With Miko’s absence and Kirin’s death the war changed. Everyone was fighting with another level of intensity.

Not only that, the monsters of hell were showing more and more of their strength. It was as if the ones earlier were the fodders and these new ones were a part of the main force.

*BOOM!*

Kirika clashed blades with a bulky oni.

She leaped back and charged forward with an incredibly fast speed. The oni patiently waited for her and slashed forward.

The two’s blade clashed again.

Kirika rubbed her blade against his until her blade was at his waist. She then swiftly slashed at his side which he parried with his blade.

Kirika then quickly lifted her sword over head and swung it down, leaving afterimages of herself and the sword.

Confused, the oni slashed upwards only to slash at an afterimage. An instant later Kirika’s real blade slashed down and cut him from the shoulder to the hip. The oni’s blood sprayed out of the long cut before his upper body slid off his waist.

“These guys are getting tougher as the fight progresses.”

She said.

She stomped the ground and dozens of blades burst out of the ground and skewered the oni who were trying to ambush her from behind.

A second later a column of blood colored flames was erect not too far away from her. Countless monsters were seen crying out in agony as their body shriveled up like all the fluids in their bodies were evaporating.

Alec was seen walking through the flames with a frown.

“They are definitely getting stronger the further away we move from the country.

Currently they were at the edge of the Northern Region and were approaching the Eastern Region’s borders.

After Miko had left, Alec had suggested that they invade the region under the guise of the hell residents and attack the countries in the region. This was payback for destroying the Imperial Capital.

“How far is the first country from here?”

Momo asked as she smashed a couple monsters who she turned into stone with a spell.

“About 30 minutes away if we move at our top speed.”

Alec responded.

“I see. Let’s go attack it.”

“What about the others?”

Alec was referring to Luka and the others.

“Have them move in a separate squad while the three of us will team up with those in our generation to form our own team.”

Kirika suggested.

“As for aunty, Kimiko, and Tessa lets have them form a team as well.”

Said Momo.

“What about Ravel?”

“Hmm……Let her join Gramps and the other grown ups. They should be able to keep her in check.”

Alec nodded in agreement.

“Alright, everybody got that?”

(Yeah, no problem.)

They received a reply in their mind from Luka and the others who were listening.

“Alright!”

Momo slammed her fists together.

“Everyone destroy as much places as you can, the more important the better. You don’t have to slaughter them all but kill those you deem dangerous. Also be careful of the Tyrants and Proxies who suddenly scattered and went into hiding.”

She said.

“Okay, let’s make Miko proud!”

(Yeah!)

A few hours later, the group that consisted of Miko’s friends and his fellow Children Of Destruction arrived at a country in the east. As expected they were being invaded by countless hells residents.

“So this our first target huh?”

Luka stood on a cliff overlooking the country that was getting attacked.

“How are we going to do this?”

Krul asked.

“We just have to destroy them completely, along with those monsters.”

Said Ashur who was already holding his bone axe.

“It isn’t as simple as that.”

Bloom said.

“Although it’s war, we can’t just go around slaughtering everyone. We need to consider the fact that there are innocents among them.”

“As expected of the one who was in charge of maintaining the public order, you have a strong sense of justice.”

Said Chika.

“We don’t care either way though.”

“We care though.”

Said maki.

“Those of us in the Quartus Branch were taught to protect the weak not kill them.”

“Well, we were thought to kill everything on the battlefield including our emotions.”

Said Ashur.

“This is payback. They attacked us willing to kill all of our citizens. We naturally must do the same.”

Said Chika.

“That is what Miko would do.”

Bloom turned quiet when she heard that. Miko would definitely do that, in fact he’s already done acts of similar nature numerous times in his life. Bloom wasn’t innocent either, she killed countless innocents in her life as well, this one and her last.

It’s just that her instincts were telling her that if she continue to kill innocents for Miko history will repeat itself. A history where she end up dying for Miko and he ends up dying alone. An outcome like that won’t make either of them happy.

“War is cruel and injustice. From the moment you invade a person’s country you’re considered a sinner.”

Jin stepped out and said.

“If you don’t want to kill innocents then do as you please. However, either way your hand is stained in blood.”

He looked at the country.

“We’re at war, so the slightest hesitation can lead to our death. If you were to die Miko is lost forever. If you don’t want that, do what you need to do now and think about the consequences later.”

He said.

Bloom didn’t say anything and silently nodded.

Those from the Quartus Branch also accepted his words.

They’re at war and war is cruel. There are no heroes, just sinners celebrating their sins.

“With everyone on the same page….”

Ace cracked his fingers.

“It’s time for payback.”

They all immediately scattered and entered the country from different points.

The first to enter and attack the country was Ashur and his group. He came across a security post who were defending against a horde of demons. He charged towards the post with no intention of hiding himself.

“Payback bitches!”

He leaped into the air and swung down the axe, cutting right through a bulky monster before slamming it into the ground.

*BOOM!*

Fire burst out of the ground and burned everything around him.

This strike naturally caught the attention of everyone around him.

“Hello, people of this country and the disgusting monsters from hell.”

