Talking to soldiers before arriving at the training camp, Helial had received a lot of information.

At that moment, he was among the members of the army of Madonia.

Madonia was an expanding kingdom, which aimed to become a great and powerful empire. Despite being so powerful, Helial had never heard of it. From the information gathered, it appeared that the kingdom was ruled by a very ancient dynasty.

Alexander was the King, son of his predecessor Philip; if Madonia was such a huge military power, the rising star of the continent, it was thanks to the young King, which had turned it into a real military empire.

Philip had paved the way for his son, so that the latter could unite the whole planet. The old King had used all the kingdom's funds to raise his son as the most formidable warrior and commander of the universe.

After changing many tutors, among the best and most famous of the whole continent, Philip realized that Alexander was not easily controlled by any of them and that he was so impatient because of an innate instinct for freedom. At the same time, however, he was sensitive to reason and duty; Philip regretted that such a promising young man could lose the path of power due to an almost animalistic instinct. Therefore, he sought more and more capable tutors, who could educate Alexander and teach him the discipline that suited a warrior sovereign.

One after the other, military tutors arrived alongside Alexander, not staying with him for more than a few months. Educating and instructing the young man in the arts and military discipline was a titanic undertaking, which required to master and at the same time be tamed by Mana, something in which only Totele, the greatest tutor of the time, succeeded. For a huge sum, naturally.

Ellen, the planet on which Helial had arrived, was trampled by an infinite number of different populations and terrifying warriors. Madonia was only a drop of water in that immense ocean, but gradually it had managed to become one of Ellen's most powerful kingdoms. The continent of Te had recently been conquered by Alexander, who was now turning his attention to the rest of the planet.

Previously, the continent was only partially dominated by the kingdom of Madonia, and subjected to the continuous wars between the various kingdoms that it hosted. Before embarking on the conquest of the whole known world, Alexander had had to unify the continent under his command.

Helial had found himself on the battlefield right at the beginning of Alexander's planetary campaign. There were countless populations, almost all under the Siano Empire, which had to be destroyed or dominated.

The numbers of the kingdom of Madonia were ridiculous compared to those of the Siano Empire. A few tens of thousands of Madoni warriors would have to fight with millions of Sianis. The enemy of the King of Madonia was Darius, a great leader and warrior, much stronger than Alexander; but the latter was not frightened by the reach of the enemy army nor by his terrifying nemesis.

This was Alessandro, a wild and fearless stallion, always looking for boundless prairies.

While Philip believed that keeping the purity of the race of Madonia was the best choice, Alexander had begun to mix his people with other races, hitherto considered barbaric.

While Dario remained motionless in his own palace, surrounded by his harem and his most trusted generals, Alexander threw himself into the fray, in the front, ready to receive a spear in the ribs during the action.

Alexander's heart pumped fire and flames.

Alexander knew that, upon his death, his army would be annihilated and his empire would fall. No one would be able to reign over such a vast territory, but Alexander had no intention of stopping.

At that precise moment, the most fearsome enemies of the kingdom of Madonia were the warriors of a population perched on the mountains, bordering the Siano Empire. The heights undoubtedly provided an advantage to them, and they felt safe surrounded by the steep peaks perpetually covered with snow; it would have been really difficult for Alexander to conquer that natural fortress with a frontal charge. It was therefore necessary to circumvent the city's defences and attack it by surprise.

However, if the battle against this people had just ended, there was an intestine one going on right in Alexander's training camp.

A skinny young man held a huge sword in his right hand, facing a giant two meters tall and full of muscles. The boy's intense blue gaze looked like that of a demon awakened from the underworld and gave him the appearance of the grim reaper. Curse of the Demon was his scythe.

With a sonic boom, the ground beneath Helial exploded. The boy launched at full speed towards Zeno like an arrow just shot from the bow.

From the moment he arrived on the training ground, Helial had felt that he had been made fun of, both by the other recruits and by Zeno. Of course, it wasn't the first time it happened; on the contrary, he was used to it. Except for a few people, all the others had done nothing but try to hurt him, or hadn't cared about him in the least.

