The mutilated ground finally settled, allowing the strewn earth to fall into a motionless landscape, and the dark blade’s awestruck master to realized the weight of his current situation. The deep gashes and rippled terrain decorated the land beneath his feet, confirming what he just saw as more than just a simple illusion or dream, but the powerful demon king still found himself doubting his senses.

Monsters react violently out of instinct when confronted with a threat or gifted with some kind of prey, but willingly rally behind a leader who’s strength greatly surpasses their own if possible. Power is the most desired and respected factor in their hierarchical societies, and since there’s a tremendous amount of physical, magical, and numerical strength in unity, an army of monsters is not inconceivable if a suitable leader arises.

Wraiths were made for command, hand-crafted by the gods themselves to bring order when needed, and chaos when beneficial. Even humanity, despite their fragile loyalties and untamable individuality, eventually bent a submissive knee to these who hail as the greatest of all terrestrial beings. If this was truly the case, and “demon kings” were made to lead all other creatures on this earth...

The dark figure shifted, returning to his senses as two blood-red dots turned to face him, sliding a wary foot back across the dirt to create a more defensive position. it didn’t require Mr. White’s superior intellect to know that an attack would fail, or a survivable escape was nigh impossible, so the demon king hardened his resolve and habitually straightened his slightly askew tie. Never let it be said that Charles White met death with anything but his best. After all, they will only meet once.

The wraith’s gaze locked on the once-human boy who’s intimidating aura exuded tremendous amounts of power, silently analyzing the demigod’s calculated movements for any sign of hostility or reason. The boy gave nothing away, his face retaining a calm expression which perfectly complimented the unhurried, yet direct placing of his feet, and the seemingly limitless crimson magic that was skillfully wrapped around his frame.

The dark-eyed boy’s black t-shirt rippled as a light breeze blew past, catching what little smoke and dust still drifted in the area around the two before fading into the background. Two blood-red eyes seemed to burn through the stoic boy’s hard features, the mystic energy within them betraying a well-hidden frustration that still hadn’t dispersed, and their certainty manifesting his determination. A slight smile broke the wraith’s solemn expression as he marveled at this ex-human’s strange abilities, and felt an unfamiliar respect towards the person opposite him.

“In all honesty, I don’t think someone who’s weak as myself could’ve defeated that unsavory bastard... definitely not in a head-to-head fight.”

Charles White spoke, lightly tugging at end of his sleeve to smooth a few unwanted wrinkles, and released a long sigh. Jack’s movements slowed as the distance between them grew smaller, but retained a visible frustration, and even began to feed more magic into the already oppressive aura surrounding him.

“I suppose it would’ve been wisest to kill you before you... uh...”

The wraith paused, searching for a word to accurately describe something that he himself didn’t fully understand, and unintentionally fell once more into confusion. Gods almost exclusively endow humans with the power of a “hero” since monsters may be unpredictable or have some kind incompatible magic, but Jack’s continuous growth and efficient utilization of magical power are uniquely innate features. However, humans do not have a natural flow of magic large enough to utilize, and even if he somehow did, this level of evolution would still be an insurmountable achievement. Not even a wraith like himself, who’s race is literally made to be the most elite third-evolution monster, could put up a fight.

Jack was many things, but only two of them concerned Mr. White at the moment, and neither of them would allow this interaction to end peacefully.

“...before you became stronger than me... and enraged due to our unfortunate circumstances.”

The dark-eyed boy stopped not ten feet away, his breaths continuing evenly as he stared with a stony expression, and slowly retracted the previously lax magic surrounding him in preparation of his next move. Jack’s arm radiated with an oppressive heat from where the high concentration of energy within it’s blood-red surface met the air outside, but the wraith simply ignored it, distracted by an almost melancholic curiosity towards the boy’s unexpected halt.

“I am glad it is you who walks away, though. We may disagree on some things, but you have friends who obviously care about your well-being, and the humans have be less than coopera-!?!.”

Magical power erupted from Jack’s backside, propelling him diagonally past the wraith with barely more than a breath of wind in his wake before arching back in the direction they came from earlier, and leaving the admission of defeat unfinished. The befuddled demon king quickly searched himself, uncertain whether or not the boy had struck him in passing, but found no injuries.