He greeted them.

“We are from the Dragna Empire in the north. You know the ones you people attacked? Well, we recently lost our country and are in a bad mood.”

He smiled.

“To make up for that, we’re destroying every country in the Eastern Region. Starting with this one.”

He lifted the axe and it started giving off a bright fiery aura.

“Well, let the payback begin!”

He swung down his axe once again on the ground and caused waves of fire to spread out and devour everything.

He, Hal, and Kane then rushed out of the flames and attacked everyone around them.

Kane and Hal who were wearing suits of armor Miko gave them, thrust their fist forward in unison.

*BOOM!*

A powerful force charged forward and blew everything away turning the countless people in mince meat.

Ashur with his axe charged into a crowd of monsters. He swung his axe to the right and cut several of them in two. He spun around and flames danced around him and burnt the monsters.

He spun the axe and cut some of them from the waist. All who were cut, immediately caught fire and turn into ash.

Ashur walked and slaughtered whoever came in the range of his axe. It didn’t take long before the entire security post was burned to the ground and everyone in it dead.

“To the next spot!”

Ashur said and charged deeper into the country.

Another person who was in a slaughtering mood was Chika.

*BOOM!*

She slammed her mallet on the ground and spikes of earth suddenly erected from the ground and skewered countless people and monsters. She spun it in the air and swung it upwards.

*BOOM!*

An invisible force shot out of the mallet and massacred the monsters in the sky.

She then swung it to her side and the force shot out and destroyed a group of military vehicles coming towards her.

“Not enough.”

She gripped the mallet tightly.

“Miko won’t be satisfied with this.”

She jumped into the air.

“Die, all of you!”

*BOOM!*

She swung down her mallet on empty air, but everything under her was immediately flattened like a pancake.

Buildings, people, monsters, landscape, everything was flattened without exception.

“That’s a bit better.”

As for Verde, having received his sugar his switch was flipped.

He didn’t go for mass destruction like his sister. No, he chose to slaughter everyone with his own two hands.

“Hahahaha!”

He laughed as he used the claw weapon Miko gave him to rip people apart.

He leaped on a running soldier and ripped out his spine through his back, before crushing his head. He then turned around and pounced on a monster and ripped its tongue out.

Another monster tried to eat him from behind, he turned around and kicked him across the head. He then grabbed its mouth from the top and bottom and ripped its mouth open and made its tongue dangle out.

He then forced his fist down its throat.

“Heh.”

He smiled and released several bursts of fire inside it until it exploded.

“Hahahaha!”

He turned around and faced the other soldiers and monsters with his body covered in blood and flesh that splashed on him when the monster blew up.

They all took a step back in fear.

“You’re not getting away!”

He pounced on them and started to ripped them apart. His laughed drown out their screams of terror.

Elsewhere, Rin was running through a town cutting down everything he came across.

“Wait….Haaa!”

“Sto…Ahh!”

“Pleas...Nooo!”

No matter what they said they were cut down without hesitation. It was like he had became a killing machine.

“What you say or do makes no difference. You’re all to be sacrifice for our cause.”

That was all he said as he cut a building in two causing it to fall onto some children. When this happened Rin didn’t even bat an eye at them and continued to cut down everything in front of him.

“Ha!”

Not too far away, KC was running behind him sniping everyone Rin missed with his arrow. He too was merciless as he shot an elderly couple through the eyes piercing their brains.

“Whatever Rin says I will follow.”

He mumbled to himself as he sniped an oni battling for life.

Everyone was completely merciless. To the residents of the country they couldn’t tell who were the monsters from hell. It was the same for the monsters as well. They thought that these teens were even more heartless than themselves.

*BOOM!*

Gigantic bolts of lightning fell from the sky and destroyed everything in a city. These bolts of lightning were created from countless alchemy sigil that were in the sky.

The one who created them was Ren.

He stood on a sigil in the air and snapped his fingers causing another round of lightning to fall on the city. Everything was destroyed in a matter of minutes.

“Hm?”

He looked to his side and saw people trying to escape the city. He pointed his finger at them.

“………”

He paused and then lowered his hand.

“Killing everyone isn’t necessary.”

He said.

*BOOM!*

A moment after he said that, a gigantic hammer slammed down and instant killed everyone.

The wielder of the hammer was Cait.

“But if we don’t eradicate as much as possible, there’s a chance that people will bear their fangs at us again. To make sure that a war of similar magnitude doesn’t happen again, we must show irresistible strength and cruelty.”

He said.

Cait looked at the people that she just killed and grimaced. She was once again reminded that war was cruel and just surviving a war required you being able to turn off your emotions.

“Let’s go to the next town.”

For the rest of the day, everyone destroyed as much as they could and slaughtered everything they came across without mercy.

Whether guilt devoured them from the inside, or they enjoyed it, it didn’t matter. They all committed the same acts and share the same sins, and that will never change.

Once again, war is cruel that is an undeniably fact. That’s why only the cruelest can come out the winner.

The cruelty of this war was just only starting to show. True cruelty will reveal itself as the bloodshed continues.