On another occasion, Helial would endure that too, and would vent on a tree trunk, tearing it to pieces, but this time he could not.

He was ready to tear Zeno apart.

The coach didn't seem to like that idea. He had drawn a blue sword, which had suddenly made the environment more humid and, at the same time, freezing.

Ice and Water!

Zeno possessed two types of Affinity. Furthermore, they were two complementary Affinities. Such a person could only be called an unparalleled genius. Yet in that realm, he was nothing more than a mere trainer for the Royal Guard.

As Curse of the Demon was about to hit Zeno, Helial's pupils narrowed suddenly; the boy broke the course of his attack and immediately created a shield of flames behind him.

DOONNNNG

SPLAT!

Helial vomited a mouthful of blood on the ground as he flew backwards because of the blow. He went on for about ten meters, before planting his legs on the ground and stopping his body with his mere strength, like a bull. He stared fiercely at the man who had attacked him.

He slowly wiped the blood from his mouth, facing a mocking and haughty look.

Efeistio.

Alexander's General, the much renowned second strongest and most important man in the army. And he had attacked him suddenly!

"What the fuck are you doing?" Helial roared like a furious animal.

"You just attacked a trainer," said Efeistio, frowning.

“A coach who is not even able to defend himself! It would be better if I was your trainer, for all of you!” Helial laughed, angrier and angrier.

The kingdom of Madonia was much freer as far as hierarchies were concerned, unlike what happened in the Siani army. However, that didn't mean there was no discipline. To disrespect a direct superior that way would mean death.

“Not only did he not allow me to end the fight earnestly, but he also had the courage to say he wants to whip me. Trainer? A trainer should be more capable than the trainee. And this Zeno, instead? At best, he is more capable than the whores at the edge of the camp. Otherwise, why would you get in the way, bitch?” Said Helial, looking disgusted at Efeistio, who was bare-chested and with long hair that went down his shoulders. The heroic but slightly effeminate figure of Efeistio made Helial angry.

The General's expression darkened. Efeistio put his hand on the sword at his waist. There was no fear in the brat's eyes, only contempt.

It was the first time that the General felt a gaze like that. No one ever dared to look at him like that, let alone address him in that way!

“Stop being arrogant. Put your sword back in its scabbard and ask for forgiveness on your knees. If you stick to the military etiquette and want to receive the lashes you need to atone for your misbehaviour, today's words will be erased from history," said Efeistio.

"AHAHAHAHAHAH", Helial circulated all his Skills and activated Metamorphosis and Runic Condensation to the maximum.

Metamorphosis dramatically increased the amount of Mana present within his body, while Runic Condensation caused the Mana to become fierce and unstable, but also tremendously explosive.

"Put your weapon away before speaking to a General," said Efeistio, this time with a stronger voice.

According to rules of this world, Efeistio, despite being only in the Intermediate grade of the Second Phase, had to be about as strong as Medusa; this was only an estimate, since Helial did not know how strong she was exactly.

Efeistio’s swollen muscles shone in the sunlight. Along with his long hair and bright eyes, his image, so similar to that of a hero of the ancient times, was nothing short of perfect.

His golden skin seemed tougher than steel and the silver sword he held in his hand seemed capable of cutting the steel as if it were tofu.

"Do you think that a simple General can speak to me like this? Lay down my weapon? Even if your King were here, he should get it by force." Helial did not seem willing to surrender. His face became a mask of contempt and ferocity.

Teodete, Tarasio and Soter watched the scene, stunned. Had a simple clash between recruits who wanted to join the Royal Guard reached the point where even a General had to intervene?

All they could do was rejoice in the face of Helial's misfortune. At first, they thought he was going to be their greatest enemy, but now he seemed to have caused his own downfall.

They could not understand why that brat was so important that even Efeistio intervened. Did the General really think that Zeno was unable to protect himself?

They could not know that the motivations that had driven Helial to behave that way did not belong to their world. Helial had decided never to be humiliated again. For ten years, he had suffered and hid his true power because of Hades, but now, whoever tried to crush him, he would have had to deal with his resolve.