‘Ah, of course, I nearly forgot about the mess we left behind.’

Mr. White shook the confusion from his mind, and straightened to assume his full height, before quickly turning to face the distant town that Jack was already approaching. A potential battlefield of terrified humans and overeager monsters lay beneath those two girls’ feet, and without the humans’ “hero” next to them, they would soon be trampled into the dirt or taken for questioning. The wraith knew that neither scenario would end with the two walking away, even if they answered every question asked.

To save them, will Jack side with the monsters, the humans, or take his friends and let everything unfold without intervention? If he sided with monsters, then the boy could easily subdue and maintain the magic-less race, and live out his days in complete freedom… however, that doesn’t seem very likely to happen. Considering the once-man’s painfully altruistic personality, he will most likely side with his old species, but then again, that demigod is tough for even a demon king to predict.

“I’m actually pretty interested in how this will play out.”

Black smoke surrounded the wraith as he summoned his magic, spilling over the rough ground, and slowly enveloping his legs in their impenetrable writhing mass.

“I wonder how much he’s changed since our last meeting.”

The air shifted as Jack’s lean frame streaked across the countryside, his magic effortlessly propelling him through the air while simultaneously negating the destructive side-effects they caused. Fire danced in his eyes as he scanned the world below for any sign of Jenny and Val, directing his attention toward the divide, but remaining fully aware of the churning sea of assorted war machines and monsters surrounding it. Cautious of the thinning tension that restrained the hordes, the boy slowed, using his newly attained control to awkwardly but calmly land on the scene’s edge, and resumed his search on foot.

(Wow... Jack, your body is amazing now!)

Ellis’s voice excitedly shouted unnecessarily loud in Jack’s skull, her borderline shrill voice penetrating the low rumble of monstrous bodies shifting anxiously with a contrasting upbeat tone. The boy continued to move across the ground, occasionally casting a worried glance at the millions of watchful eyes that openly betrayed either the owners’ fear of bloodshed or thirst for it. Both were equally threatening to the girls’ safety.

‘I know. I’m afraid one misstep while I still have yet to adjust might be really destructive, or trigger some kind of war...’

(Hu hu hu hu)

‘...or something...’

Jack’s mind trailed off after Ellis’s unexpected chuckle, dipping into a shallow confusion while trying to discern the goddess’s intentions. However, this befuddlement didn’t last very long.

(I was talking about your figure.)

‘Of course you were...’

A dry response followed Ellis’s predictable comment, sending her into a series of mischievous giggles and incoherent mutterings about nonsensical fantasies. The boy ignored her distracting little quirks which seemed to be uncontrollable for some reason, kicking aside a particularly large boulder that had been unearthed during his brief time in this area, and impatiently cast an analyzing gaze over some of the more obscure places that might hide the two girls from sight. Nothing.

Jack considered quickening his pace, but the stench of fear was already washing over the small divide in nauseating waves, so he quickly dismissed the idea. It was already evident that diplomacy would be insufficient, and the impending devastation will probably end with either monsters obliterating humankind or humankind reducing most of this world to a radioactive wasteland. That is, unless something or someone stronger intervenes. In any case, he thought it best to wait until after Jenny and Val were safe before making any sudden moves.

Jack considered his current position. He had no loyalties to this world, and no love for it’s inhabitants- excluding his friends, of course- not to mention siding with the humans would only redirect their fear towards himself, or worse, become some kind of superhero figure. The boy’s face darkened, and chills crawled down his back as he thought of the hellish torture that comes with being someone’s “hero”. Then again...

(Listen to me!)

‘-f-ucking hell...’

A jarring shout numbed the demigod’s mind as Ellis’s impatience shattered his thoughts, and nearly sent him staggering backwards in shock. Deep red flames littered with numerous streaks of hot pink light slid up Jack’s arm, reacting defensively to a non-existent threat, and flooding the immediate area with it’s alluring magic. The boy’s eyes widened as he realized what was going to happen, and instantly cut off the energy coursing through his arm.

(Ha! Can’t sense a surprise attack when the attacker doesn’t have a body! I’m the only one who can surprise you now!)

