show of sibling love, but you’re still as stubborn as ever.”

Riamante spoke with a mocking tone.

“My dear foolish sister, while you have been waiting on a dead man to return to you I’ve been busy making deals and moving up in the world. And after countless years I’ve finally done it. I’ve become a vanguard for the New Era.”

“New Era?”

“You should pay attention to what happens in the lower realms from now on sister. I’m sure that even you’ll be very entertained.”

After saying that Riamante turned his back on his sister and started to walk away.

“Wait, brat.”

However, his body froze when he heard his sister’s cold voice.

“I like that you’re braver than before and is trying to find your own purpose in life and everything, but keep this in mind.”

Riamante suddenly felt like he was dipped in the coldest lake in existence when he felt Rias eyes on his back.

“Get in the way of my happiness, and I’ll not only destroy you but I’ll destroy this world you care so much about.”

Riamante froze and didn’t say anything for a while.

However after remembering who he now was, he took a step forward.

“I’ll keep your words in my heart, sister.”

He walked with confidence and disappeared into a distortion.

Seeing that, Rias sighed.

“This brat is gonna cause trouble again I just know it.”

She could easily figure out what her brother was aiming to do.

He wanted to destroy the Class System that the Higher Beings created. If he did that, then mortals born after it was implemented wouldn’t be restrained anymore.

In simpler terms, the Class System was created not to protect mortals but to protect the gods. As long as you’re under this system you’ll never be able to harm a higher being or surpass them.

Rias knew this because this was a countermeasure formulated to prevent another Augustus from being born.

If Riamante and his New Era that he spoke of successfully destroys the Class System, the gods will be force to abolish the Proxy System and regain their strength to ensure their survival at the hands of those who will grow at an explosive rate from being freed from the restraints of the world.

If this happens then a war far bigger than before will break out between mortals and immortals.

Not only that, many relationships have deterred among the Higher Beings because of the battles between their proxies. Which mean this war could see the higher beings fighting more intensely among each other than before.

In others words it will be a war where everyone is literally for themselves.

Rias sighed when she pictured the world being destroyed by wars over and over again.

“Well it’s not like the Class System can be broken anytime soon anyway. It was created by thousands of Higher Beings after all. So it should take at least a century or two to reach that point. By then the boy and the demon brat should be ready to go.”

She then laughed to herself.

“I’m sure the boy will love those war filled times.”

As she said that an old memory appeared in her head.

It was the time she first showed Augustus just how vast the world truly was.

It was when he was a preteen, she had used her powers to bring Augustus in space to look at the world.

“Wow, it’s so pretty!”

He said as his eyes sparkled.

“Yes, it is indeed pretty. Sadly, it’s infested with Wars and bloodshed.”

Said Rias, who wrapped arms around him from behind.

Augustus stared at world intensely without saying a word. At that time, Rias had yet to realize that the look in his eyes were abnormal.

After a while of silence he finally spoke.

“Master, I’ve decided. I’m going to take this world as my own.”

“?!”

His words naturally shocked Rias.

This was the first time Augustus has ever shown any desire or ambition beside living.

“Why do you want to take it?”

“Beside I want to give it to you.”

He looked up at her surprised expression with an innocent smile.

“This world is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, thus I want to give it to you who has done so much for me, and who is also the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s easier said than done. There are countless powerful beings that are competing for the same thing.”

Rias replied after some delay.

“Then I’ll become the strongest.”

“What?”

“I’ll become so strong that no one would dare stand in my way to give you this gift. Whether it be the gods in the heavens, the demons in the hell, or the humans and beasts on the land, I’ll devour them all and grant you the world.”

He then turned around and hugged her.

“I promise this on the name that you gave me. My master, my queen, my god, my Rias.”

A single tear flowed down her cheek as she remembered the past.

“You liar.”

She whispered all alone in the ruined realm.