The semi-deceased goddess herself shouted triumphantly in Jack’s mind, ignoring the sound of monsters shifting their attention toward them, and the lust for magic that was completely evident in their glowing eyes.

‘Did you do that on purpose?’

(Caution was crippling you, my love. I simply removed it from the equation.)

The humans have already become disquieted due to their intimidating enemy’s sudden change in temperament, cautiously bringing their weapons to bear as several commanding officers shouted insults at some of the more relaxed foot-soldiers. Every single ranged weapon in sight focused either on Jack or the occasional fury that greedily, but cautiously strayed from the pack.

(Besides, if something bad happened to them before you got here, moving this slow might take too long.)

‘Then just say that.... I’m not sure I can take on this many enemies at once, much less defend two other people in the process.’

A thunderous clap of heavy artillery exploding from one of the spectating tanks echoed across the mutilated plain, shattering the painful silence as a metallic projectile tore across the ground at it’s target. Jack watched the armor-piercing round pass through the air in slow motion, not entirely adjusted to his newly attained speed.

(You’re a middle existence now, Jack! Instead of just expanding you’re magical flow, you reorganized it so you can use it more directly! You’re body really IS amazing...)

Ellis trailed off again, speaking with even more energy than usual as Jack turned away from the hovering object and back to where he last saw the girls. This war, though unfortunate, is not his first priority. The ex-human will do what he can to keep this world alive, but not until he was sure Val and Jenny were safe from it.

Jack’s right arm erupted in flames followed by a crimson whip that lashed outward from his palm ten feet from the ground in the humans’ direction, and instantly severed all obstructions that lie stagnate in it’s path, stunning the terrified audience into a stupor. The boy knew what would follow their recovery, immediately deciding it was best not to waste time on pointless details like how this move gave them a more direct line of fire, and instead extending his already glowing left arm out over the horde.

With barely more than a thought, Jack released two massive charges of magic simultaneously out of his left arm and backside, igniting the monsters’ front line with bright red electricity as he streaked across the mutilated field. Magic leaked from the boy’s pores, trailing behind him as he began to manipulate the wind’s force before resuming the search for his friends once again, this time with slightly less emphasis on caution. Shrieks filled the air to his left as the closer monsters who weren’t vaporized by the artificial lightning collapsed, and were immediately trampled by their unfazed allies who either didn’t care, or just hadn’t noticed due to the massive difference in size.

‘Shit.’

The rumble of jet engines and the rhythmic beating of propellers became distantly audible, but since helicopters travel much slower than jets, they were most likely sent by some local news network, and shouldn’t pose much of a threat. However, the jets are probably well armed not likely to hold back on account of two or three humanoid bystanders, especially when one of them is spraying iridescent energy from his arms.

‘Where the hell did they g-‘

(There!)

Jack felt Ellis pull his attention off to the right, easing his worried mind as two familiar figures came into view. The dark-haired boy immediately releasing the brilliant pink electricity before making a ninety-degree turn in their direction. Val and Jenny warily stood over nearly a dozen fallen soldiers not far out from the human army’s front line, unaware of Jack’s presence, and violently trembling for numerous understandable reasons. The shorter of the two loosely held a sleek camouflaged assault rifle which she probably looted from one of the unfortunate souls who underestimated her abilities, but looked as if she was about to collapse from exhaustion. Fortunately, while Jenny did seem to be slightly flushed from her previous interactions, she didn’t appear to have any major handicaps.

Jack felt the anger he possessed towards the deceased hero instantly melt away as two startled blue eyes cast a quick glance in his direction, Jenny being closer and more alert was first to hear the dark-haired boy approach. Val, noticing Jenny’s movement swiftly directed the rifle along with her gaze towards the disturbance, skillfully braced the weapon’s underside with her other hand while preparing to fire, but froze before pulling the trigger.

(Hu hu hu,.. we’re all gonna die if you don’t do something, dummy.)

A chuckle followed by a quick, unnecessary comment from Ellis brought a smile to Jack’s face despite the terrible situation they were in. She was right, though. No matter how much he may want to, there was no stopping until the irritated masses of opposing warriors either back down, or are rendered unable to continue.

‘Well then... let’s do something.’